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

Today we have heard about the unexpected catch of fish at the command of the Lord. As a result of this, there was the confession of the Apostles, who were just getting to know the Lord. They were just getting to know that He is different, at least. They trusted Him, even though they had not caught any fish all night. They let their nets down again, and they caught more than they could cope with. The Lord reveals WHO HE IS. Always the Lord’s revelation of Himself is based on love, and life. He is giving us everything. It was through Him that all these things came to be, these things that were created. He is the One who spoke them into being at the command of the Father.

The Apostle Paul, who had been a persecutor of the Church, encountered the Saviour, and was filled with His love. It was because of this personal encounter of love that the Apostle was able to endure so many things as we heard described in the Epistle this morning. He endured a lot of suffering. He endured it because he knew that the Lord loves him, and he loves the Lord.

Nothing has changed between those days, and now. Everything about being an Orthodox Christian always has been based on this loving relationship. People have endured unimaginable tortures, difficulties, and hardships for the sake of the love of Jesus Christ. Take, for instance, those Alaskan Fathers, and the martyrs in particular, whose memory we keep today. It was not a simple thing to walk across Siberia, but that’s what these monks did. They walked from Valamo Monastery, which is close to the Baltic Sea, all the way across Siberia. Most of the walking had to be in wintertime, by the way, just to make it interesting, because in the summertime, just as in northern Canada, there is muskeg, quicksand, and all sorts of mosquitoes. They walked in the wintertime about 8,000 kilometres, and finally came to the east coast of Asia, to around Vladivostok, I suppose. There they took a ship, and sailed to a very stormy area of the North Pacific for a couple of months more, and then arrived on Kodiak in Alaska.

They did all of this for the love of Jesus Christ. They stayed there, and defended the state of life of the Aboriginals against the money-grubbing fur traders, again, for the love of Jesus Christ. They competed as to who would have what part of Alaska to evangelise, for the love of Jesus Christ. No part of their life was easy, ever. These men were in the same league as the Apostle Paul, and all of the other Apostles, for struggles, and suffering, because all of the Apostles had nothing but difficulties in spreading the love of Jesus Christ.

However, this love of Jesus Christ is very contagious. Glory be to God that this love is so contagious. Those of us living here at the beginning of the 21st century, with all of our conveniences, have a tendency to become lax. The phenomenon sometimes shows itself in Canada in the fact that people are becoming “Sunday Christians” (not everywhere by any means, but it does show itself from time to time, because the Tempter is so clever with us).

However, it’s important for you, and me, always, when there is a tendency to slide in that direction, to say: Why am I satisfied with Sunday morning only? Why have I become so lazy, and so ungrateful to God that Sunday morning is the only thing that I am ready, and prepared to give to the Lord? Sometimes I say this (or words to that effect) even grudgingly because I have to get up early on a day off. If I have gotten into that condition of heart, it means that I have been listening to the Tempter, and I have forgotten about the reason for my being. It’s time then to call out to the Lord, saying: Help me, and save me from my laziness, and forgetfulness. Don’t forget that the devil is the master of making us forget all sorts of things. Say to the Lord: Save me from the evil one’s traps, and help me to remember who I am to You, Lord.

The way of the Orthodox Christian is the way of being in His temple with joy, and worshipping Him with love, and with joy, supporting our brothers, and sisters by being here together, praising the Lord together, and by interceding for our brothers, and sisters all together. This is the way of the Orthodox Christian, the way of showing our love to the Lord, and our gratitude to Him for everything that we have, and everything that we are. We should not be satisfied just with Sunday, but we should be grateful for the opportunity to be able to be here in His temple many other times in a given week (as many times as work, and other responsibilities will allow).

It is important for us to make sure, brothers, and sisters, that it is this love, this commitment to Jesus Christ, that is the centre of our life, the driving force of our life, and that nothing will ever get between us, and Him who loves us, and gives us life. Let us ask the Lord to give us the same love as these Alaskan martyrs: St Juvenaly, the priestmonk, and St Peter the Aleut, in particular, so that we may unswervingly confess Him with every part of our life, in everything that we do, everywhere we go. With these martyrs let us glorify our Saviour, Jesus Christ, in the wholeness of our life, together with His Father, who is from everlasting, and His all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now, and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

† Archdiocese of Canada - Orthodox Church in America