LOOK FOR GOOD THAT YOU CAN DO IN THE NAME OF CHRIST

 

 

Today, let’s focus on the Lord’s instruction to the parents to give food to the girl. Commands of this sort are very common in the four gospels, and we can see something deeply, psychologically meaningful in them. Human beings seek food for corporal and spiritual comfort, and eating something helps us to feel grounded in the present moment and to achieve emotional stability. We see this in today’s gospel, since the parents of the dead girl are very astonished and disturbed as well, on account of the resurrection of their daughter, and the Lord Jesus uses food to calm the situation and restore their awareness.  We always think of trouble and suffering as traumas to our psyche, but even good and wonderful occurrences can give us unease, just as we saw in the gospel last week, when the people of the Gerasene region were filled with fear on account of the cure of the demonized man, and they begged the Lord Jesus to leave their territory. Food helps us to recover our lost composure, just as we saw in the one hundred and third psalm, “Wine that cheers the human heart, oil that makes the human face shine, and bread that strengthens the human heart.” Food and drink have a direct effect on human hearts.

Many passage in Holy Scripture show us this truth that the Lord gives His people nourishment for more than physical reasons. Food and banquets are the occasions, by which the Lord reveals His most profound mysteries. For example, in the context of a supper with Abraham and his wife Sarah, the Lord God revealed the promise of the miraculous birth of Isaac. Later, by means of a supper, Patriarch Joseph, the ruler of all of Pharaoh’s property and the entire country of Egypt, prepared to reveal his identity to his brothers, the other sons of Jacob. Also, in the book of Proverbs, the fulfillment of all the good things, which Divine Wisdom has in store for the human race, is described as a banquet, to which all the wise are invited. The Prophet Isaiah also tells us that the Kingdom of Heaven is a banquet, which the Lord will prepare on His Holy Mountain in the coming age.

In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus continues this theme, which He, the Eternal Word of God, revealed in the Old Testament. In fact, He even “doubles down” on the theme of nourishment for not only the physical, but also the spiritual and psychological comfort of the human race. Again and again, food is the instrument, by which God shows us that He loves and cares for us.  We should remember that the Kingdom of Heaven is often portrayed as a banquet in the pages of the New Testament. In the context of a banquet, the Lord Jesus sanctifies marriage, transforming water into wine, and at a supper, He forgave all the sins of the sinful woman. Later, in the context of the most solemn banquet, He revealed the mystery of His Body and Blood.

All of this care and loving kindness is the work of a Being, Who doesn’t need to eat, but all His goodness is accommodation and condescension, since He knows our weakness and thus He expresses Himself in a way that we can understand. God always works in this manner, and we should meditate on it and take it as our example, since it is God’s desire that we become like Him. This is the essence of the commandment, “Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” We have to be especially aware of the importance of food and drink in the lives of others. Becoming like God means that we should be careful concerning the virtue of hospitality, recognizing that it applies to all in some measure.  In other words, when we are aware of the way that God cares for us, we should not tolerate the presence of hunger around us, either corporal or spiritual.

There are many ways that we can practice the virtue of hospitality even without opening our homes, since that, which the practice of this virtue really requires is the opening of our hearts. Frustration is inherent in human nature, because our understanding, knowledge and resources will always be limited. But, our will, that is, our ability to love will always be unlimited, and it is able to embrace our neighbors, even our whole world. There are many people, even in our own community, who need our mercy and help. We must think about them first, before we think about our own needs. It is an ancient custom in our Church to give alms during the fast period with a special intensity. This is very good, but we should recognize as well the needs that are nearest and most personal to us. Seek good that you can do. If we make this our rule, we will not run out of good that we can accomplish, but Christ Himself will help us, and our relationship with Him will grow.

