The Catalog of Good Deeds

Q: At present, my wife and I are seriously considering conversion to Orthodox Christianity. I, however, am concerned that my many past sins would prevent me from being accepted into the Church. I am genuinely sorry for these sins, and have done all I can to change—sometimes with success, sometimes not—but I fear that in confessing them, I would be seen as being “too sinful” to be accepted by the Church, or that the priest might soon give up on me. What can you say about this?

A: A person with a serious physical ailment should turn to a hospital and its doctors in the hope of physical healing, or at least in a genuine effort to bring about a remission in his or her ailments. It is precisely for such purposes that hospitals exist and doctors commit themselves to pursuing the “healing arts.” Only the most unreasonable of persons would say, “I would really like to go to the hospital, but I am afraid that the doctor would turn me away because I am far too ill.”

Similarly, a person with a serious spiritual ailment should turn to the “spiritual hospital”—the Church—and those who minister therein in the hope of spiritual healing, or at least in a genuine effort to bring about a remission in his or her sins. It is precisely for such purposes that the Church exists and her clergy pursue their vocation. It would be most unreasonable to say, “I would really like to go to the Church, but I am afraid that I will be turned away because I am far too sinful.” Our Lord Jesus Christ came into the world precisely to heal sinners, to seek out the lost, and to restore all who would receive Him to spiritual health. As Christ reveals in Matthew 9:13, “I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

If you are convinced that you and your wife wish to embrace Orthodox Christianity as the fullness of Truth, then embrace it. Just as one who is physically ill should not worry that he or she is “too sick” to see a doctor, so too do not fear that you will be turned away from the Church because you are “too sinful”—and this is especially so when one is genuinely repentant and intensely desires forgiveness and reconciliation. Some of the greatest saints of the Church, such as Mary of Egypt, were quite notorious sinners, yet they repented, relied on the spiritual healing afforded by the Body and Bride of Christ—the Church—and attained holiness.

Ultimately, God does not desire the death of sinners. He rejoices when we turn from our sins and live. As Our Lord Himself plainly states in Luke 10:15, “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”

Source: https://oca.org/questions/teaching/am-i-too-sinful-to-convert

While Christ still walked the earth, word about the Word spread far and wide. A certain Syrian king called Abgar came to hear and believe the works performed by Jesus and sent a letter to Him begging His presence in the royal court at Edessa, to cure the king of an illness he had. In some accounts the messanger was also given instructions to draw an image of this famous man, Jesus of Nazereth.

When the messanger got through the crowds thronging Christ and His disciples, the invitation was declined as Jesus had other plans. Yet the Son of God sent the messanger back with two powerfully edifying things: His word and His image.

The word was given in the form of a letter – not written but dictated by Our Lord – and the image was altogether more special. Amid the bustle, Jesus used a face-cloth which miraculously bore the image of His face. This was given to King Abgar’s courtier and, with the letter, was returned to Edessa with the promise that Christ would send one of His disciples soon.

The image of Christ preserved on the face-cloth was thus kept in Edessa, and became known variously as “The Image of Edessa”, the “Mandylion” (Gr. “face-cloth”), or “The Image Not Made With Hands”. As for Christ’s promise, naturally that too was kept, and it was Thaddeus, one of the Seventy Disciples who after the Ascension (and within a year of Ebgar receiving the mandylion) came to explain the true nature and purpose of Jesus Christ to the King. With the salvation-bearing words of the Gospel, King Ebgar was cured, and became the first Christian King in history.

The image of Christ not made with hands had a remarkable history of its own – allegedly protecting the city of Edessa from Persian invasion in 544 A.D. The mandylion was transferred to Constantinople – by then the political centre of Christendom – in the 10th century. After that it was lost in the sacking of Constantinople by the Latins in 1204. Although claims have been made as to its whereabouts since then, it is assumed to have been lost for good.

