What Keeps You Away from God?

We like to think we want to be with God in heaven, but when we hear what is expected of us, how many times do we turn away from God and walk away? We hear of a rich man in Matthew 19.16-26 who said he wanted eternal life, but when God told him he had to sell everything and give it all to the poor, he left sad. For this man, it was money. What keeps you away from God?

 

All Sin is Against God

Jesus calls us each of us to forgive others from our heart or risk eternal torment. Many however find it difficult to forgive others because we feel the pain of the sin. In Psalm 50 we pray, “Against You only have I sinned and done that which is evil in your sight.” If our sin is only against God, then all sin is only against God. Maybe when we come to terms with the truth, then we can more easily forgive.

 

Beware of Spiritual Carcinogens

I am often asked why I get so worked up when I “see” Orthodox Christians involved in other spiritual environments, whether it be attending a nondenominational Bible study or getting exercise with yoga. For me it all boils down to the environment we place our vulnerable soul, and risk of what I refer to as spiritual carcinogens.

Spiritual Carcinogens – defined (by me) as the bits and pieces of heresy and foreign spiritual concepts floating in the air during any non-Orthodox Christian event.

Spiritual Carcinogens can be bad theology about the Personhood of Jesus Christ and His Economy of Salvation, or totally non-Christian influences such as pagan religious concepts. They are found not only in religious organizations, but in schools and throughout the media. Like other more common carcinogens that affect our physical bodies, they make up a constant barrage of foreign elements that can, if left unnoticed, cause serious damage to our soul.

Some common warning signs that you might be exposed to a spiritual carcinogen include the statement, “Your Church is behind the times,” or, “Your Church shouldn’t try to control you,” or, “You don’t really believe I would hurt you do you?” Lest we forget the first spiritual carcinogen in history, “You will not surely die.” (Genesis 3.4) Anything….ANYTHING….that teaches the Church is wrong should come as a warning sign that you are in the presence of a spiritual carcinogen.

What should we do if we have find that we have been in contact with spiritual carcinogens? The first step is to step away from the danger and return to the Church.

STOP attending non-Orthodox Christian Bible studies

STOP attending non-Orthodox Christian worship services

STOP getting exercise through yoga

STOP the behavior…

START attending Holy Confession

START attending more Orthodox Christian church services and classes

START reading the Holy Fathers’ interpretations of the Scriptures

START reinforcing Orthodox Christian behavior in your daily life

As with anything foreign influence in our bodies, our souls can be healed by God and our willingness to turn away from the dangerous behavior in favor of blessed behavior in the Church. It is never too late to be healed by God, but the longer you wait the more difficult it will be to purge the carcinogen from your system.

Start TODAY!

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.

The evil eye has no power

In a discussion of what to do with wedding crowns, the question was asked if something would happen to us if our ex-spouse threw away our wedding crowns after the divorce. In truth, we cannot be hurt by the actions of others. As Orthodox Christians, we do not believe in curses, bad luck and most especially the “evil eye”. It is enough to believe in the power of God for our protection, although sometimes our faith is weak. Thankfully the Church offers us prayers and blessings even in our weakness.

How do we dispose of blessed objects?

The question was asked, “What should we do with the Sunday Bulletin when we are finished reading, since it has an icon on the cover. Can it be thrown away?” This is a wonderful and thoughtful question which reflects a deep faith and love for the Lord and His Church. There is a simple answer, but as with many questions about our Faith, there is always more to the question than meets the eye?

Disposing of Blessed Objects

The question was asked, “What should we do with the Sunday Bulletin when we are finished reading, since it has an icon on the cover. Can it be thrown away?” This is a wonderful and thoughtful question which reflects a deep faith and love for the Lord and His Church. There is a simple answer, but as with many questions about our Faith, there is always more to the question than meets the eye?

When the time come to dispose of blessed objects in the Church such as icons, bibles, communion clothes, Altar covers etc, the proper thing to do is they should be burned in a reverent manner and the ashes should be placed in the garden rather than the garbage. I always invite members of the Church to bring “old” items such as bibles and icons to the Church to be burned properly. But where does that leave the Sunday bulletin? There is an icon on the cover. Does that mean the Bulletin should be burned every Sunday?

That is where the answer becomes a bit more complicated. Yes, there is an icon on the cover, but it has not been blessed. Does that mean we should treat the bulletin cover as a sacred object, or just another piece of paper? In the case of the Sunday bulletin it is neither sacred nor just another piece of paper. I have known people who cut out the icon from their Sunday bulletin and use the icons for special Sunday School craft projects, or to send to missionaries who don’t have the blessings to have permanent Church and icons as we have in the United States. I also known many who throw their Sunday bulletin in the trash when they are finished reading. Neither option is more correct than the other since the bulletin has not been blessed. Intent is everything!

While the Sunday bulletin cover may not be sacred and can be thrown away, that does not mean we should treat it with disrespect. It does have a holy image on the cover. For example, it would be wrong to use the bulletin cover to show anger toward God. It would be wrong to stab holes in the cover, or to use the cover for target practice. Intent is everything!

Here is a list of items that should NOT be thrown in the trash:

Bibles; Icons that have been blessed in the Church; any items that have been used in worship and prayer; any items that have been on the Holy Altar of God; Communion clothes; wicks from oil candles on our home altar; left over antidoron, artoclasia, or kolyva including crumbs; prayer lists; etc. If there is a doubt, consider the use of the item and the intent. If the items was used as part of your prayer to God, then it should not be thrown away.

Questions and Answers: Baptizing Children

The question of when the Orthodox Church began to baptize children and babies is a simple answer. We have been baptizing children along with their family since the very beginning of the Church. But this week’s “Ask Father Sermon” expands the topic to include WHY we baptize children and makes the case of taking seriously our life in Christ in the Church.

Freedom

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” These famous words from the Declaration of Independence set in motion a national consciousness committed to defend and promulgate the ideal of freedom here and abroad that has endured for over two hundred years. This freedom though comes with responsibility. And as with any gift we receive, we are obliged to respond with gratitude to the one who gives.

Whether some choose to acknowledge it or not, it is God that ultimately is the grantor of the freedom that we hold so dear in our nation and His gift of freedom comes with the expectation that it is used for the glory of God and not our own glory. As Saint Paul writes, “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful.” (1 Corinthians 6.12) It appears that Saint Paul was keenly aware that there would be times when we might freely choose something that would cause us harm. It goes without saying that I have the freedom to climb to the highest building and throw myself off the roof, but who would dare suggest this action would be helpful?

What should our response be to God for this freedom? All He asks is that we love each other. “Love is the fulfillment of the Law.” (Romans 13.10) How can we continue to allow our fellow human beings to suffer with hunger and homelessness if we love them? How can we continue to allow our fellow human beings to suffer the wrath of alcohol and drug addiction if we love them? How can we continue to ignore the needs of others when we have been so richly blessed by God? How can we continue to watch innocent babies slaughtered at the hands of doctors sworn by an oath to “do no harm?” We cannot!

This week I invite you to honor freedom! There are steps we can take that will show our love for our fellow human beings. First we must pray for each other that our hearts be opened to God’s call for a relationship with Him. Second we must live every moment as if we love Him. “If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar.” (1 John 4.20) Finally, we must take the time in our personal lives to help others, either by volunteering at local charities or by supporting those efforts to the best of our ability.

May God continue to bless America!

+ Fr Athanasios Haros

Do You Have to be Orthodox to be Saved?

This week’s “Ask Father” sermon is a follow up last week’s question, “If we believe that Orthodox is the true faith, ten why don’t we evangelize?” In the setting of the Sunday of All Saints, we discuss why it is important to be Orthodox and what it really means to live as an Orthodox Christian.

Where is Christ?

From a local charity...

We continue to grow both in membership and our ability to adapt to the changing needs of our community. We have nurtured lasting bonds of friendship and have built a legacy of service. Since 1927, we have treated those suffering from disease and physical ailments, fed the hungry, provided clean water for the thirsty, educated those who yearn for knowledge, built playgrounds and recreation centers for the youth of our community, sheltered the homeless in disaster areas, combated Polio on a global basis, and provided financial support to local school groups and community organizations. And we have fun doing it! We are dedicated to working together for the well being of our community, our nation, and the world!

I read this on the social media page of a local charity and it occurred to me that many Christians this statement defines a good Church as well. There is one drastic element missing from this description if it is to properly describe the Church.....where is Christ? The Christian life is not about feeding the hungry or providing water to the thirst, even though Christ calls us to this actual work. If we take seriously the call of Christ to live in communion with the Holy Trinity, then we must realize that our actions must emanate FROM our communion with God. Anyone can do good things, but only a Christian serves others because he loves Christ.

UNITY: It’s What God Wants

Shortly before our Lord ascended the Holy Cross, He prayed for us to “be one” as He is one with the Father. The Church has struggled for centuries with this dilemma as we are fallen human beings. We tend to gather in separate groups. If we are going to answer the call of Jesus Christ, we must learn to put aside the different groups in favor of being ONE Church, ONE family, ONE Body of Christ.

