OUR COMMITMENT TO OUR LORD, GOD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST

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.

OUR COMMITMENT TO OUR LORD, GOD AND SAVIOR
JESUS CHRIST.

In our Holy Orthodox Faith, commitment to our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ is defined as a total, lifelong, and voluntary surrender of one’s entire being (intellect, will, and heart) to Him, aiming for transformation, or theosis (deification or union with God). It is not merely intellectual belief, but a practical, lived reality within the Holy Church through Mysteries (Sacraments) worship, and agape of neighbor.

Our life in Christ is a daily, conscious effort to live according to God’s will, often described as a "LIFE OF MARTYRDOM" (witnessing) in our daily decisions and actions. Central to this commitment for all Orthodox Chrstians is constant, active participation in the Holy Eucharist (Holy Communion), prayer, repentance/repentance. This spiritual ascesis or struggle involves the process of sanctification–purifying oneself (catharsis), from passions, struggling against sin, and detaching from worldly, selfish pursuits to become more like our Lord Christ.

Saint John Climacus speaking on the importance of repentance says, "Repentance is the renewal of baptism and is a contract with God for a fresh start in life. Repentance goes shopping for humility and is ever distrustful of bodily comfort. Repentance is the daughter of hope and the refusal to despair. The penitent stands guilty–but undisgraced. Repentance IS RECONCILIATION WITH THE LORD BY THE PERFORMANCE OF GOOD DEEDS, WHICH ARE THE OPPOSITE OF THE SINS. It is the purification of conscience and the voluntary endurance of affliction…".

The Christian cannot contemplate having a spiritual life without being willing to be obedient to the Almighty God and His Commandments. Saint John Climacus says that "obedience IS A TOTAL RENUNCIATION OF OUR OWN LIFE, and it shows up clearly in the way we act. Or, again, obedience IS THE MORTIFICATION OF THE MEMBERS WHILE THE MIND REMAINS ALIVE. Obedience is unquestioned movement, death freely accepted, a simple life, danger faced without worry, an unprepared defense before God, fearlessness before death, a safe voyage, a sleeper’s journey. Obedience is the burial place of the will and the resurrection of lowliness…Indeed, to obey is, with all deliberateness, to put aside the capacity to make one’s own judgment."

The greatest example of commitment to our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ is of our Holy Martyrs who suffered tortures and died praising our All-Merciful God. Commitment is not about offering words of support and affection. There are those who constantly pledge faithfulness and claim their willingness to serve the Lord, however, they fall short of any real commitment. It is sad and unfortunate that there are some Christians who perform as actors in a theatrical play and attempt to convince all those around them of their great faith and devotion but it is all a delusion. Those Christians who truly are committed never boast or attempt to attract any attention unto themselves but are very humble and meek.

All believers ought to make every effort to practice their faith sincerely and without compromising it in any way. Commitment to Christ is inseparable from commitment to His Body, the Orthodox Church, where He is known and worshipped. The Orthodox Christian believes that faith is made complete through agape, requiring service (diakonia) to others as an expression of agape for our Savior God. It is understood that true commitment is a free, personal, and voluntary act of the heart (the center of the human person) rather than a compelled action.

Living in a very unstable and filled with wickedness and turmoil world, Christian parents should prepare their children for the dangers they will encounter and how to protect themselves. It is imperative that Christian children have strong Christian faith, values and morality. To teach them how important and necessary it is to pray with conviction and truthfulness seeking God’s guidance and protection. The Holy Fathers of the Church have said that the study of the psalms (Old Testament) are truly inspiring and help to learn how to pray; one such psalm is the 50[51] Psalm which is used in our divine services constantly. It begins, "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin… This psalm is called "A Prayer of Repentance" and was written by the Prophet and king David.

The life of moral perfection, according to our Holy Scripture and the Fathers of the Church is a call to a life in Christ, that is, a Christ-like life. Consequently, the spirituality of the Orthodox Christian is portrayed as a life in Christ, a life of commitment to the Lord, and a complete submission or obedience to His will. One lives only to do everything for our Lord Christ’s sake, as Christ wants it and as Christ would do it.

The Christian commitment to Christ must be made by an inner, free act and is not compelled by any external force, not even by God. "Man is free and able to enter into relations with both kingdoms – the kingdoms of Light and that of darkness." These kingdoms, the spiritual and the satanic, are hidden, not in the mind, but much deeper in the soul — "under the mind, beneath the surface of the thoughts," as Saint Makarios (4th century) asserts.

Orthodox spirituality is described throughout the centuries as life in Christ, striving for moral and spiritual perfection. The mystical union in Orthodox spirituality is not the "devout life" that some sects claim but THE COMMUNION OF THE PERSON WITH GOD.

MAY YOU ALL HAVE A BLESSED AND MOST INSPIRING AND UPLIFTING HOLY LENT!

________
"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