John 14

Jesus says that “if you ask anything in My name, I will do it,” and oh how we allow our impulses to run with this statement. We so oft twist this verse to mean something completely different than what He actually states here. To do something, to ask something in His name, doesn’t mean that we merely attach the phrase “in Jesus’ name” to the end of our own personal Christmas list. To do something in someone’s name is to do something in accordance with their will. A king’s spokesman, speaking in the name of a king, doesn’t enact his own plans and desires, but rather, must speak the words that the king would speak were he physically present at that moment. Similarly, in our Western culture, our governmental representatives, our ambassadors in other nations, don’t speak on their own desires, but rather speak on behalf of the people, they speak in accordance with the desires of those that they represent. We understand this on a temporal level, but never seem to grasp the concept on a spiritual level. St Paul tells us that we are ambassadors of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20), thus our actions and desires represent Christ. What Jesus is teaching us here is that when we pray properly, our goal will not be to change God’s will, but rather to change ourselves in accordance with His will. To pray in Jesus’ name is to pray in accordance with His will, and He promises us that when we do that, we will receive what we pray for. Thus, to pray as Solomon did for the wisdom to discern God’s will, He will grant it to us. When we sincerely pray for true repentance, for forgiveness, for the power to overcome sinful desires; those things will be granted for us.

It is not happenstance that directly before this passage, He teaches us that whoever truly believes in Him will do the same works that He does. Nor that immediately following it, He declares teaches us that “If you love Me, you will keep my commandments” (14:15), that “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me” (14:21) and again, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word.” See, each of these surrounding the teaching that anything that we ask in His name He will do serves to show for us that it is when we seek to do the works that He did, almsgiving, healing, showing mercy compassion and love; when we abide in His commands and strive to attain to the life that He calls us to; when we turn to Him in prayer for help in doing these things that He did, praying in His name; then we have this promise that He will provide. The whole lesson that He is teaching here is that we must allow ourselves to be changed by His grace, and that involves our entire life being changed in the process. And one of the easiest ways to see this manifest in our lives is through our prayers.

It is very tempting for our prayers to become very “me-centered.” It’s so easy to look only at our personal lives and problems, our close friends and family, members of our parish. And when that happens, our lives almost become this sort of little Christian bubble, which is reflected in our prayers. It’s so easy for us to only pray for those things which directly impact our personal lives. We pray for our Pastor when he brings a message, we pray for Bob to quit smoking, or for Ray’s family because his wife is sick. And while there’s nothing innately wrong with praying for any of those things, the more we focus our prayers around our personal lives, the easier it is to slowly become selfish in our prayers; we pray for a new car, a new job, a new laptop, etc. And soon, our prayers become this endless list of avarice. Me, me, me, I, I, I. And not only do we become very greedy in our prayers, it is a slope which leads right into pride. We begin to boast about the things that we have acquired. We post photos on social media, hashtag blessed, but in reality, we’re feeding our own ego and attaching Jesus’ name to our own materialism.

Ultimately, we begin to base our prayers, our very faith, on these earthly aspirations and ambitions. Praying no longer becomes about the countless hungry, homeless, persecuted thousands across the world, it becomes what effects me? We adopt this consumer mentality about the Church, and the moment we don’t like something, we exercise this ability to move to a different belief. In absentia of the teachings of tradition, we feel as though we can interpret things howsoever we choose. Our gospel begins to look less like the narrow and hard path, and much more like the American dream, pursuing life, liberty and happiness. But, Jesus isn’t, nor has He ever, promised us this American dream, this American gospel of “follow Me and everyone will love you and everything will be all puppies and guppies.” Rather, what He is promising us here is that whatsoever we pray in accordance with His will will come to pass. And what does His will look like?

Jesus, during His earthly ministry, had no place to lay His head. He borrowed a penny from someone to complete a sermon illustration. Consider that fact, the Son of God Himself had to borrow a penny to illustrate a point. Saul lost all of his wealth, earthly possessions, prestige; everything that he had acquired during the course of his entire life, when he aligned his life with God’s will. Five times receiving 39 lashes at the hands of Jews, thrice beaten with rods, once stoned, three times shipwrecked, a night and a day adrift at sea, constantly journeying, in danger from rivers, robbers, his own people, Gentiles, danger in the city, the wilderness, at sea. Danger from false brothers, in toil and hardship, in hunger and thirst, often without food, exposed to the elements. (2 Corinthians 11:24-27). Zaccheaus surrendered all of his wealth and pride, giving half of all that he had to the poor and then paying restitution times four to everyone that he had wronged. All of the apostles were martyred except for John, who died in an isolated prison.

