Don’t Be a Pretender

I meet many people who claim to be Orthodox Christian, yet do not attend Divine Liturgy at all or rarely. They fast, they say their prayers, they even light candles in churches and chapels, but they can’t remember the last time they received Holy Communion. I often wonder why someone who go through all the motions of being Orthodox, even having elaborate home altars with oils and other holy items for veneration. Consider today’s Gospel reading from Luke…

At that time, the Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, "Why do the disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink?" And Jesus said to them, "Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days." He told them a parable also: "No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it upon an old garment; if he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new; for he says, 'The old is better.'" (Luke 5.33-39)

Christ is reminding us that living in communion with Him is the reason we fast and pray and do all the other things we do as Orthodox Christian. I’m sure you’ve heard people say, “Fasting without prayer is a diet.” This is true, but let’s go a step further….. “Orthodox practices without Holy Communion is just pretend.” Don’t be a pretender. Call your spiritual father today to schedule for Holy Confession and get back on track to Live A New Life IN Christ.

Why do I always talk about fasting?

Every Wednesday and Friday, the forty days before Christmas, almost sixty days before Pascha, an average of two weeks in June, and another two weeks in August; a total of over two hundred fasting days in 2017. If you’re paying attention to the Church calendar and at least trying to live the Orthodox Christian life, you may ask yourself why all the talk about fasting? Now you’ll know.

Today....WE FAST!

Since today is the first fast day since Pascha, it seemed appropriate to post on the subject. Every year after Pascha I welcome this day with open arms, thankful I am able to fast again because it helps me. Fasting helps me learn to stop putting myself first. As we heard more than once during Great Lent, Christ said, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him DENY HIMSELF, [emphasis mine] take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Mark 8.34) We cannot begin to follow Christ until first we learn to deny ourselves and take up our cross. Fasting helps learn how to do this.

Fasting is a spiritual discipline first and foremost. Like any commandment from God, fasting is meant to teach us how to live. When we fast as the Church guides us, we very quickly learn to embrace the art of following rather than leading. We must follow Christ into heaven. We can’t lead Him into heaven. Fasting as the Church guides us helps to perfect the skill of following Christ. This is why I always speak of the importance of not choosing our own fast, but fasting as the Church guides us. When we choose our own rules, we quite frankly are not learning how to deny ourselves, but the opposite becomes true. It begins with, “I think fasting should be like this...” and ends up with, “I think the Gospel means this...”

But that is not the only benefit to fasting. In my case, and I know in the case of many others, fasting is a physical blessing. Ever since Pascha I have been celebrating by making my way through the food chain and enjoying all the foods I missed during the Great Fast. Now I’m feeling a bit sluggish since I haven’t been eating properly. If you have been a Be Transfigured Ministries fan for any length of time, you know I struggle with overeating. I don’t hide it. I can’t hide it. But I do struggle with it. So in my case I look forward to today as the day I am able to get back to proper eating. In my case fasting is a gift of God to help me reassert self control, and for that I am thankful.

The life of the Church has so many benefits since it is guided by the Holy Spirit. If only we took the time to learn about why we do what we do as Orthodox Christians, a main purpose of this ministry, and embrace that when we follow the life of the Church we benefit both spiritually and physically. So today.....WE FAST!

God will raise us up!

When we arrive at that moment in life when we just don’t think we can make it any longer, then we turn to God. Just when we think there is no hope for us, then we realize that we can’t do it without God. God is always willing to raise us up, but He will wait for us to come to Him. There is just one problem. Until we learn to admit we need God we can’t, and probably won’t, bring ourselves to God. Through the prayer and fasting of the Great Fast we discover that with God, and only with God, we can accomplish anything....but most importantly He will raise us up to heaven.

What do you desire?

There is an old Greek saying for birthdays and feast days, “May you receive your heart’s desire.” On the surface this may seem trending toward the selfish ego with which we all struggle. I often write about leaving our own desires behind. Christ even says, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself...” We just hear that on Sunday? So why would today’s reading include, “A desire filled is sweet to the soul,” if we are supposed to deny our desire?

The truth is our desire in fact does fulfill our heart. The solution isn’t to avoid desires, but to have the proper desires. Today’s reading from Proverbs also says, “But to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools,” suggests that we are fool if our desires favor evil rather than God. Our heart will always think it has been fulfilled no matter what desire is met if the desire emanates from our ego. That sort of fulfillment though is short lived.

Fortunately for us God sometimes intervenes to keep us from fulfilling our heart’s desire. In today’ reading from Genesis we hear, “This is only the beginning of what they will do; and nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.” Once again, as God had done in the past, we were saved from ourselves when God destroyed the Tower of Babel. Since our desire would have been dangerous to us, God keeps our desires from being met. Yet another benefit we gain from fasting....we learn to step back from our desire. Have you been taking advantage of the Great Fast to learn to control your desire? Be warned....your desire filled is sweet to your soul.....you may just be headed to your own Tower of Babel.

