The Catalog of Good Deeds

God the Father is the fountainhead of the Holy Trinity. The Scriptures reveal that the one God is Three Persons–Father, Son and Holy Spirit–eternally sharing the one divine nature. From the Father the Son is begotten before all ages and all time (Psalm 2:7; 2 Corinthians 11:31). It is also from the Father that the Holy Spirit eternally proceeds (John 15:26). Through Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Spirit, we come to know the Father (Matthew 11:27). God the Father created all things through the Son, in the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1; 2; John 1:3; Job 33:4), and we are called to worship Him (John 4:23). The Father loves us and sent His Son to give us everlasting life (John 3:16).

Jesus Christ is the Second Person of the Trinity, eternally born of the Father. He became a man, and thus He is at once fully God and fully man. His coming to earth was foretold in the Old Testament by the Prophets. Because Jesus Christ is at the heart of Christianity, the Orthodox Church has given more attention to knowing Him than to anything or anyone else. In reciting the Nicene Creed, Orthodox Christians regularly affirm the historic faith concerning Jesus as they say, “I believe…in one Lord Jesus Christ, begotten of the Father before all ages, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made, who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again from the dead, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, whose Kingdom shall have no end.”

The Holy Spirit is one of the Persons of the Trinity and is one in essence with the Father. Orthodox Christians repeatedly confess, “And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, who together with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified. . .” He is called the “Promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4), given by Christ as a gift to the Church, to empower the Church for service to God (Acts 1:8), to place God’s love in our hearts (Romans 5:5), and to impart spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:7-13) and virtues (Galatians 5:22, 23) for Christian life and witness. Orthodox Christians believe the biblical promise that the Holy Spirit is given in chrismation (anointing) at baptism (Acts 2:38). We are to grow in our experience of the Holy Spirit for the rest of our lives.

Incarnation refers to Jesus Christ coming “in the flesh.” The eternal Son of God the Father assumed to Himself a complete human nature from the Virgin Mary. He was (and is) one divine Person, fully possessing from God the Father the entirety of the divine nature, and in His coming in the flesh fully possessing a human nature from Mary. By His Incarnation, the Son forever possesses two natures in His one Person. The Son of God, limitless in His divine nature, voluntarily and willingly accepted limitation in His humanity, in which He experienced hunger, thirst, fatigue–and ultimately, death. The Incarnation is indispensable to Christianity–there is no Christianity without it. The Scriptures record, “Every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God” (1 John 4:3). By His Incarnation, the Son of God redeemed human nature, a redemption made accessible to all who are joined to Him in His glorified humanity.

Sin literally means “to miss the mark.” As Saint Paul writes, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We sin when we pervert what God has given us as good, falling short of His purposes for us. Our sins separate us from God (Isaiah 59:1,2), leaving us spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1). To save us, the Son of God assumed our humanity, and being without sin, “He condemned sin in the flesh” (Romans 8:3). In His mercy, God forgives our sins when we confess them and turn from them, giving us strength to overcome sin in our lives. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Salvation is the divine gift through which men and women are delivered from sin and death, united to Christ, and brought into His eternal Kingdom. Those who heard Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost asked what they must do to be saved. He answered, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Salvation begins with these three “steps”: 1) repent, 2) be baptized, and 3) receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. To repent means to change our mind about how we have been, turning from our sin and committing ourselves to Christ. To be baptized means to be born again by being joined into union with Christ. And to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit means to receive the Spirit who empowers us to enter a new life in Christ, be nurtured in the Church, and be conformed to God’s image.

Baptism is the way in which a person is actually united to Christ. The experience of salvation is initiated in the waters of baptism. The Apostle Paul teaches in Romans 6:1-6 that in baptism we experience Christ’s death and Resurrection. In it our sins are truly forgiven and we are energized by our union with Christ to live a holy life.

Nowadays, some consider baptism to be only an “outward sign” of belief in Christ. This innovation has no historical or biblical precedent. Others reduce it to a mere perfunctory obedience to Christ’s command (cf. Matthew 28:19, 20). Still others, ignoring the Bible completely, reject baptism as a vital factor in salvation. Orthodoxy maintains that these contemporary innovations rob sincere people of the important assurance that baptism provides-namely that they have been united to Christ and are part of His Church.