No, Jesus will for us isn’t that we necessarily get the new car, the new house, the promotion; it’s that we give our lives fully to Him and that we find freedom from these carnal impulses to avarice, to lust, to pride. His will for us is that we abide in Him, that we find our comfort, our joy and contentment in Him. To pray in Jesus’ name means that we seek the salvation of others, the health of others, the care and comfort of others; that we humble ourselves and truly love our neighbor as ourselves. To assure that if I have two coats and my brother has none, I give him one that we might both be warm. To assure that if I have food and someone else doesn’t, then I care for them enough to feed them, to care for them. It means that we lay aside our own earthly cares and ask for the wisdom to discern His will and abide in it, regardless of the sacrifices that it requires in our own lives, trusting in Him that He will provide for us that which we need, as the apostles when He sent them out with neither moneybag, nor knapsack, nor sandals (Luke 10:4).

What do our prayers say about us? When we consider our prayers, we must truly ask ourselves, are we seeking the kingdom of heaven? Are we seeking God’s will? Do we pray outside of our own little bubble? Or are we merely seeking to create our own heaven, by our own carnal desires, here on earth? Do we pray for the orphans and widows, the sick and suffering servants, the welfare of the whole Church? Or have we gotten so caught up in this Western mindset that pride, avarice and other corruptions have subtly sunken into our hearts?

Christ is in our midst.

On Service

John 13b

Jesus washes the disciples feet. While this tradition was a sign of compassion and respect, it was a duty generally performed by house servants and slaves. For the Master to perform this duty was unheard of, thus it was shocking for the disciples to see Jesus performing this action. He did this to display the attitude and heart that His disciples must maintain. See, we should consciously maintain this servant’s attitude, and do so without grumbling or complaining. We actively strive to serve and to help, regardless of how menial or trivial a task may appear to us to be. In His command to us to love our neighbor, Jesus encompasses not merely the sharing of wealth, but performing actual service when needed, according to our individual vocation. One need not be wealthy to feed the hungry, merely being willing to put in the effort. The feeding of the poor requires not only the resources to provide the food, but also the labor of cooking, the labor of cleaning the dishes after, the labor of sweeping and mopping the feeding hall, the labor of dispensing the food to those in need. There is so much effort that goes into this task, and having the wealth to provide is only one of those many requirements. Similarly, one need not have a degree as a therapist to take the time to listen to someone in need. It’s hard to overcome the pride that our entitlement culture has imparted into our hearts, but we must remember that Jesus Himself came not to be served but to serve.

And further, we must remember that Jesus washed the feet of not only those who were loyal to Him, but also the one who would betray Him. He dined not with the wealthy religious people of His time, but with the sinners, with those who had no desire to be “saved.” This is important in our culture, because we tend to help only those with whom wee have something in common. In our “mercy ministry,” we tend to aid only those who show interest in our spiritual teaching, often committing a form of “spiritual blackmail” where we will feed those hungry only after subjecting them to a forty plus minute sermon. His command here, however, is to provide this humble service to all people. not only fellow believers, but all of humanity. I had a pastor once tell me that when Jesus said, “what you do for the least of these, my brothers, you do for Me,” that He was referring to other believers. This passage shows that teaching to be false, as he performs the same service for Judas as He does for Peter and James. We are called to serve not only our brothers and sisters in Christ; but also our enemies. Also those who have no desire to hear the spiritual lessons of the Cross; also those who would attack and persecute us. Richard Wurmbrand, imprisoned in a communist prison because of his faith, prayed not only for his fellow prisoners, but also for the very men who were torturing him. St Stephen prayed for the forgiveness of the very men who were throwing stones at him seeking to kill him. Jesus Himself prayed for the salvation of the very men who had condemned Him and were crucifying Him.

Our love, our compassion, our mercy, must not be only for those with the same political agenda and theological ideologies as ours. Our very care for others can not be limited to those whom we like and agree with. No, each human being is an icon of Christ, thus each human being must be treated with the same compassion, respect, and love; regardless of their temporal allegiances.

