The Catalog of Good Deeds

Everything I know about fire I learned from being an Altar Server. Fire is hot, it can burn you, and boy it can be a lot of fun!

I am confident I can talk to any man who has served in the Altar and their most memorable story will more than likely involve flames. Garbage cans tend to take the brunt of the flames, though, singed hairs, and holes burnt in sticharions, Altar Cloths, and the floor are also fairly common findings.

I am not sharing this information only to frighten the mother of the newest Altar Server in our Church, although, that may happen.

I am sharing it because service to Almighty God at His Holy Table is like fire, very serious work.

Ultimately, service to Almighty God is very serious, and the alternative will burn you.

The job which every Altar Server aspires to is the maintenance of the charcoal in the censer.

The censer has a top and a bottom. The bottom represents the earth, the top with the cross that looks like a Church reaching into the sky represents the heavens.

The in-between space is where you and I reside, between heaven and earth, within I pray, the saving structure of the Holy Church.

This means you and me are the charcoal. First things first, we need to be lit, an unlit charcoal is good for nothing. It must first be lit by an outside source.

The outside source that lights you and me is the Holy Spirit, Who gives life, blesses, illumines, and inspires us to perform all the good we may do by His Grace.

If the charcoal is going to survive the Divine Liturgy, or in our case into eternal life; we have to give everything we are, and all that has been shared with us in service and devotion to Almighty God.

This is where the incense comes in for the incense represents our offering, our sacrifice to Almighty God, and our fellow man through both prayer and material offerings.

There are really just three types of charcoal, or three types of Orthodox Christians:

1. There is the charcoal that gets lit and stays hot for a little while but then gets choked out by a lack of use.

This is the person who was once on fire for the faith, who lived an active, and serious Christian life, except now for one reason or another find themselves cold. They are probably still showing up to Church, and from the outside might look a good Christian, but, they are really just going through the motions.

2. Then there is the charcoal that was lit, and then by a lack of attention or a careless priest goes flying out of the censer burning the carpet, and anything else it may touch.

This may be the person who uses their God-given life to fulfil their sinful and pleasure-filled passions. Or it might also be the person who gets caught up in their career, their children’s sports activities, or other pursuits, and simply allows their relationship with God to slowly, or more quickly fall apart.

3. Finally there is the third type of charcoal. This is the charcoal every Altar Server desires. It is carefully maintained, the proper amount of incense is regularly offered, and it stays in the censer until it nothing but dust and ashes.

This is the person who has offered their whole life to Almighty God, and who has allowed the Holy Spirit to impact all of their decisions. They are overwhelmed by love for God, and neighbor and lead their life in service to Him all their days. At the end, nothing is left, and like the charcoal they return to the dust from whence they came.

I do not believe I need to go into detail about which charcoal you ought to aspire to be. But, know that even if you have already gone a different direction there is time yet to be re-lit.

“Once an altar boy,” the late Father Stephen Dutko used to say, “always an altar boy.” It is the same with the Christian life, once a Christian, always a Christian. “I was born a Christian,” one holy martyr of our faith cried out when given the option to escape their tortures and impending death before adding, “and I want to die a Christian.”

You and I who have been supplied with the same spark of Christian inspiration by the Holy Spirit Who enlivens and enriches our lives ought to be inspired all the same to burn in faith till the bitter end. Stay lit my friends.

My love be with you all in Christ Jesus,

Fr. Matthew Stagon

Source: http://silouanthompson.net/2018/08/charcoal/

Question: "Isn't the fact that there were controversies over icons well into the 9th century proof that the early Church did not venerate icons?"

There were indeed controversies at various times, most notably the Iconoclastic controversies of the 8th and 9th centuries, but these controversies were primarily focused on the question of whether one could have icons at all. Even the iconoclasts did not object to the veneration of the Cross, or other holy objects. Their problem with icons was that they considered them inherently objectionable, regardless of whether they were being venerated or not. In fact, there was never any movement of Christians that accepted iconography, but rejected their veneration, prior to the Protestant Reformation.