Some Choose to be Blind

On the Sunday of the Blind Man, the sixth Sunday of Pascha, the Church once again offers a chance for us to see and believe in the power and majesty of God. Unfortunately many of us choose to remain consumed in our own reality and blind to the truth of God. We say we believe, but we do not live as if God is real in our life. We remain blind to our own sinfulness thinking instead about our self-righteousness. We have seen the Light; now we should live by it instead of remaining blind.

There is always enough

Many Churches are faced with the issue of resources. Will there be enough money? Are then enough volunteers? Do we have enough seats in the Church for more people? These are daily struggles (or struggles similar to them) that every Orthodox Christian parish faces in America. Today’s Gospel has the answer.

Today’s Gospel Reading: John 6:5-14 (RSV) - At that time, Jesus, lifting up his eyes and seeing that a multitude was coming to him, said to Philip, "How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?" This he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, "Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little." One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are they among so many?" Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place; so the men sat down, in number about five thousand. Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, that nothing may be lost." So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign which he had done, they said, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world!"

Everything we possess comes from God, even if we think we “worked for it” all our life. Our financial resources, our talents, our knowledge, even our very life was given to us by God. Each of these gifts has been a cooperative effort between God, us, and many times the efforts and time of others. Just as it was a cooperative effort between Christ and a young lad to feed more than five thousand, Christ depends upon our cooperation to reach out to those around us.

Next time you wonder if your Church will have enough resources to take seriously its role in feeding the spiritual poor (and physically poor) with the Gospel of Christ, remember that when you are cooperating with God, not only will there be enough, there will be plenty left over!

Truth is Never Relative

It is a common ideal today to think of truth as “my truth” vs. “your truth” in many circles. I’m sure you have participated in conversations during which one person said, “You believe what you believe and I believe what I believe.” Of course belief is not synonymous with truth, since each of us is free to believe as we wish without the burden of any proof. In fact since faith cannot easily be proved, in times of religious discussions we are often forced to admit our faith is based upon our desire to believe, but we should not confuse our desire to believe with whether or not something is the truth. Truth is truth, and two opposites cannot both be true. Red cannot be green.

In today’s reading from the Gospel According to Saint John Jesus declares the devil as the “father of lies” and challenges us to make a choice. Is the devil our father or is God our Father? We cannot have it both ways. Either we follow the devil or we follow God. Both cannot be true as they are opposites. Take a moment and read today’s Gospel...

Today’s Gospel Reading: John 8.42-51 (RSV) - The Lord said to the Jews who came to him, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I proceeded and came forth from God; I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But, because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? He who is of God hears the words of God; the reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God." The Jews answered him, "Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?" Jesus answered, "I have not a demon; but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it and he will be the judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if any one keeps my word, he will never see death."

In 2013 Gordon-Conwell Seminary reported more than 43,000 denominations of Christianity existed worldwide. I suspect several thousand have been added since then, all with one thing in common. Each denomination and it alone, declares it has the truth about Jesus Christ. If that were not bad enough, some may even subscribe to the “there is more than one truth” mentality. How can it be that 43,000 different answers to, “Who is Jesus Christ,” all be correct? It is a mathematical impossibility.

There are many among those 43,000 who accuse the Church of false teachings. Many also who subscribe to the “Sola Scriptura” mantra, while ignoring the promise of Christ that the Church would possess the fullness of the truth. “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” (John 16.13)

The Holy Apostles had the fullness of the truth as a gift of the Holy Spirit, and the Orthodox Church is vehemently loyal to that truth. If the Holy Apostles said it, we can trust it. Anything outside that witness of the Holy Apostles cannot be trusted to be the truth. So what now? When we find something which conflicts with the teachings of the Holy Apostles, we have a choice. Which do we believe? Both cannot be true? One is the truth; one is a lie. One is from God; one is from the devil. You know which side Be Transfigured Ministries is on, and we invite you to side with us. Choose the Church which is loyal to the teachings as given to us by the Holy Apostles who have been guided into all truth.

Women of Faith

We honor our mother during Mothers’ Day each year in honor of the great efforts they have made in raising us. They do everything for us, and without them we would be and have nothing, but the most important thing they offer to us is to bring us to Church. Without our mothers we would have not faith. They are courageous, strong, and faithful women who are the bedrock of our lives. We honor them with gifts and flowers, luncheons and presentations, but the greatest gift we can give to our mothers is to live a life in Christ. The real honor we offer our mothers is to have a relationship with Christ.

 

Are you alive?

