WEBVTT 00:00:05.959 --> 00:00:09.519 Dear friends, at the door, there's plenty of 00:00:09.519 --> 00:00:11.740 room up here. If you would like to sit down, 00:00:11.939 --> 00:00:18.500 there's plenty of room. Beloved of the Lord, 00:00:18.739 --> 00:00:23.940 we've now reached the fourth, let's call it the 00:00:23.940 --> 00:00:26.980 port of call. One of our priests referred to 00:00:26.980 --> 00:00:30.760 a hymn saying that Lent is a great voyage on 00:00:30.760 --> 00:00:34.039 the sea. So we're at the fourth port of call 00:00:34.039 --> 00:00:38.780 in our Lenten voyage. The Sunday of St. John 00:00:38.780 --> 00:00:43.939 of the Ladder, John called Klimakos. Klimakos, 00:00:43.979 --> 00:00:47.259 it means ladder in Greek. And the Sunday of the 00:00:47.259 --> 00:00:52.719 Gospel of St. Mark with that desperate father 00:00:52.719 --> 00:00:58.039 asking for, who believes asking for more faith. 00:00:59.979 --> 00:01:02.039 You know, in a way, each Sunday of Lent brings 00:01:02.039 --> 00:01:04.359 us on a journey. It's called a journey for a 00:01:04.359 --> 00:01:08.180 reason. And we know that the final destinations 00:01:08.180 --> 00:01:14.579 of that journey are Bethany, raising of Lazarus, 00:01:14.599 --> 00:01:19.359 Palm Sunday, Jerusalem, the Garden of Gethsemane, 00:01:19.420 --> 00:01:27.739 the place where the Lord was tried, the pavement. 00:01:30.349 --> 00:01:35.250 the empty tomb, Golgotha, the empty tomb, and 00:01:35.250 --> 00:01:38.390 the ultimate destination, which we have a share 00:01:38.390 --> 00:01:43.510 in today, as we have every Sunday and every liturgy. 00:01:43.629 --> 00:01:47.250 And that is the table in the kingdom where we 00:01:47.250 --> 00:01:51.569 meet and we know the risen Lord and the breaking 00:01:51.569 --> 00:01:54.870 of the bread, holy Zion, the city of the living 00:01:54.870 --> 00:01:58.450 God, the divine liturgy of Pascha, of which all 00:01:58.450 --> 00:02:03.140 liturgies are... are connected. The heavenly 00:02:03.140 --> 00:02:07.099 Jerusalem, an innumerable assembly of angels, 00:02:07.219 --> 00:02:10.219 the festal gathering, says St. Paul, the assembly 00:02:10.219 --> 00:02:12.479 of the firstborn who are registered in heaven. 00:02:12.599 --> 00:02:15.139 We are looking forward to Pascha, at which point 00:02:15.139 --> 00:02:22.620 we will receive from the Lord that Pascha communion 00:02:22.620 --> 00:02:30.110 and demonstrate and be enlightened and be blessed 00:02:30.110 --> 00:02:33.449 in our action of receiving that community that 00:02:33.449 --> 00:02:37.870 we are orthodox Christians just as the Hebrews 00:02:37.870 --> 00:02:41.830 in ancient times demonstrated that they belonged 00:02:41.830 --> 00:02:46.330 to this new gathering that God made his people 00:02:46.330 --> 00:02:49.909 in Egypt and the angel of death passes over just 00:02:49.909 --> 00:02:53.870 as they did we do without that are we Christian 00:02:53.870 --> 00:03:01.080 without that Eucharist are we Christian He who 00:03:01.080 --> 00:03:03.439 eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me 00:03:03.439 --> 00:03:08.319 and I in him. So that defines us. That's very 00:03:08.319 --> 00:03:12.219 important, especially on Pascha. You know, the 00:03:12.219 --> 00:03:15.020 Hebrews were not considered Jewish if they didn't 00:03:15.020 --> 00:03:19.699 celebrate Passover. With us, without Pascha, 00:03:19.719 --> 00:03:25.879 are we Christian? The old approach doesn't disappear. 00:03:27.389 --> 00:03:29.889 This is our hope. We're on our way. That's that 00:03:29.889 --> 00:03:34.270 final port of call. You know, commemorations 00:03:34.270 --> 00:03:37.610 begin somewhere, don't they? Looking back, the 00:03:37.610 --> 00:03:39.610 restoration of the icons on the first Sunday 00:03:39.610 --> 00:03:42.509 of Lent, we could say, that's Constantinople, 00:03:42.610 --> 00:03:47.669 where things had gone so wrong by the imperial 00:03:47.669 --> 00:03:51.030 power and authority, and then they were set right. 