Fifth Sunday of Pascha - Sunday of the Samaritan Woman (Part II)

My beloved spiritual children in Our Risen Lord and Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN!

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THE SAMARITAN WOMAN (Part II)

"The woman saith unto Him: 'I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ; when He is come, He will tell us all things.'  Jesus saith unto her: "I that speaks unto thee am He..."

The Lord reveals that He is the expected Messiah - "I that speak unto thee am He." Rendered speechless by the wonder, the woman makes no reply to Him. The Apostles then return from the city and marvel at their Teacher's talking with the woman - an unbeliever, a Samaritan. And they are speechless with wonder.

"So when the Samaritans were come unto Him, they besought Him that He would tarry with them, and He abode there two days. And many more believed because of His own word."

The Lord responded to their plea and stayed for two days with them. And the harvest was truly abundant, for as well as those who believed in Him because of the woman's words, "many more believed because of the words" from His most pure lips.

And they said unto the woman: "Now we believe; not because of thy saying, for we have heard Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world." What the Lord said during these two days to the spiritually hungry and thirsty people is not known, as it has not been recorded. But that His words were "living water", having drunk of which a man thirsts no more, there is no doubt. This is seen, firstly, by the great number of those who came to believe in the Lord and, secondly, from their right confession of faith in Him: "This is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

Among the many gods in whom the Samaritans believed, they did have some belief in the God of Israel. They held this belief, not because they knew Him but out of respect for Israel (Jacob), who has at one time lived among them. The Samaritan woman speaks of "our father Jacob". Doubtless, the Samaritans had heard the prophecy, linked with Jacob's name, about the star that would "come out of Jacob" (Numbers 24:17). When, at one time, Balak King of Moab went to war against the Israelites, he summoned Balaam, a soothsayer, to prophecy victory over Israel, and so encouraged his army. But when he tried to work his soothsaying magic and prophesy to Balak that which the king's heart desired, suddenly "the Spirit of God came upon him, and he began to prophesy, not what Balak wanted, but what God wanted, saying: "How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel!" When Balak heard these words, he began to rebuke Balaam, but Balaam was not afraid and continued: "Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are upon hath said: 'I shall see Him, but not now; I shall behold Him, but not nigh. There shall come a star out of Jacob and a scepter shall rise out of Israel!" (Numbers 24). And lo, He Whom Balaam saw from afar appeared. The star shone out of Jacob, brighter than the sun, and more beautiful than the loveliest dream. And the Samaritans saw it and rejoiced. They saw and believed. They drank to their fill of Living Water and became alive to eternal life.

But Christ the Savior did not give Living Water just to the Samaritans and the Jews. He gave it, and gives today, to each and every one who, in the desert of this life, is aware of his spiritual thirst. On one occasion, the Lord stood in Jerusalem and "cried saying: "if any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink" (St. John 7:37). Do you hear how it is said: "He cried?" The Good Shepherd does not whisper; He shouts, calling His flock to water. He, in His love for mankind, stands in the searing desert of this world and "cries" to all the travelers exhausted by thirst. Blessed are they that hear the voice and draw near to him in faith. He will not question them about the language they speak or the nation to which they belong, their age or their riches, but will give them "living water", to strengthen and rejuvenate, renew, regenerate and revive them, and adopt them as sons, leading them out of the fiery furnace of this world into the garden of paradise. O Divine Drink, how wondrous Thou art! O sweet Savior, Thou cool and refreshing Well, how translucent, abundant, and Life-Giving Thou art! O Holy Spirit the Comforter draw to the Lord all those whose souls year for immortal life, and who cry in their thirst: "My soul is athirst for God; yea, even for the Living God!" O Lord Jesus, glory and praise be to Thee, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit - the Trinity consubstantial and undivided, now and forever, through all time and eternity.  Amen.  (Source: Homilies by St. Nikolai Velimirovic)

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Please note:  For a very long time I have made it my personal task to enrich and inspire you, the stewards in the parish of St. Andrew, by bringing you the sacred writings of the Holy Fathers and Mothers of the Church, as well as, the official and authentic teachings of our Holy Orthodox Faith. No other Christian body can claim to possess the spiritual treasure of our Orthodox Church.  

