The Catalog of Good Deeds

Do we really need church rituals, given that Jesus did not celebrate Liturgy and did not make the sign of the cross? Sergey Khudiev explains where all these traditions come from and why we should follow them today.

Lately, I stumbled upon a popular, or, as they say nowadays, a viral text:

“Neither Jesus nor His disciples ever:

- Celebrated Liturgy in a church

- Made the sign of the cross

- Kissed icons

- Venerated relics of deceased “saints”

- Lit candles in a church

- Taught that you must venerate certain “sacred” objects.”

And the list goes on, it’s quite long and I don’t quote it in full. You get the idea, right? The diversity of Orthodox rituals is allegedly empty and unnecessary, even contradictory to the original idea and intent of Lord Jesus Christ and his disciples.

Therefore, performing those rituals is a waste of time, right?

Naturally, the Lord and his disciples hardly practiced the Orthodox spirituality as we know it. They belonged to the 1^st-century Jewish culture, so the pious customs that they followed were rooted in the Old Testament and in the Jewish cultural heritage.

However, this spirituality was no less ritualistic, traditional, and community-centered than the Orthodox one.

We find detailed descriptions of rituals, i.e. “stereotypical actions characterized by their symbolic meaning” in the Bible. For instance, the celebration of Passover is central to the Old Testament faith. Passover is celebrated as a way to remember the Exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt, and as such, it implies performing a strict sequence of symbolic actions, each of which carries a message of its own.

Exodus, chapter 12, describes in great detail what clothes people must wear, what food they must eat, and what actions they must perform during the celebration:

And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.

Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: and if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: and ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.

And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord’s passover. (Exodus 12:1-11)

People used to perform (and Orthodox Jews continue to perform even today) an elaborate ritual that reminded and explained the events of the Sacred History to the future generations. Nevertheless, this ritual was not only didactic: it functioned as a mystical time machine of some kind, which was (and is) making people participate in the Exodus. It was not just some other people very long ago, in a foreign land, who experienced the Exodus from Egypt; it was something that happened to us and constitutes a huge part of our own personal experience. We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand (Deuteronomy 6:21).

This is why a person who voluntarily refused to participate in the Seder, ceased to be a part of the Jewish nation. It was more than just a refusal to remember a key event in the history of the nation: it was a refusal to participate in the event.

Lord Jesus Christ does not refuse to perform that ritual, either. On the contrary, his Last Supper where He establishes the Sacrament of Eucharist takes place during a Passover Seder.

His disciples celebrate Eucharist according to his own commandments, “…and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.” (1 Corinthians 11: 24, 25).

Various Christian traditions may have various ways of performing this ritual but it is this ritual that we will find wherever we look: a traditional sequence of actions characterized by their symbolic meaning.

A ritual-less Christianity is impossible simply because it is a ritual — the ritual of Eucharist — that is in the centre of the Christian community as founded by Jesus.

However, there are other reasons why it is impossible.

First, to be pious you need to put effort into praying regularly. The author of Psalms sings praises to God not because he is in the mood to do so right now but because God deserves praise and worship. The obligation to set apart the Sabbath for God’s sake implies prayer discipline: it is a moral obligation of a human being to sing praises to her Creator and Redeemer, which requires disciplined and organized effort.

You can — and should — pray in your own words. With that said, when you are tired, annoyed or in a bad mood, you pray using the words that have already become a part of the biblical tradition. The Psalter was a prayer book for early Christians — and it is mentioned in several verses: James 5:13, Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16.

Secondly, public prayer inevitably calls for order of some kind, and when this order emerges, it becomes stable — why would anyone want to re-create it over and over again? Rituals, i.e. established formulas for public prayer, are simply unavoidable.

Rituals are impossible to avoid even in congregations, which attempt to get rid of rituals. One could write a similar critique against them, too:

Neither Jesus Christ nor his disciples EVER:

- Rented cinemas

- Wore suits and ties

- Made altar calls

- Used songbooks, let alone Hillsong worship hymns

- Played the guitars or used sound amplifiers.

Even if among Christians there are strict reconstructionists who re-produce 1^st-century customs as meticulously as possible, there are very few of them. First of all, it’s incredibly painstaking. Secondly, no one knows why it matters. Lastly, no matter how hard you try, you won’t achieve the result you aspire to: a 21^st-century man who wears a costume of a 1^st-century man is nothing but a 21^st-century man in a masquerade costume.

Religious life invariably requires rituals. These rituals cannot copy 1^st-century samples to a tee. Notwithstanding this fact, it is preferable that they preserve continuity with those samples — that they shoot out of the 1^st century like a living organism. This is why the Lord established his Church, “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18), described by Apostle Paul as a living Body filled with the Holy Spirit: “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” (1 Cor. 12:13).

The rituals of the Church stem out of its practice of prayer and communion with God. They aren’t random or meaningless. When we perform them, we enter the very space of faith and prayer where Apostles dwelt.

Yes, spiritual life can become a mere formality; meticulous adherence to rituals can hide inner emptiness and infidelity to God — and that is something even prophets of the Old Testament warned against. But in order to face the danger of formalization of your spiritual life, you need to have a spiritual life first.

A Russian poet said,

If you don’t have a house,

It won’t be destroyed by fire.

And if you don’t have a spouse,

There’s no other guy she’ll desire.

If you do have a spiritual life, it will definitely manifest itself through rituals — and you shouldn’t be afraid of it.

Source: http://www.pravmir.ru/zachem-tserkvi-stolko-obryadov/

Inspiration Studio will be opened in the Church in honor of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco soon. This church is located on the territory of the National Applied Research Centre of Mental Health. The lessons will target those who undergo rehabilitation in this Centre.

This is what the sisters who will hold the classes tell about the idea, about its importance and various aspects.

Nun Martha (Matveyeva), icon painter and artist:

— We dreamed of having a studio like this in the church built on the territory of the hospital for a long time. Finally, this dream is coming true: the church is already built; a big and bright room where we plan to have classes for those who undergo treatment and rehabilitation in the Centre of Mental Health has been equipped. I believe it is immensely important and precious that the classes will be held in this holy place, in the building of this wonderful church. It is no coincidence that this church is dedicated to St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco whose entire life was a vivid example of loving God and his neighbors. Even now, many of those who pray to him receive aid and are healed.

Our students will master various kinds of art: painting, wool felting, paper folding, etc.

I will be teaching classes on paper art, which is a vast array of crafts, including paper folding, quilling, origami, modeling, making sculptures from paper clay, scrapbooking, and a lot more. I like working with paper because is a flexible, light, and accessible material that you can use to make amazing things even during one short class.

I have already had experience working in the Centre of Mental Health. I used to teach classes in the rehabilitation department and several other departments. It was there that I noticed how meaningful and life-changing it could be! When we do something together, we immerse into a special creative and kind atmosphere and build mutual trust and respect. Our souls are relieved, and in addition to that, thanks to God’s help, we manage to make very nice works of art.

I praise God for having the opportunity to open our Inspiration Studio now!

Darya Yaskevich, a psychologist:

— Our main goal is to give people a chance either to get well or to learn to coexist with their illness, to be able to accept themselves and their illness. We will practise various methods, primarily the means of art, to help people during our classes.

Speaking of the materials we need for the classes, I personally like the resource-based approach, when you make things out of what you have at hand. It often turns out that you only need cardboard and a black marker pen to make a whole lot of things.

You never know in advance what you’ll use but we always need high-quality paper, good brushes, acrylic and gouache paints, and the already mentioned marker pens. We need wire, a lot of duct tape, and glue. We also need fabrics. Generally speaking, we will need materials that you can glue and paste — everything that you can cut out from and everything that you can paint.

Xenia Mamykina, a specialist in wool felting:

— When I conduct workshop sessions in wet felting, I simply do my best to make life easier for people.

Felting teaches you to love working with your hands, doing handicrafts and experimenting. Felting can help a person to get out of a difficult mental condition that she experiences. Felting helps individuals to discover new abilities. This kind of activity boosts one’s creativity. People start tinkering with things; pieces of wool turn into certain objects and grow in all three dimensions, and that’s happening right in front of their eyes. When you do felting, you are not fully aware of what kind of picture you will make in the end. These constant discoveries reveal one’s hidden potential of creativity.

I don’t have any science to back it but I can see that God helps us all, and it is especially visible when we are all together.

Natallia Zhigamont, an artist, a teacher, and an art therapist:

— The most crucial thing when doing art therapy classes with people in crisis situations and with those who are in hospital is a personalized approach to each and every person. Fine arts can therefore be regarded both as a means of communication and as a self-help opportunity. One should choose the kind of activity that will help her to get distracted from her problems and to divert her thoughts into a more positive channel. It may become an eye-opening lifehack for some people, which will improve the quality of their lives and give them meaning and purpose after they leave the hospital. Creative work is essential for everybody. It allows them to seek and find, to change and never stop improving. This is vital for those who, for a number of different reasons, find themselves in a difficult situation and see no way out.

September 22, 2017

St. Elisabeth Convent

The whole earthly life of our Lord Jesus Christ was prefigured with greater or lesser degrees of clarity in many persons, events, and institutions of the Old Testament --- which was a preparatory stage of the Christian revelation. The suffering on the Cross and the death of the Saviour, which were the most expressive manifestation of His boundless love for men and His highest labour for our salvation, are prefigured especially often and in many ways in Old Testament shadows and allusions. This amazing image of our salvation through the Saviour’s sufferings on the Cross and the material instrument itself --- the tree of the Cross --- were sometimes openly indicated beforehand to certain of the Old Testament elect, and, as it were, shone forth from the depths of the ages in many prototypical events and individuals. The divinely-wise Fathers and teachers of Christ’s Church, who, incidentally, expressed their understanding in the very beautiful hymns composed to glorify the Passion and death on the Cross of Jesus Christ, tried in every way to understand the various prototypes of the Lord’s Cross. The aim of our short sketch is to indicate the most significant prototypes of Christ’s Cross in the Old Testament under the guidance of the mind of the Holy Fathers and in accordance with the Church services.

The Fathers of the Church relate the first prototypical indication of the Cross of Christ to the time when the first man was still in Paradise, which was adorned with various trees. Of the trees of Paradise whose fruit was appointed to the first couple for food, the “tree of life” was exceptional in its characteristics (Gen. 2:9), and it was a prototype of the tree of the Cross of Christ. “The honorable Cross,” says St. John of Damascus, “was foreshadowed by the tree of life planted by God in the midst of Paradise; for as the fall and death came about through a tree, so it was fitting that through a tree life and resurrection should be given” (Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Book 4, 11:6). The Orthodox Church expresses the same understanding in her hymns, addressing her children with the words, “Now let all who worship the Cross cry out: Hail, tree of life” (Verses on “Lord, I have cried” for Monday of the fourth week of Great Lent). In fact, just as eating the fruit of the tree of life protected man’s body from corruption and death and gave him the possibility of eternal blessedness (Gen. 3:22), so eating of the fruit of the Cross of Christ, protects the Christian from spiritual death and corruption and by it he also is provided with the possibility of being eternally blessed. This is the meaning of the hymn, “O Lord, we sing of Thy life-giving Cross; for by it Thou hast made life blossom forth in the world and hast put death to death” (Verses on “Lord, I have cried” for Thursday of the second week of Great Lent). “Thou art our appeal, O Cross Most Honorable, Tree blessed by God, heavenly garden of whose fruit we have communed and thus received the incorruption of the first Eden” (Verses on “Lord, I have cried” for the third Sunday of Great Lent).

Many of the Holy Fathers, as well as the Church of Christ in her services, indicate that as through a tree we fell by the action of the enemy of our salvation, the devil, so through a tree he has overthrown and we were restored. Thus in his sermon for Great Friday, St. John Chrysostom says, “Do you see that the devil is conquered by the same thing with which he once conquered? He through a tree defeated Adam, but Christ through a tree had power against him; the former tree sent us down to Hell, but the latter called forth those who had descended therein.” “Thrice-blessed art thou, O Tree, on which Christ the King and Lord was crucified, through which he who deceived (Eve) by a tree fell, being caught himself by God who was nailed to thee in the flesh, giving peace to our souls” (Canon of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Canticle 5, Irmos). “By a tree of old we found death; but now again, life by the tree of the Cross” (Verses on “Lord, I have cried” for Tuesday of the fifth week of Great Lent). “A tree of old cast me out of Paradise, but now a tree led me into Paradise when Thou was crucified, O Christ” (Verses on “Lord, I have cried” for Tuesday of the seventh tone), or “In the midst of Eden the tree blossomed forth death, but in the midst of the whole earth a tree brought forth life” (Second Kathisma of Matins for Wednesday of the eighth tone). In explaining the reason for Christ’s crucifixion on the Cross, St. Gregory the Theologian says, “For a tree --- a tree, for a hand incontinently stretched out --- hands stretched out in self-denial, for a weak arm --- arms pierced by nails, for the arm casting Adam out --- arms embracing the ends of the earth” (Sermon). “On the Cross, O Christ, Thou didst stretch out Thy hands, erasing the unrestrained action of the forefather’s hand; by the tree of the Cross hast Thou healed the curse; thus we sing of Thee to all ages” (Canticle 8, Canon for Friday of the third week of Great Lent). According to an ancient tradition (Chrysostom, Basil the Great, Athanasius the Great, Ambrose of Milan, Epiphanius, Nilus, et al.), Adam, driven out of Paradise and condemned to death for his sin, died in Palestine, and the skull of his mouldering body was buried on Golgotha (Synaxarion of Great Thursday). “And when He had searched out the first elements of human death, the Lord accepted His Passion in the place of the skull so that there where human corruption took its beginning, the kingdom of life might begin and so that as death became powerful in Adam, so it might lose its power in the death of Christ” (Commentary of the Fifth Chapter of Exodus by St. Basil the Great). To signify that the Cross of Jesus Christ subsequently was raised up directly over Adam’s skull there exists even to the present a custom in the Christian Church of depicting a human skull at the foot of that Cross.

