In our last article titled "The meeting of Bartholomew and the Pope is far from the path of the Holy Fathers", we announced that we would continue the presentation of our assessments based on the timeless conscience of the Church, as expressed in the lives of the Saints and the writings of the Holy Fathers and Teachers. Especially when Saint Spyridon the wonderworker patron of Kerkyra (Corfu), expelled the pope from his church with an impressive miracle, while today's hierarchs, invite him into their Orthodox churches, embrace him, cense him and wish him a long life, we planned to present this miracle that was preserved and commented on by Saint Athanasius of Paros, a great scholar and teacher of the Greek Nation and member of the 18^th century triad of Holy Fathers of Kollyvades. This plan and precedence still applies with minor deviation due to the holiday coincidence.
The remembrance of Great Anthony in whose temple we serve already for the last 13 full years in Thessaloniki with the grace of God and the blessing of the Saint, has given us the opportunity to again rejoice in his wonderful "Life", a model of the literature of the lives of all the later Saints which was written by the disciple of Archbishop of Alexandria, the pillar of Orthodoxy, the same Great Athanasius.

The greatest part of the "Life" deals with the ascetic achievements of Saint Anthony, on his struggles against the demons and his particular teaching, such as his great feat of becoming the founder of settlements in the desert, by filling the desert with monasteries, thus becoming the founder and leader of ascetic life. "He convinced many to choose the solitary life and so happened therefore that monasteries on the mountains and in the desert were populated by monks coming out on their own and enlisting in the heavenly city".
He interrupted twice his lengthy absence from the world, in order to struggle for and contribute in the rescue of Orthodoxy, which as now, so was then, in peril from both external and more so from internal enemies. Christianity was never present in conversations and negotiations "on equal terms" with the other religions, a blasphemy asserted by today's so called Christian leaders at the inter-religious meetings of the Anti-Christ, but as the sole truth, the only way to salvation, the true light which replaced not the weaker lights but the darkness of fallacy and ignorance of God. "The people which sat in darkness saw a great light; and to them which sat in a region of the shadow of death, light sprung up" (Matt 4:16).Christ did not say "I am one way, one truth, one light among other ways, other truths, other lights, but I am the only way, the only truth, the only light. "I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but by Me" (John 14:6). I am the light of the world, he that follows Me shall not walk in the darkness but shall have the light of life (John 8:12).

This exclusivity of the Bible which some to-day characterize as marginal and fundamentalist, while slandering and dismissing anyone who consistently and with faithfulness proclaim it as the Gospel and life, for which the Holy Apostles and the Holy Martyrs paid dearly, preferring to be tortured and shed their blood rather than compromise with the so called "truths" to co-exist in the multicultural model of the inter-religious relations and meetings, supposedly for their love for others.

2. Teachers of inaction and hypocrisy. The all-knowing and the humble

Before Constantine the Great, during the persecution of the Christians of Alexandria by Maximianus  in 311, Anthony the Great at 61 years of age, left for a while the desert, his asceticism and prayer, and came to Alexandria, fearless and undaunted intending with longing to bear witness and encourage those being led to martyrdom. He defiantly ignored the judge's orders for the monks to depart from the city and not be present at the courthouses. He appeared in front of the leader who was in a prominent seat at the courthouse, demonstrating the willingness of the Christians to fight and bear witness for their faith. "He stood fearless, showing us the Christian zeal; for he too wished for martyrdom as earlier told". Of course God preserved him and he was not martyred, that he be more beneficial in life, he however did not confine himself to his cell in the desert but "would usually serve the confessors as one with them in the labour of their services". When the Orthodox Faith is in danger, the first spiritual priority is for her defense, the struggle, the support of all those who battle, the willingness to shed blood and even die; all other spiritual duties are secondary. All others who act or advise against, simply cover up their excuses for their unwillingness and cowardice and become teachers and professors of inaction and hypocrisy.

Of course we are not going to present here how the Great Anthony confronted the great and educated literary men and philosophers of idolatry with indisputable argumentation, himself being illiterate, leaving them speechless and astounded. Perhaps we shall do so another time, for idolatry and paganism again appeared, backed by powerful supporters. The Saint did not know everything the way they did, he did not possess worldly knowledge, but he knew the Bible and the teachings of the Saints and above all he was God learnt and God inspired.

Faith is not an issue of great knowledge and learning but humble submission not to the prevailing knowledge but to the truth of the Church, timeless and eternal. If one does not strip oneself of self wisdom and display of self-knowledge and humbly become embodied in the spirit of Christ, of the Church, of the Saints and Church Fathers which opens the spiritual horizons, then one will always wonder and second guess the certainty of Faith and self knowledge of even the simple faithful and he will accuse them as all knowing and selfish, lacking humility. However, humility does not mean one has to accept the prevailing opinion but the knowledge of God and of the Saints because frequently many align with the lie and empower the lie with their majority. If the acceptance of the majority opinion when it disagrees with the truth constituted the acceptance criterion, then not only the Bible would have been acceptable, being supported by the few Apostles nor would the Church had survived in a flood of unfaithful and heretics.

3. The position of Saint Anthony against the heretics. A prototype for imitation for all today.

What we wish to do now is to present the way Saint Anthony confronted the Arian heresy, which threatened the Church internally, being supported by the Emperor, leaders, patriarchs and bishops as happens in this day with the pan-heresies of Papism and Ecumenism, which are far more dangerous because they undermine almost all the dogmas of the faith and transform the divine teaching of the Bible to a common human teaching, they withdraw the God-Man Christ, the Saints and the Fathers and replace them with the infallible pope of Rome and the spread of heresies of the World Council of the so-called Churches. This presentation is very instructive even for those who pretend not to see the danger, for "serious" spiritual fathers who lead astray or put in very difficult position, their spiritual children, who see better through the eyes of the Saints and end up doubting the worthiness of their spiritual guidance. Of course the Saints are more trustworthy than any elder and spiritual guide, who does not become angry at heresy and does not fight to expose or expel it.

So, Great Anthony, left the desert for the second time and came down to Alexandria. The Orthodox bishop and patriarch was the Great Athanasius, who was under constant persecution and a string of exiles and the orthodox flock were under the heretical Arians as at the present time under the tutelage of ecumenist and pro-ecumenist patriarchs and bishops. Great Anthony as we are taught by his "Life" and the topic of faith "he was most wonderful and reverent". He had dealings with the schismatic Meletians because from the beginning he was aware of their cunningness and apostasy. But also with the Manicheans and other heretics he was never friendly but only to advise and turn them back to be faithful Orthodox. He believed and taught that friendship and keeping company with them was damaging and could end in loss of soul. He detested the Arian heresy and admonished everybody not to draw near them nor accept their false faith. Once when some fanatical Arians paid him a visit. Having talked with them and understanding that they were unfaithful, he sent them away from the mountain where he led his asceticism, telling them their words were worse than the venom of snakes. This document we could say sets the rule which shows us with clarity, truthfully and without deception, how to conduct dialogues with the heretics and we must regulate our human and social interactions with them. At the same time it shows us that today all the boundaries that were set by the Holy Fathers are being demolished by the Ecumenists, who embrace and kiss the heretics as if they were pious and of the same faith and never consider not to send them away and keep their distance but also not even to admonish them so that they return to Orthodoxy. The dialogues are conducted on an "equal level". Leveling of lies, heresies and deceptions with truth. When conversing on "equal level", it means that you provide the possibility for lies to prevail over the truth, that you doubt the truth and you seek to find it. However the dialogue of the Saints and of the Fathers, is a dialogue of Christ with the Samaritan woman, of the Apostles with the Jews and Gentiles, of the Fathers with the heretics, an invitation and admonishment for their return to the truth, to be re-included in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church; this is the true union and peace. All the rest are false unions, false peace and false dialogues.

