All Saints of America 2023

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and

of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Glory to Jesus Christ.

Glory to Christ. There's times that we need a

refresher. But as Christians, it's not just more

knowledge, more application. It's encouragement

from the gospel. It's encouragement from the

life of the church. And so today, for that refresher

course, we kind of start over with our readings

with Matthew. Matthew is the first gospel in

the New Testament. And the church gives us this

selection from chapter 4 to kind of restart us,

to refresh us, to reorient. reorientate us. The

word orient means east. Notice, it's the way

our church faces. When we are reorientated, we're

facing Christ. And so we have this gospel of

the story of the calling of the disciples. Notice

their response. Both times, St. Matthew says,

they immediately left their nets. And the church

on top of that says, well, it's the feast day

of all saints of America and Russia. Innumerable

saints. So we need to know, what is it that they

look like? Because that's what we're called to

be also. That's no joke. Our calling is to be

servants of God. The gift of the Holy Spirit.

Temples of God. That's what a saint is like to

begin with. So the church gives us the Beatitudes.

Did you notice? Beatitudes are the New Testament,

the Christian Ten Commandments. There are nine

blessings. Blessed are the pure in heart, blessed

are the merciful. And there's one imperative.

After you hear all those blessings, that imperative

is rejoice. Rejoice, says Christ. Kingdom of

heaven is yours. We hear these things, these

readings, not as church history. That's important

for us to remember. They're applicable to us.

We just have to figure out how. Each person's

different. It's going to apply to each one of

us differently. But it's applicable to us. It's

not only those first disciples that Christ made

evangelists. Everyone who hears and responds

to Jesus Christ also bears some responsibility.

A little bit. For the light that is within you

to not be hidden. We know that verse, let your

light so shine. before others that they may see

your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

This is how we become junior evangelists. We

let that light shine. Not through angry, rage

-filled posts on Facebook or Twitter. That's

just ridiculous and won't get you anywhere. But

through the peacemakers. For they shall be called

the children of God. That's what we want. So

having heard the verse about being fishers and

men, those disciples heard that. We heard it

too. We're also called to do a little fishing.

Notice, Christian fishing doesn't involve a line

and a hook. It involves a net. Line and a hook,

we just kill people. A very humble missionary

task, brothers and sisters. But it begins with

prayer. It begins with the apostles' fast. This

also is no joke. This is for us from the church.

And it begins with repentance. So we can shed

the light of God's grace upon that which is around

us in a very humble way. In a quiet way. There

was a news item. Probably some of you have seen

it. Mother Melania brought it to my attention

last week. Recently, three contestants, all three

contestants, in a current episode of Jeopardy,

which Father James says he loves to watch, alas,

he's not with us today, three contestants were

unable to complete the sentence from Matthew

Matthew 6:9

6, verse 9. Now, you should know off the top

of your head what that verse is. without me telling

you, but I'll tell you. Our Father, who art in

heaven, blank, be thy name. These three contestants

could not answer that question. The internet

erupted with, well, comments. Let's just say

they could have been kinder. Of course, the answer

is hallowed, sanctified, holy, set apart, like

us. Hallowed be thy name. That's what we're supposed

to be. How else can God's will be done in heaven

and on earth? It's shocking that well -read and

educated people, those people in jeopardy are

no dummies, that they would not know. On the

other hand, as Mother Melania pointed out, we

haven't been hallowing God's name for a long

time now in society. And this tells me, this

is another revelation, just another reminder

that the people around us, in our town, in our

county, are hurting. They're hurting physically,

they're starving physically, many of them, and

spiritually. There's violence, there's brokenness,

there's abuse. The suffering is profound. To

not know that God loves us, weeps for us like

he did for Lazarus, and has a destiny, eternal

destiny, for each one of us. This leads so many

people into despair because what their life is

about. What's it all for? And so it's easy to

blame people on the other side of this country,

in Washington, D .C., for all the problems. They

don't know. what it is to hallow the name of

the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. How can

they, unless it be revealed to them by those

who are hallowed and set apart and sanctified

and striving to be like the saints, striving

to acquire those 10 New Testament commandments

of the blessings. Who can reveal? That's the

right word, the truth to them. As I said, sharing

your rage on the internet, on social media, about

your favorite cause or why others are not sharing

your rage is just harmful and not spiritually

helpful. I sorrow greatly when I see that from

some of you because I love you. That's all about

the passions and opinions and that's all from

the evil one. Let's turn that around. Don't you

feel sometimes brothers and sisters, that you'd

like to share with some of your friends and acquaintances

what you know about the glory, the holiness,

the love of God, and the healing that you have

received from Jesus Christ. Don't you want to

show that this place is a spiritual hospital,

the place where souls are resurrected and forgiven?

Isn't there a desire sometimes in your heart?

When you know someone else is bearing a burden

of sin and despair and darkness. And the fear

of death. When they just might find the joy of

the resurrection. The grace of our Lord Jesus

Christ. The love of God the Father. And the communion

of the Holy Spirit. That we enjoy here in this

liturgy. How? How will it come? Through you.

That's how. We sing, we have seen the true light.

We have received the heavenly spirit. We sing,

we have found the true faith, worshiping the

undivided trinity who has saved us. It's not

pride that tells us that. It's not triumphalism.

This is the faith that was handed over to us,

that we are responsible. These are words we confess

as literally true. We have found the true faith.

We have received the heavenly kingdom. Now, it

may seem presumptuous to put ourselves anywhere

near the place of the holy apostles who first

heard that call, follow me, I will make you fishers

of men. It's a little presumptuous. We are not

the apostles. The point is not that we are somehow

to repeat their unique roles. But we must learn

from them, as we learn from all the saints. the

reset, the beginning of the renewal of our refresher

course, we have all these saints before us. All

saints remind us that holiness is not a calling

for a select few, but the vocation of all. St.

Paul says, glory, honor, and peace to everyone

who works what is good. To the Jew first. And

also to the Gentiles. For there is no partiality

with God. Might I suggest three things then that

we do. Practical things that you and I can do.

The first is, I've asked you this some years

ago. I hope that some of you actually did it.

We have 22 glorified saints in this land. I ask

you, each week, read the life of one of those

saints. You can find them on the OC website.

You all have internet. If you don't, call me.

I'll give you the life. You and I will read it

together. That's 22. Easy. Next year at this

time, I hope to be able to pick out of the crowd

this blessed congregation of brothers and sisters,

just one of you, and say, Brian, tell me about

St. Sebastian of Jackson. You speak today on

all saints. And you will be able to do it. Because

the life of that saint will become something

you want to emulate. Not exactly. We can't copy

them. But we let them inspire us. And we want

to become like them. That's the first thing.

Read the lives of the saints, especially the

ones of our land. In California, we have so many

that were just here. It's an amazing thing. Secondly,

having learned the life of a saint, then develop

a relationship. Get one of the Akathists or the

Canons and pray for your neighbors. Pray for

those who are hurting. Pray for those that you

would like to yell at on the other side of the

country. Don't be like the old man shaking his

fist and yelling at the clouds. Come to God in

prayer. Let the saint stand with you, and you

will be changed. And thirdly, let me suggest

that each one of us take the opportunity to humbly,

humbly, let me stress that, prayerfully, kindly

introduce and bring someone to church. Just one

person a year. Let's say there's a hundred people

here that could do that. If each of us, 100,

invite one person a year, and youth, you're invited

to do this too. Imagine, next year, there'll

be 200. After that, there'll be 400. After that,

There'll be 800. After that, you can do the math.

It's going to take a year, believe me, for you

to get one person to come to get, to invite.

Believe me, I ask people all the time, every

week, please visit our church. It's wonderful,

wonderful choir, beautiful atmosphere. The congregation

is so loving and welcoming. It takes a lot of

asking for one person to come. This is not about

numbers, brothers and sisters. It's about sharing.

It's about courage. It's about witnessing and

living the faith. Inviting others is a sign of

your love for that person. To witness for your

love of God. To invite them to the mystery of

repentance and healing in the hospital. To invite

them to answer the Lord's call. Come, follow

me. And do what? The apostles didn't stop to

say, but what do you want us to do? And we'll

think about it. It seems that life itself, our

life in this world, is designed by God to take

the measure, if I could put it that way, of each

soul's desire for truth, for beauty, perhaps

for love of God. And the soul becomes dissatisfied

with itself. And it's ego, it's loneliness, it's

sin, and yearns for something better. And when

Christ calls us, he doesn't say where to. He

calls us to himself. He is the pearl. He is the

treasure. Wherever he goes, we want to be with

him. Glory to Jesus Christ.