“THIS IS MY BELOVED SON IN WHOM I HAVE WELL DECIDED”

“THIS IS MY BELOVED SON 

IN WHOM I HAVE WELL DECIDED”

     Note: This verse, like many others, is improperly translated in English Bibles, as “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased . . . ” “Well pleased” is not the meaning of this word, which in the original Greek version is “evdokia” which does not mean well pleased. A better translation is  in  whom I have well decided. God cannot be described as being pleased or experience pleasure, but He does create and makes decisions.

“This is my beloved Son in whom I have well decided. 

And we heard this voice from heaven when we were 

with Him on the holy mount.” (2 Pet. 1:17-18).

     The holy Apostle Peter heard the above words describing what they heard when they went with Christ to the mount when during  His Transfiguration; the words came from the Father.”This is my beloved Son in whom I have well decided, listen to Him.”

     The Father makes it clear from the beginning that Jesus Christ is His own beloved Son, and it was in Him and through Him that the salvation of man would be accomplished. There is no other name in heaven or on earth, by which man can be saved except that of Jesus Christ, who alone is the eternal Son of God and was born as a man – the Godman, born in time as Son of the Virgin.

     There are some who assert that men made up the idea that Jesus is the eternal Son of God. This was claimed by the ancient heretic Arius who denying the divinity of the Lord, asserting that He was only man.  But the testimony recorded here are the words of the Father who testifies. “This is my beloved Son in whom I have well decided.”

     If Jesus was not the Son of God as well and the Son of the Virgin, faith in Him would be in vain, for as a man alone he could not save. It is the perfect and eternal plan of God that the Godman would be the Savior and Redeemer of the world. After the first fall of man, enmity existed between God and man and God would bring peace and joy through His Only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ.  “This is my beloved Son in whom I have well decided, listen to Him!” All who come to Christ with faith and keep His commandments all through their lives, and enter His Church are on the correct path and all those who reject Christ are destined to everlasting perdition, for they have rejected God’s important command, “This is my beloved Son in whom I have well decided, listen to Him!”

Christ was not just a human moralist as some say, for He is the eternal God and Logos who of His own will became a man, the only Godman. The Father commits everything to the Son who is coming in glory to judge the living and the dead.  

     The Apostle Peter testified to what he heard the Father say and they are very powerful words, not the words of men but of the command to all men from the Father who is in heaven.

     Let us consider some of the earthly gifts of the Father, including the gifts of our souls and spirits and our lives and existence coupled with provisions of its many requirements and necessities, the Father has blessed us with countless blessings and  gifts for this present life. He gives water and abundant crops, animals, and abundant food. How much greater that this will be the promised heavenly gifts of God, including that of life that never ends? But if we do not show gratitude  for the many earthly gifts how can we expect to receive the greater heavenly gifts which we just ignore? We are given life, we eat and drink what is needed, we work, we sleep for rest and from our infirmities. But do we even begin to offer gratitude and appreciation for His many earthly  blessings? If we cannot be grateful and offer thanks for the multitude of earthly blessings already bestowed upon us,  how can we possibly expect the greater promise of heavenly blessings? Or how can we begin to expect heavenly blessings if we do not even believe they exist? How foolish we are! It is certain that we must die no matter how healthy we are, for sooner or later we must go for judgement the very day we leave this present life.

Jesus Christ did not teach us how to maintain and improve the present earthly life, but he did teach us how to sacrifice things in this live so as to acquire everlasting life in His kingdom. Jesus says: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust corrupt, and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust corrupts, where thieves do not break through and steal, for where your treasure is there will your   heart be also”                                                                                                 (Mat. 6:19-21) 

      The promises and commandments of Christ, without fail, must be the all important goal of this present life, but certainly not as the world teaches, which is the acquisition of material goods greedily stored up until we die then left to others. So save your money and pile it up for years ahead, especially for your old age. The world teaches us to acquire all the money and goods that we can, which can make us become rich and powerful and believe that there is nothing more. This teaching is the black lie of the evil one who seeks our destruction and a share in his future condemnation and torment. We must heed the words of the Father and put them into daily practice: “This is my beloved Son in whom I have well decided, listen to Him.”

LIGHT AND DARKNESS

“The people who walked in darkness 

have seen a great light; they that dwell

 in the land of the shadow of death; upon 

them has the light shined” (Is. 9:2)

    The Prophet Isaiah speaks of the future coming of as great light which will shine in the darkest places. Jesus Christ is the Light of the world and those who follow Him in truth do not walk in darkness but have the light of life. The Lord as prophesied was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and she gave birth to Him in Bethlehem of Judea.

   Jesus established Himself as Head of His Church which is His body. Then after teaching His disciples, Christ sent them forth to preach the Gospel of salvation among the Jews, which was accepted by a few. Following this they preached to various non-Jews or Gentiles where the Gospel bore much fruit Sts. Peter and Paul composed much of written Scripture Matthew, Mark, Luke and John composed the four Gospels. Luke wrote the Acts of the Apostles and John wrote three epistles and the Book of Revelation. Paul wrote fourteen epistles;  Peter wrote two epistles, James one and Jude one. Besides maintaining written tradition, Orthodoxy preserves the oral tradition well.

     People who walk in darkness . . .  they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death. Where there is the greatest darkness is where the light of the Messiah did shine. We are all familiar with physical light and darkness, and we us many forms of physical light to maneuver through physical darkness. We utrn on the lights in homes, cars, factories, streets stores, etc. Without the use of physical light physical darkness would overwhelm us. But there is another form of darkness which causes us to blindly walk in darkness and dwell in the shadow of death. It is known as moral darkness and can only be overcome with moral light.  Moral darkness comes from the dark evil spirit, and moral light radiates from the bright moral sun Jesus Christ. Moral darkness causes us to behave badly before God and men. But when illumined by Christ and by following His words which brightly illumine our souls, we are enabled to see clearly, harm no one and are on the path to eternal life.

     Every virtue including goodness, kindness, meekness honesty and justice, with the avoidance of all evil vices dwells in the hearts and minds of all who are illumined by Jesus Christ, the only  Light of the world. Although many moral ideas have been taught in the world, only Christ is the true moral light and Teacher of the entire world, which enlightens the entire race of man.

     Moral darkness results in moral blindness which leads men to deserved perdition for they fail to distinguish moral light from moral darkness and Jesus Christ from the Devil. Their freedom to choose bears with it a huge responsibility for every free moral person is responsible for the behavior which he chooses. Every word that came from the mouth of Jesus Christ is important to us, for each one is a living moral light. Let us choose, for example, the words  “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Mat. 5:2) Being poor in spirit is not really a blessing, but its results are a great blessing. Realizing our lack of spirit causes us to be sorrowful and mourn, and the very next beatitude is: “Blessed are they who mourn for they shall be comforted.” Seeing the realization of our own spiritual poverty arouses causes sorrow in our souls,  then the  spirit from God enriches us ringing calmness and peace. Every word of Christ is more valuable than anything that exists. His teaching and His Church gradually prepare us for the life that never ends, the eternal life of God.

