Paternal Advice From a Saint's Deathbed

Martyr Anastasia the Roman

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.

PATERNAL ADVICE FROM A SAINT'S DEATHBED
By Elder (Geronda) Philotheos Zervakos (+ 1980)

"What man will live and not see death? Who was born and did not see death?"

I am ninety-four years old now, and because I am growing old and death is approaching I thought I would leave you a few paternal requests. Above all is love for God and for one another, for where there is love there is God, where love is lacking there is the tempter (Evil One). When you have love between you, you also love God. When, however, there is no love between you, you cannot love God; for Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself says: "He who loves Me keeps My Commandments, and, if a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar" (St. John 14:21-23, 1 John 5:20).

You must be careful not to depart from our loving God; do not leave Him, but love Him. Our Savior and God-Man Jesus Christ gave us the commandment to love one another. He said unto the Holy Apostles a few days before departing bodily from this world: "a new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another" (St. John 13:34), and "these things I command you that ye love one another" (St. John 15:17).

Therefore, strive to acquire the love that is genuine and not the love that is with words, with the tongue, or with the lips. Loving with the whole heart unites with God and makes one a son of God by grace. Saint Augustine tells us that a man comes to resemble that which he loves. If you love God you will become god; not by nature but by grace. If you love the flesh and say that this is your life and existence, and think that it will save you, then you will become flesh...and if again you love the devil, then you will become a devil. How does someone come to love the devil? By doing his works. When they have pride, and especially when they have envy, jealousy, and hatred for their neighbor, then they become a devil. Therefore, for this reason, strive to love God. As the Holy Fathers say in the doxastikon of the Saints, where we chant: "You have loved God, preferring nothing to his love, prefer nothing more than the love of God; so that when He comes in all of His Glory, we may find rest in all the Saints. We must love God so that we can find rest there where the Saints are.

Therefore take care to have love and obedience, for he who is obedient imitates Christ, while he who is not obedient, but disobeys and contradicts, imitates the devil. Do not be contradicting unless it is because the presiding nun asks you to do something that will grieve God, then do not listen to her. If however, she tells you to do something, which in your opinion is not good, then it is better to cut your will and do that which was indicated.

Our Lord Jesus Christ--Who is God--cut His own will: "I came down from heaven," He says, "not to do my own will but the will of him that sent me." He became obedient unto death; even death on the Cross. One should be obedient unto death, then he will become worthy of the Eternal Kingdom and of the Eternal Life. Never neglect your spiritual duties, because only with diligence you will be victorious, by God's grace, over all enemies. For this the Lord tells us: "Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when he cometh, shall find watching" (St. Luke 12:37). And the Church chants: "Behold the Bridegroom is coming in the night and blessed is the servant whom He shall find watching, and unworthy is the one whom He shall find heedless."

Of the ten virgins, five were foolish, and the other five were prudent, having oil in their lamps. The lamps represent the soul. When the Bridegroom came (i.e., at the hour of death), they left and went together with the Lord to the Heavenly bridal chamber. The foolish virgins, however, remained outside the bridal chamber because they were neglectful; they did not have oil, nor did they have love, they were tired and slept, and they did not take care. When death came, they repented and knocked on the door that He would open it unto them, but the Lord said unto them, "Go, I do not know you."

Therefore, we must not be neglectful, for negligence is dreadful and repentance is great. Struggle when you feel drowsy and sluggish. The body always wants rest, it wants to sleep, and it wants good food. The soul, however, wants fasting, vigil, and prayer. Woe to the person who allows his soul to be subjected to the flesh, and who does the will of the flesh (cf. Galatians 5:14-21). The flesh wants comfort, and whenever possible to sleep, but we must resist this. The spirit must be victorious and subject the body; not allowing it to become that which the flesh seeks, but that which God desires, for the flesh seeks to do the will of the devil. For this reason, the Apostle James tells us: "Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (St. James 4:7). We must resist him as much as we can; for only with labor and pain are the good things achieved.

