It’s easy to be confused

Have you ever read something in the Bible and wondered why you didn’t understand the words the same way the Church taught? It can be really easy to read the Holy Scriptures and come to your own conclusion about the meaning of the text, but chances are you will be wrong as often as you are correct. Even the same disciples who would eventually become the Holy Apostles didn’t always get it right when they were first following Jesus. Of course once the Holy Spirit came upon them at Pentecost, they were guided into all truth as Jesus promised. What’s the lesson for us today? Look at today’ Gospel Reading.

Mark 9:33-41 (RSV) - At that time, Jesus and his disciples came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you discussing on the way?"  But they were silent; for on the way they had discussed with one another who was the greatest.  And he sat down and called the twelve; and he said to them, "If any one would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all."  And he took a child, and put him in the midst of them; and taking him in his arms, he said to them, "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me."  John said to him, "Teacher, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he was not following us."  But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him; for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon after to speak evil of me.  For he that is not against us is for us.  For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ, will by no means lose his reward."

The difference between our lack of understand the Holy Apostles rests only in our willingness to allow Christ to transform our understanding to be along His desires. While He walked with the disciples, He was continually teaching. He continues to teach, through the Church, for those of us willing to listen and learn. It’s easy to be confused, but if you are willing to be guided by the Holy Spirit who works through the Church, then your confusion will lead to truth.

Patron Saints and Welcoming the Holy Spirit

This week there are two questions in our “Ask Father” series. Our first question, “Why are some Patron Saints more popular and more recognized than others?” explains why some names are more popular than others in the Church. The tradition of being named after a Saint or event in the life of Christ is an ancient but sometimes confusing tradition. Our second question, “How should we prepare our homes and our life for the Holy Spirit?” continues to follow-up with the issue of welcoming the Holy Spirit into our life. The simplest answer is “we should live the life of the Church.”

 

The Fruit of Political Rhetoric

I have chosen for many months to remain silent on the recent various blog posts and news stories about the “Black Lives Matter” movement and numerous response slogans which were, depending upon all positive discretion, expressed with good intentions. But as I awoke this morning to the details of last night’s violence in Dallas, Texas, I can no longer remain silent.

The political rhetoric of recent months is bearing fruit, and I’m sure it is fruit worthy of consumption, as the Lord said, “The tree is known by its fruit.” (Matthew 12.33) The fruit of so much political rhetoric proves to me the intentions have not been as innocent as we may have first been led to believe. Among the acceptable definitions of rhetoric, Merriam Webster includes, “insincere or grandiloquent language.” Either the rhetoric has been insincere, or the desired affect was violence in the first place. Either way, the fruit has been the same, rotten.

So what is the solution? Clearly it cannot be more insincere rhetoric, unless we desire more violence. In order for our conversation to heal the wound of hatred and racism, we must begin with the Love of Christ and the peace that comes through living a life dedicated to Him rather than our own agenda. A life dedicated to Christ is a life filled with the Holy Spirit, and that life also bears much fruit. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5.22-23)

Having just completed the 43^rd Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, and being inspired by the many inspiring words of Archbishop Demetrios, Geron (Elder) of America, throughout the Congress, he inspired us with the challenge, “You are the Voice of Christ in a Changing World” If we are going to heal any of the violence and hatred of recent months, as a society we must – one conversation at a time; one person at a time – speak the truth and love of Christ.

So long as there remains a difference between the voice of Christ and the voice of political rhetoric, not only will the violence not end, it will increase. We either eat the fruit of political rhetoric which is rotten, or we are filled with the fruit of the Holy Spirit. I choose the Holy Spirit, and you can too. It begins when you Live A New Life In Christ, and it can begin today. Find the closest Orthodox Christian Church, enter the Church and ask God to fill your heart with the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Then share that fruit with the next person who is struggling - one conversation at a time; one person at a time.

Why Does the Church Celebrate Pentecost?

As part of our “Why” series this year, I have chosen to discuss the importance of the Feast of Holy Pentecost and why it is celebrated in the Church. On the surface Pentecost is sometimes referred to as the “birthday” of the Church, but that ignores the truth that the Church is actually a continuation of the Old Testament as the New Israel. The New Testament Church, the Orthodox Church, is not a new institution founded on Pentecost, so it must mean something deeper than just a religious founder’s day.

The Feast of Pentecost is the celebration of the descent of the Holy Spirit to live within the Church. Shortly before His Passion, Christ promised the Disciples, “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. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” (John 16.13-14) Just before His Glorious Ascension back to His Throne in Heaven Jesus said, “I send the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high.”(Luke 24.52) Combined, these both mean Pentecost is fulfillment of God’s promise that He would send a Comforter (another name used for the Holy Spirit), so we could be assured of the Truth being taught in the Church.

