The Lord Christ said "One thing is needful..."

My beloved spiritual children in 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 LORD SAID, "ONE THING IS NEEDFUL" (LUKE 10:42).

Our Savior Jesus Christ said this saying, "One thing is needful" (Luke 10:42) to us all, O Christians! Many Christians trouble themselves and take care of one thing or another, but they themselves often do not know for what they trouble themselves. The Lord warns us of this useless care and says to all, "One thing is needful." What is it? Eternal salvation.

This is the foremost task of a Christian. With Christians, the foremost care ought to be for this. We need food, clothing, a house, and other things necessary for this life, and we also pray for this to our Heavenly Father, "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11). But eternal salvation is so necessary that without it everything else is as nothing. "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his soul?" (Matthew 16:26). There is no profit, truly none, where there is no salvation.

What use is it to us if, though we gain the whole world, we lose our soul? We protect our temporal life above all things. How much more ought we to protect our eternal life, which is more precious than the whole world! Then just as for each man, his main task is his calling -- as for a judge, it is to judge, for a farmer it is to farm, for a merchant it is to ply his merchandise, for a herdsman it is to her his cattle, for a teacher it is to teach, for students it is to learn, and so on -- so for the Christian his foremost task should be to please God, Whom he confesses and reveres, in faith and in truth, and so to hope for and await eternal life from Him.

This is the Christian's foremost task, care, and labor. This is the one thing needful.

Beloved Christians! We are created for not temporal but for eternal life. We are renewed unto eternal life through Holy Baptism. We are called to eternal life y the word of God. Christ the Son of God came into the world, suffered and died for the sake of our eternal life.  Do you see how dear God held our eternal salvation? He created everything for the sake of it, and for the sake of it He Himself came into the world. Our foremost care and labor, then, should be for this.

Satan endeavors to steal it from us and to destroy us eternally. Then we ought not to slumber, but we should protect this priceless treasure.

But we see and sigh, that many Christians neglect this foremost task. Fornicators, adulterers, and defilers neglect it. Blasphemers and revilers neglect it. Drinkers and lovers of pleasure neglect it. Robbers, thieves, and brigands neglect. Liars, flatterers, and hypocrites neglect it. slanderers and accusers neglect it. All that please the world and their whims, but not God, neglect it.

All these and others like them set at naught the treasure of eternal salvation obtained by the labors, pains, suffering, and death, even death on the Cross, of Christ, the Son of God, and so they dishonor the very One Who suffered and died. Among present-day Christians, it is held to be a great thing and dear to be in honor, glory, riches, and luxury, but they hold their eternal salvation as the least of their concerns, which these other concerns should follow. Eternal salvation is "the one thing needful," according to the words of Christ, but it is either gained or lost here. It is gained by repentance and faith; it is lost by an unrepentant life.

Listen, you sinners, and you blessed Christians, eternal salvation is for us "the one thing needful," and it is either gained or lost here on earth. Beloved, let us deepen this in our memory. Sinners! Let us remember the vows which we mace at Baptism, and let us repent, lest we appear slothful before God.

Let us remember the hour of death and repent, lest we depart this world without hope of salvation. Let us remember the Dread Judgment of Christ and repent, lest we appear there with our sins. Let us remember the sweetness of eternal life and the bitterness of eternal death, and turn to God, and propitiate Him with tears and repentance, that He open to us the doors of His loving kindness and His Eternal Kingdom.

Lord of Hosts convert us and make Thy face to shine on us and we shall be saved! (Source: Journey to Heaven by Saint Tikhon of Zandosk)

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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 (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

June 13 - The Apodosis (Leavetaking) of Pentecost

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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13th JUNE - SATURDAY OUR HOLY ORTHODOX CHURCH CELEBRATES THE APODOSIS, OR LEAVETAKING, OF PENTECOST

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Apolytikion (Dismissal) Hymn of Pentecost
Plagal of the Fourth Tone

Blessed are Thee, O Christ our God, Who made fishermen all-wise, sending upon them the Holy Spirit and, through them, netting the world. O Loving One, glory To Thee.

