The Catalog of Good Deeds

We continue to publish the materials of Spas TV program My Path To God, where Priest George Maximov interviews people who converted to Orthodoxy from various non-Orthodox denominations. The guest of today’s program is the Orthodox Priest Thomas Dietz. Father Thomas, a German raised as Lutheran, converted to Orthodoxy from Catholicism. He will tell us about the driving force behind his spiritual quests and the importance of dedicated insistence upon the Truth. We will also learn the answers to such questions as “Should we say in conversations with members of other denominations that their teachings are heretical?” and “What should our attitude be toward the Branch Theory?”

Father George Maximov: Hello. You’re watching My Path To God. The guest of today’s program is Priest Thomas Dietz. We all know that during the past 20 years many people from our country emigrated to the West. Father Thomas did the opposite and immigrated to Russia from Germany. He has been serving as a Russian Orthodox priest in Moscow for many years now. Father Thomas, how did your journey to God begin?

Father Thomas Dietz: Thank you, Father George. Let’s start with my childhood. I was raised in a typical German Lutheran family. Only my father was a believer; my mother was far from being religious even though her grandfather was a pastor. So, the first foundation of my faith was laid by my father. He used to read the Gospel to us on Sundays and took us to a Lutheran church in a Munich suburb where we lived. When I was 10-12 years old, I had a childlike faith that I cherished, even though at times my peers made fun of me because of it. The social environment in Germany is very secular… Later, as I grew, I lost that faith, which was typical for Germans. I re-gained it when I was listening to a catechesis in a Roman Catholic church.

Father George: So you converted from Lutheranism to Catholicism?

Father Thomas: Yes. I attended Catholic classes for several years as a Lutheran, and then decided to join them. I was 23 at that time.

Father George: What was your motivation for regaining your faith and deciding to convert? I was wondering, “Why should people be sad when they address God? What is wrong here?”

Father Thomas: You can say that as a Protestant from a Lutheran family, I was quite skeptical about Church when I grew up. There were many reasons for that. The main one probably had something to do with my parents. I remember that when my father was praying before meals at home, he was always very sad. As a young man, I was always wondering, “Why should people be sad when they address God? What is wrong here?” In Catholicism, the situation was reverse. I saw many jovial Catholics who were sincerely thankful to God for their newly found faith. These people found a new way of life in Catholicism, the way of living as a community. They were also very inclined toward missionary work. This joy, community-based way of life and, you can say, love between the faithful in the Catholic communities won me over.

It should be noted that I became Catholic in the Neocatechumenate. This movement is not very well-known in Russia, but it is nevertheless present here. It is one of so-called spiritual movements of modern Catholicism. I spent several years in this movement and felt that I should fully join the Catholic Church to partake of the Sacraments and build my life this way. I enthusiastically participated in the life of the Catholic Church, became a catechist, went on many pilgrimages to Rome, worked in the Neocatechumenal mission in West Berlin and, later in Hungary, and got admitted to a seminary school.

Father George: As far as I know, many things in Catholicism and Orthodoxy are unusual for Protestants. For example, veneration of the Mother of God, images of saints, etc. Maybe these things are not as pronounced in Lutheranism as in other Protestant beliefs, but you probably had to overcome your aversion. Or did it occur naturally during catechization?

Father Thomas: It took some time. For a Protestant, venerating the Mother of God and the existence of Pope were, of course, a stumbling block. I had to get used to it. I remember that being among the masses of people during my first pilgrimage to Rome was objectionable to me. At that time, it seemed to me an excessive communality, but I got used to it. I believed that venerating the Mother of God was essential for the faith and piety. I also appreciated the Catholic advantage of having clergy, which the Lutherans lack. I saw that there was the patristic heritage established by Christ to give us guidance. So in these communities I got used to many aspects that we have in Orthodoxy, such as veneration of the Mother of God, clergy, bishops and the Sacred Tradition, even though Catholics have it in a different form.

Father George: How many years were you in the Catholic Church?

Father Thomas: Eighteen years, if you count from the first time I converted till the time that I quit.

Father George: This is quite a long time. Considering the reasons that got you there, such as discovering communal life and meeting caring and joyful people who share their joy with each other, I should ask you what made you doubt Catholicism, continue your quest and discover Orthodoxy? Orthodoxy is not well known in the West, is it?

I missed the reliable and solid foundation of faith.

Father Thomas: That’s right. When I became Catholic, I basically didn’t know anything about Orthodoxy. For me it was a blank space on the map of religions. Only after a while I learned that there was Orthodoxy, a religion where the Sacred Tradition played an important role. However, during almost all of this long period of my life, I was confident that the Catholic dogmas were right. I didn’t doubt that the papacy was established by Christ Himself or that the Pope occupied his rightful place. However, during all the time that I spent in Catholicism, I had a feeling that something was missing. I missed the reliable and solid foundation of faith, the foundation that I knew would support me and never collapse. It was something bigger than a good attitude toward people and community and other things that basically are ephemeral. And God steered me in a way that made me more interested in Orthodoxy.

