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.

SPIRIT OF THE WORLD VS THE SPIRIT OF GOD

SPIRIT OF THE WORLD VS THE SPIRIT OF GOD

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, 

but the spirit which is of God” (Cor. 2:12)

     Services both in Orthodox churches, and in private prayers usually  begin with the following prayer to the Holy Spirit, our King, the Comforter and Guide of our Church.

“Heavenly King Comforter, Spirit of truth who are everywhere present and fills all things; Treasury of good things and bountiful Giver of life; come and abide in us and cleanse us from every impurity and save our souls Good One” 

     In this prayer what we ardently and continually seek and pray for is that the Holy Spirit will abide and remain within us forever, for He is our Comforter and Guide, the source of goodness, truth and love. 

     In the Orthodox ceremony of Baptism, within each baptized person, all adverse powers are crushed by the most precious Cross. But in the world these same adverse powers strike out against the human race that does not know Christ.  For in this world of delusion and confusion, they fabricate ideas and teach that man is formed of matter alone, and they seek to seduce all mankind to accept the lie that God did not create man, even though man is the image of God. They attempt to reduce man’s spiritual nature to that of common matter, and they convince many to accept this foul idea. They strip man of his divinely-breathed spiritual nature by which he is enabled to strive for perfection which raises him to the highest heaven. The spirit of the world strips man of his precious treasure, a treasure more valuable and beyond any description. But man deceived by the spirit of this world becomes impious and being without God he becomes like a beast.

 

     The Holy Spirit is bestowed upon Orthodox Christians after triune immersion baptism when we are anointed three times as the Priest says: “the seal of the gift of Holy Spirit”. The above Scripture reading wherein St. Paul recalls this event, saying: “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God.” Anointed by God we are far above all royalty; for God dwells within us, and we become of infinitely greater value being sealed as children of the Triune God.  God has established man as the most precious of all creation.

     The spirit of this world is the evil spirit, and the evil spirit opposes the Holy Spirit of God, always seeking to destroy His wondrous plan for the race of man. From this evil spirt comes all the ills of this world. Among them crime,  unbelief, hatred for God, anger,  adultery, murder, fornication, stealing, robbery, lies, false witness, revolution, war, and every other evil. Man is endowed with freedom by God and able to choose good or evil. 

CURSED BE THE MAN 

WHO TRUSTS IN MAN

“Thus says the Lord: 

Cursed be the man who trusts in man,

and whose heart has departed from the Lord”

                                          (Jer. 17:5)

     When a man turns away from trusting the Lord in his heart, it will then become common that he places his confidence and trust in other men or in himself. But if he never placed his trust in God but always in other men or himself, the curse is applicable. We are endowed by the Lord with good intellects and have been given freedom to choose whatever we decide upon. This freedom places a great responsibility on us for our beliefs, actions and choices.. The Scripture says, “Cursed be the man who trusts in man.” Why? Peter heard our Lord say, Will you also go? as people were leaving Him because of His doctrine, Peter asked him. To whom else will we go? For there is no God but the one true God and Jesus Christ is true God and man. Our hearts belong to God and not to ourselves and it is God who endowed us with the ability to love. God should be our very first love for He gives us everything we have, and He desires that we turn to Him, but woe to us if our heart “has departed from the Lord.” There is nothing worse for man than to be under a curse, for its end is eternal death and suffering. All who reject Christ and deny Him obedience and love have placed themselves under a curse.

     To whom will we go? 

Our life is in God’s hands, He gave himself to crucifixion for our salvation.  He died and rose after three days. He sent us His Holy Spirit to comfort us and to remind us of His doctrine.  He created us with His own hands and breathed His own spirit into us, bestowing a portion of His divinity into our souls and bodies. God has indeed greatly honored us and has highly exalted us due to His generosity and perfect love, for He greatly respects and honors his own image, the  creature which  He formed with His own hands – man!

IN OUR PROSPERITY– WE FORGET GOD

IN OUR PROSPERITY– WE FORGET GOD

“I spoke to you in your prosperity; but you said: I will not listen”                                                              (Jer. 22:21).

     Prosperity causes us to think that we need nothing else, and in having an abundance of goods. But usually what accompanies prosperity among most men, causes them to forget God, His Kingdom, His laws and death culminating with our final judgment. Today this is happening in Orthodoxy and in heresy, for churches and synagogues are becoming increasingly emptier.  When people forget the church they also forget God, and some just send out a check. The check is  appreciated and important but that alone will not soothe our consciences. God wants each one of us  to come to Him to obey Him and to love Him. personally. Even those who go to church and receive Holy Communion, should first offer themselves with all their lives with all their hearts. For twe mus worship God personally, and  love Him above everything and everybody for He is more than worthy of our love!

     The Scriptural words inscribed above were spoken by God to the Jewish people, but they profoundly also speak to Orthodox people today many of whom say to God: “I will not listen.” How do we listen to the words of God? Through the reading of Divine Scriptures (the Bible) and the hymnology of the Church, the Bishops and Priests also in the Divine Liturgy and other church services, and personally. In many churches the very  important Bishop’s voice fails to proclaim the true words of God and their meaning, nor do they remind the faithful to read the Bible daily.

     Prosperity causes the faithful to place God in the shadows which increases our separation from Him and in turn to live according to the spirit of this world and its immorality andf uncleanness. We are all sinners and when we know God we can have our sins forgiven and strive to avoid them in the future. But those who fail to go to church or holy confession remain in their sins and remain outside of Christian life. For we are not Christians if we do not read the Bible daily, go to church regularly, confess our sins, and conduct our entire life according to the commandments of Jesus Christ, then we cannot call ourselves Christians. If we are not Christians living according to His holy will, then we will live as pagans.

UNBELIEVERS AND IDOLATERS

“They will be put to shame who say to a stick: 

You are my father, and to a stone: You have given birth to me, 

for they have turned their back on Me and not their faces, 

but in time of trouble they will say: Arise and save us” 

(Jer. 2:26-7)

     In the present  time this Scripture reading really has meaning.  For many in the scientific communities strive to demonstrate that there is no Creator and God who made all creation and us. They defame man by claiming that man came from animals, from a sticks or stones. Others claim man came from mineral matters and will return to them again. They do not turn their faces toward heaven and  the true God who created heaven and earth with a specific purpose and gave mankind specific instructions of responsibility. Truly they shall be put to shame when troubles and they are compelled to call for help from God whom they rejected and made Him an object of mockery.

     It is not only science but a large part of humanity who daily eat food, drink water, breath air,  and they do not recognize or give thanks to God who with love supplies everything that man needs.  Day by day they rise up in the morning, go about their business with their many duties and pleasures, eat and drink and then at the end of the day take a welcome rest. They do not raise their eyes to heaven to seek God to give him their thanks. Like the ancient Epicureans, they would say: “Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die!” Nor do they seek Him to find out what is their purpose on earth and why they die, how can they live forever, for they seek mostly satisfaction of their material things and various pleasures.

     Forgetting and unbelieving that there is a true God they call creation the creator, some claim that man is born  from nature making him to be lower than nature, being a servant in nature’s chains, a corpse in nature’s tomb. They cannot understand begin to understand a little about the extreme complexity and glorious beauty of creation but they readily deny a creator.

Unbelievers and idolaters do not know how to rejoice in the Lord, how to struggle to do his will and keep His commandments, they are dead before they die. For to be separated from God who is the source of our life is real death. They also degrade God by their unbelief and by worshiping idols in place of God. Idolaters show by their actions that they belief in something because they worship gods made with human hands. Another group of idolaters are those who indulge in various material things as if their was nothing higher or better.

     They all have a common error, for they fail to acknowledge the wonderful and supreme intelligence and divine perfection that is responsible for all that exists. The magnificence of God is partially seen  in His glorious and innumerable creatures, visible and invisible, animals that live on earth, fish that swim and birds that fly, and men that inhabit a good part of the earth. They fail to see themselves, their value and their ultimate and perfect destination. Man is above all creatures that we know, for he is endowed with divine qualities of intellect and feelings, and he rules over all the earth. No other creature resembles man, but man is the image of God. 

     Also in degrading and denying  God they also degrade man materializing him and failing to see that of all creatures on earth, man is superior to them all.  After degrading God and man what is left? Only matter and eventual death. We who are believers in the true God have the most valuable gift to offer others, that gift is eternal life.

     The law of God is not a bunch of do and don’t do commands. The law of God is given to mankind through His Son and His Church. It is designed to form man into His own image and likeness, that is to become gods like God. If the world followed Christ and His Holy Orthodox Church, earth would become heavenly for Christ taught us to do only good and no evil, and for this a perfect moral law has been given. Lying, stealing, killing, adultery, bearing false witness, and every other evil are against Christian law. There is also the positive law, where we become humble and meek, honest and just, feed the poor, assist others, love everyone including unbelievers and idolaters. Everyone keeping the law does so not by compulsion but by free choice.

      There is a penalty to being an unbeliever or idolater for it encourages and worships evil and fails to reward good and this leads to a bad and corrupt society, with injustice, crime, wars, and with much bloodshed. Only Orthodoxy headed by Jesus Christ can offer these good benefits to the human race, for she alone possesses them.

ATTENDING CHURCH MAY NOT LEAD TO HEAVEN

ATTENDING CHURCH MAY NOT LEAD TO HEAVEN

     Probably hardly anyone would disagree that attending Church services is necessary for our salvation, but if we never miss church services in our lives, this will not in itself, bring us into the kingdom of heaven and eternal life. Many believe that attending church services regularly has a good end, but this is a part of our path to salvation. We are called to become sanctified children of God and not children of this world. Christ himself founded the Church, yet He taught many other rules of behavior blessings. He taught things that must be avoided as well as things that are necessary and affect our salvation. To claim that going to church is enough would nullify everything else which is impossible.

He taught that we must keep the written and oral traditions of the Church which instruct us an many things and we are bound to keep and preserve them. The Bible and the oral teaching and traditions of the Church instruct to avoid evils and to perform good words.

     “The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Rom. 8:16). If anyone has the spirit of God within himself he will have witness that he is a child of God. Becoming a child of God will cause a person to completely modify his life, depart from all evil and do only good,  and live according to Christ’s commandments. This change is effected by our conscious decision to live as a child of God. If the spirit of God does not dwell in us we cannot be inwardly aware that we belong to God.  Repentance and confession and receiving Holy Communion is commanded to us by the Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot continue to do evil, have a foul mouth and then claim to be Christians and children of God. Repentance, confession and communing are part of entire spiritual life.

     If we are not children of God then we are slaves of the evil one and need the Lord’s help to escape. If we are not children of God then we have not become Christians even though we may bare the name. Genuine children of God strive to become purified and holy knowing that this is most necessary. If our souls do not testify to our struggle then we are not struggling and are wandering  from the path leading to eternal life. “We have not received the spirit of slavery” says the Apostle. What is “this spirit of slavery? All that is other than the spirit of God, who Christ God sends to those who love Him. The spirit of slavery is everything that prevents us from being children of God. No one is excluded from the opportunity of becoming children of God which is the spirit of freedom and sonship.

PUNISHING CHILDREN

PUNISHING CHILDREN

“He that spares the rod hates his son;

 but he who loves him chastens him at times” (Prov. 13:24)

      This is a timely subject during the present prevailing opinions that strongly object to the chastisement and punishment of children. Note that it is qualified with the phrase “at times.”The use of the word punishment does not exclusively mean hitting, also there are many other forms.  Like any punishment it can be good and beneficial or at times, especially when parent is angry where it can be abuse. No one can challenge God’s love for man for God is love and the source of love, and in the above  quotation God says: “He who spares the rod hates his son but he who loves him chastens him at times.”  We know that God’s love for man greatly exceeds man’s love for his fellow man, or for his own son. God chastises man with the rod not to harm him but to correct his error and so return him to the right path. St. Paul says: “Whom the Lord loves He chastens and He scourges every son whom he receives.  (Heb. 12:16) 

     How does God chastise?  By using the rod of illness or misfortune, of accident, of hunger and thirst, the failure of crops, drought, floods, death of relatives and friends, or allowing evil spirits to have authority over men. All these rods used by God are outpourings of His love meant for correction and salvation of men. Younger children especially need persuasion and there are times with some children where verbal persuasion is ineffective and  physical punishment may become necessary.

     When chastising their children, parents show that they really love them, being stern but not angry, and their rod is an necessary instrument to correct them. Children are sometimes not sensitive in response to verbal rebuke or chastisement, but all children can feel the sting of the rod. The child’s body is sensitive even though his conscience may not be, thus punishment of the body is at times necessary for correction of the soul. If punishment of the body awakens the spirit with a good response, the chastisement has been proven to be effective.

     A child may remain uncorrected by verbal admonition at certain times.   That is the time when physical punishment can be productive and necessary, because a worst event would be if the child remains uncorrected. Punishment of the body will usually effect the decisions of the spirit in the child. Spanking is but one tool and some children respond better when given writings in the amount of one or more hundred. Such as,  “I will not hit my brother again.”  Quantity and length of writing could be based on the seriousness of the offense.