It is a matter of fact, only 30 years prior to the first iconoclastic controversy, icons were not a controversial issue, as is shown by the the fact that the Quinisext Council issued a canon about the content of certain icons, that shows no hint of the making of icons being a matter of any controversy:

"In some of the paintings of the venerable Icons, a lamb is inscribed as being shown or pointed at by the Forerunner's finger, which was taken to be a type of grace, suggesting beforehand through the law the true lamb to us Christ our God. Therefore, eagerly embracing the old types and shadows as symbols of the truth and preindications handed down to the Church, we prefer the grace, and accept it as the truth in fulfillment of the law. Since, therefore, that which is perfect even though it be but painted is imprinted in the faces of all, the Lamb who taketh away the sin of the world Christ our God, with respect to His human character, we decree that henceforth he shall be inscribed even in the Icons instead of the ancient lamb: through Him being enabled to comprehend the reason for the humiliation of the God Logos, and in memory of His life in the flesh and of His passion and of His soterial death being led by the hand, as it were, and of the redemption of the world which thence accrues" (Canon LXXXII of the Quinisext Council).

And it is also a fact that archaeological evidence shows the ubiquity of Christian iconography going back to the catacombs. Clearly those who objected to iconography were outside of the Christian mainstream. What made icons controversial in the 8th and 9th centuries was the rise of Islam, and the desire of the iconoclastic emperors to bring those who had converted to Islam back into the Christian fold -- and icons were seen as an obstacle to this. It is also not coincidental that the iconoclastic emperors all came from parts of the empire in which Islam had made significant inroads.

Furthermore, a closer look at the texts of Scripture show that the Israelites had extensive iconography in both the Tabernacle and then later in the Temple. You find images of cherubim:

On the Ark – Exodus 25:18

On the Curtains of the Tabernacle – Exodus 26:1

On the Veil of the Holy of Holies – Exodus 26:31

In the Sanctuary – 1 Kings 6:23

On the Walls – 1 Kings 6:29

On the Doors – 1 Kings 6:32

And on the furnishings – 1 Kings 7:29,36

When you add all these references together, it is clear that there were Icons everywhere you turned in Israelite worship.

But some will object: "Isn't bowing before an icon and kissing it forbidden by the Second Commandment?" The issue with respect to the 2nd commandment is what does the word translated "graven images" mean? If it simply means carved images, then the images in the temple would be in violation of this Commandment. Our best guide, however, to what Hebrew words mean, is what they meant to Hebrews -- and when the Hebrews translated the Bible into Greek, they translated this word simply as "eidoloi", i.e. "idols." Furthermore the Hebrew word pesel is never used in reference to any of the images in the temple. So clearly the reference here is to pagan images rather than images in general.

Let's look at what the Second Commandment actually says:

"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image (i.e. idol), or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor shalt thou serve (worship) them..." (Exodus 20:4-5).

Now, if we take this as a reference to images of any kind, then clearly the cherubim in the Temple violate this command. If we limit this as applying only to idols, no contradiction exists. Furthermore, if this applies to all images -- then even the picture on a driver's license violates it, and is an idol. So either every Protestant with a driver's license is an idolater, or Icons are not idols.

Leaving aside, for the moment, the meaning of "graven images" lets simply look at what this text actually says about them. You shall not make x, you shall not bow to x, you shall not worship x. If x = image, then the Temple itself violates this Commandment. If x = idol and not all images, then this verse contradicts neither the Icons in the Temple, nor Orthodox Icons.

Abraham bowed himself before the people of Hebron (Genesis 23:7, 12); Joseph’s brothers bowed before him (Genesis 42:6; 43:26, 28); and many other examples could be cited that show that bowing was an expression of respect, and bowing to idols is only objectionable because the object in question is in fact an idol, an image of a false deity. And kissing holy things is a very common act of devotion among Jews to this day (see: Kissing: An Act of Religious Devotion, by Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin (From To Pray as a Jew: A Guide to the Prayer book and the Synagogue Service, (New York: Basic Books [Harper Collins], 1980), p.43f).

There is no reason we should assume that the early Christians would not likewise have bowed before and kissed holy things, like their Jewish forefathers. And icons of saints or Biblical scenes would have been given the same veneration that the texts of Scripture were given.

By Fr. John Whiteford

Source: http://fatherjohn.blogspot.com/2015/12/stump-priest-did-early-church-venerate.html

Humor: once there was a poor young couple, and the husband served as a minister. He complained to his wife for breaking her promise not to buy a new dress. She responded, “The devil made me do it. It’s his fault for tempting me.” He replied, “You could have said, ‘Get behind me Satan!’” She said, “I did, but then he whispered over my shoulder, ‘it fits you beautifully in the back too.’”

The two men possessed by demons in today’s Gospel reading from the Fifth Sunday of Matthew (8:28 – 9:1) gives us the opportunity to talk about the first demon, the devil. Fr. Anthony Coniaris provided many thoughts about Satan in his sermon “The Truth About the Devil and His Demons” (This is My Beloved Son: Listen to Him, vol. 1, pp.145-152).