00:03:51.289 --> 00:03:54.629 And then, Constantinople, Christian city, gone. 00:03:54.810 --> 00:03:58.930 Gone. Lamentable. It's gone. The second week, 00:03:59.069 --> 00:04:01.750 we could say, in honor of St. Gregory Palamas, 00:04:01.889 --> 00:04:06.689 we were at Mount Athos, the Holy Mountain. Last 00:04:06.689 --> 00:04:10.229 week, that week of the cross, we were in Jerusalem, 00:04:10.569 --> 00:04:14.030 the Church of Jerusalem. Today, we ascend Mount 00:04:14.030 --> 00:04:17.829 Sinai, or at least we go to the bottom of Sinai, 00:04:17.870 --> 00:04:23.089 and to Mount Tabor also, which I'll explain in 00:04:23.089 --> 00:04:27.939 a moment. Showed his glory to his disciples. 00:04:29.199 --> 00:04:33.639 Our saint for today. Saint John. Wrote this book. 00:04:35.620 --> 00:04:38.439 The ladder of divine ascent. And lived most of 00:04:38.439 --> 00:04:41.220 his life. At the monastery of Saint Catherine. 00:04:41.259 --> 00:04:44.139 At the foot of Mount Sinai. Where we are today. 00:04:44.500 --> 00:04:48.240 And that's where he reposed. On March 30th. The 00:04:48.240 --> 00:04:51.379 year 649. We don't know much about Saint John. 00:04:52.600 --> 00:05:00.009 This book. It has been considered for 13 centuries, 00:05:00.129 --> 00:05:04.689 to have my math right, as a Christian survival 00:05:04.689 --> 00:05:09.290 guide for the days of confusion and sorrow and 00:05:09.290 --> 00:05:15.230 anxiety. And praise God, the reason it's held 00:05:15.230 --> 00:05:18.089 up today, and St. John is held up today, one 00:05:18.089 --> 00:05:21.389 of them is because it has been the guide. for 00:05:21.389 --> 00:05:24.490 countless numbers of Christians to learn repentance, 00:05:24.829 --> 00:05:29.329 to learn the gospel life, to have a guide. And 00:05:29.329 --> 00:05:33.829 for anyone, monastic or otherwise, who wants 00:05:33.829 --> 00:05:38.889 to believe and to pray and to fast and to gain 00:05:38.889 --> 00:05:42.410 the godly virtues and to defeat the devil and 00:05:42.410 --> 00:05:45.610 to appropriate the victory of God and Christ 00:05:45.610 --> 00:05:50.060 by the Holy Spirit in our human life, To discover 00:05:50.060 --> 00:05:55.060 the gift of Great Lent, anybody would do well 00:05:55.060 --> 00:05:59.279 to study repeatedly this book along with the 00:05:59.279 --> 00:06:04.560 scriptures. And we are doomed to just a superficial 00:06:04.560 --> 00:06:08.519 reminder of St. John and this book on the fourth 00:06:08.519 --> 00:06:11.740 Sunday of Lent each year, unless we actually 00:06:11.740 --> 00:06:15.660 read this book and engage in this book and try 00:06:15.660 --> 00:06:21.089 to live according to it. And become. Become. 00:06:22.529 --> 00:06:24.990 Loving Christians, do you know what the last 00:06:24.990 --> 00:06:31.250 chapter of this book is? Anybody? Love. 30 steps, 00:06:31.470 --> 00:06:34.889 one for each year of the Lord. 30 steps with 00:06:34.889 --> 00:06:41.189 the top step, love. Not just how we feel, but 00:06:41.189 --> 00:06:44.850 godly love. Coursing through us, through our 00:06:44.850 --> 00:06:48.500 hearts. Through our souls. So that we can share 00:06:48.500 --> 00:06:52.639 God's love. That's why it's the top step. And 00:06:52.639 --> 00:06:57.120 the most difficult one to achieve. So let's, 00:06:57.120 --> 00:06:59.720 brothers and sisters, let's take it seriously 00:06:59.720 --> 00:07:02.720 what the church suggests. And read. Read this 00:07:02.720 --> 00:07:05.139 book. Get a copy. Will you understand everything? 00:07:05.339 --> 00:07:08.620 I guarantee you, no. Does that matter? It does 00:07:08.620 --> 00:07:11.379 not matter. Because what you do understand, you 00:07:11.379 --> 00:07:14.699 will benefit from. And there on Mount Sinai. 