The Catalog of Good Deeds

By Father Andrew Lemeshonok

Living in this world, we are searching for the ways, which can lead us to eternal life . God says: “I am the way” (John, 14:6), “I am the light” (John, 8:12), “And the light shineth in darkness” (John, 1:5). Perhaps, each of us felt inspired when he came to God. Everything becomes bright and pure, because God dwells in you, and He protects you from lies and filth of this world. You can see the main thing, and nothing can disturb you from this, because the knowledge of God has struck you. This joy revealed the sense of life to you. You were choking on this earth before, for everything is the same there: always the same menu, always the same laws. The rulers are changed by other rulers. Everyone wants to be the head, to outperform his competitors… People constantly choose something or someone. But we choose Christ, and we do this not through certain manifestations or bulletins, but through our life.

It is so difficult to say “I am with Christ”, when everything crashes in your life, when you suffer, when no one can understand you, and you do not understand what is going on in the world. When it seems to you that what is going around is just madness.

The most people judge on their spiritual condition by how they feel. However, this is quite naive. We cannot focus on ourselves, because we are corrupted by sin. We partake of the Holy Communion not just to make our soul soar, to restore peace inside, and to make all the problems disappear. We need the Holy Communion to burn the old “self”, which tells us how to live, which deceits us, while we believe him. And this is why we cannot know right from wrong.

Fr. Sophrony (Sakharov) said, that it is impossible to live in this world like Christians. We can only die for this world like Christians. But we want to live here and now. And God gives us such opportunity. He lets us see the blue sky and the sun, which is warming already, by the way. However, no matter how good this life is, it will end. This is why we should harden ourselves. If someone suffers and thinks that God does not hear his prayers, he should not believe this condition. He should not believe his grievance and despair, which dwell in a person when he does not see the effect of his prayer. There is always effect, but God did not come to this world to make our life great here and now. He came to this world so that we all could prevail over death. He wants us to take part in our own resurrection.

The forthcoming week is devoted to a great ascetic – Saint John Climacus. Spiritual life is a ladder, which leads to the Heavenly Kingdom. We climb it, we fall down, we hit the ground, we stand up and we fall again. The thing is, we need to stand up over and over again. The ascetics, who devoted their lives to studying spiritual laws and struggle against sin, have left to us a lot of works for edification. However, we need to be prudent. It can happen that a person, who came from the world, has read the works of the ascetics, but still does not understand the main things of the Orthodox teaching. While the main thing is to humble yourself - to acknowledge your own weakness and to let God enter your life. You do not need to surprise people with your feats and talents. The Lord speaks simply in the Gospel: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matthew, 11:29).

March 27, 2017

St. Elisabeth Convent

In issue no. 6 of The Russian Pastor, an article by Archpriest Boris Kizenko, "Do not associate yourself with this age," was printed. There he touched upon the question of whether or not priests should wear their cassocks or riasa. I would like to share a few thoughts on this matter.

Very often in the sphere of Church laws and traditions we, for one reason or another, allow ourselves to compromise these laws. In our society today, the reasons and circumstances for such compromises can seem very justifiable. However, the danger lies in the fact that any compromise can become habitual, and the compromised behavior then becomes the norm, giving rise to further compromises and a general degradation of standards. Fr. Boris very aptly describes this progression in his article. At a time when we are perhaps at risk of completely losing the ideal in the realm of priestly attire, it is fitting to review the Church rules and directives concerning the attire of a priest, as well as look at some examples from contemporary life which shed light on this question.

1) The 27th Canon of the 6th Ecumenical Council states: "None who is counted with the clergy should dress inappropriately, when in the city, nor when travelling. Each should use the attire which was appointed for clergy members. If someone breaks this rule, may he be deprived of serving for one week."

Here everything is clear. If you do not wish to wear a priest's clothing, do not dare to stand before the altar of God.

