Sermon for the Gospel reading John 17:1-13. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, One God. Amen.
In our last Bible Study class this week, we looked at the only prayer that Christ gave to His disciples, the only prayer that He Himself taught us to pray. He said, “When you pray, pray like this ‘Our Father…’” This is the only prayer that Christ gave to us. The New Testament mentions a few times that Christ prayed, but we barely know how He prayed and for what He prayed. In today’s Gospel reading Evangelist John provides one of the rare examples of the words with which Jesus prayed. And these are some stark words. He begins the prayer by asking His Father to glorify His Son. He prays for His disciples, that God the Father would protect them, so that they may be one, as Father and Son are One. Source: Journey to Orthodoxy Here is another article by Fr Gregory Cognetti on his path of conversion from Roman Catholicism to Orthodox Christianity.
Father Gregory Cognetti fell asleep in the Lord on Holy Tuesday, April 14, 1998. He established an Orthodox parish in Palermo, Italy, under the jurisdiction of Russian Orthodox Church, and led the parish in times of great difficulty for the faithful. The text that follows is a testimony of his integrity and commitment of faith in the revival of Orthodoxy in Italy. Original source: Journey to Orthodoxy. I would like to share with you a brief letter that was published some time ago in an Italian Orthodox parish newsletter. Its author, Archpriest Gregorio Tognetti (former Catholic, now an Orthodox priest), is the Dean of the Italian parishes under the Moscow Patriarchate. This letter was generally liked by the Italian Orthodox converts, and also received a high degree of appreciation among some cradle-born Orthodox (it was, for instance, translated into Romanian); I hope it may be prove an interesting reading and a source of inspiration for all of you.
Sermon on the Sunday of the Blind Man, John 9:1-38 Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, One God. Amen.
They were passing by and saw a blind man. No doubt they had encountered many people wherever they went, but this blind man peaked their interest. Who knows, maybe this question had bothered them before, but they never had enough courage to ask the Teacher. And here they had a perfect opportunity to finally ask. So the disciples ask Him: “Teacher, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” The question is very appropriate. The Jews believed that a righteous man, the one who observed the commandments, was, if not prosperous, then at the very least in good health. Let's take a closer look at the question. Originally posted as "Baaaad Exegesis" by Fr. Aris Metrakos. Scripture separated from its context can be confusing, misleading, and even destructive. Take the well-worn Bible college criticism of the way Orthodox and Roman Catholic faithful address their clergy, Matthew 23:9 (call no man father). The literal application of Mark 16:19 (snake-handling) is downright scary. Women's southern summertime fashions being what they are, I'm grateful that no one is advocating an exact application of Mark 9:47 (if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out).
The ripping and twisting of scripture is not the sole domain of the folks who think that mega-churches are "non-denominational" and that the Orthodox Church was "founded" in the 19th century with the rise of nationalism. We Orthodox also know how to play the game of "Bible pick and choose." My favorite contemporary Orthodox exegetical distortion is Luke 15:4: "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it?" Sermon on the Sunday of the Paralytic - John 5:1-15.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, One God. Amen. “I have no one to help me.” It’s one of the most miserable phrases a person can say. It’s even worse than being terminally ill. If there is someone by the side of the terminally ill person, they can help that person by sharing in their pain, by being by them and providing comfort. But having no one by your side, no matter if you are well or sick, must be one of the worst feelings possible. |