I started studying Russian fairly early, when I was 24 and lived in West Berlin. I was not admitted to the University of Berlin, so I couldn’t continue my architecture studies that I started in Munich. Frustrated, I went to the nearest bookstore and bought a teach-yourself Russian guide because I felt that it would be important for me.

Father George: Was learning the language easy?

Father Thomas: The chances of mastering the language seemed very slim to me, but I didn’t give up and soon Russian words became the embodiment of the beauty of the human speech for me. However, I read about Orthodoxy mostly in German. When I learned about the life of the Orthodox Church during Communism, about persecution and martyrdom, I got very interested and read everything on Orthodoxy that was available in German.

I read the works of Silouan of Athos, Theophan the Recluse, and the Life of John of Kronstadt

Then I started reading the works of holy fathers, mostly the holy fathers of Russian Orthodoxy. I read the works of Silouan of Mt. Athos, exegesis of some works of Theophan the Recluse, and the Life of St. John of Kronstadt. All of these were in German. The more I read, the more I was captivated. This caused some inner conflict in me, as Catholics do not consider this an important aspect of spiritual growth. They said, “We have all of that too. What are you looking for there?” But I couldn’t find this in Catholicism. I couldn’t find that depth and determination of spiritual life, that consistency, that foundation. The charismatic aspect is very important in Catholic spiritual teachings. They call it charisma and they do have very charismatic leaders. They can talk exuberantly about God for two hours and gather 100,000 people. I attended such meetings many times. During the meetings, among other things, they call people to join the clergy and thousands of young people decide to become Catholic priests. However, I found that this charismatic approach lacks reliability on the foundation of faith in the Church. I found this reliability and deep roots of the Sacred Tradition of the Church in the works of the holy fathers of Orthodoxy, especially the holy fathers of recent times, such as St. John of Kronstadt, St. Silhouan of Mt. Athos and St. Theophan the Recluse, and in the works of the new martyrs of the Russian Church. This became a kind of rock for me—the rock where I found shelter when I had some doubts about Catholicism or when I was simply bored.

Father George: Did not this interest conflict with your Catholic beliefs?

I said, “God, lead me to where I must go.”

Father Thomas: It did. I was cautious about getting too close to Orthodoxy, fearing to lose my Catholic faith, and prayed to the Mother of God to help me keep my faith. I should say that I was admitted to the Catholic seminary and understood that if I want to become a Catholic priest, eventually I’d have to abandon my pull towards Orthodoxy. But do I want to? What is God’s will? I decided to test myself by discarding everything that was related to Russia and Orthodoxy, including all my study guides, books, audio recordings and even dictionaries. I had a whole library. I packed everything and gave it all away. Distanced myself from it. I said, “God, please lead me to where I must go.” I lived like that for several years.

I studied at the seminary and every year it became more difficult. I didn’t feel that I still had that grace that a monk or a celibate priest needed, although I knew that celibacy was a mandatory requirement for becoming a Catholic priest. Even my desire to become a priest began to wane and eventually I had such a deep spiritual crisis that Kiko Argüello, my spiritual guide and rector, who was also the head of the Neocatechumenate movement, had to send me home saying, “You can’t stay here. Please go home, find yourself a girlfriend, do whatever you want, start working. You can't stay here. We don’t know where God is leading you to, but please leave.” These were the words I needed to hear. This was God’s answer to my prayer.

I went home to Munich and resumed working as an architect. The same summer, I went to Russia looking for a spouse. Naturally, this trip wasn’t successful. Thank God for that. After my return, I started attending services in a Russian church in Munich.

Father George: There are many Orthodox churches in major German cities. There are churches under the jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople, Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR), the Moscow Patriarchate as well as Bulgarian, Serbian and Romanian churches. What made you choose the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia? Was it simply because it was the nearest church? Or was it something more serious?

Father Thomas: It wasn’t the nearest church. The nearest to me was a Serbian church. It was the most beautiful building. But I didn't speak Serbian. For Germans interested in Orthodoxy, knowing the language of a certain branch of the Orthodox Church is a great help. Some people know Bulgarian, some people know Greek. All these churches in Munich have German parishioners and, of course, they try to master the language so that they can better participate in the services. I knew some Russian, even though I couldn’t speak very well, but there were things that I understood. So I went to ROCOR because their church was near and because it was a big beautiful church. The Moscow Patriarchate did not have that. In ROCOR, even the bishop was German. They did a lot for the German parishioners. They still do. The Bishop held monthly classes on Orthodox dogmatic theology for Germans in his monastery. Once a month they held meetings in parishioners’ homes and the Bishop told them about Orthodox life and faith. This, of course, was very helpful. They also had 2-3 day workshops on Orthodoxy in German. I started going there more frequently, got acquainted with the bishop, stayed for meals after the Liturgy and tried to communicate with people in both German and Russian. It was a very friendly community where everyone knew everyone. Everything was great. The only problem was that I still was a non-Russian and felt a little bit left out. I think this problem exists in all Russian churches in other countries, because the services are in Russian and Church Slavonic. The Church cannot be missionary to the full extent, if only one Liturgy per month is performed in German.