2) The great interpreter of Church Canons, Balsamon, in his interpretation of the 14th canon of the 7th Ecumenical Council, which speaks of the ordination of readers, notes: "He who has put on black attire with the purpose of entering the clergy, cannot remove it, for he has stated his intent of serving God and therefore cannot break his promise to God and ridicule this holy image, as other ridiculers do."

If constant wearing of "black attire" is expected of the first rank of the priesthood, the reader, then all the more does it refer to those who are fully in the rank of the priesthood.

3) In the questioning period of the candidate before the ordination, the candidate to the priesthood, in the presence of his spiritual father makes the following promise: "I promise to wear the clothing appropriate to my priestly rank, not to cut my hair nor my beard... for through such unseemly behavior I risk belittling my rank and tempting believers" (Promise #5).

It is important to note here that, in confirmation of his promise the candidate kisses the Gospel and the Cross and signs his name.

4) The 16th rule for the priests of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad says: "A priest, who is fully supported by his parish, and is given the opportunity not to work at a secular job, should have the appearance of an Orthodox priest, that is, should have long hair, a beard, a riasa, wear a cross of a proper style, and not one he has thought of himself and in his external appearance fully exemplify a true pastor."

We must remember that if the Church canons and laws were not important, the Church would not have written them.

Physician heal thyself. I must admit, that I am a young priest, and at times find it very difficult to follow the above rules. There are times when one's nerves are raw, and I want to go somewhere with my Matushka and children and not stand out, i.e., be "one of the crowd." I am overweight, and in the summer it is hard to bear the heat in my cassock. Yet all this merely exposes my weakness, my lack of desire to constantly be a confessor of my faith; my lack of desire to suffer for Christ even to the most microscopic degree. In my battle with this weakness, I have found inspiration in a few true life accounts, which I would like to share.

The Matushka of one priest, who serves in one large American city, where pagan and Satanic cults are rampant, told me of this incident:

Batiushka always wore either his cassock or riasa with his cross. After his arrival in the city, he grew accustomed to the fact that, when walking along a street, or in stores, some people reacted to him with hatred. Some even hissed at him openly as they walked by, others would actually spit at him. All this Batiushka interpreted as attacks of servants of Satan, upon a priest of Christ. Once it happened that he and Matushka were walking along the sidewalk in the main business district of the city. Suddenly, a woman who looked like a witch jumped out in front of him. She started to scream at him with a frightening voice of a sickly cat, and gestured threateningly with her arms, as if she wanted to scratch out his eyes. Then she immediately disappeared into the crowd. The priest and his wife made the sign of the cross and continued on their way, having grown accustomed to such occurrences. But then Matushka realized something. This time, for some reason, Batiushka was in secular attire. Nothing in his external appearance showed that he was an Orthodox priest. Even his long hair and beard were nothing exceptional in contemporary circumstances.

It is clear that a priest in a spiritual plane is always a priest, even when he is not dressed properly. The evil powers feel this and most probably are pleased with our "compromises."

A certain priest decided to have a photograph of himself made. He put on his coat and hat. For some reason he was embarrassed to be photographed with a cross on. He took the cross off and put it into his left coat pocket. The photograph was taken, developed and printed. To the amazement of both the photographer and the priest, on the photograph there was a huge ray (by shadows one can see that this ray is not from the sun), which pointed to the pocket, where the hidden cross lay. Batiushka asked to have this published after his death.

In a small parish of the Russian Church Abroad, because of the size of the congregation, the rector holds a secular job. He works as a nurse in a local hospital. I was certain that he removes his cassock when he goes to work. However to my surprise, I discovered that this Batiushka works in his cassock, putting a lab coat on top of it. This is regarded with respect by both medical personnel and the patients. Often many patients even request that the "priest-nurse" take care of them.

Concerned about the question, "should and can a priest possible always wear a cassock?", I began asking the grown children of elderly or deceased pastors, whether or not their fathers always wore a cassock. Almost everyone has answered in the affirmative, recalling that they rarely saw their father-priest without a cassock. There are even cases where the children said that they never saw their father without a cassock. This means that the requirement of the Church is possible to fulfill with God's help. One only needs to try.

