August 9, 2026: Sunday after Transfiguration

 As preached by Sister Cecelia
Holy Wisdom Church

Malachi 2:5-7, 3:20-24, Acts 13:25-41, Mark 9:2-13

We have heard so many inspiring words this past week. What will we take with us on our own journey through life?  

In the first reading from Malachi this morning the warnings are quite dire. Yet it all ends with Israel leaping with joy like a calf being released from its stall. As Malachi preached for the ones who revere the name of God and keep God’s law are the truly happy ones. What Jesus came to teach is the law of love.

How do we acquire the wisdom to live this law of love? Some people think that Jesus wasn’t really sure that the suffering he saw coming was really what God willed for Him. That is why he went up the mountain to pray. Moses and Elijah spoke with Jesus during his Transfiguration, and, we think, assured him he was correct in his understanding. Then the three apostles were told to listen to Jesus, and surely, having seen Moses and Elijah and the Transfigured Christ, they were more open to Jesus’ teaching than before. Their previous understanding of the Messiah was not what Jesus had been teaching them. We see by the length of time the apostles took to really accept Jesus’ teaching of what their Messiah is, how difficult to change our thinking as well. It was not until Pentecost they were convinced of this law of love.

The law of love entails work on our part. In today’s world, the effect of whatever work each of us does—intellectual, artistic, social, communal, or individual—must be good for the globe: that is, for all creation, as well as for our particular area, ourselves included.

 A spirituality of work has many components. Work is our gift to the world. It can build the human community, which needs to be based on mutual service, respect, gentleness, and equality.  It can and does lead to self-fulfillment. It can save one from total self-centeredness. It gives a reason to exist that is larger than oneself. It enables the Creator to go on creating.

A spirituality of work is that by which we come to know that our work is God’s work, unfinished because God intends it to be finished by us. As a society, we depend greatly on the support of those around us and when this is lacking, faithfulness to our deepest beliefs becomes more difficult. Some seasonal variations in one’s inner life by having to exist in an environment that does not nourish our deepest aspirations can shrivel up one’s spirit and self-esteem. To the extent that we live in such a situation, we need to strengthen our faith by a constant remembrance of God’s word as we interact with an ever-changing world.

Some of the words spoken by Dr. Popa yesterday can help steer us in a helpful direction.  The law of love entails being mindful of God’s presence in our life. Our creating God continuously lures us toward being all that we can be: images of Christ in union with God. In our enthusiasm to carry out this law of love, remember to take care of ourselves as well.

Jesus’ mission to his followers was to preach that the kingdom of Heaven is at hand. How to do it was to do what Jesus did: to respond to human needs. Work sanctifies by calling us to save the globe for others and to save others for the sake of the globe.

Christ is in our midst!

Sermon 220 August 8, 2026

 As preached by Brother Luke
Holy Wisdom Churc

Lk 9:28-36; 2Cor 3:5b-8, 12-18; Wi 7:25-8:1 Pilgrimage. Seeing in a new light.  

 

       When I was a kid in school learning vocabulary, one common exercise was to give students a new word, or words, to be used in a sentence. This was to help us understand, and maybe even remember, the new word. That word for us today is Transfiguration. I suspect, outside of this feast, we don't use that word very often, if at all. It is specific to the event the apostles Peter, James and John experienced with Jesus on the mountain not long before his passion. Maybe we can bring the wonder of this into our ordinary life experiences. We might think of it as seeing something in a new light.

        The apostles had been living with Jesus during his entire ministry. They could see him in daily life as an ordinary person, the son of man, spoken of in scripture. A teacher of remarkable wisdom. But they were constantly struggling with the reality beyond worldly reality, of Jesus as divine, as the perfect reflection of God, the creator of all things. Whether it was about the calming of the stormy sea, healing all kinds of diseases, turning water into wine, multiplying the loves of bread or driving out demons, they remained mystified, openly wondering who is this man?