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Kontakion
Plagal of the Fourth Tone

When the Most High came down and confounded tongues of men (Tower of Babel), He divided the Nations. When He dispensed the Tongues of Fire, He called all to to unity, and with one voice we glorify the Most Holy Spirit.

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Some years ago, Orthodox blogger, John Sanidopoulos, had a wonderful reflection on the reason for an Apodosis or Leavetaking:

Every major feast has its Apodosis (Leavetaking). Why? The main reason is that the Church once again gives us the opportunity to celebrate the beauty of the feast. When we see or experience something beautiful, it is human nature to desire to have that experienced again. The feasts of Christ and the Theotokos are a sweetness to the soul which arouses the desire to celebrate more than once.

The beauty and richness of the Paschal Canon and the Paschal Stichera, the joy of the chants on Sunday morning are so marvelous that the Orthodox Christian believer is glad to repeat them every day of the Pentecostal season. But there is a special delight on this day of Pentecost in being able to re-pray all of the services one last time, fifty days later. It is like an anniversary party for a happily married couple, hosted at the same time as the original celebration.

At the same time, in every remembrance there is a sense of incompleteness, a yearning, for a future that more perfectly embodies that original greatness and solemnity. And so on Saturday, June 13th, the Apodosis of Pentecost is celebrated.

After today's end, we cease chanting the Pentecostal hymns, apolytikion, kontakion, and other celebratory hymns of Pentecost.

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DIVINE LITURGY AT 10:00 A.M. specifically for all of our seniors over the age of 65 or those with underlying risk factors. The Metropolis Clergy of Chicago were informed this morning by His Eminence Metropolitan Nathanael that he is giving the option for those 65 years old and over to return to regular services on Sundays. It is now a personal choice.

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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 (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

June 11 - Holy Apostle Bartholomew

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 JUNE 11th OUR HOLY ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH CELEBRATES THE FEAST DAY OF THE HOLY APOSTLE BARTHOLOMEW

The Holy Apostle Bartholomew was one of the Twelve Great Apostles. It is generally agreed that Bartholomew and Nathaniel are one and the same person. He was a companion of the Holy Apostle Philip and his sister, the virgin Mariamna -- and for some time of Saint John the Theologian -- preaching the Gospel in Asia, then in India and finally in Armenia, where he died a martyr. In Hierapolis, the Holy Apostles by their prayers killed a great snake that had been kept in a temple and deified by the pagans. In this same town, they restored the sight of one Stachius, who had been blind for 40 years. This roused the mob against them, and Philip and Bartholomew were crucified, Bartholomew upside-down. At this, there was an earthquake, in which the evil judges and many of the people perished. Seeing this as a punishment from God, many ran to take the Apostles down from their crosses, but Philip was already dead although Bartholomew was still alive. After that, Bartholomew went to India, where he preached and translated the Gospel of Matthew into the Indian language. After that, he moved to Armenia, where he cured the king's daughter of madness. But the king's envious brother, Astyages, took the Apostle of God and crucified him, then had him flayed and beheaded in the Armenian town of Ourbanopolis. His body was buried by Christians in a leaden coffin. When many miracles had been wrought over his holy relics, pagans took the coffin and threw it into the sea. But the sea carried the coffin to the island of Lipara, where the bishop, Agathon, who had been warned by revelation in a dream, was waiting for it and buried it in the church. Saint Bartholomew appeared to Saint Joseph the Hymnographer in church one day, robed in white, and blessed him with the Gospels to sing spiritual hymns, saying: "Let streams of heavenly wisdom flow from thy tongue!" He also appeared to the Emperor Anastasios (491-418 A.D.), and told him that he would protect the newly-built town of Dara. Later, the holy relics of the Apostle were translated to Benevento, and then to Rome. Great and wondrous miracles have been wrought over them.

