ONE GOD ONE FAITH ONE CHURCH

“There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God 

and Father of all” (Eph. 4: 5-6).

     The Orthodox belief and the dogma of the Church is that there is one God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible. He is the one true God in Trinity, Father Son/Logos and Holy Spirit, one God in three persons with one nature and one essence. He is the Holy Trinity. The Father eternally begets the Son and emits the Holy Spirit. The Son is the eternal Logos of the Father who became incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and He became Jesus Christ the Godman. He founded the Church on Peter’s confession: “You are the Christ Son of God.” Being both God and man, He became the Head of the Church which is His own body. As there is one God so there is one faith in the one Church, which today is known as the holy Orthodox Church. That faith is totally directed toward the Holy Trinity.

     The one Godman founded one church, which is one holy catholic and apostolic– the Body of Christ.

In the Church where there is that one faith there is also one baptism.  This baptism is performed with three immersions and emmersions. The believer is then totally immersed in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, this immersion is repeated three times. No other baptism can exist outside of the Church, for there is one Orthodox baptism done with three immersions.

     The one Faith is preserved by all Orthodox Christians wherein we worship one God in three persons, glorifying the Holy Trinity one in essence, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We sign ourselves frequently with the sign of the Cross going from the forehead to the abdomen and then to the right  and the left shoulders, having joined our thumb and next the two fingers together with the remaining two fingers pointing downward. If we bless anybody or anything, we always use the joined thumb and next two fingers and make the sign of the Cross over the person or thing. During the Divine Liturgy and during all private prayers we make the sign of the Cross on our persons. The sign of the Cross guards our souls and bodies and is an effective protection against dangers and many evils.

     When we enter or exit our cars is an ideal time to sign ourselves for constant protection and help Also before going for a walk and upon returning, for the sign of the Cross is both a protection and help at all times for everything. Also it is becomes to us a frequent spiritual reminder of him to whom we belong for we are not our own. So it  is good to use the sign of the Cross for every and any protection of person, animals or thing.

     There is one God and Father of all who we worship and reverence together with the Son and Holy Spirit, for He is one who made us and elevated us to the heights out of His goodness and love for man whom He created with His own hands. It is important to greatly honor the God who formed us and honored us first! For He is greatly worthy of all veneration and of our lasting thankfulness for His great mercy and generosity, and we can never offer enough thanks.

     We are nothing and God is everything! God is the Creator and we are created by Him. Man is so greatly honored by God that it is difficult for anyone to try to describe, for how can we compare the nothingness of man with God who is everything ? We did not even exist and God is always self existent. God is without beginning and has always existed, being perfect and the source and origin of everything good. He is all-knowing and all-powerful, filled with love and generosity. But we come from nothing and are not only made into something by God, but His plan is to make us equal to him in honor and glory! This is his plan and it is not possible for us to fully realize what this means for  it is beyond our understanding. 

     God said:  “Let us make man according to our own image and likeness.” These words should not be read over lightly. Their meaning is all important. God forms everything from nothing, and He formed man from the same source. So we are nothing but God decided to form man who would by dedicating his life become like God. This is the most beautiful thing that could ever happen! This too great to be throughly understood but is nevertheless true and accurate. No destination can be greater than to become just like God! Glory to Him may His mercy be upon us all.

THE LOVE OF CHRIST

“That you may be able to comprehend with all the saints, 

what is the breadth and length, what is  the depth and height, 

and to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge 

that you may be filled with the fulness of God” (Eph. 3:18-19).

     The love of Christ is beyond knowledge and it is not possible by only reading about it and thus acquire that love. But when Christ comes and dwells within us by our decision to welcome Him then we will experience His great love which is beyond all knowledge. As one who has never tasted honey cannot have an idea of its sweetness and taste. So when Christ comes and enters the heart of a man, he by experience tastes the inexpressible flavor of Christ’s love. His love is sweet and utterrly inebriates our hearts in its embrace.

     The attempts to speak of Christ’s love are not simple to express, but many have at least made the attempt. We can see the effects of God’s great love for man in His actions which we can more easily speak about. God creates out of love, He became an incarnate man like us out of love. He underwent great suffering and much abuse out of His love for us.  His immense love discloses to us our future honor and glory which He wills out of love to bestow upon us. In the future eternal life death will not exist, but beautiful eternal life will fill its partakers with ever divine delight.