Each of us likes to think we are alive. As a population we spend trillions of dollars in fact to stay alive. Most of us try our best to eat healthy food and to live active healthy lives in order to be alive longer. Many of us even have memberships to fitness centers. Some of us actually use those memberships. We are consumed with being alive and being alive as long as possible. And yet....most of us are dead.

Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6.53-54) We spend so much time and energy feeding and nurturing our bodies, we forget our soul may be dead.

The call of Christ is quite clear. If we do not receive Holy Communion (the body and blood of Christ) we HAVE NO LIFE. We may think we are alive. Our bodies may be walking and talking and earning lots of money, but we are nothing more than spiritual zombies. I often hear people confess, “My faith in very important to me,” but can’t remember the last time they received Holy Communion. We pride ourselves in knowing the Scriptures (some even attend non Orthodox Christian Bible studies which is VERY dangerous) but never receive Holy Communion. Need I remind you that Cleopas was face to face with Christ but could not recognize Him until they had Communion? (see Luke 24.18-35)

The Orthodox Christian way of life is not about memorizing facts and historical dates. Nor is it about learning which of the Apostles lived in which cites, although it is all helpful. The Orthodox Christian way of life is a life IN COMMUNION with God, which at its core is celebrated in the Holy Eucharist-Holy Communion-the Divine Liturgy.

Next time you consider how important your faith is, ask yourself, “When was the last time I received Holy Communion in Church?” Then turn to the Church and begin to live the life given to us by Christ and His Church. It is the way of life. If it has been a long time since you received Holy Communion, I invite you to contact your local Orthodox Christian priest and schedule Holy Confession and a discussion about returning to a life in communion with God. 

Are you an apostle of Christ?

The Church often speaks about “making disciples” as in integral part of our mission. Christ Himself said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen,” (Matthew 28.19-20) but what about apostles? Who is an apostle? More importantly, are YOU an apostle?

The word “apostle” means “one who is sent” and similar to the term “saint” it can be considered either with a capital “A” or “a”. (Saints are those who the Church lifts up in an official capacity as some worthy of modeling our life around, while saints are each of us Christians working to live holy lives.) The Apostles were those sent directly from God to go out and lead the Church. We normally think of the Twelve, but there were also The Seventy (Luke 10.1-17) who were also sent out by God. Today the Church commemorates one of Twelve known as Simon the Zealot.

Have you ever considered you were also an apostle with a “small” a? You were sent out too, as part of every Divine Liturgy. “Let us go forth in peace...” are the words which open the dismissal prayers of the Divine Liturgy. Just as Christ said, “Go therefore...” the Church says, “Go!” Being a Christian is more than just being a disciple. Being a Christian includes being an apostle.

You Are Not Alone

On the Fourth Sunday of Pascha, known as the Sunday of the Paralytic, we hear of a young man who thought he was all alone. When Jesus asked him, “Do you want to be made well,” his response was, “I have no man.” He was not alone, and you are not alone. You have the Church and you have God. Together nothing is impossible.

When Belief is no longer Belief

In today’s Gospel reading, our Lord tells those who claimed to believe in Him that they did not in fact believe. I share both the selection for today and the longer theme reading because it helps to better understand the context of belief in Christ. Many of us say we believe, but we live in a such a way that we must not actually believe, or at a minimum believe incorrectly. Take a moment and read both selections below.

Today’s Gospel Reading: John 6:35-39 (RSV) - The Lord said to the Jews who believed in him: "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me; and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day."

Here is the longer theme: (John 6. 22-59)On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone --however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?" Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him." Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? "Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' " Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. "For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always." And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. "But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. "This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. "And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day." The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven." And they said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, 'I have come down from heaven'?" Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur among yourselves. "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. "It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. "Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father. "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. "I am the bread of life. "Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. "This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world." The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?" Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. "For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. "As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. "This is the bread which came down from heaven -- not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever." These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.

I have blogged many times on the importance of Holy Communion and allowing our belief in Jesus Christ to actually form the manner in which we live. I also have blogged many times in the importance of “deny yourself” which I often refer to as “get over yourself” as the first and most critical step to follow Our Lord into heaven. Today’s reading is a perfect example of what I am saying.

• IF we believe that Jesus Christ is God, then why would we ever not be as prepared as possible (since we are never truly worthy) to receive Holy Communion.
• IF we believe that Jesus Christ is God, then why would be continue to insist on satisfying our physical needs rather than uniting our soul to God?

So the Lord challenges our claim to belief. Do we believe? Then let’s prove it! Let’s learn to live according to the way of life given to us by God and His Church IN ORDER THAT we may learn to deny ourselves and follow Christ into heaven. Don’t wait for that face-to-face moment with Christ to hear the words “And yet you do not believe.”