Satan is clever. He knows how to play us, both our weaknesses and our strengths. The Apostle Paul warned that he masquerades as “an angel of light” [14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. (2Corinthians 11:14)]. Satan was in the beginning the angel of light. That’s why his name was ‘Lucifer’ which means “bearer of light.”

St. Clement of Alexandria said, “God created an archangel and the archangel made himself a devil.” Jesus said, 18 And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. (Luke 10:18). [12 "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! (Isaiah 14:12)]

We know more details about Satan/Lucifer’s fall from the Book of Revelation:

7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him… 12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time." (Revelation 12:7-9,12)

Now he has become ‘Satan’ because, as the name means, he “opposes and plots against” God. And his newly chosen darkness must be disguised so that he may tempt us give in to our weaknesses and pridefully exalt ourselves in our strengths. The word ‘demon’ comes directly from the Greek and is a fallen angel, one of Satan’s disciples.

He cannot fight God, so he tries to hurt God by harming His children. He is the one who “entered Judas” (John 13:27) to bring about the betrayal and death of Jesus. He is the one who prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.

Thus, he earns his second name, the devil or ‘diabolos’ because he divides us from God and from each other.

Because of Satan’s great ability to disguise himself, many people do not believe that he even exists. And that becomes one of his great tricks. The devil is able to convince us that he does not exist. He is like the opossum, that fierce little rodent, who, when cornered by its enemies, plays dead.

Malcolm Muggeridge wrote in his book, “Jesus, the Man Who Lives”: “I have found the devil easier to believe in than God…a diabolical presence in the world pulling downwards as gravity does instead of pressing upwards as trees and plants to when they grow and reach resolutely and beautifully after the light.”

One of the other tricks of Satan is to turn things upside down. He portrays good as evil and evil as good. This is the unforgiveable sin against the Holy Spirit (Mt.12:31). Satan is the father of lies. Think about how sin is portrayed in movies, television shows and other media. Fornication and adultery are no big deal. Abortion and homosexuality are upheld as virtuous. But, speaking as a parish priest, perhaps many of you have also noticed, these sins are terribly hurtful and destructive to people’s lives, and not to just the one or two people directly involved, but to many more indirectly. In fact, demons have other names today such as pornography, addiction, alcoholism, greed, envy, lust, etc.

It is important to know our enemy. The devil always takes the good things that God has created for us to enjoy and tries to get us to distort and abuse them. For example, the demon of money is greed. The demon of sex is lust. The demon of self-respect is pride. Money is not evil but the love of money is! 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1Timothy 6:10). Sex is not sinful but using others for one’s selfish gratification outside of marriage is. Listen to what Jesus says about Satan on this matter:

44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. (John 8:44)

[Story about scorpion and turtle.] The nature of the devil is incorrigibly deceitful and destructive, illogical and irrational. That’s why evil does not make sense. There is no logic to it and often a sign of devil’s presence is the confusion he causes. He promises freedom but delivers slavery. He promises life and delivers death.

Have no doubt though, Satan is for real. Jesus Himself had to struggle with him during His forty days in the wilderness. He taught us to pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “deliver us from the evil one” (Mt. 6:13).

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (1Peter 5:8)

The devil has not changed in his ways with us. Master deceiver that he is, his approach is always with a lie.

4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:4-5)

The devil comes and tells us: “You don’t need God to tell you what to do. You are not the puppet. You can do things your own way. Be totally free. Set your own rules. You call the shots.”

“The devil made me do it.” Once Satan has convinced us to sin, then he moves on to his third trick of lies, that is to convince us that we did not commit sin. Thus, we blame others, even Satan himself. However, St. Cyril of Alexandria says, “The devil is able to suggest, but he has no power to force himself against our choosing. It is by choice that we sin.” Sin arises within us as the demons take advantage of our sinfulness. They aggravate it by introducing evil thoughts into our hearts. This is why Jesus urges us to “watch and pray” that we may not enter into temptations (Mt.26:41). Evil thoughts do not become sinful thoughts until we welcome them into our hearts and begin to take pleasure in them, mulling them over and over.

So how do we resist Satan? Knowing his three tricks is a start. Remember: 1) he does exist; 2) he is a liar, but 3) he does not have power over us. There are some other strategies we can employ to counter the devil.

