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.

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears My voice
and opens the door, I WILL COME IN TO HIM AND DINE WITH HIM,
AND HE WITH ME" [Revelation 3:0].

Human freedom of the soul is represented by the door that stays shut, even to God Himself. It is the Creator Who is the absolute owner of the hearts,though even God Himself stands outside. This is so profound! God stands outside of a person’s heart. Here one can plainly see how much God reveres HUMAN FREEDOM.

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ merely knocks at the door. He DOES NOT FORCE THE DOOR OF THE HUMAN SOUL AND HUMAN FREEDOM. [This "I keep knocking, krouo," is in the present tense in the Greek language, which shows continuous action.] "I KEEP KNOCKING" shows the persistence of Divine Love (Agape). Saint Andrew of Caesarea says, "My presence is unforceful." Our Savior and God, says, I KEEP KNOCKING AT THE DOOR AND TO THOSE THAT OPEN, I SHARE IN THE JOY OF THEIR SALVATION. "If anyone hears my voice and opens the door," and here we see our Lord Christ IS PATIENTLY AWAITING THE HUMAN RESPONSE. The voice of Christ my beloved friends, is heard only BY THOSE WHO BELONG TO CHRIST, ONLY BY THOSE WHO HAVE A GOOD DISPOSITION. Only people open their hearts with joy. They open the door of their hearts to Jesus Christ. "And I will enter in to him, and I will dine with him, and he with Me." What a magnificent display, which shows how close, how very close God wants to be with His people.

Our Almighty God wants to live within our house, THE HOUSE OF OUR HEART, to be with us. Despite the tepidness of the bishop of Laodicea, the Lord speaks with great tenderness, with much love and closeness. This is the Banquet of God’s Kingdom; and this Banquet while on earth IS THE GREAT MYSTERY (SACRAMENT) OF THE DIVINE EUCHARIST. "And the Logos/Word of God Himself said he who eats My flesh stays in Me and I in him. I will come in and dine with him and he with Me" [Revelation 3:20]. It is also the Great Banquet of God’s Kingdom in the age to come, which is the Eternal Vision of the Person of Jesus Christ. The conclusion serves to end not only this Epistle (Letter), this great epistle so strong in reproval and tenderness, but also all the other epistles (letters). It serves as general conclusion. "To him who overcomes," [to him who is victorious] "I will grant to sit with Me on My Throne as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His Throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches."

So, who is the victorious one? The victorious one IS THE ONE WHO DEFEATS THESE THREE THINGS: THE WORLD, HIS PASSIONATE SELF, AND THE DEVIL. He who wins against these THREE GREAT TEMPTATIONS IS INVITED TO SIT WITH CHRIST ON THE ETERNAL THRONE OF HIS GLORY AND BLESSEDNESS DURING THE ABSOLUTE AND FINAL TRIUMPH OF CHRIST AND THE FINAL TRIUMPH OF THE FAITHFUL AS WELL.

God stands in front of the door of human existence and wants to establish A WORKING RELATIONSHIP. Where are all those idealists who believe and say that it does not seem proper for the Divine Highness of God, to get involved with the lowliness and the misery of the human being? At this exact point, WE DISCOVER THE DIVINE IMMENSITY THAT COMES, REACHING ALL THE WAY, DRAWING NEAR TO EACH HUMAN EXISTENCE; "I stand knocking at the door." [Source: Homilies on the Book of the Revelation, Vol. One]

"I will… dine with him" IF THERE IS COOPERATION (SYNERGY), the synergy of an open "door." Because God does not force anyone to cooperate with Him. He keeps knocking, awaiting a response from us. The one who cooperates with God "overcomes," or conquers. Those who listen to God’s rebuke and chastening (v. 19) and conquer lukewarmness become "hot" in their SPIRITUAL LIVES (vv. 15, 16). Those who share Christ’s trials will share His Table and His "Throne" in His Kingdom (Luke 22:30; 2 Timothy 2:12).

God is seen in biblical visions as sitting on a "throne," a symbol of His Sovereign Lordship (Matthew 23:22). The image of this throne occurs over 40 times in the Book of Revelation (Apocalypse) an is further described as "a great white throne" (20:11), a throne of Judgment. But in chapter 4:3, His throne is surrounded by "a rainbow," the sign of God’s Everlasting Covenant according to which He will NOT judge man again as He did at the Flood (Genesis 9:12-17). Mercy triumphs over judgment (Matthew 9:13). Thus in the Orthodox Church the Altar Table is sometimes called "THE THRONE."

No sincere and committed Orthodox Christian should ignore to open the door of his/her heart to Our Beloved Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ. If he or she is a practicing Christian will be alert and sensitive to hear the knocking. If one’s faith is dead, then he or she will not be able to hear the sound of His knocking. The believers of Christ should be spiritual healthy to hear His knocking at all times. But who is spiritually healthy? The Christian who is obedient to Christ’s commands, His Teachings, the person who has a prayer life, the person who has a sacramental life (receives Holy Communion often after participating in the sacrament of Repentance and Confession), a person who abides with the Christian values and lives a virtuous life, the person who repents, a person who is humble, a person who is kind and compassionate, a person who is full of love, a person who loves God and all of God’s children on earth, a person who forgives his/her enemies, a person who fasts, a person who keeps the Lord’s Day, a time for worship.

We must not be enslaved by the worldly cares or concerns of life. Our life here on earth is brief and all of us are passing through quickly. Death can come upon us without any warning therefore we must spiritually prepared. There is no repentance after death. Repentance (Gk. Metanoia) means change of mind but also a change of a way of life. Just as we strive to grow and improve ourselves intellectually, physically, emotionally, and psychologically, we must also grow and progress spiritually. It is imperative that we, as Orthodox Christians, know as much as it is humanly possible of Who Christ is and what He means to us personally. The attentive Orthodox Christian understands that the Holy Bible (Scripture) is extremely important to accomplish that goal. You begin slowly and prayerfully to study the word of God. If you need assistance turn to your parish priest for help. There are the holy writings of the holy Fathers and Mothers of the Church and the Lives of the Saints. Every Orthodox Christian ought to have an Orthodox Prayer Book which contains prayers for different occasions.