     It is imperative that we take advantage of this temporary present life for there will not be a second chance to dedicate “ourselves and one another and our whole lives to Christ our God.”It is in this life that we need to prepare and conduct our lives to becoming like God humble, meek kind and just and this opportunity comes but once in a lifetime. Today is the day of our salvation!

CHANGE DEATH INTO ETERNAL LIFE

Christ is risen!

      Among people of the world this expression is often used: “My how time flies!” Seconds quickly change into minutes, then hours, days, months and we count the years which quickly pass us by. My how time flies!  We marry, have children and already may have celebrated our thirtieth anniversary. We see the years as they zip by and soon the idea of death flashes before our eyes. Then we may see a  neighbor pass away, causing the thought of our own death which many prefer to shun. Why? We see that most people avoid even the thought of death and some think that it is the end of everything, including ourselves. This is not the truth, for Jesus Christ is the source of all life. We will show that death is not the end but a completely new beginning worth looking forward to with great joy.  The beauty is that looking forward to death as something wonderful which will fill us with joy at its approach, and this is the way God desires us to  prepare, with joy and wonderful anticipation.

     The truth is that Jesus Christ came and abolished death. So we sing: “Christ is risen from the death trampling down death by death and bestowing life upon those in the tombs.”  Jesus Christ is not the author of death but is the Giver and Source  of all life. He declared to His disciples when Lazarus had been dead for four days.  “Lazarus is not dead but is asleep, but I go to wake him out of sleep.” Jesus went to the four-day dead Lazarus, “He cried out in a loud voice, Lazarus come forth. And he that was dead came forth bound hand and foot with graveclothes. Jesus said loosen him and release him.” Four-days dead Lazarus is alive as Christ shows to everyone that He alone is the author of all life. The evil one lost its power and  authority and has become helpless before Christ.

      Christ’s teaching declares that He has conquered death and as His disciples we are now empowered by Christ. It begins with our baptism into the death and resurrection of Christ. Then the seal of the Holy Spirit and the keeping of all His commandments all the days of our life. This changes everything and now death has become most desirable and an important change in our life will be on the day we die or fall asleep in the Lord. For the tomorrow of day of our death is life eternal. It is happiness and joy in the love and kingdom of Christ.

     For when we have faith in and obey Christ we become true believers, with great consequences for this and this day will never end. It is our permanent entry into timeless and endless eternity, which belongs to God alone and is filled with great joy and beauty. The day we die we will enter  the day of eternity and on this day we will never die for Christ has destroyed death’s authority forever.

     So now with great joy, we can anticipate the day after our death which we call tomorrow. It is eternal constant and endless happiness living in God forever, Continuous and permanent happiness is our real present and future which we can all look forward to with thankfulness and gratitude to God who created us and gave us the eternal Tomorrow. Tomorrow, the day after our death! Beautiful tomorrow! It is here that God reigns and shares His eternal life with all those who love Him!

WE DO NOT SEE CHRIST BUT BELIEVE IN HIM

WE DO NOT SEE CHRIST 

BUT BELIEVE IN HIM

“Whom having not seen, you love, though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable” (1Pet. 1:8).

We have not seen Him, yet believing we rejoice!

     Peter the Apostle beheld Christ with His eyes and loved Him and in this passage he is praising those who love Him but have not seen Him with their own eyes. We may think that seeing Christ with our eyes make it easier to love Him. But love without physical sight is special, beautiful and sublime. For whether we see Him or not has no affect on our love for the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one who formed us in our mother’s womb, suffered and went to the Cross for us and is the  nourisher of our entire lives. 

     We died with Christ  to the old man in triune  baptism, and coming up from the water with the risen Christ into His glorious Resurrection!  We receive Him into our being by communicating with His body and blood. We keep Him in our minds and hearts with the fervent longing to be with Him to the close of the age, and for eve    !  We can frequently communicate with  Him, study and  absorb His words in the Holy Scriptures.

We also intensify our love for Christ by praying to Him together in the church and also in our homes. We love him by beholding His eternal presence with the Father and are enlightened by His light which illumines our souls. Christ is the life and light of Orthodox Christ filling our minds with light and warming our hearts with His infinite love.

     Although we have not physically seen Christ, we can certainly have Him dwelling within us just as we can always dwell in Him. Christ is seen not only with our eyes but with all our being for He is our God and Creator and the source of our being.

     Our relationship with Christ depends mostly on the intensity of our love for Him, and we can check our love in the following way. Each day during our prayers we can examine our love, by how well we keep His commandments during our daily lives. For He says to us all:  “If you love me keep my commandments.”   By conducting our lives according to His teaching we show our great respect and deep love for Him, for He is our kind and merciful Teacher.

     We can do as did the woman who is betrothed to a wonderful husband, and while he is away she remains completely faithful and yearns for his return. When we conduct our lives a according to Christ by knowing and keeping all His commandments we show the love in our hearts for Him who  we do not see with our physical eyes, yet His great love continuously fills our minds and hearts. 

     Knowing Christ to be the eternal Son of God born eternally from the Father and in time as the Son of man born in time of the Holy Virgin Mary and we glorify Him, the only Godman..

     Loving Christ fills our souls with great comfort and consolation for there can be no greater love in our entire lives than the love of Christ, our King and our God. We rejoice  seeing His image in the Holy Icons, on the Cross, or in His Mother’s arms. We partake of Him in His precious flesh and blood. Experiencing His great love us, we are overcome with His gladness which nourishes our hearts and enlightens our minds.

     On the great and holy Feast of Pascha we joyfully join everyone in singing: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death; and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.”  “Pascha! Great and Holy Pascha!” This Feast of feasts continues for a whole week, and we sing the Paschal “Christ is risen . . .” m hymn for forty days after Pascha,

     We praise the Holy Virgin and we sing: “Magnify my soul Christ the Lifegiver, who rose from the tomb on the third day.  Shine, shine, O New Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. Dance for joy and be glad, O Sion. And you pure Theotokos rejoice in the rising of your Son.”

WE DO NOT SEE CHRIST BUT BELIEVE HIM

WE DO NOT SEE CHRIST 

BUT BELIEVE HIM

“Whom having not seen, you love, though now you do not see Him, 

yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable” (1Pet. 1:8).

We have not seen Him, yet believing we rejoice!