The goal or objective of this effort is to strengthen your understanding of the Faith and to encourage everyone who believes and follows faithfully Christ our Savior and God to live a more virtuous and holy life.

Sadly, however, the reality is much different. There is resistance, however, to any kind of positive spiritual change. Yet, our Lord Christ invites us to the "new life." A life in Christ that demands a change from our current worldly life. The Lord's conditions for one who is willing to follow Him are: "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me" (St. Matthew 16:24). The "cross" a dreadful instrument of punishment, is also a symbol of suffering by Christians in imitation of Christ. Self-denial is for the sake of Christ and the gospel, for a better life; it is not a punitive end in itself. Here Jesus states the central paradox of the Christian faith. In grasping the temporal, we lose the Eternal, in sacrificing everything we can know, we gain unimaginable riches. In dying, we live. 

Avoid useless speculations and gossip. Stop all attempts to subvert the teachings of the Lord.  Love your enemies and pray for them. Be a good instrument of Christ and strengthen unity and peace among your fellow Christians. Hypocrisy is wrong and destructive. In 1 Peter 2:1 the holy Apostle says, "Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking." The duty--the necessity-- for Christians to be holy in their conduct is the issue pursued in this passage. The Apostle Paul has written that all Christians are to put off the old manner of life, corrupted by evil and deception (Ephesians 4:22).  Similarly, those addressed here are to turn away from evil.

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" - Saint John Chrysostom

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With sincere agape in His Holy Resurrection,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+ Father George

Fifth Sunday of Pascha - Sunday of the Samaritan Woman

My beloved spiritual children in Our Risen Lord and Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,

CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN!

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FIFTH SUNDAY OF PASCHA - THE SUNDAY OF THE SAMARITAN  WOMAN

"So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, 'Give Me a drink.' For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.  Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, 'How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?' For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water...' "

THE SAMARITAN WOMAN AT THE WELL: THE LIVING WATER

Saint John Chrysostom writes:

"He shows that she is worthy to hear and not to be overlooked, and it is then He reveals Himself.  For she, as soon as she had learned who He was, would immediately listen and attend to Him. This none can say of the Jews, for they when they were aware, asked nothing of Him; nor did they desire to be informed on any profitable matter. Instead, they insulted and drove Him away...Not without reason does she here call him, 'Lord', and assign high honor to Him...Do not wonder if she failed to perceive everything at once, for neither did Nicodemus...Now if a woman of Samaria is so eager to learn something profitable; if she stays with Christ though not yet knowing Him, what pardon shall we obtain?...We know Him...yet are unable to endure anything that is said, but are jaded in our knowledge." (Homily XXXI on John III, 4, 5.)

MY FOOD IS TO DO THE WILL OF HIM WHO SENT ME

Saint Nikolai Velimirovic writes:

"Here is love! Here is teaching! Here is acquiescence! Here is a model!...Those who love, they also serve. If you want to find out how great your love is toward God, then measure your obedience to the will of God, and you will immediately learn. Lack of positive obedience is a sign of a lack of love. Those who love, delight in fulfilling the will of the beloved. The Son of God so loved His Father, that He thought it to be preferable to food to fulfill the will of the Father. What is the will of the Father? The salvation of man. The Lord, Son of God felt an unquenchable hunger to carry out the will of the Father. And when He has saved [a soul] He felt nourished with the sweetest food. See how exalted is the spirituality of Christ!...

O my brothers and sisters, if you only knew how much Christ our Lord also hungers for our salvation!...We begin our own salvation which He offers to us. That is for Him the most gladsome food...O Lord Jesus, insatiable lover of men, have mercy on us and save us. Glory to You and praise forever. Amen. [Prolog, 7 September, p. 706]

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"Like as the heart desireth the water-brooks, so longeth my soul after Thee, O God. My soul

is athirst for God; yea, even for the Living God" (Psalm 41/42:1-2).

This is not a cry by a poor and simple man, who had no way of refreshing his soul with human wisdom, worldly knowledge and skills, philosophy, and art: the knowledge of the fine threads from which the lives of men and nature are woven. It is not; but it is the sad and heartfelt cry of a king, rich with earthly riches, genial in mind, noble in the motions of his heart, and powerful in the strength and acts of his will. Refreshing his soul with all of these, for which the unfree and craves in this world. King David suddenly felt that his spiritual thirst was not only unquenched but had grown to such proportions that all this material universe was in no way able to quench it.  He then felt himself to be, in this world, "in a barren and dry land, where no water is" (Psalm 62/63:2), and cried to God as the only Source of immortal drink, for which a rational, awakened soul yearns. "My soul is athirst for God; yea, even for the Living God!"

