My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
+
THE MIRACULOUS POWER OF ORTHODOX HOLY OBJECTS (Part II)
By Andrei Muzolph
Q. Orthodox pilgrimage routes often point out various holy springs. What is significant about them? What kind of water is in them? How should we use it?
A. Holy water from a spring and holy water blessed in church, for example on Theophany, despite the opinion of many, are not the same thing. We call water from a spring "holy" not because it's blessed in the well, but because of its unusual, miraculous origin. We know from Church History that in places of special appearances of God or the Theotokos or some Saints, springs miraculously appeared. Using this water with reverence, and also with faith and hope in God, many having problems with health received healing of their infirmities. Therefore, such water is known as "holy" or "healing" among the people, because, taken with prayer, it brings benefit to the human body.
However, water that is blessed in either the Great or Lesser Blessing of Waters is more correctly called "holy." At the moment of its blessing, holy water becomes, as Father Alexander Schmemann says, that which all material was designated to be--a means to the ultimate goal, the deification (theosis) of man, knowledge of God, and union with Him.
According to Saint Dimitry of Rostov, holy water has the power to consecrate both the human soul and body--the sole necessary condition for this is the faith of the person himself. Saint Theophan the Recluse says it is nonsensical to rely on the healing power of holy water if in your heart there is no true faith in God.
And elsewhere the Saint writes that the grace coming from God through the holy cross, holy icons, holy water, holy relics, and even Holy Communion itself, has the power only for those who are worthy of this grace through repentance, humility, service to others, acts of charity and the manifestation of other Christian virtues. But without them grace does not save. It does not act automatically, like a talisman, but is useless for the impious, the unbelievers, or Christians in name only but without any virtue.
Thus, we can drink a hundred liters of Theophany water, but if we don't have faith in God and love for our neighbors, this water, unfortunately, will never be the source of living water which directs us towards eternal life, as is said in the order of the Great Blessing of Waters.
Q. How should we relate to holy relics like the hat of Saint Mark the Grave-Digger or the slippers of Saint Spyridon of Tremithus, which are said to have special miraculous power?
A. According to established pious tradition, we relate to such holy items just as we do to their holy "owners." In a few cases, for example there are even special liturgical days devoted to the robe of the Most5 Holy Theotokos or the chains of Saint Peter.
It says in Holy Scripture more than once that not just some God pleasers had the gift of miracles, but even pieces of their clothing had special miraculous powers: The mantle of the holy Prophet Elijah divided the waters of the river (4 Kings 2:8) and handkerchiefs and aprons of the holy Apostle Paul was used to healing diseases and even drive out evil spirits (Acts 19:12).
But we never address ourselves to such items in prayer, but only to the Saints to whom they belong. We do not exclaim: "Holy hat, pray to God for us," but we say: "O Holy Father Mark, pray to God for us." Veneration for this or that item is based not on its autonomous holiness, but its belonging to this or that ascetic: The grace of the Holy Spirit acts so abundantly in God's chosen ones that even their everyday items become conduits of God's power. But, at the same time, such sacred items should not become for us paramount, overshadowing God Himself, the Giver of miracles. Otherwise, such perverted spiritual practice will lead us to dependence on relics, and our lives will become a search for specific relics, while the main thing--striving for repentance and communion of the Body and Blood of the Lord--becomes something unimportant and trivial. Thus, evermore justified are the words of one modern theologian who notes a quite widespread tendency today: "Pilgrims go to monasteries not for Communion, but for 'sand from graves." But this, quite, unfortunately, is nothing other than a sign of a man's spiritual illness.
(To be continued)
_________________________________
"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" -- Saint John Chrysostomos
+++
With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+Father George