United in love...

Homily on the 22nd Sunday after Pentecost

Galatians 6:11–18; Luke 8:26–39.

One of the greatest gifts we have in life is the gift of love. Love is what binds couples, families, and friends together. It is the gift that enriches and beautifies our lives. Without love, our existence would be void of the blessings that bring joy to the heart.

Our faith calls us to love — to be open both to giving and to receiving that love from God and from others. Yet love also has a difficult side. It is not easy to watch someone we love — even a beloved animal — suffer, and to feel helpless to ease their pain.

But we must never forget that we have an Advocate in the Most Holy Virgin Mary, the All-Holy Theotokos. She who stood at the foot of the Cross, her heart breaking as she watched the Child she once held in her blessed arms suffer, yet unable to intervene. This is an experience many of us understand — that dark abyss where faith could easily falter. Yet in these very moments we are called to pray with all our hearts to the Theotokos and to the saints, that they may intercede for our loved ones before the Most High.

Sadly, during the Reformation there arose a wave of spiritual hubris which presumed to know better than the Holy Tradition of the Orthodox Church. Instead of returning to Holy Orthodoxy, they turned to their own interpretations of the faith and of the Holy Scriptures. Yet the Scriptures came from the Church — not the Church from the Scriptures. To insist that one can interpret the Word of God by oneself is to risk spiritual blindness. Many have fallen into error through such pride.

One of the greatest losses brought about by the Reformation was the rejection of the intercession of the saints. If the prayers of the saints are ineffectual, then what is the purpose of the Body of Christ — the heavenly and earthly Jerusalem? If the saints cannot intercede for the faithful, then what is the point of their sanctity?

The saints are special because, through their spiritual struggles, they have attained the highest union — communion — with God. If we break down the word communion, we find the Latin prefix com- meaning “together,” the Latin root muni- from munus, meaning “gift,” and the suffix -ion, meaning “the act of.” Thus, communion literally means “the act of sharing together,” or more profoundly, “the act of partaking in the divine gift.” In this sense, communion is the sharing in the grace and life of God.

These saints, joined to the All-Holy Trinity in a special communion called Theosis in the Eastern tradition, become beloved of God — His Bride adorned with divine love. Using the nuptial language of Holy Scripture, they are like the beloved bride whom the Bridegroom delights to crown with glory.

Saint Isaiah prophesies:

“You shall no longer be called Forsaken,and your land shall no longer be called Desolate;but you shall be called My Will,and your land the Inhabited Earth.As a young man lives in wedlock with a virgin,so shall your sons dwell with you;and as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,so shall the Lord rejoice over you.” (Isaiah 62:4–5, OSB)

The first part of this prophecy refers to Christ, for He was forsaken by His people. Yet what was once a desert — the Cross and the tomb — became the fertile ground upon which Christ’s Kingdom was founded. His will to gather the nations to Himself was fulfilled after the day of Holy Pentecost. Once the Holy Apostles began their evangelical mission to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth, Christ the Bridegroom was united to His Bride — the Holy Church.

Saint John the Evangelist expresses it thus:

“He who has the bride is the bridegroom;but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him,rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice.Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.” (John 3:29)

Here Saint John the Baptist is the friend of the Bridegroom, rejoicing as he witnesses Christ joined to His people. In this moment, he sees the fulfilment of all the prophecies of the Old Testament — the restoration of communion between God and His people through Christ Jesus. This union is not only for ancient Israel, but also for the Gentiles, for all who come to faith in Him.

Saint Gregory of Nyssa describes this mystery beautifully in his Homilies on the Song of Songs:

“The mystery of marriage is a great one, for the union of the Bridegroom with the Bride is the union of God with human nature. Through the descent of the Word, the soul becomes one with God in love.The Bridegroom draws the Bride by the fragrance of His ointments — these are the virtues by which the soul ascends to divine beauty.”

Thus, Christ is the Bridegroom, and the Communion of Saints is His Bride — the Body of Christ, the Holy Church.

To deny the intercession of the saints is therefore heretical, for it denies the unity of the Body of Christ and deprives the faithful of their heavenly advocates. Never cease to pray to the All-Holy Theotokos and to the saints, asking for their intercessions, for the All-Holy Trinity listens to their petitions on our behalf.

Therefore, this week, do not forget that as a Christian it is your sacred calling to pray for the world — asking that the Holy Saints intercede for all people, that they may come to know that we have a God who loves mankind.