Храм, дім і наш розум The Temple, A House and Our Mind

 

Розмірковуючи з приводу воскресіння дочки Яіра, цікаво відзначити групи людей, які беруть участь у цій історії (і підповіді) у різні моменти. Перш за все, слід зазначити, що Господь та Святі Апостоли становлять одну дискретну групу. Спочатку ця група оточена набагато більшою групою, величезним натовпом, який слідує за Господом Ісусом з місця на місце, завдяки дивовижним зна́кам, які Він робив. У цьому великому натовпі в один момент міститься жінка з крововиливом. Цей епізод швидко вирішується, і дві групи продовжують ходити разом, як і раніше.

When meditating on the account of the resurrection of Jairus' daughter, it is interesting to note the groups of people who are involved in the story (and the sub-story) at different points. First of all, we should note the Lord and the Holy Apostles forming one discrete group. Initially, this group is surrounded by a much larger group, the immense throng, which is following the Lord Jesus from place to place, because of the amazing signs, which He has been performing. This great throng, at one point, contains the woman with the hemorrhage. That episode is quickly resolved, and the two groups go on together as before.

Основна зміна в історії відбувається, коли вони прибувають до будинку Яіра. Там, на зовнішніх дворах будинку, вони зустрічають іншу групу - гравців на сопілках та інших най́маних жалібників, які спустились на будинок, очікуючи дня ви́плати. Господь Ісус повністю розганяє цих людей з дому. Потім він ділить групу апостолів на двоє. Десять із них він залишає у зовнішньому будинку. Він разом з Петром, Яковом та Іваном та батьками дівчинки входять у центр будинку, де викладається мертве тіло дівчинки. Там, у внутрішніх кімнатах будинку, здійснюється воскресіння дівчини.

The major change in the story comes when they arrive at the house of Jairus. There, in the outer courts of the house, they meet another group, the flute-players and other hired mourners, who have descended upon the house, anticipating a payday. The Lord Jesus wholly dispels these people from the house. Then, he divides the group of the Apostles into two. He leaves ten of the them in the outer house. He, along with Peter, James and John, and the parents of the girl, enter into the heart of the house where the dead body of the girl is laid out. There, in the inner chambers of the house, the girl's resurrection is accomplished.

Отже, що це означає? Чого ми можемо навчитися, спостерігаючи дина́міку ро́звитку цих груп? Перше, на що слід звернути увагу, це те, що весь зразок дуже добре знайомий. Наше відчуття знайомства з цілим епізодом походить від того факту, що він тісно відповідає образам старозавітного храму. Як ми знаємо, Храм складався з концентричних дворів, які ставали дедалі ексклюзивнішими, коли вони ставали деда́лі меншими, зосереджуючись до Святая Святих, земного місця проживання Бога. Зовнішній двір був найбільшим, і він був відкритий для всіх, як євреїв, так і язичників. З цієї причини, цей двір називали "Двором язичників". Потім був менший Двір жінок, частина Храму, доступна для ізраїльських жінок. Потім, пройшовши через масивні, монументальні ворота Ніканора, поклонник прибув до двору Ізраїлевих людей. Потім був Двір священиків, де стояв Вівтар Всепалення. Тоді, всередині самої будівлі Храму, було Святе місце, кімната, яка стояла безпосередньо перед Святая Святих, де був золотий вівтар кадила.

So, what does this mean? What can we learn from observing the dynamics of these groups? The first thing we must note is that the whole pattern is very familiar. Our sense of familiarity with the whole episode comes from the fact that it closely parallels the imagery of the Old Testament Temple. As we know, the Temple was made of concentric courts, which became more and more exclusive as they got smaller and smaller, zeroing in on the Holy of Holies, the earthly dwelling place of God. The outer court was the largest and it was open to everyone, both Jew and Gentile. For this reason, that court was called "the Court of the Gentiles." Then, there was the smaller Court of the Women, the part of the Temple that was accessible to Israelite women. Then, after passing through the massive, monumental Nicanor Gate, the worshiper arrived in the Court of the Men of Israel. Then, there was the Court of the Priests, where the Altar of Holocaust stood. Then, inside the Temple building itself, was the Holy Place, the room that stood directly in front of the Holy of Holies, where the golden altar of incense was.

