THE SIN OF SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only Lord, God, and Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

THE SIN OF SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS

"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God,
I thank You that I am not like other men–extortioners,
unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I FAST
TWICE A WEEK; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And
the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much
as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying
‘GOD, BE MERCIFUL TO ME A SINNER!

"I tell you, this man went down to his house, JUSTIFIED
rather than the other; FOR EVERYONE WHO EXALTS
HIMSELF WILL BE HUMBLED, AND HE WHO HUMBLES
HIMSELF WILL BE EXALTED" [Luke 18:11-14].

What is revealed here is the sharp contrast between the two men deliberately drawn by our Lord Christ. The Pharisee is highly respected as a zealous observer of God’s Law, whereas the tax collector is despised as a public sinner and cheating the people. The Pharisee "PRAYED THUS WITH HIMSELF" and NOT to God! The tax collector’s posture and words express his DEEP HUMILITY and CONTRITION, the opposite of the Pharisee’s attitude. "JUSTIFIED." Forgiven and made right with God. Jesus reverses the expected conclusion in the eyes of God, it is the tax collector who is JUSTIFIED because of his humility. The Pharisee IS CONDEMNED because of HIS SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS AND SELF-EXALTATION.

Again Our Savior God Jesus Christ says:

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse
the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion
and self-indulgence.
Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the
outside of them may be clean also.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like
whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but
inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.
EVEN SO YOU ALSO OUTWARDLY APPEAR RIGHTEOUS TO MEN,
BUT INSIDE YOU ARE FULL OF HYPOCRISY AND LAWLESSNESS"
[Matthew 23:25-28].

In the ancient world, strainers were attached to the mouths of decanters, because any liquid might contain foreign matter. Pharisaic observance used the strainer also to strain out any ritually unclean substance which one might accidentally consume. The "gnat" and "camel" analogy points out how carefully the scribes and the Pharisees observed the minutiae of the Law, WHILE NEGLECTING ITS MOST SIGNIFICANT ASPECTS.

As Orthodox Christians we must be aware of our Lord’s Divine Teachings and avoid both self-righteousness and self-exaltation and hypocrisy when we pray and fast. Some lack the true spirit and understanding of the spiritual goals of prayer and fasting. It is good to want to be more prayerful and to abstain from foods as much as possible but one must be very careful not to fall either in self-righteousness or hypocrisy. Because if one loses sight of the right way of living a pious life and conducting these practices according to the Church then the pious acts,prayer and fasting, are done in vain.

There are people who attempt to execute the letter of the law while they completely ignore the spirit of the law. There are those who may practice auster fasting and abstain from meats, fish, dairy products, olive oil, etc, and feel that are adhering to the canons of the Church but by losing sight of SPIRITUAL FASTING, they negate everything which they have done. For example, to avoid judging others, to avoid gossiping about others, by not abstaining from sin, i.e., stealing, slendering, blaspheming, lying, pride, self-righteousness, hypocrisy, anger, etc. What good is it to squeeze the juice from an olive, believing falsely that it is olive oil, but not removing the hatred for your fellow man from your heart? One hears at times from fellow Christians, "I am willing to forgive him or her but I will never forget?"

What our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ says about the Pharisee shows how very easy it is to fall into the trap of self-righteousness. We must not think of ourselves as better than others. The Saints of our Church have always considered themselves as "the greatest sinner of all sinners." They never placed themselves on a pedestal or as ascetics, they never believed that they were perfect and holy. Instead, they, when they prayed, constantly shed tears of contrition.

THE CHURCH MAKES EXCEPTIONS
ON FASTING RULES:

The fasting discipline may be relaxed when necessary, when one is ill, pregnant women, very young children, seniors and those with allergies and other medical conditions. Orthodox Christians should NOT fast to the detriment of their health. Fasting is a means to an end and NOT an end in itself. Our Mother Church has always shown leniency and consideration for Orthodox Christians who are pregnant, sick, or elderly and young children. Instead they should fast according to their ability, strength and health condition. People must use common sense and avoid injuring themselves by fasting strictly. Jesus is not against EXTERNALS, but considers them of lesser importance. "The weightier matters" are of trust and obedience to God in "justice", "mercy" and "faith."

