JUDGING OURSELVES UNWORTHY

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.

JUDGING OURSELVES UNWORTHY

Holy and Great Lent is a time for personal introspection and reevaluation of our life in general and conduct. It is also most important that we are spiritually healthy to receive our Savior’s Christ Holy Body and Precious Blood and not be guilty of partaking of them "in an unworthy manner." The Holy Apostle Paul exhorts the believers, "For as often you eat this bread and drink this cup, YOU PROCLAIM THE LORD’S DEATH TILL HE COMES. Therefore whoever EATS THIS BREAD OR DRINKS THIS CUP OF THE LORD IN AN UNWORTHY MANNER WILL BE GUILTY OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF THE LORD. BUT LET A MAN EXAMINE HIMSELF, AND SO LET HIM EAT OF THE BREAD AND DRINK OF THE CUP. FOR HE WHO EATS AND DRINKS IN AN UNWORTHY MANNER EATS AND DRINKS JUDGMENT TO HIMSELF, NOT DISCERNING THE LORD’S BODY. For this reason MANY ARE WEAK AND SICK AMONG YOU, AND MANY SLEEP" [1 Corinthians 11:26-30].

The practicing Orthodox Christian adheres to the spiritual discipline and regiment not only during Holy and Great Lent but throughout the ecclesiastical year. Along with prayer and fasting, the Orthodox Christian has what we referred to as a Mysteriaki or sacrament life as well. Furthermore, all the faithful understand fully well that they must be prepared properly. Receiving the Divine Eucharist cannot be received "in an unworthy manner" which means coming to Him with hidden immorality, disunity, doctrinal heresy, or disorder, failing to see the Gifts of God AS HOLY THINGS (GIFTS) FOR HOLY PEOPLE. During the Divine Liturgy the priest takes up the Holy Bread in both hands and ELEVATES IT ABOVE THE ALTAR AND SAYS, "LET US ATTEND! The Holy Things for the holy!"

We prepare for the Divine Eucharist by examining ourselves. This includes confessing our sins and being reconciled to one another in the Mysterion of REPENTANCE. [Matthew 5:23-26).  In our Holy Orthodox Faith this confession before God is done in the presence of a priest, who visibly represents Christ [Matthew 16:19; 18:18-20; John 20:23], and in general prayers of confession. Being "worthy" does NOT mean being sinless, but BEING CLEANSED. It is not legalism but COMMITMENT TO WALK IN RIGHTEOUSNESS BEFORE GOD. There is such power in the Body and Blood of Christ communicated tous in the eating and drinking of His Gifts (John 6:54-56) THAT TO DO SO IN WILLFUL DISREGARD OF THE LORD COULD RESULT IN SICKNESS AND EVEN DEATH. God’s promise is if we "judge ourselves" (1 Corinthians 11:31,32) WE WILL NOT BE "CONDEMNED WITH THE WORLD" (v. 32).

Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk writes, "true repentance demands that a man (person) turn away from sins and from the vanity of this world and turn toward God with all his heart, that he be changed within, and that he become different from what he was before, and so work out his salvation with fear and trembling (cf. Philippians 2:12), and so endeavor to do nothing else but only to please God and so be saved. For if you wish to be in true repentance and so be saved, change yourself and be RENEWED, sand become different form what you were before, and take care for nothing else but only to please God and be saved, and so shall you be A NEW CREATURE IN CHRIST.. For every Christian that wishes to be a TRUE CHRISTIANS, and not false, ought to be A NEW OR RENEWED MAN OR A NEW CREATURE."

What leads the believer to a profound feeling of unworthiness and to repentance is humility and our unconditional love for our God and Creator. The Orthodox Christian is cognizant of the deleterious effects of pride and that pride is a deadly sin. Saint Tikhon explicitly says, "the virtue opposed to pride is humility. But as far as pride is loathsome and abominable, so welcome and lovely is humility to God and men. God Who is Great and Exalted looks on nothing so lovely AS ON A HUMBLE AND COMPUNCTIONATE HEART. Even the Most Holy Theotokoks says of herself, "For He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden" [Luke 1:48].

"When pride retreats from a man (person), HUMILITY BEGINS TO DWELL IN HIM, nd the more more pride is diminished, SO MUCH MORE DOES HUMILITY GROW. The one gives way to the other as to its opposite. Darkness departs and light appears. PRIDE IS DARKNESS, BUT HUMILITY IS LIGHT…As we consider our own selves and come to know our misfortune, we shall have reason enough to be humble. We are born naked and with a cry. We live in calamity, misfortune, and sins. We die with fear, disease, and sighing. We are buried in the earth and return to the earth…Let us know, beloved, that we Christians are Christ’s, Who is meek and humble of heart. It is a shameful thing, and very unbecoming of Christians to be full of pride when Christ, God Great and Exalted, HUMBLED HIMSELF. It is a shameful thing for servants to be proud when their Master is humble. There is nothing as unbecoming and indecent of Christians as pride, and nothing shows a Christian as much AS HUMILITY" [Saint Tikhon].

The Holy Fathers of the Church encourage a sense of unworthiness and humility, acknowledging that we are all sinners and unworthy in God’s eyes. However, this is not meant to discourage or direct us to despair, but to foster a more profound dependence on God’s grace and mercy. As Orthodox Christians we believe that we are saved by God’s grace and not by our own merits or achievements. The Holy Fathers encourage us to trust in God’s infinite compassion and to seek His great mercy. One of our practices, as Orthodox Christians is, when we pray, the words "Kyrie eleison emas" or "Lord, have mercy on us." And Saint Paul in his letter to Timothy says, "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Chris Jesus came into the world TO SAVE SINNERS, OF WHOM I AM FIRST" [1 Timothy 1:15]. This verse is used in Orthodox liturgical prayer and is said by all approaching the chalice for Holy Communion.

As the priest takes a portion of the Holy Body for himself, he prays: "The Precious and Most Holy Body of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ is given unto me, the UNWORTHY PRIEST (NAME) FOR THE REMISSION OF MY SINS, AND UNTO LIFE EVERLASTING.

I believe, O Lord, and I confess that Thou art truly the Christ, the Son of the living God, Who
camest into the world TO SAVE SINNERS, OF WHOM I AM FIRST. I believe also that this is
truly Thine own Precious Blood. Therefore, I pray Thee: have mercy upon me and forgive my
transgressions both voluntary and involuntary, of word, and of deed, committed in knowledge
or in ignorance. And make me worthy to partake without condemnation of Thy Most Pure
Mysteries, for the remission of my sins, and unto life everlasting. Amen.

5th Prayer: of Saint Basil the Great

I know, O Lord, that I have communion unworthily of Thy Most Pure Body and Thy Most
Precious Blood, and that I am guilty and drink condemnation to myself not discerning Thy
Body and Blood, O my Christ and God. But daring upon Thy generous loving-kindness I
come to Thee Who hast said: "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me and
I in him." Be MERCIFUL, therefore, O Lord, and do not rebuke me, a sinner, but deal with
me according to Thy mercy, and let Thy holy things be for my purification and healing, for
enlightenment and protection, for the repulsion of every tempting thought and action of the
devil which works spiritually in my fleshly members. Let them be for boldness and love for
Thee, for the correction and grounding of my life, for the increase of virtue and perfection,
for the fulfillment of Thy commandments, for the communion of the Holy Spirit, for the
journey of eternal life, for a good and acceptable answer at Thy dread judgment, but not
for judgement or condemnation. Amen.

A LENTEN PRAYER OF SAINT EPHRAIM

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.

_______
"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