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.
GOD’S COMMANDMENTS
"HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER that it may be well
with you, and your days may be long upon the good land
the Lord your God is giving you" [Exodos 20:12]
The Almighty and All-Merciful God offers no rewards in the prohibitions of the Ten Commandments. God’s promise of reward is offered to those who keep the positive ones. For example, to HONOR ONE’S FATHER AND MOTHER is the FIRST COMMANDMENT IN THE TEN TO PROMISE A REWARD, NAMELY, A LONG AND SPIRITUALLY PROSPEROUS LIFE ON EARTH.
The Greek word is τιμή (ti-mee) which means the honor in which one is held, worship, esteem, respect, and hold worthy or in reverence. Also, to value, charish, love. An offering to God. In Orthodox Christian theology honor is the act of showing respect, recognition, and dignity to others. Especially, we honor God by acknowledging, appreciating, valuing, and exalting His Divine attributes and acts. This can be done by giving God the supreme position in one’s life, and heart. In our Holy Orthodox Tradition we glorify the Saints as a way to acknowledge and recognize that God’s Holiness is manifested in the Church.
The Holy Apostle Peter writes, "Honor all people" [1 Peter 2:17] knowing that all people are children of God and that we were all created by Him in His "image and likeness". By honoring our brothers and sisters in the world, we acknowledge that it is very important and we, therefore, "love the brotherhood" [1 Peter 2:17]. "Having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary BLESSING, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing" [1 Peter 3:8-9]. The Church as a corporate priesthood is to express God’s GRACIOUSNESS TO THE ENTIRE WORLD. As we have been blessed by Him we must also bless others.
As Orthodox Christians we honor and glorify the Theotokos for she was chosen by God to give birth to His Son Jesus Christ. "And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most HIgh; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there will be no end" [Luke 1:26-38].
We honor and glorify the Saints. The glorification of Saints in our Holy Church is a recognition that God’s holiness is manifested in the Church through these grace filled men, women and children whose lives were pleasing to the Almighty God. Believers who were willing to suffer, and sacrifice their life for the sake of Christ. We also honor the church, the consecrated place where we worship and honor and receive the Sacred Mysteries [Sacraments]. In the Sacrament of marriage and specifically at the Crowning, when the priest places crowns on the heads of the bride and groom he chants a brief hymn, "Lord our God, crown them with glory and honor." "This sacrament reveals the heavenly Kingdom to the world through the couple and their life together. Marriage is not a state of life, but a stage in the life of Christ for the couple, an essential dimension of their salvation." No secular marriage outside of the Orthodox Church is recognized since the couple is not united by the grace of God.
Honor is essential and most significant. Along with honor there is dignity, respect, reverence, love, gratitude, holiness, acknowledgement, and appreciation. Giving honor to others reveals how we truly feel for one another. Where there is an absence of honor, there is brutality, coarseness and rudeness. How can one consider himself or herself refined when they lack honor or dignity. Having personal honor in life is absolutely necessary if others are to respect us. A person of honor is one with definite and strong values, virtues, principles, fidelity, and courage. Take for example either an athlete or a soldier who is committed and who excels in his/her profession. It is common for us to honor these dedicated people who give of themselves and make sacrifices to succeed in their endeavor. We rewarded them with special ceremonies where we acknowledge their achievements and bestow upon them gold medals as in the case of an athlete. In the case of a soldier we promote them to a higher rank and also give them medals.
Turning to the ancient Greek philosophers and how they viewed honor we come to Aristotle who "believed that honor should be based on personal virtue, not the opinion of others." The concept of honor in Homer’s work is social, and is based "on one’s worth, the recognition of that worthy by others, and what one contributes to a group. Honor is also hierarchical with those in higher positions entitled to honor those below them." The Greek word for honor is ti-mee, and it was a central part of Greek culture. It was a symbol of worthiness, and was closely linked to social status and privilege. If you were an honorable person, you were valuable in the eyes of society. Honor afforded you the respect of your peers.
Shame moves in the opposite direction. Shame is the community removing honor (dishonor). There is no greater punishment than to be dishonored. Currently and in our contemporary society, honor has become a synonym for pride. Pride, of course, in our Christian faith is considered to be a grave sin. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "Take care not to practice your righteousness publicly before men so as to be seen by them." However, honor is not pride. Honor is good, constructive, positive and something that everyone should strive to attain in life.
How is one to honor one’s father and mother? For centuries people would naturally honor their parents by respecting them, by appreciating all that they do for their children, by caring for them in their old age, by contributing to their household, by being obedient to them, by becoming good citizens, by excelling in their education, by having a good reputation, by working hard, by having strong morals, and following faithfully the teachings of God. In other words respect for parents is expressed by sacrificial love for them. The biblical word for "honor" however, is tima does not imply obedience but to respect and listen to your parents. To be willing to honor them by forgiving them and not be angry with them when they make a mistake. It is a serious sin and a crime to either mistreat, neglect, or abuse one’s parents.
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ honors His Mother and even from the Cross before He dies shows how much He loves and cares for her. "When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!" Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home" [John 19:26-27]. This is a true honor for one’s parents. How many parents today are placed in a nursing home by their children and then forgotten, or rarely visit them, or show any real concern for them? Does not this behavior indicate lack of respect, lack of gratitude for raising them and for always being there for them? What happened to God’s commandment to honor your father and mother?
Parents are not infallible or perfect but neither are children. Parents learn how to be good parents on the job. Naturally, they make many mistakes on how to best raise their children. There is no doubt, however, that their greatest gift to their children is love and constant prayers for God to keep them healthy and safe. They are most happy when their children progress spiritually and intellectually and when they succeed in whatever they try to do. Christian parents teach their children by example and by providing them with a Christian home where God is present and faith and prayer is abundant. Let us honor our parents and always pray that Christ God will grant them many good years. Amen.
__________
"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
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 