Father George: What helped you to overcome that feeling of certain estrangement from the local Orthodox community that was oriented toward a different nation?

Father Thomas: Mostly it was Bishop Mark of Berlin. Father Nikolai Artemov, too. He was born and raised in Germany, so he could help us in many ways. He held Church Slavonic classes for us. There was also a German priest, which was a sign for me – I understood that nationality was not an obstacle, even to being ordained.

It is important to understand that Catholic Church is not a sister church, but a branch church that broke away from Orthodoxy.

Dogmatic theology and understanding the dogmatic teachings of the Orthodox Church were especially helpful. I have to tell you about this because even nowadays there is a strong tendency among Orthodox people in Russia to believe that basically there is not much difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. This is not true. The difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism is much greater than the difference between Protestantism and Catholicism. Conversion from Catholicism to Orthodoxy is much more difficult. Why? Because dogmatically there is a huge gap. What helped me was that I really liked the ecclesiology, the theological study of the Church. Here the influence of the ROCOR was very important. In the ROCOR they teach that the Catholic Church is not a sister church, but a branch church that broke away from Orthodoxy. It was Orthodox at some point but then stopped being Orthodox because they introduced a teaching that cannot be accepted by Orthodoxy, and as such is considered heretical for us. But we have a strong tendency to level everything and make everything look equal!

Today Catholics are not inclined to give in. They hold their own ground, despite declaring ecumenism

When we read the works of holy fathers, we see that it is not so at all. For example, St. Justin (Popović) clearly said that we adopt canons that prohibit praying together with heretics and we do not accept Catholics. It is logical. Imagine what would happen if the Bulgarian Church put forth a thesis about its primacy and absolute supremacy in the Church. What would we think about that? Naturally, we’d think that this was the beginning of heresy. With Catholics, this heresy took root and became an integral part of their belief system. Nowadays, Catholics are even less inclined to give in than 50 or 100 years ago. They hold their own ground. The Second Vatican Council changed nothing in this respect. Despite declaring ecumenism, the Catholics firmly insist on their points of view.

Father George: This statement is very important for our times. Especially because many people today think that when we meet a person who has opposing views, we must somehow soften our words, stay away from the issues that separate us and emphasize the things we have in common. Many people subconsciously believe that if they hold their ground while discussing the questions of faith, it would push their opponents away. But in your example, the determination of that Orthodox community where you started your journey in fact strengthened your desire to become Orthodox even more.

Speaking with members of different denominations, we must say that their teachings are heretical.

Father Thomas: Indeed, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia opened the door to Orthodoxy for me. I don’t think I would have become Orthodox in the Greek Church, that had a very ecumenical approach in Germany, just like the Moscow Patriarchate at that time. We Orthodox have a mission to the Catholics. Our mission is to pray, act, and talk to them so that they would see the true light of Orthodoxy that they lack. This is what we should talk about. If we never tell them that some parts of their teaching are wrong and that according to Orthodox views they are heretics, how could they see that they are wrong? How could they acknowledge that in the course of history they made a mistake and succumbed to the temptation of reinterpreting and distorting the Sacred Tradition that we received from our fathers? This must be said. We should only think about “how to say it?”, rather than “should we say it?” And of course we should be polite; we have to respect our each other.

Father George: We have to preach with love. The experience shows that whatever is said with love does not offend others. As truth and love go side by side, it is the best way to preach.

Father Thomas: I agree, Father George. I should add that this discussion must include the word “heresy” in one form or another. When we use this word in discussions with members of other denominations, we are not labeling these confessions, damning them or pronouncing anathema to them. We must use this term to demonstrate where the boundaries of the Church are. For those who do not believe in Orthodoxy, our Church, we must pinpoint the problem area, that decaying wound, that moment where Catholics and Protestants lost the spiritual grace and where they are now trying to compensate that loss with their charismatic approaches, false exaltation or constant insistence on renewal and returning to their roots. In Orthodoxy, the roots were kept intact throughout history. They are easily accessible to everybody.

Father George: When you still considered yourself a Catholic, how did you feel about this firm position stating that the Catholic Church fell into heresy?

The uncompromising position of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia toward the members of other denominations opened the door to Orthodoxy for me.