Today’s Old Testament Readings:

Isaiah 28:14-22 (RSV) -  Thus says the LORD, you scoffers, who rule this people in Jerusalem!  Because you have said, "We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have an agreement; when the overwhelming scourge passes through it will not come to us; for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter"; therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am laying in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: 'He who believes will not be in haste.'  And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plummet; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter."  Then your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand; when the overwhelming scourge passes through you will be beaten down by it.  As often as it passes through it will take you; for morning by morning it will pass through, by day and by night; and it will be sheer terror to understand the message.  For the bed is too short to stretch oneself on it, and the covering too narrow to wrap oneself in it.  For the LORD will rise up as on Mount Perazim, he will be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon; to do his deed - strange is his deed! and to work his work - alien is his work!  Now therefore do not scoff, lest your bonds be made strong; for I have heard a decree of destruction from the Lord GOD of hosts upon the whole land.

Genesis 10:32-11:9 (RSV) -  These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, in their nations; and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood.  Now the whole earth had one language and few words.  And as men migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.  And they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly." And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar.  Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth."  And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the sons of men had built.  And the LORD said, "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; and nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.  Come, let us go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech."  So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.  Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

Proverbs 13:19-14:6 (RSV) - A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul; but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.  He who walks with wise men becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.  Misfortune pursues sinners, but prosperity rewards the righteous.  A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous.  The fallow ground of the poor yields much food, but it is swept away through injustice.  He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.  The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, but the belly of the wicked suffers want.  Wisdom builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down.  He who walks in uprightness fears the LORD, but he who is devious in his ways despises him.  The talk of a fool is a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will preserve them.  Where there are no oxen, there is no grain; but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.  A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness breathes out lies.  A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding.

You Have Need of Endurance

The third week of the Great Fast has come to an end. Tomorrow is the Feast of the Universal Elevation of the Holy Cross and two things come to mind. First is the reality that suffering is a real part of life, and the second is related to the first. More than anything we need endurance. Whether it is to make it through the Great Fast or to survive the struggle that life has thrown at us, endurance is the key to our success.

One important benefit that many do not consider from fasting is that of endurance. When we spend weeks fasting for Great Lent, we learn not only patience and vigilance. We learn the importance of endurance. In today’s reading from Hebrews Saint Paul says, “For you have need of endurance, so that you may do the will of God and receive what is promised.”

God knows the challenges of living the Christian life in a secular and often non Christian world. He knows that we are faced with temptations around every corner. He knows that we can become weak if we are under attack more than we can endure, so He offers us a chance to practice endurance. If you can master the Great Fast, you can master any struggle that life offers. Just another blessing of the Great Fast.

Here are today’s Readings:

Epistle Reading: St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 10:32-38 (RSV) - Brethren, recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to abuse and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated.  For you had compassion on the prisoners, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.  Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.  For you have need of endurance, so that you may do the will of God and receive what is promised.  "For yet a little while, and the coming one shall come and shall not tarry; but my righteous one shall live by faith."
 Gospel Reading: Mark 2:14-17 (RSV) - At that time, as Jesus passed on, he saw Levi the son of Alphaios sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him. And as he sat at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were sitting with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many who followed him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."

Faith Comes First

Today is the Feast of the Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebastia and the Church allows for an “extra” Presanctified Liturgy. I take this as an excellent opportunity to remind you that as Orthodox Christians our goal is to keep the Holy Traditions of the Church as primary. During the Great Fast, the only “regular” Divine Liturgies are scheduled on Saturdays, Sunday or on the Feast of Annunciation. So today, even though it is a feast, we do not celebrate a regular Liturgy since that would be considered too much of a celebration.

In recent years I have encountered many “otherwise faithful” people who depart easily from the Holy Traditions of the Great Fast to celebrate various events. It seems to me that many people act as if it is impossible to keep the fast for more than a few days. Many behave as if their birthday or anniversary cannot be celebrated in a Lenten manner. What is Lenten manner?

Just like the Church offers the Presanctified Liturgy during the weekdays of the Great Fast because a regular Liturgy is considered too celebratory, we should learn to celebrate other events in our life in the same fashion. So if your birthday or anniversary or other important days happen to occur during the Great Fast, consider the Holy Tradition of the Church. Here’s an example. The Feast of Saint George is delayed if it occurs during the Great Fast. Instead it is celebrated on Bright Monday, the day after Pascha. Let’s face it, we reschedule celebrations all the time for other less important reasons. How many times have you said, “We’ll celebrate your birthday next weekend,” because you have to work the actual day? Well if we can move a birthday from Tuesday to Saturday so we don’t miss work, why not delay it until after Pascha so we can attend Church? Is work more important than Church?

If you must celebrate your birthday during the Great Fast, I invite you to keep the fast and character of Great Lent. Instead of going out dancing, stay home and enjoy a quite family night talking or building a puzzle. Rather than going out for prime rib, try a new health food restaurant and enjoy a healthy (and Lenten) salad with grilled shrimp. In this way, you will be keeping the special event in perspective while still remembering that your faith comes first. Orthodoxy is a way of life, and it about time we start living it.

Here are the readings for today:

Epistle Reading: St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 12:1-10 (RSV) - BRETHREN, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation which addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage when you are punished by him. For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives." It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers to discipline us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father.
 Gospel Reading: Matthew 20:1-16 (RSV) - The Lord said this parable, "The kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; and to them he said, 'You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing; and he said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?' They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.' And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.' And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the householder, saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you, and go; I choose to give to this last as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or is your eye evil because I am good?' So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few are chosen."

Feel Defeated Yet?

The opening verse in today’s reading from Isaiah says it all! If you have welcomed the challenge of the Great Fast, by today you are feeling a bit defeated. Your body has already begun to react to the new diet and you may even be wondering if it is all worth it. YES! It IS worth it and you can and will survive. All you need to focus on is trusting the Church knows what she is doing. As I have said before, the Church has two thousand years of tried and tested methods to grow closer to God. The Church has experienced the Great Fast in all sorts of climates and political seasons. The life may be difficult, but anything worthy of your time deserves some effort.

Last night the Church offered you the opportunity to receive Holy Communion at a special and unique service known as the Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts also called Presanctified Liturgy. I tend to use both, so please don’t be confused. Did you attend Liturgy last night? Did you stop at the “Spiritual Rest Area” and rest your soul for the remainder of the week? The truth is you won’t be able to endure the entire Great Fast without allowing the Church life to surround you as protective wings. Without prayer and almsgiving, reading the Holy Scriptures, receiving Holy Confession and Holy Communion, the Great Fast is only a diet and will be destined to defeat you as nothing more than a radical diet.

The comforting part is that this is only the first week, and if you didn’t get everything just right this week, there are five more weeks of Great Lent before Holy Week. If you feel defeated, you’re not alone. Many have been where you are, and they have made it to the finish line. You will also! So chin up soldier of Christ. You haven’t been defeated.....you’ve just been knocked around a bit. The battle is still on!

Here are Today’s Readings:

Old Testament Readings: Isaiah 2:11-21 (RSV) - The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the pride of men shall be humbled; and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. For the Lord of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up and high; against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted up; and against all the oaks of Bashan; against all the high mountains, and against all the lofty hills; against every high tower, and against every fortified wall; against all the ships of Tarshish, and against all the beautiful craft.  And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the pride of men shall be brought low; and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.  And the idols shall utterly pass away.  And men shall enter the caves of the rocks and the holes of the ground, from before the terror of the Lord, and from the glory of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth. In that day men will cast forth their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, to the moles and to the bats, to enter the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs, from before the terror of the Lord, and from the glory of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth.
 Genesis 2:4-19 (RSV) - These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created. In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up -- for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground -- then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.  And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed.  And out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers.  The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; and the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there.  The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which flows around the whole land of Cush.  And the name of the third river is Tigris, which flows east of Assyria.  And the fourth river is the Euphrates. The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.  And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die." Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him."  So out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.
 Proverbs 3:1-18 (RSV) - My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; for length of days and years of life and abundant welfare will they give you. Let not loyalty and faithfulness forsake you; bind them about your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.  So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.  Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.  It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. Honor the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gets understanding, for the gain from it is better than gain from silver and its profit better than gold.  She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.  Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.  Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.  She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called happy.

No Worse for the Wear

Yesterday the Orthodox Christian world embarked upon our annual Great Fast. The Fast is a spiritual journey that many these days do not welcome, or at best do not understand. For many the Great Fast, also known as Great Lent, is about self-denial often misunderstood as punishment. Many still speak in terms of “what are you giving up this year” but this loses the point of the Great Fast.

While we do abstain from certain foods during this holy season, to limit the Great Fast merely to refusing ourselves the foods we love, reinforces the false dichotomy of body vs. soul. The Great Fast isn’t about defeating the body in favor of the soul, but conquering the passions in favor of God’s will. When we fast we are telling God that our relationship with Him is more important than what we choose to eat. In fact, fasting places a proper Orthodox perspective on food as nourishment for the body.

Yesterday, if we chose to accept it, was more of a jump start to this spiritual emphasis on our soul. If we were willing, today we can look back and realize that we are no worse for the wear. We didn’t die. We didn’t suffer an irreversible agony.  We may have been a bit hungry, but in the end we survived. I think ultimately that is the greatest benefit to fasting. We will survive despite our challenges and even in spite of our failings. Once we embrace this truth, the rest of our spiritual journey begins to appear much more appealing.

Here are the Scripture Readings for the 2nd Day of the Great Fast

Old Testament Readings: Isaiah 1:19-2:3 (RSV) - "If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." How the faithful city has become a harlot, she that was full of justice!  Righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers.  Your silver has become dross, your wine mixed with water.  Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves.  Every one loves a bribe and runs after gifts.  They do not defend the fatherless, and the widow's cause does not come to them. Therefore the Lord says, the Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel:  "Ah, I will vent my wrath on my enemies, and avenge myself on my foes.  I will turn my hand against you and will smelt away your dross as with lye and remove all your alloy.  And I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning.  Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city." Zion shall be redeemed by justice, and those in her who repent, by righteousness.  But rebels and sinners shall be destroyed together, and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed.  For you shall be ashamed of the oaks in which you delighted; and you shall blush for the gardens which you have chosen.  For you shall be like an oak whose leaf withers, and like a garden without water.  And the strong shall become tow, and his work a spark, and both of them shall burn together, with none to quench them. The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.  It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say:  "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths."  For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
 Genesis 1:14-23 (RSV) - And God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth."  And it was so.  And God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; he made the stars also.  And God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness.  And God saw that it was good.  And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. And God said, "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the firmament of the heavens."  So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind.  And God saw that it was good.  And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth."  And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
 Proverbs 1:20-33 (RSV) - Wisdom cries aloud in the street; in the markets she raises her voice; on the top of the walls she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:  "How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?  How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?  Give heed to my reproof; behold, I will pour out my thoughts to you; I will make my words known to you. Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded, and you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when panic strikes you, when panic strikes you like a storm, and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of my counsel, and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way and be sated with their own devices. For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacence of fools destroys them; but he who listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of evil."

