My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND SHALL ALWAYS BE.
Using the Sacred Hymns in the Orthodox Church to Glorify the Almighty God
and as a Theological Teaching Tool.
"Let our mouths be filled with Thy praise, O Lord,
that we may sing of Thy glory; for Thou hast made
us worthy, to partake of Thy holy, divine, immortal,
and life-creating Mysteries. Keep us in Thy Holiness,
that all day we may meditate upon Thy Righteousness.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!"
"Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death
by death, and upon those in the tomb bestowing life."
The Hymn to the Theotokos
"It is truly meet to bless you, O Theotokos, Ever-Blessed
and Most Pure, and the Mother of our God. More honorable
than the Cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare
than the Seraphim: without defilement you gave birth to
God the Logos/Word: true Theotokos, we magnify you."
"We praise Thee, We bless Thee, We give thanks unto Thee,
O Lord. And we pray unto Thee, O our God."
"Thou hast Ascended in glory, O Christ our God, granting joy
to Thy Disciples by the promise of the Holy Spirit. Through the
blessing they were assured that Thou art the Son of God, the
Redeemer of the world!"
"Thy Nativity, O Christ our God, has shone to the world the
Light of Wisdom! For by it, those who worshipped the stars,
were taught by a star to adore Thee, the Sun of Righteousness,
and to know Thee, the Orient from on High, O Lord, glory to
thee!"
One of the great holy Fathers of the Church Saint Gregory Palamas speaking on the significance of the hymns in Church services says, "Whoever attunes himself and studies the meaning of Sacred songs from the beginning to end will find himself approaching God." In the New Testament, Acts 16:25, says, "But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them." Although beaten and imprisoned, the holy Apostles were "praying and singing." Also in his epistle to the Ephesians, Saint Paul writes, "speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God" [Ephesians 5:19-21]. At the Birth of our Savior Jesus Christ Saint Luke the Evangelist writes: "And suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the Heavenly Host praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" [Luke 2:13-14]. In the Book of Revelation 4:8-9, Saint John writes: "The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within, And they do not rest day and night, saying: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was, is, and is to come!" Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him Who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever.." This suggests the essence of their ceaseless activity: to praise God (the very liturgy which the whole cosmos is called to make) and praying without ceasing. Their hymn," Holy, holy, holy" like that of Isaiah’s Seraphim (Isaiah 6:3) praises God Who is Lord of history and fills heaven and earth with His glory.
Prophet Isaiah’s Doxology was part of synagogue worship and was incorporated into the worship of the Church (1 Clement 34:6-7). Another form of his hymn, the Trisagion [Hoy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal], have mercy on us!"] reverberates through the Divine Liturgy of the Orthodox Church. The Eucharistic Prayer of the Divine Liturgies of Saint John Chyrsostom, Saint Basil the Great, Saint James the Apostle refers to the perpetual thrice-holy hymn of the "cherubim and the seraphim," thus blending the visions of Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Saint John, and underscoring the Divine Liturgy on earth IS ONE WITH THE HEAVENLY LITURGY OF HIS ANGELS AND GLORIFIED SAINTS.
In Revelation 4:10 the elders participate in the heavenly worship through the physical acts OF PROSTRATION [falling down; seek 1 Kings 11:16] and casting down their crowns. Prostrations ( Gk, Metanoies),a significant feature of historic Christian worship, is based on Holy Scripture and signifies profound humility before God. The Old Testament has an abundance of hymns, psalms and songs. An example is "The Song of Moses” [Exodos 15:1-21], when the Almighty God parted the Red Sea and Moses along with the Israelites crossed over safely offered a song of thanksgiving
to God, saying: "Let us sing to the Lord, for He is greatly glorified. Horse and rider He has shown into the sea. The Lord became my helper and the shield of my salvation, He is my God, and I will glorify Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him…" In Genesis 4:21, Jubal was the one who invented musical instruments such as ".psaltery and harp". However, the period of Samuel, David, and Solomon was considered the golden age of Hebrew music. [Exodos 15:1-2]. Elements of the Hebrew liturgical tradition at the Temple continued in the Christian tradition.
Orthodoxy has a wealth of musical tradition which surpasses all others. What we have inherited is derived from the Byzantine era. There are many holy Fathers of the Church i.e., Saint Ierotheos, Saint Ignatios and Saint Dionnysios the Areopagite and others who composed music and form the hymnology of the Church around the 3rd century. Others followed around the 6th century such as Romanos the Melodos. Following the fall of Constantinople in 1453 A.D. The hymnology of the Church began to improve greatly and it is basically the Byzantine Ecclesiastical music that we enjoy in our churches today. Instrumental music was not permitted in the Orthodox Church for the Holy Fathers and Church Synods felt that musical instruments would give a worldly character to the worship.
According to the Russian Primary Chronicle (a work of history compiled in Kiev in the 12th century), the envoys of the Kievan Prince Vladimir, who visited Hagia Sophia Cathedral in 987 A.D. reported: "We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth, for surely there is no such splendor or beauty anywhere upon earth." After investigating the Jews, Muslims and the Germans with disappointment, the Russian envoys visited Hagia Sofia and after witnessing the Orthodox mystical and beautiful worship they said: "we are at a loss to describe it. We only know that God dwells there among men, and their service is fairer than the ceremonies of other nations."
Orthodox Ecclesiastical music was also used as an instrument of educating the faithful and teaching them the pure and unadulterated faith. Orthodox Christian needed to be protected also from the many heresies spread by those who had fallen away from the True Faith. Much of our Orthodox Theology is contained in the hymns and iconography of the Church. Both music and iconography have been utilized to maintain Orthodoxy. Therefore these two sacred tools are more than methods or art to enhance the beauty of worship and the interior of the place of worship.
From time immemorial man has had an innate need to worship His Creator and God. However, not all kinds of worship are accepted by Him as in the case of two brothers Cain and Abel. God accepted Abel and his gifts, because Abel had a good heart. He discerned through faith the Lord’s coming incarnation and His sacrifice as a lamb for the salvation of the world [Matthew 23:35; Luke 11:51; Hebrews !!:4; 12:24). The Lord rejected Cain and his gifts. Why? The inward state of his heart was not right with God. But He reproved him for not having a right heart and was filled with turbulence because of the passions. Cain refused to deal with his passions through repentance.
Our Lord God Jesus Christ says clearly, "But the hour is coming, and now is, when THE TRUE WORSHIPERS WILL WORSHIP THE FATHER IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH; FOR THE FATHER IS SEEKING SUCH TO WORSHIP HIM. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" [John 4:23-24]. Our Merciful Savior teaches that worship is not tied to any specific geographical place. There is no place that God cannot be worshipped in. Our God and Creator is worshipped not only by words but by our deeds. "See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. Rejoice always,pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" [1 Thessalonians 5:15-18]. The Holy Fathers of the Church teach that unceasing prayer is a proper goal, for spiritual growth comes through such discipline. For centuries, Orthodox Christians have used the "Jesus Prayer" as a way to pray unceasingly from the heart: "O LORD JESUS CHRIST, SON OF GOD, HAVE MERCY ON ME A SINNER."
In Orthodoxy worship is an experience which involves the entire Ecclesia (Church). When each of us gathers together for Worship, we do so as members of a Church which transcends the boundaries of society, of time and of space. Although we gather at a specific moment and at a specific place,our actions reach beyond the local parish, into the very Kingdom of God. We worship in the company of both the living and the departed faithful.
There are two dimensions to Orthodox Worship which are reflected throughout the many divine Services of the Church. First, Worship is a manifestation of God’s PRESENCE and action in the midst of His people. It is God Who gathers His scattered people together, and it is He Who reveals.. Himself as we enter into His presence. The Worship of the Orthodox Church very vividly expresses the Truth that God dwells among His people and that we are created to share in His Life.
Second, Worship is our corporate response of thanksgiving [Efcharistia] to the presence of God and a remembrance of His SAVING ACTIONS–ESPECIALLY THE LIFE, DEATH, AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST. Orthodox Worship IS CENTERED UPON GOD. He has acted in history, and He continues to act through the Holy Spirit. We are mindful of His actions and we respond to His agape (love) WITH PRAISE, AND THANKSGIVING, IN SO DOING E COME CLOSER TO GOD. The Eucharist [Efcharistia], which is the most important experience of the Orthodox Faith. Eucharist means THANKSGIVING and is known in the Orthodox Church as the Divine Liturgy. When receiving Holy Communion at the Divine Liturgy, the Orthodox Christian becomes one with Christ and with one another. Through Holy Communion the Orthodox Christian attains the ultimate goal of his/her spiritual quest, to be united to God. Upon receiving Holy Communion the Orthodox Christian receives forgiveness of sins and life eternal.
