These are articles from various sources - different priests, bulletin inserts, etc.
Christ commanded his disciples to give alms. To "give alms" means literally "to do" or "to make merciful deeds" or "acts of mercy." According to the Scriptures, the Lord is compassionate and merciful. longsuffering, full of mercy, faithful and true. He is the one who does merciful deeds (see Psalm 103). Acts of mercy are an "imitation of God" who ceaselessly executes mercy for all, without exception, condition or qualification, He is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.
Mercy is a sign of love. God is Love. A deed of merciful love is the most Godlike act a human being can do, "Being perfect" in Matthew's Gospel corresponds to "being merciful" in Luke's Gospel. "Perfection" and "being merciful" are the same thing,
To love as Christ loves, with the love of God who is Love, is the chief commandment for human beings according to Christianity, It can only be accomplished by God's grace, by faith. It is not humanly possible. It is done by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Acts of mercy must be concrete, physical actions. They cannot be "in word and speech, but in deed and truth" (First letter of John and letter of James). Acts of mercy are acts done to Christ himself who was hungry, thirsty, naked, homeless, in prison and sick in the form of being wounded for our transgressions on the cross, taking up our wounds, and dying our death.
Christian acts of mercy must be sacrificial. By this, we understand that we must not simply give to others what is left over. We have to be sharing our possessions with others in ways that limit ourselves in some way (The Widow's Mite). And, acts of mercy should be done without qualification or condition to everyone, no matter who, what or how they are (Parable of the Good Samaritan).
What is the role and task of Orthodox Christians in America? Too often we want solutions to problems which we have not formulated, progress toward a point which we have not yet defined, victories in battles in which we don't know who is fighting whom.
The time has come to clarify the issues, to formulate the problems we face together, to discuss the solutions and the priorities in our existence as Orthodox in a Western country which is our country. Are we a group of exiles? Are we a spiritual and cultural ghetto, to be perpetuated against all odds? Are we to dissolve ourselves here in what is called "the American way of life"? What is this American way of life?
It is my purpose to deal with the fundamental framework of these questions. In my first lecture to freshmen at Saint Vladimir's Seminary, I always use the same symbol: If you have a big library and move into a new house, you can't use that library unless you build shelves. While it is still in boxes, you own that library, but it is of no use to you. My purpose, then, is to build the shelves and then to try to see what are the priorities of our Orthodox situation today.
It is impossible to speak about our situation in America unless we refer it to our normal and essential term of reference, the Orthodox Church. The Orthodox Church--whether Greek, Syrian, Serbian, Romanian, or Bulgarian--has always been both the heart and the form of an Orthodox world. Only here in the West, and for the first time in the history of Orthodoxy, do we think of the Church in terms only of a religious institution such as diocese, parish, and so on. No one in organically Orthodox countries has ever thought of the Church as being distinct from the totality of life. Since the conversion of Constantine, the Church was organically related to society, culture, education, family, etc. There was no separation, no dichotomy. The Russian word for peasant is simply christianin, which at the beginning obviously meant Christian.
Here, then, we find the first radical difference which we have to face in America: We belong to the Orthodox Church, but we do not belong to an Orthodox culture. This is the first and most important change, and unless we understand that this is not an academic proposition, but the real framework of our existence, we will not see clearly through our situation. For everything in the Orthodox Church points toward a way of life; the Church is connected to all aspects of life. Yet we are deprived of this connection because, upon leaving our churches on Sunday morning, we return to a culture which was not produced, shaped, or inspired by the Orthodox Church and which, therefore, in a way is deeply alien to Orthodoxy.
CULTURES IN COLLISION
The first Orthodox immigrants in America never thought about all this, for in many ways they continued to live within an organic Orthodox "culture." They were still living within that type of unity because they belonged to what in American sociology is known as a "sub-culture." After the liturgy, Russians or Greeks would meet in the church hall, and they would meet not only as Orthodox but as Russians or Greeks or Bukovenians or Carpatho-Russians-and they would meet precisely in order to breathe their native culture.
At the beginning, all this was completely normal. Even today you can live in certain places as if you were not living in America. You can live there without knowing very much English, without any real contact with American culture. But whether we like it or not, that "immigrant" chapter of our history is coming to an end, and this is where the younger generation comes in.
Today's Orthodox young people do not have that immigrant mentality. Orthodoxy for them is not primarily the remembrance of childhood abroad. They will not keep Orthodoxy simply because it is "the faith of their fathers." Suppose we apply this principle to others: Then the Lutherans should keep the Lutheran faith, the Jews the Jewish faith, and finally, the son of an atheist should keep atheism because it was the "faith of his father." If this is the criterion, religion becomes a mere cultural continuity.
But our claim is that our Church is Orthodox, or more simply, the Church, and this is a frightening claim. It implies that it is the faith for all men, for all countries, for all cultures. And unless this implication is kept in mind and heart, our claim to be the true or Orthodox Church becomes hypocrisy, and it would be more honest to call ourselves a society for the perpetuation of the cultural values of a particular geographic region.
Our faith cannot be reduced to religious practices and customs alone. It claims the entire life of man. But the culture in which we live, the "American way of life," is something which already existed when we came here. Thus we find ourselves an Eastern Church with a total claim on our life, yet living within a Western society and a Western way of life.
The first problem can, then, be formulated very simply, although its solution is extremely difficult: How are we to combine these things? How can we live our Orthodox faith which claims the totality of our existence within a culture which also claims to shape our existence?
This is the antinomy of our situation; this is where all our difficulties are rooted. Yet unless we understand it, we will always have wrong solutions. These wrong solutions--quite popular today--follow two basic patterns.
I will call one pattern a "neurotic" Orthodoxy. It is the attitude of those who, whether they are native Orthodox or converts, decide they cannot be Orthodox unless they simply reject American culture, who build their spiritual home in some romantic and idealized Byzantium or Russia, and who constantly curse America and decadent Western society. To them, "Western" and "American" are synonymous with "evil" and "demonic." This extreme position gives a semblance of security. Ultimately, however, it is self-destructive. It is certainly not the attitude of Saint John, who, in the midst of a violent persecution, said so simply, "And this is the victory that has overcome the world-s-our faith" (1 John 5:4). And further, he said, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment" (1 John 4:18). In the attitude of some, however, Orthodoxy is transformed into an apocalyptic fear which has always led to sectarianism, hatred, and spiritual death.
The other dangerous pattern is that of an almost pathological "Americanism." There are people who, when they hear in Church one word in Russian or Greek, react as if it were a betrayal of Christ. It is the opposite neurosis, the neurosis of those who want Orthodoxy to become American immediately.
In the first neurosis, Orthodoxy is reduced to a fanatical and negativistic sect; in the second one, "American" is falsified, for America is not at all a country which requires surrender, conformity, and the acceptance of the mainstream mentality as the "American way of life." What makes this country great and indeed unique is precisely the openness of its culture to change.
A MESSAGE UNCHANGED
And who knows whether it may not be the real mission of Orthodoxy in America to change the American culture which has never really been challenged by a different set of values? No doubt Orthodoxy has an understanding of man, life, world, nature, etc., radically different from those prevailing in American culture, but this difference itself is a challenge for Orthodoxy rather than a justification for withdrawal, negativism, and fear. To avoid the two extremes, to be truly Orthodox yet fully American, seems to be the only real Orthodox tradition. How and where do we then begin?
I have already said I have no ready-made answers. I do, however, have a few thoughts which I would like to share with you--a few thoughts about the conditions which may set us on the difficult path. One of the great dangers of modern, and especially American, culture is its reduction of man to history and to change. This is the first thing we Orthodox have to denounce and to resist. We must openly confess that there are things which do not change, that human nature does not, in fact, change; that such realities as sin, or righteousness, or holiness do not depend on the changing pattern of culture.
How many times I have heard, for example, that in "our age" the concept of sin must be changed if it is to be relevant to modern man. How many times we have heard that in "our age" we cannot speak of the Devil. Yet I am absolutely convinced that sin is exactly the same for me as it was for Saint Paul, and that if there is no Devil, Christianity is no longer the same religion it was for nearly two thousand years. It is not enough to speak, as some Western theologians do, of the "demonic." It is not enough to identify sin with alienation. And it is at this point that Orthodoxy has a tremendous responsibility, for it is fundamentally the belief in unchanging realities, it is the denunciation of all "reductions" as not only doctrinally wrong, but existentially destructive.
Thus, the first condition for anything else is simply faith. Before anything else is possible, before I can speak of myself as belonging to this or that generation, as immigrant or native, of our age as technological or post-industrial, etc., there is this one fundamental reality: man standing before God and finding that life is communion with Him, knowledge of Him, faith in Him, that we are created literally for God.
Without this experience and affirmation, nothing has meaning. My real life is in God and in heaven. I was created for eternity. These simple affirmations are rejected as naive and irrelevant today, and in spite of all its Christian terminology. Western Christianity becomes more and more a man-centered humanism. At this point, no compromise is possible, and everything depends upon whether Orthodoxy will remain faithful to its God-centeredness, to its orientation toward the Transcendent, the Eternal, the Divine.
We do not deny that men need justice and bread. But before everything else they need God. Thus, we truly can do what we are called to do in spite of all temptations. The seemingly "charitable" character of these temptations misses the unchanging truth that our call is not only to proclaim or to defend, but first of all to live this unchanging, eternal hierarchy of values in which God and God alone is the beginning, the content, and the end of everything. This is the real content of the Orthodox faith, of our liturgy, of our sacraments. This is what we celebrate on Easter night. This is what is revealed at the Eucharistic Table. It is always the same thing, the same prayer, the same joy: “Thy Kingdom come ... " It is the understanding of life as indeed preparation, not simply for an eternal rest, but for the life which is more real than anything else--a life of which this life is but a "symbol" and a "sacrament"
I can hear and sense the reaction: "Oh, again paradise and hell; is that Christianity? Can this be preached in the twentieth century?" And I will answer: "Yes, it is. Yes, it can." It is because so many people today have forgotten this, it is because all this has become "irrelevant" for Christians themselves, that so many are in hell already. And Orthodoxy will lose all its salt if each one of us does not strive first of all for this personal faith and for this hunger for salvation, redemption, and deification. Christianity begins only when we take seriously the words of Christ: "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33).
A VISION FOR THE FUTURE
But now let me share with you my second preliminary thought Just as each one of us must discover for himself the "unchanging" and take part in the same, never-ending, spiritual fight, we must discover ourselves as belonging to one particular generation of Orthodox Christians living in the twentieth century in America, in a secular and pluralistic culture and in the midst of a great spiritual crisis.
What can we do together? What are the Orthodox imperatives for our common and corporate task? I think that here the priorities are rather clear, especially when one speaks to students and for students, for "student" is today the purest representative of what I call the second Orthodoxy in America. The first one--whether he came from the "old world" or was born here--is still an immigrant in his mentality. He lives within the American culture but is not yet an organic part of it.
A student is by definition someone who can and must reflect. So far Orthodoxy in America has not reflected upon itself and upon its situation here. The Orthodox student is the first Orthodox who is called to reflect on his life as an Orthodox in America. On this reflection depends the future of our Church here, for this reflection will obviously be aimed at the problems which I mentioned earlier. So this is a crucial task. You will say either yes or no for the entire Orthodox Church on this continent.
To say yes, however, means to rediscover the Church as mission, and mission within our present situation means something more than simply converting individuals to Orthodoxy. It means primarily an evaluation of American culture in Orthodox terms, and this is the real mission of the Orthodox "intelligentsia," for no one else can do that.
THE ESSENTIALS OF ENCOUNTER
It is here that I must stress again the fundamental quality of American culture: its openness to criticism and change, to challenge and judgment. Throughout the whole of American history, Americans have asked: "What does it mean to be American?" "What is America for?" And they are still asking these questions. Here is our chance, and here is our duty. The evaluation of American culture in Orthodox terms requires first a knowledge of Orthodoxy, and second a knowledge of the true American culture and tradition.
One cannot evaluate that which one does not know, love, and understand. Our mission, therefore, is first of all one of education. We--all of us--must become theologians, not in the technical sense of the word, but in terms of vital interest, concern, care for our faith, and above everything else, in terms of a relationship between faith and life, faith and culture, faith and the "American way of life."
Let me give you one example. We all know that one of the deepest crises of our culture, of the entire modern world, is the crisis of family and the man-woman relationship. I would ask, then: How can this crisis be related to and understood in terms of our belief in the one who is "more honorable than the cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the seraphim. . . "--the Theotokos, the Mother of God, the Virgin?
Where all this will lead us, I do not know. In the words of a hymn of Cardinal Newman: "I do not see the distant scene, one step enough for me." But I know that between the two extremes--of a surrender to America, of a surrender of America--we must find the narrow and the difficult way of the true Orthodox Tradition. No solution will ever be final, and there is no final solution in "this world."
We shall always live in tension and conflict, in the rhythm of victory and defeat. Yet if the Puritans could have had such a tremendous impact on American culture, if Sigmund Freud could change it so deeply as to send two generations of Americans to the psychoanalytical couch, if Marxism, in spite of all its phenomenal failures, can still inspire presumably intelligent American intellectuals, why can't the faith and the doctrine which we claim to be the true faith and the true doctrine have its chance? "O ye of little faith .... "
Marx and Freud never doubted, and they won their vicious victories. The modern Christian, however, has a built-in inferiority complex. One historical defeat pushes him either into an apocalyptic fear and panicking, or into a "death of God" theology. The time has come, perhaps, simply to recover our faith and apply it with love and humility to the land which has become ours. And who can do that if not those who are given a full share in American culture?
Two things, then, are essential: first, the strengthening of our personal faith and commitment. Whether priest or layman, man or woman, the first thing for an Orthodox is not to speak about Orthodoxy, but to live it to his full capacity; it is prayer, it is standing before God, it is the difficult joy of experiencing "heaven on earth." This is the first thing, and it cannot be reached without effort, fasting, asceticism, sacrifice, or without the discovery of that which in the Gospel is called the "narrow way."
And second, to use a most abused word, there must be a deep and real dialogue with America--not accommodation, not a compromise, for a dialogue may be indeed violent. If nothing else, it will achieve two things. It will reveal to us what is real and genuine in our faith and what is mere decoration. We may, indeed, lose all kinds of decorations which we erroneously take for Orthodoxy itself. What will remain is exactly the faith which overcomes the world.
In that dialogue we will also discover the true America, not the America which so many Orthodox curse and so many idolize, but the America of that great hunger for God and His righteousness which has always underlain the genuine American culture. The more I live here, the more I believe that the encounter between Orthodoxy and America is a providential one. And because it is providential, it is being attacked, misunderstood, denied, rejected on both sides. Perhaps it is for us, here, now, today to understand its real meaning and to act accordingly.
THE MISSION OF ORTHODOXY
We know that the Orthodox youth of America must have a mission. And the first condition for mission is a spiritual foundation; we simply cannot move anywhere without faith and a personal commitment to Christian life. Further, it seems that we must think of our mission in terms of the particular situation we face in America, in this thoroughly secularized society.
But, what is a mission? Mission is one of those words much used and much abused today in America. So we must, first of all, clarify its meaning for us. On the one hand it is clear to all, I hope, that in a sense every Christian is called to be a missionary. Every Christian is sent. When we say "One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church," the term "apostolic" means not only the continuity of ministry, as so many people seem to think, but also the apostolicity, i.e., the missionary nature of the Church and of each of her members.
My being a missionary can be understood in a threefold way. In the first place, I am sent to myself. This means that the new Adam in me is always ready to challenge and to fight the old Adam--the "I" who is still very much "of this world" and subdued to it.
In the second place, I am sent to others. This again is universal, and is not limited to bishops, priests, and missionaries in the strict sense of the word.
And finally, I am sent as a missionary to the world. The scope of our vision and faith is always the salvation of all that for which Christ died, and He died "for the life of the world." Thus, one cannot be saved without giving oneself to this mission. Everyone is a missionary .
Yet, on the other hand, as we begin seeking for concrete applications of these general definitions, the idea of mission becomes confused. It is indeed the eternal problem for each Christian individually and for every Christian generation to find their modality of mission--the way God wants them to fulfill their missionary calling. Just as each man is unique, the way of his fulfillment of his vocation is also unique. And just as each historical situation is unique, the Christian mission of each generation is also in a way unique. This is why there are so many disagreements and controversies among Orthodox today. Everyone admits that something needs to be done, but there is no consensus yet on what exactly is to be done and how. The disagreements concern, indeed, the nature of the Orthodox mission today.
THE PAST AND OUR TRADITION
In such a situation, we must always begin by looking to the past, by consulting with our tradition--not "archaeologically," with an impossible, unrealistic, and futile desire simply to "restore" the past, but in an effort to discern the mind of the Church. The entire history of the Church is in a way the history of her mission, that is, of her relation to and action in the world. And as we look into that past, we discover there a rhythm, which I think could be defined as the rhythm of crisis and consolidation.
Consider, for example, the Book of Acts, the earliest record of the Church's life. It begins with an almost idyllic description of the first community in Jerusalem. The Church is growing, she is liked by all people, she is at peace. The difficulties--like the one with the couple who tried to lie and cheat--are quickly solved. Then comes the crisis, which is primarily a radical change in the external--cultural and spiritual--context within which she has to live.
Suddenly there are new problems facing the Church and disturbing her initial peace. There is the problem of mission to the non-Jews, the problem of circumcision, the concerns about the Jewish way of life--not even questioned before. It is, in other words, a crisis of growth, which is always painful and bitter. The Apostle Paul--the bearer and the symbol of the crisis--knew that without facing it, the Church would have remained a little Jewish sect and would never have been the universal challenge, the universal "question mark," on everything in this world--all that she actually did become because of that first crisis.
But then a period of consolidation begins. From the midst of the second until the end of the third century, we discern a constant effort to do just that: to consolidate, to organize, to define the life of the Church, to build it on clear and solid principles--the apostolic succession, the apostolic constitutions, the apostolic traditions, the canon of Scripture. On the eve of Constantine's conversion the Church exists as a well organized institution, "adjusted" to her universal mission, with a well-oiled mechanism for the solution of her daily problems.
There comes, however, a new crisis, provoked this time by the conversion of the Emperor and--in him--of the entire Graeco-Roman society. The Empire, which to the Church was the very symbol of the Antichrist, the Harlot, the new Babylon, becomes Christian. And it becomes Christian by a direct intervention of Christ Himself, who elects Constantine to be a "second Paul." Once more the entire framework of the Church's life is radically altered. There comes not only security and peace, but also wealth and privileges, the splendor of new basilicas, the rain of gold and silver, the political power, the new social status.
The bishops who only yesterday were in prison or in hideouts are invited to come to Nicea at the expense of the State, receive a "red carpet" treatment, and are submerged with gifts and honors. All this is so new, so unheard of! No wonder it provokes a crisis in the very consciousness of the Church.
The best proof of the new crisis is the great monastic exodus of the fourth century. At a time when Christians seem finally to enjoy all power, all possibilities, at this very time the best Christians, in tremendous numbers, leave for the desert. Yet, the important point here is that this very exodus becomes the starting point of a new consolidation, of the creative adjustment of the Church to her new situation in the world. For without the monastic exodus and challenge, the Church would have been in danger of accepting too easily her new and privileged "status": that of the State religion, of identifying herself with a culture, of losing the intensity of her eschatological prayer: "Thy Kingdom come!"
It was the monk who, by preserving Christian maximalism and forcing it into the very texture of the Empire, laid in fact the foundations of the "Orthodox world" with its inner and creative tension between "heaven" and "earth." What indeed made that Christian world Christian, in spite of its many defects and shortcomings, is the fact that it never reduced man to anything--be it economics, or society, or culture--for it always remembered the eternal and divine vocation of man, always kept the Kingdom of God as its ultimate value. It always knew that man is a sinful creature called to heavenly glory, to the "honor of a high calling."
POST-CHRISTIANITY
Our situation today is once more that of crisis, and it is the nature of that crisis that is to shape the orientation of our missionary effort. The fundamental meaning of the crisis lies in the fact that the Christian world born out of Constantine's conversion, and the subsequent "symphony" between the Church, on the one hand, and the society, state, and culture, on the other, has ended.
Please do not misunderstand me. The end has come not of Christianity, not of Church or faith, but of a world which referred, however nominally at times, its whole life to Christ and had Christian faith as its ultimate criterion. All dreams about its restoration are doomed. For even if Christians were to recover control of states and societies, that would not automatically make these societies "Christian." What happened occurred on a much deeper level.
The fact is we are no longer living in a Christian world. The world we live in has its own style and culture, its own ethos, and, above everything else, its own worldview. And so far Christians have not found and formulated a consistently Christian attitude towards the world and its worldview and are deeply split in their reaction to it. There are those who simply accept the world's view and surrender to secularism.
And there are those whose nervous systems have not withstood the shock of the change and who, faced by the new situation, are panicking.
If the first attitude leads little by little to the evaporation of faith itself, the second threatens us with the transformation of Orthodoxy into a sect. A man who feels perfectly at home in the secular and non-Christian world has probably ceased to be a Christian, at least in the traditional meaning of that term. But the one who is obsessed with a violent hatred and fear of the modem world has also left the grounds of the genuine Orthodox tradition. He needs the security of a sect, the assurance that he at least is saved in the midst of the universal collapse. There is very little Christianity and Orthodoxy in either view. If some forget that the Kingdom of God is "not of this world," the others do not seem to remember that "perfect love overcomes all fear."
A TWOFOLD MISSIONARY PERSPECTIVE
If, as I said above, it is the very nature of the present crisis that must shape our missionary perspective, that perspective, in my opinion, consists of two fundamental attitudes, two urgent tasks.
1. We must maintain at all costs that which many people today contemptuously call the Christian institution. It takes some courage in our day to defend the institution against the powerful and anti-institutional trend which exists both on the right and on the left. It is indeed the ironic paradox of our time that the ultraconservatives are at one with the ultra-radicals in undermining the institution.
The ultra-conservatives, by constantly measuring and comparing the "spirituality" or the "orthodoxy" of bishops and jurisdictions, appoint themselves as judges, setting the criteria and deciding charismatically whom they accept and whom they reject. In other words, they take upon themselves the decisions that belong to the Church and end up replacing the Orthodox doctrine of the Church with a new variety of Donatism or Montanism, heresies of misplaced and misdirected maximalism which, just because of their perceived maximalism, were the most difficult to destroy.
The ultra-radicals simply reject the very principle of institution, which to them seems boring and alienating, and are ready to revise and re-evaluate everything in the light of their own supposedly "charismatic" insights. Here and elsewhere we find a common, deep misunderstanding of the Church: the relationship in her between the institutional and the charismatic. And this misunderstanding is rooted, above all, in the lack of the fundamental Christian virtue: humility.
It is difficult, yet necessary, to say to young people who want excitement and maximalism, immediate action and spectacular achievements: "Your first duty, your first spiritual achievement, consists precisely in accepting the institution, and doing so on its own terms, not yours. It consists in becoming deeply and humbly-part of it"
For what is institution? It is the very fact of the presence and continuity of the Church, always the same, in the world, regardless of all crises, of all changes. It is the guarantee that whether there are prophets or not, whether there are saints and leaders to inspire and lead us, there will be a priest standing at my bed at the hour of my death, pronouncing words of hope, joy, and victory which he did not invent and may even have not felt, but which through him have been preserved by the Church. It is the guarantee that Sunday after Sunday someone--who may be good, bad, or mediocre--will have the right and the duty to offer to God "His own of His own on behalf of all and for all" and thus to make possible all charisms and all inspiration.
2. There must be a faithful remnant which relates to the world as it is today. This is the second task, the one that could be performed beyond the unchanging limits of the institution, and which is determined by the specific situation in which the Church finds herself at any particular period of her history. If the proper function of the institution is to maintain and to make available always and everywhere the unchanging essence of the Christian faith and the Christian life this mission deals with this or that particular situation, with the world as it is now. Again, this mission is always the task of a remnant.
To me the answer is comprised in one word: movement. What the Church needs today, as it has needed it on several occasions in the past, is a dynamic movement of young men and young women, a kind of "order" to fulfill the tasks that institution alone cannot and must not fulfill. If the inner core of such a movement is to consist mainly, if not exclusively, of students, it is because a student is by definition a being whose life is yet open and available.
But the emphasis, of course, is not on "student" but on "movement." The student, as any other member of such a movement, is its subject and agent, not object. The movement is, in other words, to be directed at the tasks to be performed for the Church and not at some specific "student needs ."
VOWS FOR TODAY
I have in mind a kind of spiritual profile of that movement and of those who will take part in it. To me, it looks in some way like a new form of monasticism without celibacy and without the desert, but based upon specific vows. I can think of three such vows.
1. PRAYER: The first vow is to keep a certain well-defined spiritual discipline of life, and this means a rule of prayer: an effort to maintain a level of personal contact with God, what the Fathers call the "inner memory of Him." It is very fashionable today to discuss spirituality and to read books about it. But whatever the degree of our theoretical knowledge about spirituality, it must begin with a simple and humble decision, an effort, and--what is the most difficult--regularity. Nothing indeed is more dangerous than pseudo-spirituality whose unmistakable signs are self-righteousness, pride, readiness to measure other people's spirituality, and emotionalism.
What the world needs now is a generation of men and women not only speaking about Christianity, but living it. Early monasticism was, first of all, a rule of prayer. It is precisely a rule we need, one which could be practiced and followed by all and not only by some. For indeed what you say is less and less important today. Men are moved only by what you are, and this means by the total impact of your personality, of your personal experience, commitment, dedication.
2. OBEDIENCE: The second vow is the vow of obedience, and this is what present-day Orthodox lack more than anything else. Perhaps without noticing it, we live in a climate of radical individualism. Each one tailors for himself his own kind of "Orthodoxy," his own ideal of the Church, his own style of life. And yet, the whole spiritual literature emphasizes obedience as the condition of all spiritual progress.
What I mean by obedience here, however, is something very practical. It is obedience to the movement itself. The movement must know on whom it can depend. It is the obedience in small things, humble chores, the unromantic routine of work. Obedience here is the antithesis not of disobedience, but of hysterical individualism. "I" feel, "I" don't feel. Stop "feeling" and do. Nothing will be achieved without some degree of organization, strategy, and obedience.
3. ACCEPTANCE: The third vow could be described, in terms of one spiritual author, as "digging one's own hole." So many people want to do anything except precisely what God wants them to do, for to accept this and perhaps even to discern it is one of the greatest spiritual difficulties. It is very significant that ascetical literature is full of warnings against changing places, against leaving monasteries for other and "better" ones, against the spirit of unrest, that constant search for the best external conditions. Again, what we need today is to relate to the Church and to Christ our lives, our professions, the unique combination of factors which God gives us as our examination and which we alone can pass or fail.
THE TASK AHEAD
One might ask, what would a movement of this kind set as its goals? What would be its mission?
The first goal would be to help people, and first of all the movement's own members, to experience and to live their Orthodox faith. We all know there exists today a real discrepancy between the Orthodox ideal of the Church--of "sobornost," of liturgical life--and reality. There must be a place, a situation, where this ideal can be tasted, experienced, lived, be it only partially and imperfectly. Here the experience of other Orthodox movements is conclusive. It is because their members experienced--at their conferences, retreats, study groups--the joy and the meaning of Church life that they could witness to it and call to the Church "at large."
Then the second goal of our mission can be termed intellectual. We are living at a time and in a situation in which all, not only professional theologians, are called to know and to be ready to confess. Our time is the time of a gigantic ideological struggle. Without a new concern by the Orthodox about the content of their faith and its implications for their entire life, our Church will lose.
Finally, the movement is to care about those needs of the Church about which a parish or a diocese does not or cannot care: reaching youth, finding the total place and function of the Church in our world, accepting--creatively--the challenges of modern culture. All this is our task because being not of this world we are in it, left in it to witness and to reveal.
All this will take time to build. Yet we must think in terms of a remnant, of a movement, of service. We must begin with ourselves, if we are to be of service to the Church. When God gives something, a talent, He wants us to invest it. He wants us to serve.
There is no other way of following Christ.
Brethren and fathers, because winter has passed and spring has arrived, we see creation flourishing again; the plants are flowering, the earth is growing green, the birds are singing and everything else is being renewed; and we take pleasure in all this and we glorify God the master craftsman who transforms and changes creation year by year, and it is reasonable to do so. Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made [Rom. 1:20].
It is our duty not just to stay where we are, but to advance further and to examine carefully for ourselves the logic of creation. How? Because this renewal has winter as its cause. It would not have reached its prime had it not first undergone snows and rains and winds. And so it is with the soul; unless it is first snowed on by afflictions, troubles and difficulties, it will not flower, it will not fruit; but by enduring, it bears fruit and partakes in a blessing from God, as it is written: Ground that drinks up the rain falling on it repeatedly, and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is cultivated, partakes in a blessing from God [Heb. 6:7].
Therefore, brethren, let us also endure every affliction, every trouble, every trial which assails us both visibly and invisibly, the fast we are drawing out as we hunger and thirst and are otherwise made wretched, so that we may bear fruit and partake of God's blessing; and not only that, but that we may nourish and welcome Jesus as our guest. For just as we enjoy the sight of creation, so he too enjoys the ripe beauty of our souls. What are the fruits? Love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-mastery [Gal. 5:22]. By these he is nourished, by these he is entertained. And blest the one who nourishes him, because he will be nourished by him with eternal good things; and blest the one who receives him as his guest, because he will be received by him as his guest in the kingdom of heaven! Indeed!
So if someone is to receive a king as his house guest, he rejoices and is extremely glad; how much more then someone who receives the King of kings and Lord of lords as his house guest. That he is received is clear from what he himself has said: I and my Father will come and make our abode with him [John 14:23]. And again: One who has my commandments and keeps them, is the one who loves me; the one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I shall love him and manifest myself to him [John 14:21]. Therefore, since such are the promises, let us not only bear, but let us endure with joy all things, both those that are present, those that are whispered about and those that are expected, as we listen to the Apostle when he says: Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is the Church [Col. 1:24]. And again Saint James who says: My brethren, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing [James 1:2-4].
Do you see then that in trials there is joy, and in tribulations gladness? For these are the things that are exchanged where God is concerned; and this is how the saints led their lives; this too how we, by doing violence to ourselves and yet greater violence, and by living our life in their footsteps, shall inherit the kingdom of heaven, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and might, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.
Amen.
There is a moment, and a very noticeable moment, which is sharply marked out in the course of our life, when a person begins to live in a Christian way. This is the moment when there begins to be present in him the distinctive characteristics of Christian life. Christian life is zeal and strength to remain in communion with God by means of an active fulfillment of His holy will, according to our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the help of the grace of God, to the glory of His most holy name.
The essence of Christian life consists in communion with God, in Christ Jesus our Lord - in a communion with God which in the beginning is usually hidden not only from others, but also from oneself. The testimony of this life that is visible or can be felt within us is the ardor of active zeal to please God alone in a Christian manner, with total self-sacrifice and hatred of everything which is opposed to this. And so, when this ardor of zeal begins, Christian life has its beginning. The person in whom this ardor is constantly active, is one who is living in a Christian way. Here we will have to stop and pay attention to this distinctive characteristic.
I am come to send fire to the earth,the Saviour said, and what will I, if it be already kindled! (Lk. 12:49). He is speaking here of Christian life, and He says this because the visible witness of this is the zeal for the pleasing of God which is in the heart by the Spirit of God. This is like fire because, just as fire devours the material which it takes hold of, so also does zeal for the life in Christ devour the soul which receives it. And just as during a time of fire the flame takes hold of the whole building, so also the fire of zeal, once it is received, embraces and fills the whole being of a man.
In another place the Lord says, For every one shall be salted with fire (Mk.9:14). This is also an indication of the fire of the spirit which in its zeal penetrates our whole being. just as salt, penetrating decomposable matter, preserves it from decomposition, so also the spirit of zeal penetrates our whole being, banishes the sin which corrupts our whole nature both in soul and in body; it banishes it even from the least of the places where it has settled in us, and thus it saves us from moral vice and corruption.
The Apostle Paul commands, Quench not the Spirit (I Thess. 5:19), to be not slothful in business; fervent in the spirit (Rom. 12:11). He commands this to all Christians so that we might remember that the fervor of the spirit, or unslothful striving, is an inseparable attribute of the Christian life. In another place he speaks of himself thus: Forgetting those things that are behind, and reaching forth unto those things that are before, I press toward the mark for the high prize of the calling of God in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:13-14). And to others he says, So run, that ye may obtain (I Cor. 9:24). This means that in the Christian life the result of fervor of zeal is a certain quickness and liveliness of spirit, with which people undertake God-pleasing works, trampling upon oneself and willingly offering as a sacrifice to God every kind of labor, without sparing oneself.
Having a firm basis in such an understanding, one may easily conclude that a cold fulfilling of the rules of the Church, just like routine in business, which is established by our calculating mind, or like correct and dignified behavior and honesty in conduct, is not a decisive indicator that the true Christian life is present in us. All this is good, but as long as it does not bear in itself the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, it has no value at all before God. Such things would be like souless statues. Good clocks also work correctly; but who will say that there is life in them? It is the same thing here. Often thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead in reality (Apoc. 3:1).
This good order in one's conduct more than anything else can lead one into deception. Its true significance depends on one's inward disposition, where it is possible that there are significant deviations from real righteousness in one's righteous deeds. Thus, while refraining outwardly from sinful deeds, one may have an attraction for them or a delight from them in one's heart; so also, doing righteous deeds outwardly, one's heart may not be in them. Only true zeal wishes to do good in all fullness and purity, and persecutes sin in all its smallest forms. It seeks the good as its daily bread, and with sin it fights as with a mortal enemy.
An enemy hates an enemy not only personally, but he hates also relatives and friends of this enemy, and even his belongings, his favorite color, and in general anything that might remind one of him. So also, true zeal to please God persecutes sin in its smallest reminders or marks, for it is zealous for perfect purity. If this is not present, how much impurity can hide in the heart!
...in order to "fit into heaven," our whole being -- body, soul and spirit -- must be prepared during this life. For we learn from many writings of the holy fathers that the key to the difference between God and man and between life and death as we know it is change.
"Every rational creature suffers changes without number, and every man is different from hour to hour" (St. Isaac of Syria. Directions on Spiritual Training, Text 78. Philokalia Vol. 1).
"There is nothing of itself enduring, nothing unchangeable, nothing good but Deity alone, while every creature to obtain the blessing of eternity and immutability, aims at this not by its own nature, but by participation of its Creator, and His grace" (St John Cassian. Third Conference of Abbot Theonas. Chap. III).
"We are changeable, and we are changed for the better by becoming partakers of the Word: the Word is changeless, and suffered no change for the worse when He became partaker of flesh, by means of a rational soul" (St. Augustine of Hippo. Letters 140.12).
The hereinafter provides no more opportunities for change. So this leaves our life on earth as the only time during which change is possible. St. Paul says 'Behold, now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation' (I Cor. 6:12). Of this passage St. John Chrysostom says:
"Let us therefore strive for the mastery in the time of this gift. It is the day of grace, of grace divine, wherefore with ease even we will obtain the crown [of heaven]" (Homily XII of II Cor. 6)
"If you approach now, you will receive both grace and mercy, for you approach 'in due season,' but if you approach then, i.e., at the Day of Judgment, no longer will you receive it... Even now it is hard for those to find repentance who sin after baptism of grace... Now is the time of the gift; let no man despair of himself. Then will be the time of despairing, when the bride chamber is shut... For still are the spectators assembled; still is the contest; still is the prize in suspense." (Ibid, Homily VII on Hebrews IV).
So how do we use this 'accepted time' to benefit us for all eternity? The Church, in her wisdom, has made available to us the sacraments for this purpose: Baptism, Confession, Communion, and Holy Unction. But none of these can help us in the depth of our being or effect the necessary essential change in us without our own contributing effort and without that crowning virtue: humility. A baptism casually buried in the mire of subsequent sin, a perfunctory confession, communion taken without fervent belief in its power of healing -- all these are useless to us. Indeed they are a mockery and a sacrilege.
The change that must take place in us must be in the heart, 'with much groaning and weeping' (Cf. Rom. 8:23). It must be real. For only the real and the pure can enter heaven.
The Bible speaks in many places of hardened hearts. A hardened heart is a terrible thing, for it cannot change. It cannot make use of the 'accepted time.' Our Lord would rather see an abject sinner like Mary Magdalene who prostrated herself at His feet and washed them with her tears of repentance, than see a proud man who never admits a fault. When an artist models clay, it is pliable; it can be shaped and made into an object of beauty. But once it is baked, it sets and change is no longer possible. A soul with humility is always pliable and it will surely see the Kingdom.
This ultimately, is the purpose of time: to enable us to evolve, to purify ourselves through change like a sword honed in a refiner's fire, to make us fit for the life to come. Isaiah says "Children have come to the birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth" (Isa. 37:3). In the spiritual reflections of Father Matta El-Meskeen (Matthew the Poor. The Communion of Love), he says:
"Such also is the state of the sinner when he stands at the gate of repentance, agonizing in the hope of salvation and renewal of life. Yet when he looks back a the past he has defiled he weeps, and when he aspires to the future he desires he faints, for the finds that feebleness has pervaded his entire being, and that he is no longer able to pull himself out of the mire, encompassed as he is by weakness. It is as if sin were the illness of withering that infects a plant, not leaving it till the gloom of death surrounds it from every side. This is exactly the nature of sin, which is cast into the entire being of a man to expel the spirit of life."
"Wherefore I entreat and beseech, and lay hold of your very knees, that whilst we have this scant viaticum of life... that you would become better men; that we may not, like that rich man, lament to no purpose in that world after our departure, and continue thenceforth in incurable wailings. For though you should have father or son or friend or any soever who has confidence towards God, none of these will ever deliver you, your own works having destroyed you," says St. John Chrysostom (Homily XLII on I Corinthians 15).
"First my mind must become detached from anything subject to flux and change and tranquilly rest in motionless repose, so as to be rendered akin to Him who is perfectly unchangeable; and then it may address Him by this most familiar name and say: Father... The unjust and impure cannot say Father to the just and pure" says St. Gregory of Nyssa. (The Lord's Prayer).
"What is the profit of this present life, when we do not use it for our future gain?" St. John Chrysostom (Homily XC on Matthew 28).
"But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth Me is with Me on the table" (Luke 22: 21)
It is most difficult for a general to wage war when he has an enemy within the camp— not only external enemies but also internal enemies in his own ranks. Judas was considered among his own. However, he was the enemy from within. Rows of enemies crowded and closed ranks around Christ while Judas was preparing betrayal from within. His hand was on the table that Christ blessed, but his thoughts were aligned with the enemies, where the darkest evil, hatred and malice seethed against the gentle Lord.
Is it not also the same today, that the hands of the many betrayers of Christ are at the table with Him? Which table is not Christ’s? What table does not hold His gifts? He is the Householder and He nourishes and feeds His guests. The guests have nothing of their own, nothing! All good and all abundance which is given to them is given by the hand of Christ. Therefore, is not Christ present at every table as a Householder and as a Servant? Therefore, are not the hands of all who betray Christ today at the table with Him? They eat His bread, and they speak against Him. They warm themselves by His sun, and they slander His name. They breathe His air, and they rise up against His Church. They live by His mercy, and they banish Him from their homes, their schools, their courts, their books and their hearts. They willfully and maliciously trample His commandments and ridicule His law. Are they not the betrayers of Christ and the followers of Judas? Do not be afraid of them! God did not command us to be afraid of them, but to wait to see their end. Our Lord was not afraid of Judas nor is He afraid of all the traitorous hordes to the end of time. He knows their end, and He already has His victory in His hands. Therefore, neither should you be afraid. Adhere faithfully to Christ the Lord, not only when it appears that His work is succeeding and advancing in the world but also when it appears that His work is failing and perishing. Do not be afraid! If you become frightened , perhaps your hand will be found clenched beneath Judas’s hand at the table of Christ.
O Lord, All-victorious, sustain us with Thy power and mercy.
To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
"And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name" (Luke 24: 47).
This is the final instruction of the Savior to the holy apostles. In these words, as in a nutshell, is contained the Gospel of reconciliation between God and men. What does God seek from men and what does God give them? He seeks repentance, and He grants forgiveness of sins. He seeks little, but He gives all. Let men only repent for sins committed and cease sinning, and men will receive all from God — all, not only all that their hearts could desire, but even more, much more. In truth, everything is promised to the righteous. The righteous will be the inheritors of the Kingdom of God, they will be the sons of God, and they will be the children of light, the children of immortality, companions of the angels, brothers of Christ. The righteous will have an abundance of life, peace, wisdom, power and joy. The righteous will have all, for all has been promised to them.
Let men only repent, and they will receive all. Let the beggar only cleanse himself, bathe himself and clothe himself in purity before the doors of the royal court, and he will be immediately ushered into the royal court. There he will be met and embraced by the King, and he will have all. He will live with the King and sit at the royal table; he will have all, all, all!
O my brethren, these are not only words, rather this is the living and holy truth. For we know that many penitents, both female and male, received all of this that was promised. Many have appeared from the other world and have proved the truth of these words, witnessing to how they now live as royal sons and daughters. But they repented in time; and there yet remains time for us to repent, if we desire to be together with them as the heirs of the Kingdom.
O Merciful Lord, help us to repent before death, in order that we may live eternally. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
It was the opportunity of a lifetime for one born in the heartland of America, never having traversed across an ocean or set foot on another continent. Yet upon the invitation of an Orthodox friend originally from Thessaloniki, with the blessing of our Metropolitan PHILIP, and by God’s inscrutable grace and providence, the journey began from the heartland of the new world to the “spiritual heart” of the whole world and the heart-beat of Orthodox Christianity -- the Holy Mountain of Athos.
This most beautiful of three peninsulas jutting out from the region of Chalkidiki in southeastern Greece is renown for both the breathtaking beauty of its flowering desert landscape and endless blue sea, and as a heavenly “garden” which has produced some of the most fragrant flowers of Orthodox spirituality throughout the centuries. Saints Athanasios and Peter of Athos, St. Gregory Palamas, and innumerable others, known and unknown, have been glorified by the Most Holy Trinity upon this isolated mountain.
According to the oral tradition associated with the life of the Theotokos, and the living tradition of Athos, the mountain was consecrated for future generations by her physical presence and prayers in the years after the Resurrection of Christ (around 52 AD). As our Lady and the Apostle John sailed from Jerusalem to Cypress with the intention of visiting St. Lazarus (the friend of Christ and then Bishop of Cypress), their craft was forced off course by a violent storm from the Mediterranean to the Aegean Sea, and washed ashore at that future site of Orthodox monasticism. The Theotokos, overwhelmed by its beauty, asked her Son and Lord to consecrate it and place it under her protection. For this reason the monks of Athos consider their agion oros (Holy Mountain) “the garden of the Theotokos.”
Ancient geographers mention six towns on the peninsula in the centuries before Christ, and it is explicitly named for the first time in relation to the Persian expedition against the Greeks in 493 BC. (It is worth noting that the Persian fleet met with terrible disaster from bad weather and were forced to call off the invasion). It is said that by the 4th century the area was completely Christianized. Despite the good intentions of scholars who have insisted that the monastic life on Athos could have began only as early as the 9th century, recent archeological digs near existing monasteries have revealed the buried foundations of large churches or monastic structures dating from at least the 5th century.
Our personal pilgrimage began in Thessaloniki with the visiting of some of the many glorious churches of that city, both ancient and modern. Among the oldest and most awe-inspiring is the Church of St. Demetrios, the resting place of the Great Martyr himself. The current structure erected in the 5th century was built upon an older church dedicated to the martyr which itself was built partially upon the ruins of ancient Roman baths. The remnants of both are clearly seen in the underground portion of the Temple. Within these catacombs, hiding places of the early Christians, is built a small shrine on the very spot that St. Demetrius gave the ultimate sacrifice and witness to the Resurrection of the Savior. In a small chapel within the larger Temple lies his tomb, where we knelt in joy and prayed for his holy intercessions, and in another place his head is encased for veneration.
Another 5th century Church Temple in the heart of Thessoloniki is the Acheiropoietos or Great Church of the Theotokos, also built on the ruins of a Roman baths complex. This church holds the unfortunate distinction of being the first in Thessaloniki to be converted into a mosque when the city fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1430. It is adorned by beautiful ancient mosaics and intricately designed colonnades. A fresco of the Forty Martyrs dates from the 13th century.
In contrast, the current “Rotunda of St. George” was built by Galerius Caesar in 306 AD as a pagan temple. It was converted into a Christian Church in the 5th century dedicated to the archangels. Only very small remnants of icons and mosaics exist today in the massive open space of the Rotunda which is crowned by a brick dome 30 meters in height, due to its conversion into a mosque in 1590 as well as the earthquake which struck the city in 1978. This beautiful, cosmically spacious Temple is currently under reconstruction.
The city of Thessaloniki was liberated from the Ottomans in 1912, and since that time a great deal of restorative work has taken place, with many churches being re-opened for Orthodox worship and the construction of new church temples and monasteries as well. While centuries of Turkish occupation as well as modern secularism has taken its toll, the streets of Thessoloniki are sprinkled with tangible reminders of the Apostolic Faith which act as a “leaven” raising the heart to God and to eternal life. As one walks along the busy streets of the city lined with cafe’s and dress shops, it is not uncommon to find a small church tucked away inconspicuously as a prayerful refuge from the noise and bustling of modern life. Along the sidewalks outside of every Orthodox Church stands one or more “parakleses,” a small, covered icon shrine, where passers-by may duck in at any time during the day or night to light a candle and pray on their way to work or school. How incredibly refreshing to leave the confusion of “this world” behind and enter into the realm of the Kingdom of God, even if for a few minutes, to “sanctify the time” and remember that all of life is to become a continual “sacrifice of praise” to God. How would our American culture be changed by such simple incarnations of the love of God for mankind and the sacramental nature of life?
Despite the secularization which has effected all of Europe, we found evidence of a relentlessly unshakable foundation of Orthodox Faith with deep roots planted long ago. It was our blessing to attend Vespers at the Church of St. Charalambos, a parish church owned by the Athonite monastery of Simonopetra. Speaking casually with the priest’s 18 year old son after the service, we were struck by this authentic continuity of living faith deeply-woven in the fabric of his family. The young man’s grandfather, late in life, had retired to a monastery on Mount Athos, with his grandmother living in prayer at a monastery in Thessaloniki; an Uncle also lives the life of prayer on Athos; one of his sisters entered the monastic life at age 14; he himself desired to follow his father into the Holy Priesthood; and his family line also contained martyrs for the Orthodox Faith.
Traveling just outside Thessaloniki we visited a new holy site, established by a saint of our times, the Elder Paisios from Cappadocia and of Mount Athos (+1994). This wonderworking man of God, who’s life was forseen by St. Arsenios of Cappadocia who baptized him, founded the women’s monastery of St. John the Theologian here. Speaking with one of the original nuns, we found out that Elder Paisios took great pains to establish the monastery at the request of a small group of young women who came to him for help and guidance in the 1960’s. Revered as a Saint in his lifetime, he has come to be known and venerated by thousands all over the world.
Soon it was time to prepare for our journey on the Holy Mountain. A few necessary items frugally chosen were placed into our backpacks, and we departed for Ouranopolis on the northeast side of the peninsula of Athos. From there we journeyed southward along the coast by boat on the Aegean Sea, catching our first distant glimpses of the breathtaking beauty which two of us had only read about. The pages of a book, however, cannot contain the spiritual light and anticipation, and the majestic, almost surreal sight of large, ancient monasteries cloistered awkwardly and yet somehow naturally within the rocky landscape, each with its own history, its own story, its own treasure of holy relics, and its own venerable list of holy ones.
Complimenting the large, jutting monastic structures were many smaller enclosures and dwellings inconveniently tucked into rocky crevices high up and swallowed up immediately by the surrounding green brush and above by unending blue sky. In such a place where one should feel uncomfortable, a visitor, a foreigner, the atmosphere was congenial and “earthy,” simple and unpretentious. The mountain seemed to welcome and humbly embrace all those who were coming to her, whether in prayerful reflection or with the curiosity, skepticism, or pride of a novice. All of us on the boat seemed to share in a quiet kinship and comrodery. We who perhaps did not “belong” there were received without a hint of condescension or spirit of judgment by the sea, or the terrain, or more especially by the inhabitants of this place.
Upon docking at our point of departure, we strapped on our backpacks and began a thirty-minute climb up a steep, twisting rocky path toward our first destination -- the Kalyve of Danielioi in the desert region of Katounakia. This little “brotherhood,” resting 300 meters above sea level, had been founded and built by the blessed Elder Daniel from Smyrna, with its church completed in 1903. The elder had founded the brotherhood after many years of toil and prayer in the larger monasteries, and having his love for God tried by the fire of many trials, for which God poured upon him many gifts of grace. It is reported that he knew the entire Philokalia by heart. (See Contemporary Ascetics of Mount Athos, Vol. One, St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood). He was supported and encouraged by his contemporary and friend, St. Nectarios, Bishop of Pentopolis, whom he had met on Athos and with whom he maintained a close bond. Since St. Nectarios visited the brotherhood several times, and contributed both financially and spiritually to the brotherhood from its initial stages, he is considered the “first abbot” and patron Saint.
We were awe-struck to discover that we were walking on the same ground that the highly revered and God-bearing Nectarios had walked, and we were moved greatly upon venerating a precious and fragrant relic and skufia (cap) of the same. The chapel of Danielioi is dedicated to All Saints of the Holy Mountain, and so it possesses the largest collection of officially glorified Saints of Mount Athos. Among other relics we venerated were those of St. Peter of Athos, St. Gregory Palamas, and St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain. The current abbot (also the cook and iconographer) and the priests of the brotherhood tended to us with great warmth and hospitality. We were treated as ones with an equal share in the Faith. We ate together, prayed together each day, and spoke at some length (to the extent that the schedule of the monks allowed) on practical and theological topics.
Each day began at 4am with Orthros and Divine Liturgy, and lasting 4-5 hours. Despite struggling with an occasional flood of fatigue, we emerged from services refreshed and strengthened, with the sweet Byzantine melodies resonating in our spirits.
The monks spoke of the importance of unity and charity within the Church, above all else, while always desirous to maintain the Tradition which leads us to communion with the living God. “Everyone can fight, but not everyone can love,” said one hieromonk with a profound simplicity that seemed to pierce into the heart. Here there was no dichotomy or superficial separation between the “external” and “internal” life of Orthodoxy. There was not the incessant questioning about “rules” and “exceptions,” but rather a commonsensical and personalized understanding of the way that leads to Life. On the Holy Mountain fasting was not something talked about, but done, whereas with many of us it is too often the other way around. “Fasting is not the goal,” said one monk, “nor is asceticism the goal; nor is even our prayer rule the goal, but the goal is communion with God.”
Yet looking into his eyes, and hearing his words, it was clear that the love and grace of God which characterized his gestures, his countenance, and his being had been forged in humility and obedience through fasting, asceticism, and prayer. He who lived out the Orthodox Tradition most strictly himself, was the first to meet others with understanding and flexibility wherever possible. Whereas we often approach Orthodox life by imposing a “formula” upon an “imaginary person” without regard to his or her understanding, ability, or experience, in contrast we observed a primary concern for the individual without disregard or compromise for the means of spiritual ascent. This approach is consonant with the quintessential question of the Gospel that each of us must ask: “What must I do to be saved?” This is the way of balance and spiritual progress, the way of the Cross -- “the balance beam of righteousness.”
After a bitter-sweet farewell, more gracious hospitality, and being showered with gifts of icons and books (more weight for our backpacks!) we continued our pilgrimage. Making brief stops at St. Anne’s Skete, where we were blessed to venerate a relic of the mother of the Theotokos, and at Dionysiou Monastery where we viewed incredible 14th century frescos of scenes from the Book of Revelation, we continued on to Agios Pavlos. The Monastery of St. Paul is mentioned in documents as early as 972 AD. Here we met novices and monks from many backgrounds. A former traveling lay preacher of the Greek Church showed us to our room and spoke enthusiastically of his upcoming tonsure to the monastic life. After Vespers we were unexpectedly greeted with a smile and welcomed with words in both English and Arabic by a novice from Homs, Syria. The man, who was clearly happy to have made his way to the Holy Mountain, was named after the early martyr from his own town, Elian (Julian) of Homs. The same day we met a Russian Priest who had resided at St. Katherine’s Monastery on Mount Sinai for many years, and who spoke five languages, including Greek, Arabic, and English. Earlier in our pilgrimage we had been fortunate to meet a Russian Priest who serves at the Diveyevo Monastery, founded by St. Seraphom of Sarov.
At St. Paul’s we were given a tour of the monastery library by the groundskeeper (the librarian was on official business outside the monastery) which held several very ancient and interesting books and artifacts. We were joined by a group of German site-seers as well as two Orthodox Christians from Poland (representing, as they said, only 4% of their countrymen). Again we received blessing upon blessing by venerating the Gifts of the Magi, the relics of the Apostles Andrew and Bartholomew, the hand of St. Damian the Unmercenary Healer, and the foot of St. Gregory the Theologian. The monastery also had in its possession the icon which was venerated secretly by the Empress Saint Theodora during the time of the reign of her iconoclastic husband, Theophilus. One of the largest existing pieces of the Precious Cross of the Lord is brought out for veneration only once each year on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.
After services the next morning we continued on to our final destination, Gregoriou Monastery. Following the hike of all hikes, we arrived and settled into the monastery established in the middle of the 14th century. Gregoriou is known as one of the best organized of those on Athos. Services and chanting were prayerful and orderly within the walls of a (relatively) small katholikon (main church) beautifully adorned almost completely with frescos dating from the latter part of the 18th century (the originally 14th century icons were tragically destroyed by fire). These icons were written around the time the Brittish colonies were becoming the United States of America!
We were attended to primarily by a monk of ten years from England, a second generation Greek, who had at one time sought to distance himself from the Church of his parents. It was to my great surprise when, on the feast day of Ss. Constantine and Helen (old calendar) I was escorted into the holy altar to concelebrate Divine Liturgy at that holy place! Still in the Paschal season, I was asked several times to sing Christ is Risen in English, and later was asked by one hieromonk to write the Paschal Troparion for him in our language. It seemed that it brought the monks great joy to know that the Faith of the Apostles was alive and well in America.
Among the great treasures there were the head of St. Photini, the Samaritan woman at the well and equal-to-the-Apostles, the forehead of St. Panteleimon, St. Anastasia of Rome, and the hand of St. Makrina, the sister of St. Basil and St. Gregory of Nyssa.
Now there was only the task of going down from the mountain, a more formidable task than ascending it. To go back into the world, to remain detached from the snares of the devil and the flesh, and to be attached ever-increasingly to the Holy Trinity, this is the “impossible” task (“with God all things are possible”) that is given to most of us. May Christ our true God, who said, “Without Me you can do nothing,” equip us for such a task. To Him be glory, thanksgiving, and worship, with His Unoriginate Father, and His All-Holy, Good, and Lifegiving Spirit. Amen.
CATECHESIS 53 of St. Theodore the Studite On fasting; and that the true fast of the obedient and the subject is the cutting off of one’s will. Given on Forgiveness Sunday.
CATECHETICAL HOMILY On the Opening of Holy and Great Lent Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America
Let us joyfully begin the all-hallowed season of abstinence; and let us shine with the bright radiance of the holy commandments of Chist our God, with the brightness of love and the splendour of prayer, with the purity of holiness and the strength of good courage. So, clothed in raiment of light, let us hasten to the Holy Resurrection on the third day, that shines upon the world with the glory of eternal life ...
----
Come, O you people, and today let us accept the Grace of the Fast as a gift from God and as a time for repentance, in which we may find mercy with the Savior. The time for combat is at hand and has begun already; let all of us set forth eagerly upon the course of the Fast, offering our virtues as gifts to the Lord.
Then God said, "Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them..." Genesis 1:26-28
The phrase "in the image" implies a gift within man but at the same time a goal set before him, a possession but also a destiny, since it really does constitue man's being, but only in potentiality ...Having been made in the image of God, man has a theological structure. And to be a true man he must at every moment exist and live theocentrically. When he denies God he denies himself and destroys himself. When he lives theocentrically he realizes himself by reaching out into infinity; he attains his true fulfilment by extending into eternity ...By making himself his own goal and objective, man "became his own idol" [according to St. Andrew of Crete]. Of his own free will he broke off his iconic relationship with God and impeded his movement towards Him. He made himself autonomous, limited himself to created time and space, to his created nature, with the physiological result that a spiritual famine broke out within him. Panayiotis Nellas, Deification in Christ.
Dear Faithful in Christ,
What a joy it is to gather each Sunday, on the day of the Resurrection of our Lord, to celebrate the Divine Liturgy -- that glorious act of worship in which we "plug into" the worship which is continuously going on in Heaven.
There is literally NOTHING on earth like the Divine Liturgy, the Holy Eucharist, which has been given to us by the Lord Himself, as the most perfect act of worship and thanksgiving, bringing us into Communion with our God and Father, through Jesus, and in the Spirit of God.
In the Liturgy, we do not re-enact the life of Christ, we partake of it, we enter into it, and we are united to it -- i.e. to Him and to His eternal Sacrifice for us, His Suffering, Death and His Resurection. Even though His Sacrifice on the Cross happened once in history, we participate in it again and again through the heavenly Liturgy.
Through our simple act of offering back to God in thanksgiving basic elements of God's creation -- bread and wine -- we are offering our selves, our lives, and the whole creation to Him. We return to Paradise where all things glorified Him, all things were "communion" with Him, all things were offering themselves to Him, and all things worshipped and obeyed Him.
In the Liturgy, we see how everything is supposed to be, how everything was created to be...
Fire (candles) becomes praise and prayer, and a reflection of He who is "the Light of the World." The Light is a reflection of He who said: "Let there be light" and of Him who overcomes the darkness of sin. Sand from the earth humbly accepts to hold those candles so that God may be glorified and so that man may be saved.
Incense becomes prayer and a symbol of sacrificial love, the offering of our lives to God. Paint and color reflects the glory of God, and is formed into an image (icon) of He who united Himself to us in love by becoming Flesh.
The Priest's Vestments reflect the fact that the Son of God "clothed Himself" in the poor "garments" of our fallen human nature, making it bright and glorious and filled with Divine Light. Our clothing -- the garments of fig leaves which Adam and Eve wove for themselves to cover the darkness which had entered their bodies through sin -- become bright and spotless and holy Baptismal Robes (our bodies), since through baptism we have "put on Christ." The altar participates in the Altar in Heaven (see the Epistle to the Hebrews), in the Sacrifice of Christ "once for all" which is a continual reality in the "eternal now" of the Kingdom of God.
The voices of the faithful "mystically represent" the Cherubim, the Angels who continually cry "Holy, Holy, "Holy, Lord of Saboath, Heaven and Earth are filled with Thy glory!" Human words become the very Word of God in the proclamation of the Gospel.
The Priest, through whom the Holy Gifts are offered, becomes a mere vehicle through which Jesus Himself, "the High Priest" offers Himself to us. As the Liturgy says, It is "He who offers and is offered." Bread becomes Heavenly Food, even a mystical participation in the Flesh of the Divine Son of God.
Wine becomes Heavenly Drink, even the Blood of Christ. "Mine" and "Yours" (the selfish desire to possess things) becomes "Thine own of Thine own, we offer unto Thee, in behalf of all and for all!"
If God were to allow us to see the Liturgy without the "veil" which covers our eyes, we would be frozen with awe as was St. Seraphim, who as a deacon turning toward the people saw Jesus Christ Himself and could not move or speak for several days.
The Liturgy is not just a series of petions or prayers one after the other, it is a whole, a unity, a SINGLE ACTION of offering our lives to God in Christ and through the Holy Spirit. It is a movement from earth toward Heaven, from this world into the world to come, which is already come in Christ. It is a corporate action through which the Word of God becomes "flesh" first through the Scriptures and the Homily (the first half of the Liturgy, or "Liturgy of the Word."); and then through the transformation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, by which we become the "Body of Christ" (the second part of the Liturgy, or the "Liturgy of the Faithful").
We the Faithful, the Priest and the "royal priesthood" of Christ, each having our own specific role and priestly dignity within the Body, offer the humble "bread and wine" of our lives to God, who returns them to us transformed, perfected, and as Communion with Him, and a foretaste of eternal life! What happens to the bread and wine is also to happen to us...
We prepare ourselves through purity and prayer before the Liturgy as the Priest prepares the bread and wine with prayer...
We come out of the world by cutting out the extraneous element of sin from our lives, as the Priest cuts out the portion of the loaf which is to become the Body of Christ, and cuts out a small particle representing our life, placing it on the Paton... We are offered on the Paton and in the Chalice our flesh and our blood (our sweat, our tears, our prayers, our failures, our weaknesses...)...
We are placed on the Altar of God...
We are joined to His Sacrifice on the Cross...
We are resurrected with Him and in Him...
We share in His Divinity, since He shared in our humanity...
We become "sons of God" by grace, as He is the Son of God by nature...
We are joined to His incorrupt Humanity...
We receive His Holy Spirit...
We are Consecrated...
We become His Body and Blood...
We are to become "Communion" through which Christ is distributed to others and through which others come into Communion with Him....
By these signs then, that carnal pride is shown... He is utterly lacking in patience, and without charity: impudent in offering insults to others; faint-hearted in bearing them himself; troublesome in the matter of obedience, except where his own wishes and likings correspond with his duty; unforgiving in receiving admonition; weak in giving up his own wishes; very stubborn about yielding to those of others; always trying to compass his own ends, and never ready to give them up for others; and thus the result is that though he is incapable of giving sound advice, yet in everything he prefers his own opinion to that of others.
In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
I was asked to give a certain number of sermons on Confession; because many come to Confession and repeat only things which they have read in manuals of devotion or which other people have told them about. And I would like to start where I start with a child and attract your attention to the fact that our situation is the same.
When a child comes to Confession, usually he brings either on paper or by memory a long list, or a short list, of sins. And when he has finished, I always say, "Are these things which break your heart? Are these things which you feel are wrong in you? Did you invent for yourself this confession?“ And most of the time the answer is, "No, my mother gave me this list because that makes her cross!" After that I usually have a conversation with the mother. But as far as the child is concerned, it has nothing to do with him, it is not his confession. It is the judgement which the parents have established, accusations against him. And the same could be asked about grown-up people who come with lists of sins which they have found in manuals, or been told to consider by their spiritual fathers. And the answer is always the same: it is not my confession, yet it is a challenge which I was given.
And then, the next move, indeed, is to ask, "What do you know of Christ? Does He attract you? Do you like Him? Does He mean anything to you?" And the answer is varied. Some say, "No, I know Him from afar off, I know Him from the Church, from what I was taught, but I never had a personal attitude to Him.“ Then the answer is,"Find out. Read the Gospel and try to find out what Christ is like."
And the next move: ask yourself, "Do I like Him? Would I wish to be His disciple, His friend?" If the answer is "no“, then begin to think about your whole situation, because if Christ means nothing, if you dislike Him, if He is no image of what you would like to be, then you must start a long, long way away. But if you can say, "Yes! I like Him, I can respect Him, I can admire Him. Yes, I would like to be His personal friend if He was here,“ then my next question will be, "Do you know what friendship is?“
Friendship consists most of all in choosing someone among all the people to be to you the one you treasure above all, whom you admire, by whom you are prepared to stand in case of danger or unpleasantness; one to whom you wish to give joy.
Ask yourself these questions with regard to Christ; and ask yourself, in what way have you tried in the past week to give some joy to the Lord Jesus Christ, or in what way have you been for Him a cause of pain. "I have loved him to the point of giving My life and My death to him and he does not care at all. Not for My suffering or My death, but for Me“.
If that is the conclusion, begin to re-examine all your status as a Christian. If you can say, "yes, I choose Him as a friend,“ begin to ask yourself every day, every day: what have I done, said, thought, felt, been, which can be to Him a joy or a pain?
And when you will come to Confession that is what you must bring to Confession; between the last Confession and today's Confession this is what I have been: an unfaithful friend, an indifferent friend, a cowardly friend, or on the contrary, no, I have chosen Him for my friend and I stood by Him . . .
Think in those terms; and we will see in the following sermons of mine what else we can think and do, and prepare, to pronounce a Confession that will be your own; the truth, the rock bottom of your life and heart, the truth about your relationship with Christ. Amen.
When praying, keep to the rule that it is better to say five words from the depth of your heart than ten thousand words with your tongue only.
When you observe that your heart is cold and prays unwillingly, stop praying and warm your heart by vividly representing to yourself either your own wickedness, your spiritual poverty, misery, and blindness, or the great benefits which God bestows every moment upon you and all mankind, especially upon Christians, and then pray slowly and fervently.
If you have not time to say all the prayers, it does not matter, and you will receive incomparably greater benefit from praying fervently and not hurriedly than if you had said all your payers hurriedly and without feeling: "I had rather speak five words with my understanding than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue." (1)
But it would, of course, have been very well had we been able to say those ten thousand words in prayer with due understanding and feeling. The Lord does not forsake those who labor for Him and who stand long before Him; for with what measure they mete, He will measure to them again, and He will reward them for the abundance of the sincere words of their prayer by sending into their souls a corresponding abundance of spiritual light, warmth, peace, and joy. It is well to pray long and continually; but "All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given."(2) it is better for those who are not capable of long prayers to say short prayers, but with a fervent spirit.
There are three things, my brethren, by which Faith stands firm, devotion remains constant, and virtue endures. They are prayer, fasting, and mercy. Prayer knocks at the door, fasting obtains, mercy receives. Prayer, mercy, and fasting: these three are one, and they give life to each other.
Fasting is the soul of prayer; mercy is the lifeblood of fasting. Let no one try to separate them; they cannot be separated. If you have only one of them or not all together, you have nothing. So if you pray, fast; if you fast, show mercy; if you want your petition to be heard, hear the petition of others. If you do not close your ear to others you open God’s ear to yourself....Therefore, let prayer, mercy, and fasting be one single plea to God on our behalf, one speech in our defense, a threefold united prayer in our favor.
...Fasting bears no fruit unless it is watered by mercy. Fasting dries up when mercy dries up. Mercy is to fasting as rain is to the earth….When you fast, if your mercy is thin your harvest will be thin; when you fast, what you pour out in mercy overflows into your barn….Give to the poor and you give to yourself. You will not be allowed to keep what you have refused to give to others.
Through their prayers and almsgiving for the deceased, Christians show forth the relationship between this world and the world to come. The Church in this world and the Church in the other world are one and the same— one body, one being— as the root of a tree beneath the earth comprises one organism with the trunk and the branches of the tree above the earth. It is clear from this how we, who comprise the Church on earth, can receive help from the saints and the righteous ones in the Heavenly Church, just as the deceased sinners in the other world can receive help from us on earth. St. Athanasius says, “As it happens with wine inside a barrel— that when the vineyard blooms in the field, the wine somehow senses it, and blossoms in fragrance itself— so it is with the souls of sinners. They receive some relief from the Bloodless Sacrifice offered for them in charity,” performed for their repose. St. Ephraim the Syrian cites that same example with wine and the vineyard and concludes: “And so, when there exists such mutual sensitivity even among plants, are not prayer and sacrifice felt even more so by the departed ones?”
In alphabetical order according to title.
Titles asterisked (*) are recommended for catechetical purposes. Double asterisks (**) denote writings and Lives of Saints which are particularly inspiring and instructiona
|
Title |
Author |
Publisher |
Description |
|
1. A Night in the Desert of the Holy Moutain** |
Metropolitan Hierotheos |
Birth of the Theotokos Monastery |
An incredible conversation with a living saint of Mount Athos on the Jesus Prayer and spiritual life. |
|
2. A Spiritual Psalter |
St. Ephraim the Syrian |
St. John of Kronstadt Press, Liberty, TN |
Beautiful, inspiring prayers written by St. Ephraim of Syria. |
|
3. Abbot Nikon: Letters to Spiritual Children** |
Nikodemos Orthodox |
Nikodemos Orthodox Publication Society, Richfield Springs, NY |
Pearls of spiritual direction from a contempory Russian saint, exiled by the Communists for her faith. |
|
4. After Death* |
Archim. Vasilios Bakogiannis |
Tertios Publications |
Answers very important questions regarding death and salvation. Many quotes and stories from the Fathers. |
|
5. An Englishman in the Court of the Tsar |
Christine Benagh |
Conciliar Press, Ben Lomond, CA |
Very interesting story of the last Russian Tzar and family from the perspective of the children’s tutor. |
|
6. An Unbroken Circle: Linking Ancient African Christianity to the African American Experience* (for African-Americans) |
Ed., Fr. Paisius Altschul |
Brotherhood of St. Moses the Black, St. Louis, MO |
Lectures delivered at the annual African American Conference in Kansas City. Very interesting articles, particularly on the orthodox spirituality of the Black American slaves. |
|
7. Athanasius, The Life of St. Antony and the Letter to Marcellinus** |
St. Athanasius the Great. Trans. by Robert C. Gregg |
Paulist Press, Mahwah, NJ |
Wonderful, powerful, unforgettable portrayal of the Life of St. Anthony the Great, written by St. Athanasius who knew him personally. |
|
8. Ausburg and Constantinople* (for Lutherans) |
George Mastrantonis |
Holy Cross Orthodox Press, Brookline, MA |
The written theolgical dialog between the disciples of Martin Luther, the father of Protestantism, and the Patriarch of Constantinople Jeremias II. Good for a theologically informed Lutheran. |
|
9. Becoming Orthodox, A Journey to the Ancient Christian Faith* (Evangelicals) |
Fr. Peter E. Gillquist |
Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publishers, Inc., Brentwood, TN (Conciliar Press) |
An excellent introduction to Orthodoxy for Evangelical Protestants. |
|
10. Beginning to Pray* |
Anthony Bloom |
Paulist Press, NY |
Excellent introduction to Prayer. |
|
11. Beloved Sufferer, The Life and Mystical Revelations of a Russian Eldress: Schemanun Macaria |
|
St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood |
Biography on the extraordinary and miraculous, crippled nun Macaria. |
|
12. Councils for Life, From the Life and Teachings of Father Epiphanios Theodoropoulos |
Trans. by Fr. Nicholas Palis |
Orthodoxos Kypseli Publications, Thessaloniki |
Practical spiritual advice from saintly elder of Mt. Athos. |
|
13. Dance O Isaiah: Questions and Answers on Some of the Differences Between Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Other Faiths* |
Constantine Platis |
Constantine Platis |
Very Good apologetic for Protestants and Roman Catholics. Includes excellent introduction about certain Orthodox practices, followed by sections on questions Protestants and RC’s might ask. Sometimes a bit harshly stated. |
|
14. Dancing Alone: The Quest for Orthodox Faith in the Age of False Religion* (for Evangelicals) |
Frank Schaeffer |
Holy Cross Orthodox Press |
A critique of Protestant “church” and spirituality based upon Protestant theology, and the resulting effect of secularism. |
|
15. Depression: A Spiritual Guide |
Arch. Spyridon Logothetis |
Brotherhood of the Transfiguration of our Savior Jesus Christ Monastery in Nafpaktos, Greece |
General advice on an Orthodox approach to understanding and struggling against depression. |
|
16. Elder Leonid of Optina** |
Fr. Clement Sederholm |
St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood |
Edifying biography and spiritual teachings of the holy Elder of Optina Monastery in Russia. |
|
17. Elder Paisios of Mount Athos: Epistles |
Elder Paisios |
Holy Monastery “Evangelist John the Theologian”, Souroti, Thessaloniki, Greece |
Refreshing spiritual advice from a contemporary Holy Father. |
|
18. Elder Porphyrios, Testimonies and Experiences |
Klitos Ioannidis |
Holy Convent of the Transfiguration of the Savior, Athens |
Not terribly well written, but introduces one to the holy, clairvoyant elder Porphyrios, one of the most holy people of modern times. |
|
19. Exploring the Inner Universe |
Archimandrite Roman Braga |
HDM Press, Inc. |
Spiritual direction from a living saint of Romania and America. |
|
20. Facing East: A Pilgrim’s Journey into the Mystery of Orthodoxy* (esp. for women) |
Fredricka Matthews-Greene |
|
Very good introductory explanation of Orthodox Christianity and the change of perspective required to understand it. Especially good for women. |
|
21. Father Arseny, Priest, Prisoner, Spiritual Father** |
Trans. by Vera Bouteneff |
St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, Crestwood, NY |
Written by his spiritual children, a biography of the life of a contemporary saint living in prison camps under Stalin. |
|
22. For the Life of the World* (On the Divine Liturgy) |
Fr. Alexander Schmemman |
SVS (St. Vladimir’s Seminary) Press |
Incredible explanation of the Orthdoox approach and understanding of Eurcharistic worship and life. For more advanced readers. |
|
23. From Earth to Heaven: The Apostolic Adventures of St. Innocent of Alaska** |
New Valaam Monastery, Alaska |
St. Herman Press |
Outstanding, inspirational, easy-to-read, biography of St. Innocent of Alaska. |
|
24. Genesis, Creation and Early Man, The Orthodox Christian Vision* |
Fr. Seraphim Rose |
St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood |
Following the Church Fathers, the book interprets the creation of man and the world in light of the theory of Evolution. The best book written on this topic. |
|
25. Grand Duchess Elizabeth of Russian, New Martyr of the Communist Yoke** |
Lubov Millar |
Nikodemus Orthodox Publication Society, Richfield Springs, New York |
Excellent biography of a contemporary Saint and Martyr and convert to Orthodoxy. |
|
26. Hermitess Photini, The |
Archimandrite Joachim Spetsieris |
St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery, Florence, AZ |
The story of a contemporary female ascetic and hermit. Inspirational especially for women. |
|
27. Holy Fire, The: The Story of the Early Centuries of the Christian Church in the Near East |
Robert Payne |
St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, Crestwood, NY |
Although written by a non-Orthodox novelist and includes the biographies of a couple non-Saints, it truly brings the Saints to life in biographical story form. |
|
28. Ikon As Scripture, The: A Scriptural and Spiritual Understanding of Orthodox Christian Ikonography* and ** |
Archbishop Lazar Puhalo |
Synaxis Press, (Canadian Orthodox Publishing House), Dewdney, B.C., Canada |
The Best book explaining the (scriptural) basis of Iconography and contrasting it with later western religious art. |
|
29. Indication of the Way into the Kingdom of Heaven* |
St. Innocent of Alaska |
New Sarov Press, Blanco, TX |
Wonderful practical presentation of the Christian faith from one of the first Saints canonized in America. |
|
30. Let the Little Children Come to Me: Stories of Children Martyrs |
|
Saint John Chrysostomos Greek Orthodox Monastery, Pleasant Prairie, WI |
A collection of the lives of pre-teen and teenaged Christian martyrs. |
|
31. Life After Death |
Met. of Nafpaktos, Hierotheos (Trans. by Esther Williams) |
Birth of the Theotokos Monastery |
A comprehensive presentation of the Orthodox Christian teaching regarding death, judgement, immortality, etc. for the advanced reader. |
|
32. Life of Elder Ambrose, The |
Fr. Clement Sederholm |
St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood |
Edifying biography and spiritual teachings of the holy Elder of Optina Monastery in Russia |
|
33. Life of Elder Anthony, The |
Fr. Clement Sederholm |
St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood |
Edifying biography and spiritual teachings of the holy Elder of Optina Monastery in Russia |
|
34. Life of the Virgin Mary, The** |
|
Holy Apostles Convent, Buena Vista, CO |
Beautifully written and highly informative explantations on the life the Theotokos. |
|
35. Lives of the Holy Apostles, The |
|
Holy Apostles Convent, Buena Vista, CO |
Contains the lives and missionary journeys of the twelve Apostles. |
|
36. Mere Christianity* (for agnostics or athieistic readers) |
C.S. Lewis |
Macmillan Publishing (and others) |
Excellent apologetic for traditional Christianity and its basic doctrines. |
|
37. Miracles in the Last Days |
Hierodeacon Pangratios (Christley) |
New Sarov Press, Blanco, Texas |
Of primary importance is the first 64 pages which provide excellent introductions to topics such as Icons and other topics. |
|
38. Modern Orthodox Saints, St. Cosmas Aitolos |
Constantine Cavarnos |
Institute for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, Belmont, MA |
The life of the new marty, St. Cosmas, who sparked a spiritual revolution in Greece under the Turkish Muslim rule. |
|
39. Modern Orthodox Saints: Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene the Newly Revealed** |
Constantine Cavarnos |
Institute for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, Belmont, MA |
An amazing true story of the revelation in the 1950’s of three holy martyrs of Greece from the 14th century. |
|
40. Monastic Wisom, The Letters of Elder Joseph the Hesychast** |
|
St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery, Florence, AZ |
Letters of the saintly Elder Joseph to his spiritual children. An outpouring of healing grace for those who take the spiritual life seriously. |
|
41. Mother Gavrilia, The Ascetic of Love** |
|
Eptalofos SA |
The moving biography of a contemporary woman saint (died 1992) who ministered on several continents including India. |
|
42. Of Water and the Spirit* |
Fr. Alexander Schmemann |
SVS (St. Vladimir’s Seminary) Press |
A profound work on the meaning and rite of the Sacraments of Baptism and Chrismation as understood and practiced in the Orthodox Church. |
|
43. On the Upbringing of Children |
Bishop Irenaius of Ekaterinburg and Sibirsk |
St. Xenia Skete, Wildwood, California |
|
|
44. Orthodox Christian Catechism, A Basic Instructional Guide to the Ancient Christian Faith |
|
Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry |
VERY simple introduction to Orthodoxy through brief comments on the Creed, Lord’s Prayer, Ten Commandments, Beatitudes, and Scripture/Tradition. |
|
45. Orthodox Church, Its Faith, Worship and Life, The* |
Rev. Antonios Alevisopoulos |
Archdiocese of Athens |
Excellent comprehensive, but brief Catechism. Particularly valuable for those prone towards Atheism or for the intellectual seeker. |
|
46. Orthodox Church, The* and ** |
Bishop Kallistos Ware |
Penguin Books |
One of the Best introductions to the Orthodox Church, Her history and faith. |
|
47. Orthodox Dogmatic Theology, A Concise Exposition* |
Protopresbyter Michael Pomazansky |
St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood |
One of the best attempts to provide a comprehensive “catachesis” of the Orthodox Faith. |
|
48. Orthodox Faith, The (vol. 1-4) Doctrine, Spirituality, Worship, and History |
Father Thomas Hopko |
St. Vladimir’s Seminary |
A good basic summary of Orthodox Faith with many quotes from Holy Scripture. (This series is now on-line at the OCA website). |
|
49. Orthodox Psychotherapy: The Science of the Fathers** |
Met. Hierotheos Vlakos |
Birth of the Theotokos Monastery, Lavadia, Greece |
The best and most comprehensive explanation of the components of spiritual life and warfare according to the Church Fathers for those more advanced in the spiritual life. |
|
50. Orthodox Spirituality, A Brief Introduction* |
Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlakos (of Nafpaktos) |
Birth of the Theotokos Monastery, Lavadia, Greece |
One of the best books on Orthodox Spirituality today and the best all-around book of Met. Vlakos, but for a more advanced reader (skip the chapter on St. Maximos the Confessor) |
|
51. Orthodox Veneration of Mary the Birthgiver of God, The* |
St. John Maximovitch (Trans. by Fr. Seraphim Rose) |
St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood |
|
|
52. Orthodox Way, The* and ** |
Bishop Kallistos (Timothy) Ware |
St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, Crestwood, NY |
Excellent and profound introduction to Orthodox doctrine and spirituality |
|
53. Papa-Dimitri Gagastathis, The Man of God** |
Diary |
Orthodoxos Kypseli Publications, Thessalonki |
Very simple and inspiring. The diary of a modern saint (died 1960’s). Non-stop action and adventure. |
|
54. Paternal Counsels, Elder Philotheos Zervakos (Vol 1) |
Trans. by Fr. Nicholas Palis |
St. John of Kronstadt Press, Liberty, TN |
Simple spiritual advice from a contemporary holy father. |
|
55. Path To Salvation, A Manual of Spiritual Transformation, The * and ** |
St. Theophan the Recluse |
St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood |
A “handbook” for those seeking to live the Orthodox Christian spiritual life. |
|
56. Philokalia, The, Vol. 1** |
Trans. by G.E.H. Palmer, Philip Sherrard, Kallistos Ware |
Faber & Faber, London |
Sayings of the early Ascetical Fathers for the serious spiritual reader. ONLY volume one. |
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57. Raising Them Right, A Saints Advice on Raising Children* |
St. Theophan the Recluse |
Conciliar Press, Ben Lomend, CA |
Very practical advise on how to nuture a child to love God and the Church from infancy through teenage years. |
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58. Return: Repentance and Confession; Return to God and to His Church* |
Archimandrite Nktarios Antonopolis |
Akritas Publications |
An excellent practical explanation of the “how” and “why” of the Sacrament of Confession. |
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59. Saints of Englands Golden Age |
Vladimir Moss, B.A., Ph.D |
Eastern Christian Supply Co., Etna, CA |
Lives of the early Saints from Orthodox England (A collection is also available for the Saints of Ireland) |
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60. Sayings of the Desert Fathers, The Alphabetical Collection, The* and ** |
Trans. by Benedicta Ward |
Cistercian Publications |
Essential, practicle, simple sayings and stories from the 4th & 5th century holy monastic Fathers. |
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61. Soul After Death, The* |
Fr. Seraphim Rose |
St. Herman Press |
Best (but sometimes controversial) Book on the soul after death in the Orthodox Tradition |
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62. Spiritual Life, and How to Be Attuned To It, The** |
St. Theophan the Recluse |
St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood |
Correspondence with a young women who was just awakening to the importance of spiritual life. How to live in the world but not be worldly. |
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63. St. Innocent, Apostle to America |
Paul D. Garrett |
St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, Crestwood, NY |
An excellent historical biography which takes one through the life of St. Innocent and his missionary work in Alaska. |
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64. St. Nektarios, A Saint For Our Times** |
Sotos Chondropoulos |
Holy Cross Orthodox Press |
A wonderful biography of a dear Saint of the 20th century. Written as a “novel”, enjoyable to read. |
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65. St. Seraphim of Sarov, A Spiritual Biography** |
Archimandrite Lazarus Moore |
New Sarov Press, Blanco, TX |
A wonderful, inspiring, insightful and complete biography of St. Seraphim. A must read. |
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66. Stories, Sermons, and Prayers of St. Nephon: An Ascetic Bishop** |
Trans. by Jeannie E. Gentithes and Arch. Ignatios Apostolopoulos |
Light and Life Publishing Company |
A wonderful series of stories from the life of St. Nephon, an early 4th century Bishop and Saint. Inspirational and Instructional on repentance and living a holy life. |
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67. Synaxarion Of The Lenten Triodion and Pentecostarion** |
Ed. by Fr. David Kidd and Mother Gabriella Ursache |
HDM Press |
Presents wonderful and detailed explanations of the Sunday Feast/Saints Days and other important days during Great Lent and the Sundays following through Pentecost and All Saints Sunday. |
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68. Apostolic Fathers, The* |
Ed. by Jack N. Sparks |
Light & Life Publishing, Minneapolis, MN |
Some of the most ancient Christian documents in existence. Includes The Didache, the Letters of St. Ignatius of Antioch, the Martyrdom of St. Polycarp. |
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69. Arena, The** |
St. Ignatius Brianchaninov |
Printshop of St. Job of Pchaev, Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, NY |
For a serious (advanced) reader looking for spiritual guidance on the life of prayer and ascetism. |
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70. Blessed Surgeon: The Life of Saint Luke Archbishop of Simferopol, The** |
Archdeacon Vasiliy Marushchak |
Divine Ascent Press |
An excellent biography of a newly canonized Russian Saint and physician who lived and was persecuted by the Communist regime. |
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71. Life of our Holy Father Maximus the Confessor, The |
Trans. by Father Christopher Birchall |
Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Boston, MA |
Wonderful biography of this amazing Church Father. |
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72. Thirsting For God in a Land of Shallow Wells* |
Matthew Gallatin |
Conciliar Press, Ben Lomond, CA |
Excellent aplogetic for the Orthodox Church written in a very logical manner and touching upon significant issues such as Solo Scriptura and other hot points for Protestant Christians. |
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73. Two Paths* (Catholic only) |
Michael Whelton |
Regina Orthodox Press |
The best book on Orthodoxy vs. Roman Catholicism. Written by a former Roman Catholic. |
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74. Wade In The River: The Story of the African Christian Faith |
Father Paisius Altschul |
CrossBearers Publishing |
History of the Church in Africa from New Testament to present. |
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75. Way of a Pilgrim and the Pilgrim Continues His Way, The* and ** |
Unknown |
New Sarov Press, Blanco, TX |
Introduces the reader to the Jesus Prayer through the diary of an anonymous Russian pilgrim. |
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76. Way of the Ascetics, The Ancient Tradition of Discipline and Inner Growth** |
Tito Colliander |
Harper & Row, San Francisco |
Simple ascetical advice for the layman living in the world. |
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77. Youth of the Apocalypse* (for teens and adults) |
Monks John Marler and Andrew Wermuth |
St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood |
An excellent book for Orthodox teens. Explains why the emptiness of modern, narcisitic culture can only be filled by Christ and the Church. |
There are only two choices -- either a person succumbs to the passions and betrays Christ, preferring the world and the life it offers, or he fights and suffers, and through this process spiritually matures.
***
Whoever gains the ability to see his own sinfulness sees not individual sins [only], but the complete distortion of his soul which constantly exudes all manner of evil; what's more, he sees that even his good deeds are saturated with the poison of sin. When a man sees this clearly, and likewise becomes convinced after a thousand incidents that he cannot heal the leprosy of his soul on his own, then he will genuinely (not artificially) humble himself, will stop judging others, and no longer take offense when his feelings are hurt.
***
Do not think that a spiritual father feels aversion upon hearing the confession of sins. On the contrary, if there is real contrition, then he feels a sense of mercy and love for his repenting spiritual child. That is certain. This state of the spiritual father is proof that the Lord forgives the penitent and accepts him with love into His company, just as He did the prodigal son.
***
Insufficiency in fulfilling the commandments is compensated by contrition of heart. I even dare say that this contrition of heart, tears of the heart over transgression of the commandments, is of greater value than their fulfillment according to one's self will. For the latter leads to high-mindedness and pride, and all the good is thereby destroyed, whereas contrition of heart replaces (by God's mercy) "doing" [of the commandments] and keeps a person in humility, without which all spiritual toil is vain and can even lead to perdition.
***
When a person is standing on the brink of an abyss, it is easy to push him over and make him fall. But when he is far away, he must be dragged to the abyss and in the meantime he can call for help. For this reason it is always best to keep away from places where one can easily fall into sin.
***
The closer one is to God in reality -- and not simply in one's imagination -- the more one feels unworthy and sinful, more sinful than anyone else. The Holy Fathers felt this way. There are many examples of this. The publican considered himself a sinner for altogether other reasons. Nevertheless, he realized his sinful state and did not try to justify himself. He asked only for mercy and forgiveness of the Lord, and he received it. Everybody has an insolvent debt before God. No amount of ascetic struggles can repay this debt. The Lord Himself says: If you do all that is demanded of you (that is, follow all the commandments), consider yourselves unprofitable servants whose duty it is to fulfill the master's order (Luke 17:10). How necessary it is for us, who constantly break the commandments, to keep the same disposition of soul as the publican: not to look for virtues in ourselves. Regardless of any spiritual labors we might undertake, we shall always remain abominable slaves. Only by the mercy of God, those who repent are forgiven and are vouchsafed to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
For this reason, the seeking of high spiritual states is forbidden by the Lord and by the Holy Fathers. All our inner struggle should be concentrated on repentance and on everything which promotes that penitent state. God's grace will then enter by itself when the soul is clean and if the Lord Himself so wills. If an ascetic has no sincere, heartfelt acknowledgment of his sinfulness, if he has not a contrite heart, he is most definitely in a state of prelest [self-deception]. For those who devote themselves to prayer, it is especially important to practice the publican's prayer and to maintain contrition of heart, else they will be deceived by the demons and fall into high-mindedness, spiritual pride and vanity. May the Lord protect us from such a state.
The Lord Who, on Mt. Sinai, commanded by His Fifth Commandment: "Honor your father and your mother" (Exodus 20:12), showed by His own example how one should respect one's parent. Hanging on the Cross in agony, He remembered His mother and indicating to the Apostle John, said to her: "Woman behold your son" (St. John 19:26). After that, He said to John: "Behold your mother" (St. John 19:27).
And so providing for His mother, He breathed His last. John had a home on Zion in Jerusalem in which the Theotokos settled and remained there to live out the end of her days on earth. By her prayers, gentle counsels, meekness and patience, she greatly assisted the apostles of her Son. Primarily, she spent her entire time in Jerusalem often visiting those places which reminded her of the great events and of the great works of her Son. She especially visited Golgotha, Bethlehem and the Mount of Olives. Of her distant journeys, her visit to St. Ignatius the Theophorus [God-bearer] in Antioch is mentioned, as well as her visit to Lazarus (whom our Lord resurrected on the fourth day), the Bishop of Cyprus, her visit to the Holy Mountain [Athos] which she blessed and her stay in Ephesus with St. John the Evangelist [The Theologian] during the time of the great persecution of Christians in Jerusalem.
In her old age, she often prayed to the Lord and her God on the Mount of Olives, the site of His Ascension, that He take her from this world as soon as possible. On one occasion, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her and revealed to her that within three days she will find repose. The angel gave her a palm-branch to be carried at the time of her funeral procession. She returned to her home with great joy, desiring in her heart once more to see in this life, all of the apostles of Christ. The Lord fulfilled her wish and all of the apostles, borne by angels in the clouds, gathered at the same time at the home of John on Zion. With great rejoicing, she saw the holy apostles, encouraged them, counseled them and comforted them.
Following that, she peacefully gave up her soul to God without any pain or physical illness. The apostles took the coffin with her body from which an aromatic fragrance emitted and, in the company of many Christians, bore it to the Garden of Gethsemane to the sepulchre of [her parents], Saints Joachim and Anna. By God's Providence, they were concealed from the evil Jews by a cloud.
Anthony, a Jewish priest, grabbed the coffin with his hands with the intention of overturning it but, at that moment, an angel of God severed both his hands. He then cried out to the apostles for help and was healed since declaring his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Thomas was absent, again according to God's Providence, in order that a new and all-glorious mystery of the Holy Theotokos would again be revealed. On the third day, Thomas arrived and desired to venerate [kiss] the body of the Holy All-pure one. But when the apostles opened the sepulchre, they found only the winding sheet and the body was not in the tomb.
That evening, the Theotokos appeared to the apostles surrounded by a myriad of angels and said to them: "Rejoice, I will be with you always". It is not exactly known how old the Theotokos was at the time of her Falling Asleep but the overwhelming opinion is that she was over sixty years of age.
On this day, the first Sunday of Great Lent, we celebrate the restoration of the holy and venerable icons by the ever-memorable rulers of Constantinople, the Emperor Michael and his mother, the Empress Theodora, during the patriarchate of St. Methodius the Confessor.
It was with God’s permission that when St. Germanos (comm. May 12) had taken up the rudder of the Church, Leo the Isaurian (717-41) seized the scepter of the empire after having been a mule driver and manual laborer. The Patriarch was summoned immediately to hear the Emperor say, “In my opinion, Bishop, the holy images [icons] are no different from idols; therefore, I command that they be removed from among us as soon as possible. If it should be the case that they are the true forms of the saints, however, then at least see that they be hung up high so that we, who are stained by sin, may not soil them with our kisses.”
The Patriarch sought to turn the Emperor away from such hatred, saying, “God forbid, Emperor, that you should rage against the holy images, for we hear that some have nicknamed you the “One Who Plasters Over.” And he replied, “But I say this myself, that I was called this from childhood!” Thus when the Patriarch could not be persuaded to agree, the emperor sent him into exile and replaced him with Anastasius, who shared the imperial opinions, and so it was that the battle against the holy images broke out.
When Leo’s evil life came suddenly to an end, his like-minded whelp, Constantine Copronymous (741-75)...succeeded not only to be seated on the imperial throne, but even more to rage against the holy images. [Finally] Constantine (780-97) and then Irene (797-802) inherited the imperial throne. They were guided by the most holy Patriarch Tarasius to convoke the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787), and so the holy Church of Christ received the holy images back again.
[Later, when Theophilus (829-42) took the throne, he began a persecution against those who venerated the holy icons]. Now this Theophilus both persecuted many of the holy fathers with monstrous punishments and tortures for the sake of the holy images and insisted that his cause was just. It is said, though, that once, while he was proceeding through the crowds in Constantinople, he looked for someone of the same opinion and was unable to find such a one for many days.
After he had ruled as emperor for twelve years, he fell ill…. The Augusta Theodora, who had been greatly distressed by this development, had just fallen asleep when she saw in a dream the immaculate Mother of God embracing the Babe Who is older than eternity, encircled by rows of angels who were whipping and cursing her husband, Theophilus. Just as sleep departed from her, Theophilus recovered enough to cry out, “Whoe is me, the wretched one! I am being scourged because of the holy images!” At once the empress placed upon him the icon of the Mother of God and prayed to her with tears….His whole condition eased, and he fell to sleep, though not before confessing that it is good to honor and venerate the holy icons. The empress removed the venerable and holy images from her storage chest in order to kiss them and honor them with all her heart and to prepare Theophilus for his death. Shortly after he departed this life Theodora recalled all those who had been exiled or imprisoned and ordered that they be allowed to live in safety. She also deposed John the Grammarian from the patriarchal throne….He was replaced by the confessor of Christ, Methodius, who had previously suffered greatly and had even lived sequestered in a tomb.
[Theodora begged Methodius and several holy ascetics to intercede for her husband]. Although at first they were taken aback, they accepted because they had seen her faith. Then the saintly Methodius gathered all the clergy and people, including the bishops, in the Great Church of God (Hagia Sophia)….Together they celebrated an all-night intercession to God for the sake of Theophilus...and they repeated this throughout the whole first week of the Fast….At dawn on that Friday, the Empress Theodora fell asleep and had a dream. [She saw Theophilus being led bound and with his hands tied behind his back surrounded by men with instruments of torture. Then she saw a Man with a glorious countenance sitting in front of an icon of Christ. When she pleaded with Him for her husband He said, “Great is your faith, woman! Know then that, for the sake of your tears and your faith, and for the sake of the intercessions and petitions of My servants and My priests, I grant forgiveness to Theophilus your husband.” At the same time a list of heretics, which the Patriarch Methodius had written down and placed under the Altar, changed so that the former Emperor’s name no longer appeared.].
When the Empress was informed of this, she was exceedingly glad. Therefore, on the first Sunday of Great Lent, March 11, 843, she ordered the Patriarch to assemble in the Church all the people with candles and the holy images and precious crosses, so that the holy icons might be restored, and so that this latest miracle might be made known to all. Once more the holy icons were set in place in the Great Church by certain chosen holy men….From that time forward, the venerable confessors ordained that this holy feast should take place annually to insure that we do not tumble again into the same iniquity.
On this day, the fourth Sunday of Great Lent, we commemorate our venerable Father among the saints, St. John of Sinai, the author of The Ladder of Divine Ascent.
No one knows the birthplace or parentage of our venerable Father John of Sinai. In his youth, at the age of sixteen, he came to the wilderness of Sinai and dwelt under the guidance of Abba Martyrius. When Abba Martyrius tonsured our venerable Father John at the age of twenty, he took him and went to that pillar of the wilderness, Abba John the Sabbaite in the wilderness of Gouda where he had with him his disciple Stephen the Cappadocian. When the Sabbaite elder saw them, he arose and took water, poured it into a small basin, washed the feet of the disciple (the young John) and kissed his hand; but did not wash the feet of Abba Martyrius his superior. Abba Stephen was scandalized by the situation. After the departure of Abba Martyrius and his disciple, Abba John noticed that his own disciple was greatly perplexed and said to him, “Why are you so troubled? Believe me, I do not know who the boy is, but today I received the abbot of Sinai and washed his feet.” After forty years, he did indeed become the abbot according to the prophecy of the elder.
After the passing of his spiritual father, St. John continued alone in the wilderness in a cave in the Wadi Thola. He traveled from time to time, going at least once as far as Alexandria. He records in The Ladder his visit to a large monastic community there and marvels of repentance, obedience, and humility which he observed. In his humility, he counted our venerable George the Wonderworker of Arselaou as his master. In all, he spent some forty years in solitude and stillness. He guided the monks who dwelt in that desert since he was a most excellent and nurturing spiritual father - for in those days there were innumerable ascetics living in cells all through the mountains and valleys of Sinai. From time to time, he received visitors from farther away. At one point, some other monks, prompted to jealously by the adversary who hates all good, complained of St. John’s fame and teaching. In response, he humbly kept strict silence for over a year, until the same fathers who had complained came, asking him to speak again for the benefit of all.
After he had spent forty years in the wilderness, the monks of Sinai asked him to become abbot of the great monastery built by the emperor Justinian beside the Burning Bush of Moses, the Holy Monastery of St. Catherine. In obedience to the fathers, he left his blessed solitude to take up the responsibilities of abbot. It is told that on the very day on which he assumed the office abbot, there came a group of about six hundred pilgrims. When they were seated, our venerable Father John saw someone in the crowd with short hair and wearing a Jewish tunic. This person was going about like someone with authority, directing the cooks, the stewards, the storekeepers, and other workers. After the people left, when the servers all sat down to eat, they sought everywhere for the one who had been going about supervising, but did not find him. Then the servant of God, our venerable Father John, said, “Let him go. The lord Moses did nothing strange in this same place where he served before and which belongs to him.”
O, the wonder! It had been the Holy Prophet and Lawgiver Moses who had served the guests.
At the request of Abba John, abbot of Raitho near the shore of the Red Sea, our venerable father wrote his wonderful book, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, in which he sets out the whole of Christian life as a divine ascent of thirty rungs to Christ. This book has been a treasure, a pearl beyond price, to this day. It is useful not only to monastic but to all devout Christians….St. John was true physician of souls and had great spiritual insight into men’s behavior. He made detailed observations of the symptoms of men’s sin-sick souls, diagnosed their spiritual diseases, and prescribed the appropriate medicine for their recover and salvation. He showed how one can ascend the “ladder of the virtues” step by step and reach the Promised Land, fleeing the Egypt of the passions. Yet, his success was due only to his own life of constant watchfulness, fasting, vigils, and prayers.
The monastic community he shepherded continues to this day beside the Burning Bush, and his teachings guide and direct monastics throughout the world. During Great Lent, The Ladder is read aloud in monasteries during meals so the monastics may receive his edifying spiritual counsels for their soul’s sustenance, as they simultaneously receive physical nourishment for their bodies.Today the cave in which he dwelt in the wilderness of Sinai can still be seen, but his resting place is unknown except to the angels. He fell asleep in the Lord in the seventh century. St. John is also commemorated on March 30, the day of his repose.
St. Augustine (Homily X on John V. 1-3)
See what praises follow this faith. 'Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build this Church.' What meaneth, 'Upon this rock I will build My Church'? Upon this faith; upon this that has been said, 'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Upon this rock' saith He 'I will builfd My Church.'
***
St. Ambrose ("On the Incarnation")
Faith is the foundation of the Church, for it was not of the person but of the faith of St. Peter that it was said that the gates of hell should not prevail against it; it is the confession of faith that has vanquished hell. Jesus Christ is the Rock. He did not deny the grace of His name when He called him Peter, because he borrowed from the rock the constancy and solidity of hisfaith. Endeavor then, thyself to be a rock -- thy rock is thy faith, and faith is the foundation of the Church. If thou art a rock, thou shalt be in the Church, for the Church is built upon the rock."
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Chrysostom (Homily LIV on Matthew XIV:13)
"'And I way unto thee, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church', that is, on the faith of his confession."
"...And if by grace, it will be said, how did we not all come to be saved? Because you refused. For grace, even though it be grace, saves the willing, not those who will not have it, and turn away from it, those who persist in fighting against it, and opposing themselves. to it."
St. John Chrysostom, Homily on Romans
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If we shall be eager to make brighter by good deeds the light within us -- I mean the grace of the Spirit -- so that it is never quenched, we shall enjoy the title of newly baptized for all times. But just as the sober and vigilant man whose conduct is worthy can continue to be a neophyte, so it is possible after a single day for a man to relax his vigilance and become unworthy of that title.
***
The purer the heart is, the larger it is, and the more able it is to find room within it for a greater number of beloved ones; while the more sinful it is, the more contracted it becomes, and the less number of beloved can it find room for, because it is limited by self-love, and that love is a false one.
St. John of Kronstadt
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If we want to fare well in this life and go to Paradise, and to call our God love and father, we must have two loves: the love for god and the love for our neighbor. It is natural for us to have these two loves, and contrary to nature not to have them. Just as a swallow needs two wings in order to fly in the air, so we need these two loves, because without them we cannot be saved.
St. Cosmas Aitolos, Modern Orthodox Saints, Vol. I
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Prayer is a request for what is good, offered by the devout of God. But we do not restrict this request simply to what is stated in words... We should not express our prayer merely in syllables, but the power of prayer should be expressed in the moral attitude of our soul and in the virtuous actions that extend throughout our life... This is how you pray continually -- not by offering prayer in words, but by joining yourself to God through your whole way of life, so that your life becomes one continuous and uninterrupted prayer.
St. Basil the Great, Homily on the Martyr Julitta
This glorious and wonderworking saint was born in Thessalonica of noble and devout parents. Implored of God by childless parents, Demetrius was their only son, and so was raised and educated with great care. Demetrius's father was a commander in Thessalonica. When his father died, Emperor Maximian appointed Demetrius as commander in his place.
As he appointed him, Maximian, an opponent of Christ, particularly recommended that he persecute and exterminate the Christians in Thessalonica. Demetrius not only disobeyed the emperor but openly confessed and preached the Lord Jesus Christ in the city of Thessalonica. When the emperor heard of this he became furious with Demetrius. Then, when he was returning from battle against the Sarmatians, Maximian stopped at Thessalonica to investigate the matter.
The emperor summoned Demetrius and questioned him about his faith. Demetrius openly acknowledged his Christian Faith to the emperor and also denounced the emperor's idolatry. Maximian cast Demetrius into prison. Knowing what was awaiting him, Demetrius gave all his goods to his faithful servant Lupus to distribute to the poor, and joyfully awaited his imminent suffering for Christ the Lord. An angel of God appeared to him in prison, saying: ``Peace be to you, O sufferer of Christ; be brave and be strong!'' After several days, the emperor sent soldiers to the prison to kill Demetrius. The soldiers found the saint of God at prayer and ran him through with lances. Christians secretly took his body and honorably buried it. Healing myrrh flowed from the body of the martyr of Christ, curing many of the sick. Soon, a small church was built over his relics.
An Illyrian nobleman, Leontius, was afflicted with an incurable illness. He hastened, with prayer, to the relics of St. Demetrius and was completely healed. In thanksgiving, Leontius erected a much larger church on the site of the old church. The saint appeared to him on two occasions. When Emperor Justinian wanted to translate the relics of the saint from Thessalonica to Constantinople, flaming sparks sprang from the tomb and a voice was heard: ``Stop, and do not touch!'' And thus, the relics of St. Demetrius have remained for all time in Thessalonica. As the protector of Thessalonica, St. Demetrius has appeared many times, and on many occasions has saved Thessalonica from great calamity. His miracles are without number. The Russians considered St. Demetrius to be the protector of Siberia, which was conquered and annexed to Russia on October 26, 1581.
Of all the Lenten hymns and prayers, one short prayer can be termed the Lenten prayer. Tradition ascribes it to one of the great teachers of spiritual life -- St. Ephrem the Syrian.
This prayer is read twice at the end of each lenten service Monday through Friday (not on Saturdays and Sundays for, as we shall see later, the services of these days do not follow the lenten pattern). At the first reading, a prostration follows each petition. Then we all bow twelve times saying: "O God, cleanse me a sinner." The entire prayer is repeated with one final prostration at the end.
Why does this short and simple prayer occupy such an important position in the entire lenten worship? Because it enumerates in a unique way all the negative and positive elements of repentance and constitutes, so to speak, a "check list" for our individual lenten effort. This effort is aimed first at our liberation from some fundamental spiritual diseases which shape our life and make it virtually impossible for us even to start turning ourselves to God.
How precious the gift of the Cross, how splendid to contemplate! In the Cross there is no mingling of good and evil, as in the tree of paradise: it is wholly beautiful to behold and good to taste. The fruit of this tree is not death but life, not darkness but light. This tree does not cast us out of Paradise, but opens the way for our return.
This was the Tree on which Christ, like a king on a chariot, destroyed the devil, the lord of death, and freed the human race from his tyranny. This was the Tree upon which the Lord, like a brave warrior wounded in hands, feet, and side, healed the wounds of sin that the evil serpent had inflicted on our nature. A tree once caused our death, but now a Tree brings life. Once deceived by a tree, we have now repelled the cunning serpent by a Tree. What an astonishing transformation! That death should become life, that decay should become immortality, that shame should become glory! Well might the holy Apostle exclaim, “Far be it from me to glory except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world!” The supreme wisdom that flowered on the Cross has shown the folly of worldly wisdom’s pride. The knowledge of all good, which is the fruit of the Cross, has cut away the shoots of wickedness.
The wonders accomplished through this Tree were foreshadowed clearly even by the mere types and figures that existed in the past. Meditate on these, if you are eager to learn. Was it not the wood of a tree that enabled Noah, at God’s command, to escape the destruction of the flood…? And surely the rod of Moses prefigured the Cross when it changed water into blood, swallowed up the false serpents of Pharaoh’s magicians, divided the sea at one stroke and then restored the waters to their normal course, drowning the enemy and saving God’s own people? Aaron’s rod, which blossomed in one day in proof of his true priesthood, was another figure of the Cross, and did not Abraham foreshadow the Cross when he bound his son Isaac and placed him on the pile of wood?
By the Cross death was slain and Adam was restored to life. The Cross is the glory of all the Apostles, the crown of the Martyrs, the sanctification of the Saints. By the Cross we put on Christ and cast aside our former self. By the Cross we, the sheep of Christ, have been gathered into one flock, destined for the sheepfolds of heaven.
Confession is part of the process of "repentance" -- which is the essence of the Christian life.
Repentance is a change of heart usually with corresponding changes of behavior or attitude.
Repentance includes at least the following: 1) Awareness; 2) Sorrow and Contrition; 3) Confession; and 4) Struggle to Change. It may often include making amends or a penance (see below). Without Confession, repentance is incomplete. Confession is a verbal acknowlegment of "falling short" of what we are called to be.
The word "sin" (which has so many terrifying connotations in our society) means simply "to miss the mark." The Greek word, taken from the sport of Archery, was used to designate missing the target. To sin is to miss the target of what we are created to be. In this sense, to put grape juice in the gas tank of a car is a "sin." Cars are made to run on gas, and we are made to run by the Grace of God in our hearts. The act of putting grape juice in the car misses the mark of how cars are made to run. To do anything that puts something other than the Grace of God in our hearts/minds/bodies miss the mark of how God made us to work. Sin is therefore not merely an immoral act...it is not merely something we do, it is something we are NOT doing too...it includes not becoming what we are called to be! And according to the Scriptures and Church Fathers we were created to be clothed in the Light and Grace and Power and Love and Joy of God. God created us to be everything that He is...except by Grace (not by nature). Unless my mirror is not working properly, and my face is glowing with Light (as Moses' did), then I am missing the mark. Sin is a condition...a condition that will cause malfunction -- in the case of the car, a condition of the gas tank and in our case, a condition of the heart. The car engine will malfunction on grape juice and we will malfunction when separated from God. Sin is a state of the heart, it is the darkening of the heart. (Repentance is the act of cleaning out the heart).
So, if someone snubs us and we feel that passion of anger or indignation or resentment or worse welling up inside us, it is a sign that our heart is still sick -- not completely filled with God's love -- and we are missing the mark. There are different ways of missing the mark. There are different sins, and there are different manifestations of the same sin, with greater or lessor degrees of consequence. Consciously ignoring someone, giving someone a dirty look, hitting someone, and murdering someone, are all a product of the same sin -- anger or hatred. The seriousness of each is different, but the condition of the heart in each case is similar or identical. This is why Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'Thou shalt not commit murder...But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgement." (Matt. 5:21-22) The thought of murder is the same sin as physical killing, and every murder began with a thought...a thought that was not restrained or confessed. This is why Jesus said that all sins and all thoughts come "out of the heart": "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries...." (Matt. 15:19). So we have all sinned, and every sin in thought is a sign of our heart's sick condition and a potential sinful act. Remember St. John says in his first Epistle: "If we say we have no sin, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us."
It is a commonly held personal belief (actually a Protestant belief) that Confession with a Priest is not necessary. "Why must I confess to a Priest...I tell God in private?" First it is very important to understand that we Orthodox do NOT confess "to" the Priest. (This is a Roman Catholic understanding). We confess TO God in the presence of the Priest. The Priest is both a representative of the whole Church and a witness to the true condition of repentance in us, that we are truly desiring to be reconciled to God. Next, the Scripture tells us to confess: St. James' Epistle says to "Confess your sins one to another." Also, the Gospel tells us that St. John the Baptist was baptising people as they were "confessing their sins." King David confessed (to murder and adultery) in the presence of Nathan the Prophet (and only after being confronted by him).
There are other, often very common-sensical reasons that the Church has always had a "public" form of Confession. (In the early Church, sins were confessed publicly to the whole church gathering before the Eucharist began).
a. God already knows our sins...confession to God is not really confession properly speaking. We should however confess our sins to God daily...this is part of repentance.
b. Telling our sin to another person makes it "real." How many times have we only finally gotten relief for a guilty conscience after confess out loud? Most of us realize that when we have a problem we need to talk to someone, we need to get things "off our chest."
c. We often need help and encouragement to confess and face our sins. Most of us recognize the value of going to a psychologist or counselor in order to figure out our attitudes and behaviors.
d. Confession makes us accountable. If we confess to God privately, but have not declared our sin to someone else, there is much less sense of accountability. Its much easier to repeat our sin. For this reason it has been "popular" off and on in Protestant circles to have "accountability partners"...people with which you confess and who enourage you to remain faithful.
e. God ACTS in Confession. Confession is a Sacrament by which GOD acts. In every Sacrament of the Church GOD acts. (In the prayer of absolution the Priest says: "May that same God forgive you...through me, a sinner..."). He does so "through" the Priest, the successor of the Apostles who has the responsibility to guard the Faith, to preserve the integrity of the Church and the souls of Christians. Jesus Christ acts through His Church, and through those ordained by the Church. Remember after His Resurrection He said to the Apostles: "Whosoever sins ye remit they are remitted, and whosoever sins ye retain, they are retained." He says in another place, "Whatever sins ye remit they are remitted in heaven."
f. The Grace of God is given in Confession. There is an incredible and undeniable power and grace in Confession. The Sacrament is more than what we might see with our eyes. A drinking fountain that is not being used does not look refreshing. But turn the knob and water gushes forth. It is the same with Confession. Great Grace is imparted to those who take advantage of this Sacrament. Some remarkable and extraordinary "miracles" have been known to happen in Confession...miracles of release from burdens, ephiphanies, something said which pierces the heart and effects change, etc. It is not so much that God gives the "authority" to the Priest. Rather, He works in His Church through the Priests. His grace and power are available and accessiblein and through the Church, Her prayers, Her teachings, Her whole life and atmosphere.
The actual mechanics of Confession tend to be fairly informal in the Orthodox Church. However, at different times in history, and in different places, there were more formal approaches or set dialogues. There are actually different customs amongst various national Orthodox Churches, different "styles" among Orthodox Priests, etc. In some practices the penitent kneels, in others he stands. If in doubt, ask your Priest how he handles the mechanics of the Confession. As the Priest stands in front of the icon of Christ, the Penitent approaches and stands (or kneels) beside him to his right. The Priest usually begins with prayer. In some cases he will ask you to pray (from a written prayer) and there are some different "dialogs" and prayers that can be said before the Confession. The Priest will then ask what it is that you have to confess to our Lord. The penitent begins to enumerate those sins they are aware of. There are not typically "formulas" (i.e. Father, forgive me for I have sinned)...the penitent must speak from his or her heart. Each person, having his own personality, will vary slightly in the way he confesses. Some may weep...but all should seek to be reverent, heartfelt, repentant, and generally serious. It is usually advised not to mention any names in Confession and especially to assigned blame to another for our sins or to "confess the sins of others." We are there only to blame ourselves and to condemn ourselves for our sins, not to enumerate the sins of others.
Although we try to be thorough about the sins we have committed since our last confession, we should not be "obsessed" with this. It is fine to confess that we did not keep the fast with perfection on a Wednesday for instance. Yet, in coming to Confession we should also try to focus on the spiritual condition of our hearts, our spiritual poverty, what is truly keeping us from God. It is more important to confess with greater weight those sins with which we are truly struggling with or which have dragged us down and are effecting our spiritual life adversely. not all sins have the same destructive. We should try to become aware of the teaching of the Church on various sins and their causes. We should become aware of the "passions," those sinful inclinations and promptings which are a result of the Fall of Adam. These un-healed passions are the cause of all sins and need to be confessed as they come out in various situations within our life. We can learn to "name" our sins. It may be that we were hurt when someone insulted us or did not praise us enough -- but the problem is our ego, the sin of pride.
It is sometimes asked how much "detail" we should include in Confession. The simple answer is that we include details when they are important in revealing the nature of our sin. For example, a man confesses that he broke a vase. He then confesses that he was very angry and broke a vase. Finally, he confesses that he got angry and broke a vase...over the head of his wife! Breaking a vase is not really sinful in and of itself. Anger is a sin. Anger acted out in an act of violence against a spouse is a completely different story. It is not important whether the vase was blue or green. The Fathers also tell us that in the case of carnal sins, we should not be detailed so as not to tempt our confessor or ouselves. The Priest may respond with questions or words of guidance. Although we are confessing to Christ, the Physician, we may speak to the Physician's assistant (the Priest) and receive his advice and comments so that we may be healed of the sins we are confessing. The Priest may also give a "penance," which is like a medicine to help our healing. This may be a specific prayer, an instruction to ask forgiveness of those we have offended, instruction to return to Confession at specific intervals, or temporary exclusion from Holy Communion, etc. These are based on the discernment of the Priest as God has given him Grace. One should always fulfill a penance given. The Priest may ask a last time if you have any other sins to confess. If not, unless the penitent cannot be restored to Communion, the Priest says the Prayer of Absolution which "seals" the confession and grants forgiveness for the sins confessed (and those legitimately forgotten), bringing purifying Grace to the penitent, and restoring him to blessed communion with God.
This is a very legitimate question. But sometimes it is asked in the spirit of the Lawyer who asked Jesus, "What must I do to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven?" Underlying his question seems to be: "What is the LEAST I must do to enter the Kingdom of Heaven?" The man left disappointed, precisely because the Lord gave him a maximalistic answer: "Sell all that you have, distribute to the poor, and come, follow Me."
Since the Christian life is a life of repentance, and since Confession brings reservoirs of Grace to assist us in the spiritual life and bring healing to the passions of our soul, we should avail ourselves of it often. We should avoid thinking in terms of the "minimum requirements." We reap what we sow. If we confess minimally, we will grow minimally. Long periods between confessions present the danger of the accumulation of "little" or habitual sins without intervention. We may also forget many of our sins over an extended time period between confessions. A good minimal rule is four times a year, during the four fasting seasons of the Church. However, as a way of avoiding the pitfalls mentioned above, once each month will serve our spiritiual lives much better. Otherwise, we should come any time there is need or desire. While we should prepare sincerely for Confession, we must be careful not to use the need for preparation as an excuse for procrastination. Preparation (or the thought of preparation) for Confession should not be an overwhelming or exhausting experience. It may happen that we suddenly become aware of a particular sinfulness during prayer, or at a Church service. Rather than waiting a week or month for Great Lent, and bringing a comprehensive "list" of sins, why not bring this illness to the Doctor of our souls immediately if possible? Would we procrastinate if it were an earthly pain and an earthly doctor?
