20080824 St. Paul or Madison Avenue?

20080824 St. Paul or Madison Avenue?
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http://www.orthoanalytika.org/

1 Corinthians 4: 9-16
St. Matthew 17:14-23

In today’s Epistle, St. Paul urges the Christians at Corinth – and us – to imitate his single-minded devotion to Christ and Christian living. As part of his witness here and elsewhere, St. Paul describes the manner in which his devotion to Christ has cost him; he (along with all the apostles) [is] a fool, weak, dishonored, hungry, thirsty, poorly clothed, beaten, homeless, persecuted, defamed, the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now. (1 Corinthians 4: 10-13).

What kind of witness is this? It is certainly not the kind of advertisement that Madison Avenue uses! Indeed, it is a direct contrast to the health, popularity, attractiveness, and success that commercials use as witnesses to their products. Why do you think it is that the Church uses sacrifice and martyrdom (the ultimate signs of worldly failure) to encourage us to live the way it wants; while the world uses promises of comfort and praise (the ultimate signs of worldly success) to get us to live the way it wants?

Whom do you trust to guide your decisions? St. Paul or Madison Avenue?

I can certainly tell you which one is most influencing the hearts and minds of this community, our neighbors, our families, and our friends! If you want to see where someone’s heart is, look to how they spend their time and how they spend their money. Most people will begrudge God a simple tithe of their time and treasure, but will scrimp and save and jeopardize their future with debt, doing whatever it takes to buy whatever the latest car, fashion, property, or what-not being pushed as the new sign of success. We send our children to schools that bankrupt us to give them a hope of future riches, but blanch at the thought of seminary or holy orders. Madison Avenue has all but won this war for man’s heart because we have accepted its version of success and failure: we trust Madison Avenue more than the Gospel of Christ, and we value comfort and popularity more than the Truth.

And this trend will be continue until we value all outcomes in terms of Christ and the Gospel. Was St. Paul a failure? He wore the wrong clothes and lived without a home. Was Christ a failure? He died the foulest criminal’s death, despised by all but a handful of his closest friends and family.

You have all accepted Christ into your heart. You believe that He is the source of redemption and eternal life. But do you have the faith to live the life that such belief requires? In His Gospel lesson today, Christ rebukes His disciples for their lack of faith. He teaches them that the way to grow in faith is through prayer and fasting; and promises that mature faith can move mountains.

Do we pray? Do we fast? By prayer, I do not just mean fitting in thanks and prayer requests before meals and whenever we feel so inclined; I mean the kind of prayers that Christ Himself offered up to His Father. I mean setting aside some of our valuable time to pick up our prayer books and actually offer fitting praise, repentance, and thanksgiving to the Lord – even if it means less time spent in worldly entertainment. By fasting, I mean what the Lord means: disciplining yourself by limiting the types and portions of food we eat. I am amazed at how we are so willing to follow the dietary advice of nutritionists but are so unwilling to follow the dietary advice of Christ and His Church!

Faith in Christ as the Son of God is the only thing worth knowing, the only firm foundation, the only path to eternal success, the only hope of peace, the only salvation. Yet instead of putting our faith in Him and His Guiding Love, we have chosen to put our faith in the ephemeral diversions and damnation offered by those who care only about making themselves rich off our naivety.

Trust St. Paul, not Madison Avenue. Put your faith in Jesus Christ. He is the Son of God. He loves you and has a plan for you that will bring you eternal (not ephemeral) peace and prosperity.

20080817 Saved from the Storm

20081017 Saved from the Storm

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http://www.orthoanalytika.org/

I Corinthians 3: 9-17
St. Matthew 14: 22-33

The main lesson from today’s Gospel [at least for today] is NOT that Christ walked on water – although through this, He demonstrated once again His power over nature – but rather His interaction with Peter and the disciples. For it is not surprising that God can do amazing things – anyone with eyes to see must be struck by His Power and Glory – but that God cares for us as His own children.Christ had sent His disciples ahead of Him so that He could pray. They went out in the boat without Him and ran into a wind-storm. As they were being tossed by the waves, Christ walked out on the water toward them. They were afraid, but He told them to cheer up, and offered them His peace. Peter, the leader of the disciples, asked the Lord to command him to join Him on the water. Jesus agreed.

