Give Me A Word

The Paschal Sermon by St John Chrysostom highlights a central tenet of our faith as Christians, that death has been overcome by Christ’s Resurrection. For we Christians do not take the popular stance that somehow death is just a natural part of life or something to just be accepted, says Fr Bogdan Bucur. Death is most unnatural and most certainly not God’s ultimate intention for us—instead, He invites us to eternal life with Him. Our faith and hope in the resurrection unto life is what truly sets us apart as Christians.

When we hear the Gospel readings and sing the hymns of Holy Thursday which say so much about the betrayal and inhumanity of Judas, we must also heed the inherent warning, says Fr Bogdan Bucur–without humility of heart and trust in the glory and goodness of God, we too fall away from Him as did Judas. We must lament our sinfulness yet approach with hope, knowing that the Lord’s mercy overcomes all sins when we repent with our whole heart.

On Palm Sunday, we see our Lord arrive in Jerusalem as king - not as an earthly king, exulting in his own power, but as our Lord, God, and Savior, humble yet mighty, fulfilling all prophecy about the Messiah. The Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield points out that the disciples spread their coats on an unbridled, wild foal, which was considered unclean by Jews of that time, and Jesus enters Jerusalem on this foal. We are to identify with this unclean, wild young animal - tamed and honored to bear our Lord in triumph.

We hear the story of the raising of Lazarus and are encouraged, says Fr Bogdan Bucur, to see it as a sign: the Lord has come to raise all of us from the grave. This is the saving plan of God from all eternity, that we would come to know Him and live. In spite of our hardness of heart, forgetfulness, and frequent unbelief, our Lord, Jesus Christ weeps with us, mourning the broken state of creation, and goes on to endure His Passion, crucifixion, and death–all so that we may rise with Him unto eternal life.

The life of St Mary of Egypt is awe-inspiring, but also, Fr Vincent Temirov says, comforting. A woman who had immersed herself into a life completely alien to the life in Christ was still able to hear, be changed, and come to repentance. There is no sinner that the Lord would not forgive, as long as we ourselves are willing to clear away any obstacles to our own repentance. We must each identify our own obstacles, emptying ourselves so that we can truly grow and live in Christ.

By the time we come to the Sunday of St John Climacus, the priest’s petitions for the catechumens have expanded to include prayers for those preparing for holy illumination. The Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield points out how the themes for the Lenten Sundays are a guide and instruction to those preparing to fully join the Orthodox Church, culminating in the ultimate lesson, that the only way to become perfect as God is perfect is to embrace His suffering and take it upon ourselves. By doing so, God works in us for our salvation.

On the feast of the Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon gives a powerful homily highlighting the true meaning of the role of the Most Holy Theotokos in the lives of all people. As we ponder the self-emptying act of the incarnation of the Son of God as man, we also ponder her self-emptying willingness to bear God in her womb. The feast of Annunciation is a reminder for all Christians to “redouble our filial devotion to our Mother, the Most Holy Theotokos, from whose womb our Life was born.”

In his homily for the Sunday of the Cross, the Very Rev. Alexander Rentel summarizes the first half of Great Lent, demonstrating how the the first two Sundays celebrated the beauty and truth of Orthodox theology, as taught by St Gregory Palamas and the defenders of Orthodoxy against the iconoclasts. This theological reflection leads us to the Cross, the most perfect revelation of God. From here on out, the Sundays of Great Lent emphasize action - the saving action of taking up one’s cross, shown in the examples of St John Climacus and St Mary of Egypt.

When Orthodox Christians gather to pray for their beloved friends and family who have fallen asleep, we are encouraged to meditate on the words of our Lord, “the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live” (John 5:25). The Very Rev. Alexander Rentel explores this Memorial Saturday gospel reading and reminds us to hear the voice of God and do good while we live, so that we may be raised to the “resurrection of life”.

On the Sunday of St Gregory Palamas, the gospel reading relates the story of the paralytic who, after being lowered through a roof by his friends to be healed by Jesus, was told, “Your sins are forgiven you.” The Pharisees grumble inwardly, thinking “Only God can forgive sins.” Fr Bogdan Bucur points out the irony of their complaint - in their lack of faith, the Pharisees are not able to see that it is, in truth, the Living God who stands before them, working wonders and forgiving sins as only God can. Fr Bogdan relates this gospel reading to the key teachings of St Gregory Palamas, and exhorts us to interact with God in faith through prayer, that He may work in us.