____________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +
With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
ON FASTING
By Saint Seraphim of Sarov
As we continue our divine journey to the Holy Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we, as Orthodox Christians, prepare for that Glorious Day through prayer, fasting, and repentance. Just as a housewife prepares her home for the arrival of her special guest by cleaning her house, removing all dirt that was brought in from outside, dusting, and removing all spiderwebs from the various corners; the faithful Orthodox Christian cleanses his heart from impurities, sinful thoughts, acts, passions, pride, ego, and all spiritual pollution, in order to receive in his/her heart the Ultimate and Most Divine Master, God, and Savior Jesus Christ. It is, therefore, necessary that the believer understands that he or she cannot do it by themselves, that they need the guidance of the Holy Church and their spiritual father.
Saint Seraphim explains the proper spirit of true fasting. He writes: “Fasting consists NOT ONLY in eating rarely, but also in eating little; and not in eating once a day, but also in not eating very much. Unreasonable is the faster who waits for a given hour, and at the hour of TRAPEZA gives himself over to insatiable eating. In both body and mind, our reasoning mind should watch that it not choose between tasty repasts and those that are not tasty. That is what animals do, but it is not praiseworthy in a rational human. We refuse pleasant foods in order to humble the warring members of the flesh and give freedom to the actions of the spirit. A true fast CONSISTS NOT ONLY IN EXHAUSTING THE FLESH, BUT ALSO IN GIVING AWAY TO THE HUNGRY THAT PIECE OF BREAD YOU WOULD HAVE LIKED TO EAT. “BLESSED ARE THE HUNGRY FOR THEY SHALL BE FILLED” (Matthew 5:6).
Our Teacher of asceticism and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, before beginning the podvig (“spiritual struggle”) or work of Redeeming mankind, strengthened Himself with a prolonged fast. And all laborers in asceticism, before beginning to work for the Lord, armed themselves with fasting and never stepped upon the way of the Cross without the work of fasting. They measured their successes in ASCETICISM by THEIR SUCCESS IN FASTING.
Holy people did not begin a strict fast suddenly, they GRADUALLY, LITTLE-BY-LITTLE made themselves capable of being satisfied with the poorest foods. In accustoming his disciple Dositheos to fasting, Saint Dorotheos gradually took his food away from him in small portions, so that from four pounds his daily intake decreased finally to eight lots [3.6 oz] of bread. Moreover, those holy fathers were amazingly foreign to feebleness, but were always strong, and ready for work. They rarely got sick, and their lives lasted extremely long. To the measure that the faster’s flesh becomes subtle and light, spiritual life reaches perfection and reveals its works in an as if bodiless body. The outward senses simply close off, and the mind, which has renounced the world, is exalted to heaven and is entirely immersed IN CONTEMPLATION OF THE SPIRITUAL WORLD.
However, not all can place a strict rule of abstinence in all things on themselves, or deprive themselves of everything that might serve to ease infirmities. “HE THAT IS ABLE TO RECEIVE IT, LET HIM RECEIVE IT” (Matthew 19:12). Only those foods should be taken each day so that by gathering strength, the body would become the friends and helper to the soul in perfect virtue. Otherwise it can happen that with an exhausted body, the spirit becomes weak. On Fridays and Wednesdays, especially in the four Fasts, according the example of the fathers, take food only once a day–and an Angel of the Lord will cleave to you.
We should ceaselessly guard our hearts from indecent thoughts and impressions, according to the words of the Proverbs: “KEEP THY HEART WITH ALL DILIGENCE; FOR OUT OF IT ARE THE ISSUES OF LIFE” {Proverbs 4:21). From the diligent guarding of the heart, purity is born in it, which makes it possible to see the Lord, as Eternal Truth assures us: “BLESSED ARE THE PURE OF HEART, FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD” {Matthew 5:8). We should NOT bring out what is best in the heart to the surface, for what has been gathered remains safe from seen and unseen enemies only when it is guarded like a treasure in the depths of the heart. DO NOT REVEAL THE SECRETS OF YOUR HEART TO EVERYONE.” [Orthodox Heritage]
As one can understand that true fasting can only be accomplished when the believer works in cooperation with the Holy Spirit, “the Comforter and Giver of Life.” Whether we fast, pray, repent, and continue daily our spiritual struggle, we ought to understand it is not simply to prepare for a specific purpose here on earth but every Christian understands it to be a preparation for the life to come, eternal life. We know that our earthly life will eventually end, and that our days are numbered. As Christians we look forward to that day when we shall be with the Lord forever. The Orthodox person lives as if today is the last day of his life on earth and every Orthodox Priest as though it is his last Liturgy on earth.
All spiritual struggle is a form of repentance of turning around and getting back unto the correct path. The path that leads to our Lord Christ and salvation. The Christian life in this fallen world is a continuous struggle. If we are NOT struggling it means that we have surrendered to this fallen world, that we have been defeated. It means that we have lost faith in God and His Divine promise of Eternal Life and His Heavenly Kingdom. This is exactly our enemy the devil wants us to do. Are we to listen to him, our great adversary, or to listen to our Savior Who paid the price on the Cross for us, to save us, and Whose love for us is unconditional? Wake up and take charge of your God-given life and follow faithfully our Merciful Lord and Savior. Don’t be misled by the evil one, and be trapped by his wicked snares. Be alert and vigilant and trust in God for He is Good!
____________
“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.
Saint Iakovos, the Glorious Great-Martyr of Christ, was from Persia. He lived during the years of Emperors Arkadios in the East (383-408 A.D.) and Honorios in the West (395-423 A.D.), the sons of the great Theodosios (379-395 A.D.). He abided in Veethlavan of Persia, situated in the land of Elouzeesion. Then, Isdigerdis (399-425 A.D.) and Bahram V, his son, ruled over the Persians. They were cruel and pitiless men. They forced the Christians, whomever they found, to worship, as they did, the senseless idols.
Now Iakovos was a lord of merit, notable, and of good service to the nation. He was honored and beloved by all, as he was wealthy, knowledgeable, and virtuous. He therefore was first in the palace, and the king exceedingly loved him. He bestowed on him great importance and abundant gifts. So much did Isdigerdis and his son Bahram love Iakovos that they did not wish to be separated even one hour from him. They displayed such favor that they had him as a brother, for he was well-mannered and his family prominent. This came about so that they could cunningly lure him to impiety; for Iakovos was a Christian from childhood, just as his parents and wife were pious and faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, these villains tried hard to estrange him with gifts and gratuities. They elected to be good natured and discreet, and to persuade him with benefits and flatteries rather than with threats and torments. However, this marvellous Iakovos, who resisted at first, was defeated by the many generous favors of the ruler and–alas!-was captured. He denied the Most Sweet Christ and worshipped the demons, and became one in spirit with the king.
It was circulated around the land that Iakovos had denied Christ. This news came into the ears of his mother and spouse, who were wounded in their hearts upon hearing these unexpected words. Since they were not present to censure the words uttered by his tongue, they sent him a letter, saying thus: "It was not proper to thy nobility to exchange falsehood for the truth, to defraud the Faith for the honor of men and temporary rewards, which pass by as a dream and disperse like smoke, and to love the perishable and temporary kingdom, and abandon immortality and eternity…we pray to the true God not to desert thee, as He is compassionate, but to receive thy return…the Master Whom thou has denied will receive thee with open arms and rejoicing. If thou shouldest disdain our advice and tears, when thou shalt reach the divine trial, thou shalt be punished in torments endlessly, and thy weeping shall be in vain."
Upon reading the letter from his mother and wife, Iakovos, cried bitterly and repented from his heart of the former things and beat his breast, lamenting and crying before the Master to forgive the iniquity, as He is compassionate. In imitation of Manasseh and Saint Peter’s repentance, he studied the Holy Scripture and recalled the bitter punishments. Certain idolaters learned the reason for his disquiet and they reported him to the king, whose heart was wounded on hearing such things. Infuriated, he summoned Iakovos for questioning and inquired if he were a Nazarene. Iakovos answered boldly and eagerly, "Yes, I am a slave of my Lord Jesus Christ." The king’s rage grew, but he remembered their previous friendship, so he did not make a display or an outburst of anger. He tested Iakovos with flattery and by promising gifts, but at other times, he threatened hideous punishments and tortures, to see, perchance, if he would waver. But the cowardly king was not effective, because the Saint now thirsted for Martyrdom.
The blessed Iakovos, in order to cause the tyrant to slay him quickly. The king realized it was impossible to pervert him. Therefore, he took counsel with a certain senator, who recommended such severity that upon hearing it, the king shuddered. But our true Martyr did not shrink back upon hearing such a sentence, rather, he hastened to the stadium with excessive joy and eagerness. The executioners tied the hands and feet of the Martyr. Afterward, they placed his right arm on the anvil, saying to him, "Behold what will happen to thee for thy disobedience. We have been instructed to cut off thy members one by one: thy fingers, hands, feet, ankles, knees, and finally thy head. Therefore, come to reason before thou dost taste these horrors… The Saint answered them, "Weep not for me, O wretched ones, but lament for yourselves and your children, as you will go to everlasting damnation with your gods…I though, for one day’s pain, shall inherit the Kingdom of my Lord Jesus Christ and, also, indescribable joy and everlasting bliss." After saying these things, he noticed that the executioners were readying their tools to cut off his limbs. Consequently, he asked for time that he might offer up prayers to the Lord. He then prayed that God might strengthen and assist him to complete the contest and receive the crown of Martyrdom.
They then began the martyrdom of the holy Iakovos. The executioners first cut off his thumb, Then, they severed the fingers of his left hand, one by one; and he was grateful at the cutting of each, saying an appropriate praise and hymn. Then they proceeded to cut off the toes of his feet, one by one, in order to subject him to even more pain. The torture continued as they cut off the thighs of the martyr and finally they cut off his honorable head, and thus, he acheived all those indescribable blessings: "Eye hath not seen, and ear hath not heard, and neirther hath it entered into the heart of man the things which God prepared for those who love Him" [1 Corinthians 2:9).
The blessed Iakovos received his Martyrdom in Babylon, on Friday the 27th of November afterward, certain Christians, beloved of God, approached the guards and offered them money in order to permit them to take part of his holy relics but were refused. However, they hid nearby and waited until it was dark to procure at least a part of the relics. The pious Christians crept forward quietly and carried away the precious holy relics of the Martyr. They buried them devoutly and with honor, as an everlasting memorial and remembrance to the glory and praise of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom is the honor, hymns, and worship, with the Father and the All-Holy and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Please note: Great and historical Babylon, a city of Mesopotamia, lay south of modern Baghdad, which is the capital of Iraq. In the days of Saint Iakovos ite was taken by the Persians. [Source: The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church]
____________
"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 BEAUTY OF VIRGINITY
By Saint Stephan of Fileika
The Loftiness of Virginity
It is known that "the flesh lusteth against the Spirit" [Galatians 5:17]; but when the lust of the flesh is mortified, then, the spirit is pacified, and peace of established in the heart. The satisfaction of evil lust darkens the mind, hardens the heart, plunges the soul into despair, and makes a man crass and senseless. The fulfillment of lusts is the beginning of sorrows, afflictions, and sighs, from here flows the source of that evil in which the entire world lies. (cf 1 John 5:19]. Therefore, blessed is he who loves the virginal life: He will see the blessings of the Lord on Earth, and in this vale of tears he will find grace from God.
Virginity serves as a blessing for virgins, delivering them from the need to be subordinate to a husband and to bring forth children in pain. [cf. Genesis 3:16]. The Apostle Paul advises whoever seeks the ascetic life to preserve his virginity, as the best barrier from the evils of this world: "I would have you be without cares… For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that" [1 Corinthians 7:32, 7].
The Lord does not drive anyone away from Himself by presenting virginity as a high gift not obtainable for all, but rather thereby attracts lovers of Divine gifts to Him all the more. Unblemished virginity is nothing other than the Angelic state, according to the Lord: "The children of this world merr, and are given in marriage. But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor given in marriage. Neither can they die any more for they are equal unto the Angels" [Luke 20:34-36].
Virgins begin already here to be what the righteous will be in the Kingdom of Christ. They have many advantages over those who enter into marriage: They are free from worldly cares; they can always be about the one thing needful [cf. Luek 10:42]. Because their hearts have nothing to enjoy on Earth, they begin to love God more and to desire Heavenly blessings more fervently. Just as Angels, who mighty in power, easily fulfill the will of the Lord, so virgins, endowed with spiritual strength, do not fear the labors of the spiritual life, sorrows, or deprevations. Therefore, Saint John Chrysostom says: "Virginity can plant a good root in us from which grows all the blessings: FREEDOM, COURAGE, ARDENT ZEAL, FIERY LOVE FOR Heavenly things, and contempt for all things earthly."
Virginity in this life also distinguishes those who love it form all others in body and soul: Virginal purity is manifested in them both by the quietness of their gazes and the modesty of their words; and a feeling of virginal modesty is manifested in all their eternal conduct. Whoever preserves his virginity intact, has a face that becomes fairer and a voice more pleasant.
True Preservation of Virginity
"Blessed are the blameless in the way who walk in the law of the Lord… For they that work iniquity have not walked in His ways" [Psalm 118:1, 3]. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (Romans 8:1)–they do not fulfill carnal lusts, but keep in their hearts the words of the Lord, which are spirit and life" (cf. John 6:63). Those who live according to the spirit contemplate spiritual things and thereby mortify carnal desires–they become vigilant in spirit, fearless, fully trusting in the Lord…"If anyone keeps his body from fornication, says Saint Macarios the Great, "but commits fornication mentally" (by the desire of his heart), "he receives no benefit (from his external virginity). And Saint Efthymios the Great, pointing to such a one, sasys: "He is a fornicator, and the devil possesses him." According to Saint John Chrysostom, "It is not celibacy alone that makes a virgin, but purity of heart, separation from women, and abiding in divine contemplation."
The lust of the flesh is very seductive: It easily snares the unwary and makes the soul a prisoner of the devil. According to the word of the Lord, "whosoever looketh a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart" [Matthew 5:28]. That means you can defile yourself without touching anyone, through the eyes ("the lust of the eyes"), through the imagination and the desires of the heart. A man is already defiled once thoughts of fornication enter the heart, (cf. Matthew 15:19-20). Therefore, Holy Scripture says, more than anything, "Keep thy heart with all diligence" (Proverbs 4:23)…Of all the external senses, sight serves as the most convenient conduit for temptations, and therefore, it must be especially preserved for the purity of virginity. The lust of the eyes, observing tempting things, easily and quickly unites them with the lust of the flesh and the "hidden man of the heart" (1 Peter 3:4), regardless of time or place, and fornicates with anyone it wants.
The Battle of Spirit and Flesh
Let us try to find a way to deliver ourselves from the captivity of sin, to overcome the evil lust hiding within us. Who has not noticed within himself the struggle of the spirit with the flesh, the enmity between good and evil? And who does not sigh under the yoke that the Lord has imposed on all the sons of Adam? The Apostle Paul says: "But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? {Romans 7:23-24]–from the law of the flesh, which injures and causes death to the soul? The soul is struck and confounded by the lawless gratification of excessive carnal desires, negligence, and complete cooling towards virtue. From this comes the continual forgetfulness of God, which is the death of the soul, its languor and sorrow–first temporary, the Eternal. Whoever wants to avoid this death should learn as much as possible about the law of the Lord and callon His help. The revelation of the Lord is A SPIRITUAL LIGHT THAT ENLIGHTENS THE MIND AND BRINGS THE SOUL OUT OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH (cf. Matthew 4:16]; and the remembrance of the Lord IS THE LIFE OF THE SOUL, OR, WHAT’S THE SAME, UNCEASING JOY IN THE LORD.
Hope in God’s Help and the Destruction of Pride
Nothing makes the soul so weak and negligent in the work of salvation as self-love and self-will–the forbears and feeders of carnal passions; therefore, you must reject them and force yourself to do good. Labor and humility are necessary for those who want to be free from the captivity of sin…God restores a contrite heart in hope and raises one who is conscious of the poverty and watchfulness of his soul from the festering passions; therefore, you must not despair when you see yourself in spiritual misery, dying from sinful wounds. Or as Saint Philaret, the Metropolitan of Moscow says, "Use the feeling of weakness NOT unto despair, but to reject in yourself and hope in God by prayerfully entreating His help." For the Lord always shows His saving power in our impotence and weakness. "My strength," He says, "is made perfect in weakness" [2 Corinthians 12:9].
Refraining from Evil
An excellent means of adhering to virginity is to point to the vice of sensuality, committed in various ways–not only by copulation with the flesh of another, but also without it. It is not only the soul of such a wicked man that perishes, but his body is also deprived of vigor and strength; he loses his memory and good sense–even his vision and hearing are damaged by such actions, which are an abomination before God and man. Nothing so delights the God-deying spirit as this most painful and grave sin for the soul. And the Spirit of God does not depart from anyone so much as from a fornicator and indulger in self-pleasure.
CONCLUSION
We must know that without God’s grace, no one can preserve the purity of virginity; and it is not given to the negligent: We have to have fervent love for studying God’s wisdom, for eating and drinking in moderation, and for placing labors of vigil and prayer upon the body. Without this, there will inevitably be a battle with the lust of the flesh, being overcome by and falling into sinful impurity. The Saints observed that for pride and the condemnation of others, man is allowed to suffer an attack from a thorn in the flesh; and that for the preservation of purity, frequent Confession and Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ are very useful. [Source: Orthodox Heritage]
___________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysotomos
+ + +
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 Entrance of the Ever-Virgin Mary and Mother of God [Theotokos]. [Part II]
Kathisma I.
The feeder of Life, now an infant in body, the offspring of
the just Ioachim and Anna, is offered to God today in the
Holy Sanctuary. She was blessed therein by the priest
Zacharias. Therefore let us all, with faith, proclaim she is
blessed, for she is the Mother of the Lord.
Kathisma II.
CONSECRATED unto God were you before you were conceived;
being born on earth, to Him you now are offered as a gift, O pure
one, filling the promise made by your parents. In purity returned
unto the Temple divine from infancy with lamps brightly shining,
in truth you were a temple divine and a vessel of the Divine
Unapproachable Light. How truly great is your sacred entrance,
O only Ever-Virgin Bide of God. [Orthros [Matins]
+
The Ever-Virgin Receives Bread from the Archangel
Saint George writes that the Angels were astonished to see the Virgin
enter the Holy of Holies, as we hear in the Festal hymn: "Beholding the
entry of the All-Pure One, the Angels were struck with amazement, seeing
how the Virgin entered into the Holy of Holies. Saint Andrew of Crete
writes that Mary, the "Holy of Holies," is placed as an infant in the Holy
Sanctuary, to be reared by the hands of an Angel. In the hymns, we learn
that the Angel is the Archangel Gabriel. "And Gabriel was then sent to thee,
O Virgin All-Undefiled, to bring thee food. All the powers of heaven stood
amazed, seeing the Holy Spirit dwell in thee."
The manifold wisdom of God, according to the Eternal purpose which the Father purposed in Christ Jesus [Ephesians 3:10-11], had been HID IN GOD. The Principalities and Powers in heavenly places knew it only in part. It was by and through the Church that all came to know the Mystery which, from the beginning of the world, had been hid in God [Ephesians 3:9-10]. It is the secret preparation of THE HUMANITY OF CHRIST. In the Temple at Jerusalem, the elect Virgin would prepare herself for her future role as the "TEMPLE," of His body–A BODY THAT WOULD BE DESTROYED, BUT THAT HE WOULD RAISE UP IN THREE DAYS [John 2:19]; and, then, with that same body, He would be received up into the heavens and sit at the Right hand of God [Matthew 16:19].
Moreover, she did not venture to leave the place, but remained therein and conversed with the Angels. Her attitude is described by the hymnographer thus: "O Venerable Holy of Holies, thou dost love to dwell in the Holy Temple, and thou abidest, O Virgin, in converse with Angles, receiving bread most marvellously from heaven, O thou who dost sustain our life." Saint Germanos of Constantinople (635-733 A.D.), in a sermon, presents a rich eulogy of Mary: "Fed by Angels…the child grew and became strong; and the whole force of the curse by which we were struck in Eden was foiled."
The Virgin Growing Up in the Temple
Saint John Maximovitch (1896-1966 A.D.) writes that Mary was settled in the quarters for virgins which existed in the Temple. She spend so much time in prayer in the Holy of Holies that one might say that she lived in it. She desired to fulfill the Commandment of God, "Ye shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am Holy [Leviticus 19:2].
Thus, she became more and more perfect in the work of god. Far from the turmoil of everyday life, the All-Holy One meditated and nourished her soul on Scripture day and night. She ate once daily and occupied herself with prayer and wool work. When the older virgins rested from the praises of God, she did not rest. None exceeded her in the praises and vigils of God, and no one was more learned in the wisdom of the Law of God. No one was more lowly in humility, more elegant in singing, and more perfect in all virtue.
Saint Ambrose comments, in Concerning the Ever-virginity of the Virgin Mary, that she was adorned with all virtue and manifested an example of an extraordinarily pure life. Being submissive and obedient to all, she offended no one and was cordial to all. She never spoke a crude word and did not allow any unclean thought. Mary blessed God without interruption and, lest perchance even in greeting others she should cease from her praises to the Lord, she even answered the, praising God, in her salutation, by saying: "Thanks be to God" or "Glory be to God." (From the Virgin began the custom of using this expression when people greet one another.)
The sojourn of the Virgin Mary in the Temple is described by Saint Gregory Palamas in terms that make Mary the MODEL OF HESYCHASTIC LIFE. Extolling CONSTANT PRAYER, the Saint indicates that the Virgin was THE FIRST TO TAKE IT UPON HERSELF TO PRAY UNCEASINGLY. According to Saint Gregory, her ASCETICISM therein did not lead her to come to an understanding of the grace received from the time of her conception, but to learn more of the nature of the sins of Adam. It was there that she perceived and recognized that "no one could halt the murderous rush which was bearing away the human race."
Thus she was filled with pity for people who were brought to ruin and condemnation through disobedience. Therefore, she resolved to have her heart, mind, and soul dwell on God, and endeavored to remain attentive and struggle in prayer. She would pray for the human race and God’s great mercy. She understood the most excellent way to converse with God was THROUGH SILENCE AND SILENCE OF THE MIND. Hence, she withdrew from the world and put away ALL EARTHLY THINGS. Through this, by God’s grace, she ascended to contemplation of Him. Thus, the Virgin PIONEERED A NEW PATH TO GOD, BY THE PATH OF SILENCING THE THOUGHTS. Abiding in prayer day and night, and maintaining silence, she cleansed her heart and was inexpressibly united with Him. Rising above all creation and creatures, the All-Holy Virgin contemplated God’s Glory more fully than did Moses, and communed of Divine grace in such a way that defies words and even reason. She became a FIERY CHARIOT OF THE LOGOS/WORD. There, in the Holy of Holies, through prayer of the heart, SHE ASCENDED TO THE SUMMIT OF CONTEMPLATION. RENOUNCING THE WORLD FOR THE WORLD’S SAKE, BY HOLY SILENCE, AND ATTENTIVE INNER PRAYER, SHE WOULD SERVE AS A MODEL FOR THOSE FUTURE MONASTICS OF HER Son and God.
As we mentioned earlier, the young Virgin Mary GAVE HERSELF UP ENTIRELY TO GOD AND REPULSED FROM HERSELF EVERY IMPULSE TO SIN, YET STILL SHE FELT THE WEAKNESS OF HUMAN NATURE MORE POWERFULLY THAN OTHERS. Therefore, she greatly desired the coming of the Savior.
Saint Joseph the Hymnographer writes, "The Holy Spirit wholly sanctified thee in the Temple; therefore thou hast become the fair spouse of the Father and Mother of the Son."
Through the intercessions of Thy Saints,
O Christ God, have mercy ons us. Amen.
[Source: The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church]
______________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +
With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
On the 21st of November, Our Holy Orthodox Church Commemorates
the Entrance [Presentation] of Our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos
and Ever-Virgin Mary.
Apolytikion (Dismissal) Hymn. Fourth Tone
TODAYis the prelude of God’s good will and the heralding of the
salvation of mankind. In the Temple of God, the Virgin is presented
openly, and she proclaimeth Christ unto all. To her, then, with a great
voice let us cry aloud: Rejoiceth, O thou fulfilment of the Creator’s
dispensation.
Kontakion Hymn. Fourth Tone
The sacred treasury of God’s holy glory, the greatly precious bridal
chamber and Virgin, the Savior’s Most Pure Temple, free of stain
and undefiled, into the House of the Lord on this day is brought
forward and bringeth with herself the grace of the Most Divine Spirit;
her do God’s Angels hymn with songs of praise, for she is truly
the Heavenly Tabernacle.
[ Please note: According to the Holy Tradition of the Orthodox Church,
the Theotokos was brought to the Temple at three years of age, where
she was CONSECRATED TO GOD and spent her days until she was
fourteen or fifteen years old; and then, as a mature maiden, by the
common counsel of the priests (since her parents had reposed some
three years before), she was betrothed to Joseph].
+
"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a New
Covenant with the House of Israel, and with the House of Judah [Jeremiah 38:31-
32], In the hymns at Vespers of the feast, we chant: "Thou, O Virgin Mother of
God, art She whom the Prophets proclaimed. Thou art the Glory of the Apostles
and the pride of Martyrs, the restoration of all who dwell on earth: for through thee
we are reconciled to God."
The Feast of the Entrance (Presentation) of the Ever-Virgin Mary into the Temple is not among the most ancient festivals of the Church. Nonetheless, it must have been instituted earlier than the 7th century, since Saint Andrew of Crete [660-740 A.D.] had known about it. Saint Tarasios (806 A.D.), the Patriarch, introduced it at Constantinople a century later. The festival blossomed forth from the Holy Tradition of the Church, which made use of the Apocryphal source, the Protoevangelion, in order to emphasize the fulfilment of the oeconomy of the Creator and the self-consecration of the chosen Virgin to a life in the service of God. The Church breaks the silence of the canonical Gospels that we may behold the incomprehensible ways of Providence which prepared Mary, the Receptacle of the Logos/Word and the Mother predetermined before the ages. She who was preached by the Prophets is now introduced into the Holy of Holies, like a hidden treasure of the Glory of God. God has sanctified all things by HER ENTRY AND HAS MADE GODLIKE THE FALLEN NATURE OF MORTAL MEN.
The Virgin Mary’s Parents, the Righteous Ioachim and Anna
The Righteous Ioachim and Anna, the Virgin’s parents, had been married fifty years when they produced their much-desired offspring. Moreover, the elderly couple fully intended to dedicate and consecrate their offspring, male or female, to the Temple and service of God. Thus, when the child reached two years of age, Joachim said to Anna. "Let us take her up to the Temple of the Lord, that we may pay the vow that we have made, lest the Lord should depart from us or, perchance, the Lord send us someone to warn us that we have been too long in paying our vow because our ‘offering’ has not yet been received." But Anna said, "Lent us wait for her THIRD YEAR, so that our daughter might not be at a loss to know her father, and also that she might not look for us." Therefore, Ioachim conceded and said, "So let us wait."
Much of both the poetic imagery and iconography of this feast, which are used liturgically, are derived from the following passage of the Protoevangelion: "When the child reached her third birthday, Ioachim said, "Let us invite the daughters of the Hebrews that are virgins. Let each maiden take a lamp and stand with the lamps burning, that the child might not turn back and then her mind would be set against the Temple of the Lord."
The Entrance into the Temple (Presentation)
Thus, her parents departed their home and went up to the Temple with an escort of young maidens. Upon arriving, they then put off Mary’s traveling clothes and arrayed her with garments that were neater and cleaner–indeed, clothes befitting a queen. Now there were fifteen ste119:ps at the Temple that led from the Court of the Women to that of the men. The significance of the number fifteen, to the Jews, was that it corresponded to the fifteen Psalms of Degrees [Psalm. 119-133]. The Temple had been built on a mountain, so that the Altar of burnt offering could not be reached except by steps. On one of these steps, they placed the little maiden Mary. Then the whole company ascended into the Temple of the Lord; the maidens bearing lamps and singing psalms. And Mary, without anyone leading her or lifting her, ascended the steps one after the other.
The Virgin’s father, Ioachim, was bright with joy and kept feast with Anna. Now, Anna, truly blessed by God’s grace, led with gladness, into the Temple of the Lord, the pure and Ever-Virgin who is full of grace. And Anna called the young maidens to go before her, lamps in hand. "Go, child," she said, "to Him Who gave thee unto me; be unto Hima an offering and a sweet smelling incense. Go into the place that none may enter: Learn its mysteries and prepare thyself to become the pleasing and beautiful dwelling place of Jesus Who grants the world great mercy."
Entering the Temple with virginal glory, she is compared to that area of the Temple known AS THE HOLY OF HOLIES. Thus, in hymns we can hear Saint Andrew of Crete chant, "Thy wise parents, O Undefiled one, brought thee, who art the ‘Holy of Holies,’ as an Offering to the House of the Lord, there to be reared in Holiness and made ready to become His Mother."
As the holy icon of the Feast depicts, the Righteous Ioachim and Anna, rejoicing in spirit, offered their daughter in the Temple of the Law that she might make her dwelling therein. "The virgins that follow after her shall be brought unto the King; those near her shall be brought unto Thee. They shall be brought with gladness and rejoicing, they shall be brought into the Temple of the King" [Psalm 44:14-15].
The Words of the Prophets are Fulfilled
The High Priest Zacharias, the husband of Anna’s niece Elisabeth, was the future father of Saint John the Baptist and Forenner. When he beheld the Virgin’s approach, he rejoiced in the Spirit, and said, "Mary, the Lord God has magnified thy name to all generations and, by thee, to the ve16:32-33]ry end of time, the Lord will show his Redemption to the children of Israel." The High Priest Zacharias UNITES IN HIS PERSON TWO TRADITIONS-PRIESTLY AND PROPHETIC. Rejoice, Mary, preaching of the Prophets and THE FULFILLMENT OF THEIR WORDS! The Prophets prophesied of thee and have thee as their boast.
Jacob foresaw thee as the "ladder" : "Behold A LADDER fixed on the earth whose top reached to heaven, and the Angels of God ascended and descended on it" [Genesis 28:12]. The golden urn of MANNA, that Moses gave command to be laid up so that future generations might see the bread with which the Hebrews were fed in the wilderness [Exodos 16:32-33], also Prefigured thee. The fleece of Gedeon Prefigured thee, for as rain came down upon the fleece, without anyone’s knowledge [Judges 6:37-38], thus does God desire to condescend to put on flesh of thee–and not even the Angels will understand how He would become INCARNATE. Let us, therefore, magnify the radiant cloud [Isaiah 19:1].
The Prophet David wrote: "He shall come down like rain upon a fleece, and like rain-drops that fall upon the earth" [Psalm 71:6]. The same Prophet and king called thee "Queen," and uttered: "At Thy Right hand stood the Queen, arrayed, in a vesture of inwoven gold, adorned in varied colors {Psalm 44:8]. David the Prophet, who is of thine own Tribe, clearly foresaw and uttered: "Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thine ear; and forget thine own people and thy father’s house, and the King shall greatly desire thy beauty" [Psalm 44:9-10].
The Temple at Jerusalem
In the words of Saint Gregory Palamas (1296-1359 A.D.): "The Temple of Jerusalem was the ‘TYPE’ of Mary, for she is the ‘True place of God." The Prophet Ezekiel was told, "Thou hast seen the place of My throne, and the place of the soles of My feet, in which My name shall dwell in the midst of the House of Israel forever" [Ezekiel 43:7].
The Virgin Enters the Holy of Holies
Then Zacharias, the Priest of God, received her into the Temple with rejoicing and established her there; that is, he then took Mary to the Vema. This she abode in the Holy of Holies for more than nine years, though some Apocryphal manuscripts record her say as being as long as twelve years. The Holy of Holies, was a place that none dared to enter, EXCEPT THE HIGH PRIEST–and then, only at his appointed time; and this happened but once a year.
The Holy of Holies was that place in the Temple, THE DWELLING PLACE OF GOD, in which God came into contact with man through the intermediary of the High Priest. Now God, Who will condescend to become man, foreordained the Holy Virgin to become the Supreme "Holy of Holies" through which He would come into PERMANENT CONTACT WITH MAN IN THE HOLY CHURCH, BECOMING Man Himself, Christ Jesus, the Great High Priest and INTERMEDIARY. As the Holy of Holies was filled with the glory of God’s presence–SO MUCH THAT THE PRIESTS COULD NOT BEAR THE GLORY OF IT–SO THE WOMB OF THE ALL-HOLY VIRGIN WAS TO BE FILLED WITH THE GLORY OF GOD’S PRESENCE. [Source: The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church]
(To be continued)
________________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +
With sincere agape in His 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.
“And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you
are worried and troubled about many things. But ONE THING
IS NEEDED, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will
not be taken away from her” [Luke 10:41-42].
Saint Theophylact writes, “Hospitality, which Martha displays, is a great virtue which ought not to be scorned; but it is even greater to give attention to spiritual words. By means of the first, the body is nourished; by means of the second, THE SOUL IS BROUGHT TO LIFE. The Lord says, “I have not come, Martha, to fill the belly with all sorts of foods, but instead I have come TO BRING BENEFIT TO SOULS. ” See the Lord’s way of thought: He did not say anything to Martha until she had first given Him a reason to rebuke her. Only she TRIED TO DRAW HER SISTER AWAY FROM LISTENING, did the Lord use the occasion to rebuke her. To practice hospitality is honorable, until that point is reached when IT CAUSES TURMOIL AND DRAWS US AWAY FROM THE THINGS THAT ARE MORE IMPORTANT. When hospitality begins to hinder us from doing the things that are more important, THEN LISTENING TO DIVINE WORDS IS PREFERABLE. To say it more precisely, it is not hospitality which the Lord forbids, but extravagance and upset, that is, DISTRACTIONS AND TURMOIL. Simple hospitality He praises, “Why, Martha,” He asks, “art thou full of cares and troubled about many things?” meaning, “Why are you distracted and disturbed? We need only to eat one kind of food, whatever is at hand, not a great variety.” But some have understood “one thing is needful” to refer, not to food, BUT TO THE IMPORTANCE OF LISTENING TO THE TEACHING. By what He says to Martha, the Lord is teaching the Apostles that when they enter into anyone’s house, they should NOT seek an elaborate welcome, but should instead be content with a simple reception, desiring nothing more than that their hosts pay close attention to the teaching. Understand that Martha, REPRESENTS ACTIVE VIRTUE, while Mary REPRESENTS DIVINE VISION. Action entails distractions and disturbances, but DIVINE VISION, HAVING BECOME THE RULER OF THE PASSION (for Maria means MISTRESS, she who rules), DEVOTES ITSELF ENTIRELY TO THE CONTEMPLATION OF THE DIVINE WORDS AND JUDGMENTS. Gives heed also to thee words of the Gospel: Mary “sat at Jesus’ feet and LISTENED TO His words. ” The feet are understood AS SYMBOLS OF ACTIVE VIRTUE, REPRESENTING MOVEMENT AND STEP-BY-STEP PROGRESSION. And sitting is a symbol of STEADFASTNESS AND CONSTANCY. Therefore, whoever sits at the feet of Jesus, that is, WHOEVER STEADFASTLY FOLLOWS AND IMITATES JESUS, IS ESTABLISHED IN ALL ACTIVE VIRTUE. Then such a man (person) will also come TO THE LISTENING OF THE DIVINE WORDS, THAT IS, HE WILL ATTAIN TO DIVINE VISION. Mary first sat, and by doing this she was then able to listen to Jesus’ words. Therefore, you also, if you have the strength, ASCEND to the rank of Mary: become the mistress of your passions, and ATTAIN TO DIVINE VISION. But if you do not have the strength, be Martha, and devote yourself to active virtue, and by this means welcome Christ. See also the words, “Mary HATH CHOSEN THAT GOOD PART WHICH SHALL NOT BE TAKEN AWAY FROM HER.” Activity has a part that will be taken away from it, namely, the cares and distractions that accompany it. For a man (person) PROGRESSES AND ATTAINS TO DIVINE VISION, HE IS FREED FROM DISTRACTIONS AND TROUBLES, AND SO IT CAN BE SAID THAT SOMETHING IS TAKEN AWAY FROM HIM. But he who IS ENGAGED IN DIVINE VISION SHALL NEVER BE DEPRIVED OF “THAT GOOD PART,” THE VISION OF GOD. What else is there to attain, once he has reached this pinnacle, that is, ONCE HE SEES GOD, WHICH MEANS THAT HE IS DEIFIED? (THEOSIS) HE WHO IS FOUND WORTHY TO SEE GOD, BECOMES GOD. For something is comprehended only by that which is like unto to it.”
