My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ God,

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

HOLY AND GREAT LENT: OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST
TEMPTED BY SATAN

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be
tempted by the devil…" (St. Matthew 4:1).

We believe that Satan is our archenemy and adversary who desires our total destruction. "Evil," in our ordinary usage of the word, is the name of two kinds of manifestations. We often understand by this word, anything in general that evokes misfortune and causes suffering. In a more precise and direct sense, evil is a name for negative manifestations of the moral order, which proceeds from the evil direction of the will and a violation of God’s law.

Evil is a deviation of living beings from the original state in which the Creator placed them. It is a condition opposed to God’s original creation. Therefore, it is NOT God Who is the cause of moral evil; rather, IT PROCEEDS FROM CREATURES THEMSELVES, FOR THEY HAVE DEVIATED FROM THE AGREEMENT OF THEIR WILL WITH THE WILL OF GOD. The ESSENCE OF EVIL consists IN THE VIOLATION OF GOD’S WILL, THE COMMANDMENT OF GOD, AND THE MORAL LAW WHICH IS WRITTEN IN THE HUMAN CONSCIENCE. This VIOLATION IS CALLED SIN.

"But from where did moral evil arise? God created THE WORLD PURE, PERFECT, and FREE FROM EVIL. EVIL entered the world as a consequence OF THE FALL, which occurred, according to the word of God, originally in the world of fleshless spirits, and then in the human race, and was reflected in the whole of living nature."

According to the testimony of the word of God, the origin of sin comes from the devil: "He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning" (1 John 3:8). The word "devil" MEANS "SLANDERER." Bringing together the evidence of Holy Scripture, we see that the devil is one of the rational spirits or angels WHO DEVIATED INTO THE PATH OF EVIL. Possessing, like all rational creatures, the freedom which was given him for becoming perfect in the good, he "abide not in the truth" and FELL FROM GOD. The Savior Jesus Christ said of him: "He was A MURDERER FROM THE BEGINNING and abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh A LIE, HE SPEAKETH OF HIS OWN: FOR HE IS A LIAR AND THE FATHER OF IT" (St. John 8:44). He DREW THE OTHER ANGELS AFTER HIMSELF INTO THE FALL. In the epistles of the holy Apostle Jude and the Apostle Peter, we read of the angels "which kept not their first estate, BUT LEFT THEIR OWN HABITATION" (St. Jude, v. 6; compare with II Peter 2:4).

What was the cause of the fall in the Angelic world? From this same Divine Revelation, we can conclude THAT THE REASON WAS PRIDE: "ΤΗΕ ΒΕGINNING OF SIN IS PRIDE;" says the son of Sirach (Sir. 10:13). The holy Apostle Paul, WARNING the holy Apostle Timothy against making bishops of those who are newly converted, adds: "Lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil" (1 Timothy 3:6).

An incomparably more complete representation of the activity of Satan and his angels (demons) is contained in the New Testament Revelation. From it, we know that Satan and the evil spirits (demons) ARE CONSTANTLY ATTRACTING PEOPLE TO EVIL. Satan DARED TO TEMPT THE LORD JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF IN THE DESERT. The evil spirits (demons) rush into the souls and even into the bodies of men; of this, there is the testimony of many events in the Gospel and the teachings of the Savior. Concerning the habitation of evil spirits in men, we know from the numerous healings by the Savior of the DEMON-POSSESSED. EVIL SPIRITS SPY, AS IT WERE, ON THE CARELESSNESS OF MAN SO AS TO ATTRACT HIM TO EVIL.

Why was man’s fall into sin possible? The Creator imparted to man THREE GREAT GIFTS AT HIS CREATION: FREEDOM, REASON, AND LOVE. These gifts are INDISPENSABLE FOR THE SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND BLESSEDNESS OF MAN. However, where there is freedom THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY OF WAVERING IN ONE’S CHOICE; THUS, TEMPTATION IS POSSIBLE. The temptation for "REASON" IS TO GROW PROUD IN MIND instead of acknowledging the wisdom and goodness of God, TO SEEK THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL OUTSIDE OF GOD, and TO DESIRE ONESELF TO BE A "god." The temptation for the FEELING OF LOVE IS: IN PLACE OF LOVE FOR GOD AND ONE’S NEIGHBOR, TO LOVE ONESELF AND EVERYTHING THAT SATISFIES THE LOWER DESIRES AND GIVES TEMPORARY ENJOYMENT ("INSTANT GRATIFICATION"). The possibility of temptation and fall STOOD BEFORE MANKIND, AND THE FIRST MAN DID NOT STAND FIRM AGAINST IT.

Saint John of Kronsdt’s reflection on this subject. He writes" "Why did God allow the fall of man, his beloved creation and the crown of all the earthly creatures? To this question, the reply is thus: If man is not to be allowed to fall, then he cannot be created in the image and likeness of God, he cannot be granted FREE WILL, which IS AN INSEPARABLE FEATURE OF THE IMAGE OF GOD; but he would have to be subject to the law of necessity, like the soulless creation–the sky, the sun, stars, the circle of the earth, and all the elements–or like the irrational animals. But then there would have been no king over the creatures of the earth, no rational hymn-singer of God’s Goodness, Wisdom, Creative Amightiness, and Providence. Then man would have had no way to show his faithfulness and devotion to the Creator, his self-sacrificing love. Then there would have been no expoits in battle, no merits, and no incorruptible crowns for victory; there would have been no eternal blessedness, which is the reward for faithfulness and devotion to God, and no eternal repose after the labors and struggles of our earthly pilgrimage." (Source: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology by Protopresbyter Michael Pomazansky)

We must imitate Our Lord’s attitude and actions to drive the evil one away and to reject his machinations, deceptions, temptations, and snares. The battle against evil is constant and we must never let our guard down, but remain always vigilant and alert. If we are spiritually aware and have discernment, we can avoid becoming evil’s victim. All must believe that the devil and his demons are never discouraged and will continue to pursue us and use our weaknesses against us. He uses the passions to entice us and to encourage us to fall into sin. The devil is "the ruler of this world" (Saint John 12:31; 16:11), "the god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4:4), because the whole world is in his power (1 John 5:19).

The evil one will continue to test our faith, our convictions, our loyalty to God and commitment to righteousness. The temptations increase and not decrease as our faith in Christ becomes stronger. The more we struggle to live our Christian faith, the greater the asaults from the Devil. He is an obstractionist and does everything in his evil power to distract us, to undermine our efforts, to plant seeds of doubt, and to slander God to us. Evil plants logismous (wicked thoughts) in our mids to convince us that God has no love for us nor any concern of the problems, illnesses, challenges and obstacles that we face in our lives. All of this is done to drive a wedge between us and our Creator. Therefore, "Be sober and BE VIGILANT, BECAUSE YOUR ADVERSARY THE DEVIL WALKS ABOUT LIKE A ROARING LION, SEEKING WHOM HE MAY DEVOUR. RESIST HIM, STEADFAST IN THE FAITH, KNOWING THAT THE SAME SUFFERINGS ARE EXPERIENCED BY THE BROTHERHOOD IN THE WORLD" (1 Peter 5:8-9).