Сьогоднішня євангельська історія починається на вулиці, посеред величе́зного натовпу, подібно до Двору Язичників. Господь виходить на зовнішній двір дому Яіра і виганяє гравці́в на сопілці та інших найманих жалібників, які були там, ніби входячи до Ізраїлевих дворів і очищаючи їх. Потім Він бере обрану групу Своїх апостолів Петра, Якова та Івана і входить у серце будинку, де Він творить чудо воскресіння.

Today's Gospel story begins on the street, in the midst of a vast throng, just like the Court of the Gentiles. The Lord enters the outer court of Jairus' house and casts out the flute-players and other hired mourners who were there, as if entering into the Courts of Israel and purifying them. Then, He takes the select group of His apostles, Peter, James and John and enters into the heart of the house, where He will work the miracle of resurrection.

Як це стосується нас? Яке значення це має для нашого духовного життя? Ну, ми в основному не поклоняємося Богові в храмі, зробленому руками. Ні, згідно зі Святим Євангелієм, ми поклоняємось Богові "в дусі та в правді". Храм, в якому ми поклоняємося нашому Богові, - це наш розум і серце, найглибша реальність нас самих. У розгубленості навколишнього світу, Христос, наш Бог, є, мабуть, лише однією з багатьох "ідей", що вимагають уваги в галасли́вому го́моні. Ми повинні увійти в себе, у тишу. Подібно до того, як ми бачимо, як Христос робить це в Євангелії сьогодні, нам потрібно відкинути всі відволікаючі фактори та пристрасті, які створюють "внутрішній шум" у нашому житті. Вигнання смутку та гніву, разом з усіма іншими духовними «гравцями на сопілці», залишає нас у стані, коли ми можемо глибше ввійти в себе в компанії Господа. Там Він починає творити своє глибоке чудо. Він починає воскрешати нас із мертвих, даруючи нам Своє життя. "Подібно до того, як Отець має життя в Собі, так Він дав Синові мати життя в Собі, щоб кожен шанував Сина, як шанують Отця".

How does this relate to us? What meaning does this have for our spiritual life? Well, we do not principally worship God in a Temple made by hands. No, according to the Holy Gospel, we worship God "in Spirit and in truth." The temple in which we worship our God is our mind and heart, the deepest reality of ourselves. In the confusion of the world around us, Christ our God is perhaps only one of many "ideas" clamoring for attention in a noisy din. We have to enter within ourselves, into silence. Just as we see Christ do in the Gospel today, we need to cast out all the distractions and passions that create "interior noise" in our lives. Casting out sadness and anger, along with all the other spiritual "flute-players," leaves us in a state in which we can enter more deeply into ourselves in the company of the Lord. There, He begins to work His profound miracle. He begins to raise us from the dead by giving us His Life. "Just as the Father has life in Himself, so He has given to the Son to have life in Himself, so that everyone will honor the Son, even as they honor the Father."

Нам важливо включити цю плідну тишу у своє життя. Нам потрібно звільнитися від розваг і відволікань, щоб дати собі час наодинці з Богом. Зробити це непросто. Подібно до того, як сьогодні гравці на сопілці сміялися та глузували над Господом Ісусом в Євангелії, наші власні думки часто знущаються над нами, припускаючи, що ми просто "витрачаємо час", і що ми маємо робити щось корисніше та вигідніше. Нам потрібно ви́кинути їх із святині нашого розуму і з вірою йти впере́д до нашого «внутрішнього залу», де Господь творить у нас свої чудеса.

It is important for us to incorporate this fruitful silence into our lives. We need to break free from our amusements and distractions, in order to give ourselves time alone with God. It is not easy to do this. Just as the flute-players laughed and mocked the Lord Jesus in the Gospel today, our own thoughts will often mock us, suggesting that we are simply "wasting time," and that we should be doing something more useful and profitable. We need to throw them out of the sanctuary of our mind and go forward in faith towards our "inner chamber," where the Lord will work His marvels in us.