King Abgar with the Image of Edessa (10th century)

The “first” icon of Christ does what all future, “man-made”, Orthodox icons of Christ do: attest to the reality of God’s incarnation on earth. Beyond this, the Image of Edessa’s miraculous origins can be seen as a symbol of God’s authority and centrality to all true worship – because after all is said and done, the first iconographer was Jesus Christ Himself.

Source: https://iconreader.wordpress.com/2010/07/11/icon-not-made-with-hands/

If a Christian does not refer to the Holy Scripture then his prayer, which is not united with the word of God, then it is just a monologue, which will not rise above the ceiling. Prayer must be combined with the Holy Scripture readings so that it can become a real dialogue between a person and the Lord. Then we will get the answers we need through the God’s words that we read in the Scripture.

It is said in the Scripture: “Man does not live by bread only, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord does man live” (Deuteronomy 8:3). We should remember that a person needs not only physical or material food, but spiritual food as well. The word of God is the very food that our inner spiritual self needs. If we do not feed our physical self for several days, if we do not care for ourselves, then it will lead to exhaustion and dystrophy. However, spiritual self also can be in the state of dystrophy, if one does not read the Holy Scripture for a long time. And then people wonder why their faith falters. The source of faith is known: “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). This is why every person should drink from this source.

The first psalm begins with the following words: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night” (Psalms 1:1-2). Here we read about three conditions of a person’s body: it does not walk, does not stand and does not sit. Then it is said that a faithful person lives by the law of God day and night. It means that the Law of God tells us, with whom we should not walk together, with whom we should not stand together and with whom we should not sit together. The commandments are in the word of God. While reading the Holy Scripture, we put our conscience into the commandments of God. King David said: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalms 119:105). If we do not put our conscience into the word of God, then we begin to walk in darkness.

Apostle Paul wrote in his admonition to young bishop Timothy: “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine” (Timothy 4:12-13). Moses, who had seen God, said when he instructed Joshua: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success” (Joshua 1:8).

So how should one study the Holy Scripture properly? I think we should begin with Gospel and Epistle daily readings, which are stated in every church calendar. Today everyone has such a calendar at home. There was a tradition earlier that after a person has read the morning prayers, he opened the calendar and looked there which excerpts from Gospel and Epistle were to be read on that day. A person read those texts, and they served him as an edification for the day. If you want to study the Holy Scripture more thoroughly, then fast is the best time for this.

It is necessary to have a Bible at home. You should choose a book for you that will be suitable for your eyes and that will be comfortable for you to hold in hands. You should also have a bookmark for this Book.

Of course, it is advisable to begin with the New Testament. If a person attends church regularly, then he needs to read the whole Bible at least once. What is more, if a person uses the time of fast for studying the Holy Scripture, this will bring him God’s blessing.

It has long been noted that no matter how many times a person reads the same biblical text, he understands it differently in different periods of his life. It is just like a precious stone: when you turn it, it shines with different colors. The word of God, no matter how many times we refer to it, will open new horizons of knowledge of God.

St. Ambrose of Optina said that it is better for the newcomers to begin to examine the New Testament with the help of the interpretations by St. Theophilactus the Bulgarian and refer to them if something is unclear. It is difficult to read the commentary itself without the biblical text, because it can serve as a reference book. A person should read commentaries when he comes across a biblical episode, which is unclear or just difficult to understand.

How can we teach our children to read the Holy Scripture? I think, parents should read the scripture together with their children. In Bible it is stated several times that it is the father who has to teach his children the Law of God. However, it is not said that children must learn. It means that although they do not want to learn, parents should teach them and read Bible together with them.

By Archpriest Oleg Stenyaev

Source: http://www.pravoslavie.ru/89806.html

On August 15 (August 28), the Dormition of the Mother of God is celebrated by most Christians in the world. The Church year begins on September 1, and the first Great Feast of the year is the Nativity of the Theotokos, making the Dormition of the Theotokos the last great feast of the year. It is entirely fitting that these two feasts – celebrating the birth and falling-asleep of Mary respectively – should buttress the entire church calendar. The Church calendar tells us the story of our Salvation in the traditional way, with the climax of the story coming in the middle, which is when Easter is celebrated, before ending in a way which is somewhat symmetrical and complimentary to the beginning. Therefore, the final “scene” in our story of Salvation is the Dormition of Mary, the Mother of God.

The Icon of the feast depicts various strands of the story in one single frame. The story is this:

At the time of Her blessed Falling Asleep, the Most Holy Virgin Mary was again at Jerusalem. Her fame as the Mother of God had already spread throughout the land and had aroused many of the envious and the spiteful against Her. They wanted to make attempts on Her life; but God preserved Her from enemies.

Day and night She spent her time in prayer. The Most Holy Theotokos went often to the Holy Sepulchre of the Lord, and here She offered up fervent prayer.

In one such visit to Golgotha, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Her and announced Her approaching departure from this life to eternal life. In pledge of this, the Archangel gave Her a palm branch. With these heavenly tidings the Mother of God returned to Bethlehem with the three girls attending Her (Sepphora, Abigail, and Jael). She summoned Righteous Joseph of Arimathea and other disciples of the Lord, and told them of Her impending Repose.

The Most Holy Virgin prayed also that the Lord would have the Apostle John come to Her. The Holy Spirit transported him from Ephesus, setting him in that very place where the Mother of God lay. After the prayer, the Most Holy Virgin offered incense, and John heard a voice from Heaven, closing Her prayer with the word “Amen.” The Mother of God took it that the voice meant the speedy arrival of the Apostles and the Disciples and the holy Bodiless Powers.

The faithful, whose number by then was impossible to count, gathered together, says St John of Damascus, like clouds and eagles, to listen to the Mother of God. Seeing one another, the Disciples rejoiced, but in their confusion they asked each other why the Lord had gathered them together in one place. St John the Theologian, greeting them with tears of joy, said that the time of the Virgin’s repose was at hand.

Going in to the Mother of God, they beheld Her lying upon the bed, and filled with spiritual joy. The Disciples greeted Her, and then they told her how they had been carried miraculously from their places of preaching. The Most Holy Virgin Mary glorified God, because He had heard Her prayer and fulfilled Her heart’s desire, and She began speaking about Her imminent end.

During this conversation the Apostle Paul also appeared in a miraculous manner together with his disciples Dionysius the Areopagite, St Hierotheus, St Timothy and others of the Seventy Apostles. The Holy Spirit had gathered them all together so that they might be granted the blessing of the All-Pure Virgin Mary, and more fittingly to see to the burial of the Mother of the Lord. She called each of them to Herself by name, She blessed them and extolled them for their faith and the hardships they endured in preaching the Gospel of Christ. To each She wished eternal bliss, and prayed with them for the peace and welfare of the whole world.

Then came the third hour (9 A.M.), when the Dormition of the Mother of God was to occur. A number of candles were burning. The holy Disciples surrounded her beautifully adorned bed, offering praise to God. She prayed in anticipation of Her demise and of the arrival of Her longed-for Son and Lord. Suddenly, the inexpressible Light of Divine Glory shone forth, before which the blazing candles paled in comparison. All who it saw took fright. Descending from Heaven was Christ, the King of Glory, surrounded by hosts of Angels and Archangels and other Heavenly Powers, together with the souls of the Forefathers and the Prophets, who had prophesied in ages past concerning the Most Holy Virgin Mary.

Seeing Her Son, the Mother of God exclaimed: “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God My Savior, for He hath regarded the low estate of His Handmaiden” (Luke 1:46-48) and, rising from Her bed to meet the Lord, She bowed down to Him, and the Lord bid Her enter into Life Eternal. Without any bodily suffering, as though in a happy sleep, the Most Holy Virgin Mary gave Her soul into the hands of Her Son and God.

Then began a joyous angelic song. Accompanying the pure soul of the God-betrothed and with reverent awe for the Queen of Heaven, the angels exclaimed: “Hail, Full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee, blessed art Thou among women! For lo, the Queen, God’s Maiden comes, lift up the gates, and with the Ever-Existing One, take up the Mother of Light; for through Her salvation has come to all the human race. It is impossible to gaze upon Her, and it is impossible to render Her due honor” (Stikherion on “Lord, I Have Cried”). The Heavenly gates were raised, and meeting the soul of the Most Holy Mother of God, the Cherubim and the Seraphim glorified Her with joy. The face of the Mother of God was radiant with the glory of Divine virginity, and from Her body there came a sweet fragrance.

Kissing the all-pure body with reverence and in awe, the Disciples in turn were blessed by it and filled with grace and spiritual joy. Through the great glorification of the Most Holy Theotokos, the almighty power of God healed the sick, who with faith and love touched the holy bed.

Bewailing their separation from the Mother of God, the Apostles prepared to bury Her all-pure body. The holy Apostles Peter, Paul, James and others of the Twelve Apostles carried the funeral bier upon their shoulders, and upon it lay the body of the Ever-Virgin Mary. St John the Theologian went at the head with the resplendent palm-branch from Paradise. The other saints and a multitude of the faithful accompanied the funeral bier with candles and censers, singing sacred songs. This solemn procession went from Sion through Jerusalem to the Garden of Gethsemane.

With the start of the procession there suddenly appeared over the all-pure body of the Mother of God and all those accompanying Her a resplendent circular cloud, like a crown. There was heard the singing of the Heavenly Powers, glorifying the Mother of God, which echoed that of the worldly voices. This circle of Heavenly singers and radiance accompanied the procession to the very place of burial.

Unbelieving inhabitants of Jerusalem, taken aback by the extraordinarily grand funeral procession and vexed at the honor accorded the Mother of Jesus, complained of this to the High Priest and scribes. The Jewish priest Athonios, out of spite and hatred for the Mother of Jesus of Nazareth, wanted to topple the funeral bier on which lay the body of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, but an angel of God invisibly cut off his hands, which had touched the bier. Seeing such a wonder, Athonios repented and with faith confessed the majesty of the Mother of God. He received healing and joined the crowd accompanying the body of the Mother of God, and he became a zealous follower of Christ.

When the procession reached the Garden of Gethsemane, then amidst the weeping and the wailing began the last kiss to the all-pure body. Only towards evening were the Apostles able to place it in the tomb and seal the entrance to the cave with a large stone.

For three days they did not depart from the place of burial, praying and chanting Psalms. Through the wise providence of God, the Apostle Thomas was not to be present at the burial of the Mother of God. Arriving late on the third day at Gethsemane, he lay down at the tomb and with bitter tears asked that l he might be permitted to look once more upon the Mother of God and bid her farewell. The Apostles out of heartfelt pity for him decided to open the grave and permit him the comfort of venerating the holy relics of the Ever-Virgin Mary. Having opened the grave, they found in it only the grave wrappings and were thus convinced of the bodily ascent of the Most Holy Virgin Mary to Heaven.

***

The miraculous transportation of the Apostles is shown in the top of the Icon, though the main scene depicted within the icon is the funeral procession itself. The Apostles are shown reverencing the body of the Mother of God: St. Paul at her feet; St Peter at the head with censer in hand.

Archangel Michael severs the impious hands of Athonios

Together with the Apostles are several bishops – indicated by their white sashes with crosses embroided upon them – and women. The bishops traditionally represented are James, the brother of the Lord, Timothy, Heirotheus, and Dionysius the Areopagite, who first recorded the story of the Dormition in the 2nd century AD. The women are Sepphora, Abigail, and Jael, along with other members of the church in Jerusalem.

