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.

MAN’S FREE WILL

"The Holy Fathers of the Church write that man bears the image of God in the higher qualities of the soul, especially in the soul’s immortality, IN ITS FREE WILL, in its reason, and in its capability for pure love without thought of gain.

a) The Eternal God gave immortality of soul to man, even though the soul is immortal not by nature but only BY THE GOODNESS OF GOD.

b) God is completely free in His actions, and He gave man FREE WILL AND THE ABILITY TO ACT FREELY WITHIN CERTAIN BOUNDARIES.

Having raised man above all the earthly world, having given him REASON and FREEDOM, having adorned him with His own image, the Creator thus indicated to man HIS ESPECIALLY HIGH PURPOSE. God and the spiritual world lie before man’s spiritual gaze; before his bodily gaze lies the material world.

a) The first purpose of man IS THE GLORY OF GOD. Man is called TO REMAIN FAITHFUL TO HIS BOND WITH GOD, TO STRIVE TOWARD HIM WITH HIS SOUL, TO ACKNOWLEDGE HIM AND HIS CREATOR, TO GLORIFY HIM, TO REJOICE IN UNION WITH HIM, TO LIVE IN HIM. For if all of creation is called, according to its ability, to glorify the Creator, (see Psalm 148), the of course man, AS THE VERY CROWN OF CREATION, IS ALL THE MORE INTENDED TO BE THE CONSCIOUS, RATIONAL, CONSTANT, AND MOST PERFECT INSTRUMENT OF THE GLORY OF GOD ON EARTH.

b) For this purpose, man should be worthy of his Prototype. In other words, he is called TO PERFECT HIMSELF, TO GUARD HIS LIKENESS TO GOD, TO RESTORE AND STRENGTHEN IT; HE IS CALLED TO DEVELOP AND PERFECT HIS MORAL POWERS BY MEANS OF GOOD DEEDS. This requires that a man take care of his own good, and his true good lies in BLESSEDNESS IN GOD. Therefore one must say THAT BLESSEDNESS IN GOD IS THE AIM OF MAN’S EXISTENCE."

The theology of the Orthodox Church emphasizes that humans possess genuine free will, a Divine Gift crucial for salvation, which is achieved through SYNERGY–the COOPERATION of human free will with God’s grace. Instead of the heresy of predestination, Orthodoxy teaches that OBEDIENCE IS A WILLING, LOVING RESPONSE TO GOD, NOT a forced servitude. SALVATION INVOLVES HARMONIZING ONE’S PERSONAL WILL WITH GOD’S TRANSFORMING THE INDIVIDUAL INTO A STATE OF UNION WITH HIM.

Salvation is A COLLABORATIVE PROCESS where God offers grace, but humans must choose to accept it. As Saint John Chrysostomos said, "All indeed depends on God, but not in such a way that our fee will be hindered." Orthodox teaching on salvation is based on the Doctrine of FREE WILL. In his fall man did not lose his free will. Man could still choose to be with God or without Him–he just could not move himself back toward God, as the path was closed by the "ancestral sin." Our Lord Jesus Christ cleared that path, and now our salvation is the matter solely of our choice. God honors our choice–whatever it is. This is the reason God does not make demons disappear: God respects their free will, as free will is a feature of divinity (that, unfortunately can be misused). We are saved THROUGH SYNERGY (cooperation of our will with God’s. Saint Athanasius the Great wrote: "God does not save us without us." On the other hand, God does NOT FORCE SALVATION ON ANYONE: otherwise, this would not be "salvation" but rather His re-making us into something that contradicts His Own original design of us.

Saint John Chrysostomos writes, "All indeed depends on God, but not in such a way that our free will (τό αυτεξούσιον) be hindered…it is both up to us (έφ ημίν) and up to Hin (εφ αυτώ). For we must first choose the things that are good, and when we have chosen, then He brings in HIs own part. He does not anticipate our acts of will, lest our free will should suffer indignity; but when we have chosen, then He brings great assistance."