Proper Clerical Dress

You make a religion of robes, beards, and long hair. I know that the church canons say that we should have beards and I know your arguments about long hair. I am unimpressed. I am a follower of Christ, not man-written and man-enforced rules....Robes look weird and cause people to laugh on [sic] us. They do not win over people to Orthodoxy....I dress like a Roman Catholic and you dress like Mohammedan Turks. Who is more in the [sic] tradition? Did you ever hear of anyone being defrocked for what he wears? No. For serving like a lot of you Old Calendarists after he was kicked out? You bet. Case closed....Keep sending your journal, since I find certain useful purposes for the paper. (Fr. [initials deleted], Canada)

Your question, which we received several years ago, despite its somewhat saucy tone, provides us with an opportunity to clear up certain misunderstandings about a subject of spiritual importance to contemporary Orthodox Christians. As you point out, the traditional appearance of an Orthodox Priest—the attire and grooming which he should maintain at all times, both in public and private—is a matter of canonical regulation. The Sacred Canons of the Church reflect the proper functioning and life of the Body of Christ; they are not simply laws and rules, but guides to the life in Christ and patterns by which to accommodate the action of the Holy Spirit to our daily activities. They are inspired and binding on all who live in spiritual sobriety and uprightness. And though they are enforced by men—one of the clear duties of the clergy, and especially the Bishops, is, in fact, to uphold canonical order—, they are nonetheless Divinely inspired. The Sacred Canons are also an integral part of Holy Tradition, which, together with Scripture, forms the ground of administrative authority on which our Faith is built.

The inner and outer cassocks traditionally worn by Orthodox clergy are, to the pious, objects of tremendous respect and veneration. Anyone who considers them "weird" is unenlightened. Nor does anything appointed by the Church, enveloped as it is in Grace, impede our witness as Orthodox Christians. Ignorance or simple bigotry account for instances in which clergymen are ridiculed for dressing in a traditional manner, and the treatment for ignorance and bigotry is not the abandonment of our customs, but, once again, the enlightenment of those who ridicule us. Moreover, our traditional Orthodox clerical dress witnesses openly to the Grace of the Priesthood. Many times our own clergy, who maintain such dress, encounter young children who, yet untainted by the vanity of the world, will turn to their parents and remark, "Look, it’s Jesus." Such incidents speak for themselves and attest to the importance and nature of Orthodox Priestly attire. The idea that the traditional dress of an Orthodox Priest has it roots in Turkish vesture—whether secular or religious—is a contrived piece of historical fantasy that has often been used to justify contemporary innovations in clerical garb. Under the Turkish yoke, certain changes in cut and style can be observed in monastic and Priestly dress, but these are insignificant. Our clerical styles predate the Moslem yoke, and indeed it was from the Desert Fathers, who inhabited many of the areas where Islam first flourished, that the Islamic clergy took many of their customs—from the robes that they wear to the minarets (which are modeled on the structures in which the ancient Stylites lived and prayed, that is, "pillars" with a small cubicle on top).

The round white collar, bib, and business suit which you call "Roman Catholic" clerical dress is neither Roman Catholic in origin nor much more than normal street garb with a special collar. Papist priests, like Orthodox clergy, dressed in cassocks and special headgear well into this century. Only in the last few decades have they adopted what is actually Protestant clerical clothing or simply street clothes. As for the issue of deposition, let us note, first, that Orthodox clergy have, indeed, been suspended and even deposed for abandoning traditional clerical dress. St. Evalalios, a predecessor of St. Basil the Great in the See of Cappadocia, deposed his own son for abandoning traditional Priestly garments for "unsuitable" attire. Second, while clergy in Greece, at least, have been routinely deposed by the New Calendar State Church for returning to the Patristic (or Old) Calendar, deposition for "Old Calendarism," were it valid—as the Blessed Elder Philotheos (Zervakos) once commented—, would logically force the State Church of Greece to depose many of the Fathers of the Church, including those who specifically condemned the calendar innovation, in the sixteenth century, in three separate Church Councils.

