On Saturday, June 6/19, 2010, Fr. Anastasios delivered a sermon on the theme “Let the Dead Bury Their own Dead” at our sister mission, Holy Mother of God in Charlottesville, Virginia. We thought it would be beneficial to re-post the sermon video here as well, since it touches on the concept of following through with initial enthusiasm, something which affects missions greatly. The lighting in the video is unfortunately a little dark, but that was due to it being such a beautiful and sunny day!
Month: June 2010
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Loving Our Enemies
Dear Friends in Christ,
During the liturgy last Saturday morning, the Gospel appointed to be read was Matthew 5:42-48:
Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Passages such as these are difficult for us to hear; they are the moments when the “rubber hits the road.” It’s easy to be nice to the people that are nice to us, but exceedingly difficult to be nice to people who are even hateful towards us. Yet Jesus calls us to do so.
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