There can be no Christian spiritual life and relationship without complete obedience to our Divine Creator and God. The Christian must always examine and scrutinize all of his/her actions objectively and honestly before he implements them. The good Christian always turns to the Holy Scripture and the sacred writings of the Holy Fathers of the Church to seek guidance and inspiration before he or she makes serious decisions. It is important to avoid as many decisions as possible which may lead him or her to disobeying God’s commandments. The Orthodox Christian has many spiritual tools given to him/her by and through the Church to live an authentic spiritual life e.g., Holy Scriptures, prayers, worship, fasting, repentance, mysteries (sacraments), the lives of the Saints, writings of the ascetics, and holy Fathers and Mothers of the Church. It is therefore up to the individual Orthodox Christian to be willing to practice his or her faith daily with faith and genuine sincerity and commitment to our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ. (Resources: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology and 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 brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God and Savior,

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

SECULAR AND PROFANE VS SACRED AND DIVINE

The Holy Apostle Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians writes:
"Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and
the Lord for the body. And God both raised up the Lord and will
also raise us up by His power. Do you not know that your bodies
are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ
and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! Or do you
not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her?
For "the two," He says, "shall become one flesh." But he who
is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside
the body, ,but he who commits sexual immorality sins against
his own body .
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy
Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are
not your own?
For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your
body and in your spirit, which are God’s" (1 Corinthians 6:13-20).

The liberals in the city of Corinth-as some do today–argued that illicit sex (adultery and fornication) is as necessary for the body as eating, and both are irrelevant to the spiritual life. However, Saint Paul contends "the body" belongs to God, and everything is relevant to the spiritual life. Therefore, dealing with sin means controlling our appetites or desires. This is why in the Orthodox Church abstinence (fasting) from "foods" is the first discipline of the Fast, which also includes prayer and charitable giving.

When Saint Paul calls our bodies "members" of Christ," he is reminding us of our union with Christ in baptism (Romans 6:3-10). Fornication is therefore a sin to be fled in horror, for it joins Christ to harlots. Saint John Chrysostom writes, "We have many improper desires, but we must repress them, for we can." "Temple" here refers to the individual Christian as a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.

Fornication (Gr. porneia) for those who may not know what it means, it is the sin of sexual intercourse outside of marriage. The word is also applied to polygamy and to many successive marriages. The Greek term means SEXUAL IMMORALITY IN GENERAL. Fornication is strongly condemned in Holy Scripture (1 Corinthians 6:16-18; Galatians 5:19; Colossians 3:5). Christians are called to subdue the lusts of the "flesh" so that they may grow in union with Christ (see Romans 8:4-9; Galatians 5:16-24). By "the flesh," Saint Paul does not mean the body. "The flesh" here is a general term for evil actions, the depraved will, the earthly mind, the slothful and careless soul–things that are under one’s control, not part of human nature. This flesh is crucified with Christ. It is not human nature that is mortified, but its evil deeds.

Christian values are rooted in Divine Biblical Authority, emphasizing spiritual, eternal, and objective moral truths like agape (love), compassion, and the sanctity of life, in contrast, secular, or worldly, values emphasize material, societal, or personal preferences. We, of course, know that the two approaches often diverge on issues of morality, gender, and public life. Christian values come from Holy Scripture and a personal relationship with God. Secular values are based on human consensus, rationalism, or personal preference.

Orthodox Christian spiritual values are deeply rooted in a Triune understanding of God, centering on union with Christ through a life of purification and faith. This framework is built upon the inseparable triad of Holy Scripture, Holy Tradition–the living, handed-down faith–and the teachings of the Holy Fathers of the Church, which provide authoritative interpretation. For those who may not be familiar with the Orthodox Church, the Holy Bible is viewed as a central, inspired record, but it is not separate from Holy Tradition, which includes the Divine Liturgy, creeds, and Synods or Councils. Orthodoxy emphasizes a direct personal, and transformative experience of God rather than just intellectual assent, aiming for THEOSISs (Union with God). Orthodox Christians have a Mysteriaki Zoe or a Sacramental life. The spiritual life is nurtured through the Mysteria (Sacraments) (e.g., Baptism, Confession/Repentance, Holy Unction and Holy Communion).

Orthodox Spirituality, as taught by the Holy Fathers and Mothers of the Church, is a therapeutic ascetical journey aimed at THEOSIS (DEIFICATION), (Union with God) through PURIFICATION, ILLUMINATION, AND REPENTANCE. It emphasizes a holistic approach involving body and soul, utilizing PRAYER, FASTING, LITURGICAL LIFE, and HUMILITY to combat passions and achieve healing, joy, and peace in Christ. The ultimate spiritual goal for the Orthodox Christian is to become by grace what God is by nature, sharing the Divine life. The Holy Fathers of the Church outline a progression: (1)Purification (catharsis) from passions (2) illumination (theoria) of the mind, and (3) Union (theosis) with God.

Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ calls us to repent. Rather than a one-time act, repentance is a continuous state of turning toward God, involving honest self-examination and recognition of our unworthiness. Repentance (Gr. Metanoia) literally, means "a change of mind" and thus of behavior. God is the Author of REPENTANCE, which is an integral part of baptism, confession, and ongoing spiritual life. Repentance is NOT simply sorrow for sins, but a firm determination to turn away from sin to a new life of righteousness in Jesus Christ (see Matthew 4:17; 2 Peer3:9; 1 John 1:9).

What we witness currently throughout the world, including the U.S., is a resurgence of Christian persecution. There are "dark powers" who definitely desire the eradication of the Christian Faith. They view Christianity as a significant obstacle to their world agenda and, therefore, to eliminate its influence in the world community, to drive Christians away from the Church, to undermine it from within and to divide Christians among themselves. In other words, to render it worthless by making it irrelevant in the lives of people.

The Christian faith, principles, values, precepts must remain strong in a immoral and violent world no matter what kind of dangers we, Christians, face. We must be resolute and unwavering in our beliefs. We, however, must begin to practice our Christian faith at home. It is our duty to raise our children in our Christian faith, to instill in their hearts and minds our Christian values, morality and character. Do not surrender your children to the world and to educators who have neither scruple and/or are devoid of any morality and dignity. As always God is with us and watches over us for we are never alone.

Let us remember that Orthodox spirituality is described throughout the centuries AS LIFE IN CHRIST, striving for moral and spiritual perfection. The mystical union in Orthodox spirituality is not the "devout life" that some sects claim but the COMMUNION OF THE PERSON WITH GOD. In sectarian teachings, the "devout life" is a sentimental and emotional relation to "divinity." The Orthodox Christian rejects this concept in favor of one, which envisions the mystical way. Orthodox spirituality IS UNION WITH CHRIST, WITH GOD. A spiritual person is one who purifies himself of all worldly and moral defects in order to be united with the love of Christ. They mystical experience takes place in this world, yet the cause, God, is from beyond the material world. Orthodox spirituality, as well as the whole thought of the Church, is based on the revelation found in the Old Testament and New Testaments. Studying the Patristic interpretation of the Christian truths can see this, in the mystical vision of the divine energies of the advanced Christian, he experiences the divine presence within himself, as vision of the Uncreated Light, and of the energies of God. It is especially through the Mysteries of the Holy Eucharist that we experience mystical union with our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ. (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.

An Homily on Prayer
by Saint John Chrysostomos

As Christians we are obligated to honor and appreciate the Saints of God for two reasons. The first reason is because all the Saints had place the hope of their spiritual salvation upon the sacred prayers. The second reason is because the prayers which they offered to God, with joy and fear have been preserved in their writings. Thus their spiritual treasures, having been transmitted to us, may draw all subsequent believers toward the zeal of these Saints. The way of life of the teachers must be transmitted to their pupils. Thus the pupils of the Saints, that is, us Christians, must prove ourselves to be imitators of their righteousness. This we may do by always being preoccupied with prayers and the worship of God, considering thus as life and health and wealth and the end of all good things our prayer toward God with a pure heart and an incorruptible soul. For as the sun illumines the body so also does prayer illumine the soul. If then the blind person is deprived because he cannot see the sun, how much more is the Christian diminished and harmed who does not pray constantly, and who, consequently, does not gather into his or her soul, through prayer, the Light of Christ.

Who is there that is not surprised and does not marvel at the love of God, which He demonstrates by rendering such a great honor to human beings in making them worthy to pray and to converse with God Himself! When we converse with God at the time of prayer we become similar to theAngels and dissimilar to the irrational beings. For the work par excellence of the Angels is prayer and worship. By praying with much awe and presenting themselves to us as an example, the Angels teach us to learn and to know that we must pray to God with joy and with fear. We must pray both with fear of being found unworthy of the prayer which connects us with God, but also with fullness of joy for the magnitude of honor which is bestowed upon the human race through the very possibility of prayer. Divine Providence has made us capable of enjoying constant communion withGod, through which we appear not to be mortal and transient. Even though by nature we are mortal, it is through our conversation with God that we transferred into immortal life. For the one who holds conversation with God must be by necessity above death and every moral and spiritual corruption. And by the ame token, as it is most essential for one who enjoys the rays of the sun to be free of darkness, so also the one who enjoys conversation with God must no longer be mortal, precisely because the magnitude of this honor transfers us into the realm of spiritual immortality. It is impossible for those who pray and speak to God to have mortal souls. The DEATH OF THE SOUL IS PRECISELY IMPIETY AND A SINFUL LIFE, WHILE THE LIFE OF THE SOUL IS THE WORSHIP OF GOD AND A WAY OF LIFE IN THE BELIEVER THAT IS BECOMING TO SUCH WORSHIP.

