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 PROMISED AND EXPECTED SON OF GOD CAME TO EARTH"
JESUS CHRIST THE LORD AND SAVIOR

"But when the fullness of the time was come" (Galatians 4:4), or in or, in other words:
_____when the human race, following after Adam, had tasted in full measure, spiritually speaking, of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and had come to know in experience the sweetness of doing good and the bitterness of evil-doing;
_____when for the most part mankind had reached and extreme degree of impiety and corruption;
_____when the best, although smallest, part of humanity had an especially great thirst, longing, and desire to see the promised Redeemer, Reconciler, Savior, Messiah;
_____when, finally, by God’s will, the political conditions were ready because the whole of the civilized part of humanity had been united under the authority of Rome—-something which strongly favored the spreading of faith and the Church of Christ;
_____then "THE PROMISED AND EXPECTED SON OF GOD CAME TO EARTH."

Mankind, in the person of its best representatives, acknowledged its unfulfilled debt, the heavy debt, the heavy debt of numerous preceding generations and of its own age. It was a debtor UNABLE TO PAY. The feeling of guilt in its purest form was present in the Jewish people. Mankind tried to erase its sins by means of sacrifices, which expressed the giving over to God of the best part of what was in man’s possession, in the possession of his family, as a gift to God. But these sacrifices were not capable of REGENERATING men.

Let us quote here the words of the holy righteous Saint John of Kronstadt, from the sermon on the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross (September 14th) of the Lord: "Let us enter into the meaning of the mystery of the Cross… The world, that is, the human race, would have been given over to eternal death, to eternal torments, according to the unchanging, most strict justice of God, if the Son of God had not become, out of His limitless goodness, A VOLUNTARY INTERMEDIARY AND REDEEMER OF MANKIND, WHICH WAS CRIMINAL, DEFILED AND CORRUPTED BY SIN. For, by the deception of the serpent, the murderer of men, it was cast down into a frightful abyss of lawless and perdition… However, SO THAT MEN MIGHT BE CAPABLE OF THIS RECONCILIATION AND REDEMPTION FROM ABOVE, IT WAS NECESSARY FOR THE SON OF GOD TO DESCEND INTO THE WORLD, TO TAKE UPON HIMSELF A HUMAN SOUL AND BODY, AND BECOME THE GOD-MAN, IN ORDER THAT IN HIS OWN PERSON, IN HIS HUMAN NATURE, HE MIGHT FULFILL ALL THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD WHICH HAS BEEN BRAZENLY VIOLATED BY ALL MANNER OF HUMAN UNRIGHTEOUSNESS; IN ORDER THAT HE MIGHT FULFILL THE WHOLE LAW OF GOD, EVEN TO THE LEAST IOTA, AND BECOME THE GREATEST OF RIGHTEOUS MEN FOR THE WHOLE OF UNRIGHTEOUS MANKIND, AND TEACH MANKIND RIGHTEOUSNESS WITH REPENTANCE FOR ALL ITS UNRIGHTEOUSNESS AND SHOW FORTH THE FRUITS OF REPENTANCE. This He fulfilled, NOT BEING GUILTY OF A SINGLE SIN, and was the ONLY PERFECT MAN, IN HYPOSTATICAL UNION WITH THE Divinity" (Sermon on the Feast of the Exaltation: "The Meaning of the Mystery of the Cross").

Saint Gregory Palamas writes: "Before Christ we all shared the same ancestral curse and condemnation poured out on all of us from our single Forefather, as if it had sprung from the root of the human race and was the common lot of our nature. Each person’s individual action attracted either reproof or praise from God, but no one could do anything about the shared curse and condemnation, or the evil inheritance that had been passed down to him and through him would pass to his descendants. As we have seen, this inheritance entailed a corrupted human nature, bringing about the death of both the soul and body. "But Christ came," says Saint Gregory, "SETTING HUMAN NATURE FREE AND CHANGING THE COMMON CURSE INTO A SHARED BLESSING." (Homilies, vol. 1, p. 52).

CHRIST’S Incarnation, death and Resurrection, which He accomplished FOR THE SALVATION OF MANKIND, expressed God’s Truth, Righteousness, and Justice on the one hand, and His mercy and agape on the other. Saint Isaac the Syrian writes concerning God’s PLAN OF SALVATION also manifested His agape (love): "God the Lord surrendered His own Son to death on the Cross for the fervent love of creation. ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to death for our sake’ (cf, John 3:16). This was not, however, because He could not have redeemed us in another way, but so that His surpassing agape, manifested hereby, might be a teacher unto us. And by the death of His only begotten Son He made us near to Himself. Yes, if He had had anything more precious, He would have given it to us, so that by it our race might be His own."

THE SON OF GOD, THE MESSIAH, THE DIVINE REDEEMER WAS REJECTED BY HIS PEOPLE AND HAD HIM CRUCIFIED AND KILLED.

"And they led Jesus away to the high priest; and with him were assembled all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes… Now the chief priests and all the council sought testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies did not agree… But He kept silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?’ Jesus said, ‘I AM. AND YOU WILL SEE THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE POWER, AND COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.’ Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, ‘What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?’ And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death" (Mark 14:53-64).

"Pilatet then went out to them and said, ‘What accusation do you bring against this Man?’ They answered and said to him, ‘If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you.’ (John 18:29-30)

"Pilate therefore said to Him, " Are You a king then?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.’ Pilate said to Him, ‘What is truth?’ And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, ‘I find no fault in Him at all.’ But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?’ Then they all cried again, saying, ‘Not this Man, but Barabas!’ Now Barabas was a robber. So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him… Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, ‘Crucify Him, crucify Him! Pilate said to them, ‘You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.’ The Jews answered him, ‘We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.'(John 18:37-40, 19:6-7).

"Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, ‘Behold your King!’ But they cried out, ‘Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar!’ Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away" (John 19:14-16). [Resources: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology and New Testament)

(To be continued)
____________
"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

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 LORD, GOD, AND SAVIOR IS THE ONLY TRUE
AND ANTICIPATED MESSIAH AND “RECONCILER”

“A ruler shall not fail from Judah, nor a prince
from his loins, until there come the thing stored up
for him (in the Hebrew: until there come a
reconciler); and he is the expectation of nations”
(Genesis 49:10, Septuagint).

In other words, the authority of the Tribe of Judah shall not cease until the Reconciler, the hope of the nations, comes; and consequently, the termination of the Tribe of Judah will be a clear sign of the COMING OF THE SAVIOR. The ancient Jewish teachers saw in the “RECONCILER” the AWAITED MESSIAH, TO WHOM THEY APPLIED THIS NAME (in Hebrew Shiloh, the Reconciler).

Another prophecy consists of the words of Moses to his people: “Thy Lord thy God will raise up three a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto hi ye shall hearken” (Deuteronomy 18:15). After Moses there were many great Prophets among the Hebrews, but to none of them were the words of Moses referred. And the same Book of Deuteronomy testifies of the time close to Moses: “And there arose a Prophet since in Israel like unto Moses” (Deuteronomy 34:10). The Lord Jesus Christ Himself referred the words of Moses to Himself: “For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me: for he wrote of Me” (John 5:46).

Then came numerous prophecies in the form of prefigurations in the Psalms, of which the most expressive is Psalm 21, which the ancient rabbis recognized as a hymn of the Messiah. It includes a depiction of the severe and tormenting sufferings which the Savior bore upon the Cross: “O God, My God, attend to Me; why hast Thou forsaken Me?…All that look upon Me have laughed Me to scorn; they have spoken with their lips and have wagged their heads: He hoped in the Lord; let Him deliver him… I have been poured out like water, and scattered are all my bones… They have parted My garments amongst themselves, and for my vesture have they cast lots…” Near the end of the Psalm are these words which concern the Triumph of the Church: “In the great church will I confess Thee… The poor shall eat and be filled… Their hearts shall live for ever and ever.”

A number of other Psalms also contain such prophecies or PREFIGURATIONS. Some of these proclaim the sufferings of the Savior (Psalms 39, 68, 108, 40, 15, 8), while others proclaim His glory (Psalms 2, 109, 44, 67, 117, 96, 94).

Finally, closer to the end of the Old Testament period, numerous prophecies appear in the books of the so-called major and minor Prophets, and these ever more clearly reveal the imminent coming of the Son of God. They speak of the Forerunner of the Lord, of the time, place, and conditions of the Savior’s birth, of His spiritual-bodily image (His meekness, humility, and other features), of the events preceding the betrayal of the Lord, of His sufferings, and Resurrection, of the descent of the Holy Spirit, of the character of the New Testament, and of other aspects of the Lord’s coming. Among these prophecies a special place belongs to the 53rd Chapter of the Prophet Isaiah, which gives an image of the Savior’s sufferings of the Messiah, Christ.

These promises and prophecies first of all, gave support to the chosen people, especially during the difficult periods of its life; they gave support to its firmness, faith, and hope. Secondly, they prepared the people so that they would be able to recognize by these prophecies THAT THE TIME OF THE PROMISE WAS NEAR, AND THAT THEY MIGHT RECOGNIZE THE SAVIOR HIMSELF IN THE FORM GIVEN HIM BY THE PROPHETS.

Thanks to these prophecies, as the time of the Savior’s coming neared, the expectation of Him was intense and vigilant among pious Jews. We see this in the Gospels. This is revealed in the expectation of Symeon the God-receiver, to whom it was declared that he would not see death until HE HAD BEHELD CHRIST THE LORD (Luke 2:6). It is revealed in the reply of the Samaritan woman to the Savior: “I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ: when He is come, He will tell us all things” (John 4:25). It is revealed in the questions of the Jews who came to John the Baptist, “Art thou the Christ?” (John 1:20-25); in the words addressed by Andrew, the First-called Apostle, after his first meeting with Christ, to his brother Simon: “WE HAVE FOUND THE MESSIAH” (John 1:41), and likewise in the similar words of Philip to Nathaniel in the evangelist’s account of their calling to the apostleship (John 1:44-45). Another testimony to it is the people’s attitude at the time of the Lord’s entrance into Jerusalem.

To what has been said above must be added the fact that it was NOT only the Jews who were being prepared for the reception of the Savior, but also the WHOLE WORLD, although to a lesser degree… The pagans found themselves in contact with the chosen people by means of mutual visits, sea voyages, wars, the captivities of the Jews (especially the Assyrians and Babylonian captivities), and trade, and thanks to the dispersion of the Jews into the various countries of the three parts of the old world towards the end of the Old Testament period. Under these conditions, the LIGHT OF FAITH in the One God and hope in a a Redeemer could be spread to other peoples also.

Over two centuries prior to Christ’s Nativity, a translation of the sacred books of the Hebrews had been made into Greek, and many pagan scholars, writers, and educated people in general made use of it; there are various testimonies of this, particularly among the ancient Christian writers… The readiness of many of hte best people in the pagan world for the reception of the Good News of the Savior is also attested to by the fact that by the preaching of the Apostles the Church of Christ was quickly planted in every country of the pagan world, and that Christ Himself sometimes encountered in the pagans such faith as He did not find in the Jews themselves. (Resources: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology)

(To be continued)

____________
“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

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.

On the 1st of October our Holy Orthodox Church Commemorates
The HOLY PROTECTION OF THE MOST HOLY THEOTOKOS.

Apolytikion (Dismissal) Hymn. First Tone

O VIRGIN, we extol the Great Grace of thy Protection, which thou
didst spread out like a bright cloud beyond all understanding;
for thou dost invisibly protect thy people from the foe’s every
assault. Since we have thee as our shelter and certain help, we
cry to thee with our whole soul: Glory to thy great deeds, O Most
pure Maid, Glory to thy shelter most divine. Glory to thy care and
providence for us, O Spotless One.

Kontakions Hymn. Plagal of Fourth Tone

LET us the faithful hasten to the Theotokos now and venerate her
sacred veil, as we chant unto her, singing hymns to praise and honor
thee, as is fittings; for she sheltereth with her shelter all her
faithful flock and preserveth them unharmed from all calamities, as
they cry to her: Rejoice, Protection most radiant.

+

The Church has always glorified the Most Holy Mother of God as the Protectress and Defender of the Christian people, entreating, by her intercession, God’s Loving-kindness towards us sinners. The Mother of God’s aid has been clearly shown times without number, both to the individuals and to peoples, both in peace and in war, both in Monastic deserts and i n crowded cities. The event that the Church commemorates and celebrates today proves this constant protection of the Christian people by the Mother of God. On the 1st of October, 911, in the time of the Emperor Leo the Wise (or the Philosopher), there was an all-night vigil at the Vlachernae church of the Mother of God in Constantinople. The church was crowded. Saint Andrew the Fool for Christ was standing at the back of the church with his disciple Epiphanius. At four o’clock in the morning, the Most Holy Mother of God appeared above the people with a veil spread over her outstretched hands, as though TO PROTECT THEM WITH THIS COVERING. She was clad in gold-encrusted purple and shone with an unspeakable radiance, surrounded by Apostles, Martyrs, and virgins. Seeing this vision, Saint Andrew gestured towards it and asked Epiphanius: ‘Do you see how the Queen and Lady of all is praying for the whole world?’ Epiphanius replied: ‘Yes, Father, I see it and stand in dread.’ As a result, this commemoration was instituted to remind us both of this event and of the Mother of God’s constant protection whenever we prayerfully seek that protection, that shelter, in distress. [Resources:  The Prologue from Ochrid]

__________
“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

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 ETERNAL KINGDOM OF GOD, KINGDOM OF GLORY

With the end of this age and the transformation of the world into a new and better world, there is revealed the Eternal Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Glory.

Then will come to an end the Kingdom of Grace, the existence of the Church on earth, the Militant Church; it will enter into this Kingdom of Glory and will merge with the Heavenly Church, Church Triumphant. "Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the Kingdom of God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is DEATH… And when all things shall be subdued unto Him (the Father), then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto HIm that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all" (1 Corinthians 15:24-26, 28). These words concerning the end of the Kingdom of Christ must be understood as the fulfillment of the Son’s Mission, which He accepted from the Father, and which consists of the conducting of mankind to God through the Church. Then the Son will reign in the Kingdom of Glory together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and "OF HIS KINGDOM THERE SHALL BE NO END," as the Archangel announced to the Ever-Virgin Mary (Luke 1:33), and as we read in the Symbol of Faith (Creed): "And His Kingdom will have no end." Saint Cyril of Jerusalem says this: "For will not He who reigned before overthrowing His enemies, reign all the more after He has conquered them?" (Catechetical Lectures).

Death will have no power in the Kingdom of Glory. "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death… Then shall bUbe brought to pass the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory" (I Corinthians 15:26, 54). "There shall be time no longer" (Revelation 10:6).

The Eternal Blessed Life is presented vividly in the twenty-first Chapter of Apocalypse (Revelation 21:1). In the future Kingdom everything will be SPIRITUALIZED, IMMORTAL, AND HOLY.

But the chief thing is those who attain the future blessed life and become "partakers of the Divine Nature" (II Peter 1:4) will be participants in that most perfect life, whose source is in God alone. In particular, the future members of the Kingdom of God will be vouchsafed, like the Angels, to SEE God" (Matthew 5:8), to behold His glory not as though a dark glass, not by means of conjectures, but face to face. And not only will they behold this glory, but they themselves will be "PARTAKERS" of it, shining like "the sun in the Kingdom of their Father" (Matthew 13:43), being "fellow heirs" with Christ, sitting with Christ on a throne and sharing with Him the royal grandeur (Revelation 3:21; Romans 8:17; II Timothy 2:11-12).

As is symbolically depicted in Revelation, "they shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun of light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes" (Revelation 7:16-17). As the Apostle Paul says, drawing from the words of the Prophet Isaiah: "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him" (I Corinthians 2:9; cf. Isaiah 64:4).

BLESSEDNESS IN GOD will be all the more desirable int hat it will be Eternal, without end: "The righteous (shall go) into life eternal" (Matthew 25:46).

However, this glory in God, in the thought of the Holy Fathers of the Church, will have its degrees, corresponding to the moral dignity of each one. One may conclude this also form the words of Sacred Scripture: "In My Father’s house are many mansions" (John 14:2); "He shall reward every man according to his works" (Matthew 16:27); "every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor" (I Corinthians 3:8); "one star differeth from another star in glory" (I Corinthians 15:41).

Saint Ephraim the Syrian says: "Just as everyone takes enjoyment of the rays of the sensual sun according to the purity of his power of seeing and of the impressions that are given, and just as in a single lamp which illumines a house each ray has its place, while the light is not divided into many lamps; so also in the future age all the righteous will dwell inseparably in a single joy, but each in his own degree will btee illuminated by the single mental sun, and to the degree of his worth he will draw in joy and rejoicing as if in a single atmosphere and place, and no one will see the degrees that are higher and lower, lest looking on this surpassing Grace of another and upon his own deprivation, he will thereby have some cause in himself for sorrow and disturbance. May this not be there, where there is neither sorrow nor sighing; but everyone according to the Grace proper to him in his measure will rejoice inwardly, while outwardly all will have a single contemplation and a single joy" (Saint Ephraim the Syrian, "On the Heavenly Mansions").

