In Genesis 1:29, God gave Adam the instruction that He has given him all seed-bearing plants throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for his food. All living things are reproduced on the earth through a seed. For example, if you cut an apple, you will find a seed; and if that seed is taken and planted into the ground, watered and taken care of, then eventually it will produce fruit; and the cycle continues.

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In the Gospel Reading today we encounter a Jewish priest named Zachariah and his wife Elizabeth, who are of mature age, yet they do not have children. They are, as the Gospel of Luke reports, blameless; that is, they have kept all the laws and upheld the traditions of their fathers and mothers.

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Sunday homily by Rev. Fr. KK John, guest priest at St. Luke Orthodox Mission Church - Dedication (John 10: 22-38)

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What is sanctification? It is in part, preparation and in part a cleansing. In an earthly sense, we sanctify ourselves daily. When we clean ourselves and get dressed for the day, this is a type of sanctification. Before coming here to Church, I hope everyone brushed their teeth, took a shower, and put on clean clothing. Why do I hope that this is done? Because we do this for school and work, therefore we should also try to do this, if not more, when we are in the presence of the Holy Mysteries.

Have we been angry lately? If we have, today in the Gospel reading, Jesus tells us that we have committed murder. Have we had lustful thoughts lately? If we have today in the Gospel reading, Jesus tells us that we have committed adultery. Have we coveted someone’s possessions lately? If we have today in the Gospel reading, Jesus tells us that we have committed theft.

We see this in the Gospel reading today, where the rich man was truly, based on his obligations, a good person. But Christ was not at all impressed with his spiritual or monetary accomplishments. Christ was looking to see if he had a relationship with the Father. In Christ’s examination of the man, he exposes his obsession with money. Money is not the issue here; but rather that he saw his accomplishments and obligations greater than a relationship with God. Money here represents the man’s reliance on his earthly and religious accomplishments, rather than pursuing a relationship with God.

In the Gospel portion today, taken from Mathew 23, Jesus speaks of the Pharisees and scribes, who are the spiritual leaders of the Jewish religion. He tells of how they are predominantly concerned with their position in the community, their rank as priests and even their attire. This is a concerning matter for Jesus because the Pharisees were called to their priestly order in order to bring the Jewish people closer to God, through their traditions and practices. Instead of fulfilling this calling, they became overwhelming obsessed with their position as Pharisees and the respect and prestige that came with it. Jesus explains that they would go to gatherings/religious ceremonies and expect the best seats. Further, they wanted to be called “teacher” or in Hebrew, “rabbi,” as a form of flattery. All these examples were said by Christ in order to point out the fact that Pharisees “idolized” the position of Pharisee (and the same for scribes). In other words, they did not have a sense of humility that their position was given to them as a gift from God. Rather, they exalted themselves, becoming self-absorbed. It was a sort of worship of position, title, and rank. This was so because they found their identity in themselves…in what they did…their position, rank, and title, rather than in God. By extension rather than becoming a servant to serve the people, and bringing them closer to God, they wanted to be served by the people. They lost sight of their initial calling.

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Sunday homily by Brother Predeep Chacko at St. Luke Orthodox Mission Church - Live the Christian Life Through Love (Luke 16: 9 -18)

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Sunday homily by Rev. Fr. Gheevarghese John, vicar of St. Luke Orthodox Mission Church - Personalize the Church (Mark 2:23-28)

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Sunday homily by Rev. Fr. Gheevarghese John, vicar of St. Luke Orthodox Mission Church - We Should Attempt to Understand Others (Matthew 16:5-12)