Faith in Action

On the Sunday before fasting from meat begins, known as Meatfare Sunday and also the Sunday of Judgment, the Church reminds us that judgment comes not from the bad things that we do, but the good we choose not to do. Our judgment will be whether or not our heart and eyes can see the world as God sees the world. Do we see Jesus in every person? Do we treat others as if they are Christ? The answer to these questions is determined by how we are able to put our faith into action.

Always Be Aware

One of the great gifts of fasting is the training you receive when you are vigilant. Since the first days of the Church we have been asked to fast every (with a few exceptions) Wednesday and Friday. The only way to successfully pull this twice-a-week fast off, we must always be aware of what day it is? Is it Tuesday, then pepperoni pizza it is! Is it Friday, then PB&J for lunch! You might think the Church is asking us to worry too much about the calendar, but I suggest you are denying the added benefit of learning to be vigilant. Take a moment and ready today’s Gospel Reading:

Luke 21:8-9,25-27,33-36 (RSV) - The Lord said, "Take heed that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!' and, 'The time is at hand!'  Do not go after them.  And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified; for this must first take place, but the end will not be at once.  And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth distress of nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.  But take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a snare; for it will come upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth.  But watch at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of man."

This reading about learning to be vigilant and that God will bless such vigilance in our spiritual life. Fasting twice a week helps to teach this vigilance if we choose to embrace it. It is when we are conscious about our surroundings, then we can remember whether the calendar says Monday or Friday. Once we have learned to be aware, it becomes much easier to keep watch for the false teachers and antichrists that will continually work to distract us from God.

With the Great Fast approaching and tomorrow being the “last day” until Pascha that we will each meat, I invite you to view the coming weeks of fasting not as self-denial or just a spiritual diet, but “vigilance training” for your soul. The false teachers have been told to us by God Himself. They will and have come to lead you astray. “Take heed that you are not led astray!” Always be aware of your surroundings!

A Spiritual Journey

The period known as Triodion begins the annual journey as Orthodox Christians. It isn’t a journey to the beach or the ocean, but a spiritual journey during which we are invited by the Church to change our lives and live in Christ. The Orthodox Christian life isn’t just a series of rules which must be followed because they are rules. The life of the Church is about changing our lives and changing the way we view our relationship with God. We are much further from God than we think. The first Sunday of the Triodion, the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, sets us on our way with a reminder....the rules don’t get you to heaven. Our opportunity this year is to reconsider our life and follow the example of the tax collector. We are far away from God and we need His mercy in our life.

There’s Always Time for Cranberry Sauce

When Jesus healed a woman on the Sabbath, those who were watching complained because He “worked” on the Sabbath. They had forgotten there was an actual purpose for the Sabbath. In the same way, many of us look at the Church rules as just rules to follow. We spend so much time worrying about following the rules; we forget that the rules have an actual benefit for our lives. The weeks leading up to Christmas present a great opportunity to refocus our attention on what really matters. If only we could trust the Church enough to understand the meaning behind the rules, we could arrive at the Feast of Christmas with peace rather than a panic about making sure everything is in order for the dinner. There’s always time for cranberry sauce. This year, let’s get our soul ready for Christmas.

It is about time we start listening to the Church and ignore the world

When it comes to our physical health we would never tolerate a doctor not being honest about a serious illness. But when it comes to our spiritual health, many would rather ignore or deny that our soul is suffering with serious illness. Like the paralytic found in John 5.1-15 who says, “I have no man to put me into the pool,” many of us try to go it alone by dragging ourselves along while the healing is right in front of our face. Christ healed the paralytic and He can heal our soul when we take full advantage of the life of the Church He has given to us. Just as a medical doctor prescribes treatment, the Church has a treatment available to heal our soul. One problem seems to stand in the way. The world continues to lie to us about how sick our soul really is. We wouldn’t allow our friends to convince us to ignore our doctor; why do we allow society to convince us to ignore the Church?

 

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'll hope you'll join us. I'll be back in a moment after this video to share some information about our ministry.

Just as if we were going to the doctor's office and we had done all of our blood work and we have gone through all of these different tests, and we're sitting and we're waiting in the doctor's office, and we're waiting to hear the detailed report from the doctor. Is our blood work okay? Is our heart okay? Is this okay? Is that okay? We sit there in the doctor's office paying very close attention to the doctor. That's the kind of attention I want you to give today to the Gospel, because just as we go to the doctor to hear about our physical illness, we come to the Church to hear about our spiritual illness. I'm going to say that again. Just as we go to the doctor to hear about our physical illness, we come to the Church to hear about our spiritual illness.