We would also remind you that St. John Chrysostomos, deposed falsely and for what was his actual fidelity to the Faith, not only refused to recognize his illicit deposition, but continued to serve, in defiance of what was manifestly a spiritually wrong and invalid pronouncement. As such, he set a standard which many Old Calendarists today, falsely maligned and punished for acting in good conscience out of reverence for Holy Tradition, have rightly taken as their own. Like him, we trust that many of these mistreated traditionalist champions for Orthodoxy will win a Heavenly Crown for their courage. At the same time, we pray that those who have wronged them and divided the Church by innovation will escape that fearful "reward" which St. John Chrysostomos himself assigns to ecclesiastical politicians and false shepherds who misuse the Church’s powers; that is, Hell.

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

Iconography began on the day our Lord Jesus Christ pressed a cloth to His face and imprinted His divine-human image thereon. According to tradition, Luke the Evangelist painted the image of the Mother of God; and, also according to tradition, there still exist today many Icons which were painted by him. An artist, he painted not only the first Icons of the Mother of God, but also those of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul and, possibly, others which have not come down to us.

Thus did Iconography begin. Then it came to a halt for a time. Christianity was cruelly persecuted: all that was reminiscent of Christ was destroyed and subjected to ridicule. Thus, during the course of the persecutions, Iconography did not develop, but Christians attempted to express in symbols what they wished to convey. Christ was portrayed as the Good Shepherd, and also in the guise of various personalities from pagan mythology. He was also depicted in the form of a vine, an image hearkening back to the Lord's words: "I am the true Vine.... ye are the branches" (St. John 15:1, 5). It was also accepted practice to depict Christ in the form of a fish, because if one writes in Greek "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior" (Iesous Christos, Theou Hios, Zoter) and then groups together the first letter of each word, one discovers that one has written the Greek word Ichthys, "fish." And so, Christians depicted a fish, thereby calling to mind these words which were known to those who believed in the Savior. This also became known to the pagans, and consequently the image of the fish was also held suspect.

When, following the victory of Emperor Constantine the Great over Maxentius, freedom was given to Christians, Christianity quickly transformed the Roman Empire and replaced paganism. Then Iconography flourished with full force. We already see directives concerning Iconography at the first ecumenical councils. In some church hymns, which today are still frequently used, mention is also made of Iconography.

Now what are Icons? Icons are precisely the union between painting and those symbols and works of art which replaced Icons during the time of persecution. The Icon is not simply a representation, a portrait. In later times only has the bodily been represented, but an Icon is still supposed to remind people of the spiritual aspect of the person depicted.

Christianity is the inspiration of the world. Christ founded His Church in order to inspire, to transfigure the world, to cleanse it from sin and bring it to that state in which it will exist in the age to come. Christianity was founded upon the earth and operates upon the earth, but it reaches to Heaven in its structure; Christianity is that bridge and ladder whereby men ascend from the earthly Church to the Heavenly. Therefore, a simple representation which recalls the earthly characteristics of some face is not an Icon. Even an accurate depiction, in the sense of physical build, still signifies nothing. A person may be very beautiful externally, yet at the same time be very evil. On the other hand, he may be ugly, and at the same time a model of righteousness. Thus, we see that an Icon must indeed depict that which we see with our eyes, preserving the characteristics of the body's form, for in this world the soul acts through the body; yet at the same time it must point towards the inner, spiritual essence. The task of the Iconographer is precisely to render, as far as possible and to as great an extent as possible, those spiritual qualities whereby the person depicted acquired the Kingdom of Heaven, whereby he won an imperishable crown from the Lord, for the Church's true significance is the salvation of man's soul. That which is on the earth perishes when we bring the body to the grave; but the soul passes on to another place. When the world comes to an end, consumed by fire, there will be a new earth and a new Heaven, as the Apostle John the Theologian says, for with the eyes of his soul he already foresaw the New Jerusalem, so clearly described in his sacred Revelation. The Lord came to prepare the whole world for this spiritual rebirth. To prepare oneself for this new Kingdom, one must uproot from within oneself those seeds of sin which entered mankind with our ancestors' fall into sin, distorting our pristine, grace-endowed nature; and one must plant within oneself those virtues which they lost in the fall. The Christian's goal is to change daily, to improve daily, and it is of this that our Icons speak.