It is prayer itself that produces a marvelously sacred way of life that is altogether appropriate to the worship of God. For, without regard to whether or not one loves the chastity of a monastic life or honors the prudence of married life, or whether one has mastered anger and lives meekly, or is free of envy and practices any of the appropriate virtues guided by prayer, prayer will always make smooth the way of virtuous living and the believer will readily be able to rise to the higher levels of the spiritual life. It is altogether impossible for those who seek from God prudence and meekness and goodness not to receive what they seek through prayer. For Christ says: "Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7). To convince us of this truth, Christ also says the following: "What man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father Who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:9-11). With such words and such hopes has the Lord of all motivated us toward prayer. We are then obliged, in obedience to the will of God, to live a virtuous and a faithfuway of life, and with hymns and prayers to be more attentive to the worship of God than to our earthly life. In this we will be able to live the life that is becoming to Christians. (Resources: A Prayer Book. An Anthology of Orthodox Prayers)

(To be continued)

____________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
+ Saint John Chrysostom
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.

CONTEMPORARY IDOLATRY

Idolatry in Orthodox Theology

Definition: Idolatry is not just bowing to statues, but misordering priorities by substituting the True God with something else, including human ideology, culture, or self-will. Modern or contemporary idolatry is viewed as pervasive in modern culture, with idols taking the form of entertainment, career, technology, hedonism (pleasure) or money (wealth). In other words, the Orthodox Christian understanding is that anything worshipped other than the Triune God is an idol.

Orthodox Holy Fathers and Tradition define idolatry as placing anything–material, personal, or conceptual–above God, emphasizing that it constitutes spiritual destruction and a violation of the command to worship God alone. While condemning false gods, they distinguish this from venerating icons, which they hold as windows to the Divine, honoring the person depicted rather than the material. Saint John of Kronstadt warned that attaching one’s heart to material things or other people is a, "lie, an enticement of Satan," as only the Lord should be the focus of the heart. The Holy Apostle Paul highlights that idolatry is a "constant threat" that includes, "covetousness, passion, (and) greed," often involving using God to serve, "material aims" or, "social ambitions." Our Holy Orthodox Tradition warns that idolatry leads to, "brokenness, pain, [and] judgment," as it causes people to depart from the Church" and, "rend the garment of Christ."

Saint Paul writes to the Colossians (3:4-11): "When Christ Who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore, put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you live in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him Who created him, where there is neither Greek or Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all in all."

"This text lists various manifestations which belong to people of former times didn’t know the goodness of God’s ways. To use the terminology of Saint Paul, they are the "old persons.’ Among these manifestations are sexual deviations, passions, sheer wickedness, anger, lies and greed. It’s increasingly difficult to say that these belong irrevocably to the pre-Christian era, since they’re so often features of today’s reality, with which we’re all familiar..

We said above that renwal is A WORK IN PROGRESS, which includes the possibility that we’ll fall then pick ourselves up again and carry on. ‘As many times as you fall, get up and you’ll be saved’, is an unrecorded saying of the Lord which is preserved in our Patristic and Liturgical texts. RENEWAL IS A STRUGGLE IN WHICH WE MAY BECOME EXHAUSTED, SPENT,BUT CAN ALSO GET BACK AND CONTINUE OUR ASCENT TO THE PEAK OF PERFECTION. Saint Paul says: "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed" (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).

The list of transgressions in the holy Epistle reading are typical features of IDOLATRY. The fact that the Holy Apostle Paul points to them, addressing the Christians in Colossi as well as us today, means they are still a real danger. His exhortation makes us realize that idolatry is not a forgotten past but IS A CONSTANT THREAT IN THE HERE AND NOW. Of course, Christians triumphed over the idols historically, fought against them and even were martyred rather than forced to accept them or worship them, but on the human level these idols still wreak vengeance on us, in an effort to take us back to the distant past. If anyone doubts this, just look at what is going on around us today. Greed–which the reading states specifically is idolatry–appears as a lack of faith and confidence in God as fear in the face of an uncertain future, as a defence at the thought of death, as an excessive boost to our self-confidence, as a state of self-assurance similar to that of Lucifer."

