My beloved brothers and sisters in Our Risen Lord, God, and Savior JESUS CHRIST,
CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN! ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! ΑΛΗΘΩΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ!
BEHAVIOR IN CHURCH
"And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep
and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He
had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple,
with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’
money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who
sold doves, "Take these things away! DO NOT MAKE MY
FATHER’S HOUSE A HOUSE OF MERCHANDISE!" (John 2:14-15).
Jesus cleansed the temple twice, at the beginning and again at the end of His public Ministry. By this cleansing, Jesus vigorously protects the PURITY OF WORSH9P AGAINST COMMERCIALISM. Likewise, He zealously desires His Church TO BE A HOLY, PURE HOUSE OF PRAYER. From His actions, we clearly understand that the House of God, the Church, must be respected at all times and should be used only for worship and adoration of Him.
Saint Symeon the New Theologian taught HOW ONE SHOULD BEHAVE IN CHURCH: "The mind must not wander off, nor the thoughts be occupied with curiosity of interest in the more careless people as they talk or whisper to each other. On the contrary, the eye and the soul must be kept free FROM DISTRACTION AND PAY ATTENTION TO NOTHING ELSE BUT THE PSALMODY AND THE READING AND, AS FAR AS POSSIBLE, TO THE MEANING OF THE WORDS OF THE DIVINE SCRIPTURE THAT ARE BEING SUNG OR READ, SO THAT NOT ONE OF THESE WORDS MAY PASS IN VAIN, BUT RATHER THAT HIS SOUL MAY DERIVE NOURISHMENT FROM ALL OF THEM AND ATTAIN TO COMPUNCTION AND HUMILITY AND THE DIVINE ILLUMINATION OF THE Holy Spirit.
Go off with all the rest to the Office and stand in the church as though you were in the company of Angels in heaven, with trembling because you regard yourself unworthy even to stand there with your brethren. As you stand pay heed to yourself so that you do not look around you with curiosity at the brethren, how each of them stands or how he sings, but pay attention to yourself alone, to the psalmody, and to your sins. Remember also the prayer that you offered and do not carry on any conversation or speak, do not sit down even for the reading, but listen standing. Listen as though it were God Himself speaking to you through the reader, God Who "is above all" (Romans 9:5).
Nothing should disrupt or damage the harmony and the solemnity of the divine worship in church. The faithful should be prompt and reverent when they enter the church at any time. They should worship as a family, and all the members of the family, which includes children, should be on their best behavior upon entering the church and during the Divine Liturgy. No one should be the cause of any distraction and/or be responsible for violating the peace of those present who are absorbed in the divine service. Saint Ambrose of Milan stated: "The virtue of silence, especially in the Church, is very great." And Saint Anthony the Great exhorts us to "Take care not to speak at all in church."
It is important that the faithful COME ON TIME to church. Elder Dorotheos related an incident about an elder who saw an Angel setting a holy seal on the brethren in church:
The man in bright raiment said to him: "I am an Angel of the Lord, and I have been given a command to seal
with the sign of the Cross all those who are in Church from the BEGINNING OF THE SERVICE, on account of
their eagerness, diligence, and good intentions."
The Elder replied, saying, "Why, then, do you make the sign of the Cross over the
place of some of those who are missing?"
The holy Angel answered him: "Those brothers who are diligent and of good intention, but out of some need or illness
are missing with the blessing of their spiritual Father, or who, in obedience to some command are busy somewhere else
and not in attendance for that reason–these, despite their absence, I seal with the sign of the Cross, since in spirit are with
those who are chanting the service. Only those who would otherwise be able to be present, but because of their laziness
are absent, am I commanded not to seal with the sign of the Cross, for they are made unworthy thereof by their own actions."
Saint John Chrysostom explained the reason for not speaking in the church:
"When someone is talking with the earthly king, he contrives every possible way to
display great reverence for him. For this reason, by the position of the head, with the
tone of voice, clasped hands, joined legs, and control over the whole body, he chooses
his words from among those the latter desires… You are standing before the Heavenly
King before Whom the Angels tremble as they stand. You have abandoned your
conversation with Him and are talking about the dung and dust and spider webs."
The church is a consecrated ground, a holy place, a sacred space, and it must not be treated disrespectfully by those entering it. See how Jesus respected His Father’s House and how He treated those who abused and disrespected it. He literally threw them out with force and righteous indignation. Gerontissa Makrina gave the following rules to her nuns: "Inside the church, we should walk very quietly with our head down, with great reverence and the fear of God. With the same reverence, we should stand during the services. Laughter and talking are forbidden." Saint Jerome recommended: "Let the servant of God sing in such manner that THE WORDS OF THE TEXT RATHER THAN THE VOICE OF THE SINGER CAUSE DELIGHT." Saint Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain wrote: "The chanting, or psalmody, that is done in churches is in the nature of begging God to be appeased for our sins. Whoever begs and prayerfully supplicates must have A HUMBLE AND CONTRITE MANNER; BUT TO CRY OUT MANIFESTS A MANNER THAT IS AUDACIOUS AND IRREVERENT."
Furthermore, how one dresses is also very important. The person’s garb does not have to be costly just simply clean and modest. For women to dress provocatively in church is a sin, because it is not only disrespectful and offensive, but scandalizes men and women alike. People dress differently and appropriately for attending a specific event i.e., shopping, weddings, funerals, theater, opera, political rallies, a royal function, a monastery, the beach, etc. The church must always be treated with dignity, reverence, humility, meekness, the fear of God, and with the full knowledge that when one enters this holy space they are in the presence of their Creator and Savior. [Source: The Angelic Life. A Vision of Orthodox Monasticism]
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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
-Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape In His Divine and Most Glorious Resurrection,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 