Собор Святих Ангелів Synaxis of the Holy Angels

Ця 23-я неділя після П’ятидесятниці збігається зі святом святого Архангела Михаїла та всіх Небесних, Святих, Безтілесних Сил. Це важливо, оскільки сьогодні читання Євангелія стосується чоловіка, якого одержив Легіон. Легіон, армія незліченних демонів, які рушили разом, щоб захопити тіло цього нещасного чоловіка-язичника з Гераси, є протилежністю армії святих ангелів, які допомагають і захищають людський рід. Згідно з Церковною традицією, ці дві групи колись були одними і тими ж, але Ранкова Зірка або Люцифер (найбільш вражаючий і величний з усіх ангелів) очо́лили повстання проти Бога. Бог прогнав Його від Своєї присутності разом з усіма, хто став на бік Люцифера. У цей момент Люцифер став відомий як Сатана, що означає "Супротивник", і "Диявол", що походить від грецького "diavolos", що означає "розділювач, той, хто викликає поділ".

This 23rd Sunday after Pentecost happens to coincide with the Feast of Saint Michael the Archangel and All the Heavenly, Holy, Incorporeal Powers. This is significant because the Gospel reading today is about the man, who was possessed by the Legion. The Legion, an army of innumerable demons that moved together to seize the body of this unfortunate Gentile man from Gerasa, is the opposite of the army of holy angels that assist and protect the human race. According to Church Tradition, these two groups were once one and the same, but the Morning Star or Lucifer (the most impressive and majestic of all the angels) led a revolt against God. God banished Him from His presence, along with all those who sided with Lucifer. At this point, Lucifer became known as Satan, which means "the Adversary," and the "Devil," which comes from Greek "diavolos," which means "the divider, the one who causes division."

Сатана, не маючи змоги розпочати війну з Богом, бо Бог Всемогутній, вирішив воювати проти тих, кого Бог любить (людей), намагаючись знищити якомога більше з них. Сатана знає, що він приречений, що не може боротися проти Бога, але кожна людина, яку він знищує, є маленькою перемогою.

Satan, unable to make war against God, because God is Almighty, decided to war against those, whom God loves (human beings), trying to destroy as many of them as possible. Satan knows that he is doomed, that he cannot fight against God, but every human being that he destroys is a small victory.

Коли Сатана був вигнаний з Божої присутності, він взяв зі собою незліченних ангельських союзників. Він створив царство, яке пародію́є Царство Небесне. Царство Небесне тримає разом любов до Бога. Усі Божі створіння, які мають бачення Бога, прагнуть бути з Богом і слухатись Бога, тому що Бог вселюбний і вселюбський до них. Царство Сатани, навпаки, утримується спільною ненавистю до Бога, насильством та погрозами насильства. Незважаючи на те, що ангели є істотами інтелектуальними та духовними, насильство та примус цього царства набагато переверщує будь-яке фізичне насилля чи примус, які ми зазнаємо або коли-небудь могли зазнати у цьому світі. У читанні Євангелія, призначеному для минулого четверга, Господь Ісус ставить перед фарисеями питання, чи вірять вони, що царство Сатани розділене проти самого себе. Питання порушується, бо фарисеї припустили, що Господь Ісус насправді виганяє демонів силою Вельзевула (Володаря мух), одного з титулів Сатани. Господь Ісус, звичайно, знає, що ця ідея - нісенітниця. Сатана має таку перевагу серед паде́нних ангелів, що ніхто не наважиться поставити під сумнів його правління. Древня іконопис зображала цю першість, показуючи автору зла з дванадцятьма крилами, щоб показати, наскільки більшим він був навіть від найвищого хору ангелів, Серафимів, які зображені з шістьма крилами, як свідчить святий Іван Златоустий в Анафорі, "шостокрилі, багатоокі, що високо ширяють, пернаті".