In the series of prototypes of the Cross of Christ in later times the sacrificial offering of Isaac is rather significant (Gen. 22). The most cursory glance at this event, which so highly displays Abraham’s faith and the obedience of his son Isaac, easily reveals that its true meaning and significance are contained in a certain great mystery concealed under the cover of this event. St. Ephraim the Syrian explains this mystery in this way, “Isaac, being prepared for sacrifice, ascended the mountain like a meek lamb, carrying the wood of the sacrifice on himself: thus our Saviour also went up to the place of the skull burdened by His Cross. I see the knife and understand the spear: I see the altar and represent Golgotha to myself; I see the wood and foreknow the Cross” (Sermon on Abraham). Isaac obediently surrenders himself for sacrifice by his father Abraham, who from love for God is sacrificing his only son by Sarah, his beloved son: thus Jesus Christ was completely submissive to the will of His Father during His Passion and obedient unto death on the Cross (Phil. 3:8, Rom. 8:32). We sing of Him in the hymns of the divine services, “Thou goest as a true Isaac, taking the Cross on Thy shoulders that Thou mightest offer a sacrifice to the Father for my sins as an acceptable fragrance’ (Canon and Akathist of the Divine Passion of Christ, Canon of the Cross, Canticle 6, Troparion 2).

Further, when Joseph took an oath to assure his father Jacob that after the latter’s death he would without fail take his bones from Egypt to the promised land and bury them in the grave together with his fathers Abraham and Isaac, then the old man, having been reassured, was made so joyful that he raised himself up somewhat on his bed “and (Israel) did reverence to the top of his staff” (Gen. 47:29-31). Certain Fathers of the Church (Chrysostom, Blessed Theodoret) suggest that Jacob foresaw the kingly dignity in the tribe of Ephraim (after the division of the Hebrew kingdom) and by his reverence was honouring that dignity in Joseph. According to the explanation of the Church services, Jacob did reverence to the top of the scepter (which may have had the shape of a cross) of Joseph, who was then the governor of Egypt, as a pre-figuring of the royal staff of the Cross of Christ, which is the triumphal glory of pious Kings. “Israel, foreseeing the future, did reverence to the top of Joseph’s staff, revealing how in times to come the most glorious Cross should be the safeguard of royal power, for it is a triumphal glory to kings” (Canon of the Exaltation, Canticle 7, troparion 3).

At the time when Joseph brought his sons to be blessed by his father Jacob, who had gone blind from old age, he placed Manasseh, as the elder, opposite his right hand, and Ephraim, as the younger, opposite his left. But to Joseph’s great sorrow Jacob intentionally placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, and his left on the head of the first-born Manasseh and then prophetically pronounced a blessing on them and their descendants (Gen. 48:8-20). In the understanding of the Orthodox Church, by such a cruciform placement of Jacob’s hands while giving his blessing, the tree of the Cross of Christ was foreshadowed together with the Cross itself as an instrument of blessing for the faithful: Jacob’s blessing bestowed on the children, prophetically foreshadowed Christ’s blessing, coming down from the Cross to sinful humanity. Prefiguring Thy Cross, O Christ, the patriarch Jacob in granting his blessing to his grandsons placed his hands in that form on their heads” (Verse for August 1). “Arranging thy hands in a holy fashion, O all-glorious one, as thou once didst bless thy grandsons, thou didst reveal the image of the holy tree by which blessing has been granted to all who were cursed by wickedly eating of the tree and had crept into the depths of evil” (Canon of the Cross, Canticle 8, troparion 2 for Friday Matins of tone 8).

During the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, God, while establishing the prototypical feast of the Passover, among other things, through Moses commanded the families of the children of Israel to anoint the two posts and the lintel of the doors in their houses, where they would eat the Passover with the blood of the paschal lamb and added, “And you will have the blood, and I will pass by you, and there will not be the plague of destruction among you when I smite the land of Egypt.” (Ex. 12:4, 7, 13). This sign was not a mere conventional symbol by means of which the Angel of Destruction could distinguish the houses of the Hebrews from the houses of the Egyptians, but it had the significance of testifying to the faith of the Hebrews in the propitiatory power of the paschal sacrifice. The blood of the unblemished Paschal lamb with its meaning of salvation for the Hebrews foreshadowed the blood of the Divine Redeemer --- the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Lamb of God, sacrificed from the foundation of the world (Heb. 11:28). St. Cyprian observes that through this (anointing with blood) the Hebrews traced a perfect cross on their dwellings: for by anointing the lintel and threshold they represented the length, and the two posts, the width of the cross (The Rock of Faith on the Honorable Cross, part 1, chap. 1, 20). The preparation of the paschal lamb itself not only foreshadowed but represented plainly the blessed tree of the Cross: “for”, in the words of St. Justin Martyr, “the lamb was placed on the fire in the form of a cross, since one spit stretched from its hind quarters to its head, and the other, on which the lamb was hung, ran across its back.” Further, the prohibition against breaking the bones of the paschal lamb indicated in a hidden way the mystery of the Cross about which the Evangelist John remarks that the bones of the crucified Saviour were not broken on the Cross (19:36).

According to the sense of the Church services, the external appearance of the Cross of Christ was represented beforehand by the miraculous staff of Moses, which led the Israelites through the Red Sea without their getting set. When Moses stretched his staff over the waters of the sea the first time, so that the Jews could cross the sea as if on dry land, “the Lord drove the water all night with a strong wind and made the sea dry land; and the waters were parted and the children of Israel crossed on dry land in the midst of the sea; the waters were a wall to them on the right side and on the left” (Ex. 14:21-22), and thus they formed the upright part of the tree of the Cross of Christ. Then after the Israelites had crossed, when Moses stretched his staff over the sea the second time to destroy the pursuing Egyptian troops in the midst of the sea, the waters began to return to their place from both sides, and as they covered the bared bottom of the sea together with the chariots and horsemen of Pharaoh’s whole army, they formed the cross-piece of the tree of the Cross of Christ (27-28). “Inscribing the invincible weapon of the Cross upon the waters, Moses marked a straight line before him with his staff and divided the Red Sea, opening a path for Israel. Then he marked a horizontal line across the waters and united them in one, overwhelming the chariots of Pharaoh. Therefore let us sing to Christ our God, for he has been glorified” (Canon of the Exaltation, Canticle 1, Irmos). Beyond this, as Moses’ staff, when turned a second time to the sea against Pharaoh and his hosts, drowned them in the midst of the sea, so too does the triumphant staff of the Cross of Christ render the attacks of the noetic Pharaoh --- the devil and his minions --- unsuccessful when it is turned against them by true believers in the Lord Jesus. “Tracing a cross with his staff, Moses divided the depths and led the people of Israel across; so we conquer our noetic enemies when we make this sign” (Verse on the Beatitudes for Wednesday of tone 8).

Soon after the miraculous crossing of the Red sea, the Hebrews came to Marah and, when they found the waters there too bitter to use, they complained against Moses; then the Lord commanded him to cast the tree he was shown into the water, and the water became sweet (Ex. 15:22-25). This action of a tree, which instantaneously sweetened the huge mass of water required for the multitude of people and for their even more multitudinous flocks, is completely inexplicable by the laws of nature, and only the mystery of the Cross of Christ fully reveals to us why Moses was commanded to use a tree rather than some other means to destroy the bitterness of the water. As the deadly bitterness was removed by a tree cast into the waters of Marah, similarly death was conquered by the power of the Cross of Christ. “Not suffering the deadly bitterness of the tree (i.e. of the tree of knowledge of good and evil which turned out to be deadly to those who ate of it) to remain, O Lord, Thou hast utterly destroyed it through the Cross. In like manner of old did a tree once destroy the bitterness of the waters of Marah, prefiguring the strength of the Cross” (Canon of the Exaltation, Canticle 9, troparion 1). In part the sweetening of the waters of Marah prefigured the power of the Cross of Christ in converting pagans to a pious life. As soon as the preaching of the Cross was proclaimed to pagans who before the coming of the Saviour into the world had been similar in their moral and spiritual life to the bitter waters of Marah, being deprived of the light of Divine revelation and of the law of God --- these pagans turned by the thousands to faith in Christ and from dishonorable living to virtue. “In days of old Moses transformed with a tree the bitter wells in the wilderness, prefiguring the bringing of the Gentiles to the true faith through the Cross,” as the Holy Church sings of this on the feast of the Exaltation (Canon, Canticle 4, troparion 1), when also the prophecy about the sweetening of the bitter waters of Marah is read in Great Vespers.

To quiet the children of Israel who had rebelled against Aaron, Moses once commanded that the twelve staffs of the leaders of each of the tribes of Israel be placed in the Tabernacle of Witness along with Aaron’s staff, and behold, in one night Aaron’s dry and lifeless staff miraculously “blossomed and put forth buds, produced flowers and brought forth almonds” (Num. 17: 1-8). The Church understands this as a prefiguring of the seedless conception of the Great Priest --- Jesus Christ and of the blossoming forth of the sacred tree of the Cross of Christ in the Church: “The rod of Aaron is an image of this mystery, for when it budded it showed who should be priest. So in the Church that once was barren, the tree of the Cross has now put forth flower, filling her with strength and steadfastness” (Canon of the Exaltation, Canticle 3, Irmos).

