God--The Best of Fathers

The Sunday of the Last Judgment

Today, brothers and sisters in Christ, our Church gives to us a deep reflection on the Last Judgment, since Meatfare Sunday is also called the Sunday of the Last Judgment.  We are already preparing for Great Lent, and according to the thought of our holy fathers, the great teachers of our Ukrainian Church, the Great Fast is the image of our whole life in this world.  It is a time of “bright sadness,” since we mourn over our sins, but we know that God is greater than our sins, and He is able to change us and form us anew after the image of His Son.  It is not enough for us to say “He is able,” but rather, “He wants, He fervently desires to do this.  In order for us to take profit in Great Lent, we need to begin to understand the love of God.  We need to begin to consider that Great Lent, just like our whole life in this world, is the school in which we learn the love of God.

God—the Best of Fathers

     We human beings suffer various kinds of trouble, sickness and sorrow, and we think that we are alone.  Our understanding is darkened by the cares and anxieties of this life.  But God is present is all our trouble, sickness and sorrow.  He is the best of fathers, Who strengthens us and consoles us.  Just think, when a little child is sick with a fever, the whole household is disturbed, and the lights in the house burn through the night.  The child’s parents have no other care than getting their child out of danger.  In a similar way, our God looks after us through the trouble and sufferings of this life.  Often we do not recognize His loving presence, just as the little child does not recognize the anxious presence of her parents.  Yet, God takes us in His loving arms and paces up and down through the night of this world.  He has no other concern than to save His child from danger.  After all, is it possible to think that we are more perfect than Him? If we have compassion, then His compassion must be so much greater.

How does God feel?

     A Panachyda often brings with it tears and sadness, on account of the fact that we recognize that we will not see our relatives and friends again until the Heavenly Kingdom.  But, consider how God must feel.  He sees His image, which He loves, torn in two.  What father is able to see such a thing happen to his child? He sees the body of the one, whom He created to rule the whole material creation, thrown away like garbage, while seeing the human soul deprived of expression and sense.  He never wanted that.  He wanted us human beings to love Him freely.  Thus, the abuse of freedom is all the more tragic. 

     In the Gospel today, God’s anger is very clear, but it is possible to hear this reading in a different way.  When we hear what the Lord says to those on His left, we need to hear the deep regret that must be there.  In love He created them, but now He must dismiss them forever, for they refuse to love Him.  It is not so different with those parents looking after their sick child, when, just before dawn, they come to understand that they cannot save her.  With tears they hold her to themselves as her soul leaves her little body and goes down into silence.

Farewell to Meat

Sunday of Meatfare (Sunday of the Last Judgment)

Tropar, Tone 3

Let rejoicing fill the heavens, let gladness fill the earth,* for the Lord has shown the power of his arm by conquering death by death.* He has become the first born of the dead. He has delivered us from the bowels of hell,* and upon the world he has bestowed great mercy.

[Death is referred in the resurrectional troparia as the common inheritance of mankind.  The purpose of Christ’s coming into the world, of His suffering, death and resurrection, was to free us from the corruption of Death.  Christ’s life makes it possible for us to participate in real life again, as well as to enjoy peace and reconciliation with God.  In the Resurrection of Christ from the dead we see the victory of our nature over Death and a communion with God, which we can all share.]

Glory…Now…

Kondak of the Triodion, Tone 1

When You come on earth, O God, in glory, and the universe trembles, while the river of fire flows before the seat of judgment, and the books are opened and all secrets disclosed, then deliver me from the unquenchable fire, and count me worthy to stand at Your right hand, O Judge who are most just.

[There is an ancient tradition that the icon of the Last Judgment is often depicted on the west wall of the church.  In this way, this icon is the last image that the people see as they leave the church.  The church building represents the created universe.  One day, we will have to leave this world.  We will face the judgment of Christ before we pass over the eternal life or to eternal punishment.]

Prokimen, Tone 3

Great is our God and great is is strength;* and of His knowledge there is no end.

v. Praise the Lord, for a psalm is good; may praise be sweet to Him.

A READING FROM THE 1^st LETTER OF SAINT PAUL, THE APOSTLE,

TO CORINTHIANS:

Brethren, food will not bring us closer to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, nor are we better off if we do. But make sure that this liberty of yours in no way becomes a stumbling block to the weak. If someone sees you, with your knowledge, reclining at table in the temple of an idol, may not his conscience too, weak as it is, be "built up" to eat the meat sacrificed to idols? Thus through your knowledge, the weak person is brought to destruction, the brother for whom Christ died. When you sin in this way against your brothers and wound their consciences, weak as they are, you are sinning against Christ. Therefore, if food causes my brother to sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I may not cause my brother to sin. Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? Although I may not be an apostle for others, certainly I am for you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. (1 Cor. 8,8-9,2)

Alleluia, Tone 6

Come, let us rejoice in the Lord, let us acclaim God our Saviour.

v. Let us come before His face with praise, and acclaim Him in psalms.

