WEBVTT 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:05.500 Glory to Jesus Christ. Glory to Christ. In the 00:00:05.500 --> 00:00:08.619 name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 00:00:08.619 --> 00:00:18.739 Holy Spirit. Amen. Let me remind you about what 00:00:18.739 --> 00:00:23.420 I said last week, that since Pentecost, the weeks 00:00:23.420 --> 00:00:27.899 after Pentecost, the Church focuses our attention 00:00:28.670 --> 00:00:31.929 on what it means just to be a Christian, a disciple 00:00:31.929 --> 00:00:34.710 of Christ. How to follow Christ, what to do, 00:00:34.770 --> 00:00:37.829 how to act. Why are we doing this, and who is 00:00:37.829 --> 00:00:40.890 it that Jesus Christ is? All of these questions, 00:00:40.990 --> 00:00:43.710 all of these things are addressed in these weeks. 00:00:44.130 --> 00:00:47.689 Christ having power over nature, Christ having 00:00:47.689 --> 00:00:51.829 power over demons, Christ having power over sin, 00:00:52.090 --> 00:00:56.609 Christ forgiving, as you heard today, Christ 00:00:56.609 --> 00:00:59.880 healing. And who is this Christ? Well, we're 00:00:59.880 --> 00:01:03.119 celebrating this feast of the fathers of the 00:01:03.119 --> 00:01:07.420 first six ecumenical councils. I debated going 00:01:07.420 --> 00:01:10.519 through each council in detail this morning, 00:01:10.579 --> 00:01:13.200 but I'll save you that and we'll do that at another 00:01:13.200 --> 00:01:16.939 time at a class, perhaps. But the question was 00:01:16.939 --> 00:01:21.459 always, who is Jesus Christ? And why are we following 00:01:21.459 --> 00:01:27.180 him? But today we also have an epistle. that 00:01:27.180 --> 00:01:33.019 is very, very clear on the behavior of Christians. 00:01:35.599 --> 00:01:39.420 St. Paul says we've all been given grace according 00:01:39.420 --> 00:01:43.180 to the measure that God wants us to have it. 00:01:43.379 --> 00:01:46.739 We've all been given gift, a gift in that grace, 00:01:46.939 --> 00:01:49.980 and that's what I'd like to address this morning. 00:01:52.019 --> 00:01:57.659 During church services, during liturgy, today, 00:01:57.659 --> 00:02:01.739 we hear the deacon intoning in whatever language 00:02:01.739 --> 00:02:06.140 this phrase, commemorating our most holy, most 00:02:06.140 --> 00:02:09.919 pure, most blessed and glorious Lady Theotokos 00:02:09.919 --> 00:02:13.699 with all the saints, let us commend ourselves 00:02:13.699 --> 00:02:17.539 and each other and all our life unto Christ God, 00:02:17.780 --> 00:02:21.599 and we answer back, basically, yes, let's do 00:02:21.599 --> 00:02:27.090 that. When we say to thee, O Lord, we are. offering 00:02:27.090 --> 00:02:30.810 this. That exchange is done four times today 00:02:30.810 --> 00:02:34.569 as we unite ourselves to the Theotokos and the 00:02:34.569 --> 00:02:37.810 saints and a few more times in another form later 00:02:37.810 --> 00:02:42.629 in the liturgy. Something that happens six times 00:02:42.629 --> 00:02:45.349 during the service. Obviously the church is telling 00:02:45.349 --> 00:02:53.310 us, pay attention, this is important. telling 00:02:53.310 --> 00:02:58.229 us how a paralyzed man was brought to Jesus in 00:02:58.229 --> 00:03:02.090 the Gospel from Matthew. And he was forgiven 00:03:02.090 --> 00:03:07.090 for his sins. We don't know what they are. But 00:03:07.090 --> 00:03:11.150 it completely offended the religious authorities, 00:03:11.370 --> 00:03:14.060 because only God... Can forgive sins, of course. 