The body directly receives food that is in essentials identical to the body. The body is of the earth, and food for the body is of the earth. This is why the body feels at home, among its own, in the world. But the soul suffers; it is crucified and suffers; it is disgusted and protests at having to receive food indirectly, and this food is not identical to itself. The soul, therefore, feels itself, in this world, to be in a foreign country, among strangers.

That the soul is immortal, and that it, in its essence, belongs to the immortal world, is proved by the fact that, in this earthly world, it feels itself a discontented traveler in a foreign land, and that nothing in the world can feed and refresh it. And even were the soul to be able to pour the whole universe into itself like a glass of water, its thirst would not only not become less but would, of a certainty, become greater. For then there would not remain in it one single illusory hope that it would, beyond the next hill, light on an unsuspected source of water.

The human soul is alive; alive and ever athirst for life; and nothing can slake its thirst but life: basic, direct life. But such life is found in God, in the living God, alone. "My soul is athirst for God; yea, even for the living God!" This is not just a psalm, but is a plain fact, like the dry throat of a thirsty lion that roars in the desert, and whose roaring can seem to the birds at the oasis like a song, although to the lion it is not a song but a cry for help...

"...Give Me to drink." The Creator seeks this of His creature. These words resound through two thousand years; for He did not say these words only to the Samaritan woman, but to all generations of men to the end of time.

"Give Me to drink", He says today to each one of us - the Creator of water and the Disposer of seas and oceans, rivers and springs - does not say this because He is thirsty for water, but because He thirsts for our good will and love. Giving to Him, we give not of our own, but of His. Every glass of water on earth is His, for He created it; and every glass of well-water, which we give to one of His "least brethren", He has paid for with His Precious Blood. However, in His unexampled humility, He does not seek water from the woman as the Creator from a creature, but as one man would seek from another, showing His humility in this and witnessing in this way to His limited and needy human nature. Finally, He does this to teach us to serve with charity. A man has the right to seek from another; and a man has the duty of service of, and charity to, another. (Source: Homilies by St. Nikolai Velimirovic)

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" - Saint John Chrysostom

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With sincere agape in His Divine Resurrection,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+ Father George

May 14 - Holy Hieromartyr Therapon

My beloved spiritual children in Our Risen Lord and Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN!

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ON MAY 14th OUR HOLY ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH COMMEMORATES THE FEAST OF THE HOLY HIEROMARTYR THERAPON.

Saint Therapon, the sacred hieromartyr, whom we commemorate today, possessed an origin and parentage that is unknown. We know neither the year in which he lived nor the governors and kings whom he confessed Christ and attained the laurel wreath of martyrdom. This dearth of information describing any anecdote from his life is due to the ravages of all-consuming time. Only by reason of his sacred icon, wherein he is depicted as a monk, do we deduce that he received the Schema of the monastics. The pious claim that he served as a bishop in Cyprus, offering himself to Christ as a martyr by which he met his end, is part of a tradition that has been handed down to us and survives to this day. We, too, believe is to be true, inasmuch as what is well known has been kept alive by oral transmission. The venerable man's holy relics were transferred to Constantinople when the Hagarnes were about to lay waste to Cyprus. It is said that the Saint appeared to those who guarded his holy relics, ordering them to transfer them to Constantinople. So it is now that the site where they are treasured is a source of miracles for those who flock to the  Saint with faith.

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THE HOLY MARTYR ALEXANDER AT KENTOUKELLAI

Saint Alexander, the holy martyr, lived during the reign of Maximian, who ruled between the year 286 and 305 A.D. He was a Roman by birth, serving in the army of the commander Tiberian. When Tiberian decided to sacrifice to the pagan idols with his entire host, the holy Alexander not only refused to sacrifice with them but also mocked them all as madmen wanting in understanding; for the pagan soldiers were as men who had lost their minds, inasmuch as they forsook the Creator of the world in order to worship unclean demons. Therefore, on account of his treating the order scornfully, he was led before Emperor Maximian.

