I AM the Light of the World: St. John 8:12-20

St. John 8:12-20: "12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."'13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, 'You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.' 14 Jesus answered and said to them, 'Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. 17 It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.' 19 Then they said to Him, 'Where is Your Father?' Jesus answered, 'You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.' 20 These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come."

This pericope follows after the narrative of the woman who had committed adultery and the Pharisees, desiring to stone her, asked our Lord Jesus what He would do with her, since she had been caught in the act of adultery and there was no way for anyone to deny that she was guilty. To this our Lord replied, "He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone." And one by one, convicted in their conscience, they left from the oldest to the youngest. No one condemning her, our Lord declares her forgiven, saying, "Go, and sin no more."

From the Evangelist St. John, it would seem that today's narrative followed immediately after this event, therefore, our Lord Jesus, having declared the absolution, declares that He is the Light of the world. Notice that our Lord does not say, "the Light of the Angels," or, "the Light of the Heavens." But he says, "I AM the Light of the World," that is, mankind. He is our Light. The Light that dispels the darkness of sin and death. In this simple statement of our Lord, He proclaims Himself to be both the Son of God and the Son of Man. For all can plainly see that He is a man. There may have even been those present who doubted that He could indeed forgive the sins of the woman, for only God can forgive sins. But He declares His divinity by saying, "I AM." The Christological heresies which deny our Lord's divinity cannot stand up to this statement, for He does not say, "In Me is the Light of the World", as if He was granted some special divine powers from God, but was really only a man. No, He says, "I AM the Light of the World."

With the words, "I AM," He declares his divinity, and proclaims that He is the same God that appeared to Moses in the bush that was on fire, but didn't burn. In this declaration, He also proclaims that He is the one who has power of sin and death, and all the powers of darkness. And He promises us something very wonderful. Those who follow Him, shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life, that is, eternal life. Meaning, now, in this life, we follow Him by faith, hearing His promises, and rejoicing in His gifts, but in eternity, we will see for all eternity the truth of those words which we now see only by faith.

May God strengthen your faith to live in the light of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that in this light, you may enjoy throughout your earthly life, the forgiveness of your sins, and in that forgiveness may you enjoy all the gifts it brings.

God be with you,

Deacon Dulas

No Sign Will Be Given It Except the Sign of Jonah the Prophet: St. Luke 11:29-36

St. Luke 11:29-36: "1 And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, 'This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 30 For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. 31 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. 33 No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. 34 The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35 Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.'"

Again, our Lord Jesus, points us to His death and burial, and resurrection. For the sign of Jonah, who was in the belly of the whale for three days, and was spit up on the shore alive, is also the same sign that our Lord Jesus gives to us as proof of His Godhood. For only God can rise from the dead, or raise someone from the dead. Our Lord's death, proves to us that the penalty for our sin and betrayal of our Lord God has been paid for in full. His resurrection proves that our Heavenly Father accepted the sacrifice of His One and Only Son, so that we too, now may have eternal life with Him.

Those who refuse to believe in our Lord's sacrifice for sin, and in His resurrection, will not be received gladly by our Heavenly Father, for they have rejected the Lord God, and His gift of grace. Our Lord Jesus even gives us two examples, both from non-Jews, who did heed the Word of God, and received it gladly. The first one is the "Queen of the South." This is Queen Sheba, who came to Solomon to hear his wisdom, and see the wonders of his kingdom that were bestowed upon him by the Lord God. And after hearing Solomon's wisdom, and after touring all the places that were shown her, she exclaimed that his wisdom, and the wonders of his kingdom, were greater than were told to her. Now, she says this, we are told by our Lord Jesus in this pericope, not so much because she is impressed with Solomon, but because she is impressed by the God who gave Solomon such wisdom and possessions.

This is why our Lord Jesus points out that she will present a case against those who reject our Lord Jesus, and His death, burial and resurrection, as a sacrifice for the whole world. For she believed; She who was an outsider, and foreigner, saw the wonders of God, and believed them.

The same is said of the Ninevites. God has purposely sent the Prophet Jonah, who was a sign of our Lord Jesus, to proclaim to them, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" The evil of the Ninevites was so great, that our Lord God purposed to destroy them. One must keep in mind also, that this is not a city of the Jews, these are not His people, but foreigners and outsiders. But having heard the preaching of the Prophet Jonah, the king ordered everyone to put on sackcloth and ashes, he declared a fast, and for everyone to pray to the Lord God in repentance for Him to subside His anger. Here we see this text's connection with the season of Lent, in fact, the Old Testament reading appointed for Ash Wednesday in from the Prophet Jonah, chapter three.

We see in the Ninevites true devotion to God and repentance, they serve as our example during this Lenten season, of how we should proceed with our own fasting repentance; How diligently we are to pray and make supplications unto our Lord God. We also see why our Lord Jesus uses them as a testimony against the Jews of His day, who rejected Him and Messiah, and eventually rejected His death and resurrection as the means of their salvation. For the Ninevites, having heard of their sin and God's promised destruction against them, repented. Again, like Queen Sheba, these were outsiders, foreigners. They were not people of the promise. They were not the ones to whom the Word of God had been given. But they did repent, in sackcloth and ashes. Therefore, the Ninevites, like Queen Sheba, have testimony against the Jews on account of their repentance.

This pericope, therefore, holds great comfort for all of us, not born of Jewish descent. For both the examples given by our Lord of great confession of faith, and of repentance, were Gentiles. We too, being Gentiles, have this same promise. For although the Jews reject the Lord Jesus, although they reject their Savior, they live in darkness. Their lamp has burned out. And they are blind. Therefore this pericope also serves as a warning for us, to not let the lamp of faith that burns within us, so that we might see our Lord Jesus, and believe on Him, to burn out.

How do we do this? We do this by remaining steadfast in our Lord's Word. Or to say it another way, we must keep ourselves immersed in our Lord's preaching of the Word, and in His gifts grace, the Sacraments. Through our participation in these means of grace, the Word and Sacrament, our Lord's Holy Spirit fills us and creates, and sustains in us faith. So that we might along with the Queen of Sheba, and the Prophet Jonah, and the Ninevites, proclaim the good things that our Lord God has done for us through our Lord Jesus Christ.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

For Where Your Treasure Is, There Your Heart Will Be Also: St. Matthew 6:1-23

St. Matthew 6:1-23: "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. 5 And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. 14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 16 Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"

Three spiritual exercises are described in this pericope: Alms-giving, or charitable deeds, prayer, and fasting. The purpose of these spiritual exercises is given in the closing verses. That is, not to "lay up treasure for yourself on earth," or to say it another way, so that you look good and righteous towards your fellow man. But rather, "lay up treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and thieves do not break in and steal." Does this mean that we should do good works for God and not for man? No! The difference between man-pleasing works, and works that are pleasing to God, is where the heart is.

Man-centered works, the works of philanthropists and sycophants, are done with a heart that sets out to please man, and curry favor with one's fellowman. They are the works righteous persons. This is seen in all three examples.

In alms-giving, the works righteous person is the person who sounds a trumpet before they give a gift. Today we call them "press conferences." But such works righteous giving can also be see in less grand ways, for example donating something to the church, and then having one's name engraved on it so that all future generations will know who gave that article. The gift may be good and useful, but the praise should be unnecessary. From personal experience it seems that at times we desire to mark who gave the gift, so that we know who to blame, if we don't like it.

Our Lord, however, would have us give so that we "do not let our left hand know what our right hand is doing" In other words, keep it a secret. The key here is the motivation of the heart. Is the alms given with the intent of showing your fellowman, how great and wonderful you are, and how great of a Christian you are? Or is the alms given so that you might show your thanks and love toward God for all of His blessing to you? Or that you might support the work of the Church, or an individual, or whomever the gift is intended to help? What is the motivation of your heart? The sad thing is, that because of the sin that dwells within us, we can never be completely selfless in our giving. But this is why our Lord gives up Himself, so that we might be given succor in our giving, learning to give as He has given to us.

In prayer, works righteousness is shown, by the hypocrites who pray openly in the synagogues and on the street corners, in order that men may see what great prayers they are. We have examples today in the many so called "evangelists" on TV. There are also those who when in a restaurant, interrupt the whole restaurant so that they can offer prayer before their meals. These folks may think they are giving a bold witness, but in reality, they are turning people away, and only giving the example that they are trying to impress people. Does that then mean that we shouldn't pray in public at a restaurant before our meals? No! This can be done quietly, and with our focus on what we are praying and to whom we are praying, and not towards who in the room may be listening. The same can be said about praying in church. There are parts in the service where silent prayer is not only suggested, but encouraged. We should not be afraid to take advantage of this, just because there may be people watching.

In the Early Church during what we now call the General Prayer, a time of about 30 minutes, would be dedicated to silent prayer. The Deacon would list certain things that should be prayed for, and then at the Deacons instruction with the words, "oremus" (let us pray) and "flectamus genua" (kneel, lit. bend the knee) the people would pray silently to their Father for these things, when time had been allowed, then the Deacon would say, "levate" (arise, or stand up, lit. be lifted up) and then the Bishop would sum up, or collect, the prayers of the people into a final prayer. We can see this form in the Bidding Prayer, where the Deacon states what we should pray for, then there is silence, then the Bishop prays a collect. This form was developed out of the synagogue prayers. This is pointed out to show that our Lord is not referring to this type of prayer, that is, public prayer, but private prayer.

Again, private prayer involves the heart, that is, the heart of faith, and to whom are we praying. Our Lord would have us go into our rooms, and pray in secret, to the Father who listens in secret. It is here in the secret places where we are more open to praying to our Heavenly Father for the things that we need and desire the most, free from the bonds of who we may be afraid might be listening. Also notice, that our Lord sums up the Lord's Prayer, by talking about forgiveness and forgiving. For it is in our private prayers where we are most free to unburden our sins. This is also why there is a thing called Private Confession, for there we can confess our sins to a man who represents our Heavenly Father in private, knowing that anything we confess will be forgiven and forgotten. And we have the benefit of knowing that our Heavenly Father has forgiven us, for there is a man there telling us that our sins are forgiven. He is also able to comfort us with additional words from holy Scripture, so that our asking of forgiveness is just like talking to our Heavenly Father, and being able to hear His reponse to us.

Sadly, fasting has fallen by the wayside among many people, and even those who desire to practice it, don't understand it, or do it incorrectly. Fasting is about preparing one's heart to receive God's Word. The purpose of fasting is to teach oneself humility, and want, so that he learns to be content with little, and in learning to be content with little, he might learn to be giving when bestowed many earthly blessings. There are different types of fasting. There is the strict fast, which is nothing to eat or drink but water. This is the fast that our Lord undertakes in the wilderness for forty days and nights. Fasting can also take a less strict approach, where one just eats less, limiting himelf to a certain amount of food, such as a 1/2 or 1/4 meal. Fasting most often involves what is properly called abstinence, that is, the refraining from certain foods for a certain time. The most common of this is the abstaining from red meat. Other more austere forms of abstinence include, no dairy products, no oil, no eggs, and no meat. This is practiced in the East. This abstinence can also include the agreement between husband and wife of abstaining from sexual intercourse for a time. Abstaining from wine (except that which is received from Holy Communion) and other alchoholic beverages is also keeping within the spirit of fasting. It should also be pointed out that the foods that are eaten should be simple, inexpensive foods, to keep within the spirit of the fast.

Fasting is always accompanied by increased alms-giving, prayer, and study of God's Word. This is why St. Matthew relates these things in succession, for the Church to have an example of its spiritual exercises. And we should think of them as exercises, just like we would exercise our physical bodies, we also exercise our spiritual bodies. And like physical exercise, if one is spiritually unfit, or new to spiritual exercise, he shouldn't try running a marathon on the first day, but ease into. This is why is a couple of weeks we will have the season of Pre-Lent, the time where we prepare our hearts and minds (and bodies) for the spiritual journey of Lent. Traditionally in the Ancient Church during the three weeks of Pre-Lent a different item of food was removed from the household, and was abstained from until Easter. For example during Septuagesima they would start abstaining from dairy products, then during Sexagesima they would abstain from eggs, then starting with Quinquagesima they would start abstaining from oil, then on Ash Wednesday they would abstain from meat, and would really only be allowed a small amount of bread each day and water until Easter.

Also during the Early Church fasting would include throughout the year fasting on Wednesday and Fridays, except from Easter to the Sunday after Pentecost. Wednesday were observed as a day of fast, for this was the day on which Judas agreed to betray our Lord. Fridays were observed in honor of the crucifixion of our Lord. Wednesdays were later dropped, and only the Friday fast was observed, which is why the practice of abstaining from red meat on Fridays happens for some during Lent

Today, fasts to varying degrees are observed throughout the year. If one wants to observe the ancient practices today, and since we are not used to such austerity, the following suggestions are made: During Advent, nothing to eat or drink, except water, every day, except Sundays and feast days, until 3 p.m., then a small, simple, inexpensive meal may be had for dinner (this applies to all fast days), and no meat on Wednesdays and Fridays. During Lent and Holy Week nothing to eat or drink, except water, until 3 p.m. and no meat every day, except on Sundays and Feast days. On Ember days (Wednesday, Friday and Saturday of the third week in Advent, the week after Invocabit, the week after Pentecost, and the week after Sept. 14th (Exultation of the Holy Cross)) and during Rogationtide (the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Ascension) nothing to eat or drink, except water, until 3 p.m. and no meat on those days. There is also a fast in preparation for the Blessed Sacrament that is from Midnight until one receives the Holy Mass, nothing to eat or drink, except water. This would be on Saturday night, and the night before a Feast day. Throughout the year, on Wednesdays and Fridays, nothing to eat or drink, except water, until 3 p.m. This does not apply during Easter, and from Christmas to January 13th, and when a Feast day (and its octave) falls on these days. For there is no fasting from Easter to the Sunday after Trinity, and during Christmas and Epiphany through its octave.

