The Catalog of Good Deeds

Today, we begin the beautiful cycle of services from the Lenten Triodion. The word “triodion” means “three songs,” but really there are many odes in this book—all of them are offered for our spiritual benefit. The Holy Church is preparing us for Great Lent. Like any journey that is to be successful, the journey of Lent must be undertaken with proper resolve, commitment, and preparation. And this is why we do not just begin Lent one day, but take time to prepare for it; not merely waiting, but actively preparing our hearts, minds, and bodies for this journey to Pascha.

During these weeks before Lent begins, the Church, our loving Mother, offers us the treasures of the Gospel readings about the Pharisee and the tax collector, the parable of the prodigal son, and about Christ’s glorious second coming. It is easy to see that these passages are connected to each other and that together they carry the message of humility. In the story about the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:14), we learn about the humility of the latter as the condition that allows him accept God’s grace that washes away his sins and renews within him a right spirit (Ps. 51:10). Only humility allows us to see our true state on our knees at the pig trough of sin, as did the prodigal son, and makes us come to our senses (Luke 15:17) and run to the Father’s house (Luke 15:18). Our choice to leave our sinful ways and to return home puts us in the Father’s embrace (Luke 15:20), and allows us once again to become His children. Finally, the Gospel reading on Forgiveness Sunday (Matt. 25:31-33) reminds us of the true meaning of humility: those who have learnt from Christ (Matt. 11:29) do not see themselves worthy of any reward (Matt. 25:37-39), Christ’s love lives in their hearts and shines forth through their acts.

But let us listen carefully; let us ponder: the very first lesson we are to learn on our path to Great Lent, the very first example that the Church offers us before the beginning of the fast, is not that of Saint Mary of Egypt, who exercised prayer and fasting in the wilderness, or that of Saint Anthony the Great, who is known for his severe asceticism, or that of Saint Seraphim of Sarov, who fasted and prayed for one thousand days and nights. Rather, we are offered the example of a tax collector, a publican, who probably did not fast at all, at least not as much as did the Pharisee, but who “went down to his house justified” before God (Luke 18:14). What a strange thing: we are preparing for Lent, but all next week we do not fast at all, not even on Wednesday and Friday! This is not in order to fatten up before the fast, as some may think, but in order to set our minds and hearts straight, to help us understand the most important thing about fasting: a fast is not a diet; it is a medicine to cure an illness quite different from excess weight. Without the publican’s humility, without his realization that we are not even worthy to “raise our eyes to heaven” (Luke 18:13), without the words “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13) becoming not just the publican’s prayer, but our prayer, our fast will be worthless and even dangerous, as our pride leads us to assume the Pharisee’s foolish stance: “I thank you, God, that I am not like other men…” (Luke 18:11)

Let us then “flee the vaunting of the Pharisee and learn the humility of the Publican,” let us remember this lesson as we enter into Great Lent in just a few weeks. As we prepare to fast, the first thing we must learn is that limitations in foods are not the ultimate goal, but a tool to help us take control over our passions. “Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them” (1 Cor. 6:13). The true goal of fasting is to learn humility.

Let us not boast to ourselves about the lack of oil in our potatoes—we equally lack the oil of forgiveness of people around us; or about the small size of our meals—our pride flows from us as if from the Horn of Plenty. The goal of fasting is humility and a clearer vision of our true fallen state. Until we come to our senses and realize that we are on our knees at the trough of our sins and passion, we will not want to get up and run back to the Father’s house.

“He who exalts himself shall be humbled. Let us humble ourselves before God, and with fasting cry aloud as the Publican: ‘God, be merciful to us sinners.’”

By Fr. Sergei Sveshnikov

Source: https://frsergei.wordpress.com/2010/01/30/god-be-merciful-to-us-sinners/

Q: What is the appropriate way for laypeople to use incense in prayer?

A: Historically, it has probably been exceptional for a laymen to use incense at home, because of the expense involved, and so it should not be thought that this is essential, but it certainly is permissible.

A laymen would only use a hand censer – not a swinging censer like the clergy typically use.

When a person censes with a hand censer, the censer is held in the right hand, and the sign of the cross is made with the censer over whatever he is censing. Then the censer is placed in the left hand, and he makes the sign of the cross and bows… unless he is censing other people, in which case he makes the sign of the cross with the censer only, and then bows to the people without signing himself.

