Vlog, Homily Preview

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The folks over at Blaze Media reprinted my essay, I was in Hell.

The texts for the Sunday of the Man Born Blind:

Glory

Let us, the faithful, praise and worship the Word, co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit, born for our salvation from the Virgin; for He willed to be lifted up on the Cross in the flesh, to endure death, and to raise the dead by His glorious Resurrection.

Both now

Theotokion

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Kontakion: 

I come to You, O Christ, blind from birth in my spiritual eyes and I call to You in repentance: You are the most radiant light of those in darkness!

From the Acts of the Apostles

As we were going to prayer, it happened that we encountered a certain girl who had a spirit of divination and who produced much profit to her masters by fortune telling. As she followed Paul and us, she cried out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us a way of salvation!” “And she did this for many days. But Paul, becoming greatly annoyed, turned back and said to the spirit, “In the Name of Jesus Christ, I order you to come out of her!” And the spirit came out that very moment. “When her masters saw that the hope of their gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas, and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. Having brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These Jewish men are causing unrest in our city! They teach customs which it is not lawful for us Romans to accept or observe!” When the crowd also rose up against them, the magistrates had them stripped and flogged. After giving them a severe flogging, the magistrates had them thrown into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a command, he threw them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. But when it was about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly, there was a great earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once, all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were loosened. The jailer, awaken from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, began to draw his sword and he was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” Having asked for lights, the jailer rushed in and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. He brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, you and your household!” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all those who were in his household. Late as it was, the jailer washed their wounds and was immediately baptized, he and his entire household. He took them into his house and set food before them. He was filled with joy for believing in God, along with his entire household.

From the Gospel according to St John

As Jesus was passing by, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who has sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither did this man sin, nor his parents; but [it was in order that the works of God might be revealed in him. I must do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. The night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When he had said this, he spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva and anointed the blind man’s eyes with the mud. He then said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). And so, the man went away, washed, and came back seeing. At this, the neighbors and those who saw that he had been blind before said, “Is this not the man who sat and begged?” ’Others were saying, “It is he!” Still others were saying, “He looks like him.” The man said, “I am he!” “Therefore, the people asked him, “How were your eyes opened?” “He answered, “A man called Jesus made mud, anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash.’ And so, I went away and washed, and I received sight.” ‘’Then they asked him, “Where is he?” The man replied, “I do not know.” ‘”They brought the man who had been blind to the Pharisees. It was a Sabbath when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. ‘”Again, the Pharisees also asked the man how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and I see!” At this, some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God because he does not keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” There was division among them. “Therefore, they asked the blind man again, “What do you say about him, since he opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet!” The Jews did not believe the report about this man, that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of this man who had received his sight. ‘”They asked the parents, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”  His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind. But how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. He is of age. Ask him! He will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they feared the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone would confess Jesus as Christ, this person would be expelled from the synagogue. ’’Therefore, his parents said, “He is of age. Ask him!” And so, they called the man who had been blind a second time, and they told him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner! At this, the man answered, “I do not know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: that though I was blind, now I see!” Again, they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You do not also want to become his disciples, do you?” Then they insulted him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses; but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The man answered them, “How amazing! You do not know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners; God will listen to anyone who is God-fearing and who does his will. Since the world began, it has never been heard of that anyone opened the eyes of someone born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born completely in sins, and do you teach us?” And they threw him out. Jesus heard that they had thrown out the man born blind, he found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of God?” The man answered, “Who is he, Sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking with you.” Then the man said, “Sir, I believe!” and he worshipped Jesus.