Redeeming The Time

Freedom from anger starts with silence of the lips. Be patient: it is a process. "As the gradual pouring of water on a fire completely extinguishes the flame, so the tears of true mourning are able to quench every flame of anger and irritability."

Mourning. There is good news for us who pray poorly! We must merely pray as well as we know how to. God will hear inarticulate prayer. We discuss the teaching of St John Climacus on this subject in under four minutes: "I have seen shameless petitioners and beggars with clever words soon incline even the hearts of kings to compassion. And I have seen men poor and needy in virtue, with words not clever but rather humble, vague and stumbling, call shamelessly and persistently from the depths of a desperate heart upon the Heavenly King and by their violence force His inviolable nature and compassion."

Progression in controlling our lips, then thoughts, then actions.

Lent is a school to teach us to pursue happiness, not pleasure. Comments on a hymn from Vespers, Tuesday, week 3 of Great Lent explaining the difference between pleasure and happiness: "I have been wounded by the sword of pleasure, O Lord, / and a shameful death has befallen me. / O Master, pierced by a spear, / who as Savior bringest healing to those wounded by the arrows of the enemy, / heal and restore to life my humble soul, / and grant me to share in Thy Holy Passion."

On the second Sunday of Great Lent, we celebrate the memory of St. Gregory Palamas. More than any other Father, he is known for teaching about the uncreated Divine Light of God. His teaching demarcates a huge gulf between Orthodox and the other Christian confessions. First, a minute of history, then illustrate his teaching, which is centered on the Incarnation, using part of the reading for the Sunday from Hebrews, and then continuing with the words of St. Paul which follow. (Hebrews 2:3-18)

How to eradicate bad habits. St John tells us that if we all knew the day of our death, we would delay repentance. "From long habit, (we) would become confirmed in vice, and would remain utterly incorrigible." We talk about the purpose of reading the Ladder, how the remembrance of death helps eradicate bad habits, how to fight certain bad habits in a practical way, and a great fear we must have regarding bad habits, all in under five minutes.

"I have seen impure souls raving madly about physical love; but making their experience of such love a reason for repentance, they transferred the same love to the Lord; and, overcoming all fear, they spurred themselves insatiably on to the love of God." Using the energy of lust to love God and conquer lust. A discussion about shifting the paradigm. Very few who have lust struggle against it effectively. St John Climacus offers us another way. Will you try it?

About repentance. We discuss in under five minutes, that "repentance is carefree self-care and a striking of the soul into vigorous awareness," fasting for lay people, what is sin, and the purpose of Great Lent, and we do not talk fast!

I read the Ladder of Divine Ascent every Great Lent, and mark it up with pencil because of the wonderful things I read, that help my soul. If I am not too lazy and God helps me, I will try to publish a short meditation on one of the steps as often as I can. Step 04.31 - About Macedonius the Archdeacon. Dogma about the nature of angels, demons, and men. The benefit of humiliation. Practical advice about repentance after we fall, because we are men, not demons.

A very quick history about Iconoclasm and the restoration of the icons, which we celebrate the first Sunday of Great Lent, and then an explanation of what the "Triumph of Orthodoxy" really is. It is VERY personal and is well explained by one of the hymns said at Vespers: "Thou who art uncircumscribed, O Master, in Thy divine nature, / wast pleased in the last times to take flesh and be circumscribed; / and in assuming flesh, / Thou hast also taken on Thyself all its distinctive properties. / Therefore we depict the likeness of Thine outward form, / venerating it with an honor that is relative. / So we are exalted to the love of Thee..." The significance is an idea, unique to Orthodoxy, about what salvation is. To explain it, we must give a short primer on the incarnation. At the end, an exhortation to buy service books, and read them, along with a little personal confession.

Today most people know by "Cheesefare" or "Forgiveness Sunday," or the day we eat blini, but the liturgical theme of the day is the casting out of Adam and Eve from Paradise. Most people at least acknowledge that we must forgive to be saved, but the hymns of today teach another truth -- you will forgive if you are being saved. Today we lament about the greatest catastrophe in creation -- the fall of mankind in paradise -- and we enter into a period when we lament the loss of paradise and seek after it. Let us look at some of the hymns from the Triodion from this day, and the exciting call of the Apostle Paul to action: "Now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed" and "put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh." All these things teach us what our goal should be in great Lent and that we can reach it -- to regain some of paradise. Romans 13:11-14:4

First, an overview of all five Sunday Gospels in the preparation period for Great Lent, to see how they fit together. Then a discussion of the outer vs. inner teaching of this Gospel form Matthew about the Last Judgment. Of course the immediately apparent teaching of this Gospel is that there will be a judgment and we will be judged if we are not compassionate. The inner meaning can be gleaned from understanding why the Lord referred to the "young kids" (the actual word means immature goats) as being put on the left, and His answer to the righteous when they question Him: "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Putting these things together we see with excitement the possibilities before us in this upcoming fast: we are to grow towards maturity, so that, as the image of God within us becomes more apparent, we see Christ in everyone else. Christianity is not rules, or exercises. It is growth toward perfection. We are not to be "young kids," who are imm

The parable of the Prodigal Son vividly shows us the immediately apparent teaching that there is nothing that God will not forgive, and we can never be too weak to begin repentance, which God will always react to and make us stronger. It also teaches, less obviously, but more importantly, the consequences of living outside the heart and how to live in the heart. As such, it is part of the preparatory sequence of Gospels for Great Lent, because all of Great Lent is a quest to live more in the heart.

The external teaching of the Parable of the Publican and the Pharisee is a warning against pride and an example of humility. There much more. We discuss what humility is. It is not trying to not be proud! It is a relationship. The prayer of the publican illustrates this relationship. In the midst of our discussion, we define some important words which are not well understood - "hope," "justified," and "humility." Luke 18:10-14

There is a grave marker in a Utah cemetery showing a boy standing from his wheelchair and reaching towards the heavens. His paralysis is over now. This image is an apt metaphor for the purpose of Great Lent. Since Zacchaeus Sunday is the unofficial beginning of the preparation period for Great Lent, we discuss the purpose of Great Lent in the context of his "Zacchaeus moment." The church will talk about many such moments in the coming weeks and all of Great Lent - with Gospels on the Publican and the Pharisee, the Prodigal son, and much about St. Mary of Egypt in the 5th week. All of these had "Zacchaeus moments." We do too, and we must learn to listen for them and "make haste" when we hear them. (The statue is worth seeing, and reading about the memorable child Matthew Stafford is also worthwhile, at http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7140314)

First, a short telling of the life of the Holy New Martyr of Russia Priest Nicholas Prozorov, who was martyred on the eve of Transfiguration, (1930) on this day remembering all the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia. His martyric feat has a direct link to the words of the Epistle read today for the martyrs. We explain what Christian belief is. It is not what the world thinks belief is, and this belief is directly responsible for the courage of the martyrs. Our words turn out to be a short primer on what "called according to his purpose" means, and an exegesis of the important theology contained in "he also did predestine to be conformed to the image of his Son" (with that misunderstood word "predestine") and in so doing describe what being made in the image and after the likeness of God means, and the application of these fundamental things to how we should live our life. One last thing: the question is asked: "Why are you here at the liturgy today?" There is one, best answer.

Exegesis of the encounter of Jesus with the rich young ruler (Luke 18:18-27). Implications of calling Jesus good. Fulfilling the commandments is NOT the purpose of life. Knowing what we lack, and selling all to be healed.

Ephesians 4:7-13, read on the Sunday after Theophany, is, appropriately, describing what happens AFTER baptism. We explain the phrase "the measure of the gift of Christ," and why St Paul modified the psalm he quoted, from "received gifts from men" to "gave gifts to men." We discuss a common and deadly way to look at God, and the proper way, and spend a lot of time on the phrase "unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."

A short catechesis on Baptism, then the good stuff. We explain how man was created, the consequence of the Fall, the need for Baptism, and signs at the Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ that prove that Baptism effects a momentous change in man. Then we discuss the greatest fruit of baptism - to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and use examples from the Scriptures read today, as well as the words of Job: "Verily, while my breath is yet in me, and the breath of God which remains to me is in my nostrils, my lips shall not speak evil words, neither shall my soul meditate unrighteous thoughts." (Job 27:3-4)

Pearls from the Feast of the Nativity, Matins Canon Stories about Prophet David, Joseph the Betrothed, and James the Brother of the Lord The Canon sung at Matins on the Nativity of the Savior has such beautiful theology in it, that I decided to discuss a few of the stichera and given an exegesis of them. After this, some stories about the Prophet and King David, Joseph the Betrothed, and James the Brother of the Lord, who are always remembered on the Sunday after Nativity. Sunday After Nativity, 2016