Grace IN ACTION

It’s one thing to preach about the grace of God; it’s another to actually witness grace in action. I’ve been blessed many times during my priesthood to witness changed lives through the services and mysteries (sacraments) of the Church. I’ve been blessed to be a part of many of those lives, even witnessing the return of the prodigal son.

If you remember the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15.11-32) as the father waited, the son “wasted his possessions with prodigal living.” The father continued to wait and wait. Finally after the son reached the lowest possible depth of personal despair that “he came to himself” and realized just how far he had fallen. Looking up from deep despair he decided to return to his father humiliated, shamed, and afraid of the possible rejection. “But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him... said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry.”

I have witnessed with my own eyes and through the mystery of Holy Confession, the prodigal son climb in one night from the depth of despair to stand before the Holy Icon of Christ and bear his soul in genuine repentance. I have been blessed to see shame turn to relief in the eyes of someone who once thought he could never be worthy of God’s (or the Church’s) love, and receive the news that God had forgiven EVERYTHING and restored him to his proper place. I have witnessed the grace the God in action giving the prodigal son a new beginning from which to live a new life.

I have been blessed to be a part of so many new lives as people chose to embrace the opportunities the Orthodox Christian way of life offers as a ladder to climb from the depth of despair to heaven, while God is holding their hands. None of those lives changed without hard work. None of those lives remained perfect and sinless, but none of those lives was left abandoned by God. I know, because I have witnessed grace in action.

The Grace in Orthodox Worship

While at a retreat for college students this past weekend, I witnessed the power and grace of Orthodox Worship. Following the service of the Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos (sung the first five Fridays in Great Lent) a young woman approached to receive Holy Confession. She had an urgent look on her face, but we couldn’t go just then as the next activity for the retreat was about to begin. Calmly (she REALLY wanted to confess right then!) I told her we could go as soon as this activity was completed. She agreed.

As promised, as soon as the activity was completed, we went into the Chapel for her confession. Of course I can’t and won’t tell you what she confessed, but that isn’t really what is important for this particular blog post. You see the woman isn’t even Orthodox. In fact she hasn’t been to Church ANYWHERE for more than three years. Her friend, who is Orthodox, invited her to attend this weekend retreat for college students, so she came not know what to expect.

Anyone who has been Orthodox Christian since birth cannot truly appreciate what this young woman experienced. Orthodox worship can be overwhelming even for members of the Church. Incense, standing a long time (especially for the Akathist Hymn – the service is actually named “Non-Seated” for goodness sake), strange melodies, pictures of unknown people on the wall, people kissing this strange pictures; you get the picture. Nothing about this young woman’s first Orthodox worship experience was familiar to her.

But there she was, face to face with Orthodox Christian worship and the Holy Icon of the All Holy Mother of God, and she was moved (I suspect) forever, at least enough that she felt the need to confess right then and there. Looking back, I think it must have been similar to the stories in the Holy Scriptures. “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’... Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.” (Acts 2.37, 41)

This young woman didn’t ask for Holy Baptism. I doubt I would have consented if she did, at these in the middle of a retreat, but I am confident the Holy Spirit spoke to her heart. For that I am thankful and personally strengthened. The power of our worship is something we should never ignore. Do you have a friend like this young woman who hasn’t been to Church in years? Invite her to Church the next chance you get. The Holy Spirit might speak to her too, because there is grace in Orthodox worship.

By the way, since the young woman is not Orthodox Christian,  I listened to her confess to God, but was unable to offer the prayer of forgiveness as I am limited to only offering the prayer for Orthodox Christians.

The Gift of Grace in Water

When Jesus entered the Jordan River to be baptized by John,
it wasn’t He who was blessed, but creation. Ever since the beginning of time,
God has given us His creation in order to glorify God and to assist us to live
in Communion with Him. The Feast of Theophany celebrates the revelation of the
Holy Trinity at the Baptism of Jesus Christ, and the gift of grace present in
the water of the Jordan River, and by extent all of creation. This gift of
grace is extended through the Great Blessing of the Waters by the Church each
year during the celebration of Epiphany, and distributed throughout the
Community as a blessing for all to share. (This sermon was offered during a candle lit Liturgy for Theophany, the Feast of Lights.)