Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

 

In today's Gospel reading we are told of one of the miracles of Christ. That miracle is a great haul of fish. The Gospel starts with a scene of fishermen washing their nets. We learn that one of the fishermen is Peter. Our Lord tells Peter to take Him out in one of the boats for a catch of fish. Peter explains his doubt because they were fishing all night and caught nothing. However, Peter follows the Lord's command. When Peter drops his net at the Lord's command, it is filled to the breaking point. Peter's response to this miracle is to ask the Lord to depart from him because he is a sinful man. Our Lord's response is that from now on, Peter and his partners, James and John, will catch men instead of fish.

God performs miracles to remind us that He is watchful over the world, that God governs the world and orders it. Thus, what may seem to be the natural order of things in the minds of people is disturbed by the action of God. God is the creator and order of the world. As our Lord says, "With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26). Miracles also remind us that without God they can do nothing. Saint Paul reminds us of this when he says, "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that plants anything, neither he that waters; but God that gives the increase" (I Corinthians 3:6-7).

There is a proverb that is similar to this that says, "Men propose, but God disposes." We often have many desires in our hearts and minds. We plan many things. Many of these plans remain as unrealized ideas. Other plans get put into action, ending in failure, while still other plans are put into action, ending in success. These plans are those that were adopted by God.

The plans that are adopted by God are His, are like Him, and come from Him. All that is not from God, like God, and are not God's, are rejected by God. We are reminded of this in the Psalms, where it says, "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it" (Psalms 127:1). If we plan or build something in our own name, it will fail; but if we plan and build to honor God, it will be successful.

The Universal Exaltation of the Holy Cross September 14

It was of Your own free will that You were raised upon the Cross. * Generously bestow Your mercies upon Your new community named for You, O Christ God! * By Your power gladden the faithful * and let them triumph over every evil, * for Your Cross is their ally and their weapon is peace, * assuring unfailing victory.

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross originated in Jerusalem in the year 355 to commemorate the dedication of the Basilica of the Resurrection. When the true Cross of Jesus was found shortly afterwards, this event was commemorated on the same day. In time, the Feast of the Exaltation supplanted the feast of the dedication.

In 395, St. John Chrysostom wrote of three crosses which were discovered beneath Golgotha by the Empress Helena. Many other writers speak of miracles which occurred through contact with the true Cross. It was through one of these miracles that the true Cross was recognized by St. Helena and St. Macarius, the Bishop of Jerusalem.

The Holy Cross was kept in the Basilica of the Resurrection in Jerusalem until 614, when the Persians conquered the city and burned the Church. In 628, Emperor Heraclius III defeated the Persians and returned the Holy Cross to Jerusalem. A portion of the Cross was taken to Rome in the seventh century by Sergius I, a Pope of Byzantine origin.

As we celebrate this Major Feast let us remind ourselves that the power of the Cross is given to each and every Christian. But just as a soldier must learn to properly wield his weapons in battle, so a warrior of Christ must learn how correctly to make the sign of the Cross. A shield has no effect if carelessly waved about in the air. Likewise, there are many who receive no benefit from the sign of the Cross because they make it mechanically or haphazardly.

The Cross, once a tool of death, has become a means to life, an instrument of our salvation; it gives strength to resist temptation, to refrain from gossip or harsh words and it dispels fear. Amen.

The Nativity of the Theotokos - September 8

The birth and early life of the Virgin Mary is not recorded in the Gospels or other books of the New Testament, however this information can be found in a work dating from the second century known as the Book of James or Protevangelion.

According to the story found in this book, Mary's parents, Joachim and Anna, were childless for many years. They remained faithful to God, but their prayers for a child were unanswered. One day, when Joachim came to the temple to make an offering, he was turned away by the High Priest who chastised him for his lack of children. To hide his shame, Joachim retreated to the hill country to live among the shepherds and their flocks. As Joachim was praying, his wife Anna was praying at the same time at their house in Jerusalem. An angel appeared to both of them and announced that Anna would have a child whose name would be known throughout the world. Anna promised to offer her child as a gift to the Lord. Joachim returned home, and in due time Anna bore a daughter, Mary.

The Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos, therefore is a glorification of the miracle of Mary's birth, of Mary herself, and of her righteous parents. It is the celebration as well of the very first preparation of the salvation of the world.