Sermon for the 5th Sunday of Luke - The Rich Man and Lazarus (Monk Agapios Landos)

Sermon for the 5th Sunday of Luke

The Rich Man and Lazarus

By Monk Agapios Landos of Crete (1585-1657)

The Lord said, ‘There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered in sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table’.

Wanting to make us generous and charitable, to love one another and to instruct the mean and hard-hearted what perils await them and also to teach those who have sorrows and who suffer here what joy and elation they will inherit, the Lord wisely described for us the rich man as being very harsh and inhuman beyond measure and the poor man as possessing wonderful fortitude and patience. He leaves the rich man anonymous, as being unworthy of a name, as the prophet says: ‘I shall not mention their name on my lips’ [Ps. 16:4] and ‘his memorial has perished with a noise’ [Ps. 9:6]. The name of the poor man is given because the names of the righteous are recorded in the book of life. And the Jews have a tradition that, at the time of Christ, there was, indeed, a certain Lazarus in Jerusalem who endured great poverty with fortitude pleasing to God. The Lord mentions him as being virtuous and holy, since Scripture says ‘Blessed are they who fear the Lord’ and ‘their memorial remains unto the ages’ and ‘you shall be unto eternal memory’.

Sermon for the 12th Sunday of Luke - On the Ten Lepers (Monk Agapios Landos)

 

By Monk Agapios Landos of Crete (1585-1657)

These ten lepers, in the most succinct manner, provide an image of the whole of human nature, which was entirely leprous and rendered useless by sin. It [i.e. human nature] had been justly expelled from the Jerusalem Above, that is Paradise, just as the lepers were exiled from Jerusalem [on earth]. They couldn’t be cured by a Priest, Levite, Prophet or any other person, not even by an Angel, unless the Mighty Counsel of the Most High, the co-eternal Messenger and He who is consubstantial with God, came down from heaven, and humanely became human in order to save us humans. All of us, then, had this leprosy. None of us was free from sin except those whom the all-wise Lord Christ had cleansed.

Sermon for Cheesefare Sunday (Monk Agapios Landos)

 By Monk Agapios Landos of Crete

Behold, my friends, the arena of Holy Lent opens today. Behold, we have arrived at the gate of the fast and are about to engage in the warfare of the spirit. We are now approaching the harbor of salvation and should be glad and rejoice more than when we ate and spent to our heart’s content. Let us cross the threshold of restraint, then, with much rejoicing and jubilation, thanking the Lord that we have escaped the powerful and harsh turbulence of the billows of the spiritual tempest and have reached the safe haven, which is calm and secure, is balmy and tranquil, truly serene and life-saving. We have left behind the pall of disbelief, the wintry blasts of dissipation; we have fled secular turmoil and the great storm of the gale-force winds of excessive consumption of food and drink; we have escaped carnal pleasures and the distractions of worldly cares; we have been freed from the darkness of ignorance and have reached roseate spring, that is the fair weather which profits the soul. Let us welcome this bright and sunny day, then, overjoyed and elated, let us cast off the gloomy works of dark and soul-destroying sin, as Saint Paul urges us to do. These are fornication, impurity, passion, wicked desire and greed, which all constitute idolatry. Anyone, for example, who is avaricious will perish as being unmerciful and uncaring. Let us divest ourselves of the works of darkness and sin as if they were a garment, and let us clothe ourselves in the works of light, sanctity, and purity, which are weapons and armaments of the soul. Let us walk in orderly and virtuous comeliness, because sin is the cause of ugliness and dishonor, whereas virtue is the emissary of honor and loveliness.

Sermon for the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee (Monk Agapios Landos)

 

 By Monk Agapios Landos of Crete

The Holy Fathers of the Church have commanded us to sing and read today about the case and parable of the Publican and the Pharisee, in order that we might prepare for the spiritual struggles and warfare of Holy Lent, which is approaching. This is why they called this week a ‘warning order’, because it forewarns and reminds us of the time of fasting and repentance which is almost upon us, so that we may prepare accordingly, to fight bravely and fairly, and not be defeated by any passion and lose the kingdom of heaven. Let each of us then examine which sin defeats us, so that we conquer it boldly in these holy days; so that we may shame the wicked devil, who fights day and night to defeat us, because he hates the human race.

Sermon for the 17th Sunday of Matthew - Sunday of the Canaanite Woman (Monk Agapios Landos)

 

By Monk Agapios Landos of Crete

"At that time, Jesus went to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, 'Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon.'" The Lord prevented His disciples from going into the lands of the pagans, but He Himself went to Tyre and Sidon which were towns where Greeks lived. He did so in order to condemn the lack of faith on the part of the Jews. So the Canaanite woman, who must have learned of the Lord’s reputation earlier, heard that He had come to that part of the country and approached Him crying: "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon." With these words, the woman confessed the accuracy of her faith and shamed the Jews for not being persuaded by the words of Christ, the Savior. She didn’t know the Law, hadn’t studied the Prophets, yet called Him God and man when asking for His mercy. By saying "Have mercy on me, Lord," she acknowledged His divinity; with "Son of David," His humanity.

Sermon for the 15th Sunday of Luke - On Zacchaeus the Tax-Collector (Monk Agapios Landos)

By Monk Agapios Landos of Crete (1585-1657)

All injustice, illegal seizure and greed is wicked and worthy of abhorrence on the part of those who love God and are of sound mind. Tax-collectors are the worst of all as regards injustice. Just as lions are worse and fiercer than any other animals in the mountains and forests, so tax-collectors and slanderers are more unjust and wicked than any other people in towns and villages. This is because greed is injustice and a sin, and is inhuman, the opposite of kindly concern for others. Just as warmth is the opposite of cold, light of darkness and white of black, so the tax-collector is opposed to the command that we should give succour to the poor.