Father Thomas: This was a totally unexpected opinion for me. The thing is that Catholics support the Branch Theory that was condemned by our Synod of Bishops in 2000. According to Catholics, there are no essential differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism in terms of the belief system. At first, I was in doubt and even wondered if members of the ROCOR were fanatics. How can they say that Catholic faith is flawed, if a billion people profess it? Then I learned that the other Orthodox churches teach the same, but they are more diplomatic about it. The uncompromising position of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia toward the members of other denominations opened the door to Orthodoxy for me and I am very grateful for it. When I understood the fallacy of the teaching about the Pope’s primacy, it was as if the entire foundation of Catholicism collapsed in my mind. And when I saw that Orthodoxy does not deviate from the Sacred Tradition and truly preserves it in its entirety, I became Orthodox.

Father George: Some people in the West who have converted to Orthodoxy told me that understanding that their ancestors were also members of Orthodox Church at some point was an eye-opener and, to some extent, an incentive for them. Although Orthodoxy in the West is primarily believed to be the religion of immigrants from Eastern Europe, at some point my opponents understood that the ancient saints who lived on their land had the same belief system as the Orthodox Church and they did not distort the Truth. Did it help in your case? Do you think can this help people in the West today who encounter the same questions as you did?

Communication is not possible until the Western Church repents and returns to those dogmas that the Orthodoxy preserved without distortion.

Father Thomas: It is very important to understand that prior to the great schism of 1054, there was one Orthodox Church that included the Roman Church. I think that the correct perception of the Church is very important for development of the Christian way of thinking. I remember that when I was a Catholic and was only approaching Orthodoxy, attending a ROCOR parish in Munich, I was puzzled when they said that there was a time when the Roman Catholic Church was Orthodox. What did they mean by that? It sounded like a paradox to me. Little by little, I understood that the Western Church indeed was cut off from Orthodoxy. It had to be said that communication wouldn’t be possible until the Western Church repents and returns to the dogmas that the Eastern Churches preserved without distortion. It is a very important aspect, because that way we steer away from the way of thinking that the Roman Church promulgates, stating that Catholicism and Orthodoxy, i.e. the Western Church and the Eastern Church, are parts of one whole. Or as Pope John Paul II liked to say, that these Churches are two parts of one set of lungs. It used to be like that at some point—in the first millennium, but unfortunately it is no longer so. We need to pray and act to return to what we had and lost. This is the mission of Orthodoxy in the West. And, of course, I must persuade our own parishioners who, I think, do not always clearly understand this. There are Orthodox people who think that we can pray together with Catholics and that they are our brethren, or the least of our brethren.

Father George: Of course, if people who call themselves Orthodox think that there is no difference between the Orthodox Church and Catholic, Monophysite, or Protestant Churches, this is a mistake often caused by ignorance. This also happens because people perceive the Church as some national club that they go to simply because they belong to a certain nation. This, of course, is wrong, because the Church is the ark of salvation that God created and invited people from all nations.

Father Thomas, in your opinion, what difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism is the most important?

Father Thomas: Papal primacy. We are used to considering the issue of primacy of Peter and his service as an isolated fact, as if this teaching applies only to administration and jurisdiction. However, it also affects the spiritual life of people in Catholic Church. The fact that the Pope is considered to be infallible is a distortion of the Sacred Tradition for us Orthodox people. This is not acceptable for Orthodoxy as not a single person is infallible. Acceptance of infallibility is related to the issue of obedience. An infallible person, even if he is infallible only in the questions of faith, must be unconditionally obeyed. All stages of the Catholic hierarchy are based on this perception.

Father George: Coming back to your story, I’d like to ask you about your friends’ and relatives’ reaction to your choice. Did they understand it? Did anybody follow you?We should cherish the Truth more than people’s traditions.

Father Thomas: They had different reactions. My Catholic friends of course were very surprised. They didn’t think that I was capable of making such a step, which meant losing all my brethren, almost all my friends, in one blow. They consider such conversion to be an apostasy. As to my parents and brothers, there were different reactions. One of my brothers is a Pentecostal in a Brazilian Church in Munich. It is well known what they think about Orthodoxy. They believe that we are nearly idol worshipers. The classic Protestants, though, such as Lutherans, are more likely to understand this step, because at some point they too had to protest against Rome. That is why they can be understanding about it, even though personally they don’t consider such conversion possible, because of the huge cultural gap between the West and the East. You need to get used to Orthodoxy and fall in love with it. You need to love the life based on serving God. I wish every Catholic and Protestant would step on that path, discover Orthodoxy and cherish the Truth more than people’s traditions.

Father George: Thank you very much for your story, Father Thomas.

Fr. Thomas Dietz was interviewed by Fr. George Maximov

Translation by Talyb Samedov

Source: http://www.pravoslavie.ru/english/87231.htm

Once when one of my nri marthomite cousins came to our church for my grandfather’s remembrance service, i was shocked to find her coughin at the incense and blowing it away with her hands.

Later i think some protestants have also asked me this question, why do we have incense in our church?

It is because we the Oriental Orthodox Christians follow the Early Christian worship,(which had much Jewish influence) and like to use Biblical symbolisms in our worship. The Orthodox church is Scripture in brick and wood.

