Posted: February 22, 2020 | Author: Fr. Irenaeus | Filed under: Etcetera, The Eucharist and Living the Eucharist | Tags: Christ is in our midst!, commentary on Luke 17:21, Eucharist is the central event of worship, exegesis of Luke 17:21 based on semantic domains, Exegetical commentary on St. Luke 17:21, Luke 17:21 the Kingdom of God is in your midst, The Church is the manifestation of the Kingdom of God in space and time, the Divine Liturgy manifests the Kingdom of God in space and time, where Christ is there is the Kingdom of God |
Christ Enthroned
Well over a decade ago I encountered a man who was rejecting the Church (though he was not a parishioner of Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church which I serve as an assisting priest). He quoted a verse from St. Luke’s gospel to justify his departure from the Church. The verse that was shoved in my face comes from St. Luke 17:21, “…The Kingdom of God is within you.” Knowing Greek I tried to offer a correction to his misapplied verse. It did not work. Justifying himself he left the life of the Church and will not return. His conviction was that since the Kingdom of God was within him he needed no one to instruct him, and had no need to follow the ways of Christ within the context of the sacramental life and teachings of the Church. He wanted spiritual autonomy simply because he wanted to continue in an adulterous affair.
This verse from St. Luke’s gospel has been and is misused by many to justify many things — none of them come to any good. With this posting I offer a much better translation and interpretation of St. Luke 17:21. Let’s begin with the context. Jesus has gathered around him both Pharisees and his disciples: he is in the midst of this gathering. Given this setting we read this,
Being asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God was coming, He answered them, “The Kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ Behold the Kingdom of God is in your midst (he basileia tou theou entos humon estin).
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Posted: July 16, 2018 | Author: Fr. Irenaeus | Filed under: The Eucharist and Living the Eucharist | Tags: Christ is in our midst!, Christ welcomes us to himself in the Eucharist, Living the Eucharist by self-giving and other-receiving, living the Eucharist by welcoming one another, Phil 2: 3 - 4 prefer others before yourselves, Romans 15: 1 -3 - please one another, Romans 15: 1- 7 - welcome one another, the Eucharist re-presents the Incarnation, The Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi |
This year, per the calendar, the seventh Sunday after Pentecost was quite full in terms of its readings. The Church commemorated the Fathers of the first six Ecumenical Councils, and the Great Prince Vladimir of Kiev, Equal to the Apostles. Great Vespers put forth six Old Testament readings. There were three epistle and three gospel readings set for the Divine Liturgy. I did not count all the scriptural verses read, but St. Paul’s epistle to the Romans chapter nine, verses 1 – 7 held my attention, especially Romans 9: 7, “Welcome one another, just as Christ welcomed you unto the glory of God.” This verse is eucharistic at its core.
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Father Irenaeus Williams 
The Kingdom of God Is In Your Midst! A Brief Commentary on St. Luke 17: 21
Posted: February 22, 2020 | Author: Fr. Irenaeus | Filed under: Etcetera, The Eucharist and Living the Eucharist | Tags: Christ is in our midst!, commentary on Luke 17:21, Eucharist is the central event of worship, exegesis of Luke 17:21 based on semantic domains, Exegetical commentary on St. Luke 17:21, Luke 17:21 the Kingdom of God is in your midst, The Church is the manifestation of the Kingdom of God in space and time, the Divine Liturgy manifests the Kingdom of God in space and time, where Christ is there is the Kingdom of God | 1 CommentChrist Enthroned
Well over a decade ago I encountered a man who was rejecting the Church (though he was not a parishioner of Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church which I serve as an assisting priest). He quoted a verse from St. Luke’s gospel to justify his departure from the Church. The verse that was shoved in my face comes from St. Luke 17:21, “…The Kingdom of God is within you.” Knowing Greek I tried to offer a correction to his misapplied verse. It did not work. Justifying himself he left the life of the Church and will not return. His conviction was that since the Kingdom of God was within him he needed no one to instruct him, and had no need to follow the ways of Christ within the context of the sacramental life and teachings of the Church. He wanted spiritual autonomy simply because he wanted to continue in an adulterous affair.
This verse from St. Luke’s gospel has been and is misused by many to justify many things — none of them come to any good. With this posting I offer a much better translation and interpretation of St. Luke 17:21. Let’s begin with the context. Jesus has gathered around him both Pharisees and his disciples: he is in the midst of this gathering. Given this setting we read this,
Read the rest of this entry »