Fr. Costa

The Holy Cross of Christ

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:23:08 GMT

�After the sign of the Cross, grace immediately thus operates, and composes all the members and the heart, so that the soul from its abounding gladness seems as a youth that knows not evil.� [St. Macarius of Egypt (c. 300 - c. 390 AD)]

On the Holy and Life-giving Cross of Christ

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:48:07 GMT

1. "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up" (John 3:14). And just exactly as all who were bitten by the serpents looked upon the bronze serpent which was suspended and were healed, thus also every Christian who believes in our Christ and has recourse to His life-bearing wounds, who eats His Flesh and drinks His all-holy Blood, is cured of the bites of the spiritual serpent of sin and by this most holy nourishment is made to live unto the renewal of a new creation, that is, new life in harmony with His life-giving commandments. (Elder Ephraim of Philotheou Mount Athos, "Counsels from the Holy Mountain") 2. "The Cross, is wood which lifts us up and makes us great ... The Cross uprooted us from the depths of evil and elevated us to the summit of virtue". (St John Chrysostom) 3. ... The holy Fathers relate that when the thief of the Gospel, too, came to the gates of the Kingdom, the Archangel with the flaming sword wanted to chase him away, but he showed him the Cross. Immediately the fire-bearing Archangel himself withdrew and permitted the thief to enter. Understand here not the wooden cross. But which? The Cross in which the chief Apostle Paul boasts and concerning which he writes, 'I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus (Gal. 6:17).' (A Collection of Letters to Nuns by St. Anatoly of Optina) 4. But we are able to see Christ's inexpressible love for man not only from the cross itself but also from the words which He spoke whilst upon the cross. At the very time when He was nailed and they were mocking Him, deriding Him and spitting upon Him, He said: "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34)... At the same time that they were saying, "If You are the Son of God save Yourself," He was accomplishing everything necessary to save these same ones who were reproaching Him. ... He did forgive them, if they wished to repent, because if He had not forgiven them this sin, Paul would not have become an apostle;' if He had not forgiven them this sin, the three thousand and the five thousand, and the many other thousands, would not have immediately believed. (Homily by St. John Chrysostom, �Concerning the Cross and the Thief� ) 5. Did you see how baptism is a cross? Learn that even Christ called baptism the cross when He used the name of baptism interchangeably [with that of the cross]. He called your baptism a cross. 'I call my baptism a cross,' he says. Where does He say this? 'I have a baptism to be baptized with, of which you do not know.' And how is it clear that He is speaking of the cross? The sons of Zebedee came up to Him - rather, the mother of the sons of Zebedee, saying 'Command that these my two sons may sit, one at thy right and and one at thy left hand, in thy kingdom.' A mother's request, even if it was an inconsiderate one! How then did Christ answer? 'Can you drink of the cup of which I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?' You see that He called the cross a baptism. (St. John Chrysostom, Baptismal Instructions) 6. Do not seek the perfection of the law in human virtues, for it is not found perfect in them. Its perfection is hidden in the Cross of Christ. (St. Hesychius the Priest) 7. Far be it for me to glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Gal. 6:14). Truly this symbol is thought despicable; but it is so in the world's reckoning, and among men; in Heaven and among the faithful it is the highest glory. Poverty too is despicable, but it is our boast; and to be cheaply thought of by the public is a matter of laughter to them, but we are elated by it. So too is the Cross our boast. He does not say, `I boast not,' nor, `I will not boast,' but, `Far be it from me that I should,' as if he abominated it as absurd, and invoked the aid of God in order to his success therein. And what is the boast of the Cross? That Christ for my sake took on Him the form of a slave, and bore His sufferings for me the slave, the enemy, the unfeeling one; yea, He so loved me as to give Himself up to a curse for me. What can be comparable to this? (St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on Galatians) 8. Glory, O Lord, to the power of Thy Cross, which never fails! When the enemy oppresses me with a sinful thought or feeling, and I, lacking freedom in my heart, make the sign of the Cross several times with faith, suddenly my sin falls away from me, the compulsion vanishes, and I find myself free� For the faithful the Cross is a mighty power which delivers from all evils, from the malice of the invisible foe. (St. John of Kronstadt) 9. In Paradise of old, the tree stripped me bare, for by the eating thereof, the enemy brought in death. But now the most holy tree of the Cross that doth clothe all men with the garment of life hath been set up on earth, and all of the world is filled with most boundless joy. Seeing it exalted, ye people, now, let us the faithful all cry out with one accord to God in faith: Thy house is full of glory, O Lord. (Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross - Sessional Hymn of the Canon) 10. Many indeed are the wondrous happenings of that time: God hanging from a Cross, the sun made dark, and again flaming out; for it was fitting that creation should mourn with its Creator. The Temple veil rent, blood and water flowing from His side: the one as from a man, the other as from What was above man; the earth was shaken, the rocks shattered because of the Rock; the dead risen to bear witness of the final and universal resurrection of the dead. The happenings at the Sepulchre, and after the Sepulchre, who can fittingly recount them? Yet not one of them can be compared to the miracle of my salvation. A few drops of Blood renew the whole world, and do for all men what the rennet does for milk: joining us and binding us together. (St. Gregory the Theologian) 11. O Saviour, the true sweetness, Who of old didst sweeten the bitter waters of Marah, thereby prefiguring at that time the wood of the divine Cross: How wast Thou nailed thereto, O Sinless One, and wast given gall to drink and wast pierced in the side, and didst pour forth the Blood and water of forgiveness, unto the refashioning of mortal nature? Wherefore, we glorify Thine ineffable mercy, and we entreat Thee: O Lord, in the season of the fast, grant us the fear of thee, and the forgiveness of our offences, and great mercy. (Vespers Stichera for Thursday of the 4th Week) 12. Of course, it would be easier to get to paradise with a full stomach, all snuggled up in a soft feather-bed, but what is required is to carry one's cross along the way, for the kingdom of God is not attained by enduring one or two troubles, but many! (Elder Anthony of Optina) 13. The Most High planted in the middle of Paradise The thrice blessed wood, the gift of life for us, In order that, in approaching it, Adam might find eternal and immortal life, But he did not strive earnestly to know this life, And he failed to attain it, and revealed death. However, the robber, seeing how the plant in Eden Had been beautifully transplanted in Golgotha, Recognized the life in it and said to himself: `This is what my father lost formerly In Paradise.' (St Romanos the Melodist - On the Adoration at the Cross) 14. The first duty of a Christian, of a disciple and follower of Jesus Christ, is to deny oneself. To deny oneself means to give up one's bad habits, to root out of the heart all that ties us to the world; not to cherish bad desires and thoughts; to quench and suppress bad thoughts; to avoid occasions of sin; not to do or desire anything from self-love but to do everything out of love for God. To deny oneself means, according to the Apostle Paul, to be dead to sin and the world, but alive to God. (St. Innocent of Alaska, Indication of the Way into the Kingdom of Heaven) 15. The one who knows God will follow the Lord's footsteps, bearing the cross of the Saviour. It is said, "The world is crucified to him and he to the world." The Lord says, "He who loses his life will save it." We can "lose our lives" in one of two ways. First, we can risk our lives just as the Lord did for us. Secondly, we can separate our lives from the customary things of this world. Bearing the cross means to separate our souls from the delights and pleasures of this life. If you do this, you will find your life again - resting in the hope of what is to come. Dying to ourselves means being content with the necessities of life. When we want more than these necessities it is easy to sin. (St. Clement of Alexandria in �The One Who knows God�) 16. What does it mean to take up your cross? It means the willing acceptance, at the hand of Providence, of every means of healing, bitter though it may be, that is offered. Do great catastrophies fall on you? Be obedient to God's will, as Noah was. Is sacrifice demanded of you? Give yourself into God's hands with the same faith as Abraham had when he went to sacrifice his son. Is your property ruined? Do your children die suddenly? Suffer it all with patience, cleaving to God in your heart, as Job did. Do your friends forsake you, and you find yourself surrounded by enemies? Bear it all without grumbling, and with faith that God's help is at hand, as the apostles did. (Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich, �Homilies, Vol. 1�)

St. Isaac the Syrian (7th/8th century) On the Topic of Compassion

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 00:26:14 GMT

�What is a merciful heart? It is the heart's burning for the sake of the entire creation: for men, birds, animals, and for every created thing. And by the recollection and sight of them, the eyes of a merciful man pour forth abundant tears. From the strong and vehement mercy which grips his heart and from his great compassion, his heart is humbled and he cannot bear to hear or see any injury or slight sorrow in creation. For this reason he continually offers up tearful prayer, even for irrational beasts, for the enemies of the truth and for those who harm him, that they be protected and receive mercy�because of the great compassion that burns in his heart without measure in the likeness of God.�

Major Feasts of the Orthodox Church

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 19:31:24 GMT

�January 6: The Feast of Epiphany �February 2: The Presentation of Christ �Great Lent, Holy Week, and Pascha �The Annunciation �The Ascension of Christ �Holy Pentecost �August 6: The Transfiguration of Christ �August 15: The Dormition of the Theotokos �September 8: The Nativity of the Theotokos �September 14: The Exaltation of the Cross �November 21: The Entrance Into the Temple of the Theotokos �December 25: The Nativity of Christ (taken from the website of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America goarch.org)

The Dormition of the Theotokos, Ever-Virgin Mary, and Mother of God (August 15)

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:18:18 GMT

�Concerning the Dormition of the Theotokos, this is what the Church has received from ancient times from the tradition of the Fathers. When the time drew nigh that our Savior was well-pleased to take His Mother to Himself, He declared unto her through an Angel that three days hence, He would translate her from this temporal life to eternity and bliss. On hearing this, she went up with haste to the Mount of Olives, where she prayed continuously. Giving thanks to God, she returned to her house and prepared whatever was necessary for her burial. While these things were taking place, clouds caught up the Apostles from the ends of the earth, where each one happened to be preaching, and brought them at once to the house of the Mother of God, who informed them of the cause of their sudden gathering. As a mother, she consoled them in their affliction as was meet, and then raised her hands to Heaven and prayed for the peace of the world. She blessed the Apostles, and, reclining upon her bed with seemliness, gave up her all-holy spirit into the hands of her Son and God. With reverence and many lights, and chanting burial hymns, the Apostles took up that God-receiving body and brought it to the sepulchre, while the Angels from Heaven chanted with them, and sent forth her who is higher than the Cherubim. But one Jew, moved by malice, audaciously stretched forth his hand upon the bed and immediately received from divine judgment the wages of his audacity. Those daring hands were severed by an invisible blow. But when he repented and asked forgiveness, his hands were restored. When they had reached the place called Gethsemane, they buried there with honor the all-immaculate body of the Theotokos, which was the source of Life. But on the third day after the burial, when they were eating together, and raised up the artos (bread) in Jesus' Name, as was their custom, the Theotokos appeared in the air, saying "Rejoice" to them. From this they learned concerning the bodily translation of the Theotokos into the Heavens. These things has the Church received from the traditions of the Fathers, who have composed many hymns out of reverence, to the glory of the Mother of our God.� Apolytikion in the First Tone: In birth, you preserved your virginity; in death, you did not abandon the world, O Theotokos. As mother of life, you departed to the source of life, delivering our souls from death by your intercessions. [Taken with much gratitude from the website of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America goarch.org]

�Christ�s Lordship in the Bible and the Title Theotokos�

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 18:10:21 GMT

�If they insist on saying, �where the Virgin is called Theotokos in the Scripture,� let them clearly hear the angel proclaiming this piece of good news to the shepherd and saying: �For today to you a Savior is born, who is Christ the Lord� (Luke 2:11). He does not say, �Who shall be Lord� or �in whom the Lord shall dwell,� but �who is Lord.� Behold, then, the angel openly preaches the good news that the one born is Lord. And then, he supplies, as it were, a sign to them of the vision of the Lord, �You shall find a baby in swaddling clothes lying in a manger� (Luke 2:12). Peter also preached the same things as the angel, when he came to Cornelius and said, �He sent the Logos to the sons of Israel proclaiming peace through Jesus Christ; He is Lord of all� (Acts 10:36). Do you see how the Logos is said to have been sent instead of the saving message of Jesus Christ? And how, when he showed to them who Jesus Christ might be, he said, �He is Lord of all?� Do you see that the baby [is called] Lord both by the angel and by Peter? Undoubtedly, therefore, she, who gave birth of the Lord, is Theotokos. Similarly, she was addressed by the mother of the blessed Baptist, who was moved by the Holy spirit: �For Elizabeth, it says, was filled with the Holy Spirit an cried: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb; why has it happened to me that the Mother of my Lord should come to me� (Luke 1: 41-43)? Who is so insane as not to want to call with the Scriptures the holy Virgin Theotokos? Let them not, therefore, disturb the hearing of those of greater integrity by speaking about a child and a baby lest little by little, they reject the whole event of his advent. For he had been called by the angel both baby and Lord.� [St. Cyril of Alexandria, Against Those who are Unwilling to Confess that the Holy Virgin is Theotokos]

The Faith of our Holy Fathers

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 14:49:32 GMT

�We confess that he [Jesus Christ] is the Son, begotten of God the Father, and Only-begotten God; and although according to his own nature he was not subject to suffering, yet he suffered for us in the flesh according to the Scriptures, and although impassible, yet in his Crucified Body he made his own the sufferings of his own flesh; and by the grace of God he tasted death for all: he gave his own Body thereto, although he was by nature himself the life and the resurrection, in order that, having trodden down death by his unspeakable power, first in his own flesh, he might become the first born from the dead, and the first-fruits of them that slept. And that he might make a way for the nature of man to attain incorruption, by the grace of God (as we just now said), he tasted death for every man, and after three days rose again, having despoiled hell. So although it is said that the resurrection of the dead was through man, yet we understand that man to have been the Word of God, and the power of death was loosened through him, and he shall come in the fullness of time as the One Son and Lord, in the glory of the Father, in order to judge the world in righteousness, as it is written.� [St. Cyril of Alexandria, Third Epistle to Nestorius]

The Dormition of the Theotokos (Celebrated August 15)

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:20:02 GMT

�The dominions and the thrones, the rulers, the principalities and the powers, the cherubim and the fearful seraphim glorify thy Dominion� (Vespers Sticheron, Tone 1). The sacred Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos marks her repose, which was followed by the translation of her sacred body three days later into heaven. This feast, therefore, marks her soul being commended into her Son's hands and the short sojourn of her body in the tomb. Unlike the Resurrection of Christ, the mysterious character of her death, burial, resurrection and ascension were not the subject of apostolic teachings, yet they were recorded by the tradition of the Holy Orthodox Church and writings of the Church Fathers. The Dormition of the Theotokos took place while Apostle Thomas was preaching the gospel in India. The other Apostles had been caught up from various lands on the clouds of heaven, and were transported to Gethsemane, to the bier of the all-blessed Virgin. This was permitted by the will of God, so the faithful might be assured that the Mother of God was bodily assumed into heaven. For just as they were more greatly assured of the Resurrection of Christ, through the disbelief of Thomas, so did they learned of the bodily assumption into heaven of the all-pure Virgin Mary through the delay of Thomas. On the third day after the burial St. Thomas was suddenly caught up in a cloud in India and transported to a place in the air above the tomb of the Virgin. From that vantage point, he beheld the translation of her body into the heavens, and cried out to her, "Whither goest thou, O all-holy one?" She removed her girdle and gave it to him saying, "Receive this, my friend." And then she was gone. He then descended to find the other disciples keeping watch over the sepulchre of the Theotokos. He sat down beside them, with the girdle in his hand, greatly saddened that he had not been there when she reposed, as had been the other Apostles. Hence, he said, "We are all disciples of the Master; we all preach the same thing; we are all servants of the one Lord, Jesus Christ. How, then, is it that ye were counted worthy to behold the repose of His Mother, and I was not? Am I not an Apostle? Can it be that God is not pleased with my preaching? I beseech you, my fellow disciples: open the tomb, that I also may look upon her remains, and embrace them, and bid her farewell!" The Apostles took pity on St. Thomas and opened the tomb. All were aghast when they found it empty, not realizing that moments before she had been bodily transported to paradise to be the mediatress of Christians. All that remained were her burial clothes, which emitted a wonderful unearthly fragrance. The Feast's kontakion speaks of her as an unfailing hope and mediation, reminding us of her intercessory role in paradise. Neither the tomb nor death had power over the Theotokos, who is ever watchful in her prayers and in whose intercessions lies unfailing hope. For as the Mother of Life she has been translated unto life by Him Who dwelt in her ever-virgin womb. [Reference: The Life of the Virgin Mary, The Theotokos published by Holy Apostles Convent and Dormition Skete, Colorado USA, 1989, ISBN 0-944359-03-5]

On the Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:47:21 GMT

�It is truly right to bless you, O Theotokos, ever blessed and most pure, and the Mother of our God. More honorable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, without defilement you gave birth to God the Word. True Theotokos we magnify you.� � Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom �If one does not acknowledge Mary as Theotokos, he is estranged from God.� � St. Gregory of Nazianzus (Epistle 101) �The golden incenser is the Virgin, and its pleasant scent is our Saviour.� � Orthodox Chant

Pray, Pray, Pray !

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:10:40 GMT

"The potency of prayer has subdued the strength of fire. It has bridled the rage of lions, hushed anarchy to rest, extinguished wars, appeased the elements, expelled demons, burst the chains of death, expanded the gates of heaven, assuaged diseases, repelled frauds, rescued cities from destruction, stayed the sun in its course, and arrested the progress of the thunderbolt." [St. John Chysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople]

Something to Consider

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:20:10 GMT

�The greatest truths are the simplest, and so are the greatest men.� [Inspired by St. Anthony the Great]

True Friendship

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 19:09:23 GMT

Though you should name infinite treasures, none of them is comparable to a genuine friend. And first let us speak of the great delight of friendship itself. A friend rejoices at seeing his friend, and expands with joy. He is knit to him with a union of soul that affords unspeakable pleasure. And if he only calls him to remembrance, he is roused in mind, and transported. I speak of genuine friends, men of one soul, who would even die for each other, who love fervently. Do not, thinking of those who barely love, who are table-companions, mere nominal friends, suppose that my discourse is refuted. If any one has a friend such as I speak of, he will acknowledge the truth of my words. He, though he sees his friend every day, is not satiated. For him he prays for the same things as for himself. I know one, who calling upon holy men in behalf of his friend, besought them to pray first for him, and then for himself. So dear a thing is a good friend, that times and places are loved on his account. For as bodies that are luminous spread their radiance to the neighboring places, so also friends leave a grace of their own in the places to which they have come. And oftentimes in the absence of friends, as we have stood on those places, we have wept, and remembering the days which we passed together, have sighed. It is not possible to represent by speech, how great a pleasure the intercourse with friends affords. But those only know, who have experience. From a friend we may both ask a favor, and receive one without suspicion. When they enjoin anything upon us, then we feel indebted to them; but when they are slow to do this, then we are sorrowful. We have nothing which is not theirs. Often despising all things here, on their account we are not willing to depart hence; and they are more longed for by us than the light. For, in good truth, a friend is more to be longed for than the light; I speak of a genuine one. And wonder not: for it were better for us that the sun should be extinguished, than that we should be deprived of friends; better to live in darkness, than to be without friends. And I will tell you why. Because many who see the sun are in darkness, but they can never be even in tribulation, who abound in friends. I speak of spiritual friends, who prefer nothing to friendship. Such was Paul, who would willingly have given his own soul, even though not asked, nay would have plunged into hell for them. With so ardent a disposition ought we to love. I wish to give you an example of friendship. Friends, that is, friends according to Christ, surpass fathers and sons. For tell me not of friends of the present day, since this good thing also has past away with others. But consider, in the time of the Apostles, I speak not of the chief men, but of the believers themselves generally; �all,� he says, �were of one heart and soul: and not one of them said that aught of the things which he possessed was his own�and distribution was made unto each, according as any one had need.� (Acts 4:32, 35.) There were then no such words as �mine� and �thine.� This is friendship, that a man should not consider his goods his own, but his neighbor�s, that his possessions belong to another; that he should be as careful of his friend�s soul as of his own; and the friend likewise. And where is it possible, somebody says, that such a one should be found? Because we have not the will; for it is possible. If it were not possible, neither would Christ have commanded it; he would not have discoursed so much concerning love. A great thing is friendship, and how great, no one can learn, and no discourse represent, but experience itself. He who loves does not wish to command, nor to rule, but is rather obliged when he is ruled and commanded. He wishes rather to bestow a favor than to receive one, for he loves, and is so affected, as not having satisfied his desire. He is not so much gratified when good is done to him, as when he is doing good. For he wishes to oblige, rather than to be indebted to him; or rather he wishes both to be beholden to him, and to have him his debtor. And he wishes both to bestow favors, and not to seem to bestow them, but himself to be the debtor. I think that perhaps many of you do not understand what has been said. He wishes to be the first in bestowing benefits, and not to seem to be the first, but to be returning a kindness. Which God also has done in the case of men. He purposed to give His own Son for us; but that He might not seem to bestow a favor, but to be indebted to us, He commanded Abraham to offer his son that whilst doing a great kindness, He might seem to do nothing great. For when indeed there is no love, we both upbraid men with our kindnesses and we exaggerate little ones; but when there is love, we both conceal them and wish to make the great appear small, that we may not seem to have our friend for a debtor, but ourselves to be debtors to him, in having him our debtor. I know that the greater part do not understand what is said, and the cause is, that I am speaking of a thing which now dwells in heaven. As therefore if I were speaking of any plant growing in India, of which no one had ever had any experience, no speech would avail to represent it, though I should utter ten thousand words: so also now whatever things I say, I say in vain, for no one will be able to understand me. This is a plant that is planted in heaven, having for its branches not heavy-clustered pearls, but a virtuous life, much more acceptable than they. What pleasure would you speak of, the foul and the honorable? But that of friendship excelleth them all, though you should speak of the sweetness of honey. For that satiates, but a friend never does, so long as he is a friend; nay, the desire of him rather increases, and such pleasure never admits of satiety. And a friend is sweeter than the present life. Many therefore after the death of their friends have not wished to live any longer. With a friend one would bear even banishment; but without a friend would not choose to inhabit even his own country. With a friend even poverty is tolerable, but without him both health and riches are intolerable. He has another self: I am straitened, because I cannot instance by an example. For I should in that case make it appear that what has been said is much less than it ought to be. And these things indeed are so here. But from God the reward of friendship is so great, that it cannot be expressed. He gives a reward, that we may love one another, the thing for which we owe a reward. �Pray,� He says, �and receive a reward,� for that for which we owe a reward, because we ask for good things. �For that which you ask,� He says, �receive a reward. Fast, and receive a reward. Be virtuous, and receive a reward,� though you rather owe a reward. But as fathers, when they have made their children virtuous, then further give them a reward; for they are debtors, because they have afforded them a pleasure; so also God acts. �Receive a reward,� He says, �if thou be virtuous, for thou delightest thy Father, and for this I owe thee a reward. But if thou be evil, not so: for thou provokest Him that begot thee.� Let us not then provoke God, but let us delight Him, that we may obtain the kingdom of Heaven, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory and the strength, world without end. Amen. [St. John Chrysostom, Homily 2 on 1 Thessalonians 1:8-10.]

A Reminder of God�s Love for Us

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 20:13:04 GMT

�Not only is it wonderful that He forgives us our sins, but also that He neither uncovers them nor does He make them stand forth clearly revealed. Nor does He force us to come forward and publicly proclaim our misdeeds, but He bids us to make our defence to Him alone and to confess our sins to Him. And yet, if any judge of a worldly tribunal were to tell some captured highwayman or grave robber to confess his crime and be excused from paying the penalty, this prisoner would with all alacrity admit the truth and scorn the disgrace in his desire to go free. But this is not the case in baptism. God forgives our sins and does not force us to make a parade of them in the presence of others. He seeks one thing only: that he who benefits by the forgiveness learns the greatness of the gift.� (St. John Chrysostom, Baptismal Instructions) �Thou dost not so much desire thy sins to be forgiven, as He desires to forgive thee thy sins. In proof that thou dost not so desire it, consider that thou hast no mind either to practice vigils, or to give thy money freely: but He, that He might forgive our sins, spared not His Only-Begotten and True Son, the partner of His throne.� (St. John Chrysostom)

Serving the Lord

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 19:52:21 GMT

�Take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a snare� (Luke 21:34).

From Concerning the Statues, Excerpts from Homily III

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 18:47:27 GMT

I speak not, indeed, of such a fast as most persons keep, but of real fasting; not merely an abstinence from meats; but from sins too. For the nature of a fast is such, that it does not suffice to deliver those who practice it, unless it be done according to a suitable law. "For the wrestler," it is said, "is not crowned unless he strive lawfully." To the end then, that when we have gone through the labour of fasting, we forfeit not the crown of fasting, we should understand how, and after what manner, it is necessary to conduct this business; since that Pharisee also fasted, but afterwards when down empty, and destitute of the fruit of fasting. The Publican fasted not; and yet he was accepted in preference to him who had fasted; in order that thou mayest learn that fasting is unprofitable, except all other duties follow with it. The Ninevites fasted, and won the favour of God. The Jews fasted too, and profited nothing, nay they departed with blame. Since then the danger in fasting is so great to those who do not know how they ought to fast, we should learn the laws of this exercise, in order that we may not "run uncertainly," nor "beat the air," nor while we are fighting contend with a shadow. Fasting is a medicine; but a medicine, though it be never so profitable, becomes frequently useless owing to the unskillfulness of him who employs it. For it is necessary to know, moreover, the time when it should be applied, and the requisite quantity of it; and the temperament of body that admits it; and the nature of the country, and the season of the year; and the corresponding diet; as well as varous other particulars; any of which, if one overlooks, he will mar all the rest that have been named. Now if, when the body needs healing, such exactness is required on our part, much more ought we, when our care is about the soul, and we seek to heal the distempers of the mind, to look, and to search into every particular with the utmost accuracy. I have said these things, not that we may disparage fasting, but that we may honour fasting; for the honour of fasting consists not in abstinence from food, but in withdrawing from sinful practices; since he who limits his fasting only to an abstinence from meats, is one who especially disparages it. Dost thou fast? Give me proof of it by thy works! Is it said by what kind of works? If thou seest a poor man, take pity on him! If thou seest an enemy, be reconciled to him! If thou seest a friend gaining honour, envy him not! If thou seest a handsome woman, pass her by! For let not the mouth only fast, but also the eye, and ear, and the feet, and the hands, and all the members of our bodies. Let the hands fast, by being pure from rapine and avarice. Let the feet fast, but ceasing from running to the unlawful spectacles. Let the eyes fast, being taught never to fix themselves rudely upon handsome countenances, or to busy themselves with strange beauties. For looking is the food of the eyes, but if this be such as is unlawful or forbidden, it mars the fast; and upsets the whole safety of the soul; but if it be lawful and safe, it adorns fasting. For it would be among things the most absurd to abstain from lawful food because of the fast, but with the eyes to touch even what is forbidden. Dost thou not eat flesh? Feed not upon lasciviousness by means of the eyes. Let the ear fast also. The fasting of the ear consists in refusing to receive evil speakings and calumnies. "Thou shalt not receive a false report," it says. [St. John Chrysostom, From "The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church," Volume 9.]

St. John Chrysostom "On Fasting"

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 18:44:34 GMT

Fasting is a medicine. But medicine, as beneficial as it is, becomes useless because of the inexperience of the user. He has to know the appropriate time that the medicine should be taken and the right amount of medicine and the condition of the body which is to take it, the weather conditions and the season of the year and the appropriate diet of the sick and many other things. If any of these things are overlooked, the medicine will do more harm than good. So, if one who is going to heal the body needs so much accuracy, when we care for the soul and are concerned about healing it from bad thoughts, it is necessary to examine and observe everything with every possible detail. Fasting is the change of every part of our life, because the sacrifice of the fast is not the abstinence but the distancing from sins. Therefore, whoever limits the fast to the deprivation of food, he is the one who, in reality, abhors and ridicules the fast. Are you fasting? Show me your fast with your works. Which works? If you see someone who is poor, show him mercy. If you see an enemy, reconcile with him. If you see a friend who is becoming successful, do not be jealous of him! If you see a beautiful woman on the street, pass her by. In other words, not only should the mouth fast, but the eyes and the legs and the arms and all the other parts of the body should fast as well. Let the hands fast, remaining clean from stealing and greediness. Let the legs fast, avoiding roads which lead to sinful sights. Let the eyes fast by not fixing themselves on beautiful faces and by not observing the beauty of others. You are not eating meat, are you? You should not eat debauchery with your eyes as well. Let your hearing also fast. The fast of hearing is not to accept bad talk against others and sly defamations. Let the mouth fast from disgraceful and abusive words, because, what gain is there when, on the one hand we avoid eating chicken and fish and, on the other, we chew-up and consume our brothers? He who condemns and blasphemes is as if he has eaten brotherly meat, as if he has bitten into the flesh of his fellow man. It is because of this that Paul frightened us, saying: "If you chew up and consume one another be careful that you do not annihilate yourselves." You did not thrust your teeth into the flesh (of your neighbor) but you thrusted bad talk in his soul; you wounded it by spreading disfame, causing unestimatable damage both to yourself, to him, and to many others. If you cannot go without eating all day because of an ailment of the body, beloved one, no logical man will be able to criticize you for that. Besides, we have a Lord who is meek and loving (philanthropic) and who does not ask for anything beyond our power. Because he neither requires the abstinence from foods, neither that the fast take place for the simple sake of fasting, neither is its aim that we remain with empty stomachs, but that we fast to offer our entire selves to the dedication of spiritual things, having distanced ourselves from secular things. If we regulated our life with a sober mind and directed all of our interest toward spiritual things, and if we ate as much as we needed to satisfy our necessary needs and offered our entire lives to good works, we would not have any need of the help rendered by the fast. But because human nature is indifferent and gives itself over mostly to comforts and gratifications, for this reason the philanthropic Lord, like a loving and caring father, devised the therapy of the fast for us, so that our gratifications would be completely stopped and that our worldly cares be transferred to spiritual works. So, if there are some who have gathered here and who are hindered by somatic ailments and cannot remain without food, I advise them to nullify the somatic ailment and not to deprive themselves from this spiritual teaching, but to care for it even more. For there exist, there really exist, ways which are even more important than abstinence from food which can open the gates which lead to God with boldness. He, therefore, who eats and cannot fast, let him display richer almsgiving, let him pray more, let him have a more intense desire to hear divine words. In this, our somatic illness is not a hindrance. Let him become reconciled with his enemies, let him distance from his soul every resentment. If he wants to accomplish these things, then he has done the true fast, which is what the Lord asks of us more than anything else. It is for this reason that he asks us to abstain from food, in order to place the flesh in subjection to the fulfillment of his commandments, whereby curbing its impetuousness. But if we are not about to offer to ourselves the help rendered by the fast because of bodily illness and at the same time display greater indifference, we will see ourselves in an unusual exaggerated way. For if the fast does not help us when all the aforementioned accomplishments are missing so much is the case when we display greater indifference because we cannot even use the medicine of fasting. Since you have learned these things from us, I pardon you, those who can, fast and you yourselves increase your acuteness and praiseworthy desire as much as possible. To the brothers, though, who cannot fast because of bodily illness, encourage them not to abandon this spiritual word, teaching them and passing on to them all the things we say here, showing them that he who eats and drinks with moderation is not unworthy to hear these things but he who is indifferent and slack. You should tell them the bold and daring saying that "he who eats for the glory of the Lord eats and he who does not eat for the glory of the Lord does not eat and pleases God." For he who fasts pleases God because he has the strength to endure the fatigue of the fast and he that eats also pleases God because nothing of this sort can harm the salvation of his soul, as long as he does not want it to. Because our philanthropic God showed us so many ways by which we can, if we desire, take part in God's power that it is impossible to mention them all. We have said enough about those who are missing, being that we want to eliminate them from the excuse of shame. For they should not be ashamed because food does not bring on shame but the act of some wrongdoing. Sin is a great shame. If we commit it not only should we feel ashamed but we should cover ourselves exactly the same way those who are wounded do. Even then we should not forsake ourselves but rush to confession and thanksgiving. We have such a Lord who asks nothing of us but to confess our sins, after the commitment of a sin which was due to our indifference, and to stop at that point and not to fall into the same one again. If we eat with moderation we should never be ashamed, because the Creator gave us such a body which cannot be supported in any other way except by receiving food. Let us only stop excessive food because that attributes a great deal to the health and well-being of the body. Let us therefore in every way cast off every destructive madness so that we may gain the goods which have been promised to us in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen. [Abridged from St. John Chrysostom homilies "On Fasting"]

Participation in the Divine Eucharist

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 18:37:33 GMT

Let us return from that Table like lions breathing out fire, terrifying to the devil! Thousands of times every Sunday, throughout the world...the same readings, the same words of consecration, the same sacrifice; the Holy Spirit descends, allowing us to ascend, in spite of human inabilities and inhibitions, and to unite with all of the Children of God around the Father's dinner table for a foretaste of Heaven. My hope is that each time you go forward to experience our Lord, and partake in the eternal banquet, that you allow and invite Him to transform you in a new way...and truly live the life nourished by our daily bread. [St. John Chrysostom]

Patristic Pearls

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 01:53:15 GMT

1. �Reading the Scriptures is a great safeguard against sin. Ignorance of the Scriptures is a precipice and a deep abyss.� [From Epiphanius, Bishop of Cyprus (The Sayings of the Desert Fathers; Cistercian Publications pg. 58).] 2. �Forget for at least this space of time the bustle and concerns of everyday life. Be like an angel, filled only with thoughts of God and of serving Him. After all, He is present now, and is blessing you.� [Hieromartyr Seraphim (Zvezdinsky), Bishop of Dmitrov (1883 - c. 1937).]

Spiritual Nectar

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 00:26:12 GMT

�When a thought oppresses you, do not be downhearted, but put up with it in courage, saying, �They swarmed around me closer and closer, but I drove them back in the name of the Lord� (Psalm 118:11). Divine help will arrive at your side immediately, and you will drive them away from you, and courage will compass you round about, and the glory of God will walk with you; and �you will be filled to your soul�s desire� (Isaiah 58:11).� [From St. Pachomius (Pachomian Koinonia III; Cistercian Publications pg. 14).]

Real Change

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:55:48 GMT

True repentance is to cease to sin. [St. Ambrose]

The Vitality of Prayer

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:53:04 GMT

Prayer is the place of refuge for every worry, a foundation for cheerfulness, a source of constant happiness, a protection against sadness. [St John Chrysostom]

How Wonderful!

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:51:07 GMT

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it. [Psalm 118: 24]

Always Love

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:49:38 GMT

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the dark. [1 John 2:9]

Yikes!

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:48:52 GMT

Let the mouth also fast from disgraceful speeches and railings. For what does it profit if we abstain from fish and fowl and yet bite and devour our brothers and sisters? The evil speaker eats the flesh of his brother and bites the body of his neighbor. [Saint John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople]

Fasting and Mercy

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:47:45 GMT

Do you wish your prayer to fly toward God? Give it two wings: fasting and almsgiving. [Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo]

Nothing More Needs to be Said

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:46:47 GMT

Jesus Christ is the one Savior of the world, yesterday, today, and forever. [Hebrew 13.8]

Christ and Me

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:45:43 GMT

I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gives me. [Philippians 4:13]

Keep it Simple

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:43:27 GMT

You must aim to be saintly and religious, filled with faith and love, patient and gentle. [1 Timothy 6: 11]

Steadfastness of Faith

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:51:08 GMT

One ought to remain in that Church which, having been founded by the Apostles, exists even till this day.

Church Attendees

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:50:56 GMT

Not only we are in this assembly (in the Church), but also the prophets and the apostles and all the saints; and what is most important of all - among us is Jesus Christ Himself, the Master of everything. [St. John Chrysostom]

The Salt of the Earth

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:48:34 GMT

The Church is the salt that salts the whole world, preserving it from putridity. [St. Ephraim the Syrian]

Foreshadowing of the Church

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:46:11 GMT

For the Law is indeed the figure and the shadow of an image, that is, of the Gospels; but the image, namely, the Gospel, is the representative of Truth itself. For the men of older time and the Law foretold us the characteristics of the Church, and the Church represents those [characteristics] of the new dispensation which is to come... For we know in part, and as it were 'through a glass,' since that which is perfect has not yet come to us, namely the Kingdom of Heaven and the Resurrection. [St. Methodios of Alexandria, Banquet of the Ten Virgins]

The Church of God

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:45:59 GMT

For whomever the Church is not mother, God is not father. [Cyprian of Carthage]

The Church of God

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:45:34 GMT

For whomever the Church is not mother, God is not father. [Cyprian of Carthage]

Akathist to Jesus Christ

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:39:28 GMT

Jesus, Creator of those on high. Jesus, Redeemer of those below. Jesus, Vanquisher of the nethermost powers. Jesus, Adorner of every creature. Jesus, Comforter of my soul. Jesus, Enlightener of my mind. Jesus, Gladness of my heart. Jesus, Health of my body. Jesus, my Saviour, save me. Jesus, my Light, enlighten me. Jesus, from all torment deliver me. Jesus, save me who am unworthy. [Oikos 4]

A Humble Benediction

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:14:03 GMT

Let us pray to the Lord. Lord have mercy. You have gladdened us, O Lord, by your deeds, and in the works of your hands have we rejoiced. The light of your countenance, O Lord, has been signed upon us. You have given gladness to our hearts. From the fruit of wheat, wine, and oil have we been filled. Indeed, God is with us, He that has mercy and nourishes us by His grace and love for mankind, always, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen. [Fr. Gus G. Christo]

THE VANITY OF WORLDLY GOODS

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:11:44 GMT

�For wealth itself often does not last until evening for those who thought to hold on to it, but, like a hardhearted runaway slave, it changes from one master to another, and sends off naked and deserted those who were so eager to treat it with all respect. The very experience of business affairs teaches everyone that wealth often takes those who have a passion for it and surrounds them with dangers they cannot resist. Human glory is something like this, too. He who shines out brilliantly today and appears famous in the eyes of men suddenly falls into dishonor and every body despises him�I exhort you, therefore: let us seek the things which abide forever and never change�And I urge you to show great zeal by gathering here in the Church at dawn to make your prayers and confessions to the God of all things, and to thank Him for the gifts He has already given. Beseech Him to deign to lend you from now on His powerful aid in guarding this treasure; strengthened with this aid, let each one leave the Church to take up his daily tasks, one hastening to work with his hands, another hurrying to his military post, and still another to his post in government. However, let each one approach his daily task with fear and anguish, and spend his working hours in the knowledge that at evening he should return here to the Church, render an account to the Master of his whole day, and beg forgiveness for his falls. Even if we are on our guard ten thousand times a day, we cannot avoid making ourselves accountable for many and different faults. Either we say something at the wrong time, or we listen to idle talk, or we think indecent thoughts, or we fail to control our eyes, or we spend time in vain and idle things that have no connection with what we should be doing.� [St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, Baptismal Instructions]

Summer 2010

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:08:22 GMT

Dear Parishioners: During the summer when we allocate time to rejuvenate our bodies, please let us not forget to regenerate our souls. Remember: �Everything in Due Moderation,� putting the Church first and foremost. �For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works� (Matthew 16:26-27). Let us be a fine, tuned instrument � in body, soul and spirit � that magnifies God with love and boldness. Since the Divine Liturgy is the means by which Christ comes to us concretely in the Eucharist for adoration and nutrition, please let us attend the summer worship services. St. Paul calls all of us to be leaven (yeast). Just as leaven converts a large quantity of meal into its own quality, let us change our neighbor and locality to fit God�s specifications. Let us accomplish this through Communion with the Church where the power of the Gospel is great. What is once leavened becomes leaven in turn for others. God bless all of you with a safe, fruitful and blessed summer. Paternally, + Rev. Dr. Gus G. Christo, Protopresbyter

Repentance in Preparation for the Holy Dormition Lent

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 14:59:19 GMT

�Let us then, as long as we are in this world, repent of whatever evils we have done in the flesh, so that we may be saved by the Lord while we yet have time for repentance. For, after we have departed this world, we will no longer be able to confess, nor will there be any time to repent.� [St. Clement of Rome c. 101 A.D.]

Food for Thought

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 14:58:11 GMT

�It is not meager income that constitutes poverty. Rather, insatiable wants constitute poverty. The good man, however, being free from such wants, is truly rich.� [St. Clement] �The things you teach cannot have any weight unless you be the first to practice them.� [Lactantius]

On the Dormition of the Theotokos

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 14:57:49 GMT

�It was fitting that Mary should be assisted by the holy Apostles. For, she was the Mother of them all, since the Only-Begotten Son and Word of God called His own Apostles brothers. It was fitting that her all-holy, God-bearing body, the receptacle of God, divinized and illumined by the divine light and full of glory, should be carried by the Apostles in company with the angels and confided for a short time to the earth and elevated in glory into heaven with its God-pleasing soul.� [Theoteknos of Livias, 6th century. An excerpt from one of the earliest sermons on the Dormition of the Theotokos]

Pearls from St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople

Mon, 31 May 2010 23:16:42 GMT

1. �Slander is worse than cannibalism.� 2. �Prayer should be the means by which I, at all times, receive all that I need, and, for this reason, be my daily refuge, my daily consolation, my daily joy, my source of rich and inexhaustible joy in life.�

The Power of Christ�s Blood

Wed, 26 May 2010 01:13:10 GMT

If we wish to understand the power of Christ�s blood, we should go back to the ancient account of its prefiguring in Egypt. �Sacrifice a lamb without blemish,� commanded Moses, �and sprinkle its blood on your doors.� If we were to ask him what he meant, and how the blood of an irrational beast could possibly save men endowed with reason, his answer would be that the saving power lies not in the blood itself, but in the fact that it is a sign of the Lord�s blood. In those days, when the destroying angel saw the blood on the doors, he did not dare to enter, so how much less will the devil approach now when he sees, not that figurative blood on the doors, but the true blood on the lips of believers, the doors of the temple of Christ. (St. John Chrysostom, Baptismal Catechesis 3)

The Holy Spirit: River of Grace

Tue, 18 May 2010 12:46:26 GMT

So, then, the Holy Spirit is the River, and the abundant River, which according to the Hebrews flowed from Jesus in the lands, as we have received it prophesied by the mouth of Isaiah. This is the great River which flows always and never fails. And not only a river, but also one of copious stream and overflowing greatness, as also David said: "The stream of the river makes glad the city of God." For neither is that city, the heavenly Jerusalem, watered by the channel of any earthly river, but that Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Fount of Life, by a short draught of Whom we are satiated, seems to flow more abundantly among those celestial Thrones, Dominions and Powers, Angels and Archangels, rushing in the full course of the seven virtues of the Spirit. For if a river rising above its banks overflows, how much more does the Spirit, rising above every creature, when He touches the as it were low-lying fields of our minds, make glad that heavenly nature of the creatures with the larger fertility of His sanctification. And let it not trouble you that either here it is said "rivers," or elsewhere "seven Spirits," for by the sanctification of these seven gifts of the Spirit, as Isaiah said, is signified the fullness of all virtue; the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and godliness, and the Spirit of the fear of God. One, then, is the River, but many the channels of the gifts of the Spirit. This River, then, goes forth from the Fount of Life. And here, again, you must not turn aside your thoughts to lower things, because there seems to be some difference between a Fount and a River, and yet the divine Scripture has provided that the weakness of human understanding should not be injured by the lowliness of the language. Set before yourself any river, it springs from its fount, but is of one nature, of one brightness and beauty. And do you assert rightly that the Holy Spirit is of one substance, brightness, and glory with the Son of God and with God the Father. I will sum up all in the oneness of the qualities, and shall not be afraid of any question as to difference of greatness. For in this point also Scripture has provided for us; for the Son of God says: "He that shall drink of the water which I will give him, it shall become in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting life." This well is clearly the grace of the Spirit, a stream proceeding from the living Fount. The Holy Spirit, then, is also the Fount of eternal life. . . . [St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan]

Reconciliation

Tue, 11 May 2010 09:55:32 GMT

�Even if all spiritual fathers, patriarchs, hierarchs, and all the people forgive you, you are unforgiven if you don�t repent in action.� [St Kosmas Aitolos (18th cent.)]

A Humble Prayer

Tue, 04 May 2010 22:19:07 GMT

O God and Lord of the Powers, and Maker of all creation, Who, because of Thy clemency and incomparable mercy, didst send Thine Only-Begotten Son and our Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of mankind, and with His venerable Cross didst tear asunder the record of our sins, and thereby didst conquer the rulers and powers of darkness; Receive from us sinful people, O merciful Master, these prayers of gratitude and supplication, and deliver us from every destructive and gloomy transgression, and from all visible and invisible enemies who seek to injure us. Nail down our flesh with fear of Thee, and let not our hearts be inclined to words or thoughts of evil, but pierce our souls with Thy love, that ever contemplating Thee, being enlightened by Thee, and discerning Thee, the unapproachable and everlasting Light, we may unceasingly render confession and gratitude to Thee: The eternal Father, with Thine Only-Begotten Son, and with Thine All-Holy, Gracious, and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. [St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia]

St. Athanasius on the Logos of God

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 23:19:34 GMT

�Grudging existence to none, therefore, [God] made all things out of nothing through His own Word, our Lord Jesus Christ; and of all these His earthly creatures He reserved especial mercy for the race of men. Upon them, therefore, upon men who, as animals, were essentially impermanent, He bestowed a grace which other creatures lacked�namely, the impress of His own Image, a share in the reasonable being of the very Word Himself, so that, reflecting Him and themselves becoming reasonable and expressing the Mind of God even as he does, though in limited degree, they might continue for ever in the blessed and only true life of the saints in paradise.� [St. Athanasius the Great of Alexandria, De Incarnatione 3.]

We Must Live Not for Ourselves But for Christ, Who Died for Us

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 14:04:54 GMT

Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! �Let us, then, dearly-beloved, confess what the blessed teacher of the nations, the Apostle Paul, confessed, saying, �Faithful is the saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.� For God�s mercy towards us is the more wonderful that Christ died not for the righteous nor for the holy, but for the unrighteous and wicked; and though the nature of the Godhead could not sustain the sting of death, yet at His birth He took from us that which He might offer for us. For of old He threatened our death with the power of His death, saying by the mouth of Hosea the prophet, �O death, I will be thy death, and I will be thy destruction, O hell.� For by dying He underwent the laws of hell, but by rising again He broke them, and so destroyed the continuity of death as to make it temporal instead of eternal. �For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.� And so, dearly-beloved, let that come to pass of which St. Paul speaks, �that they that live, should henceforth not live to themselves but to Him who died for all and rose again.� And because the old things have passed away and all things are become new, let none remain in his old carnal life, but let us all be renewed by daily progress and growth in piety. For however much a man be justified, yet so long as he remains in this life, he can always be more approved and better. And he that is not advancing is going back, and he that is gaining nothing is losing something. Let us run, then, with the steps of faith, by the works of mercy, in the love of righteousness, that keeping the day of our redemption spiritually, �not in the old leaven of malice and wickedness, but in the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth,� we may deserve to be partakers of Christ's resurrection, Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth for ever and ever. Amen.� [On the Passion of Christ by St Leo the Great, Bishop of Rome]

A Paschal Reflection

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:16:13 GMT

�It is He [Christ] that delivered us from slavery to liberty, from darkness to light, from death to life, from tyranny to eternal royalty; and made us a new priesthood and an eternal people personal to Him. He is the Pascha of our salvation.� [An excerpt from Melito of Sardis, On Pascha]

Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 15:48:22 GMT

"The reign of life has begun, the tyranny of death is ended...This is the day the Lord has made --a day far different from those made when the world was first created, and which are measured by the passage of time. This is the beginning of a new creation. On this day, as the prophet says, God makes a new heaven and a new earth." [St. Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa]

Holy and Great Sunday of Pascha: Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:32:14 GMT

Christ is risen from the dead, Trampling down death by death, And to those in the tombs He has given life! (Greek Transliteration) Christos anesti ek nekron, thanato thanaton patisas, ke tis en tis mnimasin, zoin charisamenos! The Paschal Homily of St. John Chrysostom �If any man be devout and loveth God, let him enjoy this fair and radiant triumphal feast! If any man be a wise servant, let him rejoicing enter into the joy of his Lord. If any have laboured long in fasting, let him how receive his recompense. If any have wrought from the first hour, let him today receive his just reward. If any have come at the third hour, let him with thankfulness keep the feast. If any have arrived at the sixth hour, let him have no misgivings; because he shall in nowise be deprived therefore. If any have delayed until the ninth hour, let him draw near, fearing nothing. And if any have tarried even until the eleventh hour, let him, also, be not alarmed at his tardiness. For the Lord, who is jealous of his honour, will accept the last even as the first. He giveth rest unto him who cometh at the eleventh hour, even as unto him who hath wrought from the first hour. And He showeth mercy upon the last, and careth for the first; and to the one He giveth, and upon the other He bestoweth gifts. And He both accepteth the deeds, and welcometh the intention, and honoureth the acts and praises the offering. Wherefore, enter ye all into the joy of your Lord; receive your reward, both the first, and likewise the second. You rich and poor together, hold high festival! You sober and you heedless, honour the day! Rejoice today, both you who have fasted and you who have disregarded the fast. The table is full-laden; feast ye all sumptuously. The calf is fatted; let no one go hungry away. Enjoy ye all the feast of faith: Receive ye all the riches of loving-kindness. Let no one bewail his poverty, for the universal Kingdom has been revealed. Let no one weep for his iniquities, for pardon has shown forth from the grave. Let no one fear death, for the Savior's death has set us free. He that was held prisoner of it has annihilated it. By descending into Hell, He made Hell captive. He embittered it when it tasted of His flesh. And Isaiah, foretelling this, did cry: Hell, said he, was embittered when it encountered Thee in the lower regions. It was embittered, for it was abolished. It was embittered, for it was mocked. It was embittered, for it was slain. It was embittered, for it was overthrown. It was embittered, for it was fettered in chains. It took a body, and met God face to face. It took earth, and encountered Heaven. It took that which was seen, and fell upon the unseen. O Death, where is thy sting? O Hell, where is thy victory? Christ is risen, and thou art overthrown! Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen! Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice! Christ is risen, and life reigns! Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave. For Christ, being risen from the dead, is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep. To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages. Amen.� Paschal Greetings in various languages English: Christ is Risen! Indeed He is risen! Albanian: Khrishti unjal! Vertet unjal! Aleut: Khristus anahgrecum! Alhecum anahgrecum! Alutuq: Khris-tusaq ung-uixtuq! Pijii-nuq ung-uixtuq! Amharic: Kristos tenestwal! Bergit tenestwal! Anglo-Saxon: Crist aras! Crist sodhlice aras! Arabic: El Messieh kahm! Hakken kahm! Armenian: Kristos haryav ee merelotz! Orhnial eh harootyunuh kristosee! Aroman: Hristolu unghia! Daleehira unghia! Athabascan: Xristosi banuytashtch'ey! Gheli banuytashtch'ey! Bulgarian: Hristos voskrese! Vo istina voskrese! Byelorussian: Khrystos uvaskros! Sapraudy uvaskros! Chinese: Helisituosi fuhuole! Queshi fuhuole! Coptic: Christos anesti! Alithos anesti! Czech: Kristus vstal a mrtvych! Opravdi vstoupil! Danish: Kristus er opstanden! I sandhed Han er Opstanden! (or Sandelig Han er Opstanden!) Dutch: Christus is opgestaan! Ja, hij is waarlijk opgestaan! Eritrean-Tigre: Christos tensiou! Bahake tensiou! Esperanto: Kristo levigis! Vere levigis! Estonian: Kristus on oolestoosunt! Toayestee on oolestoosunt! Ethiopian: Christos t'ensah em' muhtan! Exai' ab-her eokala! Finnish: Kristus nousi kuolleista! Totisesti nousi! French: Le Christ est ressuscite! En verite il est ressuscite! Gaelic: Kriost eirgim! Eirgim! Georgian: Kriste ahzdkhah! Chezdmaridet! German: Christus ist erstanden! Er ist wahrhaftig erstanden! Greek: Christos anesti! Alithos anesti! Hawaiian: Ua ala hou `o Kristo! Ua ala `I `o no `oia! Hebrew: Ha Masheeha houh kam! A ken kam! (or Be emet quam!) Icelandic: Kristur er upprisinn! Hann er vissulega upprisinn! Indonesian: Kristus telah bangkit! Benar dia telah bangkit! Italian: Cristo e' risorto! Veramente e' risorto! Japanese: Harisutosu Fukkatsu! Jitsu ni Fukkatsu! Javanese: Kristus sampun wungu! Saesto panjene ganipun sampun wungu! Korean: Kristo gesso! Buhar ha sho nay! Latin: Christus resurrexit! Vere resurrexit! Latvian: Kristus ir augsham sales! Teyasham ir augsham sales vinsch! Lugandan: Kristo ajukkide! Amajim ajukkide! Malayalam (Indian): Christu uyirthezhunnettu! Theerchayayum uyirthezhunnettu! Nigerian: Jesu Kristi ebiliwo! Ezia o' biliwo! Norwegian: Kristus er oppstanden! Han er sannelig oppstanden! Polish: Khristus zmartvikstau! Zaiste zmartvikstau! Portugese: Cristo ressuscitou! Em verdade ressuscitou! Romanian: Cristos a inviat! Adevarat a inviat! Russian: Khristos voskrese! Voistinu voskrese! Sanskrit: Kristo'pastitaha! Satvam upastitaha! Serbian: Cristos vaskres! Vaistinu vaskres! Slovak: Kristus vstal zmr'tvych! Skutoc ne vstal! Spanish: Cristo ha resucitado! En verdad ha resucitado! Swahili: Kristo amefufukka! Kweli Amefufukka! Swedish: Christus ar uppstanden! Han ar verkligen uppstanden! Syriac: M'shee ho dkom! Ha koo qam! Tlingit: Xristos Kuxwoo-digoot! Xegaa-kux Kuxwoo-digoot! Turkish: Hristos diril-di! Hakikaten diril-di! Ugandan: Kristo ajukkide! Kweli ajukkide! Ukranian: Khristos voskres! Voistinu voskres! Welsh: Atgyfododd Crist! Atgyfododd yn wir! Yupik: Xris-tusaq Ung-uixtuq! Iluumun Ung-uixtuq! Zulu: Ukristu uvukile! Uvukile kuphela!

Follow God

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 13:29:40 GMT

�By saying, �If it be possible, let it pass from me,� Christ showed His humanity. However, by saying, �Nevertheless not as I will, but as You will,� He showed His virtue and self-command, teaching us even when nature pulls us back to follow God.� (St. John Chrysostom, Homily 83 on the Gospel of St. Matthew)

Eternal Hope in the Resurrection of Christ

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:10:33 GMT

�But he arose from the dead and mounted up to the heights of heaven. When the Lord had clothed himself with humanity, and had suffered for the sake of the sufferer, and had been bound for the sake of the imprisoned, and had been judged for the sake of the condemned, and buried for the sake of the one who was buried, he rose up from the dead, and cried aloud with this voice: Who is he who contends with me? Let him stand in opposition to me. I set the condemned man free; I gave the dead man life; I raised up the one who had been entombed. Who is my opponent? I, he says, am the Christ. I am the one who destroyed death, and triumphed over the enemy, and trampled Hades under foot, and bound the strong one, and carried off man to the heights of heaven, I, he says, am the Christ. Therefore, come, all families of men, you who have been befouled with sins, and receive forgiveness for your sins. I am your forgiveness, I am the Passover of your salvation, I am the lamb which was sacrificed for you, I am your ransom, I am your light, I am your savior, I am your resurrection, I am your king, I am leading you up to the heights of heaven, I will show you the eternal Father, I will raise you up by my right hand. This is the one who made the heavens and the earth, and who in the beginning created man, who was proclaimed through the law and prophets, who became human via the virgin, who was hanged upon a tree, who was buried in the earth, who was resurrected from the dead, and who ascended to the heights of heaven, who sits at the right hand of the Father, who has authority to judge and to save everything, through whom the Father created everything from the beginning of the world to the end of the age. This is the alpha and the omega. This is the beginning and the end�an indescribable beginning and an incomprehensible end. This is the Christ. This is the king. This is Jesus. This is the general. This is the Lord. This is the one who rose up from the dead. This is the one who sits at the right hand of the Father. He bears the Father and is borne by the Father, to whom be the glory and the power forever. Amen.� [Excerpt from St. Melito of Sardis� text �On Pascha�]

Independence

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:05:02 GMT

Thank You to the Delaware State Legislature for the Greek Independence Day Tribute by + Rev. Dr. Gus George Christo, Protopresbyter Dover, Delaware on March 22, 2007 Esteemed and most honorable ladies and gentlemen of the legislative body of our beloved State of Delaware, it is a high privilege to address you today. I thank you for granting me this opportunity. My thoughts are of deep gratitude and affection for the tribute that you have bestowed upon the Greek Orthodox Community of the State of Delaware in recognition of the March 25th Greek Independence Day celebration. History has taught us that the road to freedom is not an easy one. The road that our Greek ancestors traveled to achieve their freedom spanned 368 years from the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 until the Declaration for Independence in 1821. It is a tribute to the Hellenic spirit for attaining freedom from the Ottoman yoke. Americans such as John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison identified with the Greek struggle and assisted the effort toward a democratic government that would guarantee liberty and justice for all its citizens. For, Greece was the birthplace of democratic principles and the legacy of Greek Independence Day boldly testifies to the awesome power of faith and liberty. But most especially, in the minds of the Hellenic Orthodox people, the glorious event of democracy that ensued from the 25th of March is intricately tied in with the Feast of the Annunciation of Our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary which, too, is celebrated on March 25th. The feast commemorates the announcement by the Archangel Gabriel to the Virign Mary that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of God, would become incarnate and enter into this world through her. We as Greek Americans and Greeks abroad ultimately owe the re-flourishing of democracy in our hearts and on our ancestral soil to the intercessions of our Lady. She is the driving force behind the strong cooperation and friendship between Greece and America and the successes of Greek Americans that have made these God-crowned United States of America stronger and have placed the arts and sciences on the cutting edge. Bound by the common values of the United States and Greece: liberty, justice, peace, democracy, friendship, prosperity, security, patriotism, religious freedom, and a strong commitment to family and God, I stand before you today to accept this tribute. Thank you and may God bless America.

The Relics of the Holy Martyrs

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 09:41:30 GMT

�According to St. John Chrysostom, the beneficial aspects of martyrdom, including the martyrs' continuing and aiding presence in the Church, are felt after the martyrs' death, through their holy relics. These relics become vehicles manifesting God's power and love towards mankind in several ways. In the one instance, they thwart the devil's attack upon Christians and endlessly wound the devil, as they remind him of Christ's saving death and resurrection, which were imitated by the holy martyrs. In another way, they impart great benefits to the Christians who venerate them, and seek the assistance of the martyrs to whom they belong. The benefits imparted include restoration of physical and mental health to the ill and preservation of the healthy; also, human beings are taught about Christ's Gospel, they are led towards virtue (or excellence), and are cleansed from the unclean spirits, which are exorcised; even the dead may be brought back to life. Finally, the relics of the martyrs are used as altars for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, and thus grant great benefits to the faithful throughout Salvation History (i.e., both in the Old and New Testaments), because they are imbued by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit.� [Martyrdom According to John Chrysostom: �To Live is Christ, To Die is Gain�, by the Rev. Dr. Gus G. Christo]

St. John Chrysostom�s Thoughts on Carrying our Cross Nobly

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:38:20 GMT

Let us bear all things thankfully, be it poverty, be it disease, be it anything else whatever: for He alone knows the things expedient for us�Are we in poverty? Let us give thanks. Are we in sickness? Let us give thanks. Are we falsely accused? Let us give thanks. When we suffer affliction, let us give thanks�Affliction is a great good. �Narrow is the way,� so that affliction thrusts us into the narrow way. He who is not pressed by affliction cannot enter. For he who afflicts himself in the narrow is he who also enjoys ease, but he that spreads himself out does not enter in and suffers from being, so to say, wedged in. See how Paul enters into this narrow way? He �keeps under� his body so as to be able to enter. Therefore, in all his afflictions, he continued giving thanks to God. Have you lost any property? This has lightened you of most of your wideness. Have you fallen from glory? This is another sort of wideness. Have you been falsely accused? Have the things said against you, of which you are not conscious, been believed [by others?] �Rejoice and leap for joy.� For �blessed are you,� [says the Lord], �when men reproach you and say all manner of evil against you, falsely, for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in Heaven.�

The Placement of the Holy Relics of the Apostle James the Greater (Brother of Apostle John the Evangelist), Apostle Simon the Zealot, Apostle Mathias, Apostle Timothy, and St. George the Great Martyr and Trophy-bearer at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:02:01 GMT

[The following is taken from "The Consecration of a Greek Orthodox Church According to Eastern Orthodox Tradition, A Detailed Account and Explanation of the Ritual," by Gus George Christo, Texts and Studies in Religion, Volume 109, The Edwin Mellen Press, Lewiston/Queenston/Lampeter, 2005; pgs. 3-7.] The Centrality of Relics in the Church Christianity in its formative years was a persecuted religion. The primary notion of martyrdom, a martyrdom by death and a baptism in one�s own blood, clearly marked that era. The individuals who suffered martyrdom perfectly imitated Christ�s sacrifice and martyrdom upon the cross. There existed a direct connection between the cosmic redemptive and expiatory death of Christ and that of the martyrs. Therefore, it was a common practice during the early Christian centuries to erect Churches over the tombs of the martyrs so the bloodless sacrifice, the Holy Eucharist, could be celebrated and the everlasting Kingdom of God ushered and established sacramentally in time and space by the concrete presence of the very body and blood of the resurrected and glorified Son of God, who sits at the right hand of God the Father. The holy scriptures are filled with examples of people, places and things that are consecrated to the service of God. For example, it is noteworthy to mention in Acts 5:16 of the healing power in the Apostle Peter�s shadow, and in Acts 19:11-12 of the restorative power of the handkerchiefs and aprons touched by the Apostle Paul. Indeed, Luke 8:40-48 describes an infirmed yet faithful woman who touched the hem of Christ�s garment and was healed. The Apostle and Evangelist John notes in the Book of Revelation (6:9) of his vision where he sees under the altar the souls of the saints who underwent martyrdom for the testimony of the gospel. Scriptural examples account for us how the early Church developed the sacred tradition of: securing holy relics under the altar, placing objects such as garments coming in contact with relics as objects of veneration, and processing with relics. A classic example of the procession of relics appears in the Book of Exodus (13:19) where Joseph�s bones were handled sacredly and became part of a four hundred year procession. Moses had vowed that Joseph�s bones would find their final resting place in the promised land. The Church officially canonized the universal tradition of consecrating Churches with the holy relics of martyrs at the Seventh Ecumenical Council held in Nicea in 787 A.D. Legislation was drawn up making the consecration of Churches without relics heretical. According to the theology of relics presented by St. John Chrysostom in his panegyric homilies, God takes the martyrs' souls and gives mankind their relics until the final resurrection of the dead. Hence, relics are treasures that contain innumerable goods for human beings to harvest. They are symbols of Christ's bodily and perfect resurrection from the dead, of the future age and of the unwaning day of the kingdom. They serve as means of transforming corrupt human nature into the image and likeness of Christ. How does God sanctify saints' relics? The grace and holiness of the Spirit of God moves from the martyrs' souls to their bodies and then to their clothing. From their clothing it spreads to their shoes and, finally, it moves into the very shadows they cast, as evidenced by the shadow of St. Peter that raised a human corpse back to life once it passed over it. The veneration of relics by the faithful stemmed from the martyrs' imitation of Christ's baptism in death, suffering and sacrifice, and their subsequent emigration into heaven, call to a better and more spiritual life, change from corruptibility to incorruptibility, and spiritual wedding to Christ the Master. Resulting from a martyrdom by death, or a baptism in blood, a martyr became a channel for the power of God and an intercessor between God and human beings. The martyr's holy relics served as the visible and concrete manifestation of all this to the early Church. Holy relics, adorned with the stigmata of Christ, become vehicles revealing God's power and love toward mankind in several ways. Firstly, they thwart the devil's attack upon Christians and endlessly wound him, as they remind him of Christ's saving death and resurrection that the holy martyrs imitated. Secondly, the relics impart great benefits to the Christians who honor them at special shrines and seek the assistance of the martyrs to whom they belong. The benefits given include: God's compassion and forgiveness of any sin committed, restoration of physical and mental health to the ill and preservation of the healthy, great boldness before God, instruction about Christ's gospel, leadership towards virtue, and cleansing from the unclean spirits that are exorcised. Even the dead may be brought back to life. Thirdly, martyrs' relics function as altars for the celebration of the divine liturgy, and thus grant great benefits to the faithful throughout salvation history, because they are imbued with invisible power, dominion and the grace of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, the power of the relics of the glorified saints in heaven is the nobility of the Christians and the crown of the Church. Therefore, unlike material treasures, relics are neither diminished nor dan�gerous when divided. Since they are spiritual things, they increase in value when they are partitioned and multiply when they are divided. Finally, someone who has venerated a saint's relics is readily recognized by his countenance, form, gait, feeling of piety and devotion, by the collection of his thoughts, and by his humility. The movements of his body and the proclamation of his philosophy distinguish him as someone who paid such homage. Scripture proves this point when it remarks: "A man's attire, grinning laughter and gait show what he is" (Ecclesiasticus, or the Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach 19:30). The locations where the relics of God's saints have been deposited are solely according to God's providence. God selects the location for the deposition of a saint's relics with the specific purpose of edifying the people with the truth and power of the gospel, which is clearly revealed by the saint's triumph over his executioners. At these locations or shrines God guides the pilgrim to exhibit the same zeal for the faith as the martyr who presently resides in heaven. The pilgrim's acceptance of this guidance gives God the opportunity to prepare a safe har�bor for him and provide comfort for his misfortunes. The shrines become sites of refreshment and renewal as the pilgrim's con�sciousness is unburdened and his perspective relating to his sal�vation is recaptured and secured. The pilgrim then leaves the shrine as an "ensouled" and "spiritual shrine" because the saint and his achievements dwell within his thoughts and heart. In the final analysis, central to the picture of a saint's martyrdom and holy relics is the life of Christ culminating in His martyrdom upon the cross and vindication through His resurrection. Around that center, we have as primary witnesses to this martyrdom apostles and saints, who not only believed in but actually fol�lowed after Christ, and especially those who among them shared in His holy martyrdom. It is quite clear from this picture that the early Church understood the gospel culminating in the martyrdom and glorification of Christ in a most literal way, pro�claiming it not only in word but in example and deed. Faith was not an assent to a set of ideas related to Christ, but a way of life, Christ's life. The model of a believer was the person who fol�lowed Him to the cross and who became through his own mar�tyrdom a witness to the glory of His resurrection. There is a crude realism to this picture of faith, particularly when one exam�ines it in some of its details, most notably the detail connected with the holy relics of the Christian martyrs; but such a crudity indicates in the most indisputable manner that the Christian gospel is concerned with the entire man and not just with his mind or spirit. The dust of history is transformed into a witness that anticipates its renewal, which has already been com�menced in the resurrection of Christ and in the glorification of His martyrs and saints who partake in it through their death. Martyrdom is integrally linked with Christianity because it is the most effective and decisive way of overcoming the existing powers of darkness, repre�sented by sin and satan, and the most effective way of re-establishing the Kingdom of God in humanity and in the world at large. The centrality of relics in the life of the Church is best seen during the time of the Christian Roman Emperors. Whenever the celebration of a martyr�s feast day occurred in the imperial city of Constantinople, the emperor would humble himself in the public�s view by putting off the imperial purple and all insignias of earthly sovereignty, he would dress in simple peasant clothes, enter the imperial Church and venerate the martyr�s relics. And once the emperors reposed, they left orders behind for their earthly remains to be interred next to those of the holy martyrs. It was the custom in Constantinople for the emperors to be buried in the Church of the Holy Apostles that housed the awesome relics of Christendom such as the true cross of Christ, the bones of the Twelve Apostles and of numerous martyrs, and the holy fathers of the Church. For this reason, St. John Chrysostom, the Archbishop of Constantinople once wrote: "In Rome, the emperor, the consuls and the rulers make pilgrimages to the graves of the Fisherman and the Tent-maker. But in Constantinople, those who once wore the diadem are satisfied if they are buried, not even near the Apostles, but outside in the forecourt. So the emperors become doorkeepers for the Fishermen�These find themselves inside, like the lords, but those, as though they were servants, consider it a favor if they may find a place by the outer door." ["John Chrysostom and His Time, Volume Two, Constantinople: The Later Years," by Rev. Chrysostomus Baur, O.S.B. Translated by Sr. M. Gonzaga,. R.S.M., p. 460. Copyright 1988 by Bu>chervertriebsanstalt. ISBN 3-905238-11-X.] Glory to God for all Things. Amen. [Holy Relics freely offered to the Holy Trinity Community of Wilmington, Delaware by Fr. Gus George Christo, Ph.D.]

Holy Relics of Martyred Saints: Vehicles of God�s Superabundant Grace

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:02:08 GMT

O Lord our God, faithful in your words and truthful in your promises, you who have enabled by your grace, your holy martyrs to fight the good fight, to finish the race of godliness and to keep the true faith; all-holy Lord, respond in mercy to their prayers and look upon us, your unworthy servants in your grace and grant that we may share in their inheritance, that by imitating them, we also may receive the blessings which await them. Through the mercy and love for mankind of your only-begotten Son with whom you are blessed, together with your all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit, both now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. [From the Service of Consecration of an Orthodox Church]

Hesychios the Priest: On Personal Holiness

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:57:15 GMT

�Just as it is impossible to fight battles without weapons, or to swim a great sea with clothes on, or to live without breathing, so without humility and the constant prayer to Christ it is impossible to master the art of inward spiritual warfare or to set about it and pursue it skillfully.� [On Watchfulness and Holiness, 99] �Prayer is a great blessing, and it embraces all blessings, for it purifies the heart, in which God is seen by the believer.� [Watchfulness, 62] �The more the rain falls on the earth, the softer it makes it. Similarly, Christ�s holy name gladdens the earth of our heart the more we call upon it.� [Watchfulness, 41]

A Prayer for the beginning of the Holy and Great Fast

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:24:34 GMT

�Thy grace has shown forth, Lord, the grace which illumines our soul. This is the acceptable time! This is the time of repentance! Let us lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light, that passing through the Fast as through a great sea we may reach the Resurrection on the Third Day of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of our souls.� [Great Vespers on Cheese Fare Sunday Evening, Aposticha, Tone 4, of the Holy Orthodox Church]

St. John Chrysostom�s Timely Contribution by Fr. Gus George Christo

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 01:54:04 GMT

Chrysostom�s greatest and most timely contribution to the strengthening of our faith in God is his biblical teaching on the paschal mystery and our connection to its saving power through the Church, Christ Himself, the greatest of all mysteries. The blood and water that flowed from Christ�s side while suspended upon the Cross, representing the holy Eucharist and sacred Baptism respectively, are the cornerstones of our redemption and inclusion in the life of the Holy Trinity. �But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe� (John 19:34-35). There is no doubt that Chrysostom is an eminent witness to the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist and its sacrificial character. His statements to that effect are numerous, clear, positive and detailed. He would have this sacrament approached with awe and devotion and calls the Eucharist �a table of holy fear, an awe-inspiring and divine table, the frightful mysteries, the divine mysteries, the ineffable mysteries, the mysteries which demand reverence and trembling.� The consecrated wine is �the cup of holy awe, the awe-inspiring blood, and the precious blood.� Moreover, the Eucharist is �an awe-inspiring and terrible sacrifice, a fearful and holy sacrifice, the most awe-inspiring sacrifice.� Pointing to the altar, he says: �Christ lies there slain, His Body lies before us now. That which is in the Chalice is the same as what flowed from the side of Christ. What is the bread? The Body of Christ. Reflect, O man, what sacrificial flesh you take in your hand. To what table you will approach. Remember that you, though dust and ashes, do receive the Blood and the Body of Christ.� The divine power of the Eucharist transfigures each human recipient into the very Church of God because it flowed down from the cross and from the Master�s immaculate side. The one Church is seen in the many and the many in the one. Chrysostom says: Since the symbols of Baptism and the Eucharist flowed from His side, it was from His side that Christ fashioned the Church, as He had fashioned Eve from the side of Adam. Moses gives a hint of this when he tells the story of the first man and makes him exclaim: �Bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh!� As God then took a rib from Adam�s side to fashion a woman, so Christ has given us blood and water from His side to fashion the Church. God took the rib when Adam was in a deep sleep, and in the same way Christ gave us the blood and the water after His own death. (Baptismal Catechesis 3) By this sacred communication in Christ, the participant becomes the bride of Christ the Bridegroom. An intimate spiritual union beyond comprehension and admittance into the heavenly bridal chamber are achieved. Chrysostom states: By one and the same food we are both brought into being and nourished. As a woman nourishes her child with her own blood and milk, so does Christ unceasingly nourish with His own blood those to whom He Himself has given life. (Baptismal Catechesis 3) According to Chrysostom, the power of Christ�s blood was prefigured in the Old Testament by the smearing of blood on the lintel of the Jewish houses in order for the angel of death to pass over them. The holy father notes: If we wish to understand the power of Christ�s blood, we should go back to the ancient account of its prefiguring in Egypt. �Sacrifice a lamb without blemish,� commanded Moses, �and sprinkle its blood on your doors.� If we were to ask him what he meant, and how the blood of an irrational beast could possibly save men endowed with reason, his answer would be that the saving power lies not in the blood itself, but in the fact that it is a sign of the Lord�s blood. In those days, when the destroying angel saw the blood on the doors, he did not dare to enter, so how much less will the devil approach now when he sees, not that figurative blood on the doors, but the true blood on the lips of believers, the doors of the temple of Christ. (Baptismal Catechesis 3) When the celebration of the Divine Liturgy occurs, �when [we] see the Lord immolated and lying upon the altar, and the priest bent over that sacrifice praying, and all the people empurpled by that precious blood,� the Church in heaven and on earth unites and is one and the same. �When the priest conducts the divine service, angels station themselves about him and in a choir they chant a hymn of praise in honor of the victim who is sacrificed.� Chrysostom assures: Christ is present. The one [Christ] who prepared that table [long ago] is the very one who now prepares this table. For, it is not a man who makes the sacrificial gifts become the Body and Blood of Christ, but He that was crucified for us, Christ Himself. The priest stands there carrying out the action, but the power and the grace is of God [Homilies on the Treachery of Judas 1:6]. There is one Christ everywhere, complete both in this world and in the other. [There is] one Body. As then, though offered in many places, He is but one Body, so there is but one Sacrifice...We offer that now which was offered then; which is indeed inconsumable...We do not offer a different sacrifice as the high priest [of the Jews] formerly did, but always the same. Believe that there takes place now the same banquet as that in which Christ sat at table, and that this banquet is in no way different from that. For, it is not true that this banquet is prepared by a man while that was prepared by Himself. Today as then it is the Lord who works and offers all. We assume the role of servants; it is He who blesses and transforms. It is not man who causes what is present to become the Body and Blood of Christ, but Christ Himself who was crucified for us. The priest is the representative when he pronounces those words, but the power and the grace are those of the Lord. �This is my Body,� he says. This word changes the things that lie before us; and as that sentence �increase and multiply,� once spoken, extends through all time and gives to our nature the power to reproduce itself; even so that saying �This is my Body,� once uttered, does at every table in the Churches from that time to the present day, and even till Christ�s coming, make the sacrifice complete. He continues, saying: You envy the opportunity of the woman who touched the vestments of Jesus, of the sinful woman who washed His feet with her tears, of the women of Galilee who had the happiness of following Him in His pilgrimages, of the Apostles and disciples who conversed with Him familiarly, of the people of the time who listened to the words of grace and salvation which came forth from His lips. You call happy those who saw Him�But, come to the altar and you will see Him, you will touch Him, you will give to Him holy kisses, you will wash Him with your tears, you will carry Him within you like Mary Most Holy. Indeed: You see that same Body, not in a manger, but upon the altar; not carried in His Mother�s arms, but elevated in the priest�s hands. Let us, therefore, be roused, and tremble, and bring with us more devotion to the altar than those eastern kings did to the manger, where they adored their newborn Savior. With affection Chrysostom adds: Because of this Body I am no longer earth and ash, no longer a prisoner, but free. Because of this Body I hope for heaven, and I hope to receive the good things that are in heaven, immortal life, the lot of the angels, familiar conversation with Christ. This Body, scourged and crucified, has not been fetched by death�This is that Body which was blood-stained, which was pierced by a lance, and from which gushed forth those saving fountains, one of blood and the other of water, for all the world�This is the Body which He gave us, both to hold in reserve and to eat, which was appropriate to intense love. [Homilies on Corinthians 8, 1(2); 24, 2(3); 24, 2(4); 24, 4(7).] Some of his expressions are yet stronger. He does not hesitate to declare: Not only ought we to see the Lord, but we ought to take Him in our hands, eat Him, set our teeth upon His Flesh and most intimately unite ourselves with Him. What the Lord did not tolerate on the Cross [i.e., the breaking of His legs], He tolerates now in the sacrifice through the love of you. He permits Himself to be broken in pieces that all may be filled to satiety. Because of Christ�s concrete presence in the Eucharist, Chrysostom requests all attendees to the Eucharistic celebration to be properly disposed and behaved. He says: What are you doing, O man? When the priest says: �Let us lift up our mind and our hearts,� why do you not affirm and say: �We lift them up to the Lord?� You are not afraid? You are not ashamed of being found a liar at this terrible moment? Bless me, what a wonder! The Mystical Table is prepared, the Lamb of God is sacrificing Himself for you, the priest is struggling on your behalf, spiritual fire is gushing forth from the undefiled Table, the Cherubim are standing by and the Seraphim are flying, the six-winged creatures are covering their faces, all the bodiless powers together with the priest are interceding on your behalf, the spiritual fire is descending, the blood from the Immaculate Side is emptying into the vessel for your purification, and you are not afraid, you do not blush, and you are found a liar at that terrible moment? The week has 168 hours and God set aside for Himself one hour only, and you spend it in worldly and ridiculous affairs and in company? With what boldness do you later approach the Mysteries? ... Do not see it as bread, neither think that it is wine, for the body does not eliminate them in a toilet like other food. Neither say this nor think it! Just as a burning candle does not leave a trace and nothing remains of itself, likewise believe in this case that the Mysteries are spent inside the body together with its essence. For this reason while you approach, do not think that you partake of the Divine Body from a man; rather, believe that you partake of the Divine Body from the very seraphim with the fiery spoon that Isaiah saw; and when we partake of the Saving Blood, let us believe that our lips touch the very Divine and Immaculate Side. Therefore, for this reason my brethren, let us not be absent from the Churches, and inside them let us no longer occupy our time in conversations. Let us stand with fear and trembling, with our eyes lowered and the soul elevated, with silent sighs and loud shouts of the heart�I will not cease telling you these things until I see you become corrected. When we come to the Church, we must enter in accordance with God�s liking, having no malice in the soul, nor praying to our detriment when we say: �Forgive us as we forgive those who trespass against us� (Matthew 6:12). For this statement is terrible, and he who says it is exclaiming to God something like this: �I remitted; Master, you remit. I loosened; you loosen. I forgave; you forgive. If I retained, you retain. If I did not forgive my neighbor, then do not annul my sins. With the measure I used to measure, let me be measured as well.� [Homily 9 on Repentance] �Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever� (Hebrews 13:8). From a brief sample of his writings, St. John Chrysostom reveals to us that, just as the Lord appeared to His Apostles in the Upper Room after His glorious Resurrection over 2,000 years ago and communicated them in the Mysteries of His Body and Blood, He concretely manifests Himself in the sacred Eucharist during every Divine Liturgy so we may commune in the very life of the Holy Trinity and sit with Him at the right hand of the Heavenly Power. Through His undefiled and incorrupt Humanity, we are redeemed and deified. According to Chrysostom, this is the unchanging faithfulness of Christ toward the members of His Church: �Truly 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 (John 6: 53-58). Likewise, our faithfulness to God must also be unchanging in all circumstances, as Chrysostom explained at the end of his tenth homily on the Gospel of St. Matthew: To this alone should we train ourselves: to bear all trials with courage, and not inquire as to the how or why of them. It is God�s affair alone to know when our sufferings will come to an end. It is our duty to bear with gratitude the affliction which God ordains for us...So let us put all discouragement aside, and give glory in all things to God, who directs all things for our best good. His banner of life, �Glory to God for all things,� reveals that the faith and practice of a true Orthodox Christian must be �the same yesterday, today, and forever.�

Give Glory to God for all Things

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:48:21 GMT

�To this alone should we train ourselves: to bear all trials with courage, and not inquire as to the how or why of them. It is God�s affair alone to know when our sufferings will come to an end. It is our duty to bear with gratitude the affliction which God ordains for us...So let us put all discouragement aside, and give glory in all things to God, who directs all things for our best good.� [St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople]

�Something to Sleep On�

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:04:55 GMT

�Just as it is impossible to fight battles without weapons, or to swim a great sea with clothes on, or to live without breathing, so without humility and constant prayer to Christ it is impossible to master the art of inward spiritual warfare or to set about it and pursue it skilfully.� Hesychios the Priest: On Watchfulness and Holiness, 99 From http://www.monachos.net/content/patristics/studies-fathers/64-hesychios-the-priest-on-personal-holiness

Just a Thought...

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 23:54:54 GMT

"A sound heart is life to the body, whereas envy is rottenness to the bones." Proverbs 14:30 (NKJV)

St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan on Entry into the Church

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:12:37 GMT

�After this the Holy of Holies [a figurative name given to the baptistery] was opened to you, you entered the sanctuary of regeneration; recall what you were asked, and remember what you answered. You renounced the devil and his works, the world with its luxury and pleasures. That utterance of yours is preserved not in the tombs of the dead, but in the book of the living. You saw there the deacon, you saw the priest, you saw the chief priest [the bishop]. Consider not the bodily forms, but the grace of the Mysteries. You spoke in the presence of the angels, as it is written: �For the priest�s lips keep knowledge, and they seek the law at his mouth, for he is the angel of the Lord Almighty� [Malachi 2:7]. There is no place for deception nor for denial. He is an angel who proclaims the kingdom of Christ and eternal life. He is to be esteemed by you not according to his appearance, but according to his office. Consider what he delivered, reflect upon the rule of life he gave you, recognize his position.�

Thoughts from St. John Chrysostom

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 19:23:14 GMT

1. �As a moth gnaws a garment, so doth envy consume a man.� 2. �The bee is more honored than other animals, not because she labors, but because she labors for others.� 3. �Slander is worse than cannibalism.� 4. �Poor human reason, when it trusts in itself, substitutes the strangest absurdities for the highest divine concepts.�

Inner Reflection

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:21:49 GMT

St. Hesychius the Priest (8th/9th century) said: �St Basil the Great, mouthpiece of Christ and pillar of the Church, says that a great help towards not sinning and not committing daily the same faults is for us to review in our conscience at the end of each day what we have done wrong and what we have done right. Job did this with regard both to himself and to his children (cf. Job 1.5). These daily reckonings illumine a man's hour-by-hour behavior.� (On Watchfulness and Holiness, 65; in the Philokalia, vol. i, p. 174.)

Watchfulness during the New Year

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 21:55:13 GMT

�Do you see the watchful souls? With women and children and maid servants, they sang hymns to God, made purer than the sky by affliction... Nothing ever was more splendid than that Church. Let us imitate these, let us emulate them: ... the Church of God rising up in the midst of the night. Do you rise up too, and behold the quire of stars, the deep silence, the profound repose, contemplate with awe the order of your Master's household. Then your soul will be purer: it will be lighter, subtler, and soaring, disengaged: the darkness itself, the imposing silence are sufficient to lead you to compunction... Sleep has invaded and defeated nature: it is the image of death, the image of the end of all things... �Let the house be a Church, consisting of men and women... For where two, He says, are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them (Matt. 18:20) ... Where Christ is there must be Angels, and Archangels, and other Powers.�� [St. John Chrysostom. Homily 26 on Acts 12.]

New Year�s Resolution

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:55:21 GMT

�How lovely is prayer and how radiant are its works. Prayer is acceptable to God when it is accompanied by good deeds, and it is heard when it rises out of a spirit of forgiveness. Prayer is always answered when it is pure and sincere. Prayer is powerful when it is suffused with God's vigour.� [Aphrat the Persian] �When we pray and God delays in hearing (our prayer), He does this for our benefit, so as to teach us longsuffering; wherefore we need not become downcast saying: 'We prayed, and were not heard.' God knows what is profitable for a man.� [Sts. Barsanuphius and John (6th Century). Guidance Toward Spiritual Life: Answers to the Questions of Disciples, 35; trans. Fr Seraphim Rose, p. 47.] �If God is slow in answering your request, or if you ask but do not promptly receive anything, do not be upset, for you are not wiser than God.� [St Isaac the Syrian (7th/8th century). Wisdom of St Isaac the Syrian, 5; ed. S. Brock, p. 1.] http://www.monachos.net/content/patristics/random-quotations-from-the-fathers

On the Nativity Fast - The Preparation of the Soul

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:08:20 GMT

'Make ready, O Bethlehem: let the manger be prepared, let the cave show its welcome. The truth has come, the shadow has passed away...' The herald of the pending miracle begins. It is the Eve of the Nativity as these words are sung. The transformation of the world, the birth of God, is but hours away, and it is through such words that the faithful are called into attentiveness and anticipation. 'Make ready, O Bethlehem!' We can see the radiant lights of the feast just beyond the horizon, we can taste the sweetness of the miracle that took place beneath a star; and through the words sung around and within us in the Church, the great eve of the birth of God is made a reality in our present experience. We make ready, and we wait. But this is not the first moment of preparation for the Feast. For 'forty days', with the usual adjustments to that length for Sabbaths and Sundays causing it to begin on 15 November, the Church has been setting herself in readiness, drawing her attention to the mystery to come, waiting in expectation. She has made use of the great joy that will arrive on Christmas day as occasion to take up the task considered by so many as opposite to joy: fasting, with all its rigour, its harshness, its discomfort. These are the steps which, for Orthodox Christians throughout the world, lead to the radiant wonder of the Nativity of Christ. Whence the spirit of this fast, which each year 'stands in the way' of our arrival at Christmas rejoicing? The question itself helps guide the way to an answer: the fast seems awkward because so often we see Christmas as joy alone and do not appreciate fully the deep and profound mystery that is at the heart of our rejoicing. 'Hark, the herald angels sing!' we are eager to recall, but quietly we forget the universal significance of the event that is the cause of their singing. It is not just that a babe is born: He who is without birth is born. He who created all is made a created child. He who holds the universe in the palm of His hand, is held in the hands of a tender mother. Before Thy birth, O Lord, the angelic hosts looked with trembling on this mystery and were struck with wonder: for Thou who hast adorned the vault of heaven with stars hast been well pleased to be born as a babe; and Thou who holdest all the ends of the earth in the hollow of Thy hand art laid in a manger of dumb beasts. For by such a dispensation has Thy compassion been made known, O Christ, and Thy great mercy: glory to Thee. (Sticheron of the Third Hour, Eve of the Nativity) We do not tremble when we think of Christmas, we are not always struck with the wonder of the Nativity. Instead, we buy gifts and plan parties, catching a glimpse of the joy of the Feast, but without a heart immersed in its wonder. Thus the fast becomes that which we must 'get through' in order to reach that joyful day. When we arrive there, however, if this has been our attitude, we are caught askance by the hymns the Church feeds into our hearts. We find ourselves joined to a celebration of triumphal release from bondage, but we little understand what that bondage means. We sing songs of joy for deliverance, but we do not truly comprehend how we are enslaved. We find ourselves suddenly transported to the mountaintop, but without having climbed there from the valley far below, the scene we see is only another beautiful picture casually set before our eyes, and not the vision for which we have worked and struggled and longed with all our being. We may feel joy, perhaps even Christmas joy; but we will know, deep inside, that our joy is not like that which is exalted in the hymn: Make glad, O ye righteous! Greatly rejoice, O ye heavens! Ye mountains, dance for joy! Christ is born; and like the cherubim the Virgin makes a throne, carrying at her bosom God the Word made flesh. Shepherds, glorify the newborn Child! Magi, offer the Master gifts! Angels, sing praises, saying: 'O Lord past understanding, glory to Thee!' (First sticheron of the Praises, Nativity Matins) A Time of Preparation The Fast of the Nativity is the Church's wise solace and aid to human infirmity. We are a forgetful people, but our forgetfulness is not unknown to God; and our hearts with all their misconceptions and weakened understandings are not unfamiliar to the Holy Spirit who guides and sustains this Church. We who fall far from God through the magnitude of our sin, are called nonetheless to be close to Him. We who run afar off are called to return. Through the fast that precedes the great Feast of the Incarnation -- which itself is the heart and substance of our calling -- the Church helps draw us into the full mystery of what that call entails. Like Great Lent, the fast of the Nativity is a journey. 'Come, O ye faithful, and let us behold where Christ is born. Let us join the Magi, kings from the east, and follow the guiding star.' Let us 'join the Magi', let us 'follow' and 'behold'. On the fifteenth of November, the Church joins together in a journey toward that salvation first promised to Adam in God's curse laid upon the serpent (Gen 3.14-15). The One who will crush the head of the serpent, of sin and the devil and all that is counter to the life God offers, is Him to whom the star leads us. The fast of the Nativity is our journey into the new and marvellous life of the Holy Trinity, which is offered by God but which we must approach of our own volition. In this act, we are joined to the story of our fathers. The gift of a new land and great blessings was freely given by God to Abraham, but in order to obtain it, 'Abram went, as the Lord had told him' (Gen 12.4). A journey is, by its nature, naturally ascetic. Unless my life is already very humble, I cannot take the whole of my possessions on a journey. I cannot transport social and political ties along a journey's path. I can never be too reliant on the plans I have made for my journey: a control lying beyond the self must be admitted and accepted. This is the spirit to which the fast calls us. A journey is, by its nature, an act of movement, of transportation, of growth. What is old is left behind, newness is perceived and embraced, growth of understanding takes place. And even if the journey comes to a close in the same physical location from which it began, that place is transformed for us by the journey through which we have re-approached it. The aid shelter on a street corner in London is no different after a journey to the Middle East; but after witnessing there first-hand the struggles and torments of poverty, of suffering, of sorrow, the meaning and importance of that small shelter is indeed different for me. Here the importance of the fast. As the Nativity approaches, that great feast of cosmic significance and eternal, abounding joy for which heaven and earth together rejoice, the fast calls me to consider: do I rejoice? Why do I rejoice? The hymnography of the Church makes it clear that this is a feast for all the world, for all creation; and the fast calls me to take my place in that creation, to realise that, despite all my infinite unworthiness, Christmas is a miracle for my soul too. Make ready, O Bethlehem: let the manger be prepared, let the cave show its welcome. The truth has come, the shadow has passed away; born of a Virgin, God has appeared to men, formed as we are and making godlike the garment He has put on. Therefore Adam is renewed with Eve, and they call out: 'Thy good pleasure has appeared on earth to save our kind'. Adam and Eve, all of humankind, are renewed and made alive in the Incarnation of God in Christ, who 'appeared on earth to save our kind'. Fallen flesh, so long bound to death, so long yearning in for growth and maturation into the fullness of life, is sewn into the garment of Christ and at last made fully alive. There is a pleasing old saying, with perhaps more than a touch of truth to it, that humankind drew its first full breath at the infant Christ's first cry. We are called, then, to approach this great mystery as God's condescension into our own lives, personally and collectively. The Canon of Matins for the Nativity lays it out clearly: 'He establishes a path for us, whereby we may mount up to heaven.' The Nativity is not only about God's coming down to us, but about our rising up to Him, just as sinful humanity was lifted up into the person of Christ in the Incarnation itself. We are called to arise, then, during the fast that is the journey into this Feast. 'O blessed Lord who seest all, raise us up far above sin, and establish Thy singers firm and unshaken upon the foundation of the faith.' The faithful take up this call through the abandonment of those things which bind, rather than free, in order that a focus on God as 'all in all' might become ever more real and central to daily life. Meals are lessened and regimented, that a constant, lingering hunger may remind us of the great need we each have for spiritual food that goes beyond our daily bread. The number of Church services is gradually increased, that we might know whence comes that true food. Sweets and drink are set aside, that we might never feel content with the trivial and temporal joys of this world. Parties and social engagements are reduced, that we might realise that all is not so well with us as we often take it to be. Anything which holds the slightest power over us, whether cigarettes or television, travel or recreation, is minimized or -- better -- cast wholly aside, that we might bring ourselves to be possessed and governed only by God. The fast is an ascetic time, designed by the Church to strip away common stumbling blocks into sin, to provide us with the means of self-perception that we lack in our typical indulgence, and to begin to grow the seeds of virtue. All these are necessary if we are ever to know even partially, or appreciate even menially, the 'depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God'. We must take up the task of our own purification, gifted by God and achieved only through His grace, that we might approach Him on Christmas Day as did the Magi and the shepherds in Bethlehem: Come, O ye faithful, inspired by God let us arise and behold the divine condescension from on high that is made manifest to us in Bethlehem. Cleansing our minds, let us offer through our lives virtues instead of myrrh, preparing with faith our entry into the feast of the Nativity, storing up treasure in our souls and crying: Glory in the highest to God in Trinity, whose good pleasure is now revealed to men, that in His love for mankind He may set Adam free from the ancestral curse. (Sticheron of the Sixth Hour, Christmas Eve) True Joy in the Mystery of the Nativity The Church journeys toward the birth of Christ God, steered by the ship that is the Nativity fast. She does so with the knowledge that unless she struggles up the mountain that is desperately too steep for her to climb, she will never know the breadth of the gift that is the mountain's levelling by the hand of God. Resurrection unto life is the ultimate gift of the Incarnation, but unless a man understands that he is dead, he will never know the meaning of resurrection. The fast is a holy and blessed tool that brings us closer to such self awareness. It reveals to us who we are, perhaps more importantly who we are not, and makes us more consciously aware of that for which we stand in need. Then and only then, with eyes opened -- even only partially -- by the ascetic endeavour, we will truly know the life-giving light of the Nativity of Christ. We will hear with awe the proclamation of the hymn at vespers, taking the mystery presented therein as united directly to us: Come, let us greatly rejoice in the Lord as we tell of this present mystery. The middle wall of partition has been destroyed; the flaming sword turns back, the cherubim withdraw from the tree of life, and I partake of the delight of Paradise from which I was cast out through disobedience. For the express Image of the Father, the Imprint of His eternity, takes the form of a servant, and without undergoing change He comes forth from a Mother who knew not wedlock. For what He was, He has remained, true God: and what He was not, He has taken upon himself, becoming man through love for mankind. Unto Him let us cry aloud: God born of a Virgin, have mercy upon us! (Sticheron of Vespers of the Nativity) We will never fully comprehend this ineffable mystery; some knowledge is properly God's alone. But by His grace through the ascetic effort, we will come to understand -- perhaps, most of us, only to the slightest degree -- how this mystery is our own mystery, how His life is our own life, and how the salvation of Christmas Day is, indeed, our own salvation. And with this realisation, joy: joy far greater than a mere entrance into the temple on Christmas Day could ever bring us. This is the joy of the age-old journey of man, our own journey, come to its fulfilment in the awe-inspiring mystery of God Himself become a man. With this joy in our hearts, we shall embrace the hymnographer's words as our own: Today the Virgin comes to the cave to give birth ineffably to the pre-eternal Word. Hearing this, be of good cheer, O inhabited earth, and with the angels and the shepherds glorify Him whose will it was to be made manifest a young Child, the pre-eternal God. (Kontakion of the Forefeast) A Spiritual Reflection taken from Monachos.net http://www.monachos.net/content/liturgics/liturgical-reflections/97-on-the-nativity-fast-the-preparation-of-the-soul

HAVE A BLESSED HOLIDAY SEASON !

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:57:06 GMT

For this most blessed Christmas, New Year, and Epiphany Season, I extend to you my paternal blessings and wholehearted best wishes for much health, happiness, steadfastness of faith, and service to God�s Holy Church and to our fellow-man. Love one another as Christ has loved you! Your fervent intercessor before the Incarnate Lord, Great God, and Savior Jesus Christ, + Rev. Dr. Gus G. Christo, Protopresbyter

Tend to Your Souls!

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:13:46 GMT

�We must carefully tend the field of our heart, lest the tares of every vice should grow in it. We must daily weed it � at least by morning and evening prayers � and water it with abundant tears [of repentance], as with rain.� [St. John of Kronstadt]

Prayer and Scripture Reading

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:49:55 GMT

�Prayers, too, after reading [the inspired Scriptures], find the soul fresher, and more vigorously stirred by love towards God. Prayer is good that imprints a clear idea of God in the soul�Thus we become God�s temple: when the continuity of our recollection is not severed by earthly cares; when the mind is harassed by no sudden sensations; when the worshipper flees from all things and retreats to God, drawing away all the feelings that invite him to self-indulgence, and passes his time in the pursuits that lead to virtue.� St. Basil the Great, Letter 2 http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3202002.htm

Prepare for the Coming of the Incarnate Son of God

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:32:41 GMT

BEHOLD a new and wondrous mystery. My ears resound to the Shepherd�s song, piping no soft melody, but chanting full forth a heavenly hymn. The Angels sing. The Archangels blend their voice in harmony. The Cherubim hymn their joyful praise. The Seraphim exalt His glory. All join to praise this holy feast, beholding the Godhead here on earth, and man in heaven. He Who is above, now for our redemption dwells here below; and he that was lowly is by divine mercy raised. Bethlehem this day resembles heaven; hearing from the stars the singing of angelic voices; and in place of the sun, enfolds within itself on every side, the Sun of justice. And ask not how: for where God wills, the order of nature yields. For He willed; He had the power; He descended; He redeemed; all things yielded in obedience to God. This day He Who is, is Born; and He Who is, becomes what He was not. For when He was God, He became man; yet not departing from the Godhead that is His. Nor yet by any loss of divinity became He man, nor through increase became He God from man; but being the Word He became flesh, His nature, because of impassability, remaining unchanged. And so the kings have come, and they have seen the heavenly King that has come upon the earth, not bringing with Him Angels, nor Archangels, nor Thrones, nor Dominations, nor Powers, nor Principalities, but, treading a new and solitary path, He has come forth from a spotless womb. Since this heavenly birth cannot be described, neither does His coming amongst us in these days permit of too curious scrutiny. Though I know that a Virgin this day gave birth, and I believe that God was begotten before all time, yet the manner of this generation I have learned to venerate in silence and I accept that this is not to be probed too curiously with wordy speech. For with God we look not for the order of nature, but rest our faith in the power of Him who works. What shall I say to you; what shall I tell you? I behold a Mother who has brought forth; I see a Child come to this light by birth. The manner of His conception I cannot comprehend. Nature here rested, while the Will of God labored. O ineffable grace! The Only Begotten, Who is before all ages, Who cannot be touched or be perceived, Who is simple, without body, has now put on my body, that is visible and liable to corruption. For what reason? That coming amongst us he may teach us, and teaching, lead us by the hand to the things that men cannot see. For since men believe that the eyes are more trustworthy than the ears, they doubt of that which they do not see, and so He has deigned to show Himself in bodily presence, that He may remove all doubt. Christ, finding the holy body and soul of the Virgin, builds for Himself a living temple, and as He had willed, formed there a man from the Virgin; and, putting Him on, this day came forth; unashamed of the lowliness of our nature. For it was to Him no lowering to put on what He Himself had made. Let that handiwork be forever glorified, which became the cloak of its own Creator. For as in the first creation of flesh, man could not be made before the clay had come into His hand, so neither could this corruptible body be glorified, until it had first become the garment of its Maker. What shall I say! And how shall I describe this Birth to you? For this wonder fills me with astonishment. The Ancient of Days has become an infant. He Who sits upon the sublime and heavenly Throne, now lies in a manger. And He Who cannot be touched, Who is simple, without complexity, and incorporeal, now lies subject to the hands of men. He Who has broken the bonds of sinners, is now bound by an infants bands. But He has decreed that ignominy shall become honor, infamy be clothed with glory, and total humiliation the measure of His Goodness. For this He assumed my body, that I may become capable of His Word; taking my flesh, He gives me His spirit; and so He bestowing and I receiving, He prepares for me the treasure of Life. He takes my flesh, to sanctify me; He gives me His Spirit, that He may save me. Come, then, let us observe the Feast. Truly wondrous is the whole chronicle of the Nativity. For this day the ancient slavery is ended, the devil confounded, the demons take to flight, the power of death is broken, paradise is unlocked, the curse is taken away, sin is removed from us, error driven out, truth has been brought back, the speech of kindliness diffused, and spreads on every side, a heavenly way of life has been in planted on the earth, angels communicate with men without fear, and men now hold speech with angels. Why is this? Because God is now on earth, and man in heaven; on every side all things commingle. He became Flesh. He did not become God. He was God. Wherefore He became flesh, so that He Whom heaven did not contain, a manger would this day receive. He was placed in a manger, so that He, by whom all things arc nourished, may receive an infant�s food from His Virgin Mother. So, the Father of all ages, as an infant at the breast, nestles in the virginal arms, that the Magi may more easily see Him. Since this day the Magi too have come, and made a beginning of withstanding tyranny; and the heavens give glory, as the Lord is revealed by a star. To Him, then, Who out of confusion has wrought a clear path, to Christ, to the Father, and to the Holy Spirit, we offer all praise, now and for ever. Amen. [St. John Chrysostom�s Homily on Christmas Morning]

Be Strong in the Lord

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:10:18 GMT

�But even if you should suffer for righteousness� sake, you are blessed. �And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.�� [1 Peter 3:14]

Modesty is the Best Defense

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:06:20 GMT

�But if golden ornaments, pearls, and embroidered robes could treacherously betray you in the courts of this world, whereas mildness, gentleness, ashes, tears, cheap garments are more calculated to win the judge over to your side, this would be all the more true in that dread judgment where there can be no bribing. For what word of defense will you be able to speak when the Master shall accuse you in the matter of these pearls, and when He shall lead forward the poor who have perished from hunger? This is why Paul said: �not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothing� (1 Timothy 2:9). For these could be a trap.� [St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople]

Live the Life of the Saints

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:13:27 GMT

"Freely you have received, freely give." [Matthew 10:8]

�Because they drank from the spiritual Rock which followed them, and this Rock was Christ� (1 Corinthians 10:1 4)

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:45:47 GMT

St. John Chrysostom associates the Church in the wilderness during the Israelites� journey to the Promised Land with the Ecclesial Community of the New Testament, which gathers for the celebration of the Sacraments, when he explains that the manna and drink in the wilderness symbolize Christ in the Mysteries, according to the Apostle Paul, whom he cites: �Because they drank from the spiritual Rock which followed them, and this Rock was Christ� (1 Corinthians 10:1 4). Chrysostom expounds upon this by saying: "Have you seen in the baptism who is the type and who is the reality? Come, let me show you the Table and the Communion in the Mysteries just as they are outlined in shadows there [i.e., in the Old Testament], if, surely, you do not demand from me again all the truth, but examine the things that have happened, in the same way that he sees fit for you to see them outlined in shadows and in types. For the ocean, and for the cloud, and for Moses, it was as if he said, pay attention again, �And they all ate the same spiritual food.� He says, just as you emerge from the Baptismal Font and run to the Table, they [i.e., the Israelites] emerged from the ocean and sat at a new and paradoxical table. I mean the manna. Just as you drink a paradoxical drink, the Saving Blood [i.e., of Christ], they, too, drank water in a paradoxical way, because they did not find fountains/springs, nor rivers which gush forth, but they quenched their thirst from the water that poured forth from a dry and hard rock. For this reason he characterized it as spiritual, not because it was as such in its nature, but because it became that way with the manner in which it was supplied to them. For it was not supplied to them according to the laws of nature, but according to the operation of their General, in other words, God." However, after the Son of God put on �Our flesh� and �Communicated in our nature,� Christians communicate clearly and directly with the Son of God (the Reality) during the Liturgical Assembly through Baptism in His Name and Communion in His Saving Blood, i.e., Communion in the Mysteries, or the enjoyment of His Body. Baptism and the Mysteries are administered directly to the Christians by the Son of God Himself during the Liturgical Assembly. [The Church�s Identity Established through Images according to Saint John Chrysostom, by Protopresbyter Gus George Christo, Ph.D., Patristic Theological Library 2, Orthodox Research Institute, Rollinsford, NH, 2006, p. 93.]

In Honor of St. Demetrios the Great Martyr and Myrrh-flowing from Thessalonica

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:20:22 GMT

�A man is not a martyr only if he is commanded to sacrifice to the gods, and then dies rather than sacrifice; but he is also a martyr if he obeys any commandment which is likely to lead to his death. This is obviously martyrdom� (St. John Chrysostom). At the end of his tenth homily on the Gospel of St. Matthew, St. John Chrysostom wrote: �To this alone should we train ourselves, to bear all trials with courage, and not inquire as to the how or why of them. It is God�s affair alone, to know when our sufferings will come to an end. It is our duty to bear with gratitude the affliction which God ordains for us...So let us put all discouragement aside, and give glory in all things to God, who directs all things for our best good.�

St. Luke the Evangelist (Main Feast Day: October 18)

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:22:15 GMT

The Apostle and Evangelist Luke is the author of the Gospel of Luke, the companion of the Apostle Paul (Phil 1:24, 2 Tim 4:10-11), and is numbered among the Seventy Apostles. He was Greek and born in the Hellenistic city of Antioch in Syria. His studies included Greek philosophy, medicine, and art in his youth. He was also a professional physician and iconographer. He is considered the patron saint of physicians. St. Luke came to Jerusalem where he came to believe in the Lord. He and Cleopas met the resurrected Lord on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24). After Pentecost, Luke returned to Antioch and worked with the Apostle Paul, traveling with him to Rome, and converting Jews and pagans to the Christian Faith. "Luke, the beloved physician, ... greets you," writes the Apostle Paul to the Colossians (4:14). At the request of Christians, St. Luke wrote his Gospel in the first century. According to some accounts this took place around 60 A.D., and according to others around 80 A.D. After St. Paul's martyrdom, St. Luke preached the Gospel throughout Italy, Dalmatia, Macedonia, and other regions. St. Luke wrote or painted the first icon of the Most Holy Theotokos called the Directress or Hodigitria mentioned in the Paraklesis to the Theotokos as well as icons of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. For this reason, St. Luke is considered the founder of Christian iconography. In his old age, he visited Libya and Upper Egypt; from Egypt he returned to Greece, where he continued to preach and convert many with great zeal despite his age. In addition to his Gospel, St. Luke wrote the Acts of the Apostles and dedicated each of these works to Theophilus, the governor of Achaia. Luke was 84 years old when idol worshippers tortured him for the sake of Christ and hanged him from an olive tree in the town of Thebes, in Beothia of Greece. St. Luke�s emblem is the calf, the third symbolical beast mentioned by Ezekiel (1:10), which is a symbol of Christ's sacrificial and priestly office, as pointed out by St. Irenaeus. His feast days are celebrated on October 18, on April 22 with Apostles Nathaniel and Clement, on June 20 on which day his relics, among others, were translated to the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople, and on January 4 the Synaxis or Gathering of the Seventy Apostles. The sacred and miracle-working relics or earthly remains of St. Luke were transported to Constantinople during the 4th-century, under the reign of Emperor Constantius (357AD), the son of Constantine. In 1204, the Crusadors of the IV Crusade stole the relic from Constantinople and transported it to Padua in Italy and it is still located there in the Catholic Church of Santa Justina at the centre of the city. In 1992, the then Metropolitan Ieronymos of Thebes and Levathia (currently the Archbishop of Greece) requested from Bishop Antonio Mattiazzo of Padua the return of a "a significant fragment of the relics of St. Luke to be placed on the site where the holy tomb of the Evangelist is located and venerated today." This prompted a scientific investigation of the relics in Padua, and by numerous lines of empirical evidence -- archeological analyses of the Tomb in Thebes and the Reliquary of Padua, anatomical analyses of the remains, Carbon-14 dating, and comparison with the purported skull of the Evangelist located in Prague -- confirmed that these were the remains of St. Luke, an individual of Syrian descent who died in the early 100�s A.D. The Bishop of Padua then delivered to Metropolitan Ieronymos the rib of St. Luke that was closest to his heart to be kept at his tomb in Thebes, Greece. The tomb works miracles even today. For example, on December 22, 1997 at 1.30pm myrrh (sacred fragrant oil, a sign of the Holy Spirit�s power working through the relic) appeared on the tomb's marble and since then the interior of the marble sarcophagus is fragrant. The olive tree is still living to the right side of the cemetery in Thebes upon which Luke was hung to death. On the right side of the sanctuary of this church is the roman sarcophagus where the body of St. Luke had been placed. This tomb belonged to a Roman family of the 2nd-century BC but later on it was emptied and the Christians of Thebes used it as "honour" for St. Luke's relic since it was a majestic tomb. The Troparion (Tone 5) of St. Luke is as follows: Let us praise with sacred songs the Holy Apostle Luke, The recorder of the Joyous Gospel of Christ, And the scribe of the Acts of the Apostles, For his writings are a testimony of the Church of Christ: He is the Physician of human weaknesses and infirmities. He heals the wounds of our souls, And constantly intercedes for our salvation! cf. Orthodox Wiki at [url=http://orthodoxwiki.org/Apostle_Luke]

Conduct during Communion Time

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:23:01 GMT

�Think by whose side you are standing, think of those with whom you will call on God. It is with the cherubim. Think of those with whom you are joining to form this choir, and this will be enough to sober you. Although you wear a body around you, although you are entangled with flesh, reflect on the fact that you have been deemed worthy to join with the bodiless powers above in praising in song the common Master of all. But if anyone has allowed himself to lose his readiness, let him not share in those sacred and mystic hymns. Let no one keep his thoughts on the affairs of daily life at that sacred time. Let him rid his thoughts of all earthly things; let him transfer himself entirely to heaven; let him stand next to the very throne of glory and raise his all holy hymn to the God of glory and majesty. This is why we are bidden at that sacred moment to stand straight up. To stand straight up is merely to stand in a manner that befits one who is a mere human being before God, that is, with fear and trembling, with a soul that is sober and vigilant. These words do apply also to the soul, as Paul again makes clear when he says: �Stand fast thus in the Lord, beloved� [Phil. 4:1]. If the bowman is going to shoot his arrows so they hit the mark, he first concerns himself with his own stance. After he has positioned himself exactly facing his target, he then gets busy and shoots his arrows. If you are going to shoot your arrows at the devil�s wicked head, concern yourself first with the posture of your reasonings. Then take a straight, upright, and unencumbered stance so that the arrows you shoot at him will find their mark.� [The Church�s Identity Established through Images according to Saint John Chrysostom, by Protopresbyter Gus George Christo, Ph.D., Patristic Theological Library 2, Orthodox Research Institute, Rollinsford, New Hampshire, 2006; pg. 121.]

The Newly Baptized are the Brightest of Stars

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:33:43 GMT

�Blessed be God! Behold, there are stars here on earth too, and they shine forth more brilliantly than those of heaven! There are stars on earth because of Him who came from heaven and was seen on earth. Not only are these stars on earth, but � a second marvel � they are stars in the full light of day. And the daytime stars shine more brilliantly than those which shine at night. For the night stars hide themselves away before the rising sun, but when the Sun of Justice shines, these stars of day gleam forth still more brightly. Did you ever see stars which shine in the light of the sun? Yes, the night stars disappear with the end of time; these daytime stars shine forth more brightly with the coming of the consummation. It was of the night stars that the Gospel says: �The stars will fall from heaven, as the leaf falleth from the vine�; and of the day stars: �The just will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.� Why is it that as the leaf falls from the vine, so shall the stars fall from heaven? As long as the vine nurtures the grapes, it needs the shelter given by the leaves; when it puts aside its fruit, it also puts aside its foliage. So, too, as long as the whole universe possesses in itself the race of men, the heavens also will have their stars, just as the vine will have its leaves. When there is no more night, there will be no need for stars. Fiery is the nature of the stars in the skies; fiery, too, is the substance of those on earth. But the fire in the skies can be seen with the eyes of the body, whereas this other fire is perceived by the eyes of the soul. �He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire,� says Matthew. Do you wish to learn the names of these two kinds of stars? The stars of the firmament are called Orion, Arcturus, Evening Star, and Morning Star. Among the stars in our midst there is no evening star; all of them are stars of morning.� [St. John Chrysostom: Baptismal Instructions, Ancient Christian Writers series vol. 31, translated and annotated by Paul W. Harkins, Newman Press, New York, NY / Ramsey, NJ, 1963; pgs. 56-57.]