       So Peter, James and John were given an insight not shared with the other apostles, a vision of Jesus beyond earthly boundaries. They saw him in a new light, literally. They experienced something so astonishing, they were thrown to the ground. They got a glimpse of God's cosmic reality. But even that was too much for them to fathom. And maybe for us as well.

       It is not unusual to hear of Jesus referred to as the Cosmic Christ. For me, this is simply another way to understand that God is the author, the creator, of all things. It is hard to conceive cosmic more broadly than that. What Christ was opening up to Peter, James and John on that mountain was a vision of the connection between this created world and the creator of this world. Christ was revealed in this new light as the fulfillment of the law and the prophets as represented by Moses and Elijah who appeared with him. And yet, it all vanished in a cloud in an instant.

       But it is not gone. Our eyes can really see that connection in all that we experience in our seemingly ordinary lives if we let God transfigure our hearts. Our interior disposition has to be open to this possibility. We at New Skete are fortunate. Here on this mountain we are graced with the natural wonders of creation.  We are embraced by God's creation when we walk around these grounds or hike our trails and allow our senses to be open to penetrate the divine reality beyond the immediate visual and sensory experience. And by breeding German Shepherd dogs, we participate in the birth and early growth of their puppies, living beings. Seeing creation's constant wonder unfold, literally, in our hands. This is soon to happen again as one of our brood bitches is carrying 10 puppies and is due to give birth any day now.

       Our speaker today, Ioana Popa, will take us on a journey into the realm of scientific inquiry grounded in faith. A journey to help us better appreciate that scientific research and discoveries do not deny God but help us understand a little better the enormity of God's creation. We humans will never be able to wrap our minds totally around the wonder that is God, but every scientific breakthrough takes us another step further along that path. 

Homily for the Feast of the Transfiguration, Aug. 6, 2026

 As preached by Brother Christopher
Holy Wisdom Church 

 

“But Jesus came and touched them saying, ‘Get up and do not be afraid’. (Mt 17:7)

 

I’ve always felt that this feast of the Transfiguration takes place on two levels: bad news, good news. On the one hand, it occurs immediately in the gospel after Peter’s confession of faith that Jesus is the Messiah, then Peter’s subsequent misunderstanding of that which earns Jesus’ stern rebuke, and then Jesus patiently explaining his coming destiny of suffering, to be put to death by the elders and chief priests. Only then, ultimately, will he be raised to life. But even more, he explains that true discipleship means that we, too, share in the cross. Remember his words: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Only then is there the proper and broader context to understand the real mystery of the Transfiguration. Because Jesus knows that he is traveling to his death. On this level, the Transfiguration ratifies both his destiny and identity.  The broader picture is good news, the ultimate triumph of the Kingdom of God, a world bathed in divine light. But the immediate path is through suffering and death. Do we truly appreciate that tension?

Moses and Elijah, flanking Jesus, have often been seen as a sign of the Law and the Prophets confirming that Jesus indeed is the one who they have been waiting for. But I believe there is an additional meaning which, while not contradicting the first, adds a fuller dimension to their presence. For both Moses and Elijah were considered to be prophets who were initially rejected by the people but ultimately vindicated by God. Their presence foreshadows what Jesus will soon face in Jerusalem: rejection, suffering and death. At the same time, the heavenly vision, the radiance that is the transfiguration of Jesus points to an aftermath of glory and triumph. The heavenly voice confirms this: “this is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.” And while Peter, James and John are thrown face down in fear at this revelation, Jesus simply touches them and tells them to get up and not to fear. It is with the lightness of that touch that the 14^th century mystic Julian of Norwich perceived so tellingly: “All shall be well, all manner of things shall be well.”