Let us conclude this exposition of the truths of the Orthodox Christian faith with the words of Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow at the end of his long course in dogmatic theology: "Grant to us, O Lord, to all of us always, the living and undying memory of Thy future glorious Coming, Thy final terrible judgment upon us, Thy most righteous and eternal giving of rewards to the righteous and to sinners–that in its light and with the help of Thy Grace ‘we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world’ (Titus 2:12), and thus we might attain finally to the eternal blessed life in heaven, so that with all our being we might glorify Thee, together with Thine Unoriginate Father, and Thy Most Holy and Good and Life-creating Spirit, unto the ages of ages" (Orthodox Dogmatic Theology).

___________
"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

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 UNIVERSAL JUDGMENT (Part II)

We know that the "Lord will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4); but man is capable, through his own will, of rejecting the mercy of God and the means of salvation. Saint John Chrysostom, in interpreting the depiction of the Last Judgment, remarks: "When He (the Lord) spoke about the Kingdom, after saying, "Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom," He added: which is "prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34); but when speaking about the fire, He did not speak thus, but He added: which is "prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41). For I have prepared for you a Kingdom, but the fire I have prepared not for you but for the devil and his angels. But since you have cast your own selves into the fire, therefore accuse yourself for this" (Homily 70 on Matthew).

We have no right to understand the words of the Lord only conditionally, as a threat or as a certain pedagogical means applied by the Savior. If we understand it this way we err, since the Savior does not instill in us any such understanding, and we subject ourselves to God’s wrath according to the word of the Psalmist: "Why hath the ungodly one provoked God? For he hath said in his heart: He will not make enquiry" (Psalm 9:34).

Moreover, the very concept of "anger" in relation to God is conditional and anthropomorphic, as we learn from the teaching of Saint Anthony the Great who says: "God IS GOOD, DISPASSIONATE AND IMMUTABLE. NOW SOMEONE WHO THINKS IT REASONABLE AND TRUE TO AFFIRM THAT GOD DOES NOT CHANGE, MAY WELL AS HOW, IN THAT CASE, IT IS POSSIBLE TO SPEAK OF GOD AS REJOICING OVER THOSE WHO ARE GOOD AND SHOWING MERCY TO THOSE WHO HONOR HIM, WHILE TURNING AWAY FROM THE WICKED AND BEING ANGRY WITH SINNERS. To this it must be answered that GOD NEITHER REJOICES NOR GROWS ANGRY, FOR TO REJOICE AND TO BE OFFENDED ARE PASSIONS; NOR IS HE WON OVER BY THE GIFTS OF THOSE WHO HONOR HIM, FOR THAT WOULD MEAN HE IS SWAYED BY PLEASURE… HE IS GOOD, AND HE ONLY BESTOWS BLESSINGS AND NEVER DOES HARM, REMAINING ALWAYS THE SAME. We are united to Him; but if we become evil through not resembling God, WE ARE SEPARATED FROM Him. By LIVING IN HOLINESS, we cleave to God; BUT BECOMING WICKED WE MAKE HIM OUR ENEMY. IT IS NOT THAT HE GROWS ANGRY WITH US IN AN ARBITRARY WAY, BUT IT IS OUR OWN SINS THAT PREVENT GOD FORM SHINING WITHIN US, AND EXPOSE US TO THE DEMONS WHO PUNISH US. And if through prayer and acts of compassion we gain release from our sins, this does not mean that we have won God over and made Him change, but that through our actions and our turning to God WE HAVE CURRED OUR WICKEDNESS AND SO ONCE MORE HAVE ENJOYMENT OF GOD’S GOODNESS. Thus to say that God turns away from the wicked is like saying that the sun hides itself from the blind" (Philokalia, vol. 1, p. 352).

Worthy of attention likewise is the simple comment in this regard of Bishop and Saint Theophan the Recluse: "The righteous will go INTO ETERNAL LIFE, but the satanized sinners into eternal torments, in communion with demons. Will these torments end? If satanism and becoming like Satan should end, then the torments also can end. But is there an end to satanism and becoming like Satan? We will behold and see this then. But until then WE SHALL BELIEVE THAT JUST AS ETERNAL LIFE WILL HAVE NO END, SO ALSO THE ETERNAL TORMENT THAT THREATENS SINNERS WILL HAVE NO END. No conjecture can show the possibility of the end of satanism. What did Satan not see after his fall! How much of the powers of God was revealed! How he himself was struck by the power of the Lord’s Cross! How up to now all his cunningness and malice are defeated by this power! But still he is incorrigible, he constantly opposes; and the farther he goes, the more stubborn he becomes. NO, there is NO HOPE AT ALL FOR HIM TO BE CORRECTED! AND IF THERE IS NO HOPE FOR HIM, THEN THERE IS NO HOPE EITHER FOR MEN WHO BECOME SATANIZED BY HIS INFLUENCE. THIS MEANS THAT THERE MUST BE HELL WITH ETERNAL TORMENTS.