If you are doing morning or evening prayers, you could cense before the beginning of the prayer, though some do this at the end.

It is a nice touch to have a Cross and Gospel in your icon corner. This is where your censing would begin and end. You could just cense the icons in the icon corner, but if you wanted to, you could cense the whole room you are praying in, or other rooms too, if you wish.

There is more on the practical questions of how to use a censer if you are doing other reader services, at home or in a Church (in the absence of a priest) in "Practical Questions On How To Do Reader Services."

On a practical note, in addition to a good hand censer, you will want to have a pair of tongs to light the coals – though chopsticks work even better, if you know how to use them. Chopsticks also have the added benefit of allowing you to place pieces of incense exactly where you want them.

I came across an article, which has the following comments on the use of a hand censer, which probably at least reflects pious Greek custom:

"Earlier we mentioned the hand censer as part of the icon corner. This hand censer is used in the home on eves of feasts, Saturday evenings, the beginnings of lenten periods, on the eves of name's days of the family, on the eve of the patron of the family church, and on other occasions. Some Orthodox families use the hand censer each evening at family prayer, but the minimum use of it is for the above-mentioned occasions.

The offering of incense to God is a practice which dates back to the time of Moses when God gave commands as to how to burn it.

You shall make an altar to burn incense upon ... And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it; every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it, and when Aaron sets up the lamps in the evening, he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations. You shall offer no unholy incense thereon (Ex. 30:1, 7-9).

The burning of incense as an offering to God will continue even to the end of the world, as revealed by God to St. John.

And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God (Rev. 8:3- 5).

Because of the command and revelation of God regarding the offering of incense, the Church uses incense as an acceptable offering in its Divine Services. Since the parish church uses incense, so should the family church use incense as an offering pleasing to God. On Saturday evenings, on the eves of feasts and the other already-mentioned occasions, the house is "blessed" with incense. The head of the household carries the hand censer with burning incense throughout the entire dwelling (basement and attic included) and makes the sign of the Cross on the four walls of each room and over the beds. Some Orthodox have the custom of saying with each sign of the Cross thus made: "This room (or bed) is blessed by the sign of the Holy Cross." The person censing is accompanied by all members of the household chanting "Holy God...," the troparion of the feast or Sunday or other appropriate ode, and bearing icons or candles. The procession begins at the icon corner, proceeds through the entire dwelling, and returns to the icon corner.

The hand censer, charcoal (for burning the incense) and the incense may be purchased at some parish churches or from monastic communities such as Holy Transfiguration Monastery (Brookline, Massachusetts 02146). The parish priest or deacon would be happy to show parishioners how to light the charcoal and offer incense.

The charcoal and incense ashes should not be discarded in the garbage, but should be put along the foundation of the building, buried in the ground or put in some other appropriate place where no one will step on them.

Feast days are celebrated by Orthodox families as special and joyous occasions. These days are not regarded as normal days and for this reason Orthodox homes often are decorated especially for the feast. The decorating of the home and icon corner can be a project for the parents together with the children. The decorations themselves, the decorating, and the blessing of the house with the hand censer, all place emphasis on the specialness and the importance of the feast. These are not to be surpassed by any secular celebrations at home, for after all, the Orthodox home is a family church and God is at the center of its existence. There is nothing so empty as a Christmas celebrated, as many westerners do, so that the house decorations, the meal, the gifts, or the family get-together are the center and reason for the celebration. In other words, Christ has been made alien to the celebration" (Marriage and the Christian Home, by Fr. Michael B. Henning)

I also found the following:

"For country folk the farming cycle is closely connected with the Church Year, indicating when to sow certain crops, etc. There are various blessings of crops and produce, of cattle and the like, so that everything is related to God. Even townsfolk keep up such traditions as eating homemade pastry birds on the feast of the Forty Holy Martyrs (9th / 22nd March), taking care that only the most essential work is done on St Elias' day, blessing the house with holy water on the first day of every month, and censing each day with a home-censer and incense. Whenever possible, Orthodox people try to attend church not only on Sundays, but for the main feasts, even keeping children off school for this" (The Orthodox Way of Life, by a Nun Abroad, From The Shepherd, Vol. XVII, No. 3 (December 1996)).

