“The virtues build a new person radiating love to the world.”
— Metropolitan Paul (Yazigi) of Aleppo, who consecrated our temple
“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
— Hebrews 4:15–16
SUNDAY 11th OCTOBER. Commemoration of the Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787). Apostle Philip of the Seventy, one of the Seven Deacons (1st). St. Ethelburga, Abbess of Barking (c 676). St. Kenneth, Abbot of Aghaboe (7th). St. Theophanes Graptus, “the Branded”, Confessor and Hymnographer, Bishop of Nicaea (c 850). St. Theophilus Kokkinos, Patriarch of Constantinople (1379). Synaxis of the Elders of Optina.
“It would be a great lie to tell searching souls: ‘Go to church, because there you will find peace.’ The opposite is true. The Church tells those who are at peace and asleep: ‘Go to church, because there you will feel real anguish for your sins, for your perdition, for the world’s sins and perdition. There you will feel an unappeasable hunger for Christ’s truth. There instead of becoming lukewarm, you will be set on fire; instead of pacified, you will become alarmed; instead of learning the wisdom of this world you will become fools for Christ.’”
“…give from the heart since each person is the very icon of God incarnate in the world.”
— Mother Maria of Paris
“Sow, Father Timon, sow. Sow everywhere the wheat that has been given to you. Somewhere or other it will sprout and grow and bear fruit.”
— St. Seraphim of Sarov
TODAY’S GOSPEL. Luke 8:5–8a, 9–15, 8b. “The Lord told this parable. ‘A Sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.’ When He had said this He cried, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear!’ Then His disciples asked Him, saying, ‘What does this parable mean?’ And He said, ‘To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that “Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.” Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.’ … When He had said these things He cried, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear.’”
The author of the Old Testament book, Ecclesiastes 11:6 wrote:
“In the morning sow your seed,
And in the evening do not withhold your hand;
For you do not know which will prosper,
Either this or that,
Or whether both alike will be good.”— Ecclesiastes 11:6
Thus we are called to keep sowing the seed that Christ tells us is the word of God. In the Gospel Jesus explains to the disciples and us what happens when we hear this word. We see the reality of the parable in church life and hope that we provide good soil for the faithful that each of us may grow and flourish in the Faith and bear good fruit. Each one of us must be supportive of all who seek to become living members of the Church and cater for their needs, as a farmer cares for his crops so that the harvest is bountiful. Before modern mechanical methods of sowing seeds, they were scattered by hand, the seeds being in a bag hanging from the sower’s neck and the alternate left and right hands used to scatter the seed as the sower walked along. I have seen this done once and however precise the practised hands are, it is inevitable that some miss the mark and land where they will not flourish.
Plants need fertiliser of one sort or another to grow strong and productive, they need water to sustain them and clement weather to enhance their growth. As Christians our attendance at church, our participating in the services and our friendship and love of each other is like the sun keeping us warm. Above all however it is the food of the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ, that sustains and feeds us. To quote St. John Chrysostom:
“Look, I entreat you: a royal table is set before you, angels minister at that table, the King Himself is there, and yet, you take no account of it. Are your garments clean? Then fall down and partake! For everyone who does not partake of the mysteries is standing here in shameless falsity. When you behold the curtain drawn, then imagine the heavens are let down from above, and the angels are descending! Why stay at the liturgy and yet not partake of the table? I am unworthy, you say. Then you are unworthy of that communion you also have in prayer. Come!”
Much Love,
Father George.