The reality is my brothers and sisters we are all sick. We are all very sick, and if we had gone to our physical doctor and we were very sick, and we went in and we sat in the office, and the doctor came and he sat down next to us, "Hello, how are you doing? How was your morning? How was your garden?" We would say, "Fine, thank you. Now, get to the important things." The doctor said, "Good to see you. Okay, I'll see you next time." We would want our money back, or at least maybe our insurance company would want their money back, but we wouldn't tolerate that kind of behavior from our doctor. We would not stand for it one moment. We would go find another doctor, because what doctor in his good reputation would sit us down in his office just to say hello and to send us on our way. We want to know what's wrong with us inside.

That's the kind of attention we have to give to this morning's Gospel and to the Church. We are here to hear about our souls. We are not here this morning my brothers and sisters simply to have a nice conversation, "Hello, how are you? How is your garden? We'll see you next week." The reality is we are sick. Our souls are very sick, and I would hope that you would want the Church to be as honest with you as you would want your doctors to be. I would hope for the glory of God that if the Church came to us and listed the various spiritual sicknesses that are affecting us, we would want the Church to be honest. We wouldn't want the Church to lie to us, just like we wouldn't want to go to the doctor and have the doctor know that we have a terminal disease. We don't want to go to the doctor and have the doctor not tell us that we're dying of cancer. We want to know what's wrong with us.

So my brothers and sisters, this morning I'm here to tell you our souls are very sick. I'm sorry, but that's the truth. We are not like the man in this morning's Gospel. For 38 years, he was sick and had no one to help him. The cure was there waiting for him. All he had to do was get into the Pool of Bethesda. At certain times of the year, the Holy Spirit would go and he would turn up the waters, and according to the tradition, the first person in the pool would be healed from whatever disease he had, and so for this man, for 38 years, the cure was right in front of him, but he said to the Lord, "I have no man to put me into the pool."

He was all alone. We are not alone. We have the Church. We don't have the excuse any longer to say, "We don't have anyone to help us get better," so I am going to work on the understanding that we want to get better. I am going to work on the understanding that we are here today to hear how our soul can be healed by God, deal? You don't have to answer because that's the understanding I'm going to have anyway.

Here's the deal, our soul is suffering, and the world around us is playing games with it. The world around us my brothers and sisters continues to tell us that our soul doesn't matter. The world around us continues to tell us that there's no relationship between our body and our soul. The world here to tell us that men can interchange with women and women could become men. This is a lie. It is an absolute lie my brothers and sisters that these things don't matter to our eternal soul. It's about time we start listening to the Church and ignoring what the world has to say.

We wouldn't go to our doctor who tells us and shows us the Cat Scans and shows us the MRIs and shows us the blood work, and he says, "Look, you have cancer of the liver, you have to do something," and then we go outside and we have a cup of coffee with our friends, "Don't worry about your liver. You don't need your liver." We wouldn't do that, but that's exactly what we do when we're talking about our soul. We ignore the advice of the Church. We ignore the diagnosis of the Church, and I understand, none of us wants to be sick. You go to your doctor's office on a regular visit, and you hope that the checkup is okay. You hope to hear everything is just fine, but as we get older, we know that more and more things are going to go wrong with us. Our bodies begin to wear out.

As Greeks we say, γεράμετα. We have old age. We have the things that are simply part of getting old, but when the doctor gives us advice, we listen to it. If the doctor says, "You have to start going to the gym," we go to the gym. If the doctor says, "You have to stop eating sugar," we stop eating sugar. If the doctor says, "You have to stop eating red meat," we stop eating red meat. We do everything the doctor tells us to do, and we do almost nothing the Church tells us to do. Why is that? Is it simply because we don't believe that we are sick? Okay, but sometimes we go to the doctor thinking we're healthy, and this is the case especially with women who have been blessed in their annual exams to discover very early that they might have cancer. The doctors will tell us even before the symptoms are there, if we can catch certain illnesses early enough, we can be cured from them.

There are even times we go to the doctor thinking we're not sick, and the doctor finds something hidden in there. The doctor says, "Thankfully we found it early, and we can go and get it taken care of." The same is true with our soul. Even though we may not think our soul is sick, my brothers and sisters, it is in a terminal condition. If we do not begin taking seriously the life that God has given us in the Church, and that is the therapy, that is the way of life, that is the medicine of our soul. If the doctor tells us to take pills, we take pills. The doctor says, "Get exercise," we get exercise. The doctor says, "Change your way of life," we change our way of life.

The Church is telling us this morning my brothers and sisters all those same things. The first question that Christ asked the paralyzed man, 38 years he had been sick, Jesus says, "Well, do you want to be healed?" As if Christ is challenging the man. 38 years, you haven't done anything about this. Are you sure you want to be healed? Then once he is healed, Christ says, "Go sin no more, lest something even worse happens to you," and so we merely reiterate Christ's question this morning. My brothers and sisters, do you want your soul to be healed?

If you do, it's time to listen to the Church, and this is what the Church has to say. The way of life that has been going on for 2,000 years in the Church, fasting every Wednesday and Friday. If we're not even trying this, my brothers and sisters, we are ignoring the medicine and the therapy of the Church. The Sacramental Life, Holy Confession, Holy Communion, this is the therapy and medicine of the Church. If we are not participating, if we are not taking advantage of the Sacramental Life of the Church, we are ignoring the therapy and our soul continues to get more and more sick, the way of life of the Church, taking care of the poor, living a holy life.

