The Inner Significance of Fasting

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 INNER SIGNIFICANCE OF FASTING

The inner significance of fasting is best summed up in the triad: prayer, fasting, almsgiving. Divorced from prayer and from the reception of the Holy Mysteries (Sacraments) unaccompanied by acts of compassion, our fasting becomes pharisaical or even demonic. It leads, not to contrition and joyfulness, but to pride, inward tension, and irritability. The link between prayer and fasting is rightly indicated by Father Alexander Elchaninov. A circle of fasting says to him: 'Our work suffers and we become irritable...I have never seen servants [in pre-revolutionary Russia] so bad-tempered as during the last days of Holy Week. Clearly, fasting has a very bad effect on the nerves.' To this Father Alexander replies: 'You are quite right...If it is not accompanied by prayer and an increased spiritual life, it merely leads to a heightened state of irritability. It is natural that servants who took their fasting seriously and who were forced to work hard during Lent, while not being allowed to go to church, were angry and irritable.

Fasting, then, is valueless or even harmful when not combined with prayer. In the Gospels the devil is cast out, not by fasting alone, but "prayer and fasting" (St. Matthew 17:21; St. Mark 9:29); and of the early Christians it is said, not simply that they fasted, but that they "fasted and prayed" (Acts 13:3; compare 14:23). In both the Old and New Testament fasting is seen, not as an end in itself, but as an aid to more intense and living prayer, as a preparation for decisive action or for direct encounter with God. Thus our Lord's forty-day fast in the wilderness was the immediate preparation for His Public Ministry (St. Matthew 4:1-11). When Moses fasted on Mount Sinai (Exodus 34:28) and Elijah on Mount Horeb (3[I]Kgs. 19:8-12), the fast was in both cases linked with a theophany. The same connection between fasting and the vision of god is evident in the case of Saint Peter (Acts 10:9-17). He "went up on the housetop to pray about the sixth hour, and he became very hungry and wanted to eat"; and it was in this state that he fell into a trance and heard the Divine voice. Such is always the purpose of ascetic fasting - to enable us, as the Triodion puts it, to 'draw near to the mountain of prayer'.

Prayer and fasting should in their turn be accompanied by almsgiving (philanthropy) - by love for others expressed in practical form, by works of compassion and forgiveness. Eight (8) days before the opening of the Lenten fast, on the Sunday of the Last Judgment, the appointed Gospel is the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (St. Matthew 25:31-46), reminding us that the criterion in the coming judgment will not be the strictness of our fasting but the amount of help that we have given to those in need. In the words of the Triodion:

"Knowing the Commandments of the Lord, let this be our way of life: Let us feed the hungry, let us give the thirsty drink, Let us clothe the naked, let us, welcome strangers, Let us visit those in prison and the sick. Then the Judge of all the earth will say even to us: 'Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you". (Source: Lenten Triodion)

(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

Tradition in the Orthodox Church (Part III)

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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TRADITION IN THE ORTHODOX CHURCH (Part III)
By George Bebis, Ph.D.

Universality and Timelessness of Tradition

Another characteristic still to be added, namely the Tradition of the Church is universal in space and time. Saint Vincent of Lerins, a bishop and writer in France during the 5th century, writes that "we must hold what has been believed everywhere, always, and by all" (Common, 2). Indeed, the Church with all her members, always, from the time of her inception until the end of time, accepts and teaches everywhere the redemptive work of Christ. This does not mean that the Church and Her Tradition move within numerical, geographical or chronological limits. The Church and Her Tradition, although they live in history, are beyond history. They have eternal value, because Christ, the Founder of the Church, has no beginning and no end. In other words, when the universality of the Church Tradition is mentioned, it refers to the gift of the Holy Spirit, which enables the Church to preserve until the end of time the Apostolic truth unadulterated, unbroken, and unaltered. This is true because Tradition expresses the common Orthodox mind (phronema) of the whole church against all heresies and schisms of all times.

It is important to emphasize both the temporality as well as the timelessness, two fundamental aspects of Holy Tradition. The late Father Georges Florovsky wrote that:

"Tradition is not a principle striving to restore the past, using the past as a criterion for the present. Such a conception of tradition is rejected by history itself and by the consciousness of the Orthodox Church. Tradition is the constant abiding of the Spirit and not only the memory of words. Tradition is a charismatic, not a historical event." [The Catholicity of the Church" in Bible, Church, Tradition, p. 47]

In other words, Tradition is a gift of the Holy Spirit, a living experience, which is relived and renewed through time. It is the true faith, which is revealed by the Holy Spirit to the true people of God.

Tradition, therefore, cannot be reduced to a mere enumeration of quotations from the Holy Scripture or from the Holy Fathers. It is the fruit of the incarnation of the Logos/Word of God, His Crucifixion and Resurrection as well as His Ascension, all of which took place in space and time. Tradition is an extension of the life of Christ into the life of the Church. According to Saint Basil the Great, it is the continuous presence of the Holy Spirit:

"Through the Holy Spirit comes our restoration to paradise, our ascension into the kingdom of heaven, our return as adopted sons, our liberty to call God our Father, our being made partakers of the grace of Christ, our being called children of light, our sharing in eternal glory, in a word, our being brought into a state of a 'fullness of blessing' (Romans 15:29), both in this world and in the world to come" (Saint Basil of Caesaria, On the Holy Spirit, XV.).

Tradition and Traditions

This description by Saint Basil the Great gives the True "existential" dimensions of the Holy Tradition of the Church. For the Orthodox Christians, therefore, Holy Tradition is not a static set of dogmatic precepts or the uniform practices of the liturgical ritual of the Church. Although Church Tradition includes both doctrinal and liturgical formulas and practices, it is more properly the metamorphosis, the continuous transfiguration of the people of God, through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father and the communion of the Holy Spirit, as experienced in the daily life of the Church. This does not mean that Tradition is something abstract and theoretical or that it ignores the daily needs of human nature. On the contrary, the "rule of faith" becomes every day the "rule of worship." Doctrine, prayer, moral guidance, and liturgical practices are indispensable parts of Holy Tradition. Some theologians speak about traditions with a small "t", as being the written or unwritten practices of the daily Christian life, in contrast with Holy Tradition with a capital "T", which encompasses the basic doctrines of revelation and our salvation in Christ.

This type of distinction is rather misleading. Tradition and traditions are the integral parts of the life of the Church and they express the totality of the Christian way of life which leads to salvation. The Doctrine of Incarnation, the historical Truth of the Crucifixion and Resurrection, the Eucharist, the sign of the Cross, the threefold immersion in the baptismal font, the honor and respect due to the Every-Virgin Mary and Theotokos, and to the Saints of the Church, are all important for the Christian, who wants to find himself in the "perimeter" of salvation in Christ. This is what the Church has taught through the centuries. "therefore we must consider the Holy Tradition of the Church trustworthy, " Saint John Chrysostom writes, "it is Tradition, seek no more" (Second Letter to Thessal." Homily). (Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America)

(To be continued)

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Please note: Every Orthodox Christian believer must be theologically knowledgeable of the basic beliefs, traditions, practices in our Holy Church. We know through history that there are always those who seek to undermine the Church from within as well as without. We must be vigilant so as not to allow any so-called "revisionists" to change the Holy Tradition of the Orthodox Church. We have seen the Ecumenical Councils of the Orthodox Church throughout the centuries confront the various dangerous and destructive heretics and heresies and defending the True Faith. The Eastern Patriarchs wrote that "the Defender of the faith is the very Body of the Church, that is the people, who want their faith kept constantly unvarying and in agreement with the Fathers." Thus the clergy and the laity are both responsible for the preservation of the authentic and genuine Holy Tradition in and through the life of the Church."

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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

The Purpose of the Parish Ministries

Beloved in our Savior Jesus Christ,

There is so much more to a Greek Orthodox parish than supporting it financially and attending the Sunday Divine Liturgy. The parish is a community of Orthodox Christian believers who are united by a common Creed of faith, Tradition, and mission. 

Above and beyond all of our liturgical and financial duties are the parish ministries. The purpose of the parish ministries is to offer the necessary opportunities for all the devout members and families of the church to strengthen the fellowship among them and the spiritual state and commitment to the community and most of all to Christ our Lord. 

Through the parish ministries, the individual Orthodox Christian learns how to work and serve the Church together with others as one body. United in one faith and with one common goal they persevere to create an environment of true Christian love. It is that environment that all of our parish children should grow up in.

Along with Orthodoxia, there is also Orthopraxia, both are linked together and are inseparable. It is not enough to believe or to possess the true faith but all must be willing to put it into practice. The church is a place where we learn, practice, train, and strive to attain spiritual maturity.

It is, therefore, imperative that we protect and promote all of our parish ministries. A community with strong parish ministries is a dynamic and progressive community. It is a community and parish that is alive and always moving forward.

Some of the parish ministries are the following: Parish Council, Choir, Youth and Adult Ministries, Philoptochos, etc.  The primary mission is to make God's love manifest to the youth and young adults of the Church, to introduce the faithful to Christ and engage them so that they may better understand and fully experience the Orthodox Christian Faith.

I ask everyone to support and dedicate their time, talents and treasure to make the parish ministries strong and to cooperate with those who head them. To permit the parish ministries to dissolve is unthinkable. It would harm and injure our local parish and its future. Complacency and indifference are destructive. We must work hard not only to avoid that possibility but to prevent it entirely from happening at all.

It is not ever enough to think of only today but to think and prepare the church for the future. Let us work together hand-in-hand and invite our Lord Jesus Christ to lead the way.

With agape in His Holy Diakonia,

+Father George

The First Saturday of the Dead (Souls) - February 22

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ God,

Saturday, Friday 22nd is the First Saturday of the Souls. On the day before the Sunday of the Last Judgment, and in close connection with the theme of this Sunday, there is a Universal Commemoration of the dead 'from all the ages.' (There are further commemorations of the dead on the second, third, and forth Saturdays in Holy Lent.) Before we call to mind the Second Coming of Christ in the services on Sunday, we command to God all those departed before us, who are now awaiting the Last Judgment. In the texts for this Saturday there is a strong sense of the continuing bond of mutual love that links together all the members of the Church, whether alive or dead. For those who believe in the Risen Christ, death does not constitute an impassable barrier, since all are alive in Him; the departed are still our brethren, members of the same family with us, and so we are conscious of the need to pray insistently on their behalf. (Lenten Triodion)

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DIVINE SERVICES ON THE FIRST SATURDAY OF SOULS:

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

Memorial service immediately following.

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It is our Orthodox Christian Tradition that the faithful attend the divine services and bring the names of their departed relatives and/or friends to be commemorated and prayed for. The names should be the baptismal names of Orthodox Christians and not the last name. Those of you who know how to make kolyva (wheat) should bring a small bowl for the service.

Departed. The dead. Following death and judgment, those who have accepted God's Truth and Love as fully revealed in Christ and the Holy Spirit inherit eternal life in Heaven. Those who have rejected His gift inherit eternal darkness. (See Luke 16:19-31).

The use of wheat (kolyva) at the memorial service. In the gospel of Saint John, we read: Jesus answered them, saying, "... Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it produces much grain" (John 12:24). The image of the "grain of wheat" dying in order to bear fruit signifies that Christ will die in order to give life, a principle of self-sacrifice which applies to all those who follow the way of Christ.

Please make every effort to attend the holy services and to bring the names of your loved ones.

With agape,

+Father George

Tradition in the Orthodox Church (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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TRADITION IN THE ORTHODOX CHURCH (Part II)
By George Bebis, Ph.D.

The teaching or Apostolic Tradition was transmitted from the Holy Apostles themselves to their successors, the bishops and the presbyters, Saint Clement, Bishop of Rome (2nd century A.D.), and probably a Disciple of the Holy Apostles himself, described this historical truth:

"The Apostles preached to us the Gospel received from Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ was God's Ambassador. Christ, in other words, comes with a message from God, and the Apostles with a message from Christ. Both these orderly arrangements, therefore, originate from the will of God. And so after receiving their instructions and being fully assured through the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, as well as confirmed in faith by the word of God, they went forth, equipped with the fullness of the Holy Spirit, to preach the good news that the Kingdom of God was closer at hand. From land to land, accordingly, and from city to city they preached; and from among their earliest converts appointed men whom they had tested by the Spirit to act as bishops and Deacons for the future believers" (Letter to the Corinthians, Ch. 42).

One can clearly see how the message of salvation originated from God the Father was taught by Jesus Christ, witnessed to by the Holy Spirit, preached by the Apostles and was transmitted by them to the Church through the clergy they themselves appointed. This became the "unerring tradition of the Apostolic preaching" as it was expressed by Eusebius of Caesarea, bishop of the 4th century, who is considered the "father" of Church History (Church History, IV, 8).

The Patristic Tradition

From what has been said so far, it can be seen that there is no theological distinction or differences or divisions within the Holy Tradition of the Church. It could be said that Holy Tradition, as a historical event, begins with the Apostolic preaching and is found in Scripture, but it is kept, treasured, interpreted, and explained by the Holy Fathers, the successors of the Apostles. Using the Greek term Pateres tes Ecclesias, the Father of the Church, this "interpretive" part of the Apostolic preaching is called "Patristic Tradition."

The Holy Fathers, men of extraordinary holiness and trusted Orthodoxy in doctrine, enjoyed the acceptance and respect of the universal Church by witnessing the message of the Gospel, living and explaining it to posterity. Thus, Apostolic Preaching or Tradition is organically associated with the Patristic Tradition and vice versa. This point must be stressed since many theologians in the Western churches either distinguish between Apostolic Tradition and Patristic Tradition or completely reject Patristic Tradition.

For the Orthodox Church, there is one Holy Tradition of the Church, incorporating the Holy Scripture and the teaching of the Holy Fathers. This is "the preaching of the truth handed down by the Church in the whole world to Her children" (Saint Irenaeus, Proof of the Apostolic Preaching, 98). Saint Athanasius the Great, "Pillar of Orthodoxy", who was bishop of Alexandria during the 4th century, gives the most appropriate definition of the Church's Tradition:

"Let us look at the very tradition, teaching, and faith of the catholic Church from the very beginning, which the Logos/Word gave (edoken), the Apostles preached (ekeryxan), and the Fathers preserved (ephylaxan). Upon this the Church is founded (tethemeliotai)." (Saint Athanasius, First Letter to Serapion, 28).

In retrospect, Holy Tradition is founded upon the Holy Trinity, it constantly proclaims the Gospel of Christ, it is found within the boundaries of the Christian Church, and it is expounded by the Holy Fathers. (Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America)

(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

Tradition in the Orthodox Church

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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TRADITION IN THE ORTHODOX CHURCH
By George Bebis, Ph.D.

Terminology and Meaning

The term "tradition" comes from the Latin traditio, but the Greek term is parasosis and the verb is paradido. It means giving, offering, delivering, performing charity. In theological terms, it means any teaching or practice which has been transmitted from generation to generation throughout the life of the Church. More exactly, paradosis is the very life of the Holy Trinity as it has been revealed by Christ Himself and testified by the Holy Spirit.

The roots and the foundations of this Sacred Tradition can be found in the Holy Scripture. For it is only in the Holy Scripture that we can see the life the presence of the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Saint John the Evangelist speaks about the manifestation of the Holy Trinity:

"For the Life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us" (1 John 1:2).

The essence of Christian tradition is described by Saint Paul, who writes:

"But now in Christ Jesus, you that used to be so far apart from us have been brought very close, by the blood of Christ. For He is peace between us and has made the two into one and broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart, actually destroying in His own person the hostility caused by the rules and decrees of the Law. This was to create one single man in Himself out of the two of them and by restoring peace through the Cross, to unite them both in a single body and reconcile them with God. In His own person He killed the hostility. Through Him, both of us have in one Spirit our way to come to the Father" (Ephesians 2:13-14).

He also makes clear that this Trinitarian doctrine must be accepted by all Christians:

"If any man preach any other gospel to you than you have received (parelavete) let him be condemned" (Galatians 1:8-9).

Speaking about the Holy Eucharist, which is manifestation of the Holy Trinity, he writes:

"For I have received (parelavon) of the Lord that which I also delivered to you" (1 Corinthians 11:23).

The sole source and cause and principle of the Trinitarian unity is the Father Himself (Ephesians 4:4-6).

The Apostolic Tradition

Theologians call this teaching of the Holy Scripture "the Apostolic Tradition." It encompasses what the Apostles lived, saw, witnessed, and later recorded in the books of the New Testament. The bishops and presbyters whom the Apostles appointed as their successors, followed their teaching to the letter. Those who deviated from this Apostolic teaching were cut off from the Church. They were considered heretics and schismatics, for they believed differently from the Apostles and their successors, thus separating themselves from the Church. This brings into focus the Church as the center of unity of all Christians. This is the Ecclesiastical or Ecclesiological characteristic of Holy Tradition. The Church is the image and reflection of the Holy Trinity since the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity live, dwell, and act in the Church. The Father offers His love, the Son offers His obedience, the Holy Spirit His comfort. Only in the historical Church can we see, feel, and live the presence of the Holy Trinity in the world. In describing this reality Saint Paul writes:

"So He came and proclaimed the good news: peace to you who were far off, and peace to those who were nearby; for through Him we both alike have access to the Father in the one Spirit. Thus you are no longer aliens in a foreign land, but fellow-citizens with God's people, members of God's household. You are built upon the foundation laid by the Apostles and Prophets, and Christ Jesus Himself is the cornerstone. In Him, the whole building is bonded together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In Him, you too are being built with all the rest into a spiritual dwelling of God" (Ephesians 2:17-22).

The Church was established as a historical reality on the day of Pentecost, with the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles (see Acts 2:1-4).

Only in this Church, where the Holy Trinity lives and acts constantly could the teaching of Christ, the very revelation of truth, as received and transmitted by the Apostles, abide and be sustained. Thus Truth in its fullness does not exist outside the Church, for there is neither scripture nor tradition. This is why Saint Paul admonishes the Galatians that even if an angel from heaven preaches another gospel to them, he must be condemned:

"If any man preach any other gospel to you than that you have received (parelavete) let him be condemned" (1:8-9).

And he writes to his disciple Timothy to follow strictly the "precepts of our faith" and the "sound instructions" he received from him and avoid "godless myths" (1 Timothy 4:4-7). He also admonishes the Colossians to avoid "merely human injunctions and teachings" (2:22), and to follow Christ:

"Therefore, since Jesus was delivered to you as Christ and Lord, live your lives in union with Him. Be rooted in Him: be consolidated in the faith you were taught; let your hearts overflow with thankfulness. Be on your guard; do not let your minds be captured by hollow and delusive speculations, based on traditions of man-made teaching and centered on the elemental spirits of the universe and not on Christ. For it is in Christ that the complete being of the Godhead dwells embodied and in Him you have been brought to completion" (Colossians 2:6-8). (Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America)

(To be continued)

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

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

+Father George