My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
"As for man, his days are like grass,
As a flower of the field, so he
flourishes;
For the wind passes through it, and it
shall not remain;
And it shall no longer know its place…" [Psalm 102[103]:15-16]
This Psalm is the fifth of the Orthros (Matins) psalms read [3; 37; 62; 87; 102; 142]. If is often used in the First Antiphone of the Divine Liturgy, Verses 20, 21, are also used on days when Angels are honored in the Church.
Mankind has become once again arrogant and questions the existence of the Almighty God and Creator. Once again we witness a segment of humanity rebelling against God and turning to idolatry. man ordaining himself, "god." The new idols are wealth/power and pleasure/hedonism. Pride has taken charge of his faculties and acts as though there is no God. However, the psalm reminds him that he is not. The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind passes over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear Him, and His Righteousness with their children–with those who keep His Covenant and remember to obey His precepts. Men and women don’t live very long, like wildflowers they spring up and blossom, but a storm snuffs them out just as quickly, leaving nothing to show they were here. The psalmist uses clear language to describe man’s weakness and frailty. He expresses that his life seems short and fleeting and that outside of God’s Grace he will soon pass away.
Knowing how frail he is, and the brevity of earthly life, man must humble himself, and with a repentant and humble heart, turn to His Creator for help and guidance. God is the Source of all life and without Him there is no life. "The fool said in his heart, "There is no God." (Psalm 52 [53]:1. Those who willingly REJECT Christ as God are fools. What the true message here of the psalm is that the fools are not the "incompetent" people who do not believe in God." Rather, it is "sinful people do not believe in God." In other words, it is an evil thing to deny the existence of God and a denial of God is often accompanied by their evil conduct: "They are corrupt, their deeds are vile, there is no one that does good". Psalm 14 [15] teaches the Church the transfigured life the faithful are to live (v.1), as they "look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come." (Orthodox Creed) They are (1) to be holy inwardly and outwardly (v, 2) and (2) to love their neighbor (vv. 3-5). And those who live this way shall never be shaken (v. 6), either in this world or in the world to come.
Sacred Scripture is a complete collection of books very much concentrating on the true God. Almighty God is presented as the Creator of the cosmos, the Great Architect of the world–humanity’s home. in the Sacred Scripture has revealed His Person, His Law, [Commandments], His Wisdom, His Grace, and His Solvivic plans. Through His Prophets God has spoken to the human race in a variety of circumstances and on great many themes. God has rebuked humanity, for the corrupt and sinful activities. Chief among these is humanity’s tendency to indulge in idolatry, either in worshipping various deities or in making idols that represent these pagan gods. There are passages in the Sacred Scripture where humanity is rebuked for ignoring God but today, there are those who are entertaining ATHEISM , the conviction that there is no God.
Currently the wicked one’s live and behave as though God takes no notice of human behavior. The evil man believes that he "is not accountable to God for his evil behavior", and he will get away with theft and murder. According to Psalm 52 [53] the man who says there is no God is corrupt, is a liar, and never does good. Saint Paul writes, "For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar" Romans 3:3). This means God remains faithful to His word and to His creation, while man is continually unfaithful to God. The ultimate purpose of man’s existence is to attain the glory of God. The glory of God is both eternal righteousness and eternal life. Jesus Christ alone lived in complete righteousness, and He alone was Resurrected from the dead. Therefore, He alone is the FULLNESS OF THE GLORY OF GOD, AND WE RECEIVE THAT GLORY IN HIM (see John 14:6).
We see today that the atheist politicians, and others in governments throughout the world, that the wicked person, may do as he pleases. He need not fear that God will observe or take action against him or her. The fool’s assertion that "There is no God" is not an expression of philosophical atheism but rather a reckless assumption that God takes no interest in human affairs. Much of the atheism today comes out of the top universities in our country where our children are, and where there is systematic indoctrination by their professors. Christianity again is the principal target of academia and academia which makes every effort to undermine the Christian Faith and ridicule the Holy Scripture and the teachings of Jesus Christ. By turning our children against God they, their professors, offer them a so-called freedom to live, as though there is no God and free to live as they please without any responsibility or consequences for their actions.
We live in an evil and corrupt era. Evil is no longer hidden and insidious but open and blatant. Many Countries are governed by leaders who are drunk with power. There are numerous billionaires and atheists all over the world that seek world domination, to control humanity completely and to enslave it. They believe themselves to be "gods", and some have said so boldly and openly. Their next posible demand may be, to be worshipped by all, as gods and those who do not, to be charged with "atheism" as Saint Polycar was charged by the pagan Emperor of Rome. The Saint was tortured and killed for not acknowledging his divinity as the emperor and offering worship to him, rather than to his Christian God. In ancient times Christians denied both the gods and the divinity of Caesar, which provoked the state and led to severe persecution of Christians and martyrdom. Perhaps the same provocation from Christians and the same kind of persecution will take place once more in the near future. These evil men leave a path of destruction wherever they go and fear no one including the Almighty God and Creator of the universe. These wicked people introduce perverse lifestyles, unnatural behavior, uncontrollable greed, and see themselves as the elite, as the princes of the world, as all powerful, and who will determine the destiny and the future of humanity. They are terrorizing not only the average citizen but Christian leaders as well who remain silent out of fear, over all evil that is happening around the world. Some of them tragically, have joined their forces, and serve them and their wicked agenda. No, there is no fear of God by them. They have adopted Plato’s philosophy who speaks of contemporaries who believe that the world is governed by chance, not gods, and that morality is man-made, not divine.
We have witnessed atheism in the Soviet Union and for 74 years the citizens of Eastern Europe had lost their freedom and especially their religious freedom to worship the One True God. Millions of Christians and non-Christian people of other religious communities lived in total fear and countless were sent to concentration camps in Siberia and countless more were tortured and murdered. This is what happens when the prevailing belief says, "There is no God!". The Evil One sees it as an opportunity to seek control of humanity. However, the Almighty God and Creator will never relinquish His Divine Creation or Authority to anyone or anything. He is the only one who controls all of His creation, even the very hair on your head. The Lord Jesus Christ said: "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered" (Matthew 10:30). If God takes care of "sparrows" and the "hairs of your head are numbered", then He has the power of creating, sustaining and providing for everything–even to the smallest details.
Since our time here on earth is brief and precarious it would be wise to use our life here with greater care and diligence. Our spiritual life, if it is sound, ought to be connected to Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is only then that it would have any worth. We are reminded by our Lord Christ who said, "For without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). Nothing which is properly motivated and gives glory to God.
__________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 