Dear friends in Christ,
This is weekly newsletter #6 of the St Ignatius Parish in Belfast.
Contents of this Newsletter:
- Message from Fr Dmitry: Service in church this weekend and Sunday of Forgiveness
- Announcements: Next online Faith & Fellowship Meeting, Memorial service, Private Meetings
- Homily on Sunday’s Gospel: Christ’s Justice
Message from Fr Dmitry:
Brothers and sisters, congratulations on the beginning of Cheesefare Week—the final preparatory week before Great Lent. During this week, if possible, we begin to abstain from meat, though dairy products, eggs, and fish are permitted throughout, including on Wednesdays and Fridays.
I look forward to seeing you all at church this coming weekend for our divine services! The schedule is as follows:
Saturday, 1st of March, 17:00
– Great Vespers, followed by a conversation with tea/coffee and biscuits.
Sunday, 2nd of March
– 10:00 AM: Orthros
– 11:00 AM: Divine Liturgy, followed by a memorial and a rite of forgiveness.
After the Divine Liturgy, we will have our usual bring-and-share lunch. Our parishioner Arlene has kindly agreed to coordinate the lunch this weekend. If you would like to bring food or drinks to share, please contact her at +447970742529
The address of the Church: Cullen Memorial Hall, Methodist Complex, 381 Donegall Road, Belfast, BT12 6GR. Everyone welcome!
The coming Sunday is also the last Sunday before Great Lent, known as the Sunday of Forgiveness. As we prepare for the journey of Great Lent—the goal of which is to purify ourselves before the Great Feast of Pascha—we must enter it having resolved all conflicts with one another. Our Lord teaches: “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24) In keeping with this teaching and the tradition in the Orthodox Church on this Sunday, we will do a rite of asking for forgiveness at the end of the service.
Announcements:
- Faith & Fellowship Meeting: Wednesday, 26th of February, 7:00 PM. We continue with our weekly online Faith & Fellowship meetings on Zoom. We will say Little Compline (the text of the service available here) and discuss the Gospel reading for the past Sunday (Matthew 25:31-46). No preparation is necessary—just come as you are! If you’d like, you can read the Gospel passage in advance, and as always, the homily is included below for your reflection. Access the meeting using the same link as usual: https://ucl.zoom.us/j/97707660214
- Submit names for the Memorial on Sunday. Last Saturday was the Saturday of Souls—a universal commemoration of the departed Orthodox christians. Since we did not have the opportunity to hold a service on that day, Metropolitan Silouan blessed us to have a memorial this coming Sunday, after the Divine Liturgy. You can submit the names of the orthodox christians departed this life whom you wish to commemorate by texting/WhatsApping me at +447479630020 or by submitting a paper with the names during the service.
- Private meetings with Fr Dmitry. If you need to talk to me privately, while I am in Belfast, please let me know by phone (text or call) at +447479630020 or by email at dmitry.ismagilov@protonmail.com, so we can arrange a suitable time.
Past Sunday’s Gospel Reading and Homily:
The reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Matthew (25:31-46):
The Lord said, “When the Son of man comes in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.’ And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Homily: Christ’s Justice
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen.
The past Sunday was the Sunday of the Last Judgment, the third of the four preparatory Sundays before Great Lent. After teaching us about the importance of humility and the meaning of salvation in the previous weeks, our Lord now speaks about mercy and how it will be the very principle of His judgment.
At first glance, the message of this Gospel passage seems clear: to inherit eternal life, we must show acts of mercy and compassion toward those around us. That does not sound too difficult. Don’t we already do this? We collect money for charities, donate food to food banks, and visit the sick in hospitals. But things are not as simple as they appear.
What Christ calls us to is a radical kind of mercy — mercy toward those whom, by the standards of social justice, we might have learned to despise. Those who, according to civil norms, do not deserve mercy but are meant to be punished or left to suffer. This Gospel is not just about helping those affected by circumstances and tragedies beyond their control. It is also, and perhaps most importantly, about those who find themselves in trouble due to their own wrongdoing.
There are people in prison who have been wrongfully convicted, but the majority are there because they violated the law. That violation may even be not only of a civil law but also of a religious commandment: for example if someone has killed somebody or have stolen things. Yet, here is where the justice of the world and the justice of the Lord part ways. Civil justice rightly applies penalties, but as Christians, this does not give us the right to hate those who have fallen. We should recognise the sin, we even may, if the situation allows gently indicate this to the person, but we MUST NOT condemn the person as a “sinner” and deprive them of mercy. The same applies to the homeless, or to the sick people. Some may be on the streets or in hospital due to external misfortunes, while others may have made poor choices in their lives.
But does that matter? Every human being is created in the image of God. Nothing can take that away from anyone. There is a reflection of Christ in every person, no matter how deeply they may have fallen. We are called to see Christ in everyone: The criminal and the law-abiding citizen; the homeless and the well-off, The jobless and the hard-working, etc.
Those who have fallen are in the greatest need of our mercy and compassion—yet we often overlook them, believing their suffering to be justified. No. The Lord’s justice is not based on social perceptions of fairness, legality, or merit. It is based on mercy and selfless love — love that asks for nothing in return and accepts people as they are. Christ says: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:43-45)
We must love people as they are, because Christ is in each of them. This is how our Lord loves us. He accepts our repentance, overlooks our many transgressions, and gives Himself fully to us in the Eucharist and in eternal life. One of the prayers before Holy Communion says: “Turning to Thee now with a contrite soul, I know, O Saviour, that no man has sinned against Thee as I, nor done the things that I have done. Yet this also I know: neither the magnitude of my transgressions nor the multitude of my sins surpass the great long-suffering of my God and His exceeding love toward mankind.” If we ask God to overlook our sins and have mercy on us, how can we deny the same mercy to those around us, no matter the circumstances that led them to suffering?
The state, society, and the system have already rejected many of these people. They have no one and nothing—only their suffering. So if we do not turn to them, who will? As we approach Great Lent, let us remember the deep meaning of love and mercy toward those in need. Let us learn compassion from our Lord and extend it to others, seeing Christ in every person—and perhaps bringing them back to Him.
How can we do it? This can be as simple as: Keeping some spare coins in your pocket to give to those on the street (not easy in a cashless society); or taking a moment to speak with them—asking their name, how they are doing, and treating them with dignity; or visiting someone in prison or hospital, even if their struggles are due to their own failings; or reaching out to a family member or friend who is struggling—even if their difficulties are of their own making. Call them, text them, meet with them. Use this Lent as an opportunity to reconcile, not to judge—to show mercy, not to condemn. And if you find that you cannot help physically, remember the greatest tool you have: prayer. Even if you can do nothing else, you can always spare a few minutes each day to pray for those whom the world has despised, as St. Paul reminds us: “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen.” (1 Corinthians 1:27-28).
Yours in Christ,
Fr Dmitry