From Your Parish Priest

Sixth Sunday of Saint Luke

10/23/2016

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

There met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.”
(Luke 8:27)

What can be the reason that this man dwelt in the tombs? Some erroneously think that the souls of the dead become demons, of this man is one, which of course is nonsense. This is a pernicious opinion, which we should never allow into our conception – God forbid.

First of all, it is not logical that an injured soul would cooperate with its wrongdoer. We are tempted by the demons who seek to injure us, and no victim is ever likely to embrace his torturer; thus those who are afflicted by Satan are not likely to become one of his demons.

Secondly, a man – who is a psychosomatic entity, comprised of a soul and a body – is not able to change himself into an incorporeal being (such as the angels and the demons) to wander among the tombs. Instead, we know that upon the separation of the soul from the body at death, the immortal soul rises to be judged by God and the inanimate body rests in the grave; such a disconnected human being cannot thereafter become something else – an incorporeal being – to continue wandering upon the earth.

Indeed, “the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God” (Wisdom 3:1), and even the souls of sinners are immediately led away from their bodies and are taken to heaven to be judged. This is evident from the account of Lazarus and the rich man, where Christ says, “this day your soul shall be required of you.”

How then could the soul, being taken away from its body and having gone away from its familiar earthly places, know how to walk once more upon the earth in unfamiliar places such as among the tombs in the country of the Gadarenes? Of course, it can not.

We must never believe that the souls of dead appear among the living as those who participate in occult practices suggest.

Instead, in today’s Gospel account, Christ allowed this unfortunate man to be tormented by the devil in order that he and we might be saved. This sounds strange, but the Lord allows this, even as Saint Paul instructed the Corinthians concerning the immoral man: “you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” (1 Corinthians 5:5)

Jesus allowed it so that when we consider this unhappy man enduring such awful affliction we might understand just how horrible the malice of Satan can be.

Furthermore, we clearly understand from this that nothing happens without the knowledge of God; in fact, we notice that the demons cannot even enter the swine unless He allows them to do so. Thus we are reassured that He is always with us, guiding us and caring for us in all circumstances.

Amen.

From Another Homilist

Sixth Sunday of Saint Luke
Do not fear but come to him as you are

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In the Gospel story of the Gadarene demoniac we are often distracted by the elements that are so unlike our normal, everyday lives. Here we see a wild, violent, frightening example of the kind of possession that Hollywood loves. We have a naked man, living in a graveyard, scaring the dickens out of the townspeople, so powerful that chains could not hold him. The hero comes, sets him free, sends the demons into a herd of swine who rush off screaming over a cliff into the sea to drown!

One of the preeminent elements of this story is fear. Everyone, with the exception of Jesus, was afraid. The demoniac was afraid and the townspeople were afraid. Even after he was healed the townspeople were still afraid! Fear drove the man to isolate himself in a graveyard, a place that consistently invokes fear from which he not only lived in fear, but made it his business to frighten anyone who happened by. Evidently, this atmosphere of fear was a focus of life in the region of the Gadarenes. Who among them did not know the story?

Fear is something with which we are all familiar. Since 911 many Americans have lived in fear that terrorists will kill them. Our national discourse seems to have revolved almost entirely around fear. It is a terrible way to live. We fear poverty, starvation, cancer, crime. We even fear the truth and honesty. “What if people knew how I really felt, who I really am? Surely, they would not like me.”

So we run from the things that frighten us. We live in gated communities, we take lots of pills, we drink lots of alcohol, we eat lots of food, we watch lots of television, anything to take away our fear. Ultimately, all of these little fears come from the one big fear, that is, the fear of death.

It is curious that the Gospel calls us to do something quite different than we are used to doing with fear. It invites us not to run away from it. Jesus did not run away from the demoniac. He met him face to face. He did not run away from Calvary. He met death face to face. Of course, he was afraid! Read the account of his agonizing prayers in Gethsemane!

But courageous people are not those who have not experienced fear, but rather those who know it intimately and who do not let it rule them. We are invited to meet our fears head-on with faith and hope in God who will never forsake us. If we do, we will discover that the monster we so feared is not so fearful after all.