Unfortunately, many of us struggle with greed and selfishness. The poor can take care of themselves. I did it, they can do it. Nobody helped me, why should I help them? Those lazy good-for-nothings, let them get up their feet and get a job. All of these answers my brothers and sisters is ignoring the therapy of the Church. Those answers are not helping our soul. Ultimately, coming to Church as often as we can, participating in all of the services of the Church not just Divine Liturgy once a month or once every couple months, but Divine Liturgy every Sunday, Orthros, Paraklesis, Great Vespers, the Blessing of the Waters that we celebrate most months on the First of the month.

The services of the Church my brothers and sisters is the therapy for our soul, and we wonder sometimes why we struggle with depression. We wonder why we struggle with anxiety. We wonder why we struggle with these struggles, because God is not a real part of our life. We are like this man thinking that we can simply drag ourselves along and we're thinking we're going to get better, but we need God, and God has given us His Church, and so brothers and sisters, we are in this wonderful Pascha season and we are greeting each other with Christos Anesti, Christ is Risen! In this greeting, it's supposed to bring us joy and hope that the sickness and the struggles of the world have been conquered once and for all.

We don't have to sit by the pool and drag ourselves along. We can be made better by God, but we have to cooperate with him. We have to take advantage of the tools that he has given us in his Church, and so my challenge for you this morning my brothers and sisters, summer is coming, I know some of you are planning to travel to Greece. I know when you're there, you're going to have Churches there to go to, but for those of us who are still here, don't take the summer off from Church. If it's Sunday morning, be in Church on time, and if you just start there, making a commitment to God and to yourself, if it is Sunday morning, I am going to be in Church unless I am physically ill or unless something is completely beyond my control.

If we're not willing to make that level of a commitment for our soul, then it's like telling the doctor, "Don't worry doc, I think I know how to deal with this cancer thing myself. I don't have to worry about your therapy." We wouldn't do it with our bodies, and I'm asking you that we don't do it any longer with our soul. We owe it to our soul to give it the attention that it needs so we can be cured by God as well. Christos Anesti! Christ is Risen! Christos Voskrese! Christos a Inviat! Chistos Anesti!

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 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 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.

I think I just miss food

It is the third day of Pascha and I’m filled up with all sorts of delicious foods, not one of them can be classified as a vegetable. I’ve eaten so many different foods the past 48 hours I’m filled up to my throat. I’ve even been drinking a lot of water to which is both good for me and helps me feel full. But I’m still hungry...

Then it occurred to me that I’m not hungry. I just miss food. After so many weeks of fasting according to the traditions of the Church, I’ve lost 22 pounds and never really felt hungry. I ate smaller meals and healthier meals at that! Now that the fast is over and I can eat whatever I wish (this week anyway) I have been going back and forth to the cupboard looking for something else to eat.

This is the time each year I REALLY struggle with self control. I admit that I have issues with eating, most times even acknowledging that I have a food addiction. From the addiction point of view I have been on a 48 hour binge very similar to an alcoholic falling off the wagon. Now is the danger zone for me. Will I get back in control, which I so enjoyed during the Fast, or will I keep eating and lose any ground I gained (or lost as the case might be) with my addiction?

If you look back to what I said “It finally starts” at the beginning of Great Lent, and also what I said in my blog post, “Healthy Body AND Soul” and you will remember how we understand the connection between our physical and spiritual life. Before I find myself on a “sin binge” like my eating binge, I better figure this self control thing out. Thankfully, next week the normal Wednesday-Friday fast will be back, and I can get back at it. I have to keep reminding myself, I’m not hungry. I just miss food.

Arise O God and Judge the Earth

On Holy and Great Saturday we gather in the early morning for what is known as the First, or Small, Resurrection. The Great Vespers of Pascha includes prophecies from Jonah in which we witness the resurrection of Christ foretold to us centuries before it ever took place. Then something glorious takes place after the Old Testament Readings and Epistle.

Instead of the normal Alleluia verses, the Church rings out with bells and singing. “Arise O God and judge the Earth, for You shall rule all nations through Your inheritance.” Bay leaves fly through the Church as even the Earth celebrates the announcement that Christ is no longer in the Tomb.

The Church celebrates Christ’s journey to Hades and His raising of Adam and Eve, John the Baptist and the rest of the righteous men and women of the Old Testament. The Church celebrates Christ rescuing us from death.

Today is the ONLY Saturday of the entire year when strict fasting is practiced to commemorate Christ’s time in Hades. We will celebrate with Him again when He is resurrected. Until tonight, we celebrate in anticipation of His victory. 

The Proof is not in eating, but in living

Are you proud of the fast you have kept this year for Great Lent? You may want to take a step back and ask yourself if you have truly fasted, or was it just a diet. Many Orthodox Christians proudly boast of their ability to keep the strict fast, some even reading lengthy ingredients lists on package label. CLICK HERE for a sermon about the Publican and the Pharisee to hear about the danger of being proud during the Fast. But what about the rest of your life? Did you really fast? In today’s reading from Isaiah we are warned, quite harshly in fact, that the fast desired by God has nothing to do with eating and everything to do with living.

