Homily on the 19th Sunday after Pentecost. 2 Corinthians 11: 31-33 12:9; Luke 8: 5-15.
In today's Gospel, we have recounted for us the parable of the sower. This parable recounts how a sower went on to sow his seed telling the listener what happened to the seed in relation to where it fell- the seed in this case being the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour. In the Parable, our Lord and Saviour recounts that the seed falls in various locations – some on rock, some in thorns, and some on good ground – each location represents a type of person and their individual disposition to hearing the Gospel.
This parable as our Lord and Saviour recounts is a metaphor for the different types of people who hear the Gospel. In all cases it must be noted, the people are enthusiastic to start with- however, various things happen which impact whether they continue to believe and bear good fruit in patience.
A life living by the Gospel is difficult because it calls us to trust in the All-Holy Trinity above all other things. Human nature desires stability, and routine yet if one looks at the lives of some of the greatest Saints of the Church one sees that they often had no stability or security.
Take Saint Paul, he suffered many humiliations, trials and, challenges in his ministry. Yet he persevered and trusted in the All-Holy Trinity (2 Corinthians 11: 23-33).
Indeed, in today’s Epistle Saint Paul recounts how he escaped the Governor of Damascus through a basket out of a window to safety outside the walls of the City showing the dangers the Apostle often faced in spreading the Gospel (2 Corinthians 11:31-12:9).
The key idea in today’s Epistle is expressed in the last line (2 Corinthians 12:9):
“And He said to me (The All-Holy Trinity), My Grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."
This revelation is made to Saint Paul in today’s Epistle after he has prayed to the All-Holy Trinity to take away the ‘thorn in his side.’ It is evident that Saint Paul was troubled by something yet the All-Holy Trinity then told him to not fret for from his weakness the All-Holy Trinity would make strength to flow. This then highlights to us that through apparent weakness the All-Holy Trinity gives strength!
This concept is no better expressed in the death of our Lord and Saviour on the Cross – here we have the God-man nailed to an instrument of torture yet in His death and apparent weakness He triumphs- for He rose from the dead!
This is why in Holy Orthodoxy (whilst we take the crucifixion seriously) the events of the incarnation, death, and Resurrection is our focus for it is through His death and resurrection that man is rehabilitated and can now through the Holy Mysteries (sacraments) of Christ and His Church be united to his God in perfect communion.
Moreover, this is why our Lord and Saviour picked the humblest of men to become his Apostles! He did not choose the Pharisees who whilst they knew the Levitical Law and Torah backwards, could not be open to the Gospel of love due to their hubris. For it was in the Apostles' weakness that they were given strength for all of them lost their lives to find their lives for the sake of Christ's Kingdom (Matthew 10:39).
Furthermore, this is why the incarnation of our Lord is so important because not only is it the beginning of our Lord and Saviour’s salvific work in the New Covenant, but it is a sign of the communion which our Lord and Saviour desires to have with His creation - man. For in His blessed person there are two natures in perfect union- one human and one Divine.
Through taking our nature and joining it to His our Lord and Saviour shows us just how important we are to Him – He though God, became one of us - healing that which was broken through the fall through his incarnation, death, and resurrection.
Further to this, by taking on our nature as the God-man He gave men the option to cooperate with His plan of salvation – the perfect union of His divine nature with His human nature being a sign that man would be asked to take part in His work of salvation cooperating with the All-Holy Trinity through the work of His Church.
For it is in the Church that man as weak as he is is given all the grace through the Holy Mysteries to fight the good fight and win the race (2 Timothy 4:7). In short, salvation is a free gift to us which we are free to accept if we wish by cooperating with His work in the Church – the choice is ours!
Please note that one is not saved in one moment of time by accepting Christ regardless of what one does as believe the Evangelicals. Rather Salvation is gained through a life centered on the Christ lived in the Communion of Saints- the Church in Heaven and Earth- for every time a priest chants 'Blessed is the Kingdom' at the start of the Divine Liturgy the Communion of Saints in Heaven is made mystically present in the Church where the liturgy is celebrated! This then indicates that they are mystically present as we are present in the Church praying with us.
One can only successfully be sustained in the race by receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ's Church especially those of Confession and the Holy Eucharist.
This is why Christ instituted the Church (His Body) with each member fulfilling a specific function in this work of salvation – the priests celebrating the Holy Mysteries for the people and the people supporting the priests and deacons and each other so that men may be brought to Communion with the All-Holy Trinity (1 Corinthians 12: 1-14)!
As we are all called to help in the spreading of the Gospel it is important to show people that the Gospel informs our lives. There is nothing worse than someone lecturing another and doing that which they are lecturing the other about. Many people who have genuinely desired to join the Church have been put off by such hypocrisy.
Therefore, let us approach others with love in our hearts and do everything for others out of loving concern. It is far better to attract others with love than turn them away with pride and judgement.
Furthermore, always remember that each and every person has a different lived experience and that this experience will influence how they view matters of religion. Therefore, it pays to be patient when you explain the Gospel as this will bear more fruit in the long run!
Also, it is important to note that whilst one can do one's best to present the Gospel to others it is really up to them to let its message enter into their hearts. In a situation where a person rejects the message of the Gospel, it is far better to pray for them rather than arguing with them.
Therefore, let us always pray that those whom we preach the Gospel may have the ability to accept the message of the Gospel with a good heart to keep it to bear good fruit.
Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Luke the Evangelist who wrote down our Lord’s sayings and actions in the Gospel of Saint Luke as well as the Acts of the Apostles which tells the Acts of the Apostles from the resurrection onwards. Saint Luke was one of the seventy disciples sent out to preach the Gospel to the nations.
Saint Luke was also a skilled healer he had studied the Greek arts of healing in his youth in Syria in the City of Antioch. Moreover, he was a skilled artist who through his talents created the Orthodox style of iconography. Thanks to him we know what the All-Holy Theotokos, Saints Peter and Paul looked like as he painted icons of each of these Saints!
Furthermore, he was a Greek; a gentile who came to meet our Lord in Palestine as soon as he had heard of Him. The fact that Christ sent Saint Luke out with the Seventy Disciples is a sign that the All-Holy Trinity desired both Jews and Gentiles to become part of the New Covenant and spread the Gospel of Love.
This acceptance of the Gentiles by our Lord and Saviour would have caused the Pharisees much displeasure as they believed that only the Jews were chosen and as a result able to be saved!
One thing that comes out clearly in the life of Saint Luke is was his dedication to spreading the Gospel to the nations surrounding Israel. Saint Luke was a dedicated supporter of the mission of Saint Paul for he accompanied him on his second missionary journey (Phil. 1:24; Timothy 4: 10-11; 2 Timothy 4: 10-11). Indeed, they would have shared much in common as they both spoke Greek and they both had benefited from a classical Greek education!
After the Martyrdom's of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Rome Saint Luke worked tirelessly for the spread of the Holy Gospel in Achaea, Libya, and Egypt. Finally, he was martyred himself in the city of Thebes in Greece.
What can we learn from the life of Saint Luke? Well, we can learn to trust in the providence of the All-Holy Trinity. It takes a man who has absolute faith in the All-Holy Trinity to go forth and spread his Gospel throughout potentially hostile peoples.
Oftentimes in life especially now in the uncertain times that we live in it can be all too easy to despair. However, we are called to be like Saint Luke and follow the words of our Lord and Saviour and not worry for He will provide (Matthew 6: 25-34). We are precious in His eyes and if we trust we will prevail in even the most difficult of circumstances.
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