"To be sacred or holy, means to be set apart. But that doesn't necessarily mean that we remove ourselves from the world."

The Desert Fathers were hermits that withdrew from the world to focus on the contemplation of God and deny themselves every worldly comfort.

One day, one of these hermits who had served God in the desert for so many years, prayed, “Lord, let me know if I have pleased you.”

Almost immediately an angel, a messenger from God, appeared to him and said, “you are not yet as holy as the gardener in the nearby city.”

The hermit was surprised and vowed to go to the city and find the gardener and learn what it is that he does that surpasses all the work and toil of the hermit for all those years.

The hermit traveled to the city and found the gardener. He spent the day with him asking him about his way of life. In the evening as they were getting ready to eat, the hermit heard people singing bawdy songs in the streets, for the cell of the gardener was in a public place.

The hermit asked the gardener “Brother how do you remain in this place and not be troubled by people singing these songs?” But the gardener replied that he had never been troubled or scandalized. “What then,” pressed the hermit, “do you think in your heart when you hear these things?”

The gardener thought for a moment and then said, “I consider that they are all going to the Kingdom.” The hermit nodded and thought to himself, this is the holiness that surpasses my labor of all these years.

In recent years icons have enjoyed a growing popularity. Iconography workshops abound and many people have them in their homes as devotional images. But this has also led to much discussion about what an icon is and isn’t. Differences in style aside, one thing that all proper icons have in common is that they are blessed for use in the Divine Liturgy of the Eastern Rites, they are things that are set apart from the rest of the world.

A good analogy for the West would be the consecration of the sacred vessels used at mass. A chalice is after all only a cup. But when it is blessed for use in the liturgy, it becomes something else, it is set apart. From that point on it is used only in the context of the mass and nowhere else. It is sacred.

Our journey back to God is often marked by trials and tribulation. But God has prepared us for this.

The first reading for this Sunday is from the Book of Isaiah. The prophet recounts how he hears the word of God and has not rebelled, he has not turned back. In spite of the blows and buffets, being spit upon and having his beard torn out, he keep his eyes fixed on God, his face “set like flint.” He knows that the Lord is his help.

Similarly the Gospel recounts the temptations that threaten to draw Christ away from His mission. As He speaks of His upcoming passion Peter draws Him aside and tries to dissuade Him.

But Jesus sees this as a temptation, spawned by the devil trying to get to Him through His friend. “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” (Mark 8:33)

We are all pilgrims on a journey. In 1836 a Methodist pastor, John B. Matthias, wrote a hymn, “The Wayworn Traveler.” It enjoyed a brief revival during the American folk music period of the 1960's, being recorded by Johnny Cash, and the Carter Family.

The hymn tells of a traveller, heading up a mountain trying to reach the “Golden City.” His clothes are in tatters and he carries a heavy burden on his back. The sun burns at his brow causing him to sweat. His steps slow and he seems at the end of his strength. “But he kept pressing onward, for he was wending home, Still shouting as he journeyed, "Deliverance will come!"

Further along the way he meets with singers in an arbor. It is a pleasant place to stop and rest and regain his strength. But the pilgrim will not be distracted, he stops his ears and runs from the singers, repeating his refrain, “deliverance will come.”

Finally he crests the mountain and sees the Golden City in the valley below. Angels come to carry him across the river that flows between him and the throne of God. His song of perseverance becomes a song of victory.

As followers of Christ we are a sacred people, “in the world but not of the world.” The word sacred, means to be set apart. As disciples we are expected to take up our cross and follow Him, “along the way.” But we are also called to keep our eyes on the light. Do not dwell on the cross or the suffering that we have been promised will be our lot. Do not give in to the distractions that threaten to divert us from th path. We may never reach our destination if we let ourselves be distracted by the obstacles in the road. Rather let us keep our eyes on the reward that awaits us at the end of our journey.

Pax Vobiscum
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Pontifex University is an online university offering a Master’s Degree in Sacred Arts. For more information visit the website at www.pontifex.university

Lawrence Klimecki, MSA, is a deacon in the Diocese of Sacramento. He is a public speaker, writer, and artist, reflecting on the intersection of art and faith and the spiritual “hero’s journey” that is part of every person’s life. He maintains a blog at www.DeaconLawrence.org and can be reached at Lawrence@deaconlawrence.com

Lawrence draws on ancient Christian tradition to create new contemporary visions of sacred art. For more information on original art, prints and commissions, Please visit www.DeaconLawrence.org 

Purchase fine art prints of Deacon Lawrence’s work here.