     He demonstrated his eternal love especially by his great suffering and sacrifice on the Cross. But this sacrifice perpetually continues in the entire Church of Christ, for His sacrifice was not once only, but is continuous and perpetual and is celebrated as the Holy Eucharist in the Divine Liturgy. There is nothing greater than the immense love of Christ and its delightful fragrance pours into into the souls of the faithful ones, and like a mighty river the souls delight in its great abundance.

     “That you may be able to comprehend with all the saints, what is the breadth and length, what is  the depth and height, and to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge” 

   It says: “That you may be able to comprehend”;  but how are we made able to comprehend except by our own experience the love of Christ? It is by approaching him with firm and determined faith, realizing our misery and the greatness of the God of all, who out of His extreme love bestows upon  us our spirits and our formation and existence. We live in His world, we eat His food, drink His water, we breath His air, and He continually  nourishes our bodies and souls. How can we show Him our gratitude? By honoring our Father in heaven, and keep all the commandments of His Son Jesus Christ.

     “That you might be filled with the fulness of God”, indeed for God is the our fulness and the source and originator of everything and all that we possess or ever will possess are from His bounty. If we have God and nothing else we have everything. But if we have everything else and not God we are already dying and soon will have nothing but suffering and torment, for all matter is already dead, but the spirit given by God within us is eternal life!

     The love of Christ has no bounds for it spreads over all creation filling it with beauty and happiness. When we are filled with the love of God we have everything good and beautiful and in need of nothing. God is love and He delightfully pours out His love into our hearts and souls. God is compassionate and merciful and bestows His many blessings upon our souls. God is life and  fills our souls himself who is  everlasting life. Truly we are blessed to have knowledge of God and to experience His love which is the  source of all happiness. But to really love God and bask in His love is to become filled with Him, for then our souls will become delightfully enriched.  We will be enabled to more readily observe what is the breadth and length, what is  the depth and height of God’s love for us?  Blessed are those who come to realize an give priority and importance to these things for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Shining over all His works is the bright and beautiful love which God bestows on His personally created man.  What honor can a man desire that attempts to substitute the honor given Him by God? 

THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH 

AND THE BODY OF CHRIST

“And gave Him to be the Head of the Church 

which is His Body; 

the fulness of Him that fills all” (Eph. 1:22-23)

     The above verse from Holy Scripture completely crashes down all papal claims right onto the heads of the papists who falsely claim that their popes are heads of the church and that they own the church. For the Father gave Christ to be the Head of the Church which is His Body. There is only one Body of Christ and only one Head of the Church.  The papacy is fraudulent for it denies the truth spoken by Scripture that Christ is the one and only Head of the one Church. Instead of following Scripture they distort the words of Christ. For example, when Christ asked His disciples, Who do men say that I am? After various answers, Peter spoke and said: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Christ replied and said, that Peter’s reply was from the Father in heaven and then said: “Upon this rock I will build my Church.” The Papacy then goes on twist the words saying that the Church would be built upon Peter and that Peter is the rock and head of salvation. But this contradicts the words of Scripture. The Papacy is not a Church for they broke away and established a pseudo-church and intrduced many heresies.

     The true Church is alive and is filled with holiness and truth having been in existence for almost 2,000 years. There is one Body of Christ and one Head of the Body. The Church remains the same through the years and Christ our Head is the only Godman, the only sinless one and He is uniquely above and beyond all men that ever lived.

     The holy Orthodox Church headed by Christ is guided by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth. Not all men are part of His Body, but only those who respond to Christ’s call: “Come unto me . . . ”, for he welcomes all who hear His words and desire to enter His Holy Church. God highly exalts His Church just as He exalts Christ. In the future life the whole Church will be standing next to the Holy Trinity, for as Christ  its head is highly exalted so is His Body the Church to be highly exalted. Such glory and greatness will repentant sinners attain in the holy Church.

     Christ the Godman changed many things and does not condemn sinners but calls them to repentance and into the glory of His Church. It is most difficult to properly exalt Him, but let us just say, Glory to Jesus Christ our Savior and God, who gave himself to be crucified out of His perfect love for each of one of us. His judgments and generosity exalts and will exalt the human race for all eternity and His light shines brilliantly in the glory of the All-Holy Trinity.

     Knowing our blessed and noble destination which has been prepared by the Lord, we must respond to it quickly and fervently. Our hearts must respond to His love, for no one can ever love us as does Jesus Christ, no one could ever accomplish what He did on the Cross with His terrible suffering and death. We know that following His terrible suffering and death, He arose on the third day and will never die again.

     We the Church and His Body, are most blessed having such a Head as the Godman, who keeps us on course and on the road to everlasting life. Christ is  the “fulness of Him that fills all”, for Christ is everything and the God who brought everything into existence. All heaven and earth will glorify His holy name for ever and unto the ages.

     Christ being the Head cares much for His Body, the Church, and keeps it is under His care and protection. There are always evil minded men who try to change the truths of the Church but they will certainly fail though they could possibly harm weaker brethren. But the history of the Church triumphantly declares itself to all, for it has been kept pure and incorrupt for almost 2,000 years. But we must be vigilant and protect ourselves from attacks will come, and we must respond to these attacks for ourselves and for our families.

      For example, it is forbidden by both the Bible and the Church to intermarry Orthodox with those outside of the Church but unruly hierarchs allow this. They will have to answer but if it happens to us and our friends we have a responsibility to speak up. Again, there is no baptism possible outside the Church; but  the same type of hierarch accepts the heretical and ineffective baptisms which the Church forbids and our Creed declares, saying:“I believe in one baptism for the remission of sins.” Entrance to the Church is correctly done through baptism with three immersions.The great blessing of triune baptism is denied to converts coming into the Church. These things need to be corrected as soon as possible.

CALLED TO BE SAINTS

     All Orthodox Christians are called to become holy, that is, (“saints” in Greek), for they partake of the holy Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion in the Eucharist. In Holy Scripture, the Apostle Paul addresses the Christians in the city of Ephesus saying: “To the saints which are at Ephesus” confirming their calling was to become  saints. In order to partake of Holy Communion we first must first rid ourselves from all sins and violations of the divine law and thus do away with vices and then we can adorn ourselves with virtues. For the Holy Mysteries are offered to us in the Divine Liturgy with these words: “The holy things to the holy (saints.” For there is no other way to become holy but to partake of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. For we cannot take Communion unworthily which is a sin.

     To become saints is not for a few or small group,  but for all who will to partake for they bear the name of Christ are Christians, called to holiness and sanctity. The heavenly kingdom of God is filled with saints and those who were martyred for Christ. We certainly can clean our mouths and speak only good things and we can cleanse our minds so that they will contain only clean and good thoughts. Our bodies will humbly follow our minds and hearts..

     We pray to God repeatedly with this prayer: “Heavenly King and Comforter, Spirit of truth, who are everywhere present and fills all things, Treasury of good things and Giver of life: Come and dwell within us, cleanse us from every impurity and save our souls, O Good One. Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal have mercy upon us. Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal have mercy upon us. Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal have mercy upon us. 

Lord cleanse us from our sins; Master pardon our iniquities. Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for your name’s sake.” Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy. Glory to the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever and unto the ages of ages, Amen. 

These words indicate a holy attitude which is the only way to address our Lord, with praise and doxology. In the churches looking at the Holy Doors leading into the altar, we always see in the left side the icon of the Theotokos and Christ, and on the right side an icon of Christ. The Priest celebrates and intercedes for us and we realize that only through Christ and His Mother can we elevate our souls to the kingdom of God

    Instead of preaching the wicked nonsense and heresy of ecumenism, the Orthodox clergy ought to be teaching the faithful how to live their lives as saints, for this is possible for all those who make the effort. The early Church was made up of such sinless and sanctified saints This caused the Church to increase continually in members as it spread Christianity throughout the world.  In the early holy Church Saints were the norm and the unholy were the exception.

     If some would consider this objective to be out of reach, there are methods to return to such a beautiful heritage through the doors of repentance. We live in sins and iniquties because we sin and do not repent We ask God to give us a clean heart containing good feelings, and this will  inspire the mind to do the same, then the body will follow and such action, and this will  fills such souls with great happiness for they are doing the will of God Each and every one of us  are called to become saints!