On this Sunday...we celebrate the memory of our Father among the saints, Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica and Wonder-worker. Our holy father Gregory was born in the imperial city of Constantinople. Gregory’s father reposed while the saint was of a tender age; but his mother continued to rear him and his brothers and sisters in the law of the Lord, instructing them in the divine Scriptures and in the rules of good conduct. She arranged for them to be taught by learned teachers….
Gregory disdained everything worldly as a deceptive dream - and wishing to cleave to God, the well-spring of all wisdom - at the age of twelve resolved to take up the monastic life….In time, she came to rejoice in the Lord over Gregory’s desire and decided to follow him in embracing the monastic life; moreover, with God’s help, she persuaded all her other children to do likewise….After leaving his mother and sisters in a convent, he went with his brothers to the holy mountain of Athos where they took up their dwelling in one of the monasteries. He gave himself over in complete obedience to a wondrous and perfect holy man named Nicodemus...Under his guidance, Gregory advanced in the virtues, and because of this, the Virgin Theotokos deigned to appear to him, receiving him under her protection and promising to be his mediatress.
[Later, he] settled in the wilderness, where he led a most severe life, burning with boundless love for God, to Whom he cleaved with his whole being. Thus he succeeded in prevailing over all the devices of the demons and was vouchsafed divine revelations. God bestowed upon him the gift of healing the souls and bodies of the infirm and of working miracles.
Gregory...was elevated to the priestly rank. He served the divine Mysteries like an angel of the Lord and those who beheld him celebrate the Liturgy were moved to compunction and tears. Many holy men marveled at his virtuous life and began to call him the “Godbearer,” “the exorcist of demons,” “he who brings forth fruit from barren trees,” and “the holy prophet.” Nevertheless, Gregory was still subjected to numerous trials and temptations in accordance with the words of the divine Scriptures: “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecutions (2 Tim. 3:12). He endured all things gladly, however, that the trial of his faith, “being made more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tested with fire, may be found to praise and honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, as the holy Apostle Peter said (2 Pet. 1:7).
For twenty-three years, Gregory bravely bore the innumerable sorrows and attacks he suffered at the hands of the God-hating heretics...for it was at that time that...the heretic Barlaam of Calabria, began to wage a fierce war against the Church. [Barlaam taught that “reason” was greater than the grace of God, that the philosophers were greater than the Apostles, and that the grace (or “energies”) of God given to us are of a created nature. St. Gregory rightly taught in defense that the grace of God which may sometimes be seen visibly (the Uncreated Light) by the Saints - although not a participation in God’s “essence” or inner nature - is truly the uncreated energy and grace of the Holy Spirit which He shares with His creation]. The blessed Gregory...was appointed to represent the Church of Constantinople at the council summoned by the pious emperor Andronicus Paleologus. When Barlaam appeared before
This council with his disciples, impiously spewing forth accusations against the Orthodox and belittling them, the great Gregory, clothed with invincible power from on high, opened his lips and swept away all the heresy like dust from the face of the earth. Barlaam was unable to endure his disgrace, so the reviler of piety and schismatic fled to the West, from which he had come. Then Acindynus, a second heretic, appeared...another council was convened, and St. Gregory prevailed over Acindynus in debate before all the assembled fathers, scattering the tares of the heretic’s teaching by his divinely inspired words. Nevertheless, the disciples of these heretics, who were hard of heart, continued to do battle with the Church of God, so all the bishops, clergy, and the emperor himself compelled St. Gregory to accept the rank of Archbishop. The saint ascended the throne of the holy Church of Thessalonica and became its pastor….
While the holy and most wondrous Gregory...was traveling from Thessalonica to the Imperial City to ensure that the Christian Empire would remain unshaken, he was captured by the Turks. In accordance with God’s awesome judgments, he remained their captive for a year...Gregory was compelled to travel from place to place and was sold from city to city, since it was the will of God that he preach the Gospel of Christ like an Apostle, confirming the Orthodox and teaching them to stand fast….He also disputed with the Moslems….Some of those with whom he debated marveled at his wisdom and the grace which flowed from his lips, but others beat the saint furiously and would gladly have killed him….At length, the saints was ransomed...by a fervent Christian [and] returned to his flock in honor.
St. Gregory...was adorned with innumerable divine virtues, among which were meekness, quietness, and humility. Nevertheless, he did not hesitate to upbraid the enemies of God….He held no rancor against others...returned good for evil...gave no heed to those who told him how his enemies slandered him, and...counted hunger and thirst as satiety, poverty as wealth, sorrow and tribulation as joy, and mockery and persecution as honor and glory. [After shepherding the flock for thirty years] St. Gregory surrendered his spirit into the hands of the Lord and was translated unto celestial life. His holy relics lie today in the Cathedral church dedicated to his holy memory in Thessalonica, Greece. St. Gregory was glorified as a saint in 1368.
Completing the Journey
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The first thing to recognize about Holy Week is that the services are all moved up; for example, the Sunday night Bridegroom Service is the Orthros of Great and Holy Monday, and the Vesperal Liturgies are celebrated in the morning.
After His entry into Jerusalem, Christ spoke to the disciples about signs that would precede the last Day (Mt. 24-25). Themes focused on the Day of Judgment show up in the troparion of the Bridegroom "Behold the Bridegroom cometh," and the exaposteilarion "I see thy bridal chamber..." The parables of the Ten Virgins and of the Talents pervade these three days. On Monday we also remember the innocent suffering of the Patriarch Joseph as a type of Christ's. The barren fig tree which Jesus cursed serves as a reminder of coming judgment. Wednesday contrasts the agreement made by Judas with the Jewish authorities to repentance with tears of the sinful woman. The Triodion texts make it clear that Judas' fall was not so much because of his betrayal as his despair of forgiveness.
Since we understand healing and forgiveness in a holistic manner, without a soul versus body dualism, the sacrament of Holy Unction is served in many parishes on Holy Wednesday evening. This practice provides an example of a continuing liturgical evolution, since this service is not prescribed in the Triodion or typicon. In most parishes, this sacrament replaces the Orthros of Holy Thursday.
On this day we commemorate four historical events:
A full Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is served. The hymn "Of thy mystical supper..." replaces the Cherubic Hymn, combining the themes of Holy Communion and Judas' treachery. At this Liturgy the Holy Chrism is also consecrated in patriarchal cathedrals, and an additional Lamb is consecrated to provide for communion of the sick for the year. A foot-washing rite often follows the Divine Liturgy. Here the bishop or senior priest renders a dramatic re-enactment of Christ's washing the feet of his disciples.
The Orthros of Great and Holy Friday is a solemn service, with many extra hymns and twelve Gospel lessons. The service clearly hearkens back to the Jerusalem practice of passion services celebrated at the locations where the events described in the Gospel lessons took place. After the fifth gospel lesson and during the last of the fifteen antiphons of the service, we find a recent development in the rite: the procession of the Cross. Having originated in Antioch, this practice was adopted in Constantinople in 1824 and has spread throughout the Orthodox Churches of the Mediterranean world.
The sufferings of Christ form the theme of the Holy Friday service: the mockery, crown of thorns, scourging, nails, thirst, vinegar and gall, the crying out, plus the confession of the good thief. It is vital to note, however, that passion is never separated from Resurrection, even in the darkest moments: "We venerate thy Passion, O Christ; show us also thy glorious Resurrection."
The Hours take on a special, fuller form on this day, called Royal Hours. First, Third, Sixth and Ninth Hours are combined, and each includes a prophecy, an epistle, and a Gospel Lesson.
We find more late, "dramatic" developments -- not mentioned in the Triodion -- in the Vespers of Great and Holy Friday. In the Greek/Mediterranean usage, at the conclusion of the Gospel lesson, the corpus of Christ on the Cross is taken down. In those churches which practice this custom, the vespers service itself has come to be known as "Un-nailing Vespers," or "Taking down from the cross." Another, slightly older -- yet still recent-- development of the fifteenth or sixteenth century is a procession with the epitaphios during the aposticha, where it is carried around the church and deposited on a decorated bier in the center of the church. The Gospel book -- representing Christ himself -- is then place in the bier and venerated by the faithful.
On Friday evening, we serve the Orthros of Holy Saturday, which begins like any other daily Orthros. The most outstanding feature of the service is the lamentations, which are chanted by the clergy and faithful surrounding the bier. These are done in three stases in praise of the entombed Christ, with little litanies in between. Next follow the resurrection troparia known as the evlogetaria -- again, anticipating the resurrection. Since the 15th/16th century a procession has taken place around the outside of the church with the epitaphios at the end of the Great Doxology. The faithful pass under it as they re-enter the church. The service concludes with the troparia of Holy Saturday, a reading from the prophecy of Ezekiel, epistle and gospel lessons, and then the final litanies and the dismissal.
The Liturgy is the vigil service of Pascha, originally served in the evening. It commemorates the discovery of the Empty Tomb by the Myrrhbearing Women. This Liturgy contains many unique features. Originally, the baptisms of catechumens took place during the reading of fifteen Old Testament selections. In the late 19th century, the number of readings was reduced to three, but the selections from the book of Jonah and the prophecy of Daniel are extensive. Unique to this service are the special antiphons "Praise the Lord" and "Arise, O God." Bay leaves are scattered throughout the church during the singing of the latter as a sign of Christ's triumph. The hymn "Let all mortal flesh keep silence" replaces the Cherubic Hymn. At this service, we arrive at the Empty Tomb. There is only one thing yet to do -- celebrate the Resurrection of Christ!
As we have “crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal. 5:24), and will have mortified ourselves during these forty days of the Fast, the precious and life-giving Cross is now placed before us to refresh our souls and encourage us who may be filled with a sense of bitterness, resentment, and depression. The Cross reminds us of the Passion of our Lord, and by presenting to us His example, it encourages us to follow Him in struggle and sacrifice, being refreshed, assured, and comforted. In other words, we must experience what the Lord experienced during His Passion - being humiliated in a shameful manner. The Cross teaches us that through pain and suffering we shall see the fulfillment of our hopes: the heavenly inheritance and eternal glory.
As they who walk on a long and hard way and are bowed down by fatigue find great relief and strengthening under the cool shade of a leafy tree, so do we find comfort, refreshment, and rejuvenation under the Life-giving Cross, which our Fathers “planted” on this Sunday. Thus, we are fortified and enabled to continue our Lenten journey with a light step, rested and encouraged.
Or, as before the arrival of the king, his royal standards, trophies, and emblems of victory come in procession and then the king himself appears in a triumphant parade, jubilant and rejoicing in his victory and filling those under him with joy, so does the feast of the Cross precede the coming of our King, Jesus Christ. It warns us that He is about to proclaim His victory over death and appear to us in the glory of the Resurrection. His Life-giving Cross is His royal scepter, and by venerating it we are filled with joy, rendering Him glory. Therefore, we become ready to welcome our King, who shall manifestly triumph over the powers of darkness.
The present feast has been placed in the middle of Great Lent for another reason. The Fast can be likened to the spring of Marah whose waters the children of Israel encountered in the wilderness. This water was undrinkable due to its bitterness but became sweet when the Holy Prophet Moses dipped the wood into its depth. Likewise, the wood of the Cross sweetens the days of the Fast, which are bitter and often grievous because of our tears. Yet Christ comforts us during our course through the desert of the Fast, guiding and leading us by His hand to the spiritual Jerusalem on high by the power of His Resurrection.
Moreover, as the Holy Cross is called the Tree of Life, it is placed in the middle of the Fast, as the ancient tree of life was placed in the middle of the garden of Eden. By this, our Holy Fathers wished to remind us of Adam’s gluttony as well as the fact that through this Tree has condemnation been abolished. Therefore, if we bind ourselves to the Holy Cross, we shall never encounter death but shall inherit life eternal.
If only, with firm resolve, we begin to live according to God's law, we do not need to fear any sort of attack from those who do not understand, for to him who has truly begun to live according to God's Law, all that happens to him at the hands of men, happens for his profit and to the glory of God. It is especially necessary not to fear being forced to move from a place we like to a place we dislike, a place of fear and uncertainty, unfathomable as to God's plan in it for us.
What harm did the wickedness of Joseph's brothers do to him? Was not rather his involuntary departure for Egypt the means of his rise to glory, the saving of his brothers from famine and the establishing of the conditions for all the wondrous works of God through Moses in Egypt and in the wilderness? Pagans and heretics often chased Orthodox Christians into barbarian regions. What happened then? Did this annihilate Orthodoxy? No; it rather confirmed it in the souls that were exiled and scattered among the barabarian peoples. The evil heretic Lucius drove the famous Macarius and several of the Tabennisiot hermits out of Egypt to a barbarian island, where all the inhabitants were idol-worshipers. But these holy men, by their teaching and example, quickly succeeded in baptizing the whole island.
Once again, we continue our journey through Great Lent, on the Road to the heavenly gates of the Kingdom, in the Feast of Feasts: PASCHA! It is a journey that only you can take for yourself, for the reward you receive is based solely on the effort you put into it. Therefore, we encourage you to make the following a part of your daily and weekly experience as we continue through this Lenten season:
DAILY PRAYER: Please remember your morning and evening prayers, including prayers for our bishops, our clergy and their families, your Parish Council and all parishioners, the sick and suffering, those who hate us and those who love us, those who are kind to us and minister to us, and all those in need of God’s mercy, and especially St. Ephraim’s Prayer.
THE WORD OF GOD: When you come to pray, take 10 minutes and read the Word of the Lord. You can start with a few chapters each day from the Psalms, the Proverbs, the Book of Job, or the Gospel according to St. Luke. But whatever it is, READ IT, and ask questions on those areas you find difficult.
THE WEEKDAY SERVICES: GOD’S GIFT OF LIFE TO YOU!
- Presanctified Liturgy, Wednesday evening at 5:30 pm, a uniquely peaceful time of prayers, followed by a potluck Lenten meal in the church basement.
- Akathist (Madayeh) Service, Friday evening at 6:00pm, a prayer service of supplication to the Virgin Mary.
- Ninth Hour and Great Vespers, Saturday evening, 5:45 pm, in preparation for:
- Orthros and Divine Liturgy, Sunday morning 9:00 am
- Holy Week Services (Please see Weekly Bulletins and Web Site Calendar Page for the lastest information)
THE SACRAMENT OF CONFESSION: Repentance is the door to salvation. Without it, we remain a lost sheep, and lose all hope of tasting the Fountain of Life; but with it we find the Door of Paradise, and the angels and the saints at the eternal Banquet Feast of the Lord. During Holy Week, confessions will be heard before and after all services through Holy Wednesday evening, and during the week by appointment. Only emergency Confessions will be heard after 6:00 pm on Holy Wednesday evening.
CHARITY AND GOOD WORKS: Basically, this is LOVING one another, with the same kind of Love Jesus showed us (Read 1 Corinthians 13, James and 1 John).
FASTING: A necessary ingredient to this season. Please try to abstain this season from any meat and dairy products, and gain control over your earthly passions. Then, share what you didn’t eat with those who have nothing. Remember to “feed” your Food for Hungry People Box each day with your children, and teach them how to care for the poor.
KEEPING VIGIL AT THE TOMB OF CHRIST: Following the Service of the Lamentation at 6pm on Holy & Great Friday evening, the church will begin to keep watch (an all night vigil) over the tomb of Christ. We will be reading from the Psalms and Gospels through the night, and encourage you to sign up for an hour to come and keep watch together. Please sign-up on the sheet posted on our bulletin board. The teens will be at the church all night, joining other teens across the Archdiocese who keep watch in their respective parishes. The vigil will end on Holy Saturday morning, when we will all gather together for the Vesperal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great at 9am and partake of the Eucharist (Communion).
THE AGAPE MEAL & THE PASCHA BASKET!: It is custom in many Orthodox churches to share a common meal following the Paschal Liturgy. Some people even prepare a basket filled with all of the food they have been fasting from during Lent. We encourage you to prepare your own basket filled with your own special foods, such as: eggs, meats, sausages, cheeses, sweets, fried chicken or even a cheese burger, if you so desire. These baskets can be placed on the Altar, to be blessed at the Liturgy. Please join us for a potluck Paschal Feast, following the Paschal Liturgy! At 3pm on Sunday, here at Sts. Peter and Paul Church, there will be an Agape Service followed by a reception and egg hunt.
FOOD FOR HUNGRY PEOPLE PROGRAM: “O God, to those who have hunger, give bread and to those who have bread, give the hunger for justice.” Hunger is one of the world’s most pressing problems – affecting over one billion people. But it is an intensely personal problem as well. Behind the grim statistics are children and families loved by God, who are deprived of their right to a full life because they don’t have enough to eat. As part of our Lenten offerings, let us please be generous to the Food for Hungry People Program. Boxes should be returned to the church during Holy Week.
