My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ God,

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

APPEARANCES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

Michael, the most glorious and radiant chief-commander of the bodiless powers, and the other Archangels, and Angels, have performed numerous benevolent deeds and rendered great assistance to the race of man.

APPEARANCES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

In the New Testament, the Archangel Gabriel announces the birth of Saint John the Baptist to his father, the righteous Priest Zacharias. This Archangel also announced the nativity of the Christ, Jesus, to the Holy Virgin Mary. He also appeared to the Righteous Joseph in a dream and told him not to fear to take Mary his wife and that she shall bring for a Son Whom he was to name Jesus. An Angel also appeared to Joseph to take the Child and His Mother into Egypt. While Joseph was in Egypt, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him, telling him to return to Israel. At the nativity of Christ, an Angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds, announcing the newborn Babe. Then a multitude of the heavenly host was praising God and saying, "Glory to God in highest, and on earth peace, goodwill among men." The Magi were warned in a dream not to return to Herod. Angels ministered to Jesus after the temptation in the mount. In Gethsemane, an Angel from heaven appeared to Jesus, strengthening Him. An Angel rolled away the stone from Christ’s tomb and announced the resurrection to the women. As the disciples looked on, a cloud took Jesus up from under at His ascension, and two men or Angels stood by them in white raiment, saying, "Men, Galilaeans, why do you stand looking into the heaven? This Jesus, the One Who was taken up from you into the heaven, so shall He come in the manner you beheld Him going into the heaven."

The Apostles were arrested, but an Angel of the Lord during the night opened the doors of the prison and led them out, telling them to take a stand in the Temple and to be speaking to the people all the words of this life. An Angel spoke to the Apostle Philip that he might baptize the Ethiopian eunuch. Cornelius was visited by an Angel. When Peter was seized and put in prison, an Angel stood by him. The Apostle’s chains fell off, and the Angel led him out to safety. An Angel smote Herod, and he was eaten by worms and expired. Before the Apostle Paul was shipwrecked, an Angel of the Lord stood by him.

The Book of Revelation (Apocalypse) is filled with accounts of the Angels. The book opens declaring a revelation of Jesus Christ having been sent forth by HIs Angel. Then we are told that "the seven stars are the Angels of the seven Churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven Churches." The seven Angels of the seven Churches of Asia are discussed from Rev. 1:20-3:22. In Revelation 5:2, we read of a strong Angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the book and to loose the seals of it? Saint John says, "I saw four Angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth."

There are numerous appearances mentioned in the Book of Revelation by Saint John the Evangelist.

THE ANGELS AND THE SECOND COMING

The Angels shall be ministers of Christ at the resurrection of the dead. Their participation and ministrations are strongly attested by the New Testament. In the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, Jesus announces that "they shall see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the heaven with power and great glory. All He shall send forth His Angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect form the four winds, from the uttermost parts of the heavens unto their extremities. Saint Paul writes: "We say this to you by the word of the Lord, that we the living, the ones remaining over until the coming of the Lord, in no wise shall precede those who fell asleep. For the Lord, Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout of command, with a voice of an Archangel, and with a trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we the living, the ones remaining over, shall be carried off together with them in clouds to a meeting of the Lord in the air, and so shall we always be with the Lord. The reapers who separate the wheat from the darnel are Angels, sent by the Son of Man. "Therefore even as the darnel is gathered together and burned completely, thus it shall be in the consummation of this age. The Son of Man shall send forth His Angels, and they shall gather together out of His Kingdom all the stumbling blocks, and those doing lawlessness, and they cast them into the furnace of the fire. Then shall be there the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth. Then the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. The one who hath ears to hear, let him hear." The Angels shall also be present at the Final or Last Judgment, even as it is written: "Whenever the Son of Man should come in His glory, and all the holy Angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the Throne of His Glory. And before Him shall be gathered all the nations; and He shall separate them from one another, even as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the young kids. And indeed He shall set the sheep on His right, but the young kids on the left. Then shall the King say to those on His right, "Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom which hath been prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Thus, the Angels shall be present and participate in the eschatological events. They shall minister at the resurrection of the dead, the gathering of the elect, and the separation of the righteous from the wicked. (Source: The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church)

(To be continued)

____________________

"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"

– Saint John Chrysostomos

+ + +

With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+ Father George

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ God,

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

THE CELESTIAL HIERARCHIES

When Adam and Eve were cast out from Paradise and the Lord God "caused him to dell over against the garden of Delight, He STATIONED THE CHERUBS AND THE FIERY SWORD that turns about to keep the way of the Tree of Life [Genesis 3:24]." In the Psalter, there are many references to Angels, as well as in the prophetical writings and the Book of Job, "When the stars were made, all My Angels praised Me with a loud voice [Job 38:7]."

"The Prophet Isaiah writes: "I saw the Lord sitting on a high and exalted throne, and the house was full of His glory. And Seraphs stood round about Him. Each one had six wings; and with two, they covered their face, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one cried to the other, and they said, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.’ And the lintel shook at the voice they uttered, and the house was filled with smoke…And there was sent me one of the Seraphs, and he had in his hand a coal, which he had taken off the altar with the tongs: and he touched my mouth, and said, ‘Behold, this has touched thy lips, and will take away thine iniquities, and will purge off thy sins" (Isaiah 6:1-7).

"The Prophet Ezekiel beheld the Cherubim in his vision of the temple and wrote: "I looked, and, behold, over the firmament that waw above the head of the Cherubs there was a likeness of a throne over them, as a sapphire stone… and I saw the Cherubs having the likeness of men’s hands under their wings. And I saw, and behold, FOUR WHEELS STOOD BY THE CHERUBS, ONE WHEEL BY EACH CHERUB. AND THE APPEARANCE OF THE WHEELS WAS AS THE APPEARANCE OF A CARBUNCLE STONE. AND AS FOR THEIR APPEARANCE, THERE WAS ONE LIKENESS TO THE FOUR, AS IF THERE SHOULD BE A WHEEL IN THE MIDST OF A WHEEL. WHEN THEY WENT, THEY WENT ON THEIR FOUR SIDES; THEY TURNED NOT WHEN THEY WENT, FOR WHICHEVER WAY THE FIRST HEAD LOOKED, THEY WENT; AND THEY TURNED NOT AS THEY WENT. And their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, WERE FULL OF EYES ROUND ABOUT THE FOUR WHEELS. And these wheels were called Gelgel (St. Jerome writes that it means"REVELATION.")… Then the glory of the Lord departed from the house and went up on the Cherubs…

"Saint Dionysios the Areopagite writes: "How many ranks are there among the heavenly beings? What kind are they?… According to him, the first group is forever around God and is said to be permanently united with Him ahead of any of the others and with no intermediary. Here, then, are the most holy ‘THRONES’ and the orders said to possess many eyes and many wings, called in Hebrew the ‘CHERUBIM’ and ‘SERAPHIM’…The second group, he says, is made up of ‘AUTHORITIES,’ ‘DOMINIONS’, and of the heavenly hierarchies, is the group of ‘ANGELS.’ ‘ARCHANGELS,’ and ‘PRINCIPALITIES.’