The account of the impious Jewish priest is not shown in the icon above, but is usually shown, as it is in this Dormition Icon. At the top centre of the icon, the unwitnessed assumption of Mary’s resurrected body into the open gates of Heaven.

Yet the main aspect of the Icon – to which all eyes are inevitably drawn – is the image of Christ in Glory holding the pure soul of Mary in His arms, shown as an infant. The parallel between the image of the God-Man Jesus holding the child-like soul of Mary and the image of the Mother Mary holding the Christ-child in her own arms is, of course, deliberate. The title of “God-bearer” is given to other Saints, such as St. Ignatius. To carry the Word of God, Jesus Christ, within us is the calling of all Christians: to bear Him spiritually within us during our lives, and shine with His glory. The “reward” for this in our earthly life is suffering at the hands of enemies, even to the point of martyrdom, as in the case of St. Ignatius. Yet the reward after our repose is that God bears our soul into His own hands and carries us into eternity, as we carried Him, for just a short time.

Jesus Christ in Glory, holding the soul of Mary

Elsewhere I wrote that no human being resembled Jesus Christ – the Son of God – more than His Mother, Mary. And yet this does not make the Theotokos the great exception to the human race, but the great exemplar. Jesus Christ Himself corrected the woman who shouted that Mary was blessed because she had the honour of being the Mother of God: “yea, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.” This is why Mary is blessed – because more than any other person she heard the words of her Lord and kept them. This path toward Heavenly joy is open to us all.

And just as we look to Mary’s life for an example, we look to her bodily death – in this Icon – for hope as to where such an example leads us. The hope is in the bodily Resurrection and the life of the age to come. Both are shown in the Icon: the bodily assumption of Mary into Heaven, as well as the commendation of her soul into the hands of Jesus Christ.

Like those who gathered around the body of the Virgin Mary, we gather around our departed loved ones and commend their souls into the hands of Christ. As we remember those who have reposed in the faith before us and have passed on into the communion of the Saints, we prepare ourselves to one day be received into the new life of the age to come.

A few examples of the Icon:

Sources: https://iconreader.wordpress.com/2010/08/15/the-dormition-icon-of-hope/

http://www.pravoslavie.ru/foto/set650.htm

On August 15/28 the Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates its final major feast of the Church year–the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos. When my husband and I were in the process of converting, I literally had no idea of what those words meant!

The word Dormition means “falling asleep,” or in other words, the death. In Orthodoxy, we refer to Mary as the Theotokos, a term that comes from two Greek words. “Theos” means God, and “tokos” means bearer. We refer to Mary as the “God-bearer” because she carried Jesus in her womb. So the Feast of the Dormition could also be called the Falling Asleep of the God-bearer.

The Church fathers, after some debate, decided that the term Theotokos was the proper term to use for Mary because it demonstrated a correct understanding of the Incarnation–that God became Man. By referring to Mary as the God-bearer, we are demonstrating our complete belief in a real Incarnation.

The Story of the Feast

According to Church tradition, when the Theotokos was near death, all of the apostles (except Thomas) were miraculously brought to her bedside. They were able to be with her, pray with her, and receive her blessing before she died. Then they buried her in the Garden of Gethsemane in her family tomb.

Three days later Thomas arrived. When they went to show him her tomb, they found that her body was no longer in it. An angel confirmed that she had been taken bodily up to Heaven by her Son.

Orthodox Christians see in this feast an important teaching of the faith–namely the general resurrection of the body. We have hope in the resurrection and in eternal life, and the Dormition of the Theotokos helps us get a glimpse and a foretaste of our own.

1. Attend Divine Liturgy as a Family

If at all possible, make an effort to attend Divine Liturgy for the feast as a family. Some churches have Liturgy in the evening on feast days to better accommodate the work schedules of parishioners. If you are unable to attend the Liturgy, perhaps you can go to Vespers the evening before the feast.

