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 ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN IS ALWAYS MINDFUL THAT
AGAPE IS AN INDISPENSABLE FOR HIS SALVATION.
The Holy Apostle Paul writes:
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love,
I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the
gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though
I have faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body
to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and
is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does
not BEHAVE RUDELY, DOES NOT SEEK ITS OWN, IS NOT PROVOKED, THINKS
NO EVIL; DOES NOT REJOICE IN INIQUITY, BUT REJOICES IN THE TRUTH;
BEARS ALL THINGS, BELIEVES ALL THINGS, HOPES ALL THINGS, ENDURES
ALL THINGS. LOVE NEVER FAILS” [1 Corinthians 13:1-8].
The Sacred Season of Holy and Great Lent is truly a solemn spiritual journey with the goal, by the grace of God, to reach and celebrate our Lord Christ’s Holy Resurrection. Every Orthodox Christian who is on this spiritual journey understands the enormous opportunity to grow spiritually and in knowledge. Our Holy Church provides us, while on this journey, with the necessary tools to accomplish our noble task through fasting, prayer, worship, Divine Mysteries, vigils and works of love (philanthropy). Saint Basil the Great teaches that we must aim to do all things out of love, and that we also must not cease fearing God and obeying Him.
“Agape” outshines “prophecy” and “faith.” It is of far greater value than the miraculous ability to “remove mountains.” The practicing Orthodox faithful must always be mindful of the great significance of agape and that where it is prayer, fasting, worship, sacraments, the underline power is the always the power of agape. The Orthodox priest when inviting the faithful to receive Holy Communion says, “With the fear of God, with faith and agape, draw near.” All the actions of the faithful must be founded on agape if they are to spiritually benefit them.
It is understood, however, that everything we do must be done with genuine humility and sincerity. Nothing must be done mechanically and superficially because it contributes nothing to our salvation. The question that one may ask is how do we know when we act that we are acting with “agape. Saint Paul in his Epistle to the Corinthians explains and gives specific characteristics of agape: (1) it “suffers long,” is patient (1 Thessalonians 5:14); (2) it is “kind,” gentle, especially with those who hurt (Ephesians 4:32); (3) it “does not envy,” is not jealous or what others have (Proverbs 23:17); (4) it “does not parade itself,” put itself on display (John 3:30); (5) “it is not puffed up,” arrogant, proud (Galatians 6:3); (6) it “does not” act “rudely,” brashly, mean-spiritedly, insulting to others (Ecclesiastes 5:2); (7) it “does not seek its own” way, act pushy; (8) it “is not provoked” or angered (Proverbs 19:11); (9) it “thinks no evil,” does not keep score on others (Hebrews 10:17); (10 it rejoices not “in iniquity,” takes no pleasure when others fall into sin (Mark 3:5); (11) it “rejoices in the truth,” is joyful when righteousness prevails (2 John 4); (12) it “bears all things,” handles the burdensome (Galatians 6:2); (13) it “believes all things,” trusts in God no matter what (Proverbs 3:5); (14) it “hopes all things,” keeps looking up, does not despair (Philippians 3:13); (15) it “endures all things,” “puts up with everything” (Saint John Chrysostomos), does not wear out (Galatians 6:9); (16) it “never fails.” The only thing agape CANNOT DO IS FAIL!
When an Orthodox Christians has a deep understanding of his or her Faith, all actions especially during the various Orthodox holy seasons become even more meaningful and spiritually beneficial. No one should act without faith and conviction. The believer must immerse himself in the Holy Gospel teachings and become, not just familiar with them, but one with them. How can one claim to be Christian if he or she has never opened the Holy Scripture to hear God’s voice speaking to him or her? How can anyone claim to be an Orthodox Christian and not have any knowledge of what transpires in the Divine Liturgy? How can anyone be a believer if he or she does not know who Jesus Christ is and what are His commandments? How can anyone claim to be a Christian and yet his/her life is devoid of any spirituality? God awaits for the believer to seek Him out and to follow Him and to obey Him. This is called having a relationship and a personal communication with God.
Abstaining or “giving up” from eating chocolate, or any other food stuff has absolutely no value at all. Having a true spiritual life requires a total commitment. When people do things halfway or because it is expected of them it is not only worthless, but offensive to God. How can one dare to act so foolishly and expect a good outcome from it? People who profess to be Christians must think, feel, and act as Christians. Anyone who toys with the Lord our Savior not only disrespects Him but is playing with fire. Everyone should honor God and fear Him for He is just and Holy! God is All-Good. “Compassionate and merciful is the Lord, long suffering and plenteous in mercy” (Psalm 102:8). “GOD IS AGAPE” (1 John 4:16). Saint Gregory the Theologian writes: “If someone were to ask us what it is that we honor, and what we worship, we have a ready reply: WE HONOR AGAPE” (LOVE).
One of the Great Holy Fathers of the Church, Saint John Chrysostom in one of his commentaries writes: “God loves us more than a father or a mother or a friend, or anyone else can love, and even more than we can love ourselves, because He is concerned more for our salvation than even for His own glory. A testimony of this is the fact that He sent into the world for suffering and death (in human flesh) His Only-begotten Son, solely in order to reveal to us the path of salvation and eternal life.” If a person often does not understand the whole power of God’s Goodness, this happens because he or she concentrates his/her thoughts and desires too much on his/her worldly concerns. Therefore, during Holy and Great Lent we must come to our senses and make our Merciful and Loving God our number one priority in life. Placing God as the priority in their life is exactly what the Saints did. Therefore during Holy and Great Lent we are called to look at our list and re-prioritize.
There is much more to Holy and Great Lent than making an effort to pray and fast. As we continue on with our journey we need to refocus ourselves, and re-prioritize our lives, placing God first and further enriching our life while on earth. By doing so our spiritual experience during the Lenten season will be most fruitful and spiritually speaking, a true renewal. It is imperative that we are not satisfied with the usual routine kind of fasting and, instead, making it a unique and special and rewarding experience.
Our Holy Orthodox Tradition is a treasure chest of authentic Christian knowledge, wisdom and holiness. The average Orthodox Christian has not even scratched the surface of what it possesses. This spiritual and divine treasure is there for the taking. However, the Orthodox Christian must take the initiative himself or herself to learn as much as possible during his/her life here on earth. The more we learn of God and our Orthodox Christian Faith, the more we see,and appreciate, God’s countless blessings in our lives. Just think how everything begins. First, we need good soil, then the planting of the seed, then water and finally the energy of the sun. A life in Christ is the same way. First, man’s fertile heart (good soil), then the planting of the word (seed) of God, followed by the grace (water) of the Holy Spirit, and finally the blessing (energy) of God and Savior Jesus Christ (the Eternal and Living Sun).
____________
“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
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 