Homily on the 13th Sunday after Pentecost - 1 Corinthians 16: 13-24; Matthew 21: 33-42.
As Christians, it can feel at times that the world is against us. People often make jokes about what they perceive Christians to be like – some characterisations duly earned and others not so much. How are we to react to these jokes often meant in good fun yet often coming off as less than fun and as attacks?
Quite simply, as Christians, we must show the world our love – the love that we are to show to each person! In today's Epistle to the Corinthians, Saint Paul is adamant that we do everything with love (1 Corinthians 16: 13-24). This is at the heart of the Christian faith as it is the foundation upon which sit the two commandments given us by our Lord and Saviour Himself (Matthew 22: 34-40).
There is no point doing some good deed if it is simply for show and the adoration of others! Our Lord and Saviour tells us quite clearly that if we announce our charity to all, we truly have received our reward (Matthew 6:2). In fact, this is what many of the secular celebrities do, donate large sums of money and announce it to the world for its adoration! Moreover, they love to run around and preach to the masses that they are virtuous because they believe this or that trendy secular idea.
How then does one then do everything with love? We are human beings, and it is true that loving the difficult person at work or at the shops can be challenging! Whilst it is impossible to like everyone, it is essential to look at each person as having being created in the image and likeness of the All-Holy Trinity (Genesis 1:26). This entails that we are to respect them as fellow humans and treat them with as much respect and love as possible.
Recently, I read a book recounting the martyrdom of the 21 young Coptic Orthodox men at the hands of ISIS in Libya (The 21 A Journey into the Land of the Coptic Martyrs by Martin Mosebach). What stood out time and time again was the extraordinary forgiveness of the families towards those who murdered their sons – not one horrible word was spoken about the terrorists who committed this terrible atrocity. Rather, the families sought to forgive those men who killed their sons.
These families could have chosen to hate, yet they have instead taken the path that is so difficult for many people - forgiveness.
One issue I like to illustrate this point concerning forgiveness is the contentious issue of the death penalty in America. Personally, I am against the taking of a life by the state as form of retribution for many reasons which I do not have space to go into here – perhaps I will write something on this in the future.
Many States in America justify the death penalty from the injunction to kill murderers in the book of Leviticus in the Old Testament(Leviticus 24:17). However, this law has been fulfilled by the Law of Love as pointed out by Our Lord and Saviour (Matthew 5: 17-22) and Saint Paul in his letter to the Galations (Galations 5:14). Many in the USA support this state-mandated homicide for violent murderers, yet when asked after an execution if they have felt any closure, the answer is often no.
Who has chosen the better path? The ones that forgive or the ones that seek revenge? Clearly, forgiveness is the better path.
Moreover, those Christians who profess that some of the Levitical Laws are valid seem to take a relatively liberal approach to which laws they follow! Why do they follow the mandate to execute a murderer (Leviticus 24:17) yet eat shellfish, which is forbidden in the Levitical Law (Leviticus 11: 9-12)?
Moreover, how can they profess to be Christians and support state-sanctioned murder when the Ten Commandments expressly forbid murder (Exodus 20: 13)?
Something is out of order here in the beliefs of these Fundamentalist Evangelical Protestants who pick and choose parts of the Levitical Law to Follow. Yet one wonders how they decide what doctrine is without guidance from the Holy Tradition from the Apostles, the Divine Liturgy, the Scriptures, Church Fathers, and the Ecumenical and Pan-Orthodox Councils as their guides?
Without these pillars, it is impossible to come to a correct interpretation of the Scriptures! The Scriptures came out of the Church of both the Old and New Covenants. Therefore, the scriptures have a context from which they come, being inspired by the All-Holy Trinity in His infinite wisdom, and one needs to understand this context using these pillars mentioned above to guide one to the correct interpretation! In other words, on the Church of Christ can correctly interpret the Holy Scriptures!
