Redeeming The Time

The parable of the Great Supper is about the incarnation, and is read two Sundays before Nativity. Near the end of the parable, the master of the house, that is, God, tells His servants to: “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” This word “compel” is a compelling and even controversial word. The epistle helps explain what this word means. Everything in Christianity is lived in the heart.

The words of St. Paul to his son Timothy are an example of living in the heart. The actions of the ruler who followed the external commandments but did not know anything besides them are an example of a man who lives outside of his heart. The Christian life has no power whatsoever if it is not lived in the heart. We examine these positive and negative examples about life in the heart. The person living in his heart understands that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief," and that He has "shown forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on Him to life everlasting" and that, in these things, we know everything needful to know how to live, what to think, and who to be in every situation in life.

The healing of the woman with the spirit of infirmity for 18 years has two important lessons that stand out for us. The first is that we are also bent over, so should we should identify with the woman and everyone suffering. In the second is that since we are bent over, we should at least be kind. The great sin of the Pharisees was that they had no kindness. A person cannot be saved if they are not kind.

James the Persian (November 27) was a great martyr, but not all of his life was that of a great martyr. At first, he was a coward, but then he came to his senses. It is good to learn from people who made terrible errors, and even apostasy, but came to their senses. God never abandons any of us.

Fr. Seraphim Holland shares from Luke 12:16-21. Man was made to know God and even to contain God within his deep heart. A man’s life consists of completely and only this. The parable of the Harvest of the Rich Man shows a man who does not know who he is, or what his life consists of, who squanders his deep heart (Psalm 65:6), numbering his produce and asking counsel only from himself. Let’s discuss what a man’s life consists of and what he can and cannot possess and the things in life that he should and should not number.

Fr. Seraphim Holland answers the questions, "Why would God want to have communion with me? What have I to offer God?" The answer is in the parable of the Good Samaritan

Exegesis of one of the best and poetic descriptions of the process of salvation, and most misinterpreted part of all of Scripture. Let us look at the meaning of being "quickened ... together with Christ," "by grace ye are saved," and the verse misunderstood by millions: "for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works." If we understand the Incarnation and its purpose, all of this passage will resonate in our hearts, and guide us and give us great joy. Ephesians 2:4-10

This Sunday, we read about the Parable of the Sower and about the "Good Ground," which is the most important part of this parable. How do we become the good ground? The epistle tells us exactly how. It tells us that we should walk according to a "rule," and this rule must be that we bear in our body the marks of the Lord Jesus because we are a new creature. Listen carefully. The apostle is telling us the only way that leads to life. It is a wonderful, difficult, and joyous way.

On the Sunday that we commemorated the Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council which restored the veneration of icons, we also remembered the former harlots Pelagia and Thais. When we look upon an icon we see holiness, struggle, integrity, and repentance. We see this also in these former harlots who became great strugglers. Their lives should inspire, encourage, and rebuke us. What image do we see when we look in the mirror?

In the Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God, the Gospel reading for the Theotokos points to the other Gospel read today - about the Golden Rule. If we follow this rule, we will be choosing the "good part" and be "sons of the highest". Let us look at the Golden Rule in this way - not as an externally imposed law, but an easy way of life that always chooses the "good part".

The first great catch of fish after which some of the apostles left all and followed the Lord can be understood as a parable about our life. Things in the story have a mystical significance: launching out into the deep, letting down the nets, toiling overnight, doing things by the Word of the Lord, the boat starting to sink and the fish being salvaged by other boats, and Simon Peter seen the Lord and saying "depart from me if I am a sinful man".

The Sunday after the Exaltation of the Holy Cross coincides this year with the glorious martyrs Sophia, and her children Faith, Hope, and Love. Their martyrdom epitomizes the meaning of the words of the epistle and the Gospel today: “I am crucified with Christ: neverthless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Gal 2:20) and “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it” (Mark 8:35).

On the Sunday before the Exaltation of the Cross, the Epistle and Gospel readings tell us why the cross, what Jesus did on the cross, and what we must do because of the cross.

Deacon Nicholas Park delivers an exegesis of the Parable of the Wedding Feast. There are many questions directed towards US in this parable. Will you answer them?

"Are you come to play Jesus with the lepers in your head?" This lyric from a secular song has much spiritual application. All of us have lepers, and all of us "play Jesus" with them. We talk about what "playing Jesus" means and how to stop playing and constructively seek healing from Jesus through the Jesus prayer the Psalter and struggling in the Christian life.

Fr. Seraphim Holland tells of an experience by St. Nikolai Velomirovich in Dachau concentration camp that teaches us the most important and primary meaning of the Transfiguration. If we believe this, truly believe it, it will change everything we do, think, say and care about.

There is no Christian life without aggression and looking for opportunities. We base this on the spirit of the monastic life which every Christian should understand, and on John 8:37 for the Lord tells the Jews who do not believe in Him that they have no room in their heart for him. We discuss a little bit about the purpose of the monastic life and how it should inform the conduct of everyone in the church, and also examples of salvific aggressiveness and looking for opportunities. This homily is adapted from one given on the first anniversary of the death of my son +Daniel (06-11-2017)

Three truths that should resonate in the soul (and cause practical changes in the way we live!) gleaned from a prayerful, and repetitive reading of a in the Gospel of John, Chapter 8. What is freedom and how do we become free? What is slavery? How does one become a slave?

How do we give with simplicity, and love without hypocrisy? The Apostle Paul and the parable about the two debtors explains. The parable (two men owed a debt to their Lord, one 500, and another 50, and he was gracious to both) told by Jesus to explain the simple love and devotion of the sinful woman who anointed His feet helps explain how we can give with simplicity, show mercy with cheerfulness, and love without hypocrisy, all of which are commands of the Apostle Paul in Romans 12:6-14. There is another "technique" given by the Apostle, to help us to fulfill his commands: put spiritual things first, especially prayer.

In our day, many sins, opinions, and lifestyle choices being described is "living your own truth." It is quite impossible for man to be his own truth, as only Jesus Christ is the Truth. The readings for today show the results when a man tries to live according to his own truth. The people of the Gergesenes rejected the Light, and St. Paul's description of such people sounds very modern and contemporary: "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God." Romans 10:1-10, Matthew 8:28-9:1