When you are in church, you will be able to hear the Scripture readings for the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos and meditate upon them, sing the hymns for the feast and learn them to use in your home, and receive the Eucharist as the ultimate celebration of thanksgiving for the work of God in the world.

2. Read or Tell the Story of the Feast

In order to prepare your children for the feast, it is a good idea to read or tell the story of the Dormition of the Theotokos to them. There are a few excellent options for this:

1) Ancient Faith’s The Saint of the Day podcast Ancient Faith radio has a fantastic podcast called The Saint of the Day that tells the story of that day’s saint. Each episode is only around five minutes. As a sidenote, this would make a wonderful addition to the daily family routine. Perhaps your family could listen to the episode immediately after dinner each evening or at breakfast in the morning. What a lovely way to learn more about the saints of the Church!

2) Retell the story in your own words. You can also retell the story using your own words and knowledge of the feast. This could be done in the car on the way to Liturgy as a reminder to the children of why you are going to Church.

3) The book Heaven Meets Earth One excellent resource for the entire Church year is a children’s book entitled Heaven Meets Earth: Celebrating Pascha and the Twelve Feasts by John Kosmas Skinas. The book has a section for each feast with the story, Scripture readings, facts, a bit of Church history, and an explanation of the festal icon. I highly recommend it!

3. Learn the Hymn of the Feast

Each feast day has a troparion, or special hymn, that is sung on that day. The hymns of the Church pass on important theology and the rich stories of the faith through music. Since children (and many adults!) remember things that are sung, they are a perfect way to bring the feast into your daily lives.

In our house, we try to sing the hymns of the feast during morning and evening prayers and occasionally at the dinner table. Through this repetition, even our youngest children are able to learn them–belting the hymns out at church (sometimes a bit too loudly!).

Here is the troparion for the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos:

“In giving birth you preserved your virginity.

In falling asleep you did not forsake the world, O Theotokos!

You were translated to life, O Mother of Life,

And by your prayers you deliver our souls from death.”

You can listen to some examples of this here and here and here. If you listen to all three, you will hear the beautiful diversity of musical traditions in the Orthodox Church.

4. Make a Special Meal

Feasting often implies eating, so make a special meal to enjoy as a family! It can be easy to “go all out” for Pascha and Nativity, and forget to celebrate the other feasts of the year. However, celebrating with special foods can help remind us of the importance of those days. Particularly after the Dormition Fast, it can be nice to enjoy some of the foods we have been abstaining from for the past couple of weeks.

5. Display the Icon of the Dormition

If your family has an icon of the Dormition, place it in a prominent location in your house during the festal period. In our family, we place the festal icon so that it is the first thing you see walking into our house. This helps remind us to praise the Lord and pray to Him as we enter and leave our house.

If you do not have an icon of the feast, perhaps you can print an image off from the Internet or have your children color one and display it.

6. Bring Flowers to Church to be Blessed

In some traditions, flowers are brought to Liturgy on this feast to be blessed. If your church practices this, bring in some as a family. Go to the store, the farmer’s market, or your own garden to pick out a beautiful bouquet to give in honor of the Theotokos. Once the flowers are blessed, you can bring them home and place them next to the icon of the Dormition.

7. Decorate Your Home with Flowers

In keeping with this theme, a lovely way to honor the death of the Birth-giver is to fill your house with flowers. You can explain to your children that flowers are often given at funerals to show honor and respect to the loved one. However, we do not mourn as “those who have no hope.” The assumption of the Theotokos shows us that death is not the end.

8. Wear Blue

Finally, the liturgical color for feasts honoring the Theotokos is blue. If you attend Liturgy on this day, you will see the priest wearing blue vestments. Your family can also show their love for the Theotokos by wearing blue to Liturgy and throughout the day.

These simple ways of celebrating the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos can profoundly show our children that our family follows a different path, listens to a different rhythm in life. That we follow Christ and live our lives in His life and in His Church.

Source: http://www.orthodoxmotherhood.com/ways-celebrate-feast-dormition/

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