New birth is receiving new life and is the way we gain entrance into God’s Kingdom and His Church. Jesus said, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). From the beginning, the Church has taught that the “water” is the baptismal water and the “Spirit” is the Holy Spirit. The New Birth occurs in baptism, where we die with Christ, are buried with Him, and are raised with Him in the newness of His Resurrection, being joined into union with Him in His glorified humanity (Romans 6:3,4). The historically late idea that being “born again” is a religious experience disassociated from baptism has no biblical basis whatsoever.

Justification is a word used in the Scriptures to mean that in Christ we are forgiven and actually made righteous in our living. Justification is not a once-for-all, instantaneous pronouncement guaranteeing eternal salvation, no matter how wickedly a person may live from that point on. Neither is it merely a legal declaration that an unrighteous person is righteous. Rather, justification is a living, dynamic, day-to-day reality for the one who follows Christ. The Christian actively pursues a righteous life in the grace and power of God granted to all who are believing Him.

Sanctification is being set apart for God. It involves us in the process of being cleansed and made holy by Christ in the Holy Spirit. We are called to be saints and to grow into the likeness of God. Having been given the gift of the Holy Spirit, we actively participate in sanctification. We cooperate with God, we work together with Him, that we may know Him, becoming by grace what He is by nature.

The Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16), and is a crucial part of God’s self-revelation to the human race. The Old Testament tells the history of that revelation from Creation through the Age of the Prophets. The New Testament records the birth and life of Jesus as well as the writings of His Apostles. It also includes some of the history of the early Church and especially sets forth the Church’s apostolic doctrine. Though these writings were read in the churches from the time they first appeared, the earliest listing of all the New Testament books exactly as we know them today is found in the Thirty-third Canon of a local council held at Carthage in A.D. 318 and in a fragment of Saint Athanasius of Alexandria’s Festal Letter for the year 367. Both sources list all of the books of the New Testament without exception. A local council, probably held at Rome under Saint Damasus in 382, set forth a complete list of the canonical books of both the Old and New Testaments. The Scriptures are at the very heart of Orthodox worship and devotion.

Worship is the act of ascribing praise, glory and thanksgiving to God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. All humanity is called to worship God. Worship is more than being in the “great out-of-doors” or listening to a sermon or singing a hymn. God can be known in His creation, but that doesn’t constitute worship. And as helpful as sermons may be, they can never offer a proper substitute for worship. Most prominent in Orthodox worship is the corporate praise, thanksgiving and glory given to God by the Church. This worship consummates in intimate communion with God at His Holy Table.

As is said in the Liturgy, “To You is due all glory, honor and worship, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.” In that worship we touch and experience His eternal Kingdom, the age to come, and join in adoration with the heavenly hosts. We experience the glory of the fulfillment of all things in Christ as truly all in all.

Eucharist means “thanksgiving” and early became a synonym for Holy Communion. The Eucharist is the center of worship in the Orthodox Church. Because Jesus said of the bread and wine at the Last Supper, “This is my body,” “This… is… my blood,” and “Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19, 20), His followers believe-and do–nothing less. In the Eucharist, we partake mystically of Christ’s Body and Blood, which impart His life and strength to us. The celebration of the Eucharist was a regular part of the Church’s life from its beginning. Early Christians began calling the Eucharist “the medicine of immortality” because they recognized the great grace of God that was received in it.

Liturgy is a term used to describe the shape or form of the Church’s corporate worship of God. The word “liturgy” derives from a Greek word which means “the common work.” All the biblical references to worship in heaven involve liturgy.

In the Old Testament, God ordered a liturgy, or specific pattern of worship. We find it described in detail in the Books of Exodus and Leviticus. In the New Testament we find the Church carrying over the worship of Old Testament Israel as expressed in both the synagogue and the temple, adjusting them in keeping with their fulfillment in Christ. The Orthodox Liturgy, which developed over many centuries, still maintains that ancient shape of worship. The main elements in the Liturgy include hymns, the reading and proclamation of the Gospel, prayers, and the Eucharist itself. For Orthodox Christians, the expressions “the Liturgy” or “the Divine Liturgy” refer to the eucharistic rite instituted by Christ Himself at the Last Supper.

