Episode 56: Be rooted

In the name of the glorious Trinity, Father and Son and Holy

Spirit forever. Amen.

Glory be to the everlasting mercies which sent you to us, O

Christ, the Light of the world and the life of all.

Give us wisdom by your law and enlighten our impulses by your

knowledge. Sanctify our souls by your truth

and grant that we may be obedient to your words and may

fulfill your commandments at every hour, O you.

Who enlightens the rational with the knowledge of your greatness?

Do enlight, O my Lord, our thoughts that we may meditate

upon your holy and divine scriptures at all times, O Lord

of all. Father and Son and Holy Spirit

forever. Amen.

Shlama everyone receive the peace of our Lord.

I am so pleased and excited to to present this episode which is

coming to you from Sacramento. We are in Sacramento preparing

for the. 35th Annual Youth Conference of the United States

and Canada, Northern America. I think they this episode is is

a special one, a different one. You're not going to you're not

going to only hear my voice, my monotonous voice.

But I have a amazing guest with me, my beloved brother, who I

have a lot of respect for, who is a member of the NEC National

Executive Committee. And he's a Deacon at the Mariosa

Parish in Gilbert, AZ. He is Shamasha Odeacon.

Andrew Aziz. Welcome, Shamasha.

Robbie, thank you for for the kind welcome.

It is an honor and a privilege to be to be with you to join you

all today again like you mentioned the 35th annual

conference and then also to be a part of this live podcast that

we are doing. So thank you.

Let's talk a little bit about this year's conference, very

brief and then we'll get into our topic.

Our topic is going to be about the last year's conference and

the and the the theme was being rooted.

Beyond be rooted, John, Chapter 5 versus 5 to 6 this year is not

John 5 · chapter mention

of the world. Not of this world.

Not of this world. This program is being recorded

on Thursday and we see many of the youth now are arriving at

the hotel. We are at the hotel in

Sacramento. We won't give you the address.

Oh, but then it will be over by no, no, Monday.

The conference will be still going on Monday.

We don't want them showing up. Yeah, last minute.

But again, we're excited being members of the NEC and kudos,

you know, all glory to God, but a very, very heartfelt

gratitude. And thank you to the Diocese of

California Youth under the Presidency, President.

Joey Hermes, your support most and his team have done an

amazing job at organizing it and now they're executing all the

organization. So, and I'm sure we have a lot

of confidence in all our youth all over the, you know, United

States and Canada. They do an amazing job and we're

excited and we're going to have an amazing few days growing in

the holy scriptures, growing in the teachings of the Church, the

doctrine of the Church and teachings of the holy Fathers,

the Saints of the Church. And most importantly, as I said,

the scriptures and literature as well.

We have many presenters who will speak about the the theme itself

and hopefully we may do another episode and get feedback on

that. But let's get straight into it.

Shamasha, you were one of the presenters last year, is that

correct? Yeah, Yeah.

What was you? What were you?

What aspect of the theme were you covering in your speech?

So last year I spoke about the Christ centered relationships.

With regards to being rooted, so we know that be rooted.

We talk about being rooted with Christ as Christ is divine and

we are the branches. And I took the segment or the

the portion of our relationships and how we how we center them or

how we how how we're attached to Christ through our

relationships, how Christ should play in it a vital role in our

lives. How we approach our

relationships, whether they're our our home relationships,

family, friends, work relationships.

All all of our relationships and how those are implemented.

How Christ. How we implement Christ in those

relationships. And what was some of the the

scriptural verses that you? So, so we begin with the with

the conference theme or the conference verse which is John

John 15 · chapter mention

Chapter 15, verse five and six. And it says I am the vine, you

are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him

bears much fruit for without me you can do nothing.

If anyone does not abide in me he is cast out as a branch and

is withered and they gather them and throw them into the fire and

they are burned. And so this was the this was the

the main this was the main theme that that we we that we

discussed during the conference and.

The main thing that we took is that life flows from the vine to

the branches. And then and we we have that

image where Christ goes out and he sees the fig tree and it's

withered and it has given no fruit and right away he he

condemns it. He says that this, this will,

this tree will bear no more fruit and so every aspect of our

life bears fruit and and we wanted to discuss what does

bearing fruit look like in a spiritual relationship with

somebody. Somebody that's in a in a

relationship, they're engaged to be married.

What is that supposed to look like?

And so we talked about the fruit of the Spirit.

When we're when we're connected with Christ, what are we, what

are we looking to to look like What kind of what kind of image

are we trying to give off of. And and the first thing that I

really like to go and look at is is Galatians chapter 5, verse 22

Galatians 5:22

and 23. And I'll read that if if, if

that's okay for you, Bobby. It says but the fruit of the

Spirit is love, joy. Peace, long-suffering, kindness,

goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

Against such there is no law. And Jesus possessed each and

every one of those perfectly. I mean.

Perfectly so. In order for us to produce them,

we need to be rooted into the line which is Jesus Christ.

And then I think the next thing is, well, how do we become

rooted? How are we abiding in Christ?

Yes. And you know, I mean when you

ask that question, if we if we put that question out there and

say you know think about it guys and do that do that, here you

go, stop vacuuming, stop washing dishes, pull over to one side

think about it. How are we rooted in Christ off

the bat scriptures I mean to that you know scriptures of the.

The ultimate authority of the Church, the canons, are built

upon the Holy Scriptures, which have been canonized by the

Church. By the way, I like these offside

notes. The Church came before the

scriptures, right? So the Church canonized the Holy

Scriptures, of course, but I mean scriptures and in

scriptures then we'll go to praying, fasting, charity.

You know, scheduling. But there's one very, very

important verse where Jesus expands on the analogy of the

vine and the branches, and that's in John chapter 6, verses

John 6:35

35. I believe it is Jesus.

Now I always have to when we when you read Jesus said period,

not negotiable, not even. You know you can't have debates

on this, especially when Jesus says truly, truly.

I say to you, it's not only the two words Jesus loved using a

lot. It means not negotiable.

This is not for you to choose whether you like or not.

This is a commandment. And when you read in the holy

Scriptures, Jesus said you stop and you say I need to listen to

this. Extra carefully.

Extra carefully, you know intent.

Listen intently. And I need to begin to obey and

put this in my life. So when Jesus says that means

it's not for you know, this is not Peter saying, this is not

John saying. This is not one of the Church

Fathers or the the Saints or one of the prelates or a priest.

This is Jesus, Lord God Incarnate.

Praise me to his name. Now listen to what he says.

I am the living, living God. This is the this is the Aramaic

version. This is the shit, the version

translated into English. And I like this version.

I see there was a debate now the Jews were arguing with one

another, this verse 52 John chapter 6, and saying, how can

John 6 · chapter mention

this man give us his body to eat?

And Jesus said to them, truly, I say to you or any in the shooter

version, Amen, that means yes. You know when, when I, when when

I say something to you and you say it, I'll be you mean to say

that and I'll say yes, yes I am. That's what I want you to, you

know, acknowledge and pick up. Jesus saying yes, yes, I am

telling you like how it's translated timeless truth.

I speak to you. Unless you eat the body of the

Son of men and drink his blood, you have no life in yourself.

But whoever eats of my body and drinks of my blood, here it is

has eternal life and I shall raise him up at the last day.

Whoever eats verse 56, Whoever eats my body and drinks my

blood, abides or remains abides. So we're talking about being

rooted, right? This is the the church

understands and the fathers that this is the pinnacle of abiding

in Jesus Christ is that you eat the body of Jesus and where do

we see the body when Jesus picked, picked up the bread and

said, this is my body. So unless those who eat of it

and drink on my blood abide in me and I abide in them.

See, there's that. There's that.

I always say so much. I think we've spoken about this

that. Intimate, spiritual, spiritual,

not physical. Intimate spiritual relationship

between Jesus the Heavenly Bridegroom and the Church being

his bride. That intimate relationship,

which is the whole Eucharist, which is the most important.

That's why we say come to church.

You need to come and have this relationship with your Heavenly

Bridegroom and you need to be abiding in Jesus Christ.

Yes. Praying, arms giving and vast

scripture. Yeah, exactly and but.

