INNER BEAUTY

.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.

INNER BEAUTY

When one turns to see God’s creation he or she beholds with wonder that everything that God created, He created with wisdom and beauty. Whether we look at the sky, the heavenly and brilliant stars, the majestic mountains, the glorious forests and awesome rivers and lakes, the vastness of the blue oceans, the multicolor sunsets and sunrises, the powerful mammals, the incredible beauty of the variety of birds, fish, and even insects. One cannot ignore the beauty of the human race and the unique beauty of every human being. However, there is another kind of beauty, the beauty within the human being which is often unnoticed and missed, it is INNER BEAUTY.

Inner beauty is found in man’s soul. "Then God saw everything He had made, and indeed, it was very good" [Genesis 1:31] The term kalos can mean both "good" and "beautiful." Everything God created is "very good" and very beautiful. This includes the life-giving soul that God created and placed in man. "Then God formed man out of dust from the ground, and BREATHED IN HIS FACE THE BREATH OF LIFE; AND MAN BECAME A LIVING SOUL" [Genesis 2:7]. The "breath of life" is the grace of the Holy Spirit, the Giver of Life. God breathed the BREATH OF LIFE into man’s body, and he became a "living soul." Therefore, Adam was a living soul because he possessed a body, and the grace of the Holy Spirit.
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Everything that originates from God is good and beautiful. God’s creative command is life-giving. pure, divine, and perfect. God is Omnipresent and whether we speak of His Heavenly Kingdom or the universe He bestows His grace and unending agape. There is no place that God is not present, including man’s heart when the heart is free from sin and human infirmities. The Holy Apostle Paul says, "that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in INNER MAN, that CHRIST MAY DWELL IN YOUR HEARTS THROUGH FAITH; THAT YOU, BEING ROOTED AND GROUNDED IN LOVE…TO KNOW THE LOVE OF CHRIST WHICH PASSES KNOWLEDGE; THAT YOU MAY BE FILLED WITH ALL THE FULLNESS OF GOD" [Ephesians 3:16-19].

The challenge of the Orthodox Christian is to keep his/her heart pure and holy so that God may enter it and abide in it. Sin and anything evil pollutes and stains the soul and heart. God is ultimate and perfect goodness and beauty, while sin and evil is the ultimate ugliness and darkness. Saint Paul states, "But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift" [Ephesians 4:7]. While the Church is one in essence, it is diverse in gifts and function. Unity does not mean uniformity. Each member of the Church is UNIQUE BEFORE GOD, WITH GIFTS AND ROLES GRANTED BY HIM.

The responsibility of each member of the God’s Church is to discover one’s God-given gifts and to use them for His glory. The special gifts that each one possesses should be used wisely to bring joy, goodness, love, peace, harmony and beauty to the world and the human race. There is absolutely no reason for any human being to be unhappy and miserable when we stop to consider that all of us were created by Him and we are His children. Also, we come to understand that "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you" [John 15:13-14]. Friendship is higher than servanthood. A servant obeys his master out of fear; a friend is a servant who obeys out of agape.

The word agape translated as love has its origin in God Who is Agape. Agape is good and beautiful and divine. There is no ugliness in love but not so in hatred. Jesus says, "if the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you… Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you" [John 15:18-20]. The heart and soul of the Christian has no room to harbor hatred in it. A Christians heart and soul have been sanctified and consecrated by the Holy Spirit and therefore the believers body and soul is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

No Christian must allow anyone or anything to desecrate God’s temple. All followers of Christ should defend the sacredness of God’s dwelling place with all his/her strength and power. There is much at stake here and no one should be caught unawares. We are told to be watchful. Christ Himself tells us, "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" [Matthew 26:41]. "Watch and pray" is a key to Christian spirituality and our struggle against temptations. A "willing" spirit, recognizing the weakness of "flesh", knows it needs God’s presence and power. True faith is nourished by ardent, vigilant prayer.

Protect your inner beauty and God’s holy temple. Offer thanksgiving to the Almighty God Who loves you and died to save you. Be sober and prudent in everything. Be a person who sees God’s goodness and beauty in others and rejoices. We are surrounded by God-created beauty; both inward and outward beauty. Let us glorify our Creator and Savior for His infinite and unending agape. Amen.

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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