Therefore, dear fellow Christians, the danger of idolatry is still a threat to all Christian today. And it is one that we should take very seriously. We must continue to listen to the voice of Prophet Moses in the first Commandment of the Ten which is, in fact, the most difficult to observe: "You shall not make for yourself an idol or a likeness of anything in heaven above or in the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God," (Exodus 20:4-5). God is without passion, but He condescends to call Himself a jealous God to show the intensity of His love for man. Therefore, let us love Him with intensity, for this is very pleasing to Him (St. John Chrysostom).

Christians both have received Christ’s exalted resurrection life in baptism, and need to keep on seeking the ultimate and spiritual glories of the age to come. Remember your baptism! Live according to His Resurrection! Seek your true life in Christ, awaiting the heavenly and glorious final revelation! As baptized Christians, we are becoming in practice what we are already in spirit. As we died with Christ, so we must will to experience death daily by "Killing" old sinful and disintegrating passions. As we were raised with Christ, so we must will to experience life daily by the virtuous and unifying desires of the "New Man: which we all are in the body of Christ. The "new man" grows from one stage of perfection to another, becoming the IMAGE of Jesus Christ and throughout eternity remaining THE IMAGE OF HIM WHO CREATED HIM" (Colossians 3:1-10).

Let us remove all obstacles to our union with our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us free ourselves of all the various idols which form a barrier between us and our beloved and eternal God. Idols are created by us and, therefore, it is up to us to erase them and to obey Him and His Commandment and "not make for yourself an idol."

____________
"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.

ATHEISM IS A THREAT TO HUMANITY

"ATHEIST in Greek means ‘one without God,’ which is an Orthodox context means not living in a state of THEOSIS (union with God). This is viewed as an unnatural state for a human being." Also, "Atheism is often considered a consequence of spiritual blindness, where the "pride" or "ego" swells, blinding the person to the truth of God’s presence. It is seen as a hardening of the heart that leads to a denial of love or self-centeredness."

"Psalm 13(14):1 "The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God." This describes both Jews and Gentiles (pagans) who say in their hearts, "There is no God". For although they may claim to know God, nevertheless, they are actually denying He exists because of their total involvement in a state of moral depravity; their refusal to seek God; their persecution of God’s righteous people; and their denial of the incarnate God, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Furthermore, Psalm 14:1 states, "The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God". This passage describes a moral, rather than just intellectual, rejection of God, implying that ignoring God’s authority leads to corruption and a lack of good works. The "fool" here refers to one who willfully ignores or defies God. Also, this denial is linked to being "corrupt" and committing "abominable works."

Psalm 14 teaches the Church the transfigured life the faithful are to live (1) as they "look for the resurrection from the dead and the life of the world to come" (Orthodox Creed). They are to be holy inwardly and outwardly; to love their neighbor. And those who live this way "shall never be shaken", either in this world or in the world to come. The psalmist writes: "O Lord, who shall dwell in Your tabernacle? Who shall live in Your holy mountain? He who walks blamelessly, and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart, who does not deceive with his tongue, neither does evil to his neighbor, and does not find fault with those nearest him. He disdains those who do evil in his presence, but he holds in honor those who fear the Lord" (Psalm 14 (15):1-4).

Saint Paisios of Mt. Athos addresses atheism primarily as a symptom of a broader spiritual crisis, where the modern world dominated by rationalism, loses its connection to God. IN his teachings, he often warns that a lack of "spiritual thought" leads individuals toward a state of indifference and ultimately atheism. According to Saint Paisios people can become atheists by neglecting "little things" in their spiritual life, which leads to a gradual, unconscious disdaining of divine matters. Atheism, he writes, that modern "shameless atheists" often worship thier own ego and self-interest, substituting God with their own will. The Saint emphasized that this modern tendency toward unbelief cannot be resisted with world means, but only through intense prayer, repentance, and a return to traditional humble faith. He used this analogy to describe how those with a worldly, "fly-like" mentality (only seeking out negativity and evil) are susceptible to atheism, while those with a "bee-like" (mentality seek out the good in everything, maintaining a connection to God.

For approximately seventy-four years Russian Orthodox Christian suffered persecution under the Soviet Union regime. Atheism and communism profoundly impacted Orthodox Christians in the Soviet Union by driving a systematic, state-sponsored campaign to eradicate religion, especially Christianity, resulting in the destruction of thousands of churches, monasteries, the execution or imprisonment of tens of thousands of clergy and laity, and the forced conversion of church property. Following the 1917 communist revolution, the Communist regime, viewing religion as a detrimental "opiate of the masses," stripped the church of legal standing, prohibited religious education, an fostered a culture of state atheism through propaganda, such as the "League of Militant Godless."

In the early years, particularly between 1922-1926, thousands of clergy, including 28 bishops and over 1,200 priests, were killed, with over 20,000 parishioners killed or executed by the end of initial campaigns. Christian marriages and organized religious education for children was forbidden. However, despite extreme and very harsh repression, faith persisted privately. The communist’s goal was to create a total Godless society. Think of it, an atheistic government which enslaved a Christian population and uses concentration camps, torture, indoctrination, executions, and other barbaric means to destroy the Christian faith. The communists failed miserably and now the Russian Orthodox Church and Christians are free to worship God openly and triumphantly. They were foolish to believe that they had the power to destroy the Christian faith. It was tried once before in the early days of Christianity under the Roman empire when the pagans attempted to do the same for the first 300 years of Christianity using similar tactics and persecution.

A Godless world can only be defined as hell. Humanity and especially the enemies of Christianity and the Creator of All will never allow His children to be either destroyed or prevented to believe and/or to worship Him. He protects and will always defend all those who are faithful to Him. Let us not forget what evil men did to the Son of God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by crucifying Him and killing Him. But He proved them wrong by resurrecting on the third day of His burial. NO man or world government can ever kill God! God is Holy, God is Almighty, God is Immortal!

___________
"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.

"In the beginning was the Word (Gk. Logos), and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1).

In the holy Gospel of Saint John we read: "In the beginning was the Word (Logos), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it" (John 1:1-5).

Orthodox Christian theology teaches that the center of Christianity is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. In fact, He is the centerpiece of all history. But the world struggles with His identity. Who is He? Is He God? Is He man? Both? The Holy Scriptures clearly answer these crucial questions.

In his holy Gospel, Saint John gives a specific and definitive explanation of who Christ is. "In the beginning was the Word (Gk. Logos), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (1:1). Saint John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, revealed God the Word as "the Light" (1:6-7). "The Word (Logos) became flesh and dwelt among us" (1:4). Who then is Jesus Christ?

(1) He is God, for He was with God from before all time. Clearly, the One born Jesus of Nazareth did not have His beginning in His earthly birth. Rather, He is the Eternal Son of God, without beginning. There never was a time when the Son of God did not exist.

(2) He is also man, for He "became flesh." He has become one of us, being like us in all things but without sin.

(3) He acts both as God and as man, doing what is appropriate for rech nature in the unity provided by His one Divine Person. Never does Divine Nature and activity become changed into human nature and activity. The two are in union WITHOUT CONFUSION. Christ does, however, "energize" human nature with Divine energy so that human nature is redeemed from sin and death and brought into union with God, He thus "DEIFIES" humanity.

The miracle of these incomparable truths is known as the knowledge of Christ or "CHRISTOLOGY," Many documents have expounded on Christology, but the definitive text is the NICENE-CONSTANTINOPOLITAN CREED, the outcome of the First and Second Ecumenical Synods (Councils) in the 4th Century. The Creed of Chalcedon (issued by the Fourth Ecumenical Synod, A.D. 451) embodies other truths concerning the INCARNATION OF THE Logos (Word). These creeds set the Doctrinal fences outside of which WE DO NOT WANDER IN OUR KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST.

The holy Apostle John bears witness to Christ: "That which was from the beginning which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Logos (Word) of Life–THE LIFE WAS MANIFESTED, AND WE HAVE SEEN, AND BEAR WITNESS, AND DECLARE TO YOU THAT ETERNAL LIFE WHICH WAS WITH THE FATHER AND WAS MANIFESTED TO US–THAT WHICH WE HAVE SEEN AND HEARD WE DECLARE TO YOU, THAT YOU ALSO MAY HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH US; AND TRULY OUR FELLOWSHIP IS WITH THE FATHER AND WITH HIS SON JESUS CHRIST" (1 John 1:1-3).

We, too, bear witness to Jesus Christ. For since God became man, and we are united with Him in baptism, we experience His Incarnation in our lives. The MIRACLE of Christology for us is that, as the Son of God became man, we in turn may partake of God. (Resources: Orthodox Study Bible)

