Is Christianity Just Another Religion of the World?

Orthodox Christianity fulfills the search of all peoples for meaning in life. It is based on the revelation of God and His truth. As Bishop Augoustinos says, it is the end all of all religions as human constructions. We do not follow the creation or teachings of any human being, but God Himself. This is the essence of the Gospel. Orthodox Christianity is not just another religion.

Bishop Augoustinos writes,

“In the Orthodox view, Christian Faith is not a “religion” (except in the conventional everyday use of the word). It is the fulfillment of all religions in their search for divine truth and human meaning as inspired by God’s law written on human hearts. In this understanding, God’s Gospel in Jesus is the end of all religions as human constructions, however good and inevitable they are in their desire to deal with life’s mysteries and to comprehend the ways of God (or the gods) and creatures in a demon-riddled, death-bound world.”

Our faith is not in conflict with reason and nature but is beyond. It is about the mystery that is behind all reason and nature. Bishop Augoustinos writes,

“Christian faith and life, as witnessed in apostolic Scripture and the lives and teachings of the saints, belongs to a “new creation” (Gal 6:15 ; 2 Cor 6:17). It does not belong to “this age” whose “form is passing away” (1 Cor 7:31). It is “from above” and leads always to what is “beyond.” It is not from human beings, and it transcends human history. It is not contrary to nature and reason, but surpasses their limitations. It discloses the original nature and purposes of things, reveals their ultimate destiny, and illumines human minds and hearts to “the knowledge of the truth” about God and all things in Him. As such, Christian faith and life is God’s gift of divine truth, light, wisdom, and power given to creatures as completely and perfectly as is now possible within the conditions of the corrupted cosmos.”

To think of the Gospel as no more than one of many books or many religions destroys the truth of the Gospel. It is the recording of the revelation of God's Son who came to earth taking on flesh from a virgin whom God prepared and who voluntarily accepted her role. It is not a story book or a myth. It is about the revelation of God in history.

Fr. Thomas Hopko writes,

“When Christians understand Christ’s Gospel to be but one of humankind’s many religions, even the first, best, and greatest, the Gospel ceases to be what it is. It becomes but another product of sinful humanity in its fallen form: good, true, and beautiful in many ways, yet incomplete and dangerously deceptive. As such, it is inevitably deformed into an ideological mythology, or mythological ideology, employed to promote and defend the “merely human” and, inevitable, sinful persons and societies that use it for this deplorable purpose. This is so whether this Christian religion is fundamentalist and sectarian, or whether it is relativistic and inclusive, seeing itself as no better or worse, and essentially no different from any other.”

Christians are blessed with the record of God's revelation to His chosen people.  It has been revealed not to compete with other religions, but to lead people to unity with God, to show them the way to Paradise. The Son of God had no political power yet He had all the power of the world and more. He lived as a human being and was able to show us the life that is possible if we follow His example and unite our will with His. The Gospel and the events recorded in it are unique in human history. They point us towards the truth that underlies all life.

Reference: Follow Me by Bishop Augoustinos of Florina, Gr.  pp 46-47

The Divine Light of Christ - His Transfiguration

I have always been drawn to this feast and its icon. In it we see Christ in full glory surrounded by light and His disciples fallen way from Him, dazed by this glory. What makes this event so special?

At the time of Jesus in Jerusalem, a powerful person was easily recognized. In the city there were not only the leaders of the Jewish Temple dressed in their priestly garments, but also Herod the King and Pilate the Roman governor who lived in royal splendor. These were the people who drew crowds because of their power and moved about the city in splendor. Jesus presented himself entirely different, as a simple person, wearing simple clothes, coming without a large entourage. If someone who saw Him would call out, "He is the Son of God, our Lord," they would have thought of him as a witless fool.  Those who saw Him in the countryside of Galilee and who witnessed His miracles would have seen him as a great profit like Elijah, Jeremiah or John the Baptist. Even they would not dare say He is the "Son of God."

So why, if He was the Son of God, did He not appear to them as such? Why couldn't they see His indescribable Divinity? The truth is that none of them would have been able to stand it because it was so great a power that lay concealed within His body. It would have been as if the sun exploded in their faces. So He comes in the flesh from a pious simple woman, born in a manger, concealing His light of Divinity.

But on the day of the Feast of the Transfiguration something different happens. Six days following the exclamation of Peter that Christ was the Son of God, Jesus takes His most beloved disciples Peter, John, and James to the top of a mountain, Mount Tabor. When they reach the top of the mountain after a long climb, a grand miracle takes place. Jesus changes in His appearance. He becomes, as Scripture tells us, gleaming as light, like a bright sun. His face shines and His clothes are a pure gleaming white.

