What is Orthodoxy? (Part II)

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ God,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

What is Orthodoxy (Part II)
By Protopresbyter George Metallinos Professor Emeritus, School of Theology,
University of Athens

3. The purpose of the presence of the Church, as in Christ community, in the world is the treatment of man with the RESTORATION OF THE COMMUNION OF THE HEART WITH GOD, NAMELY OF THE NOETIC FUNCTION. ACCORDING TO THE BLESSED Professor Father Ioannis Romanidis, “The Patristic Tradition IS NEITHER A COMMUNAL PHILOSOPHY nor AN ETHICAL SYSTEM nor RELIGIOUS DOGMATISM but CURATIVE REGIMEN. At this point, it resembles a lot to medicine, particularly psychiatry. The NOETIC ENERGY OF THE SOUL, that prays noetically and incessantly is the heart, it is the physiological organ that everyone possesses and for which therapy is essential. Neither philosophy nor any of the known natural or social sciences are able to cure this organ. For this, the uncured does not even know the existence of such an organ…

“…The method of THERAPY offered by the Church is THE SPIRITUAL LIFE AS A LIFE IN THE Holy Spirit. The SPIRITUAL LIFE IS LIVED AS AN ASCESIS (EXERCISE) AND PARTICIPATION IN THE GIVEN THROUGH THE MYSTERIES UNCREATED GRACE. The ascesis (practice) is the violation of our self-independence and the DEADENED FROM SIN nature that proceeds towards the spiritual or eternal death, namely THE ETERNAL SEPARATION FROM THE GRACE OF GOD. The ascesis aspires to the victory OVER THE PASSIONS, TO OVERCOME THE INTERNAL ENSLAVEMENT TO THE SICKNESS BEARING STAGES OF MAN AND TO TRANSFER TO THE Cross of Christ, and His Resurrection. The ASCETIC CHRISTIAN under the direction of his Therapist-Spiritual Confessor – becomes RECEPTIVE OF THE GRACE, who accepts through his participation in the Mysteries of the ecclesiastic body. A NON-ASCETIC Christian CANNOT EXIST LIKE THERE CANNOT BE A CURED PERSON THAT DOES NOT FOLLOW THE THERAPEUTIC COURSE THAT THE PHYSICIAN PRESCRIBED.

4. The above lead to some firm points that indicate the authenticity of Christian Orthodoxy:

a) The Church as the body of Christ, FUNCTIONS AS A THERAPEUTIC CENTER – HOSPITAL. Otherwise, she is not a Church but a religion. The Clerics are selected originally from the cured, to work AS THERAPISTS OF OTHERS. The therapeutic liturgy (function) of the Church, today is mainly saved in the Monasteries, who even while enduring their separation from the world, continue the Church of the Apostolic times.

b) The scientists of the ecclesiastic therapies are already cured. Whoever does not have experience with Pastoral Therapeutic Treatment cannot be a therapist. This is the important difference between Pastoral Therapeutic science and Medical science. The scientists of the ecclesiastic therapy (Fathers and Mothers) produce other therapists, like the Professors of Medicine produce their successors.

c) The restriction of the Church to the simple forgiveness of sins for entry to Paradise after death suggests self-alienation which is equivalent to the Medical science forgiving the patient so that he gets cured after death! The Church DOES NOT to send someone to Paradise or Hell. Paradise and Hell, in any case, ARE NOT PLACES BUT A WAY OF EXISTENCE. The Church by CURING MAN, PREPARES HIM/HER TO SEE CHRIST INTO ETERNITY IN HIS UCNREATED LIGHT AS PARADISE AND NOT AS HELL, NAMELY “CONSUMING FIRE” (Hebrews 12:29). This naturally concerns EVERY PERSON, for ALL THE PEOPLE WILL BE SEEING CHRIST ETERNALLY AS “Judge” of the world.

d) The validity of science is indicated by the success of her goals (for example in Medicine, by the patient becoming cured). “This is the validity of the Medical science is differentiated FROM QUACKERY.” The criterion of the Pastoral Therapy of the Church is the ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THE SPIRITUAL THERAPY, WITH HER OPENING OF THE TREK TOWARD THEOSIS (DEIFICATION). The therapy does not transfer to the after-death life BUT IN THE LIFE OF MAN IN THIS WORLD (IN THE HERE AND NOW). This IS CONFIRMED FROM THE INCORRUPT RELICS OF THE SAINTS THAT WIN OVER THE BIOLOGICAL CORRUPTION, LIKE THOSE OF THE SAINTS OF THE SEVEN ISLANDS (The Greek Adriatic islands, Corfu, etc): Saints Spyridon, Gerasimos, Dionysios, and Theodora of August. The incorrupt holy relics in our tradition ARE THE INDISPUTABLE EVIDENCE OF THEOSIS (DEIFICATION), OF THE FULFILLMENT OF THE THERAPEUTIC Church. The intact holy relics exhibit within the energy of Divine grace because at the moment the corruption of the cellular system begins, IT STOPS AUTOMATICALLY, AND INSTEAD OF FOUL SMELL, FRAGRANCE EMANATES.

e) Finally the holy texts of the Church (Bible, Synodic, and Patristic texts) do not codify some Christian idealogy
but have A THERAPEUTIC CHARACTER FUNCTIONING LIKE THE University texts in the Medical science. This also holds for the Liturgical texts, i.e., Prayers. The simple reading of a prayer, without a parallel will of involvement by the faithful in its therapeutic process, does not differ from the situation where the patient runs to the doctor with great pains and the doctor instead of drastically intervening, limits himself to laying the patient on the surgery bed and reading him the chapter concerning his sickness!

Briefly, this Orthodoxy. It does not matter if one accepts her or not. For this, we address everybody, including the non-Christians and the indifferent but also the “Christians” (in the overture). All the other interpretation of Christianity constitutes FALSIFICATION AND DISTORTION OF HER, EVEN IF IT WISHES TO APPEAR AS Orthodoxy!

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“Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!”

– Saint John Chrysostomos

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+ Father George