Because therefore this article demonstrates the way to the true union from the mouth of the great Saint and achieves the "all must be one" for which the Ecumenists labour and attempt to accomplish it "ad verbatim". In faith he is very admirable and devout. For he never communicated with the schismatic Melitians seeing from the start their cunningness and apostasy; nor did he speak in a friendly way with the Manicheans and other similar heretics, but only to admonish them to turn back to piety, leading and commissioning their friendship and dialogue is harmful and risking loss of one's soul. He similarly despised the Arian heresy and ordered everyone not to approach them nor their evil faith. Finally, when some of the Arians and Manicheans came to question him and realizing their impiety, he sent them away from the mountain, saying that their speech is worse than the poison of the snakes.

4. The dreadful vision of Saint Anthony on the heretics: Dumb beasts around the Holy Altar.

It is truly dreadful the vision that Saint Anthony had regarding the presence of the heretics inside Orthodox churches. This vision illustrates and explains graphically the reasons why the Holy Fathers forbid with Synodal canons the entry of the heretics into consecrated places, their participation in services and liturgies, with common prayers and common worshipping.
The heretics not accepting the teachings of the Church, Apostles and Saints, are influenced by the demons and their father, the Devil, in the promotion of deluded viewpoints. That is why their teaching is "rather fruitless and absurd and their thinking is not correct, like that of dumb mules

Saint Anthony was therefore shaken and frightened, when God allowed him to see in his vision the Arians surrounding the Holy Altar as mules, kicking and defiling it. Such was his sadness and distress, that he began to cry, as saddened and tearful as also many faithful, in seeing the heretic pope entering and defiling the church of Saint George, at Fanar, the very Saint the Vatican abolished. We are certain that if the patriarchs, archbishops and bishops read and learnt of Saint Anthony's vision, of course assuming as Orthodox they continue to honour and follow the life and teaching of the Saints, they will cease the mutual liturgical hospitalities and visits, the weekly co-prayers and the sending of representatives to the anniversary celebrations. For otherwise they too will be included as conspirators in the frightful vision of Saint Anthony.

According to the Great Athanasius narration of the "Life", while Great Anthony was sitting, occupied with his handy work, he went into a trance and was breathing heavily while seeing his vision. After some time he turned to the monks present; he continued breathing heavily and to shake. He fell to his knees to pray and remained kneeling for a considerable time. When the Elder got up he was crying. Those present became very frightened and shocked; they then asked him to explain to them. As they insisted greatly and compelled him, he sighed again and said "My children it would be best for me to die before I see the things that will happen which I saw in my vision. The wrath of God will fall on the Church and she will be handed to people who are mindless beasts. I saw the Holy Altar of the church, at the main skete surrounded on all sides by mules which were kicking and jumping up and down as is natural for such dumb animals. You saw and perceived that I was earlier sighing; I did so because I heard a voice saying, "My altar will be defiled". That is what the Elder saw. Exactly two years later the Arians attacked and robbed the churches, taking the sacred vessels by force and handed them over to idolaters to hold. They forced them to attend meetings and in their presence they did whatever they wished on the Holy Altar. Then we all understood, said the Great Athanasius that the kicking of the mules foretold to Saint Anthony was what the Arians do now as animals. After the vision, the Elder felt the need to encourage and console those around him by saying: "Don't be sad my children; for just as our Lord was outraged, so would He again heal all evil. Soon the Church will recover her beauty and will shine. You will witness those who were exiled return, the pious faith will re-appear and rule everywhere. Suffice that you do not let yourselves be defiled by the Arian heresy, as it is not the teaching of the Apostles but of the demons and their father, the Devil, irrational and fruitless just like the dumb mules"

Epilogue

The wrath of God has taken over the Church since many decades. Papism and Ecumenism triumph. At that time Great Athanasius and the other Holy Fathers understood the danger described in the vision of Great Anthony. We now witness the contamination of the churches and the Holy Altars by joint prayers and liturgies with the "irrational" heretics and we assist the contamination and praise it, by joining them ourselves in the kicking of the Holy of Holies". If one notes the ecumenical joint liturgies and prayers, like the one in Canberra during 7^th General Council of the so-called Churches, with the frequent participation of homosexual priests who dare hold the Holy Chalice, as well as women bishops and priestesses, the view surpasses even the vision of the Great Anthony: "The only hope for our church to regain her beauty is given in the recommendation and advice of the Great Anthony :  " beware you do not contaminate yourselves with the Arians" We must beware we do not contaminate ourselves by communing with Papism and Ecumenism , and the pro-papist and pro-ecumenist Orthodox. Because so far we have not done so dynamically and resolutely, God for years now, prolongs His wrath, and captivity of the Orthodox by the pan-heresy Of Ecumenism. How much longer will bishops, monks and the laity allow the mindless beasts, the heretics, to kick and contaminate the Sacred and Holies of Orthodoxy? As long as we remain inactive and come up with different pseudo-spiritual excuses, the abomination of desolation will stand on Holy ground.

From: Metropolitan Ephraim <metephraim@...>
Subject: Protocol 2719-Nativity Fast 2008
To:
Received: Friday, December 5, 2008, 8:04 PM

Report from the Bahamas, 2009 Once again, my daughter Alexandra and her friend Leo Ahlin and I arrived on Long Island, Bahamas the week before Holy Nativity. This is becoming an annual tradition! We were happy to find St. Paul's Fellowship of Labor (SPFL) in full swing, having arrived the week before. Fr. Peter Farnsworth had been chaplain the first week, and I now attempted to replace him for the second. Twenty-two volunteers from the U.S. and Canada comprised the group. Our guest speaker was Maria Khoury of Israel who spoke to us about the plight of the few remaining Christians in the Holy Land. We enjoyed two weeks of work, prayer, religious discussion and fellowship. The hard work and efforts of the volunteers resulted in the clearing of 1.25 acres of land for a church building, the pouring of a 20' x 30' footer for the chapel, planting of 8 coconut trees, and assistance to the Maillis family our hosts and natives of the island. Liturgies were celebrated for five Sundays as well as for Holy Nativity and Holy Theophany, the feasts of Sts. Nicholas and Spyridon along with paraclesis services, vespers, and the blessing of the home site of Anthony Maillis and the newly baptized Mataniah Pinder who plan to marry in the spring.They announced their engagement at Christmas dinner. It is no coincidence that St. Spyridon was chosen as patron saint of the chapel to be erected. I have been able to be on the island for that feast for the past several years, and hope I may be so in future, ensuring a Liturgy on that day. SPFL in league with many participants, their hosts, family and friends have initiated a fund raising campaign to raise $25,000. dollars toward the building of St. Spyridon's Chapel, Long Island, Bahamas. The donated work and labor of the participants significantly reduces the amount of money necessary to complete such a worthy project. Support has been provided thus far from a charitable foundation in Greece, the Leon and Aspasia Lemos Foundation, and also from private individuals in the amount of $6,600. SPFL hopes to raise the additional $18,400. by May, 2009, in order to return in the summer and complete the project in full. The hope of the SPFL is that St. Spyridon's will attract and serve as a religious retreat for Orthodox Christians and those seeking Holy Orthodoxy. Your support, prayers and time are appreciated. The proceeds of the sale of The Bahamian Calendar each year has funded my trip to serve the Maillis family for the past 13 years. Please continue to support the wonderful work of SPFL and help in maintaining the Orthodox ministry on Long Island by the purchase of the calendar. This ministry is not just to one family, but to the members of the SPFL as well as the Long Islanders themselves. The field is ripe to harvest here in the last Anglican Diocese in the world to ordain women priests. Few Anglicans here attend church anymore with the arrival of one. Many are looking toward Orthodoxy. Fr. David Belden Now with a new friend-happy design! Try the new Yahoo! Canada Messenger

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Ask a question on any topic and get answers from real people. Go to Yahoo! Answers.