What is this light that they witnessed? It was not a created light but uncreated. It was a light of Divinity. It was not a light that a camera would capture or any scientist could measure.

Gregory Palamas says the following,

Matthew writes "like the sun" not that one should think of that light as sensible––forsake the carelessness of mind of those who can understand nothing higher than what they can perceive! But so that we may know, that that which those who live by the senses and with the senses behold as the sun; that which those who live by the Spirit and in spirit behold is Christ as God, and those who see God have no need of another light. To the immortals He is the Light and no other. For why should those who have the greatest Light have another?

To understand this, we have to lift our own minds above the rationality of the physical world and experience with His three disciples a light which is Spirit, pure divinity, the light of Christ as mentioned so often in Scripture. Let your mind be free of its normal physical constraints.

While Christ was gleaming in His divine brightness two other men appeared with Him who were also illumined with a light. They were people from the past, Elijah and Moses. Moses appears to them to show them that there is a life after death. We will become spirits in another realm. Their appearance at His command shows that Christ is the Lord of all. Also, note that these great men did not stand with Him as equals but worshiped Him, showing clearing that Jesus is the true Messiah.

But there is more to the story. Suddenly there is a luminous cloud and a voice that says, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!" (Matt 17:5) They fell on their faces and heard Jesus affirm them saying, "Arise, and do not be afraid."

This was a historical event. This is not a parable or a myth like the stories told of pagan gods. Peter recalls,

We did not follow a cunningly devised fable when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent glory: 'This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.' And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain (2 Peter 1:16-18).

This is an event we cannot fully understand or explain. We need to bask in its wonder and open and lift our narrow minds to accept things that are beyond reason, beyond scientific explanation. We need to assimilate this event and humble ourselves and do as the voice said, "Hear Him!"

Saint John Chrysostom says,

Hear Him, the uncreated, good, uncircumcised, sought out by faith but unmeasured by tongue, approached in faith yet the Word by words is undefined. For now Paul, the orator, who unbridles confusion and teaches everything without hesitation, cries, 'Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!'" (Rom 11:33)

So what was the purpose of this event?  Bishop Augoustinos puts it this way,

Through the Transfiguration the Lord wanted to give His disciples proof of His divinity so that, as the Church chants, "Seeing you crucified, they would know Your Passion is by choice, and would preach to the world that You are indeed the Father's splendor."  The Lord did not want them to be shaken when they saw Christ on the Cross, but would understand that He voluntarily gave Himself to death, since, as God, He could destroy all opposition and throw His enemies prostrate on the ground in the thunderbolt of His divinity. ...So He was pleased to be crucified for our salvation.

This event helps all us better understand the true nature of the Crucifixion, His Ascension, the role of the Holy Spirit sent on Pentecost and the Apostles who gave their life in martyrdom as they went out to spread the Word and create churches. We see from this that He was not just man, but truly both man and fully God. His inner being was Divine, made up of uncreated Light. The story of salvation is so much more than the idea that He gave Himself as a substitute for us, as a sacrifice in payment for the sins of mankind.  It awakens us to something much greater, something spiritual and shows us that we too are spiritual and can someday join with Him in His heavenly realm.  To do so we not only have to "Hear Him" but also "Follow Him."

Let your hearts fly to heavenly things as you contemplate this most Holy Event. Remember, what we read about this event is but a glimpse into something much greater. Let it shine light on our own imperfections and give us motivation and courage to live a life of true repentance, always trying to come closer to Christ by purifying our hearts throughout the teachings of the Church, her sacraments and the disciplines she teaches us. As Christ tells us, "Blessed are the pure in Heart, for they shall see God." (Matt 5:8) May we all become worthy of the personal experience of His divine Light.

Reference: Follow Me, by Augoustinos Bishop of Florina,  pp 146-157

What does it mean, "Follow Me"?

When Jesus says, "Follow Me," (John 1:43) what does he expect of us? In the Gospel of Luke it says, "they forsook all and followed Him." (Lk 5:11) Does this mean we have to give up our career, our family, our worldly possession to follow Christ? 

Bishop Augoustinos of Florina writes,

No. For we saw that those who, like Apostles, are called to a special extraordinary mission to leave all these things.

This leaves us with the question, what does it mean then for us?  Here is what the the Bishop says,

Listen! Besides the things that comprise one's material goods, which everyone––even the poorest person––has to some degree, there is another bounty––one that is not material or visible, a wealth that is not blessed but damnable, and which has collected in our secret coffers by the meddling Satan. This bounty is vice, evil, and passion. 

To follow Him we must overcome our passions, those forces within our being that lead us to act in ways counter to the will of God. Passions are difficult to give up. Even when they lead us to miserable lives physically or mentally we find them hard to give up. We seem to be attached them and love them more than anything and would never think of separating ourselves from them.  We see this in the extreme in the alcoholic who will not separate himself from his passion for drink. We can see the same in the addicted gambler, the womanizer, and the glutton.

Bishop Augoustinos writes,

The passions are the possessions, the principle possessions, which we are called to leave, to separate ourselves from, in order to follow Christ (Luke 14:33). For one to leave material goods and put them at Christ's disposal is a praiseworthy act, but it is not as difficult as cutting oneself from one's faults, evils, and passions....Passions stick to our beings like a turtle's shell adheres to its body. They compose a second nature, and evil nature. 

We need to reflect on how the Apostles left everything to follow Christ and then ask ourselves, "What have I left for the Lord's sake?" Or, "what has my faith cost me up to now?" We are not asked to give up our jobs, our retirement savings or leave our families. We are asked to give up our bad habits. All of them.

Bishop Augoustinos says,

Have I left them all? Or have I maybe forsaken only a few bad habits which never bothered me much, and kept certain pet passions that I call "human weaknesses" to ease my conscience, but ones the Gospel or Christ condemns?

Each of us must examine ourselves and ask ourselves these questions. How important is our salvation. Remember, it's not a given just because you say you believe in Jesus Christ. You must demonstrate your faith and love of God by your actions just like the Apostles. Our salvation should be the most important responsibility in our lives. When that day of judgment comes around you do not want to be left short changed. Remember the virgins who were waiting for the coming of the Lord with their oil lamps and they did not have sufficient oil to keep them lit? At the last moment they had to go and get more oil and they were not able to enter the bridal chamber with Christ.

Bishop Augoustinos says,

Woe to us if there is any weakness we decide not to forsake. We will remain far from the Lord. Is there a greater calamity than this?  Therefore with His help, let's banish every sinful burden, and as well-girded soldiers follow the glorious path of the martyr.

Saint john Chrysostom says,

Forsake only your evil habits, and remaining in your own homes, you can easily be saved."

Reference: Follow Me, by Bishop Augoustinos of Florina, pp 68-71

What Do You Seek?

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear this question, "What do you seek?" Most of us probably have not even given it much thought. But it's an important question and one that we should all clarify for ourselves.

When John and Andrew first saw Jesus they cried out "Behold! The Lamb of God!" (John 1:36) When He began to leave they followed Him. Jesus seeing that He was being followed asked of them this question. He called to them, "What do you seek?"  How do you suppose they responded?  It was Him, the "Lamb of God" that they sought. They then said, "where are you staying," wanting to be with Him and learn from Him. They were seeking spiritual truths, not a way to enhance their fishing careers or a way to heal a broken relationship. They followed Him knowing He had what they were seeking.

Now let's imagine that Jesus asked the same question today to a Christian.  How would they respond? Would they say, "It is You we seek, our Lord?"  Or would they answer with something else? Would they even recognize Him as the "Lamb of God?" Or, would they see Him simply as another self-help guru or one promoting worldly success.

Bishop Augoustinos of Florina writes as follows:

If the Lord were to pose the same question to today's Christains, how would they reply? Would we answer, "Lord, it is You we seek?" Is the Lord our fervent desire? Is the salvation of our souls a great concern: Is his Kingdom the first thing we fervently seek?

Most likely we would answer from the perspective of the problems we face in this world. When I ask this question in our church classes, I usually get an answer like, "I want to provide a good life for my children," or "I want to be successful in my work," or "I seek to have peace of mind," and so forth. Few answer indicating any concern about their salvation.

Bishop Aufoustinos of Florina agrees,

If we frankly answered the Lord's question, our answers would express the abysmal desires of this world. We seek money fame and glory, sexual gratification. We seek joys and good times. We seek the demise of our enemies. The search for what is most precious, the pearl of great price, in today's materialistic, cold society is a rare thing indeed.

For most of us, our Lord and God is not foremost in our minds. We need to ask ourselves, How do we elevate the place of our Lord and Savior amidst our worldly priorities? How do we integrate the needs we face in this world and what we truly must seek, our loving relationship with our God, our salvation and eternal life in His kingdom?

My Dad is now 98 years old. For most of his life he has sought success through his profession in the legal world earning him the high ranking position of a Federal Judge. But now, none of that matters to him. He spends most of his time working crossword and Sudoko puzzles and watching old movies. He says to me, "I have nothing important to accomplish now. I am glad to arise each morning and have another day. So what has he gained in his fame and hard work? He now recognizes how his past efforts will not help him in the final days of his life. He says, that now he thinks more about God. But now it's hard for him to focus on developing that all important relationship with God.

Keep in mind the way the Apostles were called and how they gave up everything to follow Jesus. They must have been seeking answers to spiritual things before they met Jesus. Like them, if we expect to follow Him we too must give priority to seeking spiritual things in our way of life.

Attend the Church services, develop a daily prayer life, read the Scripture and works of our Fathers instead of spicy novels or watching mind numbing TV serials or cape news programs, develop questions about your faith and seek answers, follow the fasting guidelines, prepare and participate in the sacraments regularly,  and find a spiritual Father who can guide you. If you do these things you will find yourself seeking what is most important in your life. This will not take away from your life but enhance it giving everything greater meaning. To do this requires changes in your way of life. Do not be afraid to experiment with reallocating your time to give greater priority to matters of Spirit.

Reference: Follow Me, by Augoustinos N. Kantiotes, Bishop of florin, Greece, pp 25-26.

What Makes Things Beautiful?

When we think of beautiful places we tend to think of a seaside beach, a mountain peak, a high waterfall, a beautiful flower, a beautiful home, a beautiful city and so forth. But what is beauty?  Jesus lived in a beautiful place, the city of Capernaum on the edge of the Sea of Galilee, a large lake in Israel through which flows the Jordan River. Did Jesus choose this place to live because of this beauty? Probably not.  Jesus was not like those who admire natural beauty alone and who almost deify it. Jesus was attracted more to moral beauty than natural beauty. The natural beauty that we enjoy is not so significant when compared with the beauty of a person worthy of the name human. An ancient philosopher said "What a beautiful being a human is when he is human."

Bishop Augustinos of Florina in Greece writes,

There are very beautiful homes, mansions, and buildings. We see them and are awestruck; but what good are they if they are inhabited by families who, by the misdeeds of their members and by their quarreling and feuding, have turned them into pits of hell. Then again, there are huts, contrary to their humble external appearance, contain miniature paradises inside––poor but Christian families whose members have the love of Christ. There are beautiful cities, delights to the eyes, built according to all the laws of architectural design, but what good are they? In today's beautiful cities dwell human animals more vicious than the ones in the African jungle. St. Chrysostom observes that cities are made beautiful not by their buildings, but by the people living in them. Are the people superior in thought and sentiment? Do they love God and do good for their community? If so,then the city is a beautiful and good place in which to live. If, however the city's people are not as God wants them to be––if they live in violation of the commandments of moral law, both in private and in public, then the city, according to St. Chrysostom, cannot be called beautiful; rather it is a city that provokes God's abomination and the disgust of those who think and feel in a godly way.

Jesus was in Capernaum because it was a beautiful city in a moral sense. You would have thought He would have chosen Jerusalem, a place with beautiful buildings and the great Temple, a place where there were people with political power, men of wealth and great philosophers, as the place to launch His new kingdom. While Jerusalem was a beautiful city in a physical sense, in its great buildings lived people like Anna, Caiaphas, Herod and Pilate. In the great Temple were corrupt clergy who offered sacrifices turning the temple into a market place, a den of thieves. In Galilee on the shores of the lake were cities that were quite different. They contained poor, humble, hard working people who lived by the sweat on their brows. There were farmers, shepherds and fishermen. It was these humble and simple people who first heard the sermons of the Incarnate Logos.

So what is beauty? What do you think is beautiful?  If you only think of physical things or places you need to think deeper. To you what is ugly may in realty be the greatest beauty. What kind of parish do you participate in? Do people like it because of the beautiful building, the glorious paintings inside, the melodious voice of the Choir or the the priest. A beautiful parish is one where there is harmony among the members, where they struggle together in love and respect for each other, helping each other when needed. It is a community where God is supreme in their thoughts.  When the parish council meets they first discuss the moral nature of their community and how to help it grow to live more congruently with the teaching of Christ.

How about your own family. Are you known for the beauty of your house and its possessions, or for the way each member behaves in relation to others?  Do they radiate the teachings of Christ in their actions? When the family gathers for meals is there a common prayer? In the evening is there a collective prayer giving thanks to God and seeking forgiveness for the mistakes of that day?

To understand beauty think about these things. Think of beauty in a moral and spiritual sense instead of a physical sense. We can of course appreciate the wonder and beauty of God's creation, but this is only of benefit if it leads to our love of Him and our desire to carry out His commandments.  In this way we become beautiful people.

Remember always we have been created in the image of God. We have the perfect beauty within each of us. Our life is about bringing this potential within each us to shine through all our actions. We live a full life of repentance for we know how imperfect we are, yet know the mercy of our loving God. We strive always to better our actions by seeking His help. We do this through our prayer, our watchfulness, and our participation in the sacramental life of the Church. In this way we find the greatest beauty of all, being perfected in the image of Christ.

Reference: Follow Me by Bishop Augoustinos of Florina, pp 3-9