As followers of Christ, we have no option to judge who is or isn’t worthy to receive those things. Forgiveness is not an option. Love is not an option. Jesus commanded us to “love your neighbor as yourself,” and the lawyer asked “and who is my neighbor?” We condemn him for asking that, yet so often do the exact same thing. We feel as though we have the right to judge who is and isn’t worthy of help, and yet, when we read the teachings of Jesus, we find the answer. Who is worthy of help? The one who needs it. Who isn’t worthy of help? The one who has and won’t help others. Jesus Himself humbles Himself daily to wash the feet of those who will betray Him, to cleanse sinners of the sins that they have committed after declaring their allegiance to Him. To die on the Cross for the absolution of the sins of those who have denied Him. How can we in turn deny our service to any, based on our own personal opinions and judgments?

Christ is in our midst.

John 13a

When Jesus begins to wash the feet of the disciples, Peter at first refuses. His esteem for the Lord is such that he cannot allow Jesus to perform this task. Jesus responds by stating that “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” He says this to reveal the cleansing power of Christ’s death and Resurrection. Only by actively participating with Him in His death can we be raised with Him in His life.

This is so important, because so many teach that Baptism is merely a symbolic event. I’ve heard it referred to as a “public proclamation,” sort of publicly changing team jerseys, from “team me” to “team Jesus.” But, in so teaching, we remove the regenerative powers of the very Sacrament itself. When we are Baptized, we actively die with Him. We put to death the old man that once lived, and are raised anew in the life of Christ. We fully participate in His death, and in His Resurrection unto life eternal. In so doing, we are cleansed of our sins, and of the power that sin and death once held over us.

Peter responds to this by stating, “Lord, not only my feet, but my hands and head as well,” to which Jesus responds, “he who is bathed need only wash his feet, but is completely cleaned.” See, the bathing is the perfect image of Baptism, wherein we are fully washed of our sins. This washing of the feet, however, is the perfect image of the Sacrament of confession. We, as children of Christ, have been fully bathed (baptized), cleansed of our sins, then we are never again baptized. The council of Nicea confirmed, and in the creed set forth, we affirm, “one baptism for the remission of sins.” However, just as someone returning from a public bath would still get dirt on their feet and thus wash them upon returning home; so too we, after receiving the cleansing of Baptism, will still fall into sin, and thus need to continually be washed of those sins. And this occurs through our continued repentance (1 John 1:9) and through the Sacrament of confession (James 5:16).

See, after we are baptized, we are bathed and our sins forgiven us. And then, as we continue to fall into sin, we need continuously to repent and confess our sins, the “washing of our feet,” and we are fully clean. To seek a second baptism (not only my feet, but my hands and head as well) would be to heretically claim that the cleansing power of Christ’s death was insufficient; however to neglect the washing of feet that is confession is to heretically claim that we are sinless, needless of further cleansing, which John warns us against in his epistle, “whoever claims that they do not sin lies, and the Truth is not in them.” And here, we have Jesus warning us that if we neglect this cleansing then we “have no part in Him.”

May we never again anger God by claiming that the power of His sacrifice, the power of our Baptism, is insufficient to cleanse us of our sins. Similarly, however, may we never neglect the importance of confession of our continued sins, this “washing of the feet” that the Lord commands of us, affirmed by the apostles, and furthered by the teachings of the Church for thousands of years. May we all, children of the Lord, look to the Lord for our salvation, for the forgiveness of the punishment due our previous sins, for the conviction to resist our sins today, and for the guidance to turn away from our future sins. May we place our faith in the Lord Jesus that we are saved, are being saved, and will be saved; and that in the end we will, through His grace and guidance, be counted worthy to enter into the kingdom.

May the grace of the Lord be with us all, my beloved family. Christ is in our midst.

John 12

Jesus prays to the Father and the Father audibly answers. The Scripture says that “the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Still others said, ‘An angel of the Lord has spoken to Him.'”

The Lord reveals Himself to us according to our faith. In what is one of the greatest paradigm shifts in our culture and generation, we so often claim that when we see these miracles, then we will believe. But all throughout Scripture and Church history, we see the exact opposite. We see these revelations and miracles given according to our faith. Consider Elijah, he did not come to believe once the Lord rained down fire from the sky, but rather fire rained from the heavens because he believed so strongly. Noah did not believe because he received a revelation from God, rather he received the revelation because of his faith. The three men placed in the furnace did not come to know the Lord because the fires refused to draw near them, rather, the fires refused to harm them because of the faith. When Polycarp was martyred, he was did not come to believe because he was spared the slow agony of burning to death, rather, he was spared that torturous death because of his faith.

So many of us refuse to believe in these very miracles until we see them happen, but the Lord reveals them to us based on our faith. Thus, regardless of how much theology and doctrine we know, if we don’t believe in the miraculous, then we will never see it. If we don’t believe in the supernatural, then we will become theological philosophers at best, never experiencing the supernatural presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We are effectively theologically trained atheists if we disbelieve in the very characteristics of our faith that require true faith.

In this passage, we see those of no faith, hearing the sounds of the voice of the Lord, and thinking it to be thunder, and nothing more. God would not reveal Himself in any way to those who absolutely disbelieved in Him. Those who had little faith heard the voice, but, like Jesus on the road to Emmaus, the Father hid His identity from them, thus they believed the voice to be an angel of the Lord. Only to those who were truly orthodox in their faith was the full glory of the Lord revealed.

May we all be those who belong to this last group. May we never “quench the Spirit” by our disbelief, stating that we must see something or experience something before we will believe in it. That stands opposed to the definition given us in Scripture that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for.” In other nations, where having faith in Jesus can lead to execution, there are no casual believers. The dedicate their lives to Christ. They pray unceasingly, they gather together even when they stayed up late the night before. They have an expectation of the very miracles that in the West we teach have ceased. They have this sort of true faith in the unknown, the supernatural, the heavenly. They have a belief that God can do anything and that the “prayers of a righteous man prevaileth much,” thus they believe that God can do anything and they aren’t afraid to ask Him to do it, trusting fully that He can.

Consider this last thought. There are many earthly things that I have never experienced or seen. I’m sure many if not all of us can honestly say the same thing. But, I still believe in those things. Why is it so much easier for us to have faith in these earthly things than heavenly things? Why is it so much easier to have faith in man, a created being, than in God, our creator?

We are told to “walk by faith, not by sight,” and yet, does that truly describe our lives? Or do we say that we will only believe in what we see?

May the grace of the Lord be with us all, my beloved family. Christ is in our midst!

Sailboats are great things. But, all sailboats have one important traits. They rely on the wind to fill their sails. No matter the quality of the materials used to build it, or the expertise of the crew, if there is no wind, then a sailboat will not perform it’s designed purpose. If the wind is blowing against a sailboat, then the crew can attempt to tack against it and make some ground; but if the wind is perfectly still then the boat will not move aside from with the ebb and flow of the tide. The crew can break out the oars and begin rowing, but the labor of doing so causes them to become quickly exhausted, and often yields little return. At the same time, however, the vessel must have sails, and they must be set right by a crew that understands what they are doing. If the sails are not set then even in a gale, they will move only with the tide, not by the power of the wind that the Lord has given them.

This is the perfect image of our faith. The boat and the crew are us and our efforts on the earth. The wind is the grace of the Holy Spirit moving us. Regardless of how much effort we put into anything, then it will yield little to no result unless the Holy Spirit move us. If we are seeking to move against the wind (the Holy Spirit), then we may be able to make a small amount of progress, but it will be to little or no avail. And, without reliance on the Holy Spirit, we may try to use our oars to row ourselves along, but we will never be able to come close to fulfilling our designed purpose. It is through the grace of the Lord only that we are able to accomplish what we were designed to accomplish. Never through our own efforts will we be able to achieve those aspirations. No, without the grace of the Holy Spirit filling our sails, we will often be left to float around lost, left to the mercy of the ebb and flow of the tides of our world.

On the other hand, we, like the crew aboard the vessel, must be able to set the sails properly. We must exert the work of hoisting the sails, of steering the ship, lest we lead ourselves to shipwreck. We must learn to capture the power of that grace in our lives; and we do that through prayer, through the teachings of the church, through reading the Scriptures. We would never attempt to take a sailboat into the ocean alone, neither would we do so without first reading various books on how to do it, having those teachers that we could turn to to answer questions that we have about it. If we don’t understand a nautical term, we ask someone who has that knowledge so that we can grow in our understanding of it; so too must we do spiritually.