The writings of the holy Christian ascetics indicate that the higher one’s moral awareness is raised, the more acute become the feeling OF MORAL RESPONSIBILITY, THE FEAR OF OFFENDING GOD, AND THE AWARENESS OF THE UNAVOIDABILITY OF PUNISHMENT FOR DEVIATING FROM THE COMMANDMENT OF GOD. But to just the same degree does hope in God’s mercy grow. To hope in it and ask for it from the Lord IS FOR EACH OF US A DUTY AND A CONSOLATION. [Resources: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology]

(To be continued)

______________
"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

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 UNIVERSAL JUDGMENT
(Apocalypse [Revelation], Chapters 21
and 22)

There are numerous testimonies in Sacred Scripture of the actuality and indisputability of the UNIVERSAL JUDGMENT: John 5:22, 27-29; Matthew 16:27; 7:21-23; 11:22, 24; 12:36, 41-42; 13:37-43; 19:28-30; 25:31-46; Acts 17:31; Jude, vv. 14-15; II Corintians 5:10; Romans 2:5-710; 14:10; I Corinthians 4:5; Ephesians 6:8; Colossians 3:24-25; II Thessalonians 1:6-10; II Timothy 4:1; Revelation 20:11-15. Of these testimonies the most complete picture of this Last Judgment by the Savior is given in Matthew 25:31-46 ("When the Son of Man shall come in His glory…"). In accordance with this picture we may draw conclusions regarding the characteristics of the Judgment. It will be:
UNIVERSAL, that is, extending to all men living and dead, good and evil, and according to other indications given in the word of God, even to the fallen angels themselves (2 Peter 2:4; Jude, v. 6);
SOLEMN AND OPEN, for the Judge will appear in all His glory with all His Holy Angels before the face of the whole world;
STRICT AND TERRIBLE, performed in all the justice of God–IT WILL BE "A DAY OF WRATH AND REVELATION OF THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT" of God (Romans 2:5)
FINAL AND DEFINITIVE, determining for all eternity the fate of each one who is judged. The result of the Judgment WILL BE ETERNAL REWARD–BLESSEDNESS FOR THE RIGHTEOUS AND TORMENT FOR THE EVIL WHO ARE CONDEMNED.

Depicting in the brightest and most joyful features the Eternal Life of the Righteous after the Universal Judgment the word of God speaks with the same positiveness and certainty concerning the Eternal Torment of evil men. "Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire," the Son of Man will say on the day of judgment; "and these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal" (Matthew 25:31, 46). This condition of torment is presented in Sacred Scripture as a place of torment, and it is called gehenna/ (The image of the fiery gehenna is taken from the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem, where at once time executions were performed, and likewise every kind of unclean thing was dumped, as a result of which a fire was constantly burning there to guard against infections.) The Lord said: "If thy hand offend thee, cut it off, it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell (gehenna), into the fire that never shall be quenched, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched (Mark 9:43-44, likewise 45-48). There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth," the Savior repeated many times concerning gehenna (Matthew 8:12) and other places). In the Apocalypse (Revelation) of Saint John the Theologian this place or condition is called "A LAKE OF FIRE" (Revelation 19:20). And in the Apostle Paul we read: "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thessalonians 1:8). The images of the "worm that dieth not" and the "fire that is not quenched" are evidently symbolical and indicate the severity of the tomrents. Saint John Damascene remarks: "Sinners will be given over to everlasting fire, which will not be a material fire such as we are accustomed to but a fire such as God might know".

"I know," writes Saint John Chrysostom, "that many are terrified only of gehenna; but I think that the DEPRIVATION OF THAT GLORY (OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD) IS A TORMENT MORE CRUEL THAN GEHENNA" (Homily 23 on Matthew). "This deprivation of good things," he reflects in a different place, "will cause such torment, such sorrow and oppression, that even if no punishment awaited those who sin here, it in itself (this deprivation) could torment and disturb our souls more powerfully than the torments of gehenna… Many foolish people desire only to be delivered from gehenna; but I consider much more tormenting than gehenna the punishment OF NOT BEING IN THAT GLORY. And I think that he who is deprived of it should weep not so much over the torments of gehenna as over being deprived of the good things of heaven, for this alone is the cruelest of all punishments" (Homily 1, to Theodore).

Saint Gregory the Theologian teaches: "Acknowledge the resurrection, the judgment, and the awarding of the righteous by the Judgement of God. And this awarding for those who have been purified in heat will be light, that is, God visible and known according to the degree of one’s purity, which we also call the Kingdom of Heaven. But for those who are blinded in mind, that is, for those who have become estranged from God, according to the degree of their present nearsightedness, there will be darkness" (Homily 40, On Holy Baptism).

The Church, basing itself on the word of God, acknowledges the torments of gehenna to be eternal and unending, and therefore it condemned at the Fifth Ecumenical Council the false teaching of the Origenists that the demons and impious people would suffer in hell only for a certain definite time, and the would be restored to their original condition of innocence (apokatastasis in Greek). The condemnation at the Universal Judgment is called in the Apocalypse (Revelation) of Saint John the Theologian the "SECOND DEATH" (Revelation 20:14). [Resources: the Orthodox Dogmatic Theology)

(To be continued)

__________
"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

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.

GOD’S WISDOM REVEALED IN HOLY SCRIPTURE (Part II)

The writer of the Book of Proverbs is prophetically exalted in thought to the prefiguration of the New Testament economy of God, which is to be revealed in the preaching of the Savior of the world, in the salvation of the world and of mankind, and in the creation of the New Testament Church. This prefiguration is to be found in the first verses of the Ninth Chapter of Proverbs: "Wisdom has built a house for herself, and set up seven pillars, She has killed her beasts; she has mingled her wine in a bowl…" (Proverbs 9:1-6, Septuagint). This magnificent image is equal in power to the prophecies of the Savior in the Old Testament prophets.

