The name of the father the son and the Holy Spirit, amen. We just say the Troparia for the All Saints of Russia. In the end it says and keep the church of Russia and the Russian land and profound peace prayer to keep the church of Russian profound peace. You see much peace in the world right now there peace in the land of Russia is ever peace. Here is the peace now is a piece among people in the church does appear to be as were in a very difficult time. The kind of time that I think will be written about in history books if history goes on long enough. Very difficult time. So it will pray for peace to the church of Russia and other churches pray for peace in our church and we paid pray for the peace of the world multiple times in the liturgy. What is this piece for celebrating the office of Russia. Some people celebrate all salsas of Mount Athos, such as online office. They would do that on the All Saints of Serbia Rumania. Generally, this is the Sunday for the local veneration of saints are each local church would venerate the saints because we celebrated all things last week, then the local saints this week, but of course, whether they came from Russia Rumania or Alaska or Texas. The unifying factor of being a saint is this profound peace in the heart of profound peace because the Holy Spirit by so I would submit to you that indeed the prayer for profound peace, but church in the land of Russia has been answered and is being answered. But most people are not hearing the now we have for the sake of Russia was we say the Beatitudes we spruce the Beatitudes, which just by accident happens to be there is such a thing just happens to be that the gospel for this Sunday which is the second Sunday after Pentecost always doing the apostles fast is about the calling of the apostles and then only one verse later against the Beatitudes, so the writer wrote basically skipping only one verse, and that's very apropos. So, the apostles were called from all the different occupations. Most of them were fishermen, Matthew was a tax collector. I don't know if all of them were gathered by this time I think they want, but it could be that they were all gathered by the and they were huge crowds following Jesus everywhere is huge crowds because it was healing the said and speaking as no one else would speed and he had a certain sense of great love and how were about him, and people felt safe around him. That is, the people were seeking God. People were seeking God fill very unsafe around him and were already trying to kill him. So the first great sermon that he gave after he called his apostles, or at least most of them was the sermon on the Mount, we have to be careful about the sermon we have to understand the context and how he did. He went up into a mountain and he preached to his disciples apostles access opposer of the world apostles yet. Further, they were just barely beginning right and they were following him and see miracles. He was telling them things and it was a great excitement about him and I'm sure they were people that something was rumbling in their heart-to-heart was burning within them, as was said later about moving cleanup us on the road to Emmaus. If there was something special about this man, but these were people that just come from there occupations they were doing this doing that in a hated Roman and all that human stuff was happening in their hearts, just like it happens in our hearts is not peaceful not peaceful at all peaceful about all that stuff goes out all that noise goes on in our so the first sermon he gave when he barely knew them. With this sermon on the Mount you imagine just barely getting to know someone knowing that there's something about it is really special, maybe even once in a while thinking that could he be the Messiah and other such things. And then he takes them to a high mountain, and he gets on the mountaintop organ on this on the slope of the mountain and he brings them up so he's not preaching to everyone now turns out, his sermon is preached all around the world now because it was recorded but he preached to everyone. The crowds were milling about looking for miracles in such looking for probably some of them were looking for payment. Interesting that they were not really seeking after him. Most of them yet but these disciples. The Lord knew their hearts, so he brought them apart is very critical points brought them apart and he taught them the most profound words in my opinion ever written. Certainly, of course, the Scriptures, the most profound document that is ever been produced but within the Scripture. I think the masterpiece is the sermon on in the so-called Beatitudes, which we even sang in divine liturgy because they're so important that we humans so often we don't recognize perhaps forget this is the key to peace to peace in the hearts and it's only for those who are willing to listen, not for everyone. The Lord gave a sermon to a select few. Now he knew of course that would be broadcast throughout all the church, but even within the church. Most people are not listening to the church might be in profound peace, but some of the members of the church are not because they're living according to the world, so I thought I would do. Perhaps help you poorly but I will thought I would try to apply the Beatitudes unless what's happening today that we all call experiencing, to some degree. Everybody experiences everything differently right because were unique individuals, but certainly in common. All of us are experiencing the pandemic and now the great unrest in our country all over the world, really because of the death of a man in Minneapolis and the riots and the protests and the good words the bad words and the anger and attempts at reconciliation all of the rolled into one. Just a tour terrible, horrible mess how we can be peaceful in the midst of this, because there are certainly signs in our culture that our culture is becoming less free. But there's less freedom of expression is less freedom to be something that someone doesn't want you to be, which might be just your faith, or even your skin, or your culture that's happening, we can see it when applying were aware of it. How are we to VIPs during this time and the rest of our lifetimes, and I think the Beatitudes tell us. This is the way of the saints is the way of the saints of Russia. Now I will. I mentioned in the beginning that it wasn't peaceful and Russia is Russia. The reason why precious filled with people. People are not peaceful matter when you go there. Not peaceful. Therefore, there's always been unrest in Russia. There's been injustice and there's been murder and there's been anger and there's been less than his bid all the rest happening Russia just like it happens here in Texas, and yet out of Russia were raised thousands upon thousands of saints, perhaps millions, of which we know only a few, it will raise the sanctity perhaps a brother in his home became a safe while his fellow siblings became terrible wretched sinners in the same home. I'm sure that happened many many times were just like Russia, just like any other place filled with people filled with passions filled with reasons to not be peaceful we only look at the world, but if we look at God, then there is absolutely every reason to be filled with peace, because the Holy Spirit by us. So our situation is analogous to the situation that all of the saints in The holiday they encountered it by becoming what the Beatitudes teach. Don't forget this is the first sermon gave two new people to me. If I were green behind years, they were sold new and they hated Rome and they had all the things going on in their lives, and he gave a sermon that must've been like a thunderclap nobody had ever spoken like this ever, no religious figure and ever spoken like this. This combination of emphasis of purity and of love and of fidelity of having a moral compass and of forgiveness and of humility that wasn't spoken about the way the Pharisee spoke, although not all Pharisees were terrible men by no means probably most of them are pious thing that they were men of their time. Therefore, they were speaking as men of their time and forgiveness was not the major idea to get under out of the yoke of Rome. That was the major idea because of course the Romans were infidels terrible. Horrible. Perhaps some people even thought they were really even human. But the Lord gave the sermon that blew all of the way and got God down to the court matters. Basically, with the Lord is describing is his nature here is describing his character and we are to obtain his character. That's what it means to obtain his likeness were made in his image. We are to obtain his likeness in the midst of the world, and all from around the world and all these terrible things we are to live with peace… Look at some of the Beatitudes. Perhaps we will get through all of them but a few of them and apply them directly to the events now that all of us are experiencing in one way or another is speaking to us not to the world, speaking to us speaking to you because you say you are an Orthodox Christian priest telling you if you really are serious about being an Orthodox Christian and here is what you need to do. Don't listen to the world. Listen to this. In these words are just as new today as they were the first time they were spoken because they really cope to the world and were living in the world, swimming in the sewage of the world, so it's always effective. Always be aware of is always make these words be new for you. So, he says. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Poverty of spirit is humility, but is not is humility in saying what you are not very good this thing that they I don't want to take the first place, and dinner are not the first to speak out or I don't press my point argument, not that kind of humility were talking about it at the abiding understanding of who you are and who God's that's what this property is. Children have when a child is afraid with the run to the mommy when the funders outside. They run to their bed when their herds they call out their name. They feel completely powerless, even against the little group because they have poverty of spirit. Lisa not Wayne on other ways of course, and I can assure their poison. All the rest, but we must have this poverty of spirit and how you develop a friend of mine once said, given the scope many many times that you can't hear conversation with someone when a freight train is running through your though there's a freight train running through your head very loud you can't hear and and that freight train is our passions ourselves interest, and I don't mean of course we have many passions the many sins and all of them are terrible with the worst ones are when we think only of ourselves that the worst. We think only of ourselves, and not of others, and we love ourselves and intemperate way and don't love others, we put ourselves first. There are thousands of ways we can do we know the person down here so much about racism etc. etc. that is a terrible sin because it puts ourselves first and it puts another person down, and a person with poverty of spirit never does. So how do you get rid of the freight train in your head. I only know of one way to live according to the gospel so there's not really a formula for like you could look on the pages of a cookbook and know the rest. You must live life always desiring to follow the commandments being aware of how far short you are following those and then you must beg God to help you must develop a vibrant prayer life. Those of you that have a poor prayer life. You're not mitigated you're knocking to become worried spirit, now you might think I'm terrible because I can praying I do this I do that poverty of spirit. That's really a very bad self-image or a kind of guilt trip syndrome. 

Poverty of spirit is being aware of how little we are happy God is, and having G abiding desire to do everything the sake of God that poverty of spirit. You must cultivate this pop. That's why Kelly over and over again think I haven't asked Avedon for a couple sermons in a row so course, getting a nervous twitch and I have to tell you, you've got to read the Gospels got to read the Psalter say a prayer say the Jesus prayer. Pray for others. These are things that are very necessary for you to be able to have poverty of spirit. But Paris preeminently with all those things you will is things and just be a terrible person. If you're not aware of who you are and who God is aware every moment of if we were aware of this. We were aware that people are made in the image of God, then there wouldn't be violence we see so much violence in our country crazy insane violence. So many people being killed saying insane things like like policeman not being certain certain restaurant and people being beaten on buses because of the color of their skin. It could be the color black or white or brown. Just because a stranger looks different or come from different part of town there's been shootings there's been static is that all this crazy insanity because people are not poor in spirit if they're not poor in spirit, and they just someone else that person is the other, you know, there is no other. There's no other in this world we are all the same. We are all human beings made in the image of God, it was understood even a small amount. And we wouldn't have the writing, the killing, hatred, the rhetoric and the push to take away personal freedom which I think is coming next section is arrive. It just hasn't fully expressed support poverty of spirit is something you must work on it is the abiding sense of who you are and who God is and how you learn algebra what you said the same way with God study God, but not in an academic, although you do use the tools that God is giving you the intellect you should be reading the Bible, etc. and struggling to have a Christian life worked very hard on your prayer life of your prayer life is for. Then you should get down on your knees. God help me I'm terrible pray to our if that is terrible can have poverty of spirit without a lot of prayer without weeping and mourning. In fact, that's the next thing that he speaks because of the person have poverty of spirit then Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted. People are looking for comfort all the time, but they're looking for comfort in the wrong places for the wrong thing, the things that should make you uncomfortable, are seen in Hades and would people are just undone by the mess that is in their lives and in their souls. That's what you make you uncomfortable working your also in those around you and if you have uncomfortableness this morning. Then you will cry then God to deliver your family, friends, your country the world from the things that are happening whenever they are weather is on a macro scale, such as I and the unrest is occurring in our country. Whether it's just individual that you know someone drug suffering. More must cultivate morning. If you don't then you cannot really be a Christian. Every Christian must feel morning. It is Jesus Christ that he never now you can see in the Scriptures. He had a sense of humor son is he said things were had a humorous effect, but not in a riproaring have a laugh away so it just showing the absurdities of things he never left because he was always morning as he saw all around how people were sold sick and they're still sick. We can't see a cc but we certainly should have some empathy and understand how sick we ourselves are first others, so they must eat his deep morning in our hearts, and you must express that morning in a concrete way to say knowledge is terrible. What's going on that's worthless is totally tell you when I was a total store before when I was Protestant, and we do have some prayer meeting whatever summary would be Sally pray for you also want the world now you met Mabel we probably once each other intended to write my name down whatever you know somebody says something is so horrible. I'll pray for you. I was wondering what what exactly was going and I was a young man occasionally I found myself saying that I say because I found white women isolate purpose was less. We can only remember their name so I stop saying that because I didn't want to be a liar but I started a habit and just for those of you who know my secretary. This is very hard thing for me to do is I tried to write down people's names as soon as I become aware of some need. And then if I promise that I will pray for them that their written down, and now with the wonders of technology, there also on the computer on the cloud my phone, the NSA knows all the names as always trouble the government knows your name is on my prayer list on the cloud dropbox. We must pray very much for the things that we see that her bodily is about is me when I hear about the last of the pearls that you. I pray for. I pray for my family. My grandmother and no maybe wanted to name something you really young people are suffering in the church. There's nobody at school that you dislike a little bit odder has a problem, you not aware of an uncle going through Col. is in prison or something is always Father's Day when I hear about people that prayerless or two at three or five or six names should get now I don't think they should be 600 92 you get older but in the beginning they should still you should have a substantial list and should pray for people and mourn for them because you should mourn for yourself that you been given the Holy Spirit and what are you doing with it, all should be around to we should more this morning is not like the world mourns the world mourns in either being upset because they don't have something in depression about that or being upset with themselves and the sort of turn inward anger. That's not Christian Christian morning is that more help and having us at the pain because of things that the world is going now talk a long time, so that we can go through any of the other you, but if we only take these two would be really poor and our spirits and outward humility, but in the cultivated inward, humility, knowing that we are small in God's great yet he still loves, and from that aware of how horrible things are for so many people and even for ourselves and morning, so cultivating yourselves prayer whether or not your good things, and whether or not this is long-standing sin that you fall into your body. God doesn't care about any of that even we cares about is where is your heart. If your heart is for him. Everything is going to get better. God help us. That much