What came next is incredibly important: Peter began well, but was soon distracted by the strength of the wind, the depth of the sea, and the impossibility of his position. The world began to have its way with him, and he began to sink; just as the world has its way with all of us. Old age, illness, the suffering of loved ones, high prices of oil and gas, friendships betrayed, the cruelty of careless people; the many temptations of this fallen world surround us, make us realize that we are sinking into a darkness from which we will not return. Yes, we know Peter’s position as he began to sink in the storm.

But notice what Peter did in his trauma, because he did the only rational thing any of us should ever do: he turned to Christ Jesus and cried out from the bottom of his breaking heart; “Lord save me!” This is the only rational response because all others would, at best, only prolong his agony. Just as we can try to “do more with less”, or surround ourselves only with trustworthy people, or use our riches to isolate and protect ourselves from the bitterness this world offers as its fallen fruit, we must eventually taste this fruit, for until the world is remade in glory, everyone’s body fails. So even if you can avoid every other storm, your body will eventually give out on you, as will the bodies of all those you love.

Does this depress you? Does it scare you? Perhaps it should (for it is a warning): like Peter, the water below us is deep, the wind around us is strong, the waves so powerful as to push us over. But do not despair (for despair is the real unfathomable deep into which we truly sink), and do not fear, but do as Peter did, and cry out from the bottom of your own breaking heart; “Lord save me!” Because listen to what happened when Peter said this prayer; “and immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Jesus Christ is always there in the storm. He will not impose His will on you. He will not force you take His hand. But He saves all those with the sense and humility to ask for it. Nor does He leave them in the storm once He has saved them, for our God is a God of Peace. Notice that He took Peter into the boat and the wind ceased.

When you accept salvation through Christ, crying to Him “Lord save me”, He invites you into the boat that is His Holy Church. This is the place of safety and true sailing which Christ never leaves; where every enemy (even death) has been defeated (1 Corinthians 15: 26), and where we join all of the disciples [now Apostles] in worshiping Him, saying as they did and do; “Truly You are the Son of God.”

20080810 Feed the World

20080810 Feed the World

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http://www.orthoanalytika.org/

1 Corinthians 1: 10-18
St. Matthew 14: 14-22

Before 9/11, I was a full-time staff worker and instructor at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. I had been attracted to the discipline of political science, and in particular to comparative politics, because I was interested in the big questions (vichniye pytanyii); questions like totalitarianism and democracy, war and peace, starvation and plenty, freedom and oppression. I wanted to understand the processes that led to variations in these phenomena with the vague hope that I could help alleviate the suffering in which parts of our world is undeniably immersed. After many years of graduate school, I gained an understanding of these things and the processes that encouraged them, but became increasingly disillusioned with our ability to do more than tinker at the margins of human suffering, at least in the short to medium term (and as Keynes said, “in the long term, we will all be dead”).

This is not to say that these margins are unimportant, or that progress in the goal of alleviating suffering has not been made. It is obvious that progress has been made. For example, the collapse of the Soviet Union did much to improve the conditions of those living under its wicked oppression. But even this example shows the depth of the problem: the structural conditions and imperial/totalitarian impulses that led to the formation of the Soviet Union in the first place continue, leading Moscow to pursue policies that differ little from those it pursued during the Cold War. For example, Georgia may have received its independence in 1991, but recently, when Tbilisi actually attempted to exert control over its allegedly sovereign territory in South Ossetia, the result is war with Moscow. The situation is, of course, complicated. Moscow prepared for Georgia’s assertion and reacted with violence in part because it does not trust Georgia to protect the rights of ethnic Russians living there. [Footnote: as a former sovietologist, I cannot help but notice how the news coverage of this war differs little from that which sought to justify similar excursions and occupations under the Soviet Communists. Decades of propaganda create mindsets that reify previous conditions – it is all but impossible for all but the most courageous dissidents and prophets (men like the recently departed A.S. – may his memory be eternal!) to “think outside the box”.]

It is little different when it comes to the basic question of hunger. The coexistence of plenty here and deprivation elsewhere is a paradox that seems, at least on the face of it, easy to solve. But our personal history [i.e. the history of the Ukrainian people] attests to the fact that easy solutions to big problems can lead to disaster: collectivization was originally designed to bring cheap food to the masses, but it led to starvation and became a tool of oppression and genocide in the Holodomyr. Nor is this inability to solve hunger simply a problem with communism. Capitalism does a better job, but despite the innovations and improved efficiencies it has brought it we still cannot feed the world. One of my favorite social scientists, Adam Przeworski, has dedicated his life to the “eternal questions”. In his work (and folks like him), he describes how unintended consequences will undermine any effort to “feed the world” (at least in the short to medium term). The obvious solutions, such as food shipments, price fixing, and agricultural subsidies, create imbalances that can actually make things worse. So, in the end, what you are left with in the policy world is either risky solutions that often cause more pain, or a lifetime of incremental improvements.

Incremental improvements can and should be made. My personal belief is that we should make whatever political and economic changes are necessary to increase levels of freedom, security, and prosperity here and around the world whenever prudence and conditions allow. But if we really want to change the world for the better, we cannot look to politics or economics. We have to look elsewhere. We have to look to the Messiah, the Prince of Peace, the God-man Jesus Christ. He loves us, is all-powerful, and He has a plan.

What did Christ do for those who were hungry? When I was young, well-intentioned people taught me that today’s Gospel lesson was a lesson about the need for community – that when Christ had His disciples gather everyone’s food together, that there was enough for all. But now I know that this is not the real message of today’s lesson. Nor is the main lesson a reminder that the God-man is master over nature, and can actually create an abundance of food out of mere scraps. While this is true, God did not empower His Disciples and the Church to continue His work through the multiplication of leftovers. Nor is it His plan to save the world by putting manna on every plate. The lesson on the miracle of the multiplication of loaves was understood from day-one as the miracle of the Eucharist.

Christ himself made this clear the next day when he said to those whom he had fed;

Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him… I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst… And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day. (St. John 22-40).

During these campaign seasons, it is easy to get wrapped up in what the government can or cannot do for us and those whom we love, but we cannot forget the more fundamental truth that the fight to vanquish what really ails the world is not against oppression, or war, or even hunger, but the sin that gives rise to them. God has promised to remake this fallen world so that there will be no more suffering. If You want to enjoy the fruits of this new world, then accept Christ’s offering: believe in Him and partake of His Body and Blood. If you want to save the world, then share the Love of Christ and the Good News of His plan with a starving world, so that it, too, may be fed.

20080803 Preaching to the Choir

20080803 Preaching to the Choir

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http://www.orthoanalytika.org/

Romans 15: 1 - 7
St. Matthew 9: 27 - 35

Today St. Paul is “preaching to the choir”. Have you heard this term? During these Summer months, this term is especially appropriate – so many people are traveling that there have been Sundays when we literally have more folks in the choir loft than down here in the pews. St. Paul knows his audience and their great faith – so he shares a lesson with them that will challenge them where they are; a challenge that is equally appropriate to us here today.

The primary theme of Paul’s message is how the strong should relate to the weak. Of course, this is not about physical strength, but about how those who are committed Christians, dedicated to salvation through Christ and the Sacraments of His Church, should think of those whose faith is not as well developed. Today we heard the beginning of chapter 15, which builds on the presentation St. Paul began in chapter 14. I do not assume that you remember how this went, so let me share the general flow of his lesson to this point. He begins by telling us (the choir) to “accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters” (Romans 14:1). “Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way” (Romans 14:13b) [so that everything we do might lead] to peace and mutual edification. (Romans 14:19).

He then uses the example of food to make his because that was something that the “cradle Christians” [i.e. the Jews who accepted Christ as the fulfillment of their Scripture] often judged the gentile converts on, thus running the risk of turning these converts away from Christ based on something that was not important to their salvation. For the Jewish Christians, one of the main points of contention was food, for Orthodox Christians today, it is probably something different. I know that in some Orthodox parishes, it is head scarves for women and beards for men. It may take us some serious reckoning to figure out what it is here, for us. But figure it out we must, because Christ the God-man told us with His own mouth, that it would be better for us if a millstone were put around our neck and us be thrown out into the sea than for us to cause one of His children to stumble. (St. Matthew 18:6).

So how do we know what is essential to Salvation (and thus required) and what is at risk of becoming a stumbling block? The Jewish Christians had a hard time figuring this out because their faith – that which is essential for salvation – was so intertwined with their culture – a culture that supported their faith but was not required by or for it. For the Jewish Christian, some of the very things that strengthened their faith (e.g. eating kosher and the rite of circumcision) were stumbling blocks to people coming to the faith from the outside. One of the constant themes of the Book of Acts is how the early Church solved this problem. One of the themes of the life of our Church, and one of the signs of its health, is how we address this problem.