Communion of Saints. When Christians depart this life, they remain a vital part of the Church, the Body of Christ. They are alive in the Lord and “registered in heaven” (Hebrews 12:23). They worship God (Revelation 4:10) and inhabit His heavenly dwelling places (John 14:2). In the Eucharist we come “to the city of the living God” and join in communion with the saints in our worship of God (Hebrews 12:22). They are that great “cloud of witnesses” which surrounds us, and we seek to imitate them in running “the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). Rejecting or ignoring the communion of saints is a denial that those who have died in Christ are still part of His Holy Church.

Confession is the open admission of known sins before God and man. It means literally “to agree with” God concerning our sins. Saint James admonishes us to confess our sins to God before one another (James 5:16). We are also exhorted to confess our sins directly to God (1 John 1:9). The Orthodox Church has always followed the New Testament practices of confession before a priest, as well as private confession to the Lord. Confession is one of the most significant means of repenting and of receiving assurance that even our worst sins are truly forgiven. It is also one of our most powerful aids for forsaking and overcoming those sins.

Discipline may become necessary to maintain purity and holiness in the Church and to encourage repentance in those who have not responded to the admonition of brothers and sisters in Christ, and of the Church, to forsake their sins. Church discipline often centers around exclusion from receiving Communion (ex-communication). The New Testament records how Saint Paul ordered the discipline of ex-communication for an unrepentant man involved in sexual relations with his father’s wife (1 Corinthians 5:1-5). The Apostle John warned that we are not to receive into our homes those who willfully reject the truth of Christ (2 John 9, 10). Throughout her history, the Orthodox Church has exercised discipline with compassion when it is needed, always to help bring a needed change of heart and to aid God’s people to live pure and holy lives, never as a punishment.

Mary is called Theotokos, meaning “God-bearer” or “the Mother of God,” because she bore the Son of God in her womb and from her He took His humanity. Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, recognized this reality when she called Mary, “the mother of my Lord” (Luke 1:43). Mary said of herself, “All generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1:48). So we, in our generation, call her blessed. Mary lived a chaste and holy life, and we honor her highly as the model of holiness, the first of the redeemed, the Mother of the new humanity in her Son. It is bewildering to Orthodox Christians that many professing Christians who claim to believe the Bible never call Mary blessed nor honor her who bore and raised God the Son in His human flesh.

Prayer to the Saints is encouraged by the Orthodox Church. Why? Because physical death is not a defeat for a Christian. It is a glorious passage into heaven. The Christians does not cease to be a part of the Church at death. God forbid! Nor is he set aside, idle until the Day of Judgment.

The True Church is composed of all who are in Christ–in heaven and on earth. It is not limited in membership to those presently alive. Those in heaven with Christ are alive, in communion with God, worshiping God, doing their part in the Body of Christ. They actively pray to God for all those in the Church–and perhaps, indeed, for the whole world. So we pray to the saints who have departed this life, seeking their prayers, even as we ask Christian friends on earth to pray for us.

Apostolic succession has been a watershed issue since the second century, not as a mere dogma, but as crucial to the preservation of the Faith. Certain false teachers came on the scene at that time insisting they were authoritative representatives of the Christian Church. Claiming authority from God by appealing to special revelations, some were even inventing lineages of teachers supposedly going back to Christ or the Apostles. In response, the early Church insisted there was an authoritative apostolic deposit passed down from generation to generation. They detailed that actual lineage, showing how its clergy were ordained by those chosen by the successors of the Apostles chosen by Christ Himself.

Apostolic succession is an indispensable factor in preserving unity in the Church. Those in that succession are accountable to it, and are responsible to ensure that all teaching and practice in the Church is in keeping with her apostolic foundations. Mere personal conviction that one’s teaching is correct can never be considered adequate proof of accuracy. Today, critics of apostolic succession are those who stand outside that historic succession and seek an identity with the early Church only. The burgeoning number of denominations in the world can be accounted for in large measure because of a rejection of apostolic succession.

Councils of the Church. A monumental conflict (recorded in Acts 15) arose in the early Church over legalism, the keeping of Jewish laws by the Christians, as means of salvation “Now the apostles and elders came together [in council] to consider this matter” (Acts 15:6). This council, held in Jerusalem, set the pattern for the subsequent calling of councils to settle problems. There have been hundreds of such councils–local and regional-over the centuries of the history of the Church, and seven councils specifically designated “Ecumenical,” that is, considered to apply to the whole Church. The Orthodox Church looks particularly to these Ecumenical Councils for authoritative teaching in regard to the faith and practice of the Church, aware that God has spoken through them.

Creed comes from the Latin credo, “I believe.” From the earliest days of the Church, creeds have been living confessions of what Christians believe and not simply formal, academic, Church pronouncements. Such confessions of faith appear as early as the New Testament, where, for example, Saint Paul quotes a creed to remind Timothy, “God was manifested in the flesh. . .” (1 Timothy 3:16). The creeds were approved by Church councils, usually to give a concise statement of the truth in the face of the invasion of heresy.

The most important creed in Christendom is the Nicene Creed, the product of two Ecumenical Councils in the fourth century. Fashioned in the midst of a life-and-death controversy, it contains the essence of New Testament teaching about the Holy Trinity, guarding that life-giving truth against those who would change the very nature of God and reduce Jesus Christ to a created being rather than God in the flesh. The creeds give us a sure interpretation of the Scriptures against those who would distort them to support their own religious schemes. Called the “Symbol of Faith” and confessed in many of the services of the Church, the Nicene Creed constantly reminds the Orthodox Christian of what one personally believes, keeping one’s faith on track.

Icons are images of Christ, of His angels, of His saints, and of events such as the Birth of Christ, His Transfiguration, His death on the Cross, and His Resurrection. Icons actually participate in and thus reveal the reality they express. In the image we see and experience the Prototype. An icon of Christ, for example, reveals something of Christ Himself to us. Icons are windows to heaven, not only revealing the glory of God, but becoming to the worshiper a passage into the Kingdom of God. The history of the use of icons goes back to the early Church-Tradition tells us Luke the Evangelist was the first iconographer. Orthodox Christians do not worship icons, but they honor them greatly because of their participation in heaven’s reality.

Spiritual gifts. When the young Church was getting underway, God poured out His Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and their followers, giving them spiritual gifts to build up the Church and serve each other. Among the specific gifts of the Spirit mentioned in the New Testament are: apostleship, prophecy, evangelism, pastoring, teaching, healing, helps, administrations, knowledge, wisdom, tongues, interpretation of tongues. These and other spiritual gifts are recognized in the Orthodox Church. The need for them varies with the times. The gifts of the Spirit are most in evidence in the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church.

Second coming. With the current speculation in some corners of Christendom surrounding the Second Coming of Christ and how it may come to pass, it is comforting to know the beliefs of the Orthodox Church are basic. Orthodox Christians confess with conviction that Jesus Christ “will come again to judge the living and the dead,” and that “His Kingdom will have no end.” Orthodox preaching does not attempt to predict God’s prophetic schedule, but to encourage Christian people to have their lives in order that they might have confidence before Him when He comes (1 John 2:28).

Heaven is the place of God’s throne beyond time and space. It is the abode of God’s angels, as well as of the saints who have passed from this life. We pray, “Our Father, who are in heaven. . .” Though Christians live in this world, they belong to the Kingdom of heaven, and that Kingdom is their true home. But heaven is not only for the future. Neither is it some distant place billions of light years away in a nebulous “great beyond.” For the Orthodox, heaven is part of Christian life and worship. The very architecture of an Orthodox church building is designed so that the building itself participates in the reality of heaven. Saint Paul teaches we are raised up with Christ in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6), “fellow citizens with the saint and members of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). At the end of the age, a new heaven and a new earth will be revealed (Revelation 21:1).

Hell, unpopular as it is among modern people, is real. The Orthodox Church understands hell as a place of eternal torment for those who willfully reject the grace of God. Our Lord once said, “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched–where ‘Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched’ ” (Mark 9:43, 44). He challenged the religious hypocrites with the question: “How can you escape the condemnation of hell?” (Matthew 23:33). His answer is, “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17). There is a Day of Judgment coming, and there is a place of punishment for those who have hardened their hearts against God. It does make a difference how we live this life. Those who of their own free will reject the grace and mercy of God must forever bear the consequences of that choice.

Creation. Orthodox Christians confess God as Creator of heaven and earth (Genesis 1:1, the Nicene Creed). Creation did not just happen into existence. God made it all. “TB faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God. . .” (Hebrews 11:3). Orthodox Christians do not believe the Bible to be a scientific textbook on creation, as some mistakenly maintain, but rather God’s revelation of Himself and His salvation. Also, helpful as they may be, we do not view scientific textbooks as God’s revelation. They may contain both known facts and speculative theory. They are not infallible. Orthodox Christians refuse to build an unnecessary and artificial wall between science and the Christian Faith. Rather, they understand honest scientific investigation as a potential encouragement to faith, for all truth is from God.

Marriage in the Orthodox Church is forever. It is not reduced to an exchange of vows or the establishment of a legal contract between the bride and groom. On the contrary, it is God joining a man and a woman into “one flesh” in a sense similar to the Church being joined to Christ (Ephesians 5:31, 32). The success of marriage cannot depend on mutual human promises, but on the promises and blessing of God. In the Orthodox marriage ceremony, the bride and groom offer their lives to Christ and to each other–literally as crowned martyrs.

Source: http://www.antiochian.org/whatorthodoxbelieve

Help support the ministry of St. Elisabeth Convent

Visit the Catalogue of St.Elisabeth Convent

My name is Svyatoslav Shevchenko, I am an Orthodox priest. I serve in the cathedral church of the city of Blagoveshchensk (Amur region) and work as the head of the press service in the diocese of Blagoveshchensk.

We live on the western outpost of Russia, which borders with China. On the other bank of the Amur river (its width is about 800-1000 m) you can see the Chinese city Heihe, province Heilongjiang.

On February 23 I have spent the whole day with my camera to tell you about my average day as a priest.

On February 23, which is a Defender of the Fatherland Day in Russia, it was my turn to serve the liturgy. When I have to serve, I wake up quite early, as I should be in the church at 8 a.m.

Of course, I read morning prayers (How can a priest act without prayer?). I am not supposed to breakfast, as the Divine Liturgy is a shell for the Sacrament of the Communion. The communion is the meeting with God, and this is why Orthodox Christians take the communion on an empty stomach.

I start the engine of my “Niva” and warm it up. I inherited this cherry-colored offroader from my father.

In this cold morning looming (actually, it is not as cold as it may seem, it is only -20 C) you can see the lighting of the Cathedral of the Annunciation.

However, the service will be held in another church, the Church in honor of St. Nicholas, which is not far from the Cathedral. This is not just a church, but a monument. Many years ago this church became the first building in the city. The emperor Nicholas II, who visited that area of Amur in the end of the 19^th century, became the patron of the Church of St. Nicholas. After the revolution the church lost its dome. A post-office, a nursery and dermatovenerologic hospital were disposed in that building. Unfortunately, in 1980 the domeless church was destroyed entirely. In 2010 it was reconstructed.

The sun rose, when I parked near the church. Did I mention that the church has the shape of a ship? There is a symbolic meaning: churches are our ships, by which we sail across the sea of our life.

The wooden church welcomes us with its prayerful atmosphere.

I entered the altar, a room, which is separated from the rest of the church with the iconostasis (a wall consisting of icons). The altar symbolizes the Heavens. Inside there is the the altar table and the table of oblation. On the altar table there is a Gospel, crosses, a seven branched candelabrum and a portable tabernacle, in which the holy sacraments for sick people are kept.

And here is the table of oblation, on which the proskomedia is held. It is the first phase of the Divine Liturgy, which symbolizes the Nativity of Christ and His preparation for crucifixion. During this phase bread and wine are prepared for the Eucharist. Small pieces of bread, which symbolize living and the deceased, are taken out of prosphora.

The deacon (the third position in the clergy) censes around the altar. Before the liturgy starts, he censes the whole church.

The Divine Liturgy begins. The Priest (your humble servant) stands in front of the altar table, and the deacon comes to the ambon (a small round hill in the church) and reads the litany (prayerful requests). Now it is 9:10 a.m.

After the priest cames out with the Gospel, which symbolizes Christ beginning His preaching, the priest and the deacon pray for the help of the living and for the repose of the dead.

Now the Liturgy of the Faithful begins, which is the second phase of the Divine Liturgy. During the first centuries of Christianity, not only Christians could present at that liturgy, but pagans, who were going to be baptized as well. The priest opens the antimension – a piece of cloth with the image of crucified Christ. A piece of a saint’s holy relics is sewed in it, as ancient Christians served liturgy on the graves of Christians, who were executed for Christ.

The Cherubic Hymn sounds. This is one of the most important moments of the liturgy, symbolizing Christ voluntary going to the cross. During the Cherubikc Hymn the prepared sacraments (Blood and Body of Christ) are moved from the credence to the altar.

