Orthodox Way of Life

Developing a Child's Conscience

2012-02-02T06:00:00.006-05:00

Key to the Orthodox way of Life is an active conscience. But for many, this sense we are given in our Baptism is lost or dulled by our separation from God. At a young age it is important to nurture a child's use of their conscience. How do you do this?

I knew a school principle who was very effective in maintaining discipline in an inner city school. There was an incident where boys were cutting up on the bus and in their zeal to be "smart" they mutilated one of the bus seats. The boys were identified by the supervising teacher, but she did not see them actually mutilate the seat. She sent them to the principal. Faced by the principal, the boys of course denied doing anything. What did the principal do? He began by explaining to them that they have a conscience. He told them that this is a quiet voice inside their heart that tells them right from wrong. And, if they had done anything wrong, later in the day or that night they would have a feeling coming from inside that they had done something wrong. He explained to them that once you get this feeling you want to get rid of it. He did not accuse, threaten or punish them, but told them to go home and that he would be there in the morning before the school bell rang to talk with them if they wanted to meet with him. That next morning the boys showed up in his office early and explained to him that their conscience was bothering them and that they could not even sleep very well that night. They then told him what they had done and asked for his to help to get rid of this bad feeling they had. He then led them in a discussion about how they could make up for the bad deed that had done.

He was teaching them about conscience and how to use it. This is the same task we all face with our children to help them develop a good Christian moral sense.
The biggest task for parents is to instruct their children in such a way that they do not force them to go against what they know is best for them out of rebellion. Like the principal, parents need to guide children in using their conscience so they develop a God oriented will and learn to recognize the work of God within themselves. When they learn to recognize their own sinfulness, then they can be introduced to the concept of repentance and eventually the sacrament of confession. A parent who is successful in this regard while become an open conduit for their repentance. A child will see their parents as the loving father of the story of the Prodigal son. Children will know that when they are honest with their conscience, their parents will always welcome them with gladness.

Paul points out that Christians have more than the law of the Jews. They have a law in the heart. He tells us that those "who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them" will be justified when that final judgment come. (Romans 2:12-16)

Saint Greogry of Nyssa tells us the following;

What then must we do, we who have been found worthy of the name of Christ? Each of us must examine his thoughts, words and deeds, to see whether they are directed toward Christ or are turned away from him. This examination is carried out in various ways. Our deeds or our thoughts or our words are not in harmony with Christ if they issue from passion. They then bear the mark of the enemy who smears the pearl of the heart with the slime of passion, dimming and even destroying the lustre of the precious stone.

On the other hand, if they are free from and untainted by every passionate inclination, they are directed toward Christ, the author and source of peace. He is like a pure, untainted stream. If you draw from him the thoughts in your mind and the inclinations of your heart, you will show a likeness to Christ, your source and origin, as the gleaming water in a jar resembles the flowing water from which it was obtained.

For the purity of Christ and the purity that is manifest in our hearts are identical. Christ’s purity, however, is the fountainhead; ours has its source in him and flows out of him. Our life is stamped with the beauty of his thought. The inner and the outer man are harmonized in a kind of music. The mind of Christ is the controlling influence that inspires us to moderation and goodness in our behavior. As I see it, Christian perfection consists in this: sharing the titles which express the meaning of Christ’s name, we bring out this meaning in our minds, our prayers and our way of life.

Its essential to lay a sound foundation in our children so they learn to trust in their conscience knowing that i's impulses come from God.

Repentance - What does this Mean?

2012-01-30T06:00:00.002-05:00

"The Church Fathers have called repentance a ‘second baptism’ or a renewal of baptism. At our first baptism, we began a journey towards the kingdom of God… Unfortunately not very many of us know what repentance means and what its greater significance is. Most people do not even know of what things we should repent. Repentance is not, as we think, a legalistic procedure, which exonerates man from certain feelings of guilt. Nor is it the confession practiced by some as a necessary observation before the great feasts of the Church, or when faced with immense psychological pressures…

"The Greek word for repentance, metanoia (change of mind), implies a complete change of life, and the rejection of sin with our whole heart. It is to feel with our whole being that the road we are following leads nowhere and want to return…."

Father Nektarios Antonopoulos

Reference: Return: Repentance and Confession by Archimandrite Nektarios Antonopoulos

On Prayer: Prayer Walk

2012-01-26T06:00:00.001-05:00

We live in stressful times. This is both good and bad. Researchers have shown that a certain level of stress is good for us. It leads us to high performance. for example, it is good to feel a bit nervous before giving a speech as this brings the body to top alert status. Stress involves a physical reaction where the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands pump stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol into the blood stream. We feel "pumped." The blood vessels dilate, increasing the blood flow to the brain, muscles are slightly tensed for action. This can be useful when we want to perform at our best. But, when it goes beyond a normal adaptive type of stress, it can be harmful. When we feel stress in a negative way, such as when we are angry, our logical mind is blocked and we may feel coldness in hands and feet, our heart may beat erratically. This is unhealthy. So it's important to know how to deal with the unhealthy kind of stress.

One approach that I have found to be most useful is the prayer walk. When you feel angry, dejected, upset its time for a walk. Not a nomad walk, but a walk with God. The key is to recognize when you are being impacted by this abnormal stress and excuse yourself so you can focus on walking while you recite the Jesus Prayer, "Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me a sinner." Say the words in cadence with your foot steps. You will find that grace will be give to you and you will begin to slow down and your body will slowly return to its normal state. You can then go back with a clear mind and make good Christian choices. Next time you find yourself being pushed beyond your limit and feeling angry or upset, try it. It does not take long for the prayer to do its work and the walk changes your physical environment. It's better to walk away than to begin to react in anger or say things you later regret.

You can do this anywhere. You can walk to the rest room, to the canteen, library or other location in your building. If you can go outside this is even better because it is easier to avoid interaction with others. Keep you eyes focused on where you are walking and not on the object or people around you. Do not make eye contact with others. Keep focused on the words of the prayer. Let God enter your heart and guide you.

More on the practice of the Jesus Prayer

On Prayer: The Morning Rush

2012-01-23T06:00:00.001-05:00

To live an Orthodox Way of Life it is important to begin the day in peace. One cannot live spiritually if your day begins with a harried mad dash to work, eating on the way, rushing through traffic. It's amazing what you see people doing in the morning commute.

The morning can be very busy especially if you have small children to get ready for school, but the key is to program enough time for all the essential activities plus Prayer. This may mean getting up an hour earlier so you have time for meditation and prayer as well as a relaxed and nutritional breakfast.
If you get up earlier you will find that all is quiet. You can shower in peace and then go to your quiet place in the house for prayer. Because you have provided the proper time, this does not have to a quick perfunctory prayer, but one where you appreciate the quietness and go deep within opening your heart to God. To enter into prayer we need to sit quietly and steady our minds on God. We leave behind all the cares of the coming day because we know we have this special time to do this. You remember that you are God's child whom He loves unconditionally, and then with humility enter into a dialogue with Him. The essential ingredient is to create this peaceful time where you are not rushed or forced into the worldly cares of the day. This is your private time with God. Protect it.

You can find advice on morning prayers here. Be sure to allow time for the practice of the Jesus prayer as well as this is the prayer that will get you thorough the day.

When you have completed your daily prayer routine think about the difficulties you might face during the day. Think how you can handle them in a way that will be pleasing to God. At the end of the day you can evaluate how well you did and give thanks to the Lord and ask for His help to handle them better if need be. (Morning and evening prayer are like bookends on an Orthodox Way of Life.)

Once you have finished this, the you can with a peaceful mind, filled with God's presence proceed with the essential activities which you have organized to accomplish before leaving for work without undue rush. It's important to allow time to prepare and eat a good breakfast sitting comfortably. You have nourished you soul and you also need to nourish your body.

As you begin your commute, do not try and beat the traffic or allow yourself to be irritated about delays or missing a stop light. Allow sufficing time so you will not be rushed but arrive a few minutes early at for work. Go with the flow of the traffic, not trying to beat it. Try and keep in mind the quiet presence you enjoyed in prayer.

Once at work, review your activities of the day and commit yourself to doing them according to the will of God. All ow for unexpected events. When you do find situations that begin to upset you, remember your prayer time and immediately recite the Jesus prayer. If you encounter a situation where you anger is aroused or if you find yourself emotionally upset, take a walk while you recite the Jesus prayer to yourself. Saying it just ten times will calm your soul so you can continue without causing greater stress or difficulty to yourself or others.

The key is to allow the proper amount of time in the morning so you can begin with peace. This morning peace will go along way during the day. There is only so much time and we have to allocate it so we can maintain our peace and stay in contact with our Lord.

Lets share our ideas about how we can begin the day in peace. How do you manage this?

It's What God Gives Us That is Important

2012-01-19T06:00:00.001-05:00

It's what God gives us that is important in attaining perfection – Not what we give Him. He gives us mercy. He gives us forgiveness. He gives us His love. At the moment of our Baptism we are pure. At the moment of absolution in our Confession we are pure, at the moment we receive Him into our body in Holy Communion we are pure. Not as the result of our efforts but as His gift of mercy and love. We then continue to struggle against the evil forces of the world and can be tempted to forget and fall into error anytime. God is still there with mercy, forgiveness and Love. Out of our love for Him we are sorry for our forgetfulness and error and seek His forgiveness and mercy which He freely gives back. We struggle to improve so we will not be as forgetful. We fast to help us remember Him and to increase our control over the passions of the Body. We pray and learn to have the Jesus Prayer on our lips when we are tempted or face difficulty. We work to improve ourselves to be a good servant of our Lord. We do not do this for merit but out of our love of Him, our desire to do what He wills recognizing our weaknesses when facing the spirutual war we are engaged in. This is an ongoing process of growth. It is what we call the Orthodox way of life. It is a life of repentance.

The nature of the difficulties we face are highlighted in St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians 6:10-17

"Brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand, therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

What many Protestants see as working for merits are the things Orthodox Christians have done since the time of he Apostles to be good sons, to hallow His name, to live a more virtuous life according to His commandments. We need His grace to do so and we also need to put all our own energies into following what God desires for us. It is living this kind of humble life in eyes of God that we become justified so that at the time of the final judgement when the actions of our life will be examined in detail and truth we will be accepted into His Kingdom. Without these "works", without our own efforts, we will not improve our ability to serve our Lord as his son or to glorify Him as He intended. It's wrong to think of these efforts as earning merits. Orthodox Christians do not have this idea of merits tied to our personal efforts because we have a sacramental life as the foundation of out faith. We have much more than a book to guide us. We know God will help us and we know that we are weak needing his help. We also know we have free will and a body full of passions, that we live in a world controlled by evil forces that we must struggle against. We continually "Lord have mercy on me." we continually seek His grace and participate in His sacraments where we are give the gifts of His healing and grace. It is a complete way of Life in Christ.

On Prayer: Does God Care About Football

2012-01-16T06:00:00.002-05:00

Recently there has been a lot of press about Tim Tebow and his public display of prayer relating to his performance in football. Many even describe games won as "miracles." But, does God really care about who wins in football? Is this how God intended for us to pray? Is this what we are supposed to to be praying for?

To me this public display of prayer seems a bit misguided as we do not pray to God for our self gain, but for His forgiveness, for His help to do His will, to give thanks for the blessing we have received from Him, that He will accept us in His kingdom. Our relationship with God is about joining with Him in heaven with eternal life. Our aim is not success in sports, business, school or any other worldly gain. It is about being accepted in heaven, of being able to set our ego aside to do His will, to love Him with our whole heart and to love others as we love ourselves.

So how are we to pray? Jesus tells us to go to a private place and in quite to pray.
He says,

When you pray, you shall not be like hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men... When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut the door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place and your Father who sees in secret will reward openly. (Mat 6: 5-6)

Immediately following this instruction He gives us the Lord's prayer as the proper way to pray. In this prayer we ask for His Kingdom to come, we ask for His forgiveness, we ask for His protection from evil forces. He also tells us not to worry about physical things and desires, but to practice love of others and be forgiving. He asks us to trust in Him, not for worldly gain, but to lay up "treasures in heaven" (Mat 6:19).

A common public display for Orthodox Christians is the making of the cross on our body. But this too is not to be done in a way as to attract public attention. We have another football star Troy Polamalu who like Mr Tebow takes this practice to an extreme using this sign in a public manner after good plays in football..

We are to pray continually, but this is a prayer of the heart which is said internally, Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me a sinner. This is a prayer of repentance so we can come closer to God and be united with him in His Kingdom. Its an expression of humility, not pride in our accomplishment.

One of my favorite prayers is the morning prayer

Most holy God, we pray and beseech You, give each of us a pure heart and a way of speaking that befits the faith we profess; grant us uprightness of purpose, powers of reasoning unhindered by passions, conduct that becomes those who fear You, and perfect knowledge of Your commandments; may we enjoy health in body and in spirit.Grant us a life of peace, genuine faith and living hope, sincere charity and bountiful generosity, patience that knows no bounds and the light of Your truth to proclaim Your goodness to us, that for ever and in all things placing our trust only in You, we may abound in every good work, and that in Christ Your gifts may increase in every soul.For to You belong all glory, honor and majesty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer is an essential part of our Christain spiritual journey. We need to have a daily prayer discipline with specific times for payer in the morning and evening at a minimum.

To pray we should find a quiet private place where we will not be disturbed. This may be a corner in the bedroom (a room divider can help make a special place), space in a walk-in closet, or, if you are fortunate to have an extra room, a special room that is only for prayer. It needs to be a place where you can be undisturbed and alone. You begin praying by focusing your consciousness in your heart and forcibly gathering there all the powers of the soul and body. Take the time at the beginning of your prayer time to quiet your body and to concentrate your energies in your heart.

More on daily prayer in the Orthodox tradition.

Baptism is not Symbolic

2012-01-11T09:26:00.000-05:00

Holy Baptism and Chrismation are sacraments that we too often take in a routine manner. But, they are of the greatest significance for all Christians. This is the first step towards our salvation. In Baptism we are renewed and united with Christ. We become God’s “adopted son”, a child of the light, a child of the Kingdom. We become His disciple. We become a member of the body of Christ. This is no mere symbolism.

From the moment one emerges from the water in the baptismal font a new life begins. We are reborn, united in Christ. We are enlightened.

Baptism in the Orthodox Church is much more than a cleansing of our sins. It is the beginning of a new life in Christ. We become a part of His Church though the grace of God.

The font is likened to the grave of Christ. When we are immersed in the water we die of an old self and become renewed. This new life is one where we can now look forward to our resurrection and eternal life in God’s Kingdom as we follow Christ.

Forgiveness of sins is one of the results of baptism but we must remember that we do not have the idea of original sin as has been introduced in the Western Churches. For Orthodox Christians we receive from Adam and Ever the consequences of their sin, which is death, our mortality. We do not inherit any guilt. Because we have a free will we are only responsible for our own sins. So Baptism is not about overcoming original sins but is a renewal that assures us eternal life.

In the service the water is made holy with the Holy Spirit. As we are immersed we are cleansed of any personal sinfulness by this holy water and renewed. Following this we receive the Holy Chrism. This is a special Holy Oil which is called the “Seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit.” The water of baptism will dry up but the action of the Holy Spirit seals the action for all time.

When the sacramental rite is completed there is a sedate but joyful dance around the font followed by the reading of Scripture where we hear the words of Jesus Himself.

Crowning this event is the reception of Holy Communion. The new person, with their new Christian Name, is now able to participate in all the sacraments of the Church as one of God’s adopted sons.

From this moment on we must struggle to maintain our relationship with God striving to act like Him. This involves a life of continual repentance seeking God’s unlimited mercy for our weaknesses to maintain this union. Through the sacrament of Confession and Holy Communion we keep our Baptism renewed and gain His grace to aid us in our efforts to cooperate with Him, to live the life He showed and taught us as is recorded in the Scriptures.

Justification and Salvation

2012-01-09T06:00:00.001-05:00

I find myself constantly having to defend Orthodoxy agains a common view held by many Protestants on salvation, known as the "Satisfaction theory". What I have written is not original but is my attempt to show the limitations of this way of thinking in a simple and concise way.

Justification and Salvation

There are many metaphors and images to help us understand this great mystery of salvation. There is Christ as teacher, as sacrifice, as a ransom, as victor over death and as union or participation. This multiple view was unnecessarily reduced to a single view in the West with the work of Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury in 12th century. It was his view that was codified in the creeds of the reformers in the 16th century and has been embraced in most Protestant churches. It is based on a juridicial view with image of Christ as a sacrifice. It is commonly refered to as the “satisfaction” theory of atonement. His work is Cur Deus Homo (Why God Became Man)

Anselm believed that Adam through his disobedience of God had committed a crime against God. See the juridicial nature of this thought. His disobedience or sin is seen as a crime, not as a turning away from God. Anselm applied the medieval notion of justice to this act. Since a crime had been committed there needed to as “satisfaction” of God’s honor (Some will see this as wrath rather than honor).

How could a crime against God be satisfied? This was of much greater honor than any human crime. The only way He could be satisfied according to Anselm was by a supra-human as a stand in for us. But there is problem with this. It implies that God is changeable. We have to change God’s view of us. But in James 1:17 it says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” Anger and pride are both human emotions. If we accept the notion that sin angers or offends God, then it must be true that before sin God was not angry. If we agree with the satisfaction theory then after satisfaction God is no longer angry. God changes. It is therefore blasphemous to base our understanding of salvation on the idea that God gets angry or has a fragile ego. Anselm use a model of a medieval monarch for his god. This human model is not sufficient for the God of Scripture or the Church.

