Volume 4, Issue 1

April, 2001

Priest's Corner
Father John Fleser

  A sermon by St. John Chrysostom On Repentance and Holy Communion.

Just as those who sow do not benefit when they cast the seed along the side of the road, likewise, we do not benefit from hearing ourselves being called Christians if we do not have works appropriate to the appellation. If you want, I will bring forward to you James the brother of the Lord as a trustworthy witness who affirmed: 'Faith without works is dead.' Therefore, it is imperative for us to do good works. For when they do not exist, the name Christian cannot benefit us. Do not be astonished. For tell me, what does a soldier gain who serves in the army if he is unworthy of the campaign and does not fight for the emperor who nourishes him? It is better if he does not serve in the army, instead of serving and being indifferent about the honor of the emperor. How can the one who is nourished by the emperor not be punished if he fails to struggle for victory for the emperor? What am I saying, for the emperor? God grant that we at least take care of our souls.
How can I, Scripture says, be in the world and in the midst of so much troublesome business and be saved?

(Continued on page 2)

More than once, brethren, the fact has been mentioned that on each Sunday in the Great Fast there are other commemorations beside that of the Resurrection. Thus, on this day, the Church glorifies the righteous John of the Ladder, one of the greatest ascetics, which the Church, in speaking of them, calls "earthly angels and Heavenly men."
These great ascetics were extraordinary people. They commanded the elements; wild beasts willingly and readily obeyed them. For them, there were no maladies they could not cure. They walked on the waters as on dry land; all the elements of the world were subject to them, because they lived in God and had the power of grace to overcome the laws of terrestrial nature. One such ascetic was Saint John of the Ladder.
He was surnamed "of the Ladder" (Climacus) because he wrote an immortal work, the Ladder of Divine Ascent. In this work, we see how, by means of thirty steps, the Christian gradually ascends from below to the heights of supreme spiritual perfection. We see how one virtue leads to another, as a man

(Continued on page 4)

St. Anna's Orthodox Church
852 South Street
Roslindale, MA 02131-2448
Tel: [617] 327-5300

Father John Fleser
Parish Priest
E-mail:
john.fleser@verizon.net

Father Elias Fagan
Deacon
8 Wayne Avenue
Ipswich, MA 01938
Tel: [981] 356-7273

1