In Selmon, in the last year of their wandering in the wilderness of Arabia, the Hebrews again began to complain and rebel against God’s instructions, and in His anger “the Lord sent poisonous serpents against the people, and they bit the people, and many of the children of Israel died.” Then Moses turned to the Lord God and asked Him to forgive His chosen people, which had already repented, and the Lord said to Moses, “Make thee a bronze serpent and place it on a signal-pole, and whenever a serpent shall bite a man, everyone so bitten who looks upon it will live;” Moses did this, and those who were bitten survived after looking at the bronze serpent (Num. 21:8-9). The ancient Jews partially understood the mystery of this prefiguring, believing that “he who turned himself toward it was not saved by the thing that he saw, but by Thee, the Saviour of all” (Wis. 16:7). But our Lord Jesus Christ revealed this mystery with complete clarity in His conversation with Nicodemus when He said, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up so that all who believe in Him might not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:14-15). The Holy Church teaches that the tree on which the bronze serpent was hung was a prototype of the tree of the Cross of Christ. “Moses set upon a wooden pole a cure against the deadly and poisonous bite of the serpents: for cross-wise upon the tree --- as a symbol of the Cross --- he placed a serpent that creeps about the earth, and thereby he triumphed over calamity” (Canon of the Exaltation, Canticle 1, troparion 2). That the serpent, lifted up on the tree before the eyes of all Israel in the wilderness, was a prototype of Jesus Christ, lifted up on the tree of the Cross before the whole people, is indicated also by the hymn, “Moses lifted the serpent up on a tree, symbolizing Thee, O Jesus, voluntarily lifted up on the Cross” (Canticle 9, troparion 1, Canon for Wednesday of the third week of Great Lent). The healing of those bitten by the poisonous serpents through looking at the bronze serpent prefigured the healing of those bitten by the spiritual serpent --- Satan --- through looking by faith at Jesus Christ lifted up on the Cross. “Prefiguring Thy Passion, O Word, the great Moses of old lifted up a brazen serpent on a tree, healing all who looked upon it from the serpent’s poisonous bite; for, O Master, when Thou was crucified, all we faithful were delivered from harm at the hands of the God-hating serpent” (Canon to the Cross for Friday Matins of tone 6, Canticle 6, troparion 2).

In the series of other prefigurings of the Lord’s Cross, offered for the consideration of the faithful by the Holy Church in her various services, the following events attract our attention. When the Amalekites attacked the Hebrew people, Moses commanded Joshua the son of Nun to lead the nation into battle against them and then ascend to the top of a hill with Aaron and Hur, taking his wonderworking staff with him; he lifted up his hands and extended them, and whenever Moses lifted up his hands, Israel prevailed (Ex. 17:8-11). By lifting up his hands in this fashion, he prefigured the way Jesus Christ’s hands were stretched on the Cross and nailed to it, while, on the other hand, by the fact that this action destroyed the power of the Amalekites, the destruction by the Cross of Christ of the pernicious power of the spiritual Amalek --- Satan and his hosts --- was prefigured. “In times past Moses, standing between the two priests, prefigured in his person the undefiled Passion (of Christ). Forming a cross with his outstretched hands, he raised a standard of victory and overthrew the power of Amalek” (Canon of the Exaltation, Canticle 1, troparion 1). “Moses prefigured the power of the precious Cross, O Christ, when he put to flight Amalek, his adversary, in the wilderness of Sinai: for when he stretched out his arms in the form of a cross, the people became strong again. And now the fulfillment of these images has come to pass for us. Today the Cross is exalted and devils are put to flight” (Feast of the Exaltation, prayer on “Glory, , And now” of the Lity). Similarly when Joshua the son of Nun wanted to finish the battle with the five Canaanite kings, he stretched out his hands to God with a request for help (Josh. 10:12-14) and in this way prefigured the Lord Jesus Christ, Who stretched out His hands on the Cross: “Of old Joshua the son of Nun mystically prefigured the image of the Cross when he spread his hands out in the form of a cross, O my Saviour, and the sun stood still until he had brought down the enemies who opposed Thee, O God; but now the sun has set, seeing Thee on the Cross; and having destroyed the power of death, Thou hast raised up the whole world” (Kathisma of the Cross, tone 8 for August 1). The prophet Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of a whale (Jonah 2) and while there he, too, prayerfully stretched his hands out in the shape of the Cross of Christ and survived by the power of that Cross. “In the belly of the whale Jonah prefigured the image of the Divine Cross with his outstretched arms and, looking up, he was saved from the beast by Thy power, O Word” (Canon for the third Sunday in Great Lent, Canticle 6, katavasia). “Jonah stretched out his hands in the form of a cross within the belly of the sea monster, plainly prefiguring the redeeming Passion (of Christ)” (Canon of the Exaltation, Canticle 6, Irmos). The Church teaches that the prophet Daniel, who at the command of the pagan king Darius was thrown into a den of lions for worshipping the true God, was

preserved from harm from the lions (Dan. 6) because his hands also were arranged in the form of a cross when he lifted them up to God with a prayer for help. “The greatest of the prophets, Daniel, once cast into a den of lions, stretched out his hands in the form of a cross, and instead of being consumed by them, was preserved unharmed, blessing Christ our God forever” (Canon for third Sunday in Great Lent, Canticle 8, katavasia).