May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. Amen.

____________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +
With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious (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.

FORMS OF EXPERIENCE OF THE
GRACE OF GOD
By Archimandrite George, Egoumenos (Abbot) of
the Holy Monastery of Saint Gregorios of
Mt. Athos, Greece.

Which are the experiences of the Grace that the Christian can receive, so that the faith and the Christian life are not something intellectual and external for him, but A TRUE SPIRITUAL FEELING OF GOD, A COMMUNION WITH GOD, A FAMILIARITY WITH GOD, IN WHICH THE WHOLE MAN PARTAKES?

An experience of God is, first of all, AN INNER ASSURANCE THAT THROUGH FAITH IN GOD, THE CHRISTIAN FINDS THE TRUE MEANING OF HIS LIFE. He feels that his faith in Christ is a faith that satisfies him internally, that gives meaning to his life and guides him, that is a strong light which enlightens him. When he thus feels the Christian faith inside him, he has started to live the Grace of God. God IS NOT something external for him.

Man receives another experience of the Grace of God when he hears in his heart the invitation of God to repent for his obscure and sinful deeds and to return to the Christian life, to confess, to enter the path of God. This voice of God that he hears inside him IS A FIRST EXPERIENCE OF THE GRACE OF GOD. For the many years that he lived away from God, he did not understand anything.

He starts to repent, he confesses for the first time in his life to a spiritual father. After confession he feels deep peace and joy, such as he has never felt before in his life. And then he says, "I am relieved." This relief IS THE VISITATION OF THE DIVINE GRACE IN A SOUL THAT HAS REPENTED AND WHICH GOD WANTS TO CONSOLE.

The TEARS OF THE REPENTANT Christian when he prays and asks for forgiveness from God or when he confesses, are tears of repentance. These tears bring great relief. They bring much peace to man’s soul and then man feels that these are a gift and experience of the Divine Grace.

The deeper man REPENTS and the more LOVE he has for God and prays with a divine eros, the more those tears of repentance BECOME TEARS OF JOY, TEARS OF LOVE AND OF DIVINE EROS. These tears that are superior to the tears of repentance are also a higher visitation and an experience of the Grace of God. Having repented and confessed, with fasting and spiritual preparation we come forward to partake of the Body and the Blood of Christ. What do we feel after Holy Communion? Deep peace in our soul, spiritual joy. This also is an experience and a visitation of the Grace of God.

At other times, during prayer or divine worship or Divine Liturgy, we feel unspeakable joy. This is also a visitation of the Divine Grace and an experience of God. However, there are other, still higher experiences of God. The highest experience of God IS THE VISION OF THE Uncreated Light. This is the Light the Lord’s Disciples saw on the Mount of Tabor during the Transfiguration (Metamorphosis) of Christ. They saw Christ shining like the sun with a heavenly and Divine Light which was NOT MATERIAl, NOR CREATED LIGHT AS IS THE SUN AND THE OTHER CREATED LIGHTS. IT WAS Uncreated Light, the Light of God, the Light of the Holy Trinity.

To be rendered worthy to see the Uncreated Light is one of the highest experiences of God, not granted to everyone but A VERY FEW, TO THOSE WHO HAVE ADVANCED IN THE SPIRITUAL LIFE… Of course we must say that each one who sees a light, does not necessarily see the Uncreated Light. The devil deceives men and shows them other lights, demonic or psychological, to make them think it is the Uncreated Light, although it is not.

Presuppositions for Authentic Experience of the Grace of God

The first presupposition is that we must be REPENTED MEN. If we do not repent for our sins and do not purify ourselves from our passions, WE CANNOT SEE GOD. As our Lord says in the Beatitudes, "BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART, FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD." The more man is cleansed from HIS PASSIONS, REPENTS AND RETURNS TO GOD, the better he can feel and see Him. The Holy Fathers tell us, "Give blood and receive spirit." That is to say, if you do not give the blood of your heart through repentance, PRAYER, FASTING, and through THE WHOLE SPIRITUAL STRUGGLE, you can not receive the Grace of the Holy Spirit.

The true spiritual experiences are given to those who, OUT OF HUMILITY, do not ask for them. Instead, they ask God for repentance and salvation. TRUE SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES ARE GIVEN TO THOSE WHO ARE HUMBLE AND SAY, "MY GOD, I AM NOT WORTHY TO HAVE EXPERIENCES. I AM NOT WORTHY TO RECEIVE SPIRITUAL GIFTS. I AM NOT WORTHY TO RECEIVE VISITATIONS OF YOUR GRACE, DIVINE AND HEAVENLY CONSOLATIONS AND SPIRITUAL PLEASURES." However, to those who WITH PRIDE ask God to give them experiences, He WILL NOT GRANT THEM TRUE AND AUTHENTIC ONES. On the contrary, the devil will take advantage of this and will give them deceitful and diabolic experiences, DUE TO THEIR PRIDE

The third presupposition, necessary for the reception of true spiritual experiences, is TO BE IN THE CHURCH, NOT ESTRANGED FROM HER. Because estranged from the Church, the devil will lead us astray. If the sheep is isolated from the flock, the wolf will devour it. Safety is within the flock. If he departs from Her, he lays himself open to his own deceptions, to those of other people and to the demons’ deceptions.

It is very helpful to pray purely and zealously. The truth is that during the time of prayer God gives man most of his spiritual experiences. That’s why those who pray with desire, with zeal and with patience, receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the feeling of the Grace of God.

As you know, there is a prayer we recite on Mount Athos and maybe you recite it too, ‘LORD JESUS CHRIST, HAVE MERCY ON ME THE SINNER.’ This prayer which is called A CEASELESS PRAYER OF MIND AND HEART, when recited humbly with desire and with persistence, brings little by little, into the heart of man the feeling of the Grace of God.

False Experiences of the Grace of God

People have false experiences of God when THEY BELIEVE THEY CAN RECEIVE THE GRACE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ON THEIR OWN AND WITH THEIR OWN POWERS EITHER IN HERESIES, IN GROUPS OR IN RELIGIOUS GATHERINGS OUTSIDE THE CHURCH.

Experiences in the heretical congregations are not only psychological but, at other times, demonic as well. The devil takes advantage of the search by some people for such experiences and he presents to them various signs, which are NOT of God, but his own, diabolic. These people can not understand that they are the devil’s victims. They take these signs to be heavenly and of the Holy Spirit. Moreover, the devil gives them some prophetic capability, as he gives to the demonic ‘mediums.’ The Lord, however, had warned us, "For there shall arise false christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders" (Matthew 24:24). Not only will they perform miracles, but great and prodigious miracles, fearful signs. Likewise, when the Antichrist comes he will not do evil deeds. He will do benevolent deeds, healings of sick people and other marvelous things in order to deceive people. If possible, to deceive those chosen by God too, so that they believe him to be their saviour and follow him…

"… As the devil can transform himself into an angel of light, we must be cautious about experiences. The Apostle John advises, "Beloved, believe NOT every spirit" (John 4:1). Not all spirits are of God. According to Apostle Paul, only those who have THE GIFT TO DISCERN BETWEEN THE SPIRITS CAN DISCERN IF THE SPIRITS ARE OF GOD OR ARE THE DEVIL’S" (1 Corinthians 12:10).

The spiritual fathers of our Church are endowed with this gift OF DISCERNMENT. For this reason, when faced with such a problem, we must turn to our spiritual father who will discern the origin of every experience. It is possible even for monks to be deceived. We have cases on Mount Athos where monks were led astray by such experiences. For example, the devil, disguised as an angel, appeared to a monk and told him, "Come up to the peak of Mt. Athos and I will show you great miracles." He led the monk there and would have nearly thrown him down the cliffs had the monk not appealed for Divine help. The monk made THE MISTAKE OF BELIEVING THAT THE VISION WAS FROM GOD. He should not have believed so because monks know that when they see a vision they must disclose it to their Elder (Geronda), who will tell them if it is from God or from the demons. Therefore, WHEREVER PRIDE EXISTS, DELUSION IS VERY PROBABLE. (Source: Experiences of the Grace of God)

___________
"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, THE PLACE OF THE AUTHENTIC
EXPERIENCE OF THE GRACE OF GOD
By Archimandrite George, Egoumenos (Abbot) of the Holy Monastery
of Saint Gregorios of Mt. Athos.

Our Orthodox Church is the Church of Pentecost and why is She so? Because She is the Church of the Incarnation of Christ, of His death on the Cross, of His Resurrection and of Pentecost. When, from Christ’s work, we isolate one part only, overemphasize it and interpret falsely, this is one-sidedness and heresy. Only the Church, that accepts and lives in accordance with all of Christ’s work including Pentecost, is the True Church of the Pentecost. Can there be a Resurrection without the Cross? Can man see God without crucifying himself through fasting, prayer, repentance, humility, and practice of God’s Commandments? The Cross in the life of Christ and in the Christian’s life comes first. Resurrection and Pentecost follow. On the contrary, those outside the Church want the Resurrection and spiritual gifts, WITHOUT CRUCIFYING THEMSELVES THROUGH REPENTANCE, SPIRITUAL STRUGGLE, AND OBEDIENCE TO THE CHURCH. For this reason, it is not they who constitute the Church of Pentecost.

We have Pentecost in every Divine Liturgy in our Church. How is it that the bread and the wine become the Body and Blood of Christ? Does NOT THIS HAPPEN WITH THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT? Behold Pentecost! Every Holy Altar of the Orthodox Church IS ALSO THE UPPER-ROOM OF Pentecost. We have the PENTECOST IN EVERY BAPTISM. With the Grace of the Holy Spirit, MAN BECOMES A CHRISTIAN AND IS EMBODIED IN THE BODY OF CHRIST, Every ORDINATION OF A DEACON OR PRIEST AND ESPECIALLY OF A BISHOP IS A NEW PENTECOST. The Holy Spirit of DESCENDS and makes man God’s minister,

Every Christian’s CONFESSION IS ALSO A Pentecost. When the Christian KNEELS IN FRONT OF HIS CONFESSOR WITH HUMILITY AND HUMILITY and confesses his sins with repentance and the confessor reads to him the absolution prayer the penitent is forgiven through the Grace of the Holy Spirit.

Every congregation and every Mystery (Sacrament) of the Church IS A CONTINUATION OF PENTECOST BECAUSE THEY ARE PERFORMED WITHIN THE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. That is why almost all the acts, prayers and Mysteries of the Church begin with the prayer, "O heavenly King, O comforter, the Spirit of Truth.. come and abide in us,,,". We ask for the Paraclete, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit to come and He comes. The Holy Spirit DESCENDS THERE, where the Orthodox Church, the True Church of Christ is gathered.

Every Saint of our Church is a Spirit-bearing man, FULL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT’S GIFTS, a person of Pentecost. The request of the Lord’s Prayer, "Thy Kingdom come" also means: "Come, the Grace of Thy Holy Spirit." The Kingdom of God is the Grace of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, with the Lord’s Prayer we ask for the Holy Spirit.

The prayer, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me the sinner," is also practised with the Grace of the Holy Spirit because as Apostle Paul says, "…and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but in the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:3). No one can call Jesus, Lord, except with the Grace of the Holy Spirit. Here then is proof that OUR CHURCH LIVES PENTECOST CONTINUOUSLY.

We have, my brethren, the blessing of having the Grace of God abide in our Holy Church. We have the possibility to become familiar with God and to receive the experience of the Grace of God, to UNITE WITH HIM. Our Orthodox Church IS A TESTED AND SAFE PATH TO SALVATION. It is the Church of the Prophets, the Apostles, the Fathers, the Martyrs, the Saints, even the Church of the more recent Saints, such as the holy and wonderworking Saint Nectarios. It is the Church that HAS KEPT THE PREACHING OF THE HOLY GOSPEL UNADULTERATED FOR ABOUT TWO THOUSAND YEARS, ALTHOUGH IT WAS PERSECUTED BY FORMIDABLE HERETICS.

Keep in mind HOW MANY HERETICS HAVE PERSECUTED OUR CHURCH THROUGHOUT THE CENTURIES. Not just enemies like the Pentecostals, but emperors with armies and worldly powers. Nevertheless, they were not able to overthrow the Church. Not even the iconoclast controversy, which lasted one hundred and thirty years, was able to overthrow Orthodoxy. Thousands are the martyrs of the Church and nevertheless the Church IS NEVER DEFEATED, although She appears to be weakened. Indeed, the more She is persecuted THE MORE SHE IS STRENGTHENED AND RENDERED ILLUSTRIOUS.

Therefore 9, the Grace of the Holy Spirit dwells in our Church. There are Saints in our Church up to this day. The bodies of many Saints are preserved intact, give forth myrrh, give fragrance, perform miracles. Where else does this happen? In which heresy and to which ‘church’ are men unburied and then their bodies are fragrant? You might have heard that the reliquaries on Mount Athos are fragrant. That is because among the bones of the fathers, are the bones of holy monks. These things occur because the Holy Spirit IS PRESENT.

Furthermore, only the Orthodox Holy Water IS PRESERVED INTACT. Those of you who have holy water at home, know that IT NEVER SPOILS AS TIME PASSES. (Source: Experiences of the Grace of God)

___________
"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.

Apolytikion (Dismissal) Hymn. Second Tone

O APOSTLE, beloved of Christ our God, hasten to deliver a
defenceless people. He that allowed thee to recline on His breast,
receiveth thee bowing in intercession. Implore Him, O Theologian, to
dispel the persistent cloud of the heathen, and ask for us His peace
and great mercy.

Kontakion Hymn. Second Tone

Who can tell thy mighty works, O virgin Saint? For thou pourest
forth miracles, and art a source of healings, and thou dost intercede
for our souls, as the Theologian and the friend of Christ.

Saint John the Evangelist and Theologian, the Holy Apostle and beloved disciple, was the son of Zebedee and Salome, the daughter of Joseph the Betrothed. Joseph the Betrothed also had four sons, Iakovos (James), Joses, Jude, and Symeon, with three daughters, Esther, Martha, and the aforementioned Salome. John, too, was called away from his fishermen’s nets to preach the Gospel when our Lord Jesus Christ, walking along the Sea of Galilee, chose His Apostles from among the fishermen. He had already summoned the two brethren, Peter and Andrew, when He then caught sight of two other brothers, Iakovos (James) and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were mending their nets in a boat with their father, and called them also. Straitway abandoning their boat and their father, they followed after Jesus Christ.

At the very time of his calling, John was called "son of thunder" by the Lord, for his theology would be heard like thunder throughout the world and would fill the whole earth. John followed after his Blessed Teacher, learning the wisdom that proceeded from His lips, and he was well-loved of Christ his Lord for his utter lack of guile and his virginal purity. The Lord honored him as the fairest of the Twelve Apostles, and he was one of Christ’s three closest disciples, to whom the Lord revealed His Divine Mysteries many times. Thus, when He intended to raise up the daughter of Jairos, He permitted none to accompany Him, save Peter, Iakovos (James) and John. When He prayed in the garden, there also He was not without John, for He said to His disciples, "Sit here, while I depart and pray there.’ And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee [Matthew 26:36-37], that is, Iakovos (James) and John. Also, when He desired to show them forth the glory of His Divinity on Mount Tabor, He likewise took only Peter, Iakovos and John.

As the Beloved Disciple of the Master, John was never separated from Christ. And Christ’s great love for him is evident in the fact that John rested his head on His breast. For, at the Mystical Supper, when the Lord foretold His betrayal and the disciples gazed at each other in bewilderment, wondering of whom He spoke, John rested his head upon the breast of his Beloved Master, as he himself relates in his Gospel. John also showed a reciprocal love for his Beloved Teacher, greater than that of the other Apostles, for at the time of Christ’s VOLUNTARY SUFFERING, they all fled, forsaking their Shepherd. He alone remained to witness all the torments of Christ, suffering with Him in his heart, weeping and lamenting with the All-Pure Virgin Mary the Mother of the Lord. "Then Jesus, having seen His Mother, and the Disciple whom He loved standing by, saith to His Mother,
Woman, behold thy son.’ Then He saith to the Disciple, ‘Behold, thy Mother.’ And from that hour the Disciple took her into his own home [John 19:26-27). And he regarded her as his own mother, and served her with much respect.

The Repose of Saint John the Theologian

"In our first visit to Ephesus, we were there for nine years, and then spent fifteen years in exile at Patmos, Greece. After twenty-six years had passed from time we were first in Ephesus, then Rome, and Patmos, and entered Ephesus again for nearly another six years, John came out of the house of his disciples–myself and six others-and said to ous, ‘Take spades in your hands and follow me.’ So we did as we were instructed and followed him outside the city of a certain place, where he said, ‘Sit down.’ He then went a little apart from us to where it was quiet and began to pray. It was very early in the morning; the sun had not quite risen. After his prayer, he said to us, ‘Dig with your spades a cross-shaped trench as long as I am tall.’ So we did it while he prayed. After he had finished his prayer, he laid himself in the trench we had dug, and then said to me. ‘Prochoros my son, thou wilt go to Jerusalem. That is where thou must end thy life.’ He then gave us instructions and embraced us, saying, ‘Take some earth, my mother earth, and cover me.’ So we embraced again and, taking some earth, covered him only up to his knees. Once more, he embraced us, saying, ‘Take some more earth and cover me up to the neck.’ So we embraced him again and then took some more earth and covered him up to his neck. Then he said to us, ‘Bring a thin veil and place it on my face, and embrace me again for the last time, for you shall not see me any longer in this life.’ So we embraced the Apostle again, grief-stricken. As he was sending us off in peace, we, lamenting bitterly, covered his whole body. The sun rose just then, and he surrendered his spirit.

"We then returned to the city and were asked, ‘Where is our teacher?’ So we explained what had just occurred in great detail. They begged us that we show them the site. Therefore, we went back to the grave with the brethren, but John was not there. Only his shoes were left behind. Then we remembered the words of the Lord to the Apostle Peter, "If I wish him to tarry while I am coming, what is that to thee?" (John 21:22). And we all glorified God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, to Whom is due glory, honor, and worship, unto the ages of ages. Amen."

Each year, on the eighth day of Mary, a fragrant myrrh issues forth from the grave and, by the prayers of the Holy Apostle, the sick are healed thereby, to the honor of God Who is glorified in the Trinity unto ages of ages. 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.

CONCERNING PRAYER
By Saint Porphyrios

How to Pray: Preparation

Saint Porphyrios would say that, in order for prayer to occur, we must situate ourselves in the proper environment. The Lord HImself will teach us how to pray. Another Elder Panagis from Cyprus, another enlightened Elder used to say, "Before a light can be switched on, proper electrical equipment must be installed beforehand." This prior "installation," meaning the requirements for proper prayer, included: 1) PREPARATORY PRAYER FOR PRAYER, 2) THAT WE ASK THE LORD TO GRANT TEARS, 3) THE USE OF INCENSE, 4) CANDLES, 5) HESYCHIA [QUIET OR STILLNESS], 6) THE LACK OF WORRY, 7) STUDY, 8) ISOLATION FROM EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING, 9) THE VIGIL LAMP, 10) JOY, 11) COMPLETE DEPENDENCE UPON GOD, AND 12) COMPLETE OFFERING TO THE LORD.

Saint Porphyrios would say that we must bring to mind beautiful images, preparing our soul for prayer. Additionally, reading and chanting with love and divine eros helps us. This is our own humble advice, as to how we can embark upon true prayer, which in the end, only Our Lord can grant. This is wy, during the Divine Liturgy, we ask that God enlighten us: "Shine within our hearts, loving Master, the pure Light of Your Divine knowledge and open the eyes of our minds that we my comprehend the message of Your Gospel."

How We ought to Pray

PRAYER must occur with longing, contrition, divinie erros (love), tears, and above all with HUMILITY. Saint Porphyrios emphasized our need to come to love Christ. We will achieve this when our prayer becomes CONTRITE, accompanied with tears (which we will ask from Him through preparatory prayer), when we pray with SIMPLICITY, CONTRITION, AND WITH THE FEELING THAT WE ARE UNWORTHY TO BE GRANTED DIVINE GRACE. We must pray, the Saint advised, with FERVOR, WITH A SUPPLICATORY TONE, but above all, WITH AFFECTION–in the same manner by which we speak to our loved ones. Our offering to the Lord should occur with longing, without improper emphasis and intonation… without a dry tone, but with PATIENCE, WITH JOYFULNESS, WITH ANTICIPATION AND HOPE, WITH FAITH, AND WITH HESYCHIA (STILLNESS). Our words are to possess SWEETNESS, desire for our Christ, and divine eros (love): "My Jesus, my Christ…" We ought to pray mentally FROM WITHIN, BUT SOMETIMES AUDIBLY, while maintaining full understanding that we can achieve NOTHING WITHOUT HIM.

PRAYER is according to the teaching of the Saint, A REFUGE FOR EVERY KIND OF SAD AND UNFORTUNATE OCCURRENCE. Whatever causes us distress, he counseled, we must pray about it. Furthermore, we must go to our SPIRITUAL FATHER (our Father Confessor), confess it, and in this way the problem will end. He made reference to the holy Apostle Paul who said: "Forget those things which are behind and reach forward to those things which are ahead" (Philippians 3:13).

That We Must Not Lose Courage, but that We Are to be
Certain Regarding God’s Love Towards Us

The Saint emphasized that a Christian ought not to lose courage. The chief cause of cowardice is vanity, self-love, and the love of this life. The Christian does not live in this life alone, for himself. IN contrast, he must profess together with the holy Apostle Paul: "IS IS NO LONGER I WHO LIVE, BUT CHRIST LIVES IN ME" (Galatians 2:20).

We must be fully confident in the reality that nothing can make Christ stop loving us. Therefore, let us proceed with confidence, repeating out loud together with the great Apostle: "Who shall separate from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, of famine, or nakedness, or peril, or swords? As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor Angels, nor Principalities nor power, nor things present nor thing to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” [Romans 8:35-39).

We MUST BE CONFIDENT that we will live victoriously and we will find Divine Grace, as long as we come to love our dear Christ. With this, the Saint recalled the biblical saying: "I LOVE THOSE WHO LOVE ME, AND THOSE WHO SEEK ME DILIGENTLY WILL FIND ME" (Proverbs 8:17).

On How to Combat Vanity

VANITY is the forerunner of PRIDE, the WORST SIN OF ALL. Saint Porphyrios called upon his spiritual children to pay special attention to this issue. He taught them to avoid vanity which tends to "enter everywhere." George Papzahos, his cardiologist, wrote: "As my doctor, the Saint did not just "see" my bodily illnesses. He tried to help me acquire a patient-couple of mind who I cared for, and shared with me an immense expression of love. I now convey his words to you: "Georgie, I am the Elder. Both of us are going to hell, We will hear: Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided? I interrupted him: ‘What did we enjoy in this life, Geronda [Elder}? The junk car, the empty bank account, or our lack of sleep?’ He answered abruptly: ‘What are you saying? Don’t the people tell you what a great doctor you are? you love us, you take care of us, and you don’t thrash us, they say. And you, you call this up, you believe them. Eh, you have lost your reward. The same happens to me. They tell me how I have ‘gifts,’ how I can touch them and perform miracles, that I am a saint. And I too eat this up, the foolish and weak oen. Eh, that’s why I said that we are both going to hell!’ ‘If it is so,’ I answered, ‘let us go to hell then together.’ He closed the phone saying, ‘I am speaking to you in a serious way and you are joking around. Good metanoia (repentance) to us both.’

Another day I was quite sullen, reflecting on the fact that most of my years had gone by fruitless, because of useless, daily preoccupations. The Saint called and he lifted my spirits with two, three phrases: ‘Doctor, did you ever hear the expression ‘they shall not taste death?’ We are able, if wew wish, to escape the syndrome of death. All it takes is that we come to love Christ. And you, mister cardiologist, are to do so ‘with all your heart’ (laughing).’

On Accepting the Will of God with Joy

Each person, consistent with Saint’s teaching, must ACCEPT EACH HEARTACHE WITH JOY, because this proceeds from God. Everything occurs either by good will or by oncession of the All-Good God Who loves us infinitely. We must truly believe that everything which occurs to us is for our own good, given that God cannot give something that is "bad." We MUST ACCEPT ALL THINGS WITH THANKSGIVING and GRATITUDE, as a visitation by God. The saying of the HolyBible is unambiguous: "FOR WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE CORRECTS, JUST AS A FATHER THE SON IN WHOM HE DELIGHTS" (Proverbs 3:12). At the same time, the Lord has revealed to us that "the very hairs of your head are all numbered" (Matthew 10:30), meaning that He maintains a devoted care for us, even for the seemingly most superficial things.

Hence, all things are "good" and "for the Christian, nothing exists which can cause him grief," as Saint Paisios taught. The Christin may "lament (externally), but HE DOES NOT "GRIEVE" (internally); he grieves himself over nothing. In contrast, if we groan and complain out loud, "Why me, my God?" it is as if we are saying: "You do not love me, God. You are not love," something which embodies blasphemy and grave ingratitude.

Saint Porphyrios said, "Know this, my child, that nothing has occurred as is, by chance. Everything has its purpose. Nothing happens without the presence of a cause. Not even a pine needle can fall from a pine tree, if GOD does not will it. Therefore, you must not become saddened over what befalls you." (Source: Healing The Soul: Saint Porphyrios of Kafsokalyvia as a Model for Our Lives).

___________
"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 DEIFICATION [THEOSIS] AS THE PURPOSE OF MAN’S LIFE
By Archimandrite George, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Saint
Gregorios of Mount Athos.

Aim and means of Christian life

The aim of man’s life is UNION (henosis) with God and deification (theosis). The Greek Holy Fathers have used the term "deification" ("theosis") to a greater extent than the Latin West. What is meant is not, of course, a pantheistic identity, but a sharing, through grace, in the divine life: "… Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature…" (2 Peter 1:4). This participation takes man within the life of the three Divine Persons themselves, in the incessant circulation and overflowing of love which courses between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and which expresses the very nature of God. Here is the true and eternal bliss of man.

Union with God is the perfect fulfillment of the "Kingdom" announced by the Gospel, and of that charity or love which sums up all the Law and the Prophets. Only in union with the life of the Three Persons is man enabled to love God with his whole heart, soul and mind, and his neighbor as himself. Union between God and Man cannot be achieved without a Mediator, Who is the Logos/Word made Flesh, our Lord Jesus Christ: "I am the Way… no man cometh unto the Father but by Me" (John 14:6). In the Son we become sons, "We are made sons of God" says Saint Athanasius. Incorporation into Christ is the only means to reach our supernatural end.

The Holy Spirit operates and perfects this incorporation. Saint Ireaneus writes: "Through the Spirit one ascends to the Son and through the Son to the Father." From as early as the first chapter of the Holy Bible, our life’s purpose is revealed, when the holy writer says that God created man "according to His image and likeness". Thus we ascertain the great love of the Triune God has formed man. He does not want him to be simply a creature with certain gifts (charismata), certain qualities, a certain superiority over the rest of creation, but He wants him to be a god by Grace.

Man outwardly seems to be merely a biological being, like the other living creatures, the animals. Of course, man is an animal, but, as Saint Gregory the Theologian characteristically says, "Man is the only creature that stands apart from all creation, the only one that can become a god" (Homily on the Epiphany).

"According to His image" refers to the gifts (charismata) God gave to man alone unlike all His other creatures, so that he is God’s image. These gifts (charismata) are: A RATIONAL MIND, A CONSCIENCE, FREE WILL (FREEDOM), CREATIVITY, EROS AND A YEARNING FOR THE ABSOLUTE AND FOR GOD, A PERSONA SELF-AWARENESS AND EVERYTHING WHICH MAKES MAN STAND ABOVE THE REST OF THE CREATION OF LIVING CREATURES AND MAKES HIM A PERSON AND A PERSONALITY. In other words, whatever makes man a person are the gifts "according to His image."

Endowed with "the image", man is called TO ACQUIRE "THE LIKENESS", to attain DEIFICATION (THEOSIS). The Creator, God by nature, calls man to become god by Grace. God endowed man with the gifts (charismata) "according to His image", so he may ASCEND VERY HIGH, so he may acquire with them A LIKENESS TO HIS GOD AND MAKER: to have, not an external, moral relationship with Him, BUT A PERSONAL UNION WITH HIS CREATOR.

Unfortunately, many people outside the Church, as also many within it, are ignorant. They believe that our life’s purpose is, at best, merely our moral improvement, our becoming better people. However, according to the Gospel, the Holy Tradition of the Church and the Holy Fathers, thi is NOT our life’s purpose. Man must not only better himself, become more moral, more just, more chaste, more careful. Of course, all this must happen, but it is NOT the most important purpose, the final purpose, for which our Creator and Maker created man. What is that purpose? Deification (Theosis) – to UNITE MAN WITH GOD, NOT EXTERNALLY OR SENTIMENTALLY BUT TRULY.

Since man is called to be in "God’s likeness", namely he has been created to become god, then if he is not on the road to deification (theosis), he feels AN EMPTINESS WITHIN HIMSELF, that something is wrong. He does not enjoy true happiness even when he tries to fill the emptiness with other activities. He organizes his life in such a way that he is almost never at peace, never alone with himself. With noise, tension, television, radio, Internet, and other modern technology and information about almost anything, he tries as some do with drugs, to forget, not to think, not to worry, not to remember that he is on the wrong path, that he has strayed far from his purpose.

In the end, however, a miserable contemporary man is not satisfied, until he finds something else, greater, which exists in his life, something truly beautiful and creative. Those who wish to unite with our Lord Christ, with God the Father – through Christ – are aware that this union takes place in Christ’s body, which is our Holy Orthodox Church.

We are not followers of Christ as some men are followers of a philosopher or a teacher. We are members of Christ’s body, of the Church. The Church is the body of Christ, the real, not the moral one, as ome theologians have erroneously theologized. Christ takes us Christians, despite our unworthiness and sinfulness, and embodies us in His body. He renders us members of Himself and we, truly not morally, become members of His body. The holy Apostle Paul says: "We are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones" [Ephesians 5:30].

According to the Hoy Fathers, OUR SALVATION would be impossible were it not for the Church’s Holy Mysteries (Sacraments) which embody us in Christ and renders us of the same body and of the same blood as Christ. What a great blessing, to be partakers of the sacred Mysteries (Sacraments)! Christ BECOMES OURS, HIS LIFE OUR LIFE, HIS BLOOD OUR BLOOD. Saint John Chrysostom remarks that God has nothing more to offer man than what He offers at Holy Communion. Nor can man ask from God anything more than what he receives from Christ at Holy Communion.

Thus, BAPTIZED, CHRISMATED, AND HAVING CONFESSED, we partake of the Lord’s body and blood and become gods by Grace. We UNITE WITH GOD, WE ARE NO LONGER STRANGERS, BUT INTIMATES TO HIM. (Source: The Deification as the Purpose of Man’s Life)

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.

HOW TO READ THE HOLY BIBLE
By the Right Reverend KALLISTOS, Bishop of Diokleia of
blessed memory.

"ALL SCRIPTURE IS GIVEN BY INSPIRATION OF GOD" [2 Timothy 3:16].

"If an earthly king, our emperor" says Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk (1724-1783), "wrote you a letter, would you not read it with joy? Certainly, with great rejoicing and careful attention." But what, he asks, is our attitude towards the letter that has been addressed to us by no one less than God Himself? "You have been sent a letter not by any earthly emperor, but by the King of Heaven. And yet you almost despise such a gift, so priceless a treasure." To open and read this letter, Saint Tikhon adds, is to enter into a personal conversation face to face with the Living God. "Whenever you read the Gospel, Christ Himself IS SPEAKING TO YOU. And while you read, YOU ARE PRAYING AND TALKING TO HIM."

Such exactly is our Orthodox attitude to the reading of Holy Scripture. I am to see the the Holy Bible as God’s personal letter sent specifically to myself. The words are not intended merely for others, far away and long ago, but they are written particularly and directly to me, here and now. Whenever WE OPEN OUR HOLY BIBLE, WE ARE ENGAGING IN A CREATIVE DIALOGUE WITH THE SAVIOR. In listening, we also respond, "Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears," we reply to God as we read (1 Kings 3:10); "Here am I" (Isaiah 6:8).

The Moscow Conference stated the following: "The Scriptures constitute a coherent whole. They are at once Divinely Inspired and humanly expressed. They bear authoritative witness to God’s revelation of Himself in creation, in the Incarnation of the Logos/Word, and in the whole history of salvation, and as such express the word of God in human language. We know, receive, and interpret THE FOUR CHARACTERISTICS WHICH MARK THE ORTHODOX SCRIPTURAL MIND." First, our reading of Scripture is OBEDIENT. Second, it is ECCLESIAL, in union with the Church. Third, it is CHRIST-CENTERED. Fourth, it is PERSONAL.

Reading the Holy Bible with Obedience

First of all, then, we see Holy Scripture as INSPIRED BY GOD, and so we approach it IN A SPIRIT OF OBEDIENCE. The Divine inspiration of the Holy Bible is emphasized alike by Saint Tikhon. Holy Scripture is "A LETTER" from "the King of Heaven," says Saint Tikhon; "Christ Himself is speaking to you." The Holy Bible, states the Conference, IS GOD’S "AUTHORITATIVE WITNESS" of Himself, expressing "THE WORD OF GOD IN HUMAN LANGUAGE." Our response to this Divine word is rightly one of obedient receptivity. As we read, WE WAIT ON THE SPIRIT.

Since it is Divine inspired, the Holy Bible possesses A FUNDAMENTAL UNITY, A TOTAL COHERENCE, for it is the same Spirit that speaks on every page. We do NOT refer to it as "the books" in the plural, ta vivlia {ta biblia), but we call it "the Bible," "the Book," in the singular. It is ONE BOOK, ONE HOLY SCRIPTURE, with the same message throughout–one composite and yet single story from Genesis to Revelation (Apocalypse)…

"One of the primary requirements, if we are to acquire a "Scriptural mind," is to stop talking and to start listening. When we enter an Orthodox Church, decorated in the traditional way, and look up towards the sanctuary, we see there in the apse the figure of the Mother of God with her hands RAISED TO HEAVEN–the ancient Scriptural manner of praying that many still use today. Such is also our attitude to Holy Scri;pture–an attitude of openness and attentive receptivity, our hands invisibly outstretched to heaven. As we read our Holy Bible, then, we are to model ourselves in this way on the Blessed Virgin Mary, for she is supremely the one who listens. At the Annunciation, listening to the Angel she responds obediently, "Let it be to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38)…

Understanding the Holy Bible through the Church

In the second place, as the Moscow Conference affirms, "We know, receive, and INTERPRET SCRIPTURE THROUGH THE CHURCH and IN THE CHURCH." One approach to the Holy Bible is not only obedient but ecclesial. The words of Scripture, while addressed to us personally, are at the same ADDRESSED TO US AS MEMBERS OF A COMMUNITY: Book and Church ARE NOT TO BE SEPARATED.

The INTERDEPENDENCE of Church and Bible is evident in at least two ways. (1) First, we RECEIVE Scripture THROUGH AND IN THE CHURCH. It is the Church THAT TELLS US WHAT IS SCRIPTURE. In the first thee centuries of Christian history, a lengthy process of sifting and testing was needed, in order to distinguish BETWEEN THAT WHICH IS AUTHENTICALLY "CANONICAL" Scripture, bearing authoritative witness to Christ’s Person and message, and that which is "apocryphal" –useful perhaps for teaching, but NOT a normative source of doctrine. It is thus the Church that has decided WHICH BOOKS FORM THE CANON OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. A book is not a part of Holy Scripture because of any particular theory about its date and authorship, but BECAUSE THE CHURCH TREATS IT AS CANONICAL. Suppose, for example, that it could be proved that the Fourth Gospel was not actually written by Saint John the beloved disciple of Christ–in my view, there are in fact strong reasons for continuing
to accept John’s authorship–yet, even so, this would not alter the fact that we regard the Fourth Gospel as Scripture. Why? Because the Fourth Gospel, whoever the author may be, is accepted by the Church and in the Church.