Our evil enemy offers attractive visions to our eyes and music to our ears and our other senses, setting forth whatever might tempt us to sin. He arouses our tongues to gossip and to speak evil about others (slander), and to urge our hands to injure them. When he is unable to tempt us, he invents and fabricates a threat of persecution so that fear may cause us to betray the faith and our beloved Lord. Remember that the evil one and his demons do need to sleep, eat, or rest. We are in a great disadvantage, because they are invisible spirits…and although they can see us, we cannot see them.

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and

of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Our Father, Who are in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name;
Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is
in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And
forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who
trespess against us. And LEAD US NOT INTO
TEMPTATION; BUT DELIVER US FROM THE EVIL ONE.

For Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory,
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now
and forever and from all ages to all ages. 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

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ God,

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

HOLY AND GREAT LENT:
OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST IN THE WILDERNESS FOR
FORTY DAYS AND FORTY NIGHTS

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness TO BE TEMPTED BY
THE DEVIL. And when He had HE HAD FASTED FORTY DAYS AND FORTY
NIGHTS, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him he said;
‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread…" (St. Matthew 4:1-3).

In his commentary on the Gospel of Saint Matthew 4:1, Saint Theophylact says, when the Evangelist Matthew writes "Then was Jesus led up by the Spirit into the wilderness," is teaching us that it is especially after our baptism that we should expect temptations, He is led up by the Holy Spirit; for He did nothing apart from the Holy Spirit. He IS LED INTO THE WILDERNESS TO SHOW US THAT THE DEVIL TEMPTS US WHEN HE SEES US ALONE AND WITHOUT HELP FROM OTHERS. Therefore WE MUST NOT PUT TRUST IN OURSELVES WITHOUT ANY COUNSEL FROM OTHERS. "To be tempted by the devil." The devil is called "the slanderer" because he slandered God to Adam, saying, ‘God envies you.’ And even now among us, the devil slanders virtue."

It is very appropriate as we continue our Lenten journey to recall that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ fasted for forty days and forty nights in the wilderness and how He was tempted by Satan himself at the conclusion of the 40 days and nights. All the holy Apostles, holy Fathers, and Mothers of the Church, all the Saints, all the holy Martyrs, and Confessors, followed Christ’s example. One cannot be considered to be a follower of Christ, a disciple of Christ, a Christian, and not be an imitator of Christ. Somehow we, Orthodox Christians, have come to believe that the forty days and nights of the Lenten period of prayer and fasting is a Greek custom, or a Russian custom, or a Rumanian, or Serbian custom, etc. Therefore we marginalize the practice of it and we have reduced it to mean absolutely nothing. We see no importance in it and therefore it has been made by many as AN ‘OPTIONAL’ practice. Many are following the practice of the heterodox where any and all of the Christian beliefs, traditions, and Holy Scripture have been reduced to ‘opinion’ and when it comes to the Holy Scripture become SELECTIVE what they agree with and what they don’t. Who taught this slander! Orthodox Christians always adhere to the Divine Teachings of our Savior Jesus Christ and the divine and AUTHENTIC teachings of our holy Church unadulterated and pure. We, as Orthodox Christians, TOTALY OBEY OUR SAVIOR AND OUR HOLY CHURCH. We are as loyal and faithful to our Orthodox Christian Faith today, as our fellow Christians have been in other centuries.

A total commitment to Our Faith is required. No one can be a fair-weather Orthodox. It is no different than being faithful in other things such as marriage, friendship, business, professions, military, sports, pilots, scientists, explorers, etc. all require total commitment in order to be successful. Nothing can be half-way and have good and positive results. The same way with Holy and Great Lent. I have heard over recent years some of our people say that I’ve decided to give up chocolate, or smoking, watching T.V., or drinking coffee, etc., and even there they are not successful because its not more than empty words and resolutions. How many are truly adhere to our Holy Orthodox Tradition today? Do we really know? Are any of our faithful fast, attend the divine services, receive the sacraments, repent of their sins, reconcile with their enemies, have a prayer discipline, become sensitive to the less fortunate people, attempt to better live the Christian faith and grow in Christ, study the Holy Scripture and the sacred writings of the holy Fathers and Mothers of the Church? Someone said, "there is a difference between being a good person and someone who is a good Christian."

"And when He had fasted." He (Jesus Christ) fasted to show us THAT FASTING IS A GREAT WEAPON AGAINST TEMPTATION, just as the love of delicacies WAS THE BEGINNING OF ALL SIN writes Saint Theophylact. "Forty days and forty nights." He fasts as long as Moses and Elijah did, for if He had fasted longer, it would have seemed that He had taken flesh in appearance only. "Afterward He hungered." He hungered only when He permitted His nature to do so, TO GIVE THE DEVIL THE OPPORTUNITY THROUGH HUNGER TO APPROACH HIM AND ENGAGE HIM IN COMBAT so that Christ could throw him down and vanquish him and GRANT US THE VICTORY."

"And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread." That prowler, the devil, had heard the voice from heaven, and then he saw the Lord hunger, and he was in doubt, wondering how the Son of God could hunger. Therefore he tempts Him, to find out. He FLATTERS Christ, meaning to snare, to trap Him by saying, ‘If thou be the Son of God.’ You might ask, "What sin was it to make bread out of stones?" Listen, then: IT IS A SIN EVEN TO ANYTHING THAT THE DEVIL SAYS. Consider this as well, the devil did not say, "Command that this stone be made bread," but "these stones", wishing to cast Christ INTO GLUTTONY. For one loaf would certainly suffice a man who was hungry. For these reasons, then, Christ did not listen to him.

"But He answered and said It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." The testimony is from the Old Testament, from the words of Moses. The Hebrews, too, had been fed by the manna, not by real bread; for the word of God the manna fulfilled every need of the Hebrews, and it became whatever food each one might desire to eat. For the manna provided to each, THE TASTE HE DESIRED. whether of fish, eggs, or cheese."

The Almighty God humbled the Israelites by letting them go hungry, then feeding them with manna, all to help them realize their DEPENDENCE UPON Him (Deuteronomy 8:2, 3). Jesus IS TESTED WITH HUNGER 40 DAYS, BUT HE DOES NOT SIN. Jesus’ answers to Satan are from Deuteronomy AND ALL CALL FOR LOYALTY TO GOD: WE ARE TO LIVE BY THAT WHICH GOD COMMANDS. He is the loyal and obedient Son who triumphs over temptations.