You may say, How about all the places n Scripture it talks about the “wrath” of God?. What we see is Scripture is human emotions being applied to God. These emotions are no more the true nature of God that He is human than when it says He walks in the garden. Wrath is how humans experience their separation from God and in not the nature of God. As John reminds us “God is love” (1 John 4:8).

How about the notion of justice? We know that God is just because He does not change. If we think that God can’t let man get away with his sins and that justice must be satisfied then we are making God himself subject to some sort of cosmic justice. Justice then become something greater than God. Also if God wanted justice, why couldn’t he have just forgiven man. Why did He have to send His son to suffer and be killed?

Anselm with his “satisfaction “ theory put God in a box. God had to either change or become subject to an external justice. God’s ways are different than man’s ways so we cannot use human analogies to properly describe God’s ways It says in Isaiah 55:8-9: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than earth, so are my ways higher that your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Another problem with Anselm’s view is that “satisfaction” makes sin God’s problem rather than ours. You may say that God wants to save man because He is merciful, but He can’t violate His own justice. Sin then is God’s problem. The issue becomes man’s effect on God due to sin, rather than what sin does to man. According to Anselm, once God has been satisfied man is off the hook. Salvation then is reduced to some kind of play where God can declare man’s innocence regardless of his actual state.

Another problem with this idea of satisfaction is that salvation remains external to man and man therefore remains unchanged. If we think only that through Christ’s death on the Cross and our faith in this event, means only that our sins are erased from the ledger of crimes, man still remains unchanged. He is still in essence sinful. Man is not recreated, not transformed, not born again. He is merely declared “not guilty.” This presupposes that God and man cannot be really united on any level beyond that of moral obedience. (This was an early heresy called ) What man needed was to be renewed, to become like God and not simply forgiven His sins.

There are three problems with the idea of “satisfaction”: 1) God must change, 2) God must be subject to a higher justice, 3) Salvation is external and man remains unchanged. Orthodox Christians cannot accept this idea because it violates the most fundamental principle of Christian theology and leaves man unchanged. For Orthodox to be saved means healing, man is restored to spiritual health, united again with Him. God does not need to be changed but our state needs to changed. Christ came not as a substitutional sacrifice but came as a healer, to renew mankind, to be reunited with Him and to live with his free will voluntarily acting in cooperation with God’s divine will.

Salvation is the work of God as Christ says, “without me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) If without Christ we can do nothing, then likewise apart from us God will do nothing. Our free will is an essential condition, for without it even God does nothing. This interrelationship between divine grace and our human freedom remains always a mystery. As Paul says, “O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements and how inscrutable his ways! (Rom 11:33)

Be not confused by this idea of synergia or cooperation. Salvation is a free gift of God There is no idea of Merits in Orthodox views. Salvation cannot be “earned” or “deserved”. Salvation is totally an act of divine grace and yet in this act of grace we remain totally free. Like the virgin Mother assented to the angel Gabriel we too must assent to this Grace freely given to us. This cooperation involves a union with God, an intimate relationship that comes through the work of the Holy Spirit. Our cooperation is the work of the Holy Spirit. The free gift from God requires a free response guided by the Holy Spirit. As Paul says, “we are fellow-worker (synergoi) with God” (1Cor 3:9).

The salvific work of Jesus was a matter that required for him to become like us. God took on human flesh. Why? So mankind could be renewed, healed. To be healed we need faith that unites us with Him so we can become like Him. Salvation is the person Jesus himself, not a particular act of Jesus. What did the elder Simeon say when he beheld the baby Jesus? “My eyes have see your salvation” (Luke 2:30). We cannot limit our thinking about salvation to the Cross couched in juridical terms of “satisfaction.” We must consider what came before. He was God who took on human flesh at His birth. We must also consider that following the Cross we have the Resurrection, Ascension and His Second Coming. We must not narrow Jesus to a mere sacrifice to satisfy God’s anger, justice or honor. We must consider the whole saving economy that embraces all the images Scripture provides for us. We must realize that It is Jesus Himself that is our salvation.

So are you saved? Salvation is a life long journey. A journey with Christ in our heart. In Orthodox daily evening prayers there is a short petition attributed to Saint John Chrysostom, “O Lord my God, even if I have done nothing good in your sight, yet grant me by your grace to make a beginning.” Metropolitan Kallistos Ware reminds us the right question is not “Am I saved” but “Have I even begun?”

Charles Joiner

Dec 22, 2011

References for further reading

The Life by Clark Carlton

How we are Saved by Metroplitan Kallistos Ware

Theophany - More than Blessing of Waters

2012-01-03T06:00:00.003-05:00

On January 6th we celebrate the Theophany, the full manifestation of God, the Holy Trinity revealed to us. Too often we only think about this as the time when we get Holy Water from the Church or when the Priest comes to bless our homes, but the significance of this event is so much more.

We are fortunate to have commentary from the second century by St Hippolytus [a.d. 170–236.] who was the disciple of Irenæus. We often raise the question, "Why did Jesus have to be baptized if He was sinless?" He explains why John, who resisted baptizing Jesus because he felt unworthy and inferior to Him thinking that he should be baptized by Jesus, baptized Him who was God Himself.
Hyppolytus shows how Christ comforted John,

And what saith the Lord to him? “Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.” (Matt 3:15) “Suffer it to be so now,” John; thou art not wiser than I. Thou seest as man; I foreknow as God. It becomes me to do this first, and thus to teach. I engage in nothing unbecoming, for I am invested with honour. Dost thou marvel, O John, that I am not come in my dignity? The purple robe of kings suits not one in private station, but military splendour suits a king: am I come to a prince, and not to a friend? “Suffer it to be so now for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness:” I am the Fulfiller of the law; I seek to leave nothing wanting to its whole fulfilment, that so after me Paul may exclaim, “Christ is the fulfilling of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” (Rom 10:4) “Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.”

Saint Hyppolytus tells us why Jesus was baptized, speaking from viewpoint of Jesus,

Baptize me, John, in order that no one may despise baptism. I am baptized by thee, the servant, that no one among kings or dignitaries may scorn to be baptized by the hand of a poor priest. Suffer me to go down into the Jordan, in order that they may hear my Father’s testimony, and recognise the power of the Son. “Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.” Then at length John suffers Him. “And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and the heavens were opened unto Him; and, lo, the Spirit of God descended like a dove, and rested upon Him. And a voice (came) from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matt 3:16-17)

Jesus wanted to emphasize the role of the priest in baptizing those who chose to follow Him. He wanted all to hear the testimony of the Father so others would accept Him as His Son as this was the time He began His public ministry.
Saint Hyppolytus continues uplifting our sight even higher,

Do you see, beloved, how many and how great blessings we would have lost, if the Lord had yielded to the exhortation of John, and declined baptism? For the heavens were shut before this; the region above was inaccessible. We would in that case descend to the lower parts, but we would not ascend to the upper. But was it only that the Lord was baptized? He also renewed the old man, and committed to him again the sceptre of adoption. For straightway “the heavens were opened to Him.” A reconciliation took place of the visible with the invisible; the celestial orders were filled with joy; the diseases of earth were healed; secret things were made known; those at enmity were restored to amity. For you have heard the word of the evangelist, saying, “The heavens were opened to Him,” on account of three wonders. For when Christ the Bridegroom was baptized, it was meet that the bridal-chamber of heaven should open its brilliant gates. And in like manner also, when the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove, and the Father’s voice spread everywhere, it was meet that “the gates of heaven should be lifted up.” (Ps 24: 7) “And, lo, the heavens were opened to Him; and a voice was heard, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Most significantly we see in this event that the heavens are opened for all mankind who follow Him and join with Him through Baptism to become His adopted children. Christ shows us that we begin our Journey with Him through baptism. This is a Holy Sacrament where heavens are opened and we join with The Holy Trinity to be transformed, born again, so we can become like Him and have eternal life in His kingdom as one of His children.

Christ’s baptism in the Jordan was A “theophany,” in that the world was granted a revelation of the Holy Trinity. The Father testified from on high to the divine Sonship of Jesus; the Son received His Father’s testimony; and the Spirit was seen in the form of a dove, descending from the Father and resting upon the Son.

In the hymn of the Feast we sing, “Christ has appeared and enlightened the world.” Thus, January 6 is also known as the Feast of Lights. The Church celebrates on this day the illumination of the world by the light of Christ.

Reference: Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol 5, Hyppolytus, Discourse on Holy Theophany

What kind of Christian are You?

2012-01-01T06:00:00.001-05:00

I recently saw a survey of Roman Catholics regarding how important they felt about their church teachings. Here is the results of a few of the items
73% thought the resurrection of Jesus to be very important
64% saw the Mother of God, Mary, as being very important
63% saw sacraments such as the Eucharist as very important
46% saw daily prayer life as very important

This means 27% do not see the Resurrection to be very important, 36% so not see the Mother of God to be very important, 37% do not see the Sacraments to be very important and 54% do not see daily prayer as very important. So what kind of Christianity is this? For Orthodox Christian these are all supposed to be very important. I have seen similar surveys that show Orthodox Christians to have views similar to the Catholics.

So I have a few questions for you: How important are these to you? What does it mean to be a good Christian? What do you consider to be very important in the growth of your faith?

Reference: USA Today

Meditation or Prayer?

2011-12-29T06:00:00.062-05:00

Prayer is an essential part of our Orthodox way of Life. I spent most of my life without a daily prayer habit. Because of my separation from God, I was lured into participating in a meditation practice. Fortunately, it supported the use of Christian prayers including the Jesus Prayer. But it was only a technique for quieting and stilling the mind. It was very useful, giving me the ability to deal with high levels of stress and to avoid anger, but I knew there was more. I was led then to a return and full acceptance of my Orthodox faith. I sought help from a spiritual father, albeit with reluctance at first. With the direction of my spiritual father, I stopped the use of the Jesus prayer for a while as I had to learn that it is properly practiced only as a true prayer and not by merely repeating the words as was taught in the meditation practice. I was using it as a technique rather than a prayer. After a year I again began using the Jesus Prayer, but now as part of a broader rule of prayer and practice of my Orthodox faith. I learned with some difficulty that the recitation of the Jesus prayer has to be a true prayer, not just a repetition of the words. This means praying with a contrite heart, and a full recognition of my sinfulness, seeking with sincerity God's mercy. I learned after many years that peace and joy only comes with true prayer as taught in the Orthodox Tradition.

Matthew the Poor says the following about prayer,

"Let him who does not pray expect nothing whatsoever from God- neither salvation nor renewal no direction nor grace. Rather, he is consigned to the whims and fancy of his own mind, the will of his own ego, and the direction of his own thinking. He is like one who has rejected the intervention of the Lord Jesus in his life, like one who hides himself from the Spirit of God. A man who does not pray is one who is content with his own condition. He wishes to remain as he is and not be changed, renewed or saved. His life unconsciously changes from bad to worse. He recedes spiritually day after day. The ties that bind him to the earth and to the flesh increase without his awareness. His ego remains the source of all his desires and ambitions.

As for his relationship with Christ, it remains only superficial and outward. It has no power to change or amend anything. The possibility to even deny Christ at times of danger, temptation, illness, or poverty becomes imminent.

So if man does not pray, he can never be changed or renewed, and he who is not changed or renewed can have no genuine or effective relationship with Christ. His worship, however active, is nothing but an outward protrusion or a superficial growth. In the end it breaks off, bearing no fruit."

All this I can affirm. When I was meditating I often felt content with my own efforts. I did not feel it necessary to go to Church regularly. I eventually reached a point of intense guilt for rejecting Jesus and recognized I was becoming very self-centered. I had made myself the authority on about everything, especially anything that had to do with my spiritual practice. I learned the most important spiritual lesson, that without a comprehensive daily prayer rule, within the Tradition of the Church, it is difficult if not impossible to develop a relationship with God. Daily prayer must be coupled with a regular participation in the Sacraments of the Chruch and a reading of Scripture and teachings of the Church Fathers. One supports the other. Meditation can help as a transition, but one must eventually surrender to the teachings of Christ through prayer, surrender to the Traditions of the Church and seek a spiritual father as a guide. One needs someone who is a bit more spiritually mature in the Orthodox Tradition to show you the proper way to a sound Orthodox prayer life.

For help on developing a daily prayer rule go to the website Orthodox Prayer

Reference: From “Orthodox Prayer Life: The Interior Way” by Fr. Matthew the Poor

Dealing with Pain

2011-12-27T06:00:00.001-05:00

Dealing with pain is a major problem for many people in these times. Pain killer Vicodin is now the most prescribed drug in the US.

What is pain? It seems to come from many causes. We have deep pain because of a loss of a loved one. We can have pain from an operation where our body has been cut open and is in the process of healing. We can have pain from other unknown sources such as in arthritis or fibromyalgia. Reachers now acknowledge that drugs are only a apart of the solution for those who suffer from chronic pain.

Pain can be seen in many ways. For example, when we work out and then feel pain in our muscles, we take this a good sign of a strenuous workout that will lead us to greater strength. But this is quite different from pain one suffers from fibromyalgia where there is little hope that it will ever go away. But it is also know that those who are anxious about pain will experience greater pain for longer periods of time after surgery. So, pain is not purely physical even though it may be initiated by a physical condition. How we respond to can make a difference.

We can take Christ Himself who suffered torture as he was led to His crucifixion. He had the foreknowledge that this would lead Him back to heaven through His Resurrection so He could send us the Holy Spirit for our healing. We also have the examples of the martyrs who saw joy in the horrendous tortures they we had imposed on them. They had faith that this pain and probable death would only lead them to a union with God and eternal life in His kingdom. As a result they gladly endured pain.

Researchers have learned a lot about the mechanism of pain in the body. Those with chronic pain exhibit a malfunction in the brain's pain processing system. The pain signals deviate into the areas of the brain involved with emotion, perception of danger and can actually cause gray matter to atrophy.

Researchers have found that pain can be relieved by distracting attention away from the pain. Guided imagery, mindfulness meditation have both been shown to reduce the pain perceived by the individual. In one study subjects reported 40% less pain intensity and 57% less unpleasantness while meditating.

Dr Mackey of Stanford reported a study where he showed students photos of a loved one while applying a pain stimuli from a hot probe. They reported feeling 44% less pain while focusing on their loved one than on just a friend.

Now as a Christian, who do we love more than anything else? Of course it is Jesus Christ. We have a pain reliever that has been tested and proven for thousands of years. If techniques such as guided imagery, meditation, or pictures of loved ones can reduce pain how much more will the practice of the Jesus prayer help us.

The practice of the Jesus Prayer is so simple yet so powerful When we practice it for 20 minutes each day, Jesus becomes part of our moment by moment life. Then, when we have any pain, we immediately call on Him, His image, for comfort.

Painkillers can help but also can lead to overuse. Deaths to overdoses have more than quadrupled between 1998 and 2008. Remember that pain is more than physical. True Joy always comes from an intimate relationship with God. The Church gives you all the necessary means to nurture this relationship.

More on the Jesus prayer

reference

THE WORD BECAME FLESH

2011-12-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

A Sermon by St John of Kronstadt on the Nativity of Christ

The Word became flesh; that is, the Son of God, co-eternal with God the Father andwith the Holy Spirit, became human – having become incarnate of the Holy Spirit andthe Virgin Mary. O, wondrous, awesome and salvific mystery! The One Who had nobeginning took on a beginning according to humanity; the One without flesh assumedflesh. God became man – without ceasing to be God. The Unapproachable Onebecame approachable to all, in the aspect of an humble servant. Why, and for whatreason, was there such condescension [shown] on the part of the Creator toward Histransgressing creatures – toward humanity which, through an act of its own will hadfallen away from God, its Creator?

It was by reason of a supreme, inexpressible mercy toward His creation on the part ofthe Master, Who could not bear to see the entire race of mankind – which, He, increating, had endowed with wondrous gifts – enslaved by the devil and thus destined foreternal suffering and torment.

And the Word became flesh!...in order to make us earthly beings into heavenly ones, inorder to make sinners into saints; in order to raise us up from corruption intoincorruption, from earth to heaven; from enslavement to sin and the devil – into theglorious freedom of children of God; from death – into immortality, in order to make ussons of God and to seat us together with Him upon the Throne as His royal children.O, boundless compassion of God! O, inexpressible wisdom of God! O, great wonder,astounding not only the human mind, but the angelic [mind] as well!

Let us glorify God! With the coming of the Son of God in the flesh upon the earth, withHis offering Himself up as a sacrifice for the sinful human race, there is given to thosewho believe the blessing of the Heavenly Father, replacing that curse which had beenuttered by God in the beginning; they are adopted and receive the promise of an eternalinheritance of life. To a humanity orphaned by reason of sin, the Heavenly Fatherreturns anew through the mystery of re-birth, that is, through baptism and repentance.People are freed of the tormenting, death-bearing authority of the devil, of the afflictionsof sin and of various passions.

Human nature is deified for the sake of the boundless compassion of the Son of God;and its sins are purified; the defiled are sanctified. The ailing are healed. Upon those indishonour are boundless honour and glory bestowed.
Those in darkness are enlightened by the Divine light of grace and reason.

The human mind is given the rational power of God – we have the mind of Christ (Cor.2, 16), says the Holy apostle Paul. To the human heart, the heart of Christ is given. Theperishable is made immortal. Those naked and wounded by sin and by passions areadorned in Divine glory. Those who hunger and thirst are sated and assuaged by thenourishing and soul-strengthening Word of God and by the most pure Body and DivineBlood of Christ. The inconsolable are consoled. Those ravaged by the devil have been –and continue to be – delivered.

