FIRST SUNDAY OF GREAT FAST

Title and Theme

Faith and Fast

Outline and Body

You have heard, perhaps, of the fictitious Don Quijote who jumped on his horse and rode off in all directions at once

Then there is the person who all sorts of projects around the house, but none of them are getting finished

Or the polymath who reads about and knows all sorts of things, but never seems to make a contribution to anything

That just doesn’t do in the real life of a person

Hebrews talks about people who trusted in God and his reward - indeed, God as their reward

They all abandoned the tangible things of the present to reach for the things God offered

Moses left a promising career and wealth in Egypt

Moses sacrificed a lamb and led people in doing so, because God had said it would protect them

Moses led them through the Red Sea because he trusted God, despite the pursuit

Joshua whose strategy at Jericho was to obey “the commander of the Lord’s army” and march around the city blowing rams horns, showing to all on the wall what a small army they had

Rahab who risked her life because she trusted a strange God and thereby saved her life

And many others - such as those in Maccabees, who received no reward in this life, but were prepared to die because they looked beyond this life

And finally us, who see Jesus ahead of us, our pathfinder, who endured the cross and its shame, because he could see the coming joy

All of these are there, and we are now in the stadium, and they are watching us run the race of trust, of faith, cheering us on and probably praying for us as well.

But notice that each one in order to get the prize they could only see due to their trust in God, i.e. faith, had to leave things behind, including in a number of cases their lives. This is fasting with a purpose.

We turn to our gospel

Jesus is about to return to Galilee and finds Philip, probably a disciple of John the Baptist with great hopes for the renewal of Israel.

“Follow me,” says Jesus - leave it all for me

Philip does, but first excitedly calls his brother: “We have found the Messiah” - there was nothing about Jesus that would have made them think that other than they trusted John’s word.

Nathaniel is sceptical, but is won over once Jesus shows that he knew him, despite never having met him.

He will get to see more, says Jesus, but first walking in that faith or trust he and Philip will leave whatever they were seeking beforehand and follow

What about us?

The Great Fast is leading us towards Jesus, eventually leading us to the resurrected Lord

Is that your goal in life, to know and be known by him?

The Great Fast calls us to leave behind us all that might hinder us in this journey.

Not just every sin - yet surely do whatever it takes to leave every sin - but also every weight, whatever slows us down, whatever holds us back

In our lives that twice meant leaving children and once meant leaving a child and her family and grandchildren

In our lives that twice meant getting rid of most of our possessions

And it also meant giving up careers

You will be different because you will have your own calling.

The question is what is God telling you to leave behind so that you can follow the journey of faith to Jesus, to supreme joy, to being one with him?

Readings

Epistle

Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition Chapter 11

24 ¶ By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered abuse suffered for the Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he looked to the reward. 27 ¶ By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king; for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. 28 ¶ By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the first-born might not touch them.

The Faith of Other Heroes in Israel’s History

29 ¶ By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as if on dry land; but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. 30 ¶ By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 ¶ By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given friendly welcome to the spies.

32 ¶ And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—33 ¶ who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 ¶ quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 ¶ Women received their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and scourging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two,y they were killed with the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, illtreated—38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering over deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

39 And all these, though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

The Example of Jesus

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,* 2 ¶ looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Gospel

Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition Chapter 1

43 ¶ The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. And he found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Beth-saida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 ¶ Philip found Nathana-el, and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 ¶ Nathana-el said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathana-el coming to him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” 48 Nathana-el said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 ¶ Nathana-el answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these.” 51 ¶ And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”

Notes

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) First Sunday of Great Lent or Sunday of Orthodoxy

TRIODION AND GREAT LENT

FIRST SUNDAY OF GREAT LENT OR SUNDAY OF ORTHODOXY

Bright or Dark Vestments

Our venerable father Timothy, hermit; our holy father Eustacius, Archbishop of Antioch