But it all, it all, it's like, it all points to one thing.

It brings you to that Sunday, that moment when you approach

the holy mysteries and partake in the body and blood of Christ.

We celebrate. We we rejoice.

We we enjoy. We have a relationship with

these guys. It's an offering.

It's a Thanksgiving. And if we're void of that, if we

lack that in our spiritual lives, if we lack the Eucharist

in our spiritual lives, then. And and this was what one of the

things that I spoke on last year was.

If we lack that spiritual relationship with Christ, we

cannot expect to have Christ centered relationships in in in

the world. And I think it's beautiful that

this year we talk about not of this world because it kind of it

it it culminates last year's theme as well.

Both of them really have a lot to do with each other.

It's the same chapter of of John chapter 15, but like you

John 15 · chapter mention

mentioned with with the Eucharist, everything that we

talk about scripture, prayer, fasting, it all culminates in

the Eucharist. And if if we've, if we're lack,

if if we lack that in our in our spiritual lives, we really

cannot implement. Spirituality.

We cannot implement Christ in all other aspects of our life.

If we don't have Christ, if we're not taking His body and

drinking His blood, how do we expect to have be images of

Christ, representatives of Christ, and all other aspects of

our? Life.

It becomes tangible. I'm not sure we actually hold

Jesus in our and one of the fathers.

I think it's my sore issue. Don't quote me.

You know the manner in which we are to receive the Eucris.

You know, sometimes we see these people come up and hi, Lovie,

how are you? With a big smile on their faces

and two of the top buttons of their shirts undone.

And they grab the Eucris and they throw it in their mouth.

And I and I say this literally. I've seen this.

And that's why one of the father says when you approach it, you

approach in fear and trembling because right at that moment the

angels are. Interfere and trembling, and you

are to prostrate and consume the body from the palm of your hand.

And kiss. And kiss.

Kiss, Kiss the body. Yes, and kiss the body and you

are to prostrate. And why?

Because it is as though the sheep, the shepherd whom the

priest is an icon of Jesus Christ.

That's another topic, is taking the sheep out to a pasture to

graze. And you know, sheep, and I

always say sheep don't pick up grass and put in their mouth

there constantly with their heads bowed.

They're grazing. It's that that honor, that

reverence that we prostrate and consume the body.

And when we do, we obviously approach the the, the Eucharist

of the the cup as well. It becomes tangible.

That's why it's a sacrament. I'd like to, you know, define

it. It's an outward expression of an

inward divine work. You know, how did that?

Body become. How did that bread become body?

Well, that's the sacrament, that's.

The mystery. It's a mystery and we're

touching that, you know, so you know, not writing off or

belittling the scriptures and these are all from the

scriptures. But you know, and I always say,

what's the use, What is the purpose of me reading these

scriptures and then coming to this verse?

This is what this is my session. You know, you can read the

entire Bible cover to cover. Some take pride.

I've read it three times cover to cover.

And I always say, well, the Partick and the Eucharist.

Oh, I don't think so. Well, I'm sorry you haven't

gained much. You've read a lot, but you

haven't understood. You know, that was it it all.

Because again, the pinnacle of our faith is that time when we

come to truly abide in Jesus Christ.

And through the the mysteries of the.

The whole Eucharist. And there's one thing I wanted

to mention to Robbie I've heard. I've heard you mention this a

few times as. And there's so you listen to and

of course. Of course I, I, I try to at

least there's there's people that will say it's a symbol it's

it's symbolic and and but it's not symbolic like you said

earlier he said take eat, this is my body take this cup, drink

this is my blood that was shed for for the new covenant but.

Can I share the verse? Yes, go ahead.

For my body is indeed food. You know, some will say eating

entails believing. No, believing is believing.

Eating is eating. When Jesus says he who does not

believe and he's He does not believe and he's baptized, you

know when he says just believe. So if he wanted to indicate

faith, he would have said the same thing.

He does not believe in my body. He actually says food.

Drink. And he picked up bread.

And he showed to his disciples and said, you know, let me

paraphrase it hustly. You know, all this time I've

been talking to you about the bread.

Here it is. This is now my body.

And someone said to me, and I want to share, I was talking

about this. And I said, the Holy Spirit

descends on the hosts. The Holy Host.

And mysteriously spiritually they change.

Now the Church of the East does not teach transubstantiation,

but we teach it mysteriously and spiritually Eat 80s indeed, the

presence of Jesus Christ, he said to me.

So you have the Holy Spirit. And you're saying that you have

the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit comes down on the bread.

I said, are you limiting the power and the, you know, the

omnipresence of the Holy Spirit? He understood.

He goes, oh, no, no, I I would draw that, you know.

So no, it's not a miss. It's not a symbol.

And you know, something that irritates me, Shamasha, is when

we symbolize everything. Now, I'm not saying there are

many symbols, many metaphors, but the sacraments are not just

a symbol. They are indeed real.

We are truly being put to death in Christ, in baptism.

You know, spiritually, mysteriously, it's not just a

symbol. So that's why sometimes, you

know, these things are sort of devalued, if I may say, because

we think the symbols nothing. Amen.

Robbie, let me share a few more verses that that I put together

for for especially my, my, my topic last year and then and for

this for this podcast. So it's it's some one, it really

comes to mind because the 1st 3 verses really talk about

somebody that's that's blessed and that's utilizing the

spiritual relationship and and I'll read these three verses for

you, it says. Blessed is the man who walks not

in the council of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of

sinners, nor sits in the seat of the troublesome.

But his will is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he

meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted

by streams of waters, that produces its fruit and in its

season, and his leaf shall not wither, and whatever he does

shall prosper. And this is somebody who's who's

blessed because he's doing. The the right things and not

doing the the bad things. So not walking in the council of

the ungodly, not standing in the way, the sinners, not mingling

with sinners. And then Scripture talks about

it. St.

Paul talks about it, but that that last that last verse there

in verse three, like a tree planted by streams of waters and

and that's that's that's the vine and the branches.

If we were to rearrange this, If I was permitted to rearrange

this idea, I would put that verse first planted.

By the stream of waters which is the grace, okay, and who is the

grace of God, is Jesus Christ planted into Jesus, and then it

gives the fruits, the fruits of the Spirit that you spoke about

only through Jesus Christ. And we need to be planted

rooted, meaning have a firm stand in the faith.

In the trust, in the perseverance, in the obedience

of our Lord Jesus Christ, above all His love, obviously, you

know, So there it is. That's an amazing verse.

It's talking about being planted or being rooted into the grace

which is Jesus Christ itself. And then another one is

Colossians chapter 2, verse six and seven.

Colossians 2 · chapter mention

And here he says, this is Paul saying this.

He says as you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord,

so walk in him rooted and built up in him.

And established in the faith as you have been taught abounding

in it with Thanksgiving. So receiving Jesus the Jesus

Christ the Lord walking in him and being rooted and built up

and like you said being just just having that faith and and

when when he says walking Robbie I believe he he means just

living your life daily life when when you're walking people say

you know you're you're walking in this world every aspect of

our lives should be rooted in Christ and and having that faith

living you know daily. Day-to-day.

Let me praise God for the diversion.

Let me praise. God, praise God I mean.

Therefore, look at the transition here.

Therefore gestures you have received Jesus the Christ, so

received him in faith in. Baptism in Eucharist.

In the Eucharist it says strengthening your roots not.

Rooted you've already received. You're rooted in Jesus.

Strengthening. Strengthen it.

See that like translations? I'm going to go there.

I'm going to tangent. But it's beautiful.

Yeah. And then I have.

Ephesians chapter three of the 17 says the Messiah, that is

Christ may dwell by faith in your heart, by love when you

root, and your when your root and your foundation shall be

confirmed. See, he's talking about.

You've already been rooted. Confirm it and strengthen.

It strengthen our roots. And we spoke about how we can,

you know, confirm and strengthen being rooted in Jesus Christ,

praising glory to his name. And and I think the message is,

yes, there are all the ways we spoke about all the means that

we can be, you know, have a relationship.

Having a relationship is different to being rooted in

Jesus Christ. It's it's that ultimate.

Ultimate, you know, binding in Jesus Christ that we have and

and we see it that when we partake the holy Eucharist, the

holy mysteries, you know, I always give this analogy and I

think we can close off with this if a husband and wife are

married and they lack their intimacy, if the husband you

know, expresses his concern. Or the wife.

The Church will ask questions. Why?

Because one of your responsibilities, a Saint Paul

rights and one is to fulfill each other's desire.

That's why you're married. So if a husband and wife are

lacking in that intimacy, a binding in one another, well

then what about our relationship as Church?

The bride of Christ with our homely bridegroom on a

spiritual, and I always have to emphasize on a spiritual,

faith-based level. How can you say that you have a

great relationship with Christ if you're not?

Spiritually intimate. By a binding in him through his

whole body and blood. Through the Eucharist.

Yeah. And I I think it's it's very

important that the youth was going back to the the

conference. I think, yeah.

I think the with with the youth and their their activity, their

strengthening their roots as well.

It's so important in today's day and age that the youth.

Not only partake and participate in in the youth conferences but

when they're at their own at their own parishes and the

importance of utilizing and strengthening their roots at

their at their parish level. It's it's so important that the

youth partake in and I'm talking about the youth because we're at

the youth conference. But I I stress this to my own

youth group and and how important it is for them to

partake in the Eucharist, to be active in scripture, to be

active whenever we host prayer nights or worship nights to come

and to pray and to strengthen that faith and if they ever have

any questions. Any anything that comes up that

that they can utilize and and they can always refer to to

scripture to strengthen those roots because that that that's

the foundation that they're building the rest of their lives

on their eternal life and and their their life in this world

and and then I I pray that this year's conference helps them

utilize and discern between not of this world and and.

And what world they actually do belong to so?

One of the concluding prayers for the ferial Eucharistic

service at Haza is Jesus Christ, whom we honored, celebrated, and

worshipped through His Holy mysteries honoring Christ,

celebrating Him, and worshipping Him.

That is a part of being that that relationship rooted in

Jesus Christ. I mean and it was a successful

conference too. The feedback we received the

surveys and last year I think we have his Grace Marabres from

Arabelle and we had some other fellow parish priests who.

Fashion if I D. Ms. Yeah, And this year is

again, not of this world. We want to stress that.

This world is going to damn nation.

The Lord is going to return. You know the Lord is returning.

Last Sunday's gospel was, unless European again again is not

saying Paul whom we call sexist and biased.

And you know I've heard Paul being named homosexual and you

know hastily this is Jesus Christ whom those live contrary

to his commandments, but they're still proclaimed that they love

Jesus Christ. This Jesus Christ, praise me to

His name. Our God, our Lord, our Savior

warns us unless we repent of the patterns of this world, we will

not enter the Kingdom of heaven. We will perish.

So I hope that the message is, and I'm sure that it will be

given effectively. And I just hope that those who

listen to it will take heed and live a life of obedience and

repentance so much. Thank you so much.

I know you're presenting this. I have a break this year.

The host thing. You've been?

You've been, you've been so, so active, so for so long and so

people just, you know, we've always been looking up to you.

So this is an opportunity for for you to sort of just just

watch and criticize. Observe.

Observe, yes. Eagle eye, you know, glory be to

Christ, because we are unworthy servants.

And I do want to mention my brother.

As he's a Ravi Kasha, Guargue is with Rashu.

Are we going to have an episode with him that's for the

following Monday or what are you doing with this Steve and our

producers here? He's just shaking his head.

We'll figure it out. But that's Okay.

I will be with the Ravi Kasha as well.

And I think we're going to do a live broadcast.

I don't know. I'll leave it up to the

producers. There's just they command me.

They say jump. I say how high?

Only for the glory of God, right?

Not because of them. Thank you, Sharma.

Sure. God bless you.

And we pray that you you enjoyed this episode spiritually and

that not only, you know, being aware of what we discussed last

year, but you go away and think about it and ponder on these

words every one of us, myself including, so that we are

prepared for that amazing that we're not all returns.

And I want to hear those words. Well done, good and faithful.

So I mean raise me to God. I mean.

We hope you enjoyed this week's message.

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edged sword until next time. God bless you all.