St. Makarios the Great said, “The most important work in the spiritual struggle is to enter the heart and there to wage war with Satan; to hate Satan, and to fight him by opposing thoughts…by fornication in his thoughts, then there is no profit whatever in keeping his body pure.” 28But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:28)

By entering the heart, we can guard its gate to oppose the logosmoi or thoughts by joining forces with God who dwells also therein. 4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4). As Jesus said, 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. (John 15:4)

With God’s inner presence, we have the power and the authority to command Satan to leave us and leave us alone (Mt.16:23; Mark 8:33).

10 Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.' " 11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. (Matthew 4:10-11).

St. Gregory Nazianzen says, “If the devil tempts you to ambition by showing you in an instant and in a single glance all the kingdoms of the earth, and if he claims that they all belong to him, then do not believe him for he owns nothing at all.”

But the greatest weapon of all against Satan is prayer. That’s why he works so hard to distract us from prayer with our daily chores. That’s why he entices us to skip liturgy with weekly chores, entertainment, sleep, recreation, family time, etc. Because the devil knows he has no power against prayer, so he tries to prevent us in the first place.

In conclusion…

Someone said once that in God’s kingdom there is always an election going on. God votes for you and the devil votes against you. But you have the deciding vote. Who will you vote for: God or Satan? Truth or lies? Freedom or slavery? Life or Death? 24"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:24). Amen!

By Fr. Rick's Sermons

Source: http://stgeorgegoc.org/pastors-corner/fr-ricks-sermons/who-is-satan

Fervor is boiling water, which is poured into the Chalice after the transmutation of the Holy Gifts. The boiling water is poured into the Blood of Christ. It happens immediately after the altar curtain above the Royal Door is closed and after the priest exclaims, “Let us be attentive! The Holy Gifts for the holy people of God.” These words precede and begin the communion of the faithful, from the clergy in the sanctuary to the flock in the nave. The act of closing the curtain symbolizes the locking of the Lord’s Tomb with a rock, sealing it with the high priest’s seal, and appointing the guards. Similarly, the entrance with the Chalice signifies the Resurrection of Christ.

The words “Let us be attentive! The Holy Gifts for the holy people of God” mean the following: we are called to be extremely attentive to what is happening. The Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ are distributed among the holy people, i.e., those Orthodox Christians who have properly prepared to receive them.

After that, the fervor is poured into the Chalice, which is sitting on the Holy Table. The rubrics stipulate the following (according to the Archieratikon): the priest must pour the fervor into the Chalice with care, “with caution so as not to overwhelm the wine, that is, so as there isn’t more water than wine in the Chalice.”

The fervor is first blessed by the priest with the following words, “Blessed is the fervor of Thy saints always, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.” Then it is poured into the Chalice so as to make the sign of the cross, with the words, “The fervor of faith, full of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

These prayers point at the following theological symbolism of the fervor…

The first symbol is mentioned by Archimandrite Cyprian (Kern), a renowned liturgical scholar, in his book titled The Eucharist. He quotes Saint Niketas Stethatos, who was St Symeon the New Theologian’s disciple, “… Also, when we drink his living and hot Blood mixed with water that poured out of his side, we are cleansed of every sin and filled with the Spirit, who is warm, for, as you see, the Blood that we drink from this Cup is as warm as the blood that poured from the Lord’s body…” That is, the fervor symbolizes the life in the Blood of Christ — the life for the entire world. On the other hand, it is our participation in the act of Redemption, as if we were standing by the Cross at the time of Crucifixion and if the Lord’s heart was still beating…

The other image is mentioned by Holy Righteous Nicholas Kavasilas, a Greek liturgical scholar of the 14th century: “The hot water was touched by fire, and as such it reminds of the Holy Spirit, who is like fire (Acts 2:3-4) and who is said to resemble water (Is. 44:3; John 7:38-39). It is poured into the Chalice after the consummation of the Sacrament and the consecration of the Holy Gifts to signify the descent of the Holy Spirit onto the Church. The Holy Spirit descended onto the Church after the slaughter and subsequent resurrection of Christ, which marked the fulfillment of the act of salvation. The Holy Spirit always descends after the consummation (of the sacrifice), for the Comforter comes to those who partake of the Sacrifice with dignity.”

That is why we should purify ourselves by fasting, prayer, and confession in order to reach for the Chalice of Christ with the fear of God and to partake of the Body and the Blood of Christ regularly, so as to bring the saving and life-giving fervor, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, into our human nature corrupted by sin.

By Fr. Andrei Chizhenko

Translated by The Catalog of Good Deeds

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