In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Today, in both the Epistle, and the Gospel, we hear in two different ways, proclamations of the love of the Lord. We hear three times during the course of the year this Gospel reading in one form or another. People begin to make jokes about how many times in the year we hear about the swine running over the cliff. If we get this Gospel reading three times during the year, it’s for a purpose, and it’s our responsibility to understand what the Lord is telling us. The point is not so much about the pigs that are running over the cliff, although that’s important enough because they show exactly what happens to you, and to me when we play with the devil. We go “cuckoo” like the swine did, and they went over the cliff. The same thing happens.
The man who was possessed by the demon was out of his mind. He was crazy. He was violent. He was naked. He was living in a cemetery. Association with the devil always produces this kind of insanity, this sort of crazy behaviour. However, the Lord, when He met this man (even without the man’s asking Him), was already casting the devils out of him. They tried to distract Him, and stop Him, but nothing stopped Him because the Lord’s love wanted to release this man from the slavery of the devil, the slavery of fear. The Lord restored this man to his right mind. He became a peaceful person wearing clothes again. This is the whole point of hearing this Gospel: that we have to know the Lord’s love for us; we have to understand the danger that comes with playing with evil. In our North American society, people don’t even believe in the devil, and yet there are so many people that are deeply enslaved by the devil. It is said that it is one of the cleverest tricks of the devil ever invented that he should persuade people that he doesn’t exist at all – and then, oy, yoy, does he play with us.
The Lord, our Saviour, Jesus Christ, is all about love, and life, and hope, wholeness, and health. Wherever He goes – you see in the Gospel – He is bringing this joy, hope, health, wholeness, sanity, stability, peace. He is bringing this, always, wherever He goes. He brings this same love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, patience, hope to you, and to me all the time. We are baptised into Him. We put Him on. We are members of His Body.
Why do I say as I do: Please come forward in the church? Because, of course, Canadians especially, are very shy, and they think that being in church is a little bit like being in school, and the teacher might ask a question. Therefore, they want to be invisible, and hide, somehow. That’s how Canadians are, and it’s rather sad that people who emigrate from Russia, and Ukraine, end up with the same mentality.
This is the opposite of what I experience when I am in Russia, and Ukraine where people in Russia, and Ukraine don’t stand at the back of the church – they stand right up at the front. Why do they stand right up here at the front all the time? You have to push through people to get where you have to go if you’re making a procession. Why is this? Because people over there still perceive (even if it’s not in their minds, it’s in their hearts) – that our life is coming from this Table. Grace is coming from this holy Altar. People want to be close; they want to be close to the Lord; they want to be near the love of the Lord. If there is going to be extra Grace coming, such as when the bishop or the priest may come out sprinkling with Holy Water, they want to receive that blessing. They don’t want to be in the back corner where they are going to be missed altogether. They want to be in the front where they are going to get splashed well with the Grace of the Lord’s blessed water. That’s why I’m saying: please come forward – don’t be shy. Why should we be shy in the house of the Lord – here, in our place. We are the members of the Body of Jesus Christ. We are His children. He loves us. As children with their parents, we need to be close to Him, too. We want to be here, close to Him, so that we can receive His love easily, and quickly, and even maybe be the first.
We have to make sure we understand why we are here, in this Temple. We’re here in this Temple because we love our Lord, Jesus Christ, and we know He loves us. It is important that we should be here in this Temple, close to Him as often as we possibly can, so that this loving Lord can give us as much strength as possible to live in this difficult life. Everyone of us has difficulty in life; even bishops have difficulty in life. However, the Lord, in His mercy, and love, gives us the strength to overcome those difficulties, to live through those difficulties.
The Lord in this Temple (which has stood here now for over a hundred years), has been giving this love, this Grace, and this hope to His children all of this time. Over here we have an icon of the Mother of God. This icon of the Mother of God is an icon which disappeared, and showed herself again to us, and people have had their prayers answered before this icon of the Mother of God. The Lord has sent us many such icons, and the relics of saints all around the world. Why? Because He knows we need these contact points with Him, and so He gives us the blessing of such icons. Today we are celebrating the presence amongst us (not in Canada but in Russia) of the wonder-working Kazan icon of the Mother of God – one of the most famous wonder-working icons that the Lord has given to Russia. I still remember when I had the blessing to be present at the time of the return of the Tikhvin icon of the Mother of God to Russia. We were reminded at that time how, in the early days of Tikhvin, when the Swedes were invading, the Mother of God taught the monks to take her icon around the monastery. They did; the Swedes went home, and no-one fought. This happened not a few times in Russia’s history. It was the same thing with the Vladimir icon, the Pochaiv icon of the Mother of God, and the other icons.
The Lord in His love is with us. He is protecting us. He is helping us. That is why it is really important to overcome the weak part of Canadians, which is to be shy, and hide, and to stand in the back; rather to take hold of our place as children of the Lord, and eagerly be in the front, here, close to Him. The back of the church should be empty as it is in Russia, and Ukraine. There, the back of the church is empty, and the front of the church is packed full of people. That’s the way a father likes to see his family. I’m not talking about the bishop. I’m talking about the Lord, Himself. The Lord is feeding us from this Altar. The Lord, Himself, wants His children close to Him. He wants them gathered around Him so that He can show His love to them, embrace them, encourage them, strengthen them.
The Mother of God on this day is with us. We face difficulties, yes, but she is here, too. She is praying for us, and she is protecting us. Let us take her protection, and ask her to be closer yet to us. Let us ask her to help us to be closer to her, so that in everything, with her, we will be able to be pleasing to her Son. We will not be afraid to be close to Him, rejoicing in Him, and receiving from Him these Gifts, so that in every part of our life, no matter how difficult things are; no matter how discouraging things are; no matter what difficult challenges are facing us; we will know the Lord is with us. God is with us. He loves us, and He is giving us what we need to live. He is giving us the food for our hearts so that we can glorify Him: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.