     Peter the Apostle beheld Christ with His eyes and loved Him and in this passage he is praising those who love Him but have not seen Him with their own eyes. We may think that seeing Christ with our eyes make it easier to love Him. But love without physical sight is beautiful and sublime. For whether we see Him or not has no affect on our love for Christ. He is the one who formed us in our mother’s womb, and who nourishes our entire lives. 

     We died to the old man in triune  baptism, and coming up from the water with the risen Christ into His glorious Resurrection!  We repeatedly receive Him into our being by communicating with His body and blood. We keep Him in our minds and hearts with the fervent longing to be with Him to the close of the age.  We frequently pray to Him and we study and  absorb His words in the Holy Scriptures.

     We also show our love for Christ by praying to Him together in the church and also in our homes. We love him by beholding His eternal presence with the Father and are enlightened by His light which illumines our souls. Christ is the life and light of Orthodox Christians, enlightening our minds and warming our hearts with His limitless love.

     Although we have not physically seen Christ, we can certainly have Him dwelling within us just as we can always dwell in Him. Christ is seen not only with our eyes but with all our being for He is our God and Creator and the source of our being.

     Our relationship with Christ depends on the intensity of our love, and we can test our love in the following way. Each day during our prayers we can test our love, by how well we keep Christ’s commandments during our daily lives. For He says to us all:  “If you love me keep my commandments.”   By conducting our lives as He teaches we show our great respect and deep love for Him, our kind and merciful Teacher.

    We can do as did a woman who is betrothed to a wonderful husband, and while he is away she remains faithful and thinks and yearns for him most of the time. When we conduct our lives a according to Christ by knowing and keeping all His commandments we show the love in our hearts for Him who  we do not see with our physical eyes, yet His great love continuously fills our minds and hearts. 

     Knowing Christ to be the eternal Son of God born eternally from the Father and in time as Jesus Christ of the Holy Virgin Mary and we glorify Him, the only Godman who is begotten of the Father before the ages.

     Loving Christ brings great comfort and consolation to our souls for there can be no greater love in our entire lives than the love of Christ, our King and our God. We see His image in the Holy Icons and we partake of Him in His flesh and blood. Experiencing His great love, we are overcome with His gladness which fills our hearts and lightens our minds.

     On the great Feast of Pascha we joyfully sing out: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death; and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.”  “Pascha! Great and Holy Pascha!” This Feast of feast continues for a whole week, and we sing the Paschal “Christ is risen . . .”hymn for forty days after Pascha,

     We praise the Holy Virgin with the following hymn: “Magnify my soul Christ the Lifegiver, who rose from the tomb on the third day.  Shine, shine, O New Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. Dance for joy and be glad, O Sion. And you pure Theotokos rejoice in the rising of your Son.”

CREATION OF THE WORLD

CREATION OF THE WORLD

“In the beginning God created heaven and earth” (Gen. 1:1)

   These historical words were recorded by the Great Moses through whom God revealed His actions of creation, that everyone would know that they were God’s words. Moses is recognized by much of the human race as being the man who recorded the history of creation as God revealed it to him. The greatest error of unbelievers is that they fail to recognize that God  alone is uncreated and is therefore the Creator of everything that exists. Before, during, and after creation God exists. Time has both a beginning and an end, hence all creation has a past, present and future.

     Some men raise the unreasonable question: Who created God? The question is invalid because God is not created, but He is the all wise and all knowing Creator of all that exists. He creates matter and from it forms  beings, and many of which are dominated by man. Although man rules over much of  creation yet he cannot live without the sun, moon and stars, the rivers and streams, oceans and lakes, trees and forests, birds and bees, earth and plants. Man must gulp down air continuously needing created things to survive all through his life. He needs continuous supplies of water and food and without any of these he cannot survive. It was the will of the Creator who for His reasons made man superior in many ways, yet rendered him completely dependent for air, food and water. More than just being superior to other beings, man is created in the image of God, and his destination as God’s image is to also become His likeness, thereby becoming the image and likeness of God.

     In the past many people who were seeking a god to worship, ended up in idolatry worshiping various false gods or idols, and some ended up with a plurality of gods. Permissiveness abounded everywhere, for behind the false gods were demons who led men astray into countless sins and iniquities, such as murder, theft, adultery and drunkenness. The nations did not learn of the Creator because this was special revealed knowledge from God and taught to the Jews by Moses.  Man can be made known by His works in buildings, architecture, art, etc, and so the existence of an all-wise God can be seen in His works and creation which is filled with wonders and with the infinite wisdom of the Creator, and all of creation bears this out.

     It is not  possible for human beings to observe much of creation,  especially the human race, and fail to believe that there is a Creator who communicates with us and brought all things into existence out of nothing. To deny that there is a Creator is not only faithless but it is also illogical. For there is no other way to answer the question, where did matter and beings come from?  Man and matter cannot be self-created nor can they come from nothing. Even more difficult is it to admitting that there is a God, when the spirit of God is in men giving them their mental powers, and the freedom to think and do wonderful things. This is something to rejoice over for God is good to us giving us such wonderful gifts. From where does the spirit in men come if not from God? How can man who is the image of God, deny God’s existence?

     One man, in the history of the human race, spoke decisively about God and His creation, and that man was Moses. He wrote as God instructed him not having this knowledge in himself. He wrote: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”  All that has a beginning does not have a past. Moses gives his account of creation which is recorded in Holy Scripture.  This knowledge is as  necessary to man as is the world into which he is born and grows up. That is why Christ says: “Search the Scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life.” Knowledge of the created world is gained from the world itself and the Holy Bible. The world nourishes the body and the Scriptures nourishes the soul. Man observes the world and knows that it is not God, and it has a beginning and an eventual end. These truths are important to understand: God is not subject to time but is eternal, while the world being subject to time is not eternal. Time and eternity are opposing ideas time being born from eternity.

     The perfection in detail of the created world testifies to the wisdom and skills of the Creator who made heaven and earth. This fundamental knowledge is a beginning of much more knowledge. The philosophical schools of the West that fail to recognize the Bible cannot discern by investigation and study of the book that there is a God who is the Creator of heaven and earth. They either deny or ignore the God who created in the beginning the heaven and the earth.

CALLED TO BECOME SAINTS

CALLED TO BECOME SAINTS

“To the saints which are at Ephesus” (Eph. 1:1).

     Orthodox Christians of all ages are saints and are addressed by St. Paul as “the saints”, in fact all Christians even to this day are referred to as saints. An example is in every Divine Liturgy we hear the priest summoning us saying: “The holy things for the holy”. (Note: The original Greek is “Ta aghia tees agois” which is properly translated: “the holy things for the saints.”)