Significance of Incense in Scriptures

Malachi. 1:11. “…and in every place incense is going to be offered to My name”

Numbers 16:46-50. “And Moses said to Aaron, Take your censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and lay incense on it, and carry it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them. Here offering of the incense is to get rid off the plage. It also removes the foul smell of sin”.

Ps. 141:2. “Let my prayer be counted as incense.”

Heb. 9:4. “Having the golden altar of incense.”

Rev. 5:8. “golden bowls full of incense which are the prayers of the saints.”

The worship of the Church is a heavenly worship and hence fragrant incense is used.

Mt. 2:11. ” They offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh”.

Ex. 35:8, 15. “Spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense this altar of incense”.

Proverbs. 27:9ff. “Oil and perfume make the heart glad”.

Ex. 40:26, 27. “..Put burnt fragrant incense upon it””.

2 Chron. 2:4. “..dedicate it to him for the burning of incense.”

1 Dings 9:25. Solomon offered the incense in the temple of God”.

2 Chron. 2:6. “..it is the place to burn incense before God”.

Revelations 8:3,4

“And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given to him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints on the golden altar which was before the throne.

The smoke from the incense and the prayers of the saints went up from the angel’s hand to God.” Courtesy: Dr. Siju, kuwait.

Worship with all the human senses

Another important aspect is that in Orthodox Christian worship we participate with all the 5 senses of the human body:

- Eyes (Seeing the Qurbana, Icons, Altar).

- Ears (Hearing the Liturgy and songs).

- Skin (Kiss of peace/Kaiyasthuri, blessing by the priest).

- Tongue/Taste (Eating the Eucharist bread and wine, chanting prayers).

- Nose (INCENSE).

Censing to emphasis unity in Christ

The main theme of the Orthodox Church is theosis or becoming God-like (John 10:34) not by essence but by grace.

* We cense the Altar Table as God’s throne and the Holy of Holies in Christianity.

* We cense the icons in the church that remind us about our continuous presence in heaven on earth and give us vivid examples of successful stories of personal theosis of the saints.

* We cense the bodies of our departed this life brothers and sisters in Christ before and during funeral services to show that their bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19-20), and that our unity in Christ is not broken by temporal separation through death (John 11:25-26).

* We also cense the people present, the living members of the Church to underline our unity with the saints through the grace of God and through sharing in the image of God.

Everybody and everything is being censed during the service to emphasize the essential unity of those in heaven and on earth, as well as our participation in heavenly things during services. That is why we not just have a liturgy but Divine Liturgy where people are united with Christ, through Christ and in Christ our God!

Therefore, we use incense and censer for our own spiritual awakening, and for making our experience of worship more complete.

O Lord, I cry out to you. Come quickly to me!

Pay attention to me when I cry out to you!

May you accept my prayer like incense,

my uplifted hands like the evening offering! (Psalm 141)

Source: http://theorthodoxchurch.info/blog/ocrc/2009/06/why-do-we-use-censer-in-our-church/

By Sub-deacon Thomas Wilson

It is a rule of the Orthodox Faith that every person, child or adult, should have a Godparent at Baptism. To serve as a Godparent is both a special honor and imposes responsibilities, which last a lifetime. Along with the parents, the Godparent is charged with the responsibility of assisting in the spiritual development of the child. In some cultures the Godparent is addressed by a special name (an example is nouno/nouna in Greek.) Whether a blood relative or not, the Godparent becomes a part of the "spiritual family" of that Godchild.

Selection of a Godparent

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North America advises that the selection of a godparent is an important choice because the godparent is responsible for the spiritual up bringing of your child. You should think of the person as becoming a member of your family and a relationship that will be lifelong. Often family members will be selected as godparents but they can be non-family members as well. In Greek tradition, the best man (koumbaros) or Brides Maid (koumbara) of the parents wedding will baptize the couple's first child. It is best, if you wish someone else, you should at least consult with them about your choice.

As the Godparent is the sponsor at baptism, it should be realized that only someone who is a member in good standing of the Orthodox church, in full sacramental communion, and knows at least the main tenets of the Christian faith and its ethics, as well as the meaning of the mystery of baptism and of the vows which are given in the name of the baptized which are to be conveyed and explained to the latter when he has reached maturity. Thus, the sponsor at baptism cannot be:

a) minor, i.e. a boy younger than 15, or a girl less than 13;

b) someone ignorant of the faith;

c) someone guilty of overt sins, or in general a person who in the opinion of the community has fallen in his or her moral life;

d) non-orthodox Christian. Parents may not be sponsors of their own children; on the contrary, should this occur, the very matrimonial bond of the parents should be dissolved in accordance with Canon 53 of the Sixth Ecumenical Council, since sponsorship creates a spiritual relationship considered by the Church in this canon to be more important than "the union according to the flesh."

