WEBVTT 00:00:02.990 --> 00:00:06.370 Without the oxygen, it would have been a three 00:00:06.370 --> 00:00:13.449 -minute sermon. And with it, it's not as long 00:00:13.449 --> 00:00:21.329 as fathers. As fathers, but a sermon. There's 00:00:21.329 --> 00:00:28.390 a page missing. How nice. Well, I have to go 00:00:28.390 --> 00:00:34.719 without it. Glory be to Jesus Christ. Glory be 00:00:34.719 --> 00:00:43.899 to Christ. The four gospel writers tell us that 00:00:43.899 --> 00:00:51.600 Jesus performed unusual healings and miracles. 00:00:55.700 --> 00:01:01.420 And for the three of those miracles, was so unusual 00:01:01.420 --> 00:01:12.060 that the gospel writers point them out. The first 00:01:12.060 --> 00:01:18.140 illustration of the power of Jesus facing death 00:01:18.140 --> 00:01:30.310 is found in the 8th chapter of Luke, where He 00:01:30.310 --> 00:01:41.530 confronts a young lady who died. We are told 00:01:41.530 --> 00:01:49.010 that there were many mourners and grievers surrounding 00:01:49.010 --> 00:01:59.489 the death of this young 12 -year -old. daughter 00:01:59.489 --> 00:02:08.210 of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. And he 00:02:08.210 --> 00:02:26.509 said to them, do not be disbelieving. She will 00:02:26.509 --> 00:02:36.090 be well. And he came and touched the wicker basket 00:02:36.090 --> 00:02:39.430 in which she was held. Because there were no 00:02:39.430 --> 00:02:46.270 coffins at that time. And when he touched her, 00:02:46.409 --> 00:02:52.069 her breath came back. She was dead. Her breath 00:02:52.069 --> 00:02:56.430 came back. And the second illustration of this 00:02:56.430 --> 00:03:03.590 extraordinary power of Jesus. was listed in St. 00:03:03.770 --> 00:03:07.870 John's Gospel, the 11th chapter, in a very intimate, 00:03:07.990 --> 00:03:17.009 personal way, in which he resurrects his dear 00:03:17.009 --> 00:03:22.409 friend, Lazarus, who after four days was in the 00:03:22.409 --> 00:03:31.270 grave. And the third illustration, Describes. 00:03:32.469 --> 00:03:38.669 How Jesus responded. To death. In today's gospel 00:03:38.669 --> 00:03:49.250 lesson. The seventh chapter. Again. In a. In 00:03:49.250 --> 00:03:58.009 a magnificent way. He touched. He touched her. 00:04:03.469 --> 00:04:12.569 And her breath came back. Now these illustrations 00:04:12.569 --> 00:04:26.990 of Christ's power are meant to point out how 00:04:26.990 --> 00:04:32.649 important it is for us to understand the themes 00:04:33.420 --> 00:04:38.839 The essential underlying theme of both the epistles 00:04:38.839 --> 00:04:51.779 and the gospels. And when he gave strength and 00:04:51.779 --> 00:04:59.360 breath to the child, the people said, God has 00:04:59.360 --> 00:05:08.649 visited us. And they were all amazed. And in 00:05:08.649 --> 00:05:21.389 the Slavonic text it says, He came to his own 00:05:21.389 --> 00:05:33.459 people. Jesus visited his people. Jesus today 00:05:33.459 --> 00:05:50.360 visits us in various ways. He visits us through 00:05:50.360 --> 00:05:55.839 the gospel readings, through the epistle readings, 00:05:56.120 --> 00:06:01.040 through the proclamation of the word of God. 00:06:02.319 --> 00:06:10.060 to the sacraments. He visits us only in a way 00:06:10.060 --> 00:06:14.939 that you and I in the deepest level of our understanding 00:06:14.939 --> 00:06:33.160 can respond. I recall going on a religious and 00:06:33.160 --> 00:06:41.740 cultural pilgrimage back in the early 90s. And 00:06:41.740 --> 00:06:49.240 in that group was a so -called intellectual who 00:06:49.240 --> 00:06:56.860 said to me after most of the visit to these sites 00:06:56.860 --> 00:07:10.810 were done, He said, I believe that your response, 00:07:11.110 --> 00:07:15.569 and I have seen what your response and the response 00:07:15.569 --> 00:07:23.029 of others in this group, how they venerated icons, 00:07:23.389 --> 00:07:31.399 holy places. I believe that And he says, I'm 00:07:31.399 --> 00:07:36.740 not wrong. I believe that you're all pursuing 00:07:36.740 --> 00:07:52.560 illusions. I said, well, I don't think I'm wrong. 