HERETICS, SCHISMATICS, FALSE TEACHERS, DECEIVERS, WOLVES IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING

     There are many of the hierarchy today who abandoned true Orthodoxy and openly preach heresy with little or no resistance from the Orthodox faithful. Orthodox Christians believe in and confess One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, and when hierarchs preach another church they preach heresy. When they recognize and embrace the pope of Rome as a bishop, and the papacy as another church, they preach heresy. When they recognie Protestants as brother Christians, and their churches, they preach heresy.  

     When they deny the truth of the unique nature of Orthodoxy as being the only true Church, the only Body of Christ, they preach heresy. When they recognize the mysteries of the non-Orthodox as being valid  they preach heresy. God through Holy Scriptures denounces every form of heresy as will be shown.

Holy Scripture, is inspired by God, however the same Scripture  are used actively and  deceptively by most nominal Christians, heretics, papists and Protestant to preach their errors. Besides these heresies there exists the pan-heresy of ecumenism, used by some Orthodox whose  objective seeks  to honor and combine all religions as leading to the same God.  Effectively this is a strong declaration against absolute truth. Satan seeks through his minions to destroy pure Orthodoxy from the face of the earth, preventing the salvation of man. Unfortunately, few do not even consider the events taking place in the Church as important.Heresy attacks from both within or outside the church, boldly and openly with little resistance thus encouraging ever increasing attacks which are still occurring.  

LORD HAVE MERCY! LORD HAVE MERCY!  LORD HAVE MERCY!

     Many have experienced being in real danger, and uttered cries for help, are familiar with the combined feeling of hope and  despair. The cry out for help is usually a form of SOS accompanied by flashers and red or yellow flag on the antenna.  Cries are made  to a passerby or on a cell phone. We Orthodox Christians when in need of help use the same procedure with one difference. Rather than seeking only for  human help which of course may not always be available, when troubles come we do as we do  in church, crying out: Kyrie eleeison or Lord have mercy,   This plea  is used repeatedly  in the Orthodox Church. It is a fact that more than any other expression in Church we hear: “Lord have mercy! A big difference is found in the fact that when we cry out to the Lord, there is no combined feeling of hope and despair but only great and firm hope that lightens any burden we may be carrying. For we know that He hears our plea before it is uttered when it is a thought, it reaches the Lord, and we are sure that He will do what is best fo  Here is the wonderful thing about our Faith. God is always with us and always hears  the sound of our plea. Every Lord have mercy is heard by Him and given His attention.  So when we have any type of trouble we call to Him: “Lord have mercy upon me.” We never need to get His attention nor does He miss a single plea or prayer, and all that is required is our firm faith. We call to God not only for spiritual things but for everything. When we meet as church here are a few of the things, mentioned by the Priest and which we seek from the Lord. “Peace from above, for the temple or building, for our Bishop, the clergy and laity, for the president, civil authorities, Armed Forces, and our country, for every city and country and those who dwell in them. For seasonable weather, abundance of crops, peaceful times. Also we pray for those at sea, travelers by land sea or air, for the sick and suffering, captives and for their salvation, for our deliverance from affliction, danger, necessity.”v Orthodox Christians seek not only their own good but what is good for all mankind.

     Christ teaches that those who seek Him can find Him in His Church, and He told His disciples::

“The kingdom of God is within you.” We need no communication device, just our thoughts are sufficient.. With faith in Christ, we cry for help for minor and major things, for the good things we need from this world to the good things for which we  hope for in the heavenly world. We can say, Lord have mercy or just have the thought , Lord have mercy upon me, both are completely acceptable if they are pure thoughts from a pure heart.r us.

      As we see in the next petition, our devotion is totally directed to Christ. The Priest intones: “Commemorating our most pure, most blessed, and glorious Lady, Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, with all the Saints, let us commend ourselves and one another, our whole life to Christ our God.   

     Our whole life? Is that much? There is no better investment available. Our life on earth is some where above or below a ninety or a hundred years. But when we ask God, Lord have mercy, we are talking about billions, trillions of eons, immeasurable and infinitely multiplied - it is called eternal life. This should be our main goal in life, and this is what we ought to be seeking.