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In the name of Father and Son and Holy Spirit! Amen!
Glory to Jesus Christ, dear brothers and sisters!
Today, you hear the Holy Gospel of Luke (Luke, XVI: 19-31) and the Apostle (Galatians, VI: 11-18). The Holy Gospel of Luke relates us the parable where God tells us about the rich man who celebrated all the time and satiated himself with the gifts of earth and had no time for the poor people. The parable is also about poor man, “named Lazarus, covered with sores”; Lazarus was wounded and was exhausted. Nobody cured him and he got only crumbs from rich man's table.
It happened so, that both died. Lazarus settled in the Kingdom of Heaven, it was an excellent place, and there were light, delight, happiness, spiritual growth and improvement. The rich man opened his eyes and understood that he was in hell. It was difficult for him to be there. He opened his eyes and saw Lazarus together with Abraham, and he told: "Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame". Can you imagine how terribly he felt himself there? Abraham told: "You got everything during your life and now you had to suffer. Lazarus got all the sufferings during his life and now he can enjoy. And nobody can get from us to you and from you to us." It means that souls which are in hell cannot get to the Kingdom of Heaven - it is unjustly. Secondly, the dark cannot unite with the light. Do you understand? If he wears dirty clothes, he will not able to come to the Father of Heaven. There is a parable about a man who came to the wedding in dirty clothes (Ìatthew, XXII: 1-14).. God told him: "How did you get in here without a wedding garment? Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth", - in other words, throw him from light to darkness because he is not allowed to rejoice with us. So, the gray souls will go in the gray place, the dark one's - into the dark place and good souls will go to light. This is the law of God's justice and God's love.
The rich man asked Abraham: "Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house— for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment." Abraham answered that brothers had Moses, priests, predictions and they had to listen to it. When they do not listen to alive they will not listen to the dead people.
There are some cases when people rise from the dead. There are cases when the soul comes back to the body after half an hour or 20 minutes after death. There are a lot of evidences about it. Do people listen to them? Does it astonish people? To some extent, yes. The God's word had the real power but not many people listen to it.
From today's Apostle we've heard about circumcision. Apostle Peter told about circumcision, because the first Christians were Jews. And they didn't differ from Jews, they sung psalms in the same way. In the same way as we sing the Divine Liturgy and psalms. Probably, they didn't sing the hymn to Jesus Christ, because it appeared in the 4th century only. So, they prayed as they did it earlier. And they did a circumcision. But many started to convert into Christians not from the Hebrew but from the pagan people. It was much difficult for them to do circumcision when they were adults.
And the first Apostolic Council took place in 54; the head of this Council was brother of Jesus - James, he was the bishop of Jerusalem. There was a question, should exist the circumcision or not. Apostles did not know, they had the traditional faith from their parents and told that it should have existed, another told that it should have not.
The Lord appeared to Apostle Peter (Acts X: 10-15) in a dream (remember the dream about food, and there were all sorts of reptiles and so on) and says: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” If God has cleaned, in other words, if you have confessed, have repented and God forgave you those sins, now no one has the right to judge for that sin. Is it right? "What God has cleaned " And when Apostle Peter was sent to the pagan nations who believe in God, and he did not know whether to put his hands on them, to ordain them or not, he saw the Holy Spirit in the form of fiery tongues descended on these people as on the apostles. And he said: "All that I can do is to carry the wish of God."
And the Apostle James said in the Council: "Let those who are circumcised - be circumcised and non circumcised - let not make a circumcision if they want to be Christians. The main thing is that they lived honestly in love and in the virtues of the Lord. It is the most important circumcision for them to be honest with Lord with people." Do you understand? And they decided so.
Apostle Paul (Romans, II: 26,27) also appeals to all Christians, that the essence is not in the circumcision, but the essence is to be with God, be in truth, and be in love. We, therefore, must also try more to be with the Lord. The tradition is the tradition, and it is - and it is good when you understand it and properly stick to it. But if you are not with God, the tradition will not help you. As the Lord says there is no matter if they are circumcised or not circumcised: if they are without God, it does not help them. So, if we take the sacrament without faith, if we will do everything that the Church prescribes without faith, it will not help. So you have to do everything with faith, try to follow every word which the Lord taught. This will protect us from the troubles that we can do to ourselves, from problems and from the traps that other people can make to us.
May God bless us all to be with the Lord, be in the Faith, be in Love and be like a poor man Lazarus. When we have difficulties, do not complain, and praise the God: "Glory to God that it happened in such a way, but not worse." Because if we suffer here than in the kingdom of God we will have great reward in Heaven! Yes? And we fall under the Beatitudes as "Blessed are you who are hungry now... Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh... Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you..." Blessed means - happy. If you are at this stage – “rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven” (Luke, VI: 20-23). This is the way Lazarus got his reward. Do you understand?
May God bless and strengthen you. Congratulate you all on the Holy Communion.
Thank you for your prayers. Thank you that you have come today that you and I prayed that we again had a warm prayer to God, sincere prayer that God took for our Ukraine. In order God bless us and the powerful structures in our country. Because we now have that power, for which to pray to God, in order they become wiser, that they served for Ukraine. To pray for the army, that it served, and for all the churches in the world who love God. Because God have no Catholics or Orthodox, there are those from God or from the devil. To pray that God bless us, especially Ukraine and especially Kyiv as the capital of Ukraine, which should be an example and the light of God for the whole Ukraine. It should be an example not only of the tall buildings, or Mercedes on the roads, but the light of God. In order that the number of the God's people multiple, and that God's people get to know Church, because they seek the truth. And when they find it, they are very grateful that they hear this sincerity, this science, this prayer, this sacrament, which they adopt. So let us pray that God would heal Ukraine through our holy church, through His Pure Church.
Thank to children who have behaved very well and have not talk during the pray.
May God give you health and power for many good years!
Glory to Jesus Christ!
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Apostle (Galatians 6:11-18):
6
11 See with what large letters I am writing to you with my
own hand.
12 It is those who want to make a good showing in the
fleshwho would force
you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted
for the cross of Christ.
13 For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep
the law,
but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your
flesh.
14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ,
by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor
uncircumcision, but a new creation.
16 And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be
upon them, and upon the Israel of God.
17 From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my
body the marks of Jesus.
18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit,
brothers. Amen.
Gospel (Luke, 16:19-31):
16
19 "There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine
linen
and who feasted sumptuously every day.
20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered
with sores,
21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's
table.
Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to
Abraham's side.
The rich man also died and was buried,
23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes andsaw
Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.
24 And he called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and
send
Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am
in anguish in this flame.'
25 But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that you in your
lifetime received your good things,
and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and
you are in anguish.
26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has
been fixed,
in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and
none may cross from there to us.'
27 And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, to send him to my
father's house --
28 for I have five brothers--so that he may warn them, lest
they also come into this place of torment.'
29 But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let
them hear them.'
30 And he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to
them from the dead, they will repent.'
31 He said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the
Prophets, neither will they be convinced
if someone should rise from the dead.'
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