But there is an even more basic question:
Why should we care about the weak? Why should we be willing to sacrifice anything, especially for those who cannot worship as well as we? Why should we put up with people who do not sing, who do not follow our customs, who misbehave? Why should we accept those who neglect their daily prayers, who do not tithe or even pay their dues; who refuse to participate regularly in the Holy Sacraments, or even come to Church as often as us? Why should we please people who are mean and spiteful, who so clearly fail to live as Christians ought? Why should we lower ourselves to put up with those who do not work or contribute as much or pray as hard as we do to build up the church? In his homily on this scripture lesson, St. John Chrysostom answers this by reminding us that the Holy Orthodox Church is a hospital. Wouldn’t it be perverse if a hospital refused to treat someone for the very reason that they were ill? What better signs of illness are there than the aforementioned symptoms!

The bottom line, as St. Paul reminds us in today’s lesson, is that when we offer up and sacrifice our strength to please those who are weak, we are simply following the example of Christ. We are strong in Christ. Let us do as He did, and sacrifice our strength so that through this, the weak may be saved.

[I hope you note St. Paul’s irony/sarcasm in calling the Roman Christian’s “strong.” This follows Christ’s own tact in dealing with some of his detractors when He told them that He did not come to save those who are perfect, but rather those who sin. There is no one strong or sinless except Christ God. St. Paul calls his audience “strong” so as to gain their confidence and ear.]

20080727 The Power to Forgive Sins

20080727 The Power to Forgive Sins

Romans 12: 6-14
St. Matthew 9: 1-8

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http://www.orthoanalytika.org/

Do you believe Jesus Christ has the power to forgive sins?

First you have to believe that there is such a thing as sin. This is not something that comes easily to people. The constant voice of fallen pride whispers in our ear, telling us what good people we are, how we are much better than those around us, that we really have not done anything wrong. Even when we are brought face-to-face with the consequences of our mistakes, that voice whispers that we did what was best at the time, that we are victims of difficult circumstances, and that what we did was not nearly as bad as those things that real criminals do. After all, we have not killed anyone or anything.

That whispering voice is lying to you. You have done something wrong. You are a sinner. Even if you gather the entire world as witness to what a great guy you are; even if you have broken no worldly law; even if you have never brought physical or spiritual harm to anyone; you are a sinner. You are a sinner, and through your sin have separated yourself from Communion with God, and you have separated yourself from real union with your brothers and sisters in this world.

I have come to know you this past year, and that has been a real pleasure. I now know you to be upstanding citizens, friendly neighbors, and trustworthy friends. But my observation stands. To quote the 1st Epistle of St. John (1:8 – 2:1) “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us… And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” St. John says that if you claim not to be a sinner, that you make God a liar. Do you understand things better than he does?

If you remain unconvinced, hear me now: you cannot live in this fallen world without sin. It surrounds us like a disease, a contagious disease that no-one bothers to recognize. It is an epidemic that is destroying the souls and bodies of everyone who draws breath. You can see it in the little compromises you make to get by, compromises that seem natural because everyone makes them. You can see the tragedy of this epidemic in the trail of broken hearts it has left in its wake. You carry this disease in your heart. That little voice that tells you that you have no sin is the voice of madness, the killing of your nerve endings of your conscience so that you do not notice the leprous infections it is spreading there.

Sin is the root of all spiritual sickness and pain. It is how it spreads. The sick man must know he is ill to accept treatment. Christ is our Great Physician, healing all who come to Him. Can you heal yourself? Can the world heal you? You cannot and it cannot. When you believe it can you open your wounds to further infection.

When Christ repaired the body of the paralytic, he did it to demonstrate the greater and more meaningful power He brought to this world: the power to forgive sins. This is more meaningful because He has already given us the treatment to repair our bodies – or have you forgotten that all the saints are Resurrected into eternal health? You may be like the child who complains of the cast, wanting the bone to be mended immediately so that she can play now, but your body is already being healed.

Shouldn’t you be more concerned about the sin that is eating away at your immortal soul? Your Loving God and Father is awaiting your confession. Do not be like the patient who lies about his symptoms and leaves the doctor untreated. You have free will. No one will force medication on you without your consent.

God is not judging you or your sin - He is describing your symptoms so that you can live life fully, free of disease. As St. John says in his Gospel (3:17); "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."

