My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ God,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
"Η ΚΑΤ’ ΟΙΚΟΝ ΕΚΚΛHΣΙΑ" ("THE CHURCH THAT IS IN THEIR HOUSE")
(1 Corinthians 16:19)
From the very beginning of the ancient Christian Church the participation of the faithful in the divine worship, no matter its manifestation, enlivened and warmed their faith in God. It is well known of the gatherings of the faithful in the upper rooms of their dwellings where the great Mysterion of the Divine Eucharist was conducted. There, the common prayer was offered, the recitation of the prophecies, and the preaching given by the presbyter, indicated their unity and spiritual connection. Clearly what dominated their synaxis was the agape (love) among them, with the strong feeling of Jesus Christ’s presence. The climax of their common worship was the partaking of the Divine Communion by all present. With the triumph of the Faith, there appeared the first Chaples which eventually were referred to as holy temples where all the religious activities took place.
The "Domestic Church" was respected by all the holy Apostles and holy Fathers of the Church who taught her great value. Saint Paul sent his greeting to the Faithful of every Church and especially to "the Church that is in their house" (1 Corinthians 16:19). Saint John Chrysostom exhorts us: "Make your home a Church." The blessed family, as "kat’ oikon Ekklesia" ("domestic Church"), functions as a place of spiritual therapy and healing from the passions. It becomes a blessed place.
The declared war against the Christian family throughout the world today is enough to bring all of us to our senses and protect, defend, and preserve the "kat’ oikon Ekklesia" from evil powers and all enemies. The contemporary secular and atheistic and immoral society has made it its priority to dissolve the family and take control of its members and drive them away from the love and protection of God. The threat is imminent and real. We must not allow the destructive waves of the world to engulf it. The Mysterion (Sacrament) of family and marriage "is great in Christ and in the Church."
The only true and Heavenly Bridegroom is Jesus Christ Who remains the Eternal Head of the Church. Neither a Church without Christ can exist, nor does Christ without the Church give its Mysteria to man. So in the family, no one can live without the other, nor body can be constituted if the head of the family is not our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So must also be emphasized that the Lord’s supreme and good will for each person is our salvation and theosis (deification). This is the purpose and end of our lives. Therefore, the family is not an end in itself but a means for our salvation.
All forms and kinds of life are transient and are evaluated by whether one is led to the Eternal Kingdom of God. If the contemporary Christian family does not direct us to Christ, then its results are superficial, empty and a complete failure. A spiritually successful Christian family, in this contemporary secular world, is one that has achieved its Christian purpose of obtaining sanctification and deification of its members.
A contemporary holy monk of Mt. Athos said: "When we learn to transcend our selfishness, we become true members of our family, and when we become true members of our family by overcoming our selfishness, then we will truly become members of Christ God and then we will be able to pray to our Creator for the salvation of the world. This is none other than the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. It is through the divine intercessions of the Ever-Virgin Mary the Mother of God that we will be able to be united to our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ. And, furthermore, if we desire to change the world, let us first change ourselves and our families and obediently conform to the Divine Teachings of our Savior.
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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
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 