              But there is another level of this feast that has been picked up by tradition and which has helped make the Transfiguration one of the most popular feasts of the year: the deeper perception of a world bathed in divine light. The icon of the feast depicts this, the divine light radiating from Jesus not only on the disciples, but on the rocks... plants... in effect on all creation; Creation is illuminated in its pristine beauty and shares in this deifying vision. That is part of the grace we experience here on this property. From the time of our beginning in 1966, to the building of our monastery on this property from scratch, we have been immersed in a natural beauty that reminds us constantly of the divine light that fills all creation. It has helped us break open the mystery of the Transfiguration, so much so that it is the patronal feast of New Skete. May our prayer only serve to increase our ability to see the reality of this manifestation in ever deeper ways.

 

6th Sunday after Pentecost - July 12, 2026

 As preached by Sister Cecelia
Holy Wisdom Church

2 Kings 4:25-37, Romans 8:1-11, Matthew 9:18-26

The Gospels of Mark and Luke both give longer and more detailed accounts of the two miracles in today’s gospel. What are we to make of this very brief description from St. Matthew? It seems that Matthew is attempting to make a point of Jesus’ concern for each of these individuals. Matthew does not dwell on either person’s motivation for seeking help. By extension, he would like us to realize Jesus’ concern for each of us, whatever our motivation is. It does not matter how we come, no matter how inadequately or how imperfectly we come—only that we come seeking help. We come to Christ exactly as we are, and Christ’s Spirit is able to make us what we are able to become. We can always say no to our inspirations, since God does not force us but does continually give us other chances to be Christ-bearers.

 

In today’s Epistle, St. Paul’s admonition to the believers was that when a person became a Christian, there came to them the surging power of the Spirit of God. Sinful human nature makes it easy to be absorbed in all kinds of things that appeal to and are dominated by the flesh. The flesh making us prone to envy, murder, jealousy, anger, selfish ambition, sexual immorality, idolatry, greediness, covetousness, and malice.

 

Paul taught that If the Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us, then our mortal bodies, our flesh, are Spirit-controlled, Christ-controlled, and God-focused. We then come to realize that Jesus became human to show us the way. The way is to see the goodness in all that God created. It is when our mortal bodies unite with our spirit that we are truly Christian.

 

In Matthew’s rendition of these two miracles, it is clear that Jesus is responding to the need of others. In following this Christian way and responding to other’s needs, our actions can bring about hardships for us. Christ’s self-emptying, exemplified by his life on earth, are lessons in self-giving we can aspire to as our own lives progress.

 

If our communities are based on mutual service, respect, kindness, and equality, these are virtues exemplified by love. The domination of one sector of society by another, or the notion that violence can be solved by violence, or the failure to examine all aspects of every question, or the attempt to use one group of people for the comfort and convenience of another, is destructive to any society.

 

 Communities are composed of individuals. In our day and age, individuals can be in danger of getting lost. People tend to become numbers in the social security system, or members of any association or union or ethnic group, rather than the individuals we are. God loves each of us individually because we are all unique from one another.

 

The woman in today’s gospel was not simply a poor woman obscured by the crowd; she was someone to whom Jesus gave of himself wholeheartedly, for it seemed that nothing but her need existed.

 

Christ is aware of each of us in our need. So it does not matter how we come, no matter how inadequately or how imperfectly we come. We come to Christ exactly as we are, and Christ’s Spirit is able to make us what we are able to become.

 

When we remember that we are loved, we are prompted to be able to love the other and respond to their needs.

Christ is in our midst!

 

Sermon 219 July 5, 2026 Mt 8:28-9:1; Rom 6:8-18; Is 65:1-10. Demons.

 As preached by Brother Luke
Holy Wisdom Church

“The devil made me do it!” We may laugh when we hear this excuse for someone’s behavior today, but when Jesus walked this earth, being demon-possessed was no laughing matter. People strongly believed that strange behaviors and illnesses were often the work of demons. Sin was also viewed as the cause of ailments. And sin might be the invitation to the demons. Our understanding of medical science has brought us a long way from those views, but the feeling of being out of control of one’s own behavior is still a reality and it has a biblical pedigree as St. Paul reminds us this morning and laments in the next chapter of Romans that he doesn’t do what he wants to do and does what he hates. [Romans 7:15]

The opening of this gospel scene presents us with a powerful image of Jesus’ battle with evil in our world. Jesus didn’t just happen to run into these demon possessed individuals, he went to this place on purpose. And the demons knew it. They accused him of coming to destroy them before time. And what time was that? Kairos time. In God’s time, the demons had already lost their battle, but not here on earth in kronos time. Not yet. All the images presented in this passage are of a place that was polluted, the demoniacs were living among the tombs, the village inhabitants were not Jews but pagans and they were raising pigs, thought to be dirty as well. And Isaiah warns us of this too. The dialog in Matthew is virtually all by others, the demons and the townspeople. Jesus says only one word: go! And by showing these villagers that the evil of this world must GO, they responded as we often do, instead of heeding his warning, they ask Jesus to leave. And he does.

         Jesus can help us battle our demons, personal, communal, and societal, but we need to say yes. Yes, to his teachings. And we might think that should be easy, but we often find that it is not. When I am engaged in a discussion with another person with whom I have differences, how do I bring the peace of Christ to that situation? Listen. But my inner voice, [maybe my ego?], is telling me I’m right, why do I need to listen? But the better question is: why do I need to be right? That is where my inner work is. Agreeing or disagreeing isn’t the problem, needing to be right and for the other to accept that I am right is at the forefront of the dispute. And how far can the dispute go? A shouting match? As scary as the demoniacs in Gadara? Or a fight or a rupture of relationships. And this little drama can be carried out at any level of society all the way up to war between nations, as we see in many places today.

         In the Gadara story, and equally in our lives and our world, Jesus seeks out evil to combat it. But those caught up in the moment need to be willing to accept Jesus’s example. Jesus said go and the demons went and took other evil forces with them. But if people or nations are more concerned about power, money, and influence over others, then they will complain about the loss of the pigs [the things they think are valuable] rather than celebrate the healing of the “demon possessed,” the peace of Christ.

         True medical illnesses need the wisdom and skills of trained medical professionals. This story is not about a magical cure, this is much more basic. It is about confronting and combatting evil. Jesus didn’t come to bring peace but a sword. [Mt 10:34] In other words we do not make peace with evil, but the combat with evil is about following the teachings of Christ that conflict with the ways of the world. The more aligned with Jesus’ teachings the more likely true peace will grow in us and in our world.

Pentecost May 31st, 2026

 As Preached  by Sister Cecelia
Holy Wisdom Church

Joel 2:23,3:5 Acts1:11, Jn 7;37-52,8:12

A question I have had since my youth is why does Scripture in most translations state there was no Spirit? We know the Spirit is referred to often in the Hebrew Scriptures. I have found only one older translation that was -no Spirit given or, as in this mornings reading, no Spirit as yet-which makes more sense.  Jesus needing to be glorified by being taken up to join the Father first before the Spirit could be given still leaves me wondering what these words all meant.

However, the important thing to understand from this morning’s gospel is that the Spirit was given to Christ’s followers and caused them to be fearless and courageous in spreading the Good News that Christ had been teaching them.

We too, have been given this same Spirit. I t is the living water Jesus promised us.

The words of the prophet Ezekiel;  A new heart I will give you and a new Spirit I will put within you … “I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean from all your idols. The prophet’s words are very powerful as they remind us of the continuous temptations to worship idols and false gods even in our own day if we can but recognize them.

It is so easy to have vengeance in our hearts and acid in our souls. A new heart can save us from any desire to hurt as we have been hurt. To punish another if we have been punished or to terrorize if we have been terrorized. The living water Christ is giving us is the strength it takes to listen rather than to judge, to trust rather than to fear, to try again to make peace even if peace seems to elude us.