So I ask you again “Do you believe that Jesus Christ has the power to forgive sins?” If so, open your heart to Him, the Great Physician, and be healed.

20080720 Culture and its Value

20080720 Culture and its Value

Romans 10: 1-10

St. Matthew 8: 28-9:1

St. Paul wants the God-fearing men of his day to be saved, but he is worried. He says that they have “zeal for God” (which is a good thing), but not according to knowledge (which is a bad thing). He is not talking about people who skip prayers and services, but those have made religion the center of their lives. They have made religion the center of their lives, but, “being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God” (Romans 10: 3). To this point, the Jews had managed a remarkable feat: they had maintained their identity through the centuries under difficult circumstances, when the pressure for assimilation was very strong. The Old Testament describes this in some detail, about how the Jews would find themselves living under foreign rulers, and how the ordinary Jewish people and the Jewish leaders were being tempted to modify their beliefs to match those of their new neighbors and rulers; and how the prophets would come and call them back to their uniquely Jewish way of life. How many thousands of unique cultures have come and gone over human history? How have the Jewish people and Jew identity endured?

Part of the answer is lies in ritual: God had given them laws and rituals to teach them about Him and to help them endure against temptation. Rituals are vital for preserving identity. This is why God has ordered our lives in the Orthodox Church with rituals – because He knows that the individualistic intellectual or emotion-based faith found outside Orthodoxy is too subject to the pressures of assimilation. As I said last week, culture is the earthen vessel that contains the Living Water; now I am telling you that ritual makes that vessel strong and beautiful. Without a strong vessel, that is, without ritual, the Living Water cannot be held. A weak vessel breaks too easily, losing its content.

The Jews who obeyed the law had a strong vessel. They had the opposite problem that many Christians today have. Whereas most Christians (at least in America) have the Living Water but no real vessel, the Jews of St. Paul (and Christ’s) time had beautiful vessels but no Living Water! The culture that was created to hold the Faith had become the Faith itself. But one cannot drink from an empty cup, no matter how strong or well crafted it is. Beautiful vessels are made to carry water – but the Jews had turned their vessel into an idol and “righteousness” into worshiping it (i.e. culture and ritual) rather than the God who should fill it. Christ was warning them of their mistake when He said things like: “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. … you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.” (Matthew 23: 13 & 15). [Note that Orthodoxy praises the righteousness of the publican without rejecting the ritual of the pharisee.]

In Orthodoxy, we love our cultural and religious rituals. And for good reason. We are the new Israel, and these rituals are the continuation of ones given to the Jews, but now perfected in Christ. God has even taken our secular culture and blessed it, for example, turning the symbol of a pagan God’s authority, the Trident, into a symbol of the Trinity and the authority of Christian government in Ukrainian. We have just finished celebrating and teaching Ukrainian culture to our next generation during our “Heritage Days”. But we celebrate and pass it down not because this culture has any intrinsic value, but because it has been made priceless by what it contains. We pass the cup of our culture to our children – and to all who enter these doors – not so that they might admire the craftsmanship of the cup, but so that they will drink deeply of the water it contains. And we keep our culture strong so that they can share it with others in this thirsty world long after we have gone on to our reward.

Let me end as St. Paul did, as he describes the content of the faith that moves through us and all of our rituals: “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

NOTE: Talk Show Host and Jewish Theologian Dennis Prager was the first person I heard/read about the role ritual plays in maintaining identity. He had a great show where Christians called in to talk about how they were rediscovering ritual. I thought it was kind of funny that they would turn to Judaism for rituals rather than their own Christian traditions (of which they were probably ignorant and/or dismissive for being too Catholic!).

20080713 Pass the Straws!

20080713 Pass the Straws!

A homily on the need to rise above our passions and share the "water of life" with a thirsty world.



Romans 6: 18-23
St. Matthew 8: 5-13

The Lord said of the centurion: “I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” What does this mean? What is the lesson for us, today?

The simple meaning of Christ's proclamation should be clear: the centurion had enough faith in Jesus' power to ask Him to heal his servant; moreover, he had enough of faith to believe that Christ did not have to be present with the servant to make it happen any more than a great general needed to be present at a local skirmish to ensure victory. I hope that you all understand this kind of faith in the power of Christ and emulate it yourselves. But this is the “milk” of the message intended for “infants” in the faith – what is the “solid food” intended for those who are already embracing Christ with faith? (1 Corinthians 3: 1-2)?