     Holy Communion is not simply bread and wine, though it may appear and taste as such, but is the true body and blood of the Godman Jesus Christ, who speaking of this mystery to His Apostles said: “Take. eat. this is my body and drink this is my blood.” Only those who are worthy should partake of this mystery, for without repentance and living a Christian life they are forbidden an dangerous to our souls.

     Divine Liturgy on Sunday alone is not the only way into the kingdom of heaven, for we are required to  make a complete change in our lives, which means to rid ourselves of every sin and vice and  acquire every divine virtue, and for this reason we are called saints. The vices of pride and boasting are deadly; we need to acquire humility and humblemindedness. Unreasonable anger and furiousness are poisonous; meekness and gentleness kust be acquired being the only way. Vileness is of the devil and is dangerous and must be replaced by holiness which is necessary and excludes all evil. All injustices, such as lying and stealing are deadly sins, for we must embrace justice and honesty avoiding all forms of evil. Holiness excludes all evil thoughts, desires and action.

     We are called to become saints which is entirely voluntary for it is our freedom to accept or reject as we desire. But the penalty for not becoming saints is everlasting torment and the reward is the kingdom of heaven in the life which is to come. The importance of becoming saints should be a priority in conducting our lives, and is the only answer to those who are searching for true happiness. Happiness is being in the arms of God who will guide those who desire into life that never ends.

     It is our calling to embrace what is wonderful and beautiful for we are not called to do something too difficult but normal if we are rightly disposed.  We should hate all evil and do no evil to anyone and we do not want evil done to us. We do not like dishonesty nor should we be dishonest but truthful and sincere with everyone. If we found ourselves in need we would greatly appreciate any help that is given to us. So we must be generous to those are in need, and not live luxuriously and disregard them. 

     When men keep the commandments of God, then earth will become heavenly and delightful to all men. All evil will disappear, nor will wars exist as men keep the commandments, for then peace and happiness will be everywhere. Men will seek to help and encourage each other and will live in continuous joy.

“IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED

 HEAVEN AND THE EARTH” 

(Gen. 1:1)

     “In the beginning God created heaven and earth”. With these first words of the Holy Bible God the Creator introduces himself to humanity. Everything contained in the Bible is true and is written with  divine inspiration, both the Old Testament and New Testament. Those who approach God with unbelief will not be concerned with any form of divine truth and thereby will shut themselves outside of the Kingdom. God created matter and then formed everything on earth from matter. God alone is uncreated and eternal. We humans live in time, our days are numbered for we enter the world through birth and leave through death and we will face the inevitable judgment.

     We all believe, and in and accept the fact that man exists and his existence is not only by sight but we confirm his existence, even after death by the works of his hands. Man has created out of matter things that are useful and things that are not necessary.   No one would deny that the existence of men is confirmed by seeing him and if we do not see him, by his works. The same is true of God, for we have seen Him through His flesh as the Godman. We see the sun and moon, the stars and clouds, the birds and animals, as well as the green herbs, and of course we know that these are not made by man but by God, being His works.

     Men who deny the existence of the Creator of all also deny right reason and with it a purpose for God’s creation, even though He testifies to His creation of the Godman Jesus Christ, saying: “Let us create man in our own image and likeness. God also testifies to His creation of the race of man  beginning with Adam the first of all men and then from the first created pair. “God formed man out of the clay of the earth and breathed into His person a breath (spirit) of life and the man became a living soul” Then God formed a female from Adam who became His wife Eve, and from these two eventually came the race of man. Anyone familiar with well documented historical accounts will see the truth and accuracy of these things.

However, not all men will believe and accept these facts, just as the Egyptians did not believe and accept the same facts and the idea of the true God worshiped by Joseph and the other Jews. For there have always been two categories among men, believers and unbelievers, the sincere and insincere as well as the faithful and unbelievers. The arguments against the existence of God through His testimony and works which declare Him are just as foolish as those who deny man’s existence and his works which declare him. For just as we are correct in claiming that the existence of man is confirmed by his works, so the existence of God is confirmed by His works. His sun shines brightly over the entire earth and many planets. The sun brightly says: Look at me, if you are able, for not man but God formed me and keeps my fiery essence glowing brightly for your sake!

     “In the beginning God created heaven and the earth.” Why did God create heaven and earth? Because He has a plan which is currently being fulfilled. We do not know all His reasons but we know an important one, for from the beginning God planned to conclude creation with the formation of man.

     So from the beginning of creation man was in God’s mind and he created man and woman in His own image. But His plan did not stop with the creation of man. For He also said: Let us create man in our own image and likeness, meaning man exactly like God. So from the beginning God spoke of His Only begotten Son, who would be born of the Virgin, being the man in His own image and likeness, and through Him God’s great plan is being fulfilled. He created heaven and earth with a distinct purpose which is unrealized by those who reject God’s words. The beginning will be concluded by the end and in the end this old world will pass away and there will be a new earth peopled by men and women in the image and likeness of Jesus Christ who is the Head of the Church which is His body containing the faithful.  

PASCHA! PASCHA!

2

“I shall not die but live, and declare

 the works of the Lord” (Psalm 117:17).

     The Pascha of the Lord concerns everlasting life, for by His death He has put death to death. Who is able to speak the words of the Psalm: “I shall not die but live? All those who in faith worship and obey the living Lord Jesus. They will know that the God of all dwells in them and that they will never die, filling them with great joy. Enoch, Elias and John did not die and they are seen as proof of our own immortality.  Pascha, the Lord’s Pascha celebrates death being put to death and life is bestowed on all the faithful. Pascha brings victory over death and new life into our souls.

     We Orthodox Christians must with great certainty testify to the life that never ends, which is the life we live by following our Lord Jesus Christ. The ruler of darkness who sought to quench the light has been overthrown by Christ and he will enter into outer darkness as he deserves. Faith in Christ causes our whole life to undergo great change for with our faith we also receive eternal life. Consuming of the Holy Eucharist cause us the partake of Christ himself who put death to death and is the eternal source of life that never ends. Thus we now cry out: “I shall not die but live and declare the works of the Lord.”

     The Lord finished His work and rested, that is, He rested for three days in the tomb and then, on that glorious day of Pascha, He arose and will never die again and tells us: “I shall not die but live.”

Those who reject Christ have no part in life but are dead before they die and will be cast into outer darkness, for they do not desire life that never ends.

     This temporary life causes us to realize the temporary nature of our existence here and our complete freedom to do what we will. This life requires us to eat and drink work and sleep in order to maintain it. However this life will come to an end for sooner or later we must die, for this life is about life and eventual death. 