     In our daily prayers we continually call God holy, also the Theotokos and the angels. We seek them as our companions and solicit their help in all things. We are called “sons and daughters of God” and we call God the Father in heaven addressing him as Christ taught: “Our Father”! We call the Kingdom of heaven holy, for who else but the holy ones can occupy heaven but the saints. Heaven is the dwelling place of all the saints and martyrs and hopefully we will all reach that perfect and eternal joy!

     Help for accomplishing our goal of becoming saints is readily provided by the Lord for He delights in those who seek to do His will and strive to become saints. Saints have become the minority in modern times, but more help than ever will be supplied to those who at least try.

     Living without God and being disinterested is without excuse, for if we don’t pray and give God glory and are not faithful, why do we tell people that we are followers of Christ with the name Christians. If we take the name Christian in place of atheism or paganism we should at least struggle to live a holy life. A vile and evil life is a sure ticket to eternal torment which we should bear in mind as we seek the mercy of God.

     Can married men and women become saints? Many early saints were unmarried and today’s married have just as good an opportunity to become saints if they make the effort. Our lives become good or bad as we choose them to be.  Let us consider a person who uses bad language. Surely with effort he can change and fight against it using only good language. Another may commit dishonest acts, but he can decide to change and perform only honest actions, accomplished through repentance by our choice.

     We all have the ability to go from worse to better or better to worse, to improve ourselves is naturally possible for men, otherwise the Lord would not have given us such ability and the law. If we choose to improve our lives we will find that every improvement gives us more self respect and causes happiness to begin to raise up  our souls. For the first one who will greatly rejoice in our future good behavior is ourselves. 

     We are certainly going to depart from this world andentering the next world we will be judged according to our deeds and faith in Christ and the keeping of His commandments. If we ignore Him and turn our faces away, we can expect Him to do the same to us, for as we sow so shall we reap.

“TRULY THIS WAS THE SON OF GOD”

“Now when the centurion and they who were 

with him watching Jesus saw the earthquake, and 

those things that were done, they feared greatly.  

saying, truly this was the Son of God” (Matt. 27:54).

     As Christ expired on the Cross, one of those who were gazing at Him was the centurion who spoke out saying, “truly this was the Son of God”. He was head of the some Roman soldiers and had been an idolater, but he saw everything and hence his faithful outcry before all. He was able to grasp what the chief priests and Pharisees could not understand, that this wicked group was had cried out to Pontius Pilate to crucify Jesus Christ who was God in the flesh. Those who crucified Christ were blinded by the evil one and were rendered unable to see what was really taking place, but the centurion, doing his duty, began to receive spiritual sight.

     The Jewish elders saw the sun as it darkened, felt the earth tremble and quake, observed the rent rocks, and they saw the curtain of the temple as it divided in two. They saw all this but were blinded and their hearts were hardened, for they viciously called for the crucifixion of the Godman.

     The centurion, whose name was Longinus, spoke from his heart which led him to believe in Jesus Christ and sfter fasting and prayer he underwent martyrdom and became a witness with deep  love for Christ. The Jews bribed many soldiers and unsuccessfully attempted to bribe Longinus to prevent him from giving his testimony of what He saw and heard.

     We cry out with Longinus. truly Christ is the Son of God!  This testimony can never leave mankind for it is truth and truth remains for ever. How few people in our days believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? How many follow His commandments and do His will? There is no other way of life but in Jesus Christ the eternal Son of God who became incarnate of the Theotokos. How manyare there who love Him above father or mother, wife or children as He demands? He is meant to be the all important one and He entered our lives, for He is the God who created us! How do those who know Him not express their gratification and love? 

     We have all sinned against God    And broken his commandments. Therefore all of us without exception or question deserve punishment and  death – that is eternal death which the unworthy will experience following this temporary life. God himself chose the way of delivering all of us from this terrible eternal suffering which was by sacrificing himself on the Cross Then after much suffering and  by His death He made it possible for every human being to escape eternal death and acquire everlasting life. There is no other way to escape eternal death and suffering except through Jesus Christ. He did this out of His great love for man so how is it possible for us not love Him in return glorifying His suffering for our deliverance? How is it possible for us to ignore such great love and sacrifice?

     God is love and we have learned how to love through Him who is the source of love and who loves us first and foremost. We show our love for our own beloved ones here on earth, how can we not show our love to the all-good and all-merciful Lord Jesus Christ?  God is life and goodness so how can we not realize that all the goodness we experience in our lives comes from Him alone, God is merciful and forgives us our sins as soon as we turn to Him with sincere repentance. To live this life without knowing and loving God is the greatest of all tragedies.

     Sadly there is a self-centered selfishness which we harbor within us that fails to give thanks to the one who gives us life, gives us food and well being. This selfishness in men causes them to dismiss God as either non existant or just not worth the effort. Woe to them! It would have been better if they had never been born.

     Let us join the centurion Longinus and with him cry out: “Truly this was the Son of God. Let every day of our lives be filled with thanksgiving and relentless prayer to our most glorious Creator and God. Then in this world which quickly passes and comes to an unknowable end with our death. Let us love and cherish our Lord and thus enter into eternal life while we are still here  on earth, Then we will in a constant state of joy and delight in His extreme beauty and great mercy for ever and ever. Amen.

NEVER TASTE OF DEATH!

“If a man keeps my words, he shall never taste death” (Jn 8:52).

     This promise can only be made by God who alone has all authority over live and death. Because this promise is so wonderful, many would question it. Truth is that every word from the Lord is important, but unless we keep His words we will not escape death. 

     But what is death? It is the result man’s of disobedience of our Creator. It is not simply a penalty due to disobedience. Death stands over all men who know for certain that they will die, but death is not the end of anything but the beginning of something.

     Lazarus was dead for four days, and his death caused much distress and sadness among his family and friends. Being separated by death greatly saddens those left behind who are wounded by their loss.  Just as death is the result of disobedience, obedience is the cause of life, for there is no threat for obedience which is the cause of life. Christ arrived at the burial place where Lazarus had been laying, and after communicating with his sisters and others, He did what only God can do. He called Lazarus to “come forth” out of death into life.

     Many have written about this subject, but it always good to hear over and over.  Death is about reward and punishment, but why the fear of death among mankind? Both in the Holy Bibles and among the Church Fathers many have dealt with death. After death life continues but there is a separation of the good and evil.  Those who have kept the word of God, says John the Theologian above shall never taste death. Before Christ, both the upright and sinners were dead and their souls were in Hades, with the faithful and unfaithful were hoping for a deliverer. When Christ called Lazarus, those in Hades saw him leaving death and Hades behind when he was called by Christ to “come forth”. They were afraid, amazed and greatly hoping in the possibility of their deliverance.

     With the raising of four-days dead Lazarus, firmly established in the minds of all present that there is life after death. Lazarus, a good friend of Christ with his sisters, died a second time and is glorified in the Church with the title: “Four-day dead Lazarus.”

     Christ accomplished His great work of putting death to death by His own death, which is a life-giving death. The Church sings over and over about Christ’s Crucifixion, death and third-day Resurrection.

     “If a man keeps my words he shall never taste death.” Keeping the words of Christ means that those who do this will not taste death. Death is not feared by the great saints and martyrs because they well understood Christ’s triumph over death and nullifting its effect on His followers. Death for those who keep His words and love Him go through the door of death to the next life and escape judgment and condemnation, entering into eternal life, not by their works, but out of God’s great mercy. The bitter taste of death therefore is changed into the sweetness of everlasting life in the kingdom of heaven. But to those who remain sinners and unbelievers death is followed by judgment and is therefore bitter and there is no escape.

     Those who will not experience the  taste death have chosen to keep Christ’s commandments and so they lived. even in this sinful world, in His glorious resurrection, and they will not experience any bitterness nor have any regrets.  The righteous, looking forward to death with the sincere hope of God’s mercy causes the fear of God to be present in their souls. This fear is not overbearing for it is a logical fear, for no one can consider himself worthy of everlasting life, even though he keeps Christ’s words and love Him, so they look to His great mercy and compassion hoping for eternal life.

     Keeping Christ’s words not only results in not tasting death. The more we endeavor to keep His commandments, the more do we live as God intended us to live, using the gracious freedom He granted us to fulfill His will. Sin is death and Christ taught us to abandon all sin and proclaims: “I am the resurrection and the life; he that believes in me, though he were dead yet shall he live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die” nor taste death.

