Glossolalia (Speaking in Tongues)

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

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"GLOSSOLALIA" (SPEAKING IN TONGUES)
By Father George Nicozisin

The Greek Orthodox Church does not preclude the use of Glossolalia but regards it as one of the minor gifts of the Holy Spirit. If Glossolalia has fallen out of use it is because it served its purpose in New Testament times and is no longer necessary. However, even when used, it is a private and personal gift, a lower form of prayer. The Orthodox Church differs with those Pentecostal and Charismatic groups which regard Glossolalia as a prerequisite to being a Christian and to having received the Holy Spirit.

Serapion of Egypt, a 4th century contemporary of Saint Athanasius summarized Eastern Orthodox Theology:

"The Anointing after Baptism is for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, that having been born again through Baptism and made new through the laver of regeneration, the candidates may be made new through the gifts of the Holy Spirit and secured by this Seal may continue steadfast."

Bishop Maximos Aghiorghoussis, Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburg and world-renowned Orthodox theologian on the Holy Spirit states it this way: "For Orthodox Christians, Baptism is our personal Resurrection and Chrismation is our personal Pentecost and indwelling of the Holy Spirit."

There are two forms of Glossolalia:

+ Pentecost Glossolalia happened this way: Fifty days after the Resurrection, while the Disciples were gathered together, the Holy Spirit descended upon them and they began to speak in other languages. Jews from all over the civilized world who were gathered in Jerusalem for the religious holiday stood in amazement as they heard the Disciples preaching in their own particular language and dialect.

+ Corinthian Glossolalia is different, Saint Paul, who had founded the Church of Corinth, found it necessary to respond to some of their problems, i.e., division of authority, moral and ethical problems, the Eucharist, the issue of death and resurrection and how the Gifts of the Holy Spirit operated in Chapter 12. Saint Paul lists nine of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, i.e., knowledge, wisdom, spirit, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, speaking in tongues, and interpreting what another says when he speaks in tongues.

Specifically, Corinthian Glossolalia was an activity of the Holy Spirit coming upon a person and compelling him to extend expressions directed to God, but not understood by others. In Pentecost Glossolalia, while speaking in several different tongues, both the speaker and the listener understood what was uttered. The Glossolalia manifested in Corinth was the utterance of words and phrases, sentences, etc. intelligible to God but not to the person uttering them. What was uttered needed to be interpreted by another who had the gift of interpretation.

Apostolic times were a unique period, rich with extraordinary and supernatural phenomena, for the history of mankind. The Lord God set out to make new creations through the saving grace of His Son and implemented into perfection through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit endowed men and women with many gifts in order to bring this about. One of its gifts during the New Testament times was Glossolalia. But even from New Testament times, it would seem Glossolalia began to phase out. Saint Paul, it seems, indicates later in Chapter 14 that Glossolalia should be minimized and understood preaching, maximized. Saint Justin the Martyr, a prolific mid-century writer lists several kinds of gifts but does not mention Glossolalia. Saint John Chrysostom wrote numerous homilies on Books of the New Testament during the 4th century but does not appear to make mention of Glossolia as noted in First Corinthians.

Many Christian writers, certainly the mystics, wrote about states of ecstasy during praise and worship, of seeing visions of God's heavenly Kingdom, of what they perceived eternal life with Christ to be, of how the Holy Spirit spoke to them and through them, to others. But was always understood, intelligible, comprehensible communication. Perhaps they could not describe in earthly and material frames of reference, what they saw and experienced, but they were conscious and fully aware of what was happening. They were not in some state of senselessness. Even the monks of Mount Athos who experience Divine communication and have reached a plateau of holiness, do not speak in tongues. They speak in words that are intelligible and utter clear words in hymns and praise of God with His Truth.

What then is the Orthodox Christian perspective on Glossolalia? The Orthodox Christian viewpoint on Glossolalia is based on Saint Paul's words in Chapter 14 of the same Epistle. "I thank God that I speak in strange tongues much more than any of you. But in Church worship, I would rather speak five words that can be understood, in order to teach others, than speak thousands of words in strange tongues." (verse 10-19). In Chapter 13 Saint Paul says, "Set your hearts, then, on the more important gifts. Best of all, however, is the following way." Then Saint Paul proceeds and shares with his readership the greatest gift of all - agape! (love). 