00:07:16.760 --> 00:07:19.300 The foot of it where St. John lived in this monastery, 00:07:19.399 --> 00:07:23.459 which still exists, St. Catherine. Mount Sinai, 00:07:23.459 --> 00:07:25.839 of course, is the place where the prophet Moses 00:07:25.839 --> 00:07:30.399 ascended to stand before God. We have his fresco 00:07:30.399 --> 00:07:33.040 right there. You can't see it too well from here. 00:07:34.199 --> 00:07:37.220 Taken up. At the top of the mountain. Into the 00:07:37.220 --> 00:07:39.740 kingdom of God. The divine assembly. And shown 00:07:39.740 --> 00:07:42.459 the mysteries of the worship of God. In this 00:07:42.459 --> 00:07:45.360 incredible vision. And coming down from the mountain. 00:07:45.420 --> 00:07:48.639 With the commandments. His face shining with 00:07:48.639 --> 00:07:53.800 the uncreated light. What did he see? What did 00:07:53.800 --> 00:07:59.000 he see? His people. Worshipping an idol. The 00:07:59.000 --> 00:08:03.319 golden calf. And having an orgy. If you take 00:08:03.319 --> 00:08:06.829 my meaning. Now, why am I telling you this? Because 00:08:06.829 --> 00:08:10.329 it's not in the gospel readings for today. Because 00:08:10.329 --> 00:08:15.230 St. Mark wants us to, I believe, wants us to 00:08:15.230 --> 00:08:19.029 make a connection in his gospel, which you did 00:08:19.029 --> 00:08:23.470 hear. The Lord has just come down from Mount 00:08:23.470 --> 00:08:27.899 Tabor. The day of their transfiguration. St. 00:08:27.939 --> 00:08:30.959 Mark is telling us. He's reminding us of that 00:08:30.959 --> 00:08:34.919 event. And the sorrowful chaotic mayhem that 00:08:34.919 --> 00:08:37.700 Moses saw. In the same way as Jesus comes down 00:08:37.700 --> 00:08:42.179 from the mountain. What does he see? He sees 00:08:42.179 --> 00:08:48.379 absolute chaos. The three disciples had a glimpse 00:08:48.379 --> 00:08:54.059 of the glory of God. And at the bottom. And we 00:08:54.059 --> 00:08:56.580 see how quickly we forget the providence and 00:08:56.580 --> 00:08:59.200 the promises and the grace of God in our lives. 00:08:59.379 --> 00:09:01.980 The bottom, St. Mark writes this. He says, there 00:09:01.980 --> 00:09:04.879 was a great crowd around the nine other disciples 00:09:04.879 --> 00:09:08.139 that stayed, that did not go up to the mountain. 00:09:08.539 --> 00:09:13.440 And the scribes were arguing with them. And immediately 00:09:13.440 --> 00:09:17.840 upon seeing Jesus, the crowd rushes over. They 00:09:17.840 --> 00:09:20.220 were greatly amazed, says St. Mark, and ran up 00:09:20.220 --> 00:09:22.659 to him and greeted him. And Jesus asks them, 00:09:22.720 --> 00:09:28.620 what are you arguing about? Imagine the scene. 00:09:29.460 --> 00:09:32.500 Yelling and this boy writhing on the ground. 00:09:32.679 --> 00:09:35.399 This is probably a young man by this point. And 00:09:35.399 --> 00:09:37.940 someone from the crowd says, teacher, I brought 00:09:37.940 --> 00:09:41.379 you my son. For he has a spirit that makes him 00:09:41.379 --> 00:09:45.440 mute. He's got a demonic spirit. And whenever 00:09:45.440 --> 00:09:48.159 it seizes him, it casts him into the fire. And 00:09:48.159 --> 00:09:53.059 he foams and he writhes about. The nine disciples 00:09:53.059 --> 00:09:55.840 had been given the power, the authorization, 00:09:56.299 --> 00:10:02.519 the glory, the grace to heal this boy. They could 00:10:02.519 --> 00:10:06.399 not do it. And you know the very touching and 00:10:06.399 --> 00:10:09.460 heartfelt plea of the Father. If you can do anything, 00:10:09.679 --> 00:10:13.919 have compassion on us. If. Do we ever say to 00:10:13.919 --> 00:10:18.379 Christ, Lord, if you can help? There's no if 00:10:18.379 --> 00:10:24.610 with Christ. It seems to me, looking in my own 00:10:24.610 --> 00:10:29.429 soul and my own experience, we so often want 00:10:29.429 --> 00:10:32.970 our Lord. It's Jesus coming down from the mountain. 00:10:33.490 --> 00:10:37.690 It's not Moses. It's the Redeemer of our souls. 