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THE HOLY APOSTLE BARNABAS

One of the Seventy secret Apostles, he was born in Cyprus, of wealthy parents of the tribe of Levi, and studied with Gamaliel together with Saul (Paul). He was first named Joseph, but the Holy Apostles called him Barnabas, Son of Consolation, because he had a rare gift for comforting men's souls. After Saul's (Paul's) conversion, Barnabas was the first to welcome him among the Apostles. After that, with Paul and Mark, he preached the Gospel in Antioch and other places. All accounts agree that he was the first to preach in Rome and in Milan. He suffered at the hands of the Jews on the island of Cyprus and was buried by Mark at the Western gate of the city of Salamis, holding a copy of the Gospel of Matthew which he had transcribed with his own hand. His grave remained unknown for several centuries, but when many people had been healed of sickness in that place, it became known as "the place of healing". In the time of Emperor Zeno, the Holy Apostle appeared three times, on three successive nights, to Archbishop Anthemius of Cyprus, and revealed the whereabouts of his grave. This revelation by the Holy Apostle took place just at the time when Peter, the power-hungry Patriarch of Antioch, was seeking to bring the Cypriot Church under his jurisdiction. After the revealing and finding of the miraculous holy relics of the Holy Apostle Barnabas, it was established that the Cypriot Church, as an Apostolic foundation, should be independent, and thus the autocephaly of the Church of Cyprus was finally confirmed.

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The Feast of the holy Icon: 'It is meet...', and the miracle that was wrought in front of it in the time of Patriarch Nicolas Chrysoverges. This miracle came about thus: One night a monk was reading the Canon of the Mother of God and chanting: "More Honorable than the Cherubim..." in his cell in the Monastery of the Pantokrator (now called after the holy icon). His elder (Geronda) had gone to Karyes. Suddenly a man appeared in the church and began to chant: "It is meet...", ("Axion Esti..."), a hymn which till that time had been unknown in the Church. The monk, hearing this hymn, was greatly struck both by the words and the heavenly singing.  The stranger turned to the monk and said: "we sing it like this at home." The monk desired to have it written down, and brought a marble tablet, onto which the stranger wrote the hymn with his finger as though the tablet were made of wax, and then suddenly disappeared. This stranger was the Archangel Gabriel. The tablet was taken to Constantinople, and the hymn is chanted to this day in the Church.

(For those who are not familiar with the text, it is as follows: (The Axion Esti )  

'It is meet to bless thee, who didst bring forth God; Ever-blessed and Most Pure, and the Mother of our God. More Honorable than the Cherubim, and incomparably more glorious then the Seraphim; Thou who inviolate didst bring forth God the Logos/Word, and art indeed Mother of God, Thee do we magnify."

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The two young men, Barnabas and Paul, were friends and went together to Gamaliel's school. When Barnabas became a Christian, he persistently and with tears prayed to God that He would enlighten Paul's understanding and turn his heart, that he too might become a Christian. Barnabas often spoke to Paul about Christ the Lord, but Paul mocked him and thought him misguided. But the Gracious Lord did not leave Barnabas's prayer unfruitful. He appeared to Saint Paul, turned him from the false way and set him on the way of Truth. The converted Paul fell at the feet of his friend and cried: 'O Barnabas, teacher of the truth, now I am convinced of the Truth of what you said to me about Christ!' Barnabas wept for joy and embraced his friend. The friend saved his friend's soul by his fervent prayers. If Barnabas had succeeded in making Paul Emperor of Rome, he would have done less than he in fact did by bringing him to the Truth by his prayers. (Source: The Prologue from Ochrid)

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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 (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

Resuming Worship and Sacramental Life

My beloved spiritual children in 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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RESUMING WORSHIP AND SACRAMENTAL (MYSTERIAKI) LIFE

A young lady revealed to me recently the impact the church lockdown had on her and how very happy she is that worship is open again. A feeling that all of our fellow parishioners share. It is in our church that we feel the presence of our Lord and it is in the church that we are able to connect and are united with Him through the sacraments of the Church. It is in our church divine services that we are assured of His Love and we are comforted and strengthened. It is there that we are renewed and sanctified.