In calling to mind the saints and their struggles, an Icon does not simply represent the saint as he appeared upon the earth. No, the Icon depicts his inner spiritual struggle; it portrays how he attained to that state where he is now considered an angel on earth, a heavenly man. This is precisely the manner in which the Mother of God and Jesus Christ are portrayed. Icons should depict that transcendent sanctity which permeated the saints. The Lord Jesus Christ is the union of all that is human and all that is divine; and when depicted in an Icon, the Savior must be painted so that we sense that He is a man, a real man, yet at the same time something more exalted than a man, that we not simply approach Him as we app. roach a visitor or an acquaintance. No, we should feel that He is One Who is close to us, our Lord Who is merciful to us, and at the same time an awe-inspiring Judge Who wants us to follow Him and wishes to lead us to the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, we must not turn away to one side or the other. We should not depict only the spiritual aspect of the saint, completely disregarding how he looked while alive on earth. This would also be an extreme. All saints should be depicted so as to convey their individual characteristics as much as possible—soldiers should be portrayed arrayed for battle; holy hierarchs in their episcopal vestments... It is incorrect to depict bishops of the first centuries vested in the sakkos, for at that time bishops wore the phelonion, not the sakkas, and yet this is not such a great error, for it is far better to make a mistake in what is physical than in what is spiritual, to ignore, as it were, the spiritual aspect.

However, it is far worse when everything is correct in the physical, bodily sense, but the saint appears as an ordinary man, as if he had been photographed, completely devoid of the spiritual. When this is the case, the depiction cannot be considered an Icon. Sometimes much attention is spent on making the Icon beautiful. If this is not detrimental to the spirituality of the Icon, it is good, but if the beauty distracts our vision to such an extent that we forget what is most important—that one must save one's soul, must raise one's soul to the heights of Heaven,—the beauty of the depiction is already detrimental. It cannot be considered an Icon, but merely a painting. It may be very beautiful, but it is not an Icon. An Icon is an image which leads us to a holy, God-pleasing person, or raises us up to Heaven, or evokes a feeling of repentance, of compunction, of prayer, a feeling that one must bow down before this image. The value of an Icon lies in the fact that, when we approach it, we want to pray before it with reverence. If the image elicits this feeling, it is an Icon.

This is what our Iconographers were zealous about—those ancient Iconographers of the time before the conversion of Russia, of whom there were many, and our Russian Iconographers, too, beginning with the Venerable Alypius of the Kiev Caves, who painted a number of Icons of the Mother of God, some of which still survive. These wondrous Icons, which continued the Byzantine tradition of the painting of Icons which inspire compunction, were not necessarily painted in dark colors; frequently they were done in bright hues; but these colors evoked a desire to pray before such Icons. The holy hierarch Peter, a native of Galicia who later became Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, painted Icons, some of which were until recently to be found in the Cathedral of the Dormition in Moscow. An entire school of Iconography was established in Novgorod under the direction of the holy hierarch Alexis of Novgorod, a whole series of whose Icons have been preserved. The Venerable Andrew Rublev painted an Icon of the Holy Trinity which is now famous not only in the Christian world, but throughout the half-Christian world as well.