No matter how strict or loose one's fast is, for it is after all up to one's Christian freedom how one observes these fasting, the focus of why we fast should not be lost, that we are preparing our hearts and minds to receive God's Word by humbling ourselves, and teaching ourselves to be content with little. Fasting that focuses on how much weight is loss, is not fasting, it's dieting, and the two should never be confused. Fasting, along with prayer and alms-giving, are spiritual exercise, that are meant to strengthen our faith in our Lord and Saviour, that we might learn to love and trust in Him more fully, and learn to depend on Him for all of our earthly blessings. May our Lord Jesus teach you these things.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

The People Who Sat in Darkness Have Seen A Great Light: St. Matthew 4:12-17

St. Matthew 4:12-17: "12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: 15 'The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: 16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.' 17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'"

St. John the Baptist is put in prison. It would seem that as soon as our Lord Jesus shows up, the devil immediately begins to do all things that he can to put obstacles in the way of our Lord's work. Our Lord will have no rest from the devil, and his tempations, and his questioning and harassing of Him until He is dead on the cross. Such is our Lord's life. All of the temptations, troubles, sorrows, trials, dangers, and the like that we face throughout our lives, our Lord Jesus faces in abundance. His pain, His sorrow, His trials and temptations are greater than we ever experience, for the devil can win if he succeed in getting our Lord Jesus off of His mission of saving us.

But our Lord is fit to the task. He does not waver, but trusts completely in His Father, that His Father could send down legions of angels to assist Him if He so desired. However, as we learn from Scripture, our Lord Jesus takes the punishment, takes the abuse of the devil, in order that He might fulfill His work of salvation on our account. This is the love of our Savior. This is His grace. He takes on our temptation and punishment; And this, in more abundance than we ever experience.

Our Lord Jesus, however, is not, it would appear from His departing into Galilee after St. John the Baptist's imprisonment, afraid to avoid a situation that is not necessary for Him to experience. He would not have much of a ministry, if He began preaching near the Jordan River like St. John the Baptist, and then was arrested like him before His time. And so, He retreats to Galilee, and makes His home there in Capernaum. We are told by the Evangelist St. Matthew, that this was foretold by the Prophet Isaiah. Our Lord would abode in Zebulun and Naphtali by the sea.

The interesting thing to note about the prophecy of the Prophet Isaiah is that Galilee is considered the land of the Gentiles. This poses the question, "Why in the land of the Gentiles?" Galilee was divided into two sections by King Solomon, one for the Jews and one for the Gentiles. It is here in the section set apart for the Gentiles that our Lord takes His abode. This region of Zebulun and Naphtali, was also the first section of Israel that was lead into captivity and exile by the Assyrians. So it seems that our Lord takes His abode in the place where the darkness and shadow of sin and death were at its greatest. Our Lord Jesus comes to the darkest place, spiritually speaking, to shed the Light of the Gospel upon these who so desperately need it.

It would seem that the use of the word "retreat" is a little bit of an overstatement. So let us follow so far the steps of Our Lord Jesus Christ's adult life as we know it. He is baptized, and then spends 40 days in the wilderness being tempted by the devil, then after St. John the Baptist is put in prison, He leaves Judea, where he was preaching, and then (we are told by the Evangelist St. Luke) He goes to Nazareth to preach in the synagogue, in which they want to throw Him off a cliff, and now the Evangelist St. Matthew tells us that the prophecy of the Prophet Isaiah is fulfilled by our Lord's abiding in Capernaum of Galilee. It appears that our Lord is faced with adversity throughout the beginning of His ministry. And where does He go? He goes to the place that is the darkest, where Satan's power would seem to be the strongest, and makes His abode there.

This is what our Lord Jesus does for us, He takes on the devil head on. He does this through His preaching. And if one examines the preaching of St. John the Baptist, and our Lord Jesus Christ here in the Gospel of St. Matthew, one would find that the sermon is exactly the same. "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Mystically speaking, we have an instance where the Law, represented by the preaching of St. John the Baptist who was the last of the Propets of the Law, gives way to the Gospel, represented by our Lord Jesus who is the Light of the world.

In this manner, our Lord comes to us. He comes with His preaching into the darkness of our lives full of sin, and sheds the Light of His Gospel upon us. He calls us out of darkness into His glorious Light. Therefore, the beautiful words of the Prophet Isaiah are fulfilled in our midst whenever the Word of God is preached and taught in its purity, and the Sacraments are given out according to Christ's intention, that is, "the people who sat in darkness have seen a great Light." That "Great Light" is our Lord. And although this prophecy was directed at those who were lead captive by the Assyrians, it finds its true fulfillment in the all those who hear the Word of God and believe it.

May we ever see this Great Light and be rescued from the darkness of our sins.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas