THE NOBLE ACT OF PERSONAL SACRIFICE

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 NOBLE ACT OF PERSONAL SACRIFICE

"Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk
in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us,
AN OFFERING AND A SACRIFICE TO GOD FOR A SWEET
SMELLING AROMA" [Ephesians 5:2).

"But this Man, after He HAD OFFERED ONE SACRIFICE
FOR SINS FOREVER SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND
OF GOD, FROM THAT TIME WAITING TILL HIS ENEMIES
ARE MADE HIS FOOTSTOOL. FOR BY ONE OFFERING
HE HAS PERFECTED THOSE WHO ARE BEING
SANCTIFIED" (Hebrews 10:12-14).

A priest "stands," a king sits. Christ is both, Old Testament priests stood "daily" and vainly repeated ineffectual "sacrifices." Our Lord Jesus Christ OFFERS HIS "ONE" PERFECT "SACRIFICE" AND SITS. HIS WORK IS COMPLETED. The Church "REPEATEDLY" does certain things, but she does NOT REPEAT CHRIST’S SACRIFICES; SHE PARTICIPATES IN CHRIST’S ONCE-FOR-ALL SACRIFICE." The completeness of Christ’s sacrifice establishes the prophesied New Covenant: Sacrifice for sin is complete, sanctification is perfect.

Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ "has defined the moral duty of man briefly in the two Commandments of the law: the commandment to love God with one’s whole heart, soul, mind, and understanding; and the commandments to love one’s neighbor as oneself. But at the same time our Savior taught that the authentic fulfillment of these commandments is impossible without some degree OF SELF-RENUNCIATION, SELF-SACRIFICE: IT DEMANDS STRUGGLE."

"And where does the believer find strength for struggle? He receives it THROUGH COMMUNION WITH CHRIST, THROUGH LOVE FOR CHRIST WHICH INSPIRES HIM TO "FOLLOW AFTER HIM." This struggle of following Him Christ called His "yoke"; "Take My yoke upon you… For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:29-30). He also called it A CROSS. Long before the day of His Crucifixion, our Lord taught: "If any man come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me" (Matthew 16:24). "He that taketh not his cros, and followeth Me, is not worthy of Me" (Matthew 10:38).

"The Orthodox path of the Christian is "IS THE PATH OF THE CROSS AND OF STRUGGLE." In other words, it is the path of patience; of the bearing of sorrows, persecutions for the name of Christ, and dangers from the enemies of Christ; of despising the goods of teh world for the sake of Christ; of battling against one’s passions and lusts.

"Such a path of following Christ was taken by His Holy Apostles. "I am crucified with Christ," wirtes the Apostle Paul (Galatians 2:20). "God forbid that I should glory, save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (Galatians 6:14). Following the path of our Savior Christ, the Holy Apostles FINISHED THE STRUGGLE OF THEIR LIFE WITH A MARTYR’S DEATH.

"All believers are called to struggle according to their struggle: "They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the passions and lusts" (Galatians 5:24). The MORAL LIFE cannot exist without INWARD BATTLE, without SELF-RESTRAINT. The Holy Apostle writes: "For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the Cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things" (Philippians 3:18-19).

"The whole history of the Church has been built ON STRUGGLES: at first the sufferings of the Martyrs in the earliest Christian age; then the self-sacrificing labors of the pillars of the Church, the hierarchs and then the personal acetic struggles, spiritual attainments in the battle with the flesh, on the part of the Desert Dwellers and other strugglers– "earthly angels and heavenly men," the righteous ones who have lied in the world without being deified by the world. And thus up to now Christianity IS ADORNED WITH CONFESSORS and MARTYRS FOR FAITH IN CHRIST. And the Holy Church supports iin believers this duty of SELF-RESTRAINT and SPIRITUAL CLEANSING by means of instructions and examples from the Gospel and the whole Sacred Scripture, BY THE EXAMPLE OF THE SAINTS, BY THE RULES OF THE CHURCH TYPICON, BY VIGILS, FASTS, AND APPEAL TO REPENTANCE.

"Such is the lot not only of each separate Christian but of the Church herself as a whole: TO BE PERSECUTED FOR THE CROSS OF CHRIST, AS WAS SHOWN IN THE VISIONS TO THE HOLY APOSTLE JOHN THE THEOLOGIAN IN THE APOCALYPSE (REVELATION). The Church in many periods of her history has endured totally open sorrows and persecutions and the Martyr’s death of her best servants–what one contemporary priest and Church writer has called the "harvest of God" —while in other periods, even in periods of outward prosperity, she has endured sorrows from inward enemies, from the unworthy manner of life of her members, and in particular of the people who are assigned to serve her.

Thus is defined the DOGMA OF THE CROSS. THE CROSS IS THE PATH OF THE CHRISTIAN AND THE CHURCH." [Resources: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology)

I sincerely pray that everyone, without exception, appreciate the depth of our Orthodox Chrstian faith and live accordingly having in mind always THE CROSS OF OUR LORD, GOD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST.

Let us not treat Holy and Great Lent superficially and trivialize its sacred purpose and the goal of our personal spiritual journey. There is so much more to our Christian faith then adhering reluctantly to the practice of certain fasting rules. Our faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ must be true and so deep that we will never betray Him no matter what sorrows we experience, no matter what persecutions we endure, no matter the sacrifice we must make for His Name and Glory.

Through the prayers of our holy Fathers,
Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy
on us and save us. Amen.

__________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
+ Saint John Chrysostomos

With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Minstry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George