Today is the Twenty First Sunday after Pentecost
Council. This council established permanently what the church had
always known concerning the holy icons.
Today, we read the parable of the Sower, which is a very familiar
parable, known even to people that are not Christians. So many of
these parables are really part and parcel of our culture. People even
use biblical terminology and donÁ-?t even know that they are using
it.
outer meaning to these parables. Why did our Lord speak in
parables? He certainly said quite a few of them , didnÁ-?t He? Why
did he say things with a hidden meaning? The Fathers explain to us
that when you look into something deeply and carefully, when it
takes effort to look into it, then you develop more of an
understanding. If something is handed to you and there is no effort
involved in learning it, then you develop very little understanding.
people can barely even read and write now, because of this
television age that we are in. Information is given to them so freely
it takes very little effort to find it out.
not worthy to be told things that they will be judged for. A man
must do some investigation if he is to learn the deep meaning of
these things, and God will judge us for what we know. God will
also judge us for what we donÁ-?t know, if we CHOOSE to not know
things. God will judge us the same if we know something and
donÁ-?t do it or we choose to be ignorant in the ways of piety. If we
are willfully ignorant, and this occurs whenever we do not try to