From: Metropolitan Ephraim <metephraim@...>
Subject: attached article
To:
Received: Wednesday, February 4, 2009, 3:08 PM

A Sermon of Metropolitan Moses

On the Publican & Pharisee

2009

 

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

 

Every Sunday we celebrate our Savior�s victory over sin and death through the Cross and the Resurrection. Additionally, throughout the year there are various additional themes from Sunday to Sunday that instructs us in some facet of the spiritual life. This Sunday begins the Triodion period of the year, that is, from this Sunday we begin to prepare for Great Lent and the lesson for today is the Gospel reading concerning the Parable of the Publican and the Pharisee.

 

Our Savior has done all things for us. The true Physician has come to renew mankind. God the Word put on flesh for us, that He the God-Man might refashion the race of Adam through Baptism and the Holy Eucharist, but the struggle is not over yet. We all have many and various passions and sins that we must cleans ourselves of through the grace of God. God has done all things for us and it is for us to rejoice in God�s benefactions, but it is also for us to be wise and work out the details of our own salvation.

 

In today�s parable we see two men that our Savior sets forth as examples, the one a Pharisee, a man who, according to superficial reckoning, fulfilled all of the Law and was seen as one righteous and the other, a Publican, who was considered by the Jewish people of that day as a traitor, because he collaborated with the hated Roman authority and extorted more than was his due.  For the Jews of that day a Publican was the very image of injustice and decadence.

 

These two men entered the Temple, and in a certain sense they both did well. How many today in our society war against even the idea of God the Creator let alone seek to be reconciled with Him or prepare for the future life? These men at least entered the Temple to stand before God their Creator. Who, then, is to be justified?

 

The Pharisee, who seemed to be adorned with many virtues, began well and said �I thank Thee, O God.� This is precisely how all God pleasing prayer begins. An angel revealed to one of the ascetics of Egypt how we should order our prayer, that is, we should thank God and then offer repentance for our sins and only after that, offer our petitions and requests unto God.

 

The Pharisee started out well, but alas, in reality he did not thank God for His gifts, but rather pridefully asserted that he was not as other men. This was not authentic thanksgiving to God, but rather spiritual delusion. Instead of standing before God and practicing self-examination, he mentally compared himself with others and said something equivalent to �I do all things well and am better than all sinful men.� But of course he did not do all things well, as it says in Scripture �a heart that is broken and humble God will not despise.� (Psalm 50) A humble heart is the sacrifice that is well pleasing to God.

 

The Pharisee listed his supposed virtues not understanding that the virtues are a means to an end, therapy given to us by God to free us from the law of sin, and not something to boast of. Through his false reasoning the Pharisee took the spiritual weapons of the virtues and proceeded to wound himself and estrange himself from God through pride.

The external virtues are simply a means to an end, the end is a humble heart, as the Holy Spirit spoke by the Prophet Esaias, ��to whom will I have respect, but to the humble and meek, and the man that trembles at my words?� (Esaias 66:2)

 

And thus we see the Publican, a man who had no virtue whatsoever, but he trembled before God and he did not even lift up his eyes and said �O God be gracious to me a sinner.�

 

The Holy Fathers teach that, no matter how much progress a person makes in prayer, and I am speaking about men who attained to extraordinary degrees of prayer, where they would pray for days and nights, in a life of asceticism, one should always pray the prayer of the Publican, �O God, be gracious to me a sinner.� The saints always saw themselves as unworthy and unclean before God. If the saints perceived within even the beginning of the proud thoughts of the Pharisee, they would humble themselves all the more because � proud heart is unclean before God.� (Proverbs 16:5)

 

This Pharisee was intoxicated with unclean pride and forgot anything he formerly knew about spiritual wrestling or spiritual purity. Even though he had an exalted position and the esteem of Jewish society, it was as if he forgot the elementary lessons of the spiritual life, that is, humble repentance through self-examination. The first step in approaching God is humbly taking ownership of our failings. Anything less is self-deception. Our Savior Himself taught by this parable that even if a man is burdened by many sins, He will not reject him if that man approaches Him in a proper manner. Unflinching self-examination and taking ownership of our sins is the only path to cleansing grace and healing. If we flatter ourselves or allow others to flatter us, we choose eternal separation from God. If we confront our sins and humble ourselves before our Merciful Savior, He will raise us up and save us. Even if one sins greatly one must exercise what the Holy Fathers call �praise worthy audacity� and not fail to turn to God. Praise worthy audacity is in reality an unfailing hope in God�s mercy that is drained of all self-justification and pride.

 

The words of the Pharisee, �I am not as other men� are terrible words that have been shown to be the beginning of ruin for many men. Many have found some form success in their careers, either in government, business, or even the Church and then pridefully began to think �I am not like other men� and this false reasoning lead to every form of presumption which begat erratic behavior and ruin. Our forefather was named Adam, which signifies clay. We are all made of earth and most assuredly no one can say, �I am not as other men.� We all war against the law of sin (Rom 7:23) and no man overcomes, except by the grace of the God-Man Christ. Many that have exalted themselves have fallen. As soon as thoughts of pride enter into our hearts we should immediately assume the prayerful attitude of the Publican because, most assuredly, our hearts are unclean.

 

Yet even after pride that resulted in a fall, many, through humility found reconciliation to God. Read Church history and see that there were some that fell into humiliation because of pride and then repented and became saints. Yet, alas, Church history also contains many other stories of men that continued in their delusion of pride and inherited eternal separation from God. For this reason it is an act of love to admonish one who exalts himself overmuch and it is an act of hatred to simply flatter such a one out of weakness.

 

 God does not desire with desire the death of a sinner. Our God is the God of them that repent. He forgave the Publican, the Prodigal, the harlot and the thief on the Cross. Our God forgave Saul the blaspheming persecutor and made him into Paul the Apostle of the nations. He forgave Peter who thrice denied Him. No man should ever despair.

 

Let us make good beginning to our return unto God through repentance during the Great Lent and stand before God daily with a humble and contrite heart, that so doing we may be cleansed and justified and united to the God-Man Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

 

 

THE HOLY ORTHODOX METROPOLIS OF BOSTON

His Eminence, Metropolitan Ephraim of Boston

LENTEN ENCYCLICAL

Of

His Eminence, Metropolitan Ephraim of Boston

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

My beloved Orthodox Christians:

       It was the summer of 1963, and our small and newly-founded brotherhood had travelled to Athens, Greece, with the intention of visiting our spiritual fathers on the Holy Mountain, Athos. We wanted to purchase some items for our new monastery back in Boston, and so we went to Metropolis Square in Athens where all the shops that sell ecclesiastical items are clustered.

       At one point, while all four or five of us were walking toward one shop, we approached a street vendor who was selling roasted chestnuts. With a loud voice, he was shouting, "Chestnuts! Fresh chestnuts! Hot chestnuts!"

       As we were about to pass him by on the sidewalk, he suddenly cried out: "Chestnuts! FASTING chestnuts!"

       We stopped in our tracks. We looked at each other with a smile, and asked, "Did he really say fasting chestnuts? Well, in that case, perhaps we should buy some!"

       Clever Greek merchant. He saw a group of monks approaching; he sized us up as potential customers and made a quick sale.

       I don't know if there is any such thing as non-fasting chestnuts, but it was obvious that our street vendor, perhaps unwittingly, was following the counsel of the saints: "He who wishes to be saved, contrives means."

            Equally inventive in getting ahead ― this time, in the spiritual realm ― was St. John the Faster, Patriarch of Constantinople. As we learn from his life, the Saint used to sleep prostrate on his knees, and just to make sure that he wouldn't oversleep, he would place a beeswax candle nearby and then press a heavy iron nail into the side of the candle.  When he was about to rest, he lit the candle, and as he took his brief nap, the candle burned down slowly until it reached the nail. When the heat of the flame had warmed and loosened the wax, the nail fell with a loud clatter onto a metal pot the Saint had placed directly below the candle, thereby awakening him. Thus, in all likelihood, the Saint was the inventor of the alarm clock.

       The lesson that we learn from these two ― the street vendor and the Ecumenical Patriarch ― is the same, my beloved. Unless we use our wits, we will not be able to get ahead, either in this life or in the next. We will not be able to get anywhere by dozing and by being lazy. In order to progress, either materially or spiritually, one must apply intelligence and diligence.

       In our times, God has provided most of us with an abundance of food ― and, if we are willing to use our wits ― He has even given us an abundance of fasting foods. Today, we have foods available that our ancestors could not imagine in their dreams. Canned foods, frozen foods, fresh foods from all parts of the earth, available at every season of the year, ersatz "meat" and "dairy" products made from vegetables. By using our wits, all of us, young and old, will find that there are many means available to us to help us observe the holy fasts of the Church, as strictly as each one is willing and able. This, in turn, is but a training tool for us to instruct our body in the art of true fasting: the fasting of our senses.

       Truly, he who wishes to be saved, contrives means.

       With God's help, we intend, in the next issue of The True Vine, to publish a series of articles dedicated to fasting. One of the central features of this issue will be a study by St. Nectarius of Pentapolis. Another article will be the Life of a young martyr, who preferred to surrender his life rather than break the sacred fast observed by the Church.

       By following faithfully in the footsteps of our many wise and resourceful saints, my beloved, we too shall be counted worthy to attain to the Holy Resurrection, in Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

                                                                                                      Your fervent suppliant unto God,

                                                                                                    XEphraim, Metropolitan

Great Lent, 2009

Protocol Number 2802

We preach salvation in Christ Jesus, the God-Man Who came to renew our nature. Our Christ became incarnate in order to free us from sin and death through our union with Him. Our Savior proclaimed “he that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out.” He came as the ultimate Physician to grant us the ultimate healing, that is, eternal life that is sanctified in Him. He alone can accomplish this.

We have initiated this union through Holy Baptism and our participation in the Eucharist, but we still struggle against sin. Our Savior said, “whosoever sins is a slave of sin.” Through error and the resulting bad choices any one of us can become once again captive to sin.

In the themes of the last two Sunday’s God’s mercy was made manifest in the Publican who humbly asked for forgiveness and the repentant Prodigal who took ownership for his sin and came to his father’s house in total abasement, deeming himself unworthy of any rank or status and was restored with all of the symbols of baptism being given unto him. In order to prevent us from becoming lazy or complacent upon hearing of the mercy of God, the Holy Fathers in their wisdom set forth this Sunday to commemorate the Second Coming of Christ and the Last Judgment. Our God desires to show us mercy, but we can make wrong choices that ultimately cause us to fail.

It is important to note that our Savior will send off those that are rejected to the “fire prepared for the devil and his angels,” that is, the fire was not prepared for men. Christ came to call all of mankind to Himself. Satan, the father of lies and sin is also the father of separation from God. This fire is prepared for those that choose to reject the counsel of God and follow the counsel of Satan.

The service of Vespers and Matins for this Sunday are replete with words to bring us all to an awareness of how sinful we really are and that the Final judgment is real. Yet, in this Gospel reading, our Savior does not list the sins that most people would think of that would separate one from God. There is no mention made of murderers, adulterers, thieves, liars, slanderers, and or those that rebel against God and spread false doctrine. This is an indication that those that are not members of the Church and have not repented will not even be in this company of those that are to be divided up. In addition, our Savior does not speak in a parable, but simply says that at His Second Coming it shall be thus.

To put the message of today’s Gospel as simply as possible, our Savior teaches us that if we are to be united to the God of love, we must show love to our neighbor on a practical level. In that day He will say, ‘When I was naked hungry, thirsty, sick, or in prison ye ministered unto Me’ or ‘When I was naked hungry, thirsty, sick, or in prison ye ministered not unto Me.’ In the Gospel account, both parties are surprised when they hear this and say ‘when did I minister unto you Lord’ or ‘when did I not minister unto you, Lord?’ And our Savior will answer, ‘when you did so unto the least of your brethren.’ This is an amazing concept, our Christ counts what we do to our neighbor as done to Himself. Again, when you give to your neighbor or show kindness to him or her, you give to Christ.

If someone were to tell you that they had an investment plan for you that would repay you for as long as you live, even unto eternity and you knew that his words were true, wouldn’t you invest in this plan? Our Investment planner is the God-Man Himself and His words are true. Give unto Christ and get the ultimate return. If only we understood this, we would show mercy and love and give our help. Satan is the ultimate scam artist that seeks to defraud us of our salvation. The evil one confuses us and leads us to trivialize how we interact with our spouse, our children and our neighbor to our own loss.

Sometimes help is not something extravagant. There is a saying, ‘if you don’t have a hundred dollars, give ten, if you don’t have ten, give one, if you don’t have one, give a kind word and sympathy.’ There is always a way to show mercy and give comfort to those in distress or support for those who are down.

God desires that all men be freed from sin and death. If there is a man chained in sins and he is powerless to free himself, almsgiving is an effective therapy for the cure. If such a man gives alms praying that some how, some day he will be set free, and if that man does not trivialize or justify himself and has pain in his heart over his sin, that man has a hope for salvation. It is through mercy that we attract the grace of God and this is testified by examples found the lives of the saints.

Saint Boniface was enslaved by sins of dissipation, living in drunkenness and an unlawful union with an aristocratic woman named Aglais, yet he was merciful and hospitable and generously gave alms. He did not justify or trivialize his sin, but he hoped in God’s mercy. He prayed that somehow God would give him the opportunity to be freed from his sin. After some time, he and Aglais decided to obtain the relics of a martyr from the east where the persecution was still raging, and build a shrine to that saint for the forgiveness of their sins. Saint Boniface himself went on this expedition and fasted and prayed during the journey. When he arrived at their destination he went directly to the local arena and immediately began to encourage the Christian confessors to be steadfast. He was noticed by the pagan authority and was arrested and confessed Christ and endured many torments and was beheaded. The love Saint Boniface showed in his acts of mercy strengthened his heart, and readied him for his ultimate contest. According to the marvelous providence of God, instead of finding a saint, he became a saint. Saint Boniface’s friends took his remains back to Italy and the Lady Aglais built a shrine in his honor, gave away her riches to the poor and lived as an ascetic at the shrine, being greatly consoled by the martyr’s grace.

We see how alms can be effective, yet we must understand that we don’t buy God’s mercy with alms, rather alms are an offering. For our offering to be accepted, we must present it properly, that is, with a “broken and humble heart.” (Psalm 50) In other words, we cannot expect alms to do away with our sin if we justify or trivialize our sin.

In many of his homilies Saint John Chrysostom makes the point that God does not need anyone’s alms. He can provide for the poor without us. What is marvelous is that He gives the faithful the opportunity to minister to Himself through the poor and the oppressed. To be able to give alms is a great gift from God. It was the practical application in day-to-day life of this concept in the Church that converted many people.

For example, it is mentioned in the life of Saint Pachomius that while he was still a young man and a pagan he was forcibly conscripted into the Roman army. In those days the new conscripts were no different than prisoners. They were brought to what amounted to a barracks jail and that evening Christians came to offer them food and water and comfort. He asked what kind of people these were, and the reply was that these were Christians and that is what Christians do.

This was the era when Christians in Alexandria of Egypt were persecuted in various ways from time to time. On occasion a contagious illness or plague would sweep through those parts and there were Christian “zealots” around the parts of Alexandria that would minister to those that were abandoned by their families because of these illnesses. On some occasions, a former persecutor would be abandoned by his family, only to be ministered to by one of the Christians he had formerly persecuted. It was such behavior that converted the Mediterranean world. Such is Christian philosophy.

We have to understand that all of the virtues are really a therapy to cleanse us from sin and sanctify us through greater union with God. The virtues are nothing to boast of, but rather to be thankful for. Without God we would not even be able to begin to even think about the virtues, let alone practice them. All of our efforts are done by the grace of God,

To reiterate the list from today’s Gospel reading our Savior basically said, ‘When I was naked, hungry, thirsty, sick, or in prison ye ministered unto Me, or, ye ministered not unto Me.’

The list is not just about alms. If one treats those around him terribly and then sends donations to far away places, then that person does not understand what our Savior is teaching. There is nothing wrong with helping to support the poor in far away places, but it is not enough. If a father harms a son and then ministers to strangers and then does little or nothing to remedy the damage at home, he is deceived. Love begins at home, love begins with our neighbor and not simply with causes that are so far away that there is little to no human interaction where we can come face to face with our weaknesses. That is why it is so important for laity to settle in a parish community. Lay folk can make pilgrimages to monastic communities, but they are not monastics, and therefore are not members of a monastic community. If a layperson runs from the local parish, that layperson runs from spiritual growth. It is in giving of oneself on a regular basis that we show our love to our Christ. We struggle with the shortcomings of our neighbor and minister to him or her because that is Christ.

To give alms with knowledge is to commune with Christ. One of the most moving images from the lives of the saints is found in the life of Saint Martin of Tours when he had nothing to give a beggar and he cut his military cape in half and gave it to him. That night Saint Martin saw a vision of our Savior and our Savior Himself was wearing that same portion of the cape and He blessed Saint Martin.

I remember another story that concerned a pious Russian village during wartime. There were foreign soldiers that were being taken through the village and of course these were the enemy. Yet, all of the villagers rushed to give food and water and some form of comfort to the prisoners of war in order to receive a blessing. Look to the right and to the left and find that there is Christ in your brother and sister.

There are other Scripture references to the final judgment. In the 7^th chapter of Saint Matthew our Savior says, “Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of the Heavens; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in the Heavens. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Thy name? and in Thy name cast out demons? and in Thy name do many mighty works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matt7:21-23)

This refers to those that think that they are serving God and, because they do not examine their own conscience, they do not understand that they are only serving their own passions and lusts. There are many different types of lust, the lust to rule, the lust to power, the lust to be in the first place, lust for money, lust for fame or notoriety, etc.

Men that are afflicted with these passions put their own interests above the interests of the Church. All of this is rooted in pride, which is the source of all problems in the Church, including heresy. In the above passage our Savior pointed out that miracles will not be enough to indicate if a person is on the right path. Miracles indeed are found in the Church of God. Yet, relics and wonderworking icons work miracles even when they are found in the hands of heretics. We do not rely exclusively on phenomena, but first we rely on Apostolic Tradition. Apostolic Tradition and the Holy Canons are our frame of reference for objective truth. We the Orthodox have indeed been consoled by miracles, but we have Apostolic Tradition as our Guide. Satan can appear as an angel of light and it has been predicted that the Anti-Christ will come with false wonders. This is the age when the spirit of the Anti-Christ is very powerful and there are many false spiritual leaders that put themselves before Christ and the Traditions that He gave us through the Apostles. Especially during these last times, all are required to practice spiritual vigilance.

From: anneguida <anneguida@...>
Subject: Islam's Attacks on Christianity
To: frpanagiotes@...
Date: Wednesday, March 4, 2009, 9:46 PM

Dear Father Panayioti,

Bless, Father!

I would like to share two articles that would be of benefit to the OrthodoxInfo
readers to illustrate the hostility that Islam harbors against Christianity.
Even though these are from Christmastime, they still provide readers a glimpse
of Islam's contempt and the West's (in this case, Europe's)
acquiescence:

As Christmas Approaches, Muslims Erect `Allah Has No Son' Banner
 in
Nazareth

http://www.cnsnews.com/public/Content/Article.aspx?rsrcid=41260


Priest puts mosque in Nativity scene

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/3933689/Priest-puts-mosque-in-Nativity-scene.html

Thank you,

Anne

From: Met. Moses <metmoses@...>
Subject: Sunday of Orthodoxy 2009
To: "Panagiotes Fr." <petercarras@...>, "Fr. Carras Panagiotes" <frpanagiotes@...>
Date: Monday, March 9, 2009, 2:55 AM

Sunday of Orthodoxy 2009

A Sermon of Metropolitan Moses

 

On the Sunday of Orthodoxy we celebrate the triumph of the Holy Icons and all true doctrine of the Church over false teaching. In this feast we celebrate the great mystery piety, the worship of God and the mystery of the Church and its priesthood. As our Savior said to St. Photini, the Samaritan woman, “God is Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24)

 

The grace of the New Testament Priesthood was given unto the Holy Apostles at Pentecost and from that time forward they preached the word of God and offered the Holy Eucharist to the faithful. As they preached they ‘committed the doctrine unto faithful men who were able to teach others also,’ (2 Tim 2:2), that is, the first generation of bishops who became the guardians of the Eucharist and Apostolic Tradition in their local Church. The Church grew and expanded and the God given gift of Eucharist and the authentic Apostolic Tradition has been preserved from one generation to the next by the faithful bishops in their local Churches down to our own day.

 

Beloved Christians, let us reflect upon the great miracle that we the unworthy ones of this last and sinful generation have been granted, that greatest of all gifts, the Orthodox Faith. We have been blessed by the holy confessors that have gone before us who refused to compromise with any falsehood that undermined the true teachings of the Church. In living memory we had the example of that contemporary Holy Father and Confessor Saint Philaret of New York who was a tower of strength in proclaiming Orthodoxy in the face of the heresy of our day Ecumenism. Another contemporary Holy Father, Saint Justin Popovich, has succinctly explained the nature of this heresy for all times:

 

Ecumenism is the common name for the pseudo-Christianity of the pseudo-Churches of Western Europe. Within it is the heart of European humanism, with Papism as its head. All of pseudo-Christianity, all of those pseudo-Churches, are nothing more than one heresy after another. Their common evangelical name is: Pan-heresy. Why? This is because through the course of history various heresies denied or deformed certain aspects of the God-Man and Lord Jesus Christ; these European heresies remove Him altogether and put European man in His place. In this there is no essential difference between Papism, Protestantism, Ecumenism, and other heresies, whose name is “Legion.”

 

The formula is simple, man exalts himself over God and His divinely ordered Church and the result is spiritual disaster. This can happen in different times and places, but the result is always a sad tragedy. Thus we see that pride inspired the Pope to attack the conciliar nature of the truth-preserving episcopate-priesthood and to seek to replace God on earth by declaring himself “vicar of Christ” on earth. This spiritual illness developed further when Luther and his followers abandoned any pretense of the Apostolic succession of the episcopate-priesthood and every man became an interpreter of the Bible without regard to Apostolic Tradition. Time has passed and now faith has been replaced by naked humanism masked as “the faith of indifference to truth” in the congregations of Ecumenism.

 

In the Gospel reading appointed for the Sunday of Orthodoxy our Savior chose to praise the Apostle Nathaniel not for his love, or almsgiving or any other virtue, but said, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” (John 1:47) The foundation of Faith is guileless honesty. Without guilelessness, one cannot even begin the spiritual life. If one is to genuinely seek the truth, one must pursue it without preconditions, without ulterior motives. One must be ready to sell all that they have, that is, one must be ready to offer obedience to God and submit without reservation to Apostolic Tradition in order to acquire the Pearl of Great Price. (Matt 13:46) Conversion is not done in half measures. Confession of the Faith cannot be a compromise with falsehood.

 

Guile is the precursor of the cancerous disease of Ecumenism. Ecumenistic bishops are either total unbelievers who are masquerading as Christians or they are deceived believers who think that they can silently disagree with the heresy of Ecumenism and, for the sake of expediency, remain in communion with that heresy. Recent history testifies to the sad reality that guile and expediency have estranged many local Churches from the grace of Christ. The spirit of guile and expediency will eventually unite many to the Anti-Christ.

 

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, though our Church may be only a small remnant, we have a great responsibility to guard well the treasure of our Faith, the Light of Christ found in Holy Tradition for the sake of those seeking the Truth. To allow anything to obscure this by our way of life would be like putting the Light of Christ under a bushel. The only way to prevent such a disaster is to cast out all guile and be true to Christ by our self-sacrificing love. How can one attain to this? In an amazing treatise titled “The Inward Mission of our Church,” Saint Justin Popovich describes the high calling of each Christian and enumerates the five ascetical virtues that overcome the sin that permeates the world and unite a person to Christ. This short excerpt [below] from the above mentioned treatise is, in my estimation, one of the most important expressions of Orthodoxy written in the last 100 years and should be read again and again. It is strong medicine for the soul and I offer it as a conclusion to this sermon:

 

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…The mission of the Church, given by Christ and put into practice by the Holy Fathers, is this: that in the soul of our people be planted and cultivated a sense and awareness that every member of the Orthodox Church is a Catholic Person, a person who is for ever and ever, and is God-human; that each person is Christ's, and is therefore a brother to every human being, a ministering servant to all men and all created things. This is the Christ-given objective of the Church. Any other is not an objective of Christ but of the Antichrist. For our local Church to be the Church of Christ, the Church Catholic, this objective must be brought about continuously among our people. And yet what are the means of accomplishing this God-human objective? Once again, the means are themselves God-human because a God-human objective can only be brought about exclusively by God-human means, never by human ones or by any others. It is on this point that the Church differs radically from anything which is human or of this earth.

 

These means are none other than the God-human ascetic exertions and virtues. And these can be successfully practiced only by God-human, Christ-bearing ascetics. God-human virtues exist in an organic kinship. Each has its source in the other and they bring one another to completion.

 

First among the ascetic virtues is the effort of faith: The souls of our people must pass through, and constantly be passing through, this exertion; meaning that these souls may then be given up to Christ as having no reservations and being without compromises; having extended down to the God-human depths and ascended to the God-human heights. It is essential to create in our people the sense that the faith of Christ is a virtue beyond nationhood, being œcumenical and catholic, Trinitarian; and that for someone to believe in Christ entails their waiting on Christ, and only on Christ, with every event of their lives.

 

The second ascetic virtue is the God-human virtue of prayer and fasting: This being a virtue which must become the way of life of our Orthodox people, becoming the souls of their souls, because prayer and fasting are the all-powerful, Christ-given means of purging not only the human personhood but also society, the people, and the human race at large, of every defilement. It is prayer and fasting which are able to cleanse our people's souls from our defilements and sinning (Mt. 17:19-21; Lk. 9:17-29). The souls of our people must fall in step with the orthodox life of prayer. Prayer and fasting are not to be performed merely for the individual, or for one people, but for everyone and everything ("in all and for all"), for friends and enemies, for those who persecute us and those who put us to death, because that is how Christians are to be distinguished from the Gentiles (Mt. 5: 44-45).

 

The third God-human virtue is that of love: That love which knows no bounds, which does not question who is worthy and who is not, but loves them all; loving friends and enemies, loving sinners and evildoers, without however loving their sins and their crimes. It blesses the accursed, as the sun does, it shines both on the evil and the good (Matt. 5: 44-46). This God-human love must be cultivated in our people because its catholic character is what sets it apart from other self-proclaimed and relative loves: from that of the pharisaic sort, the humanist, the altruistic, the nationalist, and likewise from animal love. The love of Christ is all-embracing love, always. By prayer it is acquired because it is a gift of Christ. Now the Orthodox heart prays with intensity: Lord of love, this love of Thine for everyone and for all things—give it to me!

 

The fourth ascetic virtue is the God-human virtue of meekness and humility. Only he who is meek at heart can appease fierce hearts that are in uproar: only he who is lowly in heart can humble proud and haughty souls. To be "showing all meekness unto all men" (Tit. 3:2). But a person becomes truly meek and humble when he turns his heart of hearts into the Lord Jesus, humble and meek, He being the only true "meek and lowly in heart" (Matt. 11:29). The soul of the person must be rendered meek by Christ's meekness. Every person must learn to pray: Meek, gentle Lord, assuage my fierce soul! The Lord humbled himself with the greatest humility—he was incarnate and became a man. Should you be of Christ, then humble yourself as a worm: embed your flesh in the pain of all who are in pain, of everyone sorrowing and in grief; in the trial of everyone who, impassioned, is thus tormented; and in the trauma of every animal and bird. Humble yourself lower than them all: be all things to all men, but be of Christ and according to Christ. When you are by yourself, then pray: O humble Lord, by your humility, humble me!

 

The fifth ascetic virtue is the God-human virtue of patience and humility: Which is to say, to endure ill-use, not to render evil for evil, to forgive in total compassion all assault, slander and hurt. This is what it is to be of Christ: to feel yourself perpetually crucified to the world, persecuted by it, violated and spat upon. The world will not tolerate Christ-bearing men just as it would not tolerate Christ. Martyrdom is the state in which a Christian brings forth fruit. This must be imparted to our people. For the Orthodox, martyrdom is purification. Being Christian does not simply mean to bear suffering cheerfully, but to pardon in compassion those who cause it, to pray to God for them as did Christ and the archdeacon Stephen. And so, pray: Long-suffering Lord, give me forbearance, make me magnanimous and meek!

 

Our Church's mission is to infuse these God-human virtues and ascetic exertions into the people's way of living; to have their life and soul knit firm with the Christ-like God-human virtues. For therein lies salvation from the world and from all those soul-destroying, death-dealing, and Godless organizations of the world. In response to the "erudite" atheism and refined cannibalism of contemporary civilization we must give place to those Christ-bearing personalities, who with the meekness of sheep will put down the roused lust of wolves, and with the harmlessness of doves will save the soul of the people from cultural and political putrefaction. We must execute ascetic effort in Christ's name in response to the cultural exercising which is performed in the name of the decayed and disfigured European being, in the name of atheism, civilization, or the Antichrist. Which is why the major task of our Church is the creation of such Christ-bearing ascetics. The watchword which should be heard within our Church today is: Let us return to the Christ-bearing ascetics and to the Holy Fathers! To resume the virtues of Saint Anthony, Saint Athanasios, Saint Basil, and Saint Gregory, of Saints Sergios and Seraphim of the Russians, of Saints Savva, Prochios, and Gabriel of the Serbs, and others like them because it was these God-human virtues which brought about Saint Anthony, Saint Gregory and Saint Savva. And today only Orthodox ascetic efforts and virtues can bring about sanctity in every soul, in the soul of all our people—seeing that the God-human objective of the Church is unalterable and its means are likewise so, since Christ is the same yesterday, today and unto all ages (Heb. 13:8). Herein lies the difference between the world of men and the one in Christ: the human world is transient and time-bound, whilst that of Christ is ever whole, for evermore. Orthodoxy, as the single vessel and guardian of the perfect and radiant Person of God-human Christ, is brought about exclusively by this extension of virtues by grace, through entirely God-human Orthodox means, not through borrowings from Roman Catholicism or Protestantism, because the latter are forms of Christianity after the pattern of the proud European being, and not of the humble God-human being.

