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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GOD'S LOVE PORTRAYED IN CHRIST'S SACRIFICE
In the year 33 A.D., on the 14th day of the month Nissan, on Friday about noon at a rocky place as Golgotha outside of the City of Jerusalem, Jesus Christ was crucified by nailing of His Hands on the horizontal bar of a cross and His Feet on the vertical one. The verdict of such a sentence was pronounced by Pontius Pilate, the Roman Procurator of the vicinity, but the moral culprit was a mob of Jewish people whose high priest, Annas, but still a very influential person.
They crucified the Innocent One Who bore the sins of the world; they nailed on the Cross the sin personified by the Logos/Word, the Only-Begotten Son of God. Thus, the believer has a part of the Cross, because his sins are nailed on It, and his faith is established by the Blood of the Innocent One and His Grace. The crucified Lord assured the believer that "I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself" (John 12:32). At the time of the Crucifixion, the trees were bowed by the violence of the wind and the sun concealed itself in the mantle of the clouds, thus presenting a standing ovation to their Creator and Lord, but the crown of creation, man, endowed with intelligence and a soul, divine in character, used them then, as he does now, to undermine his Creator. In fact, he crucified, mocked and abandoned Him.
Every Christian and non-Christian, when he seriously evaluates the turn of civilization, considers the Cross of Christ as the center of the Christian devotion and the most influential Sacred Instrument of the decisive events in the history of mankind. Not only were the Gospels written in the background of the shadow of the Cross, but the acts and thoughts of civilization have been stimulated and governed by It.
The reason is plain. The Cross held Jesus Christ and thus prophesied the Most Dreadful Event in the annals of the history of mankind. "Christ's Cross is the Eternal Cross; His Passion is agelong; His dying is once for all, but it is merely during an hour (or three hours) of time, but an hour of Eternity forced into time". Christ's Cross is transformed and transforming; instead of being borne, It bears the One who carries It in the Spirit of the Lord. “Come to Me”, Christ said, "All who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest; my yoke is easy and my burden light" (Matthew 11:28-30).
THE UTTERANCE FROM THE CROSS A DECLARATION OF CHRISTIAN LIFE
The Cross of Christ is not merely a shape or a design of crosswise bars; it is not only a symbol of devotion and reverence; in its visible form, one sees the invisible Christ and hears His Voice. The Sacred Writers of the Gospels recorded the Seven Utterances of Jesus Christ on the Cross. They are His Last Seven Words which remain in the Church as its treasure and the spiritual highlights of a devoted Christian life.
Each letter of the Seven Words represents drops of the Blood of the Teacher and Savior. These Words are the sacred carriers of the ardent thoughts which have brought life to millions, which guided their faith to Almighty God and their love for their fellow man. They are Words that have inspired and impelled men of distinction in the field of repentance, in service to Society, and in pioneering work. The Seven Words of Christ on the Cross constitute the Declaration of the Christian Understanding. They are included in the last golden age of Jesus Christ's History par excellence. The believer with reverence repeats them and studies their meaning and message for his life.
THE LAST WORDS OF THE LORD
"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."
"And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and
the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, 'Father,
forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:33-34).
Jesus began His Gospel by asking men to "repent" from deliberate mistakes. He closed it by asking His Father to forgive them for their ignorance! Moral ignorance is not necessarily a mistake of the intellect; it is not a lack of knowledge of good and evil, either. It is rather a lack of faith and love of Jesus' Person and Message which left man's malice and envy uncured so that they brought Him to the Cross.
Ignorance of the Truth sometimes appears as a sincerity of the conscience and a commandment for duty. Yet, by sincerity one may abuse and judge another person, but in reality he may not hold the truth. The truth requires a life-long study and experience; it needs a merciful heart for compassion and sympathy; it needs revelation and intuition. The truth is seldom a man's dominion. To replace the truth with an unmerciful sincerity of conscience is a mistake--a fundamental one. Pilate's question "what is truth?" still remains unanswered for those who have not received "The Truth", that is, an absolute faith in Jesus and His message. (Source: O Logos by Father George Mastrantonis)
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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" -- Saint John Chrysostom
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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George