To get even more out of this reading, we need to look at the context of this meeting between Christ and the centurion. Christ was a Jew. His disciples were Jews, and during his earthly ministry, his primary physical audience was comprised of Jews. The Jews were a people who remembered a time when they had their own kingdom, a kingdom where everything was designed around their faith. But it had been many generations since they had lost their independence, and since that time they had been ruled by various empires. The Jews of Christ's entourage and audience were ruled by the Roman empire, and the relationship was not entirely satisfactory [you can read Maccabees or the works of Josephus to learn more of this]. Their ability to worship in the manner of their ancestors was restricted, and many felt oppressed. You must know that Christ was not the first Jew crucified under the Roman authorities. The strength of the Roman Army was the ultimate guarantuer of Roman rule. The centurion was an officer in the part of the Roman Army that occupied the Jewish land.

Given this context, you must see that what is not written in this Gospel lesson is as powerful as what is [written]: Christ does not reject the centurion. He does not rebuke him for his service in the pagan occupation army. He listens to the man, his love for his servant, and his faith in the power of Jesus. As St. Paul teaches us [Galatians 3: 26 & 28]; , “...you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus... there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Not only doesn't Christ reject the centurion, He grants his request. This despite the ill will this might feed among his more zealous disciples and audience. He was teaching them a fundamental Truth as much as He was healing a young man.

I hope that my description of the situation of the Jews at the time of Christ resonated with you. It should. Those who study Ukrainian history are familiar with the themes. Like the Jews, the Ukrainians “are [at least until quite recently] a people who remember a time when they had their own kingdom, a kingdom where everything was designed around their faith. But it had been many generations since they had lost their independence, and since that time they had been ruled by various empires.” Many of the founders of this parish were fleeing from these “various empires” [the Russians, the Poles, the Nazis, the Communists].

Finally we are to the “meat” of this Gospel. The part that is harder to chew, but also brings greater satisfaction of hunger. The meat of this Gospel that I offer you today is this: we are Christ to this world. We are the Church of which Christ is the head. He is truly “among us” here at St. Michael's. As the Church, we offer healing and salvation to all who confess Christ, no matter what their heritage. Our culture is the blessed “earthly vessel” that contains the “Living Water” (2 Corinthians 4:7). This vessel is attractive for many reasons, but it is holy because of what it contains. Christ's desire is that all drink of this living water. This is a thirsty world, and our vessel is overflowing. We must drink deeply ourselves in emulation of the centurion, but, like Christ, we must share this water with all who recognize its Truth and Power.

20080708 The High Price of Gas and the Lilies of the Field

20080706 The High Price of Gas and the Lilies of the Field

Romans 5: 1-10;

St. Matthew 6: 22-33

Summary of Today's Readings: St. Paul; “The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Corinthians 1: 25).

There is much anxiety in the world today. Gas prices have gone up, stressing already tight budgets. The locomotive growth of India and China, with the resultant demand for oil suggests that this trend will continue. Money problems in turn put stress on the family, an institution that has suffered from decades of assault – and is now showing serious signs of weakness. The normalization of pre-marital sex, divorce and illegitimacy is a logical – if misguided – attempt by society to find a new equilibrium. Nor is the problem confined to the family – our churches have also suffered from decades of external assault and internal neglect. So it happens that the very institutions that were designed to support people in their attempt to pursue fulfillment and joy have become completely irrelevant for most people, and for some have even become a source of stress themselves. For many, the very idea that fulfillment and joy are worthy goals is itself foolish: for a variety of psychological/cultural reasons, Americans have largely settled for more attainable dreams. This is tragedy, and the devil must be smiling.

Why should gas prices have anything to do with happiness? Since when is it acceptable to stop dreaming of a perfect life? Since when is it acceptable to give in to an enemy bent on our destruction? Where is the restless spirit of your ancestors, the Ukrainians who, in the face of oppression and against overwhelming odds, carved a new way of life as Cossacks “below the rapids”, as “Orthodox Brotherhoods” in the cities and towns, and as hard-working immigrants here in a New World? Where is the restless spirit of your ancestors, the Americans who founded this country to be a place that enabled all to pursue “life, liberty, and an happiness” and who endured countless sacrifices to protect and extend these rights not just here but throughout the world? Do we really believe that life is harder now than it was for them? Or is it that we are less? If so, it is not due to intelligence, learning, or physical constitution – for in all these measures, our generations are much greater than those that came before. We are less than those before us because we have not centered our hope on Christ, a “hope that [as St. Paul says in today's reading] does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given us”. We are less than our times demand because we are less than Christian; the Christian “glories in tribulation, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.” [this, again, from today's reading]

Christ Himself tells us today of our “little faith”, pointing out that God knows what we need, and promising this; that if we “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, [then all the things we need] shall be added to [us].” I am not saying that faith in God, His power, and His love for you will bring down the price of gas or bring high paying jobs to the Blackstone Valley. But it will restore your family and make it the source of support and sanctification it was designed to be. It will not lower the cost of much-needed maintenance to our beloved temple, but it will make your parish home the source of support and sanctification it was designed to be. It may not lead you into the consumer's paradise the world has taught to you desire, but it will lead you to an eternal life of blessedness that is the heart's truest desire. The wisdom of God seems like folly because the world itself is foolish. But who is foolish, the God-Man who died on the cross to make your resurrection into perfection possible, or those who reject this gift in favor of the cares and shallow satisfactions of a fallen world?

God knows you better than the wisest father knows his children. Trust in Him. He has a plan for you, and its glory puts high gas prices and leaky roofs into the context they deserve.

Epilogue at the end of the service.

20080629 Homily on All Saints of Rus'-Ukraine

20080629 Homily on All Saints of Rus'-Ukraine

This homily was given at All Saints Camp (UOC-USA) in Emlenton, PA, during the middle Sunday of the two-week Church School Camp.

Romans 2: 10-16;

St. Matthew 4: 18-23

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!

It really is a glorious day to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ; as well as to celebrate the lives of All the Saints of Rus'-Ukraine. Indeed, I cannot imagine a more fitting place to celebrate this feast that here at All Saints Ukrainian Orthodox Camp, along with so many spiritual and literal heirs of these Saints.

This camp is something special – a jewel not just of our own diocese, but of the entire Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This is a place where our faithful offer the best of themselves; their treasure, their time, and especially their dearest children to the Lord. And as with all gifts returned to their Maker and Bestower, these are returned in abundance. It is here that we help to train our children and youth (all or you) in the heritage of their ancestral homeland, Rus'-Ukraine. There are many aspects of this heritage worthy of exposition, but for the sake of brevity, I will expound on two of the greatest: Truth and Freedom. Nor are these separate virtues. As our Lord said to the those Jews who believed in Him; “if you abide in my Word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free.” (St. John 8:31)

“What is the truth?”. The Truth is that we live in a world mired in sin. Where war, disease, and every manner of suffering threatens to overwhelm us. The Truth is that we were made for something more, and that we yearn for something greater. The Truth is that, while the world will try to satisfy this yearning with diverse entertainments, its satisfaction is possible only through Jesus Christ. The Truth is that Jesus Christ is the God-man who bridges the chasm between us and the perfection we yearn for. The Truth is that through Faith in Him as fully God and fully man, and through the concomitant participation in the Sacraments of His Church, we can cross that bridge and become partakers of God's eternal Divinity.

It was this Truth that led St. Andrew, the first called apostle and “founder of Christ's Church in Ukraine”, to give up everything when he found Jesus and recognized Him as Christ and Messiah (St. John 1: 37-41). It was the pursuit of this Truth that led him, during his missionary journeys, to the banks of the Dnieper and to prophesy the establishment of a Christian kingdom there; and that ultimately led him to his martyrdom on the cross. It was this Truth that led St. Volodymyr to risk everything he had – his life and his kingdom - as he converted not just his own soul, but those of his people and land to Holy Orthodoxy. The Truth changed him as it changed Andrew and as it changes you. [You see, pursuit of the Truth demands action.]

Which brings us to the second virtue, freedom. We all know that “freedom is not free”. It requires constant vigilance and sacrifice. Since the time Rus' became Christian, she and her people have known this struggle. Today I would like to focus on three uniquely Ukrainian expressions of this struggle. The first is the Cossacks, the very icon of independence. It is a mistake to think of them as simple anarchists, though. They fought not just for freedom, but for Truth. Their defense of Orthodoxy is as iconic as their fight against tyranny. The second is the brotherhoods. There was a time when Orthodoxy was attacked from every direction – from the West by the Catholic kingdoms, from the North by pagans or Protestants, from the East by a tyrannical Russian Empire, and from the South by the Muslim kingdoms. True worship and teaching was all but exterminated until the Ukrainian people found a way to beat back the darkness. They organized into brotherhoods that published books, supported priests, and taught the people the Truth about Christ. We would not be here today without their bravery and commitment.