The sailboat alone can not move, it must have the power of the wind to fulfill it’s purpose. However, the power of the wind alone will not do it, there must be the boat. And the presence of the boat alone will not do it, there must be a crew that is dedicated to fulfilling it’s purposes. It’s the synergy of the boat, the crew, and the wind working together that allows the journey to be perfected. So it is in our Faith. It is not by our own efforts that we can ever be saved. Neither can it be by our faith alone; nor by our works alone. It must be our faith in the Lord working in synergy with the grace of God in our lives to lead us to perform works which are worthy of bearing the name of Christ. Jesus tells us that, “Whoever believes in Me, the works that I do will he also do.” (John 14:12), and how will we perform these works? He tells us that He will send a Helper (the Holy Spirit; John 14:17-18).

My brothers and sisters, allow us all to stand within the boat, to attain the knowledge and discipline to hoist the sails, to put forth the effort to properly command our lives; looking to the teachers that the Lord has given us to guide us on our journey; and never ceasing to look to God for the ability to perfect our purpose, our calling, as His children.

Christ is in our midst.

Meditations on John 7

“He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”

The key to knowing and understanding God’s will is simply the sincere desire to know it and to follow it. The one who seeks to know God’s will academically, like the study in a theology class, will never come to a knowledge of the Truth. Abbot Nikon tells us in his “Letters to Spiritual Children” that “If they read only with their mind, they remain cold and hungry, not understanding the power of what is written; they abandon such reading, turning instead to doctors of theology, particularly Protestants.” However, the one who commends his whole life unto Christ our God will easily come to understand God’s will. It is when we dedicate our lives to ridding ourselves of wickedness that we are able to obtain righteousness. Those who seek for a “bare minimum” approach to salvation, seeking which sins they may freely commit, will never obtain the knowledge of God’s will for their lives. For it is God’s will that “none shall perish, but that all men will come to repentance.” The Lord Himself will never, and has likewise commanded us, cast pearls before the swine.

No, to know the will of God is to sincerely seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, not to collect knowledge for our own glory, not to win “sword-fights” in some Christian study group, but that we might apply those lessons to our own lives and to one day be made worthy to bear the name Christ, as we do each time we declare ourselves to be “Christian” (little Christs).

St Silouan the Athonite teaches us that “no matter how much we study, it is not possible to know God, unless we live by His commandments, for God is not known by science, but by the Holy Spirit. Many philosophers and learned men came to a belief in God, but they did not know God. It is one thing to believe that He exists, and another thing to know Him. If someone has come to know God by the Holy Spirit, his soul will burn for God day and night, and his soul cannot be bound by any earthly thing.”

Our spiritual blindness comes from this unwillingness to recognize God’s authority. To store away knowledge, as though it were some prize to be displayed in a trophy room, will never lead to a knowledge of God. To store away trinkets of knowledge about God in a closet of your mind will never lead you to a true knowledge of God, however to seek and to find Him truly in your own life,will reveal all things. The words of Scripture are never meant to be studied academically, but rather, to be studied with ever inkling of your heart, mind, and soul. The purpose of prayer is never to change God, but to change us; likewise, the purpose of studying Scripture is never to “interpret” the Scriptures to fit our lives, but to make us change our lives to fit Scripture.

May the grace of the Lord be with you, my beloved brothers and sisters. In Christ.

1-31-2019

Meditation on John 6

“And Jesus said to them…’unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood shall have eternal life, and I shall raise him up in the last day’…and many of His disciples came to Him, saying, ‘this is a hard saying; who can understand it?’…from that time, many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.”

Jesus’ disciples took His teaching concerning the Eucharist to be a hard teaching to comprehend. Scripture tells us, in fact, that many of His disciples walked away from Him because of this teaching. Unfortunately, to this day, there are still many who reject this teaching. They reject the very words of Jesus Himself, as recorded in Holy Scripture, concerning the sacramental eating of the body and blood of Christ. Because the depths of this great mystery can never be understood by human logic, they attempt to explain it logically. They attempt to interpret and misrepresent the words of Jesus metaphorically. They teach that it is merely symbolic; that the elements represent His sacrifice. They remove the working of the Holy Spirit from the mystery, thereby removing the mystery itself. And, regretfully, when they do this, they reject both the teaching of Holy Scripture and the unanimous teaching of the Church throughout history. Consider that even Martin Luther, who adamantly opposed all concept of tradition, still affirmed the actual presence of the body and blood of Christ during the Eucharist.

