Sermons & Homilies
Today we commemorate the conception of the Most Holy Mother of God. This Feast is a little forefeast of the Great Feast of the Nativity of Our God, set amidst the struggles of the Nativity Fast to impart hope and consolation to those worn down, suffering spiritual barrenness, just as the Feast of the Cross is set amidst the struggles of Great Lent when we journey towards the Salvific Crucifixion and Transforming Resurrection of Christ.
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I think most, if not all of us, are familiar with St. John Climacus, and his eloquent, witty, and above all soul-saving teaching found in the Ladder, moderately balanced between stern spiritual sobriety and loving fatherly humor. This is the reason for his significance in the Church for both monks and laity, revealed by a whole Sunday during Great Lent being dedicated to him. Because of the shortness of time allotted to a Sunday sermon, I want to focus on just one aspect of his teaching.
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Why doesn’t God hear us all the time? Why doesn’t He always answer right away and give us what we pray for? Oftentimes, it’s the very struggle to be patient and persevere that engenders in us the faith and humility required for God to accept our prayers. That’s why He withholds our requests from us. It’s not because He is heartless and unfeeling.
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Today’s Gospel passage invites us to reflect on the silence of God and the nature of our faith. Here we see a mother in grief over the plight of her demon-possessed daughter.
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If we find ourselves in such a state, or if we see that we’re in danger of slipping into it, or if we simply wish to avoid it altogether, the solution is simple—put prayer first. The hours in the day are few, and our time in this life is fleeting. We have to make the time for prayer.
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