PATHS OF HEALING

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.

PATHS OF HEALING

A NEW BIRTH

To live for the Divine Life, one must first be born into it: "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God" [John 3:5]. This refers TO BAPTISM and its necessity is therefore absolute. "In Baptism man is mystically born into spiritual life. In Chrismation he receives Grace which gives growth and strengthens. In Communion he is spiritually nourished. In Repentance/Confession he is healed of spiritual disease (sins). In Priesthood he receives the Grace spiritually to regenerate and nurture others, by means of teaching, prayer, and the Mysteries (Sacraments). In Matrimony he receives Grace which sanctifies marriage and the natural birth-giving and upbringing of children. In Unction (Holy Oil) he is healed of diseases of the soul and body by means of a healing of spiritual diseases.

The Church is surrounded by the sinful, unenlightened world; however, it itself IS A NEW CREATION, and it CREATES A NEW LIFE. And every member of it is called to receive and to create in himself this new life. This new life should be preceded by a break on the part of the future member of the Church with the life of "the world." However, when one speaks of the break with "the world," this does not mean to go away totally from life on earth, from the midst of the rest of mankind which is often unbelieving and corrupt, "since then," writes the holy Apostle Paul, "you would need to go out of the world" [1 Corinthians 5:10]. However, in order to enter the Church one must depart from the power of the devil and become in this sinful world "strangers and pilgrims" [1 Peter 2:11]. One must place a decisive boundary between oneself and "the world," and for this one must openly and straightforwardly RENOUNCE THE DEVIL; for one CANNOT SERVE TWO MASTERS. One must cleanse in oneself the old leaven, so as to be A NEW DOUGH [1 Corinthians 5:7].

Therefore, from the deepest Christian antiquity the moment of entrance into the Church has been PRECEDED BY A SPECIAL "RENUNCIATION OF THE DEVIL," after which there follows the Baptism with the cleansing away of sinful defilement. The Mystery (Sacrament) of Baptism serves AS THE DOOR LEADING INTO THE KINGDOM OF GRACE, OR THE Church, and it grants ACCESS TO PARTICIPATION IN THE OTHER MYSTERIES (SACRAMENTS). Even before the establishment of the Mystery of Baptism, the Lord Jesus Christ in His conversation with Nicodemus indicated THE ABSOLUTE NECESSITY OF IT FOR SALVATION: "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God." When Nicodemus expressed his perplexity, "How can a man be born when he is old?" the Savior replied that THE NEW BIRTH WOULD BE ACCOMPLISHED BY WATER AND THE SPIRIT: "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" [John 3:3-6].

The mystical Grace-given aspect of Baptism as indicated by the Holy Scripture is a "NEW BIRTH," and it is performed for the salvation of men [Mark 16:16]. Saint Symeon the New Theologian writes concerning the saving fruits of this Mystery (Sacrament): "There has come another birth, or rebirth, which REGENERATES MAN THROUGH HOLY BAPTISM by the Holy Spirit, again UNITES HIM WITH THE Divine Nature as it was when he was created by the hands of God restores all the powers of his soul, renews them and brings them to the condition in which they were before the transgression of first-created Adam; in this way it leads him into the Kingdom of God, into which NO ONE UNBAPTIZED CAN ENTER, and ENLIGHTENS HIM WITH ITS LIGHT AND GRANTS HIM TO TO TASTE ITS JOYS. Thus each one who is baptized becomes again such as Adam was before the transgression, and is led into the noetic Paradise and receives the commandment to work it and keep it–to work it by fulfillment of the commandments of Jesus Christ Who has RECREATED HIM, AND TO KEEP IT BY THE KEEPING OF THE GRACE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WHICH WAS GIVEN TO HIM THROUGH HOLY BAPTISM, CONFESSING THAT THE POWER OF THIS GRACE WHICH DWELLS IN HIM FULFILLS TOGETHER WITH HIM THE COMMANDMENTS OF CHRIST."

Moreover, setting forth the Grace-given significance of Baptism, the holy Apostles in their Epistles indicate that in it we are "sanctified," "cleansed," "justified"; that in Baptism we "DIE TO SIN" so as to walk in renewed life, we are "buried with Christ, " and we arise with Him, "Christ loved the Church, and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word" [that is, Baptism with the utterance of the worlds instituted to accompany it; Ephesians 5:25-26]. "You are washed, you are sanctified, you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God" [1 Corinthians 6:11]. "We are buried with Him by Baptism into death, that life as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" [Romans 6:4).  Baptism is called "THE WASHING OF REGENERATION" [Titus 3:5]. As for the subjective side–the state of our soul of the person being baptized–it is indicated by the Apostle Peter, who calls Baptism THE PROMISE OF A "GOOD CONSCIENCE TOWARD GOD" [1 Peter 3:21]. Through Baptism at the same time one IS JOINED TO THE CHURCH.

The Greek word BAPTIZO itself signifies "TO IMMERSE." The IMMERSION in water is done three times with the pronunciation of the words: "The servant of God [name] is baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," in accordance with the commandment given by Christ Himself: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, BAPTIZING THEM IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND OF THE SON AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT" [Matthew 28:19]. Making disciples CANNOT BE DONE IN THE STRENGTH OF MAN, BUT ONLY IN THE POWER OF GOD. Thus was it performed in the ancient Church.

Since in Baptism a man receives, in place of the old existence he had, a new existence and life, and BECOMES A CHILD OF GOD, a member of the Body of Christ or the Church, an inheritor of Eternal Life, it is therefore evident that Baptism IS INDISPENSABLE FOR ALL, INCLUDING INFANTS, so that growing in body and spirit they might grow in Christ. In the Apostolic Scriptures many times there is mention of the Baptism of whole families (the house of Lydia, the house of the prison guard, the house of Stephanas–1 Corinthians 1:16), and NOWHERE IS IT MENTIONED THAT INFANTS WERE EXCLUDED FROM THIS. The holy Father of the Church in their instructions to the faithful insist upon the Baptism of children.

The Mystery (Sacrament) of CHRISMATION is performed usually immediately after the Mystery of Baptism, comprising together with it a single Church rite. The performer of the Mystery, the bishop or priest, "anoints the one who has been baptized with Holy Myrrh, makingthe sign of the Cross on the brow and eyes, the nostrils, the lips, both ears, the breast, and the hands and feet" while signing each part of the body he pronounces the words, "THE SEAL OF THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT." The words by which the Mystery is performed, "the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit," indicate its significance and effect. It is (a) the culminating act of "being united" to the Church, the confirmation or seal of union; and (b) "the seal of hte Grace-given powers" which are bestowed in it for strengthening and growth in spiritual life. [Source: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology]

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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 Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George