Jesus "FASTED" to overcome temptations, GIVING US AN EXAMPLE OF OUR OWN POWER AND OUR LIMITATIONS. The hunger of the flesh does NOT CONTROL Him; rather, He controls His flesh. Jesus’ forty days IS THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH’S FORTY-DAY LENTEN OBSERVANCE BEFORE HOLY WEEK. IT IS A SPIRITUAL PREPARATION FOR THE Passion and Resurrection of Christ. (Source: Orthodox Study Bible)

(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

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My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ God,

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

HOLY AND GREAT LENT: OUR FORTY-DAY JOURNEY
THROUGH THE WILDERNESS

The forty days journey of Holy and Great Lent recalls, in particular, the FORTY YEARS in which the Chosen People journeyed through the wilderness. For us, as for the children of Israel, Lent is a time, crucial time, when our faith in God is tested. It is a time for our liberation from the bondage from slavery, from the domination of sinful passions; a time for progress by faith through a barren and waterless desert. It is a time when God speaks to us out of the desert of Sinai.

Let us turn briefly to the Old Testament, Exodus 17:1-7. The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the Lord commended. "Now all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the Wilderness of Sin.. by the word of the Lord…the people contended with Moses, saying ‘Give us water, that we may drink.’ Moses, then said to them, ‘Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the Lord?’ … Why is it you brought us up out of Egypt to kill us, our children, and our cattle with thirst?’ So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, ‘What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.’ …Then the Lord said to Moses… Behold I will stand before you there ON THE ROCK in Horeb and you shall strike the rock, AND WATER WILL COME OUT OF IT SO THE PEOPLE MAY DRINK..".

The word ‘Sin’ in "the wilderness of Sin" might be related to the Hebrew word for Sinai, but is not related to our word "sin." However, for the Christian who has fallen into sin, it truly becomes "a wilderness of sin" when there is no sign of repentance and reconciliation with our Lord Christ.

The ‘ROCK’ was a type of the Son of God. He stood on the rock in Horeb and caused it TO POUR FORTH WATER. Rocks do not pour out water by nature, but in a mystery this rock did. It remained a rock but simultaneously BECAME A FOUNTAIN. This provides us the context for the Lord’s words, "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow RIVERS OF LIVING WATER" (St. John 7:38). Also, "…all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank of that spiritual drink. For they drank of that SPIRITUAL Rock that followed them and that Rock was Christ" (1 Corinthians 10:3-4). Israel’s liberation from Egypt by Moses prefigures our freedom from sin by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The ‘Rock’ is the body of Christ, His humanity; and the ‘spiritual drink’, of our Lord’s Blood, the Holy Eucharist, or Holy Communion.

There are many similarities with the Christian believers today and how at times when faced with serious turmoil and problems they lose their faith in God and grumble and murmur complaining that God has not come to their aid. The story of the Israelites going through this hardship and danger, present us opportunities to give voice to our deepest fears ("is God among us or not?") and of wondering on the ways our God responds to us when we are thirsty in the wilderness of life. Moses, the Prophet of God, acting as God’s representative, has brought the people of God out of slavery to their liberation and salvation, however, when they face any danger or deprivation, they lose their faith.

Prophet Moses as the obedient servant of God when faced with a crisis, turns always to the Almighty God for His help. Obediently he follows God’s instruction and takes the elders with him, both to confirm his leadership and to act as witnesses of God’s miracle that is about to occur. He is to take the staff which God has enabled Moses and Aaron to use in miraculous ways. But because the people questioned and doubted whether God was with them or not, this is called their "tempting God," which signifies distrust of Him even after they had received such proof of His Divine power and goodness.

How marvelous is the patience and forbearance of God toward provoking sinners? He gave them water out of a rock. The Lord can open fountains for us where we least expect them. Those who, in their wilderness, keep God’s ways and are obedient to Him, may trust and be confident that He will provide for them. Also, let this direct us to DEPEND on Christ’s grace. The holy Apostle Paul says, that Rock was Christ, it was a type of Him. While the curse of God might justly have been executed upon our sinful souls, behold the Son of God is smitten for us. Let us supplicate Him and let us receive this Living Water and trust that Our Loving and Merciful God will supply it abundantly.

The Life-Giving Water that God provides for us all is water that will quench our thirst and we will never thirst again. This Water flows from Christ our Savior and God, through His ordinance, in our spiritually barren and parched heart, until we come to His glory.

As we continue our journey through the desert we will experience all kinds of temptations and may even be conflicted or perplexed as to why we are doing this. We may become disoriented as we travel through it but we must believe that we are not alone in our quest for the promised land, A time in which we draw near the Promised Land, to our true home in Paradise whose door the crucified Christ has reopened for us. As Orthodox Christians, while traveling through this wasteland we need to turn to Him when we hunger, and just as the Israelites, He will feed us with manna from heaven.

During the forty-day fast Our Creator and Great Benefactor and Heavenly Father always provides the Divine Food, the Holy Eucharist, which we receive for "the remission of sins and Life Eternal." No believer leaves the church hungry and starved of God’s Life-giving Gifts. The Israelites who ate of the manna in the desert soon hungered again while those who receive the Precious Body and Blood of Our Savior Jesus Christ never hunger again.

"By a strange miracle the Lord of old…
O ye faithful, with joy, let us enter upon the beginning of the Fast.
Let us not be of sad countenance but let us wash our face in the
WATER OF DISPASSION; AND LET US BLESS AND EXALT CHRIST ABOVE
ABOVE ALL FOREVER. (Second Canon)

________________

"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.

HOLY AND GREAT LENT: A LIFE-SAVING ΦΑΡΟΣ (LIGHTHOUSE)

The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines Lighthouse as "a structure with a powerful light for guiding sailors." A Lighthouse can be a circular stone structure erected upon the highest point of land or even a small island that is close to the seashore or surrounded by the sea and its potential threat. It warns the sea-farers or sailors that land is near and caution must be taken by them to avoid rocks, and reefs. The Lighthouse is also the assurance that a safe harbor is near.

The Lighthouse stands alone and fearless no matter the threatening weather conditions. Day and night it is a welcoming sight to all. Its beacon light slices through the darkest night or ferocious storm. I happen to be close to one during a storm and one could see how the enormous waves were pounding on it with great fury and yet it stood strong and resilient.

Our Holy Orthodox Church is very much a Φάρος (Lighthouse) that has stood strong throughout two thousand years of her existence during all kinds of persecutions, heresies, conflict, wars, communism, fascism, civil strife, enslavement by infidels, and lately by apostasy and secularism. No matter what kind of a storm in raging the Orthodox Christian Church is untouched and unharmed. It remains a powerful beacon of Truth and Light. It is there to remind us constantly that the Light of the Church is our Savior Jesus Christ, the Light of the World. He is the one and only guiding Light leading all those who are lost in the tempest and sea to the safe harbor.

