Repentance and Humility; the keys which unlock the Gates of Heaven

The final Sunday of Great Lent, the Church urges us on further toward repentance and humility on the Sunday of Mary of Egypt. On this day the Church directs our attention to the total and complete humility and repentance of a woman who had been consumed by sin. While at the “height” of a quite successful “career” of prostitution, she was called by God in a unique way. According to the Tradition of the Church, she was attempting to enter the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem with a group of men she had been seducing. An unknown force kept her from entering the Sacred Church, which she interpreted as a sign from God. She made a vow to the Theotokos that if she was allowed to enter the Church and venerate the Life-Giving Cross of Our Lord, she would renounce the world and live in total repentance. She spent the remaining forty-seven years of her life alone in the desert.

On this day we also hear the Lord challenge his disciples to life of humble service. After the disciples were found arguing about who would be greater in God’s Kingdom, Jesus said, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.” (Mark 10.42-44)

These are two great lessons of humility and repentance as we approach the final days of Great Lent. Don’t waste another day. Take full advantage of the days you have remaining for repentance and practice humility. These keys will unlock the gates of heaven and you will be welcomed into the banquet with honor.

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!

What Sunday Worship is REALLY all About

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!" And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. (Isaiah 6.1-4)

The majesty which Isaiah witnessed when he saw God being worshipped in Heaven was also expressed in the Temple which God commanded Moses to construct for His People to worship Him on Earth. For a better description of how Moses was commanded to construct the Temple, read Exodus chapters 25-28 all of which express the majesty of God.

This SAME majesty is expressed in Orthodox Christian worship. Golden candlesticks, incense, Altars, Thrones, Vestments, precious metals and stone are all integrated into Orthodox Christian worship for a reason – to prepare us for being in Heaven.

Many Protestant Churches today express quite a different atmosphere to their worship. Rather than the majesty of heaven, many Church services Sunday mornings “feel” more like a night club. Rather than bowing and reverencing the Altar of God, many Church services Sunday mornings lift up the human passions rather than the mantle of God. In fact many Christians validate this by using the expression “It felt awesome today in Church!” or “I get so lifted up when I go to Church!”

On the contrary Saint Paul and Saint John the Theologian had quite the different reaction to seeing God being worshipped in heaven, much the same as Moses and Isaiah.

And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. (Revelation 1.17)

And I know such a man -- whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows --how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. (2 Corinthians 12.3-4)

The Orthodox Church has a centuries-long witness in the lives of countless holy men and women who have had visions of God, ALL OF WHOM express similar stories as we find the Holy Scriptures. So, if we are preparing as Christians to worship God in Heaven for all eternity, why would we not express that same majesty in our Earthly worship? Of course as Orthodox Christians, we do, are at least we should.

The trend in mega-Churches toward the night club atmosphere is obviously attractive to many in today’ entertainment culture, but does it REALLY prepare believers for what is coming for all eternity? If God taught that the way to salvation was in taking up our cross and denying ourselves, it would seem that Sunday worship would focus, not on what makes us FEEL good, but the awesome majesty of being in God’s presence. Would a believer, if they were in the presence of God, REALLY worry more about feeling good than bowing in reverence at the Altar of God?

When you come to Church on Sunday, please consider the REAL reason you are worshipping God. If you are focused more on how you “feel” rather than being in His Presence and glory, you may not be preparing yourself and your family for what is coming in Heaven. Don’t you want to be prepared?

Dogs are dogs; People are people

I have noticed a disturbing trend lately to characterize the behavior of different animals in human terms. I’ve been wanting to write this blog for some time now, but haven’t had the time to actually sit down and write it. I will begin with a quick disclaimer. I grew up as a dog owner. I loved my dog. I cried many tears when we put him to sleep after his long illness. It makes me sick when people mistreat animals by beating, starving, etc. So this blog IS NOT about condoning the mistreatment of animals. I limit my comments in terms of how our society is trending toward the humanizing of animals, and what I believe is a dangerour spiritual trend.

Here are some examples of the trend I’ve notice recently:

• Raju The Elephant Cries After Being Rescued Following 50 Years Of Abuse, Chains
• Study shows dogs can get jealous
• Pet Parents Pamper to the Extreme

I’ve been hearing terms such as pet parents and pet caretakers for several years, but (and it might be a false impression) it seems like an increasing coverage of stories in which animals are characterized with human emotions. Crying elephants, hugging and jealous dogs, it’s beginning to appear that animals are equal to humans. And that is the point of this post. Animals, which for the purpose of this blog will refer to NON-HUMAN animals, though they may appear to express human emotions, are nonetheless not human. So, why the strong urge to “see” human characteristics in animals?

Here are a few examples of what I believe expresses at least a portion of the reason.

• 10 Animals that Practice Homosexuality
• Do Animals Exhibit Homosexuality?
• Six “Uniquely” Human Traits Now Found in Animals

So why is this issue important for us as Orthodox Christians? If you have been a reader of my blog for any length of time, I believe “just about everything” is connected to our spiritual journey. According to an article “Why do we anthropomorphize?”  which cites the Association for Psychological Science, the author suggests,

“Various motivations may also influence anthropomorphism. For example, lacking social connections with other people might motivate lonely individuals to seek out connections from nonhuman items. Anthropomorphism helps us to simplify and make more sense of complicated entities.”

However, I have a different opinion. I often have a different opinion when it comes to interpreting “motivations” for various behaviors. For me, at least part of the reason for this behavior is evidenced in the fact that you seldom read the evidence of the opposite as positive news. When was the last time you read a scientific article which praises the “animal characteristic” found in humans? Allow me to be more specific. When was the last time you found a scientific survey which studied “Why do men fight to defend their territory” as a benefit to our understanding life?

It seems to me like there is an overwhelming desire to reflect only certain human characteristics in animals rather than animal characteristics in humans in order to establish a “more welcoming” atmosphere for such behaviors in humans. I don’t think it is a coincidence that the presence of homosexuality in animals far exceeds other articles. First, we are obsessed with sex. The second reason might have to do with what the article referred to as “lonely individuals to seek out connections” since homosexuals often find themselves as outcasts of society.

It seems to me that our fallen humanity’s desire for self pleasure is so strong, that we will not cease until we establish enough evidence that such desires are “just part of our animal heritage” rather than behaviors that should be frowned upon. I believe this is also related to why we choose only SOME characteristics.

I think there is another reason for this tendency. The more humans can create the impression that we are no different from the rest of the animals, the less we have to be responsible to God’s desire for us in our life. THAT is why I think this is important enough to blog at length on this. Anything that lends a false impression that we are exempt from God’s desire, takes us away from Him and is directly linked to the devil’s temptation that first lured Eve to ignore her obligation to God. This is our ancient fallen human struggle. As Saint Paul said,

For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. (Romans 7.15-21)

That is not to say there is no example of humans and animal, even wild animals, coexisting peacefully.

• Saint Mary of Egypt
• Saint Seraphim of Sarov

In both of these examples, it was the divine character of the saint which brought out the human peacefulness in the animal. This is quite different than that current trend. So if you wish to truly witness animals acting human compassion and love, then as Saint Seraphim said, “Acquire inner peace and a thousand around will be saved.” AND.....even the bears will sit peacefully with you. In the meantime, dogs are still dogs and people are still people.

New Priest - New Gospel

When a new or visiting Priest arrives, it sometimes seems as if he is changing the rules. Why do different Priests do and say different things? PLUS a bonus question at the end....

God and Summer

It’s that time of year again when parents grit their teeth in anxiety over the next three months. School will be over in a few days, and that means THE KIDS HAVE NOTHING TO DO! With both parents working in most families, and especially in single-parent families, finding activities to keep young children involved and, maybe most importantly for the youngest of our children, SAFE, during the day can be quite the nerve-wracking experience. Compound this with the reality that most families no longer live in communities where they grew up, and the lack of extended families doesn’t even allow for grandparents to help. So parents begin to panic…

OH NO; NOW WHAT?

And then the Church “goes and makes things worse” by actually ending the various programs and ministries for youth. I’ve been in youth ministry for just over twenty years, and I could never understand the mentality, “School is over, now we end the Church programs.” Sunday School ends, Greek School ends (if you are part of a Greek community like I have always been), even youth groups tend to limit their activities during the summer months. You would think Churches would have MORE programs rather than less during the months when youth have no school. But that is not the topic of this post.

This post is about something bigger than whether or not youth groups have scheduled activities during the summer. This post is about an even more dangerous trend. This post is about the trend of taking “time off” from Church as if Church and School are only nine month activities. Of course, the lack of Sunday School plays a role in this phenomenon, because many families “only” come to Church if their children have Sunday School class to attend. You see this also during “Christmas Break” where Church attendance slips for a few weeks following Christmas.

So how can we include God in our summer plans? We have to begin with whether or not we actually include Him in our fall, winter and spring plans. I want to be clear….simply attending Church on Sunday doesn’t necessarily mean you are including God in your life. The Orthodox Way of Life PRESUMES that each day is spent living in communion with God through a life of prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and the sacramental life of the Church. Are you attending confession regularly? Are you regularly reading the Holy Scriptures and writings of the Fathers and Mothers of the Church? Is prayer a constant part of your life? See my post on “The Orthodox Top 10” and ask yourself, “Am I living in communion with God or simply being what has been called a ‘pew warmer’ in Church?”

You see summer is really no different than any other season except for the weather. Including God in your summer plans is the same as including Him in your winter plans. Attending Church on Sunday AND ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING in the Sunday Liturgy by preparing for AND RECEIVING Holy Communion is a part of that life – a central part – but a part. 

The Scriptures and the Sunday of the Myrrh Bearing Women

A special Bible study of the Scriptures passages, themes and hymns for the Third Sunday after Pascha, the Sunday of the Myrrh Bearing Women. This study is based on the series "A Year of the Lord, Liturgical Bible Studies" by Fr Theodore Stylianopoulos, and recorded LIVE at the Transfiguration of Our Savior Greek Orthodox Church in Florence, SC.

The Scriptures and Great Lent - Saint Mary of Egypt

A special study of the themes and Scriptures readings for the fifth Sunday of Great Lent.

We All Come from Someone

Every year on the Sunday before Christmas, the Church tells us of the ancestry of Jesus Christ. Anyone who has been Orthodox Christian for a while can remember the Gospel. “The Book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham. Abraham begot Isaac….etc” (Matthew 1.1-17) In the Gospel of Luke, the ancestry of Jesus is told even from Joseph, the betrothed of Mary, and declares Jesus, “the son of Adam, the son of God.” (Luke 3.38)

It is important to know where we come from, and what our ancestors believed. In Jesus’ case, He is from God and His human ancestors were righteous people of God. Have you ever researched your ancestors to discover your roots? We all come from someone; who are your ancestors? If you consider the ancestors of Jesus Christ listed in the Holy Scriptures, some listed a blood relatives, while the others we could say are spiritual relatives since Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus.

In the same way, YOU have blood ancestors and also spiritual relatives. You probably know your blood ancestors; your parents, their parents, their grandparents, etc, but do you know who your spiritual relatives are? They are the righteous men and women of faith we call, Saints. If you read your ancestry in the same fashion we do for Jesus Christ, it might sound like, “Saint Andrew ordained Saint Stachys, and Saint Stachys succeeded Saint Onesimos, and Saint Onesimos succeeded Saint Polycarp….” These Saints of the Church are YOUR spiritual ancestors and they are just as much a part of your family as your parents. And if you go back far enough, tracing either your blood relatives or your spiritual relatives, you will find WE ALL have a common ancestor. We are all children of God.  