Blessed are You, O Christ our God. You

made the fishermen all-wise, by sending down

upon them the Holy Spirit, and through them

You drew the world into Your net. O Lover of

mankind, glory to You.

However, based upon the Apolytikion above, there was a purpose even greater than comfort and truth. While the Holy Spirit is guiding the Church, the Church has a mission to draw the world into God’s net, which is the Church. This explains why at the moment of Pentecost the Holy Spirit granted the ability to each of the Apostles to speak various languages so they could spread the Gospel throughout the world without any worries about not being understood.

In a world filled with pain and suffering, Pentecost gives us comfort in knowing the pain is only temporary. In a world filled with many, VERY MANY, interpretations about who God really is, Pentecost gives us comfort knowing the Church has been guided into all Truth by God Himself. We can trust the wisdom of the Church over the centuries, since that wisdom has remained unchanged as first taught by the Holy Apostles. And as Saint Jude said, “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” (Jude 1.3)

Pentecost is a celebration of truth, comfort, trust, faith, wisdom, evangelism, the Church, the Saints, and the power of God from one high. Pentecost is a celebration of Orthodoxy.

The Grace in Orthodox Worship

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

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

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

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

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

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

It Finally Starts!

If you’re like me, you were looking forward to the beginning of Great Lent as an opportunity to regain some control in your life both physically and spiritually. With all life’s obligations and spiritual road bumps, it is comforting (to me at least) that today is Clean Monday, a day of strict fasting and prayer as the first day of Great Lent. It isn’t as if I can’t do these things other days, but I need all the help I can get so I am thankful for this season.

God has guided His Church into all truth through the power and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. More and more I realize just much the Holy Spirit has helped humanity over the centuries. Doctors ‘now’ tell new mothers they should stay low with their newborns for six weeks (about 40 days). Doctors ‘now’ tell us that an occasional cleansing diet (strict fast) is good for our bodies. These are just two examples of how the Holy Spirit guided the Church to establish practices that also happened to be good for our bodies.

It shouldn’t surprise us since our bodies and our souls are intimately connected. We are neither ‘just’ a body, nor ‘just’ a soul within a ‘shell’ we call the body. The body participates in our entire spiritual journey, from the moment we are baptized into Christ until the moment we are buried. Without our bodies we would have no way to repent from the sins that our bodies helped to act out in the first place.

So consider the next seven weeks as an intense trip to the gym, a body/soul gym, and allow the life of the Church to improve your physical health AND help your soul grow closer to Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Have a blessed Great Lent!

To help you along the way, I suggest a daily visit to Lent.GoArch.org

Don't be right; be healthy

Today’s Epistle Reading: St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians 5:22-26; 6:1-2 - Brethren, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law.  And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.  Let us have no self-conceit, no provoking of one another, no envy of one another.  Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.  Look to yourself, lest you too be tempted.  Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

I was having a conversation the other day about the sad reality that there were over 43,000 denominations of Christianity. I was told by a Protestant Pastor that the many, VERY MANY, denominations was no different than the four Gospels. I couldn’t disagree more, so I called a friend of mine who used to be a Protestant Pastor, but now serves as a Greek Orthodox Priest. He said something that really made sense to me.

Protestants want to be right. Orthodox want to be healthy.

Looking at today’s Epistle reading, we see the goal of a healthy Christian life – the fruit of the Holy Spirit. We also see the symptoms of an unhealthy Christian life. Upon our Baptism, we Orthodox believe that the Holy Spirit bestows these gifts, and it is for us to maintain and nurture them. We maintain the gifts through the life of the Church, a life that has been perfected through centuries of holy men and women we call saints – the Fathers and Mothers of the Church.

If you thirst for God, you will be satisfied

“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’" (John 7.37-38) The response from those gathered in the Temple was not surprising. Many said, “Truly this is the Prophet!” (John 7.40) Unfortunately others were not convinced. Many within the Jewish elite, the respected leaders of the community, instead of thirsting for God, thirsted instead for their own power and authority.  “Then the Pharisees answered them, ‘Are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.’" (John 7.47-49)

Each of us must determine for ourselves whether we thirst for God, or whether we seek our own power and authority. If we thirst for God, only then will our thirst be quenched and we will be satisfied. If we thirst for power and authority, then anyone and everyone who has either becomes our enemy, and our thirst will never be satisfied.

The Holy Apostles taught, “There are two ways, one of life and one of death; but a great difference between the two ways.” (Didache) The way of death is constantly being thirsty but never having enough water to drink, while the way of life is nurtured by the Holy Spirit and a river of cool refreshing water gushes from our heart for all eternity. 