According to the Church, a priest cannot conduct a Divine Liturgy for himself without anyone else present. In ancient times the word "Liturgy" (in Gk. λειτουργία from the words λείτος = and 'εργον=work) meant a work for the benefit of the people. In the Old Testament, it denotes the worship which the people offered through priests of the Mosaic Law. Since New Testament times the word "Liturgy", preceded usually by the adjective "Divine", has signified that Church service which is filled with memories of our Lord's Life and teachings from His Nativity (Birth) to His Ascension into Heaven. The Divine Liturgy is the great central act of Christian worship, offered to God for the benefit of the members of the Church, the Orthodox Christians.

In the Divine Liturgy our Lord is present: first in the Person of His priest, secondly, in His Logos/Word which is read in the Church, and thirdly, according to His promise: "where two or three are gathered in My name, there Am I in the midst of them" (Saint Matthew 18:20). Lastly, He is really and truly present upon the Holy Altar under the appearances of the consecrated Bread and Wine.

The belief that our Lord is really present upon the Holy Altar under the appearance of the consecrated Bread and Wine, is based upon the word of God Himself. Let us return to the days when our Lord dwelt on the earth.

He had fed five thousand men in the desert by a miraculous multiplication of five loaves and two fish. The next day He was in Capernaum, where the people asked for more of that wonderful bread. Instead of fulfilling their desire, Jesus said unto them: "I Am the Bread of Life...I Am the Living Bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this Bread, he shall live forever, and the Bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the Life of the world...Verily, verily, I say unto you, except you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you have no life in you. Whoso eateth My flesh and drinketh My Blood, hath Eternal Life; and I will raise him up at the Last Day...He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My Blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him" (Saint John 6:34-56).

With these words, our Lord promised to give His flesh and blood to be the food and drink of the world. But He did not explain at that time how His Body and Blood would serve as food and drink for spiritual nourishment of the world.

A year passed since our Lord said these words. The Jewish Passover (Pascha or Gk. Πάσχα) was at hand. Jesus knew that he had to journey from that feast to the Sacrifice on the Cross. He knew that His body had to be broken, and His blood had to be shed for the salvation of the world. He knew, too, that His Disciples would grieve Him that night, and that one of them would even betray Him, and yet He said to them: "With desire, I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer..." (Saint Luke 22:15).

Knowing what was to come, our Lord, on the night before his crucifixion, gathered with His Disciples in the Upper Room of a house in Jerusalem for the Mystical ("Last") Supper with them. As they were seated before a long white banquet table, their eyes were upon Jesus. He took one of the loaves of bread, blessed it and broke it, so that each of His Disciples might have a portion. Then distributing it to them, He said:  

"Take eat; this is My Body which is broken for you".

Obediently, eagerly, the Holy Apostles accepted the Bread of Life.

Then, taking a chalice Jesus pouring into it some red wine of Palestine, rendered thanks to His Father and gave it to His Disciples, saying:

"Drink ye all of it; for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."

The chalice was then passed from one to another, and they all drank of it. Thus, in the simplest and most sublime manner, Christ fulfilled His earlier promise to give His Flesh as food and His Blood as drink. It was not until the after the Crucifixion and Resurrection, though, that the Disciples understood this. We see then that at the Mystical "Last" Supper, the very night when our Lord was betrayed, He instituted the Eucharistic Sacrifice.

In order to perpetuate the memory of this Sacrifice for subsequent centuries until He should come again, He commanded His Apostles: "This do in remembrance of Me" (Saint Luke 22:19). With these words our Lord gave them the power to do what He had done -- change bread and wine into His Body and Blood -- namely, to consecrate the Holy Eucharist, which is the highest form of Thanksgiving to God that man has in his power to render. Indeed, God enjoins man to render this Thanksgiving (Eucharist) in the form of the Divine Liturgy.

The Holy Eucharist is the repetition of the Mystical Supper. It is also the self-same Sacrifice of the Cross, repeated sacramentally. ("Repeated") does not mean "begun all over again" but once "once again made actual and present to us living made actual and present to us living today.

