The Sunday of the Dread Judgment (A Homily on Matthew 25:31-46)

Matthew 25:31-46 contains a message for us all that we would be very wise to heed. With love comes discipline and fidelity. Living the Christian Faith is not simply to pay lip service to Christ's instructions. We are to walk it out into the world! This is what Christ has said to us. Are we willing to get our hands dirty?  Are we willing to walk the walk?

Glory by the Way of Shame (Homily on the Sunday of the Prodigal Son)

A homily about the Prodigal Son given at the Monastery of the Glorious Ascension. The Father's love for his son won out over the sins of the son. How many of us are prodigal sons and daughters? How long will we persist in being separated by our own wills before we realize that our own Father is willing to run towards us from afar. The spotless lamb has already been sacrificed for us... (*Sorry for the off-center video)

The Publican and the Pharisee (A homily on Luke 18:10-14)

A homily on Luke 18:10-14. In this narrative, Christ speaks to us using two examples of two men who came to the temple to pray. One prayed only to himself, but the other was heard and forgiven...

"On Earth, As It Is In Heaven..."

(Reposted from a Facebook Post on Traditional Orthodox from Fr. Rafael Melendez)

There was once a priest who did not want to serve the liturgy because it was a cold winter day. The temperature was 10 degrees below zero and the priest knew that the only person who was likely to come to the service was the chanter. The priest had no idea about the Church’s teaching on the presence of the Triumphant Church and how the Divine Liturgy benefits the living and the departed. With difficulty he forced himself to go to church. On the way to church he kept wishing that the chanter would not come so that he would not have to serve and go home. However, the chanter did come. The priest did the Prothesis (or Proskomedia, the service of preparing the holy gifts) in a hurry and began the Divine Liturgy. Shortly after, some bishops, priests, monks and nuns and some lay people arrived. Most of them sat in the choir section and began to chant so beautifully that the priest forgot about how cold and lonely he was earlier. His whole body was warm and his whole being was all a flame…. When he did the small entrance he noticed that the church was full of people – most of them familiar – he did not pay much attention and just continued with the Divine Liturgy. When the time came for the Sanctification of the Holy Gifts he saw three bishops, brightly clothed and radiant entering the Holy Altar. They knelt with him and prayed. The priest then stood up very carefully with fear, took the censer and in a loud voice said, ‘Especially our All Holy, Immaculate, Most Blessed and glorious Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary…’. The soul of the priest was amazed and filled with divine joy. Peace and heavenly stillness, hesychia, dominated his inner self. When the time came for the elevation and dividing of the Host (Lamb) the whole church filled with the sweetest melodies. The whole multitude of people who were present along with the monks, priests and bishops chanted not only once but many times, ‘One is Holy, One is Lord: Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen’. Next they chanted the Holy Communion hymn, ‘Taste and see that the Lord is good, Alleluia.’ The priest was wondering what to do. Should he partake of the Holy Communion first or step aside for the three bishops who were present. Just as he was thinking this, one of the bishops nodded to him indicating that he should receive Holy Communion and then to Unify and Place the remaining of the portions of the Lamb into the Chalice along with the portions in memory of the Holy Theotokos and the Saints. Having completed this the priest then opened the Beautiful Gate … and saw no one in the Church… he turned and looked back into the holy altar, he looked to the right, looked to the left, the bishops had disappeared, he stood there speechless, amazed. He slowly opened his mouth and chanted the next petition, ‘With the fear of God and faith and love, draw near …,’ and the chanter slowly drew near to take Holy Communion. The priest was still amazed, still wondering! The whole Triumphant Church was present. All those present in the church were persons familiar to him, they were persons that had departed from this life and he would from time to time commemorate their names during each liturgy: ‘that’s why they were present, that’s why they all seemed so familiar’, he thought. As for the bishops in the altar they were the Three Hierarchs: Saint John Chrysostom, Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory the Theologian. So many years of study at university, so much research and so many sleepless nights he spent studying and these efforts were not able to give him not even one drop of the sweetness and divine knowledge that this one Divine Liturgy gave him.

"Today... Salvation Has Come to This House" (A Brief Homily on Luke 19:1-10

"Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.  Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.  And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.  So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”  So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.  But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.”Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham;  for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”  (Luke 19:1-10)

What a fascinating thing that was happening to Zacchaeus! The Lord, Jesus Christ was passing by through the gates of his own city! Imagine that... Christ was coming to Jericho; the city which was captured by the army of the Israelites centuries before when the walls that were once impenetrable, crumbled and fell down before the resounding of the horns of the advancing troops.  Here is where love has come to greet all who would recognize it and come.

Zacchaeus heard the call. He was most likely curious to meet this traveling teacher who had reportedly done wonders and said many wise things. This teacher had confounded the Pharisees with their own sayings and performed miracles within sight of many witnesses. Zacchaeus' heart was kindled toward meeting this incredible man who was now coming towards his town. You see, Zacchaeus was a tax-collector, a publican. Not only was he a tax-collector, reviled by his kinsmen and those whom he had to deal with, but he was the chief tax-collector. He was held in even lower esteem than most. Surely, if this Jesus could perform miracles, then perhaps He could perform a miracle in his life. 

"And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.  So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way."

Such eagerness for a man of great sinfulness to run to meet Jesus.  Such haste and trouble Zacchaeus went through to see him. Why the rush? Perhaps if he thought like many modern day Christians did today, he would be more casual about seeing the Christ.  Perhaps he would have the idea that he could catch Him the next time He came through or perhaps just stand at a distance and not be too obvious or conspicuous. Lord knows that there are many today who feel this way. Perhaps we are; like Zacchaeus, only too aware of our sinfulness but in a way very much unlike Zacchaeus, we are not in any hurry to come to terms with it. Perhaps we might be hedging our bets regarding our sinful behavior and feel that we'll take care of it sometime later; perhaps even on our death-beds. Such thinking is most dangerous, though.

Do not deceive yourself, foolish worker, as if one time can make up for another. For the day is not sufficient to repay in full its own debt to the Lord. St. John Climacus, The Ladder of Divine Ascent

Upon climbing the tree, we find that Jesus has passed near and looks up at Zacchaeus and tells him, 

Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.

Zacchaeus is discovered! Perhaps in his eagerness, he got more than he bargained for. After all, Zacchaeus only wanted to "see" Jesus did he not?  Now all was laid bare and Jesus was to dine with him, the chief tax-collector that very evening!  What shall he do? 

He did as his heart led him to do. He prepared a place of honor for Jesus at his house. His abode that was thought to be unclean and unworthy for a holy man to enter into. The priests and even the scribes would not enter into such a den of iniquity.  How often do we believe our own hearts are too "unclean" to be the abode of the Christ?  How often do we look at ourselves and think we are too far gone to ever be loved by God? It did not deter Zacchaeus. Here was a very remarkable event happening to him and he made haste to eagerly make Jesus feel welcome and at home. Why is it that we tarry and procrastinate when Christ has made us the same invitation?  Why do we wait? 

You see... to invite Christ inside we must be ready to throw away that which has long separated us from Him. He have to discard the relative comfort that we invariably develop from getting cozy with our own sinfulness. Christ's offer to dwell within the abode of our heart is an offer to discard that which has darkened and soiled it in the first place. What host allows an honored guest to come into a dirty home? Zacchaeus saw this and when Christ had come and dined with him, he decided to clean the slate and make amends, not only by words but in deeds...

"Even if all spiritual fathers, patriarchs, hierarchs, and all the people forgive you, you are unforgiven if you don’t repent in action." St Kosmas Aitolos

Herein lies the rub. Lip service is nothing. We are to be a people of action. There is no forgiveness without earnest repentance and to be earnest, it must be an active repentance as in a race that is being run and not simply speaking of a race that has already been run. Zacchaeus put his words to action and Christ saw the intent of his heart. For this, Salvation came home to Zacchaeus and dwelt with him. Here was the fruit of Zacchaeus' haste. He came to simply see who he thought was a great teacher and came face to face with God... and salvation came home...

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Benedict+
Chaplain
Monastery of the Glorious Ascension
Resaca, Georgia