00:10:37.870 --> 00:10:40.590 It's the Savior of the world. It's the Word of 00:10:40.590 --> 00:10:43.769 God. It's God incarnate in the flesh with all 00:10:43.769 --> 00:10:46.110 power, both in heaven and on earth, he says. 00:10:47.230 --> 00:10:52.200 And we want God to control. Outward circumstances 00:10:52.200 --> 00:10:55.399 most of the time. And certainly in our heart 00:10:55.399 --> 00:10:58.440 there's things that we should ask for that. But 00:10:58.440 --> 00:11:02.860 we neglect that one thing needful that God can 00:11:02.860 --> 00:11:06.299 do for us that would change our perspective in 00:11:06.299 --> 00:11:10.200 everything in our life. You know, the disciples 00:11:10.200 --> 00:11:13.299 like this talk of healing. But as soon as the 00:11:13.299 --> 00:11:17.080 Lord speaks about the cross, they back off. And 00:11:17.080 --> 00:11:21.629 it says, They didn't understand what he was saying 00:11:21.629 --> 00:11:27.570 and were afraid to ask him. We want God to control 00:11:27.570 --> 00:11:30.570 the outward circumstances, but what he can do 00:11:30.570 --> 00:11:36.149 for us is to change the inner direction to heal 00:11:36.149 --> 00:11:40.590 us of whatever passions, whatever impulses, whatever 00:11:40.590 --> 00:11:44.409 obsessions we have. Little by little, his word 00:11:44.409 --> 00:11:48.470 guiding us, and he is trustworthy. You heard 00:11:48.470 --> 00:11:54.929 in the epistle, immutable, changeless. Oh God, 00:11:55.129 --> 00:11:57.970 we say at the funeral service when someone is 00:11:57.970 --> 00:12:01.590 brought in singing Psalm 118, Thy law, O Lord, 00:12:01.769 --> 00:12:04.870 I love with my whole heart, for it is forever. 00:12:06.549 --> 00:12:10.470 This is what we need to ask God. Lord, I believe. 00:12:12.299 --> 00:12:14.559 And I don't mean an intellectual understanding 00:12:14.559 --> 00:12:19.179 of the Holy Trinity and St. Gregory of Nazianzus, 00:12:19.240 --> 00:12:21.700 St. Basil the Great, and the three holy hierarchs, 00:12:21.700 --> 00:12:24.720 what they said about hypostasis and homoousias. 00:12:25.500 --> 00:12:28.559 And what St. Cyril says about the Theotokos, 00:12:28.620 --> 00:12:31.039 all essential and important. That's not what 00:12:31.039 --> 00:12:35.620 I mean by belief. I mean, do you have the experience 00:12:35.620 --> 00:12:39.039 of the encounter with Jesus Christ that this 00:12:39.039 --> 00:12:43.330 man in the gospel had on that day? And he says, 00:12:43.409 --> 00:12:46.129 I believe, O Lord. Now he starts to see Christ. 00:12:46.769 --> 00:12:52.470 And he knows something can change. For us, it's 00:12:52.470 --> 00:12:56.990 not this scene of a crazy child who is demon 00:12:56.990 --> 00:13:02.049 -possessed. Certainly, that's an encouragement 00:13:02.049 --> 00:13:05.730 for the catechumens who did have that exorcism 00:13:05.730 --> 00:13:09.750 and are preparing for baptism. For us, it's that 00:13:09.750 --> 00:13:13.529 inner man that needs to change. Lord, I believe. 00:13:14.950 --> 00:13:19.889 I want to know you more deeply. One saint says 00:13:19.889 --> 00:13:22.850 something startling, which kind of worries me. 00:13:23.570 --> 00:13:28.769 He says, when you pray, do you have distraction 00:13:28.769 --> 00:13:32.769 when you pray? Now think about that. Think about 00:13:32.769 --> 00:13:35.429 you get up in the morning or in the afternoon 00:13:35.429 --> 00:13:39.350 or whatever, and you pray. Oh, heavenly king, 00:13:39.470 --> 00:13:40.909 the comforter of the spirit, and you're doing 00:13:40.909 --> 00:13:44.669 Psalm 50 or whatever, where is your mind? He 00:13:44.669 --> 00:13:49.470 says, what I find challenging and worrisome, 00:13:49.490 --> 00:13:52.429 he says, if you pray with the distractions, you 00:13:52.429 --> 00:13:56.830 don't love God. Thinking, well, that's pretty 00:13:56.830 --> 00:14:02.009 harsh. And then he says, imagine you're in the 00:14:02.009 --> 00:14:06.350 embrace of your beloved, and you're thinking 00:14:06.350 --> 00:14:09.940 about something else. Do you love that person? 