Life, in general, can be treacherous and dangerous. Life is unpredictable and so are miseries that seem to always accompany it. We are constantly challenged and our life journey can be turbulent and painful. Life is uncertain just like the sea, it starts out calm, and by midway, through our journey, we are holding on for dear life. I have had the opportunity to speak with sailors who were on board a huge ship and who were caught in a great storm in the Atlantic Ocean that threatened to break the ship in half.

Spiritually the storms can symbolically be interpreted as demonic attacks upon us. Demons threaten our very salvation. Storms that appear out of nowhere at times can be extremely serious illnesses that shock us and are devasting. Where do we turn for guidance and direction? Everything seems bleak and dark to us at the time and the human reaction is to panic and be overtaken by fear. This is the time that we need a guiding light and of hope. Just like a ship we are in danger of breaking up on the rocks. As Christians we gratefully turn, even at the darkest hour, to see the Lighthouse with its bright beacon assuring us that a safe harbor is near to us and to trust its Light to lead the way to safety.

You see now why it is important to stay under the protection and guidance of our Holy Church. The world is full of evil threats and storms. We need faith and God’s help to confront them and triumph over them. The power of the Lighthouse reminds us that regardless of how turbulent the sea of life is we need only focus on the Eternal Light, Christ God, He, after all, is the Pilot of the ship that we are a passenger on.

This is the consistent message of the Holy Church, the Φάρος, and it will never change. Unlike the material Lighthouse and its noble purpose, there is another Lighthouse that we can find within our hearts. God the Holy Trinity dwells within us and it is our God that never abandons us, we are never without His Light and He will never allow us to face any of life’s storms no matter how threatening to be faced by us alone. The Lighthouse Keeper is only One Who never sleeps and keeps watch over all His creation and He is the only One that shines His Light upon a troubled world, and/or a troubled soul, and illumines it, and dispurses the darkness within it, bringing everlasting hope. The Lighthouse symbolizes the Church who is impregnable because its structure has no weakness in it, it cannot be conquered, it cannot be compromised, it cannot be penetrated, it cannot be held by any force, its form is round to indicate that it is eternal.

The Great Harbor is the Kindom of God. It is there that we find eternal peace and salvation. The Great Harbor is our home and we all seek to return there where Our Father awaits our return just like the prodigal son. "But when he came TO HIS SENSES he said, ‘How many of my father;s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, AND I PERISH WITH HUNGER! I WILL ARISE AND GO TO MY FATHER AND WILL SAY TO HIM, FATHER, I HAVE SINNED AGAINST HEAVEN AND BEFORE YOU, AND I AM NO LONGER WORTHY TO BE CALLED YOUR SON. MAKE ME LIKE ONE OF YOUR HIRED SERVANTS. AND HE AROSE AND CAME TO HIS FATHER. BUT HE WAS STILL A GREAT WAY OFF, HIS FATHER SAW HIM AND HAD COMPASSION, AND RAN AND FELL ON HIS NECK AND KISSED HIM…THE FATHER SAID TO THE SERVANTS (ANGELS), ‘BRING THE BEST ROBE AND PUT IT ON HIM, AND PUT ON RING ON HIS HAND AND SANDALS ON HIS FEET, AND BRING THE FATTED CALF THERE AND KILL IT, AND LET US EAT AND BE MERRY; FOR THIS MY SON WAS DEAD AND IS ALIVE AGAIN; HE WA LOST AND IS FOUND" (St. Luke 15:11-32).

Witnessing how turbulent our world is today due to the effort of extremists to undermine and compromise all traditional insitutions people world-wide are shocked, frightened, and scandalized. It is a human crisis of enormous proportions. There is so much manipulation, disception, intimidation, and constant threats that people do not know how to react or what to do to protect themselves and their families. As Orthodox Christians of course we turn to our Church which has dealt with persecution over the centuries from her enemies for support, for guidance, for encouragement, for fellowship, for spiritual comfort and assurance. The Church hierarchy has been entrusted with this responsibility and we all look to them to take the lead as shepherds, and lead the flock to safety. In the meantime all Orthodox Christians must stand together in solidarity and support one another and pray together.

The principle message of Holy and Great Lent is:

OUR HEAVENLY FATHER WHOSE LOVE IS UNCONDITIONAL FOR US AWAITS OUR RETURN TO OUR ETERNAL HOME.

__________________

"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.

HOLY AND GREAT LENT:
SAILING ON THE SHIP OF SALVATION

Let us pray to the Lord. Kyrie eleison.

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and

of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Psalm 50 [51]

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, and
according to the abundance of Your compassion, blot out my transgression.
Wash me thoroughly from my lawlessness, and my sin is always before me.
Against You only have I sinned and done evil in Your sight; that You may be
justified in Your words, and overcome when You are judged. For behold, I
was conceived in transgressions, and in sins, my mother bore me. Behold,
You love truth; You showed me the unknown and secret things of Your wisdom.
You shall sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be cleansed; You shall wash me,
and I will be made whiter than snow. You shall make me hear joy and gladness;
my bones that were humbled shall greatly rejoice. Turn Your face from my sins,
and blot out all my transgressions. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew
a right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not
take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and
uphold me with Your guiding Spirit. I will teach transgressors Your ways, and
the ungodly shall turn back to You. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall greatly rejoice in Your righteousness.
O Lord, You shall open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise. For if You
desired sacrifice, I would give it; You will not be pleased with whole burnt offerings
A SACRIFICE TO GOD IS A BROKEN SPIRIT, A BROKEN AND HUMBLED
HEART WILL NOT DESPISE. Do good, O Lord, in Your good pleasure to Zion, and
let the walls of Jerusalem be built; then You will be pleased WITH A SACRIFICE OF
RIGHTEOUSNESS, with offerings and whole burnt offerings; then shall they offer young bulls on Your altar.

+

O Christ our God, who at all times and at every hour, both in heaven and on earth, are
worshipped and glorified, long-suffering and plenteous in mercy and compassion; who
love the just and show mercy to the sinners; who call all men to salvation through the
promise of the blessings to come: Do You, the same Lord, receive also our supplications
at this present time, and direct our lives according to Your commandments. Sanctify our
souls; purify our bodies; set our minds right; clear up our thoughts, and deliver us from
every sorrow, evil, and distress. Surround us with Your holy Angels so that being guarded
and guided by their presence, we may arrive at the unity of the faith and the knowledge of
Your ineffable glory; for blessed are You unto the ages of ages. Amen.