"The title of the most sublime and exalted ‘thrones’ conveys that in them there is a transcendence over every earthly defect, as shown by their upward-bearing toward the ultimate hights, that they are forever separated from what is inferior, and that they are completely intent upon remaining always sin the presence of Him Who is truly the Most High, that, free of all passion and material concern, they are utterly available to receive the Divine visitation, that they bear God and are ever open, like servants, to welcome God.

"The revealing name ‘dominions’ signifies, in my view, a lifting up which is free, unfettered by earthly tendencies, and not inclined toward any of those tyrannical dissimilarities which characterize a harsh dominion… It rejects empty appearances, returns completely to the True Lord, and shares as far as it can in that everlasting and divine Source of all dominion.

"The term ‘heavenly principalities’ refers to those who possess a godlike and princely hegemony, with a sacred order most suited to princely powers. They have the ability to be returned completely toward that Principle which is above all principles and to lead other to Him like a prince, and the power to receive, to the full, the mark of the Principle of principles and, by their harmonious exercise of princely powers, to make manifest this transcendent Principle of all orders.

"The holy ‘authorities,’ as their name indicates, have an equal order with the divine dominions and powers. They are so placed that they can receive God in a harmonious and unconfused way and indicate way and indicate the ordered nature of the celestial and intellectual authority. They do no tyrannous harm to the inferiors. They are harmonious and unfailing uplifted toward the things of God, and, in their goodness, they lift up with them the ranks of those inferior to them.

The Names of the Archangels

"In the Holy Scripture, we find the names of some of the Archangels. Archangel Michael, whose name signifies "Who is like unto God?" Archangel Gabriel, whose name signifies "Man of God", Archangel Raphael, whose name signifies "God heals," Archangel Uriel, whose name signifies "The Fire or mercy of God" Archangel Salathiel, whose name signifies "Prayer to God", or Archangel Phalitiel. Apart from these names, although pious tradition lists two other Archangels, they are not listed in Holy Scripture: Jehudiel, whose name signifies "The praise of God", and Barachiel, whose name signifies "The blessing of God." (Source: The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church)

(To be continued)

__________________

"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"

– Saint John Chrysostomos

+ + +

With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+ Father George

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ God,

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

"His Angels are spirits, and His ministers
a flame of fire" (Psalm 103:6).

Concerning Angels, Saint John of Damascus writes: "God is Himself the Maker and Creator of the Angels; for He brought them out of nothing into being and created them after His own image. They are an incorporeal race, a sort of spirit or immaterial fire, even as the divine David says that "His Angels are spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire." By this, he has described their lightness and the ardor, heat, keenness, and sharpness with which they hunger for God and serve Him. He also has disclosed how they are borne to the regions above and are quite delivered from all material thought.

"An Angel, then, is an intelligent essence, in perpetual motion, with free will, incorporeal, ministering to God, having obtained by grace an immortal nature. The Creator alone knows the form and limitation of the Angelic essence, but all that we can understand is that it is INCORPOREAL and IMMATERIAL. For all that is compared with God, Who alone is incomparable, we find to be dense and material. For, in reality, only the Deity is immaterial and incorporeal.

"The Angel’s nature is RATIONAL, AND INTELLIGENT, AND ENDOWED WITH FREE WILL." For all that is created is changeable, and only that for which is uncreated is unchangeable. Also, all that is rational is endowed with free will. As the Angel is, then, rational and intelligent, this being is endowed with free will: and as this being is created, it is changeable, having power either to abide or progress in goodness or to turn toward evil.
"They are not susceptible of repentance because they are incorporeal. For it is owing to the weakness of his body that man comes to have repentance.

"They are immortal, not by nature but by grace. For all that has had beginning comes also to its natural end. But God alone is Eternal, or rather, He is above the Eternal: for He, the Creator of time, is not under the dominion of time, but above time.

"They are secondary intelligent lights derived from that first light which is without beginning, for they have the power of ILLUMINATION, they have no need for tongue or hearing, but without uttering words they communicate to each other their own thoughts and counsels.

"Through the Logos (Word), therefore, ALL THE ANGELS WERE CREATED, AND THROUGH THE SANCTIFICATION BY THE HOLY SPIRIT WERE THEY BROUGHT TO PERFECTION, SHARING EACH IN PROPORTION TO HIS WORTH AND RANK I BRIGHTNESS AND GRACE.

"They are circumscribed: for when they are in the heavens, they are not on the earth. When they are sent by God down to the earth, they do not remain in the heavens. They are not hemmed in by walls and doors, and bars and seals, for THEY, ARE QUITE UNLIMITED, I repeat, for it is not as they really are that they reveal themselves to THE WORTHY MEN (persons) to whom God wishes them to appear, but IN A CHANGED FORM WHICH THE BEHOLDERS ARE CAPABLE OF SEEING. For that alone is naturally and strictly unlimited which is uncreated. For every created thing is limited by God Who created it.

"Further, apart from their essence, they receive the sanctification from the Spirit. Through Divine grace, THEY PROPHESY. They have no need of marriage for they are immortal.

"Seeing that they are minds, they are in mental places and are not circumscribed after THE FASHION OF A BODY. For they have NOT A BODILY FORM BY NATURE, NOR ARE THEY EXTENDED IN THREE DIMENSIONS. But to whatever post, they may be assigned, THERE THEY ARE PRESENT, AFTER THE MANNER OF A MIND, AND THEY ENERGIZE, BUT THEY CANNOT BE PRESENT AND ENERGIZE IN VARIOUS PLACES AT THE SAME TIME.

"Whether they are equals in essence or differ from one another we know not. God, their Creator, Who knows all things, alone knows. But they differ from each other IN BRIGHTNESS, AND POSITION, WHETHER IT IS THAT THEIR POSITION IS DEPENDENT ON THEIR BRIGHTNESS, OR THEIR BRIGHTNESS ON THEIR POSITION. They also IMPART BRIGHTNESS TO ONE ANOTHER, BECAUSE THEY EXCEL ONE ANOTHER IN RANK AND NATURE; CLEARLY, THE HIGHER SHARE THEIR BRIGHTNESS AND KNOWLEDGE WITH THE LOWER.

"They are MIGHTY and PROMPT to FULFILL THE WILL OF GOD, and their nature is endowed with such celerity that, wherever the Divine glance bids them, there they are straightway found. They are THE GUARDIANS OF THE DIVISIONS OF THE EARTH. They are SET OVER NATIONS AND REGIONS, ALLOTTED TO THEM BY THEIR CREATOR. THEY GOVERN ALL OUR AFFAIRS AND BRING US SUCCOR. The reason surely is because they are set over us by the Divine will and command and are ever in the vicinity of God.

"With difficulty, they are moved to evil, yet THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY IMMOVEABLE. But now they are altogether IMMOVEABLE, NOT BY NATURE BUT BY GRACE AND BY THEIR NEARNESS TO THE ONLY GOOD.

