Leaving Behind and Following

Posted: October 14, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: The Eucharist and Living the Eucharist | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The text for this posting comes from St Luke 5: 1 – 11, and the subject matter of these verses is the calling of three Apostles:  Simon Peter, James, and John.  The concluding verse reads as follows,

And after putting their boats to the land, and leaving all things, they followed him (St Luke 5: 11).

Simon Peter, James, and John set down their livelihoods.  They left everything to follow Christ.  Their calling as Apostles (as with all the Apostles) was unique.  None of us has such a calling to apostleship.  Very few of us will receive a call to the monastic life, though some may choose a life of simplicity apart from monasticism.

However, all Christians are called to follow Christ in holiness of life, in purity of heart, and in peace and repentance.  Most of us here have families, jobs / careers, and other responsibilities that prohibit us from abandoning these ties and obligations entrusted to us.  Yet, as part of our call to follow Christ, there are things to be left behind and abandoned.  I turn to a few New Testament passages from St Paul’s epistles.

HEBREWS 12: 1 – 2:  

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

GALATIANS 5: 16 – 24: 

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would.  But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the Law.  Now the works of the flesh are plain:  immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like.  I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law.  And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

COLOSSIANS 3: 1 – 6; 12 – 17:  

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.  Put to death what is earthly in you:  immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.  On account of these the wrath of God is coming…Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, forbearing one another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.  And over all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.  And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body.  And become thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as you teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

2 CORINTHIANS 5: 17:  

So then if someone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old things passed away, and behold all things have become new.

Since we are a new creation in Christ we are, therefore, to conduct our lives as Christ wills, and by the Holy Spirit to conform our lives to this reality.  Added to this we are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven.  Every citizen of a country, every ethnicity, whether Serbians, Greeks, English, Americans, Russians, Mexicans, etc., have unique languages, cuisines, and cultural customs and mannerisms by which they are known and recognized.  Therefore, as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven — we who are in Christ — must have cultural mannerisms which declare our heavenly citizenship.  I turn to the Beatitudes to flesh out this point.  The Beatitudes are not lofty, unattainable ideals.  On the contrary, they are spiritual virtues that are to be worked into our lives.  These are the cultural characteristics by which we live and are recognized — they declare our heavenly citizenship.

ST MATTHEW 5: 1 – 16:

And upon seeing the crowd, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down his disciples approached him.  He the opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

“Blessed are those who are mourning, for they shall be comforted.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

“Blessed are those who are hungering and thirsting after righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

“Blessed are you whenever they insult you, persecute you and speak all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake.  Rejoice and be glad for great is your reward in heaven, for thus they persecuted the prophets who came before you.

“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?  It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot.  You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do men light a lamp and set it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

As did Peter, James, and John, we too are to put our boats onto the land, leave what is contrary to the Christian life and follow our Lord.  Such a life is a struggle, and we are to engage in this contest with the will to win — as can only be done by the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Come to the Sacraments.  Especially come to the Eucharist with intention and with a purpose.  There is a message is impressed into the surface of the Lamb, the piece of bread which will become his Body:  in a cruciform arrangement one reads IC XC NIKA.  This means Jesus (IC) Christ (XC) conquers (the Greek verb nika — conquers).  Over what did, and does, Jesus conquer?  He was, and is, victorious over sin, death, darkness, and alienation.  Thus, pray that his victory over sin, death, darkness, and alienation comes into our lives, and that these are replaced with his holiness, life, light, and relationship.  We pray that he gives to us his cleansing and victory.  Pray also that his victories in our lives cause us to put our boats to the land, and lay aside every weight, and sin that clings so closely, and follow our Lord more fully.

The following is a corresponding sermon given at St Sava Serbian Orthodox Church on October 12, 2025:

In Christ,

The Conception of the Theotokos and Freedom in Christ

Posted: December 12, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Etcetera, The Eucharist and Living the Eucharist | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Every year on December 9 the Orthodox Church commemorates the conception by St Anna of the Theotokos (Mother of God), that is Mary.  The Gospel reading’s concluding verse for this commemoration is found in St Luke 8:21:  “…these are my mother and my brothers:  those who hear the word of God are are doing it.”  Concerning this day, and pointing to the Incarnation of God the Son in human flesh, St Paul writes these words:  “When the fullness of time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman born under the Law in order that those under the Law might be set free” (Gal 4: 4 – 5).

We have this brief history regarding St Anna:

St Anna holding Mary

Saint Anna, the mother of the Virgin Mary, was the youngest daughter of the priest Nathan from Bethlehem, descended from the tribe of Levi. She married Saint Joachim, who was a native of Galilee.  For a long time Saint Anna was childless, but after twenty years, through the fervent prayer of both spouses, an angel of the Lord announced to them that they would be the parents of a daughter, Who would bring blessings to the whole human race.The Conception of the Virgin Mary by Saint Anna took place at Jerusalem. The many icons depicting the Conception by Saint Anna show the Most Holy Theotokos trampling the serpent underfoot.

And we have this from the day’s troparion: 

Today the bonds of barrenness are broken:  God has heard the prayers of Joachim and Anna.  He has promised them beyond all their hopes to bear the Maiden of God, by whom the Uncircumscribed One was born as a mortal Man; He commanded an angel to cry to her [Mary]:  “Rejoice, you who are full of grace, the Lord is with you.”

Again we read from Gal 4: 4 – 5: 

When the fullness of time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman born under the Law [of Moses] in order that those under the Law might be set free.

This epistle reading for the day’s commemoration comes from St Paul:

For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave and one by a free woman.  But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, the son of the free woman through promise…So, brethren, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman (Gal 4: 22 -23, 31).

The descendants of Abraham were born of the free woman — Sarah.  Christians are the spiritual, faith descendants of Abraham, and so, are also born of the free woman.  We are also spiritually born of God (see St John 1: 12 – 13).  Being so born, we are now in Christ to be free and no longer bound to sin!  In Christ we are freed from sin, not just the penalty of sin!

Icon of the Annunciation

We note this holy day for a specific reason:  We will come to the Feast of the Annunciation when the Archangel Gabriel comes to Mary and declares to her God’s salvific purpose for her.  In responding to the Archangel’s words she replies, “May it be done unto me according to your word.”  From Mary’s words come the Incarnation of God the Son in human flesh:  “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (St John 1: 29).  He sets us free from the death of sin.  He destroys death by death.  He gives to us his Light and Life of his Resurrection.  From Mary’s words will also bring he coming of the sanctifying Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost who, by baptism, joins us to Christ.  Thus, we share in Christ’s life, and the life of God in the Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Orthodox Church.

WE ARE FREE IN CHRIST.  “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal 5: 1)

We are additionally free to bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Gal 5: 22 – 23).  This fruit is the polar opposite to what we were once held in bondage, that is,  the fruit of the flesh: immorality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like (Gal 5: 19 – 21).  Of this foul, poisonous fruit St Paul warns us:  “…as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God” (Gal 5: 19 – 21).  St Paul then instructs us, “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal 5: 24).

I return to our Lord’s words, ““…these are my mother and my brothers:  those who hear the word of God are are doing it.”  There was another Gospel reading for December 9.   We also read from St Luke:  

Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many I tell you, you will seek to enter and will not be able.  When once the householder has risen up and shut the door, you will begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord open to us.’  He will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’  Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’  But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from; depart from me, all you workers of iniquity! (St Luke 13: 24 – 27).

What about those who were locked out.  It all seems a bit unfair at first glance.    Consider this — They ate and drank, listened to him, but did not do what they heard from Christ.We must determine what we will do and not do that we might walk on the narrow path and enter through the narrow door.  I quote from a portion of the Prayer of the hours: “…Sanctify our souls, purify our bodies, set aright our minds, cleanse our thoughts…”

The battle is in the mind.  We have the Holy Spirit; Christ is in us; we have the Father.  We are thus empowered — we lack nothing.  We have the Eucharist to solidify our union in Christ, and to cleanse us of our sins, and to receive his victory over sin, darkness, alienation from God and all of creation.  We have the sacrament of Confession additionally for the forgiveness of sins, and to put us back on the narrow path when we lose our way.

We have all we need “to hear the word of God AND DO IT!

In Christ who frees us,

Fr Irenaeus