TwentyThird Sunday after Pentecost

Peter H. Davids

Byzantine Catholic Homilies • Sermon • Submitted a year ago

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Paul teaches and Jesus illustrates both that the initial birth into or capacity for loving God and neighbor is grace and that responding to the gift in living out love for God and neighbor is necessary for entering into "eternal life"/resurrection life/true spiritual life.

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Ambon Prayer 1

Our Holy Father John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople

Title

The Dead Shall be Reborn for Love

Outline

When a baby is born we expect the behaviors of life

We expect the physical behaviors of breathing, eating, movement, and all the rest that indicate life

We are looking for eyes to start taking in this confusing world, attention to sounds that will become language learning, etc. that indicate developing intellectual life

But as Christians we realize that the baby is defective, that it is born in original sin, that without the grace of God it will turn in on itself in spiritual bondage and death. So, without waiting until the infant is able to understand, we bring the child to the baptismal font, break the bonds of Satan, wash it for spiritual rebirth, anoint it so that it has the Spirit within giving it new life, and then feed it with the food needed for spiritual growth. All of this is pure gift of God, even if given through the child’s parents and the clergy.

That is what Paul is saying, mostly about adult converts, but including any children in the families, when he says, “we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

And then we train the child or adult to live out their baptismal grace in good works, which is also what Paul says, “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” The child who does not use their body, loses it; the child who does not use their mind, loses it; the child who does not use their capacity for good works, loses it, loses their spiritual life.

And the same is true for adult converts, although they have more to unlearn.

That is what Jesus is talking about

The initial question is about what behaviors are needed to “enter into life,” what good works keep us developing our spiritual life versus losing it. Jesus says, First, love God totally, and second, love what God loves, i.e. one’s neighbor, just as much as oneself.

While the legal expert only asks about who one’s neighbor is, Jesus implies that if one does not do good to one’s neighbor (anyone close enough to do good to), one does not love God either, for one would not be loving what God loves.

The behaviors mirror God’s behavior. The Jewish traveler did nothing to end up half-dead - he was taking a normal route, perhaps to avoid Samaria, and highwaymen did sometimes lurk along that route. Just the same we did nothing to end up dead in sin, original or otherwise, although after birth we may have lived out our fallen nature.

The priest and levite would have known Deuteronomy well, but because they did not love God totally they ignore one who is clearly their neighbor - too risky. The Samaritan may also have known Deuteronomy, but he truly loves God and so loves the one whom God loves even despite the risk and even though Jews were his enemy.

The Fathers saw the elements of conversion here: oil of anointing, wine of the Eucharist, water surely as part of binding up the wounds. All was God’s grace working through him, for the man could not help. Likewise carrying him to safety on his own beast. And then of course tending him overnight and paying the innkeeper for his ongoing care.

The “Go and do likewise” spoken to the legal expert would have also applied to the unfortunate Jew when he recovered: these were the type of good works prepared for him, works he had experienced demonstrated upon him.

Brothers and sisters, this is the Christian life

We receive the life due to the grace of God given to us through others. We could not help ourselves. That is clear as babies and it is still true if we are adult converts.

But if we have learned to truly love God with our whole selves, we have also learned to love those God loves, which is everyone, even our enemies - their are neighbors if they are close enough to love.

Children who are not loved and cared for die, as do children who do not respond to that love by connecting to others. That same is true of us spiritually. We have received grace, but if we do not reach out to others with God’s grace we die inwardly.

Protestants often separate grace and works, God’s love for us and ours for God. Let us not be dying children of God, but let us keep the two together, growing in life and therefore giving to others until we together inherit eternal life.

Readings

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 11-20-2022: Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost

EPISTLE

Ephesians 2:4–10

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God—9 not because of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 11-13-2022: John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople

GOSPEL

(25th Sunday)

Luke 10:25–37

25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered right; do this, and you will live.”

29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, 34 and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed mercy on him.” And Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Notes

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) (11-13-2022: Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost)

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2022 | OCTOECHOS

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 11-20-2022: Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost

TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 11-20-2022: Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost