Sermon for the Sunday of St. John Climacus by Metroplitan Philaret

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

More than once, brethren, the fact has been mentioned that on each Sunday in the Great Fast (i.e., Lent) there are other commemorations besides that of the Resurrection. Thus, on this day, the Church glorifies the righteous John of the Ladder, one of the greatest ascetics, which the Church, in speaking of them, calls “earthly angels and Heavenly men.”

These great ascetics were extraordinary people. They commanded the elements; wild beasts willingly and readily obeyed them. For them, there were no maladies they could not cure. They walked on the waters as on dry land; all the elements of the world were subject to them, because they lived in God and had the power of grace to overcome the laws of terrestrial nature. One such ascetic was St. John of the Ladder. Read more here

The Feast of the Annunciation of Our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary is celebrated on March 25 each year. The Feast commemorates the announcement by the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of God, would become incarnate and enter into this world through her womb. Read more here

The glorious Feast of the Annunciation of the Theotokos is also the day we celebrate the annual, joyful, commemoration of the Rebirth of the Greek Nation. This year, on the very day we praise the incarnation of the Son of God, we celebrate the Bicentennial of the Greek Revolution of 1821, the beginning of the War for Independence, and the restoration of freedom after four centuries of oppression. For more about Bicentennial events, click here

Services to celebrate the Annunciation will be as follows:

Great Vespers with Artoklasia will take place at 6pm on Wednesday Evening (24th).

Orthros & Divine Liturgy will begin at 9am Thursday Morning.

This will be followed by a Doxology for the Bicentennial of the Greek Revolution.

If you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (Matthew 5:14)
Love your enemies. (Luke 6:31-36).

The acid test of love is not whether we love our friends, but whether we love our enemies. A question was put to a great Russian Saint, “How do we know whether a person abides in God and is sincere in his Christian faith?” The Saint answered, “There is no other way of discovering this than by examining the person’s life to see if he loves his enemies. Where there is love for one’s enemy, there also is God.”

That is the great test of whether we are in tune with God; for that is what God Himself does. He sends His rain on the just and the unjust. Chesterton said once, “Love means to love that which is unlovable, or it is no virtue at all.”

Impractical? Find out here

 

A new online discussion group series for high school students is being launched by the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco. Called “OrthoTalks”, the first series will focus on Lent. This six-part series will help teens in “Cultivating a Purposeful Life” and will address questions like, “Why am I here? What is the purpose of life?”

Rev. Father Gary Kyriacou, Pastor of the Metropolis of San Francisco Youth and Young Adult Ministries created this program to provide high school students an opportunity to engage in dialogue with their peers and have meaningful discussions on issues relevant to them, while empowering them on their lifelong journey as Orthodox Christians.

“This is an excellent program, and I am eager to see the fruit that it bears. Our teenagers are a special age group, faced with many challenges and navigating through many vulnerabilities,” stated His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos. “We need to listen, love, guide and educate them so they can discern the path ahead for their lives, while retaining their connection to the Church.”

OrthoTalks for Lent begins on Thursday, March 18 and is offered weekly on Zoom through Thursday, April 22, with all sessions beginning at 6:30 p.m. PST.

Rev. Father Gary Kyriacou shared, “This is an opportunity for our youth to come together from all over our Metropolis and share, learn and grow in a very unique way.  The clergy in our Metropolis have a deep love and genuine concern to help our kids navigate the challenges they face and will encounter.  I encourage every High School student to set aside Thursday nights in Lent to come and ask the questions they want answers to.”

Schedule of Topics and Presenters:

Thursday, March 18, 2021: Cultivating an Enquiring Life, Rev. Father Peter Dogias – Assistant Priest, Saint Katherine Greek Orthodox Church, Redondo Beach, CA

Thursday, March 25, 2021: Cultivating a Determined Life, Rev. Father Christopher Retelas – Proistamenos, Saint John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church,

Thursday, April 1, 2021: Cultivating a Committed Life, Rev. Father Nicholas Mueller – Assistant Priest,  Ascension Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Oakland, CA

Thursday, April 8, 2021: Cultivating a Confident Life, Rev. Father Panagiotis Sotiras – Proistamenos, Saint Basil Greek Orthodox Church, Stockton, CA

Thursday, April 15, 2021: Cultivating a Servant Life, Rev. Father Christos Kanakis – Proistamenos, Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, Long Beach, CA

Thursday, April 22, 2021: Cultivating an Authentic Life, Rev. Father Jacob Saylor – Assistant Priest,  Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, Scottsdale, AZ

REGISTER HERE: https://gosfyouth.org/goya#/orthotalks to receive the Zoom link for OrthoTalks for Lent.

Steven Christoforou

“O God, when You come upon the earth in glory, the whole world will tremble. A river of fire will bring all before Your Judgment Seat and the books will be opened, and everything in secret will become public.” (Kontakion of Judgment Sunday)

“Judgment” is a scary word. In fact, the concept of a Final Judgment has scared many people away from Christianity altogether. After all, why would a loving God condemn people to eternal torment?

But what if that’s not the right question? What if we’re the ones who judge ourselves?

In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, Jesus explains what will happen at the Final Judgment. It’s not a parable: it’s a prophetic vision of what’s to come. The sheep will inherit the Kingdom prepared for them, while the goats will be cast into the fire prepared for the demons. Yes, this sounds terrifying…

But what’s even scarier is that God isn’t simply punishing the goats. Rather, the goats are punishing themselves. The goats are the people who refused to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. They are like the Pharisee, who condemned the Publican. They are like the Older Brother, who refused to enter the feast when the Prodigal Son returned home. The goats have separated themselves from God by separating themselves from their neighbors. They have chosen the path of selfishness and cruelty. To them, the Kingdom of God is a place of torment and fire.

Because God’s Kingdom is one of love.

As Saint Paul explains in this Sunday’s Epistle reading, salvation isn’t a private matter. Our goal isn’t to do what’s right for ourselves, but rather to love our neighbor. If we find ourselves locked out of the Kingdom it will be because we chose the path of the Older Brother. Because we locked ourselves out.

So how will you be judged?

Sin is the path of selfishness and isolation. As Children of God, we are called to choose love and communion. So watch this episode of and open your heart to God’s Kingdom. Don’t lock yourself out.