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.
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THE CHURCH IS A PLACE OF HEALING
Jesus said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick..." (St. Matthew 9:12).
The Church is a Hospital
Orthodox Christians understand the Holy Church as a spiritual hospital and a place where the believer's spiritual and physical health is restored by the grace of God. The Orthodox Christian seeks to find the necessary spiritual treatment, cure, and healing of all his infirmities.
The principle challenge of the Holy Church and her diakonoi i.e., bishops, priests, is to bring healing to all through the Physician of our souls and bodies, Christ. Sadly, the majority of the Orthodox Christians are not even aware of this truth, and are deprived of the spiritual treatment provided by the Holy Church. The consequences are that they do not get well and die in sin. In the gospel of Saint John reminds us: "I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins" (St. John 8:24).
There are those who understand religion to mean the way people attempt through rituals to appease an all-powerful God Who created the universe and themselves. This understanding has been the common label of the contemporary Christian's understanding of what it means to be religious. This, however, is totally rejected by the holy and righteous men and women of the Church.
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ created His Church wholly for therapeutic purposes, for healing the rent between us and God. The Holy Church takes fallen, sick, and disoriented human beings who suffer from all kinds of destructive passions and sins, and by the grace of the Holy Spirit restores them to complete spiritual health.
"Basically there are two categories of Christians: 'Those who are well', and 'those who are ill.' Those who are well are the Saints. Among the sick there are those who are cognizant of their sickness and undergo therapy, and those who are unaware of their sickness or choose not to undergo therapy. So the Church's work is therapeutic in nature. Christianity (i.e., the Church)."
Before we seek cure we must admit that we are sick. Sometimes a sickness is obvious, but other times it is not. That is why frequent checkups are necessary in order to discover any problems early and address them with a greater chance of success...Just as people diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses acquire passions and sins that threaten body and soul.
Spiritual sins:
pride
hatred
jealousy
envy, etc.
Sins of the Mind:
evil desires
fantasizing, etc.
Bodily Sins:
lust
gluttony
drunkenness
possessiveness, etc.
The decision to get well is entirely ours. If we choose to deny that we are spiritually ill and that we do not need to see a physician or therapist of the soul (priest), we are in grave danger. Everyone needs to have a spiritual father and father confessor and trust that he will give them the required attention, diagnoses and spiritual treatment.
No one can claim to be a member of the Body of Christ, the Church, and dismiss the priest's guidance. No one goes to his/her physician with an illness and is not willing to ether trust or follow his professional advice on how to overcome his/her illness. If we do not trust our doctor then why go to him? Why not give our own diagnosis? We trust our physician to save our lives from a catastrophic illness. The priest has been, through his canonical ordination, entrusted by our Lord and Savior to bring reconciliation, restoration, healing, forgiveness and communion with the Almighty God to all those who believe. He is not a just robot that dispenses Holy Communion and other sacraments to all who wanted. That kind of attitude reveals ones ignorance of the Faith and our Holy Tradition. There is a special spiritual relationship between the priest (father) and the lay Christian, he is the spiritual father and the lay Christian believer is the 'spiritual child'. What unites them is the love of God and the love of one another.
Under his spiritual direction he will prescribe the course of action and steps that one needs to follow, i.e., the holy Mysteries (Sacraments), particularly holy Confession, holy Communion and holy Unction; the divine services of the Church, Supplication (Paraklesis) Canon, prayer of repentance, charity, and other works of mercy.
There are three powers or energies of the soul, known as:
Reason (Mind)
Desire (Emotions)
Will (Willpower)
They are used either for good or for evil. When they are used for good they are called virtues; when they are used for evil they are called passions. Passions are perversions or distortions of the soul. The main sickness of our mind is ignorance; the main sickness of our emotions is self-love; the main sickness of our will is the pursuit of evil.
As we commit sins, our thinking becomes blurred and disoriented, our emotions become confused, and our willpower is left weak and infirm. Our willingness to resist temptations decreases as well as does our capacity to choose correctly the way of purity. They all act against nature. Our struggle is, with God's grace, to turn them around and orient them toward God.
We need to make a conscious decision once, and then continuously throughout our life, to either turn to God or to isolate ourselves from God; to either act in a spirit of repentance and humility or in an act/attitude of ego, pride and self-love. The choice is ours.
As you can very well see the Holy Church is not a secular institution and the Christian is not a member of a secular club with certain benefits, demands and expectations. The life of the Church is one of prayer, obedience, purity of heart, repentance, contrition, etc.
The Holy Church is the Portico, where the Pool of Healing is offered to all who come with desire. The Holy Church is the House of Mercy, where all find cure.
Let us keep in mind that even if we think we are healthy spiritually, we still have to follow a healthy lifestyle, do a periodic "checkup".
May we all attain spiritual wellness, through the intercessions of the Most Holy Mother of God, Saint Andrew the Holy Apostle, the Holy Angels and all the Saints. Amen.
(Source: The Church is a Therapeutic Center by Fr. Emmanuel Hatzidakis)
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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" - Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+Father George