“YOU WILL BE HATED BY ALL FOR MY NAME’S SAKE” Luke 21:17.

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.

"AND YOU WILL BE HATED BY ALL FOR MY NAME’S SAKE"
[Luke 21:17].

"And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But
he who endures to the end will be saved" [Matthew 10:22].

He who believes in Jesus Christ and follows Him is one who lives only to do everything for His sake and glory. We are are δούλοι Κυρίου or slaves of the Lord, our God and Savior. When a slave was bought by his/her new master the first act by him was to shorn a lock of his/her hair to indicate to his slave that he/she was completely his property and from that day he/she was to serve him and be obedient to him in everything. The Christian, however, chooses to freely and willingly be a slave of Christ, his/her Divine Master. To serve Him out of love and and to faithfully serve Him with obedience and humility. Our Lord Christ says, "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor" [John 12:26]. Jesus also tells us, "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you" [John 15:15].

As the followers of Christ, the Christians are "hated by all," and persecuted by the unbelievers, but are always prepared to willingly suffer and give their life for His sake. Millions upon millions of Christian men, women and children have been imprisoned, tortured, and killed over the centuries. We know and honor them as Christian martyrs. A martyr is one who gives his/her life for Christ, physically dying as a witness to the Faith. Martyr itself comes from the Greek μάρτυς, which means "WITNESS." By traditional liturgical ranking, the martyrs are first among the Saints. Every devout Christian is a martyr, a true witness of the Lord and Savior Christ.

The believing and practicing Christian says as Saint Paul, "I have been crucified with Christ; I NO LONGER LIVE, BUT CHRIST LIVES IN ME; and the life which I now in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me" [Galatians 2:20]. It is very appropriate to refer to the holy Apostle’s words, " I have been crucified with Christ" as we begin today the season of Holy and Great Lent. Words which mean our sinful "passions and desires" (Galatians 5:24) have been crucified. This is not the crucifixion of human nature, but of "the flesh," the corruption into which humanity has fallen. This crucifixion must be willingly and freely accepted, just as our Lord and Savior accepted His Crucifixion and death.

Our Lented forty-day journey ought to be a tine of spiritual renewal and catharsis. A time of genuine introspection, of reevaluations of our life, priorities, and of self-examination. A time of repentance and of prayer, fasting and "living in faith." Just as living in the "flesh" involves the whole person, body and soul, so living "in the faith" involves the whole person, body and soul, and makes possible our ultimate desire union with our Christ Himself. The Orthodox Christian strives unceasingly to be one with Christ the Lord. Holy Lent is like the process of refining gold. Taking the ore that contains the precious metal along with other minerals and impurities. Crushing and grinding: The mined ore is crushed and ground into a fine powder. Then the fine powder is then mixed with water and chemicals to separate the gold from other minerals. The concentrated gold is then heated to a high temperature in a furnace which causes the gold to melt and separate from other impurities.

We, as sinful people, are full of impurities, and therefore we need to be separated and cleansed from them. We need to be purified and cleansed of all wicked impurities and refined so as to rediscover the precious gold which lies deep within us, the brilliant and beautiful image of God. This spiritual process of refining requires specific steps that one needs to take in order to accomplish it. The Orthodox Christian strives sincerely to fast, to pray, to worship, to repent, to reconcile with one’s enemies, to be engaged in works of mercy and love by helping others, to participate to the various divine Lenten services throughout the 40-day Great Fast, to be reconciled with God through the Mystery of Repentance/Confession, of resolving to live a more virtuous, compassionate, selfless, grace-filled life, of becoming a more humble, and obedient servant of God.

Another purpose of Holy and Great Lent is to come to our senses and decide to return to our true home, our heavenly Father’s Home, the Church. There He awaits to embrace us in His Divine,loving and Fatherly embrace. To heal Him say, "…let us eat and be merry; for this my son [ or daughter] was dead and is alive again; he/she was lost and is found" [Luke 15:23-24]. God always longs for the return of every sinner to His forgiving embrace. But we are also reminded to be repentant and remorseful just like the Prodigal Son and to say: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before You, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son/daughter. Make me like one of Your hired servants" [Luke 15:18-19]. Why is it that some Christians to still do not see or understand our relationship between our Creator and Father and us. It is very simple, He is our Father and we are His children.

Those of us who accept the invitation to participate in this very intense ascesis or struggle, will find that in the end our will-power, our faith, our communion with the Lord, our resistance to evil temptations, our humility, and our commitment to our Savior will be much stronger. And remember the answer to the question, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" … You know the Commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and your mother. And he said, ‘All these things I have kept from my youth.’ So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, ‘You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come follow Me" [Luke 18:18-22].

Holy Lent is also a time to find healing and relief from all of the burdens that weigh heavy on one’s soul. Turn to the Great and Divine Physician of our souls and bodies, our God and Savior Jesus Christ, and entreat Him to heal your every injury, iniquity, and infirmity of your soul and body. "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma" [Ephesians 4:31-5:2].

THE PRAYER OF SAINT EPHREM

O Lord and Master of my life!
Take from me the spirit of sloth,
despair, lust of power and idle
talk.

But give rather the spirit of chastity,
humility, patience and love to Thy
servant.

Yes, O Lord and King! Grant me to
see my own transgressions and not
to judge my brother, for blessed art
Thou, unto ages of ages. Amen.

_________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +

With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George