 

This mission of the Church is facilitated by God Himself because among our people there exists an ascetic spirit as created by Orthodoxy through the centuries. The Orthodox soul of our people leans towards the Holy Fathers and the Orthodox ascetics. Ascetic exertion, at the personal, family, and parish level, particularly of prayer and fasting, is the characteristic of Orthodoxy. Our people is a people of Christ, an Orthodox people, because—as Christ did—it sums up the Gospel in these two virtues: prayer and fasting. And it is a people convinced that all defilement, all foul thoughts, can be driven out of man by these alone (Matt. 17:21). In its heart of hearts our people know Christ and Orthodoxy, they know just what it is that makes an Orthodox person Orthodox. Orthodoxy will always generate ascetic rebirth. She recognizes no other.

 

The ascetics are Orthodoxy's only missionaries. Asceticism is her only missionary school. Orthodoxy is ascetic effort and it is life, and it is thus by effort and by life that her mission is broadcast and brought about. The development of asceticism...this ought to be the inward mission of our Church amongst our people. The parish must become an ascetic focal point. But this can only be achieved by an ascetic priest. Prayer and fasting, the Church-oriented life of the parish, a life of liturgy: Orthodoxy holds these as the primary ways of effecting rebirth in its people. The parish, the parish community, must be regenerated and in Christ-like and brotherly love must minister humbly to Him and to all people, meek and lowly and in a spirit of sacrifice and self-denial. And such service must be imbued and nourished by prayers and the liturgical life. This much is groundwork and indispensable. But to this end there exists one prerequisite: that our bishops, priests, and our monks become ascetics themselves. That this might be, then: Let us beseech the Lord.

 

[From: “Orthodox Faith and Life in Christ” a compilation of some of the writings of Saint Justin Popovich, translated by Asterios Gerostergios, Institute for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies pub., Belmont Massachusetts,  third printing 2005, p. 21-31]

 

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Holy Father Saint Justin pray that we preserve the Faith in our evil days by our God inspired ascetical self-sacrificing love! Amen.

 

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From the Introduction of the next issue of The True Vine

ON FASTING

By Metropolitan Ephraim of Boston

His Grace, Bishop Demetrius wrote the following about one of his recent trips to Guatemala:

   In February of 2008, the St. Paul's Fellowship of Labor travelled to Guatemala for a week's visit. This trip coincided with the feast day of St. Xenia of Petersburg, the patron saint of our mission there. During the week, children from a nearby school passed by the church daily and stared at the Fellowship workers and the work being done. On the Sunday that followed, three of the children came to church for Liturgy. Ever since that Sunday, they have refused to go to the Roman Catholic church that their mother attends, and they are presently attending our church faithfully.

   Last October, I went as well and found these same three children in church all dressed in white and waiting to be baptized (we had another baptism that day). I told them that I could not baptize them until I met at least one of their parents and had the consent of both parents. The mother came to the church and said that the children really wanted to be baptized in our church, and that both she and her husband had no problem with that. I felt that we should still wait a while before going ahead with this, so I told the mother that, for now, the children should try to fast from meat on Wednesdays and Fridays. She laughed and said, "Meat?" At that point it was explained to me that, because of their poverty, these people hardly ever eat any meat at all. The same occurred with another family that wanted to become Orthodox and were told that they should refrain from meat on fast days.

       Such is the state of billions of people on our planet. While most of us who live in North America and Europe will find this simply incomprehensible, hunger and want are the bitter reality for the vast majority of the Earth's inhabitants.

       One may ask: "What can I do about it? I'm just one person."

       The answer: "Fast!"

       As this issue of The True Vine will demonstrate, the Church's traditional understanding of fasting and abstinence is the solution for many of the world's problems in both the material and the spiritual realms. Since all of us, without exception, are a combination of body and soul, we know from experience that these two components of our human nature interact and influence one another in marvelous and mysterious ways. Self-restraint can work wonders, both for each of us individually and for society in general. It is the mother of self-respect, the basis of civilization, the firm foundation of happy marriages, the begetter of grateful and respectful children, and the establishment of safe neighborhoods where everyone can live in peace and security with their windows and doors unlocked.

       Such are but a few of the boons of self-restraint.

       Alas, however, we know that this is not the current state of affairs, chiefly because few of us have learned to practice the virtue of restraining our harmful passions, nor have we tapped into the secret source of that godly and invincible strength that was given to the Saints as a reward for their being good stewards of their senses: divine grace.

       Again, fasting and abstinence are the first steps toward this blessed goal.

       This is why we have dedicated this issue to this vital subject. This is why St. Seraphim of Sarov, one of the greatest men of God to arise in the recent centuries, can say: "Before all else, ensure that the one whom you choose as your companion for life keeps the fasts. If they do not keep the fasts, then they are not Christians, whatever, they may consider themselves to be."

       Profound words with profound implications.

       People who observe the holy fasts will also be more likely to be better and more responsible individuals in other matters as well: people aware of their shortcomings, but willing to struggle to overcome them.

       To state our case in words that every Orthodox Christian can understand: people that struggle against their passions will draw God's grace to themselves.

       This issue of The True Vine will help us understand fasting's varied history in the Church, and its true purpose.

       We will learn also of the many variant forms of fasting. In this particular instance, St. John Chrysostom's words are most appropriate:

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 nature of the country, and the season of the year; and the corresponding diet; as well as various 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.

                                                                         (On the Statues 3:8)

With this important advice in mind, let us proceed with discernment.

Don't forget: The True Vine!

A Sermon of Metropolitan Moses for the Sunday of St John Climacus 2009

 

In today’s gospel we hear of a man publicly entreating our Savior to deliver his son from demonic possession, adding that His disciples failed to help him. Our Savior replied to him with a rebuke, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I endure you?” --Thus pointing out the importance of faith on our part in receiving healing or the grace of God.

 

When the man brought his son forward and once again asked for help, our Savior told him that “all things are possible to him that believes.” Then the desperate father responded from the depths of his heart with the words, “I believe Lord, help Thou mine unbelief.” The urgency of his predicament forced this man to confront his own weak faith and he corrected himself and his petition unto the Lord, asking first that his faith might be increased. Our Merciful Savior responded with mercy and healed the man’s son.

 

Would that all of mankind would learn from this man! --I believe Lord, help Thou mine unbelief! Temptations beset me, daily life overwhelms me, it seems that Satan himself crowds in upon my life. I believe Lord, but I also recognize that I falter, help Thou mine unbelief.

 

We are in the midst of Great Lent and we see the works of God. There is only one answer for healing in our lives. There is only one Person that can deliver us from sin and death, that is the God-Man Christ and we attract the grace of God through honest self-examination and prayer. If we seek God with honest sincerity and entreat Him, He will add unto us the gift of faith, and all things become possible. I believe Lord, help Thou mine unbelief, my lack of love, my lack of patience, my lack of humility. It is only through prayer that we make a beginning and progress in the spiritual life. Deep faith is the fruit of prayer and experience and time.

 

Thus, we are given a lesson in spiritual wrestling on this Fourth Sunday of Great Lent. Yet, we are given another lesson in today’s gospel, that is, “This kind can come forth by nothing, save by prayer and fasting.” Prayer and fasting are therapies to help us loose the bonds of Satan. Prayer and fasting have always been an essential part of the Christian way of life, even from the very beginning.

 

Our Christ came as a Physician of souls and He has given us a prescription of a certain type of diet and exercise so that we might have spiritual health and freedom from sin. The Christian Church has always had its spiritual athletes that have shone forth as radiant examples. These spiritual athletes formed a systematic way of life that we know as monasticism. Saint John Climacus, who we celebrate today, was one of the most important monks of the first thousand years of the Church. He was purified from pride by 19 years in obedience and then spent 40 years in spiritual ascents in solitude before he was made abbot of the Holy Mount Sinai, when he reached his 75th year. He wrote what is known as “The Ladder of Divine Ascent” as a response to an abbot friend of his who was having problems with an insurrection in his monastery. This venerable tome praises the virtues of obedience and offers advice on the virtues and many insights regarding the workings of the passions. Monasteries throughout the world read his, “Ladder of Divine Ascent” during the days of Great Lent.

 

Monasticism has always been held in high esteem in the Orthodox Church. Saint John Comments:

 

Angels are a light for monks, and the monastic life is a light for all men. Therefore let monks strive to become a good example in everything, giving no occasion for stumbling in anything (2Cor. 6:3) in all their works and words. For if the light becomes darkness, how much darker will be that darkness, that is, those living in the world. 26:31

 

Thus, a layperson who seeks to find inspiration for their own endeavors in spiritual exercises from monastics needs to use spiritual discretion. Monastics can be examples for all in fasting and prayer, but, since they are men, they are subject to falling into spiritual error from time to time. Thus, the Christian faith is not personality based, but rather we base our faith on Apostolic tradition. The only personality in the Church is the Person of the God-Man Christ. Any fixation on a personality in the Church to the confusion of authentic ecclesiology or that overturns Church order is a distortion of the Body of the Person of the God-Man Christ. I write this because, there is universal desire to find a holy person in our lives. In his book, “The Brothers Karamazov,” Fyodore Dostoeysky expressed how strong this desire is for the members of the Church through the sentiments of one of his characters, Alyosha:

 

… for the humble soul of the simple Russian, worn out by toil and grief, and, above all, by everlasting injustice and everlasting sin, his own and the world’s, there is no stronger need and consolation than to find some holy thing or person, to fall down before him and venerate him: “Though with us there is sin, unrighteousness, and temptation, still, all the same, there is on earth, in such and such a place, somewhere, someone holy and exalted; he has the truth; he knows the truth; so the truth does not die on earth, and therefore some day it will come to us and will reign over all the earth, as has been promised.”

From The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodore Dostoevsky, North Point Press 1990, San Francisco, Translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, page 30.

 

There is a thirst among believers to find a spiritual man who one can trust to be a haven of holiness and truth. Yet, even in seeking such a man, especially during these last times, we must be vigilant. Our Savior admonished us to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves, that is to be vigilant enough to recognize error and evil while still maintaining innocence in one’s heart. As Christians we need to find a way to have love and genuine compassion towards all men, but also to discern error and reject it. There is no man that is without sin, save our Christ Himself and in this age of error and confusion many seemingly spiritual men have been tripped up.

 

For example, as recently as back in 1991, there was an incident where a certain archimandrite, purported to be a God inspired elder, declared that he had a dream wherein the Theotokos and his reposed elder appeared to him and told him to break communion with the Patriarchate of Constantinople and join a Russian Church. This move to a different Church was significant because the Patriarchate of Constantinople has been the source and fountainhead of the heresy of Ecumenism and, at that time, the Russian Church that he joined was not officially in communion with any of the Ecumenist New Calendar Churches. Unfortunately, in a strange turn of events, just a few months later this same elder claimed that he had another dream wherein the Theotokos and his elder told him to return to communion with the Patriarchate of Constantinople. This elder now says that he rejects Ecumenism, but it is not time yet to break communion with the bishops that espouse this heresy and if and when things are bad enough, he will break communion with them.

 

The question any reasonable person must ask is, if he could not remain steadfast in his first decision to brake communion with the heresy, how can one trust that he will break with it in the future?

 

The point that must be made is that, as the rational flock of the Church of Christ we are called upon to use our common sense. Our guide is Holy Tradition and the Holy Canons. If an elder or angel from heaven come to teach us something contrary to Holy Tradition regarding doctrine or morality we are to separate ourselves from him. (Gal 1:3-10) Furthermore, the Holy Fathers have taught us that we should not put our trust in dreams.

 

There is an account of an elder who spent many years in ascetism on Mount Sinai who was deceived by the evil one through dreams,

 

“The Sabaite Antiochus… tells as a warning against trust in dreams the story of a solitary on Sinai of many years’ standing, who had a series of dreams that came true, and then one that showed him the people of the martyrs and apostles and all the Christians dark and filled with shame, while Moses, the prophets, and the Jews were enveloped in light, living in joy and gladness. He left the Holy Mountain, came to the Jewish settlements at Noara and Livias, on the two sides of the Jordan Valley (Noara was only three or four miles from Choziba), was circumcised, married a wife, and conducted open propaganda on behalf of the Jews against the Christians…”

“The Desert A City” by Derwas J. Chitty, St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, Crestwood, N.Y., 1999, P 154, Footnote 92: Antiochus, Pandect 84 (P.G. 89, 1689D-1692B).

 

Saint John Climacus wrote concerning dreams, “The demons of vainglory prophesy in dreams. Being unscrupulous, they guess the future and foretell it to us. When these visions come true, we are amazed; and we re elated with the thought that we are already near to the gift of foreknowledge. A demon is often a prophet to those who believe him, gut he is always a liar to those who despise him. Being a spirit, he sees what is happening in this lower air, and noticing that someone is dying, he foretells it through dreams to the more light-minded. But demons know nothing about the future from foreknowledge. For if they did, then the fortunetellers would also be able to foretell our death…He who believes in dreams is completely inexperienced. But he who distrusts all dreams is a wise man…”  (Ladder of Divine Ascent 3:28, 3:29)

 

We live in an age of spiritual error and falsehood wherein the spirit of the Anti-Christ has entered into society in general and seeks to enter into local Churches of the Orthodox Christians. The spirit of anti-Christ is anything that would exalt itself above Christ or seek to replace Christ. Our Savior warned us that in the last days there would be false christs, that is, personality cults. Personality cults that form within the Church are recognized by their abandonment of the Traditional teaching of the Church regarding doctrine, ecclesiology, Christian ethics and morality. Unfortunately, a phony rarified “spirituality” coupled with prideful ambition is enough to deceive trusting individuals. A basic understanding of authentic Church order rooted in common sense is enough to deliver a believer from such deception.

 

We are in the last days. The wise Christian will pay heed to the words of our Savior, “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, not even the Angels which are in Heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the gate-keeper to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at evening, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping And what I say unto you I say unto all, Be ye watchful. (Luke 13:32-37)

 

One of the spiritual exercises of monastics is called nipsis or watchfulness. This is a state wherein one guards the heart through repeating the Jesus Prayer while keeping a sober watch with the mind for any thought that would be a cause of distraction or sin. The basic principle is that one does not readily accept all of the thoughts that one encounters. During this era of confusion anyone who desires to keep his Christian faith must exercise careful watchfulness in order to recognize the many forms of spiritual error and evil that exist in our day.

 

Christianity is not a cult of personality. Christians are required to be the rational flock. Our safeguard is the two thousand year deposit of Faith that has been preserved unbroken from Apostolic times and made manifest through the writings of the Holy Fathers and the Canons of the Church. May this be your guide and may our Christ deliver you from all the various forms of spiritual deception and preserve your hearts in purity.

 

Amen.