Widow of Nain 2016 Fr Michael Margitich

Without the oxygen, it would have been a three

-minute sermon. And with it, it's not as long

as fathers. As fathers, but a sermon. There's

a page missing. How nice. Well, I have to go

without it. Glory be to Jesus Christ. Glory be

to Christ. The four gospel writers tell us that

Jesus performed unusual healings and miracles.

And for the three of those miracles, was so unusual

that the gospel writers point them out. The first

illustration of the power of Jesus facing death

is found in the 8th chapter of Luke, where He

confronts a young lady who died. We are told

that there were many mourners and grievers surrounding

the death of this young 12 -year -old. daughter

of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. And he

said to them, do not be disbelieving. She will

be well. And he came and touched the wicker basket

in which she was held. Because there were no

coffins at that time. And when he touched her,

her breath came back. She was dead. Her breath

came back. And the second illustration of this

extraordinary power of Jesus. was listed in St.

John's Gospel, the 11th chapter, in a very intimate,

personal way, in which he resurrects his dear

friend, Lazarus, who after four days was in the

grave. And the third illustration, Describes.

How Jesus responded. To death. In today's gospel

lesson. The seventh chapter. Again. In a. In

a magnificent way. He touched. He touched her.

And her breath came back. Now these illustrations

of Christ's power are meant to point out how

important it is for us to understand the themes

The essential underlying theme of both the epistles

and the gospels. And when he gave strength and

breath to the child, the people said, God has

visited us. And they were all amazed. And in

the Slavonic text it says, He came to his own

people. Jesus visited his people. Jesus today

visits us in various ways. He visits us through

the gospel readings, through the epistle readings,

through the proclamation of the word of God.

to the sacraments. He visits us only in a way

that you and I in the deepest level of our understanding

can respond. I recall going on a religious and

cultural pilgrimage back in the early 90s. And

in that group was a so -called intellectual who

said to me after most of the visit to these sites

were done, He said, I believe that your response,

and I have seen what your response and the response

of others in this group, how they venerated icons,

holy places. I believe that And he says, I'm

not wrong. I believe that you're all pursuing

illusions. I said, well, I don't think I'm wrong.

And I believe that what we have done was to acknowledge

the presence of Christ. And even if I lost 70

years in doing that, at least I have not lost

and forfeited eternity. There are ways in which

both the Gospel lessons and the Epistle lessons

underline this essential theme. That Christ is

not only the Lord of the living, But he is the

Lord of death. The vanquisher of death. And it

is for this reason we could cry out with joy.

And we still do so at every liturgy. I believe

in the resurrection of Christ. That indeed He

is with us. And as He said in more than one occasion

that I'll be with you until the end of time.

The message Of these readings. Should not be

lost. Because the message of Pascha. Is still

with us. None of the. Underlying. Thrust. Of

the Easter message is lost. Because of time.

Eternal life. Jesus said, begins here and now.

And as St. Paul in today's epistle mentions,

now is the day, now is the time of salvation.

So the death to be feared, my dear people, in

these three illustrations, revealing the power

of Christ in the presence of death. Death to

be feared is not the physical death, but what's

more tragic, the spiritual death. Spiritual death

is the state in which a person who is physically

alive, but spiritually dead. Dead to Christ,

dead to the church, dead to the needs of others.

And this is the ultimate tragedy where so many

people miss. The ultimate tragedy is that this

is the loss and forfeiture of eternal life. So

again, I want to re -emphasize that the message

of today's Gospel and Epistle reading Is that

God is with us. As we hear so many times during

the course of the year. God is with us, not was,

but is with us. And these days, there's a tendency

on part of our human nature. To be impressed

with the spectacular and sensational. But the

scriptures teach differently. God comes not with

might. Not with coercion. But in humility. And

in compassion. He has come to bridge. Heaven.

And earth. He said to these disciples. As he

said. To us this morning in the scriptures. I

will be with you. Until the end of time. So again

I want to. Reemphasize. The main. Theme. Of these

passages of the scripture. That God in Christ

reveals not only that Jesus is the Lord of life,

but the Lord of death. Who trampled down death

by death. And in doing so, brought us eternal

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

the Holy Spirit.