As Orthodox Christians we believe that as the Divine Logos (Word) Incarnate, Christ is also the Source of LIFE and enlightenment. Because the Logos (Word) is God, He is Life: only God has life in Himself. By seeing and participating in Jesus Christ’s life BELIEVERS BECOME "LIGHT" and "CHILDREN OF LIGHT (John 12:36). Moses saw this Light in the burning bush (Exodus 3:2). Prophet Isaiah saw it in his heavenly vision (Isaiah 6:1-5), and holy Apostles Peter, James and John saw it on the Mount of Transfiguration (Gk. Metamorphosis) (Matthew 17:2). In the Divine Liturgy at All-Holy Pascha (Easter), light breaks forth from the night at the proclamation of the Resurrection: "Come, take light from the Light that is never overtaken by night. Come, glorify Christ, Risen from the dead." On the other hand "darkness" is the satanic wickedness which actively opposes the Light. Though the world has embraced darkness (John 3:19), the Logos/Word freely offer Light to all. Although "darkness" will oppose the Light, yet CANNOT DEFEAT THE LIGHT! The "TRUE LIGHT", Jesus Christ, ENLIGHTENS EVERY PERSON, but the world as we see even currently REFUSES TO RECEIVE AND LIVE IN THIS LIGHT, AND DOES NOT "KNOW Him" (John 1:9-10). Our Holy Orthodox Church chants in the hymn after Holy Communion, "WE HAVE SEEN THE TRUE LIGHT, WE HAVE RECEIVED THE HEAVENLY SPIRIT, WE HAVE FOUND THE TRUE FAITH BY WORSHIPPING THE UNDIVIDED TRINITY; FOR THIS HATH SAVE US."

In the Old Testament the holy Prophets saw the Logos/Word of God as the presence of the Lord. This phrase "The Word/Logos was God", reveals He is not only from thy Father, He is COEQUAL and COETERNAL WITH THE Father: ONE IN DIVINITY WITH HIM. "I AND MY FATHER ARE ONE" (John 10:30). Some mistranslated this phrase "the Word was a god" (John 10:30) to propagate THEIR HERESY that the Son is a created being, NOT fully Divine. Such a translation is wrong and heresy. The Logos/Word is co-Creator of all things with the Father (Genesis 1 and Psalm 33:6 9), not merely an "instrument" or a "servant" of creation, Will, operation, and power are seen to be one in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit."

___________
"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 GIFT OF DISCERNMENT IS
INDISPENSABLE FOR OUR LIFE
IN CHRIST.

"But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one
for the profit of all: …to another the working of miracles,
to another prophecy, TO ANOTHER DISCERNING THE
SPIRITS…" (1 Corinthians 12:7-10).

There cannot be a spiritual life without the gift of discernment. Orthodox Christian spirituality focuses on inner transformation, union with God (theosis, and vigilant spiritual warfare, heavenly emphasizing DISCERNMENT TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN DIVINE, DEMONIC, AND PESONA IMPULSES. It, of course, requires humility, prayer, fasting, and spiritual guidance to avoid delusion, ensuring that thoughts (logismoi) and actions align with the Holy Gospel and Faith. We know this to be true because believers are constantly engaged in a daily spiritual warfare such as a vigilant struggle against passions (i.e.,pride, envy, lust) and evil, requiring a "sober" and alert mind. It involves the whole person–body and soul–using prayer, fasting, and liturgical life to tame the passions (πάθη) and purify the heart.

"DISCERNMENT" according to Saint John Climacus "is a solid understanding of the will of God in all times, in all places, in all things; and it is found only among those who are PURE IN HEART, IN BODY AND IN SPEECH…dIscernment IS AN UNCORRUPTED CONSCIENCE." And according to Evagrius (Philokalia p. 38), the three principal evil thoughts are GLUTTONY, VAINGLORY, AND AVARICE; these give rise to the other five: LUST, DESPONDENCY, PRIDE DEJECTION AND ANGER."

Saint John Climacus taught that "amid all our efforts to please God, three pitfalls lie, prepared for us by demons. First is their attempt to impede any sort of worthwhile achievement; and if this fails, they strive secondly to ensure that what we do should not be in accordance with the will of God. And if the scoundrels fail in this too, then they stand quietly before our souls and praise us for the fact that in every respect we are living as God would wish. We should fight these risks, the first by zeal and fear of death, the second by obedience and self-abasement, the third by unceasing self-condemnation. "This work is ahead of us until the fire of God shall enter our sanctuary" (cf. Psalm 72:16-17), and then indeed the power of our predispositions will no longer constrain us. For our God is a fire consuming all lusts, all stirrings of passion, all predispositions, and all hardness of heart, both within and without, both visible and spiritual."

"Demons, on the other hand, bring about the very opposite to all this. Grabbing a soul, they put out the light of the mind until in our wretchedness we find ourselves lacking sobriety or discernment, self-knowledge or shame; and we are burdened instead with indifference, insensitivity, want of discernment, and blindness."

