Homily on the 26th Sunday after Pentecost being the forefeast of the Entry of the All Holy Theotokos into the Jerusalem Temple
Luke 12:16-21.
In today’s Gospel Christ tells a parable about a rich man who is rather pleased with himself as he has built up a great fortune and as a result he is happy that he can just literally – eat, drink and be merry. However, the parable makes it clear that the man is to die and face the Lord and when he faces the Lord the Lord asks him:
“Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will these be which you have provided?”
How often do we worry about accumulating as much as we can at the expense of our relationships with God and other people? It is clear that whilst money is necessary - in that it enables us to provide food and shelter for ourselves how often does the pursuit of making more money get in the way of our most important relationship – our relationship with the All Holy Trinity? This is exactly what today’s Gospel is teaching that whilst it is possible to own all the finest treasures that this world can provide in the end all people will be called to give an account before the Lord of their lives!
I remember once meeting an old man who had spent many years working hard to build up a great fortune but what struck me about this man was despite all his wealth he had not made a place for the Lord in his life – meaning that although he lacked nothing in terms of material wealth he was poor in the one way that matters spiritual wealth - making him very sad and lonely! I have to confess that meeting this man saddened me as in many ways he had everything society says a man should aspire to have: money, houses and cars - yet he was still unfulfilled! Highlighting that what really matters in this life is our relationship with the Lord as well as our relationships with other people!
Throughout my time at University I really enjoyed studying ancient Egypt perhaps - one of the greatest pre-Christian civilisations! Whilst studying this fascinating civilisation I was struck by how much effort they put into supplying their deceased ones with grave goods for the afterlife - one only has to walk through the great museums of Europe to see many fine examples of such grave goods! Yet despite the efforts that the ancient Egyptians went to, to supply their dead with grave goods, their dead could not take these goods with them. Meaning that the goods are still here on the earth and the souls of the deceased Egyptians are were ever the good Lord has placed them! In essence showing that whilst owning as many things as possible may be the message the secular world is trying to sell in the end the only treasure worth possessing, in the long run, is the treasure of a deep relationship with the All Holy Trinity! Ensuring that one has access to the greatest of all gifts – life eternal in communion with the source of all life, joy, and happiness - the All Holy Trinity!
Also, today we celebrate the Forefeast of the Entry of the All Holy Theotokos into the Jerusalem Temple. In this feast the Church commemorates that moment when the All Holy Theotokos is brought into the Holy of Holies into the presence of the Ark of the Covenant. What is significant about this moment is that the All Holy Theotokos (the Ark of the New Covenant) is brought into the presence of the Ark of the Old Covenant - showing that through the All Holy Theotokos's yes to the All Holy Spirit (in the Annunciation) her womb has become the new Ark which would bear Christ the Lord - the fulfilment of the old law. Without the co-operation of the All Holy Theotokos the incarnation of Christ our Lord could not have happened! Meaning that if the All Holy Theotokos did not become the New Ark then we the Church would not exist and we would be still bound by the Pharisaical laws of bondage and servitude - the fruits of the Old Law!
Finally, let us not forget that the All Holy Theotokos was not born under the spell of some sort of ‘Immaculate Conception’ (being born free from Adam’s sin) as proposed by the Heterodox (wrongly believing) Churches - rather let us acknowledge that the All Holy Theotokos could have chosen to sin had she wished to but rather she chose not to! If she had been born without the ability to sin, then she would be a mere automaton (robot) meaning that her co-operation with the All Holy Spirit would be meaningless as her co-operation would come not of her own will but rather of the will of the All Holy Trinity! This is why it is important to understand this point as it shows us the Church that the All Holy Trinity would rather that we co-operate with His will freely as opposed to being forced to co-operate with his will; showing us that there truly is freedom in the Lord! He loves us so much that he would rather we come to him by our own choice as opposed to being forced to come to him – showing the grave error of forced conversions as has been practiced by some!
Let our prayer this week be that we are guided by the Lord to have a deeper more sincere faith.
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