We receive the grace of Christ’s sacrificial offering when we come to Him in faith and commune with Him in faith. In communion, we truly partake of His flesh, “This is my body, which is broken for you for the forgiveness of sins,” and of His blood, “This is the blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for you, for the remission of sins.” When we partake of this great sacrament, which grants the faithful eternal life (verse 54), we become one with Christ, with Him abiding in us and we in Him (Verse 56). When we reject this mystery, because it is a “hard teaching” which can not be understood in our own logic, then we become as the disciples who “went away and followed Him no more.”

He asks the disciples, concerning this teaching that to attain eternal life one must eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, “does this offend you” and warns, “there are some of you who do not believe. Scripture goes on to state that Jesus knew who amongst them would not believe and would betray Him. Consider the fact that Scripture equates those who do not believe in His teachings with betrayal. See, when we reject the teachings of Jesus because of human wisdom, we are betraying Him.

I have often heard the statement that the opposite of faith is not atheism, it is doubt. And doubt is one of the greatest weapons that Satan has ever used against the Church. Direct sin, scandal, disbelief; each of these is ineffective in their blatantness. To tell the children of God not to commune with the Lord would be rejected as blatant blasphemy; however, to subtly plant the seeds of doubt that the Holy Spirit is present, the Jesus is actually present in the Eucharist; to ultimately remove the faith in the true mystery in which we are partaking, would remove the sacramental value of the mystery itself. It is those who approach the Lord in faith who Jesus states are granted eternal life, not those who “betray Him” through their unbelief. Merely by planting the seeds of doubt, the enemy could succeed in what two thousand years of persecution and execution could never do, removing the faith of men. Persecution and execution, trials and suffering, each of these strengthen the faith of men; seeds of doubt planted and watered with the corrupted water of human wisdom, these become acid which weaken and can ultimately dissolve that faith.

May the grace of the Lord be with you, my beloved family. Christ is in our midst!

Meditation on John 1

John begins his Gospel by evoking as a witness the creation account in Genesis. However, his account differs from the Genesis account in that he focuses much less on the creation itself and much more on the Creator of all life. Further, while Genesis focuses on the first creation, John focuses on the new creation in Christ. In declaring that the Word was with God, he illustrates that they are two separate beings; while in declaring that the Word was God, he shows that they are of One essence. See, each member of the Trinity is co-equal and co-eternal, each a separate person, and yet each of One essence.

Only God Himself has life, thus the Word, being God, is the source of all life. And that life is the light of all men. In making this statement, John now shifts the focus away from Jesus who is the source of all life, and illustrates mankind as the receiver of this life; of this divine light. And mankind, by receiving this light, becomes children of the light, able through His grace to become what He is in His essence. Mankind, when they choose to receive this light become alive, the light of the whole world. And this light is the light which shines in the darkness of the world; the light of life. We become ambassadors of Christ, His letter to the world. Through our own faith and light, we display the wonder and glory of His grace, thereby leading others to Him.

The darkness that John speaks of, however, is both spiritual ignorance and worldly, satanic opposition. There are some who prefer the darkness to the light (John 3:19). They choose this ignorance, this sinful passion, over the light of Truth. When the light of the Truth is offered to them, they prefer the fleeting pleasures of this world, the earthly desires, to the sacrifices required to walk in the light. And not only do they prefer this darkness, but they strive to keep others there as well. They teach others that to walk in the darkness is fine. As Jude teaches, they “turn the grace of our God into lewdness and through their actions deny the only Lord God.” (Jude 1:4). So, they concoct theories and ideologies that “make sense” in human logic, while burying the Truth of the mysteries behind this wall of earthly knowledge and wisdom.

John goes on to say that “the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it.” The word translated here “comprehend” is the Greek word “katalambano,” which means both to understand and to overcome. Thus the word has a dual meaning in this sentence. It states that the darkness will never understand the light. To those who are without faith, in love with worldly pleasures and seeking this temporal fulfillment, the asceticism that the Lord demands seems foolish. In fact, the very message of the cross is foolishness to those who are walking in darkness. The second meaning, however, is that the darkness will never overcome the Truth. No matter what theories and ideologies are presented to the world, no matter how wise the world seems, it will never overcome the Truth of the Faith. Consider how often in our history science and philosophy change. Yesterday’s wives tales becoming today’s medicine and yesterday’s science becoming today’s superstition. Yet, throughout all the ages, the Truth has never changed, it remains Truth whilst the rest of the world is adrift in a sea of knowledge, constantly being buffeted by the ebb and flow of the tides of human understanding.

Let us always choose the Truth, my brothers and sisters. Our science, our philosophy, our art; each of these things can increase our awareness of God’s presence in the world. And, when used for that purpose, let us acknowledge it as being what it is. However, when the purpose of these things is an attempt to usurp our knowledge of God, let us choose Truth instead. We must remember, the world hates Jesus, it hated Him so strongly that it crucified Him; and it continues that hatred towards any who truly follow Him. The world will hate and mock those who are truly walking in the Faith, because the Faith holds a mirror to them and reveals to them their true sinfulness. A Christian need not tell anyone that they’re walking in darkness; rather a Christian who is walking in the faith will reveal that darkness to them by the mere presence of the light of our Lord Jesus. And, when the world stands against us, when all knowledge and wisdom seem to be logical in human terms, we must remember the words of St Paul, “let God be true though every one were a liar.” (Romans 3:4). Even if every single person in the world says one thing, if it contradicts God, then they’re wrong. Let us always choose His truth, even when we don’t understand it, over the lies that the world will teach us, remembering that the world is “of it’s father the devil, and the desires of it’s father it wants to do…when he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44).

Satan is the father of lies and is very good at manipulating. That is why we need the words of God to know, and the wisdom of the Church to help us understand them. The temptation is to look to our own understanding when reading the Scripture, which Scripture itself warns us so strongly against. Proverbs tells us to “trust in the Lord with all your heart and not lean on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5), Peter warns us that “no matter of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20-21) and St Paul admonishes us to “cling to the traditions passed down, whether by word (oral tradition) or by epistle (letter)” (2 Thessalonians 2:15). We must cling to the Truth. We must cling to the Faith, the words of God, the teachings of His Church; and we must always remember that the world will mock us, scorn us, hate us, for this fact. Let us remain steadfast in faith and in love, and never let the enemy lead us astray.

May the grace of the Lord be with us all. Christ is in our midst.

Meditation on Luke 24

Having been crucified and resurrected, Jesus appears to two of His followers (Cleopas and presumably Luke), as they are on the road to Emmaus. In His resurrected body, He initially hides His identity from the two of them and rather converses with them. He does this for the purpose of exposing their doubts and their wavering faith; and thus exposed, to strengthen it. See, these still held to the misguided belief that the Messiah would be this great political leader, that He would cure the earthly travails of this life. They sought their savior in politics and hoped that they would find all of the answers in that, rather than realizing exactly what He offered them instead; thus when He was crucified, it eradicated these hopes. He chooses to reveal these weaknesses to them so that He can strengthen their faith through understanding of the Scriptures. He opens their minds and explains to them how, from Moses through the Prophets, all of the Scriptures pointed to this exact moment in history, and the necessity of this earthly death.

Similarly, in our own lives, things don’t necessarily “go our way.” Very frequently, we have our own thoughts about what the Messiah should do in our lives. And usually, what we desire isn’t what we receive. Oftentimes, what we feel is best for us is far from what we receive, and, like these two, the Lord uses those exact moments to reveal to us our own weaknesses and doubts; our own personal struggles with faith. See, it’s kind of this weird situation of extremes; when everything is going perfectly, it’s easy to give thanks unto the Lord, and when we have absolutely nothing, it’s easy to turn to the Lord. Where it becomes hard is when we are walking this sort of middle ground; when some things are going well but we are struggling in other areas. How easy is it to offer thanks to the Lord when we are going to work and get a flat tire, or the car breaks down? How easy is it to give thanks to the Lord when the company we work for is going out of business; or when we lose our jobs; or when we lose a loved one?