The Church - Protector and Shepherd

Before ascending to His Throne, Jesus commanded the Apostles to remain in Jerusalem to await the Holy Spirit. Before departing for his trial, Saint Paul warned the Church that wolves would come to attack the Church, some even from within. Ever since, we have been waiting for the return of Christ, comforted and shepherded by the Holy Spirit, while protected by His Church. But we cannot be shepherded if we insist on ignoring the Church and wandering away from her wings. The Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, protects us from the wolves while leading us to heaven. We must be vigilant against the attack of the wolves, and learn to recognize when someone is teaching against the Church. At those moments we must run to the Church for protection.

Trust is Power!

The Feast of Pentecost commemorates the event during which the Holy Spirit descended upon the Church to fulfill a promise Jesus made shortly before His Passion. Jesus promised His Disciples, “When He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth.” (John 15.13) Moments before His Glorious Ascension (celebrated 40 days after Pascha) He commanded His Disciples, “Tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” (Luke 24.49)

Since the moment the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost, the Holy Apostles have been entrusted by God to lead His Church according to His commandments. Since the day of Pentecost, the Orthodox Church has trusted in the teachings of the Holy Apostles to lead us to heaven. The trust has been confirmed in the power of the Holy Spirit, who continues to guide the Church into all truth, PROVIDED THAT we remain faithful to the way of life and teachings of the Holy Apostles.

In a day when we are bombarded with mixed messages of moral shifts and self-oriented priorities, sometimes is just helps to be reminded that the Holy Spirit, as promised by God, guided the Holy Apostles into ALL TRUTH, not just some truth, not just “a” truth, but ALL TRUTH. When we trust in that way of life and teachings of the Holy Apostles, what we call, Holy Tradition, we also are given the power of God to endure the struggle against sin and selfishness, and join ourselves to God.

No Thanks Hollywood, You Can Keep Your son of god

The new movie The Son of God opens in theaters today…

I make no secrets about my dislike for “the Hollywood agenda” when it comes to the moral direction our society continues to engage. But when it comes to movies about Jesus and His Church, I can no longer sit quietly under the guise of, “at least they’re talking about Jesus,” without offering a serious warning.

The Orthodox Church throughout history has fought courageously to maintain the truth about who we know Jesus Christ to be, as that truth was revealed by the Holy Spirit to the Holy Apostles. We have defended the truth of Orthodoxy down to single letters when the meaning of who Jesus was and is might be misunderstood by the faithful. We have maintained this truth, “once and for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1.3) through the holy and sacred tradition of the Church.

We would not sit quietly when Arius spoke falsely of Christ, and we cannot sit quietly when contemporary “theologians” under the guise of producing Hollywood blockbuster movies, as these movies are often times fictional representations of the Gospels and early history of the Church. This is nothing new, of course, as Hollywood has a long tradition of altering history for big screen for affect, while defending their actions in “the name of entertainment,” and warning viewers they are not responsible for educating our children.

I remember growing up being warned, “You can’t trust a movie with the facts. You have to read the book!” Teachers were, and probably still are, very good at forming questions that required knowledge of the book rather than just the movie. We can all think of movies where multiple characters from the book were blended into single portrayals on the big screen. So what makes us think this is not also happening when the Bible is produced on the big screen?

The reading of Scriptures is a crucial part of every Christian’s spiritual journey, but there are verses which don’t flow well, for the big screen. If movies were limited to just the written verses, the classic “Ten Commandments” would have been much shorter a movie and Charlton Heston would have been much less famous. I noticed the last time I watched the movie, (and I LOVE the movie) I had my Bible open. What was said in two verses in my bible was more than thirty minutes on the screen. How? Fiction and fantasy is the only way.

But it isn’t only the fictional additions that we must be concerned with. The Orthodox Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, has been interpreting the Holy Scriptures since they were first written (speaking specifically of the New Testament) and the Sacred Tradition requires us to “stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.” (2 Thessalonians 2.15) We must be extremely careful anytime we hear the Holy Scriptures interpreted by anyone, including within the Church. Are the interpretations consistent with the Teachings of the Holy Apostles? Are they in line with the understanding of the Church Fathers, who themselves were loyal to the teachings of the Holy Apostles when they first sanctioned the Bible with Canonical Authority.

If you plan to watch this new movie about Jesus, or Noah opening March 28^th, then I caution you to sit with your spiritual father afterward about what the movie teaches. The visual impact of the movie will make it difficult for you to “forget” the incorrect teachings in favor of the Church, but prayer and the guidance of the Holy Spirit will help as well.