What, then, O, brethren, is required of us in order that we might avail ourselves of all thegrace brought unto us from on high by the coming to earth of the Son of God? What isnecessary, first of all, is faith in the Son of God, in the Gospel as the salvation-bestowing heavenly teaching; a true repentance of sins and the correction of life and of heart; communion in prayer and in the mysteries [sacraments]; the knowledge andfulfillment of Christʼs commandments. Also necessary are the virtues: Christian humility,alms-giving, continence, purity and chastity, simplicity and goodness of heart.

Let us, then, O brothers and sisters, bring these virtues as a gift to the One Who wasborn for the sake of our salvation – let us bring them in place of the gold, frankincenseand myrrh which the Magi brought Him, as to One Who is King, God, and Man, come todie for us. This, from us, shall be the most-pleasing form of sacrifice to God and to theInfant Jesus Christ.
Amen.

What was the New Life Christ's Birth Brought?

2011-12-22T18:00:00.001-05:00

The birth of Jesus, the Incarnation of God, brought to all people a new life. It was a renewal of mankind. This was a cosmic event unparalleled in the history of man. From henceforth the life of man was different

Saint Anthony gives us some insight into this new life.

It is not said in vain, brothers, that Christ brought new lifeto the earth. We see that he turned the human soul around completely; changed itsnature, as it were. Formerly people accumulated wealth, now they have started to give itaway; formerly they feared prisons and torments, now the Apostles exultantly thank Godfor them; formerly they feared afflictions, now St. James writes to the Christians: "Mybrethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations" (1:2). On earth, as before,there is injustice, and sickness, and poverty, and all kinds of offences, and the moretime passes, the more of this there will be, as the Lord predicted, as well as the HolyApostles Peter, Jude, Paul and John. But the souls of Christians were not overwhelmedor crushed by all these afflictions. They came to know another blessedness -- inner and spiritual -- and if they grieved about anything, then it was only about their falls into sinand the sins of their neighbours.

the Nativity was the beginning of a new life as recorded in the Scriptures of the New Testament. This new life did not begin with a statement of earthly wealth, but began in totally humility and poverty. In Bethlehem God was born as man in a stable. Was this because he could not have been born elsewhere? Of course not. God could have chosen the wealthiest palace if this was what He desired. But He came to bring to earth a divine economy and chose the humblest of places. He came to uplift mankind beyond eartly riches, to enable us to return to a life in His kingdom.
Saint Anthony writes,

Look what happens according to the customs of the new life. He to Whom all thehouses, all the towns, and the whole universe belong, deprives Himself of the lasthuman dwellings and takes up His abode together with beasts, committing Himself to anirrational manger instead of the throne of cherubim. O people! Is it for you to struggleand torment each other for preference in honor, cleanliness and comfort, when Goddoes not spurn not being allowed in to where people are and is satisfied with an animalshed! Man! You murmured about your poverty, you looked with an envious eye on therich and famous, you lamented the poverty of your own hut, your grieved that you areaccounted as one of the simple folk. Go down yet lower in your station in life, and youwill be accounted to be with God! You considered it a great honour to approach thedoorstep of a lord, but look how easily you can obtain a dwelling equal to God's house.You look at palaces with desire, ! because kings live in them or have lived in them; lookrather at the stall where the incarnate Son of God dwelt. You see where is the beginningof the new teaching, of the new life, of the new customs. If you follow after Christ in thisway, no place will be crowded for you. If everyone takes to heart the image of Christ'slife, then there will be plenty of room and no offence for anyone.

This new life that was brought by this new Birth was one not according to the desires of this world, but was to welcome us into a home that is much greater, the house of God. God became man so we could rejoin wirth Him in His house. His birth united His divine being with our human being so we could become divine.
So, to what are we called in this new home? Saint Anthony tells us the following:

And so, the new life in Christ consists in willingly renouncing worldly goods and notgrieving when they are taken away by force. Perhaps you cannot direct your mind thisway at once. But to the extent that you willingly deprive yourself of earthly enjoyments,however reluctantly: fast, offend yourself by giving to the poor or giving way to others,do not become angry or take revenge for oppression, but bear offences in silence; -- tothe extent that you crucify the old man in yourself -- to this extent will a new fount ofgrace-filled life flor out of your heart. "He that believeth on Me," says the Lord, "out ofhis belly shall flow rivers of living water: (Jn. 7,38). It is no longer either riches, or health,or glory, or the destruction of enemies that will make you rejoice, but, just as a farmerrejoices over a ripening field, or a hunter over a lot of wild fowl fluttering about, or anartist over the beauty of a sunset -- so you will rejoice over praye! r, spiritual reading andthe opportunity to be kind to your neighbour, either by giving, or consoling one who isgrieving, calming one who is angry, or bringing a villain to his senses. The impious Jewsdid not want to accept this new life: they wanted earthly happiness, and the destructionof enemies, and human glory, and vain riches. It is the same thing which their foolishpupils want even now, Europeans of various nationalities, and many here in Russia.They have forgotten Christ, have come to hate Christ's abasement and love thetreasures of the land of Egypt, not like the great Moses (Heb. 11:26), but "like theancient foolish people in the wilderness."

The celebration of the Nativity is a call to let go of the attachments we have to the pleasures of this world so we can gain a much greater joy. This seems so far removed from how we celebrate this event today. We are busy making our lists, making sure everyone knows the worldly item we most desire in hopes that we might receive it as a gift. We are busy sorting through ads to find the best deals on the many purchases we will make. We are decorating our surroundings with images of Santa, reindeer, snowmen and possibly a few angels, but mostly with worldly symbols. It seems we have forgotten what the day called Christmas is really about.
Saint Anthoy reminds us that this day opens for us a new path to eternal life.

Christ God taught us, brothers, to teach others not to seek for rights,but to renounce them, not to demand equality with the gentry, but self-abasement, not tofight, but to give way, not to commit crimes, but to bear offences. This is how themanifest Sun of Righteousness "hath given us light and understanding" (1 Jn. 5:20), hasopened for us the path to eternal and blessed life; this is what all righteousness inhuman society is based on.

How are we to celebrate? Rejoice in His glory and the gift we have received to join with God for eternal life in His kingdom. Let us give thanks and glorify God.
Saint Anthony concludes,

Then let us, brothers, glorify the Lord Who has appeared,rejoice! in His Nativity! Nothing will take this joy away from us, -- neither poverty, noroffences, nor labour day and night: He has blessed all this, and magnified it, andsanctified it with Himself in the town of Bethlehem. Let is draw instruction from here, andto Him, Who has loved us, glory and honour, power and worship, with the Father andthe Spirit for ever. Amen.

Reference: SERMON ON THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST by Blessed Metropolitan Anthony, 1906

What Are Our Doubts About the Nativity?

2011-12-21T06:00:00.016-05:00

The birth of Christ is not something that can be understood. It is a mystery how God could become man while remaining fully God. But this is what we are about to celebrate. No decorations, no social gatherings, no gifts can help us appreciate the significance of this event in history. We can ponder the question of how could Mary remain a virgin and give birth, but this is only a small part of this glorious event. Surely if God can create the universe, He can become man taking on flesh through a virgin. How all of this leads us to great wonder and awe regarding the nature of our God, our Lord, our Savior, our Creator!

St. Gregory the Wonderworker says the following:

Neither with words would I attempt to speak of this, nor in thought would I dare to approach it, since the Divine Nature is not subject toobservation, nor approachable by thought, nor containable by the hapless reasoning.Needful only is to believe in the power of His works. The laws of corporeal nature are evident: a married woman conceives and gives birth to a son in accord with the purpose of marriage; but when the Unwedded Virgin gives birth to the son miraculously, and afterbirth remains a Virgin, — then is manifest and higher corporeal nature. We can comprehend what exists according to the laws of corporeal nature, but afront that which is beyond the laws of nature, we fall silent, not through fear, but more so through sin-wrought fallibility. We must needs fall silent, in silent stillness to reverence virtue with aworthy reverence and, not going beyond the far limits (of word), to be vouchsafed the heavenly gifts.

He reminds us that the only thing needful is "to believe in the power of His works." With faith all is possible and understood. Let us hold this wonder in Fath as we approach Christmas day.

St. Gregory says,

The new wonders do strike me with awe. The Ancient of Days is become a Child, to make people children of God. Sitting in glory in the Heavens, because of His love for mankind, He now lays in a manger of dumb beasts.

His way of coming is so significant. To be born in a stinky stable, taking as a crib the feeding trough for animals, shows the incredible humbleness and tenderness He chooses to come to our aid. We would never choose such a place for one of our children to be born. How different is He that comes to us as God Incarnate!

St. Gregory continues,

Moreover, He that is become the God-Man is born, not as ordinarily man is born — He is born as God made Man, manifest of this by His Own Divine power, since if He were born according to the general laws of nature, the Word would seem something imperfect. Therefore, He was born of the Virgin and shone forth; therefore, having been born, He preserved unharmed the virginal womb, so that the hitherto unheard of manner of the Nativity should be for us a sign of great mystery.

How often do we try to hold God to the laws of nature, the laws He Himself did create! Why do we hear all the debates about how Mary could possibly remain a virgin? Let us let go of our limited rational thoughts and embrace the true nature of this miracle that occurred over 2000 years ago. Let us freely rejoice with faith at this event. Our hesitation in our belief is shown to be normal as seen by the reaction of Joseph who was not the father of Jesus.

Saint Gregory says,

Joseph did not dare to speak in opposition, and the righteous man did not wish to reprove the Holy Virgin; he did not want to believe any suspicion of sin nor pronounce against the Holy Virgin words of slander; but the Son to be born he did not wish to acknowledge as his, since he knew, that He — was not of him. And although he was perplexed and had doubts, Who such an Infant should be, and pondered it over — he then had an heavenly vision, an Angel appeared to him andencouraged him with the words:
“Fear not, Joseph, son of David; He That shall be born of Mary is called Holy and the Son of God; that is: the Holy Spirit shalt come upon the Immaculate Virgin, and the power of the Most High will overshadow Her” (Mt 1:20-21; Lk 1:35).

He says, he had doubts, but God sent an angel to comfort him showing the true faith he had to fight off his doubts. Let us pray to also receive strength to overcome all doubts we too may have and in the process strengthen our faith. God became man so we could visibly relate to Him and then join with Him to become like Him. In this way we enter into His Kingdom with eternal life

Since mankind abandoned God, in place of Him worshiping graven images of humans, God the Word thus assumed the image of man, so that in banishing error and restoring truth, He should consign to oblivion the worshiping of idols and for Himself to be accorded Divine honor, since to Him becometh all glory and honor unto ages of ages. Amen!

Glory be to God in the highest!

Reference: Discourse on the Nativity of Christ by St. Gregory the Wonderworker

Saint Gregory and the Incarnation

2011-12-19T12:50:00.006-05:00

Why did God, "the Word of God Himself, Who is before all worlds, the Invisable, the Incomprehensible, the Bodiless, Beginning of Beginning, Light of Light, the Source of Life and Immortality, the Image of Archetypal Beauty, the unmovable Seal, the unchangeable Image, the Father's Definition and Word," become man? Why did He take on our human flesh, our human will, all aspects of our humanness except for sin?

Saint Gregory the Theologian says,

He partakes of my flesh that He may both save the image and make the flesh immortal... The Good Shepherd, He who lays down His life for His sheep, came to seek that which had strayed...He humbles Himself, that He may raise up with Himself the soul that was tottering to a fall under a weight of sin....[for] my perfection and return to the first condition of Adam.

Often we only think of baby Jesus, a precious child of Mary and Joseph who are normally shown standing over the manger like two young adoring parents. We forget that this was not a normal birth. We forget that the seed in conception came from the Holy Spirit and the birth was a virgin birth. We forget that Joseph was not the father. We forget that He was much older than Mary and was chosen as the protecter of Mary so she could live her life as a virgin. We forget that this child is God, the Creator of the universe. We forget why we celebrate this event as it gets hurried with all the worldly activities that have become associated with this time of year. The gift giving and receiving, the many parties, the decorations, the children stories about snowmen and reindeer all seem to dominate this event. And of course there is Santa Claus which has become the main event, overshadowing even worship in Church on Chrstmas day. The idea that God actually became man while remaining fully God is easily lost in all the activities.

Saint Gregory writes,

Adore the birth by which you were loosed from the chains of your birth (Luke 2:1-5), and honor little Bethlehem, which has led you back to Paradise.... With shepherds glorify Him; with angels join in chorus;with archangels sing hymns. Let this Festival be common to the powers upon earth.

Reference: On the Manisfestation of God in the Birth of the Christ, Oration 38 of Saint Gregory the Theologian

Saint Leo the Great - Insight in the Nature of Joy in the Nativity

2011-12-16T13:07:00.002-05:00

Why does the new life of Jesus, born of a woman, bring such joy? Why do the angels sing, the wiseman come from afar, and the shepherds glorify Him?

Saint Leo the Great says the following:

Our Saviour, dearly-beloved, was born today (Christmas day): let us be glad. For there is no proper place for sadness, when we keep the birthday of the Life, which destroys the fear of mortality and brings to us the joy of promised eternity. No one is kept from sharing in this happiness. There is for all one common measure of joy, because as our Lord, the destroyer of sin and death, finds none free from the charge, so He comes to free us all.

How do we miss this obvious fact in all the standard Protestant hymns we hear this time of year? Christ is born, God becomes man, so He can destroy the fear of death. The joy we should feel at this time is the joy that we are now promised eternal life with God in His kingdom. Jesus comes not as a baby, but as the destroyer of sin and death.

Saint Leo continues,

Let the saint exult in that he draws near to victory. Let the sinner be glad in that he is invited to being pardon. Let the gentile take courage in that he is called to life. For the Son of God in the fullness of time which the inscrutable depth of the Divine counsel has determined, has taken on him the nature of man, thereby to reconcile it to its Author: in order that the inventor of death, the devil, might be conquered. And in this conflict undertaken for us, the fight was fought on great and wondrous principles of fairness.

Why are we so joyful at this time of year? God came to defeat Satan and liberate us from the chains of death. What does this have to do with gift giving, with the parties, with the "Christmas Spirit." A warrior is born who is a peacemaker, bringing us all peace in our hearts from the gift he bestows on us. Without the fear of death we can now willingly sacrifice our own self-will out of selfless love to do God's will and show our love for others as well as God. We gain the ability to live His commandments through becoming a member of His body as we are joined with Him in Baptism and are nurtured regularly as we take His Body and Blood into our body through Holy Communion. It is the Incarnation that makes all this possible. Let's properly glorify Him in this great Feast of the Church.

Sain Leo says,

Christian, acknowledge your dignity, and becoming a partner in the Divine nature, refuse to return to the old baseness by degenerate conduct. Remember the Head and the Body of which you are a member. Remember that you were rescued from the power of darkness and brought out into God's light and kingdom. By the mystery of Baptism you were made the temple of the Holy Ghost: and do not subject yourself once more to the devil; because your purchase money is the blood of Christ, because He shall judge you in truth Who ransomed you in mercy, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit reigns forever and ever.

Reference: Sermons on the Feast of the Nativity of Christ by St Leo the Great, Sermon 21

Saint Gregory and the Incarnation

2011-12-15T14:58:00.001-05:00

Saint Gregory the Theologian says,

He partakes of my flesh that He may both save the image and make the flesh immortal... The Good Shepherd, He who lays down His life for His sheep, came to seek that which had strayed...He humbles Himself, that He may raise up with Himself the soul that was tottering to a fall under a weight of sin....[for] my perfection and return to the first condition of Adam.

Often we only think of baby Jesus, a precious child of Mary and Joseph who are normally show standing over the manger like two young adoring parents. We forget that this was not a normal birth. We forget that the seed in conception came from the Holy Spirit and the birth was from a virgin. We forget that Joseph was not the father. We forget that He was much older than Mary and was chosen as the protecter of Mary so she could live life as a virgin. We forget that this child is God, the Creator of the universe. We forget why we celebrate this event as it gets hurried with all the worldly activities that have become associated with this time of year. The gift giving and receiving, the many parties, the decorations, the children stories about snowmen and reindeer all seem to dominate this event. The idea that God actually became man while remaining fully God is lost in all the activities.

Saint Gregory writes,

Adore the birth by which you were loosed from the chains of your birth (Luke 2:1-5), and honor little Bethlehem, which has led you back to Paradise.... With shepherds glorify Him; with angels join in chorus;with archangels sing hymns. Let this Festival be common to the powers upon earth.

Reference: On the Manisfestation of God in the Birth of the Christ, Oration 38 of Saint Gregory the Theologian

Celebrating the Incarnation

2011-12-15T09:57:00.001-05:00

I am struck by how so many, including myself, have trivialized the event that has received such popular celebration. Businesses and schools are shutdown, many for a week, gift giving in excess is the norm. Parties are given, often with elaborate decorations and free flowing drinks. Many even string lights outlining the whole house. Streets in many towns are decorated. But why are we all going to all this trouble? Is this the way we are called to celebrate God? Is this how we worship?

Saint Gregory the Theologian writes,
Christ is born, glorify Him! Christ from heaven, go out to meet Him! Sing to the Lord and the whole earth...rejoice with trembling and joy!
So how are we to glorify and meet Him?

Gregory says,
Let us keep the Feast, not after the manner of a heathen festival, but after a godly sort; not after the way of the world, but in a fashion above the world; not as our own but as belonging to Him who is ours, or rather as our Master's; not as of weakness, but as of healing; not as of creation, but of re-creation.
And how shall this be? Let us not decorate our porches, nor organize dances, nor adorn our streets. Let us not feast the eye, nor enchant the ear with music... Let us not toast with fragrant wines, the specialties of cooks,... Let us not strive to outdo each other in intemperance...
We, the object of whose adoration is the Word, if we must in some way have luxury, let us seek it in word, and in the divine Law, and in histories, especially those that are the origin of this feast, so that our luxury may be akin to and not far removed from Him Who has called us together.

If Gregory's words make you feel a bit guilty in the way you traditionally celebrate this most miraculous event of the Incarnation of God, so be it. It does me. Remind yourself of the teaching of the Church and how she calls for a fast in preparation. Be reminded that instead of waiting with anticipation for the arrival of Santa, the Church has an all night vigil in prayer climaxed with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy and receiving His very Body and Blood into our own bodies to be united with Him, just as he united Himself with us. Following this we have a period of celebration, celebrating God becoming man so we could become gods, become like Him, joining in union with Him for eternal life in His Kingdom.

Let's seek ways to celebrate this spiritual event that is not like the heathen feast of pagans, but as is due the God of infinite mercy who now lives in our hearts because of His Becoming man.

Reference: On The Manifestation of God in the birth of the Christ, oration 38 of St Gregory the Theologian

The Incarnation - Nativity Icon

2011-12-12T16:10:00.000-05:00

Orthodox Christians do not celebrate the birth of baby Jesus, we celebrate the Incarnation. What?, you say. What is the Incarnation? This is an important word as it means God becomes Man. This is what we celebrate. The birth of Jesus was that moment in history when God sent His only begotten Son to become like us, taking on human flesh for our healing. This miracle of miracles took place though the ascent of Mary whom we call the Theotokos, Birth-giver of God. God with His divine will became man, taking on a human will in human flesh so Man could unite his human will with God’s divine will. From the time of Adam and Eve, man was separated from God ,unable to follow God’s law. The Incarnation is the beginning of the transformation of mankind so we can be reunited with God.

Nativity Icon

To the right you can see the icon of the Nativity. Let’s look at each element of this icon to learn what it communicates to us.

The Star

In the top center you see a blueish light, which represents the star which guided people to witness the Incarnation. Was this a real star? Probably not. It was most likely a spiritual sign not seen by everyone. You can see that it points to the Christ Child who is lying in a manger.

The birth place

Christ was born in a cave, which is shown as a dark place. This was a reality as well as symbolic. Christ came to bring the light of knowledge to overcome the darkness of our ignorance. The star symbolizes this as well. It brings bright light to the dark cave, showing us the way to Christ. It is a light pointing us to the Truth. In the area where Christ was born, it was common to have a stable in caves carved in the hills of that region.

But why did he choose a stable? Stables are where animals are kept and you can see the animals looking at the Christ child in the icon. Where animals are it is also smelly and not the normal place anyone would choose to bear a child. This shows us the great humility of Christ. He could have chosen to be born in a palace if he wanted to, but he chose the most humble of places, a stable. This is a message for us, to be humble like Him.

Christ’s clothing

What kind of clothes is Christ wearing? He is wrapped in linen. This is how a person was wrapped in those day for burial after his death. This is showing us that He is destined to the same fate after His Crucifixion where He was able to claim victory over death in His Resurrection.

Mary, The Theotokos.

She is shown in the center of the icon to show her importance in this event. She was the instrument of God to bring about His incarnation. She gave her ascent to bear the Son of God. Surely an awesome responsibility. She is looking away to show her humility and wonder at this wondrous event.

Joseph and the devil

In the lower left corner of the icon you will see two men. An old man and one with a cane. The old man with the halo is Joseph. He was old because he was appointed as a mature man to protect Mary so she could remain a virgin. Some say he was 70 - 80 years old. Since he was not the father of the baby, he is being tempted by the man with the cane who is Satan. He is trying to raise Joseph’s doubts about the possibility of a virgin birth. This shows how difficult it is for all of us to accept things that are beyond our reason.

Angles

Near the top you can see angles. Angels are from heaven and they glorify God. You see them here to glorify the Christ Child and herald the good news to all the world, because it is not just a child that has been born, but God himself who has become man.

Shepherds

On the upper right you can see two shepherds with their sheep below. An angel is telling them about this miraculous birth calling them to come and glorify Him. Why shepherds? Would you go to college to become a shepherd? Of course not. Shepherds are among the simplest of people. This indicates that God did not become Man for those who are privileged, but for the simplest of people. He calls all to follow Him so all people can be united with God in eternal life.

One shepherd is playing a reed flute, which shows that human music is also appropriate for the glorification of God.

The wise men or Magi

To the left you will find three men on horses. These were men who came all the way from Persia following the star. They were probably astronomers, scientists of their day. They saw the star which was a symbol for them of a great cosmic event. They followed it to find the Incarnation of God. Knowing how important this was they brought gifts of the highest value in appreciation of what God had done. They came some time after the birth, so you can see that in an icon we can have many events that happen even at different times being shown to tell the complete story.

Midwives

In the lower right we have the women who are preparing the font for the cleansing of the baby after it was born. This shows the humanity of Jesus. This too is symbolic of the baptism we are to undergo, to be united with Christ, cleansing us of our sins and receiving a transformation in our heart with the Holy Spirit, which is sealed with our Chrismation.

Biblical Story

The story of the Nativity of Christ is beautifully told in the Holy Scriptures. The story is found in Matthew 1:18-25 and in Luke 2:1-20.

Apolytikion: (Fourth Tone)

Your birth, O Christ our God, dawned the light of knowledge upon the earth. For by Your birth those who adored stars, were taught by a star, to worship You, the Sun of Justice and to know You, Orient from on High. O Lord, glory to You.

Kontakion: (Third Tone)

Today, the Virgin bears Him who is transcendent, and the earth presents the cave to Him who is beyond reach. Angels, along with shepherds glorify Him. The Magi make their way to Him by a star. For a new child has been born for us, the God before all ages.

The Work of Patience and Humility

2011-12-02T06:00:00.001-05:00

Often, when we are overtaken with boredom regarding our spiritual practices, we will also find we are easily overtaken with despair when confronted with events that do not go as we desire. This is an indication of our spiritual immaturity. We need both patience and humility because they are important works in our spiritual life.

Saint Seraphim says,

A lofty and sound soul does not despair over misfortunes, of whatever sort they may be. Our life is as it were a house of temptations and trials; but we will not renounce the Lord for as long as He allows the tester to remain with us and for as long as we must wait to be revived through patience and secure passionlessness!

All the trials of this life are opportunities for our spiritual growth. Even the most difficult situation provides a chance to demonstrate our love and gratitude for all God's works. This is how we learn to practice patience.

Saint Seraphim tells us,

One should always endure any trial for the sake of God with gratitude. Our life is a single minute in comparison with eternity.

Saint Paul says,

The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Rom 8:18).

Saint James says,

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." (James 1:2-4 NKJV)

Humility goes with patience. It is about our willingness to accept whatever comes our way, instead of holding on to the notion that the life of this world should operate by our own ideas or standards. When we are demeaned by others challenging our personal honor we should make an effort to forgive them. We should consider that we are unworthy of this honor we think we possess. It is our work to learn to humble ourselves always.

Saint Seraphim says,

Let us love humility and we shall see the glory of God; for where humility issues forth, there the glory off God abounds.

Reference: Little Russian Philokalia, Vol 1, pp 34 - 37

The Work of Overcoming Boredom

2011-12-01T06:00:00.001-05:00

One of the most difficult types of spiritual work that we must do is to resist boredom in our spiritual practices. Once we make the commitment to know God and are following a rule we have established with our spiritual father's approval, we need great strength to stick with it. When it comes time for prayer we will find ourselves battling with forces to keep us away from it. We will be too tired, or too busy with work or other leisure activities. We easily rationalize by giving priority to all other things, even watching a mind numbing TV show.

Once in prayer the forces of boredom do not stop, they increase. If we are still praying in the mind, our mind will tire or become bored with the prayer and begin to entertain all other kinds of thoughts. It will act like a butterfly shifting from thought to thought while the words of our prayer are gong on in the background of our mind. This is no longer prayer.

Boredom also applies to those times when we are supposed to go to Liturgy. We find ourselves making excuses to stay away. "Its my only day off and I need some rest." Frequently, we hear the excuse that the liturgy is always the same. Or another is "I can pray anywhere even here in my own bed." These excuses are an indication of a severe case of boredom.

When our spiritual life is overtaken by boredom, we will find we prefer to doing almost anything to praying, going to Liturgy, fasting or reading Scripture. Instead we will seek to fill our time with idle conversation, entertainment with TV, Internet, electronic games and so forth.

The problem is that we have not properly organized our personal life to include a balance of activities that include work, family, play and spiritual practice. If we do not have an ordered life, we will find we will be easily attacked by boredom.

What is the solution? Making a commitment to avoid the distracting activities. A firm rule combined with patience is needed. It is a struggle as we are engaged in signal warfare. We have to be prepared for a battle and put our total effort to win this battle. Otherwise, the negative forces of the world will defeat you, and your desire to be united with God will remain only a remote possibility.

The Work of Prayer

2011-11-30T06:00:00.001-05:00

Daily prayer is the foundation of a spiritual life in Christ. We pray in the morning and the evening and throughout the day, with an aim for our entire life to be one of prayer. Saint Seraphim places the emphasis on saying the Jesus Prayer.

Saint Seraphim says,

Those who have truly decided to serve the Lord God should practice the remembrance of God and uninterrupted prayer to Jesus Christ, mentally saying: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner... By such exercises in preserving oneself from dispersion and keeping peace of conscience one may draw near to God and be united to Him.

The daily practice of the Jesus Prayer involves numerous disciplined repetitions of this short but all powerful prayer. As we practice it, our mind is reshaped, our thoughts are tamed, our soul's orientation is pointed towards God, and prayer is always on our lips.

Saint John Chrysostom says,

"Prayer is a great weapon, a rich treasure, a wealth that is never exhausted, an undisturbed refuge, a cause of tranquility, the root of a multitude of blessings and their source and mother"

In prayer we lift ourselves above our thoughts. It is our thoughts that destroy prayer. The main struggle in prayer is not to allow our thoughts to take away our prayer.

Saint Seraphim says,

One must always strive to give oneself up to dispersion of thoughts: for through this the soul turns away from remembrance of God and love of Him...

This is how we get the benefit from prayer, by controlling our thoughts. And it is by regular prayer where we learn to concentrate on God that we learn to control our thoughts.

Saint Seraphim says,

When the mind and the heart are united in prayer and the soul's thoughts are not dispersed, the heart is warmed by spiritual warmth in which the light of Christ shines, making the whole inner man peaceful.

This is our aim, to be united with God.

More on the practice of the Jesus Prayer

Reference: Little Russian Philokalia, Vol 1, p 30

The Work of Controlling our Talking

2011-11-29T06:00:00.001-05:00

To know God directly requires an interior balance and harmony. We must consider ourselves to be pilgrims yearning for a personal relationship with God. We need to maximize our communications with things of spiritual nature and minimize our communications about mundane worldly matters. Saint Seraphim warns us that the fire Christ came to light within us can easily be extinguished. He says the most common thing that cools this fire is unbridled conversation. These spiritual conversations lead us to great growth in knowledge of God.

Saint Seraphim says,

For the guarding of the inner man, one must strive to restrain the tongue from loquacious: "A man of understanding holds his peace (Prov 11:12), and "he that keeps his mouth keeps his life" (Prov 13:3).

Examine your conversations and determine if they involve the kind of discussion that will lead you closer to God. Those which have no spiritual value you should try to minimize as they can be a distraction. This means especially discussions that involve subjects or language you know would not be approved by Christ Himself. Think of Christ in dialogue with His disciples, His discussions on the steps of the Temple. These are the kind we should seek and all others we should minimize.

It is of upmost importance to not discuss our own spiritual life with no one other than our spiritual father.

As Saint Seraphim says,

Strive with envy means to keep to yourself the treasure of your spiritual gifts. Otherwise you will lose it, and not find it again...

Always act and speak glorifying God.

Reference: Little Russian Philokalia, Vol 1, p 28 - 29

Our Work Begins with Reverence and Fear of God.

2011-11-28T06:00:00.001-05:00

Saint Seraphim directs us to the following Psalm,

Upon his mind there must always be engraved these words of the prophet: "Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling" (Ps 2:11)

All our actions must be done with this in mind. It is only in this way that our works will aid us in our aim to be united with Him. Saint Seraphim points out that without such an attitude, instead of being blessed, we will be cursed. "Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord negligently" (Jer. 48:10).

Our work is great and difficult. We need to always cooperate with God's grace.

Saint Seraphim says,

Reverent carefulness is necessary here because this sea--that is, the heart, with it's thoughts and desires, which one must cleanse by means of mindfulness-- is great and vast, "and there are numberless reptiles there" (Ps 103:27), that is, numerous vain, unjust, and impure thoughts generated by evil spirits.

Much more than faith is necessary. In cooperation with divine grace, we have to do the work necessary to tame the impulses of our biological being, so that all our actions can be directed according to God's will and not be based on our own desires and fears because of our mortality and susceptibility to sickness and suffering.

Reference: Little Russian Philikolia, p 27

Faith and Works - A Synergy Not Conflict

2011-11-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

For many Christians, there is a battle between faith and works. Some proclaim that our salvation comes through faith alone. They are concerned that one might think they could get to heaven by their own efforts, I guess, without faith. For Orthodox Christians there is no battle between faith and works. We know that both faith and works are necessary. We call it synergic cooperation with God. But, the starting point is always an act of believing in God.

Saint Seraphim tells us the following:

Before anything else, one must believe in God, "that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him (Heb 11:6).

One who is a doubter is like a man lost at sea without a life raft. He is incapable of doing works that will lead him to God.

Saint James says,

"...he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:6-8 NKJV)

Faith is the necessary first step on a journey to be united with God and know Him through direct experience. Without faith we could not undertake the necessary preparation. We would not know where to begin. Such preparation for many is seen as works without God, trying to earn our way to heaven. This is a concern without basis. To seek to know God, we begin with faith, believing that it is God who sent His Son for our transformation to be united with Him and that it is His teachings that we must follow. With this belief we will undertake meaningful works that with patience leads us to an intimate knowledge of Him.

Faith of necessity involves works. It is James who tells us, "Faith without works is dead" (James2:26). He points out that the necessary works involved are love, peace, long-suffering, mercy, humility, rest from all works, bearing of the Cross, and life in the Spirit.

Saint Seraphim says,

True faith cannot be without works; one who truly believes will unfailingly have works as well.

Our journey with Christ is one of cooperation where we submit our will to His will to do His work. To realize this we have many works to do in preparation to receive His grace which transforms and unites us with Him. With faith we desire to under take many works to perfect ourselves in His grace.

Reference: Little Russian Philokalia, Vol 1 , p 25.

Receiving the Light of Christ

2011-11-22T06:00:00.001-05:00

Our aim is to know God in a direct way, not intellectually or through reason. This is often referred to as receiving the light of Christ. When we receive this light we experience a sense of joy. When it is a light sent by the devil we feel a bit of agitation or obscureness.

Saint Seraphim says,

The Christian heart, when it has received something divine, does not demand anything else in order to convince it that this is precisely from the Lord...

Saint Seraphim also gives many pointers about how to prepare to receive this gift of light.

He says,

To receive and behold in the heart the light of Christ, one must, as far as possible, divert one's attention away from the visible objects. Having purified the soul beforehand by repentance and good deeds, and with faith in the Crucified, having closed the bodily eyes, immerse the mind within the heart, in which place cry out with the invocation of the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; and then, to the measure of one's zeal and warmth of spirit toward the Beloved, a man finds in the invoked name a delight which awakens the desire to seek higher illumination.

What is important to remember that this gift comes after we have purified our heart and soul of its attachment to the passions of the body and one is committed to a life of ongoing repentance and good deeds, including participation in the sacraments of the Church.

Saint Seraphim goes on to describe this gift.

When a man beholds the eternal light interiorly, his mind is pure and has no sensory representations, but, being totally immersed in contemplation of uncreated goodness, he forgets everything sensory and wishes not even to see himself; he desires rather to hide himself in the heart of the earth if only he not be deprived of this true good--God.

This is the gift that is available to all who are willing to cooperate with God and undertake the necessary preparation.

Reference: Little Russian Philokalia, Vol 1, pp 46-47

Knowing God

2011-11-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

Saint Seraphim tells us that we must first know God before we can contemplate Him. It is this direct knowledge that is necessary if we are to truly love Him.
Saint Seraphim writes,

If you do not know God, it is impossible for love of Him to be awakened in you; and you cannot love God if you do not see Him. The vision of God comes from knowledge of Him; for contemplation of Him does not precede knowledge of Him.

How are we to gain this knowledge? This is the question we should all ask ourselves and have great anguish if we cannot experience God in this non intellectual way but through a direct experience of Him and His love.

Saint Seraphim tells us,

"A man becomes perfect in His sight to the extent that he follows in His footsteps; in the true age God will reveal His face to Him."

This knowledge we seek is one that is expressed in a way that "warms" our inner being.

Saint Seraphim expresses it as follows:

God is a fire that warms and kindles the heart and inward parts. And so, if we feel in our hearts coldness, which is of the devil--for the devil is cold--then let us call upon the Lord, and He will come and warm our hearts with perfect love not only for Him, but for our neighbors as well. And from the presence of warmth the coldness of the hater of good will be driven away.

Christ has given us the means through our participation it it's liturgies, sacraments and prescribed practices for all of us, no matter what our spiritual condition, to come to this direct knowledge of Him. This includes the beauty if His Church which uses all means to lift us to heavenly levels. The sacrament of Holy Communion is a direct encounter with Him that works through all parts of our body to transform our fallen nature into one of His likeness. Through Holy Confession we are aided in not just relieving us from our guilt but committing ourselves with His help to change our mind and way of life. We nurture our growth through our regular practice of fasting and daily prayer. This is the Orthodox ways of life and the path to Theosis where we gain a direct knowledge of Him.

Reference: Little Russian Philokalia, Volume 1, p 23

History of Doctrine Series - Theosis

2011-11-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

The 9th in the History of Doctrine Series discusses the importance of the doctrine of the two wills of Christ. I am highlighting this as this is the true significance of the Incarnation that Christ came to join His divine will with out human will so we could then join our human will with His divine will.
Here is the link to this session where you can also view the other sessions in this series.
I conduct these each Tuesday evening at the Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Greenville, SC.
http://www.stgeorgegreenville.org/OurFaith/HistoryofDoctrine/History_of_Christain_Doctrine/Our_Faith/Entries/2011/11/16_9._Byzantine_Theology.html

Modern Prophecies?

2011-11-17T16:00:00.000-05:00

A friend sent me this note concerned about prophecies that are being made by some monastics and asked that I comment on them. He wrote

I'm sure you are aware of the "prophecies" that some Elders like to quote and opinionate around, such as the liberation of Constantinople, the re-takeover of the Greeks, the Russians helping the Greeks fight off the Turks in a 3 day war, the re-establishment of monarchy and the elevation the new king/emperor of the East.

I responded,

My only thought is that God is love. And if we focus on loving God as well as our neighbors we will stay on the right course. What good do any of the prophecies do anyway other than raise fear. Orthodoxy is not about fear but about joining with God in Love. Its not right to come to God out of any kind of fear other than awe. To seek union with Him demands our love.

Having said this we must have respect for the elders who live the life of prayer and experience union with God. They are given in many case special powers, some of which I have head of second hand and are well documented. We also must remember that their prophecies were given in a context for spiritual guidance to an individual and not meant for general publication. I think the insight that are give is to see the reality of the current conditions and relate them to the teachings of our Lord and then given affirmation of their views in prayer or visions from God in a way that is meant to nurture our spiritual growth.

We also know we cannot know the time of the end times and Scripture is very clear on this so anyone who gives a spefic timing to any prophecy is definitely to be discounted. But the warnings about the situations we find in society leading to the end times is probably an isight shared by many in monasteries. They do see the Church under tremendous attack from the devil. The best course in hearing thiese prophecies of modern times is to let them be a reminder that we can face death at any time and need to be ready for entering the next life with God. Nothing else matters. We know eventually what we know of this world will be destroyed and there will be a transformation and a new creation. If we have a direct relationship with God we can have hope that we will be with Him at this time and joyfully united with Him in His kingdom.

The benefit of most publicized prophecies is to promote the writings themselves. Be cautious is my advice. The political activities of this world are here only to assist us in our purpose to be united with God as one. Our primary concern should be about preparing for eternal life in the heavenly kingdom recognizing the temporary nature of our life in this earthly kingdom.

Death - A Beautiful Moment

2011-11-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

I just sat with my Mom as she took her last breath. It has made me think about how privileged I am to have been present at this moment. My mom was 94 years old and married for 72 years. She had an incurable disease which allowed her to die gradually and peacefully without pain. I witnessed her strong faith when six months ago she made the decision to accept Hospice care and to move to the nursing home where she died. Yes, she is at peace now and hopefully embraced by God in His Kingdom. But this moment is still a haunting one for me. Of course I miss her, but I wonder how I will face this same moment. Will I show the same faith?

She was a Methodist and in the process of making the arrangements for her I was troubled by their lack of tradition to care for her soul. She had made arrangements to cremated. I had to honor her wishes and sat at the funeral home with mixed feelings as my father and I arranged for this event prohibited in the Orthodox Church. The funeral home did have a policy of preparing the body for viewing prior to the cremation and emphasized the respect and care they had for the body once they received it which was a bit of comfort.

I then had to think about the services we would have for her. When I talked with the minister, he said "What would you like me to do? What prayers and hymns would you like? I was a bit taken aback by this as in the Orthodox faith there are specific services for these important moments. Whatever service we wanted to have was to be tailored to whatever I and my family wanted. When I inquired about the internment of the ashes, I was told that it was not necessary for anyone to be there. They would see that they were put in the memorial garden next to the Church. They could be mailed to the church so we wold not be troubled in any way. Again no special attention or tradition. This is such a contrast to Orthodoxy tradition where there is no question about what to do at such moments because there are beautiful prayers and services that have been repeated for centuries for such occasions.

I had earlier contacted the local Orthodox Priest to see if he would be willing to do a Trisagion service at the viewing we were planning to have for the immediate family. He said, "No, I cannot do this. She has her faith. They need to take care of this." As I was going through making all these arrangement with my father I felt separated from my church. Neither my church or her church seemed to have a way to respond based on any tradition for such a time. We had to make it up. I wondered why the Orthodox Church would not be willing to pray for the repose of my mom because she was a Methodist. It seemed to me our Orthodox prayers were needed in light of their lack of tradition. I had talked earlier with my mom about the hymns she liked and other memorial services she thought were well done. So I was able to put together a service for her memorial which was to take place three days after her death. She had a favorite singer she had heard at her church. My Dad called him the morning after she died and miracously he was just getting off the plane when he called and was open for the next days service. He has a wonderful smile and connects with his audience when he sings. It was comforting to hear and see him perform. The minister, a presbyterian serving in a methodist church, organized the event. It turned out to be a very nice memorial but still nothing like our Orthodox funeral service with attention to the soul, its need for forgiveness and prayers.

We had the viewing, the minister came and said a short prayer. We all said good bye to Mom and headed off to the memorial service which was held in a beautiful chapel that is part of the retirement community where they have lived for the last 20 years. I did not feel emotionally upset, but felt a deep sorrow, not just for the loss of my Mom, but that I felt abandoned by my church in this moment.
The last breath of life is a beautiful one, it is when we begin to make the transition from this world to God's kingdom. One thing is for sure, from now on, this moment is imprinted in my mind in a way I can never forget. I will never take for granted the beautiful services we have for this as well as other significant moments in our life. The value of tradition was made very clear to me.

Glory be to God for the Orthodox Faith.
Lord have mercy.

Nativity Fast

2011-11-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

Make ready, O Bethlehem: let the manger be prepared, let the cave show it's welcome. The truth has come, the shadow has passed away...

On November 15th we begin the forty day period where we proclaim the miracle of God becoming man. This is the time in the Orthodox Church where our attention is drawn to the great mystery of the Incarnation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We await his coming in anticipation of the great joy of His birth on Christmas Day. For our preparation the wisdom of our Church asks us to participate in a fast, with all the inconvenience and discomfort it may bring. If this is a season of such great joy, why is this the practice of Orthodox Christians around the world? Why are we asked to fast when we hear daily the hymn "Hark, the herald angels sing!" almost every pace we go?

By our fasting we are reminded that this is not simply the birth of a baby, but God being united with man. It is the moment when the unchangeable is joined with the changeable, eternal life with mortal life, He who holds the universe in His hand and who created all comes in the flesh for our salvation.

Thou who has adorned the vault of heaven with stars has been well pleased to be born as a babe; and Thou. Who holds all the ends of the earth in the hallow of Thy hand art laid in a manger of dumb beasts... (Sticheron of Third Hour, Eve of the Nativity)

This is an event that should make us tremble with awe and wonder, bring us to humility and desiring to offer thanksgiving. But are we not engulfed in the secular traditions of this holiday season with its focus on gifts and parties, where the significance of this great event is often less than an afterthought? Do we take time to think about why God was incarnated and became man? Do we reflect on the truth that it is through His becoming one with us that we can now become one with Him? Do we remember that before this event man was not able to overcome the fear of death, held in bondage to sin? The reality is that the Virgin birth of Jesus is the greatest miracle in the history of mankind. Now man can become like God and be united with Him in Paradise with eternal life. With a fast we are preparing for celebration of the beginning of the transformative journey He prepared for our salvation.

November 15 is the starting point for a spiritual journey to the day of this great joy. This journey is one one that requires our development of greater humility so we can fully appreciate what God have given to us. This is by nature an ascetic journey. Like our journey to be united with God, it is not one where we can make use of our social relationships or our material possessions. This is a journey where we must learn to surrender our souls to the will of God, relinquish our control over the journey to Him whose birth we are about to celebrate. This is the spirit we must embrace as we enter into this fast. It is a period of preparation just as the manger was prepared for Christ.

Make ready, O Bethlehem: let the manger be prepared, let the cave show it's welcome. The truth has come, the shadow has passed away; born of a Virgin, God has appeared to men, formed as we are and making godlike the garment He has put on. Therefore Adam is renewed with Eve, and they call out: 'Thy good pleasure has appeared on earth to save our kind.'

Christmas Day is about the great mystery of God's becoming like us, we who are bound to death, so He can transform us to become like Him, overcoming our mortality and becoming fully alive in Him. The Canon of Matins for the Nativity says, "He establishes a path for us, whereby we may mount up to heaven." This coming event is not just about God coming to us, but all of humanity being lifted up into He who is born on Christmas Day in the form of man, Christ the Incarnation of God.

This Nativity fast is to help us lift ourselves above all those things which bind us to our worldly life, freeing ourselves to be united in Him. As we fast we are reminded that we depend on Him for our food and have also are in need for spiritual food that is much more than our daily bread. We learn this by forgoing the extra sweets, the pleasurable drinks, the abundant foods so we will not be fully satisfied by the earthly pleasures but seek instead the treasures that are beyond this life and world. In this process of fasting we are lifting our thoughts to things that are of the heavenly realm that bring us true joy and unbounded pleasures. The fast is a time to break our attachments to those things which have power over us, learning to set them aside so we can be freely governed by God's will alone.

By engaging in this period of fasting where we can work towards our purification with the help of God's grace, we cooperate with God in our spiritual growth and the all important journey to become one with Him. after all, this is the aim of our Orthodox way of life. In this way we are able to approach Him on Christmas Day with joy, just as did the Magi and the shepherds of Bethlehem.

Cleansing our minds through fasting, let us offer through our lives virtues instead of myrrh, preparing with faith our entry into the feast of the Nativity, storing up treasure in our souls and crying: Glory in the highest to God in Trinity, whose good pleasure is not

revealed to men, that in His love for mankind He may set Adam free from the ancestral curse (death). Christmas Day is truly the day of our Salvation. This is the joy we should celebrate when this day comes.

The Nativity Fast is like the fast of Lent, but not quite as strict. Let us not rebel against such self-imposed constraints on our desires, but embrace this practice which Christ Himself practiced and called us to do likewise when He said, "When you fast, do not be like the hypocrites." Note he did not say IF you fast, but WHEN you fast. Why do we resist this important practice? It seems odd that we are willing to pay large sums of money to enter into special diet programs like Jenny Craig, while, when the Church asked us to engage inn such rates for our spiritual well being, we resist and even think it something impossible to do. Unfortunately fasting is not practiced in much of the Christian world the days. Our Protestant friends do not fast and evn the Catholics no longer give much importance to fasting. It is a Tradition given to us through Christ Himself and passed on to us by the Apostles that many have lost. But the Orthodox Church still teaches at his important practice. If you do choose to follow our Lord and do as He asks of us and enter into a fast in preparation of this most special day, you will be rewarded when that day comes.

There are two periods in the Nativity fast. The first is the period from November 15 to December 19. The second is from the 12th to Christmas eve. In the first period the practice as taught by the Greek Orthodox Church in the United States is to maintain a strict fast on Wednesday and Friday as normal and to abstain from meat and dairy on the other days with fish, wine and oil allowed. From the 20th of December on it is a strict fast with wine and oil allowed only on Saturday and Sunday. You can follow the fasting guidelines as shown on the calendar included in the bulletin or on the Church calendar provided to you each year.

Knowing God Through His Energies

2011-11-06T22:48:00.001-05:00

The Fathers teach that we know God through His energies. What are energies?

Christos Yannaras describes energies as,
"Those potentials of nature or essence to make known the hypostasis and it's existence, and to make it known and participable."

Let's think about this in terms of our relationship with another person. What is it that distinguishes one person from another? Isn't it their energies? It is through a direct encounter with another person where we experience their energies that we are able to know their unique otherness. It is in this way that we know them in truth. Any abstract knowledge that comes from what they have written or what others have written about them is only indirect knowledge. By examining their work, their art, or anything they have made we only have limited knowledge of them. To know their otherness we must share in their energies involved in a personal and face to face relationship. When we meet them, hear them speak, see their look, experience how they act we can say we know them directly by participating in their energies. Otherwise, we can only say we know them indirectly.

This is also true with God. It is through His energies that we know Him as distinct from His creation. Through the reading of Scripture or our study of His creation we can only know Him indirectly. To know him in truth, like an encounter with another person, we must participate in His energies. This requires a relationship where we share in His uncreated divine energies. This is in a direct relationship with God, just like Peter, Paul and the other Apostles, the saints and elders who know His uncreated divine light experienced, that we too can know Him.

To know God directly is to "become partakers of his divine energies." (2Peter 1:4) This needs to be our aim in life. Our salvation demands much more than a declaration of faith or a knowledge of Scripture and more than theorizing or knowledge of any abstract dogma about reality. These only give us indirect knowledge of God. Our salvation requires a transformation that comes from the sharing, participating in, a direct encounter with the uncreated energies of God, becoming one with His energies. This is what we call Theosis. This is how we know God in truth through knowing His energies.

Reference: Elements of Faith, Christos Yannaras, pp 37 -46

Fire of Your Love

2011-11-04T06:00:00.000-04:00

I found this quote sent to me to be most inspiring.

"When you become aware of the increasing fire of your love for God and inner faith in him then you should realise that you are bringing Christ to birth within your soul. It is he who is lifting your soul high above its earthly and visible limitations and preparing a dwelling place for it in the heavens. When you experience your heart filled with joy, and consumed with yearning for God’s ineffable blessings, then know that the divine Spirit is working within you. When you feel your intellect filled with ineffable light and spiritual understandings of transcendent wisdom, then recognise that the Paraclete is actively present in your soul, uncovering the treasures of the Kingdom of Heaven that lie hidden within it.”

~St. Nicetas Stethatos of Studium

Is Faith Instilled Through Education?

2011-11-03T15:03:00.000-04:00

Where does faith come from? Saint Theophan the Recluse tells us

"Faith in the existence of God and His almightyness is an inherent property of the spirit which is found in each person as soon as his aptitudes are developed."

Education only develops faith and gives it a form so it can be continually nurtured through worldly activities. This is quite different than the faith we gain in society. Society instills faith in its norms through education. All norms of society come from the human mind and are made firm though laws and accepted practices of a given society. All this needs to be learned because they are not naturally inherent in ones being. They are external and the mind needs to be conditioned to learn these norms that lead to faiths like patriotism, political freedom and democracy.

Faith in God is a bit different than any faith we have in society. We are made in God's image. We do not have to learn from any form of education the nature of this image. It is in our make-up. To know God requires a different kind of knowing than we use to know the ways of society. Faith in God cannot be learned by study. It can only be gained though an inner opening of our heart to the reality that exists there.

There are many ways we can come to a knowledge of God which lead us to faith. We can find God through our experiences with His creation, especially if we spend time in wilderness areas where man has had no influence. There, all we see is the work of God and we experience its incredible beauty which opens our heart to what is within. God can send us a vision like He did to Saint Paul on his journey to Damascus. Such visions of the uncreated light and voice of God are immediately transforming but rare. We can read the Gospel which then turns on a light in our heart and we find it explains what we feel deep inside. It opens our heart to what is already there. We can be moved by a spiritual guide or friend who gives us an insight that unlocks these inner secrets. Faith will come not by formal education but but through insight, an experience that lets us know the reality of what we have already inside us.

What does this say about Christian education? Can we learn faith at school by forced prayer or forced Bible study? Can we gain faith though new laws? What is the value of Sunday school where we try to force feed our children information about how we speak and practice our faith? Are these efforts all in vain?

No, not entirely, as these attempts at education may for some awaken what they already have within. But for others. these activities can instill a rationalization that will lead to a rejection of God if it is based on the assumption that you can explain God and faith through rational discourse. Sound Christian education has to be that which inspires one to seek what is within. It needs to place an emphasis on what cannot be explained our understood by our rational mind. It has to encourage one to live in the mystery and to seek what is beyond the knowledge of society.

This is the basis of prayer and the Orthodox worship service. Properly guided the attendance in the Divine Liturgy should be more important and a few minutes in a Sunday school class room. The class room can only help us explain and share what we have gained from our inner experience. It gives us a language to share what is not really sharable.

In concluding, here is a thought from Saint Theophan,

If everyone has faith, it follows that the norm of the human life undeniably includes faith. consequently, he who does not have faith departs from this norm, and is a moral freak. All nonbelievers are of this order.

Reference: The Spiritual LIfe, pp 301-303

My Struggle in Prayer

2011-10-10T11:44:00.000-04:00

Effective prayer can be a struggle. So often when I approach my prayer time I find my mind distracted so that I simply go though a routine without any feelings. Usually, I memorize many of the prayers I say daily in addition to my intercessory prayers. Memorization etches the prayer in my mind making it available to me at any time.

What happens frequently, though, is that my mind takes control and begins to pray automatically This is not a good sign. Why? Because our prayers need to come from the heart with feeling and an awareness that we are engaged in a dialogue with God. We need to have the awe of His presence as we pray. An automatic prayer is not really a prayer. A prayer must come from the heart with feeling and understanding. I find I must continually remind myself of this. Too often I fall into the trap of just putting in my time to fulfill my prayer rule. It is not about the time we spend in prayer, but the sincerity with which we pray that is of the most importance.

Saint Theophan says,

When you are at prayer, recite your prayer or psalm from memory, and embrace each word, not just with thought, but with feeling. If during this your own prayerful cries arise from some word of the psalm or prayer, do not cut them off, but let them come.

We are taught to have a prayer rule and to stick with each day. We are told to memorize our routine prayers. But the danger is that our prayer time becomes too routine and we do not "embrace each word, not just with thought but with feeling." We can easily fly through our prayer rule, like we are on automatic pilot, and never allow for those precious moments of spontaneous prayer where our heart is fully open realizing God's mercy and help.

We do not need to have a complex set of prayers for effective prayer. We can have an effective prayer time with only one simple prayer such as the Jesus Prayer or the Lord's Prayer. But, we must be attentive to each word as we repeat the prayer over and over for our allotted prayer time. The words must drop into our heart and penetrate it deeply with feeling. With such attention, our hearts are opened and God's grace reaches out to embrace us with His mercy.

Saint Theophan says,

Labor, for nothing will come from you otherwise. If you are not successful in prayer, do not expect success in anything else. It is the root off everything.

Reference: The Spiritual Life, pp 289-290

What Does It Mean To Be Spiritual?

2011-10-06T11:30:00.002-04:00

A basic condition for the spiritual life is that we should understand that, on our own, we can do absolutely nothing. No matter how hard we try, the spiritual life is something that someone else gives to us. And the “someone else” is the Spirit of God, the Comforter, the “treasury of good things and the giver of life”, the treasury from which all the riches of spirituality come forth, the source from which the spiritual life emerges and overflows.

Of course, sometimes we get confused, and think that to be spiritual means to be a “good person”: not to steal, not to kill, not to go to bad places or with bad friends, to go to Church on Sunday, to read spiritual books, and so on. But no, this is not the spiritual life.

A spiritual person, a true Christian, is someone whose entire life is sworn to God. Initially by means of his baptism, and later, in his heart, such a person swears an oath to God, to live for God, and to remain with God forever.

A spiritual person is an athlete who has burst into life, who stands out from the crowds of human beings, and runs with all the speed of his soul to heaven.

A spiritual person is one who with shining eyes and chest thrust forward, has set his course and races to heaven. He is not a “good man”.

A spiritual person knows that, in order to succeed, he needs strong wings: the wings of the Holy Spirit.

A spiritual person must therefore do everything possible to attract, to win over, the Spirit of God, because only the Holy Spirit, God himself, has the gifts of the spiritual life.

According to St Gregory of Nyssa, the “distribution of the royal gifts” of the Holy Spirit takes place in the Church through the Sacraments.

Archimandrite Aimilianos of Simonopetra

Source

Aids in Practice of Jesus Prayer - Fr. Nikodim (1)

2011-10-03T12:37:00.000-04:00

In the recent issue of The Orthodox Word there is an excellent article on the Jesus Prayer that is filled with practical advice. It is "A Conversation with Elder Nikodim on the Jesus Prayer" by Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany. In this article I found 20 useful pieces of advice that surely can help those who practice the Jesus Prayer. I will in a series of posts share them.

Elder Nikodim was a Russian monk on Mount Athos in the Kellia of Karoulia. He was a student of the Philokalia which he read regularly. In his early life he was a noncommissioned officer in the Tsar's Army during World War I. When the Tsar was overthrown, inspired by The Way of a Pilgrim, he decided to leave the army and take up a life serving, not an earthly king, but a heavenly king. He went to Mount Athos and lived in the St. Panteleimon Monastery, as well as in its skeets, Chromitsa and New Thebaid. He took on Fr. Theodosius as his spiritual father who was known to be very strict. He taught him the essential virtue of humility. "Obedience and humility are the essential preparatory conditions for the work of mental prayer" he copied from the work of Saint Theophan the Recluse. This he learned does not come from the outward order of monastic life but from one's inner state. He asked his spiritual father how he should engage in mental prayer after he died and he replied, "engage in mental prayer in a repentant spirit, and don't seek sweet feelings of the heart or visions of th emend....Well, now by your obedience you deserve outward stillness; for inward stillness, take care to acquire zealous repentance."

Fr. Nikodim was known as a good ascetic who was kind, merciful, always helped the poor and showed hospitality to everyone. He conducted extensive correspondence with various Russian people out side of Russia and instructed them in prayer.

During World War II he was joined by Hiershemamonk Seraphim and they would keep vigil all night. One would take the first half of the night and the other the other half. They were strict in their fasting.

In the late 50's he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to venerate the holy places there.

He had a stoke which kept him from writing. He died on February 15, 1984.

The article that contains his advice was written by Archbishop Mark who was a convert to Orthodoxy, tonsured into monasticism in 1975 and made several visits to Mount Athos where he became acquainted with Elder Nikodim. The interview he recorded was made in 1982 which was near the end of Fr. Nikodim's life.

Here are the beginning instructions as taught to Elder Nikodim by His spiritual Father Fr. Theodosius

1. Do you pull the rope quickly?

They would say the Jesus Prayer in stead of reading the daily services. Elder Theodosius instructed him on the use of the prayer rope. He said, "No, not quickly. With the breath. So that it fits with one's inhalations and exhalations––"Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me."

2. You do the prayer sitting down?

Elder Theodosius responded, "Sitting down.... At the beginning we stand when we say, "O Heavenly King Comforter..."Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal..., Have mercy on me, O God [Psalm 50]...". and the Creed. Then you sit down––or pray with bows.

References: Article on Fr Nikodim's life, More on Jesus Prayer

Tricking our Brain for Happiness?

2011-09-30T20:25:00.000-04:00

I received an article from a friend by neuropsychologist Rick Hanson titled "How to Trick Your Brain for Happiness." I initially discarded it thinking it was another feel-good article promoting positive affirmation as seen on so many TV talk shows. But then I began to think about the nature of the Orthodox Way of Life and how it truly brings one happiness. Not in the sense of everything being good in life, for after all, life eventually ends with death no matter what we do to avoid it. But in the sense that it brings us to a relationship with God with the knowledge that there is eternal life where the cares of this world no longer exist. The hope of this truth is true happiness. Once this truth becomes a reality for us then we will experience well-being no matter what circumstances we face.

The article points some important things about the brain, which is part of our physical makeup and will be destroyed when we die, and its relationship with our mind which is part of our soul which will live eternally.

He points our three facts about the brain
1. As the brain changes, the mind changes, for better or worse.
2. As the mind changes, the brain changes
3. You can use the mind to change the brain to change the mind for the better.

Now in spiritual terms this means that we can use our soul guided by the Holy Spirit which connects us to God to change the brain. We can modify it so that it is not focused only of the trials and tribulations of this world leading us to feelings of depression, anger and so forth, all which are indication of a soul separated from God.

Dr. Hanson says, that "when people consciously practice gratitude, they are likely getting higher flows of reward-related neurotransmitters, like dopamine. Research suggests that when people practice gratitude, they experience a general alerting and brightening of the mind, and that is probably correlated with more of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine." What this says is that our conscious efforts to put into practice God's commandments can have a positive effect on our our brain works in everyday life. This is the basis of the ancient ascetic practices in Christianity. We are taught to pray regularly, to fast, to participate in the sacraments, to read the Bible daily and so forth. These are all ways which we can use the mind to change the brain.

One of the fundamental practices of Christian monks and lay people is the practice of the Jesus prayer (Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner). It is important to always remember this is a prayer and not just a technique and is only used based on faith and love of God. As one engages to recite this preyer over and over with attention, our brain is changed becoming more open to the work of the Holy Spirit and increases our capacity to actually live according to God's commandments. As Dr. Hanson says, "What flows through the mind sculpts the brain... As the mind flows through the brain, as neurons fire together in particularly patterned ways based on the information they are representing, those patterns of neural activity change neural structure."

Dr. Hanson says the key to the mind changing the brain is the use of attention. Our brain is constantly being bombarded with stimuli that is, in most cases, beyond what it is capable of processing, so it takes automatic shortcuts. Therefore, to control it we need to focus its attention on what our mind and soul knows to be important. Attention is the most important aspect of prayer outside of the faith that leads us to prayer. When we recite the Jesus Prayer we must draw our attention to the words and let them sink deep into our hearts. As we do this time after time the prayers become ingrained in our heart and programed in our brain so that each action we take becomes an act of prayer where we have an awareness of God.

The Church Fathers refer to both this idea of attention and also wakefulness. In prayer we need to have the attention of the mind to focus the brain on the words, forcing it to be directed where we choose on the prayer and with an awareness of to whom we are saying these words. Then, in our daily life we must have a brain which is programed to listen and obey the mind and is ever watchful for those automatic shortcuts that lead us to actions that we which we would not have made.

Research has shown in several experiments that prayer does change the nature of the brain. Scripture is very clear that our challenge is to allow the mind in the soul to control all aspects of the body which lives in the fear of death and direct our attention to what is beyond this life. This is done through the mind controlling the brain. As Dr. Hanson says, "You can intentionally change your brain to create lasting happiness and well-being."

References: Article by Dr. Hanson, More on the Jesus Prayer and Orthodox Way of LIfe

What Causes Coldness in Prayer?

2011-09-26T06:00:00.000-04:00

Many will blame the prayer or their prayer rule when they experience coldness in prayer. Saint Theophan says, "If prayer is going poorly is not the fault of the prayer but the fault of the one who is praying." He points out that it is our haphazardness in our approach to prayer that is the most common problem. For me, this occurs when I am in a hurry. I want to rush through my prayers so I can get on with a busy day. When this happens my prayer become routine and my heart is cold in relation to the words of the prayer and it is no longer prayer. It becomes simply another task for the day.

What do we do when we experience this coldness in prayer? Saint Theophan says simply, "reprimand yourself and threaten yourself with Divine judgment."

When we are in a hurry we are making God secondary in our life. Most of us spend very little time in prayer in relationship to all the other activities of our life. We really do not have any excuse for trying to rush through our daily prayers. We need to shame ourselves for this. No one else can do this for us. Our haste only leads to a compete waste of time. Prayer without feeling is not prayer.

Saint Theophan outlines what some people do in regards to prayer.

They set aside a quarter of an hour for prayer, or half an hour, whatever is more convent for them, and thus adjust their prayer time so that when the clock strikes, whether on the half hour or hour, they will know when it is time to end. While they are at prayer, they do not worry about reading a certain number of prayers, but only that they rise up to the Lord in a worthy manner for the entire set time. Others do this: Once they have established a prayer time for themselves, they find out how many times they can go around the prayer rope during that period... There are others who get so accustomed to praying that the times they spend at prayer are moments of delight for them. It rarely happens that they stand at prayer for a set time only. Instead, they double and triple it. Select whichever method pleases you best. Maintain it without fail...

A large part of my daily prayer rule is reciting the Jesus Prayer. For a while I would set a set number of prayers to accomplish my rule. I found myself rushing to complete them in a shorter and shorter time. I even came up with innovative ways to say them faster. I finally realized that I was not praying when I did this. Prayer was not about numbers but about a arm feeling in the heart in an intimate relationship with God. So I changed my practice to one based on a set time. Now I concentrate only on the words of the prayer, my Lord and Creator, and not on how many times I am repeating the prayer. This allows for a varied pace depending on your current state and allows for some spontaneity in your prayers as well.

More: Daily Prayer & Jesus Prayer

Reference: The Spiritual Life, pp 287-289

What Kind of Books Should We Read?

2011-09-23T06:00:00.000-04:00

What kind of books should we read? Saint Theophan gives us advice on this after he warns us about placing too much emphasis on reading books. Our primary emphasis should be to put our spiritual lessons into action. When we do read, we should select books that will enhance our spiritual growth. So we need to select books with careful discrimination.

Saint Theophan advises,

Read with discrimination and verify what is being read through the genuine truth of our faith. What agrees with it, accept. What does not agree with it, reject as thought against God, and throw out any book that expresses such thoughts.

When we are serious about progressing along the spiritual path we will focus our study only on those things related to this goal. Most of us already have a general knowledge gained through our general education, but, we lack wisdom about following the spiritual path. Christian spirituality not taught in most schools of general education, especially at the college level. Saint Theophan reminds us that "human wisdom cannot be compared with spiritual wisdom."

If you have the goal to be united with God and to attract the Holy Spirit to work actively thorough you, then you need to focus on this goal. Saint Theophan warns that if "you pursue two different goals, you will not accomplish even one." I had a Japanese friend who reminded me once that if you try to chase two rabbits you not catch either one of them.

The question then is should we read anything besides spiritual things.

Saint Theophan says,

I would tell you with reservation, in a low voice: You may if you like, but just a little and not indiscriminately. Take this as a sign: When you are in a good mode spiritually and begin reading a book containing human wisdom, if the good mood begins to desert you, git rid of the book.

He then advise us to seek books that give us insights into the nature of God's creation or the history of mankind which has been guided by God. He says, "God reveals himself in nature and history in the same way as in His Word." But there is a problem with many scientific explorations of nature . They often try to explain the origin of the world without God and have lurking in them a rejection of God. Obviously these books should be avoided.

Saint Theophan says,

It is good to understand the structure of plants and animals, especially man, and the laws of life as they are manifested in them. Great is the Divine Wisdom in all of the! Unknowable!

Finally he addresses the question of novels. Should we read them? Here is what he says,

There re good ones... To find out whether they are good, however, you must read them, and after you have finished, you will have acquired such tales and images... I think its better to not read them. When a benevolently minded person who has read some story recommends it, you may read it.

Keep you eye on your goal. Do not be like the hunter who tries to cause two rabbits and gets neither one.

Reference: The Spiritual Life, pp 285-286

Can Reading Books Hinder Spiritual Growth?

2011-09-19T12:05:00.000-04:00

If you are like me, you probably take great pleasure in reading books. But can this be a hindrance in our spiritual growth? The current issue of The Orthodox Word has a story about Elder Nikodim who tells of his experience under obedience to Elder Theodosius of the Holy Mountain. He says, "I loved to read books, but the Elder forbade me to read books altogether. Only the Gospel, the Psalter, Abba Dorotheus and the The Ladder - and in that only the chapter on obedience. For nine years he didn't let me read books."

I can't imagine not being allowed to read books for nine years. But as I reflect on it, if I did concentrate on the few he allowed, I might have gained greater knowledge about the spiritual path. I seem to have a tendency to over seek intellectually and take in too much knowledge, which does not give clarity, but only ends up with a confused mind. I think this is the danger that is being pointed out.

Saint Theophan writes about the limitations of book learning:

Books are only for guidance in the spiritual life. Knowledge itself is acquired through deeds. Even that which is known from reading, clear and detailed though it be, presents itself in an entirely different light when experienced through deeds. The spiritual life is such a realm into which the wisdom of this world cannot penetrate.

We must be careful in what we allow to program our minds and to not allow ourselves to let book reading become a pleasure. As Saint Theophan says, our reading should be for our "guidance in the spiritual life". We should be careful when it becomes a pleasure or worse, a means to maintain our false sense of having superior knowledge. Of course, we also have to read books to enhance our skills for our employment or to be a good citizen in what is now a very complicated and technical world. But we know that this is not enough to perform our jobs. Experience is essential. Our reading cannot become a substitute for the experience gained through deeds. As the Saint says, it is only through our deeds we acquire the knowledge we seek. This is just as true in our spiritual life as it is in our workday life.

Saint Theophan's advice is,

Work on yourself and be attentive to yourself. Little by little, you will reach the point where you will begin holding conversations which you should sit down and write out!

This is the ancient wisdom, Heal yourself. Only with this intention will the writings in books have any meaning. We must do as Christ has shown and commanded. Our salvation only comes when we have allowed the Holy Spirit, given to us in Baptism and Chrismation, is allowed to work though us freely guiding all our actions. This is shown by our deeds of which we will be judged on that triumphant day. Often we need to clear our minds cluttered with all the stuff we have read and practice what we have read. This seems to be the path to true spiritual knowledge.

References: The Spiritual Life, p 284 and The Orthodox Word, No 278 p 129

Faith Alone is Insufficient for Salvation

2011-09-16T13:16:00.001-04:00

Many people who call themselves Christians say that it is through faith alone that you will be saved. This is a dangerous error. Salvation requires that we receive the Holy Spirit.

Saint Theophan comments,

"Believe, believe, and the Holy Spirit will come." This is the biggest lie. Faith is indeed an indispensable condition for receiving the Holy Spirit, but the very receiving of the gift comes about not from faith alone, but from faith through the Divinely-established Mysteries. This is how it was even in Apostolic times.

Our current culture is misled by our dependence on rational thought which leads us to accept the idea that we only need to believe and we can be saved. This is an intellectual deception. We cannot intellectually think of God and then expect to receive the Holy Spirit which is His saving grace. This Spirt only comes with the Sacraments of His Church.

Saint Theophan makes this point through the story of Paul in Ephesus. When he came to Ephesus Paul encountered several believers and asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit. They answered that they had not even heard of the Holy Spirit. They had been baptized with the baptism of John the Forerunner. Saint Paul then baptized them with the baptism of Christ and after that he laid his hands on them and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. The baptism they had received earlier was only a renewal and a preparation for receiving the saving Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came through the laying on of Hands. Later the Apostles introduced Holy Chrism (a holy oil) to be used instead of the laying on of hands. Today in the Orthodox Church one is received into the Body of Christ though baptism and the sacrament of Chrismation where one receives the Holy Spirit. This sacramental act is essential.

Many Christian churches in this country do not have this sacrament. They preach the idea of faith alone. They require a confession of faith and then baptize in water, an act which is often seen as merely symbolic of their commitment to Christ. Those who follow this direction are grossly misled and never receive the Holy Spirit which they must have for union with God.

