Ecclesia Gnostica - Audio Homiles

Nativity of the Divine Light: Christmas

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 12:50:18 +0000

For the Collect, Lesson and Gospel of this day, please go to: http://www.gnosis.org/ecclesia/lect009.htm

Fourth Sunday in Advent

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 19:35:05 +0000

The Fourth Sunday in Advent Intent: Nature of the Redeemer THE COLLECT O, Thou our Redeeming Power, our mind has not ceased thinking of Thy wonders; our thought has not swerved from searching Thy secrets. Our insight has not moved from aspiring to Thy mysteries; nor has our counsel ever moved from seeking Thy marvels. Our wills have sent up desiring to comprehend Thee, our lord. We long to see Thy brilliant countenance, O ever coming Lord! Amen. THE LESSON The lesson is taken from the words of the Holy Prophet Mani: When men asked for the Redeemer, and the Mother of Life, and the first Man and the Spirit of Life decided to send to their children One who should free them and save them, to show them the knowledge and the righteousness and rescue them from evil. Being kindly, and filled with pity, the Good Father sent from His bosom His beloved Son into the heart of the earth and into its lowest parts for the saving of souls. While coming, the Son changed himself into the form of man, and He appeared to men as a man, being no man, and men fancied him to have been born. THE GOSPEL The gospel is taken from the Book of the Gnosis of the Light: The ever coming Redeemer gave us glory and joy, and jubilation, happiness and peace and hope, and faith and love and truth which changes not. And we have become blessed and perfect, we have come to know God as truth, and we have become gods and perfected ones. And he also gave us the law: to love one another, and to honor God and bless Him, and seek Him — who He is and what He is — that we should wonder at the place whence we have come, and not return to evil again but follow after Him who has given us the Law of Love.

Third Sunday in Advent

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 07:34:08 +0000

To read the Collect, Lesson and Gospel for this Sunday, please go to: http://www.gnosis.org/ecclesia/lect005.htm

Second Sunday in Advent

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 02:12:06 +0000

To read the Collect, Lesson and Gospel for this day, please go to: http://www.gnosis.org/ecclesia/lect003.htm

Feast of Holy Mary of Magdala

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 09:49:27 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica.Feast of Holy Mary of Magdala THE COLLECT O helper of God and mystic silence before the Aeon, the father of the universe sees thy Angel throughout before his face. We invoke thee, O holy female power, by the angels who rest on the four pillars, whose feet are firmly fixed on the foundations of the divine abyss! We adore thee, great and glorious woman in whose bosom the father of the Aeons was concealed from the beginning! Hail to thee, who art declared in the disk of the night-shining moon; who art present in the abysses of the mighty waters and whose celestial radiance is concealed in the womb of the earth! Despised art thou by the fools of the world, but ever revered by the knowers of the truth! Maiden of the mysteries, consort of the Christos, beloved of the Logos; praise, glory, and reverence shall be thine now and for evermore. Amen.THE LESSON The lesson is taken from the Book of the Perfect Mind: I was sent by the Power and came to those who thought of me. I was found by those who sought me. Behold me, ye who thought of me. And ye who wanted to hear me, listen to me. And ye who expected me, accept me. And do not drive me away from before your eyes. And let not your voice or your ear hate me. Do not ignore me anywhere or at any time. Be careful, do not ignore me, for I am the first and the last. I am the honored one and the despised one. I am the harlot and I am the saint. I am the woman and I am the virgin. I am the mother and I am the daughter. I am barren and I have many children. I have many husbands and I am unmarried. I am the physician who heals and I am the one who wounds. I am the bride and I am the bridegroom. I am the mother of my husband and my husband is my father. I am the daughter of my husband, and my husband is my son. I am the sister of my husband and my husband is my brother. I am the slave of my father and I am the mistress of my son.THE GOSPEL The gospel is taken from the the Gospel of St. Luke and the Gospel according to St. Philip: And behold a woman in the city, which was a harlot, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisees house brought an alabaster box of ointment. And she stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. When the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself: This man if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him; for she is a harlot. And Jesus turned to the woman, and said unto Simon the Pharisee: Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet; but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss; but this woman hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint; but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee: Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. The Sophia whom they call barren is the mother of the angels. And the consort of Christ is Mary Magdalen. The Lord loved Mary more than all the disciples and kissed her on her mouth often. The others said to him: ‘Why do you love her more than all of us?’ The Saviour answered and said to them: ‘Why do I not love you like her?’ There were three who walked with the Lord at all times, Mary his mother, and her sister and Magdalene, whom they called his consort. For Mary was his sister and his mother and his consort.

Seventh Sunday after Trinity

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 22:10:39 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica.Seventh Sunday after TrinityTHE COLLECTO Spirit of all-perfect purity, before whose light an angel veils his face, cleanse our hearts and minds, thou who didst cleanse the lips of the prophet Isaiah with a burning coal from Thine altar. O all-purifier help us to keep our souls unspotted from the world, aid us so that we may walk lightly on the dusty path of life and return unsoiled into the heavenly city, there to be united with God our parent. Amen.THE LESSONThe lesson is taken from the words of the Holy Prophet Mani:When the immortal light is led up to the gods, then will both the zenith and the nadir of heaven be brought together, for the custody of splendor will seize the topmost heaven. Then will appear the kingdom of the God of Wisdom; those gods who are in all the regions of the heavens and the earths, and they will bestow a blessing on the men who are righteous and they will become rulers in the kingdom. They shall themselves see him, the Image of the Light, all rejoicing and being glad over him. Desire shall depart from them with all other kinds of temptation. When they wish they shall clothe themselves with their body and gain the victory over it, and they shall find the way from it to the kingdom of life made smooth.THE GOSPELThe gospel is taken from the Gospel according to St. John:And Jesus said: Holy Father, keep through Thine own Name those whom Thou hast given Me, that they may be one, as We are. I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through Thy truth; Thy word is truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also who shall believe on Me through their word; that they all may be one, as Thou, Father art in Me, and I in Thee, and they also may be one in Us. The glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be as one, as We are one. I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfect in one; and that the world may know that Thou hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me. I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am. I have declared unto them Thy Name, that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them.

Sixth Sunday After Trinity

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:54:40 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica.The Sixth Sunday After TrinityTHE COLLECT Thou alone art the Infinite and Unknowable Deep, and it is Thou whom everyone seeks but has not found Thee; for no one can come to know Thee against Thy will, nor has anyone power to bless Thee save by Thy will alone. And it is only Thy will which has become a place for Thee -- for nothing else can be a place for Thee, as Thou art the place of all of them. It is Thou of whom all stand in need, within and without, for Thou alone art the unattainable, the invisible and the unsubstantial. It is Thou alone who hast given qualities to every creature and hast manifested them in Thyself. Thou art the creator of those who have not yet manifested, for it is these whom Thou alone knowest -- we know them not. It is Thou alone who showest them to us, so that we may pray to Thee for them. Amen.THE LESSON The lesson is taken from the Book of the Gnosis of the Light: The Father sent a creative Logos to us. And when he saw the grace which the hidden Father had given him he wished to turn the universe back to the hidden Father -- for it is His desire to have the universe return to Him. Then lights, which are the means of Gnosis were given him, and he was given authority over all the secrets, so that he might distribute them to those who had striven. Now they fled before the evils of the Aeon, putting it behind them, and took the promise of the Father unto them. THE GOSPEL The gospel is taken from the Gospel according to St. Thomas: Mary said to Jesus: Whom are thy disciples like? He said: They are like little children who have installed themselves in a field which is not theirs. When the owners of the field come, they will say, 'Release unto us our field.' They take off their clothes before them to release it to them and to give back their field to them. Therefore I say: If the lord of the house knows that the thief is coming, he will stay awake before he comes and will not let him dig through into the house of his kingdom to carry away his goods. You then must watch for the world, gird up your loins with great strength lest the brigands find a way to come to you, because they will find the advantage which you expect. Let there be among you a man of understanding; when the fruit ripened, he came quickly with his sickle in his hand, he reaped it. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.

Independence Day of the U.S.A.

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 05:58:54 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica.Fifth Sunday after Trinity - Independence Day of the U.S.A. THE COLLECTThou all sustainer and all transforming One, who art both the Lord of Hosts and the Prince of Peace; give us, we pray, Thy peace which passeth understanding, subdue the raging storm of this world so that we may safely pass to the other shore of Thy glorious aeon of unending glory and tranquillity. Amen. THE LESSONThe lesson is taken from the Book of the Wisdom of Solomon:The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and there shall no torment touch them. In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die, and their departure is taken for misery, and their going from us to be utter destruction; but they are in peace. For though they be punished in the sight of men, yet is their hope full of immortality. And having been a little chastised, they shall be greatly rewarded; for God proved them and found them worthy for Himself. As gold in the furnace hath he tried them, and received them as a burnt offering. They shall judge the nations, and have dominion over the people, and their Lord shall reign forever. THE GOSPEL The gospel is taken from the Gospel according to St. Thomas:Jesus said: I tell my mysteries to those who are worthy of my mysteries. He said: There was a rich man who had much money, and who said: I will use my money that I may sow and reap and plant and fill my storehouses with fruit so that I lack nothing. This was what he thought in his heart. And that night he died. Whoever has ears, let him hear.

Fourth Sunday After Trinity

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 09:09:19 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica.Fourth Sunday After Trinity THE COLLECT O Indwelling One, the mystic God of Love who dwellest within the hearts of men and within the secret soul of the universe, we lay our hearts upon Thy shrine. Accept, we pray Thee, our love, and transform it into the likeness of Thyself, so that it may ever shine with the undying fire of Thine infinite compassion, who livest and reignest forever and ever. Amen.THE LESSON The lesson is taken from the First Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians: Though I speak with the tongues of men and of Angels, and have not love, I am become as a sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing. Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Love never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophecy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then I shall know even as I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, love these three; but the greatest of these is love. THE GOSPEL The gospel is taken from the first Epistle General of St. John: Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is Love. Beloved, if God so loved us, we aught also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us His Spirit. God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. There is no fear in love but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us. If a man say: I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God, whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from Him, that he who loveth God love his brother also.

Third Sunday After Trinity

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 09:43:52 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica.The Third Sunday After TrinityIntent: God as Ruler of AngelsTHE COLLECTO God the King of Angels, ruler of all the Hosts of heaven, thou hast spoken out all the mysteries to us, O giver of the streams of all revelations and dispatcher of all thy radiant messengers. Thou art the One whom we have loved since our infancy; thy light shines out in us like a lamp of radiance, for thou hast sent to us thy shining Angels, who have driven away from us our forgetfulness of the truth, and have taught us to bless Thee and thy light. Amen.THE LESSONThe lesson is taken from the words of the Holy Prophet Mani:Now when the Living Father saw the soul afflicted in the body, then the mother of life and the first man and the living spirit stood up in prayer and implored the father of greatness. So the father of greatness heard them and called forth the messenger. Having come, then, he prepared for himself the work for the liberation of souls; he prepared a mechanism with twelve vehicles, the twelve virgin angels with their robes and crowns. The first is Royalty, the second Wisdom, and the third Victory; the fourth is Contentment, the fifth Purity, and the sixth Truth; the seventh is Faith, the eighth Patience, and the ninth Sincerity; the tenth is Kindness, and the eleventh is Justice, while the twelfth is Light.THE GOSPELThe gospel is taken from the Revelation of St. John the Divine:I saw the seven Angels who stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. And another Angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was brought before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the Angel's hand. And all the Angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying: Amen; blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Second Sunday after Trinity

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 09:36:26 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica.Second Sunday after TrinityTHE COLLECTThou boundless might manifest as mercy, we bless thee in the faithful fires of Summer, kindled on hilltops and on the summits of the outer world and deep within our hearts in honor of the principle of everlasting light and the ever burning fires of truth and holiness. Allow us to cherish carefully the seed we sowed in Springtime and which has become a precious plant in flower in our hearts. We bless this season of the Summer sun, and all it shines on visibly and outwardly. Permit, O eternal One, that we may ever keep its great light undimmed within us, shining in our hearts and radiating warmth around us unto every living soul. Amen.THE LESSONThe lesson is taken from the first Epistle of St. John:That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. These things write we unto you that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of Him and declare unto you, that God is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness we lie, and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another. He that saith he is in the light and hateth his brother is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.THE GOSPELThe gospel is taken from the Gospel according to St. Philip:A bridalchamber is not for the beasts, nor for the slaves, nor for the women defiled; but it is for the free men and virgins. Through the Holy Spirit we are indeed born, but we are born again through Christ. In the two we are anointed through the Spirit, and when we have been born we are united. None shall be able to see himself either in water or in a mirror without light. Nor again wilt thou be able to see in light without water or mirror. Because of this it is fitting to baptize in two, in light and water. But the light is the anointing.

Corpus Christi

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 09:16:40 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica.Corpus ChristiTHE COLLECTO God, Holy and Ineffable, who art verily mystically present in all things, and who art yet transcending all embodiment, we thank Thee for this wonderful sacrament of the altar, which Thou givest us as a token of thine indwelling divinity. We thank Thee for this the most wonderful gift which Thou hast given unto us and we ask Thee to grant us so to venerate the mystery of this sacred body and blood that we may ever perceive within ourselves thine indwelling presence, and share Thy life with others. Amen.THE LESSONThe lesson is taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians:For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He brake it, and He said: Take, eat; this is my Body, which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of me. After the same manner also, He took the cup,when He had supped, saying: This cup is the new testament in my Blood; this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this Bread, and drink this cup, ye show the lord's death till He come.THE GOSPELThe gospel is taken from the Gospel according to St. John:Amen, Amen, I say unto you: He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that Bread of Life. This is the Bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

Pentecost

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 07:43:06 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica.Pentecost Intent: Coming of the Holy Spirit THE COLLECT Eternal Spirit of Wisdom, source of love and light; thou norm of the Father and the Son, who comest into the soul of man as the balance of righteousness and truth, we hail thee! Most holy comforter, dove that deifiest mankind; thou presence most secret and adored in all the worlds, hear our prayer! Thou who art the fire of Pentecost, who movest upon the face of the waters; who comest down as a mighty wind; and who renewest the face of the earth, we glorify thee, and rejoice in the all renewing majesty of thy deathless might, now and forevermore. Amen.THE LESSON The lesson is taken from the Kephalaia of the Paraclete: The fount of every blessing and all the invocations is the mother of life, the first Holy Spirit, the first mother who has come forth the father and first appeared, the glorious one who is the beginning of all emanations that have come to this world. Know that the grains of the dust of the earth can be measured, with the whole universe, one can count the grains of the dust of the earth year after year; but the length of time the Holy Spirit passed with the father, that one cannot count. He first formed her in his inner chambers in quiet and in silence; but when she was needed, then was she called and came forth from the father of greatness; she looked after all the aeons of the light. THE GOSPEL The gospel is taken from the Gospel according to St. John: Jesus said unto His disciples: I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that She may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Her not, neither knoweth Her; but ye know Her, for She dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth Me no more, but ye see Me; because I live, ye shall live also. The Comforter, who is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, she shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Ascension Day

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 06:37:26 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica.Ascension DayIntent: Return to the LightTHE COLLECTOur Lord, the joy of thy sweet cry has made us forget the life of this world, the sweetness of thy voice has made us remember the heavenly city. We rejoice as we ascend unto thee, Father with whom we have conquered in the land of darkness. O our great King, transport us to the city of the Angel-Gods, take us into the homes of rejoicing, for we are thine. Amen.THE LESSONThe lesson is taken from the Chaldean Oracles: Let the immortal depths of the soul be opened, and open all thy eyes at once to the Above, for if the mortal draw near to the fire he shall have light from God. Thou shouldst speed to the light and to the rays of the Father. And when thou beholdest the most holy fire, flashing formless with dancing radiance through the depths of all the worlds, then listen to the voice of fire. Believe thyself to be out of body and so thou art; for divine things are not accessible to mortals who fix their minds on body; it is for those who strip themselves naked, who speed aloft to the height. THE GOSPELThe gospel is taken from the book Pistis Sophia: So it was that when the Light-Power came down on Jesus it gradually surrounded him altogether. Then Jesus ascended on high, shining most exceedingly with an unmeasured light; and the disciples were gazing after him, not one of them speaking until he went up to heaven, but they were all in great silence. When Jesus went up to heaven, after three hours, all the powers of the heavens trembled, and the whole earth with those who dwell thereon shook until the ninth hour of the next day. Then were all the powers of the height singing hymns to the Inmost of the Inmosts so that the whole world heard their ceaseless voices. But the disciples sat close together, being afraid. Then the heavens opened, and they saw Jesus coming down, shining most exceedingly, for he shone more than at the time he had gone up to the Heavens, so that no man of earth can speak of the light that was on him.

Fifth Sunday After Easter

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 14:34:11 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica.The Fifth Sunday After EasterIntent: Recognition of the Human Potential for LiberationTHE COLLECTO Thou chosen seed of the Godhead, implanted into our being before all beginnings, and enduring after all endings, blessed be Thou, and all that comes to life among us by Thy means. Open unto us, we pray Thee, the inner ways we search for, and guide us toward the fulfillment of Thy great potencies. Be born within us, and bear within Thyself the intentions of our truest will, that Thou and we may grow together unto the eternal light whence every living entity hath come forth. Amen.THE LESSONThe lesson is taken from the words of Hermes, the Thrice Great Lord: Mortal cannot draw near to immortal, transitory to everlasting, nor corruptible to incorruptible. Out of the two natures, immortal and mortal God has made one nature — that of man. Thus has humanity been made in one part divine, and in another part mortal while man is in a body, but the right balance of the two, that is, of man, is reverence before all things which leads to goodness. THE GOSPELThe gospel is taken from the Gospel according to St. John:Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you into Myself, that where I am ye may be also. Now I have told you before it come to pass, that when it is come to pass ye might believe. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Fourth Sunday After Easter

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 04:01:53 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica.THE COLLECTO Thou single source of truth and wisdom, who hast taught us that we shall be lamps unto ourselves and islands of refuge unto ourselves, let us ascend up to the supreme light as if on the chariot of truth, bring us over all gulfs and abysses, bear us upward out of gorges and valleys; become to us a harbor of liberation so that we may repose in the arms of life everlasting. Amen.THE LESSONThe lesson is taken from the Great Book of the Mandaeans:From the place of light have I gone forth, from thee, bright habitation. An angel from the house of life accompanied me, who held a staff of living water in his hand which was full of leaves of an excellent kind. He offered me of its leaves, and prayers and sacraments sprang from it. Again he offered me of them, and he turned upwards mine eyes so that I beheld my Father and knew him. As I beheld and knew my Father, I addressed three requests to him. I asked him for mildness in which there is no rebellion. I asked him for a strong heart to bear both great and small. I asked him for smooth paths to ascend and behold the place of light.THE GOSPELThe gospel is taken from the Gospel according to St. Philip:There are two trees in paradise. The one produces beasts; the other produces man. Adam ate from the tree which produced beasts, and becoming a beast he begat beasts. God created man and man created god. So it is in the world. Men make gods and they worship their creations. It would be fitting for the gods to worship men.

Third Sunday After Easter

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 18:58:34 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica.The Third Sunday After EasterIntent: Divine ProtectionTHE COLLECTO great alone-born, hear us this day when we cry to Thee, O One-Father, almighty spirit, the firstborn of every living being and every Aeon! Help us, O holy angels! May our afflictions both within and without swiftly flee away from us, so that the benevolent powers may come to us, remain with us, and protecting us, guide us to Thine ineffable Light! Amen. THE LESSONThe lesson is taken from the Chaldean Oracles: The soul of man, with nothing in it subject to death, should press God closely to itself; but now it is all drunk, for it glories in the Harmony under whose sway the mortal frame exists. Seek out the channel for the Soul-Stream, whence it is that the Soul fell into slavery to the body, and to what state thou shalt rise again. Those who flee the reckless fated wing of Fate and stay themselves in God, draw to themselves the fires in all their prime as they descend out of the Father. And the soul is nourished all these aeons by the empyrean fruit which it gathered from God, who is our home, and our true Self.THE GOSPELThe gospel is taken from the Gospel according to St. Thomas:Jesus said: Blessed are the solitary and elect, for you shall find the kingdom; because you come from it, and you shall go there again. Jesus said: If they say to you: 'From where have you originated', you say to them: 'We have come from the Light, where the Light has originated through itself. It stood and it revealed itself in their image.' If they say to you: 'Who are you?', say: 'We are His sons and we are the elect of the Living Father.' If they ask you: 'What is the sign of your Father in you?', say to them: 'It is a movement and a rest.'

Second Sunday After Easter

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 02:48:04 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica.The Second Sunday After EasterIntent: Divine GraceTHE COLLECTThou art He to whom we pray, Father of all fatherhood, and God of every god, and Lord of every lord; Thee we implore to give order to our being, to our thoughts, feelings and actions. O Monarch and sole Changeless One, grant us Thy grace and power that we may come to know Thee, that we may know that Thou art our Redeemer.Amen. THE LESSONThe lesson is taken from the Gnosis of the Invisible God:These mysteries that I shall give you, guard them, do not give them to any man unless worthy of them; do not give them to father or mother, to brother or sister or relative. Guard them; do not give them to anyone at all for the sake of the goods of the whole world. Do not speak to anyone of these mysteries of the Treasury of the Light, save to those who shall be worthy of them, having left the whole world and all its affairs, being in no faith other than the Faith of the Light, listening to one another and treating one another as Sons of the Light. THE GOSPELThe gospel is taken from the Gospel according to St. John: The same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them: Peace be unto you. And when He had so said, He showed unto them His hands and His side. Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again: Peace be unto you; as My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you. And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whosoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosoever sins ye retain, they are retained.

Easter Sunday

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 03:08:40 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica.The Festival of the Risen Light Easter DayIntent: The Inner Resurrection THE COLLECTO Infinite Intelligence, in Whom all inspiration is, tell us the truth about ourselves in whatsoever ways we best may bear without being broken by that burden. Give us, we pray Thee, the sure and certain witness that spirit shall finally triumph over matter, and that death to the world is but a gateway to the ineffable splendor of eternal life in Thee. Deal lightly with us, O Divine Directing One, that we may learn our lessons in this life through love, yet with an unassuming air of absolute and utter confidence in Thy complete command of Cosmos; O never-setting sun of wisdom, goodness and truth, who livest and reignest God for ever and ever. Amen. THE LESSONThe lesson is taken from the Acts of St. John: Jesus said to John: Thou hearest of me suffering, yet I have not suffered; pierced, yet was I not smitten; hanged, but was not hanged; blood flowing from me, yet it did not flow. And in a word, what they say of me, these things I did not have; while what they do not say, those I have suffered. Understand me then as the slaying of a Word, wound of a Word, hanging of a Word, suffering of a Word, fastening of a Word, death of a Word, resurrection of a Word, and defining this Word, I mean every man! THE GOSPEL The gospel is taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew: As it began to dawn towards the first day of the week came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher. And, behold, there was a great earthquake, for the Angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow, and for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the Angel said unto the women: Fear not ye, for I know that ye seek Jesus, who was crucified. Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that he is risen from the dead. And they departed quickly from the sepulcher with fear and great joy, and did run to bring His disciples word. And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying: All hail. And they came and took Him by the feet, and worshipped Him.

Holy Saturday in Easter

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 14:46:26 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica.A homily for the vigil of Holy Saturday.

Good Friday

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 00:16:58 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica.The Readings for this service are taken from the Acts of John. The complete text of this reading is available in the Gnostic Society library.The Hymn of the LordWhich He Sang in Secret to the Holy Apostles, His DisciplesNow before he was taken he gathered all of us together and said:Before I am delivered up unto them let us sing an hymn to the Father, and so go forth to that which lieth before us. He bade us therefore make as it were a ring, holding one another's hands, and himself standing in the midst he said: Answer Amen unto me. He began, then, to sing an hymn and to say: Glory be to thee, Father. And we, going about in a ring, answered him:Amen. Glory be to thee, Word: Glory be to thee, Grace. Amen. Glory be to thee, Spirit: Glory be to thee, Holy One: Glory be to thy glory. Amen. We praise thee, O Father; we give thanks to thee, O Light, wherein darkness dwelleth not. Amen. Now whereas we give thanks, I say:I would be saved, and I would save. Amen. I would be loosed, and I would loose. Amen. I would be wounded, and I would wound. Amen. I would be born, and I would bear. Amen. I would eat, and I would be eaten. Amen. I would hear, and I would be heard. Amen. I would be thought, being wholly thought. Amen. I would be washed, and I would wash. Amen. Grace danceth. I would pipe; dance ye all. Amen. I would mourn: lament ye all. Amen.(The text continues...)

Maundy Thursday in Easter

Thu, 05 May 2011 00:13:31 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica. THE COLLECT O God, who hast given thy children the wonderful mystery of the Eucharist ere the world began; who hast sent to us holy messengers of thy love, who were without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like unto the sons of God, thou art verily the heart-blood of the universe, whereby all beings live. Grant us, we pray, that we may properly reverence and worthily receive the unspeakable mystery of thy mystical body and blood now and forevermore. Amen. THE LESSON Put thou thy trust in the Lord, and be doing good; delight thou in the Lord, and He shall give thee thy heart’s desire. Commit thy way unto the Lord, and put thy trust in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall make thy righteousness as clear as the light, and thy just dealing as the noonday. O rest in the Lord; wait patiently for Him; for the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. THE GOSPEL Amen, Amen, I say unto you, he that believeth on Me hath everlasting life. I am that Bread of life. This is the Bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living Bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this Bread, he shall live forever; and the Bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

Palm Sunday

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 02:46:31 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica.The Sunday Next Before Easter: Palm SundayIntent: The Temporary Triumph of the Light before its ObscurationTHE COLLECTO Lord, thou art Aleph the first and Tav the last which have come together in Thee, and so thy beneficent will has been fulfilled. Before thy face the angels veil their countenance, and before thy majesty all the glories of the earth are nothing. As we were told of old that thy Logos on the day of his triumph rode into the city and was greeted with shouts of joy by the people, grant unto us thy servants that we may recognize him when he enters the city of our being, and remain faithful to him unto the end of the Aeons. Amen. THE LESSONThe lesson is taken from the Revelation of St. John the Divine:I heard a great voice of much people in heaven saying: Alleluia; salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God, for true and righteous are His judgements. And again they said Alleluia. And the four-and-twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying: Amen, Praise our God, all ye His servants and ye that love Him, both great and small. And I heard as if it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying: Alleluia; for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth: let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to Him. And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse, and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and His name is called Word of God; and He hath on His vesture and on his thigh a name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords. THE GOSPELThe gospel is taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew:And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, saying unto them, “Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and her colt with her: loose them and bring them unto me. And if any man say aught unto you, ye shall say, ‘The Lord hath need of them,’ and he will straightway send them.” And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, and brought the ass and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude, when they heard that Jesus was coming, went forth to meet him, and spread their garments in the way, and others cut down branches from the trees and strew them in his way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, “Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.” And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?” And the multitude said, “This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.”

Fourth Sunday in Lent

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 03:13:20 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica.The Fourth Sunday in LentIntent: Spiritual RefreshmentTHE COLLECTO Thou supreme Life-Spirit, cause of every change throughout creation, origin of all, and single source of every living soul, of Thee alone is our beginning, and in Thee alone have we no ending. As Thy sacred symbol of the seed is sown in Springtime, set Thou likewise in our hearts and souls the sacred spark of Thine immortal light. Grant us we pray a peaceful and refreshing season of progression. Let us receive fresh light upon our paths and follow this with faith throughout Thy plans for our perfection. May this truly be Thy will in us and our true will in Thee, that we may ultimately unify in everlasting love. Amen.THE LESSONThe lesson is taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Phillipians: I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound; everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me. Brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report: if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do; and the God of peace shall be with you. Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. THE GOSPELThe gospel is taken from the Gospel according to St. Philip:The light and the darkness, life and death, the right and the left, are brothers one to another. It is not possible to separate them from one another. Because of this, neither are the good good, nor the evil evil, nor is life a life, nor death a death. Because of this each one will be resolved into its origin from the beginning. But those who are exalted above the world are indissoluble and eternal.

Passion Sunday - Fifth Sunday in Lent

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 04:25:07 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica.Passion Sunday: The Fifth Sunday in LentIntent: Mystery of the CrossTHE COLLECTO Word of Life, now called the cross, thou ever upright, ever raised on high, eternally above! O Cross, most skillfully devised instrument of salvation, given to us by the Highest! O Cross, invincible trophy of Christ's conquest of his foes! O Cross, life-giving tree, with its roots planted in earth, and its fruits treasured up in heaven! O Cross, most venerable sweetness and sweet name! O Cross most worshipful, who, through Gnosis bringest the worthy to God! O Name of the cross, hidden mystery! O ineffable grace that is expressed in the nave of the cross! O nature of man that cannot be separated from God! O love ineffable, inseparable, that cannot be declared by unclean lips! We will declare Thee for what thou art; we will not keep silence on the mystery of the cross which was always in the world. And thou, O Cross, wilt be unto us no mere cross of wood to slay the body of earthly matter but the cross of light that lifts man from things of earth to the matchless wonders of eternity. Amen.THE LESSONThe Lesson is taken from the Acts of St. Peter and the Acts of St. Andrew: It is right to mount on the cross of Christ, who is the one and only Word stretched out upon the cross. So that the Word is the upright beam whereon I am crucified, and the Sound is that which crosses it, the nature of Man, while the nail which holds the cross-beam to the upright in its center is the conversion and repentance of Man. The bar of the cross is the invincible man. This is the Father, this is the fountain that comes forth from the silence; it is he who is sought after everywhere. This is also the Father in whom the monad has evolved like a light-spark before which all the worlds are as nothing.THE GOSPELThe Gospel is taken from the Gospel according to St. John: Jesus said: The hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Amen, Amen, I say unto you, except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it, and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto eternal life. If any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there also shall My servant be.

Second Sunday in Lent

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 03:08:00 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica.The Second Sunday in LentIntent: Yearning for GodTHE COLLECTO gracious father, kindly prince, countless myriads of years have now passed since we were separated from Thee! We yearn and long to see Thy luminous and living face! Unstained we roam forth in Thy power, unstained we come again to stand before Thee! It is true we have not altogether been able to fulfill Thy will, but now be merciful to us, O gracious and royal God; we would forget our sorrows, we would live in the joy of eternal love! Amen. THE LESSONThe lesson is taken from the Great Book of the Mandaeans:From the day when I came to love the Life, from the day when my heart came to love the Truth, I no longer have trust in anything in the world. In father and mother, I have no trust in the world. In brothers and sisters I have no trust in the world. In what is made and created I have no trust in the world. After my soul alone I go searching about, which to me is worth generations and worlds. I went and found my soul — What are to me all the worlds? I went and found Truth, as she stands at the outer rim of the worlds. THE GOSPELThe gospel is taken from the Book of the Pistis Sophia:And Mary, the mother of Jesus according to matter, said: When Thou my Master wert a child, before the Spirit had descended upon Thee, when Thou wert in the vineyard with Joseph, the Spirit came down from the height, and came unto me in the house, like unto Thee, and I knew him not, but thought that he was Thou. And he said unto me, ‘Where is Jesus, my brother, that I may go to meet him?’ And when he had said this unto me I was in doubt, and thought it was a phantom tempting me. I seized him and bound him to the foot of the bed which was in my house, until I had gone to find you in the field — Thee and Joseph. It came to pass, therefore, when Thou didst hear me saying this thing unto Joseph, that Thou didst understand, and Thou wert joyful and saidest, ‘Where is he, that I may see him? Nay I am expecting him in this place.’ And it came to pass, when Joseph heard Thee say these words, that he was disturbed. We went together, we entered into the house, we found the spirit bound on the bed, and we gazed upon Thee and him, and found that Thou wert like unto him. And he that was bound to the bed was unloosed; he embraced Thee and kissed thee, and Thou didst kiss him; and ye became one and the same being.

First Day of Lent - Ash Wednesday

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 00:48:58 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica. The First Day of Lent - Ash WednesdayIntent: Purification THE COLLECT O loving God, look upon Thy children who have answered Thy call! Come to us with Thy mighty aid in our time of need. Cleanse us of all darkness and ignorance, let our tears be turned to jubilation, let Thy most glorious power watch over us until we enter Thy light. Let Thy great brightness come and cause the path to be lit before us, let Thy angels bring to us Thy garments, Thy crowns and Thy garlands; let our way be restful, let the door open before us into the column of glory, let us cross over in the ships of Light and rest for evermore. Amen.THE LESSONThe lesson is taken from the words of the Holy Prophet Mani: The man whose mind is full of light is the one to whom belongs wisdom; as soon as he hears truth he welcomes it to himself; but he whose mind is without light, who is alien to it, does not take it to himself, nor does he listen to it. And every weak soul which has not learned the truth belonging to her is doomed to remain without any rest or happiness. God’s enlightening word is sweet when it finds ears to hear it; it does not lodge in a closed mind, makes not its way into a polluted shrine. Let us therefore examine our shrines, so that in cleanliness they may receive the Light.THE GOSPELThe gospel is taken from the Gospel according to St. Thomas: Jesus saw children who were being suckled. He said to his disciples: These children who are being suckled are like those who enter the kingdom. They said to Him: Shall we then, being children, enter the Kingdom? Jesus said to them: When you make the two one, and when you make the inner as the outer and the outer as the inner and the above as the below, and when you make the male and the female into a single one, so that the male will not be male and the female not be female, when you make eyes in the place of an eye, and a hand in the place of a hand, and a foot in the place of a foot, and an image in the place of an image then shall you enter the Kingdom.

Holy Valentinus Day

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 00:28:40 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica.Day of the Holy ValentinusTHE COLLECTO Indestructible Spirit, whoever callest to thy Indestructible offspring wherever they may find themselves, we thank thee, and praise thy supreme and compassionate Gnosis for having given us the light and wisdom of the holy Valentinus. May the secrets nameless, ineffable, transcendental and glorious, that cannot be comprehended either by the dominions or by the powers or the lower beings or by any of the mixture of the world of darkness; the secrets brought to the light of our minds by Valentinus serve as our guiding powers to the ineffable Gnosis, now and forevermore. Amen.THE LESSONThe lesson is taken from the writings of the Holy Valentinus:When the Demiurge, the god of those who know not the true God further wanted to imitate also the boundless, eternal, infinite and timeless nature of the original eight Aeons of the fullness, but could not express their immutable eternity, being as he was a fruit of the defect, he embodied their eternity in times, epochs and great numbers of years, under the delusion that by the quantity of times he could represent their infinity. Thus truth escaped him and he followed a lie. Therefore his work shall pass away when the times are fulfilled.THE GOSPELThe gospel is taken from the Gospel of Truth:This is why Jesus appeared: he opened the Book of Gnosis. He was nailed to a tree, he fastened the testamentary disposition from the Father to the Cross. O such magnanimity, such that he draws himself downward to death while eternal life encloses him. Having divested himself of these perishable rags he clothed himself with the imperishability which none has the power to take from him.

Candlemas Day

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 00:27:53 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica.Candlemas DayIntent: Kindling of the Light in DarknessTHE COLLECTO Lord of Light and Lady of Love, eternal, ineffable mystery of the Godhead, grant that enlightened by the flame of consciousness, we may successfully journey into the far and glorious kingdom beyond the aeons, and join the great flame as sparks flying upwards. Amen. THE LESSONThe lesson is taken from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah:The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand forever. Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him, and His work before Him. He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. THE GOSPELThe gospel is taken from the Gospel according to St. Thomas:Jesus said: I shall choose you, one out of a thousand, and two out of ten thousand, and they shall stand as a single one. His disciples said: Show us the place where thou art, for it is necessary for us to seek it. He said to them: Whoever has ears let him hear. Within a man of light there is light and he lights the whole world. When he does not shine, there is darkness. Jesus said: Love thy brother as thy soul, guard him as the apple of thine eye.

Septuagesima - Third Sunday Before Lent

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 15:05:42 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica.Septuagesima - The Third Sunday Before LentIntent: The Gift of WisdomTHE COLLECTO Mind that conquers matter, spread thy mercy over our spirit. Mind of light, who art the Awakener of those who sleep, the Gatherer of those scattered abroad, Father of all the messengers of Light, Thou who choosest the communities who are to serve the Light, Physician of the souls; sprinkle the precious tree of our being with the water of thy wisdom and the dew of immortality, so that our lives on this earth may produce fruits which produce goodness, truth, and beauty. O Thou great consoler of men, to whom there be adoration now and forever. THE LESSONThe lesson is taken from the Book of the Wisdom of Solomon:Wisdom, which is the worker of all things, taught me; for in her is an understanding spirit, holy, one only, manifold, subtle, clear, undefiled, plain, not subject to hurt, loving the thing that is good, quick, which cannot be letted, ready to good, kind to man, steadfast, sure, free from care, having all power, overseeing all things, and going through all spirits, understanding, pure and most subtle. For wisdom is more moving than any motion; she passeth and goeth through all things by reason of her pureness. For she is the breath of the power of God, and a pure effluence from the glory of the Almighty; therefore can nothing defiled enter into her. For she is the brightness of the everlasting light, the unspotted mirror of the power of God, and the image of His goodness. And, being but one, she can do all things; remaining in herself, she maketh all things new; and in all ages entering into holy souls, she maketh them friends of God, and prophets. For God loveth him that dwelleth with Wisdom. For she is more beautiful than the sun, and above all the order of the stars. Being compared with the light, she is found before it. He that loveth her loveth life, and they that seek her early shall be filled with joy. He that holdeth her fast shall inherit glory; and wheresoever she entereth, the Lord will bless. They that serve her shall minister to the Holy One; and them that love her the Lord doth love.THE GOSPELThe gospel is taken from the Gospel according to St. Philip:There are animals which are subject to man, like the bull and the ass and others of this kind. There are others which are not subject and live apart in the deserts. Man ploughs the field by means of the beasts which are subject and from this he feeds himself and the beasts, whether those that are subject or those which are not subject. So is it with the perfect man. Through powers which are subject he ploughs, preparing for everything to come into being. For because of this the whole place stands, whether the good or the evil, and the right and the left. The Holy Spirit tends everything and rules all the powers which are subject and those which are not subject, with those which are separate.

Third Sunday after Epiphany

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 02:36:45 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica.The Third Sunday After Epiphany Intent: Sincerity THE COLLECT -- O Indwelling Lord, who art ever opposed to injustice and hypocrisy, we pray that we may be just and true of heart in all our dealings with our brethren, that we may recognize within them Thy indwelling presence and holy light. O Thou great King of Righteousness, to whom be praise and adoration for ever and ever. Amen.THE LESSONThe lesson is taken from the Book of Sophia:Preach to the whole world: fight yourselves and receive the mysteries of the Light in this afflicted time, and go into the kingdom of the Light. Do not add day to day or cycle to cycle, hoping to come to receive the mysteries when we come to the world in another cycle. Now such people do not know when the number of the Perfect Souls will be complete, and I shall shut the Gates of Light, and from that time no one shall go in, because the mystery of the first mystery has been accomplished, for whose sake the universe has come into being. THE GOSPEL The gospel is taken from the Gospel according to St. Philip: When the pearl is cast down into the mud it does not become dishonored the more, nor if it is anointed with balsam oil will it become more precious. But it has its worth in the eyes of its owner at all times. So with the Sons of God wherever they may be. For they have the value in the eyes of their Father.

Second Sunday after Epiphany

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 02:10:36 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica.The Second Sunday After EpiphanyIntent: Desire for LiberationTHE COLLECTO great 'Call' who has awakened our soul from slumber; O Merciful One filled with mercy, the savior of those who are his own. We worship thee; we have called upon thee with an innocent voice, because we know that thou art the rescuer of souls. Stretch out thy right hand to us, and we shall leave all darkness behind us, and serve only thy Light, now and forevermore. Amen. THE LESSONThe lesson is taken from the Book of the Psalms of Light: O Soul, thou art the sheep that has wandered in the desert; thy Father seeks thee, thy shepherd looks for thee. O despised noble, thy king searches after thee! Where are thy angel garments, thine unaging robes? Where are thy gay garlands, thy crowns that do not fall? Who has changed thy fair beauty, the fashion of thy kinsmen, the seal of thy fathers? Move thyself, O soul watching in the enduring chains, and remember the ascent into the joyful air, for a dangerous lure is the sweetness of this flesh, the body of darkness. Drink of the water of memory, throw away thy forgetfulness! The wounded one who desires healing, let him come to the physician! O soul, do not forget thy Self, nor faint, nor eat out thy heart! See, the ships are moored for thee, the boats are in the harbor; take thy burden aboard and sail away to thy true home. THE GOSPELThe gospel is taken from the Gospel according to St. Thomas: Jesus said: The old man will not hesitate to ask a little child of seven days about the place of Life, and he will live. For many who are first shall become last, and they shall become a single one. Jesus said: Know what is in thy sight, and what is hidden from thee will be revealed to thee. For there is nothing hidden which will not be manifest. His disciples asked him, they said to him: Wouldst thou that we fast and how should we pray and should we give alms and what diet should we observe? Jesus said: Do not lie; and do not do what you hate, for all things are manifest before Heaven. For there is nothing hidden that shall not be revealed and there is nothing covered that shall remain without being uncovered.

Epiphany

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 02:28:19 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica.The EpiphanyIntent: Divine GuidanceTHE COLLECTHoly Father of the Light, who dost ever show Thyself to the wise men in every age, we ask for such zeal in the pursuit of Gnosis as may help us to lead all longing souls to Thy Light; O Thou ever shining and guiding star of wisdom and holiness, to Whom we present our gifts of devotion and adoration now and forevermore. Amen.THE LESSONThe lesson is taken from the writings of the Gnostic Fathers:When the Christ appeared among the Aeons of Light, and the chaos was dispersed and perfectly pacified, all the sons and daughters of wisdom sang hymns with great joy to the Father, sharing much delight. With one will and purpose the entire Fullness of the Aeons — Christ and the Spirit were well pleased and the Father imposed His seal upon all. And this is the most perfect beauty and Star of the Pleroma, a perfect fruit, Jesus who was also named Savior and Christ and Word and All, because he is from all. THE GOSPELThe gospel is taken from the Gospel of Truth:Therefore he who is Gnostic is truly a being from above. When he is called he hears; he answers; he directs himself to Him who calls him and returns to Him; he apprehends how he is called. By possessing Gnosis, he carries out the will of Him who called him and seeks to do what pleases Him. He receives the repose. He who thus possesses knowledge knows whence he comes and whither he goes. He understands as someone who makes himself free and awakens from the drunkenness wherein he lived and returns to himself.

New Year's Day

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 03:30:07 +0000

A collection of the weekly homilies given by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica.New Year's DayIntent: Renewal of LifeTHE COLLECTO omnipotent God, who fillest and dost govern the immensity of worlds which have come forth from Thee; Thou verily art the eternal new-born Child, and yet Thou art the Ancient of Days! Thou hast veiled Thy ineffable glory and splendor in the garment of time and the cloak of space; Thou wilt transform all things so that they might return to Thee, to Thy timeless essence. We dedicate our lives to Thee, and we resolve to so live throughout this year, that Thy glory might increase and fill the earth as the waters cover the sea. Amen.THE LESSONThe lesson is taken from the Book of the Revelation of St. John the Divine:Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away. Behold, I make all things new.THE GOSPELThe gospel is taken from the words of Hermes the Thrice Great Lord:Your consciousness is in God; draw it into yourself, and it will appear; will, and it takes birth; suspend the senses of the body and the birth of the Godhead takes place. But first you must purify yourselves from the mindless torments of matter, one of which is ignorance, though there are many others, which force the man who is confined to the prison of the body to suffer by way of the passions. But these at once depart from him on whom God has had mercy, and so the body of Gnosis in man is built. This is the way of true rebirth. And now my child be still, and keep solemn silence; and thus will the grace from God not cease to come upon us.