If one follows the Evangelical model of Scripture interpretation, one interprets the scriptures according to one's whims and biases. Interpreting the Scripture based on one's feelings and prejudices will lead one into error and heresy as one forces one’s interpretation onto the Scriptures and not Gods!
What so many of the Evangelical Fundamentalists do not understand is that one cannot have it both ways! One cannot follow some of the Old Law and profess that the Old Law has been fulfilled by the Two Commandments of our Lord and Saviour (Matthew 5: 17-22). Which one is it? Either the Old Law stands as a whole, or it has been fulfilled as stated in Matthew 5: 17-22!
By the same token, we read about Saint Peter’s vision as recounted in the book of Acts (Acts 10: 10-16). In this vision, Saint Peter is hungry, waiting for a meal to be prepared- suddenly, he sees a sheet coming down to the ground. He then sees all sorts of unclean animals on this sheet, and suddenly a voice tells him to "Kill and eat." He then replies that he has never eaten anything impure or unclean, to which the voice replies:
“Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
Again, later on in Acts, Saint Peter goes into the house of Saint Cornelius the Centurion, who was the first Gentile to convert to Christianity as accounted to in the book of Acts (Acts 10). Now, this is something revolutionary, for the Jews were forbidden to enter the houses of Gentiles (under the Old Law) to do so would have made them ritually unclean.
Yet Saint Peter realises that he is called to do so, as he has just had the vision that commanded him to eat foods that he had thought to be unclean prior to this. He realises that this vision speaks of a deeper reality: the Old Law no longer applies and is fulfilled by the Two New Commandments of love (Matthew 5: 17-22).
This is why in accounts of the healing of the Centurions servant (Matthew 8: 5-13; Luke 7: 1-10), Saint Cornelius (the same Cornelius mentioned in the book of Act) says:
"Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof."
This is not only a declaration of his sinfulness and faith but also it is an acknowledgement of the reality that he is a Gentile and that for Jesus to enter his house would make Jesus ritually unclean in the eyes of the Jews (even though our Lord and Saviour was prepared to enter his property). We can infer that Saint Cornelius knew the Jewish Law well, for in Saint Luke’s account Saint Cornelius had built a Synagogue for his local Jewish community to worship in (Luke 7: 5-6).
Furthermore, Our Lord and Saviour shows us time and time again that the Old Law is no longer binding (as it was put forth in the book of Leviticus), for there are the two New Commandments which hinge on the Law of Love which is its fulfilment.
For Jesus in John 4: 4-26 openly asks the woman at the well (Saint Photini) for a drink. He does not care that speaking to her could cause others to consider Him ritually unclean.
This encounter further hints at our Lord and Saviour's desire that Salvation be available to all, not just the Jews, for He identifies Himself as the Messiah to Saint Photini that she may believe and consequently get on the right path that leads to salvation.
Even though He states that salvation is from the Jews, what He means here is that salvation is from the All-Holy Trinity Who revealed Himself first to the Jews after the fall and now is revealed in the Person of the Messiah, the Second Person of the All-Holy Trinity. This is why he explicitly reveals that He is the Messiah that Saint Photini speaks of to show her that she can be saved if she believes and does what He commands.
Yet He approaches a Samaritan woman, someone part of a race considered unclean by the Jews (because they split from Judaism). Thus he does the unthinkable (offering salvation to someone considered the lowest of the low due to being a Samaritan)!
Therefore, approaching saint Photine is a sign that fulfills the prophecies written in the Old Testament recounting for us that salvation will be available to all who desire it. (See: Genesis 12:3; Psalm 21:28; Isaiah 42:4; Isaiah 49:6; Isaiah; 56: 3-7; Isaiah 60: 1-3; Jeremiah 16: 14-21; Zechariah 2: 14-15; Malachi 1: 11; Romans 15: 9-12).
The implication of Christ fulfilling the Old Law is clear - for Christ as the Second Person of the All-Holy Trinity transcends the Law - He is the new Adam who by His incarnation, death, resurrection, and ascension has opened His Kingdom to all who so desire to be saved!