00:03:14.180 --> 00:03:17.180 And the man was healed of his paralysis. In telling 00:03:17.180 --> 00:03:19.819 us about this account, St. Matthew points out 00:03:19.819 --> 00:03:23.139 something vitally important for us that relates 00:03:23.139 --> 00:03:27.240 to that, what the deacon says. For us as members 00:03:27.240 --> 00:03:29.960 of a parish, for us as members of the church 00:03:29.960 --> 00:03:34.780 itself, the body of Christ, Jesus healed the 00:03:34.780 --> 00:03:38.460 paralyzed man because of the intercessions and 00:03:38.460 --> 00:03:43.599 faith and the love and the common goal of the 00:03:43.599 --> 00:03:49.879 paralyzed man's friends. Jesus says, as St. Matthew 00:03:49.879 --> 00:03:56.080 comments, Jesus seen their faith, and his friends 00:03:56.080 --> 00:04:02.939 commended him that is offered, entrusted, gave 00:04:02.939 --> 00:04:07.780 their friend to Jesus. And they interceded in 00:04:07.780 --> 00:04:11.099 a very practical way out of their love for him. 00:04:13.099 --> 00:04:17.480 We are all bound up like that man with our own 00:04:17.480 --> 00:04:20.800 kind of paralysis for sure. But we're more bound 00:04:20.800 --> 00:04:24.180 up with each other by belonging to the body of 00:04:24.180 --> 00:04:28.720 Christ. The church. Which we belong to this communion 00:04:28.720 --> 00:04:31.579 of saints which we see all around us. And now 00:04:31.579 --> 00:04:35.410 this new fresco here of St. Moses. the black. 00:04:38.069 --> 00:04:41.870 In the epistle that we heard about the gifts 00:04:41.870 --> 00:04:45.430 that God gives us and the grace that is given 00:04:45.430 --> 00:04:50.709 to each of us, you were baptized. You were chrismated. 00:04:51.470 --> 00:04:57.170 You've been given the Holy Spirit. We are what 00:04:57.170 --> 00:05:00.050 Christ spoke about in the prayer to his Father 00:05:00.050 --> 00:05:03.329 which you heard today. As many as you have given 00:05:03.329 --> 00:05:07.449 me, I have given you, and they glorify you, O 00:05:07.449 --> 00:05:10.430 Lord. They glorify you. That is what we're doing 00:05:10.430 --> 00:05:13.329 today. We're trying to glorify God, not just 00:05:13.329 --> 00:05:17.209 with words, the fruit of our lips, but with our 00:05:17.209 --> 00:05:21.529 entire life. You have the Holy Spirit, not merely 00:05:21.529 --> 00:05:24.370 for your own growth. You are here in the church, 00:05:24.529 --> 00:05:29.230 not merely to continue your spiritual journey 00:05:29.230 --> 00:05:34.920 by yourself, no. This is a body. This is a family. 00:05:36.459 --> 00:05:40.300 And not everyone has the same gift. Obviously, 00:05:40.300 --> 00:05:43.660 that would not work. And not everybody has the 00:05:43.660 --> 00:05:47.279 same gifts in the same proportion. It's up to 00:05:47.279 --> 00:05:53.120 the Lord. And let me say that St. Paul is not 00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:56.899 mostly talking about parish members having tasks 00:05:56.899 --> 00:06:01.560 during church services. Altar boy, deacon, choir. 00:06:02.600 --> 00:06:09.040 a candle desk, lamps, etc. No. That happens once, 00:06:09.079 --> 00:06:11.240 twice, whatever, a week for a few hours. No, 00:06:11.240 --> 00:06:14.339 this is about what happens the rest of the week 00:06:14.339 --> 00:06:19.959 in your life. What gift has God given you that 00:06:19.959 --> 00:06:22.420 you manifest, that you act upon, that you live 00:06:22.420 --> 00:06:26.040 for, for the building up, as St. Paul says in 00:06:26.040 --> 00:06:30.079 another place, for the life of the church? And 00:06:30.079 --> 00:06:35.279 here's the point I want to emphasize. We, though 00:06:35.279 --> 00:06:40.399 many, are one body in Christ and individually 00:06:40.399 --> 00:06:45.740 members of one another, like the friends who 00:06:45.740 --> 00:06:53.699 took the man to the Lord. The personal, the moral, 00:06:53.839 --> 00:06:59.779 the spiritual effort we make are not merely for 00:06:59.779 --> 00:07:04.120 myself. In any case, the gospel is about what 00:07:04.120 --> 00:07:09.319 God has done for us. There's no such thing as 00:07:09.319 --> 00:07:13.560 a private Orthodox Christian with his or her 00:07:13.560 --> 00:07:19.439 private faith. It's a shame when Pareto's law, 00:07:19.639 --> 00:07:24.620 you know, the 20 % doing 80%, is found to apply 00:07:24.620 --> 00:07:28.410 in the church. Because each of us has been given 00:07:28.410 --> 00:07:32.829 a task, and I don't even mean cleaning up. I'm 00:07:32.829 --> 00:07:36.370 talking about what the friends did for that paralyzed 00:07:36.370 --> 00:07:40.790 man. I'm talking about prayer. I'm talking about 00:07:40.790 --> 00:07:45.029 worship. I'm talking about sacrificial life for 00:07:45.029 --> 00:07:50.069 those who don't have. What St. Paul is urging 00:07:50.069 --> 00:07:55.529 in this epistle you heard today is radical. Let 00:07:55.529 --> 00:07:59.910 love be genuine, that is, without hypocrisy. 00:08:00.730 --> 00:08:06.230 How do you acquire that? That's the question. 00:08:07.110 --> 00:08:13.110 Abhor and hate what is evil. Hold fast to what 00:08:13.110 --> 00:08:17.269 is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. 00:08:18.629 --> 00:08:22.310 Outdo one another in showing honor, he says. 00:08:23.079 --> 00:08:26.079 Do not be slothful in zeal, but be fervent in 00:08:26.079 --> 00:08:29.819 spirit. Serve the Lord. Persevere in prayer. 00:08:31.060 --> 00:08:34.620 Rejoice in hope. Now, first he says, let love 00:08:34.620 --> 00:08:39.179 be genuine, literally, unhypocritical. This is 00:08:39.179 --> 00:08:41.179 not a matter of feelings. Well, I don't feel 00:08:41.179 --> 00:08:44.179 like I can help, so I'm not going to do it. That's 00:08:44.179 --> 00:08:47.240 not love. Love is stepping forward, even though 00:08:47.240 --> 00:08:51.940 when you think you cannot and don't want. Love 00:08:51.940 --> 00:08:57.919 is fulfilled in action. Love is love? No. That's 00:08:57.919 --> 00:09:03.000 an empty slogan. It means nothing. Love is love. 00:09:03.399 --> 00:09:06.980 St. Paul is exhorting us to be loving by being 00:09:06.980 --> 00:09:11.159 unselfish. Not because we feel unselfish, but 00:09:11.159 --> 00:09:13.960 because we can act in a given way. That's what 00:09:13.960 --> 00:09:18.019 we can call magnanimous. It's what the Hindus 00:09:18.019 --> 00:09:22.779 call Mahatma. In Latin, directly related to that 00:09:22.779 --> 00:09:30.259 word, mania anima, great of soul, noble, magnanimous. 00:09:30.600 --> 00:09:34.419 It confers respect on the person you are trying 00:09:34.419 --> 00:09:37.399 to love. Where does this come from, this love? 00:09:37.620 --> 00:09:41.500 How can you acquire this? That's why we're here. 00:09:42.419 --> 00:09:46.100 St. Paul says also, to outdo one another in showing 00:09:46.100 --> 00:09:50.720 honor, to prefer the other person. It's very 00:09:50.720 --> 00:09:56.220 easy for me to say, I love everyone. I love everyone. 00:09:57.620 --> 00:10:00.820 And usually what we mean by that, I love everyone, 00:10:00.840 --> 00:10:03.899 is I don't have anything right now against anybody 00:10:03.899 --> 00:10:06.440 that I'm willing to admit. I'm not holding any 00:10:06.440 --> 00:10:11.179 grudges. We very easily mistake just lack of 00:10:11.179 --> 00:10:14.120 caring and indifference for I love everyone. 00:10:15.659 --> 00:10:18.860 The marker is not that I say I love everyone. 