00:07:56.060 --> 00:08:01.129 And I believe that what we have done was to acknowledge 00:08:01.129 --> 00:08:13.649 the presence of Christ. And even if I lost 70 00:08:13.649 --> 00:08:21.430 years in doing that, at least I have not lost 00:08:21.430 --> 00:08:45.889 and forfeited eternity. There are ways in which 00:08:45.889 --> 00:08:50.509 both the Gospel lessons and the Epistle lessons 00:08:50.509 --> 00:09:03.769 underline this essential theme. That Christ is 00:09:03.769 --> 00:09:10.679 not only the Lord of the living, But he is the 00:09:10.679 --> 00:09:17.759 Lord of death. The vanquisher of death. And it 00:09:17.759 --> 00:09:24.860 is for this reason we could cry out with joy. 00:09:27.379 --> 00:09:32.679 And we still do so at every liturgy. I believe 00:09:32.679 --> 00:09:42.879 in the resurrection of Christ. That indeed He 00:09:42.879 --> 00:09:48.740 is with us. And as He said in more than one occasion 00:09:48.740 --> 00:10:01.080 that I'll be with you until the end of time. 00:10:05.200 --> 00:10:12.820 The message Of these readings. Should not be 00:10:12.820 --> 00:10:22.000 lost. Because the message of Pascha. Is still 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:32.039 with us. None of the. Underlying. Thrust. Of 00:10:32.039 --> 00:10:34.600 the Easter message is lost. Because of time. 00:10:37.220 --> 00:10:42.740 Eternal life. Jesus said, begins here and now. 00:10:44.299 --> 00:10:48.559 And as St. Paul in today's epistle mentions, 00:10:48.860 --> 00:10:53.179 now is the day, now is the time of salvation. 00:10:55.940 --> 00:11:01.120 So the death to be feared, my dear people, in 00:11:01.120 --> 00:11:04.600 these three illustrations, revealing the power 00:11:04.600 --> 00:11:09.919 of Christ in the presence of death. Death to 00:11:09.919 --> 00:11:14.879 be feared is not the physical death, but what's 00:11:14.879 --> 00:11:21.379 more tragic, the spiritual death. Spiritual death 00:11:21.379 --> 00:11:25.440 is the state in which a person who is physically 00:11:25.440 --> 00:11:32.840 alive, but spiritually dead. Dead to Christ, 00:11:33.059 --> 00:11:37.240 dead to the church, dead to the needs of others. 00:11:38.830 --> 00:11:44.210 And this is the ultimate tragedy where so many 00:11:44.210 --> 00:11:52.509 people miss. The ultimate tragedy is that this 00:11:52.509 --> 00:12:01.450 is the loss and forfeiture of eternal life. So 00:12:01.450 --> 00:12:05.090 again, I want to re -emphasize that the message 00:12:05.090 --> 00:12:09.019 of today's Gospel and Epistle reading Is that 00:12:09.019 --> 00:12:17.820 God is with us. As we hear so many times during 00:12:17.820 --> 00:12:22.980 the course of the year. God is with us, not was, 00:12:23.139 --> 00:12:29.779 but is with us. And these days, there's a tendency 00:12:29.779 --> 00:12:35.320 on part of our human nature. To be impressed 00:12:35.320 --> 00:12:40.700 with the spectacular and sensational. But the 00:12:40.700 --> 00:12:45.919 scriptures teach differently. God comes not with 00:12:45.919 --> 00:12:53.419 might. Not with coercion. But in humility. And 00:12:53.419 --> 00:13:01.399 in compassion. He has come to bridge. Heaven. 00:13:02.960 --> 00:13:09.179 And earth. He said to these disciples. As he 00:13:09.179 --> 00:13:14.080 said. To us this morning in the scriptures. I 00:13:14.080 --> 00:13:21.879 will be with you. Until the end of time. So again 00:13:21.879 --> 00:13:28.539 I want to. Reemphasize. The main. Theme. Of these 00:13:28.539 --> 00:13:34.750 passages of the scripture. That God in Christ 00:13:34.750 --> 00:13:40.549 reveals not only that Jesus is the Lord of life, 00:13:40.710 --> 00:13:46.889 but the Lord of death. Who trampled down death 00:13:46.889 --> 00:13:54.149 by death. And in doing so, brought us eternal 00:13:54.149 --> 00:13:58.610 life. In the name of the Father, the Son, and 00:13:58.610 --> 00:13:59.309 the Holy Spirit.