Since the economy of salvation was performed by the Son of God, the Holy Fathers of the Church, and following them the Orthodox interpreters of the Book of Proverbs in general, refer the name "wisdom of God," which essentially belongs to the Holy Trinity as a whole, to the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, the Son of God, as the Fulfiller of the Counsel of the Holy Trinity.

By analogy with this prophetic passage, the images in the Book of Proverbs which were indicated above as referring to the wisdom in God (in chapter 8) are also interpreted as applying to the Son of God. When the Old Testament writers, to whom they mystery of the Most Holy Trinity ws not entirely revealed, say, "In wisdom hath He made them all" (Psalm 103:26)–for a New Testament believer, a Christian, in the name "Logos" ("Word") and in the name "Wisdom" is revealed the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, the Son of God.

The Son of God, as a Hypostasis of the Holy Trinity, contains in Himself all the Divine attributes in the same fullness as do the Father and the Holy Spirit. However, as having manifested these attributes to the world in its creation and its salvation, He is called the Hypostatic Wisdom of God. On the same grounds, the Son of God can also be called the Hypostatic Agape (Love) [see Saint Symeon the New Theologian, Homily 53); the Hypostatic Light (walk [in the light] "while ye have the light"–John 12:35] the Hypostatic Life ("Thou hast given birth to the Hypostatic Life" —Canon of the Annunciation, Canticle 8) and the Hypostatic Power of God ("We preach… Christ the power of God— 1 Corinthians 1:23-24). (Orthodox Dogmatic Theology)

____________
"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

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST1 HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

THE TEACHING OF WISDOM OF GOD IN HOLY SCRIPTURE
ACCORDING TO THE HOLY ORTHODOX CHURCH.

The word SOPHIA (Gk. ΣΟΦΙΑ) " WISDOM," is encountered in the Sacred Books of both the Old Testament (in the Greek translation) and the New Testament.

In the New Testament Sacred Scripture it is used in three meanings:
1. In the usual broad meaning of wisdom, understanding: "Jesus
increased in wisdom and stature" (Luke 2:52); "But wisdom is justified
of all her children" (Luke 7:35).

2. In the meaning of the wise economy of God expressed in the creation of the world, in His Providence over the world, and in the salvation of the world from sin: "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!… For who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been His counselor?" (Romans 11:33-34). "We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory" (1 Corinthians 2:7).

3. In relation to the Son of God as the Hypostatical Wisdom of God: "But we preach Christ crucified… Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1:23-24); "Who of God is made unto us wisdom" (1 Corinthians 1:3)).

In the Old Testament Sacred Scripture we find in many places statements concerning wisdom. Here also there are the same three meanings for this term. In particular, wisdom is spoken of in the Book of Proverbs and in two of the Apocryphal Books: the Wisdom of Solomon and the Wisdom of Joshua, Son of Sirach.
a) In the majority of cases, human wisdom is presented here as a gift of God which one must hold exceptionally dear. The very titles of the Books, the "Wisdom" of Solomon and the "Wisdom" of Joshua, Son of Sirach, indicate in what sense–namely, in the sense of human wisdom–one must understand this word here. In other Old Testament Books separate episodes are cited which specially depict human wisdom–for example, the famous judgement of Solomon.

The above-named Books introduce us to the direction of thought of the Go-inspired teachers of the Jewish people. These teachers inspire the people to be guided by reason, not to give way to blind inclinations and passions, and to hold firmly in their actions to the commands of prudence, correct judgment, the moral law, and the firm foundations of duty in personal, family, and public life…

"… Wisdom in no way can be understood as a teaching of personal Wisdom, the soul of the world, in the sophiological sense. A man possess it, obtains it, loses it; it serves him; its beginning is called "the fear of the Lord"; and side by side with wisdom there are also named "understanding" and "instruction" and "knowledge."

Where does wisdom come from? Like everything else in the world, it has a Single Source: God. "For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His presence come knowledge and understanding" (Proverbs 2:6). God is the Guide even of wisdom and hte Corrector of the wise" (Wisdom of Solomon 7:15).

A Second Group of utterances in Holy Scripture refer to this wisdom of God, which is "the wisdom in God Himself." Ideas of the wisdom in God are interspersed with ideas of the widom in man.
If the dignity of understanding and wisdom in man are so exalted, then how majestic they are in God Himself! The writer uses the most majestic expressions possible in order to present the power and grandeur of the Divine Wisdom. Here also he makes broad use of personification. He speaks of the grandeur of the Divine plans which, according to our human conceptions, seem to have preceded the creation; because the Wisdom of God lies AT THE FOUNDATION OF ALL THAT EXISTS, THEREFORE IT IS BEFORE EVERYTHING, EARLIER THAN EVERYTHING THAT EXISTS. "The Lord made me the beginning of His ways for His works. He established me before He made the earth, even before He made the depths… Before all hills, He begets me… When He prepared the heaven, I was present with Him" (Proverbs 8:22-25, 27, Septuagint). The author speaks of the beauty of the world, expressing in images what was said of the creation in the Book of Genesis ("it was very good"). He says on behalf of wisdom: "I was by Him… I was that wherein He took delight; and daily I rejoiced in His presence continually" (Proverbs 8:30). [Resources: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology]

(To be continued)

____________
"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

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 SECOND COMING OF CHRIST ACCORDING
TO THE HOLY ORTHODOX CHURCH.

“…and He shall come again with glory to judge
the living and the dead; whose Kingdom shall
have no end…” (The Nicene Creed)

The Orthodox understanding of the Second Coming of Christ is clear: the Lord Jesus Christ truly will return. His Second Advent is not a myth, nor an empty promise, nor is it a metaphor. In fact, each time the Divine Liturgy is celebrated, the priest makes a proclamation to the Father which reveals how the Church responds not only to the Second Coming of Christ, but all of His work.