00:14:11.100 --> 00:14:15.000 Or is there another love, more powerful, that 00:14:15.000 --> 00:14:19.879 has captured you? So this is what our Lord can 00:14:19.879 --> 00:14:23.480 do for us. Do we love God enough? And if we don't, 00:14:23.480 --> 00:14:27.620 Lord, help our unbelief. Grant us the experience 00:14:27.620 --> 00:14:30.620 of your presence so that we feel embraced and 00:14:30.620 --> 00:14:39.059 joyful. We know we have this gospel. We have 00:14:39.059 --> 00:14:41.940 this book, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, to encourage 00:14:41.940 --> 00:14:45.080 us at this fifth of week, at fifth Lent of week. 00:14:45.240 --> 00:14:47.559 And we have the catechumens preparing for holy 00:14:47.559 --> 00:14:51.059 illumination. And for us that are trying to fast, 00:14:51.299 --> 00:14:56.299 to pray more, to do works of mercy, may Christ 00:14:56.299 --> 00:14:59.500 answer the prayer of the Father for us. Lord, 00:14:59.659 --> 00:15:04.460 I believe. Because belief, faith, trust is gained 00:15:04.460 --> 00:15:09.000 by knowing and loving Christ. information about 00:15:09.000 --> 00:15:14.159 him. We experience all the turmoil and the suffering 00:15:14.159 --> 00:15:18.379 that everyone in the world experiences. All the 00:15:18.379 --> 00:15:20.840 fears, all the sicknesses, the weakness, the 00:15:20.840 --> 00:15:24.960 passions, the anxieties, addictions, desires, 00:15:25.440 --> 00:15:29.779 the ignorance. All mankind has this. Yet we have 00:15:29.779 --> 00:15:33.539 an anchor, wrote St. Paul in that epistle today. 00:15:33.820 --> 00:15:36.759 Jesus Christ. And that anchor is pulling us. 00:15:36.799 --> 00:15:41.000 It's keeping us in connection with the Lord. 00:15:41.259 --> 00:15:44.500 So we also have a goal. We have a hope. We have 00:15:44.500 --> 00:15:48.179 a destiny. We have the risen Lord. And despite 00:15:48.179 --> 00:15:52.460 our sinfulness and our troubles and cares, we 00:15:52.460 --> 00:15:56.730 have experience of the good news. We don't just 00:15:56.730 --> 00:16:01.429 wait for the magic fairy faith to come down and 00:16:01.429 --> 00:16:03.750 wave something over us to make us more faithful. 00:16:04.250 --> 00:16:09.850 We can, number one, practice endurance. We can 00:16:09.850 --> 00:16:12.049 endure the things that happen in our life that 00:16:12.049 --> 00:16:15.710 will strengthen us. We can rely upon God instead, 00:16:15.850 --> 00:16:19.090 not on ourself. The disciples couldn't heal this 00:16:19.090 --> 00:16:23.090 man. They thought they had the power. Number 00:16:23.090 --> 00:16:26.169 two. We believe in the immutable counsels of 00:16:26.169 --> 00:16:30.610 God and know them and read them and understand 00:16:30.610 --> 00:16:34.289 them and come to live by them. And number three, 00:16:34.389 --> 00:16:39.250 let us practice prayer and fasting. And these 00:16:39.250 --> 00:16:41.950 things will help us deepen our faith and make 00:16:41.950 --> 00:16:44.590 us more faithful. And when the difficult times 00:16:44.590 --> 00:16:47.350 come, the challenges come, we will be ready. 00:16:48.450 --> 00:16:50.429 Sometimes we think we need to get everything 00:16:50.429 --> 00:16:53.259 set before we can come to the Lord. No, it's 00:16:53.259 --> 00:16:55.279 the other way around. When we're a mess, this 00:16:55.279 --> 00:16:58.299 is the place we come. Not how we feel about it, 00:16:58.360 --> 00:17:01.200 because God will change that feeling. Dear brothers 00:17:01.200 --> 00:17:05.059 and sisters in Christ, how rich is our faith? 00:17:05.420 --> 00:17:09.339 How much God loves us and wants to embrace us, 00:17:09.480 --> 00:17:13.279 to believe in us, to believe in him, to rely 00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:17.400 on him, in order to give us the comfort and the 00:17:17.400 --> 00:17:21.500 challenge of faith. Let's enable this in our 00:17:21.500 --> 00:17:25.630 life. let us trust that God is worthy of our 00:17:25.630 --> 00:17:28.829 attention. To him be glory now and ever, to ages 00:17:28.829 --> 00:17:30.009 of ages. Amen.