Homily 680 – 4GL
Holy Transfiguration, Ames, Iowa
March 22, 2026
Epistle:  (314) Hebrews 6:13-20 and (229) Ephesians 5:9-19
Gospel:  (40) Mark 9:17-31 and (10) Matthew 4:25-5:12

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, One God.

Last weekend, we didn’t have a service because of the impending blizzard.  I encourage you, if you haven’t already, to go back and read the homily posted on our amesorthodox.org webpage.  That homily, of the cross and our need to voluntarily give up ourselves as Christ gave up Himself, is foundational to what St. John speaks of this morning.

It is foundational because it represents the first step, even before ascending the ladder to God.  It is foundational because it is our commitment, our “north star” to use the common parlance today, of everything in the Christian life.

Quick word about the Ladder of Divine Ascent, though.  It is a text meant for monastics.  The first rung on the ladder, as I’ve said over, and over again, is to leave the world.  St. John means that quite literally.  Leave the world and join a monastery.  That is the audience St. John is addressing.

So we need to be careful not to take the text of the Ladder too literally or seriously.  The concepts are the same.  The goals are the same.  But we who live in the world have to by definition climb this ladder differently.

I’m not St. John, and I’m not going to try to create an “in the world” parallel for each rung of the 30 rungs on the Ladder.  When we look at the ladder, the parallels aren’t obvious at times.

Some are – Step 3, for example, speaks of voluntary exile.  Now our exile is one of the way we live, rather than abandonment of the world.  We need to understand that of the punishments of the middle ages, nothing, not even death, was worse than solitary exile.

To be alone – completely alone – and completely self-sufficient, or you die.  That kind of exile.  We are called to be exiles, but in the way we interact with our society.  Some will take issue with this, but as exiles, we have no say in the way the society runs.  Our citizenship means very little, perhaps nothing, to one who is exiled from their home.

We live the same way as the Children of Israel enslaved in Babylon – without rights, without anything, but absolutely faithful to our God and our way of living.  The Three Holy Youths encapsulate this thought – in response to the Babylonian King, who commanded their worship, they said, “we worship only God, the Lord.”

And when that King threatened them with the published punishment, they said, “we understand – do what you have to do.  But we ain’t changing.”

We have to be the same about our lives in this world, and in this place.

This is where we find the connection to last week – it is so much easier for us to ignore the world, ignore society, ignore our friends, and maybe even our families, when we crucify our ego as Christ crucified His ego.

Now, certainly, we have to have a bit of finesse, and diplomacy, when we ignore the evaluation the world has for us, particularly our friends and family.  We aren’t going to just go around and say “I’m not like you – I’m holy, you aren’t, I’m going to heaven and you aren’t.”

That isn’t very Christlike at all.

But it is definitely Christlike to be like the three Holy Youths and say, “Thanks for the feedback.  Do what you have to do,” and then do the right thing.

Because that is maybe where we get in the most trouble.  We can refuse to argue about doctrine or dogma or practical piety.  We can simply smile and say, “you do you, but this is what I understand to be right, and this is what I’m doing.”

What is more challenging is when we are criticized for doing what Christ commands – caring for the poor, caring for the sick, giving a voice to those who are without voice.

And – ouch, here goes Fr. Marty again – giving shelter to those without shelter, even those who don’t have the correct stamps on the correct documents.

You know, I’m old enough to remember a time when everyone generally agreed that there would never be a time when behaving like a Christian in the United States would be against the law.  It was inconceivable.  But now, it is completely conceivable.

There are cities and locations in these United States of America where it is illegal to feed the hungry.  There are now places where it is illegal to shelter the homeless.  Illegal to even provide warmth from the deadly and bitter cold.

This isn’t recent, by the way.  This has developed over the past 30 years or so, through all types of governmental administrations.  This isn’t about partisan politics – there is enough to go around for both parties.

Before we all check out and say no to politics, what we need to understand is that this is directly tied to our climbing the ladder that St. John puts forth.  This element of voluntary exile – it’s only step 3.  It is a long way yet to theosis, and being with God.

So if we don’t understand exile, or simply decide that it’s not for us, then we’re done.  We can do nothing more in our spiritual life.

This path is difficult.  It is, truthfully, much easier in the monastic world, where the isolation prevents the society and the government from having too much reach into life.  Living in the world, and yet in exile, is difficult.  It hurts at times.  It’s never easy.

It is, however, necessary.

As St. John himself writes:  “Eve was exiled from Paradise against her will, but the monk is a willing exile from his home.  She would have liked the tree of disobedience again; and he would certainly expose himself daily to frequent danger from relatives according to the flesh.”

St. John seems to be very aware that our friends and families will not approve of this exile.  Yet, it is necessary for us.  “Having become an exile for the Lord’s sake,” he writes, “we should have no ties at all lest we seem to be roving in order to gratify our passions.”

This is our task.  This is our path.  Next week we will learn of the one who models this path of exile for us – St. Mary of Egypt.

So, for now, let’s all do what it necessary.  Resolve to accept our self-exile, while we remain in the world.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, One God.  Glory to Jesus Christ!