Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost 2023

Gospel: Third Sunday after Holy Cross, Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

No special Ambon Prayer

Our Venerable Mother Pelagia

Title

When Bad Things Happen to Good People

Outline

Bad experiences influence many to leave the faith

Sometimes it is a tragic death, a child, a spouse, even a family

Sometimes it is a major sickness, perhaps long term suffering

Sometimes it is an economic or national disaster

People were being pious, something horrible happened, and they decide that if there is a God he cannot be worth serving or worshipping

It may be that they thought that pious service should make them immune to evil events

It may be that they thought that prayer should defeat evil events

In reality often the opposite is true and is true for our good

We will take the two examples in our readings

Paul knew God and also knew suffering

He had followed Jesus and the result was not triumph but shame - the Damascus event was a shameful running away in the world’s eyes, but Paul boasts in it, for in this shame for serving Christ he becomes more like Christ

Paul goes on to lay out that he has in fact had greater and more glorious experiences than his opponents - he feels forced to confess to his most glorious vision (if it was a vision). But he boasts about it in the third person “about such a man” rather than claim it for his own like a badge of honor.

Then he points out that God had allowed “a thorn [to be] given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to harass me, to keep me from being too elated.” In the Hebrew Scriptures a “thorn in the side” is opponents, enemy peoples who harass the Israelites. Perhaps this was the opponents, Christian and non-Christian, who harassed Paul, perhaps it was a demon, or perhaps it was an illness. But it did harass him and it did not go away with prayer. Instead God answered, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

In other words, by enduring whatever it was patiently Paul increased in grace, in merit, for in his weakness he showed God’s power. So he embraces whatever it was “gladly” so “that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” It increased the honor of Christ and it increased Paul’s closeness to Christ, his divinization.

Jesus also saw suffering as working God’s good will

He happened to approach a certain town as a funeral procession emerged with a bier on which lay a young man whose widowed mother was following her only child weeping. Remember that burial was usually within a day of death, so the death had just happened. A crowd followed, which showed that the town was moved by the event.

Jesus speaks: “he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”” Was that callous? People did not have time to think that through, for he turns to bier, touches it (which should make him defiled), and tells the corpse, the young man, to get up. He did sit up and starts speaking and the crowd reacts “Fear seized them all; and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!”” God is glorified, Jesus’ identity is unveiled, and the people worship. They knew that the Kingdom of God had come. But it did not come without a lot of pain and grief for that widow and her son.

Brothers and sisters, these speak to our lives as well

We may lead lives of relative comfort and good as we serve God - well as good - God knows that that is best for us and for his kingdom

We may lead lives of pain and suffering like Paul did, perhaps knowing as Paul eventually did and perhaps not knowing God’s goal is allowing the suffering to happen to us. We may grow in our humility, our embrace of the cross, and our ability to show God’s power in our weakness. It is for our good and the good of the kingdom.

We may come across suffering or suffer ourselves so that the kingdom of God can be revealed in us - are we willing to go through it for God’s honor and glory?

How do we know the difference? We know by keeping an openness to bear any cross, any shame and suffering, God may send us, even to welcome it for his sake, and at the same time being ready to wait before God in prayer for as long as it takes asking him to guide us in understanding enough that we can use the suffering for his purposes.

We may go to our grace that way knowing only that God’s good purposes are being accomplished and being satisfied with that

We may learn from him what the good purposes are and see how our suffering has helped us become more like Christ or others to find Christ or we may be told to pray in such a way that the suffering leaves and that that will glorify God.

Whatever happens in the end, if we persist in patiently offering our suffering to Jesus to make us one with him it will be for the glory of God for our advancement in holiness and for the good of the world.

Readings

Byzantine Lectionary (Julian) 10-15-2023: Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

EPISTLE

2 Corinthians 11:31–12:9

31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed for ever, knows that I do not lie. 32 At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas guarded the city of Damascus in order to seize me, 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped his hands.

Chapter 12

1 I must boast; there is nothing to be gained by it, but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up into Paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— 4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. 5 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. 6 Though if I wish to boast, I shall not be a fool, for I shall be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. 7 And to keep me from being too elated by the abundance of revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. 8 Three times I besought the Lord about this, that it should leave me; 9 but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Byzantine Lectionary (Julian) 10-22-2023: Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council

GOSPEL

Luke 7:11–16

11 Soon afterward he went to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 12 As he drew near to the gate of the city, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a large crowd from the city was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 And he came and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 And the dead man sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother. 16 Fear seized them all; and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!”

Notes

Byzantine Lectionary (Julian) (10-8-2023: Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost)

SUN, OCT 8, 2023 | OCTOECHOS

Byzantine Lectionary (Julian) 10-15-2023: Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Byzantine Lectionary (Julian) 10-15-2023: Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Epistle 2 Corinthians 11:31–12:9

Byzantine Lectionary (Julian) 10-22-2023: Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council

Gospel Luke 7:11–16

(Third Sunday after Holy Cross; Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost)