First Sunday of Saint Luke

It is time to change! Take Courage! Do not fear!

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh once advised inquirers to Orthodoxy to put down their books and attend a Divine Liturgy. “The service is long, but even Orthodox services eventually come to an end. And if you simply stand there and are open to whatever happens, something might.” Being open is the key. Something may just happen if we are open to recognizing, receiving and embracing it when it comes.

There is a character in Arabic literature by the name of Nasrudin. He is what is known in many religious traditions as a “holy fool,” a person who does outrageous things to teach spiritual truths, usually to people who are not interested in learning them. One day Nasrudin was sitting in the public market and he appeared quite uncomfortable. His face was red and becoming redder and he appeared to be in extreme pain. A crowd gathered around to see what was going and they saw that Nasrudin had a pile of very hot peppers in front of him. He was eating one after the other becoming more and more distressed. Finally someone asked him why he was doing this to himself. He answered, “I am looking for a sweet one.”

Saint Peter and his companions had been fishing all night. They were experts. They knew the Sea of Galilee better than anyone. They knew their craft. Still they had caught nothing after laboring so hard. Jesus came to these tired, frustrated, expert fishermen and gave them some advice. “Go back out and cast your nets on the other side and you will catch some fish.” Put yourself in Peter’s place. Would you not wonder at the audacity of Jesus? Who was he, a wandering rabbi, to advise them? But Peter acquiesced (perhaps just to get Jesus off his back or maybe hoping to prove that he knew more than Jesus about fishing). He got back in the boat, set out a little, cast his nets on the other side and surprisingly took in a large load of fish.

We heard about self-denial in last week’s Gospel. This week we see it in action. No matter how reluctant Saint Peter was, he still humbled himself and did as Jesus suggested. He put his boat out again and cast his net on the opposite side.

Self-denial means accepting and embracing change. Maybe the way we are thinking is not helpful, maybe the things we are doing are not working. Like Nasrudin we keep foolishly eating the peppers and growing more and more uncomfortable in the vain hope that we might find that one, sweet pepper that will make life all that we want it to be and more.

We like familiar patterns, even if they lead us to more suffering. Holding on to these patterns, these familiar ways of thinking and living is the opposite of self-denial. We know the patterns that are bad because they lead to more anxiety, more anger, more frustration. Self-centeredness always leads to destructive patterns of behavior and mental habits.

Saint Peter was amazed at what happened and was lead to repentance. “Depart from me,” he cried to Jesus, “for I am a sinful man.” Not only did he get some fish by opening himself to the different path suggested by the Lord, but he found a Savior.

We need to turn our attention to the contemplation of God so that in his light we can see the truth of what is running and ruining our lives. Then we will discover the narrow gate that leads to eternal life. But the narrow path is a path we fear to take. It is a path of renunciation of the self, of a stripping away of all illusion, a voluntary poverty, a detachment from the poor “self” we have cobbled together out of the debris of our lives.

A great definition of renunciation I learned recently is, “to let go of holding back” or, in other words, to stop holding back from letting go. We need to stop pretending that our way is working, that everything is alright. The process of letting go is disquieting and uncomfortable, but we need to embrace it courageously. We may have invested everything we think we are in a vision, a mission or a quest that ultimately we must admit we are getting no closer to reaching no matter how hard we try.

Normally, we try to anesthetize ourselves when we feel discomfited. Some prefer shopping, or eating, or alcohol, or sex. But anesthetizing ourselves at the slightest discomfort is the opposite of self-denial. Self-denial means sitting with our feelings, seeing them, facing them, feeling them and ministering to our own pain with tenderness and care, bringing them to God in all honesty with love and prayer. We embrace what is real in us and all of sudden, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, we are transformed. Jesus came to heal us so we must stop pretending that we do not need to be healed.

The way of renunciation and self-denial is the Way of the Cross, the way of truth. Like Saint Peter we need to be willing to go against the grain, to try something different, to listen carefully for the voice of God and to do what he says even though it will mean taking a different path than we would probably have chosen for ourselves.

First Sunday of Saint Luke

Luke 5:1-11. And it came to pass, that, as the multitude pressed against Him to hear the word of God, He stood by the lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And He entered into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And He sat down, and taught the people out of the boat. Now when He had left speaking, He said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a catch. And Simon answering said unto Him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at Thy word I will let down the net. And when they had done this, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes, and their net broke. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other boat, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus knees, saying, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, 0 Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the catch of the fishes which they had taken; and so were also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all, and followed Him.

The Lord flees glory, which all the more pursues Him. When the crowd pressed against Him, He entered the boat, so that from the boat He could teach those standing on the shore, and everyone would be in front of Him, rather than some coming towards Him from behind.