Log Cabins

I remember traveling to Walden Pond when I was living in Boston, where Henry David Thoreau lived two years, after which he wrote his how famous thoughts about simplistic living. Seeking to leave the patterns of life, he unfortunately discovered he had created his own patterns. Since I have been asked to write about log cabins, I thought of my visit ten years ago, and our daily struggle as Orthodox Christians to live simply in a often chaotic society.

In our busy world, we are driven by unforgiving schedules, hard-paved roads, imitation nightlights, foods out of season from far away places, instant chat through the internet with family and friends on opposite sides of the world. There are theories that this way of life, considered by many to be a sign of superior human development, might be one cause, among others, of cancer. Whether it is or not, I don’t know, but I do know this hectic way of life is not health spiritually speaking.

We have exchanged family dinners with take out and drive through.

We have exchanged personal conversation with rapid text messages.

We have exchanged spending time reading the Holy Fathers and Holy Scriptures with 30 second sound bites of cable news networks.

We have exchanged going to Church with going shopping.

We have in fact exchanged God with the world.

Maybe it’s time for us to follow Thoreau into the wilderness and rediscover our true humanity.

Maybe it’s time for us to enter the forest and listen to God’s creation which was originally meant to assist in finding Him.

Maybe it’s time for us to allow the Church calendar and schedule of services to shape our daily and weekly routine.

Maybe it’s time for us to stand in front of our family altar (if we even have one) and converse with God.

Maybe it’s time for us to embrace prayer, fasting, and almsgiving and follow Christ.

It’s a thought anyway…..

This post is written for the 40 Days of Blogging Challenge sponsored by the Preachers Institute. You may find other blogs participating in this challenge. I hope you enjoy this year’s Advent journey.

A Bold and Different Kind of Thank You for Veterans

Several times a year, we quite publicly thank the many men and women who have offered, in many cases, their lives to the defense of the American way of life – Freedom, and we SHOULD honor our Veterans. But I often wonder what we are doing with the freedom for which these brave men and women risked their lives. The United States is a land where we can FREELY worship the Triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – in the ancient and Orthodox Christian way.

But…

1. Do we take full advantage of this freedom to attend as many Church services as possible to commune with God?
2. Do we take full advantage of this freedom to put our agenda aside and help the suffering and oppressed?
3. Do we take full advantage of this freedom to share the Gospel of Christ with our friends, neighbors, customers, clients, employees and coworkers?
4. Do we take full advantage of this freedom to read and study the Holy Scriptures and writings of the Holy Fathers and Mothers of the Church?

Or….

1. Do we use every available excuse of busy family schedules and spend Sundays and Feast Days away from the Church?
2. Do we “throw” a few dollars at some charitable agency so we don’t have to feel guilty about those suffering around us?
3. Do we keep the “best kept secret in America” to ourselves?
4. Do we buy a Bible, just to keep it on the shelf and MAYBE dust it off every year just before the annual Christmas party?

Our American way of life, which has been defended by so many valiant men and women, shouldn’t be used for our own pleasure and comfort, but for the mission of Jesus Christ. Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. (John 10.10) He didn’t mean “the good life” as we think of it today. Rather, Jesus came that we might be reunited with Him, and live forever. We should embrace the freedom we have as Americans, and focus our attention on uniting ourselves to Christ and His way of life.

This year, why not thank a Veteran IN PERSON, and follow that up with attending a Church service or reading about the faith. Then maybe you won’t worry so much about yourself and think about those suffering around you more. It was a Veteran who thought more about YOU and defended YOUR freedom, and risked his/her own life. You owe to that veteran to use your freedom for a holy purpose. Personally, I think that would be a better way to honor our veterans.