The Holy Apostles and the first Christians, obeying the Lord's Commandment "this do in remembrance of Me", gathered together every day in private homes and celebrated the Breaking of Bread, or what we know as the Sacrament (Mysterion) of Holy Eucharist. (Source: The Divine Liturgy Explained)

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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 (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

"Beware of False Prophets..." (Matthew 7:15)

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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"BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS, WHO COME TO YOU IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING, BUT INWARDLY THEY ARE RAVENOUS WOLVES. YOU WILL KNOW THEM BY THEIR FRUITS" (Saint Matthew 7:15).

A very sound and wise advice and warning to all of us from our Lord Christ. These "false prophets" that our Savior mentions can easily deceive others, those imposters of virtue and piety are more dangerous than those who are evil outright. These are referred to in the secular world as "confidence men" or "con-men". One can find them in every walk of life, i.e., politics, religious leaders, educators, business, science, sales, etc.

Over its long history, the Church had to face many such dangerous people within it who sought to divide, corrupt, distort, revise, and undermine the teachings of our Christian faith. Faithful and following the Apostolic Council in Jerusalem AD 49, which set a precedent of tremendous importance for the government of the Church. The Orthodox Church is sometimes known as "the Church of the Councils," for it continues the practice of solving disputes and coming to a consensus through Councils. This council progresses through the stages of (v. 6), testimony (Vv. 7-12), decision (vv. 13-21), and adoption (vv. 22-29).

Those of you that know Church History know that the Church has never been free from disputes and dissensions, but nevertheless has maintained a way to resolve them in council. The meeting of bishops in council, with the participation of elders (presbyters) and knowledgeable laymen, continues to guide the Church to this day.

To this present day we, Orthodox Christians, venerate as Saints and we look up to them as the defenders of Orthodox Christianity, defenders of the only authentic Church of Christ. An excellent example is Saint Athanasius of Alexandria, Egypt.

Saint Athanasius, as well as the numerous other great holy Fathers of the Church, were known not only for their steadfast faith in Christ but also for their mega courage. Many of them were imprisoned, exiled, and even tortured for the faith. The Holy Fathers of the Church comprised the membership of the Ecumenical Councils and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit formulated the Dogmas (Creed) and Holy Canons of the Church.

The decisions of the Ecumenical Councils are the bedrock of the Church. No person or persons, no matter of their Church rank or office, can ever change what has been decided by the Ecumenical Synods. Such Ecumenical Councils the Church recognizes as seven in number. The Ecumenical Councils formulated precisely and confirmed a number of the fundamental truths of the Orthodox Christian Faith, defending the ancient teaching of the Church against the distortions of heretics. The Ecumenical Councils likewise formulated numerous laws and rules governing public and private Christian church life, which are called the Church holy Canons, and required the universal and uniform observance of them. Finally, the Ecumenical Councils confirmed the dogmatic statements of a number of local councils, and also the dogmatic statements composed by certain Fathers of the Church of example, the confession of faith of Saint Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neo-Caesarea, the canons of Saint Basil the Great and so forth. (Dogmatic Theology).

The Church fought the Arian heresy (325 A. D.) which persisted for a few hundred years. In the 5th century, there was a Patriarch of Constantinople by name of Nestorius, who was anathematized, his teaching was rejected and condemned. Over the many centuries, the Church has faced numerous heresies both from within and without. When we think of wolves that look like sheep, we think of the heretics who seek to devour the sheep, the faithful Orthodox Christians.

Our Lord Jesus Christ warns us to beware of wolves in sheep's clothing. The question, however, is, "how do you detect the wolf?" It really could be one who is a Baptized, Chrismated, communing Orthodox Christian in good standing-someone-maybe a layman - very well educated. Somebody that can talk for hours about Orthodoxy, and the history of the Church, and even the doctrines of the Church, can be very convincing. It could also be hierarch, a priest, lay-theologians, or professors. The wolves in sheep's clothing are not those without, but they are those within that are trusted, loved, admired, those we feel safe with, those that we respect, those that do not raise our suspicions.

Most of the sheep that you know as sheep are sheep. They are genuine. But some of the sheep that you know as sheep are actually disguised as sheep but underneath beats the heart of a bloodthirsty wolf who seeks your demise.

