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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ON THE POWER OF FAITH
"So Jesus said to them, 'Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you" (St. Matthew 17:20).
Indeed, the time has come, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, for our personal faith to be tested. In the midst of death and fear due to the coronavirus, we come to a critical point in our lives where we definitely realize how strong or weak our faith in God is. Our fellow Christians throughout the 2,000-year history of our Church experienced countless dangers and horrific persecutions. We need only to read the Lives of the Saints and we will see how they confronted torture, trials, and death. The lives of our holy martyrs are truly an inspiration. If we need to discover a true example of how to confront the enemy and triumph, we need only to read their lives.
The enemy that threatens our very existence can take different forms, names, and rulers. Our Lord Himself faced them head-on and destroyed them. Even with His Disciples who constantly witnessed His Divine power and miracles, He reveals their faithlessness. Jesus rebukes His Disciples' powerlessness and their participation with the "faithless and perverse generation." He asks "how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you?" (St. Matthew 17:17).
The evil enemy presently is the coronavirus which is killing thousands of people throughout the world. It is a major threat and it is a real threat to us and to our loved ones too. However, how do we, as Orthodox Christian believers, respond to the threat? Are we to cower before the enemy and surrender to it? Are we prepared to face death? Are we willing to trust in God? Is our dependence only in science and the scientific community for our survival? If that is true what happened to our belief in the Almighty, Our Savior Jesus Christ? Has it been replaced by science?
We, as reasonable people, respect and adhere to the advice of the medical community, however, we believe in the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ Who reminds us always "without Me you can do nothing" (St. John 15:5). Our dependence on everything is in Him Who gave His life to save us from evil and death.
The Christian community has always responded to the numerous calamities, famines, epidemics, wars, persecutions, pandemics and such with a greater reliance on God. At this moment I keep on recalling how the Patriarch of Constantinople and Orthodox Christians responded to the barbaric hordes that besieged the city of Constantinople. The Patriarch and the people processed with the holy icon of the Theotokos chanting and entreating her aid by chanting the solemn hymn to her known as 'Ti Ypermaho Stratigo ta Niketiria.' Soon after that, through the intercessions of the Mother of God, the miracle took place and the city and people were saved from the imminent danger.
Our Faith is a Living Faith and we must never underestimate the power of God for there is no greater Power. He can stop and destroy this virus in an instant. He, however, awaits us to invite and seek His help. It is time that we all turn to Him in faith, prayer, and fasting. When the holy Disciples of Christ asked Him 'Why could we not cast it out?" Jesus answered, "because of your unbelief" (St. Matthew 17:19-20).
Faith is a gift of God. Seek, therefore, for Our Lord to bestow this divine gift of faith to you. When you are blessed with the gift of faith you will feel its power within you. All fear will disappear from within you and you will be able to face anything that threatens you with confidence, courage, and surety. "Do not be deceived" (1 Cor. 6:9). Be vigilant and alert for the evil one has a way of using any and every opportunity to separate us from God. 'Let us be attentive' the priest declares in the Divine Liturgy. We cannot be in a hypnotic state when there is so much physical and spiritual danger. All of us must be awake at all times and discern what is from God and what is from the evil one.
Pray unceasingly. Saint John Climcus writes, "Prayer is by nature a dialog and a union of man with God. Its effect is to hold the world together. It achieves a reconciliation with God" (The Ladder of Divine Ascent). Think of the elderly, the destitute, the poor, the infirmed, and take time to help those in need. We all need to repent for drifting and abandoning our God and Creator. The genuine Christian is a person who is sensitive to the trials and tribulations of others. Be compassionate, merciful, and generous to those that need your love.
Do you know that the world is in apostasy from God? I witnessed that fact when my family and I visited the country of Ireland last year. However, it is not Ireland alone but much of the world. You see it when you see Christian churches converted to distilleries, office space, and museums. You see it in a secular society that worships the new idols, pleasure, and wealth. You see it in a Gentile world where everything immoral, wrong, and contrary to the teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is condoned and promoted by world governments. You see it in schools where prayer and the commandments of God have been removed and replaced with meaningless programs. You see it in commerce where greed is manifested in all its aspects. You see it in our churches where the Orthodox Christians are absent from the Divine Liturgy because the commitment to Christ has been lost or replaced with sports and leisure.
When a holy elder was asked why the world today is in distress and chaos, he answered him, because mankind has abandoned God. What do you expect when the creature stops believing in His Creator? Adam and Eve lost Paradise due to their disobedience to God. We, too, are losing this beautiful world because of our disobedience to God. There are only two powers, God and that of the evil one. "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon" (St. Luke 16:13).
"Thanks be to God Who always leads us in triumph in Christ" (2 Cor.14).
Please take care and be faithful.
With agape in His Service,
+Father George