The Historic Role of the Godparent in the Orthodox Church

The institution of sponsors (god-parents), who serve as witnesses and guarantors for the faith of the person being baptized and are obligated to edify him in the rules of Christian life, has existed since the first century of the Christian era. Church literature of the second suggests that the sponsors of the first centuries were usually deacons, deaconesses, hermits, virgins, and in general persons dedicated to the service of the Church and thus capable of edifying the newly-baptized in the truths of the Christian faith and its ethical principles. According to the "Apostolic Canons" (3, 16), a male Christian was obliged to take one deacon, and a woman one deaconess as sponsor. This practice has been maintained in the Church ever since, i.e., a person baptized is required to be sponsored by one person of the same sex. According to the Rudder (ch. 50, pt. 2), the person baptized, "when he leaves the saving bath, must be received by one faithful person."

In the early history of the Russian Church, until the fourteenth century, it was customary to have only one sponsor, and it is only in the fifteenth century that the practice of inviting two god-parents--a man and a woman--was established. In the course of time this practice of the Russian Church received legal sanction not only on the basis of established custom, but also through later directives of the Holy Synod, although even to this day in principle only one sponsor is necessary. Our Book of Needs, which contains the service of baptism, mentions only one sponsor in the prayers for mercy, life, peace, health, salvation, and the forgiveness of sins of the Augmented Litany which is said twice, after the reading of the Gospel and at the conclusion of the Order of Ablution for the eighth day.

Baptismal Guidelines [Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North America]

The following are guidelines for the Godparents sponsoring a baptism in the Greek Orthodox Church [it should be noted that each tradition/jurisdiction may vary on the specifics and the priest doing the baptism will advise the Godparents of the parish practices]:

1) The Sponsor (Godfather or Godmother) must be an Orthodox Christian. If the Sponsor is married, the marriage must have been blessed by an Orthodox priest.

2) The role of the Sponsor is directly related to infant baptism. Since the infant is unable to make the necessary confession of faith, the Sponsor stands and vouches for it.

3) The Sponsor should be ready to recite the Nicene Creed either in Greek or English. For three consecutive Sundays after the baptism, the Sponsor should carry the neophyte for the Holy Altar to receive Holy Communion.

4) According to the tradition of the Orthodox church, one name of Orthodox Christian origin should be given to the child at the time of baptism.

5) The day, time, and other arrangements of the baptism must be made with the priest. Please call the church office to discuss these arrangements at least one month before the baptism.

6) The Godparent traditionally provides:

a) A complete change of clothes for the child

b) One bottle of olive oil

c) A cross for the child

d) Three white candles

e) One of each of the following: bar of soap, hand towel, bath towel, sheet

f) Martyrika (small pins or ribbons that are given to those who attend a baptism, the word martyrika means "witness")

g) Bringing Child to Eucharist on day of Baptism and Communing with Him/Her:

- Necessity of preparing for communion oneself

- Bringing Child next three weeks to communion, with baptismal candle in baptismal garment

- Godparent gives child bath on 3rd day after baptism (no bath prior to this)

- Consistent contact and focus always on spiritual relationship.

Working together: Godparent and Parent

It is important for the Godparent to work with your godchild's parents. Talk with your godchild's parents often about his or her life, spiritual and otherwise, and ask how you can help. Parents can often use another perspective -- and another willing hand -- as they guide their children to adulthood. Parents choose Godparents who will reinforce them, people to whom our children can turn when the parents are not cool enough to listen to them, and when they need to hear difficult truths from someone who loves them.

Parents may be unsure whether they are too strict or too lenient, Godparents are a good sounding board for discussing this when it pertains to the Godchild. Parents may wish to make the Godparents the child's emergency contact person after the parents so the secular world relies appropriately on the Godparent when crisis hits.

Parents should light candles and pray for their children's Godparents every time they enter a church, say their family and personal prayers. Likewise the Godparents should pray not only for their Godchild but the Godchild's parents as well.

The Responsibility of the Godchild

Godparent and Godchild should develop a close and loving relationship. As with any relationship, this spiritual one needs to be fostered and cared for in order for it to develop. The best way for this relationship to grow is through prayer. Pray for your Godparent and his/her family. By doing this you are encouraging a relationship and giving it the spiritual basis on which to mature.

When greeting one's Godparent, you should feel the love and familiarity that you have with your own parents. It is NOT inappropriate to hug or kiss your godparents, as you would your own parents.

A Godchild should light candles and pray for their Godparents every time they enter a church, say their family prayers, and say their personal prayers. The Godchild should observe the Godparents names day. Celebrate it with a special visit and dinner if you're nearby, and give a "spiritually oriented" gift to celebrate, like a spiritual book of the Godparent's patron saint's life, a new icon, etc.

Keep in touch by phone, e-mail, or postcard if your Godparent lives out of state or across the globe. Prayer and love in Christ know no distance!

