Great Lent is Tried and Tested

Today we begin the third week of the Great Fast and you may be wondering where it all came from? Are the traditions of the Great Fast mere “man-made” traditions? Didn’t Saint Paul speak against such traditions? Here at Be Transfigured Ministries, we strive to teach that our Holy Orthodox Traditions are not just random actions that our grandparents brought from the old country. Our traditions have a purpose and benefit. Our traditions have been “tried and tested” for two thousand years by holy men and women faithful to Jesus Christ.

While the specific traditions of the Great Fast have evolved over the centuries, the basic idea of setting a time aside for an intense spiritual journey is as ancient and the Holy Scriptures. Many of these “spiritual seasons” are a result of a specific historic event through which the Church remembers the power of God. This week we will hear about the Great Flood and how God’s power saved Noah and his family from total destruction. We will hear in the coming days how Noah and his family responded to God’s love with worship.

This week as you make use of the Holy Orthodox Traditions for the Great Fast, I invite you to sit with your priest and ask questions. He will help you understand the origins and purpose of what we do during this holy season. And don’t forget.....we are a part of a long history of faithful and sometimes not-so-faithful men and women who have struggled to live in a relationship with God. Great Lent might seem like nothing more than an ancient custom, but if you welcome the season, you will soon realize that our ancient customs can be just as real today as they were when Noah built the Ark.

Today’s Old Testament Readings

 Isaiah 8:13-9:7 (RSV) - But the LORD of hosts, him you shall regard as holy; let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.  And he will become a sanctuary, and a stone of offense, and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.  And many shall stumble thereon; they shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken."  Bind up the testimony, seal the teaching among my disciples.  I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him.  Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.  And when they say to you, "Consult the mediums and the wizards who chirp and mutter," should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?  To the teaching and to the testimony! Surely for this word which they speak there is no dawn.  They will pass through the land, greatly distressed and hungry; and when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will curse their king and their God, and turn their faces upward; and they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and they will be thrust into thick darkness.  But there will be no gloom for her that was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.  The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.  Thou hast multiplied the nation, thou hast increased its joy; they rejoice before thee as with joy at the harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.  For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, thou hast broken as on the day of Midian.  For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.  For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."  Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and for evermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
 Genesis 6:9-22 (RSV) - These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God.  And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.  Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence.  And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.  And God said to Noah, "I have determined to make an end of all flesh; for the earth is filled with violence through them; behold, I will destroy them with the earth.  Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch.  This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.  Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above; and set the door of the ark in its side; make it with lower, second, and third decks.  For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall die.  But I will establish my covenant with you; and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you.  And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.  Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you, to keep them alive.  Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up; and it shall serve as food for you and for them."  Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.
 Proverbs 8:1-21 (RSV) - Does not wisdom call, does not understanding raise her voice?  On the heights beside the way, in the paths she takes her stand; beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:   "To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the sons of men. O simple ones, learn prudence; O foolish men, pay attention.   Hear, for I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right; for my mouth will utter truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips.   All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.   They are all straight to him who understands and right to those who find knowledge.   Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold; for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.   I, wisdom, dwell in prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.   The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.   I have counsel and sound wisdom, I have insight, I have strength.   By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just; by me princes rule, and nobles govern the earth.   I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.   Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and prosperity.   My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver.   I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice, endowing with wealth those who love me, and filling their treasuries.

Our Ancestors

Our spiritual ancestors lived dedicated Orthodox Christian lives, willing even at times to sacrifice everything they had for the truth of God. Our physical ancestors made sacrifices too, many coming from far off lands with just a few dollars in their pocket, so that we could have a better life. The better life our ancestors sought was not only about houses and cars. The better life they sought included building a Church at the center of our life.

What is the difference between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Oriental Orthodox Church?

With the approaching Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church our “Ask Father” series speaks on the differences, or in this case similarities, between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Oriental Orthodox Church. Defending the truth about God and the Church has never been an easy or simple task. The Holy Fathers of the Church debated rigorously and sometimes succumbed to name-calling. After 1,500 years of debate and disagreement the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Oriental Orthodox remain divided, but with hope of a future healing of the ancient schism that divides us. We ask all our fans to fervently pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as the Church gathers. Though some Churches have indicated they will not attend the coming council, we here at Be Transfigured remain hopeful that, if nothing else, understanding the real history of the long-lasting debates in the Church will help to explain that protecting the truth of Orthodoxy requires patience and prayer. DISCLAIMER: This episode of Be Transfigured in not meant to be a complete discussion of the theological or ecclesiological issues that exist between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Oriental Orthodox Church, but is meant to be a general discussion to assist in our general understanding of how the Church functions. 

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT: Hello. My name is Father Athanasios Haros, and I'm the Pastor here at the Transfiguration of Our Savior Greek Orthodox Church in Florence, South Carolina and I'm your Host for Be Transfigured Ministries. Here at Be Transfigured, as we say, “We invite you to live a new life in Christ.” We feature our sermons and our Bible studies and other special events in the life of the Church. We do it to inspire you to join us living a new life in Christ. I hope you’ll join us. I’ll be back in a moment after this video to share some information about our ministry.

This week the eyes of the Orthodox world are open wide because if you’ve been paying attention either in our Sunday bulletin or my announcements or on the internet or inside of the Orthodox blogs and news services, this week in Crete, we are supposed to be having what is being called the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church. It is a historic moment that we are witnessing with our eyes, and it is beautifully appropriate that this morning we are commemorating the Fathers that gathered at the First Ecumenical Council in the year 325.

As part of our Ask Father series, the past few weeks, I have been talking about what members of the Orthodox Church can do, what non-members of the Church can do, and so I received a question this week which is wonderfully timely. I was asked to give a little clarification of the differences of the Orthodox Churches. I want to begin by apologizing to everyone who grew up in the Church because real Church history is not as simple as you were taught in Sunday school.

When we are children, we learned the very simple basic realities of our history, and we grew up knowing that there were these things called the Seven Ecumenical Councils and that the Church gathered in these councils and through what we call consensus, all the bishops who were gathered agreed on the theology of the Church and we teach that to our children in Sunday school. We learned it in Sunday school growing up, but the reality is, my brothers and sisters, it was never quite that clean. It was never quite that easy.

In understanding our Church history, we have to realize that if the truth is worth something and it is, it is also worth fighting for. I don’t mean with guns and swords, but I mean with good energetic debate. We are very blessed that we actually have not the full list of what they call the acts meaning the, you could say, the minutes of these council meetings, but we have many of them that are still in existence today and we can actually revisit those discussions and hear the debates and the arguments of the Fathers of the Church on some very important issues.

How wonderful that today, just a few days before this Council is gathering in Crete of the Orthodox Church, how wonderful that we are remembering the first council which got together, the First Ecumenical Council in 325, but it was not the very first council. The first council was by the Apostles in Jerusalem. We can read about that in the book of Acts, chapter 15, and so there’s this question, “Who is the Orthodox Church?” We say that we are the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, and the word Orthodox means correct belief, but that belief came at a deep, deep cost sometimes. In the 400s, specifically I’m thinking for today’s example, there was a raging debate, and when I say raging debate, it was the talk of the world.

We use the word Theotokos. It’s an everyday word for us. Theotokos - we translate it “the Mother of God” but it really is “the one who gave birth to God,” Theotokos, “the bearer of God.” But in the 400s, there were Christians and some of them were bishops who refused to use the word Theotokos. There were bishops of the Church who said, “There is no possible way that a woman can give birth to the eternal God,” and so the debate was raging in the Church.

Some wanted to call her Christotokos, “the one who gave birth to God,” [sic] [should be the one who gave birth to Christ] and gathering together around the most notable bishop who was arguing for this, his name was Nestor. He said that Jesus Christ could not have been completely man and completely God, and so therefore the Panagia could not have given birth to God only to Christ. In the Third Ecumenical Council in the year 431, the Church gathered to hear this debate, and it was resolved that we should call her Theotokos, that Jesus Christ is completely man and completely God, and that put that end to rest for all time.

It wasn’t but 20 years later, another controversy comes up. “If He’s God and man, then what about His nature? Is He a human nature or is He a divine nature or is there some kind of dual personalities going on,” and another debate rages on. In 451, the Fourth Ecumenical Council was called, and in this council, it was determined that God is two natures in one person, not partnering with each other, not two individual people sharing the body of Christ, but that Jesus Christ who was fully God and fully man, and we know Him as the Son of God Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word of God, and that seemed to put everything to rest, except that there was this other group of bishops who said, “No, God has only one nature if He’s one person,” and there was a schism in the Church.

See, many of us grew up in Sunday school thinking that the First Schism was in 1054, but it was really in 451, when those Churches who refused to accept the two natures of Christ, left the Church. Today, they are called the Oriental Orthodox Church. We are called the Greek Orthodox Church, also known as the Eastern Orthodox Church, and that Church still exists today. The Oriental Orthodox Church, we know them today as the Armenian Church, the Coptic Church in Egypt, the Ethiopian Church, the Eritrean Church, the Malankara Church in India, the Syriac Church in Iraq. You’ve been hearing all the new- the stories about the Christians in Iraq. This is the Syriac Orthodox Church and finally, a Church called the British Orthodox Church.

These Churches stayed together since 451, and they’re called the Oriental Orthodox Church, but they’re not with us, the Greek Orthodox Church. We really don’t notice it so much here in America because we’re so focused on being Greeks and Russians and Arabs, it makes sense that the Egyptians have their Church and that the Indians have their Church, we don’t pay attention to the fact that they are two separate Orthodox Churches, the Eastern Orthodox Church about 350 million across the world, and the Oriental Orthodox Church. I was looking up yesterday about 85 million throughout the world.

Who’s going to be at this council? Not the Oriental Church, but the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Eastern Orthodox Church, I put in your bulletins, but I’ll read it just so you can hear it, there are 14 Eastern Orthodox Churches, individual Churches united across the world.

There is the Church of Constantinople, the Church of Alexandria, the Church of Antioch, the Church of Jerusalem. Those are the ancient patriarchs. Then we have the Church of Russia, the Church of Serbia, the Church of Romania, the Church of Bulgaria, the Church of Georgia, the Church of Cyprus, the Church of Greece, the Church of Poland, the Church of Albania, and the Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia. 14 independent Orthodox Christian Churches united in Communion. We can take Communion in any one of those 14 Churches, but we cannot as I said a couple of weeks ago, we cannot take Communion in the Coptic Church, or in the Armenian Church, or the Malankara Church, or the Syriac Church. We are not in communion with each other, but there’s hope.

1500 years we’ve been divided, but since the 1970s, there’s been a discussion going on between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Oriental Orthodox Church. Their best theologians and our best theologians have been getting into the same room and having discussions, and for the most part, it has come, we have come to understand that we have been saying the same thing for 1500 years, that our theology really isn’t different, that we really do believe in the same Jesus Christ and in the same Holy Trinity that we said we believed in in 451.

This international committee has sent an official recommendation to all the patriarchs on our side and all the patriarchs on their side saying “We should reunify, we should get together, we’re really saying the same things for 1500 years. Our theology is the same.” That’s the brightest on both sides, but we are a human Church as well, and we cannot ignore the fact that for 1500 years, they have been condemning our saints, and we have been condemning their saints.

It is not as if we can just hit a light switch and unremember and forget 1500 years of division, and this, if you remember what I’ve been talking about, I mentioned this last year when I was discussing what it means to be Greek Orthodox versus Russian Orthodox and etcetera and I was reminding you that our orthodoxy is a lived experience within history.

We cannot ignore the historic realities that we treated each other very poorly for 1500 years calling each other names. How, all of a sudden, do we expect to say to the Church across the street, “Come receive Communion even though just yesterday I called you a heretic. Just yesterday, I refused to even acknowledge that you were a Christian. How can I do that?” It’s going to take time, and so the monastics, the bishops, the theologians all over the world continue to have this discussion about getting together with the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Oriental Orthodox Church, but they will not be present this week in Crete because we’re not yet together.

Now, why is this important for us here in Florence, South Carolina in 2016? What I want you to understand, my brothers and sisters, is that being part of a global Church is not just a political reality. We are part of the second largest Church in the entire world, 350 million Eastern Orthodox Christians. The only Christian Church larger is the Church of Rome. They have a billion. We are not just benefitting though from that national, international reality.

In our faith, what we believe affects how we live, and so what I want you to understand is that for us as Christians, the nuances of how we talk about God are important, how we understand the person of Jesus Christ, do we understand that He is fully God and fully man? There are some Christians today who don’t believe that. There are some Christians today who believe that Jesus Christ was just a really nice guy, and there are other Christians today that believe that Jesus Christ wasn’t a man at all, and that He was just God who walked the earth for a few years and then, poof, disappeared.

There are other Christians who believe that when Mary gave birth to Jesus, the man-Jesus, the God-Jesus came in and kicked the man-Jesus out for a little while, took over His body for 33 years, and then conveniently right before He died on the cross, the God-Jesus disappeared and, all of a sudden, let the man-Jesus take over the body again.

We don’t believe in those things, so for us as Orthodox Christians, it’s an important discussion on the nuances of how we understand the person of Jesus Christ and it’s a mystery. God has revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ the Savior, and you can hear in any Church in town, Baptists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, you name it, you’re going to hear it today, it’s all about Jesus. In a way, it is, but who is Jesus?

The Oriental Orthodox Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church have been arguing over that question for 1500 years. No surprise. I challenge anyone of us in this Church today to fully understand how God can become a human being and not stop being God but live 33 years and then die. I’ll be honest. I can’t wrap my mind around that. I cannot fully understand how God did what He did, so I’m not at all surprised that these two Churches have been arguing for 1500 years.

What’s gathering this week in Crete, and we all need to pray for this Council meeting because there are some Churches who are now refusing to attend. There are some of the Orthodox Churches, for example, the Church of Bulgaria, who says, “We’re not coming to the meeting” because they don’t like one sentence here or one sentence there. It’s bigger than that obviously, but so we are witnessing the same kind of Christian history, this week, that we read about in the history books.

When I was going through, just making sure I had all of my ducks in a row for this sermon this morning, I was reading from the minutes of the Fourth Council. It’s beautiful. You can really see – and this bishop said this, and they quote him down there, and one of the bishops says, “If he’s allowed to sit down, that’s it. I’m leaving. I’m going back to my city,” witnessing the exact same kind of discussions that are taking place today, so pray for our Church. We’re going to have Divine Liturgy, Wednesday evening at 6 o’clock to pray for the beginning of the Council, and we’re going to have Paraklesis each night while the Council is in session to pray for our bishops, to pray for our theologians and those who are in Crete that the Holy Spirit truly will guide the Church.

These are not trivial things. These are historic things that are getting together. Imagine how much more effort it will take. You know, we are the Greek Orthodox Church in America, the Russian Orthodox Church in America, we’ve got some things that we’ve got to get in order here, too, in our Churches here in America.

Going back to question of the Oriental Orthodox Church versus the Greek Orthodox Church, imagine a Church right across the street, same icons, same vestments, pretty much the same liturgy, but we were not allowed to cross the street to receive Holy Communion and they were not allowed to come here for 1500 years, and then, all of a sudden, imagine getting a phone call from the patriarch, “Okay, everything is good now, you can go cross the street.” We’d be a little cautious, wouldn’t we? They’ve called us so many bad names. We weren’t nice to them either, so pray for our Church. Pray that these historic days are truly guided by the Holy Spirit as we have believed for over 2,000 years. Glory to God for all things.

Well, I’m back, and I hope this video was an inspiration to you. I hope it helps you live a new life in Christ. Please share our message of hope with your friends and family, and invite others to live a new life in Christ. Find more information about Be Transfigured Ministries by joining us on our website at www.LiveANewLifeInChrist.org You can also find many of our videos on the Orthodox Christian Network, our partners at myocn.net. As we say at Be Transfigured, until next week, God bless you and don’t forget to live a new life in Christ.

Be Transfigured is a production of the Transfiguration of our Savior Greek Orthodox Church in Florence, South Carolina, and presented by the Orthodox Christian Network. Contributions in support of this ministry may be sent to Be Transfigured, 2990 South Cashua Drive, Florence, South Carolina 29501 or online at our website at www.LiveANewLifeInChrist.org.

What is the Global Orthodox Church?

All eyes (at least all Orthodox Christian eyes) will be on Crete next week as the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church is supposed to begin gathering. This is such an important event that Churches throughout the world will celebrate Divine Liturgies, Vigils, Paraklesis services and other Holy Services of the Church to unite in prayer that the Holy Spirit will continue to guide the Church into the future. This is the FIRST time in more than 1200 years the global Orthodox Church has gathered. But I know some do not know what the global Church is.

Unlike our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters, the Orthodox Church is not on single global organization with a single head. We all know there is no single Pope in the Orthodox Church. That is true for two basic reasons. The first reason is that ALL Orthodox Christian Bishops are equal throughout the world as the Chief Shepherds of their local Church. Our bishop is His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta. Within the Holy Metropolis of Atlanta, in matters of administration, no other bishop has authority over Metropolitan Alexios. The second reason there is no single Pope, is because throughout the globe Orthodox Christians are “gathered” within regional Churches to consolidate administrative functions. We understand how that works here in America. It would be difficult for each Metropolis to have a seminary and college, so the Archdiocese of America consolidates certain administrative functions for the spiritual benefit of each Metropolis. Globally the regions are basically along national political boundaries, but not exclusively. This is an ancient custom originally begun by the Holy Apostles along Roman political boundaries. Even the term “Parish” is a political boundary.

There are fourteen ‘global’ Orthodox Churches, many like our Archdiocese, with dependent “daughter” Churches throughout the world due mainly to global immigration. The Churches maintain a certain order of seniority based on ancient formulas. They are:

The Church of Constantinople – The Ecumenical Patriarchate

The Church of Alexandria

The Church of Antioch

The Church of Jerusalem

The Church of Russian

The Church of Serbia

The Church of Romania

The Church of Bulgaria

The Church of Georgia

The Church of Cyprus

The Church of Greece

The Church of Poland

The Church of Albania

The Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia

Why Does the Church Have Holy Week?

As part of our continuing series of answering why we “do” certain things as Orthodox Christians, this month I will discuss Holy Week and why the Church has developed such an intense and beautiful week leading up to Holy and Great Pascha.

The first thing we need to understand about Holy Week is that in the earliest days of the Church, the faithful attended Church services EVERY DAY. Life revolved around the Church with morning and evening prayers functioning almost like “bookends” to the day. Christians would begin their day in the Church, go about their daily work, and then return to the Church to finish their day in prayer and fellowship. This wasn’t only for prayer, but mutual support of their Christian journey. I can’t emphasize enough how important it was for the early Christians to gather for support and protection. They were living in a world that wasn’t Christian. Many were killed “just because” they were Christians. Gathering daily not only gave them the sense of prayer, it provided the practical benefit of encouraging each other to remain faithful. We must also remember the earliest Christians expected Jesus Christ to return at any moment in their life time.