So many of us consider the things that happen in our lives and base our outlook of the future on those instances. When work is going well, and the bills are paid, and our party’s person is the president; it’s easy for us to say that we are hashtag blessed. But what about when that isn’t the situation? Remembering that the Jews thought that the Messiah was going to be a great political leader; what happens when He isn’t. What happens when the One that they thought was going to be the salvation of their people is crucified and the other side still controls the government? Do we lament His death and become lost in despondency? Of course not. The Lord isn’t affiliated with any political party, He is King regardless of who is legally in control. In the west, there is this movement of “Christian, Republican and proud,” the thought of which I feel makes Jesus weep more strongly than the tears of blood He shed in Gethsemane. What if our lives become uncontrolled beyond our wildest imaginings? What if our spouse dies; our bills are unpaid; and we are unemployed? Do we lose hope? Again, of course not. We turn instead to the cross, all the more, and say “Lord have mercy.”

Our Lord provides us with times of peace as well as times of suffering. The times of suffering serve to solidify our faith; for burning away the imperfections when plague us in our lives. They serve to reveal our weaknesses, to make us aware of our doubts, to show us our temptations towards self-reliance. The times of peace serve to show us what our lives would look like at all times if our faith were perfected, but the times of suffering, the times when our lives go not according to our plans, that we recognize the truth of our faith. It is in those moments where we grow to question if when we pray, “Thy will be done,” do we truly mean it, or are we merely paying meaningless lip service to the Lord; praying for His will while seeking our own.

May the grace of the Lord be with you all, my beloved family. In Christ.

Meditation on Luke 23

When Pilate learns that Jesus is a Galilean, he sends Him to Herod, as Galilee is in Herod’s jurisdiction. Herod is elated at the news, because he had heard of this Man’s teaching, and the miracles that He had performed, and he wishes to be entertained. Jesus, however, refuses to acquiesce. Elsewhere, in St Matthew’s Gospel, we read the words of Jesus, “Woe to you…for if the mighty works done here had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago…but I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you in the day of judgment.” (Matthew 11:21-22).

See, it’s this very idea that Tyre and Sidon had never received these teachings, or these miracles; thus their unbelief was to much less condemnation than it was for these other nations, who had received this witness and still rejected the Truth. Jesus here knew that Herod would never come to believe, thus His silence here was an act of compassion. Had He revealed such great mysteries in the face of such unbelief, such blasphemy; He would have brought Herod to even greater condemnation. Herod here represents all unbelievers, all unrighteous, who, if they choose not to recognize Jesus as the Christ, will never be able to see His miracles or understand His words. Consider those who disbelieve, how strongly they usually do so. The Psalmist tells us that all of creation bears witness to His glory (Psalm 18:1 LXX), and St Paul teaches us that “since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes are clearly seen.” (Romans 1:20). Herod represents those who “suppress the truth in unrighteousness,” those who, having lost communion with God through tasting the tree of human knowledge, continue to hide behind that tree; thus blinded by human wisdom are unable to see the witness of creation of proof of His existence. He represents all who will believe any theory of men before they would ever consider to accept the Truth of God. Consider how many times we see evidence of the existence of God, and yet, those who refuse to believe will find any human logic that would discredit that belief.

After meeting with Herod, Jesus is sent back to Pilate, and upon His return, the people demand that Jesus be crucified. Thrice does Herod seek to free Him, and the people refuse to allow it to be so. They demand that Barabbas, a rebel and a murderer, be released, while Jesus be crucified. A man named Simon, meanwhile, is tapped to help to bear the cross as they march to Golgotha. Simon, whose name means “obedience,” represents all the faithful who, to follow Jesus, must bear the cross that He places on them. Barabbas, on the other hand, whose name means “son of the father,” represents the world, the children of Satan, who is the ruler of this present world (John 14:30).

Thus, in this passage, we see this stark contrast between Simon and Barabbas. Barabbas, who represents those who “are of your father the devil,” (John 8:44-45) will escape this earthly persecution and will be allowed, be accepted by the world. Meanwhile, Simon, who represents all who are obedient to Christ, will face this earthly persecution and must bear their cross, suffering for the kingdom of God. However, it is those who bear their cross that shall be remembered in the kingdom of God.

This is the example that we must always bear in mind. Rather than seeking the ease, the comfort, the acceptance of the world; we must always remain steadfast in the faith, willing to endure endless persecution and suffering for the name of the Lord. We must obediently bear our own cross, neither grumbling nor complaining, aware that at the last, it is those who suffer for the kingdom that are counted worthy for entrance into it.

“Blessed are you when men shall revile and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.” (Matthew 5:11-12, Divine Liturgy); “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets.” (Luke 6:26).

May the grace of the Lord be with us all, my beloved family.