A READING FROM THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO SAINT MATTHEW:

The Lord said: "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?' And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.' Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?' He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.' And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." (Mt. 25,31-46)

[The funerary chapel of the Chora Monastery near Constantinople has a fascinating and edifying icon of the scene described in today’s gospel reading.  The icon of the Last Judgment is the dome painting of the chapel.  Christ is portrayed seated in the center of a great vortex that carries the elect clockwise up into the Eternal Kingdom, while, the same vortex carries the damned down into the fire of Gehenna.

     It is the holiness of God that moves the entire Creation towards its consummation: evil naturally flees from Him, while that which is good and wholesome is drawn to Him.  In a sense it is true that all of life is judgment, since, through the deeds of our lives, we habituate ourselves to good or to evil.  Because of what we have done in this life, when we leave this life, we will either be drawn to the holiness of God, or we will shrink from it in horror.]

Communion verse

Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the highest.

Rejoice in the Lord, O you just. Praise befits the righteous.

Alleluia (3)

A Call to Repentance Before the Beginning of the Fast

Many of you are aware of the conspiracy on the part of the current government to deprive the Catholic Church of its right to freely practice and express its faith.  Regardless of whether the Department of Health and Human Services decides to reverse its decision, or whether the Congress of the United States acts to change the law, the Catholic Church will not obey this unjust law.  The Church will act according to the teaching, which she received from the Lord, no matter what the cost.  Naturally, the bishops of our Church urge all to pray for the equitable resolution to this conflict.

Call to Repentance

Brothers in sisters in Christ—

     The Gospel reading is all about repentance—turning back to God.  Repentance is the core of the message of the entire Gospel of Jesus Christ.  When St. John the Baptist began his ministry, the theme of his preaching was “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,” and when the Lord Jesus began His public ministry, he preached the same theme. 

     In the parable of the Prodigal Son, the wayward son looks around at the sorry condition to which he has fallen, and decides to return to his father’s house.  In the same way, each of us sinful human beings is called to embrace repentance—to look around at the sinful condition, and the slavery to sin, into which we have descended, and decide to return to our Father’s house.

     There is no greater horror in all of Creation than sin (the offense against God’s commandments, the distortion and misuse of the good things that God has created, and the rejection of God’s friendship and love). We should not think for an instant that we can sin and not reject God. We should not think that we can break His commandments and still remain in His love.  His love, Divine Charity, is the life of our soul.  As the image of God, we were created to share the same life with God, but when we sin against Him, we reject His Life; we cast His Love out of our souls.  The human soul in union with God is creation’s most beautiful treasure, but the human soul darkened by sin, without the light of the Life of God, is a horror to God, the angels and nature—a parody of the Divine Image that it was created to be.  The human soul that is darkened by sin is dead, and although, by the mercy of God, its natural life might continue for a time in the hope of its repentance, it is incapable of supernatural life.  If bodily death overtakes the soul that lives in sin, it will inherit the spiritual death that it chose by its sins.  It will become like a demon, filled with rage and remorse, without hope, and without consolation for all eternity.

God—the Source of Life

     To remain in God’s Life, we must adhere to His commandments.  In the same way, those who live at an oasis in the desert cannot decide to strike out into the chartless desert and settle there. If they do, they will die.  No, they must remain near the life-giving water, for they draw their life from the water, as do their crops and their livestock.  God, like the water of the oasis, is the Source of Life for the whole Creation.  If we depart from Him, and turn our back on Him through sin, then we will die a supernatural death that is an everlasting torment.

The Sacrament of Holy Confession

     Nevertheless, God’s love continuously calls us back to Himself, when we have fallen into sin.  In the parable, it was the son’s memory of his father’s love and goodness that brought him to take the road back to his home country.  In the same way, when we have fallen into sin and the Life of God has died in us, when the virtues have been dispelled from our souls by sin, God leaves us with enough faith to return to Him.  He gives us the Mystery of Holy Confession, so that we can descend into Christ’s sufferings with Him, and rise with Him, forgiven and reconciled to our Father, God. Enormous is the bounty that God gives us in Holy Confession, for there is no limit to what God will forgive at the word of His Church. 