“THE VERY HAIRS OF YOUR HEAD ARE NUMBERED”

“THE VERY HAIRS OF YOUR HEAD ARE NUMBERED”

“Not one sparrow falls to the ground 

without your Father. But the very hairs 

of your head are all numbered” (Mat.10: 29-30).

      From God comes every drop of rain, every snow flake, every bird, and every man, in fact there are no exclusions, for God created and governs everything that He has formed, therefore nothing is accidental or incidental. Not only is each hair of our head numbered but also there is the number of the days of our souls on the earth! Just as God appointed the day of our birth, so He establishes the day of our departure to the next world. No one can increase or decrease the days which God has set for our souls in this present life.

     Therefore there is no reason to be concerned that we may depart from this life before God’s appointed time, nor can we  by any means add even a single day to our lives. For the Lord will decide the day when we will leave this world and go to our final destination.

     We are given a number of days in this temporary life and these days are not given us only for the pursuit of enjoying pleasure until we die, lacking any purpose or goal; this is the thinking of unbelievers.  God created everything and told us what was for a specific the purpose to us, which is to obey His commandments and strive to become God’s image and likeness.  Christ is our Savior, our Teacher and our Guide and He is the perfect example of what we must struggle to become. He is the Godman, and He wills that all of us become man-gods. This is the purpose of this life to work with God for our salvation in His Church always keeping the goal of our lives before us. Moreover, as we accomplish our personal goals we must also do all we can to bring many others into the true Church wherein they will acquire eternal life. 

When we see the rain or snow falling we can see the perfect providence of God, who controls everything that exists and has a purpose for their existence.  That perfect providence is what every hair is numbered implies, for God is uncreated and all of creation is entirely His design governed by His providence.

     Man sees much of what happens yet remains ignorant of why, and many show no interest in He who created all. Why are we able to see so much and yet understand so little, for the rain drops, the snow and ice, the bright sun and the moon and stars are before our eyes, but there is so much more that our eyes are not able to see. We talk, we walk, we drive, we sail and we fly, but this is but a very small fraction, for we cannot see or grasp all that exists. But as God does not ignore us we certainly should not ignore God, for to do so is the greatest of insults and will result in eternal punishment.

     We know that God does not ignore us for  “the very hairs of our head are numbered”, we should not think that God ever fails to hear us when we pray to Him for even if we exchange thoughts with another person God hears the thoughts of both for nothing can escape the all-knowing Mind. Every word spoken to God by us is always received and welcomed! It delights God when we seek to know Him and follow His commandments. For this reason the prophets, patriarchs, apostles and the Theotokos who loved and obeyed Him also share in His glory.

     A little sparrow falls to the ground but not without the heavenly Father who controls all life and death.  We know so little about the Lord, but He taught us much by His revelations. He spoke through the prophet concerning the hairs on our heads, but He also says of himself:  “I am the way and the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but through me.” Jesus is the only way in heaven or on earth, He is also the only truth and the author of all life, for He is God the Eternal Logos equal to the Father and the Spirit. Jesus, who dwelled among us is the only Truth who came down from heaven and dwells within us, continually nourishing us and He gives Himself to the faithful as food and drink. He is the source of all life and the only Giver of life. The phrase: the very hairs of your head are numbered, is an indication of the great concern that God has for each and every one of us, for the soul and spirit within us are most precious and blessed and destined to be with God forever! To respond is our greatest responsibility for response will determine our eternal life or eternal punishment. God shows His concern and it is up to arouse our interest and to turn to God in repentance and compunction seeking forgiveness for our sins with the hope of everlasting life.

This is a treasure to save and keep readily available for in these verses Christ describes His nature!

JESUS CHRIST PROCLAIMS HIS NATURE

     “I am the Christ the Son of the living God.”

     “All things are delivered to me of my Father, and no man knows the Father except the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal Him.”

     “I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me.”

     “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham was I am.”

     “No man has ascended into heaven, but He who came down from heaven, even the Son of man who is in heaven.”

     “I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world; again I leave the world, and go to the Father.”

     “I and my Father are one.”

     “He that has seen me has seen the Father.”

     “I am in the Father and the Father is in me.”