Thus, when we put on Christ in Baptism, we die to the old man (our broken nature of the old Adam) and put on the new man, the restored nature of the New Adam (Christ). This is why in the partaking in the Holy Mysteries of Christ’s Church we are transformed in that through these Holy Mysteries of Christ and His Church, we are brought into deep communion with Christ our Lord and Saviour. He is the only way, truth, and life (John 14: 6).
Saint Paul talks quite a bit about the Old Law in his Epistles to various Cities. To Him, we are made to die to the Law by the reality of our Saviour's death and resurrection (Romans 7: 4). He also states in Romans 10: 4 that although Christ has always been the way to salvation the Old Law was a way to prepare the people for His coming for Christ is the fulfilment of the Old Law (Romans 10:4) .
Indeed, if one considers the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20: 2-17; Deuteronomy 5: 1-21 one sees that these are the antecedents of the Two Commandments of Love. It is relevant to note that some of the Ten Commandments are quoted in the account of the rich young man asking Jesus what he needs to do to be saved (Matthew 19: 16-30; Mark 10: 17-31; Luke 18: 18-30).
Indeed, if one considers the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20: 2-17; Deuteronomy 5: 1-21 one sees that these are the antecedents of the Two Commandments of Love. It is relevant to note that some of the Ten Commandments are quoted in the account of the rich young man asking Jesus what he needs to do to be saved (Matthew 19: 16-30; Mark 10: 17-31; Luke 18: 18-30).
This then indicates that the Ten Commandments are the Law that Jesus fulfills with the Two Commandments of Love. This is supported in that all the Synoptic Gospels have the account of the rich young man and all read in a very similar manner.
Again in Matthew 12: 1-13, Christ's Disciples are accused of breaking the Sabbath (a day of rest commanded in the Old Law) because they were considered to be reaping grain by plucking a few heads of grain in the fields and eating them. However, Christ reminds us that the Old Law is not above the needs of the people or service to the All-Holy Trinity.
The implication of this is that the Old Law was subservient to the needs of the people (Mercy) and the worship of the All-Holy Trinity.
He makes reference to this by recounting the incident when King David and his men ate the Showbread (the bread offered to the All-Holy Trinity in the Jewish temple), which was only meant to be eaten by the priests after it was offered (1 Kings 21: 5-7).
This incident in 1 Kings is clearly a sign that the All-Holy Trinity desires a merciful interpretation of the Law instead of following the Law to the letter, as did the Pharisees. In other words, the needs of Saint David and his men necessitated the breaking of this particular law out of mercy. Mercy trumps legalism this a theme that we see again and again in our Lord and Saviour’s Ministry!
Likewise, this event in 1 Kings 21: 5-7 is also a prefiguring of the concept of Oeconomia where a Bishop can choose to follow the spirit of a Canon (Church Law) rather than the letter of the law.
The Bishop is the overseer of a particular local Church it is he who has the power by his consecration to interpret the Canons of the Church (Canon Law) in his particular diocese. Therefore, at his consecration he receives this overseership which he is to exercise with love and compassion – in much the same way a father disciplines his children!
In other words, he can choose to interpret a Canon in a way that is more lenient and geared towards mercy (love), or he can choose to follow the canon in a strict legal manner. In the Church today we see this use of Oeconomia most often in the granting of second and third marriages in cases of adultery and how converts are received.
Some Orthodox Churches will receive converts by Baptism and Chrismation (Confirmation); others only by Chrismation, and others by saying the Nicaean Creed and renouncing certain heresies.
As it happens, this issue of whether Gentiles are to follow the Old Law leads us to the First Council of the Orthodox Church, the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15). In this Council, Jewish converts were present who had been part of the Pharisaical sect of Judaism. These converts wanted to enforce the Old Law (Particularly those laws contained in the book of Leviticus), making it a requirement for a Gentile to follow the Jewish Law upon conversion to Christianity.