PRAYER OF SAINT EPHRAIM THE SYRIAN

O Lord and Master of my life, do not permit
the spirit of laziness and meddling, the lust for
power and idle talk to come into me.

Instead, grant me, Your servant, THE SPIRIT OF
PRUDENCE, HUMILITY, PATIENCE, AND LOVE.

Yes, Lord and King, give me the power TO SEE
MY OWN FAULTS AND NOT TO JUDGE MY BROTHER. FOR
You are Blessed unto the ages of ages. Amen.

PRAYER OF SAINT IOANNIKIOS

The Father is my hope, the Son is my refuge,
the Holy Spirit is my shelter, Holy Trinity, glory to
Thee.

O Mother of God, I have committed my every hope wholly unto you. Keep me under your
shelter. Amen.

The only way to travel to our divine destination is to be on board the Ark of Salvation, our Holy Orthodox Church. We all know that to be a passenger on this holy Ark there is spiritual preparation that we must all undergo before we board it. Holy and Great Lent and all other holy seasons throughout the ecclesiastical year provide us with the opportunities to do just that. Very prudently our Mother Church guides and encourages us to take advantage of these opportunities and prepare for the long and one-way journey to eternal life. This is why we must take seriously Holy and Great Lent. We should not treat this spiritual preparation lightly or sentimentally. Holy and Great Lent is not just a Greek custom that we follow out of habit or because it is expected of us by family members or our fellow Orthodox friends. To do so is a waste of time and effort. It is imperative that we have a profound understanding of its purpose and how spiritually important it is to us.

Everything that we do out of faith provides us with the opportunity to have a personal encounter with our God. The Almighty is in control of everything: our life, our past, our present, and our future. Our Lord Jesus Christ says clearly: "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him bears much fruit; FOR WITHOUT ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING" (St. John 15:5). According to Saint Theophylactos, "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."

Take advantage of the opportunity to grow closer to our Creator and Savior. By following the Holy Tradition of our Church and acquiring the right knowledge of it, Holy Lent can be of great benefit to you: by fasting, you will improve your health bodily and spiritually, by praying more often you will find inner peace, by repenting and reconciling with your enemies through the sacrament of Repentance/Confession you free yourself from anger and hatred, by becoming more philanthropic and touching the lives of those that have no hope you strengthen your love for your fellow man, by forgiving others you free yourself from anxiety, by believing in the Resurrection of Christ and ours, you relieve yourself of the fear of death, and by worshipping together and being a member of your Christian community you eliminate loneliness. The benefits are great for one who truly is committed to the Faith.

Holy Lent works also like a giant spiritual furnace. We, as humans, place a great value on gold. Throughout the centuries, man has been fascinated by it and sought to find it and to use it for various purposes. Even today we use modern technology and go miles deep down in the earth to find it and to retrieve it. But when it is mined it is raw ore filled with impurities and mixed with other metals. The process is to expose the ore to high heat in order to remove all the other impurities and to see the pure gold. Holy Lent does, to some extent, the same thing spiritually. Through fasting, prayer, repentance, we free and purge our souls from all infirmities and impurities and rediscover the holy "image" of God within us. Our immortal souls once again will be brilliant as pure gold.

Let us not minimize the spiritual significance of Holy and Great Lent. There are those who attempt to marginalize the spiritual impact that it has on those who are willing to fast, pray, repent, reconcile, and attend the divine services with an open heart. There are others that mock and redicule the holy tradition of our Church and see absolutely no value to it. Instead, they refuse to adhere to it in any way or form. Still, there are others who use pseudo-piety to distract and deviate from the authentic and genuine purpose of Holy Lent.

The blessing of the Lord and His mercy may come upon you,
through His Divine Grace and philanthropy, now and forever
and from all ages to all ages. 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

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ God,

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

HOLY AND GREAT LENT: "THE STADIUM OF VIRTUE"

"When I ponder in my wretchedness on the
many terrible things that I have done, I tremble for
that fearful day, the Day of Judgment. But trusting
in the mercy of Your compassion, like David I cry
to You, "Have mercy on me, O God, according to
Your great mercy." (Idiomelon, Mode pl. 2)

"The STADIUM OF VIRTUE IS NOW OPEN; those who
wish to compete, enter therein, girded for the GOOD
CONTEST OF LENT, for those who compete according
to the rules shall receive their laurels rightfully.
Taking up the full armor of the Cross, let us do battle
against the Enemy. As an impregnable wall, we have
the Faith, PRAYER AS OUR BREASTPLATE, and
ACTS OF MERCY AS OUR HELMET. Instead of sword,
THER IS FASTING, which cuts every evil from the heart.
He who does this shall attain A TRUE CROWN FROM
Christ, the King of All, on Judgment Day."
(Idiomelon. Mode pl. 1.)

As we set out on the spiritual journey of Holy and Great Lent, we are reminded that we do not travel alone but as members of a Christian family supported by the prayers of many invisible helpers. "Lent is a time when we weep with Adam and Eve before the closed gate of Eden, repenting with them for the sins that have deprived us of our free communion with God." But "Lent is also a time when we are preparing to celebrate the saving event of Christ’s death and Resurrection, which HAS REOPENED PARADISE TO US ONCE MORE" (St. Luke 23:43).

"The time has come – the start of our spiritual
contests, the victory over demons, the full armor
of self-control, the Angel’s dignity, the confidence
before God. Thereby did Moses become conversant
with the Creator, and heard the invisible voice. Lord,
through fasting, make us worthy to worship Your
Passion and Holy Resurrection, as You love humanity."
(Glory. From the Triodion. Mode pl. 2)

EVENING PRAYER

O Lord keep us this evening without sin.
Blessed are You, O Lord, God of our fathers,
and praised and glorified is Your Name to the ages.
Amen. O Lord, let Your mercy be upon us for we
have set our hope in You. O Lord, teach me Your
Commandments. Blessed are You, Master, grant
me understanding of Your Commandments.
Blessed are You, Holy One, enlighten me with Your
Commandments. Lord, Your mercy is forever. Do
not despise the works of Your hands. To You is
due praise, to You is due song, to You is due glory,
to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now
and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

The objective of our Lenten journey is that "we come uncondemned to worship at the Holy Resurrection. Throughout the forty days, we are reminded that we are traveling on a path that leads straight to Golgotha and the Empty Tomb.

"The forty days’ journey of Holy Lent recalls, in particular, THE FORTY YEARS in which the Chosen People journeyed through the wilderness. For us, as for the children of Israel, Lent is a time of pilgrimage. It is a time for our liberation from the bondage of Egypt, from DOMINATION OF SINFUL PASSIONS; A TIME FOR PROGRESS B FAITH THROUGH A BARREN AND WATERLESS DESERT; A TIME FOR UNEXPECTED REASSURANCE, WHEN IN HUNGER WE ARE FED WITH MANNA FROM HEAVEN; A TIME WHEN GOD SPEAKS TO US OUT OF THE DARKNESS OF Sinai; A TIME IN WHICH WE DRAW NEAR TO THE Promised Land, to OUR TRUE HOME IN Paradise whose door THE CRUCIFIED AND RISEN Christ HAS REOPENED FOR US."