     All mankind is called to the wonderful life that Christ brought to us on the day of Pascha which He bestows upon all who desire the life that never ends. The eternal life is not like this temporary life for it is deathless and without pain or sorrow or suffering, but is endless joy and exultation. The eternal life is the only endless life of total happiness. Living in this life we can cry to all: “I shall not die but live, and declare the works of the Lord.” Sin is the cause of mankind’s every evil for it confuses men and they live and suffer without realizing that sin is the cause of their misery. Man cannot live without God and it is a great evil to ignore or deny  God’s authority over humanity. When a man is caught into sin he is like a decapitated chicken which struggles convulsively, so the sinner is caught in the throes of death and its terrible consequences.

PASCHA!  PASCHA!

     Many people who claim to believe in God and say: “Of course I believe in God!” But to believe in God is not what God expects from man, for it is apparent that all of His creation bears witnesses to the Creator of all who is the God who made everything that exists.” So to believe in God is natural and is declared by His works. For anyone to have a genuine belief in God, he must first have a desire for whatever is good, then he will realize that God is good and will then seek to know Him.

     It is apparent that God having created all that exists, finally created man to utilize and rule over everything. Man is the only earthly creature to be granted the extremely wonderful ability to think, to understand and to love or hate. Man is the only one to be endowed with body soul and spirit; with a mind that thinks, a heart that loves and a will that makes decisions. Men use these wonderful faculties but not always for their right purpose and the result is sin. But it is Pascha now and time to rejoice in who we are, images of God.

     Pascha is about God who became man, the Godman Jesus Christ who came into the world with a distinct purpose. We repeatedly are edified by examining and entering into his life to understand why the perfect God and perfect man exists. This is especially so when we remember His passion and voluntary suffering where He is betrayed by Judas Iscariot, taken into custody and put on trial by the wicked Jews, who maliciously  condemn the innocent Christ to death as a common criminal. Remembering that He is almighty God and in a instant could destroy His persecutors, we can fully realize that they have custody over him as a prisoner, because He voluntarily wills that these things should be accomplished. Everything is that takes place is in  accordance with His divine plan. Therefore He submits to insults, mockery, blasphemy, spitting, being struck and whipped, undergoing severe the most severe punishment not which He but we all deserve. His punishment is not describable, for it is the severe suffering deserved by all humanity. After His terrible suffering He is then nailed to the Cross and maliciously given vinegar to drink when he said: “I thirst!”

    He dies on the Cross and yet is not dead, for something wonderful happened he died. He is life itself and the source of life being God. The source of life cannot be destroyed thus His death is a life-filled death which renders all life to all creatures. His death puts to death to death  and the devil’s authority and kingdom are destroyed. Also Christ descended into Hades and freed the captives who awaited Him.  On the third day He triumphantly arose from the dead as the victor.

     The glorious  third day resurrection showed the wonder and glory of Pascha, Pascha of our Lord who as the Godman is risen from the dead. His glorious Pascha is our Pascha for He did these things, not for himself but only out of His great love for us lowly and sinful creatures. Pascha is about us and the one who was put to death and arose from the dead for our sake.

     In celebrating Pascha, we should bring to mind the love of our Lord and Savior the Godman, and realize that there is so much more to celebrate. For Jesus Christ is the man which we must all become. How do we accomplish this task? By learning from Christ and following His commandments, also and from the examples of His holy Apostles and the Holy Fathers of the Church. These men were filled with faith, hope and love for Christ and they successfully struggled and obtained the victory over sin and evil and became like Him. Filled with Holy Spirit they became deified men and women, adorned with every virtue, especially faith, hope and love, humility, meekness and holiness. This is what Pascha brings to the human race, the ability to be  transformed into the image of the Godman.

      This is the beauty and glory of Pascha and is best when celebrated by our firm decision to be transformed into images of the Godman. At Pascha Christ says to us: Look at me I am God it is true, but I am also a man like you. I am the new Adam and you are my children who I invite into my kingdom. Especially on my glorious Pascha I call to you for I am the Christ who is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!

Hymn sung during Holy Week:

     “All creation was transformed by awe as it saw you hanging on the Cross. The sun went dark and the earth was shaken to its foundations. All things suffered with Him who is the Maker of everything. Lord, you suffered willingly for us. Glory to You!”

      Pascha is our celebration and it is always new and holy and did not appear until Christ rose from the dead! It is the fulfillment of the ancient pascha of the Jews. It is mystical and hidden but known to those who approach Christ with fear and faith. Pascha is joyfully adored and glorified by the faithful. Pascha is Christ himself our King and God, who redeems us. For He is our holy, spotless, and great Pascha and belongs to all of us who are faithful and by it we are sanctified. Pascha is Christ who has opened the door of Paradise to those who love Him and celebrate Pascha glorifying the risen Lord. Pascha is filled with divine jubilance and gives us a taste of Paradise where we will be with Him and live in Him forever in the life that has no end!

THREE MEN WHO NEVER DIED; GOD AND MAN ARE TRINITIES

THREE MEN WHO NEVER DIED;

GOD AND MAN ARE TRINITIES  

     "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death, and was not found because God had translated him, for without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:5).

The son of Zebedee, Elias the Prophet, did not die but ascended alive into heaven in a fiery chariot.

     To the glory of the Holy Trinity a third man was translated without death, John the Evangelist and Theologian. 

     Concerning St. John not dying was apparent in the celebration of His Feast Day, for we do not commemorate his falling asleep or death, but we celebrate his translation without death. Supporting this also are the words of Christ addressed in an exchange with Apostle Peter.  “Peter seeing him (John) said to Jesus, Lord and what shall this man do? Jesus said unto him, if I will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?  (John 21:21-22). Also the three men’s translations without death by God the author of our life is to the glory of the Holy Trinity. 

     In these present days of unbelief it is good to call to mind that the true God is necessarily a trinity. We believe and know this is so because God is self- knowing and does not know himself through another as we do. We know ourselves through our fathers, mothers doctors, etc. God knows himself through himself and not through another, because He is self-knowing  and all knowing, ,and uncaused for He is the cause and source of everything that exists. 

     God has a perfect idea of himself and the Father eternally gives forth a Logos and a Spirit and there is no ignorance in Him.  He is the Creator and the Source of all that exists, and as He continually possesses the perfect idea and spirit of himself, so He has a perfect idea of himself and everything that He brought into existence. God is one and has one nature and one essence. God is uncaused and has uncaused existence and is also eternal, everlasting and timeless. He is also simple and indivisible, and eternally remains the same. God is one, and is perfect and being the source of all knowledge thus there is no  ignorance in Him.

     We can also understand about God and His nature by a comparison with imperfect man whom God created in His image. We also have an idea of ourselves but this idea is extremely limited and imperfect, but the Idea of God is complete and perfect. Christ says that no one has seen the Father. The Son and Logos declares the will of the Father and his nature is known through the Logos. Man the image also has a mind which no man has seen and his logos communicating through his body declares him to others. 

     It is impossible for God to exist if He were not a trinity, nor could anything else exist, In God are three persons, the Father is the cause of the existence of the other two, the Logos and the Holy Spirit who come from the Father. Man could not exist if he were not a unity in the image of God.

     Man in the image of God is both a unity and trinity, having a mind, logos and spirit. Man’s mind is present but remains unseen, but man has thoughts in his mind which he understands through the spirit within him, and he expresses these thoughts through his logos in speech and gestures to God and Saints and Angels in prayer and to other men. They understand because they have the same faculties. 

     We think and communicate at all times but if we stop for a moment and examine  the process within ourselves we will see that repeatedly thoughts are flowing through our minds most of which we understand. When we are with another person, even more thoughts develop, and we speak to the other with a greeting or question or some other remark and a conversation may take place. But what is a conversation? If man were not triune he would not be man. For in his mind which is unseen are thoughts which are expressed to others through his body, by speaking and gestures. 

    Man being the image of God is not just a body and soul but also has a spirit through which he has life and understanding, thoughts, ideas and memories. So when the thought of what God is like comes to our minds, we should remember that we are an image of Him, a trinity in unity, having understanding and the  ability to communicate with others in love and peace. What a glorious and wonderful creature is every man reflecting the image of God, for every man is like God a trinity in unity.

     When we pray, we purge our thoughts, then gather them together in our minds thoughts of God, the Theotokos, Saints and heavenlky powers. Then with our logos and body we sign ourselves with the Cross and address God saying: Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is a holy and living communication between thss almighty Go d and us humble creatures. When we have something to say and speak to Him, He always listens attentively. Among the  words and ideas which God loves to hear from the cries of u sinners is: “Lord, have mercy upon me a sinner.” For God descended into the world not to save those who are righteous but to save sinners of whom I am the first.

THE TWELVE APOSTLES OF CHRIST

Being great members of the Kingdom

             Martyrdom for them is the door to leading to eternal life.

Andrew the first call was crucified.

Bartholomew was crucified, skinned, beheaded.

James, son of Zebedee was beheaded.

John the Theologian translated without death.                                                                                                                         

Matthew the Evangelist was burned by fire.

Matthias, replaced Judas Iscariot he was stoned;

then after death he was beheaded with an axe.

Peter (Simon), Andrew’s brother was crucified                                 upside down.

Philip was crucified.

Simon the Zealot of Canna was crucified.    

Thaddeus was crucified.

Thomas was pierced with five spears.

MISTRANSLATIONS OF HOLY SCRIPTURE\

Pre-eternal, no such word or no such place

for only God is eternal and nothing precedes Him

Mistranslation of the Greek (pro-aionion) meaning                           before the ages

Lust; There us no such word in the original Greek                             Bible;

It is a mistranslation of the Greek word (epithimyou)                       “desire”

Righteous, no such word in Greek Bible. This

      eroneously translates the original dikeosyni the                                 correct word is justice

This is found in the phrase: This is my beloved son                          in whom I am well pleased (evdokisa) should read:in                        whom I have well-decided or in whom I approve

You are a loving God, (philanthropos) correctly                                 translated is the lover of man.

In the Lord’s Prayer; Give us this day our daily                                 Bread;

Correct translation of (ton arton imon, ton                                          epiousion) is Give us this day our essential bread,

  CHRIST -- NO FORM OR BEAUTY

“And we saw that He had no form nor beauty” (Is. 53:2).

     Beholding all the beauty in our world and the wondrous beauty among numerous men and woman, we can only attempt like a shadow to understand the beauty of our Creator and God who endowed such great beauty on all creation, with its flowing rivers and streams, leafy trees and beautiful flowers lakes and oceans, forests and fields, the earth and planets, the sun and moon, and the stars and clouds; and then He crowned everything by forming man in His own image, placing him over all creation.

     “He had no form nor beauty.”  Isaiah the Prophet here is speaking of the Lord and His appearance as a man. How can he who gave such beauty to everything, beauty to the universe, beauty to the angels, how can he be without form or beauty?  Certainly He is the Creator of all beauty was able to come in whatever form He chose. But it was not His desire to come to us as a beautiful heavenly angel or as a divine King, nor as a luxurious rich nobleman. 

      He came for the most important work of saving the race of men who had become prisoners of the evil one and their resultant sickness needed to be cured The condition of man was a cause of much misery and  mourning and man was greatly need of divine help. The means of salvation would be accomplished by the sacrifice of His life-giving death, which after three days would be followed by His glorious resurrection. He came to spread the Gospel among His disciples and through them to all humanity. He came to save man and release him from grip of the Devil’s tyranny. To accomplish this, He would suffer and be crucified that He might rescue us from the threat of death and the power of the evil one. His terrible His suffering crucifixion and death would bring joy and exultation to the world by His glorious Resurrection! For this reason Orthodoxy glorifies His death on the Cross singing: “Behold through the Cross joy has come into the world!”

“THE COMING OF OUR LORD

“Where is the promise of His coming?” (2 Pet. 3-4)

     It is almost two thousand years since Christ dwelled on earth among men, ascended with a firm promise to return. Scoffers have always derisively challenged His promise to come again;  they also challenge Orthodoxy’s confidence in the Creed:  “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and His kingdom shall have ne end”. Scoffers looking at His long absence saying in mockery, “Where is the promise of His coming?” But they measure the Son of God’s time according to their own puny knowledge not realizing that with God there is no time or days of waiting, for He is eternal and eternity has no hours or days  for it is as a single timeless day, the  time we live in is created by God. Scoffers and unbelievers are sadly deceived and poisoned by the evil one and are perishing in their unfortunate unbelief. 

     Orthodox Christians know that the Lord will certainly come whenever He decides to and not when the scoffers misbelievers demand. What they fail to realize is that when that terrible day comes they shall be judged for failing to accept God’s wonderful promise of eternal life and everlasting joy. Scoffers and unbelievers will suffer in terrible torment, for they were given a choice but refused to believe and change their wicked ways of life in sin and iniquity; and unless they repent they will surely perish.

     When Christ originally came according to the promise of old, some Jews believed on Him but most rejected Him and stood in vicious rebellion against the Him, rejecting their Messiah and Lord. He was sent to them to deliver them from the bondage of sin, then they slew the Son of God. They crucified Him as they called out: “away with Him! Crucify Him! But He rose from the dead on the third day, for He is the Lord and King of all and the destroyed death by 

     His life-giving death. The small Church which Christ established, went out and preached  among the gentiles, who not only did not reject Christ, but with strong faith spread the gospel of the  true Faith among many nations. Christianity formed a wonderful transformation in the character of believers which resulted in many more to become believeers and be baptized.