However, after much prayer and discussion, Saint James the Great declares the decision of his brother Apostles and himself under the guidance of the All-Holy Spirit:
"Therefore, I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God. But that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled and from blood (Acts 15: 19-20)."
Therefore for anyone to cherry-pick bits of the Levitical Law and say it is binding on Orthodox Christians to follow is clearly mistaken and ignorant of the history of the Church. For in this Council we have the decision of the All-Holy Spirit enunciated by Saint James the great as the head of the Council of Jerusalem.
Furthermore, the reality that Saint James the Great was the head of the Council of Jerusalem and was the one that delivered the final judgment of the Apostles shows us that any idea trying to push the primacy of Saint Peter is erroneous!
For Saint Peter was not made the head of this Council - something that would make sense if he was the Head of the Christ’s Vicar on Earth!
However this concept of Saint Peter being Christ’s Vicar on Earth does not accord with Holy Tradition for Christ in Mark 9: 33-35 tells the Disciples that whoever wants to be first must be last.
Moreover, the Patriarch of Old Rome (the Pope) did not call any of the ecumenical councils and there is no Canon in any of the Ecumenical Councils that gives the Pope any sort of Primacy other than being the Bishop of last appeal for any Bishop in Europe – a privilege afforded to him due to the fact he was the Bishop of Old Rome.
fact he was the Bishop of Old Rome.
Please note the terms Old and New Rome refer to the idea that both the Patriarchies of Rome and Constantinople were considered to be important places due to their proximity to the Roman Emperor. After the Rome fell to the Barbarians the Roman Empire continued in Constantinople which had become the capital of the Roman Empire under Saint Constantine in 330 AD.
The Patriarch of New Rome (Constantinople) had the same privilege afforded to him in the East – in that any Bishop in the East could appeal to the Patriarch of Constantinople as a last resort if he so needed.
Further to this, if Primacy rests in the hands of a supposed representative of Saint Peter, should not the Bishop of Antioch be considered to have this supposed Primacy? For Saint Peter founded the See of Antioch, and indeed it was at Antioch that the Christians were first called Christians (Acts 11: 26).
Clearly, something is out of order with the belief that there is a Vicar of Christ who is Saint Peter's successor! This puts man above God! Christ is the head of His Church, not a man claiming to be His infallible representative on the Earth!
Moreover, historically we know that the Church in Rome predates Saint Peters arrival – Saint Paul’s letter to the Church at Rome predates the arrival of Saint Peter. So how can Saint Peter be the founder of the Church of Rome? If anything Rome can be considered to be a See that has a double foundation that of Saint Paul and Saint Peter.
In the Orthodox Church we have an Icon which shows both Saint Paul and Saint Peter holding up a Church building what this signifies is that both Saints are important in the founding of the Orthodox Churches throughout the world. Both are of equal importance as their theology insights (given from the All-Holy Spirit) combined illuminated the Orthodox Church in the truths of the faith.
How many contradictory statements have the Popes of Rome made throughout the Centuries! How many of these same men have invented supposed infallible statements for their gain, often contradicting their successors!
For in Acts 15 at the Council of Jerusalem (as stated above), we see that although Saint James the Great sat at the head of the Council (as was his right being the Bishop of Jerusalem), he did not make the decision by himself regarding the reception of Gentile converts.
Rather, the decision was made through the prayerful discussions of the Apostles amongst each other as equals, with the guidance of the All-Holy Spirit. Saint James simply was the one who officially announced the findings of himself and his brother Apostles as he was the Bishop of Jerusalem.
Therefore it must be noted, that the Church has always been synodal, meaning that if there are important issues that need to be decided upon the Bishops and Presbyters (priests) meet in council and through the grace of the All-Holy Spirit are guided to the clarification they seek.
In a local Church council, the decisions can only ever be in relation to matters of Church discipline as these issues are issues that relate to a particular local Church and its unique circumstances.