     The closer we get to God, the more we understand that returning to God in repentance is a continuous, constant resolution.  When we fall into serious sin, we decide to return to God through the Sacrament of Holy Confession, but when we commit lesser faults, from day to day, we return to Him through a simple act of sorrow, and a renewal of our love and longing for Him.  When, during the day, we forget His Presence on account of this or that distraction, and then, all at once, we remember Him, then we express our love for Him anew, and continue our work with a renewed resolution to not forget Him again. In this way, we make our whole day holy.  My grandfather was a clockmaker.  His shop was filled with clocks set to precisely the same time, and, on the hour, they would all chime together.  Sleeping in the rooms adjoining the shop was challenging until we got used to it. We learned as little children, each time we heard the clocks chime to say “Our Father” and “Hail Mary,” as a way of keeping the remembrance of God.  Each of us has to determine how best, in his individual circumstances, to be constantly reminded of God.

     Each of us is a Prodigal Son, in need of repentance—the restoration of Our Father’s Life within our souls.  When we fall into sin, let us hasten quickly to Him in the Sacrament of Holy Confession.  When we carry a heavy burden of sorrow in our hearts, let us come quickly to pour out our hearts before Him in the Holy Eucharist.  He is here! It is true, He is everywhere by His power and His knowledge, but not as He is here. He is here as He was when He walked the earth in the company of the Holy Apostles.  He is here in the fullness of His humanity and His Divinity, in the selfsame Body and Blood that He offered on the Cross for our salvation.  He is here! Take refuge in Him! Spend time in prayer before Him.  You will find the more often you visit Him, the greater your consolation will be.     

The Sunday of the Prodigal Son

The Sunday of the Prodigal Son (Tone 2); The Feast of the Three Hierarchs: St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian and St. John Chrysostom

Enarxis—We prepare our hearts of hear the Word of God

[The Sunday of the Prodigal Son is the beginning of Meatfare Week.  This week is called “Meatfare” because, traditionally, this was the last week before Holy Pascha that meat (including fish with bones) could be eaten. 

     The week ends with Meatfare Sunday, and, on the following Monday, Cheesefare Week begins.  Traditionally, Cheesefare Week was the last week that dairy products could be eaten before Holy Pascha.  Cheesefare Week has two days of total fast, just like the days of Great Lent: Wednesday and Friday.  These days have complete services in the Triodion.

     Cheesefare Week ends with Cheesefare Sunday.  The following day is the beginning of the First Week of Great Lent.  Traditionally, the fasting during this week was especially severe, since the entire fast was observed, and there were only two meals during the week: one on Wednesday, and one on Friday, after the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.  The traditional fast of Great Lent prohibits all meats (including fish with bones), all dairy products, wine (interpreted to mean all alcoholic beverages), and olive oil.  This fast was the same for all the days of Great Lent, except that, on Saturdays and Sundays, wine and olive oil were permitted.]

Tropar, Tone 2

When You went down to death, O Life Immortal, You struck Hades dead with the blazing light of Your divinity. When You raised the dead from the neither world, all the powers of heaven cried out: “O Giver of life, Christ our God, glory to You!”

Tropar of the Saints, Tone 4

As equals to the apostles in the way you lived and teachers of the whole world, intercede with the Master of all to grant peace to the world, and, to our souls great mercy.

[The Feast of the Three Hierarchs serves to close the month of January during which the Church has celebrated great feasts of these saints separately: St. Basil the Great 1 (14) January, St. Gregory the Theologian 25 January (7 February), and St. John Chrysostom 27 January (9 February).

     By this feast, the Byzantine Church shows the importance of these three great saints together, and expresses gratitude for the service, patronage and intercession of her holy founders.]

Glory…

Kondak of the Saints, Tone 2

You received Your inspired and steadfast preachers, You chief teachers into the enjoyment of Your good things and into repose. You who alone glorify Your saints, accepted their labours and death more gladly than any holocaust. 

Now…

Kondak of the Triodion, Tone 3

Foolishly have I fled from Your glory, O Father, wasting the wealth You gave me on vices. Therefore, I offer You the words of the Prodigal: Loving Father, I have sinned before You. Take me, for I repent, and make me as one of the Your hired hands.

The Liturgy of the Word—We listen to the Word of God

Prokimen, Tone 2

The Lord is my strength and my song of praise, and He has become my salvation.

v. The Lord has indeed chastised me, but He has not delivered me to death.

Prokimen of the Saints, Tone 8

Their utterance has gone forth into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

A READING FROM THE 1^st LETTER OF SAINT PAUL, THE APOSTLE,

TO CORINTHIANS:

Brethren, "Everything is lawful for me," but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is lawful for me," but I will not let myself be dominated by anything. "Food for the stomach and the stomach for food," but God will do away with both the one and the other. The body, however, is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body; God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take Christ's members and make them the members of a prostitute? Of course not! (Or) do you not know that anyone who joins himself to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For "the two," it says, "will become one flesh." But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Avoid immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the immoral person sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body. (1 Cor. 6,12-20)

Alleluia, Tone 2

The Lord will hear you in the day of tribulation; the name of the God of Jacob will shield you.

v. Lord, grant victory to the king and hear us in the day that we shall call upon You.

Alleluia of the Saints, Tone 1

The heavens shall confess You wonders, O Lord, and Your truth in the church of the saints.

A READING FROM THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO SAINT LUKE:

The Lord told this paprable, "A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.' So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. Coming to his senses he thought, 'How many of my father's hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers."' So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.' But his father ordered his servants, 'Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.' Then the celebration began. Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him, 'Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. He said to his father in reply, 'Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.' He said to him, 'My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.'"  (Lk. 15,11-32)

[The Gospel reading concerning the Parable of the Prodigal Son reminds us of a couple important Old Testament themes.  The Prodigal Son’s journey “into a far country,” for example, is a reminder both in style and language of the journey of the Patriarch Jacob.  Jacob flees for his life from his brother Esau.  All alone, he journeys “to a far country,” to the homeland of his mother’s relatives, where he lives and works for twenty years.  Despite great adversity and suffering he acquires four wives, twelve sons, enormous flocks and possessions, and a large number of servants.  Then, with all his wealth and his huge family, he returns to his homeland in order to make peace with his brother.

     The story of the Patriarch Joseph is a similar case.  Joseph is betrayed by his brothers, the other sons of Jacob, and sold into slavery “in a far country”-- the land of Egypt.  There, however, he thrives, and rises to great authority in the household of the Pharaoh.  This position, as the Pharaoh’s prime minister, allows him to save the lives of his brothers, who had presumed that he was dead. 

     The Patriarchs Jacob and Joseph are both types (that is, images and presages) of Christ.  Christ, like the Patriarch Jacob came to the “far country” of our fallen world, in order to acquire a family for Himself.  He came alone in the Incarnation, but He has returned to the Father as “the firstborn of many brothers.”  Similarly, Christ, like the Patriarch Joseph, was given up to death by his brothers, and presumed dead and buried.  But His journey into the “far country” of the land of Sheol became the means through which He could save us, His brothers.

     The Parable of the Prodigal Son looks at this mystery from the other side.  In the parable, it is we, who have gone “into the far country” of sin and death, and the remembrance of God, the Good Father, calls us from that country to freedom and prosperity in His Kingdom.]

Liturgy of the Sacrifice—We offer ourselves, together with Christ, to the Father

[The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom reminds us that only part of the great benefits given to us by God is apparent to us.  Most of His loving kindness and compassion is hidden from our eyes.  Often it seems that He is absent, especially in our suffering and adversity.  While sometimes we discover only later that His providence preserved us and saved us from various dangers and disappointments. Most of His love is hidden from us on account of our limited knowledge.  Nevertheless, we make an effort to thank Him for all His benefits, because we acknowledge in faith that what the Holy Apostle Paul says is true: “In fact, He is never far from any of us, for in Him we live and move and have our being.” We take our sufferings, our sorrows, our doubts and anxieties—everything that most concerns us—and we place them on the diskos together with our offering. We had these things over to him in sacrifice.  In exchange for them, He will not fail to give us blessing and help.]

Communion verses

Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise in the highest.

Their utterance has gone forth into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

Alleluia (3)

Orienting to the Liturgy: 33rd Sunday After Pentecost--The Sunday of the Pharisee and the Publican