“Remembering this saving commandment [Jesus’ command to eat His flesh and drink His blood] and all that has been done for us — the Cross, the Tomb, the Resurrection on the third day, the Ascension into Heaven, the sitting at the right hand and the Second Coming and Glorious Coming–we offer You Your own, from what is Your own, on behalf of all and for all.”

Orthodox Christians also believe the New Testament revelation of the Second Coming of Christ is meant to stimulate our preparation for it, not our speculation about it. This explains the relative simplicity with which the Nicene Creed, the most Universal Confession of Faith in all of Christendom, addresses Christ’s return: “He…will come again, with glory to judge the living and the dead, whose Kingdom shall have no end.” The emphasis of historic Orthodoxy is that Jesus WILL COME AGAIN, NOT WHEN HE WILL COME AGAIN.

Thus, Saint Paul writes, “denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and Glorious appearing of our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” (Titus 2:12-14).

There are signs of Christ’s Coming, to be sure. Jesus prophesied many events that would take place in the world prior to His return (Matthew 24; Luke 21:7-36). But even here the teachings of Jesus in these Gospels close with His exhortation to virtue, righteousness, and preparation for THE JUDGMENT. Christ and His Apostles issue severe warnings, implicit and explicit, against second-guessing the time of His Coming (Matt. 24:3-8, 36, 43, 44, 50; Luke 21:7-9, 34; Acts 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3; 2 Peter 3:8-10).

Much of modern Christendom has succumbed to divisive speculation regarding Christ’s return. We are divided into pre-millennial, post-millennial, and a-millennial camps. Breaking it down even further, there are pre-tribulation, and mid-tribulation, and post-tribulation adherents. Christians part ways and new denominations spring up around interpretations of events which have not yet even come to pass!

Throughout history the Orthodox Church has STEADFASTLY INSISTED ON THE REALITY OF THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST AS A SETTLED BELIEF, but granted liberty on the question of when it will occur. In the last Chapter of Apocalypse (Revelation), Jesus speaks the words, “I am coming quickly” three different times (Revelation 2:21:7, 12, 20). His Coming will WILL OCCUR ON A DAY, AT AN HOUR WHEN IT IS NOT EXPECTED. The Apostle John, the author of Apocalypse, concludes his book with a warning:

“For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this
book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that
are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the
book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life,
from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”
[Apocalypse 22:18-19].

TO CONFESS THE RETURN OF CHRIST IS TO STAND SQUARELY WITHIN THE APOSTOLIC TRADITION. To add “when” to the promise of His Coming IS WARNED AGAINST IN THE SCRIPTURES. As members of the Bride of Christ, LET US ATTEND INSTEAD TO BEING READY. [Resources: The Orthodox Study Bible]

_____________
“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

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

DEATH AND GRIEVING ACCORDING TO
THE HOLY ORTHODOX CHURCH AND
HOLY TRADITION.

Let us hear the divine word of the Holy Apostle Paul who speaking to the Thessalonians says, “But I do not want to you to be ignorant, brethren, CONCERNING THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP, LEST YOU SORROW AS OTHERS WHO HAVE NO HOPE. For IF WE BELIEVE THAT JESUS DIED AND ROSE AGAIN, EVEN SO GOD WILL BRING WITH HIM THOSE WHO SLEEP IN JESUS. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And THE DEAD IN CHRIST WILL RISE FIRST. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. THEREFORE COMFORT ONE ANOTHER WITH THESE WORDS” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
The above lesson is the epistle reading that is read at every Orthodox funeral service. Immediately followed by the reading from the Gospel of Saint John (Chapter 5:, Verses 24-30):
The Lord said to the Jews who came to him: “I tell you the truth; whoever hears my words, and believes in him who sent Me, has eternal life. He will not be judged, but has already passed FROM DEATH TO LIFE. I tell you the truth: The time is coming — the time has already come — when THE DEAD WILL HEAR THE VOICE OF THE SON OF GOD, AND THOSE WHO HEAR IT WILL LIVE. Even as the Father is Himself the Source of Life, in the same way he has made his Son to be the Source of Life. And he has given the Son the right to judge, because he is the Son of Man. Do not be surprised at this; for the time is coming when ALL THE DEAD IN THE GRAVES WILL HEAR HIS VOICE, AND THEY WILL COME FORTH: THOSE WHO HAVE DONE GOOD DEEDS TO A RESURRECTION OF LIFE, AND THOSE WHO HAVE DONE EVIL DEEDS TO A RESURRECTION OF JUDGEMENT. I can do nothing on my own authority; as I hear I judge and my judgment is just; because I do not seek my own will, but the will of the Father who sent me.”

OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST SAYS:

“JESUS said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to Him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’ JESUS said to her, ‘I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE. HE WHO BELIEVES IN ME, THOUGH HE MAY DIE, HE SHALL LIVE. AND WHOEVER LIVES AND BELIEVES IN ME SHALL NEVER DIE. DO YOU BELIEVE THIS?” (John 11:23-26).

Saint John Chrysostom in his sermon read at the Holy Pascha (The Day of the Resurrection) by
the officiating priest says,

“Whoever is a devout lover of God, let him enjoy this beautiful bright Festival. And whosoever is a grateful servant, let him rejoice and enter into the joy of his Lord. And if any be weary with fasting, let him now receive his penny. If any have toiled from the first hour, let him receive his due reward. If any have come after the third hour, let him with gratitude join in the Feast. And he that arrived after the sixth hour, let him not doubt; for he too shall sustain no loss. And if any have delayed to the ninth hour, let him not hesitate, but let him come too. And he that hath arrived only at the eleventh hour, let him not be afraid by reason of his delay; for the Lord is gracious and receiveth the last even as the first. He giveth rest to him that cometh at the eleventh hour as well as to him that hath toiled from the first. Yea, to this one, he giveth and upon that one, he bestoweth. He accepteth works, as he greeteth the endeavour. The deed he honoureth and the intention he commendeth.