An ancient elder taught that the first task of the spiritual life is learning to see our own reactions clearly. When angry, how quickly do we justify it? When fearful, we like to think it is being wise. Do we truly know our motivations for what we do and don’t do? Some of us live in this world as if we are already in the next.  We remove ourselves from things that are so called worldly in order to aspire to heavenly things, rather than seeking justice for all people or care for the oppressed or confronting evil. There is a tension between what is considered profane and what is spiritual. The holy life, if Jesus is our model, means pursuing spiritual fulfillment in the midst of the sacred secular.

This living water of Christ enables us to be builders of the human community rather than destroyers. This living water helps us understand the Joyful Sorrow of the Cross. The cross teaches us how to celebrate without arrogance, how to hope without cruelty, how to speak of victory without being triumphalist. This living water centers us in God. It does not mean we have no other interests but God but all other interests are meant to bring us closer to God. They do not take God’s place in our lives but enables the Spirit to enhance the meaning of everything.

When we reach the point where we can look beyond ourselves, we find God in the rest of creation. Life spills over with the wonder and awesomeness of God.  We find the fullness of the Spirit for which we have been looking and searching.

Once we begin to recognize God at work in us, everything becomes holy, becomes life -giving. God is a sense of life now and of life to come.

Christ is in our midst!

Sermon 218 - Jn 11:47-52, Ep 3:4-7; 14-21 Ac 11:1-18 Council Fathers - Honesty or Expediency?

 As preached by Brother Luke
Holy Wisdom Church

I'm not sure if it was planned or just worked out that way but putting this gospel reading with the commemoration of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea [in 325] highlights the inner workings of decision-making bodies, both religious and political. The Council Fathers crafted the Nicene Creed but only after a lot of inevitable wrangling and the exclusion of some alternative viewpoints [Arius in particular]. The Sanhedrin came to the conclusion that Jesus's teaching was appealing to so many people that it put the whole Jewish nation in jeopardy of being destroyed by the Romans and so he had to die. Was that the only reason? Or were they more concerned about losing their power to this upstart teacher over whom they had no control?

       Both councils had political objectives. The Ecumenical Council was convoked by the political authorities not the church. They wanted clarity on doctrine so that the church would be a force for unity and control in the empire. The Sanhedrin was concerned about their power. Pointing to Rome as the threat allowed them to use the fear of Roman power to reinforce their own power. But expediency as a motive for the gathering and outcomes of both councils, did not overturn God's plan. The Good News of Jesus Christ is about God as love not power. But also that love can overcome power.

       Caiaphas, the High Priest at that time, explained Christ's death as a necessary way to save the nation. This was also God's plan but in a larger sense. Through God's plan, salvation became available for all people as God entered into our human reality fully. Through his suffering, death and resurrection, Jesus opens for us the way out of bondage to suffering and death. Abraham preparing to sacrifice his son Isaac at God's command, prefigures Jesus's passion. Abraham trusted God's promise that many generations would flow from Isaac, and so, Isaac would have to live, for that promise to be fulfilled. Isaac, and the generations that issued from him, including David and his line, were saved by God's action.

       The Nicene Creed may not explicitly refer to God as love, but  the doctrine codified by the council lays out the path for the salvation of all people, which is the ultimate objective of God's love. How we get there is based on how we live in this world where God has placed us for a while. This is the message of St Matthew's gospel reading on Judgment Sunday at the beginning of the lenten, passion and resurrection cycles of the church year.

       So for us, God's power to transform human weaknesses or misguided motives into building blocks for his larger goal, should never be minimized. When we face crises or challenges that seem overwhelming, don't conclude that God is absent. God's ways are beyond our fathoming, deeper than our minds will ever be able to go. Turning logic upside down, deflating our egos, undermining our presumptions, stepping in when all seems lost, healing our brokenness, all are God's specialty. When we get out of the way, and let God be God, then we experience in our own lives the fullest meaning of Jesus' Ascension that we have been celebrating this week.

       Glory be to Jesus Christ