Holy Communion 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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HOLY COMMUNION IN THE ORTHODOX CHURCH

The Holy Eucharist is the Mystery (Sacrament) in which the bread and wine of offering are changed by the Holy Spirit into the true Body and true Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and then the believers receive Communion of them for a most intimate union with Christ and eternal life. This Sacrament is composed, thus, of two separate moments: (1) the changing or transformation of the bread and wine into the Holy Body and Precious Blood of the Lord, and (2) the Communion of these Holy Gifts. It is called "the Eucharist," "the Lord's Supper," "the Mystery of the Body and Blood of Christ." The Body and Blood of Christ in this Mystery are called the "Bread of heaven and the Cup of life" or the "Cup of salvation"; they are called the "Holy Mysteries," "the Bloodless Sacrifice." The Holy Eucharist is the greatest Christian Mystery (Sacrament).

The Savior's Words before the Establishment of the Mystery

Before the first performance of this Mystery at the Mystical Supper (the Last Supper), Christ promised it in His conversation concerning the Bread of Life on the occasion of the feeding of the five thousand men with five loaves. The Lord taught, "I am the living Bread which came down from heaven: If any man eat of this Bread, he shall live forever; and the Bread which I will give is My Flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (John 6:51). The Jews evidently understood the words of Christ literally. They began to say to each other, "How can this man give us His flesh to eat?" (John 6:52). And the Lord did not tell the Jews that they had understood Him incorrectly, but only with greater force and clarity He continued to speak with the same meaning: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the Flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His Blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth My Flesh, and drinketh My Blood, hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My Flesh is meat indeed, and My Blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My Flesh, and drinketh My Blood dwelleth in Me, and I in him" (John 6:53-56).

The Changing of the Bread and Wine in the Mystery of the Eucharist

In the Mystery (Sacrament) of the Divine Eucharist, at the time when the priest, invoking the Holy Spirit upon the offered Gifts, blessed them with the prayer to God the Father: "Make this bread the Precious Body of Thy Christ; and that which is in this cup, the Precious Blood of Thy Christ; changing them by Thy Holy Spirit" --the bread and wine actually are changed into the Body and Blood by the coming down of the Holy Spirit. (This moment of the Invocation of the Holy Spirit is called epiclesis. Metropolitan Kallistos Ware writes: "According to Orthodox theology, the act of consecration is not complete until the epiclesis.) After this moment, although our eyes see bread and wine on the Holy Table, in their very essence, invisibly for sensual eyes, this is the true Body and true Blood of the Lord Jesus, only under the "forms" of bread and wine.

This Truth is expressed n the "Encyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs" in the following words: "We believe that in this Sacred rite our Lord Jesus Christ is present not symbolically (typikos), not figuratively (eikonikos), not by an abundance of grace, as in the other Mysteries (Sacraments), not by a simple descent, as certain Fathers say about Baptism, and not through a 'penetration' of the bread, so that the Divinity of the Logos/Word should 'enter' into the bread offered for the Eucharist, as the followers of Luther (Protestants) explain it rather awkwardly and unworthily--but truly and actually, so that after the sanctification of the bread and wine, the bread is changed, converted, transformed, into the actual true Body of the Lord...the wine is changed into the actual true Blood of the Lord, which at the time of His suffering on the Cross was shed for the life of the world. Yet again, we believe that after the sanctification of the bread and wine there remains no longer the bread and wine themselves, but the very Body and Blood of the Lord, under the appearance and form of bread and wine" (par. 17). (Source: The Orthodox Dogmatic Theology by Protopresbyter Michael Pomazansky)

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As you can see from our Orthodox Theology, the Holy Gifts are Sacred, in that they have become imbued with the fullness of God's presence and Grace, and they are divine (not human) gifts, "for every good and perfect Gift is from above, coming from (Thee) the Father of lights" (Prayer behind the Amvon in the Divine Liturgy). If we truly believe in Christ, we know very well that the Almighty and Merciful God would never allow harm to come to us, most especially in the reception of Holy Communion.

Finally, it is important that we never forget that the Holy Sacraments are for the healing of both body and soul. As a priest of fifty years, I have never worried about consuming what remains of Holy Communion after everyone has received. "With the fear of God, with faith, and love draw near."  

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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,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

On the Thrice-Holy Hymn: "Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, Have Mercy Upon Us."

Saint John of Khakhuli the Oqropiri, also called Chrysostom

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 THRICE-HOLY HYMN: "HOLY GOD, HOLY MIGHTY, HOLY IMMORTAL, HAVE MERCY UPON US"
By the saintly bishop of Florina Augoustinos Kantiotes (+ 2010)

The hymns which are chanted following the Small Entrance, and we hear the exclamation of the priest: "For Thou Our God art Holy, and to Thee, we ascribe glory, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, unto the ages of ages." The Thrice-Holy hymn is then chanted: "Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy upon us."

This hymn has great importance for the Church. A historian of Byzantium, Theophanes, mentions the following event concerning this hymn. When Proclos (433 A.D.), a student of Saint John Chrysostom, was Patriarch of Constantinople, the city was shaken by earthquakes continuously for four months. The inhabitants, terrified, ran outside the walls of the city to a place called Campoi, and there prayed, and with tears in their eyes asked God to stop the earthquakes.

One day, when the earth was trembling and the people were crying, "Kyrie eleison" (Lord, have mercy), an unseen power carried off a child from the midst of the people, raising him towards heaven. And when the child came to earth, he said that he heard a Divine voice which ordered him to tell the bishop that intercessions must be chanted as follows: "Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy upon us." Patriarch Proclos ordered that this hymn be chanted. And when they began chanting it, the earthquakes stopped.

With prayer, with the Holy God...the earthquakes stopped. Perhaps someone who is educated, and boasts of his science, will laugh upon hearing this, and say: "What's this you're saying to us? An earthquake is a natural phenomenon and has nothing to do with God..." But the word of God assures us that earthquakes and all the other natural phenomena which take place in the world are dependent on God's power. The Psalm says: "Who looketh on the earth and maketh it tremble, Who toucheth the mountains and they smoke" (Psalms103:35). Saint John Chrysostom says that the cause of earthquakes is God's wrath, and the cause of God's wrath is the sins which people do continuously, young and old, clergy and laity...

"...There is a need to return to the piety of our ancestors. We must return to the ways of ancient times when Christians chanted the Thrice-Holy Hymn with tears in their eyes. For when the Christian is taught and knows what is meant by all that is said and takes place in the Divine Liturgy, there is hope that this Christian shall feel the grandeur of Sacred Worship.

Holy God. We spoke about the Saints in previous homilies. But by comparison with God, what is even the most holy man? One drop in comparison with an endless ocean. One ray in comparison with the sun. God only is holy and absolute degree; God is the source of holiness and sanctification. Man is enlightened by God and receives the power (from God) in order to live a life of holiness, which no matter what great heights it reaches, is small and unimportant in comparison with the infinite holiness of God. No one is holy like God.

Holy Mighty. Power is another attribute of God. Man is also called mighty. But man's power, no matter how great it is, no matter what mighty things he can do--even if he flies to the stars of the heavens--is small and unimportant in comparison with the All-Mightiness of God. The lord of Power is God. From Him comes every power and energy in the world. As a certain poet says, "One of God's looks has the power to shake the earth;" it is possible for the universe to dissolve into the elements "from which it was made" and a new world to be created.

Holy Immortal. Another attribute of God is immortality. God is immortal. What does immortality mean? While all things waste away and are destroyed, God remains unaltered, imperishable, eternal, immortal. He is life. He is the source of life. And if man is immortal, he is immortal not because of himself, not, that is to say, because of his own power, but because God created him "according to His image and likeness and gave him the gift of immortality. Man is immortal in soul, perishable in body, because of sin. But this perishable body shall become imperishable and eternal in the Kingdom of Heaven.

In the Thrice-Hymn, the word Holy is repeated three times. This threefold repetition is done purposely to show the three Persons of God, that Great Mystery of our faith that God is three hypostases (or persons). We worship and glorify one Divinity in three Persons. These three Persons--the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit--are one Divinity. That is why we do not say in the Thrice-Holy Hymn: "You (plural) have mercy on us," but "have Thou (singular) mercy on us." The three attributes we have mentioned--holiness, mightiness, and immortality--are attributes of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. "As Father, as Son, as Holy Spirit, O Holy Trinity, glory to Thee!"

My dear readers! We have seen the miracle that took place in Constantinople. We have seen the meaning of the Thrice-Holy Hymn. Priests, chanters, and laity: let us be careful during the time of the Thrice-Holy Hymn, and let us pray to the Triune God with pious contrition and a spirit of humility. (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

Preparing Your Family for Great and Holy Lent

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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PREPARING YOUR FAMILY FOR GREAT AND HOLY LENT

Great and Holy Lent is the Church's 40-day period of preparation for its greatest feast--the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is the annual period that calls us back to God--a time of reflection and repentance. While no two families ready themselves during Great and Holy Lent exactly alike, there are time-tested spiritual disciplines the Church prescribes in order to direct our senses to God's presence. In Preparing Your Family for Great Lent, Father Armatas and Elissa Bjeletich talk with Melissa Tsongranis in an engaging discussion that offers parents practical ways to make Great Lent a transformative family experience. May your Lenten journey be blessed--one arriving at a glorious Pascha!

Preparing Your Family for Great Lent highlights:

• Seeing Great Lent as an opportunity, not as an imposition

• The importance of simplifying and 'slowing down' during Great Lent

• There's more to Great Lent than avoiding certain foods--there are opportunities for prayer and charitable works that round out the fast.

• Ways parents can make the Church come alive in the home during Great Lent

Discussion Points:

1. Reflect upon the following quote from Father Alexander Schmemann that conveys the need for a change of priorities during Great Lent and consider the proceeding question: "We understand that it is simply impossible to pass from our normal state of mind made up almost entirely of fuss, rush, and care, into this new one without first 'quieting down,' without restoring in ourselves a measure of inner stability."
   While necessary responsibilities such as jobs, home management, school, and other activities continue during this time, how can your family attempt to address the voluntary "fuss, rush, and care" that would prevent your family from "quieting down" and shifting our minds and hearts toward the will of God?

2. Parents, you are leaders, the primary role models for your children's spiritual development. What an awesome responsibility! How can you best encourage your family--in its unique circumstances and abilities--to make a "doable and keep-able" plan for Great Lent in your home? Consult with your parish priest or spiritual adviser for further guidance.

3. As mentioned, fasting is only one of the spiritual disciplines that we pursue during Great Lent. There are also opportunities for prayer (private and corporate) and charitable acts that ground and complete the adjustments made to our diets.

• Determine when your family can pray daily together for a few minutes in the morning and/or evening. Have a prayer rule everyone can participate in and become familiar with--make that "doable and keep-able too!

• Determine when your family will attend the extraordinary Lenten services--Pre-Sanctified Liturgy, Salutations (Akathist) to the Theotokos, etc.

• Determine when of-age members of the family can schedule, and prepare for, the Sacrament of Holy Confession during Great Lent.

• Perhaps by accessing some of the resources mentioned (listed), determine someone creative ways to practice almsgiving (charity)--in Elissa's beautiful phrasing, "to bless someone else"-- during Great Lent that appeal to your family?

1. Remembering that we experience Great Lent also as united members of the Body of Christ, are there ways to enhance your family's Great Lent journey by interacting with fellow 'travelers,' sharing joys, struggles, and other topics--perhaps, over a meal of lentil soup?

Prayer of Saint Ephraim the Syrian

O Lord and Master of my life! Take from me the spirit of sloth, faint-heartedness, lust of power, and idle talk.

But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant.

Yes, Lord and King! Grant me to see my own errors and not to judge my brothers (or sister), for Thou are blessed unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer for Children

O Lord, help me not to want to have my own way all the time. Help me to love others. Keep me from being jealous, and help me to know when I am wrong. Amen.

(Source: Guardian Angel Children's Prayer Boo, An Introduction to the Divine Liturgy and Prayers for the Young Child by Fr. T. Lozynsky...page 105

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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 Beast of Anger

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 BEAST OF ANGER
By Father George Morelli

[Very Reverend Father George Morelli Ph.D. is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and Marriage and Family Therapist]

The spiritual-cognitive component of anger were long recognized by our Church Holy Fathers, Saint Basil the Great recognized the loss of reason in anger. "It makes a man completely bestial...in fact, it does not even allow him to be a man at all, because he no longer has the help of his reason."

An interesting spiritual issue arises in this context. In order for us to perceive ourselves to be "intruded on" to the extent that it justifies, anger, vengeance, and retaliation we have to see ourselves as 'important.' Saint Basil the Great tells us "Anger nurses a grievance. The soul, itching for vengeance, constantly tempts us to repay those who have offended" (Saint Basil the Great, Homily 10). I am so important, so above others, I have the "right" to act uncharitably toward others.

What is the root of this reaction? The passion and sin of pride. Saint Mark, the Ascetic (Philokalia V. I) wrote: "The passion is strengthened especially by pride. And as long as it is so strengthened it cannot be destroyed...Thus the structure of evil in the soul is impossible to destroy so long as it is rooted firmly in pride." From the Shephard of Hermas (Book II Commandment 5) who saw the Holy Spirit choked by anger: "For he is choked by the vile spirit, and cannot attend on the Lord as he wishes, for anger pollutes him. For the Lord dwells in long-suffering, but the devil in anger." Abba (Father) Agathon wrote that anger can produce spiritual death: "An irascible man, even if he is capable of raising the dead, will not be received into the Kingdom of Heaven." Another holy desert Father Abba (Father) Poimen saw anger as obliterating he who would consider himself a monk: "A complaining, vindictive monk, prone to anger, cannot exist." That is to say that, any who have such faults are not actually monks, even if they wear the schema."

Mankind is created in the image of God and as creatures of God, we are called to be "like" Him. (Genesis 1:26). The Church Holy Fathers define the image of God in us as our free will and intelligence. To be like Him meant that mankind must choose "the good." For our first parents, choosing good was to obey their Creator -- not to make themselves into gods by tasting the fruit of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17). Noting mankind coveted a spiritual power above its created nature Blessed Augustine interpreted this passage to mean that Adam and Eve thought of themselves as having the knowledge of God.

When God further revealed His Will in the form of the Law: the Ten Commandments (Deuteronomy 5:6-21), and other proscriptions listed for His people. When the fullness of time had come and God sent His "Only Begotten Son" our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, He revealed to us the fullness of what it was to be "like" Him. Our Lord tells us "And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you so you must love one another" (St. John 13:34, 35).

What greater love could the Father have for us that even though He is God, nevertheless, send His Son to take on our nature so we -- all mankind -- can be lifted up to Him? "For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son: that whosoever believeth in Him may not perish, but may have life everlasting" (St. John 3:16). Let us ponder some of the things our Lord has told us about love. "If you forgive the faults of others your Heavenly Father will forgive you. If you do not forgive the faults of others, neither will your Heavenly Father forgive you" (St. Matthew 6:14-16). "My son your sins are forgiven" (St. Mark 2:5). "If you want to avoid judgment, stop passing judgment" (St. Matthew 7:1).

How do we achieve this love shown to us by the Father and His Son, our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ?  Saint Paul tells us: "Get rid of all bitterness, all passion, and anger, harsh words, slander and malice of every kind. In place of these, be kind to one another, compassionate, and mutually forgiving, just as God as has forgiven you in Christ" (Ephesians 4:31). Our calling as part of God's creation, as a member of Christ's body, the Church, is to grow and actualize ourselves; to find those imperfections in us that are barriers preventing us from being "like God"; that prevents us from loving and forgiving. In keeping with Saint Paul's words, our emotions, such as anger, are just such an imperfection or barrier. By making ourselves less angry we can grow in the love of God and our neighbor.

Current research psychology has helped us understand cognitive structure supporting and triggering anger. Besides aiding in helping us to understand how anger comes about, this research also helps us to employ psychological techniques that can aid in overcoming and preventing anger. The cognitive-behavioral model of emotional dysfunction has been shown to be effective in this regard...

We upset ourselves over people and events, by our "interpretations" of them, thereby making ourselves dysfunctionally angry, anxious or depressed or simply functionally annoyed, concerned and disappointed. If our thinking is clear, rational and non-distorted we have normal feelings like bearable nuisances, caring and livable letdowns. If our "interpretations" are irrational or distorted we get enraged, intensely worried and despondent.

From a spiritual perspective, we are to reflect on the life of our Lord. He was bruised, derided, cursed, defiled, and died for our salvation. He Himself told us: No servant is greater than his master (St. Matthew 10:24)--why would we expect to be treated any differently than our Lord. It is a blessing if we are treated and honored, but we have no guarantee...

"...We can reflect on the words of Saint Mark the Ascetic: "Do you want the tree of disorder--I mean the passion of bitterness, anger, and wrath--to dry up within you and become barred so that with the ax of the Spirit it may be 'new down and cast into the fire' together with every vice (Matthew 3:10)...If this is really what you want keep the humility of the Lord in your heart and never forget it...Call to mind Who He is, and what He became for our sakes. Reflect first on the Divine Light of His Divinity revealed to the essence above [the Angels] (Ephesians 1:21)...Then think to what humiliation He descended in his ineffable goodness, becoming in all respects like us who were dwelling in the dwelling of darkness and the shadow of death (St. Matthew 4:16)." Petition our Lord's help in this way to help restructure.

This "time-out" can be accomplished by something as simple as going to the restroom. Restructuring should also be incorporated into evening prayer, especially during the examination of conscience and prayer for forgiveness of sins. This active approach toward our becoming like Christ is our vocation as Christians. Saint James tells us "So you see, then, it is his actions that a person is put right with God, not by his faith alone" (St. James 2:24). All the wishing or prayer we do, if it does not lead us to actively make ourselves like Christ is empty.

"Since you are God's dear children you must try to be like Him, Your life must be controlled by love..." (Ephesians 5:1-2). Work, vivified by prayer and sacraments, is the way to advance in our likeness in Christ. Only then will we be able to say with Christ: "Father forgive them for they know not what they do" (St. Luke 23:34). This is true anger management.

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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

"Have Mercy Upon Me, O God According to Your Lovingkindness..." (Psalm 50 [51])

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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HAVE MERCY UPON ME, O GOD ACCORDING TO YOUR LOVINGKINDNESS..." (Psalm 50 [51])

This is a psalm of repentance and God's mercy, and a prophecy about salvation through baptism (vv. 2, 7). Of all 150 psalms, this is the one most used in Holy Orthodox Church. It is a psalm of repentance said three times daily--Orthros (Matins), Third Hour, and Compline--as well as in every Divine Liturgy, where it is recited by the Orthodox priest as s sign of repentance while he censes before the Great Entrance.

The Orthodox Christian seeking to establish communion with His Creator approaches Him with profound humility and meekness. No one is worthy of addressing God without first repenting of one's sins and cleansed of them. We return to our heavenly Father the same way as the prodigal son by saying "I will arise and go to my Father, and will say to Him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before You, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of Your hired servants" (St. Luke 15:18-19).

I am penitent and not righteous. Great and Holy Lent is a time of penitence. In the first centuries of the Church, the 'penitents', or sinners who repented publicly, were solemnly reconciled with the community of the faithful during this period of Lent. Are we not all, in different degrees, sinners and penitents? This holy period which leads us toward Pascha is certainly a time that is very appropriate for repentance and cleansing. Holy Lent will, therefore, be an opportunity for us to truly examine our conscience and reconciliation with the Lord.

Holy and Great Lent is also a time of spiritual growth and of illumination. The weekday divine services of Great and Holy Lent are characterized by special Lenten hymns of a penitential character. The Royal Gates to the Altar area remain closed to signify man's separation through sin from the Kingdom of God. The church vesting is of somber color, usually purple. The daily hymns are also of an intercessory character, entreating the Almighty God through His Saints to have mercy on us sinners.

In Orthodox Spirituality, life's journey is a continuous devotion of self to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It begins with the pre-baptismal prayers for infants and it ends with the funeral service. The Divine Mysteries (Sacraments), prayers and the ascetic way of life (fasting, purity and marital faithfulness) are means of sanctification that gives us a genuine taste of God's Heavenly Kingdom while still on earth.

A well-known prayer of the Orthodox Church speaks of the spirit of God being "present in all places and filling all things." This profound affirmation is basic to Orthodoxy's understanding of God and His relationship to the world. We truly believe God is with us. In the Compline service during Lent, we chant: "God is with us, know it you Nations and be submissive, For God is with us."  

We, as Orthodox Christians, believe that God is truly near to us. Although He cannot be seen, God is not detached from the world that He created. Through the Persons of the Risen Lord and the Holy Spirit, God is present and active in our lives and in the creation around us. Everything about us testifies of His existence and reveals His unconditional love for the cosmos.

The Christian believer is personally touched by the grace of God through the Mysteries (Sacraments) of the Church. It is called having a Sacramental life. The energy of the Kingdom experienced in the Church is manifested through the divine Sacraments offered in faith. The Almighty and Loving God touches, purifies, illumines, sanctifies and deifies human life in His uncreated Divine energies through the sacraments.

By active participation in the Sacraments of the Church, the believer is prepared for future life when he or she will be in constant communion with God. The Holy Mysteria are at once inward and outward in character. Redeeming and sanctifying grace is transmitted by visible means. The material things are made into vehicles of the mysterious power of the Divine grace of God the Holy Spirit.  

The divine Sacraments are indispensable for the salvation of the Christian believer. Salvation is accomplished by the Lord in cooperation (synergy) with humanity. It is important, however, to understand that the Mysteries are neither magic nor mechanical operations. Faith in the Triune God is essential and necessary for the sought after salvation.

During Great and Holy Lent the Orthodox Christian must prepare spiritually to receive the Mysteries of the Church and be sanctified, healed, and renewed. The Orthodox Christian approaches the Mysteries (Sacraments) with the "fear of God, with faith and with love." Care must be taken that one approaches the Holy Body and Precious Blood of the Lord Christ and spiritual understanding. In the New Testament, those who receive Christ's Holy Body and Precious Blood unworthily are said to bring condemnation upon themselves. "For this reason, many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep" (literally, "are dead"; 1 Corinthians 11:30).

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

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With sincere agape in Christ's Holy Diakonia (Ministry),

The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

Celebrating the Triumph of Orthodox Christianity as One United Family in Christ

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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CELEBRATING THE TRIUMPH OF ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY AS ONE UNITED FAMILY IN CHRIST

On the first Sunday of Great and Holy Lent is the Sunday of Orthodoxy, the triumph of the only true and authentic Church of Christ our Lord and Savior. The theme of this Sunday since 843 A.D. has been that of the victory of the holy icons. In that year the iconoclastic controversy, which had raged on and off since 726 A.D., was finally laid to rest, and holy icons and their veneration were restored on the first Sunday of Great and Holy Lent. Since then, this Sunday has been commemorated as the "Triumph of Orthodoxy."

The name of this Sunday reflects the great significance which holy icons possess for the Orthodox Church. They are not optional devotional extras, but an integral part of Orthodox Christian faith and devotion. They are held to be a necessary consequence of Christian faith in the Incarnation of the Logos/Word of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, in Jesus Christ. They have a sacramental character, making present to the believer the person or event depicted on them. So the interior of Orthodox churches is often covered with holy icons painted on walls and domed roofs, and there is always an icon screen, or iconostasis, separating the Sanctuary from the Nave, often with several rows of holy icons.  No Orthodox Christian home is complete without an icon corner (iconostasion), where the family prays.

Holy icons are venerated by burning lamps and candles in front of them, by the use of incense and by kissing. But there is a clear doctrinal distinction between the veneration paid to holy icons and the worship due to God alone. The former is not only relative, but it is also in fact paid to the person represented by the holy icons. This distinction safeguards the veneration of holy icons from any accusation of idolatry.

The theme of the triumph of the holy icons, by its emphasis on the Incarnation, points us to the basic Christian truth that the One Whose death and Resurrection we celebrate at Pascha was none other than the Logos/Word of God Who became human in Jesus Christ.

On the evening of the Sunday of Orthodoxy, the area sister Orthodox churches, and fellow Orthodox Christians come together at the divine service of Vespers to celebrate together, as one Orthodox Christian family, the triumph of Orthodoxy. All Orthodox Christians bring with them a holy icon and participate in the procession of the icons. At the end of the service, people line up to venerate the holy icons held by the officiating priests. 

The Pan-Orthodox Vespers will take place at our sister church of Saints Peter and Paul Serbian church on Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m. Father Vladimir Lang is the host priest and the homilist is Father Gregory Owen of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Following the holy service, the parish has prepared a Lenten supper for all attending.

I respectfully request that our parish of Saint Andrew is well-represented at Vespers. It is the only time that we as fellow Orthodox Christians come together. It is extremely important that we, as brothers and sisters in Christ, strengthen our friendship, brotherly love, and relationship with each other. We live in a very dangerous and uncertain world that continues to persecute our Christian faith. Persecution against our Lord and Savior Christ and His Holy Church continues throughout the world. The number of heresies are abundant and seek to undermine the Gospel of Christ and cause more divisions, confusion, hatred, and to distort the image of Christ. It is said that there are approximately 37,000 denominations worldwide among Protestant Christians. Most of us witness the systematic effort to dilute Christianity by and through secularization.

Let us turn to the only Head of the Church our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ the Founder of the Church, to guide, protect, inspire and strengthen us to continue our struggle against the forces of the Evil One.

May God bless you and keep you.

With love in His Divine Diakonia (Ministry),

+Father George