Unfortunately, this Orthodox movement as a whole started to collapse when Russia began to be infiltrated by Western influence. In certain respects, Russia's acquaintance with the European West was very beneficial. Many technical sciences and much other useful knowledge came from the West. We know that Christianity has never had any aversion to knowledge of that which originates outside itself. Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom studied in pagan universities, and many writers, among whom were our spiritual authors and many of the best theologians, were well acquainted with pagan writers. The Apostle Paul himself cited quotations from pagan poets even in the Holy Scriptures. Nevertheless, not all that was Western was good for Russia. It also wrought horrible moral damage at that time, for the Russians began to accept, along with useful knowledge, that which was alien to our Orthodox way of life, to our Orthodox faith. The educated portion of society soon sundered themselves from the life of the people and from the Orthodox Church, in which all was regulated by ecclesiastical norms. Later, alien influence touched Iconography as well. Images of the Western type began to appear, perhaps beautiful from an artistic point of view, but completely lacking in sanctity, beautiful in the sense of earthly beauty, but even scandalous at times, and devoid of spirituality. Such were not Icons. They were distortions of Icons, exhibiting a lack of comprehension of what an Icon actually is.

The purpose of this article is, first of all, to promote an understanding of the true Icon, and secondly, to cultivate a love for the Icon and the desire that our churches and our homes be adorned with genuine Icons and not with Western paintings which tell us nothing about righteousness or sanctity, but are merely pleasant to look upon. Of course, there are Icons painted correctly in the Iconographic sense, but yet very crudely executed. One can paint quite correctly in the theoretical sense and at the same time quite poorly from a practical standpoint. This does not mean that, from the principle of Iconography itself, these Icons are bad. On the other hand, it happens that one can paint beautifully, yet completely ignore the rules of Iconography. Both such approaches are harmful. One must strive to paint Icons well in principle, method and execution. This is why we oppose certain people and their attempts to paint our churches, for they have the wrong approach, the wrong point of view. They may paint well, perhaps; but when the point of view is incorrect, when the direction is wrong, no matter how well the locomotive runs, it nonetheless slips off the track and is derailed. This is precisely what happens to those who execute their work technically and correctly, yet due to an incorrect approach and an incorrect point of view, they travel the wrong path.

By St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco

Source: http://orthodoxinfo.com/general/icon_discourse.aspx

The Bible is the book of the Church. We therefore read Holy Scripture, not as isolated individuals, but as members of the Church. In order to keep Holy Scripture in the mind of the Church, we observe how Scripture is used in worship, and how it is interpreted by the Holy Fathers. Our approach then to the Bible is both Liturgical and Patristic.

The Eastern Orthodox Church belief about Holy Scripture that is the Bible of the Old Testament and the New Testament we must be fully aware from within Holy Tradition. Tradition, is a life, a personal encounter with Christ our Lord in the Holy Spirit. Tradition then not only is kept by the Church - it lives in the Church, it is the life of the Holy Spirit in the Church. The Bible is then the supreme expression of God's revelation to man.

Let me humbly now give you a clearer understanding of Holy Tradition in the Eastern Orthodox Church:

The meaning of Tradition in the early Christian Fathers refers to the Revelation made by God and delivered to His faithful people through the mouths of His prophets and apostles. Thus, it does not mean something "handed down" something delivered. The Greek word for Tradition, or its corresponding verb, is in a similar way used in the New Testament and applied in the same manner to the betrayal of Christ our Lord by Judas to the Jews (delivered), and to the delivery (paradosis) of Christian teaching by St. Paul to his converts.

The Tradition was called "Apostolic" because it was delivered by the Apostles to the Churches which they founded. It was later also called "ecclesiastic" because it was delivered again in each generation by the Church"s teachers to their people. Its substance was considered to consist of the central facts and beliefs crystallized in the Creeds of the great orthodox bishoprics. In the early Christian literature, there are references to an "unwritten tradition" left by the Apostles. This, however, does not appear to refer to any body of information independent of Scripture but rather to the evidence of primitive Christian institutions and customs which confirm Biblical teachings.