And now the crucified Christ is covered with a shroud.

The Anaphora. It is the most important moment of the liturgy. The priest is asking God that He bless the sacraments with the Holy Spirit, so that people can take the Communion. At this moment it is 10:00 a.m.

On this photo you can see me putting the Body of Christ into the Blood. The clergy in the altar are going to partake of the Holy Communion. After this the laity in the church will take the Communion as well.

As soon as the liturgy ended, the baptism began. It is usually held in the Church of St. Nicholas at 11 a.m. The picture was taken after the end of the sacrament.

At 1:00 p.m. I have lunch in the Cathedral’s fratery – pea soup, and crushed potatoes with meat grease. At lunch I was accompanied by Father Alexander, one of the other priests.

When I was leaving, the sun was at the zenith. The smell of spring was in the air.

My two sons were waiting for me at home, as they wanted me to keep my promise – to bring them to the “snow town” for children, organized on the central square of the city. On the background you can see how unusual our home looks like. We live on the mansard, which was a workshop many years ago.

We are in the city center. On the background there is a city administration building. Before the revolution it was the house of a rich merchant.

The boys rushed to the snow slides.

How little it takes to make a child happy!

At 5:00 p.m. I have to serve a bishop service in Cathedral of the Annunciation. This is how the altar of the cathedral looks like.

Let me inroduce you our international clergy team in honor of Friendship of the nations: protodeacon John (Moldova), abbot Innocent (Ukraine), monk and subdeacon Martin (Ossetia). The all-night vigil is coming to an end. It is 6:45 p.m.

Bishop Lukian of Blagoveshchensk and Tynda has just anointed people in the church.

I come home. The boys are hanging on the bar. They wrestle and have already won several awards on the local wrestling contests. Tomorrow will be a big day for them, as they will take part in the regional contest.

Children have prayed, asked their father for a blessing and gone to bed. I take the last picture, because my camera is tired after such a full day and is about to shut down. My wife and I read the evening prayers and go to sleep too.

Translated from: http://maxpark.com/community/2883/content/1844148

Help support the ministry of St. Elisabeth Convent

Visit the Catalogue of St.Elisabeth Convent

Archbishop Athanasius was among the last directors of that part of the Russian Orthodox Church which, canonically remaining true to Metropolitan Peter, Patriarchal locum tenens, separated itself from Metropolitan Sergius and went into the catacombs. After the All-Russian Local Church Council of 1945, the then-imprisoned Archbishop Athanasius Sakharov and those of like mind with him recognized His Holiness Patriarch Alexis, and entered into canonical communion with him.

The future Saint Hierarch Athanasius was born in the pious family of Gregory Sakharov, a court counselor, on July 2, 1887, in the village of Tsarevka in Kirsanov District, Tambov Province. At Baptism, he was named Sergius, in honor of St. Sergius of Radonezh. He spent his childhood and youth in Vladimir. His mother managed to instill in him from early youth a love for the Lord. Sergius’ father had died when the child was but 1,5 years old. Matrona would often tell her son that she dreamed of his dedicating himself to God’s service.

Sergius would eagerly attend the parish church, never wearying of the lengthy divine services. From early childhood, he felt that he was a servant of the Church, and would even tell his companions that he would become a bishop. Although Sergius did not find his years of primary school easy, he was successful in his later studies: from 1896 to 1902 in the Shuisky religious school, and then at the Vladimir Seminary. In 1908 he enrolled in the Moscow Theological Academy, from which he graduated in 1912 with the degree of Candidate in Theology.

Sergius’ first teacher and spiritual instructor was Archbishop Nikolai (Nalimov) of Vladimir. Later Bishop Fyodor (Pozdeevsky), a noted theologian, strict ascetic, and rector of the Moscow Theological Academy, became his teacher. On October 12, 1912, in the Church of the Protection of the Mother of God, he tonsured Sergius into monasticism with the name Athanasius, in honor of the Patriarch of the Imperial City. On October 14, 1912 Vladyka Fyodor ordained Monk Athanasius a hierodeacon, and on October 17 of the same year, a hieromonk. The very same year, Hieromonk Athanasius was assigned to teach pastoral theology, homiletics, and liturgics at the Poltava Theological Seminary; he held that post until 1918.