All these varied shadows and hints relating to the Cross of Christ, forming in themselves an unbroken chain of Divine revelation about the sacrificial offering on Golgotha, certainly did not pass before the eyes of the ancient Israelites as dead images, devoid of a higher sense and meaning. The better men chosen from the people of God were able to understand their true sense and meaning beforehand by faith and with the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit (1 Pet. 1:21); thus, according to the words of the Apostle Paul, although the righteous men of the Old Testament died in faith without having received the promised things, still they saw them from afar and rejoiced (Heb. 11:2, 13; cf. John 8:56). What the Old Testament incidentally foretold and revealed beforehand in a hidden fashion in various prototypes was, as Christians see it, completely fulfilled in the New Testament history: on the Cross our Lord Jesus Christ tasted death and thus completed our salvation, freeing us from sin, the curse, and death; from that time, and especially after the triumph of Christianity over paganism, the Holy Cross, as the means of our salvation, the symbol of spiritual victory, and the mighty banner of Christians, became an object of open and solemn adoration in the Christian world; this was so above all after the Holy Empress, Saint Helena, found the Cross of the Lord, when the feast of the Exaltation of the Honorable and Life-giving Cross of the Lord originated.

Source: johnsanidopoulos.com/2016/09/old-testament-prototypes-of-cross-of.html

At the ordination of a priest, the consecrated Body of Christ is placed in his hands. He is told to “Guard this!” until the coming of Christ. It is a very solemn moment – the beginning of a lifetime in which a man’s relationship to bread will never be the same. It is also something of a conversion – a movement from the secular inert character of matter towards a world of sacrament, mystery and icon. This same movement should not be restricted to the ordained priesthood – for it is the most essential element of the Christian life. All of us live in a world that is sacrament – the priesthood of the Church exists for a ministry within the Church – but humanity itself was created for a priesthood of all creation. The words directed to a priest at his ordination apply to all of us: “Guard this!”

Protestant teaching early on isolated the text in 1 Peter 2 that describes believers as a “royal priesthood,” and interpreted it in a polemical manner that negated the special character of the ordained priesthood. Many Christians today have no sense of priesthood, whether it be the priesthood of Christ or of themselves. “Priest” has ceased to have much modern meaning.

Orthodoxy holds that Christ is the one, true priest. The priesthood exercised within the Church is a participation in Christ’s priesthood. But what do we mean by priesthood in the first place? How is Christ our priest?

For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins (Heb. 5:1).

The most essential act of priesthood is offering. The priest presents our offerings to God on our behalf. He gives us the blessing of God on God’s behalf. Christ’s self-offering both to the Father and to humanity is the very definition of priesthood. The focus on Christ’s sacrifice as “payment,” as well as other images, have tended to weaken the sense of offering inherent in His death. Offering, for a variety of historical reasons, has been deeply diminished from the religious consciousness of many. The inner dynamic of the Eucharist is an offering. To live the sacramental life is to live a eucharistic life, a life of offering.

For most, the word “offering” immediately invokes the image of “money.” This is not incorrect, even if it is limited. Money can certainly be an “offering,” but our thoughts on the subject probably miss the point. Money indeed has a sacramental character (as does all of creation). In a modern culture, money is something of a sacrament of all of our activity. As Christ Himself noted, it remains the primary means by which we may know the heart (Matt 6:21). Interest in spiritual things by those who do not practice “tithing” (returning to God a tenth of what we receive) can easily become an exercise in vanity. The failure to give alms generously (as in the tithe) can reduce spiritual activity to the level of a hobby. In this matter, the Orthodox differ in no wise from the non-Orthodox. Our culture is deeply enslaved by Mammon. Moderns are deeply suspicious of all things having to do with money. We see greed everywhere around us (except within ourselves). Non-believers think of Churches as rich and despise them. The myth of Church wealth is largely just that – myth. (The place of ancient land-holdings and State support of the Church, in lands such as Greece, is a separate topic).

Generosity is more fundamental than fasting (people seem to pay great attention to the latter and little to no attention to the former). I have occasionally been told that modern welfare states have made tithing a thing of the past because our taxes now support the poor, etc. Taxes, no matter how well spent, are never a matter of offering, they are not eucharistic in nature. They are the object of coercion: no one voluntarily pays more than they forced to. What Caesar does with what belongs to Caesar is of no spiritual consequence to us. It is what is offered to God that constitutes a priestly existence.

Generosity is fundamental – but it only lays a foundation. St. Maximus the Confessor taught that “man is a microcosm”: we are the entire universe gathered into personal form. If the physicists are correct, the largest number of elements within our bodies were formed in the furnace of the stars. In the words of pop-singer, Joni Mitchell, “We are stardust.”