There will come a time in which your Godparents have aged and are less able to be fully present with you do to illness or perhaps a nursing home placement. Remember to continue to pray for them and visit or write them often to maintain your relationship. Ask for their advice even though you have grown up.

Finally there will come a day in which your Godparents will repose in the Lord, maintain your image of your Godparents in your mind to help brings peace and memories of love and wisdom. Pray for your Godparents and offer memorial services in their memory, do works and offer alms in their name. And pray for them as they will continue to do for you in heaven.

What If Godparents Don't Work Out?

Although great care and many prayers are put forth by the parents in choosing the Godparent for their child, sometimes after the baptism the relationship does not grow. It's sad to have your child want to disown their "missing-in-action" godparent, but it can happen. If after repeated efforts the godparent does not respond and since it is so important for our children to have the influence of a "godparent," ask yourself, "Who among my closest Orthodox friends could relate to my child and serve as a spiritual mentor?" Discuss the situation with your spiritual father/parish priest. Ask God to guide your efforts. Ask that person to consider the task and to pray about it. If that person agrees, let your child know that this individual is there for him/her. If the person does not consent, keep on praying and asking. Have faith that God will provide for your child's spiritual needs.

Source: http://www.orthodoxconvert.info/Q-A.php?c=Piety-About%20Being%20a%20Godparent

As is evident from the Holy Scriptures, bows, kneeling and prostrations were employed during prayer even in the Old Testament. The holy Prophet King David refers to bowing down to God or to His temple in many of the psalms, for example: "Bow down to the Lord in His holy court" (Ps. 28:2); "I shall bow down toward Thy holy temple in fear of Thee" (Ps. 5:8); "O come, let us worship and fall down before Him" (Ps. 94:6); "Let us go forth into His tabernacles, let us bow down at the place where His feet have stood" (Ps. 131:7), etc.

About kneeling, it is known that the holy Prophet Daniel, for example, thrice daily "knelt upon his knees, and prayed and gave thanks before his God" (Dan. 6:10). Full prostrations are also mentioned in the books of the Old Testament. For example: the Prophets Moses and Aaron besought God, "having fallen on their faces" (Numbers 16:22), to be merciful to the children of Israel who had grievously sinned. In the New Testament also, the custom of performing kneelings, prostrations and, of course, bows had been preserved and still had a place at the time of the earthly life of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who sanctified this Old Testament custom by His own example, praying on bended knees and failing down upon His face. Thus, we know from the Holy Gospels that before His passion, in the Garden of Gethsemane, He "kneeled down, and prayed" (Matt. 26:39), "fell on the ground and prayed" (Mark 14:35). And after the Lord's ascension, during the time of the holy apostles, this custom, of which the Holy Scriptures also speak, existed unchanged. For example, the holy Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen "knelt down," and prayed for his enemies who were stoning him (Acts 7:60); the Apostle Peter, before raising Tabitha from the dead, "knelt down, and prayed" (Acts 9:40), etc. It is an indisputable fact that, as under the first successors of the apostles, so even in much later periods of the existence of the Church of Christ, kneelings, bows and prostrations upon the ground were always employed by true believers at domestic prayers and at the divine services. In antiquity, among the other bodily activities, kneeling was considered the outward manifestation of prayer most pleasing to God. Thus, St. Ambrose of Milan says: "Beyond the rest of the ascetic labors, kneeling has the power to assuage the wrath of God and to evoke His mercy" (Book VI on the Six Days of Creation, ch. 9).

The canons concerning bows and kneelings now accepted by the Orthodox Church and set forth in the books of the divine services, and particularly in the Church Typicon, are observed in monasteries. But in general, Orthodox Christian laymen who have zeal are, of course, permitted to pray on their knees in church and to make full prostrations whenever they wish, excepting only those times when the Gospel, Epistle, Old Testament readings, six psalms and sermon are read. The Holy Church lovingly regards such people, and does not constrain their devout feelings. However, the exceptions with regard to Sundays and the days between Pascha and Pentecost apply generally to everyone. According to ancient tradition and a clear church law, kneeling must not be performed on these days. The brilliant solemnity of the events which the Church commemorates throughout the period of Pentecost and on Sundays precludes, in and of itself, any external manifestation of sorrow or lamentation over one's sins: for ever since Jesus Christ, "blotting out the handwriting of the ordinances that was against us, ... nailing it to His Cross; and having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it" (Col. 2:14-15)—ever since then "there is, therefore, no condemnation to them who are in Jesus Christ" (Rom. 8:1). For this reason, the practice was observed in the Church from the earliest times, beyond a doubt handed down by the apostles, whereby on all these days, in that they are consecrated to the commemoration of the glorious victory of Jesus Christ over sin and death, it was required to perform the public divine service brightly and with solemnity, and in particular without kneeling, which is a sign of repentant grief for one's sins. The second century writer Tertullian gives testimony concerning this practice: "On the Lord's Day (i.e. Sunday) we consider it improper to fast or to kneel; and we also enjoy this freedom from Pascha until Pentecost" (On the Crown, ch. 3). St. Peter of Alexandria (3rd cent.—cf. his Canon XV in the Rudder), and the Apostolic Constitutions (Book II, Ch. 59) also say the same thing.