"The Fast is here, the Mother of chastity, the
accuser of sins, the advocate of repentance,
the life of Angels and the salvation of men,
faithful, let us cry: O God, have mercy on us."
(Aposticha, From the Triodion. Idiomelon. Mode pl. 1)

"Yet it would be misleading to speak only of this element of weariness and hunger. Abstinence leads, not merely to this, but also to a sense OF LIGHTNESS, WAKEFULNESS, FREEDOM, AND JOY. Even if the fast proves debilitating at first, afterward we find that it enables us to sleep less, to think more clearly, and to work more decisively. As many doctors acknowledge, periodical fasts contribute to bodily hygiene. While involving genuine SELF-DENIAL, FASTING DOES NOT SEEK TO DO VIOLENCE TO OUR BODY BUT RATHER TO RESTORE IT TO HEALTH AND EQUILIBRIUM. Most us in the Western world habitually eat more than we need, so much more than half of the American population is obese and suffering because of that fact of all kinds of illnesses. FASTING LIBERATES OUR BODY FROM THE BURDEN OF EXCESSIVE WEIGHT and makes it a willing partner in the task OF PRAYER, ALERT AND RESPONSIVE TO THE VOICE OF THE Holy Spirit."

"True fasting IS TO BE CONVERTED IN HEART AND WILL; IT IS TO RETURN TO GOD, TO COME HOME LIKE THE PRODIGAL SON TO OUR FATHER’S HOME. In the words of Saint John Chrysostom, it means "ABSTINENCE NOT ONLY FROM FOOD BUT FROM SINS." "THE FAST", HE INSISTS, "SHOULD BE KEPT NOT ONLY BY MOUTH ALONE BUT ALSO BY THE EYE, THE EAR, THE FEET, THE HANDS AND ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE BODY": The eye must abstain from impure sights, the ear from malicious gossip, the hands from acts of injustice. It IS USELESS to fast from food, protests Saint Basil the Great, and yet to indulge IN CRUEL CRITICISM AND SLANDER: "YOU DO NOT EAT MEAT, BUT YOU DEVOUR YOUR BROTHER." (Source: The Lenten Triodion)

Our Holy Orthodox Christian Church provides the faithful with wise and loving guidance so that we may benefit greatly from the sacred season. If we follow it according to her instruction we will profit much more spiritually and strengthen our communion with our Lord Christ. We will be comforted, we will find inner peace, we will become more confident, we will become more compassionate, we will become more prepared to face our mortality, we will become more sensitive to the needs of others, we will become more humble, we will strengthen our self-control, we will become instruments of peace, and for certain we will grow in Christ our Savior.

I urge all to attend all the Lenten divine services and participate in the Mysteria (sacraments) of Repentance/Confession, of Holy Oil (Unction), and of course, Holy Communion.

"Let us observe a fast acceptable and pleasing to the Lord.
True fasting is to put away all evil,
To control the tongue, to forbear from anger,
To abstain from lust, slander, falsehood and perjury.
If we RENOUNCE these things, then is our fasting
true and acceptable to God.

____________________

"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.

"Let Us make man in Our image" (Kat’ Eikona")
[Genesis1:26]

The purpose of hagiography ( or iconography) in the Orthodox churches was, from the very beginning, one: service to the Church. Iconography appeared as art not for its own sake, but for the Faith. Thus, its content was determined directly by the needs and the profound purposes of the Church. These purposes, of course, were not material but spiritual, purposes which our Holy Church had to proclaim by every possible means. "The foundation of faith in the spiritual reality, in the immortality of the soul and in the blessedness that is in God was always primary. The pursuit of blessedness in the present temporal and in the future Eternal Life was to be achieved by participation in the Mysteries and by the life the faithful would go through in observing all that Holy Scripture and its official interpreter, the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church commanded."

The Orthodox Christian believer had to be taught in every way possible that in his journey toward perfection in Christ, he would have to struggle against the powers of darkness, against his passions, the manifold evil, and even to reach martyrdom, as did our Savior Jesus Christ, the holy Apostles, Confessors, and the countless Martyrs of the Faith.

Our Holy Orthodox Church sought the assistance of painting. Thus, the contest of the iconography was interwoven with "life, the evolution", and "the whole tradition" of the Church. "Orthodox Christian art, the beautiful, is not determined from the natural formation of the objects, but from its "sublime content." That is, from the power of serving the truths of the Faith."

Orthodox Byzantine iconography is not simply a religious art as the Latin West, but is also theological. Its themes are not simply related to religious history, but are organized according to the Theology of the Holy Orthodox Church. Orthodox theologians believed that holy icons, with their symbolic content, were to illustrate the Divine Liturgy and, being in agreement with the texts of Holy Scripture, add details to them and make the Gospels more comprehensible. While working on an image (eikona) theologians and iconographers used all available sources; the Gospels, hagiographies, verbal hymns, prayers, words of prophets, and commentaries of eminent Holy Father of the Church.

Painting or ‘writing’ an icon was a great spiritual ascesis. Hagiographers go through a vigorous spiritual preparation: prayer and fasting. "The hagiographer had to be a virtuous person, humble, pious, and strong believer. A person not given to idle talking, and laughing, nor quarrelsome; not envious, not a drunkard, not a thief, but someone who kept his chastity of spirit and body." From my own experience with an iconographer who, as he painted the icon of a specific Saint, would invoke or ask the aid of the Saint so that his image would be true to his likeness.

As Orthodox Christians, we believe that all the people on earth are the children of the same God and Creator. Therefore, every one of them, approximately seven billion or so, possess the image of God the Holy Trinity. All were created in His image. We know of course that all believe in the same God and many do not even believe at all. This does not change the reality of the existence of God. Since man has no power to change his own reality, how then can he contemplate changing anything pertaining to the Almighty, Who is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and end of everything?

When we investigate deeper the fact that we were created by the same God, the Holy Trinity, in His Divine image, we must admit and aknowledge that we are all related to each other spiritually. That we all have the same Father and therefore belong to the same brotherhood and human family. We need to see finally the image (eikona) of God in one another and be inspired and revere one another. By acknowledging this very fact and loving one another, we would eliminate instantly any bias and antagonism. There would exist mutual respect, mutual faith in God, mutual purpose and a mutual path. Wars between peoples and nations would cease and there would be unity among us. Ethnicity, skin color, language, culture, wealth, power, and government would be of no importance.