On January 20, 1920, he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite, and on June 27, 1921, at the Nizhegorod Monastery of the Exaltation of the Cross, was consecrated Bishop of Kovrov, Vicar Bishop for the Diocese of Vladimir. One year after his consecration, Vladyka was sentenced, for the first time, to exile to the Zyryansk Region. On March 18, 1922, he was released, but on March 30, Great Wednesday, was re-arrested. Together with other bishops, he was charged with resisting confiscation of church valuables, and was sentenced to one year of incarceration; on May 28, 1922 he was granted amnesty. On July 15, 1922, he and Bishop Seraphim of Murom were arrested; on July 25, 1922 he was released. On September 10. 1922 he was re-arrested, and sentenced to two years’ exile to the Zyryansk Region.

On April 12, 1925, he took part in Patriarch St. Tikhon’s funeral. He signed the Act transferring supreme ecclesiastical authority to Metropolitan Peter (Poliansky) of Krutitsa. On September 8, 1925, while traveling through his diocese, he was again arrested. During the period 1925 – 1933 Vladyka was arrested several times, and after being convicted, served terms in the Solovki Islands and the Turkhan Region. In 1933 he returned to Vladimir. Vladyka considered his difficult years of incarceration not as a loss but as an acquisition. His periods of life at liberty were very brief, but amazingly rich in archpastoral activity and spiritual labors. For a time after his first terms of exile, Vladyka lived in Staraya Rus’. Then he settled in the village of Petushki in Vladimir Province. Many of the orphaned children of the (now glorified) Alexis and Sergius Metchev came under his direction there.

During those years, Vladyka Athanasius served the Liturgy in the apartments of his spiritual children. While living in Petushki, Vladyka would receive hundreds of letters; he kept up a correspondence not only with his spiritual children, but with many of those with whom he had been imprisoned. He would send packages to those in need of assistance and comfort. One of the bishops with whom Vladyka corresponded was Bishop Zinovy (Mazhuga), later a metropolitan, who once told his spiritual children, “Children, if you only knew who lives right next to you! Be afraid of offending that person, whether by your words or even by your facial expression! He is one of the great ones. There are none like him left!”

The Elder’s spiritual children would relate that Vladyka Athanasius in all of his dealings with others, he was always frank and attentive, that he treasured even the slightest service rendered to him, and that he always strove to express his thanks for it. He himself loved doing good only to the glory of God. The Elder often reminded his spiritual children that talents are a gift from God and that one must never take pride in them. Once, in answer to the question “How can one be saved?” he answered, “The main thing is faith. Without faith, the very best of works are not unto salvation, for at the foundation of everything is faith. The second thing is repentance. The third is prayer, the fourth, good works. And despair is the worst of sins.” The Elder advised, “As soon as you are conscious of having sinned, cleanse your soul with tears.”

The Elder’s spiritual children would relate that his prayer was so powerful that many of the faithful would quickly be helped by his prayers. Vladyka would hide the fact of his clairvoyance, revealing it only on extremely rare occasions.

At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War (World War II), Vladyka was once again arrested, and was sent on foot to a camp on Onega, in Arkhangel Province. Famine and the difficulty of the journey so weakened Vladyka that he seriously prepared himself for death… Life in the camps on Onega was replaced by an indefinite term of exile in Omsk Province, where Vladyka worked as a garden night watchman in one of the communal farms. Later he was transferred to the town of Ishim, where he subsisted on what was sent to him by friends аnd spiritual children.

Here are some excerpts from Vladyka’s letters to spiritual children: “According to what was revealed to a certain person of great spiritual life in Moscow in the years 1917 – 1918, the Prophet Elias is a bringer of nourishment for our times, as he was a bringer of nourishment to the widow of Zarephath. Metropolitan Kirill told me that he learned about this from Archbishop Fyodor, with whom he shared a cell in Taganka. According to the Most Reverend Fyodor, began to commemorate the Prophet Elias every day, and during the famine did not experience any want. Metropolitan Kirill also began to commemorate the Prophet, and he as well did not experience want. On July 20, he unexpectedly received so many parcels that the crew of ruffians that brought the parcels and of course got their abundant share of them, put up a sign saying “Produce Warehouse” on the doors of the cell housing the Most Reverends Kirill and Fyodor. Following Metropolitan Kirill’s example, every day after the evening meal, I also read the troparion to the Prophet, in a somewhat amended form, as you can see in my “Liturgical Experiences.” I firmly believe that by the intercession of the Prophet and Nourisher, the Lord continues to feed me, through kind people who for me are that small measure of flour and that little vessel of oil that did not run out for the widow throughout that entire famine, just as the Prophet had told her. I believe that through the intercession of the Prophet, the Lord will feed and nourish as well those who feed others in Christ’s name.”

