RICH AND POOR, GREEDY AND NEEDY.
“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)
“Do not be indifferent to your neighbours pain. If you can help him, do so; if you can’t do anything to help, you can in any case have compassion. Pray for him. Prayer raised with love has great power.”
(Saint Gabriel of Georgia)
“He who has no love cannot be called a Christian. The whole Gospel is summarised in compassion. And this secures immortality and eternal life to man.”
(Saint Justin Popovich)
SUNDAY 1ST NOVEMBER. Wonderworkers and Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian of Mesopotamia and their mother, St. Theodota (3rd ?). Hieromartyrs John the Bishop & James the Presbyter of Persia (c 345). Martyr Hermengild the Goth of Spain (586). St. Cadfan of Bardsey (6th). St. David the Ascetic of Euboea (16th). New Martyrs David the Grand Komnenos, Emperor of Trebizond, with his sons Basil, George, & Manuel, & his nephew Alexios (1464). New Martyr Iakovos the Ascetic (Edirne 1520).
TODAY’S GOSPEL. Luke 16:19-31. “”There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torment in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’ Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.‘ Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’”
To be rich is not a sin in itself, as some folk are born into wealthy families while others become rich through work or inheritance. It is the indifference, of the rich man in the parable, to the suffering beggar at his door, who waited for the scraps of food that were left over after the rich man’s feast. If we have more than enough for our needs, why do we need to hoard money and spend it on luxurious living?
In the Gospel it should be noted that Lazarus, on dying, was in the bosom of Abraham not God’s bosom. The Jewish people, the descendants of Abraham, had the Prophets as teachers and examples of how to live a good life. Jesus tells the rich man and us to listen to them. The words of Christ and His teachings are, for us, greater than those of any prophet. We are called to be compassionate and loving even to our so-called enemies. We are to share our love with others and, if that means being generous and unselfish, so be it.
Jesus knowingly tells us that even if one were to return from the dead to warn others, people would still not heed the message, being pre-occupied with vainglorious pursuits and ambitions. The world always tries to turn our gaze away from God promising more and more but in reality giving less and less. If our eyes are fixed on God, however imperfectly or out of focus they are, we will see light and not darkness. Think of a telescope that allows us to see distant things close up; then think of turning it around, looking from the wrong end and discovering that things get much smaller. So it is if we seek God and see the distant scene close up and not looking at the world where everything is transient and passing. As Christians the words of Jesus should be our stronghold even, and especially, in our darkest moments when our world, like that of Lazarus in the parable, is bleak. Let not our riches blind us but enable us to help others in need and be not blind to the plight of others. Our world is in need of our prayers and those of His saints whose intercessions we are always asking for. Let us listen to them and not the clamour and noise of the world that seeks to drown out the words of God.
Much Love,
Father George.
On Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th November our beloved Metropolitan Silouan will be visiting our parish. Great Vespers will be served on Saturday at 4.00 pm and on Sunday the Divine Liturgy will be served at 10.00 am. It would be heart warming if we had a decent congregation for Vespers and an overflowing church for the Divine Liturgy on this occasion. A parish meal has been booked at Fish Bits after the Liturgy on the Sunday of Sayedna’s visit.