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" - Saint John Chrysostomos

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

Holy Martyr Aquilina (June 13)

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

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ON JUNE 13TH OUR HOLY ORTHODOX CHRISTAN CHURCH COMMEMORATES THE FEAST OF THE HOLY MARTYR AQUILINA

Born in the Palestinian town of Biblos of Christian parents, little Aquilina was already, at the age of seven, living as a true Christian, and by the age of ten was so filled with divine understanding and the grace of the Holy Spirit that she used to preach Christ with great power and zeal to her girlfriends. When the pagan Roman emperor Diocletian's persecution began, Aquilina was handed over to the imperial governor, Volusianus, who was more like a beast than a man. He ordered that she first be flogged and then that a heated rod be passed through her ears and brain. Until the last moment, the virgin Aquilina freely and clearly confessed Christ the Lord; but when her brain started flowing with her blood from her head, she fell as if dead. Believing her to be indeed dead, the governor ordered that her body be taken outside the city and thrown onto a dung heap for the dogs to eat. But during the night, an Angel of God appeared to her and said: 'Arise and be healed!', and the maiden arose and was restored to health, and stood a long time expressing her gratitude and praise to God and begging Him not to deny her a martyr's death. A voice was heard from Heaven: 'Go, and it shall be to thee as thou desirest', and Aquilina went into the city. The city gates opened of their own accord to her, and she passed through them and went to the governor's palace like a ghost, standing before his bed and showing herself to him. The governor was seized with unspeakable terror when he saw the maiden whom he had thought dead. On the following day, he ordered the executioner to take Aquilina out and behead her with the sword. Before her execution, she knelt in prayer and surrendered her spirit into God's hands, leaving her dead body to be beheaded by the executioner. Her holy relics gave healing to many of the sick. Saint Aquilina was twelve (12) years old when she suffered for the Lord; she endured her Passion and was crowned with a wreath of martyrdom in the year 293 A.D.

For Consideration

Meekness and gentleness adorned the Saints and gave them the strength and the motive not to return evil for evil. When the Emperor Constantius, Constantine's son, fell ill in Antioch, he summoned Saint Spyridon to come and pray over him. In company with his deacon, Triphylllius, Saint Spyridon left Cyprus and, arriving at the Imperial Court in Antioch, asked for admittance. He was clad in poor clothing, with a simple woven cap on his head and a palm staff in his hand, and he was clutching to his breast a small earthware pot in which he had some oil that had been set before the Holy Cross (such being the tradition among Christians in Jerusalem), dressed in this way, worn out by fasting and the journey, the Saint gave no hint of his rank and dignity. And so, when he wished to set foot in the Emperor's Court, one of the Imperial servants, tasking him for a pauper, struck him a blow on one cheek.  The meek and forgiving Saint turned the other cheek to him. When he managed, with great difficulty, to reach the Emperor, he placed his hand on Constantius's head, and the Emperor's son immediately recovered.

Homily -On the Path of Life and Path of Death.

"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death" (Proverbs 14:12).

Sometimes it may seem to a man that the path of the godless is right when he sees that the godless grow rich and enjoy success. But just let him be allowed to see the end of that path! He would be horrified, and would certainly never tread it.

If the end of a path is ruination, can that path be a right one? Therefore, O man, do not say that a certain path is right if you cannot see its end. You ask: 'How can I, a weak and shortsighted man, see the end of a long path?' By two methods: by reading the Holy Scripture within the experience of the Orthodox Christian Church and by observing the end of the earthly road of those who die around you and have died before you. But the first path is a far more reliable path and, if you keep to it, be sure you will not fall into the darkness of eternal death.

Only the path which God has shown us to be right can be the right path. All other paths, which may seem right to your mind but do not coincide with God's path, are all wrong and lead to death. Behold, even the wild beasts have their own paths, but would you go by those paths if they seemed right to you? Of course, you would not, because you would, in the end, fall into the hungry jaws of those wild beasts. But the road indicated by God is right, and, even if it seems wrong to you, go by it. Because we are sinful, God's path sometimes seems wrong to us. If we were not sinful and our minds were not led astray by sin, it would not be possible for us for even for a moment to think that there can be any other path of God. A mind that has been led astray reckons many wrong paths to be right and thinks the only right path to be wrong.

