Homily on the 6th Sunday of Great Lent.
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” “We can,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”
When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mk 10:32-45
These days the clergy of the institutional churches have turned a blind eye to these most powerful words of our Saviour - “Whoever wants to be first must be a slave of all.”
Thus, the sad reality is that in most cases clergy that attain positions of power do so via greed, mal-intent and deception; vesting themselves in sheep's clothing but in actual fact are the very wolves that come to scatter the Lord’s flock!
Hence, as we know very well, evil along with its legions of filth cannot draw near to things that are Holy for they will burn instantly at the mere sight of God’s omnipotence!
Having stated thus, it is due to this reason why we have not only rouge clergy; along with their synods but also have clerics who infiltrate the ranks of the clergy in order to as Jesus says - “Lord over the Gentiles/the faithful of the Lord.
Therefore, in order to get away with such behaviours in justifying their actions, these so-called clerics brainwash the faithful via lies and deception.
Moreover, due to the sin of nationalism within this institutional church, the faithful are forced to remain ignorant because the language used is either ancient Greek or Slavonic and so forth.
How are the young generation supposed to learn about the teachings of the Church if they cannot understand what is being prayed and spoken?
In addition, for quite some time priests and bishops have suppressed the honourable and rightful role of the Deaconate due to ambition, lust for power, greed and jealousy.
In the early Apostolic Church, where the Apostle or presbyter could not be present, the deacon was sent; not only to teach but also to minister the Mysteries onto the faithful via the Pre-Sanctified means.
However, as the institutional church continued to grow and priests outnumbered deacons, they were pushed to the side and demoted so to speak!
Therefore, within this Holy Exarchate dedicated to the Apostles under the Omophorion of our Metropolitan Archbishop Raffaele, the dignity and role of the Holy Deaconate has been rightfully restored to its original and intended place.
Thus, several years ago I was given the greatest honour in centuries to be first deacon to offer the Liturgy of the Proskmedia. For those who are not so familiar with this Liturgy, it is a small Liturgy before the Divine Liturgy is offered where the cleric prepares the bread and wine to become the offering of offerings - Jesus truly present in flesh and blood!
This Saturday the Church commemorates a great Saint and Hymnographer Saint Joseph of Sicily.
Saint Joseph was born in Sicily and resettled with his parents in Greece to flee from the barbarians. At the age of 15 he entered into a monastery in Thessalonika and several years after was ordained to the presbyterate.
During the reign of emperor Leo the Armenian in the years 813-820 AD the Church was battling one of its greatest crises of all time: iconoclasm.
Saint Joseph was a great advocate for the veneration of Holy icons and their importance for the Christians spiritual life. However, due to his zeal for the protection of these holy icons he was sent to Crete where he was imprisoned for six years.
His time spent in prison however was not in vain. There he met a bishop who was nearly spiritually dead; having minimal to zero prayer life and coming close to denouncing the faith in which he once professed. Thus, Saint Joseph by the grace of the Holy Spirit was able to reignite the burning passion to serve God that the bishop once possessed.
One night whilst in his prison cell Saint Joseph was blessed to receive a vision of Saint Nicholas of Myra. Saint Nicholas gave Saint Joseph a scroll that read - “Hasten, O Gracious One, and attend to our aid in as Thou dost will”.
Thus, after Saint Joseph had read the scroll, he was instructed to eat it in order for the prayer to be fulfilled. Hence, after he had consumed the scroll the doors of the prison miraculously opened and Saint Joseph walked out a free man.
Therefore, after his release, Saint Joseph built a Church dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Myra where it housed the relics of his great friends and fellow monks Gregory and John; along with the relics of the Great Apostle Bartholomew.
Hence, to honour the Apostle he wished and prayed that a canon chant be composed to commemorate the Apostle, however Saint Joseph felt unworthy to compile it himself.
Thus, whilst praying within the Holy of Holies (Altar) the Apostle Bartholomew appeared to Saint Joseph in a vision and blessing him via imparting the grace of the Holy Spirit upon him – granting him wisdom to compile a canon to the Apostle, the Mother of God and to many Martyrs and Saints.
Sadly, within the years 829-842 AD Saint Joseph once again fell victim to iconoclasm. For the second time he was sent to prison where he would spend a further 11 years of his life.
After his release Saint Joseph was made doorkeeper of Agia Sophia in Constantinople by the Holy empress Theodora in 842AD.
Having reached a ripe old age Saint Joseph became ill. Just before Holy Pascha on Great Friday Saint Joseph beheld a vison of our Lord informing him about the hour of his death.
Thus, one evening whilst laying in his bed; surrounded by his fellow brother monks, Saint Joseph gave his final blessing and fell asleep in the Lord.
In conclusion, the life of this wonderful Saint of God should be a wonderful example to all of us because it shows us that no matter how many times it may seem that the world/evil attempts to unravel our faith which we have worked hard for, God is always near; NEVER abandoning us especially at our most vulnerable moments in life.
Thus, via the prayers of the communion of Saints, the prayers of Saint Joseph of Sicily, the intercessions of the Holy Theotokos and Her spouse Joseph, Lord Jesus Christ our God have mercy on us and save us!
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