As the early Church approached the anniversary of Pascha, the day they (and we) commemorate the Passion of Christ (His death, burial AND Resurrection), the daily services in the Church included Scripture Readings from the Old Testament Prophecies about the Messiah and stories (now Scriptures) about the Passion events. Eventually hymns and dedicated prayers were written to teach the faithful the truth of Christ’s Saving Passion, and the ‘first’ Holy Week was formed.

Originally just a couple days, the Church spent these days in prayer and fasting as the faithful commemorated the last days and events of the Passion. Using today’s terms, they would have fasted Holy Friday and Holy Saturday which were the days Christ was crucified and in the tomb. The fast was a COMPLETE fast, similar to what we could call a medical fast today. As the years went on, and as the faithful switched to preparing for an immediate return of Christ to an expected return at an unknown time in the future, Holy Week began to expand into the week-long season it is today. And as the number of days of fasting increased, so did the prayer and hymns. By the late Third Century Holy Week pretty much looked as it does today with minor adjustments over the centuries with influences by monastic traditions and world events.

As Holy Week has been handed down through the centuries, as we have received it today, it is a full week that begins AFTER the Feast of Palm Sunday and continues through to the last moments before Pascha. Palm Sunday, while part of the final days of Christ’s earthly mission, is not a part of Holy Week. Instead, Palm Sunday is a celebration of God’s Coming Kingdom. The themes of Holly Week are as follows:

v  Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, Holy Wednesday – Being prepared and expecting the Lord’s return

v  Holy Wednesday is a day of transition – The Church remembers the events immediately prior to Christ’s Passion including the betrayal by Judas and anointing of Christ by the sinful woman.

v  Holy Thursday – The Mystical Supper and the begin of the Holy Eucharist

v  Holy Friday – The trial, sentencing, crucifixion, and burial of Christ

v  Holy Saturday – Christ is the tomb rescuing our forefathers from Hades

For us Orthodox Christians living in 2016 we still benefit from the ancient custom of dedicating a few days in prayer and fasting to prepare for the Feast of Pascha. Pascha is and was a life-changing event. We should set aside the time and energy to take full advantage of the experience of the Church. Think of it as a gift for your soul. I hope to see you in Church for Holy Week. A schedule is in this newsletter.

Hail, O Bride Unwedded

On the fifth Friday of Great Lent the Greek Orthodox Church, and some other Orthodox Churches, celebrate the service known as the Akathist to the Theotokos. The service, built upon the service of Compline (the service I wrote about yesterday), includes a complete acrostic canon in honor of the Theotokos. According to Church Tradition, the hymn was originally written as a prayer to honor the protection of the Theotokos after the City of Constantinople was spared from being destroyed by invaders after the city processed in prayer around the city walls with the Holy Icon of the Theotokos.

An acrostic poem is a poem (prayer, etc) in which the first letter of each verse combines to spell a particular word. In the case of the Akathist to the Theotokos, each verse begins with the next letter in the Greek alphabet. Thus, there are 24 verses in the entire canon. The canon is divided into four stanzas, each sung separately the first four Fridays of Great Lent. On the fifth, the entire canon is sung. Each alternating verse ends with the praise, “Rejoice, O unwedded Bride” and “Alleluia”. Between each stanza is sung the hymn, “O Champion General” the Kontakion which commemorates the victory of Constantinople.

“O Champion General, I your City now inscribe to you Triumphant anthems as the tokens of my gratitude, Being rescued from the terrors, O Theotokos. Inasmuch as you have power unassailable, From all kinds of perils free me, so that unto you I may cry aloud: Rejoice, O unwedded Bride.”

While we might now have stone walls that protect our souls from evil invaders, we can still be protected by the prayers of the Theotokos. As you stand (Akathist means “not seated”) tonight during Church, remember to ask the All Holy Theotokos to protect your soul so you can honor her and her Son, our God with prayer and fasting the rest of the Great Lent.

The Faith that has Established the Universe

Today is the Sunday of Orthodoxy, the first Sunday of Great Lent, and the day on which the Church celebrates both a historical and theological victory. After centuries of debate on the practice and appropriateness of Holy Icons in Christianity, the Church still suffered the influence of Iconoclasts (those who fought to destroy Holy Icons) even after the Seventh Ecumenical Council declared them appropriate and good for worship. It wasn’t until the Empress Theodora in 843 CE (56 years AFTER the Seventh Ecumenical Council which took place in 787 CE) finally and forever restored Holy Icons into the Great Church along with a procession of the Patriarch and the Clergy. The event took place on the first Sunday of Great Lent. After more than one hundred years of debate and violence, the Church finally had be properly restored to her glory with Holy Icons.

For more than a thousand years on the first Sunday of Great Lent, the Church has commemorated this historical event with a procession of Holy Icons in our Church. Unfortunately, most Churches limit this procession to a quaint procession often including children holding their favorite Icons from home walking around the interior of the Church. The “outside world” never has a clue as to what is taking place inside the walls of our Church. Empress Theodora PUBLICLY restored the Holy Icons with a grand procession, yet we quietly and in private declare the truth of the faith. Thankfully there is a growing number of Churches that are restoring the custom of a public procession similar to the Holy Friday procession with the Epitaphios of Christ.

Here is video of our procession held in Florence, SC a few years ago.

If we are going to take seriously our Great Lenten journey, today we have another example of the truth of the Church that has been promoted for nearly two thousand years. We can trust that the Church, which has remained vigilant about the unchanging truth, has also guided us along our Great Lenten journey. Today, as we process around the Church, either inside or outside, holding our favorite Icon from home, we can be comforted knowing we are walking in the footsteps of the thousands of holy men and women who over the centuries publicly proclaimed their faith in Christ and His Church. In every Orthodox Christian Church throughout the world today, the following proclamation:

Synodikon

From the proceedings of the Seventh Ecumenical Council read on the Sunday of Orthodoxy

All As the prophets beheld, as the Apostles have taught, as the Church has received, as the teachers have dogmatized, as the universe has agreed, as grace has illumined, as truth has revealed, as falsehood has been dispelled, as wisdom has presented, as Christ has triumphed; this we believe, this we declare, this we preach: Christ our true God, and His saints we honor in words, in writings, in thoughts, in sacrifices, in temples, in icons, on the one hand bowing down and worshiping Christ as God and Master, on the other hand honoring the saints as true servants of the Master of all, and offering to them due veneration.

This is the faith of the Apostles!

This is the faith of the Fathers!

This is the faith of the Orthodox!

This is the faith which has established the Universe!

Therefore with fraternal and filial love we praise the heralds of the faith, those who with glory and honor have struggled for the faith, and we say: for the champions of Orthodoxy, faithful emperors, most-holy patriarchs, hierarchs, teachers, martyrs and confessors: may their memory be eternal.

(Sing) Everlasting be their memory; • Everlasting be their memory; • Everlasting be their memory.

Let us beseech God that we may be instructed and strengthened by the trials and struggles of these saints, which they endured for the Faith even unto death, and by their teachings, entreating that we may to the end imitate their godly life. May we be deemed worthy of obtaining our requests through the mercy and grace of the great and First Hierarch, Christ our God, through the intercessions of our glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-Virgin Mary, the divine Angels and all the saints. Amen.

What Does Kolyva (Boiled Wheat) have to do with Great Lent?

On the first Saturday of Great Lent, the Church offers a memorial service using the traditional boiled wheat mixed with sugar and spices and decorated in many beautiful ways. This special wheat is known as Kolyva. Unfortunately many people do not know why the Church celebrates a memorial service on the first Saturday of Great Lent, because it is commonly MISnamed a Saturday of Souls. In ignorance the Church uses the terms first, second and third Saturday of Souls for the three Saturdays ending with the first Saturday of Great Lent, but in actuality only the first of these is a Saturday of Souls. You may not think the terms is important, but for a Saturday of Souls (there are only two in the year) the Church commemorates the ENTIRE life of the Church through the centuries. On the other two Saturdays, including today’s Saturday, a “normal” memorial service is offered and the Church commemorates the names of those family members and community members whose families have brought a Kolyva. But the question still exists, “Why a memorial service on the first Saturday of Lent? What does kolyva have to do with Great Lent?”

In the year 362, during the first week of Great Lent, the Emperor Julian the Apostate (the word apostate means he left the Church rejecting her teachings) attempted to poison the Christian faithful. Knowing they were fasting for the first week of Great Lent, he gave orders to poison the food sources with blood that had been offered to idols, knowing the Christians wouldn’t eat the food and be forced either to starve or eat the blood from idols. Saint Theodore the Recruit (also known as Tyre or Tyron) visited the Archbishop in the dream warning the people not to purchase or eat the food from the market. Instead they should eat only kolyva. Known now as the miracle of the kolyva, the Church commemorates this historical event with a memorial service using kolyva.

We can learn two things (if not more) from this annual commemoration. First that God will protect us when we are living the Faith dedicated to His glory and seeking salvation. Second, and just as important, this historical event reminds us that for more than 1700 years the Church has experiencing the Great Lenten Journey much the same as we do today with prayer, fasting, increased Church services, and almsgiving. If you are taking your journey seriously this year, remember you are joining along with the historical saints, known and unknown, that have been experiencing this journey centuries. It is something that you can trust will bring you closer to Christ if you desire it. It has been tried and tested, and as the miracle of the kolyva proves, endorsed by God.

As a reminder today, the fast is “eased” since Saturdays (except Holy Saturday) are not strict fast days. Oil is permitted on Saturdays and Sundays during Great Lent. If you have been wondering what difference a few drops of oil would make in your soup, try adding a teaspoon of oil to your bean soup today. You will then understand the difference in richness the oil provides.

We Don't Change the Message: The Message Changes us!

There used to be a time when members of the Church would leave professions because the lifestyle of the profession was not conducive to the Christian calling. There used to be a time when we were committed the Faith of Christ enough to risk comforts to avoid temptation. There used to be time Christians considered their faith as more important than their work or recreation. Alas how things have changed.

By way of example there was a canon in the early Church that forbid members of the Church from the professions in the theater. It wasn’t that acting specifically was sinful, but that the way of the life back stage was filled with temptation and scandalous practices. It would be beneath the dignity of the Christian to be known as a member of the theater. The Church in her wisdom, remembering the words of Christ laid out in what we now call the Lord’s Prayer.... “lead us not into temptation” .... understood that is was better to avoid the temptation of the backstage life and not be in the profession.

 

Times have certainly changed, and not for the better. Now, rather than allowing the Church and Christian way of life to help us choose our professions, a large number of Christians including unfortunately a growing number of Orthodox Christians, would rather leave their Church than leave their job, if the two ways are not compatible. It is now considered old fashioned if we allow the morals of our Church to dictate how we live in private, let alone what job offer we accept.

Of course we shouldn’t be surprised. With more than 43,000 denominations considering themselves the true Church, why would we expect any Christian to remain faithful to the teachings of the Church? If we don’t like the teachings of First Avenue Christian Church, we pick up and establish Second Avenue Christian Church, and then we are surprised and offended when people leave OUR Church to establish Third Avenue Christian Church.  The cycle continues to repeat itself. That is why I read a Church sign along my daily route as so ironic...a Protestant Church claiming, “We don’t change the message: The message changes us.” ...unless of course you don’t like the message. Then you just establish a new denomination. Times sure have changed...

An Elderly Joseph, the Virgin Mary and Sexuality

Each year I find myself reminding people, and quite frankly becoming exasperated, about the truth of Joseph and Mary. As Orthodox Christians we teach that Joseph was a righteous old man in his seventies when he, by lot, was blessed to be the caretaker for the Panagia, the Theookos and Ever-Virgin Mary. Furthermore the Church AFFIRMS that since she was a virgin before conceiving Christ, while she was pregnant with Christ, and after Christ was born – why we call her Ever-Virgin – Joseph and Mary NEVER HAD SEXUAL RELATIONS.

This idea of ever-virginity is difficult for most western Christians to accept since, for at least 200 years, the west has considered Joseph as a young man engaged to Mary “just staring out their life” when he discovered she was pregnant. The west uses as their defense for their position that so-called brothers of the Lord mentioned in Matthew 12.47 as evidence that Mary “must have had” sexual relations with Joseph. How else could He have had brothers? The west ignores Christ’s reply whey He says, “For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12.50)

Without this verse, there is no scriptural evidence that the Panagia, the Ever-Virgin Mary, and Joseph had sexual relations; the west is left only with the emotions of a young man starting out his life alongside his young wife. Who could possibly doubt they were sexually active? What young seventeen year old boy and thirteen year old girl, a “newlywed” couple, would remain virgins? By today’s sexual standards, this would be unheard of, especially in the context of such a high teenage sexually active society as we have today.

I then return to the ANCIENT teaching that Joseph was an elderly widower with children who had been chosen by lot from among the righteous men to be betrothed to the Panagia. In recent years even Orthodox Christians with whom I have spoken struggle with this notion of an elderly Joseph, but not from any sense of spiritual piety or historical evidence. Many today simple cannot stand to see an old man being betrothed to a young girl despite the ancient writings of the Church.

Our society has become so hyper-sexualized that many, by their own admission to me, are grossed out by seeing and elderly Joseph appear in Christmas plays. Refusing to break from the contemporary hper-sexualized society we live in today, and consider that Joseph was righteous and holy, many today prefer to visualize Joseph as a young man. Many are more comfortable “expecting sexual relations” between a young Joseph and “Virgin” Mary than a celibate elderly Joseph caring for an EVER-Virgin Mary.

Ah, the ever present “Christmas Pageant” produced by Sunday Schools around the country. Orthodox Christians have felt the need to “fit in” so terribly with our American culture, we insist on annual Christmas pageants, forgetting that the Protestant West “needs” them since they have no liturgical or iconographic life in their Church. Without the annual Christmas Pageant, most Protestant Churches look and sound “no different” during Christmas than any other day of the year. Without the richness of Orthodox hymnography and iconography, Protestants are left with “the stage” to experience Christ.

The theological fall-out of Christmas Pageants is that most are written by and for Protestants, perpetuating Protestant theology and tradition. And what is left, are Orthodox Christians holding on to traditions that teach our youth incorrect history and theology, when all we needed to teach was Orthodox Tradition in the first place. And if seeing an elderly Joseph walking up the Church aisle during the Christmas Pageant is uncomfortable, a better option would be to acknowledge just how far away from God our contemporary idea of sexuality has come, but at least our youth would know the truth about Joseph and the EVER-Virgin Mary.

There is ignorance and there is foolishness

By definition, “ignorance” is a state of unknowing. The term is devoid of characterization when used, as I say, “purely” to indicate the level of knowledge one has in a particular setting. There is a great deal of ignorance in spirituality, especially Orthodox Christian spirituality.

On the contrary, by definition, “foolishness” is a lack of good sense or judgment. The term implies more than a lack of knowledge caused by a lack of intent. There is a great deal of foolishness in spirituality, especially Orthodox Christian spirituality.

Both can be dangerous if left unchecked, but one is definitely more offensive than the other. Whereas ignorance can be “cured” with a bit of education, foolishness cannot. I have noticed a great deal of both within “Orthodox Christian circles” on the internet lately, but I have little patience for foolishness when it comes to spirituality.

One example is in regard to the date of Christmas. MANY are ignorant to the ACTUAL historical timing of how the Church came to celebrate the Birth of Christ on December 25^th. There are many websites that offer a well researched and appropriate timeline of how the Church “chose” December 25^th as the date for the Feast of the Nativity. These sites are more than enough to “cure” the ignorance on the matter. The foolishness on the subject is another matter all together. Those who CHOOSE foolishness reject the historical treatment, in favor of mythology such as, “The Church chose December 25^th to compete with solstice celebration.”  Even worse are those who reject December 25^th in favor of January 7^th for the Feast of Christmas, when in reality they are the same date, albeit on different calendars.

Since this blog is dedicated to education, especially in terms of living the Orthodox Christian Faith, ignorance is preferred over foolishness for our readers and fans. I welcome comments and questions from those who seek the truth about Orthodox Christianity. I invite the foolish to read, but if you do not have the desire to cure your ignorance, please refrain from posting comments, as they will just be ignored.

Putting all the Pieces Together

Now that cooler weather has settled in and leaves have begun to fall, many families are looking for activities to gather and enjoy fellowship now that it’s too cold for beach fun. Among the many long-time traditions for family fun is building puzzles. Puzzles come in all sizes and shapes, and made for all ages young and old alike. Puzzles highlight beautiful scenery and famous landmarks. After an evening of family fun, NOTHING is more frustrating than have a missing piece to the puzzle. A puzzle with just a single piece missing will inspire families to search for long periods of time, overlooking nothing, to find that single missing piece. Everyone cheers when the missing piece is found; much more than if the family had completed the puzzle quickly without any missing pieces. Puzzles are great family fun...

We often hear life being compared to a puzzle that needs to be solved, and our spiritual life and Church are no different. The Orthodox Christian way of life is like a carefully crafted puzzle in which every piece is perfectly interconnected. Without EVERY piece, the puzzle just isn’t complete. It always surprises me that many, unlike game puzzles, have no difficulty in leaving the pieces of the Orthodox Way of Life puzzle either missing or not connected.

The pieces of the Orthodox Christian Way of Life puzzle include:

1. Receiving Holy Communion
2. Prayer
3. Fasting
4. Caring for the poor
5. Reading and studying the Holy Scriptures
6. Reading and studying the Holy Fathers of the Church
7. Reading and studying books about the Faith and Church history
8. Tithing to the Church
9. Attending Sunday Divine Liturgy EVERY SUNDAY ON TIME
10. Regular Holy Confession
11. Regular attendance at special Church blessing services
12. Regular attendance at special Church prayer services
13. Serving others (inside and outside the Church Family)
14. Reaching out to others and inviting them into the Church
15. Enjoying fellowship with others inside the Church

Like every puzzle, the most important piece is THE MISSING PIECE, since without it, the puzzle is not complete. As we enter into the Advent Season, and the Christmas Fast, take a moment and look over the puzzle you’ve been working on. Is there a missing piece? Have you spent any time recently working on completing your puzzle?

Like any puzzle, the Orthodox Christian Way of Life puzzle is best worked on as a family, when each member searches for the next piece and then rejoicing when each piece is carefully put into place. As a family, we can only rejoice when the entire family is participating in building the puzzle. Take it one piece at a time and, with dedication and unity, the entire puzzle will be complete. Let’s complete the puzzle!

There is Power in the Cross of Christ

Ever since finding the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ in 327 C.E. the Christian world has lifted it high for all to venerate as a sign of victory and power. The Power of the Cross defeated death two thousand years ago, and the Power of the Cross is sufficient for you to defeat your temptations and struggles. All you need is to accept the Power of the Cross into your life, and live a new life in Christ.

Excerpt from Saint Cyril of Jerusalem “Catechetical Lecture 13”

St Cyril, prior to becoming Bishop of Jerusalem, had been charged with preparing those for Baptism. These lectures were delivered in the (then) brand new Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem in 348 CE just two weeks prior to Holy and Great Friday, most likely in the shadow of the True Cross of Christ which was present in the Church from its finding in 327 CE until 614 CE when it was stolen by the Persians. It was restored to the Church in 628 CE. The Feast of the Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of Christ on September 14^th commemorates both the original finding and its restoration.

Let us not then be ashamed to confess the Crucified. Be the Cross our seal made with boldness by our fingers on our brow, and on everything; over the bread we eat, and the cups we drink; in our comings in, and goings out; before our sleep, when we lie down and when we rise up; when we are in the way, and when we are still. Great is that preservative; it is without price, for the sake of the poor; without toil, for the sick; since also its grace is from God. It is the Sign of the faithful, and the dread of devils: for He triumphed over them in it, having made a show of them openly (Colossians 2:15); for when they see the Cross they are reminded of the Crucified; they are afraid of Him, who bruised the heads of the dragon. Despise not the Seal, because of the freeness of the gift; out for this the rather honor your Benefactor.

Hymn of the Cross

Save O Lord Your people, and bless Your inheritance. Grant victory of the faithful against the adversaries of the faith. And protect Your people, by Your Holy Cross.

Kontakion of the Cross

You were lifted up upon the cross of your own will, Christ our God. Grant your mercy upon the people that bear your name. In your strength make glad the Orthodox, giving them victory over their adversaries. May they have your alliance as a weapon of peace, and an invincible trophy.

Find the complete "Catechetical Lectures" of St Cyril HERE

Don't Allow Pain and Suffering to Distract You from God

Sometimes the pain of life can seem unbearable. Sometimes you are tempted to dwell upon your pain and suffering rather than the promise of God that you will live forever. The reality is, despite all the pain and suffering in this life, God promised that so long as you keep your focus on Him, you will not only be healed, but will live forever. Are you ready to trust God enough to not allow your pain and suffering to distract you from His promise?

The Irony of Osteen

In past couple of weeks Christians have been “jumping on the bandwagon” (including yours truly) and condemning recent remarks from Victoria Osteen about what’s “really” going on when we worship God. Major bloggers and Christian media outlets have included scathing remarks from fellow Christians calling the Osteens heretics and warning well intentioned Christians from following their ministry. But I find it more than a bit ironic that Protestants are warning ANYBODY about following another Protestant. I’m actually not surprised, THUS the title for today’s blog.

Several months ago I was having a discussion with a Lutheran Pastor (and friend) about a trend I found disconcerting. We were acknowledging that many Christians hop from Church to Church until they “finally find a Church” with which they agree. At the extreme pinnacle of this trend exists entire parishes that, if they find themselves at odds with the Pastor, whom THEY hired in the first place, they either fire the Pastor, OR leave to start their own Church. This was called, “The inherited sin of the Reformation,” by my friend, the Lutheran Pastor. My response to her was, “If you really believe what you are saying, that means you have to return to the Orthodox Church. You know that, right?” Of course she, a bit caught off guard by my boldness, did not agree with my conclusion.

The IRONY....

The inherited sin of the Reformation, a statement with which I can agree, carried to its logical conclusion is: Every Christian has the ultimate right to determine for themselves the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures and Faith of the Christian Church. This practice is what gives “legitimacy” to as estimated 43,000 Christian denominations worldwide. Take away the individual right to “your own” interpretation, and all you are left with, is the Orthodox Church. No surprise there.....

This is why I find it dripping with irony that ANY Protestant would dare suggest that the Osteens are heretics. By what authority does this condemnation rest? With their OWN private interpretation; thus the vicious cycle repeats itself with the number of denominations growing every day.

I have been asked why I am so worried about Joel Osteen and other like him. In short, my immediate concern is for those Orthodox Christians in my parish who “follow” Osteen and others, which allows the heresy to trickle into their own faith practice and ideals. It isn’t uncommon to find Orthodox Christians defending Osteen with comments such as, “His messages are GREAT! I follow him every day,” or “His is a great motivational speaker. God wants us to stay motivated, doesn’t he?” Well....yes and no. The sort of motivation God has in mind is for us to be motivated to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, rather than building up riches. The Gospel is replete with references to sin in regard to focusing on the self. If motivation is focused on the self, it is not heavenly motivation.

So where do we go from here? We are called by God to test all spirits to determine if they are from God. How should we test them? Just like Saint Paul, the ancient Church, and every council since Pentecost. If a teaching is not totally consistent with the teachings of the Holy Apostles, it should be disregarded and avoided. As I like to say, if Saint Paul was required to verify his teachings with the Holy Apostles, and alter them where necessary, then so should we be required.

So where does that leave Osteen? It is obvious his teachings are not Orthodox. At the very least, Orthodox Christians should avoid paying ANY attention to him and his false teachings. At the most, we should help our friends, if we indeed love them, to step away from his incorrect teaching of the Gospel of Christ. In the end, we will all be accountable to God for our teachings and beliefs. Otherwise, God is going to cal to us, “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3.16 – more irony......the opposite result of John 3.16) 

Rollercoasters and Incense

The other day, while discussing the painful reality that so many Orthodox Christians “just don’t enjoy being in Church” I was asked an interesting question. “Father, if you ask children which they would prefer, going to the amusement park or doing homework, which one do you think they would choose?” OF COURSE they would choose the amusement part, so would I. The problem with this question, all too common to the struggle of Church attendance, is a false option. Let me explain...

There is a campus (they don’t use the term perish) of New Spring Church in Florence that after only six years (the same tenure of my time in Florence) has grown to over 2,000 every Sunday. They are currently building a brand new multi-million dollar church complex that literally dwarfs the bank next door. The Worship experience of this particular Church has become quite popular in Evangelical Protestant circles, with rock music, light shows, no dress code expectations, and a sermon. BUT.....there is no preacher in Florence. That’s right; the “featured” sermon is ON SCREEN from the mother campus elsewhere in South Carolina. Others have characterized the Sunday worship as attending a concert. So, it should come as no surprise that youth (and adults who wish to pretend they’re still youth) flood in from all directions to attend a weekly “free” concert.

And there lies the false choice. Orthodox worship is NOT a rock concert. It is NOT a light show. It is NOT even a sermon, though we do preach. But the false choice is much more than just the style of worship. Orthodox worship is HEAVEN ON EARTH, where we are graced to physically become one with God through the Holy Eucharist. Orthodox worship is directionally opposite from this form of Protestant Worship. What do I mean by directionally opposite?

Where we as Orthodox direct our attention, characterized in the fact that the celebrant clergy FACE THE ALTAR, is toward God. Protestant worship is directed inward toward the self. We speak to God. We sing to God. We bow to God. We worship God with the proper understanding that we are in the presence of His glory. Protestant worship speaks to the heart and, by design, seeks the rush of adrenaline, which explains the “I just FEEL good when I leave that Church” emotion of Protestants. What examples do we have to follow?

Moses hid his face. Exodus 3.6

Isaiah cried out in fear. Isaiah 6.5

John the theologian fell to the floor as though he were dead. Revelation 1.17

Orthodox Christian worship is based upon this example of humility in the face of God. And YET, we are allowed to approach the chalice standing face-to-face with God to receive His most precious Body and Blood into our very bodies. Orthodox Christian worship is a foretaste of how God is being worshiped in Heaven as witnessed by Prophet Isaiah and Saint John.

They didn’t see rock bands. They didn’t see light shows. Of course this should be obvious, but they DID see an Altar, golden candles sticks, smoldering incense, majestic robes, pious processions, praiseful singing, and bowing....lots of bowing. These are the characteristics of Orthodox Christian worship, as they were Jewish worship before us, SO THAT we can prepare to spend eternity doing the same thing in heaven.

Life isn’t about feeling the rush of adrenaline storming down the hill of a rollercoaster. Life IS about preparing to worship God in Heaven. Worship isn’t about feeling the rush of adrenaline during a rock concert. Worship is about offering God incense and bowing at His glory before the His Altar.

Rather than asking our children if they would prefer the adrenaline of an amusement park to homework, maybe a better question would be, “Do you want to be with God?” If so.....forget the rock concert and go to Divine Liturgy. The real problem is that most Orthodox Christians are still comparing the “fun factor” of our worship to the excitement of Protestant worship. And that’s just a false choice.

It’s time to exchange rollercoasters for incense.

The 4th of July and Fasting

As Orthodox Christians we have been fasting every Wednesday and Friday with very few exceptions since the earliest days of the Church. In the “Teachings of the Holy Apostles to the Nations” we find this:

But let not your fasts be with the hypocrites; (Matthew 6:16) for they fast on the second and fifth day of the week; but fast on the fourth day and the Preparation (Friday).

Hypocrites was a reference to the unbelieving Jews who fasted on Monday and Thursday, not a reference to Christians. With very few exceptions during periods when fasting is forbidden (after Christmas, after Pascha, after Pentecost) these days remain the staple fasting guide of every Orthodox Christian. Even when Feasts of the Church fall on these days, there is fasting expected albeit lessened in honor of the feast. For example if August 15^th happens to fall on a Friday, the fast is lessened to allow for fish, oil and wine, but no meat is served.

Why is this important? It happens to be the simplest manner in which the Church can teach and train her believers to place God above all other realities in life. It may be difficult for those who do not fast to understand the nuance between having steak and having fish during celebrations. Please allow me another example.

My birthday is during the Nativity Fast every year. This means I must fast every year on my birthday. If my birthday celebrations are going to include meat (I really enjoy a good prime rib) then I must “transfer” my birthday celebration prior to November 15^th. “Now” I am free to celebrate with whatever food I wish in honor of my birthday. In fact, for many other reasons, we “transfer” birthdays and anniversaries to long weekends or other dates out of convenience. What does it teach our children when we can’t do the same out of respect for our Faith Tradition? The Church indeed transfers several feasts so that they can be celebrated outside of fasting periods, the most famous being the Feast of St George. When Pascha is later than April 23 (the date of the Feast of St George) then the celebration, including Divine Liturgy, is “transferred” to the Monday following Pascha. This is done in order to maintain the dignity that is Holy and Great Lent and Holy and Great Week.

HOWEVER, we can’t simply reschedule nationalized US holidays such as the 4^th of July, so what alternative do we have? We should keep the fast when the 4^th of July happens to fall on a Wednesday or, as is the case in 2014, a Friday. This is completely in keeping with the ancient and sacred Orthodox Christian Tradition. Greece, for example, celebrates March 25^th (Greek Independence Day) EVERY YEAR during the Great Fast. The fast is “lessened” by allowing fish, oil and wine, but THIS IS IN HONOR OF THE FEAST OF ANNUNCIATION and not for Greek Independence Day.

There is a uniquely American exception to this rule of fasting on Thanksgiving Day. Early in the 20^th Century, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of (then) North and South America, decided to allow for the “full celebration” of Thanksgiving including turkey, in deference to the unique fact that it is the ONLY US holiday dedicated to giving thanks to God. However, this exception is limited to Thanksgiving Day, and is not universally practiced.

As Americans who are Orthodox Christians, we owe it to our children to train them that their faith is more important than what foods we eat on the 4^th of July. Then, when the time comes for them to choose between living the life their Church teaches, and the life the secular world teaches, they will have already been trained to follow the Church.

Holy Communion and Marriage in the Orthodox Church

This week's question was from a parishioner who isn't Orthodox but married to an Orthodox Christian.

"If I can get married in the Orthodox Church, why can't I receive Holy Communion in the Orthodox Church?"

Watch other "Questions and Answer" sermon on our special by visiting the link above.

Jesus Reveals Himself Raised from the Dead

The Holy Apostle Thomas was not present when Jesus first appeared to the Apostles after the Resurrection. So eight days later, He appeared again, this time so that Thomas might believe. When Jesus appeared, He said, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” (John 20.27)

We all need a boost from God every now and then so that we can strengthen our faith in Him.  As we heard during the Resurrection Liturgy, the beauty of the entire story of Jesus Christ, from His birth through to His death and glorious resurrection, is that HE CAME TO US, and “As many as received Him, to them [that means us] He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” (John 1.12)

Some did not, and still do not, believe in His Gospel, and each person has the freedom to accept or to deny Him. But for those who DESIRE to believe, Jesus always appears in the fashion needed. St Thomas wasn’t the only one who needed physical proof, which is why Jesus didn’t remain separate from us in Heaven, but came to reveal Himself to us.

But for those of us living in 2014, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20.29) For us, we can take comfort in the words of Saint Paul, “He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by the Cephas [St Peter], then by the twelve. After that he was seen by over five hundred brethren at once.” (1 Corinthians 15.5-6)