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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Hill Country Homilies. Weekly homilies from Holy Annunciation

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<v Speaker 1>Orthodox Church in Liberty Hill, Texas. Holy Annunciation is an

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<v Speaker 1>old calendar Orthodox Church sharing the faith of the Apostles

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<v Speaker 1>and the love of Christ with all who seek His truth. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>let's listen to this week's homily.

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<v Speaker 2>And then the fathers on the Holy Spirit word in

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<v Speaker 2>Jesus Christ. Well, I don't ever like to do a

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<v Speaker 2>homily without any notes, but I don't know where they've gone.

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<v Speaker 2>So we'll see what we can do for the Sunday

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<v Speaker 2>of the public and the fairs.

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<v Speaker 3>You know, the time.

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<v Speaker 2>That we now enter into in the church is what

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<v Speaker 2>we call the Triodean period, and the Triodean period is

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<v Speaker 2>a time of preparation, is preparing us to enter into

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<v Speaker 2>great Land. When we say Triodian and what we're referring

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<v Speaker 2>to is actually the service book that we use from

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<v Speaker 2>now right up until a pasta up until the point

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<v Speaker 2>where we hit Holy Week, every service that we're going

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<v Speaker 2>to be doing we take out of the Triodian and

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<v Speaker 2>that includes the services of enduring Great Lent. So it's

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<v Speaker 2>a little odd that we sometimes refer to the Triodean

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<v Speaker 2>as that time period before the actual beginning of Great Lent.

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<v Speaker 2>So this is what we've entered into. We're not to

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<v Speaker 2>great Lent. We have four Sundays that are this Triodean preparation.

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<v Speaker 2>The first Sunday is always the Sunday of the publican

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<v Speaker 2>and the Pharisee, and that, of course is the gospel

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<v Speaker 2>reading that we heard today.

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<v Speaker 3>The Lord tells the parable.

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<v Speaker 2>Two men go up to the temple to pray, one

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<v Speaker 2>a pharisee and one a publican. The pharisee stands and

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<v Speaker 2>lifts his head up to God and he prays, We're total.

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<v Speaker 3>He prays with himself, God, I thank you.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm not like other men, adulterers, cheaters, the unjust, even

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<v Speaker 2>this Pharisee. And the Pharisee, who can't even bring himself

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<v Speaker 2>to look up towards Heaven, just cast his eye down,

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<v Speaker 2>beats on his chest and says, Lord, have mercy on me,

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<v Speaker 2>a sinner. And the parable ends with Christ toning his disciples.

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<v Speaker 2>One of these men went home justified, and that it

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<v Speaker 2>was the publican.

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<v Speaker 3>Not the Pharisee.

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<v Speaker 2>Now, in understanding this parable, we have to understand a

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<v Speaker 2>little bit about the positions of the publicans and the

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<v Speaker 2>Pharisees at the time of Christ and the position of

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<v Speaker 2>publican or tax collector was an absolutely despised profession, and

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<v Speaker 2>it was despised when you understand how the Romans governed

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<v Speaker 2>their empire as they moved out further and further out

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<v Speaker 2>from Rome. When they would conquer a new territory, what

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<v Speaker 2>they would do is they would appoint some of the

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<v Speaker 2>locals to act as their tax collectors, people who knew

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<v Speaker 2>the local population.

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<v Speaker 3>Those people would.

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<v Speaker 2>Then be given a quota for the amount of taxes

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<v Speaker 2>that they had to send back to Rome.

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<v Speaker 3>That they were responsible for.

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<v Speaker 2>And the way that publicans or tax collectors made their

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<v Speaker 2>living was they would extract as much as they could

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<v Speaker 2>from everybody that was in their jurisdiction, and they would

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<v Speaker 2>send back their quota or to Rome, and.

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<v Speaker 3>What they collected above that they could keep.

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<v Speaker 2>And so the incentive on the tax collectors was always

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<v Speaker 2>to extract as much and much as much as they

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<v Speaker 2>could from the people, whether as owed or not owed.

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<v Speaker 3>Last Sunday we didn't actually.

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<v Speaker 2>Have it because of the weather, but Zychias Sunday precedes

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<v Speaker 2>the Triodians. Zechius, of course, as a tax collector who

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<v Speaker 2>had cheated everyone and gotten greatly enriched until he had

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<v Speaker 2>his great repentance. So the tax collector was absolutely the

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<v Speaker 2>most despised occupation that there was. They were considered collaborators

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<v Speaker 2>with the occupiers. There were traitors to their people because

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<v Speaker 2>they were the ones that were going to enrich themselves

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<v Speaker 2>off of the locals and send it to their occupiers.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, they stayed very rich.

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<v Speaker 2>And the Pharisees, of course, on the other hand, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>nowadays when we talk about Pharisees, we think of that

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<v Speaker 2>as a negative of being pharisyical, you know, being focused

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<v Speaker 2>on the law. But in the time of Christ, remember

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<v Speaker 2>the Pharisees were still the religious authority. They were considered

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<v Speaker 2>at the top. They were highly respected, their advice was sought.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, we even know from scriptures they had the

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<v Speaker 2>high places at the banquet, and so they were a

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<v Speaker 2>hugely respected.

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<v Speaker 3>Part of the Jewish society. They were the governors of

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<v Speaker 3>the church.

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<v Speaker 2>They were involved also with the civil administration. But Christ

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<v Speaker 2>tells us one of them goes home justified, that's the publican,

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<v Speaker 2>and the other the pharisee, does not. And what is

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<v Speaker 2>the difference between the publican and the pharisee was pride

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<v Speaker 2>versus humility.