"They BEHOLD GOD according to their capacity, and this is their food, bodily passion, yet are not passionless: for God alone is passionless. They TAKE DIFFERENT FORMS AT THE BIDDING OF THEIR Master, God, and thus REVEAL THEMSELVES TO MEN AND UNVEIL THE DIVINE MYSTERIES TO THEM. They have HEAVEN FOR THEIR DWELLING PLACE AND HAVE ONE DUTY, TO SING GOD’S PRAISES AND CARRY OUT HIS DIVINE WILL.

"Moreover, as that most holy, and gifted theologian, Saint Dionysios the Areopagite, says, "All theology, that is to say, the Holy Scripture, has NINE DIFFERENT NAMES FOR THE HEAVENLY ESSENCES. These essences, that divine master in sacred things, DIVIDES INTO THREE GROUPS, EACH CONTAINING THREE. And the FIRST GROUP, he says, consists of those who are in God’s presence and are said to be directly and immediately one with Him, NAMELY, THE SERAPHIM WITH THEIR SIX WINGS, THE MANY-EYED CHERUBIM, AND THOSE THAT SIT IN THE HOLIEST THRONES. The SECOND GROUP is that OF THE DOMINIONS and THE POWERS, and THE AUTHORITIES; and THE THIRD, AND LAST, IS THAT OF THE PRINCIPALITIES AND ARCHANGELS AND ANGELS.

"Some, indeed, like Saint Gregory the Theologian, say that THESE WERE BEFORE THE CREATION OF OTHER THINGS. He thinks that the Angelic and Heavenly Powers were first and that thought was their function. Others, again, hold that they were created after the first heaven was made. But all are agreed that it was before the foundation of man. For myself, I am in harmony with the theologian. For it was fitting that the MENTAL ESSENCE should be the first created, and then that which can be perceived, and finally man himself, in whose being BOTH PARTS ARE UNITED.

"But those who say that the Angels are creators of any kind of essence whatever are the mouth of their father, the devil. For since they are created, they are not creators. But He Who creates and provides for and maintains all things is God, Who alone is uncreated is praised and glorified in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." (Source: The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church)

[To be continued]

__________________

"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"

– Saint John Chrysostomos

+ + +

With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+ Father George

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ God,

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

THE BRANCH THAT DOES NOT BEAR FRUIT
IS PRUNED BY THE FATHER…

"I am the vine, the true one, and My Father is the vinedresser.
Every branch in Me which beareth not fruit He taketh away;
and every branch which beareth fruit, He PRUNETH IT IN
ORDER THAT IT MAY BEAR MORE FRUIT" (John 15:1-2).

Sacred hagiography is not only venerated by Orthodox Christians but it has been an important tool for instructing the faithful theologically. The 15th-century Cretan hagiographer Angelos Akotantos wrote (painted) the well-known sacred icon CHRIST THE VINE. Currently, the sacred icon is set apart in a Cretan monastery.

The prominent figure of Christ with extended arms is seated at the nexus of the intertwined branches, establishing Him as the common root and life of the Church (John 15:1-8). An open book, inscribed with excerpts from John 15, is superimposed on the Person of Christ at the center of the sacred icon, suggesting the Logo’s (Word’s) centrality. Saints Peter and Paul are prominently positioned on either side of Jesus Christ. They are seated higher than the other HolyApostles while the Evangelists sit to Christ’s immediately left and right. The remaining HolyApostles, like Christ, hold open books and scrolls–their eyes fixed on Him. The hanging fruit symbolizes the continuation of the faithful: as they ABIDE IN CHRIST SO TOO He abides in them (15:4). [Commentary by Stephen M. Garrett]

Saint Theophylact writes, "The Lord reveals a mystery to His disciples: "I AM THE…VINE" – meaning, THE ROOT – "YOU ARE THE BRANCHES, and My Father is the VINEDRESSER." As the Vinedresser, the Father tends the branches, not the root, and "every branch… that beareth not fruit He taken away." This means that every man (person) who by faith has been joined to the Root — that is, has been UNITED TO THE Lord and made one body with Him — ought to bear fruit BY KEEPING THE Commandments. If he MERELY CONFESSES THE FAITH WITH HIS LIPS WHILE FAILING TO LEAD A VIRTUOUS LIFE, HE WILL WITHER AND DIE. For "FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD" (James 2:20, 26). It often happens that a believer considers himself to be in Christ simply because he believes in Him. But the Lord tells us, "Every branch in Me that beareth NOT fruit, the Father "TAKETH AWAY," MEANING, WHOEVER BEARS NO SPIRITUAL FRUIT IS DEPRIVED BY THE FATHER OF COMMUNION WITH THE Son. As for the branch that does bear fruit, IS PRUNED BY THE Father. From this, we learn that even a highly virtuous man NEEDS GOD’S ATTENTION AND CARE. The FRUITLESS BRANCH GOD CUTS OFF, FOR IT CANNOT REMAIN ON THE VINE. As FOR THE FRUITFUL BRANCH, the Father RENDERS IT EVEN MORE PRODUCTIVE. THE CUTTING AND PRUNING REFER TO THE TRIBULATIONS THE DISCIPLES WOULD SOON UNDERGO. The Lord explains to them that by enduring these tribulations patiently they would become stronger and bear SPIRITUAL FRUIT, like the branches that have been pruned. Notice that at the beginning the Lord said that it was the Father Who purged the branches here, it is Christ Who does the tending: "YE ARE PURGED THROUGH THE WORD WHICH I HAVE SPOKEN UNTO YOU." The Divine activity [ενέργεια] of the Father and Son IS ONE AND THE SAME. "I HAVE PURGED YOU BY MY TEACHINGS. NOW YOU MUST DO YOUR PART." Then He adds" "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; NO MORE CAN YOU, EXCEPT YOU ABIDE IN Me. I AM THE VINE, YOU ARE THE BRANCHES: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for WITHOUT Me YOU CAN DO NOTHING. If a man abide NOT in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." (vs. 4-6).

Saint Theophylact continues with his COMMENTARY: "I have cleansed you by My word and teaching; I have done everything that is Mine to do. Now YOU DO YOUR PART "ABIDE IN Me." Lest fear separates the disciples from Him, Christ braces their weak souls and binds them to Himself. Then He offers them this hope: "WHATEVER YOU ASK, YOU SHALL RECEIVE, "IF YOU ABIDE IN ME." Jesus uses the example of the branch to ILLUSTRATE THE LIFE-GIVING POWER HE IMPARTS TO THOSE WHO PLEASE HIM. "A branch bears fruit ONLY IF IT IS JOINED TO THE VINE AND RECEIVES FROM IT SYNERGETIC POWER TO PRODUCE NEW LIFE. So it is with you. If you "ABIDE in Me" BY KEEPING MY COMMANDMENTS, YOU WILL BEAR MORE FRUIT. If NOT, YOU WILL WITHER." This means that even though the fruitless man receives some nourishment from the Root, he is "CAST FORTH" NEVERTHELESS. He is stripped of whatever spiritual grace he had, HE IS DEPRIVED OF DIVINE HELP AND LIFE; AND AS THE FINAL RESULT, HE IS CAST INTO THE FIRE AND BURNED. By telling the disciples these things the Lord comforts them greatly. He makes it clear that those who plot against Him–including Judas — will be consumed by fire, while those who abide in Him will bear fruit. Without THE POWER AND LIFE-GIVING FORCE THAT COMES FROM Him, THEY CAN DO NOTHING.

7-8. "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is My Fathe glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be My disciples." The Lord explains that "You abide in Me when My words abide in you," which is to say, "When you keep My Commandments." He desires that we hold fast to Him, which we accomplish BY DOING GOOD WORKS. Everyone who leads a God-pleasing LIFE HAS CHOSEN TO ABIDE IN THE VINE: HE IS JOINED TO IT BY LOVE AND BY OBSERVING THE COMMANDMENTS, AND HE CLEAVES TO IT BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. On the other hand , he who makes NO EFFORT TO KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS HAS CONSCIOUSLY AND DELIBERATELY ALIENATED HIMSELF FROM THE LORD. "Herein is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit. The glory of God the Father is His delight in His Son’s disciples when the Apostles’ light shone before men, the heavenly Father was glorified (see Matthew 5:16). Christ’s TRUE DISCIPES IS HE WHO BEARS FRUIT, AND THE FATHER IS THEREBY GLORIFIED. This means that such a disciple causes Him to rejoice and the Father deems this an increase in His glory.

Saint Cyril of Alexandria writes: No doubt, by the Parable of the Vine and the Branhes, Jesus intended to "explain to us the importane of love that is connected to Him and the measure of what we gain by being united to Him. Therefore He says that He is the Vine as a lesson and a Parable. The branhes represent those who are unitedto Him, tied to Him, attached to Him, and who share in His nature by their acquisition of the gift of the Holy Spirit." Saint Cyril warns the faithful about not tying faith to works and comments, "(If we content ourselves with"} bare, abstract confessions of faith, without holding it with the bond of unity to courageous works springing forth from Love, then we will be dead and fruitless branches. " Another great Holy Father of the Church, Saint Clement of Alexandria writes, "The vine that is not pruned becomes firewood. Such is the state of man."

There is doubt that there are fruitful brances and there are unfruitful branches. Both of these are Christians who have heard God’s revealed truth. There are those Christians who grew up in the Church or are members of the Church visibly, who were baptized and chrismated, however, there are some who do not have a true faith. Their faith tragically is not real but artificial and fake. They may be going through the tradition superficially and mechanically but there is no conviction or commitment to Jesus and His commandments. Our Lord confronted, exposed and condemned the Pharisees and Scribes for their hypocrisy, deception, lying, and exploiitation of the people openly. There are weeds that grow in every garden that threaten to choke and obstruct the good plants. It is the same with the unbelieving members of the Church who hide, impersonate and grow in the Church. Although they may sit next to a true and genuine fellow Christian, a believer producing good fruits, they themselves are devoid of any fruits at all. Eventually the disguise is removed and it will be revealed that they are merely an ornamental and spiritually fruitless and a dead branch.

A branch can be pruned and still be united to the Vine. There is no question that everyone can use some pruning and cleansing. We, as Orthodox Christians, are made clean through the Mystery of Confession and Repentance. The Orthodox Christian must not resist the pruning or the cleaning no matter how difficult and/or even painful it may be. No one can abide in Him without δοκιμασίες (trials or sufferings) which will make us stronger in our faith. It is clear that we trust in God and without any hesitation we say with confidence in His love for us, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
There are no tantrums, no anger, no questioning of God’s judgment or actions, there is only obedience and submission to the will of God. Whatever proceeds from Him has a purpose that we may never understand but it is always for our own good and benefit. He, in His Divine Wisdom and love, prepares us for His Kingdom by sometimes allowing obstacles and challenges on earth that will make us fit and much stronger in faith. Unfortunately have a very distorted image of God and have the tendency to see Him a cruel and unjust God. A God Who inflicts pain on people and rejoices over someone’s suffering and unhappiness. They, of course, are totally wrong and misguided. They miss the true understanding of God and ignore Christ’s unjust and cruel suffering and death on the Cross to save mankind. God is LOVE and that should suffice to all who lack either the faith or understanding.

The holy Apostle James writes: "My brethren, deem it all joy whenever ye fall into diverse temptations, knowing that the testing of your faith worketh out patience. But let patience keep on having a perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing" (James 1:1-4).

_______________________

"Glorgy Be To GOD
For
All Things!"

– Saint John Chrysostomos

+ + +

With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministr),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+ Father George

Gratitude is not just a simple human emotion. The ancient Greeks had come to feel both the duty of gratitude and the sin of ingratitude. We find even in our time an extreme, and horrible attitude of ingratitude by both young and old. Seneca, who certainly gives the ingrate a very low place in the moral scale, ranking him below the homicide, the tyrant, the thief, the adulterer, and the traitor. Xenophon and Aristotle insist on the necessity of gratitude. Saint John Chrysostom stated that “ingratitude was a type of evil.” Judas Iscariot who betrayed Christ witnessed a multitude of miracles performed by Him, rising those from the dead, those possessed by demons who were freed, who heard so many things about the Kingdom of God and Hell, who participated in Communion at the Mystical Supper but instead chose to betray his Master. His ingratitude shown to his Master did not bring him any personal benefit or joy.

It is most important that we are constantly thankful to our Heavenly Father. There are many who ignore the many blessings from God and desire the things that they do not have. Ingratitude is harmful to our soul because it indicates that we are possessed by pride and arrogance. That we are selfish and have no respect for others including the Almighty God. We exploit the kindness and love of those who care for us and demand more and more. We lack humility and respect for our fellow man. We consider ourselves above others and believe that we belong to an elite group that only takes but gives nothing in return to others. Ingratitude shows that we are hollow inside and empty of all feelings or emotions, that we lack authentic humanity. How often do people work in the light of the sun from morning till dusk without looking at the sun, without feeling the warmth of the sun, without even thinking of the sun? How many people ask God’s help without ever acknowledging His presence, without thinking of Him, without thanking God, without admitting to themselves the many gifts which they have received in their lifetime? However, when the day comes when there is no sun and there is only darkness when Fogg covers the earth when severe cold and ice dominate our planet, then and only then do we remember the necessity and warmth of the sun. Mankind was not created to live in darkness but to live in the light, the Heavenly Light which bestows life, joy, hope, peace, and salvation. Jesus says, “For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God” (John 3:20-21).

Goodness and a pure heart welcome the “light,” whereas evil deeds and hatred resist the light and seek to hide in the “darkness.” Saint Paul writing to the Ephesians writes, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8). Light exposes the darkness and dark and evil deeds. Besides separating from darkness, Christians are also to “expose” it. But we must first come out of hiding in order to be exposed ourselves. That is, we must confess our evil deeds (sins) and repent of them (see John 3:19-21). We, Orthodox Christians, do this before we receive Holy Communion. After we receive Holy Communion we chant, “We have seen the True Light, we have received the Heavenly Spirit, we have found the True Faith by worshipping the undivided Trinity; for this has saved us.” We are reminded by our Savior Jesus Christ: “I am the Light of the world, He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the Light of Life” (John 8:12). We, the followers of Jesus Christ, believe that God is Light (1 John 1:5) and therefore we are light (Matthew 5:14); believers shine as lights in the world (Phil. 2:15). God is the Source of this UNCREATED, LIFE-GIVING LIGHT (see John 1:4-10; 3:19; 12:35-36).

The unthankful live in darkness for they have rejected the True Light, Jesus Christ. The proud, the arrogant, the selfish, the ungrateful, the uncaring, the cynical, the hateful, the unkind, the unbeliever, the cruel, the angry, uncompassionate, the greedy, the envious, the evil, have chosen darkness and misery as their way of life. The evil one constantly tempts us to reject the God of Light and accept his kingdom of darkness, Hell. The evil one is the source of darkness and torment. The evil one, before he rebelled against God had a prominent position in heaven as the “morning star.” Lucifer the fallen archangel, the light-bearing angel who sought to “be like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14). His actions of disobedience and rebelliousness against the Creator God reveal his total lack of gratitude toward Him Who is the Source of Light.

__________________

“Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!”

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ God,

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

PRAYER OF ANOINTING (MYSTERY [SACRAMENT] OF HOLY OIL)

"O Holy Father, Physician of souls and bodies, Who did send
Thine only – Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to heal every
infirmity and deliver from death: Heal Thou, also, Thy servants
from the ill of body and soul which do hinder them, and quicken
them, by Thy grace; through the prayers of our Most Holy Lady,
the Birthgiver of God, and Ever-Virgin Mary; through the
intercessions of the honorable bodiless Powers of Heaven the
might of the Precious and Lifegiving Cross…"

In the General Epistle of James, the most familiar reading from this letter (5:10-17) occurs in the Mystery (Sacrament) of healing (oil, or Efchelaion [Holy Unction]. Saint James the first bishop of Jerusalem writes: "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the presbyters (priests) of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven."

The Gospel of Luke 4:18-19 reveals the prophecy concerning the promised Messiah, that the Father would send His Son "to heal the brokenhearted, and to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind." [see Isaiah 61:1]. The earthly Ministry of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was one of countless healing miracles "of all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease" (Matthew 4:23). When Saint John the Baptist "had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: ‘The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead, are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them…" (Matthew 11:3-5). Prophet Isaiah predicted that the coming of the Messiah the blind would "see," the "lame walk, lepers would be cleansed," the "deaf" would "hear" (Luke 7:22). Our Savior Jesus Christ fulfills the prophecies of Prophet Isaiah, bearing the fruit which only the Messiah can produce. Furthermore, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ healed darkened hearts, souls, and minds as He freed people from demon possession.

The Holy Apostles continued in God’s work of healing as well, attributing their miracles to the Risen and Ascended Jesus Christ. "JESUS THE CHRIST HEALS YOU," the Holy Apostle Peter told the newly healed man. The Holy Apostle Paul attributed healing as a gift of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:9). Furthermore, the New Testament foundations were established for the healing διακονία (ministry) of the Mysteriaki Zoe (Sacrament life) of the Church (James 5:14-15).

The Church is Christ Himself and therefore the healing miracles have always and will always continue to take place within our Holy Orthodox Church. Our Great Benefactor, Savior, and Physician of our souls and bodies said very clearly, ‘He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father" (John 14:12). Saint Irenaeus, a second-century Holy Father wrote: "Some drive out devils… some have foreknowledge of the future…other heal the sick through the laying on of hands… and even the dead have been raised yo before now and have remained with us for many years." The sacred writings of the holy Fathers consistently reveal constant miracles within the Holy Church.

As a priest of five decades, I have witnessed numerous miracles attributed to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to the Mother of God, and to the Saints of our Church. Even physicians who participated in the effort to save the life of their patients attest to the miracles of God for there is no other explanation. It was not their professional ability, it was not science or medicines that healed and saved the sick man, woman, or child but the healing grace of God. When a young man’s mother was quick to thank the doctor for her son’s healing, the doctor, a person of faith, pointed to a small holy icon of Christ next to his bed and said to her, ‘it wasn’t me but He in who is shown in that icon who restored your son to life’. It is most important to remember always that our faith is a living faith and our God is the Living God.

The Church was created by our Lord Jesus Christ for the therapeutic needs of the faithful. The Holy Church receives all those who are ill, those who have been injured spiritually and physically, and who suffer from all harmful passions and sins and by the grace of the Holy Spirit heals and restores them back to health. We all understand of course that our body sooner or later will die and be buried. The soul which is immortal needs spiritual cleansing and healing before the bodily death takes place and so free it from all infirmity and suffering. The holy Apostle Paul in his letter to the Galatians points out the various illnesses that plague humanity such as, "adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outburst of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries…" (Galatians 5:19-21). Do you see why we believe that the Church is a place of healing, a hospital and that it is through the Holy Church that one can be healed spiritually and physically? We are not in the church simply to observe an ancient Christian ritual but to be healed by the Physician of our souls and bodies and leave the church restored and cured.

The Orthodox priest is a first-responder. He is ready day and night to run to the one who is injured, ill, suffering, in danger, and yes, even one who is dying. The medicines for those spiritually and physically ill that he brings are the sacraments of the Church i.e., Holy Eucharist, Holy Unction, Holy Confession, and prayer. He invokes the Almighty God, the Theotokos, and Saints to come to the person’s aid and heal him or her. The purpose of the Mystery of Efchelaion (Holy Unction) is for healing and forgiveness.

Prayer of the Holy Oil

Priest:
O Lord Who, in Thy mercies and bounties, heals
the disorders of our souls and bodies; Do Thou,
the same Master, sanctify this Oil, that it may be
effectual for those who shall be anointed therewith,
unto the healing, and unto relief from every passion,
every malady of the flesh and of the spirit, and every
ill, and that therein may be glorified Thy Most Holy
Name, of the Father, and fo the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit, now and ever, and to the Ages of Ages. Amen.

Oil signified Grace, joy, softening, and a bringing to life. The anointment of the sick with oil was done by the Holy Apostles, as we see in Mark 6:13: They "anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them." This sacrament is conducted on the sick who are capable of receiving it consciously and participating in prayer themselves. Holy Unction may be performed both at the church and home where the sick person is. The Mystery of Holy Unction is usually preceded by the Mystery of Repentance/Confession and is usually concluded with the Mystery of Holy Communion.
The priest or priests present while anointing the believer says, "O Holy Father, Physician of souls and bodies, Who did send Thine Only Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who heals every infirmity and delivers from death: Heal also Thy servant (Christian name)." The whole Church entreats Him, the Most Merciful One, to grant to the infirm remission of sins and to purify his/her conscience from every evil defilement.