Orthodoxy possesses a beautiful and imposing Holy Tradition2 with ancient liturgical practices handed down from generation to generation through the God-fearing Fathers of the Church. The Holy Apostle Paul says, "Therefore, brethren, stand ast and hold THE TRADITIONS WHICH YOU WERE TAUGHT, WHETHER BY WORD OR OUR EPISTLE" [2 Thessalonians 2:15]. "The tradition of the Apostles" or "Holy Tradition", is to be PRESERVED BY THE CHURCH, FOR GOD IS ITS SOURCE. HOLY TRADITION is that which Jesus Christ taught to the Apostles, and they, in turn, TAUGHT THE CHURCH UNDER THE INSPIRATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THEIR INSTRUCTIONS AS THEY VISITED THE CHURCHES AND THEIR WRITINGS. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit we adhere to Holy Tradition as is present in the Apostle’s writings and as it is resident in the Church to which the truth is promised (John 16:13).

Sadly, there are Orthodox Christians, who have picked up a little information from here and there, and unfortunately consider themselves as an authority on matters of faith and tradition. It is people like them that misguide others and create somewhat confusion and unnecessary mistakes. It is important, therefore, to seek the proper guidance from your parish priest who has been educated and has a theological degree from an Orthodox School of Theology. There is no reason to be embarrassed to ask questions and seek answers because a substantial number of Orthodox Christians have not had a formal religious education and therefore you are not alone. It is necessary to ask questions and to learn something more about our Faith.

HAVING A SPIRITUAL FATHER

• Every Orthodox Christian should have a spiritual father whom they go to for confession and spiritual guidance. The spiritual child has complete trust in his/her spiritual father who loves them and cares for their spiritual growth, faith and salvation. Your spiritual father will help you to identify and work through your spiritual struggles. A spiritual child is obedient to his/her spiritual father as a way to obey Christ Himself. The spiritual father becomes not only an advocate for the penitent but responsible to God for his spiritual child’s spiritual health and development.
• The spiritual father due to his ordination and priestly grace given to him upon ordination, the wisdom and experience to instruct his spiritual children on the path to salvation.
• The role of the spiritual father is to teach how to grow in Christ, in prayer and virtue.
• The spiritual father not only guides his spiritual children but also disciplines them lovingly, prayerfully, and with compassion.
• The spiritual father is non-judgmental, just, and truthfal. It is his duty to correct them when they stray and lose their way.
• Disobedience to the spiritual father’s admonitions and defiance to his advice will provoke him to impose epitimia (penance) upon him/her.
• Epitimia (penance) are NOT punishment but preventative spiritual medicine to protect the spiritual child from receiving the Mysteries unworthily, unclean, unrepentant, and therefore to bring upon himself/herself a greater and more grievous and deadly sin.
• Along with being his/her confident, he is also a trusted friend and spiritual guide. He genuinely loves all his spiritual children and always prays for them that the Lord will forgive them, protect them, enlighten them, and inspire them to remain faithful to Him and to His holy Gospel.
• In the Orthodox Tradition, a "KANONA" is essentially a form of penance, referring to a set of specific prayers or spiritual exercises assigned by a father confessor based on the established Church Holy Canons, which guide the severity and nature of the penance depending ON THE GRAVITY OF THE SIN OR SINS CONFESSED AT CONFESSION. IT IS CONSIDERED A WAY TO ACTIVELY DEMONSTRATE REPENTANCE AND SEEK RECONCILIATION WITH GOD. These "Kanones" are derived from the teachings of the early Church Fathers and are codified in the CHURCH’S CANON LAW WHICH OUTLINES GUIDELINES FOR PRIESTS REGARDING THE ADMINISTRATION OF PENANCE. The purpose of a kanona is NOT primarily punishment, but rather to EXPRESS THEIR REMORSE, DEEPEN THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR SIN, AND ACTIVELY WORK TOWARDS SPIRITUAL HEALING AND RECONCILIATION WITH GOD.
• The spiritual father does NOT seek to control every aspect of the life of his spiritual children. They are free to ultimately make their own decisions because God has given everyone a FREE WILL to choose between good and evil.
• It is, however, recommended that the Orthodox Christian has only one spiritual father if possible. This is because the current confessor and spiritual father knows the spiritual history of the person, his/her spiritual strengths and weaknesses, the kinds of demonic assaults, personal struggles to overcome temptations, and future concerns and aspirations.
• The parish priest may also be one’s spiritual father although some people feel awkward and uncomfortable at times.

____________
"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