When Satan was banished from God's presence, he took innumerable angelic allies with him. He set up a kingdom that parodies the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven is held together by love of God. All of God's creatures, who have the vision of God, desire to be with God and obey God, because God is all-lovable and all-loving towards them. Satan's kingdom, on the other hand is held together by common hatred of God, violence and threats of violence. Even though angels are intellectual and spiritual creatures, the violence and coercion of that kingdom far surpass any physical violence or coercion that we experience or could ever experience in this world. In the Gospel reading appointed to be read last Thursday, the Lord Jesus raises the question with the Pharisees whether they believe that the kingdom of Satan is divided against itself. The question is raised because the Pharisees have suggested that the Lord Jesus actually casts out demons through the power of Beelzebub (the Lord of the Flies) one of the titles of Satan. The Lord Jesus knows, of course, that the idea is nonsense. Satan has such preeminence among the fallen angels that none would dare question his rule. Ancient iconography depicted this preeminence by showing the author of evil with twelve wings to show how much greater he was even than the highest choir of angels, the Seraphim, who are depicted with six wings, as Saint John Chrysostom testifies in the Anaphora, "six-winged, many-eyed, hovering aloft on their wings."

Ця комбінація загальної ненависті, насильства та погроз насильства, які складають основу царства Сатани, означає, що внутрішня організація царства буде іншою, ніж організація Царства Небесного. Царство Небесне організовується на особистій основі. Таким чином, є ангели, яким покладено нагляд за окремими людськими істотами, потім є ангели груп, спільнот, держав, націй і т. Д. Це також Традиція, передана від ранньої Церкви, що ангели також надають форму неживим речам. Вони є «логоями», які, спілкуючись із Логосом (Христом, Богом нашим), роблять все зрозумілим для нас. Коли наш розум розуміє речі, цей духовний процес можливий завдяки їхній присутності в речах.

This combination of common hatred, violence and threats of violence that form the basis of the kingdom of Satan means that the internal organization of the kingdom is going to be different than that of the Kingdom of Heaven as well. The Kingdom of Heaven is organized on a personal basis. Thus, there are angels assigned to look after individual human beings, then there are the angels of groups, of communities, of states, of nations, etc. It is also the Tradition handed down from the early Church that angels also give form to inanimate things. They are the "logoi" that, in communion with the Logos (Christ our God), make everything intelligible to us. When our minds understand things, that spiritual process is possible, because of their presence in the things.

Натомість Царство Сатани зневажає людей. Отже, його організація згідно з Отцями Церкви базується не на особах, а на гріхах. Є демони, які спеціалізуються на спокусі до певних конкретних гріхів, і ці демони підпорядковуються в ієрархії тим, хто спеціалізується на більших, потужніших пороках і пристрастях.

The Kingdom of Satan, on the other hand, despises human beings. Thus, it's organization according to the Fathers of the Church is based not on persons, but on sin. There are demons who specialize in temptation to certain, specific sins, and these demons are subject in a hierarchy to those who specialize in larger, more powerful vices and passions.

Людське життя є полем битви між цими протиборчими арміями, і ми, як духовні істоти разом з ними, належимо до тієї чи іншої сторони. Щоб бути на боці Бога, потрібна любов до Бога, а любов до Бога - дотримання заповідей Бога. Ніхто не може стверджувати, що любить Бога, не дотримуючись Його заповідей.

Human life is the battlefield between these opposing armies, and we, as spiritual beings along with them, belong to one side or other. To be on the side of God, requires love of God, and love of God requires the observance of the commandments of God. No one can claim to love God without honoring His commandments.

Якщо ми вирішимо любити Бога і виконувати Божі заповіді, ми можемо покладатися на допомогу ангелів, щоб жити згідно з нашими рішеннями. Це переконлива причина, чому молитва і відданість ангелам завжди повинні бути частиною нашого повсякденного життя.

