Fifth Sunday after Pentecost 2022

Peter H. Davids

Byzantine Catholic Homilies • Sermon • Submitted 2 years ago

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While people usually respond to evil with fear or anger, Jesus and Paul respond with compassion, trust in Jesus' rule, and calling others into that trust. We too can live in this trust and therefore in peace, one tool being the Jesus Prayer.

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The Holy 45 Martyrs in Nicopolis in Armenia. Our Venerable Father Anthony of the Kiev Lavra (the Kiev-Cave). The three Maronite Franciscan brothers, Francis, Abd-el-Mooti and Raphael Massabki and 8 others killed in Damascus in 1860

Ambon Prayer: normal

Title

Jesus is Lord, therefore Compassion

Outline

Lots of nasty things happen out there in the world

The typical human response is anger or fear

Anger is “what we do to ourselves when someone else hurts us” - at best it expresses our desire for justice via retribution for the offender. But it puts us in the place of the judge and, if chronic, destroys our mind and body - the body does keep score.

Fear is our withdrawal from the situation into self-protection. It can lead us not to “see” evil, to deny it, or to retreat into paralyzed helplessness. If chronic, it also destroys our mind and body.

Both can work together as a response to trauma.

Our passages taken together show us a different way forward

Both the Gospel and the Epistle begin with compassion

Paul does not want his persecutors destroyed, for “my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.”

Jesus meets the demons in the demonized man who have done horrible things to that man and likely to others. They are certainly trying to frighten Jesus and possibly want to get rough with him. But when they realize who Jesus is they are fearful: “Have you come here to torment us before the time?” Jesus responds with compassion - he lets them go into the pigs, apparently knowing it will bring about the greatest good for all concerned.

Both ultimately trust in the rule and action of Christ

Paul realizes that his opponents are ignorant: “being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.” What they are ignorant is the activity of Christ.

The demonized man is freed because of the activity of Christ - the demons realize who Jesus is and are ready to leave the man without damage. Meanwhile the townsfolk can only see loss, not a healed man, and ask Jesus to leave rather than requesting he meet their needs.

So both find the solution to evil in trust in Jesus

The formerly demonized man is in other gospels sitting at the feet of Jesus, a posture of submission and worship - he has made his choice - but the townsfolk are fearful rather than trusting, so forego what Jesus might have offered

Paul proclaims trust in Jesus: “if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved.” You do not have to go into heaven to find the Christ you want, for Christ has come. And he is not among the dead. Rather pledge your allegiance to him as Lord (usually in baptism), believing God raised him from the dead (since one does not follow a dead man), and he will rescue you in his way and his time.

If you trust in Jesus you can live in peace whatever happens around you, for you know Jesus is in control. - Jacques Philippe

So, brothers and sisters, confront evil with trust in Jesus

This is not pie in the sky bye and bye - although ultimately we will be in union with him and he will cleans the world of evil - but rather trust in his providence now

This is committing to Jesus and meeting our emotions with the Jesus Prayer in which we hand over our concerns to him.

This is being grateful for how he has saved us in the past, trusting that he is saving us in the present, and looking forward to his saving us in the future

This is compassion for those who do evil, for with our eyes on Jesus we can see that they are in big trouble and we trust Jesus to help them as much as they will allow.

We do not need to allow our emotions to destroy us in the face of evil; it takes work, but we can learn to trust Jesus and live with inner peace in the midst of the storm.

Readings

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 7-9-2023: Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

EPISTLE

Romans 10:1–10

10 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to

God for them is that they may be saved. 2 I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but it is not enlightened. 3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law, that every one who has faith may be justified.

5 Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on the law shall live by it. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 or “Who will descend into the abyss?” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart (that is, the word of faith which we preach); 9 because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved.

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 7-9-2023: Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

GOSPEL

Matthew 8:28–9:1

28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” 30 Now a herd of many swine was feeding at some distance from them. 31 And the demons begged him, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of swine.” 32 And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the swine; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and perished in the waters. 33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, and what had happened to the demoniacs. 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood.

9 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city.

Notes

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) (7-10-2022: Fifth Sunday after Pentecost)

SUNDAY, JULY 10, 2023 | OCTOECHOS

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 7-9-2023: Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Bright Vestments

Matins Gospel Luke 24:13–35

Epistle Romans 10:1–10

Gospel Matthew 8:28–9:1

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