As they escorted him, an Angel of the Lord appeared to Alexander. He spurred on Christ's soldier to martyrdom, giving him the courage and strength of Jesus Christ. But he toiled in vain; for Alexander, the athlete of Christ remained adamant in his convictions. Furthermore, it is also said that he witnessed the heavens having been opened. And, having beheld the Son of God sitting at the right of the Father, as did the First-Martyr Stefanos (Stephen), Alexander's face shone more than ever. Though he was handsome by nature, yet now he possessed the visage of an Angel. The Roman Emperor Maximian lost all hope of converting him. He had no wish to question him further. He, therefore, remanded him to Tiberian, whom he had appointed as Prefect and entrusted with the persecution of the Christian.

When Saint Alexander was delivered to Tiberian, the latter was commanded to punish him by many tortures, even on the way as they marched. If Alexander still could not be persuaded to sacrifice to the pagan idols, Tiberian was to put to death forthwith. When Tiberian began advancing on the road, he subjected the holy one to an interrogation. Since he, too, could not dissuade Alexander from his course, he had him tortured. His sides were burned with lit torches.  Tiberian then ordered that the road be overland with prickly plants. The holy martyr was thrown upon them and beaten with rods. While this was carried out, an Angel of the Lord appeared and strengthened Alexander. The holy martyr endured all his tortures with ease, though his body was covered with wounds and lacerations.

Accompanying the holy martyr was his mother Pimainia. She was grieved and besought God on behalf of her son's plight. She was apprehensive lest he should cower for a moment. When they reached Philippopolis, the entire Christian population came out to greet the Saint. They even kissed his chains. The holy martyr gave thanks to God for such a kind of reception. As soon as they arrived at a place called Paremvolae, the Prefect subjected the martyr to further questioning and has him thrashed cruelly. As they approached Verea, the righteous one observed that there was no water in that vicinity. By his efficacious prayer, he caused water to spring forth from the ground. It is said that as the executioners were about to pour boiling oil upon his back and shoulders, the cauldron overturned. The boiling oil, then, spilled out and seriously burned many of the Prefect's servants.

Following this, the holy one was beaten with heavy and thick staves. Since he persisted in the Faith of Christ, he was cudgeled again. When they arrived at a Thracian site called Drizipara, the decision was made to dispatch him with a sword by the waters of the river. However, the executioner who was assigned to behead him at the Prefect's order, dare not raise his sword. This was due to his vision of Angels standing about and guarding the Saint. Therefore, the holy Alexander uttered a prayer and besought the Angels to stand off a little. After they withdrew from him, the headsman was able to behead him. Thus, the blessed Alexander ascended victoriously into the heavens. The translation (anakomide) of his holy relics and his commemoration is celebrated at a location called Kentoukellai. (Source: The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church)

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" - Saint John Chrysostom

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With sincere agape in His Holy Resurrection,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+ Father George

Using Time Wisely at Home During the Pandemic

My beloved spiritual children in Our Risen Lord and Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN!

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USING TIME WISELY AT HOME DURING THE PANDEMIC

Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!

We find that during this pandemic while our entire family is home bound it is good to find creative and imaginative ways and to use this unique opportunity to strengthen our relationship with each other and to pass this precious time wisely and beneficially for all.

As Orthodox Christian believers we are truly blessed with a wonderful and rich and Holy Tradition and spiritual heritage that offers us incredible guidance and resources for the strengthening spiritually of our family. It would be of great spiritual benefit for us to turn to the reading passages from Holy Scripture, to become familiar with the virtues and holy Lives of the Saints of our Church, to study the sacred writings of the Holy Fathers and Mothers of the Church, to strengthen our communion with Our Creator and God through unceasing prayer.  

There are many opportunities to form a strong connection with God. Our family strives always to be Christ-centered. Everything that we do revolves around our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Who watches over us and Who desires to dwell within our hearts. When our family participates totally in the life of the church through worship, the mysteries, and virtues living, God bestows His grace and abundant blessings upon us.

There is no greater witness than to willingly follow Christ God. To place our complete trust in Him and to allow Him to lead us to salvation. Without Him, life has no meaning, no purpose.  He is our everything! Our hearts must be pure and open to His grace and be willing to be obedient to His Divine Commandments.

Time here on earth is precious and we must always use it wisely. Our life should be a positive experience, fruitful, philanthropic, constructive, and meaningful. Just as we mature physically, emotionally, psychologically, we should also strive toward the attainment of spiritual maturity.  To come to the point when we say as Saint Paul, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). Just as living in the flesh involves the whole person, body, and soul, so living "in the faith" involves the whole person.

There are so many wonderful lessons to be learned while everyone is at home and how everyone can re-discover the path to Christ our Lord. Pray individually, and as a family, for spiritual strength and inspiration. Look up the words strength and strong in your Holy Bible's concordance and find passages related to godly strength. Also, see where the words humility, obedience, love, and sacrifice occur for greater connections to strength.

If you have never opened the Holy Bible open it now and don't be afraid. You do not have to be a biblical scholar or a theologian to read the Holy Scripture. You are not there to give a theological interpretation but to be edified by the word of God. Begin by reading the Gospels and gradually the Epistles (Letters) of Saint Paul. You are not under any pressure to go through it at a specific time. Know that when you turn to the Holy Bible you should approach it with faith, humility, and the understanding that our Lord is speaking to you through His Divine word. It actually becomes a loving dialogue between Him and you. Absorb everything that you read slowly and without any fear. In this way, you will find inspiration, comfort, hope, strength, inner peace, and courage.

Saint Theophan the Recluse wrote, "The final goal of man is communion with God. The path to this communion has been precisely defined: faith, and walking in the Commandments with the help of God's grace." We seek holiness and union with God as taught by the Holy Apostles and the Holy Fathers of the Church. Our Savior and Resurrected Lord came to save us and to open the gates of heaven for us. He showed us how to live through His Divine teaching and example.  As you come closer to Him, you increase your capability to deal with the various challenges that you may face in life. You increase your ability to live according to the Christian virtues and precepts.

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!"-- Saint John Chrysostom

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With sincere agape in His Divine Resurrection,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

Declaring Victory Over Fear, Panic and Viruses

My beloved spiritual children in Our Risen Lord Jesus Christ, Our Only True God, and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN!

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DECLARING VICTORY OVER FEAR, PANIC AND VIRUSES
By Metropolitan Athanasios of Lemesoy, Cyprus.

"...The Church in difficult times has always taught us and directed us to pray. This crisis will be dealt with--with prayer. We need people who have such great strong prayer, such that can turn the events of the world around. Because in truth, only prayer can turn around the development of events. Everything else is human. Of course, it is good to have the human approach and it is beneficial. But prayer can, in reality, and in a short time, turn around everything and can end this difficulty. However, this difficulty has a beneficial side to it. It teaches us many things. It shows us our weakness, the temporary nature of human things. It teaches that everything around us is ephemeral. Therefore, we must understand that our first need and our first longing should be the Kingdom of God. Just as the Lord says in the Holy Gospel, "Seek first the Kingdom of God and everything else will be given to you." We will be given everything from our Lord, the Lord of Glory; we just need to seek the Kingdom of God.

This is our true necessity and need, this is what we truly need. Of course, all other things are necessary too, but God knows our needs and provides. The Church is calling us to struggle and pray, to struggle to gain more prayer--prayer that streams from repentance and humility. We must repent for our personal sins, for the sins of our brethren and for the sins of the whole world. We need to offer God strong prayers, gushing out of our humble and repentant heart; so that God can have mercy on us and overturn the difficult events. If we pray, everything will be overturned.  If we do not pray, then the events will take the human course of things; and we do not know how things will be and how things will develop.

Our Churches will remain open. The Worship of God will never stop. The priests and we [i.e., the hierarch himself] will be in the position that God placed us. And as shepherds of the Church, we offer our prayers and the services of the Worship of God and for Holy Communion and Thanksgiving. We offer these for the whole world, for the whole Adam.  Whoever wants to approach. Whoever feels difficulty and weak or anything else, they can act as their conscience directs them. We cannot judge any man. We are called to pray for the whole world, the whole Adam, for all the human race.

Maybe someone can question themselves and say, "We that come to Church, we will not ever get ill?" We will get ill and one day we will die. Who told us that we would remain immortal in this world? Did we need the coronavirus to remind us that one day we will die? We needed the coronavirus to tell us that we can fall ill? What did the forty martyrs say? "Our actions are in philotimo (good honor)."  

Since one day we will die, let us die honorable, and is pleasing to God. Let us also remember our Saint Neophytos who said, "What other thing exists above all but the fear of God and the remembrance of death?--to remind us of our exodus from this world and our presence in front of God.

What does the Church offer us? The strength to not fear; the victory against the fear of death. We will all go through biological death, without exceptions. However, the spiritual death is a death that a faithful person who believes in God will not undergo. He who believes in Me will never taste death, meaning spiritual death, because the biological death we all go through. And this is death that we fear--the spiritual death--the eternal separation from God.  We do not want this separation, it terrifies us, because this is eternal separation, eternal death--the eternal separation from our Lord Jesus Christ. The biological death is human nature and will arrive one day. Even if we are Saints, been if we are sinners, we will all go through the gate of the biological death.

The Resurrection of Christ, Who was victorious over death and Who destroyed the fear of death, and then we shall hear the night of the Resurrection: "No one fears death, because we are freed from death by our Savior. No one should fear death because our Savior released us from the fear of biological death, and we move on to live the resurrection. Death is conquered. There is no death. There is only eternal life. Christ is alive, the Kingdom of God is real and will be to the ages.

With this type of faith, we will walk through this difficult time that we currently face--without fears, without panic, without human reasoning. We will walk crying out the Love of our Lord Jesus Christ. We know that our life here has an end. We know that this life is just passing through, a journey through, from the temporary to eternal--to the eternal Kingdom of God.

In these times of crisis, our faith is tested, our way of life matters, our thoughts are evaluated, and the quality of our relationship with our Father, our God, is measured: our life, our strength, out time in works of repentance, our time in prayer and in the worship offered to God. The Church will remain in prayer, giving glory and worship to the Living God, without any human selfish act. With the wisdom of the Church, we will be given hope that God is above all things. I am not saying that we ignore the human side of things. Not at all. But we need to be victorious over fear, victorious over death which destroys love--the True Love, Who is Christ, the One Who destroys fears. He who loves God fears nothing. Nothing darkens his life, not even the most difficult moment. For God's love is victorious over the fear and gives us the taste of Eternal Life..."  (Source: Orthodox Heritage)

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" -- Saint John Chrysostom

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With sincere agape in His Holy Resurrection,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+ Father George

The Prayer of the Cherubic Hymn

My beloved spiritual children in Our Risen Lord and Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN!

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THE PRAYER OF THE CHERUBIC HYMN
By His Eminence Metropolitan Augustinos Kantiotis of blessed memory.

When the Cherubic Hymn, dearly beloved, is chanted, the priest stands before the Holy Altar Table and reads the following prayer:

"None is worthy, among them that are enslaved by carnal desires and pleasures, to approach or come near or minister before Thee, the King of Glory; for Thy Service is great and fearful even to the Heavenly Powers. Yet since, through Thine ineffable and immeasurable compassion, Thou hast without change or differentiation become man and taken the title of our High Priest, as Lord of All, Thou hast committed to us the celebration of this rite and of the Bloodless Sacrifice. For Thou, O Lord our God, alone dost govern all things in heaven and in earth, Thou Who sittest upon the Throne of the Cherubim and art Lord of the Seraphim and King of Israel, Who only art Holy and restest among Thy Saints. To Thee I persistently call, for Thou alone art righteous and ready to hear. Look upon me Thy sinful and unprofitable servant and purify my soul and heart

from an evil conscience; enable me by the power of Thy Holy Spirit, girt with the grace of the Priesthood to stand at this Thy Holy Table and to consecrate Thy Holy and Spotless Body and Thy Precious Blood. For to Thee I come near, bowing my neck, and Thee I beseech. Turn not away Thy Face from me, neither reject me from among Thy children, but consider me

worthy so that these Gifts may be brought near to Thee by me, Thy sinful and unworthy servant.  For Thou art the Offerer and the Offered, the Acceptor and the Distributor, Christ our God, and to Thee we ascribe glory, with Thine Eternal Father and Thy Most Holy, Righteous and Life-Giving Spirit, now and forever and from "all Ages to all Ages." Amen."

This prayer of the Cherubic Hymn is one of the most inspired and moving prayers of the Divine Liturgy. Pious celebrants of the Most High at the time when they read it become filled with so much emotion, that the shed tears and their sobbings will not let them finish this superb prayer.  How great is Christ, and how small and wretched is man! The Greatness of Christ and the wretchedness of man, who dares to approach the Holy Altar and offer the Holy Mystery--this prayer emphasizes these two things.

Christ! O Christ, Thou art the Master of All. Thou dost govern, Thou dost command all that is heavenly, all that is earthly. Thou art Lord of the Angels and Archangels, of the Cherubim and the Seraphim. Thou alone art Holy. Thou dost find gladness and Thou dost rest there where holiness is. Thou didst come from the heights of heaven here to earth. Thou didst come out of love for wretched man. A love which in the language of man cannot be expressed, and there is no measure to measure. Thy love is an endless ocean.

The priest, O Christ, what am I who ministers? I am thine unprofitable and worthless servant, who, even if I had kept all thy Commandments, even so I am not worthy to gaze upon the height of Thy Majesty. It is great and frightening thing for someone to serve Thee. With what hands can I touch Thee the Undefiled? With what tongue can I hymn and celebrate the sacred ceremony? I am afraid, Thou might reject me. Full of fear and reverence, Christ, I bend down, I worship Thee and beseech Thee...

The priest must feel always his unworthiness, especially during the time when he is celebrating and offering the Highest Mystery. He himself should not be in his place, nor any other man, regardless of how perfect he is, but one of the Angels and Archangels of the heavenly world.  And this could be done. Namely, every time when a Liturgy is about to be celebrated, an Angel could come down from heaven, come here to earth, and celebrate the Holy Mystery. Nothing is impossible to God. Has not God sent Angels many times here to earth to execute His Commandments and serve the people? It would be possible for the Angels and Archangels to be entrusted with such a task.

What an astonishing phenomenon it would be, if upon entering the church we were to see an Angel celebrating at the Holy Sanctuary! But this task, which Angels and Archangels would tremble to perform, has been entrusted to priests. Christ gave them the power to conduct the Holy Mysteries. Saint John Chrysostom says that if we hypothesize that this spiritual power to remit sins and in general to perform the Mysteries were given to the Angels, because the Angels have no conception of sin and of the temptations which people experience, they would be unable fully to understand and feel the human tragedy; likewise the people would come into contact with Angels with great difficulty and reservations. But the priest, himself a sinful man who every day confronts temptations and fights the mighty fight against sin, sees on top of all that the weakness of people. He hears with great sympathy, as a fellow-sufferer, the sins of his fellow man, and is ready to give absolution to those who believe and sincerely repent.

Therefore let us thank Christ, because among the other benevolent acts toward mankind, He gave to men, to the priests, the spiritual power to forgive sins and to celebrate the Mysteries in general.

The priest as a man may not be rich and powerful, wise and learned, one who impresses worldly people; he may be humble and disdained. However, from the moment when he receives and wears, as the prayer says, "the grace of ordination," he receives authority which is higher than any other. For even the most powerful and rich and educated person, as a sinner, needs to have his sins forgiven. And only the priest can give this absolution in the name of Jesus Christ.  Having this kind of spiritual authority, he is above kings. He is superior to the Angels and Archangels, because God did not give to any of them this authority to forgive sins.  

These things indeed, which we write here about the priests, are spiritual matters, and only he who believes understands and feels them. And when he sees a priest, he honors him as he should, because the priest has spiritual power, as a representative of Christ on earth. Saint Cosmas the Aitolian used to say: "If you, my child, meet on your path both a priest and an Angel, first you must greet the priest and then the Angel, because the priest who performs and celebrates is superior to the Angels and Archangels." 

Today, unfortunately, in an age of anarchy, unbelief, and corruption, the priests of the Most High are not honored, and the majority of them are not even aware of the highness of their office.

May the Holy Spirit enlighten us, so that indeed the priests might feel Whose soldiers they are, and the people might not despise and disparage them, but might honor them like the Angels of the Lord, the Creator of All.  Amen.  (Source: Orthodox Heritage)

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" - Saint John Chrysostom

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With sincere agape in His Holy Resurrection,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+ Father George