Annunciation 2023

All that joy that they communicate to us, all

those words that the church says, this is so

important, just pour us forth praise. It's a

feast day. Our secular feast days in this country,

July 4th, Thanksgiving, we should keep them,

obviously. But they eclipse. Practically speaking,

for our Orthodox people, a feast like this. Of

course, Christmas eclipses it too. But the beginning,

the crowning moment, the crown of our salvation,

as the hymn says, is this feast day. This is

the one that we should pour all our energy and

our heart into. July 4th is great. Thanksgiving

is amazing. Christmas... It's beyond. But this

feast, brothers and sisters, this is the day.

Even if the church is not packed and people don't

understand and feel the necessity to offer their

own hearts and words and praise and time to God

for this feast day from our own congregation,

we can share with each other. When I was first

a priest, I remember being so disheartened you

know a feast like this would happen and uh the

church wasn't packed because in my mind you know

uh even matt was on tuesday morning and heard

let the church be packed of course simply not

realistic people go to work and children are

being fed and get ready for school and all that

but you know that's a young priest not understanding

but i still felt downcast but then i realized

Why? Why not imbibe me? Because it's such a great

feast. We present ourselves to the Theotokos

and we say, O Holy Lady, send your help. If you

are one that is might invincible, as we sing

in that beautiful hymn, to be the champion leader,

then she will help us. Most people believe in

God, even the so -called nuns. People with no

church affiliation, they check that box. It says

church affiliation, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish.

At some point, even Orthodox made it onto the

list for the military, as they were called. And

the last box is none. More and more, as you know

from all the surveys and the polls, more and

more check none. But it turns out that even the

nuns believe in God. But this feast is not about

believing in God as such. It's believing that

God becomes man. So that man can become a son

of God and full of grace. A bearer of Christ.

A crystal for us. Today we celebrate the Theotokos.

The one who bore God in her flesh himself. And

if that's true, then there's So many things that

we have to affirm. First, that God in his providence

has guided the history of salvation and the world

from the beginning. Adam and Eve, messing up,

didn't call forth a plan. God has been guiding

his world. God so loved the world. that he gave

his only begotten son. So brothers and sisters,

don't despair by the chaos, the demonic activity,

the ignorance in the world. Don't despair. God

is guiding us. And God is guiding us in a particular

way that we just don't like and appreciate. He

asks us. As the angel communicated to the virgin

of Nazareth. And she said, let it be according

to thy word. God is not coming with the power

of tanks and airplanes and bombs. And political

power. Which is what we want. Let's solve the

problem. Because we're Americans. Let's deal

with it. In the most practical way. God's way

is gentle. It's speaking to the heart of each

and every person. It does no good to impose the

truth on someone because they will just reject

it. But when God speaks to the heart, then that

heart, if it seeks God, if it's not captivated

by the fear of death, and you've heard the epistle

to the Romans. that Christ came to destroy him

that had the power of death, that is, the devil,

who held captive all those because of the fear

of death. When we embrace the freedom from God,

then we see he is acting in this world, acting

in our life, and the question is, will we say

yes? You've heard this story of the Annunciation

so many times, and no doubt you've read it countless

times. It's familiar to you. But it's the familiar

thing we should pay most attention to. Especially

in this regard that I mentioned in the background.

How does it end? The Holy Lady says, let it be

according to thy word. The angel departs. What

we would want is, let's sit down and plot this

out. But she has total freedom and love for God.

And the let it be is for everything, not just

one thing. And it isn't that, brothers and sisters,

what we're doing in Lent. Trying to say yes to

God for everything. One great saint who really

paid attention to the details, to the familiar,

is Saint Philaret of Moscow, giving a sermon

in the 19th century. I read this short paragraph

to you last year. I plan to read it every year.

Here's the way St. Pilarite said to his congregation.

It takes us back to Genesis. During the days

of the creation of the world, when God uttered

his living and mighty words, let it be, let there

be light. The Creator's words brought creatures

into existence. But on the day, unique in the

existence of the world, when Holy Mary uttered

her humble and obedient letter B, I will hardly

dare to express what took place then. The word

of the creature caused the Creator to descend

into the world. God uttered this word here also.

Say, you will conceive in your womb and bear

a son. He will be great. He will reign over the

house of Jacob forever. Jacob is Israel. The

Israel of the church. But again, that which is

divine and incomprehensible occurs. The word

of God itself defers its action, allowing itself

to be delayed by the word of Mary. How can this

be? Her humble let it be was necessary for the

realization of God's mighty let it be. What secret

power is thus contained in these simple words?

Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it

be to me according to your will. That it produces

an effect so extraordinary. This marvelous power

is nearly secure and perfect. self -dedication

to God, a dedication of her will, of her thought,

of her soul, of her entire being, of all her

faculties, of all her actions, of all her hopes

and expectations. She is pure, we say the most

pure. One writer says that means not just pure

in the sense of her body and her mind. But in

her simplicity, her directness, her discernment,

her approach to God, her capacity to commit herself,

her will to God without distraction, without

hesitation, without reservation, to simply be

open to God. It's that simplicity that we're

looking for, that we're working on during Lent.

Shouldn't we? How? Not self -improvement. It's

not about that. Coming closer to Christ. His

pure mother. And letting that grace. Change us.

It's not that we have to try harder. It's that

we have to be more simple. And free. Free of

all the constraints. So that we can say. Also.

Let it be according to thy will. And rejoice.

On this day. And forever. Such a glorious glorious

feast. To him be glory now and ever. Amen.