The Saints did not make it to Paradise easily, but labored and struggled against three enemies: the flesh, the world, and the ruler of the world (the devil). But, because they were eager and serious, they overcame the devil, the desires of the world, and the desires of the flesh.

Thus, prayer and watchfulness are necessary. "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit is indeed willing but the flesh is weak" (St. Matthew 26:41). The Apostle Peter because he was not careful for just one moment, denied the Lord. But he repented and was saved. For this, he wrote the following beautiful words to make us and everyone careful: "Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (I Peter 5:8). Be vigilant, careful, and watchful. Do not stay at all idle, for the devil is prowling about, looking for someone to devour, but seeks the aid of God; and God, when we approach Him will help us.

The devil many times uses hypocrisy, slyness, and wickedness to fool people. Many times he transforms himself as an angel of light; and he has deceived many because they accepted him, obeyed him, and were not careful. Therefore, great care is needed. As I told you, go to a spiritual father for confession, and if he is not there, tell your thoughts to the Abess and you will be greatly benefitted.

Take care especially for love and humility, for where there is humility, the devil flees from there. "But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word" (Isaiah 66:2). Upon whom does He say He shall look? Upon him, who is humble, upon him who is meek. For this reason, all the Saints were sanctified through humility; for humility gives birth to love and to all the virtues. The humble person is a dwelling place of god and the gifts of the Holy Spirit: the humility of the Most Holy Theotokos pleased God, "the Wholly Uncontainable," to dwell in her womb. The Panagia boasting in the Lord, not in herself, says: "For He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden..." (St. Luke 1:48).

Love must take root in our hearts, and it will take root when we continuously remember God; whether walking or working, in bed resting or sleeping, the recollection of God will always be here with us in this temporal life, and shall take us with Him to the Eternal One. Go with the Panagia's blessing, and may God always be with you. (Source: Orthodox Heritage).

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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

October 28 (Two Feasts) - Protection of the Mother of God and Oxi (No) Day

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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PROTECTION OF THE MOTHER OF GOD

The Protection of the Mother of God (Gk. Agia Skepi) is one of the great feast days on the Orthodox Christian calendar among the people of Greece, also commemorated on October 1st.

The Feast of the Holy Protection of the Theotokos commemorates the appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos in the church of Vlachernae in the city of Constantinople in the 10th century, as recorded in the life of Saint Andrew the Fool-for-Christ's sake. While the faithful were assembled in the church, Saint Epiphanius, the friend of Saint Andrew, through the Saint's prayers, beheld the Ever-Virgin Mary above the faithful Christians and spreading out her veil over them, signifying her unceasing protection of all Christians. Because of this, we keep an annual feast of thanksgiving, supplicating our Panagia to never cease protecting us in her sacred prayers. Vlachernae church was where several of her holy relics were kept. The holy relics were her robe, veil, and part of her belt that had been transferred from Palestine during the 5th century.

The Theotokos approached the center of the church, knelt down and remained in prayer for a long time. Her face was drowned in tears. Then she took her veil off and spread it over the Orthodox Christian believers as a sign of protection. During the tie, the people in the city were threatened by a barbarian invasion. After the appearance of the Theotokos, the danger was averted and the city was saved from bloodshed and suffering.

In recent years, the Feast of Agia Skepi has become associated with thanksgiving for the deliverance of the Greek nation from the Italian invasion of 1940. These events are commemorated in Greece on a national holiday known as "Ochi Day" or "No Day," referring to the response of the Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas to Mussolini's ultimatum.

In recognition of this, and because of the numerous miracles of the Theotokos which were reported by Greek Orthodox soldiers during the Greco-Italian War of 1940-1941, the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece elected in 1952 to transfer the feast from October 1st to October 28th.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate also provides for this usage in its parishes in Greece and in the Greek diaspora, and it is generally observed now throughout the Hellenic-speaking world. The observance includes the chanting of the Doxology incorporating hymns recognizing the Protection of the Theotokos over the Greek people, as well as the kontakion "O Champion Leader."

