Sermons & Homilies
Today’s Gospel is about thirst. The thirst of God for man. The thirst of man for God. Let us always ask ourselves: Am I seeking the love of God with my whole heart? Do I thirst for salvation? Or do I thirst for worldly things, pleasures, status, human honor? This is a very simple question, but one of the most important questions in life.
Could it be that we have all that we need to attain salvation? That we need no further comfort in food, drink, or housing? That we do not need more sleep, better health, or fewer worries? Perhaps, but what if my health has improved a bit, I’ve been able to make more money, I am sleeping better, eating healthier, am more attentive, praying with compunction, then am I more peaceful, am I more thankful, do I complain less, do I pray more or say the Jesus prayer more and use my time and energy to overcome laziness, despondency and sin within me? What is more, if in any way God has eased our suffering or quelled our intrusive thoughts or subdued our passions, have we become more of the Christian that we would like to be, committed ourselves more to ascetic disciplines and attendance at the Divine Services, or are we glad our life has become a bit easier but have not decided to live more fully for Him? Such are the questions that are addressed in our Gospel reading today.
What do we do when all seems lost? Where do we turn when there’s no one to turn to? All of the hopes and dreams, all the desires and aspirations of the disciples lay lifeless in a stone cold tomb. We trusted that it had been [Jesus] which should have redeemed Israel (Lk. 24:21). Though the Lord had foretold to them numerous times that He would be betrayed, scourged, mocked, and crucified, the calamity still over took them by surprise.
Today, we commemorate all the Saints who have ever existed. The reason for this is not because we might have missed some throughout the year, but to show that this is God’s desired end for all of humanity, not just the American land, not just the Russian land, not just the Serbian land, but for all lands and for all time. The net of holiness encircles the multitudinous variations of our human race. From the peasant to the prodigy, the idiot to the intelligent, the homeless to the hierarch, the monogamous to the monk; from the Patriarch Moses to Lazarus whose sores the dogs licked, the grace of God reaches out to all people, making sinners into saints.
As we celebrate today the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, let us also rejoice in the assurance that that same Holy Spirit has received our dear father into the life of heaven, and that through that same Holy Spirit, we are ever united with him and with Christ. The Holy Spirit bears witness to my spirit that the love wherewith Fr. Seraphim loved me and each one of us, individually and collectively—that love is stronger than death.