FALSE TEACHERS

FALSE TEACHERS

“There shall be false prophets among the people, 

who shall bring in false teachings and destructive heresies, 

even denying the Lord God who bought them” (2 Peter 3:1).

     Many attacks have and will continue to be made upon the Church, its members and its true doctrine., Among the most dangerous are false teachings which seek to corrupt the truths which are secured in the Church from earliest times to the present, almost two thousand years! How can we escape the  attacks waged by preachers of false teachings and destructive heresies? Only by remaining close to God having our mind fixed on Him through continuous communication and prayer. The Church will always survive and preserve its many truths, but the  false teachings and destructive heresies, while assaulting the faithful,  are capable of producing many casualties upon those who are unaware of their poisonous nature.

     Many false teachers have appeared in the past and many destructive heresies have been sown like corn in the four corners of the world. If you are aware of these heresies which the fathers of the Councils condemned, you will be able to distinguish the newer heresies which are dangerous. Prayer and signing ourselves with the Cross offers very good protection.

     The false teachings and heresies do not always come from the outside but many arise within the Church usually from the clergy. An important question is what false teachings and heresies are attacking the Church during  this present era?  This is important to know in order to be avoid being caught in a pernicious trap.

     Ecumenism and false love are presently the greatest attacks upon the Church, and has assaulted the Church continuously for decades. Among the higher clergy this heresy flourishes and its perpetrators have abandoned Orthodox beliefs, as they openly spread this heresy, claiming it to be love of those outside the Church. 

     To understand the heresy of ecumenism is, we must first recall what constitutes the true  Church. Orthodoxy is the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church and is unique for it is full and complete in itself, and is never mixed with erroneous teaching.  Jesus Christ is its only divine and human Head, and the Holy Spirit is its one and  only Guide. She preserves all the pure, true and correct dogmas  Christian teaching. She rejects false teachings and heresies which seek to attack and corrupt her truths and doctrine.

     Ecumenism is a pernicious heresy that seeks to undermine the basic truths of Orthodoxy by union with those outside the Church without converting and baptizing them. Its perpetrators would unite Orthodoxy with the many false teachings of heretical Christians all who are members of  ecumenism. Their method is to teach that Christianity is divided into many churches and need to be united with each other. 

“THIS IS MY BELOVED SON . . .” 

“This is my beloved Son in whom I have well decided. 

And this voice from heaven we heard, when we were 

with Him in the holy mountain.” ‘

Note: The existing New Testaments improperly 

translate the Greek words, “ego evdokisa” 

as “in whom I am well pleased.” 

The correct translation of the original 

“ego evdokisa”  is correctly  “ ”I have well decided.”

     Peter heard the voice of the Father when he was with the Lord at His Transfiguration on the holy mountain. The Apostle preached his testimony, that Christ is His Father’s only beloved Son, the Godman, which he preached wherever he went, until the wicked pagans crucified him because of his testimony. Thus Peter sealed his perfect testimony by shedding his blood upon the cross. Peter testified that the Lord was transfigured on Mt. Tabor, and that the Father spoke saying: “This is my beloved Son in whom I   have well decided.” He did not speak of what they saw but of what they heard from the Father in heaven. What he and the other apostles heard is just as important as what they saw and they all bore witness to the voice of the Father from heaven. 

     The testimony of the Father who has well decided to send His beloved Son into the world to become a living sacrifice which delivers believers from sins and death and is affirmed by the voice of God the Father. The Transfiguration verified that the Lord is truly the promised Christ by the presence of Moses and Elias, the two faithful witnesses who came from the world beyond death. The Apostles spread their testimony everywhere in order to strengthen their faith that Christ is both Son of God and the Son of man.

     The apostles knew that there is really life after death when they saw Moses and Elias standing before them and conversing with Christ. This testimony is from the Apostles who bore witness before all men; most of them were tortured and put to death and sealed their testimony by their blood. This testimony of the Father being acknowledged by believers is extremely powerful causing many` to suffer torture and death for the sake of propagating the truth out of love for Christ!

     Orthodoxy keeps and preserves the holy and divine testimonies, which are then continually passed on to the faithful everywhere. There is no question of the power that is in the truths which we believe and we  can never be put to shame for the truth which  comes from God who is the eternal Truth.  

   “This is my beloved Son in whom I have well decided.”  But foolish and faithless men war against the divine truths, and they reject the testimony of God the Father, and  In so doing they fail to  see the beauty, the glory, the majesty and love of the true God, but instead they choose to worship creation and despise the Creator. Living only for the pleasures and things of this world, they will end up dying in their sins and upon leaving this temporary life, they will die and then believe but it will be too late for there is no repentance after death but only judgment.

     The father of lies proclaims that Christ is not God’s beloved Son and strikes out with the denial that there is a God and they denounce all truth as being a lie. Foolish men, in their hearts they know that God is the truth but they continue to follow a lie, for their hearts are attracted to anything other than truth. But those who listen to God easily see that He is good and that He loves us and tolerates us, giving us time to change. But we, believing truth, we also believe that the apostles spoke the truth. We believe that they saw Moses and Elias talking to Christ, so we also believe and see them talking to Christ through their words. Upon seeing Moses and Elias alive we firmly believe and know that there is certainly life after death. We know that God the Father calls Jesus the Son of God, and we certainly believe our Father who is in heaven.                                                                    

     “This is my beloved Son in whom I have well decided!”   The Father testifies that Jesus Christ is His beloved Son. Whoever does not believe in this truth believes the same as Judas, Caiaphas, Nero and Herod, the Scribes and Pharisees, the persecutors of the apostles and all betrayers of the truth.  We must believe one or the other, Jesus is the Son of God, God’s beloved Son or He is a liar and unworthy of   our trust. There are serious consequences for failing to embrace and follow the truth. It is our sacred duty to gently spread knowledge of the truth everywhere and of the dread judgment that is to come.

AUTHORITY

“I have authority* to lay it (my soul) down, 

and I have the authority to take it up again”

                                                                               (John 10:18) \

(*Usually mistranslated as “power.” Herein can be seen that correct translation of a single word “authority” is important)

     Jesus here reminds His disciples and others that He has authority in heaven and on earth and that He will voluntarily submit himself to the wicked men as He undergoes torture and death. This will come on Him by the arrogant high priests, scribes and Pharisees and many other Jews acting  under the evil one’s authority.  They did not know that Christ willed everything that would happen to Him and He often prophesied His torturous death  on the Cross. He also knew that He could avoid this and not even become incarnate. Jesus verified this when He told Peter  when he drew a sword and cut off the high priest’s servants ear: “Do you not think that I cannot now pray to my Father and He will presently give me more than 12 legions of angels?”