In the winter of 1942, Bishop Athanasius was unexpectedly transferred to Moscow. The judicial proceedings lasted half a year. He was questioned about 30 times, usually at night. Sometimes four hours of questioning would result in only one page of minutes, and sometimes, would yield over 10 pages… Not once during those interrogations did Vladyka ever betray anyone else, or ever confess to any crime himself. However, this sentence was announced: eight years of incarceration in the notoriously cruel Mariinsk Camps of Kemerovo Province.

Vladyka Athanasius wrote, “As to the future fate of monasticism, it was revealed that the last of the monks would live like lay people, but that their spiritual struggles would be equal to those of the ancient fathers. That was said of our times. We are poor monks, we are always in a worldly setting, we have worldly thoughts and take worldly actions. However, the fact that in these evil days, with all our weaknesses and sins, we are not ashamed of our Christian vocation and of our monastic rank – that alone, I believe, will be seen as a spiritual struggle equal to that of the ancient desert-dwelling fathers. The only thing is that, at the same time we must also have within us two qualities: humility and love. In our hearts there must not be even a trace of malice or enmity, even towards our enemies. Carry the weaknesses of the weak, and do not please yourselves.”

In the summer of 1946, Vladyka was once again transferred to Moscow for a new investigation stemming from a false accusation made against him. Shortly thereafter, the accuser disavowed his assertions, and His Grace was sent to the Temnikov Camps in Mordovia to serve out his term. He was already so physically weak that he was relegated to making lapti (a type of plaited footwear). Two years later, Vladyka was shipped to Dubrovlag, also in Mordovia, where on account of his age and state of health, he could no longer work.

On November 9, 1951 the 64-year-old hierarch completed his final term in the camp tollhouses. But even then, they kept him completely ignorant as to his future fate, and later forcibly settled him in a retirement home in Potma, Mordovia, where the routine was not much different from that in the camps. Finally, on March 7, 1955, Bishop Athanasius was released from the Potma retirement home. Vladyka decided to live in the village of Petushki in Vladimir Province.

In the late 1950s, reminiscing about the period of his life as a Confessor, Vladyka Athanasius noted that he had spent “33 months in diocesan service, 32 months at liberty but not in service, 76 months under banishment, and 252 in bondage and bitter servitude.”

Saint Athanasius collected and edited texts of services to Russian saints, and worked to formulate a Russian Typicon. As an expert on the Divine Services of the Orthodox Church, Bishop Athanasius worked beginning in 1955 as Director of the Liturgical Calendar Committee at the Publication Department of the Moscow Patriarchate, and made substantial corrections in the Menaion of the Saints.

In August 1962, Vladyka Athanasius began to prepare his spiritual children for the fact that he would soon die. Hearing them say that they would not be able to stand to part from him, he sternly remarked, “How can you be so attached to a person? By so doing, we violate our love for the Lord. After all, you are not left alone; you remain with the Lord.”

By October 26, Vladyka became so weak that he could no longer speak, but on Friday night he quietly said for the last time, “Prayer will save you all!” Then, on the blanket, he sketched the words “Save, O Lord!” As he had earlier prophesied, on October 28, 1962, Vladyka Athanasius quietly gave up his soul to God. The Most-reverend Athanasius was interred in Vladimir, at the Vvedensky Cemetery.

Source: http://www.stjohndc.org/en/orthodoxy-foundation/saints/hiero-confessor-athanasius-sakharov-bishop-kovrov

Help support the ministry of St. Elisabeth Convent

Visit the Catalogue of St.Elisabeth Convent

Subscribe to: Posts ( Atom )

Search This Blog

featured Slider

The basics of the faith: What Orthodox Christians Believe

A Day with an Orthodox Priest

Hiero-confessor Athanasius (Sakharov), Bishop of Kovrov

Partners

Search This Blog

featured Slider

The basics of the faith: What Orthodox Christians Believe

A Day with an Orthodox Priest

Hiero-confessor Athanasius (Sakharov), Bishop of Kovrov

About Our Blog

Most Popular Posts

Partners