THE HISTORY OF MANKIND IS ONE OF VIOLENCE

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.

THE HISTORY OF MANKIND IS ONE OF VIOLENCE

The Holy Scripture condemns violence as sinful and an offense against God and humanity. Our Lord God Jesus Christ says, "To him who strikes you on the one cheek offer the other also" [Luke 6:29]. Christians are also called to love their enemies and love each other. Our Faith also teaches non-violence, as our Lord Christ says, "Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God" [Matthew 5:9]. Being Himself the Source of Peace, the Son of God found no price sufficient but that of shedding His own blood. In doing so, Christ reveals Himself to us as the RECONCILER, THE PRINCE OF PEACE [Isaiah 9:6; Ephesian 2:14, 16]. The Holy Spirit gives peace, the sign of God’s presence, to those who meditate on Christ and imitate Him. Peace brings communion with God and concord with all of creation, the sign of our sanctity. Thus, "peacemakers" share God’s peace with those around them, participating in the work of God’s Son and becoming by God’s grace "sons of God" themselves. Christian were persecuted, imprisoned, tortured, suffered, but they did not persecute their enemies.

The first recorded violent action in the Old Testament and the murder of Abel. "Now Cain talked with Abel, his brother and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel, his brother and killed him." [Genesis 4:8]. It was a crime of anger and hatred that led him to murder his brother. We also see a rebellion taking place in heaven. According to Our Holy Orthodox Church, Lucifer’s rebellion in heaven is described as a spiritual fall from grace where a once-perfect Angel, known as Lucifer, chose to rebel against God’s will out of pride, leading to his expulsion from heaven and becoming Satan, the devil, along with other Angels who followed him. There was a violent battle among the Angels and Archangel Michael with his Angels prevailed and the evil angels were condemned to eternal hell. Saint John of Damascus tells us, "Lucifer was not made wicked in nature but was good, and made for good ends, and received from his Creator no trace whatever of evil in himself."

Mankind’s history is tratically filled with violence. For thousands of years man has waged war against others and over the centuries has improved the instruments of death and destruction. From rocks, spears and arrows, to currently, nuclear missiles and bombs which are powerful enough to annihilate the human race from the face of the earth. Countless innocent people have been killed needlessly over the centuries due to regional, as well as world wars. It seems that mankind has not yet learned to settle differences peacefully. Wars are never the solution to disputes or controversies among nations, that is very clear.

However, there are many different kinds of violent human behaviors in the world. There can be violence at home, in marriage, at workplaces, schools, hospitals, abortion clinics, public institutions, streets, sidewalks, highways etc. The average person is constantly alert for fear of someone assaulting him or her. Therefore violence is, unfortunately, now a fact of life. However, violence breeds more violence. One of the most tragic, cruel, hideous, grotesque, immoral, criminal, and sinful human acts in aborting children, millions of them throughout the world. Another name for it, is infanticide. Specifically is partial term abortion where doctors dismember a child while still in the mother’s womb. There is no greater violence inflicted upon a human being than to murder a child up to the time of his/her birth and in some cases even after the birth. Unthinkable is also that this perpetrated violence on the innocents is the fact that this is done ‘legally’ with the consent of the governments of the world. If one was to do something similar to an animal he or she would be imprisoned for at least three years and charged with cruelty to animals. Many of these countries’ populations were considered to be Christian for centuries and yet their parliaments and governments now, not only allow it to happen, but even encourage it and justify it. Is there no fear of God at all?

Another sinister and abhorrent act introduced to the world is transgenderism and evil experiments on innocent children. It is the mutilation of children against parental consent and approval but with the approval and support of school teachers, doctors, children’s hospitals, politicians, and governments. How insane is this? It is unbelievable that in this 21st century such a horrific, inhumane, and satanic practice would take place before the whole world. As far as anyone knows this has never happened before, even under the communists and Nazis. This is no less than blasphemy against God Himself who created only two genders, "male and female."

Under Communism and Nazism millions of innocent citizens of different countries in Europe were placed in concentration camps where the people; men, women, and children, were tortured, abused, starved, used for horrific ‘scientific’ experiments and ancinarated in ovens. All those hideous acts are Satanic, evil men who conducted evil acts. The evil one is not only our adversary and enemy but hates humanity and seeks to destroy it. And these people who are responsible for the suffering of so many others are the evil one’s evil instruments. Tragically some people have become very callous, heartless, desensitized, and totally indifferent to what is taking place around them. It reminds one of the proverb of the three wise monkeys who "see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil." The proverb and the image are often used to refer to a lack of moral responsibility on the part of people who refuse to acknowledge the wrong, the cruelty, injustice, impropriety, looking the other way or acting ignorant.

The Almighty God and Judge, the Righteous God, the God of agape, sees the cruelty of man inflicted upon his fellow man. Furthermore, we also know, and believe, that there is a Judgment Day, and everyone is accountable to Him for everything we have done in this life. There is the Book of Life in Revelation which is used in the Holy Bible to describe the Day of Judgment, when God judges people based on their actions in life. The Book of Life is a book that contains the names of those who will enter Heaven.

Adam and Eve were created out of God’s love and were created to become beings of love. Human beings who were created in the image and likeness of God with the potential to be good and reflect His love in their lives and the world which He created for them. God said, "Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of heaven, over the cattle, and over the earth, and over every creeping thing that moves on the earth" [Genesis 1:26]. Everything God made, including man, IS "VERY GOOD" because God is good. Nothing He made is therefore evil in itself. So, then, human nature is good in itself. But sin is a free choice of man’s will, and is contrary both to God’s nature and to human nature.

Violence and evil must cease to exist and the best, and only way, to accomplish it, is for humanity to turn back to its Creator and God. People need to believe in God and invite Him into their lives. We believe that no matter what has done in the past, what he is doing at this present time or what he may do in the future, God is always in control of His created world and universe, and He can and will restore anything and everything that man has corrupted or destroyed in an instant. Man’s foolishness and disobedience and sin injures God’s priceless gift to him, man’s soul. Our Lord God is able and willing to heal man’s soul as long as man is willing to repent. It is through repentance that man is reconciled to God. In the holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew, Jesus says, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" [Matthew 4:17]. "The Kingdom of Heaven" is present wherever Christ is. There is no reason for people of faith to ever fall into despair or hopelessness knowing that there is no Greater Power other that of the Almighty God to preserve and protect His Creation.

May God intervene and help us!

Let us pray to the Lord

Kyrie eleison

+In the Name of the Father and of the Son

and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lord and Master of my life, cast away
from me the spirit of laziness, idle
curiosity, love of power and vain talk.

But grant me, Your servant, the spirit of
moderation, humility, patience and love.

Yes, Lord and King, grant me to see my
own faults and not to judge my brothers
and sisters.

For You are Blessed forever. Amen
[Prayer of Saint Ephraim]

_______
"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