Isaiah 58:1-11 - Thus says the LORD: "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins.  Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God.  'Why have we fasted, and thou seest it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and thou takest no knowledge of it?' Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers.  Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high.  Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a rush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the LORD?  "Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?  Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?  Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you, the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.  Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, "Here I am." "If you take away from the midst of you the yoke, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.  And the LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your desire with good things, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

With just a few days left of the fast, here are few questions to ask yourself...

• Have I fasted, but walked with pride?
• Have I fasted, but worked to choose my own path and agenda?
• Have I fasted, but refused to help others get set free from selfishness?
• Have I fasted, but pointed my finger at the sin of others?

Great Lent can be a time for salvation or condemnation. The proof is not in the eating but the living. Thankfully it isn’t too late. You still have time.

• Without giving up the fast, live a life worthy of the fast.
• Without giving up the fast, help the poor.
• Without giving up the fast, help a friend in need find hope in Christ.
• Without giving up the fast, confess your own sin without considering the sin of others.
• Without giving up the fast, spend the next week working for someone else’s agenda.

You Can't Climb to Heaven until You Renounce the World

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. 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.

As we are celebrating today the memory of a holy man in our Church history, St. John of the Ladder, we call him, St. John the Climacus, because he wrote a book called On the Ladder of Divine Ascent. Today, the Church commemorates this holy saint.

This book that he wrote, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, I put these different steps in your Church bulletins but I want to begin this morning by drawing your attention to the first step. If you have your bulletins, look at your bulletin. Step number one on the divine ascent, how to get to heaven, step number one, it says on the renunciation of the world.

We are in the middle of our Great Lenten journey, a period of increased fasting, a period of increased Church attendance, a period of increased prayer, a period of increased scripture reading, a period of increased helping of the poor. All of this, my brothers and sisters, if we are living the life of the Church, all of this has been given to us this many weeks and we still have a couple of weeks left so we can focus on this first step that St. John is reminding us of. Until we can renounce the world, we cannot climb to heaven. I'm going to say that again because it's incredibly important. Until we are able to renounce the world, we cannot climb to heaven. We cannot, my brothers and sisters, hold on to the earthly things to our comforts, to our wealth, to the ways of life of the world, and still try and reach heaven. It is not possible.

That's what our Great Lenten journey is about: understanding, accepting, embracing, and practicing renouncing the world. That was the message last week when we talked about the holy cross. We talked about our suffering. This week, we're going to look further now with the understanding that we want to get to heaven and that we have chosen to let go of the worldly things. It's a big presumption because it holds us so strongly.

We are so bound to our worldly things. We are so bound to the way we want to do things in life. We live in a culture, as we know, that reinforces this mentality. We live in a culture that reinforces the idea that we can have whatever we want whenever we want it, as much as we want it. Anyone that we see that doesn't agree with us, we find ways to get them out of our way so we can have and we can collect and we can gather all of these worldly realities to our life. That includes sometimes even in the face of sickness.

As I mentioned last week, the Cross is an understanding of suffering. In this morning's Gospel, you see a man whose son was suffering and it says that he bought his son to the apostles and the apostles couldn't save his son so he comes to Christ and he says, "If you can do anything, your apostles couldn't do anything," as if to tell God, "Why is it not happening like I want, God?"

If we're honest with ourselves, we will admit that we have been in the same place as this father many times in our life. It may not necessarily be with physical illness but if we are honest with ourselves, just how many times have we placed ourselves in the position of saying, "God, it hasn't happened yet like I want it to. Come on, God. Can't you do something for me?" It could be a job, it could be a relationship, it could even be something as simple as building a new home for our family. We find ourselves constantly impatient with what God has to offer us because we want it now on our terms. We want health, we want wealth, we want comforts now. We don't want to wait.

Our Lord, being the complete loving and patient God, says, "Oh, you faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me." God is ever so patient with us, my brothers and sisters. Even in those moments of complete selfish begging that we do in front of our icons, we want it now, we want it on our terms, even at those moments when we're completely ignoring what God has asked us to do in life, He turns to us and says, "How long am I going to be with you until you realize that these worldly things are not what's going to bring us happiness?" These comforts in life are not going to be what sets us on a firm foundation for the future. In the patience of God, He's going to say to us, "How long am I going to bear with you, my children, until you realize that you have to be willing to let go of all these things if you want to join Me in heaven," the Lord is saying.

He says, "Bring him here to Me." There's the center, middle section of the Gospel, which is the dialogue between Him and the boy and the demon and the fathers. The demons throw the boy into the fire and he's suffering and the boy is healed. God was going to heal him but He wanted the people to understand that we have to have patience in life when it comes to the things that we are asking from God. The apostles pull him privately and they say, "Excuse me, God, Lord. Don't you remember you told ..." This isn't how it's written in here but you can imagine how the apostles are thinking now. "Remember, Lord, you told us that we had the power to cast out demons. How come we couldn't cast out this demon?" Our Lord says, "This particular kind of demon can only go out through prayer and fasting."

It is only when we have the patience to put our complete faith in God, it is only when we're willing through fasting to let go of all of the worldly pressures in our life, all of the worldly desires in our life, only then will this demon be able to come out of us. That's what Great Lent is all about, renouncing the world, patiently praying to our Lord. What did the father say? "I believe. Help my unbelief." That should be our call, my brothers and sisters. You wouldn't be here this morning if you didn't somewhat believe. You wouldn't be here this morning sitting in this Church if there wasn't some kernel of faith in your heart.

You know, as a parenthesis, I love the way the modern Greek translates this particular verse. The modern Greek says, "I believe. Help me, however." [GREEK] "Help me, however, because my faith is weak." It is in prayer and fasting in this wonderful Great Lenten journey that the Church gives us that we are going to strengthen our faith, my brothers and sisters. It is in this prayer and fasting of this Great Lenten season that we're going to learn that we don't always have to follow the ways of the world to put our children and our families on a sure foundation for the future. God is our foundation.

Just as one final reminder, St. Paul reminding us that God in his ultimate patience came and set up a covenant for us. He made an oath because he knew that we were weak. St. Paul says, "Thus, God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise," that's us, "the immutability of his council, confirmed by an oath that by two immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope," St. Paul says, "we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, in which enters the presence behind the veil where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus having become high priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek."

The Lord has given us a promise, my brothers and sisters, and He doesn't go back on His promises. The promise is that He is going to bring us with Him to heaven. That is our hope. Our hope is not in a college education or in a good job or a sizable estate to hand down to our children. That is not our hope. That is the hope of the world. As St. John of the Ladder writes, In just step one, on the renunciation of the world. We cannot climb up to heaven until we're willing to leave all of these things beside.  Through prayer and fasting, we can accomplish just that and we can cast that demon out of our life and be raised with Christ into heaven.

That's our call this week, my brothers and sisters. In your daily prayers, throughout the day at noon every moment on your lips should be the words, this week, "I believe, Lord. Help my unbelief." God has already promised to strengthen that belief through prayer and fasting, which is our Great Lenten journey. 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 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 S Cashua Dr, Florence, South Carolina 29501 or online at our website at www.LiveANewLifeInChrist.org.

You Don’t Have to Leave

There are two weeks left of Great Lent, and yesterday the Church reminded us, through the commemoration of Saint John of the Ladder, that the first step of journey in our climb to heaven is our need to renounce the world. In the next two weeks, as you prepare for Holy Week, take a few moments to consider how you renounce the world every day.

As Christians we often say we live in the world but are not of the world. The reason we are called ‘saints’ is to affirm the reality that our live is found not in or on the Earth but in heaven. Our hope and future rest in heaven. Yesterday Saint Paul reminded us, “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 6.19-20)

Our Great Lenten journey has been about shifting our hope from worldly desires to heaven. Your fasting and prayer will do much these next two weeks to assist you in your goal to renounce the world, but you don’t have to leave. Leaving would be an act of cowardice, but living in the world but not desiring the world is an act of courage.

Sweet to the soul

Do you desire God? This past Sunday, Jesus said, “Whoever DESIRES to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.“ (Mark 8.34) It is not by accident that Christ focuses upon our desires when He speaks of salvation. In creating human beings God grants to each one of us the complete and total FREE WILL. Then He invites us to follow Him and love Him. If He had not granted us free will, then our following Him would not be an act of love, but mere obedience. But God wants us to love Him.

Today’s reading from Proverbs begins, “A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul; but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.” (Proverbs 13.19) We have to be careful when we read this verse, because it would be too easy to immediately presume that ANYTHING we desire would be sweet to our soul. After all the verse doesn’t have a limitation to desire, except to extend the verse to include an inspiration to turn away from evil. Here is the complete reading from Proverbs:

A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul; but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.  He who walks with wise men becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.  Misfortune pursues sinners, but prosperity rewards the righteous.  A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous.  The fallow ground of the poor yields much food, but it is swept away through injustice.  He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.  The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, but the belly of the wicked suffers want.  Wisdom builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down.  He who walks in uprightness fears the LORD, but he who is devious in his ways despises him.  The talk of a fool is a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will preserve them.  Where there are no oxen, there is no grain; but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.  A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness breathes out lies.  A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding.  Proverbs 13:19-14:6)

When you consider the entire passage from today, you can appreciate the danger of picking just one verse and building an entire theology around that verse. But that is exactly what so many Christians in today’s world strive to accomplish. Today’s passage is definitely attempting to urge to holy living, which is we desire it, will be sweet to our soul.

That really is what Great Lent is about, desiring the holy life. With the Great Fast having such a huge focus during Great Lent, it helps to put into action the very warnings in today’s reading from Proverbs. If we desire to turn away from evil, if we desire to be wise, if we desire to be satisfied, if we desire abundance.....then we will seek the wisdom of God, but we can’t seek God’s wisdom so long as we are focused on pleasing ourselves.

Take a moment today and reflect on how you have been focusing on your own desires rather than the desire of God. Then take a good look in the mirror and say to yourself, “I desire God. I will deny myself and follow Him to the Cross.” Great Lent is a journey that must be desired if it is to have any benefit. But if you desire it, it will be sweet to your soul.