But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did,
and the children crying out in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant; and they said to him, "Do you hear what these are saying?"
And Jesus said to them, "Yes; have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast brought perfect praise'?"
Matthew 21: 15-16
Isaiah 14:24-32 (6th Hour)
24 The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, “Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, and as I have purposed, so it shall stand:
25 That I will break the Assyrian in My land, and on My mountains tread him underfoot. Then his yoke shall be removed from them, and his burden removed from their shoulders.
26 This is the purpose that is purposed against the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations.
27 For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?”
28 This is the burden which came in the year that King Ahaz died.
29 “Do not rejoice, all you of Philistia, because the rod that struck you is broken; for out of the serpent’s roots will come forth a viper, and its offspring will be a fiery flying serpent.
30 The firstborn of the poor will feed, and the needy will lie down in safety; I will kill your roots with famine, and it will slay your remnant.
31 Wail, O gate! Cry, O city! All you of Philistia are dissolved; for smoke will come from the north, and no one will be alone in his appointed times.”
32 What will they answer the messengers of the nation? That the Lord has founded Zion, and the poor of His people shall take refuge in it.
Proverbs 9:1-11 (Vespers, 5th reading, Theotokos)
1 Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn out her seven pillars;
2 she has slaughtered her meat, she has mixed her wine, she has also furnished her table.
3 She has sent out her maidens, she cries out from the highest places of the city,
4 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” as for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,
5 “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed.
6 Forsake foolishness and live, and go in the way of understanding.
7 He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, and he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.
8 Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;
9 give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For by me your days will be multiplied, and years of life will be added to you.”
Venerable Zachariah the Recluse
Saint Zachariah the Recluse of Egypt because of his concern for the poor and homeless was called “to the outcast.” In the printed Menaion he is known as “our Monastic Father Zachariah,” and so he has been identified erroneously with Saint Zachariah the Monk.
We Must Become Like Children
By Father Stavros N. Akrotirianakis
It is interesting to see the world through the eyes of a child. A young child doesn't know what it is like to be cynical. A young child doesn't know what it means to doubt. Little children don't carry grudges-they move from sad to happy, from crying to laughing, very quickly. If you tell them you are going to do something, they easily believe.
So, when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and people were saying, "The King is coming; the children came out and waved palm branches and sang "Hosanna to the Son of David!" Some of the adults, no doubt, were cynical-after all, where were the chariots and the army-If Jesus was a king after all, shouldn't He be entering Jerusalem as a military conqueror?
The Jewish Temple leadership saw Jesus as a threat. There were no armies to be afraid of, but the mere mention of this man as a "king" certainly unnerved them. Jesus was a Jew, and at the top of the Jewish "food chain" were the temple elite.
The Roman authorities had to be concerned. Their "king" was Caesar. A bunch of people crying out for another king could pose a problem for them and threaten their political stranglehold on the region.
It was the children who led the way. Imagine the cry that the "king" is coming, and the children grabbing whatever was at hand to greet Him. There weren't fancy metal and feathered fans as one would find in a king's court ( think of the Pharaoh in the movie The Ten Commandments), so the children improvised and grabbed palm branches to wave at the "king." Who was this king? For the children, it didn't matter-they heard that a person of importance was passing through and they didn't want to miss out on the event.
When I was a child, I didn't know much about Holy Week. All I remember was that it was the week that the church was filled to overflow and that we got to stay up late, which was good enough for us. We were really excited! I can't say I really knew much about Jesus either. I was told that He loved me and died for my sins and that was good enough too.
As an adult, there are times I have been more cynical about the faith. I've wondered, "How could all of these things we read in the scripture possibly have happened?" rather than taking it on faith. I've questioned God's love and wondered about His intentions as we watch tragedies happen around us. Sometimes worship is a chore rather than a joy.
I'm reminded though, that it is the faith of a child that puts us in good standing to enter the Kingdom of God. We need to have our eyes wide open in wonder rather than squinting with criticism. We need hearts chat are soft and easy to forgive, rather than hardened and calloused. We need to remember the mantra we learned in preschool: hands are for helping and not fur hurting. We need to remember that it's good to laugh and okay to be silly.
Jesus says in Matthew 18:3, "Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." He encourages us to be childlike. As we make our way through Lent and again to Holy Week, let us try to remember the wonder we had as children. Those children who waved palms on Palm Sunday, they didn't hold anything back. They had unbridled joy, they were totally "into it." When I was a child, I didn't totally understand everything. I didn't need to. I remember my priest lifting up the chalice before partaking of Holy Communion and thinking how powerful it was to see God standing over all of us in that moment. I still think that today when I lifr the chalice. When is. the last time you felt unbridled joy? Try to capture that in your life and faith. This is when you will be better able to meet Christ as your King and God, when you recapture that joy and innocence of the children on Palm Sunday.
Of course, children don't stay children. They learn more about the things they didn't understand as a child. Our understanding of the faith should be more than what we understood as children. We should, however, seek to learn about our faith, but remember to combine a childlike innocence and joy with an adult sense of focus and purpose, leaving cynicism and demands to the side and embracing with trust and optimism.
But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did,
and the children crying out in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant;
and they said to him, "Do you hear what these are saying?"
And Jesus said to them, "Yes; have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast brought perfect praise'?"
[Matthew 21: 15-16]
This week’s calendar reminders:
Monday 3/24: Vesperal Liturgy for Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos 6:30 p.m. (potluck meal to follow)
Tuesday 3/25: no services or events
Wednesday 3/26: Presanctified Liturgy 6:30 pm (potluck meal to follow)
Thursday 3/27: Lenten Matins 8:30 am
Friday 3/28: Paraklesis to the Theotokos 8:30 am
Saturday 3/29: Catechumen Class 4:30 pm; Choir Rehearsal 4:30 pm; Great Vespers 6 pm
Sunday 3/30: Divine Liturgy 9:15am;
CLICK BELOW to donate online:
Christ the Savior Orthodox Church is located in Southbury, Connecticut, and is part of the New England Diocese of the Orthodox Church of America.
Mailing address: Christ the Savior Church, 1070 Roxbury Road, Southbury, CT 06488
PLEASE DONATE to help our parish do the work of the Lord, thrive and grow, and extend the Kingdom of God. May the Lord bless your generosity!
Fr. Moses Locke can be reached at frmoseslocke@gmail.com