Redeeming The Time

Fr. Seraphim Holland shares a homily about freedom and slavery. This Sunday's Epistle tells us about slavery - to sin, and slavery to righteousness - which is true freedom. He compares the two kinds of slavery, and the perfection of freedom to righteousness, as shown by the centurion who asked the Lord to heal his servant.

Fr. Seraphim Holland shares about the life of St. Timothy of Esphigmenou, a New Martyr of the Turkish Yoke (remembered the 3rd Sunday after Pentecost and October 29). Love is willing to be dangerous, outrageous. Love thinks outside the box.

Fr. Seraphim Holland reads a letter from a prisoner who will be baptized this month.

The day of Pentecost was a public event affecting many people, but at its core, Pentecost is personal. We are the "little ones"that are referred to in the Gospel on this Monday of the Holy Spirit today, and the Holy Spirit is personal and intimate with every believer. We little ones must remember that even though we might feel insignificant, the Holy Spirit will abide in us and help us personally, because he chooses to. If we understand this and live by it, we will live victorious lives. Monday of the Holy Spirit - Matthew 8:10-20

Fr Methodius is a priest at St Barnabas Mission in Kenya, Africa (http://orthodoxmissionkenya.org/). He was with us on Pentecost and gave a homily which is a sweeping survey of the Scriptures that are read on the feast and teaches us the purpose of the coming of the Holy Spirit and many other things.

The high priestly prayer of Jesus is a great opportunity to read scripture with purpose. Everything we read should encourage us and help us to change our behavior. We look at the High Priestly prayer in a practical way, for the benefit of our soul, including a practical, personal interpretation of the words of Jesus: "Thou hast given him power over all flesh", and "keep through Thine own name those whom Thou hast given Me, that they may be one, as We are", whether or not sinners can have any chance to be as the apostles, of whom Jesus said: “they have kept thy word”, and of course: “this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.“

Stories provide powerful incentives for changing our behavior. We look at the Ascension story, which is also a dogmatic fact and how it should influence our behavior – it should change EVERYTHING! - and also the 3 dogmatic pillars of the event of the Ascension.

All of the Sundays of Pascha, from Thomas Sunday, the Myrrh-bearing women, the Paralytic, the Samaritan woman and the Blind man, have compelling stories, with a unifying theme: You must have fire in your belly! Whether we are beset by ignorance, sins, confusion - whatever - none of this will matter if we have fire in our belly! All these stories who how God reacts to our desire, and overcomes our problems.

A little bit about how the Gospel of John is different from everything else in the bible, and the purpose of liturgy (the same as the purpose of John), and that the conversation of the woman at the well is a mystical "instruction book" about achieving this purpose. A little about our religion. There is nothing "formal" in it!

The Holy Myrrh bearers persevered despite great disappointment, loss and fear. WHY? For the same reason that Thomas persevered, and Peter, and Luke and Cleopas, and all the true Apostles and disciples. It was because their heart burned with love for Jesus, and they gave to Him all that they were capable of giving.

Thomas Sunday is the most important day of the year. His experience teaches us a core truth, which we will need - many times in our lives. What are we to do when we are deeply sorrowful, confused, anger, disillusioned? Thomas teaches us.

After saying "Christ is risen" in many languages including "Texan", we talk about the mysterious road to Emmaus. There many tantalizing things in this story, such as - why did the disciples not recognize Jesus, but the most important take-home here must Be that even after being enlightened by our Lord describing Himself iin the Scriptures, the apostles did not know Him until He gave them the Eucharist. The Eucharist is indispensable for enlightenment.

Why do we read the Gospel about the healing of the Demoniac son on the 4th Sunday of Great Lent? It is not about the story, but because the story occured as Jesus was going to Jerusalem for His passion. The disciples did not understand Jesus, even though He told them many times what was going to happen. We are like that too! Why is it that we do not understand and do basic and obvious things? This is a hard question to answer, but a more important question to answer is answered in this story - how are we going to start doing what is right and stop doing what is wrong?

The message of the Cross. The Cross tells us Jesus knows our infirmities and will help us. We explore this message from a passage from John Climacus and the Epistle read today. They are both about bringing our infirmities before God, and we know that we will be helped because of the cross.

The Gospel reading for St Gregory Palamas includes the promise regarding those who follow the shepherd: "If any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture". This is a description of freedom. How do we obtain this freedom, and what is it? The world does not know, but the teachings and example of St Gregory tell us.

Exegesis of two hymns from the Vespers service for the Triumph of Orthodoxy, which teach the core dogmas of icons, and the incarnation, and how we are saved.

Patience. It is active, never passive. It is from faith, and work. It is from knowledge, given by God to those who labor. The readings for the first Sunday of Great Lent are in an open and hidden way about patience, without which we cannot be saved. John 1:43-51, Hebrews 12:1

Fr. Seraphim Holland gives an explanation of the expulsion of Adam and Eve from paradise, and, how understanding and applying Psalm 136: "By the Waters of Babylon" will make us regain paradise.

The message of the Gospel for the Sunday of the Last Judgment is: (the verb, the command, the only consequence which gives meaning to our life, and the criterion by which we are judged) - LOVE! An exegesis of this Gospel, taking into account the other recent Sunday readings, and the two parables which precede it in the 25th chapter of Matthew - the Ten Virgins, and the Talents. Considering all these things, we see an instruction book for how to approach great Lent.

The Sunday of the Prodigal Son presents us an instruction manual for how to live during Great Lent, which is fast approaching, and how to pray and present ourselves before God. We focus on the parables teaching about delusion and how to think of ourselves and pray to God.