John 6:68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. ☦️ . If u think to leave the church , read this verse , what in this whole planet can give u eternal life other than christ ? What is it out there that can give u happiness that doesnt end ? . Why we dont have strong faith yet ? .. well its because we still have the hope that there is true happiness in the world and the truth is there isnt , material happiness when we have more of it , the less the satisfaction becomes and spirtual happiness the more we have it the more it adds
1000 years of bickering between catholic and orthodox. Nearly 500 years of fragmented western christianity. Witch hunts, catholic protestent wars, orphanages, boarding schools and homosexual and pedophole priests. The church has done the devils work for him. From a collective perspective, its better to never join the church or A church at all.
Very wise point. But we are of this world. God gave us an amazing brain to focus our souls to understand the perfect, even when we aren't perfect. Do we forget? Do we give into our physical needs, our fears, our passions? Yes, of course we do. Is it sin? Yep. Most likely. But God does want us to live our lives in the middle, I think. Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's - it is an amazing statement. Yes, you have to accept reality. But you know what life is really about even if you fail. Stay focused on Jesus, and all will be forgiven. Just accept his love, and even your flaws will be strengths.
This is the hardest fact to accept... I realized the stark reality when I watched a documentary on a Monastery founded in the 1920s in the USA. Out of the original 90 religious who took vows, only 15 were buried in the cemetery.
Christ is in our Midst ☦️ He is and always shall be🕯️ I am so very glad that you do these videos on TH-cam!! Thank you & God bless you, Father Lillie 🙏☦️😇🕯️♥️🕊️
I'm looking for a church that follows the bible and is relentless in pushing back current cultural norms that are falsehoods. "It is better to be divided by truth, then to be united by error" "It is better to speak the truth that hurts and then heals, then to speak falsehood that comforts but then kills"
"I'm looking for a church that follows the bible" In Paul's Epsistles he always says something to the effect of "Remember what you were taught." What were they taught? He spent years at some of the churches, preaching daily. The teachings in question are preserved in the church fathers and saints. If you want to follow the bible, you will take Paul's words as guidance and find those teachings. Be warned, there are many bad teachings mixed in. Find an Orthodox (no not catholic) church and talk to a priest. Only the Orthodox church can trace itself and teaching back to where it all started. Read the seven letters of Ignatius for a picture of the church. Read "On the Incarnation of the Word" by Athanasius for early teaching. Most of all, find an Orthodox church and hear them out. Protestantism teaches many lies about Orthodox tradition and practice, and reformed protestant theology is in vain.
Eastern Orthodoxy... been in the Church for 51 years. Orthodoxy is a way of life. All the kids around my son's age are confused... but the Orthodox are not. They are based.
Thank you. You touched on the heartache of many..FATHER, only yesterday, after hearing this parable all my life, and, now, more deeply in the Orthodox Church, i realized something. I had learned a long time ago that when this young man left his father he was basically treating him as already dead. This GOOD father who did everything right.. But i never realized until yesterday that he NEVER HAD INTENDED TO GO BACK. HE WAS FINISHED. HE HAD BURNED EVERY BRIDGE. SO, when he returned to 'himself', he also had to repent of the myfatherandamilyareasgoodasdeadtome heart that he had. SO MANY are in THAT situation. They don't just wander off and slip through the cracks, although many slide away like that, at any age, but they do it deliberately.. so sad.. To leave this Holy Church, this gift to the world.. Lord, have mercy..
His yoke is easy and his burden is light. If following Jesus Christ is a burden to you it’s because you’re being selfish and you’re viewing the world through your flesh. You’re not keeping the commandments. You’re going about it all wrong. Keep the commandments and receive the fruit of the spirit. His yoke is easy and his burden is light. You’ll have peace beyond all understanding.
What the Orthodox Church asks people to do is not easy. And when people don’t want to do it, usually it’s because they don’t believe it’s going to help them. There are claims made by the church, specifically the church, that people wrestle with. Or they don’t understand why the church is asking them to fast for a third of the year. Or go to church for 8+ hours a week on top of everything else going on. “Priest, I’m suffering because I have no friends” or “I want a wife” etc etc. “Pray more” “Come to church more” “Oh you’d rather spend time trying to meet people than coming to church, that must mean you aren’t serious/don’t love God.” Honestly it’s a bit abusive at times. And people in the church like to make this claim that partaking in the life of the church is going to fix your problems. It’s not. So to use the quote “his yolk is easy and his burden is light”… I dunno, it’s all relative I guess but being Orthodox has not seemed very easy. Overcoming your sins or, even harder, dying COMPLETELY to worldly things, is something most people are going to absolutely berate themselves over for the rest of their lives should they choose to become Orthodox. All the while thinking, “Well perhaps the reason I can’t feel God is that I have not yet repented of some sin. Or perhaps I must try harder in prayer.” When a saint is telling you on his deathbed in tears that he has “just begun his spiritual life”, does that not give people pause? We see it the way the church wants us to see it: we should always be cultivating a feeling of unworthiness before a merciful God. Not taking any pride or having any self-esteem toward any spiritual growth. And yet the spiritual life is to be our focus. If you notice you’ve made any progress, would you not feel a slight moment of pride? How soon does the fall come after that? It all sounds like hell, forgive me. It’s not that I’ve found anything better, but I am struggling with even desiring baptism at this point.
@@spikestoyouwhat Christ asks us to do is exactly what the Church asks us to do. Beginners aren’t asked to do anything intense like you’ve said. Only those with a self-sacrificing love and yearning for Christ take on greater challenges to move upwards to be like Jesus Himself. The Saints exemplify what happens to people who take on these great burdens with faith and patience. Orthodox Christian’s each have their own Spiritual Fathers for that exact reason. They are who we go to for guidance and answers, and they give us personal rules for prayer and fasting based on what they think we can handle. My Spiritual Father is a monk with extensive prayer rules of his own and strict fasting, but he goes east on me & I would often ask him to push me harder when I was new. He was going easy on me because I was spiritually weak, but I pridefully thought I could handle more. If you are cracking under the pressure of fasting and it’s leading you to the greater sin of remaining out of communion with Christ, maybe you should ask a priest for advice on reducing the intensity of your fasting rule to something that you can handle.
@@spikestoyouis your fasting and prayer rule self imposed? Or do you have a spiritual father who gave it to you? It’s far worse to remain out of communion with Christ than to reduce the intensity of your fasting. And if you’re going to Church for 8+ hours a week that’s great, but be mindful of your own limits. Sunday Divine Liturgy is 1.5-2.5 hours long, depending on where you go, and that is absolutely essential. If going beyond that is making you bitter towards God, then I think it would be helpful to tone it down a little. God knows your heart. Sorry if I’m spamming you rn. My last comment seems to be deleted, so I’m replying again, but you might still see the original.
One of my Favorite Parables and I Believe it’s True - God is walking with you…. Even if you are not walking with him. I was once part of the 60% until I broke from the negative fog of the modern world- I realized and was able to see the many blessing around me, even hard times I didn’t understand at the time I realized were blessings, teachings of strength - I came to feel that God was with me through all that… even though I had left him long ago. I returned to my Faith and this Beautiful Church and it’s loving Parish community
The best thing we can do for that 60% is to pray. Beseech their heavenly patron to interceed before the Holy Trinity for their souls. Beseech the Most Holy Theotokos for them. Get on our faces before Christ God for the salvation of their souls.
One of my Favorite Parables and I Believe it’s True - God is walking with you…. Even if you are not walking with him. I was once part of the 60% until I broke from the negative fog of the modern world- I realized and was able to see the many blessing around me, even hard times I didn’t understand at the time I realized were blessings, teachings of strength - I came to feel that God was with me through all that… even though I had left him long ago. I returned to my Faith and this Beautiful Church and it’s loving Parish community
"But he not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted." (Matthew 23:8-12).
Sometimes people leave the church due to abuses by the spiritual leaders which the church tries to hide. Trying to hide sin does not bring healing to either the offender or the victim. When there is no accountability, the victim is abused and traumatized again and often the offender is left free to abuse others.
Yes, Sometimes that is the sad truth. It is one of those exceptions I mentioned in the sermon. May those that left for those reasons receive healing and come to realize the body of a Christ is filled with sinners but it is Christ nonetheless.
I was exactly the person you were talking about. I was the 40%, and unlike the 60%, and left for 15 years. Searching for some other mind made god. He is not out there. Thank you Jesus, for calling me back through the Series The Chosen, I came back to the church (Catholic) 🙏🏻
One of my Favorite Parables and I Believe it’s True - God is walking with you…. Even if you are not walking with him. I was once part of the 60% until I broke from the negative fog of the modern world- I realized and was able to see the many blessing around me, even hard times I didn’t understand at the time I realized were blessings, teachings of strength - I came to feel that God was with me through all that… even though I had left him long ago. I returned to my Faith and this Beautiful Church and it’s loving Parish community
"On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."
Aren,t we the church , when we go to the temple to worship , that is one place the Creator makes his home , but isn,t he also in us , like we were tought ? If you search for tge truth isn,t the Holy Spirit with you ? 🤷♂️
@@Bluets023 Jesus Christ kicked out merchants (AKA "thieves") out of His Church, not general laity or clergy. EDIT: I am not saying merchants = thieves. I am saying that the people who bought and sold (the ones selling are merchants) INSIDE God's holy temple pervert it. Matthew 21:12-13 NKJV Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ”
Christian youth but suspect that it is close to reality in our churches. When I became Orthodox in 60s we numbered c. 2 million. Now perhaps 800.000@@pete5108
Orthodoxy is not a religion but way of life. And... Our Lord was going to the synagogues regularly... Apostles went to the church regularly as well... and you think they were fools and you are smart arse.?
@@FaithfulComforter Except that it is, for all you need do is confess your sins and proclaim Jesus Christ Lord and Savior, that He died on the cross for your sins. That isn't a church, that isn't a religion. It's a single decision which is followed through with word thought and deed. God Bless!
John 6:68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. ☦️ . If u think to leave the church , read this verse , what in this whole planet can give u eternal life other than christ ? What is it out there that can give u happiness that doesnt end ? . Why we dont have strong faith yet ? .. well its because we still have the hope that there is true happiness in the world and the truth is there isnt , material happiness when we have more of it , the less the satisfaction becomes and spirtual happiness the more we have it the more it adds
1000 years of bickering between catholic and orthodox. Nearly 500 years of fragmented western christianity.
Witch hunts, catholic protestent wars, orphanages, boarding schools and homosexual and pedophole priests.
The church has done the devils work for him.
From a collective perspective, its better to never join the church or A church at all.
Very wise point. But we are of this world. God gave us an amazing brain to focus our souls to understand the perfect, even when we aren't perfect. Do we forget? Do we give into our physical needs, our fears, our passions? Yes, of course we do. Is it sin? Yep. Most likely. But God does want us to live our lives in the middle, I think. Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's - it is an amazing statement. Yes, you have to accept reality. But you know what life is really about even if you fail. Stay focused on Jesus, and all will be forgiven. Just accept his love, and even your flaws will be strengths.
💘
This is the hardest fact to accept... I realized the stark reality when I watched a documentary on a Monastery founded in the 1920s in the USA. Out of the original 90 religious who took vows, only 15 were buried in the cemetery.
Truly a unique sermon. One few priests and churches are willing to explore. Thanks for posting
Christ is in our Midst ☦️
He is and always shall be🕯️
I am so very glad that you do these videos on TH-cam!!
Thank you & God bless you, Father Lillie 🙏☦️😇🕯️♥️🕊️
I'm looking for a church that follows the bible and is relentless in pushing back current cultural norms that are falsehoods. "It is better to be divided by truth, then to be united by error" "It is better to speak the truth that hurts and then heals, then to speak falsehood that comforts but then kills"
"I'm looking for a church that follows the bible" In Paul's Epsistles he always says something to the effect of "Remember what you were taught." What were they taught? He spent years at some of the churches, preaching daily. The teachings in question are preserved in the church fathers and saints. If you want to follow the bible, you will take Paul's words as guidance and find those teachings. Be warned, there are many bad teachings mixed in. Find an Orthodox (no not catholic) church and talk to a priest. Only the Orthodox church can trace itself and teaching back to where it all started. Read the seven letters of Ignatius for a picture of the church. Read "On the Incarnation of the Word" by Athanasius for early teaching. Most of all, find an Orthodox church and hear them out. Protestantism teaches many lies about Orthodox tradition and practice, and reformed protestant theology is in vain.
Here you have found it.
Eastern Orthodoxy... been in the Church for 51 years. Orthodoxy is a way of life. All the kids around my son's age are confused... but the Orthodox are not. They are based.
Amen
The Eastern Orthodox church puts tradition over scripture. This is not what you are looking for and these commenters are lying to you.
Thank you. You touched on the heartache of many..FATHER, only yesterday, after hearing this parable all my life, and, now, more deeply in the Orthodox Church, i realized something. I had learned a long time ago that when this young man left his father he was basically treating him as already dead. This GOOD father who did everything right..
But i never realized until yesterday that he NEVER HAD INTENDED TO GO BACK. HE WAS FINISHED. HE HAD BURNED EVERY BRIDGE. SO, when he returned to 'himself', he also had to repent of the myfatherandamilyareasgoodasdeadtome heart that he had.
SO MANY are in THAT situation. They don't just wander off and slip through the cracks, although many slide away like that, at any age, but they do it deliberately.. so sad..
To leave this Holy Church, this gift to the world..
Lord, have mercy..
His yoke is easy and his burden is light. If following Jesus Christ is a burden to you it’s because you’re being selfish and you’re viewing the world through your flesh. You’re not keeping the commandments. You’re going about it all wrong. Keep the commandments and receive the fruit of the spirit. His yoke is easy and his burden is light. You’ll have peace beyond all understanding.
What the Orthodox Church asks people to do is not easy. And when people don’t want to do it, usually it’s because they don’t believe it’s going to help them. There are claims made by the church, specifically the church, that people wrestle with. Or they don’t understand why the church is asking them to fast for a third of the year. Or go to church for 8+ hours a week on top of everything else going on. “Priest, I’m suffering because I have no friends” or “I want a wife” etc etc. “Pray more” “Come to church more” “Oh you’d rather spend time trying to meet people than coming to church, that must mean you aren’t serious/don’t love God.” Honestly it’s a bit abusive at times. And people in the church like to make this claim that partaking in the life of the church is going to fix your problems. It’s not. So to use the quote “his yolk is easy and his burden is light”… I dunno, it’s all relative I guess but being Orthodox has not seemed very easy.
Overcoming your sins or, even harder, dying COMPLETELY to worldly things, is something most people are going to absolutely berate themselves over for the rest of their lives should they choose to become Orthodox. All the while thinking, “Well perhaps the reason I can’t feel God is that I have not yet repented of some sin. Or perhaps I must try harder in prayer.” When a saint is telling you on his deathbed in tears that he has “just begun his spiritual life”, does that not give people pause? We see it the way the church wants us to see it: we should always be cultivating a feeling of unworthiness before a merciful God. Not taking any pride or having any self-esteem toward any spiritual growth. And yet the spiritual life is to be our focus. If you notice you’ve made any progress, would you not feel a slight moment of pride? How soon does the fall come after that? It all sounds like hell, forgive me. It’s not that I’ve found anything better, but I am struggling with even desiring baptism at this point.
@@spikestoyouwhat Christ asks us to do is exactly what the Church asks us to do. Beginners aren’t asked to do anything intense like you’ve said. Only those with a self-sacrificing love and yearning for Christ take on greater challenges to move upwards to be like Jesus Himself.
The Saints exemplify what happens to people who take on these great burdens with faith and patience.
Orthodox Christian’s each have their own Spiritual Fathers for that exact reason. They are who we go to for guidance and answers, and they give us personal rules for prayer and fasting based on what they think we can handle.
My Spiritual Father is a monk with extensive prayer rules of his own and strict fasting, but he goes east on me & I would often ask him to push me harder when I was new.
He was going easy on me because I was spiritually weak, but I pridefully thought I could handle more.
If you are cracking under the pressure of fasting and it’s leading you to the greater sin of remaining out of communion with Christ, maybe you should ask a priest for advice on reducing the intensity of your fasting rule to something that you can handle.
@@spikestoyouis your fasting and prayer rule self imposed? Or do you have a spiritual father who gave it to you?
It’s far worse to remain out of communion with Christ than to reduce the intensity of your fasting.
And if you’re going to Church for 8+ hours a week that’s great, but be mindful of your own limits. Sunday Divine Liturgy is 1.5-2.5 hours long, depending on where you go, and that is absolutely essential. If going beyond that is making you bitter towards God, then I think it would be helpful to tone it down a little. God knows your heart.
Sorry if I’m spamming you rn. My last comment seems to be deleted, so I’m replying again, but you might still see the original.
Good words of love,we must continue to reach out. Now more than ever. With the love of our heavenly Father and Son. Amen.
One of my Favorite Parables and I Believe it’s True - God is walking with you…. Even if you are not walking with him. I was once part of the 60% until I broke from the negative fog of the modern world- I realized and was able to see the many blessing around me, even hard times I didn’t understand at the time I realized were blessings, teachings of strength - I came to feel that God was with me through all that… even though I had left him long ago. I returned to my Faith and this Beautiful Church and it’s loving Parish community
The best thing we can do for that 60% is to pray. Beseech their heavenly patron to interceed before the Holy Trinity for their souls. Beseech the Most Holy Theotokos for them. Get on our faces before Christ God for the salvation of their souls.
I'm Lutheran. This is a beautiful homely. Thank you for putting the good word out.
One of my Favorite Parables and I Believe it’s True - God is walking with you…. Even if you are not walking with him. I was once part of the 60% until I broke from the negative fog of the modern world- I realized and was able to see the many blessing around me, even hard times I didn’t understand at the time I realized were blessings, teachings of strength - I came to feel that God was with me through all that… even though I had left him long ago. I returned to my Faith and this Beautiful Church and it’s loving Parish community
☦
"But he not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted." (Matthew 23:8-12).
People may leave the orthodox church but no one will leave the Church Jesus Christ established.
They are on in the same!
Sometimes people leave the church due to abuses by the spiritual leaders which the church tries to hide. Trying to hide sin does not bring healing to either the offender or the victim. When there is no accountability, the victim is abused and traumatized again and often the offender is left free to abuse others.
Yes, Sometimes that is the sad truth. It is one of those exceptions I mentioned in the sermon. May those that left for those reasons receive healing and come to realize the body of a Christ is filled with sinners but it is Christ nonetheless.
I was exactly the person you were talking about. I was the 40%, and unlike the 60%, and left for 15 years. Searching for some other mind made god. He is not out there. Thank you Jesus, for calling me back through the Series The Chosen, I came back to the church (Catholic) 🙏🏻
Glory to God ✝
One of my Favorite Parables and I Believe it’s True - God is walking with you…. Even if you are not walking with him. I was once part of the 60% until I broke from the negative fog of the modern world- I realized and was able to see the many blessing around me, even hard times I didn’t understand at the time I realized were blessings, teachings of strength - I came to feel that God was with me through all that… even though I had left him long ago. I returned to my Faith and this Beautiful Church and it’s loving Parish community
What icon style on the iconstasis?
The iconographer did a wonderful job.
"On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."
Aren,t we the church , when we go to the temple to worship , that is one place the Creator makes his home , but isn,t he also in us , like we were tought ? If you search for tge truth isn,t the Holy Spirit with you ? 🤷♂️
Even the Lord Himself went to the Temple and He subjected Himself to the religious regulations He gave as the law-giver.
@@OrthodoxExperience Yes , he did ? And he kicked them out with a whip , should he be doing the same today with all the perversion in HIS church
@@OrthodoxExperience why was my answer delete tgere is noting wrong in what i said . Censorship is Evil
@@OrthodoxExperience When he went to the Temple he took a whip and kick them out , WHY ?
@@Bluets023 Jesus Christ kicked out merchants (AKA "thieves") out of His Church, not general laity or clergy.
EDIT: I am not saying merchants = thieves. I am saying that the people who bought and sold (the ones selling are merchants) INSIDE God's holy temple pervert it.
Matthew 21:12-13 NKJV
Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ”
I just read it is up to 70% of our youth leave.
Orthodox youth? Or Christian youth? And is this statistic specific to the United States? Thank you.
Christian youth but suspect that it is close to reality in our churches. When I became Orthodox in 60s we numbered c. 2 million. Now perhaps 800.000@@pete5108
I think you're missing the point if you're wanting for exactitude in terms of statistics.
I can unfortunately believe it. I pray for all youth that left to come back. There is no fulfillment outside of Christ
@@pete5108 I thought Orthodoxy was Christian .
That's fine because following Christ doesn't require you to follow a religion, nor attend a church. Good luck and stuff though!
Orthodoxy is not a religion but way of life. And... Our Lord was going to the synagogues regularly... Apostles went to the church regularly as well... and you think they were fools and you are smart arse.?
That’s not true. 1 Timothy 3:15 and Hebrews 10:25.
@@FaithfulComforter Except that it is, for all you need do is confess your sins and proclaim Jesus Christ Lord and Savior, that He died on the cross for your sins. That isn't a church, that isn't a religion. It's a single decision which is followed through with word thought and deed. God Bless!
@@mehck2 so misled
@@mehck2 The Lord established a Church. I hope you rethink your posture, is very heretical and against all Christian practice and history.
Guilty as charged, and proud of it. The best decision I ever made.