Let all then enter into the joy of our Lord. Ye first and last receiving alike your reward, ye rich and poor, rejoice together. Ye sober and ye slothful, celebrate the day. Ye that have kept the fast, and ye that have not, rejoice today; for the Table is richly laden. Fare ye royally on it. The calf is a fatted one. Let no one go away hungry. Partake ye all of the cup of faith. Enjoy ye all the riches of His goodness. Let no one grieve at his poverty; for the Universal Kingdom hath been revealed.

Let no one mourn that he hath fallen again and again, for forgiveness hath risen from the grave. Let NO ONE FEAR DEATH; FOR THE DEATH OF THE SAVIOUR HATH SET US FREE. HE HATH DESTROYED IT BY ENDURING IT. HE SPOILED HADES WHEN HE DESCENDED THERETO. HE VEXED IT EVEN AS IT TASTED OF HIS FLESH. ISAIAH FORETOLD THIS WHEN HE CRIED, THOU, O HADES, HAST BEEN VEXED BY ENCOUNTERING HIM BELOW. IT IS VEXED; FOR IT IS EVEN DONE AWAY WITH. IT IS VEXED; FOR IT IS MADE A MOCKERY. IT IS VEXED; FOR IT IS DESTROYED. IT IS VEXED; FOR IT IS ANNIHILATED. IT IS VEXED; FOR IT IS NOW MADE CAPTIVE. IT TOOK A BODY, AND, LO! IT DISCOVERED GOD. IT TOOK EARTH, AND, BEHOLD! IT ENCOUNTERED HEAVEN. IT TOOK WHAT IT SAW, AND WAS OVERCOME BY WHAT IT DID NOT SEE. O DEATH, WHERE IS THY STING? O HADES, WHERE IS THY VICTORY? CHRIST IS RISEN, AND THOU ART ANNIHILATED, CHRIST IS RISEN, AND THE EVIL ONES ARE CAST DOWN. CHRIST IS RISEN, AND THE ANGELS REJOICE. CHRIST IS RISEN, AND LIFE IS LIBERATED. CHRIST IS RISEN, AND THE TOMB IS EMPTIED OF THE DEAD; FOR CHRIST, HAVING RISEN FROM THE DEAD, IS BECOME THE FIRSTFRUITS OF THOSE THAT HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP. TO HIM BE GLORY AND POWER FOREVER AND EVER. AMEN.”

SAINT PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS WRITES ON THE
RESURRECTION. (1 Corinthians 15:12-22)

“Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then OUR PREACHING IS EMPTY AND YOUR FAITH IS ALSO EMPTY. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that HE raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up–if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ , is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, YOUR FAITH IS FUTILE; YOU ARE STILL IN YOUR SINS! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most pitiable. But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has BECOME THE FIRSTFRUITS OF THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP. FOR SINCE BY MAN CAME DEATH BY Man also CAME THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD. For as in Adam all die, EVEN SO IN CHRIST ALL SHALL BE MADE ALIVE” .

The true Orthodox phronema is the belief in the Resurrection of Our Lord, God, and Saviour Jesus Christ and for all those who believe in Him. Our Holy Orthodox Church has consistently and continuously taught for over 2,000 years of His Resurrection and our anticipated resurrection. Therefore, when an Orthodox Christian falls asleep in the Lord our grief or sorrow is lessened by the hope of the resurrection to come. We grieve “not as those who have no hope,” or belief in the resurrection and eternal life. For the Orthodox Christian death is not the end, but a point of transition, the beginning of life to come. At the time of death our soul is separated from our mortal and physical body. We believe that the soul continues to live, awaiting the resurrection at the last day. In the Creed we proclaim “I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.” As citizens of the Kingdom, our bodies will be changed to be like Christ’s Body: “But our commonwealth is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power which enables Him even to subject all things to Himself” (Philippians 3:20-21).

All our Orthodox divine services reflect the spirit of the resurrection. It is a spirit of joy and comfort and therefore the Orthodox Christian does not dwell on grief or sorrow. Our earthly life is a temporary one and we are transients, simply passing through this life. As Christians we prepare spiritually for our anticipated death. Death is a bridge between this temporary life and the life to come. A bridge that all human beings will cross one day when God wills. We do not fear death and we know that no one can avoid it. As death approaches death, the Orthodox priest is asked to administer the Mysteries (Sacraments) such as Holy Unction, Holy Confession/Repentance, or Holy Communion. Through the Sacraments of our Church we receive forgiveness, healing of body and soul, and God’s grace. But always seeking God’s mercy and compassion. The belief in God is a belief in the Living God forever. A Living God forever is the substance and the cause of Everlasting life. Eternal life has no value without a Living God. The Kingdom of God is the realm of Everlasting Life in the presence of the countenance of God – the Kingdom to which Jesus Christ is leading the lost sheep.

Remembrance of the dead is human but most important is to remember our loved ones in our prayers and for the salvation of their souls. This is the reason why our Holy Church has divine services to encourage and to guide the faithful to include their deceased relatives in the prayers and blessings of the Church. The priest prays to the Almighty God “for the rest of the soul of the servant of God (the deceased person) and for the remission of all his/her sins.” He reads: “Let us plead for the mercies of God …and the forgiveness of his/her sins.” “O Lord give rest…and of Thy goodness and mercy remit, O God, all the sins committed by him/her.” “For Thou O Christ our God, art the resurrection, the life, and repose of Thy servant.”

___________
“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