00:10:19.000 --> 00:10:25.200 The marker is if you asked everyone I knew, would 00:10:25.200 --> 00:10:29.759 they say that I love them? What would they say? 00:10:30.580 --> 00:10:36.700 And with what kind of love? That's what the question 00:10:36.700 --> 00:10:40.799 is. How to acquire this love. So my dear ones, 00:10:41.039 --> 00:10:43.480 we're called today to be more than acquaintances 00:10:43.480 --> 00:10:46.779 here in church. We're called to be more than 00:10:46.779 --> 00:10:49.899 just co -workers in cleaning up and cooking and 00:10:49.899 --> 00:10:52.539 doing all those wonderful things which are essential 00:10:52.539 --> 00:10:55.500 and taking care of things in church. All this 00:10:55.500 --> 00:10:59.220 is essential. But what I'm encouraging is what 00:10:59.220 --> 00:11:04.419 happens when you leave the church? Before you 00:11:04.419 --> 00:11:07.039 go to bed, when you wake up on Monday morning, 00:11:07.240 --> 00:11:13.879 before you eat, before you go to sleep. What 00:11:13.879 --> 00:11:16.700 charitable work are you doing? Who are your friends 00:11:16.700 --> 00:11:19.740 that you are interceding for and bringing to 00:11:19.740 --> 00:11:26.879 Christ? The church is more than just fellow parishioners, 00:11:26.879 --> 00:11:29.620 more than individuals on a spiritual journey. 00:11:30.200 --> 00:11:34.059 Not all are called to be apostles. Not all are 00:11:34.059 --> 00:11:38.100 called to be prophets or miracle workers or teachers. 00:11:38.889 --> 00:11:42.250 Not all are called to work miracles, but we all, 00:11:42.250 --> 00:11:45.809 we all are called to be like friends of the paralyzed 00:11:45.809 --> 00:11:52.529 man, to let love be genuine. When we say to thee, 00:11:52.549 --> 00:11:58.129 O Lord, after the deacon has said, let us commend 00:11:58.129 --> 00:12:03.389 ourselves, one another, and all our life, ask 00:12:03.389 --> 00:12:07.669 yourself, is there something I cannot commend? 00:12:08.330 --> 00:12:12.690 offer to God in my life, that secret that I'm 00:12:12.690 --> 00:12:16.629 holding back because of fear or shame or because 00:12:16.629 --> 00:12:21.470 it's sinful? Is there something I will not give 00:12:21.470 --> 00:12:27.750 to the Lord? Because then we won't acquire genuine, 00:12:27.870 --> 00:12:33.330 unhypocritical, magnanimous love. It is only 00:12:33.330 --> 00:12:39.080 by being here and truly Hearing those words, 00:12:39.120 --> 00:12:42.840 commending ourself and one another, like those 00:12:42.840 --> 00:12:46.059 friends did for that man, and saying, to thee, 00:12:46.100 --> 00:12:49.879 O Lord, I do that as best as I can, in every 00:12:49.879 --> 00:12:53.100 way, in every corner. There's no dark basement 00:12:53.100 --> 00:12:56.360 or box hidden in my soul. It is all for you. 00:12:57.320 --> 00:13:01.840 The gift of God's grace, the restoration of communion 00:13:01.840 --> 00:13:05.460 with him in our hearts, that's what the divine 00:13:05.460 --> 00:13:08.809 liturgy is all about. that the fire of the love 00:13:08.809 --> 00:13:12.950 of God would build up for him and for those around 00:13:12.950 --> 00:13:16.789 us so we can be restored to what our true nature 00:13:16.789 --> 00:13:20.490 is as human beings. Because it's God's grace 00:13:20.490 --> 00:13:23.750 that we have been given as a gift to restore 00:13:23.750 --> 00:13:29.929 us to our true self, each with his own, her own, 00:13:29.929 --> 00:13:34.440 unique personal gifts. Liberated from the bondage 00:13:34.440 --> 00:13:37.759 of just effort, effort, effort. No, trying harder. 00:13:37.860 --> 00:13:41.019 No, from being better or worse than we really 00:13:41.019 --> 00:13:45.500 are. That's our own form of hypocrisy. No, God's 00:13:45.500 --> 00:13:49.679 gift is given to us. It's his gift. We receive 00:13:49.679 --> 00:13:56.539 it. To our Lord be glory, now and ever, to ages 00:13:56.539 --> 00:13:57.080 of ages.