O All-seeing Lord, Who showest us the way, set our minds aright that we are not detained on false paths. Thou, O Jesus, art the Way, the Truth and the Life, and all that we invent apart from Thee is a dead end, a lie and death. To Thee be Glory and praise forever. Amen. (Source: The Prologue from Ochrid)

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" - Saint John Chrysostomos

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

Saturday, Eve of Pentecost: Final Saturday of Souls

My beloved friends in Christ God,

On Saturday, June 15th (The Fourth Saturday of Souls) following the Divine Liturgy a memorial service will be conducted for our brothers and sisters who have departed.

Through the Apostolic Constitution (Book VII, ch. 42), the Church of Christ has received the tradition to make commemoration for the departed on the third, ninth, and fortieth days after the repose. Since many throughout the ages, because of an untimely death in a faraway place, or other adverse circumstances, have died without being deemed worthy of the appointed memorial services, the Holy Fathers of the Church, being so moved in their love for man, have decreed that a common memorial be made this day for all pious Orthodox Christians who have reposed from all ages past, so that those who did not have particular memorial services may be included in this common one for all. Also, the Church of Christ teaches us that alms (charity) should be given to the poor by the departed one's relatives as a memorial for him.

Our Holy Church offers us another opportunity to remember and honor our dead relatives and friends, our beloved persons who passed away, and all her members by whom we are in communion through God's love and the grace from the Mysteries (Sacraments), beyond this sense of time. To say it in other words, by this care we confirm the unity of the Triumphant (Heavenly) and Militant (Earthly) Church, at our common path to the Kingdom of God, as well as the solidarity of the Body of Christ beyond places, and even biological aspects of human existence.

It is certainly true that in the life of the Church we can honor our deceased brothers, sisters and fathers through many opportunities. From the daily prayer, our specific sequence (thrice, Holy (Trisagion) memorial services, etc.) and also every Saturday is a day dedicated to their memory.  

On Eve of the Great Feast of the manifestation of the Church in the world, i.e., Pentecost, we do not forget our dead brothers and sisters and so we declare its Universality of the One and Indivisible the Ecclesiastical Body. In the Divine Liturgy and Eucharistic Communion, the prayers of the living unite in Christ with those who have fallen asleep and give the opportunity to the Merciful Heavenly Father to offer forgiveness, as is taught in our Holy Tradition.

Praying for our brothers and sisters who are no longer living with us, we express our love for them so we can lessen our grief and to come into communion with them sustained in the Eternal Memory and love of God.

It is true that I have kept the names of your loved ones from Great Lent and will use them on this coming Saturday but this does not mean that all of you should stay home and ignore your duty and obligation to be at the Divine Liturgy and to join your prayers with mine for those who need our prayers and eternal rest.

When it comes to Our Holy Orthodox Christian Tradition nothing is optional. Everyone should always think, feel and act as an Orthodox Christian and practice their Christian faith.

Those of you who have not submitted the names of loved ones bring them before the Divine Liturgy this Saturday. Those that can make Kolyva make them and bring them for the memorial service.

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DIVINE SERVICES ON SATURDAY, JUNE 15TH (SATURDAY OF SOULS):

Orthros (Matins)……………………………..9:00 a.m.
Divine Liturgy...………………………………10:00 a.m.

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In Christ's Service,
+Father George

On the Gift of Speaking in Tongues (Part II)

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

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ON THE GIFT OF SPEAKING IN TONGUES (Part II)
BY Archimandrite Zacharias

Many in the early Church were gifted with tongues, but over time the gift became rare. The problem was, quite simply, that if someone spoke in tongues, he would unintentionally take up all the spiritual space of the congregation as a whole, which would not derive the least profit from the gift. The best explanation for God's gift of tongues to the early Church lies in the necessity of teaching newly-converted Christians to pray with their heart rather than just externally, as they were likely to have been used to doing. But the Church soon discovered a deeper way to educate the heart, for She was concerned to cultivate the inner man. She discovered the invocation of the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. And little by little, the Prayer of the Heart ('The Jesus Prayer') replaced the gift of speaking in tongues. The Jesus Prayer is a way of praying in the spirit without losing any control of the spirit, and, therefore, without running the risk of usurping the space of the other members of the Body of Christ. (All the things we do in church must be done in a way that respects the spiritual space of our fellows. 