Then, by Holy Tradition (with capital T) the aggregate of truths of the faith is signified; these were originally orally transmitted by Christ and the Apostles to the members of the Church and, after that, taught in their entirety by the Church. These truths have been partially formulated and stated by the Ecumenical Councils, and by minor synods validated by the former; they have also been circulating in the common faith and conscience of the Church and have been included in later dogmatic and symbolic texts, in the writings of the Fathers and in the liturgical books of the Church. Holy Tradition also contains all ecclesiastical traditions (with small t) referring to worship, polity, and, generally, the customs connected with the life of the Church. These traditions deserve respect on the part of the congregation but should be distinguished from the dogmatic Tradition referring to the truths of the Orthodox Faith. Holy Tradition is considered to be a source of Christian faith of the same authority and standing as that of the Bible.

This refers to the fact of Christ's appearing in glory while still on earth. It is related in the first three Gospels (Matthew 17:1-13, Mark 9:2-13, Luke 9:28-36), and is also alluded to in the II Epistle of Peter 1:16-18. The vision of Christ transfigured was witnessed by Ss. Peter, James, and John, and is described by the evangelists with striking agreements as to its main outline. By tradition, the transfiguration took place on Mount Tabor, but many scholars prefer Mount Hermon, and some even the Mount of Olives. The event was interpreted as the attestation of the Jewish Law and Prophets to the Messiahship of Christ, since both Moses and Elijah appeared at the time of the Transfiguration right and left of Christ.

The event was also Divine proclamation of Christ's Sonship and a foreshadowing of his future glory. The feast of the Transfiguration originated in the Eastern Church. It was first a local and unofficial feasts, but it became widely adopted before the year 1000. From there it was introduced to the West, but it did not become a general observance until the middle of the 15th century. Feast day, August 6. - Source: A Dictionary of Greek Orthodoxy, by Rev. Nicon D. Patriancos, Hellenic Heritage Publications., Pleanstville, N.Y., 1984., pp. 356-357

The soul of Holy Orthodoxy is prayer, and it is also Holy Scripture since the Christian Church is a Scriptural Church. The Eastern Orthodox Church follows the beliefs of the Old Testament, the New Testament and including several books of the Apocrypha. Since the Eastern Orthodox Church therefore looks to Holy Scripture the Bible as the supreme expression of God"s revelation to man, and it must not be regarded as something set up over the Church, but as something that lives and is understood within the Church (that is why one should not separate Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition). It is from the Church that Holy Scripture ultimately derives its authority, for it was the Church, which originally decided which books form a part of Holy Scripture; and it is the Church alone which can interpret Holy Scripture with authority.

This is the case being that from the many sayings in the Bible which by themselves are far from clear, and the individual reader, however sincere, is in danger of error if he trusts his own personal interpretations. Now we can say that the Orthodox Christian when reading Holy Scripture, accept the guidance of the Church. Therefore who helps us in understanding Holy Scripture and who guides us? First the Holy Spirit and secondly above all we in the Orthodox Church turn to the Holy Fathers over the many centuries which have helped with the interpretations of the Bible or as the Eastern Orthodox Church like to express: Holy Scriptures.

Glory Be To Thee, O God, Glory Be To Thee!

Humbly In Christ Our True God,

Father Demetrios Serfes

Source: http://www.serfes.org/orthodox/scripturesinthechurch.htm

By Father Andrew Lemeshonok

The Great Lent begins. It is the most important period of the church life, as well as the spiritual life of a faithful person. We may speak about how bad we are, and you hear that from me all the time. But we can say how great our God is. We may have received absolution from sins a thousand times in this life. Without doing anything we get limitless love, which allows us to keep our head above the water. This love brings us to the church and to the chalice. Our God is so great that we can speak about holiness, about Pascha and Resurrection. Our God is so great that we are allowed to attend His Great Supper, where everything is transfigured and becomes God-like. Maybe it lasts for just a second, but this second is so precious…

Forgiveness Sunday. To ask for forgiveness, we need to love, to believe, to understand and to sympathize. And how is it possible if your own soul is dark and empty? In our life everything is possible. “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” How can a person, corrupted by sin, become a saint, who strives to attain the eternal life. “You take My blood and My body”. How could it be possible? Can we really estimate the power of God? Of course, we try to adjust everything to ourselves. God does not reject this. He accepts the word we say today. And we need this word, because it is what we want to say to Him. Tomorrow our word can be wiser, but today it is as it is. We came to the church to help each other, to support each other, because we understand what happened when the man violated the commandment of love and trust to the Lord.