"Those who have been humbled by their passions should take heart. Even if they tumble into every pit, even if they are trapped by every snare, even if they suffer every disease, still after their return to health they become a light to all, they prove to be doctors, beacons, pilots. They teach us the characteristics of every malady and out of their own experience they can rescue those about to lapse." (St. John Climacus)

We understand that true discernment cannot exist without humility and a pure heart; it is A GIFT FROM GOD rather than just intellectual, and analytical ability. One cannot make any practical application without discernment which helps believers navigate daily life, from managing emotions to making ethical decisions, using the Holy Scripture and the teaching of the Holy Fathers of the Church as our ultimate guide.

To underestimate the power of the demonic forces which attack us daily is extremely dangerous. Constant vigilance is required by everyone who is willing to engage them and to defeat them. We, as Orthodox Christians, need only to read the life of Saint Anthony the Great and what he endured and how he suffered by these demonic vicious forces. Even our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ confronted the devil and fought against his temptations and allurements. "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If Thou are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.’ But He answered and said, ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hand they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’" Jesus said to him, ‘It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.’ Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve."
Then the devil left Him, and behold Angels came ministered to Him" (Matthew 4:1-11).

How can any Christian doubt the existence of the devil and evil and demonic powers after the above account? It is very clear that not only the devil or Satan exists but that he also knows the Holy Scripture and is willing to give his own interpretation of them to tempt our Savior. Evil is real and seeks man’s destruction as he attempts to destroy the Son of God. It is somewhat baffling to me that there is hardly any mention of the devil and demonic forces and spiritual warfare by Christians today. It is as though Christians doubt his existence although we witness all the evil all around us. Today evil reigns unhindered and it seems that Christians have lost the gift of discernment to distinguish between what is of God and what is of the evil one. Do people know what is good and what is evil any longer?

Mankind has given the devil rights and privileges to do as he pleases in the world. The "wilderness" is a battleground, a picture of the world, at once the abode of demons and a source of divine tranquility and contemplation. Saint Paisios the Athonite aimed to portray the devil not as a majestic or terrifying cosmic force equal to God, but as a weak, insignificant, and "annoying" deceiver who has already been defeated by our Lord Christ. The term tagalaki (Greek ταγκαλάκι) is a colloquial, somewhat dismissive or mocking name used for the devil or demons and is used in Orthodox spirituality to remind believers NOT to fear the devil, but to treat him with contempt, as he is merely a tempter who can be overcomed through prayer and spiritual struggle (askesis). The Greek word for devil (diavolos) means the divider and he who distorts the truth or reality.

The evil one can only tempt but does not have power to force or to compel the believer to sin. Jesus fasted and prayed for forty days and nights in the wilderness and defeated the devil. He, therefore, gave us an example of our own power and our limitations. The hunger of His flesh does not control Him; rather, He controls His flesh. Jesus’ fasting "forty days" is the foundation of the Orthodox Church’s forty-dau Lenten observance before Holy Week (and also of the fast before the Holy Nativity and Epiphany holy feasts). It is a spiritual preparation for the Passion and Resurrection of Christ. By rejecting the first temptation, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ rejects a kingdom based on materialism, earthly well-being, the "bread which perishes". He teaches us not to love ease and comfort, to willingly accept the struggle necessary of purity from evil. While Adam and Eve disregarded the Divine word given them, subordinating their souls to the passions of the body (Genesis 3), the New Adam, Christ, conquers all temptations, the He might give our nature power to conquer the Adversary.

A symptom of today’s lack of agape for one’s fellow man is uncontained and uncontrollable anger. Anger is a destructive vice which leads to hatred and malice. Jesus Himself said: "But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment…Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First, be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift" (Matthew 5:22-24). Jesus forbids sinful anger (see Psalm 4:4) and Ephesians 4:26 for anger, or righteous indignation, that is not sinful), identifying such anger with "murder." Our Lord taught us always to be peaceful, forgiving, and loving. He says, "do not let the sun go down on your wrath" (Ephesians 4:26). All Christians know that when He was crucified Jesus said: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34), a remarkable prayer, showing the boundless mercy of the crucified Jesus.

Every Orthodox Christian and all Christians alike, must always follow the example of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ. Christians must always be instruments of peace and reconciliation. Our world has suffered for centuries from evil, hatred, anger, wars and death but tragically does not learn from past experiences. If the world would implement the Divine Teachings and perfect example of Christ this world would be paradise indeed.

_____
"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.

Life is a Gift of God
["I urge you in the sight of God Who