Subsequently, the First Ecumenical Council found it necessary to make this legally binding by a special canon obligatory for the entire Church. The canon of this council states: "Since there are some persons who kneel in church on Sundays and on the days of Pentecost, with a view to preserving uniformity in all parishes, it has seemed best to the holy council for prayers to be offered to God while standing" (Canon XX).

Pointing out this canon, St. Basil the Great explains the rationale and meaning of the practice established by it thus: "We stand up when praying on the first of the week, though not all of us know the reason. For it is not only that it serves to remind us that when we have risen from the dead together with Christ we ought to seek the things above, in the day of resurrection of the grace given us, by standing at prayer, but that it also seems to serve in a way as a picture of the expected age. Wherefore, being also the starting point of days, though not the first with Moses, yet it has been called the first. For it says: ‘The evening and the morning were the first day’ (Gen. 1:5), on the ground that it returns again and again. The eighth, therefore, is also the first, especially as respects that really first and true eighth day, which the Psalmist too has mentioned in some of the superscriptions of his psalms, serving to exhibit the state which is to succeed this period of time, the unceasing day, the day without a night that follows, the day without successor, the never-ending and unaging age. Of necessity, therefore, the Church teaches her children to fulfill their obligations to pray therein while standing up, in order by constantly reminding them of the deathless life to prevent them from neglecting the provisions for the journey thither. And every Pentecost is a reminder of the expected resurrection in the age to come. For that one first day, being multiplied seven times over, constitutes the seven weeks of the holy Pentecost. For by starting from the first day of the week, one arrives on the same day… The laws of the Church have taught us to prefer the upright posture at prayer, thus transporting our mind, so to speak, as a result of a vivid and clear suggestions, from the present age to the things come in the future. And during each kneeling and standing up again we are in fact showing by our actions that is was through sin that we fell to earth, and that through the kindness of the One Who created us we have been called back to Heaven…" (Canon XCI of St. Basil the Great). The three well-known kneeling prayers of Pentecost composed by this great Father of the Church are thus not read at third hour, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles, nor at Liturgy on Pentecost, but at vespers, which is already part of the following day, after the Entrance. The holy Father was determined not to break the ancient custom of the Church.

In Canon XC of the Council of Trullo, held in conjunction with the Sixth Ecumenical Council, we read: "We have received it canonical from our God-bearing Fathers not to bend the knee on Sundays when honoring the resurrection of Christ. Since this observation may not be clear to some of us, we are making it plain to the faithful, that after the entrance of those in holy orders into the sacrificial altar on the evening of the Saturday in question, let none of them bend the knee until the evening of the following Sunday, when, following the entrance after the lamps have been lit, again bending knees, we thus begin to offer our prayers to the Lord. For, inasmuch as we have received it that the night succeeding Saturday was the precursor of our Savior’s rising, we commence our hymns at this point in a spiritual manner, ending the festival by passing out of darkness into light, in order that we may hence celebrate the resurrection together for a whole day and a whole night." John Zonaras, explaining the canon, says: "Various canons have made it a law not to kneel on Sundays or during the fifty days of Pentecost, and Basil the Great also supplied the reasons for which this was forbidden. This canon decrees only with regard to Sunday, clearly indicates from what hour and until hour to kneel, and says: ‘On Saturday, after the entrance of the celebrants into the altar at vespers, no one may bend the knee until vespers on Sunday itself, when, i.e., again the entrance of the celebrants takes place: for we do not transgress by bending the knee and praying in such a manner from that time on. For Saturday night is considered the night of the day of resurrection, which, according to the words of this canon, we must pass in the chanting of psalms, carrying the feast over from darkness to light, and in such manner celebrate the resurrection for the entire night and day" (Book of the Canons With Interpretations, p. 729).

There appears in the Church Typicon a direction concerning how the priest must approach and kiss the Gospel after reading it during the all-night vigil for the resurrection: "Do not make prostrations to the ground, but small bows, until the hand touches the ground. For on Sunday and feasts of the Lord and during the entire fifty days between Pascha and Pentecost the knee is not bent," (Typicon, ch. 2).

Nevertheless, standing at the divine services on Sunday and on the days between Pascha and Pentecost was the privilege of those who were in full communion with the Church; but the so-called "penitents" were not dispensed from kneeling even on those days.

We will close with these words from the famous interpreter of the Church canons, Theodore Balsamon, Patriarch of Antioch: "Preserve the canonical decrees, whereever and however they should be phrased; and say not that there are contradictions among them, for the All-holy Spirit has worded them all" (Interpretation of Canon XC of the Council of Trullo).

Source: http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/kneeling.aspx

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