You understand this, because you live with it, with this crime constantly happening inside you. But you should not hide, you should come and ask God for forgiveness, just as you can. You know He will forgive you, He will purify and heal you. This is why we should not cry in despair, but hope in God and trust Him. No matter how crooked is our earthly path, God will make it straight, if only we trust Him. He will do this if only we do not follow the example of our ancestors, who hid from God and accused everyone, even the Maker Himself, of their fall. Everyone, but not themselves. This is why, my dear brothers and sisters, we all need help. And we get this help.

Today each priest will bless you in your spiritual work. Of course, each of us has his own spiritual measure, and often people say “I am sick”, “I am weak”, “I cannot fast”... But it is not about a special menu and fasting, it is about your condition, tour attitude to what is happening inside you. It is about the spirit, which has to strengthen our ugly body and make us stronger in our struggle against sin.

Every year, when we come to this moment, we step closer to the line, behind which eternity begins. “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near”. This is why I would like to wish you spiritual joy and spiritual freshness, as well as faith, hope and love, which are the greatest gifts given by God. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden”… God wants to gather all who suffer, who want to live forever and to learn how to love. He is ready to accept everyone without any limitations. “Come unto me and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls”.

Of course, it is a wonderful period. During this period, there are many great services and we get much spiritual food. I think, at least some of this food should Something in our life should change. As St. Seraphim said to Archimandrite Sophrony: “Sow the seeds even in stone. What if they can grow?”

The Lord can build a church even in the hearts of such vulnerable and foolish people like us. God can turn us into saints, if only we want this. He does not want to bring us to the Kingdom of Heaven by force. This is our path. This is the path of our souls to the essence of love, which is Golgotha. This is really the mountain, where our salvation has happened. However, it is rather difficult to say that we are ready to be here with God, to stand near His Cross, bearing our own one. It is rather difficult to say that we are pleased to be here, while we suffer from sorrows and diseases. We want to leave, to go somewhere, where it is easier to live, where the life is more comfortable and the food is fetter. But we have to endure. So, dear brothers and sisters, I have to ask you all for forgiveness, and I have to do it sincerely. It is not so easy.

One can ask for forgiveness hundred times. But we should do it from our heart, right? Of course, I am responsible for what is going on in the convent. As a spiritual father, I am responsible for this before you, the people who come here for help. However, I think instead, “I am so tired of this! I need to sneak out!” It is just horrible. It is so horrible, but you live still live like this… Of course, I am guilty for my cowardice and faint-heartedness.

I think, we should rely on what I have mentioned before – the love of God, which can create a son for Abraham from a piece of stone. The Holy Spirit should work in the Church. If there is no Spirit, but only flash and blood, then it leads to sorrows. And these sorrows are often wrong. I wish there is the Spirit. I wish there is the God’s love, so that we do not speak from our own, but God speaks through us. Then it will have effect, then it will purify, if it inspires. But today it is what it is. Forgive me, a poor man, for my platitude, for everything what hurt you or confused you. Forgive me and pray for me, a sinner.

A sermon on Forgiveness Sunday

by Fr. Andrew Lemeshonok

St. Elisabeth Convent, 2017

Subscribe to: Posts ( Atom )

Search This Blog

featured Slider

The Ladder to the Kingdom of Heaven

Proper Clerical Dress and Attire

A Discourse in Iconography by St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco

Excerpts from "Family Life" by Elder Paisios the Athonite, Part IV

Holy Scripture In The Orthodox Church

Monologue: Repentance and Confession

A Forgiveness Sermon on Forgiveness Sunday

Partners