Homily on the Synaxis of the Holy and All-praised Twelve Apostles.
Today as I type my homily I have the honour of sitting in the presence of the relics of St Peter and St Paul. We are blessed at the Exarchate, as we have through the grace of God, obtained the relics of these two great Saints. I have purposely chosen the title for today’s Homily from the middle of today’s Matins Gospel (John 21: 15-35). In this Gospel Christ asks St Peter three times if he loves Him, to which St Peter indicates his affirmation that he does. Finally, St Peter gets annoyed at Christ for repeating the same question three times, after which Christ gives St Peter the command to, ‘tend His Sheep’. This concept of tending is at the heart of the ministry that Christ handed down to the Apostles, and to us clergy through the Apostles, by the great Mystery of Ordination. We who have been called to the great Mystery of Ordination, are called to be the very shepherds, that lead a broken people to the source of all healing - Christ the Physician. Now this can be challenging as we live in an age that is very similar to the age in which the Apostles lived – it is an age which thinks it has all the answers and by default, this age thinks that it has no need for the All Holy Trinity! We as Shepherds are called to, like the Apostles, trust in Christ and proclaim His message as best as we can. Now I guarantee you that Christ’s message will not always be received well; often people will mock and deride us for proclaiming Christ’s message – but proclaim it we must. This is the great mandate that Christ handed to the Apostles and us their successors – the mandate to go to the ends of the earth and preach the Gospel of Truth, so that all nations may hear the Good News of Christ (Matthew 24:14).
In the Epistle for this coming Sunday (Romans 15: 1-7), St Paul reminds us that as shepherds we are to be patient with others - as often peoples journey to faith will be a slow one – meaning that they like children will learn slowly and at their own rate. It is vital that we remember this when explaining the faith, as oftentimes people have been taught things about Christianity that are not true by our enemies! Do not forget that there are many rabid atheists out there who seem to revel in attacking our faith (which often seems to be their only purpose in life). Because of this many people are lost and we as Shepherds must -paraphrasing the words of 1 Corinthians 13:4 – ‘show that, our love is patient, that our love is kind, that our love does not boast or show pride or arrogance.’ This can be difficult at times, as people often say the most horrible things about Christ and His Gospel of Truth! However, if we as shepherds, are patient and calm, then oftentimes we can at least engage the other person in a fruitful conversation explaining the faith – that is at least a step closer to bringing them to Christ! Also, remember Christ is adamant that not all will accept His Gospel; as when He sent the seventy disciples out to preach to the Gospel in Luke 10: 10-12 He told them to wipe the ‘dust off their sandals’ if a city refused to hear His message. Therefore, our role is to preach Christ’s message of love as best as we can, acknowledging that people will either accept it or not – people have freewill, if they accept the truth of Christ excellent; if not - we have done what Christ has asked us to do! However, let us always pray that these people who reject Christ may, like Saul in Acts 9, see the light and proclaim like Saul that Christ and His Gospel is the truth.
Finally, my dear lay people do not forget that you too have a role in preaching Christ to those around you. You like us Clergy, are called to answer any questions, that a person may have about the faith. However, if you are not sure of an answer, you can always tell the person that you will speak to a priest or deacon and get back to them. Also, remember that in your families you are the first teachers of the faith, and as such this is an important role – if parents believe and show their children the beauty of the faith, their children cannot help but grow in love for the Christ and His Church. Never shy away from telling people about the beauty of the faith; as we live in a world that is hungry for the truth of Christ and His Gospel. Let us all try and emulate the great faith of the Holy Apostles, whose Feast we celebrate today. Let us like the Apostles say, ‘speak Lord your servant is listening, what must I do (1 Samuel 3: 10)?’
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