Our Savior says that the Christian that they can be "known by their fruits". We must be vigilant and alert and look and see whether what they say, and what they do, is in line with what the Holy Fathers have taught for 2,000 years before them. One has to look at their actions, their hidden agenda, their objective. They are lying, they are deceptive, they are manipulative, they are devious, and work in secret behind the scene. They detest the Holy Fathers, they ignore the holy Canons, they deliberately attack the Holy Tradition of the Church, they seek to revise its history so as to "modernize" it. These are true "wolves in sheep's clothing." They also seek to destroy the Orthodox Christian identity of the Church and to deform it. They are militant, radical, vicious and the enemies of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, the only authentic Church of Christ.

Be aware and be alert!

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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 (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

Our Lord Awaits Your Return...

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.

OUR LORD AWAITS YOUR RETURN...

Although you, our fellow Orthodox Christians, have been absent from your church due to this dreadful pandemic, the Lord has never left you and will never abandon you. It is true, however, that physically you have been prevented to attend the divine services, but not spiritually. As Christian believers, you are always united with Him. We are all united through faith in Him, through love for Him, Jesus asked His beloved disciple Peter "do you love Me?" and his answer was, "Yes, Lord You know that I love You."

Mankind has suffered all kinds of horrific events throughout human history such as plagues, wars, slavery, calamities, disasters, famine, injustices, torment, etc. but always and by the grace of God has survived and continued on to fight another day.

I am so very proud of all of you who have kept your faith strong. It is at times such as these that one's faith is tested. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is ever-present and continues to protect each and every one of us. There is no reason to ever doubt His unconditional love for His children. If the thought ever comes that He has abandoned us or that He has ceased to love us, we need only to look at the crucifix upon which Our Lord sacrificed His life to save us.

I have not ceased to keep all of you in my prayers and to seek the holy intercessions of our Theotokos, our heavenly mother, to keep you safe and healthy. Don't forget the church is a spiritual hospital, a spiritual ICU, a place of healing. It is not a place where Christian faithful are contaminated and exposed to viruses and illnesses. It is not a place where one's life is in danger. We are there to be made well by the Physician of our souls and bodies.  

If there is a person in our parish who is consumed by fear that he or she will contract a deathly illness at the house of God, then that person should not attend the church services or visit this sacred place of God. Upon the consecration of our parish church, it became not only a place of worship but a holy space where the Christian believer comes voluntary and in the spirit of faith and humility to seek reconciliation, forgiveness, and spiritual healing. In other words to find salvation not death. The Orthodox Christian receives the Holy Communion, the Precious Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ for "the remission of sins and eternal life."

The Mysteria (Sacraments) of the Church is to bestow the grace of God the Holy Spirit upon the believer. We are sanctified through the Sacraments of God and we must not marginalize or question their validity and sanctity. Our Almighty God works through the sacraments to touch us deeply, physically and spiritually, body and soul, and to restore us to our pristine beauty. The sacred vessels, holy icons, and other sacred objects are not to be feared. Never has this ever happen in history, as far as I know, where the Orthodox Christian feared them. The holy icons have been venerated by the Orthodox Christian believers for centuries without any concern whatsoever.

Let us pray for our All-Merciful Lord Jesus Christ to strengthen our faith in Him. It takes the synergy between God and man in order for salvation to happen. Salvation is not forced upon us by God, rather it is a gift from Him to us. Saint Paul writes: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

By faith, we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God...

By faith, Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain...

By faith, Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household...

By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance...

By faith, Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age...

By faith, Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come...

By faith, Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped...

By faith, Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his servants...

By faith, they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land...

By faith, the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days...

"...The Prophets through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens...Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still, others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented--of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens, and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith..."  (Hebrews 11: 1-38).

Faith is everything! Nothing can be accomplished without faith.

You are in church and are blessed by our Creator because you believe in Him. "I believe Lord, help my unbelief."

Very soon all of you will be invited back to church and although a mask will be required of you, sanitizing your hands and keeping a social distance as well, you must not forget why you are there, and who you came to see. Our Lord waits for your return.

With sincere agape,

+Father George