Posts

What is the meaning of life? — Sunday of St Gregory Palamas

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen. What is the meaning of life?   What does it mean to be a human being?   These questions, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, are fundamental to our existence: among all of humanity, whatever religious beliefs, we ask the questions, “Why am I here?   What is the meaning of my life?” How then are we to approach these questions?   We look to our origins, our foundations.   Some will look to a Big Bang , which led to a series of causes and effects which, in turn, led ultimately to you and to me: in other words all my achievements and failures are not the result of me but of the cause and effect of the universe.   I can do nothing which has not been predefined by fate — an interesting concept in the age of secularism, science and reason.   Yet this line of thinking leaves no room for the cause of the Big Bang, the Ultimate Cause, from which our universe is the effect. The Church, in her l
Post a Comment
Read more

What do I have to do to be saved? — Sunday of the Last Judgement

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, One God, Amen. How much do I need to do to get into heaven?   This is an easy question to ask.   We have busy lives to live, families, work and household tasks.   So, let’s reduce this to the bare essentials: what do I actually have to believe and do to be saved? We could start by turning to the Symbol of Faith , the Creed : “I believe in one God, the Father Almighty.”   This is a good start: to be saved we need particular beliefs.   We need to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, we need to believe that he rose from the dead, we need to believe that we are baptised into him and receive his body and blood in Communion.   Is there anything else? We may remember Christ’s words from the Sermon on the Mount, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” [1]   We may realise that it is not only what we believe but what we d
Post a Comment
Location: Poole, UK
Read more

Speaking truth — Sunday after Theophany

Brethren, grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.   Therefore, it is said, “When He ascended on high He led a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men.”   (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that He had also descended into the lower parts of the earth?   He who descended is He who also ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)   And His gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. At that time, when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth he went and dwelt in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulon and Naphtali, s
Post a Comment
Location: Poole, UK
Read more

You are what you eat — Sunday of the Forefathers of Christ

Timothy, my son, do not be ashamed then of testifying to our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel in the power of God, Who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not in virtue of our works but in virtue of his own purpose and the grace which he gave us in Christ Jesus ages ago, and now has manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, Who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. For this gospel I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, and therefore I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know Whom I have believed, and I am sure that He is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. Follow the pattern of the sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus; guard the truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit Who dwells within us. You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away f
Post a Comment
Location: Poole, UK
Read more

What shall we do? What are we doing? — Thirteenth Sunday of Luke

Brethren, God, Who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and made us sit with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.   For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God—not because of works, lest any man should boast.   For, we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. At that time, a ruler came to Jesus and asked him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal,
Post a Comment
Read more