Evenings With Bede are taken from the Sunday solemn Plainsong Evensong services of Saint Paul’s, New Smyrna Beach, Fla., for which I am Rector. The format is a Scripture passage, then a passage of commentary from the Venerable S. Bede, then a short homily by yours truly expounding upon both. The audio for all three is found above. The text of the two passages is found below.
A Lesson from the Gospel according to S. Matthew 28.16
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”
A Lesson from a Homily by the Venerable S. Bede (Homily II.8)
The gospel reading which we have just now heard, dearly beloved brethren, shines out full of joy even in its literal sense, because it describes in precise words the triumph of our Redeemer, and at the same time the gifts of our redemption. And if we choose to treat of it by going more to the heart of the matter, we will learn the more pleasing fruit of the spiritual meaning contained in its literal sense. God’s word is indeed like spices—the more finely it is crushed by handling and sifting, the greater is the fragrance of its inner power that it gives forth. Now it is clear and delightful for the holy to hear that the disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them, and upon seeing Him, the adored Him. It is not lacking in mystery that after His resurrection our Lord appeared to His disciples on a mountain, and that it was in Galilee. This was to make known that the body which at His birth He had assumed from the earth common to the rest of the human race He had now, at his resurrection, clothed with heavenly power after it had been raised above everything earthly. He appeared on a mountain to remind His faithful ones that if they wished to see the loftiness of His resurrection in heaven, they should pass over below from their lowly cravings to heavenly desires. What the name “Galilee” connotes in relation to the salvation-bearing mystery is well known: Galilee means “a crossing over accomplished” or “revelation.”
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Evenings with Bede: Episode 6