In conclusion, to speak in tongues or to pray in the spirit is indeed to immerse our nous in the sea of the Spirit. But the Apostle himself prefers to draw us into shore, that we avoid even the possibility of disorder in the Body of the Church, and that everything is done for the sake of the edification of the people. By far, the best possible way of approaching the phenomenon of glossolalia in out times, as our Tradition teaches us to understand it--that is, without condemning or criticizing--is to consider that, if people are prevented from worship god with the heart, God can once again bestow on them this gift of speaking in tongues. The fact that this gift has reappeared now in modern times, when the way of the heart has been forgotten or is not known, points towards one single purpose. Clearly, the Spirit of God yearns to lead all people home to the Church, to place them within the Body of the Church, and to instruct them in this noble form of worship that has been practiced by Christians for so many centuries, that their hearts might once more be cultivated through the invocation of the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. And we know that whosoever bears His Name, does so unto salvation, "for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). If this gift has indeed been given temporarily to some people, perhaps it will enable them to discover the true unbroken Tradition of the Church, the Tradition of the Prayer of the Heart, which IS THE surest and humblest prayer in the edification, inspiration, and salvation of man. Through this prayer, we receive the greatest of all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the gift which will heal our nature and strengthen it, "guiding us into all truth" (St. John 16:13), it will enable us to bear the fullness of divine love. And this gift will never outlive its purpose--indeed, it will accompany us beyond the grave.

It is important that we understand this phenomenon of glossolalia-- we must not be seduced by it. (Source: The Hidden Man of the Heart. The Cultivation of the Heart in Orthodox Christian Anthropology)

(To be continued)

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" - Saint John Chrysostomos

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

On the Gift of Speaking in Tongues

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

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ON THE GIFT OF SPEAKING IN TONGUES
By Arhimandrite Zacharias

Ten days after the Lord's Ascension into heaven, the gifts of the Holy Spirit were manifested on the day of Pentecost as a sign of the reconciliation that had occurred between God and man. But one of these gifts in particular, that of speaking in tongues, was different. The gift is a difficult one to understand, partly because it had all but disappeared by the end of the life of the Holy Apostle Paul. Moreover, it is clear from the later Epistles (Letters) of Saint Paul, in which he puts it last on the list of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that its importance had diminished. How are we to understand this?

We know that the gift of speaking in tongues (glossolalia) was given to the nascent Church for a specific purpose. The old Israel had become accustomed to worshipping and praying in a largely external manner, and when the Spirit came on the day of Pentecost, He wanted this to change. His intention, therefore, was to teach the people to pray in spirit, in the 'hidden man of the heart' (1 Peter 3:4). But on the day of Pentecost we see that the people began to speak in foreign tongues of the mighty works of God, the gift was soon widespread, because God wanted His words to go 'unto the ends of the world' (Romans 10:18) and the new faith to bring salvation to all the peoples. Many were encouraged to speak in tongues, and the Spirit of God condescended accordingly. Those who prayed in tongues were happy, being certain of one thing: God 'had spoken into' them and was at work within them.

However, this gift slowly began to disappear, for it would no longer be useful or helpful in the edification of the Body. It often happened that glorifications and words would be pronounced which the Body itself could not understand, and this would require the help of an interpreter inspired by the Holy Spirit. Although some of the faithful continued to use their gifts of tongues, at some point it became clear that the prayer of those who were listening was no longer being inspired in the same way as before. For this reason, Saint Paul says the following in the Epistle to the Corinthians: "I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also, I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also" (1 Corinthians 14:15). Thus, he distinguished between prayer in the spirit (pneuma) and prayer in the mind (nous), and identifies prayer in the spirit with praying in foreign tongues. One verse earlier he says, "If I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful" (1 Corinthians 14:14).

It is true that for Saint Paul, spirit and mind are almost identical he sometimes says that the highest purpose of Christianity is the renewal of the spirit and sometimes the renewal of the nous. Nevertheless, in trying to distinguish between the two, I would say that the spirit is present in the mind as something higher, deeper than the mind itself--that it is revealed through the mind, just as the soul can be said to be revealed through the emotions.

But when the Holy Apostle says "I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also", we must admit that certain opposition has been introduced. Prayer in the spirit is identified with prayer in tongues, when man's spirit is aware of the eruption of God into his life. Furthermore, there were times when the grace that taught the people to worship God "in spirit and truth" (St. John 4:2)--with their inner being--was present in such abundance that it flowed out in torrents of enthusiasm. In this kind of prayer the highest faculty of the human being is inspired by God, receiving His energy. Man then surrenders to the "breath" of the Holy Spirit, which "bloweth where it listeth" (St. John 3:8), and the Spirit intercedes with "unutterable groanings" (Romans 8:28) for those in whom He dwells, sometimes with words which are beyond the understanding of the psychological man.