Once a monk and his disciples once came upon a ferocious dog chained in the yard of a villager. The dog snarled and barked and then broke free of his chains, like the demoniac, and rushed at them. All began to run in fear, except the monk who gathered up his robes and rushed straight at the dog looking him straight in the eye. The dog stopped in his tracks, turned and ran away in fear.

Saint Anthony was like the Gadarene demoniac, but with an important difference. He went, like the demoniac, to live in the tombs, but he did so not because of fear, but in order to meet his fears and overcome them. Indeed, all his battles with demons in the guise of animals and other things are representative of the battles he fought with his own fears.

Saint Anthony did not win his struggles by running away from the tombs, he won it by staying put, by prayer and meditation, by fasting, in other words by facing all that he had to face with courage and with faith in God who promised to be always near. After a particularly harrowing battle Saint Antony asked God, “Where were You?” A light came into the tomb and a voice said, “I was here all along.” It is an example that we need to follow.

We all have problems we need to face, fears that need to be admitted, sins that need reconciling and this cannot be done by hiding from them or pretending that they do not exist. Instead of running away we need to stop and look deeply at what it is that troubles us. We need to let go, to relax, to welcome the opportunity to face these things when they arise.

In confession do not be afraid, but keep in mind that all God asks of us is to be as honest as we can be about who we really are. The Church is the place where we should be able to be completely honest without fear of judgment, or consequence. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Fear of reality often motivates even the clergy to run away when faced with things in others that remind them of what’s going on in their own lives.

The Lord invites us to leave our fears behind and come to him as we are.

Reverend Antony Hughes
Saint Mary Orthodox Church - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the First Mode

The stone that had been sealed before Your tomb by the Jews and the soldiers guarding did watch over Your pure and sacred body. O Savior the third day You arose, and unto all the world did You give life. Where by all the heavenly powers did proclaim that You are the giver of life. Glory unto our resurrected Christ. Glory unto Your Kingdom. Glory to Your dispensation O You alone who loves all.

Apolytikion for James (Iakovos), the Brother of the Lord in the Fourth Mode

As the Lord’s disciple, • you received, O righteous one, the Gospel; • as a martyr you are never turned away by God; • you have boldness as God’s own brother, • and you intercede with Him as a hierarch. • Intercede with Christ God • that our souls may be saved.

Seasonal Kontakion in the Second Mode

A protection of Christians unshamable, intercessor to our Holy Maker, unwavering, please reject not the prayerful cries of those who are in sin. Instead, come to us, for you are good; your loving help bring unto us, who are crying in faith to you: hasten to intercede and speed now to supplicate, as a protection for all time, Theotokos, for those who honor you.

Gospel and Epistle Readings

Matins Gospel Reading

Seventh Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from John 20:1-10

At that time, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran, and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." Peter then came out with the other disciple, and they went toward the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first; and stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; he saw the linen cloths lying, and the napkin, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not know the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes.

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Fourth Mode. Psalm 18.4,1.
Their voice has gone out into all the earth.
Verse: The heavens declare the glory of God.

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians 1:11-19.

BRETHREN, I would have you know that the gospel which was preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it; and I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia; and again I returned to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas, and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother.

Gospel Reading

6th Sunday of Luke
The Reading is from Luke 8:26-39

At that time, as Jesus arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, there met him a man from the city who had demons; for a long time he had worn no clothes and he lived not in a house but among the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him, and said with a loud voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beseech you, do not torment me." For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him; he was kept under guard, and bound with chains and fetters, but he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the desert.) Jesus then asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion"; for many demons had entered him. And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside; and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them leave. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. When the herdsmen saw what happened, they fled, and told it in the city and in the country. Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. And those who had seen it told them how he who had been possessed with demons was healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gadarenes asked him to depart from them; for they were seized with great fear; so he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but he sent him away, saying, "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you." And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

Patristic Gospel Commentary

Sixth Sunday of Saint Luke

Luke 8:26-33. And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is across from Galilee. And when He went forth to land, there met Him out of the city a certain man, possessed by demons for a long time, who wore no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with Thee, Jesus, Son of God most high? I beseech Thee, torment me not. (For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he broke the bands, and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.) And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many demons were entered into him. And he besought Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss. And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought Him that He would suffer them to enter into them. And He suffered them. Then went the demons out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were drowned.