By Fr. John Whiteford

Source: http://fatherjohn.blogspot.com.by/2017/11/stump-priest-censing-at-home.html

One of my biggest struggles on my journey into Orthodoxy was the closed communion table. It seemed quite unfair that someone else could deem who was worthy to take communion, and who was not. Infants and children in the Church could partake of it, but I as a Christian and inquirer into Orthodoxy could not.

But I eventually learned that the idea that the communion table should be open to anyone who wants to partake is actually a very modern concept.

Communion in America in the 1700’s and 1800’s

I own a two volume Baptist Encyclopedia set that was published in the 1800’s. I find it interesting because I can see just how much the faith of mainline churches has evolved over the past couple of hundred years.

In the second volume of the Baptist Encyclopedia there are statements of faith, mostly written in the 1700’s. These were essentially creeds written in conjunction with most of the ministers in a given region.

In the New Hampshire Declaration of Faith, we find the following: “[baptism] is prerequisite to the privileges of a church relation; and to the Lord’s Supper, in which the member of the church by the sacred use of bread and wine, are to commemorate together the dying love of Christ.”

In the Philadelphia Confession of Faith (adopted by the Baptist Association on Sept 25, 1742), we find a list regarding the purposes of Lord’s Supper in section XXXII. It includes, “confirmation of the faith of believers in all of the benefits thereof.” And it later states in part 8 of section XXXII, “All ignorant and ungodly persons, as they are unfit to enjoy communion with Christ, so are they unworthy of the Lord’s table and cannot…partake of these holy mysteries, or be admitted thereunto.”

In summary: before the 20th century, baptism was a sign that one accepted the teachings of a church. It was also a strict prerequisite to partaking in the Lord’s Supper. Communion was not a right one could demand, but rather a privilege of church membership.

Communion in the first centuries of the church to today

There was a brilliant Christian writer who lived during the 100’s (second century). His name was Justin Martyr and he left us many valuable writings that historians frequently use in order to understand the life and teachings of the early church. In chapter LXVI of Justin’s First Apology, he explains the requirements for communion saying,

“And this food is called among us the Eucharist, of which no one is allowed to partake but the person who believes that the things which we teach are true, and who has been washed with the washing that is for the remission of sins…and who is so living as Christ has enjoined.”

I find it interesting that up until the 20th century, there were three commonly accepted requirements for a person to take communion within a church, whether Orthodox, Roman Catholic, or Baptist. They were:

1. A Trinitarian baptism.

2. A confirmation that one has accepted the beliefs and teachings of that particular church.

3. A life that is marked by morality (in other words, you were actually expected to change your behavior to conform with the teachings of Christ when you became a believer).

With faith and love come forward

When I enter into an Orthodox Church and want them to change their ways, I am not only displaying my historical ignorance, but I am unconsciously stating that church is all about me and what I want. For nearly 2,000 years, most if not all churches had what would nowadays be deemed a “closed communion table.”

Partaking of communion within a church body has - until modern times - been an assent that you have come to a place of agreement with their teachings. At every liturgy, the priest holds the communion cup before the congregation and extends the invitation, “In the fear of God, with faith and with love come forward.” That statement is packed with implications, but here is the gist of the requirements:

1. One must approach the altar with a respectful fear and awe of God.

2. One must agree to the faith a.k.a. the teachings of the Orthodox Church.

3. One must have love for God and for his brothers and sisters. The fathers of the church teach that if you have something against your brother, you are to leave the altar and go make amends with that person. Only when we have unity amongst ourselves can we be unified to Christ..

Concluding Thoughts

If you, like me, have struggled with the idea of having a closed communion table, then I would say that firstly you are not alone. I have no desire to make someone feel guilty for thinking that way nor am I condemning those who have a very open practice in their church.

A closed table is thought to be unloving and unwelcoming in today’s church culture. I sometimes feel that pressure to be socially acceptable has diluted the meaning of certain foundations of the Christian faith. It is important that we understand that an open table is a very unusual and modern concept when you consider the church as a whole. Even the Baptist churches of a couple hundred years ago had closed tables.

I hope this research helps others as it helped me to take off my modern, Western glasses and see things in a more historical light. The Orthodox are generally loving people and mean no disrespect, so please don’t take offense when they don’t allow you to partake of communion. They simply have a very high view of the teachings and traditions of the early church.

Source: http://www.orthodoxroad.com/why-a-closed-communion-table/