And when He had finished teaching the people, He did not leave the owner of the boat without payment, but gave him a two-fold benefit: He bestowed on him an abundance of fish, and He made him His disciple.

Marvel at how wisely the Lord arranges our salvation, drawing to Himself each one by means of the things that are his own and with which he is familiar. As He had attracted the Magi with a star, so now He draws the fishermen by means of fish.

Behold the gentleness of Christ, how He does not command, but requests, that Peter put out from land.

Behold also the obedience of Peter, how he welcomes into his boat a man whom he did not know, and obeys Him in everything. When the Lord tells him to launch out into the deep, Peter does not become exasperated and leave Him, nor does he reply, “I have toiled the whole night and gained nothing, and now I should obey you and do it all again?”

Peter said nothing like this, but instead, At Thy word I will let down the net. Such was the warmth of his trust even before he had faith. And he caught so great a number of fish that he was not able to haul them in, and he beckoned to his companions in the other boat. He calls them with a signal, because his astonishment at the catch was so great that he could not even speak. Out of great reverence for Jesus, Peter begs Him not to remain in the boat, and calls himself a sinner who is not worthy to be with Him.

You may also understand these things in a spiritual sense. The boat is the synagogue of the Jews. Peter represents the teachers of the law. For the teachers of the law also toiled the whole night before Christ came (the time before Christ’s sojourning on earth was indeed night) and took in nothing.

But when Christ came, and it became day, the teachers of the law were replaced by the Apostles who, at His word, that is, at His command, let down the net of the Gospel in which they caught so great a number of men that the Apostles could not haul in the catch by themselves.

And so they beckon to their partners and companions and together pull in the net. These are the pastors and teachers of the Church in every generation who teach and interpret the words of the Apostles, laboring with the Apostles to catch mankind.

Consider also the words, Let down the net. The net is the Gospel: like the fisherman’s net, which is a lowly and commonplace thing, the Gospel is composed of humble, everyday words which reach down and condescend to the simplicity of the people.

This is why it is said that the net is let down. If any one should say that letting down the net also indicates the depth of meaning of the Gospel, neither would he be off the mark. Therefore the words of the prophet have also been fulfilled, Behold, I will send many fishermen, saith the Lord, and they shall fish for them; and afterward I will send many hunters, and they shall hunt for them (Jeremiah 16:16).

The fishermen are the holy Apostles, and the hunters are the leaders and teachers of the Church in each generation.

Saint Theophylaktos, Bishop of Ochrid and Bulgaria (AD 1055–1107)
From The Explanation of the Gospel of Saint Matthew

Last week we spoke about the Sign of the Cross; today we continue our series on Orthodox Prayer discussing the Lord’s Prayer.

The “Our Father” is undoubtedly the most common prayer used by Christians. It is a prayer spoken, and given to us, by our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ.

This event is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew (6:9–13) and of Luke (11:2–4). Jesus taught us this prayer in the context of His beautiful Sermon on the Mount.

Nowhere before that time did anyone dare to pray to God as their “Father.” It was not the custom of any rabbi or spiritual teacher to address the Almighty God as “Abba,” the way a child might use when speaking to their “papa” or ‘daddy”.

But Jesus spoke to, and about, the Father using this intimate form of address. He also taught His disciples, and us, to do the same.

The use of the “Lord’s Prayer” is a mark of being Christian. It is a most-familiar and most-intimate prayer, since most of us learned it from our own mother and father as children.

As an indication of its importance and intimacy, we recite the “Our Father” just before receiving Holy Communion during the Divine Liturgy.

At Saint Nicholas parish in Grand Junction, we invite everyone to read the prayer in the language they learned it from their mother and father. In this way w respect the personal, family intimacy of the Lord’s Prayer. Everyone is welcome, of course, to recite the Prayer in each and every language!

Before we recite the prayer in the Divine Liturgy the priest says, “And make us worthy, Master, that with confidence, and without condemnation, we may dare to call upon You, the heavenly God, as Father, and to say...”

It is indeed most daring to address God as our father. It recognizes Him above all else as our Creator and most-loved Lord Who will provide for and protect us.

To be continued in next week’s bulletin...

If you have any questions or concerns, please speak with your parish priest!

 Services This Week

Daily Matins:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 8:00 am

Daily Vespers:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at 6:00 pm

Weekly Paraklesis:
Wednesday at 6:00 pm

Feast of the Dormition and Metastasis of
Saint John the Theologian

Agrypnia (Vigil): Sunday, September 25th, 5:00 pm

3rd and 6th Hours: Monday, September 26th, 6:30 am

Divine Liturgy: Monday, September 26th, 7:00 am

For updated schedule information, always refer to:

www. saintnicholasgj.org/worship_schedule/