See how the demon is torn between two wicked passions: impudence and fear. When he says, What have I to do with Thee? he shows the impudence of a shameless slave; when he says, I beseech Thee, he shows his fear.

He was dwelling among the tombs because he wanted to instill in men the false suspicion that the souls of those who have died become demons.

The demons ask not to be cast into the abyss, but that they be permitted to remain a while longer upon the earth. The Lord permits them to remain upon the earth so that they might fight and contend with men, and thus render men tested veterans.

If man had no adversaries, there would be no struggles and contests; and if there were no contests, there would be no crowns of victory.

There is a more spiritual sense which you should learn as well: the man who has demons within him and wears no garment and makes his home outside the house, is anyone who does evil and demonic deeds, who has stripped himself of his baptismal robe, and dwells outside the Church. Such a man is not worthy to enter into the Church, but instead he lives in the tombs of dead and rotting deeds, for example, in brothels and in the chambers of publicans and graft. These are indeed tombs of iniquity.

Luke 8:34-39. When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country. Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the demons were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the demons was healed. Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought Him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear: and He went up into the boat, and returned back again. Now the man out of whom the demons were departed besought Him that he might be with Him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to thine own house, and tell what great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done unto him.

When those who had been feeding the swine fled into the city, it became an opportunity for salvation for the Gadarenes, but they did not understand. They ought to have marveled at the Savior’s power and believed in Him.

The Evangelist says that they besought Him to depart from them, instead of calling upon Him in supplication. They did this out of fear of suffering another loss like that of the swine.

But the man who had been healed shows indisputable proof of his healing. That he had been healed in his mind is shown by the fact that he now both recognizes Jesus and begs His permission to be with Him. For he was afraid, it would seem, that the demons would again easily assault him when he was separated from Jesus.

But the Lord shows him that even if he is not with Jesus, the Lord’s grace can shelter him from demonic attack. The Lord says to him, Return to thine own house, and tell what great things God hath done unto thee.

By not saying, “what great things I have done unto thee,” the Lord gives us an example of humility and teaches us that we should attribute all our accomplishments to God. But though the Lord had commanded him to tell what things God had done for him, he told instead what things Jesus had done for him, so great was his gratitude.

Therefore when you do something good for someone, do not desire it to become public knowledge; but he who is the beneficiary of that good deed ought to be moved by gratitude to tell it to others, even though you do not want him to do so.

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

Wisdom of the Fathers

A person becomes humble and grieves because he is a sinner. In consequence of this he begins to practice self-control and patient endurance in the face of afflictions sought and unsought. What comes from the demons he endures through ascetic discipline, and what comes from men he endures as a test of his faith. In this way it becomes clear whether he puts his trust in God, or in man, or in his own strength and judgment.

Saint Peter of Damascus

For if we, going about on the earth which is familiar and well known to us, being encompassed with a body, when we are journeying in a strange road, know not which way to go unless we have some one to lead us; how should the soul, being rent away from the body, and having gone out from all her accustomed region, know where to walk without one to show her the way?

St. John Chrysostom

Homily 28 on Matthew 8, 4th Century

Some say, 'Why do they [demons] possess people?' I answer those who wish to have this explained that the reason of these things is very deep. Somewhere one of His saints addressed God by saying, 'Your judgments are a vast abyss.' As long as we bear this in mind, we will perhaps not miss the mark.

St. Cyril of Alexandria

Commentary on Luke, Homily 44. (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture; vol 3: Luke, Intervarsity Press)

Because death has been abolished and has become a sleep and the end of our earthly life a dormition; because we have the certain hope of the resurrection, since we are transferred from one life to the other, we can be peaceful and optimistic. We can rejoice and be glad. Joy and gladness are even more enhanced when we realize that the transfer is not done simply from life to life. That is, we do not simply leave from one form of life to be found in another form of life. Rather, we are transferred from the lesser, that is, corruptible, to the better and greater life.

Nikolaos P. Vassiliadis

Saints and Feasts

October 23

6th Sunday of Luke

October 23

James (Iakovos) the Apostle, brother of Our Lord

The Holy Apostle James, the “Adelfótheos” (“Brother of God”) was the son of Righteous Joseph, the Betrothed of the Most Holy Theotokos (Matthew 13: 55).

There are two interesting facts about Saint James.