If we resolve to love God and keep the commandments of God, we can rely on the help of the angels to live according to our resolutions. This is compelling reason why prayer and devotion to the angels should always be a part of our daily life.

 

Decapolis: Ten "Sin Cities"

Today in the Gospel, we saw the Lord sail across the Lake of Gennesaret to the side called Decapolis, because of the ten cities that dominated that region. These ten cities were mostly Gentile settlements. They were larger than the other towns situated around the lake, and so they merited the title "polis" or "city." They were known through the period from the first century B.C. to the second century A.D. as very sinful places. This was not only the case because they were mostly Gentile cities. This attitude also prevailed because of the marked lack of virtue that was present in the population.

We note throughout history that this is a recurring theme. Urbanization is, in fact, the enemy of virtue. Urbanization destroys virtue. Most often, the extent of the moral decadence of a city is proportional to its population. The famous example from the ancient world were the five Cities of the Plain, which are now submerged permanently under the much shallower, southern end of the Dead Sea. These five cities, Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, were all destroyed by God in a single day, on account of the enormity of their sins. To this day, homosexual acts between men are often referred to as "sodomy" or "the sin of Sodom," because of the role of homosexual sex in the destruction of the cities.

But why should urbanization lead inexorably to greater sin and a loss of virtue? This is the case, because human beings in rural areas have a necessary connection to nature. Their life depends on them living in harmony with nature. Their life isn't easy, because they are surrounded by nature, and they must make room for themselves within nature. Urbanization, on the other hand, breaks this essential connection between the human being and the natural world. For example, especially in the modern age, but not exclusively, cities have always been able, to a certain extent, to turn day into night and night into day. In other words, urbanization leads to leisure, and leisure ultimately leads to the manipulation of nature. It leads on further to the manipulation of other human beings and finally to the manipulation of God. God's essential connection, as the Lawgiver, with being the guarantor and preserver of the morality of the community becomes lost, and it is replaced by the idea that the spiritual world can be bargained with to provide us with what we desire.

The relative leisure of the urban setting leads to such progressive alienation from the natural world that human beings begin to embrace things that are unnatural. These unnatural behaviors would be self-defeating in the non-urban setting, but in a city the leisure and ease of life makes them possible. This is the reason why cities throughout history have been centers of sexual sin, particularly unnatural sexual sin as in the case of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim. The subtext that is always present is that nature is not absolute. It is ours to manipulate. It is ours to use as a toy for our amusement.

Traditionally, cities are seen as centers for other kinds of sin as well. Many of those sins spring from the idle amusements that city life offers us.

Greed as well traditionally thrives in the city, where work is definitively separated from the issue of survival, and, as a result, large of amounts of things can be amassed, which are superfluous to our existence.

There is no such thing as a virtuous city. There can, however, be virtuous people within cities, but that is because they decide to eschew the amusements that the city offers them. They decide to distance themselves from the pleasure-loving pull of the city and to concentrate instead on their relationship with God. We have great saints who give us examples of this. Saint Sampson the Hospitaller live in the midst of the mega-city of Constantinople, and quietly prayed and fasted and collected money to build a free hospital for the poor. Saint Theodore the Studite was the abbot of the Stoudion Monastery in the same city. That monastery was carefully insulated by high walls from the noise and din of city life.

All of us are city-dwellers and we must make the same decision as these great saints. In the midst of the noise, confusion and sin that is everywhere in urban life, we need to spend our time deepening our relationship with God. We should reflect on the life of the Holy Family. Everywhere they went, their house, their dwelling place, was filled with great joy. How can we know this? Well, how is it possible for a heart that seeks God not to have joy in the presence of God. The Most Holy Mother of God and Saint Joseph had the Incarnate God there with them, always. In the midst of even the deepest of suffering, as during the flight in Egypt, there was great joy from the presence of the God, Who had made them and loved them. In just the same way, we need to find the joy that always comes with the presence of God. That joy is incomparably greater than the empty amusements of the city, which lead so many astray.