Vivus

Homily on the 20th Sunday after Pentecost.

Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.” Luke 7:11-13

When we lose a loved one, the first natural emotion to feel is hurt and sorrow because that person is no longer physically with us. Secondly, and this is something that we have all been guilty of at least once in our lifetime; asking God Why? Why did you take this person from us? Couldn’t you have given us more time? I thought you were all loving and wanted the best for us?

Hence, these are perfectly normal questions to ask our God because He (God) knows exactly how immense the pain is! He understands and feels that same pain – Did not Jesus weep bitterly when He met his cousins Martha and Mary as they made their way to the burial site of Lazarus who had died four days prior? John 11:1-44

However, when we choose to live in Christ through the Mysteries of His Church and anchor onto Him on the wavy seas of life, we are given the strength via the grace of the Holy Spirit to cope and understand in all aspects of life. Furthermore, Jesus promised us in the gospel of John that we will receive the Holy Spirit to guide and teach us - “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” Jn14:26 Jesus was certainly referring to the day of Pentecost it’s also an assurance that no matter where or when we call upon Him (The Holy Spirit) He will certainly help and guide us in all things!

Therefore, things that are impossible and unbearable are made possible and barrable through Him (Jesus) by His great love for us via ascending His All Glorious Cross, nailing all of humanities lusts, passions, anger, greed, jealousy, hatred, pride ect.. In order to abolish deaths (evil personified) hold over His (God’s) creation and bring us back to His Holy embrace where we will eternally praise and glorify Him!

Thus, on the other hand there are people who choose willfully to blame God for all the things that go wrong in their lives (tendencies atheists execute), hence harboring sentiments of anger and hatred toward God which is the product of pure evil; stemming from the ancient rebellion and its followers. (Fallan powers)

Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. Lk 7:14-15

There is one common misconception people make nowadays when a loved one passes away. There is the tendency to refer to that person as “Our angel that now watches over us” or “My angel in Heaven”. However heartwarming and comforting that statement may be, and however helpful it may be for the healing proses it is far-fetched from the reality of the way things truly are.

Angels are incorporeal beings meaning they have no flesh and they serve a different purpose to what we do. Human beings are corporal with flesh and serve a different purpose to the bodiless hosts. God has created everything and everyone with its own purpose. Therefore, from the bodiless hosts to human beings we have been given diverse gifts to make up the body of Christ! (The Church Militant and The Church Triumphant) For a deeper insight on the topic of angels and their functions please refer to the encyclical - Angels and Saints, written by our Archbishop Raffaele.

This Thursday I received a phone call from a good friend of mine and I was not expecting what he was about to notify me. For the past several months, his step daughter was struggling to go to sleep because something was keeping her up at night; scaring her and making her say things which are totally out of character for anyone at that age to convey to her parents.

There was also a particular time that my friend clearly heard his step daughter call out to him to play a game whilst he watched tv. So, he went to her and upon entering her bedroom he found her fast asleep just as he had left her hours earlier.

I was then notified that the estate in which they lived had a somewhat dark history and many other people had experienced unexplainable and supernatural occurrences.

Thus, that evening I contacted my Archbishop and explained the situation and he decided that the service of the house blessing was the appropriate action to take. Therefore, with his blessing yesterday afternoon I went to the house and prayed with the family and for the child in the context of the rite of a house blessing. Later that night I received an SMS stated that the child went to bed with no complications for the child always had serious problems in going to bed.

For those of you who automatically employ psychiatric administration and think that the church lives in its so-called medieval phase..... The gospel clearly states that the Lord and His Apostles healed those who were sick in the physical reality of disease and in the supernatural reality of spiritual pollution that also attaches itself to the human spirt as disease. Hence psychiatric therapy which was sought after was nothing but a failure in this regard. Thus, we should always seek medical attention to that which pertains to the physical aspect of the human component, yet we should strive to seek divine help for that which is a spiritual cancer that often plagues the human psyche which of course science can never explain.

Now my friend is not a believer in God, he states that openly but he does believe in the supernatural (Go figure). However, after exhausting all avenues with little to no result he remembered that I serve Christ in the form of the Deaconate and gave me a call – let's say he swallowed his pride and took a leap of faith! 

Thus, todays gospel also refers to those who have no faith or don’t believe in anything; rendering them spiritually dead – the poor in spirit! However, at their most vulnerable point Jesus walks by and shows them His great compassion and mercy (To reach out) and it is at that moment where that person is given the chance to take a leap of faith and trust in Him or to remain in the hell they have willfully placed themselves in.

God does not impose He always offers and asks - “Can I help? Do you want My help? It goes back to free will, God cannot and will not go against His word for He is transparent at all times and in all things.

In the gospel of Matthew, the Apostle Peter asks Jesus - “Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? And what did Jesus say -” Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. Mt 18:21-22

In as many times as we are to forgive so too will God ask if we need Him and want Him to intervene; He will assist and grace us with blessings even at the point of death! Of course, providing the person is genuine, good hearted and selfless; placing others before him/herself.

They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” Lk 7:16

Today we commemorate the Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical council in which was established the Veneration of Holy Icons and the very reality of the Incarnation of the Son of God Jesus Christ! Let us pray for their intercession especially for the current evil that is plaguing the world in Chillie and United Kingdom - were blasphemous and destructive works are being carried out via the desecration of Altars, the burning of churches, the desecration of statues of the Virgin Mary and violent removal of our Lord’s glorious cross! St John Damascene (of Damascus) wrote a wonderful treaty upon the veneration of icons regarding the prototype. For us in our Australian context were many people have no idea of theology let alone how to venerate or make the sign of the cross and even more troubling how to receive Holy Communion let alone know what it truly is; it is a call and a reminder that we are made in the image or icon of God and it is Christ in us praying to the Father as the prodigal and embracing us as the Father Pantocrator to love one another as he loves us with the eyes of a father for His children! 

Through the prayers of the Theotokos, the iconograph who assembled the icon of Christ physical presence in the worlds via the grace of his spirit may He the lord who is the icon of icons our Lord Jesus Christ our God have mercy on us and save us!