_________________

"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"

– Saint John Chrysostomos

+ + +

With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+ Father George

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ God,

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

CONSUMERISM CONSUMES THE PERSON

Saint John Climcaus writes, "Avarice is said to be the root of all evil, and it is so because it causes hatred, theft, envy, separations, hostility, stormy blasts, remembrance of past wrongs, inhuman acts, and even murder." In his letter to the holy Apostle, 1Timothy 6:10, Saint Paul writes, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."

The Holy Scripture does not use the term consumerism, but it certainly refers to the kind of attitude Jesus warned us, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses" (Luke 12:15). The Lord and Savior Jesus Christ then offers a parable to them, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do since I have no room to store my crops? So he said, ‘I will do this, I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night you soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided? So is he who lays up treasures for himself, and is not rich toward God" (Luke 12:16-21).

An "abundance of possessions" is what consumerism is all about, but those who pursue that path are missing the target and purpose of this earthly life. Consumerism brings neither security nor happiness in life. The Psalmist writes: "If riches increase, do not set your heart on them" (Psalm 62:10). The things we accumulate now can disappear tomorrow. Psalm 119:36-37 reveals to us the correct thinking: "Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to covetousness. Turn away my eyes FROM LOOKING AT WORTHLESS THINGS…". Instead of worshipping God, man worships the creation. Much better than consumerism is theosis (deification), because "…godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry anything out" (1 Timothy 6:6-7).

At the Divine Liturgy, the priest pronounces the words, "We offer You Your own from Your own" as he "elevates" the Holy Gifts. We have nothing of our own to offer to God: "Every good thing and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of Lights" (James 1:17). Everything we have we have received from God. It is therefore abundantly clear that we should offer thanksgiving and praise to our Lord for His innumerable blessings and gifts. I, therefore, would say that the antidote for consumerism is gratefulness to our Creator for and all that He does for us. Grateful children are not seeking ways to receive more but are content with what they already possess.

There is absolutely no doubt that the greatest evil of consumerism is that it pulls our concentration from our Lord Jesus Christ and His Eternal Kingdom to mundane and temporal things. When the Orthodox Christian is baptized he or she becomes a new creature in Christ, "a reasoning sheep of Thy Christ, a worthy member of Thy Church, a sanctified vessel, a child of light, and inheritor of Thy Kingdom" (Service for the Catechumens). We are reborn through water and the Spirit and therefore we become citizens of Paradise. We are no longer attached to worldly things but have our sights on our Savior Jesus Christ, "His Kingdom, and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33).

Consumerism is none other than materialism. "Consumerism encourages purchasing and consumption of goods and services in excess of a person’s needs." It can be traced back to the onset of captitalism in the 16th century in Europe. According to some increasing consumerism tends to shift away societies from important values such as integrity, ethics and morality. We all know for a fact that people tend to buy goods and services they don’t necessarily need so that they can be at par or at a higher level than everyone else. Furthermore, consumerism creates stress, depression, and axiety. It forces one to work harder, longer, borrow more and spend less time with family and loved ones. Consumerism also causes environmental and moral degradation. It is common sense that a peson’s love for the finer things in life should not come at the expense of his/her spiritual, emotional, and mental health. Our Savior Jesus Christ asks, "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26).

The acquisition of material things do not bring happiness and fulfillment to anyone. Things may bring one instant gratification but NOT a long lasting joy. What consumerism does is to enslave us and to deceive us to believe that things such as cars, houses, money, yachts, airplanes, etc. will give meaning and purpose to our life. For the Orthodox Christian only the Almighty God can give meaning to our life, fulfillment, and purpose and not man-made products, Our Master and God Jesus Christ teaches the believer the following: "Do not lay up yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thievs break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break kin and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19-21). By attaching themselves to "treasures on earth" people sever themselves off from heavenly treasures. They become slaves, not free in Christ.

____________________

"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ God,

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

THE VIRTUES OF CHASTITY AND VIRGINITY

According to Saint John Climacus, "To be chaste is to put on the nature of an incorporeal being." Furthermore, "Purity is the longed-fore house of Christ and the earthly heaven of the heart." Saint John adds, "A chaste man is someone who has driven out bodily love by means of divine love, who has used heavenly fire to quench the fires of the flesh (σάρκα)."

For those who are concerned with spiritual matters, there are three virtues referred to as the "monastic virtues": virginity, poverty, and obedience. Virtues which one strives to attain throughout one’s life. It is a spiritual goal that the believer struggles for it is through them that the Orthodox Christian finds healing, "the transformation of his inner world and his experience of communion with God." According to the Holy Fathers of the Church, "these three virtues correspond to the three GREAT PASSIONS that torment us from our birth: LOVE OF SENSUAL PLEASURE, LOVE OF MONEY AND POSSESIONS, AND LOVE OF PRAISE."

The Orthodox Christian must retain his true identity and guided by the Holy Spirit must adhere to the commandments of His Creator God and retain God’s image pure and pristine. The Holy Apostle Paul reminds us, "Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body…Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For "the two," He says "shall become one flesh." But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For YOU WERE BOUGHT AT A PRICE; THEREFORE GLORIFY GOD IN YOUR BODY AND IN YOUR SPIRIT, WHICH ARE GOD’S" (1 Corinthians 6:13-20).

The genuine believer understands that everything is relevant to the spiritual life of the good Christian, therefore, dealing with sin means controlling and restraining the passions of our bodies. When the Holy Apostle Paul reminds us that our bodies are "MEMBERS OF CHRIST" he reminds us OF OUR UNION WITH JESUS CHRIST IN BAPTISM ( see Romans 6:3-10). Fornication is, therefore, a sin to be fled with horror, for it joins Christ with prostitutes. Our Holy Father Saint John Chrysostom writes, "We have many improper desires, but we must repress them, for we can." The word "temple" here refers to the individual Christian as a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. Saint Paul’s preference is for celibacy, but he understands that this is a "gift from God" Himself and that is not given to everyone.

Orthodox Christians are called to live a life of holiness, purity, chastity, virginity, a life pleasing to our Savior Jesus Christ, married or celibate. Living the authentic and true spiritual life takes strong faith and resolve from the follower of Christ. Christians are invited to conform to the Divine teachings of the Lord and to adhere to His commandments. Saint John Climacus encourages all to live a life of chastity when he writes: "The beginning of chastity is the refusal to consent to evil thoughts (logismoi) and occasional dreamless emissions…completion of chastity comes when mortified thoughts are followed by a mortified body…The chaste man is not someone with a body undefiled but rather a person whose members are in complete subjection to the soul, for a man is great who is free from passion…". (Ladder of Divine Ascent).

Saint Cyprian writes: "For what is chastity but a virtuous mind added to watchfulness over the body?" It is up to the individual Orthodox Christian who practices his/her Christian faith daily to keep vigilant and alert over the actions and behavior of his/her body. If the body has certain unholy appetites and desires one must have the strength and commitment to resist them. Knowing how very powerful these carnal passions are we must be invited and supplicate our Savior for help and by His grace, we can succeed to live a life of chastity. Saint John the Ascetic says or purity of heart, should be the underlying goal for everything we do. "Everything we do, our every objective, must be undertaken for the sake of purity of heart…" He also advises all that "we must practice the reading of the Holy Scripture, together with all the other virtuous activities…to hold our hearts free of the damage done by the deleterious passions…".