At the same time, we are the universe gathered into conscious form. In human beings, the universe has self-understanding and can speak. Our ability to speak is perhaps the most profoundly human thing we do. The universe exists as a gift – there is no necessity in its existence – it is created out of nothing. But in the words and volition of human beings, the gifted universe can freely offer itself back to the Giver. It is this cycle of Giver-Gift-Giving that is the heart of all priestly existence (and the true heart of the Christian faith). In Chrysostom’s liturgy the priest prays:

Therefore, I entreat Thee Who alone art good and ready to listen: Look down on me, a sinner, Thine unprofitable servant; and cleanse my soul and heart from an evil conscience; and by the power of the Holy Spirit enable me, who am endowed with the grace of the priesthood, to stand before this, Thy holy table, and perform the sacred mystery of Thy holy and pure Body and precious Blood. For I draw near to Thee, and bowing my neck I implore Thee: Turn not Thy face away from me, nor cast me out from among Thy children; but make me, Thy sinful and unworthy servant, worthy to offer gifts to Thee. For Thou art the Offerer and the Offered, the Receiver and the Received, O Christ our God, and unto Thee do we send up glory, together with Thy Father, Who is from everlasting, and Thine all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

…”The Offerer and the Offered, the Receiver and the Received…” This is the very depths of the Eucharist. Read through the Eucharistic liturgy and note the use of the word “offer” and its various iterations. It is an exercise in truly hearing what is being said.

To live the sacramental life is to live the life of offering. We offer has been offered to the Receiver and the Received. To behold the Received (and the Offered) in every element and moment of creation is to see the world in its truth. This is not an exercise in the imagination or a mere interpretation of the world. The fathers teach that the pure in heart actually perceive the “Logos-ness” of creation. The relationship between Logos and His creation is true, real and substantial, not merely referential.

Modern Christians are profoundly non-sacramental. The simple statement, “We use things,” says it all. The world around us consists of things and is not perceived in its Christic relation. That this is so is only a comment on the frailty of our sinful state. That we are willing to think that this frailty is an actual description of the truth of things, however, is a comment on our perversity.

Secularism is the life of the anti-sacrament. Priesthood ceases to be a life of Offerer and Offered, Receiver and Received. In the secularized world the priest becomes something of a civil servant, a functionary. Priests are hired and fired, compared and judged. They are measured by worldly standards of effectiveness or the simple whims of parish politics. If this is the case of the ordained priesthood, then it is worse still for the priesthood of all believers. Rather than bearing the dignity of the Microcosm, the anti-sacrament modern man reduces himself to Thing and User. Users and Things cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.

Chrysostom again gives us words:

O Lord God almighty, Who alone art holy, Who accepts the sacrifice of praise from those who call upon Thee with their whole heart, accept also the prayer of us sinners, and bear it to Thy holy altar, enabling us to offer unto Thee gifts and spiritual sacrifices for our sins and for the errors of the people. Make us worthy to find grace in Thy sight, that our sacrifice may be acceptable unto Thee, and that the good spirit of Thy grace may dwell upon us and upon these Gifts here offered, and upon all Thy people. Through the compassion of Thine only-begotten Son, with Whom Thou art blessed, together with Thine all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Source: https://fatherstephen.wordpress.com/2012/08/21/life-in-a-sacramental-world/

One of the common issues we all face is becoming upset due to the actions of another person. Often this involves the one we most love. When we are upset and angry we say and do things we wish we had not done. We are like Saint Paul who said,

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. (Romans 7:15-19)

When we are angry we are separated from God. How do we as an Orthodox Christian avoid this kind of response which is definitely one taken out of self-interest and not our of love for the other person.

This is a situation where the Jesus Prayer can be most helpful. Once we have practiced this prayer ("Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner") by repeating for at least ten minutes each day, it becomes a prayer that is always in our mind and easily accessible when we become upset. When we are upset, we will have access to a way to reconnect with God by repeating this simple prayer.

Here is a simple way to eliminate the consequences of our disagreements with others:

1. Make a regular practice to pray the Jesus prayer each day for at least ten minutes as part of your daily prayer rule.

2.When you find yourself feeling upset, say the Jesus Prayer to yourself. Move away from the situation. Take a walk and repeat the prayer in cadence with your walk. This will help you cool your emotions and grace will come to you to help you deal with the situation in a Christian way. When you are calm, feel the love of God in your heart, ask the other person for a convenient time to talk.

3. When you have a chance to talk with the other person admit that what you want to say is difficult for you to say and admit that you may not hear or understand fully the other's viewpoint.

4. After saying the prayer to yourself, begin the conversation with an "I" statement. Say, "I felt hurt when you did...." Do not begin with a "You" statement like, "When you do.... you make me upset." . When you accuse the other person you will make them feel threatened and they will want to fight back. There are always two sides in a disagreement. Begin by admitting your part of the situation, acknowledging that both are a party to the disagreement. Sharing your feelings sincerely will make it easier for the other person to share theirs.

5. Ask the other person for their point of view. Say something like this, " I know you do not intend to hurt me. Why did you do ....? Help me to better understand." Then you have to be calm to listen to the answer. Always have the Jesus Prayer on your lips to keep you connected with God and His grace.

6. Engage in a full and open discussion with love in your heart. Explore how you can both change so future encounters do not end in the same way. Seek for an agreement to act differently the next time this situation happens. Say a prayer together. A hug always helps show your sincere love for the other person.

Source: http://orthodoxwayoflife.blogspot.com.by/2011/04/dealing-with-anger-with-help-of-jesus.html

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