The Love of God

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:16:05 GMT

�And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.� [Matthew 10:38] �If we wish to love God, we must observe all that the Lord commanded us in the Gospels. Our hearts must brim with compassion and not only feel love for our fellow man but pity for every creature � for everything created of God.� [Staretz Silouan] �Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely, and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work.� [Mother Theresa]

The Power of the Cross of Christ

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:02:40 GMT

�Moses had a rod through which he worked all of his miracles since he accepted the power of God. On the one hand, the rod of Moses parted rivers; but on the other hand, this rod [i.e., the Cross] crushed the impiety of the ecumene. The person who calls the Cross �a rod of power� will not be committing a sin. That rod [i.e., Moses� rod] restrained dry land and the ocean and [Christ] gave to it much power. With the help of this rod [i.e., the Cross] the Apostles went throughout the entire ecumene and accomplished all those marvelous works. They accomplished everything by carrying this rod around with them, which received its beginning in Jerusalem. �Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies� [Ps. 109:2]. Examine this prophecy that is clearer and brighter than the sun. What does �rule in the midst of thine enemies� mean? It means rule among the Nations and among the Jews. In this manner, the Churches were planted firmly in the cities; they triumphed and prevailed there. The fact that the Apostles erected Altars in the midst of their enemies and that they were sheep in the midst of beasts and lambs among wolves demonstrated their brilliant victory. This is exactly what He [i.e., Christ] told them when he sent them forth: �Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves� [Mt. l0:16]...Although they were Twelve in number, the Apostles won the ecumene.� [The Church�s Identity Established through Images according to Saint John Chrysostom, by Protopresbyter Gus George Christo, Ph.D., Patristic Theological Library 2, Orthodox Research Institute, Rollinsford, New Hampshire, 2006, pg. 253.]

The Holy and Life-giving Cross of Christ the Lord, Great God, and Savior

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:41:44 GMT

In the Prophet Ezekiel (9:6), it is said that when the Angel of the Lord was sent to punish and destroy the sinning people, it was told him not to strike those on whom the "mark" had been made. In the original text this mark is called "tau," the Hebrew letter corresponding to the letter "T," which is how in ancient times the cross was made, which then was an instrument of punishment. So, even then, it was foretold the power of the Cross, which preserves those who venerate it. Likewise, by many other events in the Old Testament the power of the Cross was indicated. Moses, who held his arms raised in the form of a cross during the battle, gave victory to the Israelites over the Amalekites. He also, dividing the Red Sea by a blow of his rod and by a transverse blow uniting the waters again, saved Israel from Pharaoh, who drowned in the water, while Israel crossed over on the dry bottom (Exodus, ch. 14, 17). Through the laying on of his hands in the form of a cross on his grandsons, Jacob gave a blessing to his descendents, foretelling at the same time their future until the coming of the "expectation of the nations" (Genesis, ch. 48). By the Cross, the Son of God, having become man and accomplished our salvation. He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even death on the Cross (Phil. 2:8). Having stretched out His hands upon the Cross, the Savior with them as it were embraced the world, and by His blood shed on it, like a king with red ink, He signed the forgiveness of the human race. The Cross of the Lord was the instrument by which He saved the world after the fall into sin. Through the Cross, He descended with His soul into hell, to raise up from it the souls who were awaiting Him. By the Cross Christ opened the doors of paradise which had been closed after our first ancestors had been banished from it. The Cross was sanctified by the Body of Christ which was nailed to it when He gave Himself over to torments and death for the salvation of the world. Then it was filled with life-giving power. By the Cross on Golgotha the prince of this world was cast out (John 12:31) and an end was put to his authority. The weapon by which he was crushed became the sign of Christ's victory. The demonic hosts tremble when they see the Cross, because the kingdom of hell was destroyed by the Cross. They do not dare to draw near to anyone who is guarded by the Cross. The whole human race, by the death of Christ on the Cross, received deliverance from the authority of the devil, and everyone who makes use of this saving weapon is inaccessible to the demons. When legions of demons appeared to St. Anthony the Great and other desert-dwellers, they guarded themselves with the sign of the Cross, and the demons vanished. When there appeared to St. Symeon the Stylite, who was standing on his pillar, what seemed to be a chariot to carry him to heaven, the Saint, before mounting it, crossed himself and it disappeared. The enemy, who had hoped to cast down the ascetic from the height of his pillar, was put to shame. One cannot enumerate all the various incidents of the manifestation of the power of the Cross. Invisibly and unceasingly, Divine grace that gushes from it saves the world. The sign of the Cross is made at all the Mysteries and prayers of the Church. With the making of the sign of the Cross over the bread and wine, they become the Body and Blood of Christ. With the immersion of the Cross the waters are sanctified. The sign of the Cross looses us from sins. "When we are guarded by the Cross, we oppose the enemy, without fearing his nets and barking." Just as the flaming sword in the hands of the Cherubim barred the entrance into paradise of old, so the Cross now acts invisibly in the world, guarding it from perdition. The Cross is the unconquerable weapon of pious kings in the battle with enemies. Through the apparition of the Cross in the sky, the dominion of Emperor Constantine was confirmed and an end was put to the persecution against the Church. The apparition of the Cross in the sky in Jerusalem in the days of Constantius the Arian proclaimed the victory of Orthodoxy. By the power of the Cross of the Lord, Christian kings will continue to reign until Antichrist, barring his path to power and restraining lawlessness (St. John Chrysostom, Commentary on II Thes. 2:6-7). The "sign of the Son of Man" (Matt. 24:30), that is, the Cross, will appear in the sky in order to proclaim the end of the present world and the coming of the eternal Kingdom of the Son of God. Then all the tribes of the earth shall weep, because they loved the present age and its lusts, but all who have endured persecution for righteousness and called on the name of the Lord shall rejoice and be glad. The Cross then will save all who conquered temptations, from eternal perdition by the Cross, who crucified their flesh with its passions and lusts, and took up their cross and followed Christ. However, those who hated the Cross of the Lord and did not engrave the Cross in their soul will perish forever. For "the Cross is the preserver of the whole universe, the Cross is the beauty of the Church, the Cross is the might of kings, the Cross is the confirmation of the faithful, the Cross is the glory of angels and the scourge of demons" (Octoechos: Exapostilarion, Monday Matins). [St. John Maximovitch Sermon on the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (1947): The Cross Preserves the Universe]

The Holy and Life-giving Cross of Christ the Lord, Great God, and Savior

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:41:20 GMT

Repent

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:38:18 GMT

�Why do I speak of the many things that have happened to the Corinthians? After he communicated in the Mysteries, Peter denied Christ three times, and by shedding tears erased everything. Paul was a persecutor, a blasphemer, an insolent man; he persecuted not only the Crucified One, but also all of His followers. He repented, however, and became an apostle. For, God simply seeks from us one small plea and then grants us the remission of our many sins.� [St. John Chrysostom On Repentance and Almsgiving, translated by Gus George Christo, Fathers of the Church series, vol. 96, The Catholic University of America Press, Washington, D.C., 1998; pg. 11.]

The Rearing of Children

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:25:33 GMT

�The child�s soul then is a city, a city but lately founded and built, a city containing citizens who are strangers with no experience as yet, such as it is very easy to direct; for men who have been reared and have grown old under a bad constitution it would be difficult to reform, though not impossible. Even they can be reformed if they be willing. But those who are quite without experience would readily accept the laws that thou givest them. Draw up laws then for this city and its citizens, laws that inspire fear and are strong, and uphold them if they are being transgressed; for it is useless to draw up laws, if their enforcement does not follow. Draw up laws, and do you pay close attention; for our legislation is for the world and today we are founding a city. Suppose that the outer walls and four gates, the senses, are built. The whole body shall be the wall, as it were, the gates are the eyes, the tongue, the hearing, the sense of smell, and, if you will, the sense of touch. It is through these gates that the citizens of the city go in and out; that is to say, it is through these gates that thoughts are corrupted or rightly guided.� [An Address on Vainglory and the Right Way for Parents to Bring up Their Children, by St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, found in the book Christianity and Pagan Culture in the Later Roman Empire by M. L. W. Laistner, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, 1951; pgs. 97-98.]

Strength in the Lord God

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:15:38 GMT

�Fear not, for I am with you. Do not go astray, for I am your God who strengthens you; and I will help and secure you with My righteous right hand.� [The Prophet Isaiah 41:10]

Humility

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:23:23 GMT

�Do you wish to lead a proper life? Then exercise humility. If you refuse to do this, it is impossible to share love or lead a good life.� [St. Ephraim the Syrian]

Inner Peace

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:18:24 GMT

�Acquire inner peace, and thousands around you will find their salvation.� [St. Seraphim of Sarov]

The Relevance of Orthodoxy

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:29:27 GMT

�Orthodoxy cannot be maintained simply by inertia. No tradition can survive unless it is continued through creative effort. The message of Christ is eternal and always the same, but it must be reinterpreted again and again so as to become a challenge to every new generation. We have not simply to keep the legacy of the past, but must first realize what we have inherited and do everything we can to present it to others as a living thing.� [Fr. Georges Florovsky]

Our Children

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:48:04 GMT

"With us everything should be secondary compared to our concern with children, and their upbringing in the instruction and teaching of the Lord." [St. John Chrysostom]

Let our Homes become Churches and Places of Prayer

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:05:25 GMT

If you have children wake them up also, and let your house altogether become a Church through the night. However, if they are tender and cannot endure the watching, let them stay for the first or second prayer, and then send them to rest. Only stir up yourself, establish yourself in the habit. Nothing is better than that storehouse which receives such prayers as these. Hear the prophet speaking: �If I remembered You upon my bed, I thought about You in the dawn of the morning� [Ps. 63:71]. [The Church�s Identity Established through Images according to Saint John Chrysostom, by Protopresbyter Gus George Christo, Ph.D., Patristic Theological Library 2, Orthodox Research Institute, Rollinsford, New Hampshire, 2006; pg. 309.]

Patristic Thoughts About The All-Holy Theotokos, Ever-Virgin Mary, and Mother of God

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:56:38 GMT

��Honor Mary, but let the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be worshipped; let no one worship Mary [�] even though Mary is most beautiful and holy and venerable, yet she is not to be worshipped.� In spite of his reservations concerning too much adoration, however, Epiphanios stated elsewhere, �He who honors the Lord honors also the holy vessel; he who dishonors the holy vessel, also dishonors his Lord. Let Mary be by herself the holy virgin, the holy vessel.� Epiphanios makes a strong distinction in these two passages between the words �honor� (timao) and �worship� (proskino).� [St. Epiphanios of Salamis, Cyprus] �Anyone who does not admit that holy Mary is the Mother of God is out of touch with the Godhead. Equally remote from God is anyone who says that Christ passed through the Virgin as through a channel, without being formed in her in a manner at once divine and human � divine because without the agency of a man; human because following the normal process of gestation [�].� [St. Gergory of Nazianzus] �In the case of the virgin birth the power of the highest was implanted immaterially in the undefiled body and took the Virgin�s purity as the material for the flesh, employing it as the contribution of the virgin body towards the formation of one who was in truth a new Man [�] created after the likeness of God, not in the fashion of man.� [St. Gregory of Nyssa] �For if the mother had not remained a virgin, He who was born would have been a mere man and the birth would not have been miraculous. If she had not remained a virgin after the birth, how would He have been God and how would this have been an ineffable mystery? He was born ineffably, entering harmlessly through closed doors [�].� [St. Proklos]

The Envied and the Envious

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:46:07 GMT

�I say these things to you because I am more deeply concerned with the envious than with those who are envied. For the former are the ones who suffer most, bringing disaster upon themselves. For those who suffer because of envy, it is the beginning of the crown of glory, if they will. Let us remember how Abel the Just is remembered with honor � the manner of his death is the occasion of his glory. Even after death he cried out by his blood, and with a clear voice denounces the one guilty of his death (Genesis 4:10). But the one who remained received the recompense for his deed, living out his earthly life in fear and sorrow. But the other, slain and laid to rest, �obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and by it he being dead yet speaketh� (Hebrews 11:4). And just as Cain�s sin, even while he lived made him more miserable than the dead, so the righteousness of Abel made him more perfect after he was dead. Therefore, in order that we, too, may give greater testimony to ourselves both here and in heaven, that we may with greater joy gather the fruits of this festival, let us put off the soiled garments of our soul, and above all let us strip ourselves of the cloak of envy. For even though we may think that we have already gained many merits, we shall be deprived of them all if this ugly and brutal defect afflicts us.� [St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople]

The Church and Christian Souls

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:55:24 GMT

�Chrysostom�s ecclesiological statements are by no means something abstract. Rather, all this that refers to the Church as God�s unshakeable House is understood with reference to the souls of the Christians. It is the living soul of a Christian that can be identified with God�s House, because this soul is the receptacle of God�s teaching offered through the Prophets and Apostles, and is the place where all this teaching solidifies into a sturdy foundation upon which God builds His Church and renders it invincible. The soul that is identified with God�s House becomes the dwelling place of God, the saints and all the members of God�s Household throughout the ages.� [The Church�s Identity Established through Images according to Saint John Chrysostom, by Protopresbyter Gus George Christo, Ph.D., Patristic Theological Library 2, Orthodox Research Institute, Rollinsford, New Hampshire, 2006; pg. 271.]

A Road Toward Repentance

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:13:22 GMT

�However, you have yet another road of repentance � again, one that is easily handled � through which you can be delivered from sin. Pray every minute of the day, and be neither fainthearted nor lazy in asking for God�s love toward mankind. When you stand fast, He will not turn away from you, but will forgive your sins and grant your requests. If you are heard praying, continue to give thanks in the prayer; if you are not heard, remain praying so that you may be heard.� [St. John Chrysostom on Repentance and Almsgiving, translated by Gus George Christo, Fathers of the Church series, vol. 96, The Catholic University of America Press, Washington, D.C., 1998; pg. 37.]

The Blood and Water that flowed from Christ's Immaculate Side while He was suspended upon the Cross

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:12:41 GMT

If we wish to understand the power of Christ�s blood, we should go back to the ancient account of its prefiguration in Egypt. �Sacrifice a lamb without blemish�, commanded Moses, �and sprinkle its blood on your doors�. If we were to ask him what he meant, and how the blood of an irrational beast could possibly save men endowed with reason, his answer would be that the saving power lies not in the blood itself, but in the fact that it is a sign of the Lord�s blood. In those days, when the destroying angel saw the blood on the doors he did not dare to enter, so how much less will the devil approach now when he sees, not that figurative blood on the doors, but the true blood on the lips of believers, the doors of the temple of Christ. If you desire further proof of the power of this blood, remember where it came from, how it ran down from the cross, flowing from the Master�s side. The gospel records that when Christ was dead, but still hung on the cross, a soldier came and pierced his side with a lance and immediately there poured out water and blood. Now the water was a symbol of baptism and the blood, of the holy eucharist. The soldier pierced the Lord�s side, he breached the wall of the sacred temple, and I have found the treasure and made it my own. So also with the lamb: the Jews sacrificed the victim and I have been saved by it. �There flowed from his side water and blood." Beloved, do not pass over this mystery without thought; it has yet another hidden meaning, which I will explain to you. I said that water and blood symbolized baptism and the holy eucharist. From these two sacraments the Church is born: from baptism, �the cleansing water that gives rebirth and renewal through the Holy Spirit�, and from the holy eucharist. Since the symbols of baptism and the Eucharist flowed from his side, it was from his side that Christ fashioned the Church, as he had fashioned Eve from the side of Adam. Moses gives a hint of this when he tells the story of the first man and makes him exclaim: �Bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh!� As God then took a rib from Adam�s side to fashion a woman, so Christ has given us blood and water from his side to fashion the Church. God took the rib when Adam was in a deep sleep, and in the same way Christ gave us the blood and the water after his own death. Do you understand, then, how Christ has united his bride to himself and what food he gives us all to eat? By one and the same food we are both brought into being and nourished. As a woman nourishes her child with her own blood and milk, so does Christ unceasingly nourish with his own blood those to whom he himself has given life. [St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople]