HOMILIES

Homily by Metropolitan of Canada Dr. Mitrofan

on the Slava of the Saint Arsenije Sremac Church in Whitby

November 9, 2025

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Venerable fathers, dear brothers and sisters. 

I am very happy that I was able to share this great joy with you today. To celebrate with you your holy representative, Saint Arsenije, the second Archbishop of Serbia or, as he is already called, Saint Arsenije of Srem. Also, that I was able to celebrate this holy service, to cut the Slava kolach and to rejoice together with you because every Liturgy, dear brothers and sisters, is joy. Every Liturgy is love. Every Liturgy is hope. Every Liturgy is a reminder of the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, every Liturgy is a reminder of the eternal life that will come after our departure from this world. And all of this encourages us to think about ourselves and about our future life and how we have spent it.

As this story that our Lord Jesus Christ told about the rich man and Lazarus beautifully says today. He does not mention how the rich man got his wealth. Did he inherit it? Did he work and save? In any case, He does not criticize him for having that wealth. Perhaps he worked hard and was a wealthy man. But He certainly criticizes him for what will later be seen from the explanation that our Lord Jesus Christ gives and that the holy righteous also gave.

Namely, the Lord begins this story by saying that there was a rich man who, every day, dressed in different clothes, in silk and purple, rejoiced every day with his own. So, you see here that it is not a question of him rejoicing one day and stopping the next, but that he did so every day. At the same time, at the door of his house, there was a poor man named Lazarus, a poor man who had nothing, and who wanted some of the crumbs that were thrown from the master's table to come to him. And something else. They showed him more mercy – who? The dogs. For they came, because he was sick and wounded, and licked his wounds and thus alleviated his pain. But everything comes to an end. The joy also comes to an end for this rich man, and when he died, they buried him. Perhaps there were, dear brothers and sisters, great speeches about him that he was like this, that he was like that, and so on, but certainly there was nothing for poor Lazarus. They buried him who knows how. But, God's judgments are one and human judgments are another. And when, it says, Lazarus died, they carried him into Abraham's bosom. And when the rich man died, they buried him. So, there could have been speeches, and these are all human speeches. The main thing is what the Lord says and the main thing is what the Lord gives as a judgment. And he (the rich man) felt it when he entered that world – an unworthy world that is not suitable for us because it was not created for that – and he sees Lazarus in Abraham's bosom and prays to Abraham and says: Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to cool my tongue, because I am tormented in this flame. And what does Abraham say to him? Remember that you received your good things in your lifetime, and likewise Lazarus evil things; now he is happy, and you are in torment. And he continues and says that: on the other side, between you and us, the world where you live and the world where we live, a great chasm has been fixed, and those who would cross over to one side or the other cannot, because their condition is determined for them. And what does he say? I beg you, father, send him for me, for my five brothers, whom I have, so that they also will not come to this place of torment. 

So, the righteous Abraham answers: they have Moses and the prophets, let them listen to them. But, again, he insists and says: yes, they have Moses and the prophets, but it would be better if someone came from here and told them that he really was in the other world and then it would certainly be easier for them too. But Abraham answers and says: if they do not believe Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe if someone rises from the dead. 

Saint John Chrysostom, interpreting this, says: you see now that the rich man recognizes Lazarus, but while he was alive, when he was at his door, he never remembered him. Nor did he look at him. Let alone greet him. Let alone say: do you need anything, brother? Nothing. And now suddenly he remembered. So, good deeds are done while alive. After death, it is difficult to do that. Only the grace of God can allow us to do that. 

But, what is most important, dear brothers and sisters, is this: that we, as Saint John Chrysostom says, do alms, love for everyone, because, he says, when we are merciful, we are most worthy of whom? Our heavenly Father. Be merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful – says the Lord in the Gospel. And, Saint John Chrysostom, further says that alms are so great that they pass by the moon, pass by the stars, pass by the sun and rise before the throne of God. And there is nothing that can prevent it. For the One who receives it is the One who has done the most mercy for us, having been born for us, living for us and, having suffered, been crucified, buried and risen for us, our Lord and God Jesus Christ. 

May this news touch each of us, as much as we can, in our hearts. And may we begin to help whoever we can.

I will never forget the images that you must have also seen when they happened in the Middle East, between Israel and the Arabs in Gaza, those orphaned children. I will not say who is to blame, I will not say who should bear all the responsibility for that, but I only know that the greatest sufferers, the most tormented, the greatest martyrs in all of that, who were they? Children. Children, orphans, who, as our people say, did not know either what is good or what is evil. But let us leave it to God's judgment, let the Lord judge and He will certainly judge everyone fairly.

May the merciful God and Saint Arsenije of Serbia, who preached almsgiving, grant us mercy in our hearts at least as much as He gave to the widow who gave two mites and whom the Lord praised and said gave the most of all. May we also be merciful as our holy ancestors were. Saint Sava, Saint Simeon the Myrrh-Bearer, Saint Arsenije, Saint Maksim, Saint Prince Milutin, Saint Tsar Uros and many others from our stock, because by this they showed that they loved their Church, that they loved Christ, that they loved His Gospel, that they loved every person, regardless of who they are and what they are. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you. Happy Slava to you and may God bless you for many years. Amen.