In prayer of the mind (nous), by contrast, the mind rises towards God in pious thought and godly desire. Such prayer is characterized by holy contrition or joy, but it is not liable to surrender to the great impetus and boundless spiritual exaltation we have just described. A degree of control is exercised by the person who prays in the mind: he is able to direct his thoughts, desires and feelings. His spiritual faculties act in the usual way, in characteristic order, his prayers and doxologies are pronounced in an altogether understandable manner, and can provoke any hearers to participation in the worship. Of course, the heart participates in this kind of prayer of the mind, but there is a definite absence of total surrender to the breath of the Spirit. Saint Paul recommends both types of prayer. He advises us not to use either one to the exclusion of the other, considering that it may at times be better to pray in tongues, and at other with the mind. When we pray in the spirit, we pray for ourselves and for God, but when we pray in the mind, we pray not only for God, and for ourselves but also for the edification of our neighbor and, therefore, for the rest of the Body.

(To be continued)

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" - Saint John Chrysostomos

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

Who Should Serve as a Sponsor?

Beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Ony True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE

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WHO SHOULD SERVE AS A SPONSOR?

The importance of the Sponsor's role in the Mysteries (Sacraments) of baptism and matrimony cannot be overstated. The Orthodox Church expects that the person who serves as sponsor be a practicing Orthodox Christian whose life corresponds to its teachings. Therefore, someone who has married outside the Orthodox or abandoned its teachings may not serve as sponsor.

To understand the Church's view, it is necessary to know the sponsor's role in context, particularly at the baptism. A sponsor's presence at baptism dates to the early Christian Church when the initiation of adults into the Faith was common. It was the sponsor who guaranteed the sincere intention and orthodox belief of the person about to be baptized. The sponsor, then, had to be a person of integrity with credible testimony and a real commitment to instructing another in the faith.

With the appearance and prevalence of infant baptism, the sponsor's role has become purely functional. Now, all that is required is the mere recitation of the Creed (Symbol of faith) in place of the infant and the formal promise to nurture it in the Orthodox Christian faith. (It is my experience that the sponsor/s are not familiar with the Creed and cannot even read the Creed without making embarrassing mistakes.)

Great care should be taken in selecting a sponsor for the Mysteries of baptism and matrimony. The person entrusted with the sacred responsibility of professing the Orthodox Christian faith in behalf of one about to be baptized ought to exemplify all that this entails. Such expectation will help assure a special kind of relationship not only between the sponsor and godchild but also between the sponsor and the godchild's parents.

We should not perpetuate the notion that sponsorship is simply a social matter. On the contrary, an Orthodox Christian should carefully select sponsor/s whose counsel and support can be trusted as godly, pious and faithful to the Traditions of the Orthodox Church. In this way, one finds spiritual stability in troubled times and is bound into a measure of accountability to the sponsor.

It has been a tendency from some Orthodox Christians to always select relatives i.e., brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins, etc. to be sponsors of their child. That, however, prevents to expand one's spiritual family. Don't forfeit the opportunity to increase the number of members in one's spiritual family. Furthermore, it gives the impression of being closed, self-absorbed and exclusive. It would be more appropriate to nurture a spiritual relationship with those who are not one's relatives. (Source: Dr. Lewis J. Patsavos is a Professor of Canon Law at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Brookline, Mass.)

My own observation is that some Greek Orthodox parents who wish to baptize their child are not willing to abide by the teachings of the Church. They, unfortunately, disregard the advice to bring the baptized child to the church for the next two Sundays of receive Holy Communion.  After the baptism, I do not see either the child brought by the godparent to church or by the parents of the child. Greek Orthodox parents do not decide on their own if the child should be brought to church or not. The child should not be deprived of Holy Communion for years because the parents feel it is not important. All of our children should grow up in the Church and faith. God is present at the Divine Liturgy and all the Mysteries. "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" (St. Matthew 18:20).  God is with us. He has a special presence in heaven and in every church as well, through His grace and the Mysteries (Sacraments).

In Christ's Service,

+Father George