Our contemporary secular society not only condones all immorality but it encourages it and facilitates it. An Orthodox hierarch has defined chastity as "an inner harmony of body, mind, and soul. Again Saint Cyprian says, "For what is chastity but a virtuous mind added to watchfulness over the body… Chastity promotes the freedom of relationships that comes with innocence, and the beauty of modesty." Just as the sin of gluttony damages and deforms the body so does unchastity distorts and pollutes one’s mind and soul. The unchaste person finds no inner peace or harmony of soul and body but instead becomes a slave of his/her sinful passions.

Saint Justin Popovich wrote, "The sign of purity is to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep; to be in pain with the sick and in anguish with the sinners; to rejoice with the repentant and to participate in the agony of those who suffer…"’. And Saint John Climacus states: "Purity means that we put on the Angelic nature. Purity is the longed-for-house of Christ and the earthly heaven of the heart. Purity is a supernatural denial of nature, which means that a mortal and corruptible body is rivaling the celestial spirits in a truly marvelous way."

The Orthodox Christian must reject all evil indoctrination by the Gentile or pagan society and instead be obedient and adhere to the Divine Teachings of the One Who sacrificed His life to save us from sin and death. Listen to the One Who said to the adulterous woman, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more" (John 8:11). Our compassionate and merciful Savior Jesus Christ forgives and does not condemn the repentant sinner. But true repentance includes striving to "sin no more". Saint Methodius writes: "Indeed, who was ever able to grasp Christ or His Spirit perfectly without first purifying himself? Chastity is the exercise which from childhood prepares the soul for glory by making attractive and lovable, and with ease brings this adornment for her to the next world untried…". Saint John Climacus writes, "Offer to the Lord the weakness of your nature, fully acknowledging your own powerlessness, and imperceptibly you will receive the gift of chastity."

Virginity is scoffed and ridiculed by the secular and faithless generation but it does not diminish this indispensable virtue at all. Young men and women are afraid to reveal that they are chaste simply because they will be immediately ostracized by their peers. The pressure from this hostile world against young people to retain their purity and chastity is enormous. The unbelieving, corrupt, and sexually perverted world hates anyone who is moral,honest, righteous and one who pursues virtue. However, the Christian is reminded: "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctifiction and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God…for God did not call us to uncleanness but in holiness." (1 Thessalonians 4:3-7). Holiness includes sexual purity (vv. 3-8).

______________

"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"

–Saint John Chrysostomos

+ + +

With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+ Father George

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ God,

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

THE POSITION OF THE BISHOP IN THE CHURCH
ACCORDING TO SAINT SYMEON OF THESSALONIKI

Saint Symeon of Thessaloniki, in his Letter to Bishops, refers to the high position that a Bishop of a province holds in the Church. Certain aspects of this letter are significant.

At one point Saint Symeon, bearing in mind that the Bishops are successors to the Apostles, writes that there is no difference at all in respect of the grace of the Office of Bishop between contemporary Bishops and the Apostles Peter and Paul. They differ ONLY IN THEIR VIRTUE. Saint Symeon writes: "Peter and Paul were extraordinary in their virtue and their labors, and worthy of great crowns… In respect of the grace of priesthood, however, THIS IS NOT SO. Paul is not greater than Saint John Chrysostom, nor is the latter, as a Bishop, superior to any of the apparently inferior Bishops, except with regard to the excellence of his virtue." The grace of priesthood through which the holy sacraments are performed is the same for the Apostles as for Bishops, ONLY THE VIRTUE POSSESSED BY EACH PERSON VARIES. The sacraments celebrated by the early Fathers had the same energy as those celebrated by our contemporaries. "The sacraments celebrated by our great father Basil, or even by Peter, Andrew and James, have no more power than those performed now by Orthodox priests." The priesthood possessed by Bishops is the Priesthood of Christ, NOT a product of human virtue. "With regard to the power of the priesthood, Peter, Paul, and John are the same as many of the present Bishops, as the priesthood is Christ’s and NOT THE WORK OF HUMAN VIRTUE." The proof of this is that Saint Anthony the Great, Saint Sisoes, Saint Paul of Thebes, Saint Paul the Simple and all the Saints performed many miracles, "but they could not perform any of the actions proper to the priesthood, as they had not received ordination as priests."

With this in mind, Saint Symeon of Thessaloniki concludes: "Therefore the Bishop is the foundation and source of Christianity." This is because everything is performed through the bishop: "priestly ordinations and the sanctification that we receive from the priests; the consecration of church buildings in which prayers and the celebration of the Sacraments are performed. From the Bishops, who possess the spiritual ministry, comes the power to loose and to bind, and through them, confession and remission of sins are given, and communion with Christ, and propitiation through the prayer of divine unction, and when we die our souls are delivered up to God through them."

Saint Symeon of Thessaloniki urges the Clergy, monks, and laypeople to honor the Bishop. He writes, "All you priests, laypeople, and monks, respect your Bishop and be in awe of him as the true instrument of God, as the servant of God, as someone who has the power of God and sits on Christ’s throne, as the one appointed to be the leader of our souls after God and shown to be the foundation of our salvation and our faith after Christ, as the giver of present and future good things through the grace of Christ."

It is significant that the Bishop is regarded AS SYMBOL OF CHRIST and in His place, and priests, the laity, and monks ought to regard him as the author of salvation. That is why the Bishop is set above spiritual fathers. In the light of this Orthodox teaching, we can see the heretical ideas that are hatched and nurtured when certain Abbots, who are renowned for their humility and ecclesiastical mentality, are placed above Bishops in the way they exercise spiritual fatherhood.

Saint Symeon of Thessaloniki exhorts the Clergy and monks to obey the Bishops on account of the grace of priesthood that they possess, and not for their personal virtue. In particular, these priests and monks should encourage the laity to be obedient. "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves. Priests and monks, be subject to your bishop and obey him before others in what he advises you to do, and vigorously exhort and stir up the Christ-loving laity to do the same, setting the initial example of obedience yourselves."

By contrast, when the priests and laity reproach those holy orders, especially Bishops, and make false accusations against them, this is a sign that the accusers are evil and malicious men and God will surely punish them in various ways. Saint Symeon of Thessaloniki writes, "…it is characteristic of evil and wicked men to spread slander and concoct insults and abuse from their Christ-hating, slanderous and iniquitous souls. It is therefore obvious and false insults and grave slanders were often made against saintly people, and God showed signs to the glory of His servants, and inflicted various calamities and plagues on the false accusers."

"…The Bishop is the visible head of the Church, of the Body of Christ. He is the one who will speak the word of truth and be the criterion of truth. The sacred Canons, therefore, regard the Bishop as the eye of the Church. The Bishop is obliged to lead and teach his flock, including the monks, on the basis of the ecclesiastical tradition, so that they may walk in the way of salvation. (Source: Orthodox Monasticism as the Way of Life of Prophets, Apostles, and Martyrs by Metropolitan of Nafpaktos Hierotheos).