First, James was one of four sons and three daughters born to Joseph and his wife; it was only as a widower that Mary was betrothed to Joseph who as a kinsman of her father, Joachim, would protect and preserve her within his household.

James was considered the “brother” of Jesus, as it appeared to some that he was an older half-brother; as we know, however, he was an older step-brother, or perhaps cousin, to Jesus. The tradition of the Church refers to James as “Brother of God” according to the idiom of the Scriptures and his kinship to out Lord Jesus Christ.

Curiously, some have also speculated that James might have been a nephew of Joseph, the son of Joseph’s brother Cléopas (who walked to Emmaus with Saint Luke on the Sunday of Pascha), who was also called Alphaéus and of Mary Cléopas’ wife, who was the first cousin of the Theotokos (the sister of the Theotokos’ mother, Anna, and of John the Baptist’s mother, Elizabeth)..

Second, we call him “James” in English though in Hebrew his name is actually Jacob, which was translated into Greek as Iákovos. When the translators of the King James Bible were preparing their work, the Greek name Iákovos was translated as Jacob in the Old Testament and as James in the New Testament. “James” and “Jacob” are, therefore, the same name.

Regarding Saint James, the “Brother of God” and son of Joseph the betrothed, we know that from his early years James was a Nazarene, a man especially dedicated to God. The Nazarenes vowed to preserve their virginity, to abstain from wine, to refrain from eating meat, and not to cut their hair. The vow of the Nazarenes symbolized a life of holiness and purity, commanded formerly by the Lord for all Israel.

When the Savior began to teach the nation about the Kingdom of God, Saint James believed in Christ and became His Apostle.

Saint James was chosen as the first Bishop of Jerusalem, elevated to this episcopal rank by the Apostles, according to Eusebius (Eccl. Hist., Book II: 23), and was called Obliah, that is, the Just, because of his great holiness and righteousness. He presided over the Council of Jerusalem and his word was decisive (Acts 15).

In his thirty years as bishop, Saint James converted many of the Jews to Christianity. Annoyed by this, the Pharisees and the Scribes plotted together to kill Saint James. They led the saint up on the pinnacle of the Jerusalem Temple and asked what he thought of Jesus. The holy Apostle began to bear witness that Jesus is the Messiah (the “Christ” or “Anointed One”), which was not the response the Pharisees were expecting. Moreover, he proclaimed with a great voice that Jesus sits at the right hand of the great power of God and shall come again upon the clouds of heaven. On hearing this testimony, many of those present cried, “Hosanna to Jesus, the Son of David.”

Greatly angered the Jewish Scribes and Pharisees cried, “So, even the just one (Obliah) has been led astray,” and at the command of Ananias the high priest, the Apostle was cast down headlong from the roof. The saint did not die immediately, but gathering his final strength, he prayed to the Lord for his enemies while they were stoning him. Finally, his head was crushed by the wooden club wielded by a certain scribe. Saint James’ martyrdom occurred about 63 A.D.

The holy Apostle James composed the first Divine Liturgy, which formed the basis of the Liturgies of Saints Basil the Great and John Chrysostom. The Liturgy of Saint James may be conducted once a year, on this, his feast day (October 23rd). It is usually only done at certain cathedrals and in seminaries because many clergy and chanters are unfamiliar with it.

Of his writings, the Church has also preserved his Epistle as one of the books of the New Testament. It is referred to as one of the “catholic” epistles, which means “universal,” since it was written not to one community, but to the Jews in the Diaspora who believed in Christ.

In 1853, Patriarch Hierotheos of Alexandria sent to Moscow a portion of the relics of Saint James.

The Church distinguishes between the holy Apostle James the Brother of God, and Saint James the son of Zebedee (April 30) and Saint James the son of Alphaeus (October 9).

Also, the Evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) distinguish between this James calling him “the Lesser” (Mark 15:4) to distinguish him from James “the Greater” the son of Zebedee.

October 23

Our Venerable Father Ignatios, Patriarch of Constantinople

Saint Ignatios, Patriarch of Constantinople (AD 847-857; 867-877), in the world Nikitas, was of imperial lineage.

