Pastor: Fr John Vazquez | (518) 462-0579 |
fatherjohnvazquez@gmail.com
Tuesday, September 17th—6pm—DABKE PRACTICE RESCHEDULED. SPEAK WITH ZAHRA TLAIGIE OR JESS BALKIS FOR A RESCHEDULE DATE
Wednesday, September 18th—6pm—Paraklesis of St George
Friday, September 20th—8am—Orthros and Divine Liturgy
Saturday, September 21st—9am—U.N.I.T.E. Teen Outing—Hiking in the Adirondacks
Saturday, September 21st—6pm—Great Vespers with Bible Study to follow
Sunday, September 22nd—9am—Orthros and Divine Liturgy—Memorial for Scott and Chris Seavey to follow Liturgy and PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
Sunday, September 29th—9am—Orthros and Divine Liturgy—Memorial for Bassir Rezek to follow Liturgy
Sermon—Sunday After the Elevation of the Cross
Galatians 2.16–20
MARRIAGE AND TAKING UP YOUR CROSS
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God, amen. Today we are continuing our celebration of the holy cross. We celebrated that yesterday. This is why the cross up here before us to venerate and remember.
And we have two readings today that teach us about what it is to take up our cross.
First of all, the cross of the Lord is our salvation—it is the means by which we have been saved. Our Lord has died on the cross for us and so accomplished our salvation insofar as we choose to join ourselves to Him and take up our cross.
We heard today from St Paul—it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. (Gal 2.20)
So how can we be one’s who have Christ living in them?
Well, among many other things, this feast of the cross is about marriage and the answer to the question how can we be one’s who have Christ dwelling in them is found in marriage.
Marriage between a man and a woman is a picture of the marriage between Christ and his bride. And we are all Christ's bride. It doesn't matter if we're men or women. We are His bride in the sense that we find ourselves in the holy Church, and the Church is our Lord’s bride (Rev 21.2) and in this union we become united to Christ.
And so marriage is a picture of the marriage between Christ and his bride and what it means to take up our cross and follow our Lord
When we get married, we are saying yes to that one person and no to every other possibility.
There is this real work to remain faithful in marriage.
But so often, in our world, faithfulness isn't important. Right? You can just go, do whatever you want.
Just watch any Disney movie and that’s the message. That's what they're telling you. Go, follow your heart. What they mean is, follow your feelings.
However you feel, that's what you should do.
Well, if I followed that advice I would go insane.
I don't know about you guys, but I can feel happily sad, angry from moment to moment. If I followed my feelings I would be an utterly pitiful person.
So, that's not what marriage is. Marriage is NOT following your feelings.
Marriage is remaining faithful in the midst of your feelings!
Love is remaining faithful, no matter how you feel.
As I said, we're constantly tempted with infidelity and we are encouraged by the world to “follow our feelings”. Do what you want to do. You do you and I do me.
But this isn't what the Church says—what Christ says.
What does Christ say?
He says, follow me (Jn 1.43)
NOT just when you feel Good
NOT when your feel like it
He says follow Me.
So marriage is this picture of what it means to follow our Lord and to take up our cross because we are saying no to a multitude of other possibilities and a multitude of feelings in following Christ.
So when we remain faithful in marriage—either to our spouse or to Christ through the Church—we take up our cross and this means we are doing what our Lord did
Our Lord did FEEL like being slapped, spit on, whipped, having nails driving into his hands and feet a spear driven into his side. He didn't have fuzzy feelings while going through all that. He did it because he loves us. He loves his bride.
And this is our call to follow our Lord and be faithful to him and walk that same path.
Now, are we going to be whipped?, Are we going to be spit on? Are we going to be crucified?
Well, probably not. I mean, I guess it's a possibility but we aren’t facing that kind of death.
But we do have our own struggles and our own difficulties that we have to walk through.
And knowing that our Lord walked that path with us, we find strength to walk that path as well.
So what does Paul mean as I mentioned before. It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me and how does marriage pertain to that.
The fathers of the Church tell us of an analogy of having Christ living in us. When you put a piece of iron in fire, the iron stays iron, but eventually it also becomes fire
When we submit ourselves to marriage to Christ and His Church, or our spouse, or both. We are putting ourselves into the fire of love that burns up all impurities and imperfections in us.
The union of the fire and the metal is so close that it's indistinguishable and it is faithfulness in marriage that keeps the fire stoked so that we can be purified and sanctified and so that we can say it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.
Be faithful in your marriage to your spouse and in your marriage to the Church
Submit to the fire of love and be purified
And in so doing we can find our salvation—which is union with God.
Glory to our Lord Jesus Christ who loves us and gave himself for us his bride, His unbegotten Father and the all-holy and good and life giving spirit. Amen.