God’s Divine image in all of us would unite us with our Creator and with one another. His image in us is more than an image, it is His presence in us and in our hearts. God is the One Who is the same creative force that unites us forever. Everything from God leads to unity and to eternal Life. The problem is mankind, which is too blind to see God’s Divine plan for us. God is AGAPE (LOVE) and His Divine grace is the power that, with man’s synergy, His will be fulfilled and manifested for all to see.

We must not obscure or attempt to hide the Living Image of God within us. There can be nothing more glorious, spectacular, magnificent, most beautiful, than this Holy Image (eikona) within us. When we truly look at each other, we ought to see and acknowledge that sacred beauty. No person would ever be considered ugly physically or otherwise. Ugliness would not exist any longer. We would only see God’s great beauty in ourselves.

As imperfect people and people who possess free will, the decision to adhere to the commandments of the Lord is ours. However, a life of disobedience to God’s will, a life of vice, of unrestraint and wicked passions, of absence of faith, of hostility, of hatred, of pride, of deception, of corruption, of arrogance, of greed, of the absence of love for God and our fellow man, will obscure, blur, darkened, and even distort our perceptions. God forbid! The image of God within us must be protected at all cost and presevere. The way to make sure that it stays as bright and beautiful, is to abide by the Lord’s Commandments, to be obedient, to be loving, to be forgiving, to love our enemies, to live a virtuous life, to see each other as brothers and sisters and not as opponents or competitors.

Another ancient art form is mosaics. Mosaics have been a popular art form in several cultures around the world. The earliest know mosaics date back to the 3rd millennium B.C. in Mesopotamia. They are made up of ivory, seashells, stones, and tessera (small pieces of glass or other nature-based materials). When made out of glass, these pieces are typically cut into squares or shaped using special tools. Byzantine mosaics were produced from the 4th to 15th centuries.

What if all humanity was represented by the most beaituful and colorful mosaic icon (image) of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? This sacred icon of the Lord is made out of pieces of colored glass. Each piece of glass represents a human soul. Every piece of glass, whether it’s gold, brown, green, blue, white, yellow, purple etc., is necessary, indispensable, to the holy icon. If any one of the pieces is missing, the icon would be incomplete and so would be the figure of the Savior. Therefore, every piece of glass, every human soul, is needed to complete the image of Christ. Every soul is priceless in God’s Divine plan and desires all souls to be saved and to enter His Heavenly Kingdom. Amen

The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the Love of God and Father, and
the Communion of the Holy Spirit be
with you all. Amen

A BLESSED HOLY AND GREAT LENT TO ALL OF YOU!

__________________

"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.

WE ARE BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST

" Moreover, BRETHREN, I declare to you, the gospel which I
preached to you, which also you received and in which you
stand, by which also ARE SAVED, if you hold fast that word
which I preached to you–unless you believed in vain…"
(1 Corinthians 15:1-2).

When as Christians we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we
begin, "OUR Father…"

Our Creator created man and woman and was
not only the Creator of the Universe but also their Loving and Heavenly Father and God.

By the grace of the Holy Spirit, our God, we are "brethren" indeed. The "Bridegroom" is Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and His "Bride" is the Church. The spiritual "womb" of His Beloved and pure "Bride" is the baptismal font through which all are baptized and are "reborn through water and the Spirit.." "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (St, John 3:3-6). Through Baptism at the same time, one is joined to the Church. Following the Baptism, we chant: "As many as having been baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27). Furthermore, one becomes A CHILD OF GOD, A MEMBER OF THE Body of Christ or the Church, an inheritor of Eternal Life, it is therefore evident that Baptism IS INDISPENSABLE FOR ALL including infants, so that growing in body and Spirit they might grow in Christ. In the Apostolic Scripture, there is mention of the Baptism of WHOLE FAMILIES, the house (family) of Lydia, the house of the prison guard, the house of Stephanas, and NOWHERE IS IT MENTIONED THAT INFANTS WERE EXCLUDED FROM BAPTISM.

In 1 John 3:1, we are reminded "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us,
that WE SHOULD BE CALLED CHILDREN OF GOD… Beloved, NOW WE ARE CHILDREN OF GOD… (v.2)v.7).
LITTLE CHILDREN, LET NO ONE DECEIVE YOU…" (v.7).

In the Mysterion (Sacrament) of the Holy Eucharist practiced from the beginning of Christianity, the Bloodless Sacrifice was offered for THE REMEMBRANCE OF BOTH THE LIVING AND THE DEAD AND FOR THE REMISSION OF THEIR SINS. The Holy Eucharist is a sacrifice which in the most intimate fashion UNITES ALL THE FAITHFUL IN ONE BODY IN Christ. It is also a sacrifice for the peace of the churches, for the good condition of the world, for authorities, of those in infirmities, and labors, for all who ask for help… "AND FOR ALL MEN AND WOMEN."

Having presented all the above evidence to you, I am attempting to convince you of the fact that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ and that we are all one Christian family. A spiritual family who share the same Father, that are united in Christ, the Bridegroom of the Church, His faithful Bride whose spiritual "womb," the Baptismal Font, we are "reborn through water and the Spirit." Therefore, we have a common Father, a common Savior, a common spiritual Mother, the Holy Church, and that through the Holy Eucharist, the Bloodless Sacrifice, we become one with our Lord Jesus Christ and WITH ONE ANOTHER. We become the Body of Christ; He being the Founder and the ONLY HEAD.

Our Lord’s command is that we as a Christian family, as brothers and sisters, and as His followers and disciples, "love one another as I have loved you" (St. John 15:12). The Almighty God loves us UNCONDITIONALLY, SO WE ARE TO LOVE ANOTHER UNCONDITIONALLY in Christ’s Name. It is this Divine command that has been neglected among our people and in our parishes. We must avoid controversy, debates, power struggles, politics, competition, cliques, jealousy, anger, and animosity. The church is sacred, it is God’s house, it belongs to Him and Him alone, it is a place of prayer and worship, it is a spiritual Hospital, and we come there because we are all injured by sin and evil influence and we need our health to be restored by the Divine Physician of our souls and bodies. We are there to be healed by the grace of the Holy Spirit, to strengthen our commitments to our Savior, and to be restored and forgiven by Him in the Mysterion of Repentance/Confession and reconciliation. We are there to charge our spiritual batteries, to leave the church refreshed and renewed spiritually, to be healed from our spiritual illnesses, and to be prepared spiritually to continue the spiritual warfare in the world. We must not attend the local parish with a different agenda that has nothing to do with our Savior and God Jesus Christ. We are in His presence and He knows what we think, what we feel, and how we act. I don’t believe that anyone wishes to offend Him deliberately and knowingly.