About the Holy Icon

Two different events that took place hundreds of years apart are combined in this one holy icon. Both events took place in the former church of Vlachernae in the Queen city of Constantinople.

The holy icon of the feast, Protection of the Mother of God, shows the Theotokos standing above the faithful with her arms outstretched in prayer and draped with a veil. On both sides of her are holy Angels. On the lower right of the most icons of this feast, are Saints Andrew and his disciple Saint Epiphanius who saw this vision of the Mother of God, with the Twelve Holy Apostles, bishops, holy women, monks, and holy martyrs, spreading her veil in protection over the faithful. Saint Epiphanius is wearing a tunic under his cloak and gestures in astonishment at the miraculous appearance, while Saint Andrew, Fool-for-Christ, is dressed only in a cloak.

Below the Theotokos, in the center of the holy icon, stands a young man with a halo (photostephano), he is clothed in a Deacon's Sticharion. In his left hand, he is holding an open scroll with the text of the Kontakion for the Holy Nativity in honor of the Theotokos.

Hymns

Apolytikion (Dismissal) Hymn (Tone 4)

Today the faithful celebrate the feast with joy illumined by your coming, O Mother of God. Beholding your pure image we fervently cry to you: "Encompass us beneath the precious veil of your protection; deliver us from every form of evil by entreating Christ, your Son and our God that He may save our souls."

Kontakion Hymn

Today the Virgin stands in the midst of the Church and with choirs of Saints, she invisibly prays to God for us. Angels and bishops worship, Apostles and Prophets rejoice together since for our sake she prays to the Pre-eternal God.

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DIVINE SERVICES FOR OCTOBER 28TH:

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

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

+Father George

The 7th Ecumenical Council (Synod) - October 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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THE 7TH ECUMENICAL COUNCIL (SYNOD)

The 7th Ecumenical Council of the Orthodox Church took place in Nicaea in 787 A.D. and is also as the Second Council of Nicaea. The 7th Ecumenical Council dealt with the holy icons.

Disputes concerning the Person of Christ did not end with the 6th Ecumenical Council in AD 681 but continued through the 8th and 9th centuries. This time, the controversy focused on icons--paintings of Christ, the Theotokos, the Saints, and holy events--lasted for 120 years, starting in AD 726.  Holy Icons were kept and venerated in both churches and private homes. The two groups in the controversy were:

Iconoclasts also called "icon-smashers," they demanded the destruction of icons which they saw as idolatry.

Iconophiles also called "icon-lovers", they defended and venerated icons both in churches and privates homes.

The controversy, however, was more than a struggle over different views of Christian art. Deeper theological issues were involved, and it is these the 7th Ecumenical Council addressed:

• The character of Christ's human nature

• The Christian understanding and attitude toward matter

• The true meaning of Christian redemption and the salvation of the entire material universe.

The controversy falls into two periods:

1. From AD 726 when Leo III began his attack on icons until AD 780 when Empress Irene ended the attacks.

2. Again from AD 815 through AD 843 when Empress Theodora stamped out the attacks permanently.

Saint John of Damascus (AD 676-749), presented the Iconophiles' or Iconodules' Orthodox position which won out. He addressed the charges against the veneration of the icons thus:

"Concerning the charge of idolatry: Icons are not idols but symbols, therefore when an Orthodox venerates an icon, he is not guilty of idolatry. He is not worshipping the symbol, but merely venerating it. Such veneration is not toward the wood, or pain or stone, but towards the person depicted. Therefore relative honor is shown to material objects, but worship is due to God alone.

We do not obeisance to the nature of wood, but we revere and do obeisance to Him Who was crucified on the Cross...When the two beams of the Cross are joined together I adore the figure because of Christ Who was crucified on the Cross, but if the beams are separated, I throw them away and burn them." -- St. John of Damascus

Concerning the Teaching OF Icons

Venerating holy icons, having them in churches and homes, is what Church teaches. They are "open books to remind us of God."

Concerning the Doctrinal Significance of Icons

Icons are necessary and essential because they protect the full and proper doctrine of the Incarnation. While God cannot be represented in His eternal nature ("...no man has seen God", St. John 1:18), He can be depicted simply because He "became human and took flesh." "Philip said to Him, 'Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us." Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I Am in the Father, and the Father in Me? (St. John 14:8-10).

Of Him Who took a material body, material images can be made. In so taking a material (human) body, God proved that matter can be redeemed. He deified matter (theosis), making it spirit-bearing, and so if flesh can be a medium for the Spirit, so can wood or paint, although in a different fashion.

"I do not worship matter, but the Creator of matter, Who for my sake became material and deigned to dwell in a manner, who through matter effected my salvation" (St. John of Damascus).

The 7th Ecumenical Council upheld the iconophiles' position in AD 787. The Holy Fathers proclaimed: "Icons...are to be kept in churches and honored with the same relative veneration as is shown in other material symbols, such as the 'Precious and Life-giving Cross' and the Book of the Gospels. The 'doctrine of icons' is tied to the Orthodox Christian teaching that all of God's creation is to be redeemed and glorified, both spiritual and material. (Source: Orthodoxwiki)

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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

How Important is Our Soul?

Icon of the Mother of God “Jerusalem”

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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HOW IMPORTANT IS OUR SOUL?

Listen to what our Lord Jesus Christ says: "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (St. Matthew 16:26).

"Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (St. Matthew 10:28).

And Saint James the Apostle writes: "Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls" (St. James 1:21).

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"THE UNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON": THE BODY-SOUL RELATIONSHIP IN ORTHODOX THEOLOGY
By Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia

"You have made me and laid Your hand upon me; Your knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great, and I cannot attain to it" (Psalm 138 [139]: 5-6.

Microcosm and Mediator

In any dialogue between theology and science, there is one basic truth which as Christians we must keep continually in view. Spirit and matter are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, they are interdependent; they interpenetrate and interact. When speaking, therefore, of the human person, we are not to think of the soul and the body as two separable "parts" which together comprise a greater whole. The soul, so far from being a "part" of the person, is an expression and manifestation of the totality of our human personhood, when viewed from a particular point of view. The body is likewise an expression of our total personhood, viewed from another point of view - from a point of view that, although different from the first, is complementary to it and in no respect contrary. "Body" and "soul" are thus ways of describing the energies of a single undivided whole. A truly Christian view of human nature needs always to be unitary and holistic.

It is true that, in our daily experience, we often feel within ourselves not undivided unity but fragmentation and conflict, with soul and body in sharp opposition to one another. It is this that Saint Paul expresses when he exclaims: "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:24). Saint John Climacus (7th century) voices the same perplexity when he says of his body: "He is my helper and my enemy, my assistant and my opponent, a protector, and a traitor...What is this mystery in me? What is the principle of this mixture of body and soul? How can I be both my own friend and my own enemy? "...But if we feel within ourselves this dividedness and warfare between our soul and body, that is not because God has made us that way, but because we are living in a fallen world, subject to the consequences of sin. God for His part has created us as an undivided unity; it is we human beings who through our sinfulness have undermined that unity, although it is never altogether destroyed.

Whenever, therefore, we find passages in the Holy Bible or the Holy Fathers which seem to affirm an antagonism and division between body and soul, or which appear to condemn the body as evil, we have to ask ourselves: To what level of human existence does the text in question refer?  Is the author speaking about the fallen or the unfallen condition of mankind? Is he talking about the body in its natural state, as created by God, or does he have in view our present situation, subject to sin, whether ancestral ("original") or personal - a situation that is in fact altogether contranatural? When Saint Paul speaks about "the body of this death" (Romans 7:24), he means our fallen state; when he says, "Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit...Glorify God in your body" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), he is speaking about the body as it was when originally created by God, and as it can be once more when we are redeemed in Christ.  Similarly, when Saint John Climacus terms the body "enemy", "opponent" and "traitor", he has in view the body in its present state of fallen sinfulness; but when he calls the body "helper", "protector" and "friend", he is referring to its true and natural condition, whether unfallen or redeemed. When reading Holy Scripture or the Holy Fathers, we have always to place each statement about the body-soul relationship in its specific context and to allow for this crucial distinction of levels.

However acutely we may feel the inner antagonism between our physicality and our spiritual yearning, let us never to lose sight of the fundamental wholeness of our personhood, as created in the Divine image. This wholeness is vividly emphasized in a text attributed to the second-century author Saint Justin the Martyr:

"What is a human being but a rational creature constituted from a soul a body? So, then, the soul by itself is not a human being? No; it is the human being's soul. And the body is not to be regarded as a human being? No; it is just the human being's body. A human being is neither the body or the soul on its own, but only that which is formed from the combination of the two."

"...The Nicene Creed (Symbol of Faith) - or, more exactly, the expanded version of the Creed of 325 A.D. endorsed by the First Council of Constantinople (381 A.D.) - affirms in its final clause: "We await the resurrection of the dead". Body and soul, that is to say, are separated at the moment of our physical death, to the Last Day when the two will once more be reunited. As Christians, we believe, not simply in the immortality of the soul, but in the ultimate survival of the entire person, soul and body together.

A second, and less obvious, affirmation concerning human nature is to be found in the first of the Fifteen Anathemas directed against Origen, which were adopted at (or perhaps immediately before) the Second Council of Constantinople (553 A.D.), the Fifth Ecumenical Council: "If anyone maintains the mythical pre-existence of souls...let him be anathema"...soul and body, in other words, come into existence at the same time, as a single unity, and they grow to maturity together. They are strictly interdependent...According to the Christian view the human person is not a soul temporarily enclosed in a body, but an integral unity of soul and body together. The body is not a transient dwelling-place or tomb, not a piece of clothing that we shall in due course discard, but it is from the first beginnings of our human existence an indispensable and enduring expression of our total personhood.

These two Ecumenical affirmations, then, underline the unity of our personhood, both at its initial coming-into-being-there is no pre-existence of the soul-and at its final end, when soul and body, divided at death in a manner profoundly contrary to nature, will be forever restored to their primal oneness in the age to come. So at the consummation of all things, the words of the Prophet will be fulfilled: "Death is swallowed up in victory" (Isaiah 25:8; compare 1 Corinthians 15:54).

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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

Is Your Faith in God in Crisis?

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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IS YOUR FAITH IN GOD IN CRISIS?

"Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. So He asked his father, 'How long has this been happening to him?' And he said, 'From childhood. And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.' Jesus said to him, 'if you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.' Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief" (St. Mark 9:20-24)

The work of salvation belongs entirely to the Almighty God and Creator. It is God the Father through Christ and the Holy Spirit, Who has the Divine power to heal and rescue us from forces of illnesses, evil, sin death and the devil. Faith is our response to God's unconditional love. Faith is the foundation of Christian spiritual life. Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you" (St. Matthew 17:20). Faith is a gift from God. It is a special gift bestowed by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ which affects things beyond man's power. But it is always both a belief and a trust.

"By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

"By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise...

"By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age...

"By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son...

"By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

"By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph...

"By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones (Holy Relics).

"By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents...

"By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused t be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter...

"By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king...

"By faith he kept the Passover...

"By faith they passed through the Red Sea...

"By faith the walls of Jericho fell down...

"By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe..." (Hebrews11:8-31).

Saint Paul writes, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). "A vision of the future, have encouraged the believers of God throughout history: the invisible is often more real than the visible. In the past, mighty works of faith were done by those whose faith was unfulfilled (they did not see redemption in their lifetime).

Through His life Our Lord was calling for faith; faith in Himself, faith in God His Father, faith in the Gospel, faith in the Kingdom of God. The fundamental condition of the Christian spiritual life is faith, for with faith come hope and love and every good thing and the grace of the Holy Spirit.  

"He that believeth in the Son hath everlasting life" (St. John 3:36). Our faith is always directed to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, for it is He Who is the All-Merciful Savior, and it is He in Whom our faith is placed. As we read in the Holy Scripture "For God so loved the world that He gave His Only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should perish, but have everlasting life" (St. John 3:16).

Faith is at times opposed to human reason and belief to knowledge. A Christian cannot possibly believe in something he does not already know. Faith must be built upon trust and knowledge, it must never be blind. Knowledge itself is frequently built upon faith.

Each man, woman, and child must believe for himself. No one can believe for another person. In order for our faith to be real and genuine, we must acknowledge it in everyday life. We must think, feel and act according to our Christian faith and reveal it through our goodness and compassion for our fellowman. It is our God Who makes our faith genuine and real. We must ever attempt out of arrogance and pride to "tempt God" or "put God to the test" by doing unwise things just for the sake of seeing if the Lord will participate in our foolishness.

Always remember that He is the Creator and you are the creature.

Our soul needs to be always in communion with God. We must always approach our God with a contrite heart, with reverence, humbleness, faith, trust, and love. Think of the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ as often as possible, begging Him to forgive your sins and receive you into His Heavenly Kingdom. May the Name of Jesus always be on your lips, in your soul and your heart.  

No Christian should ever set conditions to his faith. No Christian should be disobedient to God's Divine Commandments or be so-called. "Selective" what he accepts or rejects of the teachings of our Lord. Don't be rebellious and defiant instead be meek, humble, and faithful.

With love in our Merciful Lord,

+Father George

An Attitude of Listening to God

Icon of the Mother of God '“of the Akathist” of Zographou Monastery

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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AN ATTITUDE OF LISTENING TO GOD

During a somewhat casual conversation that strayed from subject-to-subject within my family circle a few days ago, we collectively arrived at a very rare consensus of opinion: There is just too much "noise" at practically any venue one chooses to attend or visit.

It started with the realization that now even at a sports stadium, there is pop/rock music blaring away all through the event while television screens in the concession area promote or allow one to watch the game while away from one's seat. Advertising is, of course, ubiquitous. It is as if there is a concerted effort to make sure that no one remains "un-entertained," even if only for a moment. That is just one example from among many. And recently when in a restaurant, from my particular vantage point I was able to view four television screens at once--there were a few more behind me--each airing a different program. (Of the four, I chose "Judge Judy" by the way). Simultaneously, loud rock music was blaring over the speakers! We were fairly shouting across the table at each other just to make conversation.

Are we, in turn, in danger of inevitably fearing silence? Or will silence be experienced as a lack of something--anything--to keep us distracted? This brings to mind a dystopian novella by E.M. Foster, The Machine Stops. In a remote future, the "machine"--controlled by the State--provides a distinct "hum" in the background that keeps everyone settled and secure. The drama of the story is about the panic that sets in when the "machine stops." Silence can be unsettling.

Thinking this over, I recently received a newsletter from a monastery in New Mexico dedicated to the Archangel Michael. Perhaps this is typically monastic, but I found this insightful passage in the newsletter. It is from a very prominent Greek Orthodox theologian, Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlahos, on the meaning of hesychia or stillness. Combining genuine theology with what we would call spirituality, he writes that "Theology means speaking about God based on knowledge and experience of Him. Hesychia (Stillness) is the way in which we acquire this spiritual knowledge of God. We live in an age of constant activity, the gratification of the senses, uncontrolled imagination and speculation that wear people out. They are searching for inner stillness--hesychia--from the world of the senses and imagination, but also the theology--knowledge of God--to give their lives meaning."