Saint Theophylact gives us the Orthodox Christian interpretation of this biblical passage accurately and with a greater spiritual meaning. Hardly anyone can disagree that a person is easily distracted by the cares of life. Our Lord Jesus Christ made an example of Martha to teach us that by worrying about too many things we distance ourselves from Him. Saint Paisios explains this point further: “When a little child is playing and is all absorbed with his toys, he is not aware that his father may be next to him caressing him. If he interrupts his play a bit, then he will become aware of his father’s caresses. Similarly, when we are preoccupied with too many activities and are anxiously concerned about them, when we worry too much about worldly matters, we cannot become aware of God’s love God gives, but we do not sense it. Be careful not to waste your precious energy or redundant worries, which will turn to dust one day.”
Each and every one of us has his/her priorities in life but it varies from person to person. But what is our criteria on what is most important to us? How do we judge between one priority and another? And where do we place God among our many priorities? or is God somehow neglected or forgotten altogether? For the authentic and true Christian, God is and should always be our top priority. The Lord said: “He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:37). Our love of God must be genuine and total. Martha was worried about things which were not as important as listening to the Divine words of the Master Christ. Jesus reminds us, “seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness, and all these shall be added to you. Therefore DO NOT WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW, FOR TOMORROW WILL WORRY ABOUT IS OWN THINGS” [Matthew 6:33-34].
What does Jesus Christ mean to you personally? Do you ever ponder on the meaning and purpose of life? Jesus said, “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” [Matthew 7:8]. This is a commandment from the holy Gospel–to quest for the “ONE THING NEEDFUL.” Then a distinction between the means and the aims of the Christian life is made. There is no life without Christ period. Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ is the only one Who can give meaning and purpose in our lives. He is the only one that can fill the void in our soul. According to Saint Seraphim of Sarov, “The aim of our Christian life is the ACQUISITION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD.” So, no matter how strong our external ascesis (labor or struggle) is, what matters in our lives is the inner state of our soul. The question which must be asked of ourselves is what is its spiritual condition? Is God the Holy Spirit present there or is He absent? How do we invite the Holy Spirit to dwell in our souls? It is necessary for the soul to be pure, filled with love, and be open to His grace. To practice the Faith by living the faith daily in obedience to God’s will and commandments.
Treat others the way you would want to be treated–then your soul will be filled with joy and you will find inner peace. Be compassionate, loving, forgiving, give of yourself, learn how to put your faith into action and strive to do works of charity to help those who are treated as though they are a refuge of society. We ought to be humble and have a sense of our unworthiness. The centurion in the holy Bible [Matthew 8:8] says to Jesus, “Lord, I am not worthy that Thou should come under my roof.” This statement of his is frequently quoted in the liturgical texts of the Orthodox Church. It is an ideal expression of our profound UNWORTHINESS BEFORE CHRIST. ALL must come to understand that we can never merit God’s blessings, grace, mercy, or salvation! It is God’s gift/s to us!
What binds us A to Christ and to one another is AGAPE! At the Divine Liturgy the confession of faith in the Triune God, which is to follow, is of no value, and our further presence in the Divine Liturgy is useless, if we are empty of love, and if we shall not decide to give up every thought of revenge and to reconcile with our enemies [Matthew 5:23-24]. In this reconciliation, which springs from love, the Deacon or Priest exhorts us, so that to confess worthily our faith in the Triune God and to obtain our sins’ forgiveness, which sprang from the Lord’s Cross and Grave. Therefore, the Priest, blessing the faithful intones: Peace be to all. The Choir responds, And to thy spirit. “Let us love one another, that with one mind we may confess: The Father, the Son and Holy Spirit, Trinity, One in essence and undivided.”
Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ has shown us the way and therefore as Christians we must follow it faithfully. A soul without grace is like an empty shell. Keep your soul pure and bright and seek meekness which is the mother of love, the foundation of discernment and the forerunner of all humility. Jesus says, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” [Matthew 11:29]. Jesus’ “yoke” is submission to the Kingdom of God. A yoke may be the symbol of hardship, burdens, and responsibilities. Although it may feel heavy due to our sins, Christ’s yoke is light. In Him the soul is refreshed and sees that the Lord is gracious. Remember always that “ONE THING IS NEEDED”, THE ONLY TRUE LORD, GOD, AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST.
A PRAYER OF VENERABLE AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO
To the Holy Spirit
Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts
may all be holy.
Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may
be holy.
Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what
is holy.
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that
is holy.
Grant me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I may always
be holy. Amen.
+
“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 Orthodox Church Is the Depository and The Reservoir of Grace
Our Lord God Jesus Christ promised His Disciples that He would send them the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, Who would remain with them forever–the Spirit of Truth Who would instruct them in everything and remind them of all that He Himself had spoken to them, and would inform them of the future. After the Resurrection the Lord granted them the Grace-given power of the Holy Spirit with the words, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit: Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained" [John 20:22-23]. On Pentecost, in accordance with His promise, send down the Holy Spirit upon His Disciples in the form of fiery tongues.
In the Holy Spirit, in His Divine power, is given us "all things that pertain unto life and godliness" [2 Peter 1:3]. "These Grace-given gifts are in the Holy Church which the Lord founded on earth." They comprise the means of our sanctification and salvation. The image of the head and the body [Ephesians 1:22-23]. The Father "hath put all under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the Church, which is His Body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all." The life of the Church in its essence is MYSTICAL the course of its life cannot be entirely included in any "history." The Church is completely distinct from any kind whatever of organized society on earth.
The Church is our spiritual Home. As with one’s own home–and even more than that–a Christian’s thoughts and actions are closely bound up with the Church. In it he must, as long as he lives on earth, work out his salvation, and make use of the Grace-given means of sanctification given him by it. It prepares its children for the heavenly homeland.
As to how, by the Grace of God, spiritual rebirth and spiritual growth occur in a man, in what sequence these usually occur, what hindrances mjust be overcome by him on the way of salvation, how he must combine his own indispensable labors with the Grace-given help of God–special branches of theological and spiritual learning are devoted to all these matters. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Founder of the Church: "I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" [Mathew 16:18]. Our Lord Christ is also the FOUNDATION of the Church, its cornerstone: "Other foundation can no man lay that that is laid, which is Jesus Christ ” [1 Corinthians 3:11]. Christ Himself is the INVISIBLE BISHOP of the Church. The Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-bearer, an Apostolic Father, calls the Lord the "Invisible Bishop" (Greek: episkopos aoratos).
The whole life of the Church is PENETRATED BY THE MYSTICAL ACTIONS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. "The cause of all perservantion lieth in the Holy Spirit. Every Church prayer, whether public or private, begins with the prayer to the Holy Spirit: "O Heavenly King, Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, Who art everywhere present and fillest all things, Treasury of good things and Giver of life, come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One!" Just as rain and dew, falling upon the earth, vivify and nourish and give growth to every kind of growing thing, so do the powers of the Holy Spirit act in the Church.
In the Apostolic epistles, the actions of the Holy Spirit are called "EXCELLENCY OF POWER," [2 Corinthians 4:7], "DIVINE POWER" [2 Peter 1:3] or "by the Holy Spirit." But most frequently of all they are signified by the word "Grace." Thow who enter the Church have entered into the Kingdom of Grace, and they are invited "TO COME BOLDLY UNTO THE THRONE OF GRACE, THAT WE MAY OBTAIN MERCY, AND FIND GRACE TO HELP IN TIME OF NEED" [Hebrews 4:16; Hebrews Chapters 10-13]. In Orthodox theology "Grace" most commonly refers to the Uncreated Energy, Power, or Operation of God, which is distinct yet inseparable from God’s Essence. Thus, Saint Gregory Palamas affirms that "This resplendence and deifying Energy of God, that deifies (theosis) those who participate in it, constitutes Divine Grace, but it is NOT the Essence of God" (Philokalia, vol. 4, p. 390).