We are indeed brothers and sisters in Christ! Our Lord is our Master and we are His willing slaves (servants). We are there to please only the One, Him, and Him alone, and to serve one another. All that we offer and do must always be done with AGAPE (LOVE), EVERYTHING MUST BE DONE FOR HIS SAKE AND FOR HIS GLORY. Anything other than that will bring condemnation upon our souls. Our God is a mystery to us, but we are NOT a mystery to Him!

"Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always
give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the
Lord IS NOT IN VAIN" (1 Cor, 15:58)

Thanks be to God!

___________________

"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 and ever shall be.

THAVMATA (WONDERS) – GOD’S MIRACLES

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son of
the Holy Spirit.

Let us pray to the Lord. Kyrie eleison.

Lord, have mercy on us,
For in You we have put our trust;
Be not exceedingly angry with us,

Nor remember our many iniquities;
But look up us now as the Compassionate,
and deliver us from our enemies;
For You are our God, and we Your people,
We are all the work of Your hands,
And upon Your Name, we have now called.
(Small Parklesis to the Theotokos)

"The Lord said to him, ‘IF YOU BELIEVE, ALL THINGS ARE
POSSIBLE TO HIM WHO BELIEVES" (St. Mark 9:23).

A miracle or wonder is a Divine and supernatural act whose origin is that of God and His infinite mercy. It is the product of God’s unconditional Love. It is a mystery that is beyond man’s understanding. It is extraordinary because what has occurred cannot be explained rationally or scientifically. Our Lord says clearly, "If you believe, all things are possible to him who believes" (St. Mark 9:23). Therefore, faith is essential for a miracle to take place.

God’s every Divine act can be described as a miracle (thavma). Every miracle has its origin, it’s beginning in God. It is a sign from God to man of His presence, of His love, of His compassion, of His grace, of His power, of His mercy, of the fact that He is The Physician of our souls and bodies. Whatever is impossible for man is possible with God. Everything rests in God’s will. "He is everywhere present and fills all things." "Jesus looked at them and said to them, ‘WITH MEN THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE, BUT WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE" (St. Matthew 19:26).

We see God’s miracles through the Holy Scripture. God reveals His presence through His Divine miracles as mentioned in the Old Testament through the venerable and righteous prophets. It is shown clearly to the chosen people of God, To the holy people of God, the people of faith. And what is faith? "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). "For by it (faith), the elders obtained a good testimony. Some of God’s servants who acted by faith were: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Gideon, Barak, Sampson, Jephthah, and David. Everyone of one of them witnessed God’s miracles.

With the Incarnation of the Logos/Word, "The unutterable, unknowable, invisible, unattainable God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, became man in the form of the God-Man, the Lord Jesus Christ, and dwelt among men on earth." Is that not the greatest of all miracles? While on earth the Son of God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ out of love and compassion, conducted countless miracles. Let us listen to the Lord Jesus Himself: "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" (St. Matthew 11: 4-5). The Holy Apostles were given the power of miracle-working i.e., Saint Peter who conducted many miracles. The miracle of Ananias who was bedridden for eight years and was paralyzed and was healed by the holy Apostle. The miracle of Dorcas (Tabitha) who became sick and died. The holy Apostle raised her from death. Miracles did not cease with the death of the Apostles but continued and will continue forever within our Holy Church.

Miracles are not unfamiliar to me as a Christian and an Orthodox priest. I was the recipient of a number of miracles as a child and as a boy. One of the miracles that I wish to share with all of you took place when I was a young boy and in elementary school in Athens, Greece. I was in class at the local school on a stormy day. It was raining all day and the area around the school was flooded. The street had become a raging torrent. School let out and all the students were heading home. Some of us had to cross over this torrent at the most narrow point by jumping over it to reach the other side. For the older children, it was not too difficult to do. For me, it was very frightening. The intimidating sound of this river of muddy water and I was reluctant to jump over it until my schoolmates assured me that I would make it over. With all courage that I could muster, I leaped to go to the other side, but instead, I fell in it and disappeared completely under the muddy water. My schoolmates were horrified and ran home to tell what happen to their parents and that George Konstantopoulos drowned. By the grace of God, I was saved. At some point, I came to my senses. I found myself standing full of mud. I had no idea where I was and what happened to me. There was no one around and the surroundings were not even familiar to me. It was as though I was on another planet, as I recall. Finally, I got my bearings and started running home. At the same time, the parents of schoolmates were approaching my house to offer their condolences to my mother who was the only one at home at the time. My mother happened to be outside in the front of the house when she saw me running towards her, muddy. Her immediate question was ‘my child what happened to you and why are you so muddy? My answer to her was ‘mom i drowned.’ Then she saw our neighbors and the story of what happened was told to her not by me but by my schoolmates and eyewitnesses. She made the sign of the Cross and thanked and praise God for this miracle.

As a Greek Orthodox priest of fifty-one years, I have witnessed personally numerous miracles at every parish that I have served over many years. At my last parish of Saint Andrew Greek Orthodox church in South Bend, Indiana, I witness a number of miracles. One of the miracles deals with a young man who fell from the second floor of his apartment on his head. He was taken to Saint Joseph’s Hospital Emergency room where the doctors attempted to revive him. He was placed in the Intensive Care Unit. His family called me to offer prayers and to bless him, which I did. Soon, after, however, while I was present, the doctors informed his parents that there was nothing more that they could do for their son. They advised them to decide if they would be willing to donate various organs to people than needed them. The Coroner of the Hospital had signed the death certificate. It was a very painful time and all grieved. The following morning before the nurses were about to take the body, the nurse walked into his room and saw him trying to remove the tube from his nose. She immediately dialed the appropriate code and they rushed the young man to perform brain surgery on him. The surgery went without any complications and the young man, over time, recovered completely. He used to serve in the Holy Altar and sometime after he returned to serve again. We all rejoiced with this wonderful miracle. Even the physicians and nurses at Saint Joseph’s marveled and they too referred to it as a true miracle.’

Personally, I feel that not enough is said about miracles, nor are the miracles that are witnessed every day preached about enough. Our faith is A LIVING FAITH AND OUR GOD IS A MERCIFUL AND COMPASSIONATE GOD AND WE SHOULD GLORIFY HIM UNCEASINGLY FOR HIS MIRACLES AND HIS LOVE. I know that once you experience a miracle in your life, you are never the same, you are a changed person, a more faithful person, a more loving and caring person. You are grateful for everything in your life and you are inseparable from our Savior Jesus Christ.

Let us not neglect to mention the countless miracles that are attributed to the Mother of God, our Theotokos, to the Saints of our Church, and including the miracles that have taken place by venerating the holy relics of our Saints, and holy miraculous icons of our Church.

GLORY BE TO GOD!

______________________

"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