I suppose, from my vantage point, these two movies might comprise a new attack on the Church, since they are being released during the Great Lenten journey while we are seeking a closer relationship with God. Many will flock to the movie theater “seeking a deeper relationship” rather than finding it in the Church. What they are likely to find is partial truth and fantasy about a god who is not the same as The God who revealed Himself to the Church.

Welcome Back Fasting; I’ve Missed You

I have longed believed the Holy Spirit guides the Church into Traditions that are not only spiritually beneficial, but have a physical benefit as well. Fasting is one of those Traditions. No objective person could deny the physical benefits of fasting twice per week and for longer periods during the year. In fact, an Orthodox Christian following the fasting guidelines of the Church will abstain AT LEAST from meat more than two hundred days a year. That translates to less trans-fats and cholesterol, not to mention all the added hormones and other harmful chemicals fed to livestock.

There are a few times each year when I actually look forward to fasting returning to my routine. When the Church forbids fasting, such as the week following Pascha, the week following Pentecost, the week of the Publican and Pharisee, and the eleven days after Christmas, I tend to feel bloated and full whether I am eating or not. I am sure that this is because my body is weighed down (in more ways than one) with the extra meat in my system. It just takes more time to digest meat than veggies.

So today, the first Wednesday back to fasting after Christmas, I woke and said to myself

YEAH! I get to fast today!

Feasting is always a joyous occasion, but we all know it doesn’t have nearly as much joy without its counterpart, fasting.

Why is Theophany So Important?

There is a HUGE difference between God and human beings. He is the creator and we are His creation. It is impossible for us to understand ANYTHING about Him unless He reveals it to us first. It is IMPOSSIBLE, no way, no how, for us to even believe in Him without Him first revealing Himself to us. It is IN NO WAY conceivable that we, mere creatures, can comprehend the purpose of our existence without the Creator first showing Himself to us.

So why is the Theophany so important for the Orthodox to celebrate? For many Christians, Theophany – also called Epiphany – the arrival of the Magi at Christ’s manger, or merely His Baptism in the Jordan River. But for the Orthodox, Theophany is THE APPEARING OF THE UNDIVIDED TRINITY – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – for the first time in human history.

It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Mark 1.9-11)

So while we are indeed celebrating the baptism of Jesus, the greater gift of God is His divinity revealed as Trinity to those standing by and those of us who “love His appearing.” (2 Timothy 4.8) In the baptism of Jesus, it wasn’t Jesus that was changed, but the entire creation by His presence in the water. By entering the water, Jesus reveals the love of God for every living thing on Earth.

In the ancient Church, this revelation was welcomed with great joy and many believers were baptized. But since we only believe in one baptism, many faithful sought a new way to express the joy of the news of God’s appearing. Immediately after the consecration of the baptismal waters, and prior to baptizing the new believers, the faithful would drink from the Font to express their participation in the Feast and receive a blessing from God. As the Church practice developed over the centuries, rather than baptisms taking place on this day, the Church established the Great Blessing of the Waters, in which we all are blessed to participate.

Today, throughout the Orthodox Christian world, Churches are celebrating the appearing of God with the Great Blessing of the Waters. Some even celebrate with an event called a “Cross Dive” where young men, and sometimes women, dive into the water to retrieve the Cross of Christ. Let’s face it, when God reveals Himself to His creation, it’s worthy of great celebrations.

May God be blessed!

S’mores

Who doesn’t LOVE s’mores? Today’s topic from the 40 Days of Blogging is a YUMMY “forbidden” fruit, or in this case a sticky, gooey, mass of chocolate, marshmallow and graham crackers. If only it were fruit, we could eat them, guilt free! We’re still fasting for Christmas, so many will not approve of eating s’mores, making today’s post a bit of an intrigue.

What are s’mores you ask? It’s combining three totally different items by adding a bit of heat with the result of a sweet union that is sure to please anyone who tastes it. So, I guess you could say s’mores is a symbol of the Church. In the Church you combine totally different people, many of whom have totally different talents, which when combined with a little bit of heat (the fervor of the Holy Spirit), the end result is sweet to those who “taste” the Church.

Think about it for a moment…

Combine egg, colored powder and the skillful and prayerful hands of an iconographer and you have Holy Icons.

Combine peanut butter, bread, a bit of jelly and the loving hands of a faithful cook and you have fed the hungry.

Combine silk thread, a few gold beads, and the skillful talented hands of a faithful seamstress and you have heavenly priestly vestments and Altar covers.

You combine just about anything talent, resource and faith in Jesus Christ and end up with an inspiring and “tasty” treat sure to spread the hope and love for Christ for Christmas. I know it sounds like a far leap, but it’s about all I could think of for today’s topic.

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