Which brings me to the third expression: this camp. It may seem a stretch to include All Saints Camp in the same group as the great Cossack state and the Orthodox brotherhoods, but it belongs there: it is their direct descendant, organized and committed to the same goals: the defense of Truth and Freedom. You may object that such an attitude is unnecessary here. After all, we live in a free land, protected by a democratic tradition and a well-established Constitution. It is correct that America has all but mastered freedom, but I fear that it has forgotten the Truth. And for this reason America needs this Camp. Freedom without Truth descends quickly into anarchy and hedonism (the pursuit of pleasure). It is the necessary union of these two virtues and the manner of their combination that the Ukrainian Orthodox heritage witnesses to America.

[A personal observation: this is one of the many reasons I am so at home in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. I and my family have long been in pursuit of these two virtues. It was the same quest for Truth that led my forefathers to immigrate to America and me first to Orthodoxy and ultimately here, to this camp. It was the same abhorrence of tyranny that led my forefathers to fight against Britain in the Revolutionary War, and for me to enlist to battle both Communism during Cold War and the new breed of totalitarianism than currently threatens our freedom.]

Yes, we have a tremendous heritage that we have received from All the Saints that have gone on before us. Now it is up to us. Because Truth demands action, and Freedom requires vigilance. We ask for the prayers of All the Saints of Rus' Ukraine as we dedicate ourselves to this struggle.

20080622 Sunday of All Saints

20080622 Homily on the Sunday of All Saints

Hebrews 11:33-12:2

St. Matthew 10:32-33;37-38; 19:27-30

Today we celebrate the “great cloud of witnesses” that surround us, encouraging us to ”run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12: 1-2).

The race is the well-lived life, and St. Paul tells us that the prize is the joy that spurred Christ Himself (the very God-man) on, to sit at the right hand of the throne of God. For us that means to bask and grow eternally in beauty, love, and strength. To enjoy a life made perfect, where there is no suffering, no pain, no sorrow. The greatest triumphs and glories of this earthly life are but a shadow or hint of those awaiting those who “lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us” (Hebrews 1:1).

For some of us, this race seems to have gone on too long. The exertion required just to get us to this point has brought all manner of pain; we have, to use a running term, “hit the wall”. Our joints ache. Our minds cannot focus. We can hardly catch our breath. The subtle pull of depression and despondency pulls our focus away from our pace, away from the glory that awaits us at the finish, so that we know nothing but our suffering. We are not the first to get so distracted, to be tempted by the pain life brings. St. Paul gives a list of of some of the sufferings; “they were stoned, sawn in two, tempted, slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented”. So how did they survive? How can we survive a race that has gone on too long for our frail bodies and broken spirits to endure?

There is a phenomenon in racing known as the “second wind”, a strengthening euphoria that comes from nowhere. When it comes, all strength is instantly renewed and pain forgotten. The mind returns to its focus on making strong progress toward the finish line and the reward that awaits. The hopelessness of before is simply washed away. The experienced runner will “gut out” the hard times, knowing (or at least hoping) that this “second wind will come”.

For the Christian, the euphoric wind that strengthens the spirit and body is always available – we celebrated His coming last week on Pentecost. He is the Holy Spirit. Through Jesus Christ, He will wash away our weariness. He will give us the strength to endure through difficulties. He is the Comforter who comforts and alleviates our pain, He is the Spirit of Truth that reminds us that this pain – though very real to us now – will be replaced by eternal joy in the hereafter if we just Trust in Him. He will abide in us and cleanse us from all our sin and suffering.

Does the race seem to have gone on too long? Has the pain drawn your attention away from the joy that awaits? Then renew yourself. Open your heart and let the Holy Spirit refresh and perfect you. The strength is not only enough to make it to the finish line, but to run strong. The promise is not just eternal glory, but a taste of it now. For that cloud of witnesses accomplished great things during the course of their races. They “subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouth of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of aliens.”

The same Spirit that strengthened and perfected that “great cloud of witnesses” is waiting to strengthen you. Open your heart to Him, pick up your knees, and run strong.