Issues of doctrinal importance are decided by Ecumenical and Pan-Orthodox councils – meaning that the Orthodox Church as a whole has to meet in council with all the Patriarchates and local Churches to seek the guidance of the All-Holy Trinity.
Finally, we celebrate the Nativity of the All-Holy Theotokos this coming Tuesday. This is a feast filled with joy, for in it, we commemorate the birth of the All-Holy Theotokos (Mary). She is the one who said yes to the All-Holy Trinity’s plan for salvation. It is by this yes that our Lord and Saviour was incarnated with the cooperation of the All-Holy Spirit - thus, uniting His nature to ours (two distinct Natures divine and human perfectly united.
The Roman Catholics hold to a Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception which states that Mary was born without Original Sin, which means that she could not sin. This is a very recent Doctrine of theirs as it was only proclaimed by Pope Pius IX in 1854 AD. They hold to this idea because they do not believe someone who was guilty of Original Sin could be the vessel through which the Second Person of the All-Holy Trinity could be incarnated.
We do not hold to this Western theological innovation as we do not believe that there is such a thing as Original Sin. Original sin is the Western idea that through Adam’s fall we inherited the guilt for that fall and death. This is contrary to what we believe in that, we believe that through the fall of Adam, we inherited Ancestral Sin as well as death.
Through Ancestral Sin, we have inherited a propensity towards sin. St Gregory Palamas notes that through our inheriting Ancestral Sin, our natures were dirtied and disfigured, which means that we became what we were not intended to be - broken and out of communion with our Creator.
This is why we lost immortality and inherited death after the fall! Man was not meant to die, but due to the fall of Adam, he did. However, through Christ's Incarnation, death and resurrection, and ascension, man could again put on Christ and have his nature renewed through the waters of Holy Baptism and again inherit eternal life.
How does this then relate to the All-Holy Theotokos then? Well, because the All-Holy Theotokos was conceived and born in the usual manner, she did inherit Ancestral Sin, meaning had she chosen to sin, she could. Yet through her tremendous faith in the All-Holy Trinity and His graces given her through her ascetical labours she decided not to. This is why saying that she was born without the ability to sin negates her very sanctity.
It is like comparing a person who struggles to get into University and, through hard work, graduates at the top of his class as opposed to someone who had every advantage early on, such as going to the best schools and having the best tutors to help them achieving the same result!
Clearly, the one that worked harder to get through the degree deserves our admiration!
To say that she was born without the ability to sin is heresy - to do so makes her a kind of automaton (robot) who can only do what she is told to do. Meaning that this view implies that she was preprogramed without the faculty of free will!
Saying that she could not sin takes away her ability to say yes, for saying no to the All-Holy Trinity would be sinful – in short, it takes away her ability to exercise her free will! Her free will was crucial in our salvation; she had to decide to cooperate with the All-Holy Trinity freely. A sign of the coming age when men would freely choose to join Christ’s Church and with Christ work for the salvation of his fellow men.
This is why free will is so important, for no one can come to the Church by coercion. The convert has to want to be received and needs to make this decision through the faculty of their free will!
This is why it is fitting that she was the second fruit of the New Covenant in that she, the New Eve, was the second person to rise and ascend to Heaven in the New Covenant – the first being Christ Himself.
Therefore, make sure that you pray to her every day for our Lord and Saviour listens to her petitions for she is His mother and from the foot of the Holy Cross she became our mother (John 19: 25-27).
The first sign that our Lord and Saviour listens to His mother occurs at the Wedding at Cana (John 2: 1-11).
In this account, Jesus and His mother are at a wedding and the wine runs out – in those days, running out of food or drink at a feast was a serious infraction against the ancient law of hospitality.
What does the All-Holy Theotokos do? She asks Jesus, her son, to make more wine which He then does!
Therefore, pray to her every day and ask her to petition to her Son on your behalf for He truly listens to her requests - many a miracle has been worked through her petitions!
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