33^nd Sunday After Pentecost (Tone 1) Sunday of the Pharisee and the Publican

Тhe Beginning of the Time of the Triodion—The Zahalnytsa of the Armenians

[The week that falls between the Sunday of the Pharisee and the Publican and the Sunday of the Prodigal Son is designated as “The Zahalnytsa of the Armenians,” a period of non-fasting, which probably originates in the seventh century.  The history of its origin is carefully noted in the Typikon.  Every spring, before the onset of the Great Fast, the Armenian Church observes a special and separate week of fasting, known to them as “The Fast of the Ninevites,” commemorating the fact that the sinful people of Nineveh repented at the preaching of the Prophet Jonah. They fasted, and put on sackcloth as a sign of penance.  The Armenian Apostolic Church is officially Monophysite, that is, they reject the teaching of the Council of Chalcedon (451) that Jesus Christ is one single Divine Person, who subsists in two natures: human and Divine.  Therefore, the Byzantine Church regards the Armenians as heretics.  The Greeks, wishing to ridicule their neighbours’ heterodox faith, made up a story that “explained” the Armenians’ fast.  The story goes that the Armenian Patriarch Sergius IV had a favourite dog named Artsivurius. The Patriarch would send the dog out into all the villages and towns, which he himself intended to visit, carrying written greetings.  Then, one day, however, Artsivurius was attacked and killed by wolves on one of his errands.  The Patriarch proclaimed a fast to mourn for the dog, and the custom of this fast persists in the Armenian Church to this day.  Therefore, while the Armenians fast, the Greeks feast, because those Christians who have the right faith are not going to mourn for a dog.

     Although we certainly want no part in the nastiness and bitterness that led to the adoption of this custom, nevertheless, the Zahalnytsa is a good opportunity for us to eliminate all the excess meat in our freezers and refrigerators before the onset of the Great Fast, and to remember that having the right faith in Jesus Christ has benefits if we live according to that faith—the inheritance of the everlasting feast in the Kingdom of God.

There is no fasting during the week between the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee and the Sunday of the Prodigal Son, even on Wednesday and Friday.]

Enarxis—We prepare our hearts to hear the Word of God

[In the Beatitudes, we sing “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” Poverty of spirit is the same virtue as humility.  We see this virtue very plainly in the tax collector of today’s Gospel.  The 19^th century spiritual writer John of Kronstadt writes: “To describe spiritual poverty, then, let us first consider bodily poverty, so we can explain like by like…The pauper in spirit is the person who sincerely admits he is a spiritual pauper, with nothing to call his own. He waits for everything from God’s mercy alone, he is convinced that he can neither think nor wish anything good if God does not give him a good thought or a good impulse, he knows that he cannot perform even one truly good deed without the grace of Jesus Christ…Where there is humility, a recognition of one’s own destitution, one’s poverty, and one’s wretchedness, there is God. [The Lord said] “He hath appointed me to preach the gospel to the poor,” that is, to the poor in spirit, and not the wealthy, for their pride pushes away the grace of God from them, and they remain an empty and foul-smelling house.”]

Tropar, Tone 1

Though the stone was sealed by the Judeans* and soldiers guarded Your most pure body,* You arose, O Saviour, on the third day,* and gave life to the world.* And so the heavenly powers cried out to You, O Giver of Life:* Glory to Your resurrection, O Christ!* Glory to Your kingdom!* Glory to Your saving plan,* O only Lover of Mankind.

Glory…Now…

Kondak of the Triodion, Tone 3

Let us bring sighs of sorrow to the Lord as did the Publican* and approach the Master as sinners,* for He desires salvation for everyone.* He grants forgiveness to all who repent.* For as God, the One-Who-Is, co-eternal with the Father, He became flesh for us.

Prokimen, Tone 1

Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, as we have hoped in You.

v. Rejoice in the Lord, O you just; praise befits the righteous.

A READING FROM THE 2nd LETTER OF SAINT PAUL,

THE APOSTLE, TO TIMOTHY:

My son Timothy, you have followed my teaching, way of life, purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, persecutions that I endured. Yet from all these things the Lord delivered me. In fact, all who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But wicked people and charlatans will go from bad to worse, deceivers and deceived. But you, remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it, and that from infancy you have known (the) sacred scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. (2 Tim. 3,10-15)

[The Holy Apostle Paul warns us that “all who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Naturally, this would lead us to question the quality of our Christian life if we feel no tension, no friction with the ways and expectations of the world.  If we are not, in some way, being persecuted for our faith in Christ, then we need to change our hearts and our ways to follow Him more fully. The way of poverty of spirit—that is, humility—is very foreign to the ways of the world, where the rule is self-promotion at any cost.]

Alleluia, Tone 1

God gives me vindication, and has subdued people under me.

v. Making great the salvation of the king, and showing mercy to His anointed, to David, and to His posterity for ever.

A READING FROM THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

SAINT LUKE:

The Lord told this parable: "Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity--greedy, dishonest, adulterous--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.' But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.' I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted." (Lk. 18,10-14)

[The description of the Pharisee’s prayer is even clearer in the original Greek.  This man prays “to himself.” He is his own god. He is his own source of perfection and righteousness.]

Communion verse

Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the highest.

Alleluia (3)