Redeeming The Time

Fr. Seraphim Holland delivers a homily about his life, to illustrate the power of the simple prayer, "Lord have mercy". We leave behind the Pharisee, who did not think he needed mercy, and therefore prayed not to God, but to himself only, and wend our way through my seeking college days, Protestant Theology and the group "Campus Crusade for Christ", and end up in the church, which understands mercy, and experiences mercy, and therefore, says the prayer "Lord have mercy", and variations thereof, more than any other prayer.

Why was Jesus Christ Baptized? He told the Baptist: “To fulfill all righteousness.” We explain what this means, using a snowfall experienced at the Hermitage of the Holy Cross, Wayne, WV

The meaning of Nativity is described in one word – “Emmanuel”, which means “God is with us”. Man was made to be with God, always, but sin made him lonely. God became man – so that He would be us – so that He would be with us – so that we would be able to never be lonely again.

On the Sunday before Nativity, which commemorates our Holy Fathers (the ancestors of Christ), a story from Father Moses Berry, about Uncle Izzie, which teaches us who our Fathers and about our Forefathers, and what "by faith" and "Emmanuel" - God is with us - means in our practical, daily lives. Sunday before Nativity, the Holy Fathers.

A talk given at the annual St Herman Youth Conference. Grief and mourning are a normal and necessary part of a life that leads to salvation. We talked about kinds of grief, and the energy in grief, and how to use it.

The Parable of the Great Supper is read 2 Sundays before Nativity, and also a passage from Colossians; both are about the incarnation and what our reaction to it must be, in this life, and the future. If we are to truly "put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him" (something possible ONLY because of the incarnation), then we must take to heart the spiritual meaning of the king’s instructions to his servants, when he told them to search for the most sinful, broken souls and "compel them to come in" to His supper. If we understand the incarnation, we will, in imitation of the Incarnated One, be COMPELLED from within to CHOOSE to not be free, so that we may someday be "free indeed". Colossians 3:4-11 Luke 14:16-24 2017

The greatest personal truth for man and the exegesis of Colossians 1:12-18, and the 3 ways in which Jesus Christ is the "first born of every creature", and then, another unfortunate truth about man, as we examine the healing of the ten Lepers. Which are we - the nine, or the one? How do we make sure we are the one?

The healing of the woman who was bent over for 18 years and the Apostle Paul teach us the two causes of sin - the wiles of the devil and the human condition. We should blame these, and not our brother, since we share the infirmities of our brother. If we learn this skill, we will pray with compunction and power for our brother (and ourselves): ":Lord, have mercy on those who are bent over, and help them to rise up". Luke 13:10-17 Ephesians 6:11

What shall I do? That was the question of the rich man who had a great harvest. The Scripture talks about "what we should do" today, in both the Epistle and the Gospel. They mention an incredible gift and incredible privilege. The Apostle Paul especially shows the greatest motivation a man can have for knowing what to do and doing it - that we can become "all goodness and righteousness and truth", and in making manifest these things, become light - that is, be united with God and be perfected. Ephesians 5:9-19 : Luke 12:16-21

The Parable of the Good Samaritan, interpreted in light of the previous Sunday Gospel - about Jairus. This parable teaches us HOW To obey the hard words of the Lord: "Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole. " The key is, first to understand the parable, which teaches us who our neighbor is, and then to act like the Samaritan: "But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was..." Luke 10:25-37 : Luke 8:50 2017-11-26

The healing of the woman and daughter of Jairus is one of the most remarkable miracles in the Gospels, because it presents us with a parable about healing. It demonstrates perfect faith, and how to obtain it. The woman had perfect faith - this is shown by all of her actions, especially that she touched Jesus. We discuss what touching Jesus is, and Jairus teaches us what we must do to learn this.

There is a controversy about the relationship between "faith and works" in the Western world. This is not so among Orthodox Christians. We explain the relationship between faith and works and grace. This is easy to know, if we live according to the OTHER parts of the passage in Ephesians, besides "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.", such as "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)" and " For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:4-10

How are we going to read the Gospels, since they are so hard to understand? They are not always hard. Even in complicated parts, we can understand that are useful to our souls if we read with expectation and desire. An example of something simple is in the Parable of the Rich man and Lazarus, one of the most complex parables in all of the Gospel. We will look at the behavior of the rich man and WHY he was in torments, and the reply of Abraham to the (unnamed) rich man: "Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented."

Texts on marriage. Sowing bountifully. A necessity of a good, Christian marriage. How marriage enables almsgiving. Practical and theological reasons to "sow bountifully". 2 Corinthians 9:6-11

On the Sunday after the Exaltation of the Cross, we look at the cross as a symbol, in order to change our behavior. There are practical ways to put into practice the statement of St Paul, which describes the practical Christian life: "I am crucified with Christ: neverthless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God," Gal 2:16-20

Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The Symbolism of the cross, as it pertains to our relationship with Christ. The Good thief Dismas. Man is reconciled to God on the Cross, and not God to man, as the Western heresy believes.

The Gospel reading for today is about the parable of the Wedding feast and the wedding garment, and therefore applies completely to the baptism of Mary today. How do we put on this garment? How do we keep it on, and just as important, how do we keep it clean? What is the outer darkness, the weeping and gnashing of teeth? What is repentance, and how is it related to the wedding garment? Were we made to fear Hell, or long for heaven? How *does* one *long* for heaven? Matthew 22:1-14

God called the holy Prophet Samuel simply by speaking his name: "Samuel." The young man answered three times "Here am I," and a 4th time:"Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth." This is enough to know about the prophet’s life, it we apply it to our own. His answers are the answers we should give to almost every question and encounter we have in life. We give a few examples from Samuel's life, and also practical examples, because it is useless to know about Samuel's virtues unless we also emulate them. Samuel (1 Kings) 3:1-10

On the Dormition, an exegesis of the readings for the feast, with an emphasis on the mind of the Theotokos and the mind of Christ and how to acquire this mind - that is point of Christian life! - and why we venerate her so highly. Philippians 2:5-11 : Luke 10:38-42,11:27-28

Subtle repetition in the story about the Unmerciful Debtor. The meaning of prison and the selling of his wife and children. The great (and common among men) sin of the debtor. More to the point, WHY do we do good to others? We give the best answer - not about commandments, or rules, or rewards or punishments. The Transfiguration, celebrated the day before, helps us to form the answer. Matthew 18:23-35