Now once you have this gift that comes through the sacrament of Chrismation, you need to nurture it so its presence and action will grow within you. If you fail to do so it will remain latent or hidden. If ignored, eventually it will become inactive. Then it is difficult to resurrect it. This is why we have the other sacraments of Holy Confession and Holy Communion to help us maintain the active work of the Holy Spirit which comes to us through these sacraments. Of course we have faith, but we also receive the Holy Spirit through Chrismation and continually renew its presence through the other sacraments. It also why we are continually engaging in ascetic efforts to purify our heart so that the "fire" of the Holy Spirit will be fanned and be allowed to act through all our bodily actions. In this way we can become virtuous and follow the Commandments of God. This is the Way to union with God and salvation.

Reference: The Spiritual Life, p 282

Why the Ups and Downs?

2011-09-12T12:42:00.000-04:00

Why is it that we go through periods of happiness followed by despondency? This seems to happen especially after some joyous event. It happens even to those who have everything: a good home, good job, many friends, and all the means to enjoy any kind of entertainment or even exotic vacations. Why do we still experience sadness in our lives when we are blessed with so much?

Saint Theophan reminds us that our amusements can give rise to such feelings.

Amusements, especially pleasant ones, give rise to depression, because while they are not sinful, they are unable to content the heart.

It is common for us to seek this deep contentment from the activities of his world: A football game, a festival, a play or movie, a party and so forth. But these are only surface and temporary satisfactions for what we long for deeply. They bring a cycle of happiness that is followed by a sadness when it ends. They do not help us with the angst of life which is death and the unknown that this implies for us. They only distract us from the deep questions our ultimate end raises deep within us. Our heart is seeking something that such worldly activities can not give us. We long for a contentment that all the activities, all the riches, all the friends, all the processions of this world will not give us.

True joy and contentment only comes with a deep relationship with God. He is our purpose. Our aim is to be united with Him for eternity. With Him there is no death. This is the message of Jesus Christ. This is the way of His life, His teaching, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. He showed and called us to follow and join with Him. As long as we continue to seek union with God, do our best to carry out His commandments, remain humble in His eyes seeking forgiveness and mercy for all our missteps, we will move closer and closer to true happiness, happiness that does not come and go, something that cannot be taken away from us like the temporary satisfactions we get from our amusements.

Saint Theophan says,

Do not forget God, and thank Him for every comfort, accepting such comfort as coming from His hands... God is asking your heart once and for all, and the heart desires God. for without God it is never satisfied, it is bored; examine yourself from this aspect. Maybe you will find the door to the peace of God there.

Thank God for everything!

Reference: The Spiritual Life, pp 280-281

Path to Heaven

2011-09-09T10:37:00.000-04:00

The following are excerpts from an article by Saint Innocent Bishop of Alaska, The Way into the Kingdom of Heaven.

The road into the Kingdom of Heaven was made by the Lord Jesus Christ, and He was the first one who travelled it. The Bible teaches that only he who follows Jesus can reach His Kingdom. But how can one follow Him? Hear what our Savior says about this: Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me (Mark 8:34).

1. First of all, a Christian must thoroughly study the foundations of the Christian faith.

2. When you become convinced that our Orthodox faith is based on Holy Scriptures and is not invented by people and that the Holy Scriptures contain the true word of God, revealed by the Holy Spirit through prophets and apostles — accept it with all your trusting heart.

3. Finally, try to nourish a diligence in yourself to follow that which is taught by the Holy Scriptures.

To reach the Kingdom of Heaven, we should determine which path leads to it, how not to falter, what we must beware of, etc. Our map is the Holy Scriptures and other Orthodox books; the rangers are the pastors of the Church, whose duty it is to help the faithful on their way toward Paradise. The provisions are the Mysteries (Sacraments) of the Church, which reinforce our spiritual strength. Sometimes the path leading to Paradise may become narrow, steep and overgrown with bushes, whereas other paths may seem wider and easier to travel. It is very important not to stray from the correct path. The Lord Jesus Christ and His Apostles repeatedly warned that there is but one path that leads to the Kingdom of Heaven, the one given in the Gospel. All others, especially the wide and comfortable ones, lead to perdition.

True Knowledge of God

2011-09-05T11:33:00.000-04:00

"When a person rises from bodily knowledge to the soul’s knowledge and from that to spiritual knowledge, then he sees God and possesses knowledge of God, which is his salvation." - Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos

It is common in today's world to forget the mission we as Orthodox Christians have to work on ourselves so we can become worthy to receive God's grace. We also forget that this is essential for our salvation which is a union with God. We may be too comfortable with regular church attendance and periodic participation in the sacraments. It's like we think salvation will be handed to us on a silver platter as long as we adhere to a few of the Orthodox Traditions. This is reinforced by our US culture which is basically Protestant where it is common to think, I believe, therefore I am saved. Of course we must believe, but this is only the beginning according to the Church Fathers.

Christ told us, "those who are pure of heart will see God". So in addition to belief, which is bodily knowledge, we have to lift ourselves to spiritual knowledge. This is a spiritual experience with God that is beyond any bodily knowledge.

Metropolitan Hierotheos says,

Knowledge of God... is not intellectual, but existential. That is, one’s whole being is filled with this knowledge of God. But in order to attain it, one’s heart must have been purified, that is, the soul, nous (intellect) and heart must have been healed.

Saint Gregory Palamas gave us this teaching very clearly and was affirmed in an important council. He taught us that deification, theosis, is not something abstract but the actual union of man with God. In this union we behold the uncreated light of God like the Apostles Peter, James and John saw at His Transfiguration. This "light" will be seen not with our physical eyes but with inner spiritual eyes. This vision is knowledge of God that is beyond all human knowledge and our senses.

Our challenge is to ask ourselves, Do we aspire to this spiritual knowledge? Or, are we satisfied with the mundane intellectual knowledge of this world? With the right desire we will be lifted to the higher plain and find the true union and knowledge of God. This is salvation from an Orthodox perspective.

In conclusion I offer the following quote from Saint Gregory Palamas in his Triads,

“One who has cleared his soul of all connection with things of this world, who has detached himself from everything by keeping the commandments and by the dispassion that this brings, and who has passed beyond all cognitive activity through continuous, sincere and immaterial prayer, and who has been abundantly illuminated by the inaccessible light in an inconceivable union, he alone, becoming light, contemplating by the light and beholding the light, in the vision and enjoyment of this light recognizes truly that God is transcendently radiant and beyond comprehension; he glorifies God not only beyond his nous’s human power of understanding, for many created things are beyond that, but even beyond that marvelous union which is the only means by which the nous is united with what is beyond intelligible things, “imitating divinely the supra-celestial minds” (2,3,57)

Combating Feelings of Depression

2011-08-29T06:00:00.021-04:00

Often when we feel depressed we try to overcome our state though some kind of amusement. Such a course will never lead to any real contentment. That is not to say that their is something wrong with engaging in amusements, it is just that they will not help you overcome any feelings of depression.

Saint Theophan says,

Amusements, especially pleasant ones, give rise to depression, because while they are not sinful, that are unable to content the heart. Generally speaking, the inconstancy of the emotions is characteristic to us. It is necessary to discard and overcome this, being concerned that one thing does not change; that is, that your most important decision, the goal of life you have chosen for yourself [to be united with God], always remains in force.

Much time in our lives today is taken up with amusements such as computer games, internet surfing, movies and television. Regard these as mere pastimes and something that you need to control and not depend on for any personal well being.

True satisfaction only comes with a genuine relationship with God.

Saint Theophan says,

God is asking your heart once and for all, and the heart desires God. For without God it is never satisfied, it is bored; examine yourself from this aspect. Maybe you will find the door to the peace of God.

So how do we find this door in our heart? For those who believe in Christ and His Resurrection, one of the proven ways is through prayer. Each day. establish a prayer rule for both morning and evening. Be sure to include as a major part of this rule the practice of the Jesus Prayer. Daily prayer is essential for any genuine relationship with God and will surely, with your good effort, bring you inner peace that will lift you above any feelings of depression. Once we are in true contact with God we only experience joy that comes from His unconditional love. When wee have opened that door in our heart, we receive His grace freely and are enabled to do the good works he teaches us to do. It is in this way we become like Christ.

Reference: The Spiritual Life, pp 280-281

Avoiding Deception

2011-08-25T06:00:00.002-04:00

In our spiritual life we need to be careful about our own judgments, decisions and self-evaluations. Since there are evil powers at work, even with strong faith we can be misled. You should always be aware of this reality.

Saint Theophan writes,

Secretiveness in everyday life is not a bad thing; in spiritual life, however, it is most dangerous. It is indispensable to have someone with whom you may consult about everything that is going on outwardly, and more importantly, inwardly. ...There is some sort of evil power around us and inside us, which through various illusionary qualities leads us into deception and confuses our affairs, directing them to something vain or even bad... Your reasoning does not always work, because the enemy confuses it with his own advice (our elders have nicknamed this "add-vice").

We should keep a journal so that when we see our spiritual father we can relate our difficulties to him and in this way he can best help us. When we are making a big decision, especially those that impact others, in addition to prayer, we should discuss our reasoning with him also. He will not tell you what decision to make, but will help you see if you are being deceived in your analysis. Decision are always up to our own will. Never allow a spiritual father to make your decisions. Any advisor who would do this is not a true spiritual guide. Look to him for advice and not a decision.

For most people your local priest can serve as your guide. But as you progress spiritually you may need to find a new guide. These are often found at monasteries. Visit them and talk with the elders there. A guide always comes naturally when you ask and seek.

Reference: The Spiritual Life, pp 277-280

Law of the Conscience - Saint Theophan

2011-08-22T06:00:00.001-04:00

Saint Theophan gives us clear advice about how to make proper use of our conscience.

"Just keep this law: Never do anything, whether great or small, that goes against the conscience. If you do violate this, compensate the conscience at once through your own inner repentance at home. Confess it to the priest later. The conscience is a great thing. It is the voice of the Omnipresent God in the soul. He who is in the world with the conscience is also in the world with God."

This seems so logical and seems like it should be easy. But, first, we must become continually in tune with our conscience and be able to recognize when we are going against it. This requires some degree of spiritual maturity. Most of us have lived lives where we have habitually ignored our conscience for one reason or another. We have become insensitive to its call and no longer hear it very clearly. Even when we do, it has become an easy thing to ignore it.

Saint Paul tells us, those who are justified are those "who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them." (Rom 2:15)

As you adopt an Orthodox way of life, with daily prayer, fasting, regular participation in worship services and sacraments, reading Scripture and the lives of the saints daily, you will quite naturally find the voice of your conscience getting louder and louder. Then, you can take the next step and make a commitment to follow it no matter what. When unsure of action talk with your spiritual father as we can be misled when our faith is immature.

When you cannot muster the discipline to act on this inner voice, do as Saint Theophan says, "compensate the conscience at once through your own inner repentance at home. Confess it to the priest later." Shortly you will find your ability to abide by your conscience increases dramatically.

Saint Paul says,

"And in this do I always exercise myself, to have a conscience clear of offense towards God andtowards men."

Reference: The Spiritual Life, p 277

Abba Poeman on the Spiritual Path

2011-08-17T06:00:00.002-04:00

Abba Poemen shares a parable brought by a layman on the Spiritual Way

A man said to his friend, " I want to go see the king. Come with me." hTe friend answered him. "I will go with you half way." He said to another friend, "Take me to the king." He said, "I will take you as far as the king's palace." The man said to the third person, "Come with me to the king." "Lets go," replied the third friend, "I will go with you to the king's palace, bring you inside, announce your arrival and present you to him."

Abba Poeman asked the layman, "What does this parable mean?"

He replied, "the first friend is asceticism, which leads you to the true path; the second is purity, which takes you to Heaven; the third friend is almsgiving, which will fearlessly bring you to the King Himself, God"

Abba is pointing out that our first step in attaining our union with God is asceticism. Through prayer, fasting and worship we orient ourselves on the true path. We learn to tame our passions and focus on God instead of our own self-initated needs and desires. It is like we are now able to lift our eyes off the ground and to look ahead and see where the pathway leads us. Without this first step we have our heads focused only on our own footsteps. This is why the church puts such a heavy emphasis on disciplines such as fasting and daily prayer. It is why the practice of the Jesus Prayer is so important for our spiritual growth.

Once we have purified ourselves of our passions and the numerous desires that tempt us to pursue only our own pleasure, we find we are at the gates of heaven. Our soul is energized and grace comes to us freely. This enables us to take the final step which is our union with God. This is the step of love of our neighbor. It is where we are continually seeking ways to help those who are around us, including our enemies. We freely give help where it is needed. In this we find ourselves in harmony with the God Himself. We are now able to do His will, on earth as it is in heaven.

Reference: The Spiritual Life, p 271

Growing Our Faith

2011-08-11T06:00:00.002-04:00

The spiritual life is one that is ongoing. It is not the result of a one time event like a simple declaration of faith as practiced in so many Protestant Churches. It is a commitment to a growing faith that we are continually working on to deepen our relationship with God. It is an effort involving faith plus our own efforts. It is like any relationship we have. To have a close friend we have put our own effort into the development of the relationship. The same is true with our relationship with God.

The Spiritual life involves an effort on our part to discipline our bodies and control our passions. This we do with the help of God's grace, but we must act to cooperate. Our thoughts must be controlled because we are bombarded with temptations continually. These can come from nowhere. Our minds are very active. Left uncontrolled they become like a wild horse which is impossible to ride. Such a horse must be trained to ride. The same is true with our mind. As we train our mind, we become more watchful, the wildness is tamed and we can, with careful thought, learn to make choices which are congruent with the teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

In our efforts we must not expect some grand transformation where everything changes and we become virtuous in all our actions. It is a step by step process that also involves God's grace. It is with a close relationship with God that we work toward our salvation which is our union with God forever.

Abba John the Dwarf says,

"I desire to possess every virtue, if only to a small degree."

He is advising us to give thanks to the Lord for each little step we take. This is the Way.

He says,

"When a man decides to build a house, he gathers many different materials for construction. So too must we acquire all virtues, if only to a small degree."

We will not obtain all the virtues at once. But as we are able to control our passions we will find that we will become more loving as we conquer each one. We may find we become more patient and with patience we no longer respond with anger. As we control our anger we find our relationships become more loving. Then we are able to help others. It is a ongoing process that never ends. One virtue leads us to another. Our aim is to become perfect as our Lord directs us.

This path demands more than our self-effort. Through prayer, repentance, participation in the sacraments, and practicing the virtues we grow. We must seek God's grace to lead us along this path. With a mind under control, we can then follow His lead. It is a way of life lived in the context of the Orthodox Church that leads us to an intimate relationship with God as we become His true servant.

Reference: The Spiritual Life, p 270

Saint Poemen On The Beginning of the Spiritual Path

2011-08-09T06:00:00.009-04:00

Repentance and grieving over one's sins is the beginning of the Divine path is the teaching of St. Poemen. Why is this so? When we repent and stand against evil we will do good and begin to do the will of God. If we do not repent then we will not recognize our evil actions and continue to go against the will of God. The is why we so often find ourselves separated from God. This effort is mostly a struggle with our thoughts. We must be ever watchful and ever ready to attack thoughts which are temptations to go against the will of God.

Saint Poemen was approached by one of his spiritual children with the following concern:

"Father! I have many thoughts, and I am in danger because of them." The old man took him outside and said, "Expand your chest and do not inhale!" "I cannot do that." answered the brother. "If you cannot do that then neither can you stem the flow of the thoughts," said the old man. "But your job is to resist them."

It is not the elimination of thoughts that we seek as this is impossible but the ability to minimize and resist them. How do we do this? In general, Saint Poeman would say, "the thing you need most is a sober mind."

First of all, be attentive to yourself and be sober. A brother said that when he was with others, he would amuse himself and return to his cell not the same as when he left it. He asked how he should act. The elder told him, "When you return to your cell, do you want to find yourself the same as when you left? Maintain vigilance over yourself both at home and outside the home."

This is one of our major challenges. Saint Theophan has also advised us that one way to do this is to avoid those situations, places and people who led to conditions that arouse thoughts that tempt us. This is also what Saint Poemen teaches. We must remove ourselves for everything passionate.

Saint Paul also instructs us,

Keep away from any of the brothers who refuses to work or to live according to the tradition. (2 Thessalonians 3:6)

What does this mean practically: Why go to a bar on Friday evening after work when we might be tempted to drink to much and then our resistance is almost zero? Why maintain a friendship with a person who continually is asking to do things which you know are not proper? Why engage in discussions that you know will lead to heated arguments where you end up saying things you wish you had never said? Why watch movies or TV shows that stimulate unwanted desires? You can surely think of more which apply to your own personal life. Act on eliminating these temptations from you life. This combined with a life of prayer, repentance and regular participation in the sacraments will bring you closer to God.

Saint Poemen says,

If a trunk full of clothing is not looked after, then in time the clothing will disintegrate. So too will the thoughts, if we do not in fact carry them out, vanish in time, as if they disintegrated.

The cure is obvious but not easy to do as we must exercise our will to order our lives is a way that avoids undue temptations.

Reference: The Spiritual Life, pp 267-269

Bored or Lonely?

2011-08-04T06:00:00.007-04:00

Boredom can easily lead to loneliness and loneliness to depression. Saint Theophan gives us some good advice how to avoid boredom. He says that each time you feel yourself alone, think of God and your guardian angel who is with you at all times. Take advantage of all such opportunities for a moment of solitude with God and have a conversation with Him. Then learn to fill your day with meaningful activities.

He shares advice a father gave to his daughter.

Everyone has a number of daily chores, which they work off like some sort of quitrent. There are many people, however, for whom these quitrent chores are simple and do not take much time. there is a lot of time left over whereby, if it is not filled with anything, there is no way to avoid boredom. Here is the most reliable way for you to avoid it: Arrange things so you do not have a single moment and al your time is filled with suitable occupations so that , upon completion of one activity, you have another one ready to begin.

What kind of activities should these be? 1) Aesthetic occupations: music, singing, painting. 2) Some sort of handicraft: knitting, needlework and the like. 3) The best remedy for boredom, however, is to acquire a taste for serious reading and the study of subjects that you are unfamiliar with. It is not so much the reading that drives away boredom as the study.

If you follow this smile advice you will find shortly you will not a enough time to do everything you want to do. You will lose that feeling of loneliness and avoid the terrible problem of depression. Even one who lives alone and rarely has guests will have a life filled with activity, one without boredom or loneliness.

Take up the reading of spiritual books and avoid frivolous novels and such. Dig into something that will engage your mind fully. Avoid the trap of TV which can dumb the mind. If you do go to the TV when bored then seek out something that will give you new insight about our world and that will engage your mind in an active way.

You can also seek out regular activities such as volunteering at Church or with another agency in town. But it's not necessary to become over active in social activities as these for many create to many tensions and often includes engaging with people who distract you spiritually. Each person has a different makeup so you need to seek activities that fit your personality, especially those that keep you learning. To be alone does not mean to be lonely. In reality we are never alone. God is always with us along with our guardian angel.

The more you study spiritual matters, including the Church history, teachings of the Fathers, as well as Holy Scripture, you will discover forever new topics which you are not aware of. Each one will broaden your world view and open you to greater and greater spiritual awareness at the same time. Your desire to learn will never be satisfied. Read and keep busy and you will become wise, devoid of loneliness. You will become more aware of God's ever presence.

Reference: The Spiritual Life, pp 265-266

Counterattack - Opposing Passions

2011-08-01T06:00:00.021-04:00

We are constantly called to be watchful because our passions are ever active, lurking to arise when we least expect. This war we are engaged in is a spiritual war. The challenge is to not let our passions have any air or food. If we were not successful in our watchfulness, we can starve them with external actions. This is always a challenge, but the approach is one of using our will to deny the passion what it desires. When we deny them, we starve them of food and air and they die. We should learn to combine our inner efforts with external efforts.

Saint Theophan tells us that one kind of active warfare against our passions is to carry out actions that are directly opposed to them.

He writes,

For example, to suppress stinginess, it is necessary to become generous; to combat pride, it is necessary to choose humbling occupations; to combat carousing, one must stay at home; and the like. It is true that one such mode of action does not lead directly to the goal, because the passion, enduring external constraint, may erupt inwardly--either the same passion, or some other in its place. When inner and spiritual warfare are united with this active combat, however, they soon defeat any passion against which they are directed together.

This means we must learn to be watchful of our inner thoughts as well as take direct wilful action to counter the rise of a passion. Both are useful in our spiritual effort to control our passions.

Ordering our life is one important aspect of the Orthodox way of life. We need to choose our friends, our work, our activities, and so forth so that we do not allow ourselves to be tempted in ways we cannot control. We need to make changes in how we live to increase activities that are the opposite of the passions we encounter repeatedly. With a balanced life, when we do experience a passion coming forth, we can have the poser of our will to aggressively oppose it with opposite action. Do this and you will find you will make progress in overcoming the passion that haunts you.

Remember, passions are what lead us into sin and separation from God. As we learn to conquer them we develop a more virtuous life and our prayer life becomes more effective. God will send more grace that will aid us in this battle. Slow down and order your life so that you can overcome all your passions and come closer to God at all times.

"Since this habit has acquired power over your heart through frequent repetition of certain actions, which satisfy the passion dwelling in the heart, opposing it in the heart is not enough to weaken and destroy this power; you must use actions which are contrary to the former ones, actions opposed to the passion, smashing and destroying it. - Unseen Warfare

More on Orthodox Way of Life

Reference: The Spiritual Life, pp 260-261

Dealing With Hidden Causes of Our Passions

2011-07-28T06:00:00.009-04:00

The Church Fathers consistently talk about controlling our thoughts as a means to control our passions. These thoughts are not usually predictable but seem to arise out of nowhere like they are hidden from our view. We do know that when they arise they are given strength by external circumstances and stimulus. In the case of lust we may have no such conscious thoughts in our heart, but then we receive an enticing look or a stroke of our body, a latent inner thought can be inflamed with uncontrollable passion. Recognizing this reality, the way we control our external circumstances is important for the control our passions.

Saint Theophan gives us the following advice:

1. Do not give free reign to your senses, especially the eyes and ears. Do not allow them to see everything, hear everything and be concerned with everything indiscriminately.
2. Rush immediately to blot out the stimulus and suppress the thoughts... after the flow of the stimuli has been stopped of course.
3. Once a person has experienced harm from a stimulus, he should not willingly allow himself to encounter the objects that caused it again.
4. Learn to reinterpret everything you encounter so you can encounter it in the spiritual sense. St. Ephriam the Syrian, having encountered an enticingly dressed woman, told his disciples, "You see how she takes care to adorn her body, which soon will be dust; how can we not be concerned with adorning our immortal soul?

To overcome passions does not mean we need to seclude ourselves like a recluse. We must learn to live with the reality of a full life in this world, lived in the spirit and not for the satisfaction of our passions.

Reference: The Spiritual Life, pp 257-259

Why Does It Take So Long?

2011-07-25T06:00:00.001-04:00

So often, with great expectations, we will renew our commitment to the Orthodox Way of Life by making significant changes in our life and how we spend our time. We will increase our time in prayer, participate more regularly in services and sacraments, begin to read Scripture and the lives of the saints daily. Yet, we find we are still confronted with the same desires and distractions that keep us separated from God. We expect instant success and we do not find it. We grumble that we followed the instruction from a wise elder yet do not experience any improvement in our relationship with God. Why do we expect such instant success? Why is it so difficult?

Saint Theophan says speaking to one of his spiritual children,

"I cannot in any way suppose that your success to have been complete as soon as you began, that your thoughts would be pure, and feelings and desires holy. This is because it never happens like this to any body. The thoughts will be pacified, the passionate impulses of feelings and desires will become less frequent. All the same , however, they will erupt and sometimes wit great force.

As he says our thoughts are not pure and desires not holy. We also have unreasonable expectations. We are only beginning to overcome our passions and must be patient and persistent. One thing that is very important is to be humble and remember it is God's will that is to work through us and not just our own efforts. To often we think we are the doer rather than humbling ourselves to the truth in the work of His grace. Our task is to follow Grace and not try to force and direct it as our will demands. We must strip ourselves of all pious pretenses and self-will.

Saint Theophan advises,

Do not try to conceal yourself, covering your nakedness with a fig leaf and hiding in the bushes from the Lord, who comes to you in the conscience and exposes you. Blame yourself completely, and ask forgiveness without placing blame on anyone else.

The essence of a true spiritual life is humility. This involves a life where we are continually recognizing the dominating power of our own will and our limitations in doing what is God's will for us. Jesus calls us to be perfect, but too often we assume we are already perfect when we are far from what he has taught us to become. Then we too often make the mistake of thinking we can do it through our own power by saying these prayers, or fasting in this way and so forth. Our spiritual practice is only an aid for us to open our heart to the reality of our condition so that we will fall down in front of God and ask for His forgiveness and help and allow His grace to flow through us. In this way our thoughts can become pure and our desires holy.

Our spiritual life involves daily effort. Saint Hesychius says,

At every hour we must weigh our daily affairs attentively, and as much as we are able, without fail lighten their burden through repentance, if we want to overcome the passions with the help of Jesus. It is also necessary to examine whether we carry out all our outward actions through God's will, before God and for God Alone, so that the feelings (passionate) do not deceive us like foolish people.

Keep up your spiritual practices as called for in an Orthodox way of life. But do it with complete humility and a spirit of repentance.

More on Orthodox Way of life

Reference: The Spiritual Life, pp 255-256

Why Does Prayer Need to Be Free From Thoughts?

2011-07-21T06:00:00.001-04:00

Why is it important that prayer be free from thoughts? To have true prayer our minds must be pure, still and totally open for an encounter with the infinite and all compassionate God. When we have thoughts cluttering our mind in prayer, our prayer becomes focused on things of this world and our prayer time becomes a problem solving session with ourselves. Our thoughts are like a pollutant that distorts our prayer and confuses our relationship with God with our own desires and needs. It is a pure open mind that will gain grace that enables us to hear and do His will instead of our own will.

Saint Hesychius writes,

One who does not have prayer that is free from the thoughts is without a weapon for battle. I understand prayer to be that which is carried out unceasingly within the depths of the soul, so that the enemy who is secretly fighting may be vanquished and scorched by this invocation to Christ. For you must look with the sharply focused eye of the mind so that you will recognize what has entered into it, and after doing so, immediately cut off the head of the snake through refutation, and at the same time call on Christ with groaning. through experience you will come to know God's invisible help; then you will see clearly the true condition of the heart.

Our challenge is to have the sobriety to be watchful and attentive to the nature of our thoughts and to dismiss them when we enter into prayer. As Saint Hesychius says, "you must look with the sharply focused eye of the mind" in prayer. This is the true purpose of our mind to enable us to focus on our Creator and discern His will for us. As we repeat the Jesus Prayer, our mind will instantly become focused on God and we will receive His grace which helps us deter all distracting thoughts.

One of the reasons we pray is to overcome the domination of our soul by the thoughts roaming thorough our minds, distracting it from a intimate relationship with God. It is in prayer where thoughts are subdued that we find this relationship our soul seeks.

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Reference: The Spiritual Life, p 252

What Do Church Fathers Mean By Sobriety?

2011-07-19T06:00:00.001-04:00

What do the Church Fathers mean when they use the the term translated as sobriety? This is an important concept in our struggle against the passions -- those desires that lead us away from the will of God and separate us from Him.

Saint Hesychius writes,

Sobriety is the continual situating of the thought at the doors of the heart, so that it sees the thoughts creeping up and understands what form the demons are attempting to inscribe and establish in the mind, so as to entice it through the imagination.

Often we refer to this as self discipline. It is a level of spiritual maturity where we are aways aware of our thoughts. This awareness is also called watchfulness. It is where we are always watching for those thoughts that will enter into our minds and stimulate desires that lead us away from the teachings of Jesus Christ.

How do we develop this virtue? If we only follow the Orthodox Way of LIfe taught by the Church we will be lead on a path where we become watchful and have sobriety. This involves daily prayer, practice of the Jesus Prayer, participating in the weekly fast on Wednesdays and Fridays and the other fasting periods specified by the Church. It involves our regular attendance to the Divine Liturgies and participating with proper preparation in Holy Communion and Holy Confession. It also means we will read the Scripture each day. This is an easy discipline that trains our mind, builds self-discipline, and subjects our self-will to the will of God.

I was talking with a young family yesterday and they were describing how a priest who came into their parish was firm in asking his parishioners to follow these practices. There were many in the Church who rebelled and caused him difficulty but they began to follow what he taught them. This lead them to a higher quality of life and one they found to be much "easier" than trying to make up their own approach to their Orthodox Faith. Their teen age children matured and developed responsibility and the younger ones became curios about the teachings of the church asking questions and seeking information on their own. The found the discipline to always eat their meals as a family and to function as an integral family unit. Their lives changed and their love for God increased.

Sobriety is the the result of a very simple act and choice. It involves simply choosing to follow the teachings of the Church about our daily way of life. This simple act will give greater meaning to the crazy world we live in, greater capacity to discern what is right and wrong, a inner quietness and strength to exercise our self-will in conjunction with the teachings of Jesus.

Saint Theophan advises,

I am pointing you directly to the path so that you do not wander all over the place. Be more diligent in your undertaking and you will soon see success. However, you must labor with all your might, because without labor there will be nothing.

More on Orthodox Way of Life

Reference: The Spiritual Life, p 251-252

Escaping from Passions

2011-07-07T06:00:00.001-04:00

The most powerful way to develop self control, to overcome the passions that lead us away from God, is to remember the name of God when we are fist enticed by a passion. As soon as we enter into a situation where we might be subject to anger, lust, gluttony or any other passion we must become very watchful. When we encounter, as an example, a person that has dishonored us and the idea of revenge or anger arises in our mind, this is the time to act - immediately! In fact we want to get angry at the thought. This is the proper role of anger and why were were given this capacity. Once we have set ourselves against the thought, then we need to call for help. How do we do this? We call on the name of the Lord. "Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner!"

Scripture in many places affirms that when we call on the Lord with faith in Him, He will come to our aid.

Because he has set his hope on me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he has known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: He also will hear their prayer, and will save them. (Psalm 144: 18-19)

There is another method often taught is to counteract the attack with a negative thought. If anger is the passion you are struggling with, you could say to yourself, "Anger only separates me from God. You will become irrational and do or say things that are hurtful causing you to sin." Saint Theophan tells us that this approach is a weak one. He says,

Sometimes they drive it out, but this method is for the most part unreliable. By exposing the passionate thought we are still keeping it in our mind... Whenever we appeal directly to the Lord with fear, reverence, hope and faith in His complete activity without entering into a verbal battle with the passionate, the passionate then moves away from the mind's eye, which is fixed on the Lord. When it is cut off from the mind through such attention, the passionate departs of its own accord.

Saint Theophan also gives us as story told by Saint John the Dwarf.

I act as a man sitting under a tree who looks attentively around him. This man, as soon as he sees wild beasts coming toward him, immediately climbs up the tree, and the beasts, after coming up to the tree, walk around for a while and go away. And I, as soon as I observe mental beasts coming toward me in passionate thoughts, immediately rise up my mind to the Lord, and the beasts cannot get to me as they are forced to scatter every which way.

This is how the Jesus Prayer works for us. Once we have made it part of our daily prayer practice it is always at the front of our mind and ready to go into action when we need it. As soon as we call on the Lord we move away from the thought caused by the passion and sheltered by the prayer. It is just like we have climbed the tree in John the Dwarf's story.

Reference: The Spiritual Life, p 244-249

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" My Passions are Pretty Much Under Control" Beware!

2011-06-30T06:00:00.003-04:00

For most of us who are serious about our spiritual life, we feel we have a good degree of self-control. We are able to follow the regular fasts and other Traditions of the Church. We don't seem to have any major sins. This is a good condition, but also one where we need to be especially vigilant. The passions that do remain can become seen as frivolous or insignificant. But these are like the glowing embers of a fire that is about to go out. At any time a wind can come along and restart an immense blase and even start a whole forest on fire. Each glowing ember needs to be attended to to prevent the danger of a major forest fire. Every passion, no matter how slight, needs to be attacked.

Saint Theophan advises us in this way,

No matter how small or weak a passion appears, it is necessary to regard it as if it were the largest and most powerful.

How do we respond then to the passions that we seem to regard lightly as we become more spiritually mature? One thing we cannot do is ignore them and surely if we do they will eventually flame up and possibly destroy us.

Saint Theophan says that we have to get very angry at them and treat them with hostility.

Try to stir up anger within yourself against it as quickly as possible. This anger is a firm rejection of the passion. The passionate cannot be sustained unless there is sympathy for it, but any sympathy is destroyed by anger, and the passionate will leave or fall away at the first manifestation of it. Here is the only case where anger is permissible and useful.

The Prophet David told us, "Be angry, and sin not (Psalm 4:5).
Saint Paul says, "Be angry and sin not" (Ephesians 4:26).

It s important to always be on the lookout for the work of our passions. It is as if there are terrorists lurking about who want to destroy us. They may be silent and not too visible but we must always be on the lookout and ready to act with quick and firm action against them. Do not delay in action against them when you see even the slightest action of a passion. Your sympathy towards it will only lead to its growth and the potential of a raging fire that you cannot put out.

Saint Theophan says,

Self-indulgence still lives concealed within even long after we have obviously renounced and devoted ourselves to God... Thus, it is necessary to reject this sympathy and stir up anger... As son as you realize a passion's belligerence, get angry at it in a very obvious way.

Reference: The Spiritual Life, pp 233-236

It Is Not So Important Whether You Are a Monk or a Drunk

2011-06-27T06:00:00.005-04:00

Fr. Artemy Vladimirov says,

To stand before the face of God, to cleanse your heart and sanctify the space of your life by invoking His name, this is your aim.We don't know how God cleanses our heart by His name, but we believe that He does so in a supernatural way. In saying the Jesus Prayer, it is not so important whether you are a monk or a drunk, but you are to be very steadfast, attentive, humble, mild, and concentrated.

The Jesus Prayer is one of the most important weapons we have in our spiritual struggle to join in union with God. It is simple, clear and proven to be most powerful: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner." The power is in the name of Jesus. With daily practice we can have His name in our mind and on the tip of our tongue at every moment during the day.

Father Artemy says it is feeling that we develop in our heart.

If you make progress in this humble prayer, you will begin to understand that this commandment is very complete. Your heart will be filled with a spiritual warmth that embraces the center of your feelings. You will come to understand what attentive prayer is, and that your heart has been created for ceaseless prayer. Ceaseless prayer is not a perpetual repetition of this or that word or phrase. The Holy Fathers say that it is the feeling of your heart. Just as you view the objects of this world with open eyes, so your heart, warmed by prayer to God, will partake of the spiritual world. This will be due, not to your piety, but to God's grace. Unceasing prayer may have no words, but you will walk and sleep in the presence of God.

Here is a link to learn more about the practice of the Jesus Prayer

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