     “As the Father knows me, in the same way I know the Father, and I lay down my soul for my sheep.”

      “I am the light of the world; he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

     “I am the way and the truth and the life; no man comes to the Father but through me.”

     “I am the resurrection and the life; he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.”

     “I am the bread of life; he that comes to me shall never hunger and he that believes on me shall never thirst.”

     “I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever.”

     “If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink. He that believes on me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”

     “I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”

     “I am the first and the last; He that lives and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore. And have the keys of Hades and of death.”

     “I am the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.”

     “I am He that is holy, he that is true, he that has the key of David, He that opens and no man shuts, and shuts and no man opens.”

     “I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.”

     “I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, says the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”

     “To this end was I born. And for this cause I came into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Every one that is of the truth hears my voice.”

DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL

DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN GOOD 

AND EVIL

“For solid food is for those of mature age, 

even those who by reason of use have their mental abilities 

exercised to distinguish good and evil” (Heb. 5:14).

     As Orthodox Christians we may be called upon to help solve disagreements between others. It is useful to know who may possess the ability to judge and help to settle such disputes. This article may be useful to those who are called upon to offer fair and just judgments.

     Only the more erudite of souls have the ability and experience in most cases, to clearly distinguish good and evil or virtue and vice. They usually are able to discern just behavior to be good and unjust behavior to be evil. Not everyone, however has the capability and experience to clearly distinguish between good and evil. This is verified by the Apostle Paul who says: “Some are similar to those that have need of milk and not of solid food. For  everyone that partakes of milk lacks  experience of the word of justice, for he is a babe” (Heb. 5:12-13). Which means the inexperienced and infantile soul cannot taste the word of justice because he uses milk and not the solid food of a mature man, rendering him less capable of distinguishing between good and evil.

     The distinction between good and evil is analogous to the distinguisher’s knowledge of justice, hence, the possessor of more perfect knowledge of this virtue can perfectly discern between good and evil in most cases. But the person having imperfect knowledge and limited experience is checked and proclaimed to be lacking in his distinction between good and evil. Furthermore, knowledge acquired through experience regarding some virtues and some vices does not presuppose knowledge of every virtue and every vice, for it is impossible ever to derive a general or complete knowledge from a partial one. But there are some who yield to this absurdity, for they think that because they are able to distinguish some virtues and vices that they are then capable of clearly distinguishing between all good and evil

     It is good for all of us to strive each day to continue to improve our ability to distinguish good and evil, which is invaluable in making just judgments among families and friends. All that we face on a daily basis where there is a need to distinguish between good and evil should be useful and will be useful in developing our minds so as to make good judgments.  The opportunity to make such judgments during each day, seeking to discern good and evil will greatly enhance  our abilities. Many questions concerning good and evil come before us a hundred times a day. This means that in our personal lives we can continually distinguish between what is good and what is evil, and making such correct choices will become a good and virtuous habit. In the mixed up world of today there are many which confuse good and evil and this is destructive to their moral senses. The mass confusion of the present time, often appears because people either ignore or do not seriously consider what they are thinking or saying and become more confused by what they hear or read  For example they hear it said that all faiths are good and true but this error leads them into captivity. They then conclude that all faiths lead to God or that it really doesn’t matter!  

     It is not our intention to offer various subjects for disputation, by presenting erroneous arguments and conclusions which leads men away from truth and into the bedlam of confusion. 

     With the Incarnation the Father has settled all previous disputes for  His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, is the truth who came down heaven, sacrificed himself on the Cross, suffered, was buried, and arose on the third day and He took the fangs out of death and put death to death,  rendering it and the devil powerless. He firmly established His holy Church which is the pillar and foundation of truth. The Church will always remain whole and true for Jesus Christ is the divine-human Head of the divine-human and indestructible Church. 

     In distinguishing between good and evil we have very important infallible guides which are the all the words of Christ,  the holy Tradition of the Church, the entire Holy Bible and the holy fathers of the Church. Also the Rudder, (available from us on CD) is a treasure house not only for this purpose but also a great help for every purpose in our present life, the main one being everlasting life.  The Rudder contains all decisions of the Seven Ecumenical Synods, of many local synods and canons of many fathers and saints which help us to distinguish good and evil being an extremely useful source.

“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.