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<v Speaker 3>You know. The pharisee, you know, makes a big show

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<v Speaker 3>of himself. He puts himself in the center.

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<v Speaker 2>And he brags about all the good things he's done. Oh,

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<v Speaker 2>I've fast twice a week, I give my ties. Thank God,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm not like these sinners. He makes himself a great show.

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<v Speaker 2>Whereas the Pharisee knows his unworthiness, or the Republican knows

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<v Speaker 2>his unworthiness, he knows that his only hope is mercy,

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<v Speaker 2>where is the pharisee seems to think he's got it

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<v Speaker 2>made because of his position who he is. And our goal,

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<v Speaker 2>of course, is to have that same justification that the

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<v Speaker 2>public can receive. And there's much in this parable to

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<v Speaker 2>work with. But one thing that I think we have

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<v Speaker 2>to consider very strongly is the lesson from the Pharisee

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<v Speaker 2>is not just about his pride. That's certainly the overwhelming

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<v Speaker 2>problem that he has, but there's a message for us

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<v Speaker 2>in there as well, because when the Pharisee prays, what

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<v Speaker 2>does he pray?

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<v Speaker 3>I keep the fast?

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<v Speaker 2>I tie to The Pharisee is basically saying, I am

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<v Speaker 2>following all the rules. Look at me, I'm following all

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<v Speaker 2>the rules. I am your example but all of that

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<v Speaker 2>led only to his abasement. Because no matter how strictly

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<v Speaker 2>we follow the rules, if our heart isn't there, strict

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<v Speaker 2>rule following can't save us.

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<v Speaker 3>Sometimes rules can anchor us.

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<v Speaker 2>When we don't know what to do, when the storms

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<v Speaker 2>of life are beating down on us. Rules and practices,

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<v Speaker 2>things that are given to us. They can be a

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<v Speaker 2>foundation or an anchor for us. Is keep us fixed.

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<v Speaker 2>If I don't know what to do, say my evening prayers.

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<v Speaker 2>If I don't know what to do, I'll say that

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<v Speaker 2>Jesus prayer make a prostration. These are things that we

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<v Speaker 2>can cling to, but if they ever become our justification,

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<v Speaker 2>then we've crossed from faith into pride. You know, when

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<v Speaker 2>the fast upon us, it can be very, very tempting

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<v Speaker 2>to count those days that we are keeping a fast

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<v Speaker 2>to mourn.

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<v Speaker 3>A little bit.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh we miss the dairy, we miss the meat. And

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<v Speaker 2>every time we do that, what are we doing. We're

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<v Speaker 2>drawing attention to ourselves like the Pharisee. And what are

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<v Speaker 2>we saying? I've kept the fast. I've kept the fast.

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<v Speaker 2>Look at me, I've kept the fast. But that won't

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<v Speaker 2>save anyone without the heart of the publican without the

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<v Speaker 2>humility of the publican. And as we prepare to enter

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<v Speaker 2>into great length, this is the first lesson that the

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<v Speaker 2>Church chooses to give to us. That pride can abase us,

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<v Speaker 2>where's humility can bring us to justification.

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<v Speaker 3>And it's such a temptation, I think.

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<v Speaker 2>In this world we live in, you know where where

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<v Speaker 2>if somebody disagrees with us, we have to you know,

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<v Speaker 2>roast them, We have to just you know, really get

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<v Speaker 2>you know, tell them how wrong they are. And we

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<v Speaker 2>react out of anger. And that's all pride. You know,

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<v Speaker 2>Anger is pride. Frustration is pride. It's everybody saying, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm not getting what I deserve, or how can this

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<v Speaker 2>person possibly not agree with me? That's pride.

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<v Speaker 3>And so we have to fight against them.

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<v Speaker 2>And when I say well, I mean me, I mean

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<v Speaker 2>every last one of us have to fight against that

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<v Speaker 2>temptation to give into that pride the Pharisee and turn

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<v Speaker 2>instead to the example of the humility of the publican.

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<v Speaker 3>Because if we.

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<v Speaker 2>Can find humility, that's the foundation of the entire Orthodox fronum,

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<v Speaker 2>of the entire way of bringing the Church into our

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<v Speaker 2>daily life is through that humility, through that trust. Because

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<v Speaker 2>when the when the publican cries with his downcast eyes,

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<v Speaker 2>have mercy on me, a sinner. Those are not tears

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<v Speaker 2>of despair. Those are not tears of despair. There are

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<v Speaker 2>tears of hope, because he has that faith that God

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<v Speaker 2>can save him regardless of his myriad sin. The Pharisee

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<v Speaker 2>stands assured in his own position. But the publican, with

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<v Speaker 2>humble hope in Christ, will find himself justified. And as

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<v Speaker 2>we approach into this time of great lent, may we

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<v Speaker 2>too be given the humility of the publican, such that

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<v Speaker 2>we may find ourselves justified. And may we, as we

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<v Speaker 2>sang in the kentackn flee from the pride of the Pharisee,

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<v Speaker 2>and instead let us cling to the humility and the

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<v Speaker 2>tears of the public and the name of the Father

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<v Speaker 2>and Son of the Holy Spirit.

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<v Speaker 3>Amada.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening to Hill Country Homilies. For more information,

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<v Speaker 1>visit Holy Annunciation Orthodox Church at www dot Denunciation, tx

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<v Speaker 1>dot com and please join us again next week.