(2) Secondly, we INTERPRET Holy Scripture THROUGH and IN the Church. If it is the Church that tells what is Scripture, equally IT IS THE CHURCH THAT TELLS US HOW SCRIPTURE IS TO BE UNDERSTOOD. Coming upon the Ethiopian as he read the Old Testament in his chariot, Philip the Apostle asked him, "Do you understand what you are reading?" "How can I," answered the Ethiopian, "UNLESS SOMEONE GUIDES ME?" (Acts 8:30-31). His difficulty is also ours. The words of Scripture are not always self-explanatory. The Holy Bible has a marvelous underlying simplicity, but when studied in detail it can prove a difficult book. God does indeed speak directly to the heart of each one of us during our Scripture reading–as Saint Tikhon says, our reading is a personal dialogue between each one and Christ Himself–but WE ALSO NEED GUIDANCE. And OUR GUIDE IS THE CHURCH. We make full use of our private understanding, illuminated by the Spirit; we make full use of biblical individual opinions, whether our own or those of the scholars, TO THE JUDGMENT OF THE CHURCH.

We read the Holy Bible personally, but NOT AS ISOLATED INDIVIDUALS. We say not "I" but "we." We read AS THE MEMBERS OF A FAMILY, THE FAMILY OF THE Orthodox Catholic Church. We read in communion with all the other members of the Body of Christ in all parts of the world and in all generations of time. This COMMUNAL or CATHOLIC approach to the Holy Bible is underlined in one of the questions asked of a convert at the reception service used in the Russian Church: "Do you acknowledge that the Holy Scripture MUST BE ACCEPTED AND INTERPRETED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE BELIEF WHICH HAS BEEN HANDED DOWN BY THE HoLY Fathers, and which the Holy Orthodox Church, our Mother, had always held and still does hold?" the DECISIVE CRITERION OF OUR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT SCRIPTURE MEANS IS THE MIND OF THE CHURCH. The Holy Bible IS THE BOOK OF THE CHURCH.

To discover this "mind of the Church," where do we begin? A first step is to see how Holy Scripture is used in worship. How, in particular, are biblical lessons chosen for reading at the different feasts? A second step is to consult the writings of the Church Fathers, especially Saint John Chrysostom. How do they analyze and apply the text of Scripture? An ecclesial manner of reading the Holy Bible is in this way both LITURGICAL and PATRISTIC…

"In the words of Father Alexander Schmemann, "A Christian is the one who, wherever he looks, finds everywhere Christ, and rejoices in Him." This is true in particular of the Biblical Christian. Wherever he looks, one every page, he finds everywhere CHRIST. [Source: 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.

NEW TESTAMENT: LETTERS (EPISTLES) OF SAINT PAUL

PHILIPPIANS is the Epistle of joy. Saint Paul writes from a Roman prison. "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4). COLOSSIANS presents Christ as "The HEAD OF THE BODY, THE CHURCH…" (Col 1:18), preeminent in all things.

FIRST THESSALONIANS, the first letter Saint Paul penned, was written to the believers at Thessaloniki, a beautiful coastal city of Greece in about 51 A.D. shortly after Saint Paul planted that Church. This is a letter of encouragement. SECOND THESSALONIANS acknowledges persecution and warns of lawlessness, urging the Christians to "stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught…" (2 Thessalonians 2:15).

Next, Saint Paul addresses the following letters to individuals. In FIRST TIMOTHY, the aging Apostle speaks to his youthful understudy about effective oversight of the Church. The SECOND TIMOTHY, the last letter Saint Paul wrote (see 2 Timothy 4:6-8), he encourages Timothy to "be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 2:1). Saint Paul is already in prison in Rome (1:8) awaiting Martyrdom.

TITUS is sent by Saint Paul to Crete to set the Church "in order." and appoint elders in every city" (Titus 1:5). If this sounds like the work of a bishop, it is (Titus 1:7-8), and Titus is consistently named in early Church records as the first bishop of Crete. PHILEMON is a Christian slave-holder, and Saint Paul writes him to receive back Onesimus (Philemon 10-16), his runaway slave, who has become a Christian with Saint Paul in Rome.

HEBREWS is the last of the Epistles (Letters) attributed to Saint Paul, but with little evidence it was actually written by St. Paul. It is General Letter to Jewish believers in Christ to continue on in the Faith. It assures them that Christ, the Great High Priest in the heavenlies (Hebrews 8:1), is there once for all sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:10) and Victor over death (Hebrews 12:1-2).

The General Epistles

JAMES, the brother of the Lord and first bishop of Jerusalem, writes to fellow Jews, "the Twelve Tribes which are scattered abroad" (James 1:1). His message? "FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD" (James 1:20). Christianity is a belief that behaves.

FIRST PETER, written by the first among the Apostles, urges OBEDIENCE TO GOD and man, willingness to suffer for Christ’s sake, and effective pastoring of the flock. In SECOND PETER, the Apostle discusses Divine power for the faithful (DEIFICATION [THEOSIS], Divine Judgment for FALSE TEACHERS and the Day of the Lord.

Next, Saint John the Theologian offers THREE GENERAL EPISTLES (LETTERS). FIRST JOHN is a stirring personal testimonial to God’s FORGIVENESS, His LOVE for His children and HIs gift OF ETERNAL LIFE. In SECOND JOHN, he addresses an "elect lady and her children," urging them to obey the Lord’s commands and beware of deceivers. THIRD JOHN commends Gaius and Demetrius, and warns against Diotrephes.

Finally, JUDE, the Lord’s brother, writes a short letter exhorting the faithful to contend for the truth and to beware of the devil’s servants. He finishes with a stunning benediction.

APOCALYPSE (REVELATION)

Written by Saint Jonn the Theologian, he entitles his book "The Revelation of Jesus Christ" (1:1). What the book of Daniel to the Old Testament, Revelation is to the New Testament. Another tittle is the APOCALYPSE. which is a transliteration of the Greek word for "revelation" or "unveiling." The book speaks prophetically both to current and future events, to judgment and salvation, and ends with the glorious New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven "AS A BRIDE ADORNED FOR HER HUSBAND" (21:2).

________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things1"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +

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

+ Father George