LAUNCH OUT INTO THE DEEP: ON THE QUIET OBEDIENCE THAT REBUILDS THE CHURCH
A Medieval Western Icon of Christ Calling St. Peter to Let Down His Nets “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.” — St. Luke 5:4 INTRODUCTION Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, welcome once more to this sacred gathering at the Cathedral of Saints Mitrophan and Alopen, where we strive to live the ancient faith of the Apostles in the midst of a modern world, which is a world too often unmoored from the deep things of God. Today, in this season after Trinity, we continue our pilgrimage through the long green stretch of the Church’s calendar, a time devoted to growth, discipleship, and the steady unfolding of sanctification. Having beheld the mysteries of the Holy Trinity, and having been filled anew with the fire of Pentecost, the Church now bids us to walk daily in grace : to cultivate unity, humility, and the fruits of the Spirit in the midst of a restless and fragmented world. And how timely are the Scriptures appointed for this Sunday. We hear...