When his father, the Emperor Michael I (AD 811-813), was deposed from the imperial throne by Leo the Armenian (AD 813-820), the fifteen-year-old youth Ignatios was imprisoned in a monastery. Life in the monastery strengthened Saint Ignatios in faith and in piety. Soon he was made abbot of the monastery, and later was chosen Patriarch of Constantinople.

When Emperor Michael III (AD 855-867) ascended the throne he was still a minor, so the country was actually governed by his uncle, Bardas, an impious and unchaste man. Patriarch Ignatios urged Bardas to forsake his sinful life and, when he refused, Ignatios boldly denounced him for his iniquity.

Bardas attempted to force Saint Ignatios to tonsure the holy Empress Theodora, mother of the emperor, as a monastic in order to remove her from governance of the realm. Patriarch Ignatios did not consent to this, and also publicly excommunicated Bardas.

Bardas had Ignatios tortured for fifteen days to force him to resign, and then they sent him into exile. When the new emperor came to power, Saint Ignatios was recalled from prison and was Patriarch for another ten years. He died in AD 877 in a monastery.

Parish News and Information

“The Jesus Prayer”

In the past weeks we have addressed what the Jesus Prayer is;
today we continue our series noting its uniqueness from other forms.

The difference between the Jesus Prayer and “New Age” practices such as yoga meditation, can be described using the analogy of a framed masterpiece: We can admire the beautiful frame of a masterpiece, but the frame is not the masterpiece. Similarities between the Jesus Prayer and various non-Orthodox meditation practices are only like the frame of a masterpiece.

The masterpiece in the practice of the Jesus Prayer is union with Jesus Christ. The frame is only the methods used. There may be similarities with postures, techniques and other acts of the outer form of this prayer, but the content and aim is totally different and uniquely Christian, and specifically Orthodox.

The Jesus prayer expresses faith in God through Jesus Christ. It emphasizes that salvation is attained only through God by asking for His mercy. Salvation cannot be attained by our own efforts.

The Jesus Prayer focuses on a personal relationship with the God-Man Jesus Christ. We do not seek an impersonal God or an absolute truth.

The Jesus Prayer seeks mercy for our weaknesses, and in the Prayer we avoid falling into the sin of pride. We recognize our sinfulness before God.

The Jesus Prayer unites us to God, in a union which does not eliminate our personhood and personality. The human factor is not denied, and we are not assimilated, as it is in some Eastern yoga practices.

The Jesus Prayer allows us to progress and gain the ability to discern error. We enhance our ability to distinguish between good and evil.

The Jesus Prayer is a means to struggle with the cleansing of our body and soul from the negative effect of passions. We do not seek apathy or to destroy our passions, but to restore them, into their proper god-like purpose. Our salvation depends on this struggle, which requires God’s grace.

The Jesus Prayer brings the grace of God into our soul, that it may spread throughout our body. We do not try to attain absolute nothingness. We make no effort to negate or destroy the body, but see it as the temple of the Spirit.

The Jesus Prayer is practiced because we want to live with God eternally.

The Jesus Prayer is union with Christ, it is salvation while we remain in communion with other persons. We are not indifferent to the world, but continually pray for all beings.

The Jesus Prayer does not put great emphasis on psychosomatic methods or on body postures, for these can only assist us in concentration.

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

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

Worship Schedule

Services This Week

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

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

Weekly Paraklesis:
Wednesday at 6:00 pm

Special Services This Week

Feast of Saint Dimitrios

Agrypnia (Vigil): Tuesday, October 25th, 5:00 pm

3rd and 6th Hours: Wednesday, August 26th, 6:30 am

Divine Liturgy: Wednesday, August 26th, 7:00 am

For updated schedule information, always refer to:

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Past Bulletins

From Your Parish Priest

Sixth Sunday of Saint Luke

10/23/2016

From Another Homilist

Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the First Mode

Apolytikion for James (Iakovos), the Brother of the Lord in the Fourth Mode

Seasonal Kontakion in the Second Mode

Gospel and Epistle Readings

Matins Gospel Reading

Epistle Reading

Gospel Reading

Patristic Gospel Commentary

Wisdom of the Fathers

Saints and Feasts

6th Sunday of Luke

James (Iakovos) the Apostle, brother of Our Lord

Our Venerable Father Ignatios, Patriarch of Constantinople

Parish News and Information

Worship Schedule