Prominent as hesychia is in this passage, perhaps we need to ask exactly what does hesychia mean? It is not exactly a household term (not even in Orthodox Christian households) or a word used with familiarity in the "public square." In fact, the use of the word could very likely draw a quizzical (or dismissive) expression. Thus, it is helpful to present a working definition of this term since it is so often used in our spiritual vocabulary. We hear it often, and perhaps are uncertain how best to translate, or at least understand it. I will turn to the translation work of such prominent scholars and theologians as Archbishop Kallistos Ware, Philip Sherrard and Norman Russell for providing such a working definition, as they have worked on translating texts from our spiritual tradition--and these are often "hesychastic texts" --for many decades. The fruit of this translation work is now accessible in the four volumes of The Philokalia which have been published to date.

In the useful Glossary provided at the back of each volume, and under the word "stillness," we will find the following: "stillness (hesychia): from which are derived the words hesychasm and hesychast, used to denote the whole spiritual tradition represented in The Philokalia as well as the person who pursues this spiritual path it delineates; a state of inner tranquility or mental quietude and concentration which arises in conjunction with, and is deepened by, the practice of pure prayer and the guarding of the heart. Not simply silence, but an attitude of listening to God and of openness towards Him" (Volume 4, p. 434-435).

"Inner tranquility," "mental quietude," "concentration," "pure prayer," and "guarding of the heart." The Saints tell us that through these practices we can become open to God and actually listen to Him. Are such practices on our spiritual radar screens? Do we deep down long for a taste of such stillness?

As the daily cacophony of amped-up noise continues to crescendo, perhaps that of which Metropolitan Hierotheos reminds us is worth a bit of our attention and receptivity. (Source: Orthodox Church in America)

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Please note: There is so much more to our Orthodox Christian Faith then we know. The average Orthodox Christian has never had a formal catechism or religious education and therefore the Orthodox person remains religiously illiterate. The spiritual struggle to understand the Orthodox Christian faith becomes not only a challenge for him/her but an experience of frustration.  

For an Orthodox Christian today however who has the desire to learn more about the Faith and how to live as an Orthodox Christian in a secular world much of the information is online and on various authentic Orthodox Christian websites. 

Knowing how busy our life is today, one can still use the technology and resources to accomplish that goal. Even when one is traveling one can turn to his smartphone or computer and enrich and strengthen his knowledge of the Faith.  

Unfortunately, however, the Orthodox Christian parishioner is too busy with other non-spiritual activities and projects. Activities and projects that are important and even necessary but are of little spiritual value. Almost everything is about raising funds. Funds are necessary for the local parish to operate and meet its financial needs but we also have to make time for our spiritual welfare and growth.  

The answer to the parish financial problem can be solved if all the parish stewards would financially support it. There are people who are served by the parish and yet they do not feel any obligation to share in the operation of the church. Where is the conscience? Where is the sense of duty? Where is the philotimo?

By making the local parish financially independent the Orthodox stewards can turn their attention to their spiritual life. A successful Orthodox Christian parish is one which is totally committed to our Savior and God Jesus Christ and is constantly engaged in prayer, worship, and philanthropy. 

When the adults and parents in the Orthodox Christian community are unaware of what they believe and how to practice their faith daily, the children are completely lost and have no connection with Christ and the Church. According to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, the Church is losing 60% of the young men and women to other Faiths or to no church at all. I believe this constitutes a spiritual crisis! What are we doing? Whatever happened to the kat' oikon ekklesia (the domestic church?) or the Christian home? Many of our children do not even know who Christ is! Has the Orthodox Christian family and home ceased to be Christian? Why are the parents not teaching their children our God-given values, morality, and the Christian way of life? Instead are caving into the secular, unbelieving, paganistic, and destructive society?

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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