TwentyFifth Sunday after Pentecost

Peter H. Davids

Byzantine Catholic Homilies • Sermon • Submitted a year ago

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Our texts call us to walk like Jesus in inward and outward simplicity, that is, with meekness and lowliness and with a heart for the unity of faith and the people of faith, yet doing the will of God with great love, particularly simple love for God.

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No special Ambon Prayer

The Holy Martyr James the Persian. Our Venerable Father Palladius. The Holy Icon of the Mother of God, called “the Sign.”

Title

Living in the Simplicity of Unity

Outline

I have just read a book, The Little Way of Living With Less

While it is Latin Rite, for it concerns inward as well as outward simplicity and uses St Therese of Liseaux as its spiritual inspiration, I am sure that the Eastern saints would agree wholeheartedly.

Among the themes considered are community and unity and the simplicity of loving one’s neighbor by doing everything with love

This fits well with this week’s readings

Jesus expresses God’s love simply

It is the Sabbath. Jesus, who was close doctrinally to the Pharisees, surely knew that the Torah taught one not to work on the Sabbath and that there were 60+ categories of work according to Pharisaic definitions.

There is a woman there who may well have been a usual part of the synagogue who had been bent double for 18 years. She was not in danger of death but she was noticed by Jesus. He called out to her, Woman, you are freed from your infirmity.” Then he went over, laid hands on her, and she stood straight. No wonder “the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.”

But the ruler was upset because this was not a case of necessity and Jesus had healed. Yet, rather that confronting Jesus, he accused the woman, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.” The well was accusing the sick, the respected the disrespected.

No, says Jesus, we do as much for animals even on the sabbath and so (using a qol we homer argument) should not this “daughter of Abraham” (in other words, a full member of the community), be healed on the sabbath? You make an exception in cases of necessity, but I make an exception in cases of simple kindness.

No wonder the people praised God

Paul puts this more abstractly, but no less clearly

“walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” - live like Jesus

What does it look like? “in all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love” and “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

While there are different callings within the Church, as in a family, we are all one: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all.”

This is true both East and West - one, even if our liturgies sound different and some customs are different.

This is true even where we understand texts and traditions differently. The Way of the Pilgrim and the Prayer Rule of St Seraphim of Sarov are different, but animated by an underlying unity

Brothers and Sisters, this is the way of love and the way of evangelism

Jesus humbly, meekly, and patiently acted in love (seeking the good of the other) towards the woman. He followed God’s impulse and realized that however good the intentions, there were exceptions.

Jesus was also not willing to let the woman be blamed, the upper class of “authorities” to be separated from the lower class of the needy, those praising God from those condemning the action, the many being separated from the “elders” - so he uses a simple analogy, one that even the most ignorant could understand.

Let us live with the simplicity and unity that Paul advises, with the meekness and simplicity that Jesus demonstrates. Then we will be known as those reflecting God, for God is one and God is love.

Readings

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 12-4-2022: Great Martyr Barbara

EPISTLE

Ephesians 4:1–6

4 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all.

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 12-4-2022: Great Martyr Barbara

GOSPEL

Option A

(27th Sunday, Greek)

Luke 13:10–17

10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. 11 And there was a woman who had had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years; she was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. 12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your infirmity.” 13 And he laid his hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight, and she praised God. 14 But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.” 15 Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to water it? 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?” 17 As he said this, all his adversaries were put to shame; and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.

Notes

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) (11-27-2022: Great Martyr Barbara)

TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 12-4-2022: Great Martyr Barbara

Dark Vestments

On the same date: Great Martyr Barbara; John of Damascus

Matins Gospel Mark 16:9–20

Epistle Ephesians 4:1–6

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) (11-27-2022: Great Martyr Barbara)

Gospel Luke 13:10–17 (27th Sunday, Greek)

RED

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