_____________________

"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ God,

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

WORKING OUT OUR OWN SALVATION

"…WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION
WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING; FOR IT
IS GOD WHO WORKS IN YOU BOTH TOto
WILL AND TO DO FOR HIS GOOD
PLEASURE…HOLDING FAST THE WORD
OF LIFE…" (Philippians 2:12-15).

Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos, Greece in his book "The Mind of the Orthodox Church" states, "The beginning of our experience of salvation is achieved by holy Baptism, which is also called an introductory sacrament because it introduces us to the life of the Church… With Baptism and Chrismation A NEW LIFE BEGINS. But this life must be continued and increased. This new life is expressed and energized by three basic factors: BY APPLYING THE COMMANDMENTS OF CHRIST, BY DIVINE COMMUNION, AND BY PRAYER."

Salvation is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit. It is the synergy between our Creator God and man. Saint Dionysios the Areopagite says union with God is achieved "only by love and holy work". There is no other alternative for the Orthodox Christian believer other than to live the new life "and this is achieved through Holy Communion and through prayer." No one can remain indifferent and aloof to the Lord’s invitation when He says, "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love" (John 15:10). The Lord’s love is unconditional indeed but in order to work, we must keep His commandments and "abide" in His love. We show our love for God by obeying Him.

The contemporary Christian seeks "instant" salvation. A salvation devoid of any work, without any effort, without any sacriice, and without any obedience. A good servant obeys out of love. "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ "And he was called the friend of God" (James 2:23). Abraham’s faith was a living and an active faith which brought salvation to him and to his household. Static and superficial kind of faith is hyporcitical and valueless. The struggle of the true Christian is an ongoing struggle between light and darkness, between our Savior Jesus Christ and the prince of this world. The spiritual warfare never ceases and the battle between good and evil will continue until the Second Cominng of Christ. To stay alive takes work, effort, sacrifice, vigilance, faith, commitment, obedience to God and His commandments, and if need be to sacrifice one’s life. Although the path to salvation is arduous and filled with obstacles Jesus gives the believer the strength and the ability to demolish all obstacles in his/her way.

Suffering and evil are NOT of God. It is because of our free will that we must experience pain and conflict in our lives. The Holy Father of the Church have written and were fully aware that there were no guarantees a Christian could avoid suffering, for the sake of his salvation. Even our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of God, endured endured pain and suffering to save mankind from evil and death. Saint Paul writes: God is to be trusted nto to let us be tried beyond our strength, but with the trial He will provide a way out, so that we are able to bear it (1 Corinthians 10:13). Men of faith must trust in God and to rember the Lord’s Divine words, "…this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting" (Matthew 17:21). The Orthodox Christian must be humble for without humility there is no virtue at all.

The authentic Christian faith is only one, Orthodox Christianity. Outside Orthodox Christianity prevails heresy, distortion, confussion, and outight deception. The Church founded by our Lord, God, Savior Jesus Christ remains and will continue to remain true to her Founder and Only Head. The current or contemporary heretics seek to stathly revise and corrupt the Faith from within but to no avail. It can never be done and they will fall to the waste side as so many other before who tried and failed. The Church is JESUS CHRIST Whom they have rejected and to their everlasting condemnation have chosen to join the demonic dark forces instead. How ludicrous and foolish they are to believe that they have the power to abolish Him and His Church. Salvation is found only in the Holy Church He founded and has faithfully kept it pure and undefiled for over two toudand years and the sacrifice of countless Orthodox Christian faithful.

You, the contemporary Orthodox Christian, is called upon to defend and promulgate the true faith. No Orthodox Christian can ever be complacent and indifferent to his/her calling. Th genuine Orthodox Christian remains steadfast in his or her faith no matter the circumstances or threats. The Holy Church was established by Our Redeemer and God for the purpose of bringing the Good News, the Good News that the Son of God "WHO DESIRES ALL MEN TO BE SAVED AND TO COME TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH" ( 1 Timothy 2:4). It is the Cross of the Savior that saves and not ours. Out of His unconditional love for us He sacrificed His life to save us.

Saint Paul reminds all of us "that perilous times will come for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-conrol, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power, and from such people turn away" (2 Timothy 3:1-5). The Church has seen this and other warnings as a referance to the days just before His Second Coming. Like prominent men of the past, present and future prominent men will willfully reject the holy Canons and dogmas of the Church out of pride, greed, love of power and lack of faith.

The dogma of salvation in Christ is the central dogma of Orthodox Christianity, the essence of our faith. The Theanthropos (The God Man), Our Lord Jesus Christ is indeed the Great Redeemer and Savior of all humanity. This salvation reveals the Almighty God’s abiding love for each of us. Because of Christ’s birth (His Incarnation) and His life lived for our sake, crowned by His death and Resurrection, we see how infinitely significance mankind is to the Creator. We are precious in His sight, and His mercy endures forever. Saint Clement of Rome wrote, "Christ gave Light and saved His children; our spirit was blinded…Thanks to Him the circle of darknesswhich shrouded us has been broken, and we recovered our sight."

Saint Gregory of Nazianzus wrote: "I ask, to whom was the Blood of Christ poured out? It it was to the evil one, alas. What belongs to Christ is offered to Satan. but if you say to God, how can this be, since we were in the grip of someone else? The RANSOM should go to the one who holds the captives. Can it be true that He offers a sacrifice to God in order that God Himself should snatch us from our captor and receive Christ as equivalent for those who have fallen? For [God] Himself is not capable of being taken captive. That is what we think." Another Holy Father of the Church, Saint Gregory the Dialogist of Rome writes, "It is not by faith that ou will to know Him, but by love; not by mere conviction, but by action. Saint John the Evangelist is my authority for this statement. He tells us that "ANYONE WHO CLAIMS TO KNOW GOD WITHOUT KEEPING HIS COMMANDMENTS IS A LIAR". Consequently, the Lord immediately adds: "As the Father knows Me and I know the Father" and I lay down My life for My seep". Clearly, He means that laying down His life for His sheep gives evidence of His knowledge of the Father, and the Father’s knowledge of Him. In other words, by the love with which He dies for His sheep, He shows HOW GREATLY HE LOVES HIS Father."

Saint John Chrysostom states: "Taking all these things into account, and believing them in our heart; namely, that after this present life we are to stand before A FEARFUL TRIBUNAL, that we shall render an account, OF ALL WE HAVE DONE, THAT WE SHLL RECEIVE SENTENCE AND SUFFER PUNISHMENT IF WE REMAIN IN OUR SINS, OR THAT ON THE OTHER HAND WE SHALL RECEIVE A CROWN AND COUNTLESS OTHER GOOD THINGS, IF FOR THIS BRIEF PRESENT TIME WE HAVE A CARE FOR OUR SOULS, let us put to silence those who dare to say, to proclaim, what is contrary to this belief, and let us walk the paths of virtue, so that drawing near with a confident heart to that Tribunal, we may receive of th e good things He has promised us, by the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be Honor and Glory now and forever. Amen."

_________________

"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"

– Saint John Chrysostomos

+ + +

With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+ Father George