     Ordinary men cannot claim as did Christ: “I have the authority to lay down my life and take it up again,” for man lacks such authority. Christ alone being the all powerful Logos of the triune God and alone has divine authority and power is enabled to do whatever He decides. But it was His will to submit when they sought to destroy Him. Christ prevented attempts to avoid His crucifixion for this was His earnest desire, and He knew the objective he was seeking. Some of His followers even desired that He should be crowned as king, unaware that he was not only a man but also the all-powerful Logos of God, the King and Lord of all having authority over all that exists.

     If a man is about to be killed by others he is aware that he does not have authority over his own life, and cannot, like Christ say to his killers: “I have the authority to lay my life down.” Only Christ has such authority and is able to say: “I have the authority to lay it down; and I have the authority to take it up again.”  Christ willed every event of His life, for as God He knows everything and can do everything. But how wonderful that even though He objected, He submitted to His Mother when she said:“Son, they have no wine,” then out of profound respect for His Mother, He complied with her request and changed the water into wine, which proved to be of the highest quality!

JESUS ROCK OF THE CHURCH

“Behold, I lay in Sion for a foundation a stone, 

a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation;

 he that believes in Him shall not be ashamed” (Is. 28:16).

      This biblical quote with but a few words proves the truth of Orthodoxy and the falsehood and fraud of the papacy.

    This precious stone and foundation of the Church can be no one but Jesus Christ, and whoever believes in Him who is the foundation stone shall not be ashamed but  those who do not believe in Him or believe in a false foundation stone cannot be saved. The prophet who wrote this did not refer to an ordinary stone or to a man but to God the Creator, for He said:”he that believes in Him.” No one can be saved by believing in Peter or any other man, for only Christ is our Savior.

     The papacy chose a different stone and foundation and rejected Christ as head and replaced Christ with a sinful human being, the Pope of Rome. They refer to Peter and the popes as being the foundation stones of their church. They claimed that Christ made Peter the foundation and bestowed authority upon Peter placing him above all the other apostles. Then Peter in turn bestowed this authority upon every Pope of Rome. The fact is that Peter never had superior authority over every other apostle, for Christ made them all equal.  But if anyone reads in the Acts in the Bible, they will readily see that it is the Holy Spirit gives orders, not Peter or the popes of Rome.

     “For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Christ” (1 Cor. 3:11. The Bible condemns those who establish a different foundation other than Christ. The truth is that the Papacy usurped the authority belonging only to Christ and gave to their Popes. They went further when they insanely placed infallibility on the pope for infallibility belongs only to God. The Pope does not represent God, for he is head of a false and fraudulent church. The Apostles preached the Gospel everywhere and established bishops (not popes) to govern and rule the Church. The Papacy did away with all the bishops, stripped the authority from every bishop in the world, rendering them unable to challenge him, and all authority was claimed by the popes alone. Roman Catholics are not led by Christ but by agents of the pope. If anyone speaks against the pope, they will be reported to higher ups and subject to penalties.

AGHIA SOPHIA IN CONSTANTINOPLE

The Holy Wisdom Church

     In the 6th century three of these churches were built and this is the third one, the first two being destroyed. It remains the 2nd largest building in modern Turkey. Aghia Sophia is in the city of Constantinople which the conquering Turks renamed as Istanbul.

     It is an engineering marvel which dates back to the 6th century and although huge was made without the use of steel. 

It is 270' long, 173' wide and the dome is 108 ft. in diameter; the crown rises 180 ft. above the pavement; and it took 6 yrs. to construct. Windows immediately beneath the roof cause the roof to appear to be suspended and floating in the air. This was the largest and among the most beautiful church building for a thousand years, and is the oldest in Christendom. In its glory it was one of the largest and most adorned churches in the world.

     During its more active period there were 80 Priests, 150 Deacons, 60 Sub-deacons, 160 Readers, 25 cantors, and 75 doorkeepers. This church became a model for many other churches and for mosques.  Moslems saw its beautiful dome and copied it for their mosques. It is filled with beautiful marbles. So wonderful is this 1400 year old church, which was an Orthodox cathedral  church from 537 to 1453. After 1453 the conquering Turks stripped away much of the church’s icons and other artwork, then changed the church into a mosque which remained so until 1931 It was than closed for four years and in 1935 it was reopened as a museum which it remains

     This magnificent building is known throughout the world and attracts 3.3 million visitors annually. It retains a 49 ft. iconostasis, which is made of silver. It is sometimes called by people as St. Sophia church, but it is correctly called the Aghia (Holy) Sophia (Wisdom),that is the church or temple of the Holy Wisdom. This ancient Temple having been preserved since the sixth century, will, according to prophecy, be returned to the Orthodox Church, no longer will it be desecrated as a mosque or museum. The holy and divine Liturgy will again be continually celebrated in Aghia Sophia when it returns to Orthodoxy.

CONCERNING CHRIST

CONCERNING CHRIST 

By St. Cyril of Jerusalem

     “This is He who is and He who was, co-essential with the Father, Only-begotten, Only enthroned. Equal in power, Almighty, Without beginning, Uncreated, Unchangeable, Indescribable, Invisible, Inexpressible, Incomprehensible, Immense, Unthinkable, Uncircumscribed. He is the Brightness of the glory of the Father” (Heb. 1:3).  He is the Creator of the substance of all created things. He – the Light of light – shines from the bosom of the Father. He is the God of gods (Ps. 49:1), and God of God, who gives us the knowledge of Himself.  He is the Well of life (Ps. 35:10). flowing forth from the Father’s well of life. He is the River of God (Ps. 45:5; 64:10), which comes forth from the infinity of God but is not separated from Him. He is the Treasury of the Father’s good gifts and endless blessings. He is the living Water (Jn. 4:14) that gives life to the world. He is the uncreated Ray that is begotten but not cut off from the primal Sun.  He is God the Logos (Jn 1:1),  who with one word brought all things from non-being into being . . .  This is He who created us in the image of God, and has now made himself man in our image; man, but at the same time God.”

     Today, Sixteen centuries after this confession of faith was written, the Orthodox Church holds the same faith word for word and letter for letter.

     During the present time there are those who dispute the truth that Christ is both true God and true man, with two natures, divine and human. He is eternally born of God and in time was born of the Virgin Mary, and called Jesus Christ. Among the arguments against His divinity that are used today is that the ancient Church did not believe that Christ was the eternal God who became man. But this was the belief of the ancient Church 1600 years ago in the 4th century. St. Cyril of Jerusalem composed the above which was always the faith held by the Church from the  beginning and is also supported by Holy Scripture.