Grace is the name applied to the gifts of the Holy Spirit which have been sent down and are being sent down to the Church of Christ for THE SANCTIFICATION OF ITS MEMBERS, FOR THEIR SPIRITUAL GROWTH, AND FOR THE ATTAINMENT BY THEM OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. Grace is a power sent down from on High, the power of God which is in the Church of Christ, which gives birth, gives life, perfects, and brings the believing and virtuous Christian to the appropriation of the salvation which has been brought by the Lord Jesus Christ.
How, then, does the saving Grace of God act?
Both the spiritual birth and the further spiritual growth of a man occur through the mutual action of two principles. One of these is the Grace of the Holy Spirit; the other, man’s opening of his heart for the reception of it, a thirst for it, the desire to receive it, as the thirsty, dry earth receives the moisture of rain–in other words, PERSONAL EFFORT FOR THE RECEPTION, PRESERVATION, AND ACTIVITY IN THE SOUL OF THE DIVINE GIFTS.
The experience of Orthodox ascetics inspires them to call Christians with all power to the humble acknowledgment of one’s own infirmity, so that the SAVING GRACE OF GOD MIGHT ACT. VERY EXPRESSIVE IN THIS CASE ARE THE EXPRESSIONS OF Saint Symeon the New Theologian (10th century):
"If the thought comes to you, instilled by the devil, that your salvation is accomplished not by the power of your God, but by your own wisdom and your own power, and if your soul agrees with such a thought, GRACE DEPARTS FROM IT. Saint Paul says, ‘NOT I, but the Grace of God which is with me." The same holy Father states: "If he does not bear in his heart the conviction that the Grace of God, given for faith, is the mercy of God…if he does not labor with the aim of receiving the Grace of God, first of all through Baptism, or if he had it and it departed by reason of his sin, to cause it to return again through repentance, confession, and a self-belittling life; and if giving alms, fasting, performing vigils, prayers, and the rest, he thinks that he is performing glorious virtues and good deeds valuable in themselves–then the labors and exhausts himself in vain" (Homily 2).
Providence of God and Grace
From what has been set forth, it follows that there is a difference between the concepts of God’s Providence and Grace. PROVIDENCE is what we call God’s power in the world that supports the existence of the world, its life, including the existence and life of mankind and of each man; while GRACE is the power of the Holy Spirit that penetrates the inward being of man, leading TO HIS SPIRITUAL PERFECTION AND SALVATION. [Source: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology]
_____________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +
With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
On the 16th of November, Our Holy Orthodox Church Commemorates
the holy Glorious Apostle and Evangelist MATTHEW.
Apolytikion (Dismissal) Hymn. Third Tone
O HOLY Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, intercede with the Merciful
God that He grant unto our souls forgiveness of offences.
Kontakion Hymn. Fourth Tone
When thou didst cast away the publican’s balance and wast united
to the yoke of uprightness, then didst thou prove a merchant of
great excellence, one that gathered in the wealth of the wisdom of
Heaven; for this cause, the word of truth, thou didst herald, O
Matthew, and didst arouse the souls of sluggish men by signifying
the dread day of reckoning.
The holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, the son of Alphaeos, otherwise known as Levi, lived in the Galilean city of Capernaum. He was a man of means and held a position as a tax collector. His compatriots despised and shunned him, as did all who were similarly employed; but Matthew, although he was a sinner, was nevertheless no worse than many of the Pharisees who prided themselves on their outwardly seeming righteousness. But, lo! The Lord brought His Divine gaze to rest upon this tax collector, who was disdained by all. One day, while He was sojourning in Capernaum, the Lord left the city and went down to the sea in the company of many people. On the shore thereof He saw Matthew sitting in his customs booth; and He said to him, "Follow thou Me" [Matthew 9:9]. Hearing these words of the Lord not only with the ears of his body, but with the ears of his heart as well, the tax collector straightway rose from his place and, leaving all behind, followed after Christ. Matthew did not stop to consider nor was he amazed that the Great Teacher and Wonder-Worker had summoned him, a hated tax collector; but, with all his heart he took His words to himself and unwaveringly followed Him. Moreover, the Lord did not spurn his invitation, but entered Matthew’s house. There gathered in Matthew’s home a multitude of his neighbors, all of them tax collectors and sinners; and they sat down at table with Jesus and His Disciples. These also happened to be present certain of the Scribes and Pharisees who, seeing that the Lord was not shunning the sinners and tax collectors, but was reclining with them, murmured and said to His Disciples, "Why eateth your Teacher with the tax collectors and sinners?" [Matthew 9:11] And the Lord, hearing their words, said to them, "They who are strong have no need of a physician, but they who are ill. But go and learn what this is, ‘I WISH MERCY, AND NOT SACRIFICE" [cf. Hos. 6:7(6). For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" [Matthew 9:12-13).
Thenceforth, Matthew, forsaking all his possessions, followed after Christ and, as His faithful Disciples, did not part from Him thereafter. Soon he was accounted worthy of being numbered among the choir of the Twelve chosen Apostles. In company with the other Disciples of the Lord, Matthew joined Him on His journeys throughout Galilee and Judaea, hearkened to His DivineTeaching, beheld His countless miracles, went forth to preach to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and was witness to the Savior's sufferings on the Cross, His Redemptive death, and His Most Glorious Ascension into heaven.
And the Lord's Ascension and the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, the holy Matthew remained at first in Palestine, preaching the Gospel in Jerusalem and its environs, together with the other Apostles. Yet, behold! The time came for the Apostles to disperse from Jerusalem to various other lands, to convert them to the Christian Faith. Before Matthew departed from Jerusalem, the Jewish Christians of that city besought him to set down in writing for them the acts and teachings of Jesus Christ. The other Apostles then living in Jerusalem expressed their approval of such an undertaking, and Saint Matthew, in fulfillment of the common desire, wrote down the Gospel in the Hebrew (Aramaic) dialect, some eight years after the Ascension of Christ.
After departing from Jerusalem, the holy Apostle Matthew preached the glad tidings of the Gospel in many lands. Proclaiming the good ndw of Christ, he passed through Macedonia, Syria, Persia, Parthia, and Media, establishing Churches there and in other places. He underwent many tortures, thirs, hunger, and scourgings, all of which he endured, for God was his helper. He travelled all about Ethiopia, which has fallen to him by lot, and enlightened it with the Light of the Knowledge of the Gospel. Finally, guided by the Holy Spirit, he arrived in the land of the cannibals, who were a dark skinned and savage people. There he entered a city known as Mirmena and, after he had converted several souls to Christ, appointed Platon, his fellow traveler, to be their bishop, and built a little church. The divine Apostle, burdened with tribulations, dangers, and hardships by these people, thought to find quiet in some place. He therefore ascended a mountain situated not far away and abided there in fasting, earnestly entreating God for the conversion of that unbelieving nation. He struggled a long time alone and in stillness, sojourning there without even the shelter that a cave would have afforded, with only the sky for his roof. There the Lord appeared to him in the guise of a youth of great comeliness, Who held in His right hand a staff and greeted him to go down from the mountain and plant the staff at the doors of the church he had constructed. "This staff shall," said the Lord, "through My power, grow into a lofty tree, and the tree shall bring forth abundant fruit, surpassing all the other fruits of the orchard n magnificence and sweetness; and from its root a spring of pure water shall flow forth. Washing in the water of that spring, the canniiblas shall receive comeliness of visage, and everyone that but tasteth of that fruit shall forget his bestial habits and shall become a good and meek person."
After taking the staff from the Lord's hand, Matthew descended the mountain and took himself to the city to carry out that which had been commanded him. The wife and son of Fulvian, the Prince of that city, were possessed by demons. Encountering the Apostle along the way, they cried out against him with wild, threatening voices, "Whohas sent thee hither with that staff, for our destruction?" The Apostle rebuked the unclean spirits and expelled them; and those who were healed fell down before the Apostle and meekly followed after him. Upon learning of his arrival, Bishop Platon went forth to meet him with his clergy, and the holy Matthew, entering the city and drawing near to the church, did as he had been commanded. He planted the staff which the Lord had given him in the ground, and straightway, in the presence of all, the staff became a great tree which spread forth branches of goodly foliage, and thereon there appeared beauteous fruit, large and sweet, and a spring of water flowed from beneath its roots. All that beheld this were struck with amazement. The entire city gathered to behold such a marvel, and they partook of the fruit of the tree and drank of the pure water. The holy Apostle Matthew, standing on a high place, preached to the assembled multitude the word of God in their own language; and all came immediately to believe in God, and the Apostle baptized them in the miraculous spring. As the Lord had promised, all the cannibals who were baptized left the waters comely of countenance; and they received not only bodily cleansing, but purification and beauty of soul as well, having put off the old man and arrayed themselves in Christ, the new Man.
When he was informed of what had transpired, Prince Fulvian at first rejoiced over the healing of his spouse and son, but later, at the prompting of the demons, he became enraged at the Apostle because the whole city was going over to him, forsaking its gods. He began thinking of how to bring about Matthew's destruction. That very night, the Savior appeared to the Apostle, commanding him to take courage, and promising to remain with him throughout his tribulation. When the morning dawned, the Apostle, together with the faithful, chanted praises unto God in the church. The Prince sent four warriors to arrest him, but when they arrived at the temple of the Lord, darkness immediately seized them, and they were barely able to turn back. Then Fulvian flew into a dreadful rage and went forth with a multitude of his servants, intending to lay hold of the Apostle, then suddenly he was struck blind and had to ask for a guide. Then he begs the Apostle to forgive him his sin and give light to his blind eyes. The Apostle, making the sign of the Cross over the eyes of the Prince, restored his sight. Thus the Prince recovered the sight of his bodily eyes, but not that of his soul; for it was blinded by malice.
The hate-filled Prince commanded his warriors to lay hold of the holy Matthew and to stretch him out face down upon the ground and to torture him by placing upon him branches and brushwood and pitch and brimstone and seting it afire. They all thought that the Apostle perished but when the fire was extinguished everyone saw that the Apostle was unharmed. The evil Prince attempted a number of other horrific torments but the holy Apostle preserved His servant unharmed. The holy Apostle prayed, "Lord, into Thy hands I surrender my soul!" and the Lord granted him his request and he departed into heavenly bliss. The Prince ordered his servants to bring forth a golden bier and to set thereon the precious body of the Apostle, which has not been harmed by the flame and, after having arrayed it in costly vesture, he and his nobles bore it up and carried it to his palace. Yet even then he did not have perfect faith, and for this cause commanded that an iron coffin he forged and that the remains of the Apostle be placed therein. When this had been done, it was sealed on all sides with lead and cast into the sea. He said to his nobles, "It He that kept Matthew whole in the midst of the fire will preserve him also from the depths of the sea, truly He is the only God, and Him will we worship, forsaking all our gods who were powerless to deliver us from destruction in the fire!"
No sooner had the iron coffin with the precious relics been cast into the sea, than the Saint appeared at night to Bishop Platon, saying, "Go thou tomorrow to the shore of the sea, to the east of the Prince's palace, and there take up my remains, which will have been borne to the dry land." In the morning, the bishop, in company with a multitude of the faithful, set out for the indicated place. There he beheld the coffin riding high upon the waves, and they praised the Lord with hymns of jubilation for delivering His worthy servant from fire and water. Upon learning thereof, the Prince and his nobles came and, this time fully believing in our Lord Jesus Christ, confessed aloud that He is the One True God Who preserved unharmed His servant Matthew, both when he was alive in the fire, and after his death in the water. And falling down before the casket containing the holy relics of the Saint, Fulvian besought the holy one's forgiveness and expressed a heartfelt desire to be baptized. Bishop Platon, perceiving the faith and fervor of Fulvian catechized him and, having taught him the truths of the holy Faith, then baptized him. And when he placed his hand on Fulvian's head and was ready to utter his name, there came a voice from on High, saying, "Call him not Fulvian, but Matthew!"
Having thus received the Apostle's name in Baptism, the Prince strove to emulate the life of the holy Apostle. he purged all his kingdom of idols by smashing them and had all his subordinates baptized. The holy Apostle Matthew then appeared in a vision to Bishop Platon and said, "Ordain the Prince a priest and his son a Deacon. After three years, thou will depart to the Lord. Let the king, who beareth my name, become bishop, and let his son be his successor." Thus, after three years the holy Platon departed to the Lord. After he received ordination to the Episcopate, Bishop Matthew labored well in spreading the glad tidings of Christ, and, having converted many from idolatry, he brought them to God. Then he himself passed on to the Lord, after a long and God-pleasing life. And standing with the holy Evangelist Matthew before the Throne of God, he prays in our behalf to the Lord, that we also may be heirs of the Everlasting Kingdom of God. Anen. [Source: The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church]
Through the intercessions of Thy Saints,
O Christ God, have mercy ons us. Amen.
________
"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.
Guidelines of how to fast:
From 15th of November to 24th of December the
consumption of fish is permitted except on
Wednesday and Friday until the 17th of December.
From the 18th until the 23rd of December the
consumption of olive oil is permitted.
Unlike Great Lent, this is joyous fast in anticipation of the Holy Nativity of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ. This is the reason it is less austere than other fasting periods. While not as strict as Great Lent, it is advised that all Orthodox Christians take this fasting period seriously and to treat it in such a way as to benefit spiritually. As always the spirit of fasting should be observed according to the teachings of our Holy Church and to include abstaining from eating certain foods to also abstain from sin and sinful thoughts and acts.
All fasting periods emphasize the importance of prayer, worship, repentance, reconciliation with our enemies, forgiveness, works of charity, and strengthening our relationship and communion with our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Understanding of course, that He knows our innermost personal thoughts, lives and actions; when we undertake this spiritual ascesis, we must be sincere, and do everything with profound faith, right spirit, and noble intent.
Adhering to our Orthodox spiritual traditions have a definite purpose. Our intent is to prepare ourselves spiritually to welcome into our hearts our Divine Messiah, the Son of God and our Savior. The fasting periods are placed strategically by the Church so that the faithful will be in constant spiritual ascent and to always be in communion with God. The hope is that all of our efforts will be guided by our God the Holy Spirit so that results will be profitable and our commitment to Him will increase and our life in Christ will become strong and meaningful.
In order for our fasting to have any spiritual substance it must include genuine repentance otherwise the act of fasting becomes hypocritical and offensive to God. The Orthodox Christian knows that he/she sins constantly in thought, word, and deed and needs cleansing and remission of sins.
One needs to be honest and admit to himself/herself that he/she is full of impurities, passions, and transgressions. Our Holy Church is a place of healing and spiritual recovery and restoration. The medicine recommended and offered is the Mystery (Sacrament) of Repentance/Confession. Through this Mystery after the faithful offer repentance of their sins, the remission of sin is bestowed by the mercy of God through the intermediary of a priest of the Church, in accordance with the Savior’s promise, Who said to His Disciples, "Peace be unto you…And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them: Receive ye the Holy Spirit. Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosoever sin ye retain , they are retained (John 20:21-23).
Following blindly and without understanding or conviction to simply act upon a religious custom does not provide any spiritual benefit at all. We deceive ourselves and attempt to ease our conscience. Not eating meats, eggs, dairy products, oil, and other foodstuffs will not guarantee our salvation. It is not what goes into one’s mouth that will condemn a person, but what comes out of his mouth. Saint Paul says, "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification that it may impart grace to the hearers" (Ephesians 4:29). What we say and how we live affects our relationship not only with God but also with each other–for in Christ we are "members of one another" (Ephesians 4:25).
What good does fasting from foods provide for us, when our lives are replete with sinful acts. The moral standard for the NEW HUMANITY is the life appropriate to a child of God. Again Saint Paul exhorts the Christians, "Therefore be IMITATORS OF GOD as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. But fornication and all uncleanness of covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving thanks. For this you know, that no fornicators, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance int eh Kingdom of Christ and God" (Ephesians 5:1-5). Everything is spelled out for all of us: "walk in love," "walk in light," "walk in wisdom." Walk implies a slow steady pace; a daily effort; a marathon, not a sprint. A Christ-centered life is not achieved instantly but it takes a life-time of struggle and sacrifice.
Our God Jesus Christ Himself teaches us how to fast: "But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father Who is in the secret place; and your Father Who is in secret will reward you openly" (Matthew 6:17-18). Jesus Christ, our Savior, rejects hypocrisy. Because who fasts, the compassion of God outshines physical discomfort: joy overshadows sorrow. Thus, during easons of fasting, the hymns of the Orthodox Church call the faithful to wash and anoint their faces. Physical fasting works together with spiritual fasting, or self-denial: it is a liberation of the spirit from its voluntary enslavement to sinful passions. Fasting is for the glory of God, NOT TO IMPRESS PEOPLE AROUND US.
No one should judge another on whether he/she is fasting or not. The holy Apostle Paul says, "For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is eak eats only vegetables. Let NOT him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats, for God has received him. Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand…He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks" (Romans 14:2-6). A mature conscience in Christ knows NO FOOD IS "UNCLEAN OF ITSELF." But an immature conscience must be free to follow stricter rules if it sees fit. "Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned, Behold the Judge is standing at the door" (James 5:9).
Make this holy season free from all infirmities, hatred, impurities, greed, passions, pride, and evil thinking and disobedience; but instead to be filled with love, kindness, compassion, obedience to God’s commandments, reconciliation with one’s enemies, repentance and righteousness.
May this holy season grant all of you God’s blessings and grace!
___________
"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
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 