Looking Toward Heaven

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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LOOKING TOWARD HEAVEN

What Christians are in this World

True Christians live in this world as travelers, pilgrims, and sojourners, and they look ever toward their heavenly homeland with faith and with the eyes of the soul, and they strive to reach it. You should also be a pilgrim and sojourner in this world and constantly look toward that homeland and strive to obtain it, and so the world with its enticements and lusts will become abhorrent to you. Whoever seeks eternal blessedness and desires it and strives to reach it will despise everything temporal, lest while seeking the temporal he e deprived of the eternal.

Have a Greater Care for Eternal Life

We were created for eternal by our Creator, we are called to it by the word of God, and we are renewed by Holy Baptism. And Christ the Son of God came into the world for this that He should call us and take us there, and He is the one thing needful. For this reason, your very first endeavor and care should be to receive it. Without it, everything is as nothing, though you have the whole world under you.

Every sin and attachment to the vanity of this world lays obstacles to the obtaining of Eternal Life. Then avoid all that, lest you be deprived of it. You cherish your temporary life, although you will inevitably leave it, yet you do everything so as not to be deprived of it. How incomparably more must you safeguard your Eternal Life and make every effort so as not to be deprived of it, for all things temporal are nothing as compared to the eternal. Seek, then, Eternal Life as your sole true good, and with every effort flee everything that closes the door to it. God Who loves man wishes you to be saved. Then let that be your desire too, and without fail you shall be saved. Desire it and seek it as a hungry man seeks food and a thirsty man seeks water, and you shall receive what you desire.

Do not imitate those Christians who desire and seek to become rich, to pass their time in honor, and to be glorified in this world. They have forgotten that Christ, the Son of God, died and suffered for them and that by His Suffering and death He has opened the door to eternal life and has called them to it. It is evident that they only desire and seek what they see, but they do not desire and seek what they do not see. Every day, they stretch their hand out to the forbidden tree as Adam did in Paradise, and they taste of it to their own misfortune, and so they depart in their heart from God.

They are like those Israelites leaving Egypt who turned back in their hearts to Egypt and desired the stewpots of Egypt. For this reason, the Lord was angered against them (Numbers Ch. 11). So these Christians, delivered from the slavery of the devil through holy Baptism, as were the Israelites from slavery to Pharaoh, are called to eternal blessedness, but in their hearts, they have turned away. They are attached to earthly and visible things and having abandoned the eternal they seek temporal things. For this reason, the Lord is angered with them and they will be punished not temporally but eternally.

Do not, then, imitate such Christians, but strive for Eternal Blessedness with faith and with the heart. For a Christian's property and inheritance, honor, and glory, riches and every treasure, are not in this world, but in the age to come, and in the heavenly fatherland. There, all good things are prepared for them by their Heavenly Father.

Seek these things with every effort, and use earthly things carefully and with fear, lest you anger the Lord God against you through excess. Remember what the holy Apostle Paul wrote, "for we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content" (1 Timothy 6:7-8).

Godliness Alone is Needful in this Life

Compare time with Eternity, the present with what is to come, living people with the dead, and so your mind will be enlightened and you will know for yourself and acknowledge that they do ill who lay up treasure for themselves but are not rich toward God (cf. Luke 12:21). The dead have all left the world, and with the world, they have left everything. You too will leave it, even though you may have the whole world at your feet. Godliness alone will stay with us into the next age.

Be godly to the end, then, and have godliness as your true treasure.

Remember death, often, and the judgment of Christ, Eternal torment and Eternal Life, and inevitably the world with all its lusts and enticements will become abhorrent to you. You will not desire to become rich, to be glorified, or to make merry in this world. Your only care will be to please God, to have a blessed end, not to be put to shame in the judgment of Christ, to escape Eternal torment, and to enter into the Kingdom of God. This is truly a great and powerful means by which a man may escape enticement by the vanity of this world and remain in true repentance and contrition of heart, which is absolutely necessary to every Christian. Truly, this remembrance and steadfast consideration by everyone is able to raise up the most depraved man and keep him in fear.

The very mention of Eternal misfortune or torment brings a man to trembling and horror. It truly so happens that people become attached to vanity, and they sin because they have forgotten about Eternity. O eternal torment, how bitter is your very memory! It is a fearful and bitter thing to fall into that torment, but it is also a fearful and bitter thing to be deprived of God and eternal life! Remember these last things, then, and you will never sin. (Source: Journey to Heaven by Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk)

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Please note: The unbeliever dismisses the belief in God, and therefore, for him or her, there is no right or wrong, there is no holiness or sin, there is no Heaven or Hell. For the atheist, there is only this life and nothing beyond this life. For the faithless, there is no judgment and therefore, no accountability for one's actions here on earth. Since the atheist does not believe in God, he or she has no fear of God. For the godless, there are no values, no virtues, no morals, no ethics, no fidelity, no righteousness, no decency, no dignity, no true love, no true happiness, no contentment, no friendship, no respect for life, etc. An atheist is a miserable person whose life has no meaning or purpose. He is full of hatred and disdain for everyone around him or her. The people around him or her are there to be used, exploited, abused, and deplored. He or she has no self-respect or respect for others. The unbeliever of God is also one who denies the existence of evil.

A Christian believer is a person who has faith in God and is willing to obey His Divine Commandments and Teachings. He or she believes that he/she was created in the image and likeness of God, that he/she is a child of God. He or she acknowledges the Great Sacrifice of the Son of God on the Cross to save us, and all of mankind and is one who imitates Him in all things. He or she believes in an afterlife, the Eternal Life, and that is a place set for him or her in His Heavenly and Eternal Kingdom. He or she believes in God's unconditional love and that he/she has a free will. The Christian believer does not consider himself/herself as being perfect but one who by the grace of God strives for perfection and holiness. The believer in Christ is one who is sensitive to the needs of his/her fellow man and acts in a loving way to bring comfort, hope, love, kindness, and compassion to those who are in need. He/she adheres to the precepts, values, morality, and virtues given to us by our Creator. A Christian is a person of joy and hope. He or she is selfless and generous with his/her riches or material treasures and shares them with others. A Christian is filled with humility, and knowing that he or she is a creature of God, fears Him, the Creator of both the visible and invisible world. The true Christian is one who believes that there is such a thing as right or wrong, that there exists evil and the chief of all evil, the Evil One. That there is sin and holiness. That there is a final judgment and all of us are accountable to God for all things we have omitted or committed in this life. A Christian believer is one who will sacrifice his/her life for his/her fellow man. A Christian is one who freely responds to the call of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to deny himself and take up his cross and follow Him.

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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

The Mysteries (Mysteria) [Sacraments] of the Orthodox Church

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 MYSTERIES (MYSTERIA) [SACRAMENTS] OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH

The inward life of the Church is mystical (or sacramental). The word "mysteries" (Greek: mysteria) is the term in the Orthodox East: "sacraments" (Latin: sacramenta), the term used in the Latin West (Roman Catholic). Orthodox Christians prefer to use the Greek term. The adjectival form "mystical," used in the Orthodox Church, has of course a rather different and more inward connotation that the Western adjective "sacramental" which refers more specifically to the outward rites of the Mysteries. It does not at all coincide with the history of the Church, which shows us only the outward facts of the Church's existence, and especially its coming into conflict with the life of the world and the passions of the world. The inward life of the Church is the mystical cooperation of Christ as the Head, with the Church as His Body, in the Holy Spirit, by means of all mutually strengthening ties: "This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church," instructs the holy Apostle (Ephesians 5:32).

Therefore, when the holy Apostles called themselves "stewards of the Mysteries of God," saying, "Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God" (1 Corinthians 4:1, in Greek, oikonomous mysterion Theou), they have in mind various forms of their ministry and stewardship, as for example: (a)preaching, (b)the bringing down of the Holy Spirit through ordination, (c) the strengthening of the unity of the faithful with Christ through the Mysteries (Sacraments) of the Eucharist, and (d) the further deepening of the hearts of the faithful in the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, the deepening of the more perfect among them in "the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom" (1 Corinthians 2:6-7).

Thus the activity of the holy Apostles was full of mystical elements (Mysterion). Among them the central or culminating place was occupied by sacred rites. Therefore it is entirely natural that in the Church's life the series of special and most important moments acquired preeminently the name of "Mysteries." Saint Ignatius the God-bearer, an immediate Disciple of the holy Apostles, writes concerning Deacons that they likewise are "servants of the Mysteries of Jesus Christ" (Epistle to the Trallians, par. 2). These words of Saint Ignatius overturn the assertion of Protestant historians that in the ancient Church the concept of "mysteries" or "sacraments" was supposedly never applied to the Church's sacred rites.

The Sacred Rites called "Mysteries" are, as it were, peaks in a long mountain range composed of the remaining rites and prayers of the Divine services.

In the Mysteries, prayers are joined with blessings in one form or another, and with special acts. The words of blessing accompanied by outward sacred acts are, as it were, spiritual vessels by which the Grace of the Holy Spirit is scooped up and given to the members of the Church who are sincere believers.

Thus, "a Mystery (Sacrament) is a sacred act which under a visible aspect communicates to the soul of a believer the invisible Grace of God."

The name of "mystery" has become established in the Church as referring to seven rites: Baptism, Chrismation, Communion (the Eucharist), Repentance, Priesthood, Matrimony, and Unction. The Longer Catechism thus defines the essence of each Mystery:

In Baptism man is mystically born into spiritual life. In Chrismation he receives grace which gives growth and strengthens. In Communion he is spiritually nourished. In Repentance he is healed of spiritual diseases (sins). In Priesthood he receives the grace spiritually to regenerate and nurture others, by means of teaching, prayers, and the Mysteries. In Matrimony he receives grace which sanctifies marriage and the natural birth-giving and upbringing of children. In Unction he is healed of diseases of the body by means of a healing of spiritual diseases (Saint Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow). In the Orthodox East, one may say, seven is not regarded as the "absolute" number of the Mysteries (Sacraments) as it tends to be regarded in Roman Catholicism. Most commonly, it is true, only seven Mysteries are spoken of; but certain other sacred rites, such as the Monastic Tonsure, might also be considered, informally, as "Mysteries."

For the life of the Church itself as a whole, both as Body of Christ and as the "courtyard of the flock of Christ," the following are especially important and stand in the chief place: (a) the Mystery of the Body and Blood of Christ, or the Holy Eucharist; (b) the Mystery of the sanctification of chosen persons to the service of the Church in the degrees of the hierarchy, or ordination, which gives the indispensable structure of the Church; and together with these, (c) the Mystery of Baptism, which sees to the increase of the numbers of the Church. But the other Mysteries also, which are appointed for the giving of grace to individual believers (not diseases, germs, or viruses), are indispensable for the fullness of the life and sanctity of the Church itself.

The Mysteries (Sacraments) are "means which unfailingly act by grace upon those who come to them," as is said in the "Encyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs" (par. 15). However, the fruitfulness of their reception by believers--their renewing and saving power--depends upon whether a person approaches the Mystery (Sacrament) worthily. An unworthy reception of it can draw upon oneself not justification, but condemnation. Grace does not interfere with the freedom of man; it does not act upon him irresistibly. Often people, making use of the Mysteries of faith, do not open to receive Grace, or else they have not preserved the gifts of God which they have received. This is why it happens that baptized people not only do not fulfill the vows given by them or by their sponsors at Baptism, and not only are deprived of the Grace of God already given to them, but often, to their own spiritual perdition, they become the enemies of God, deniers, unbelievers, "apostates."

"... First, by the Grace of God, the Grace of Christ, is to be understood the whole economy of our salvation, performed by the coming of the Son of God to earth, by his earthly, by His earthly life, His death on the Cross, His Resurrection, and His Ascension into heaven: "For by Grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). Secondly, grace is the name applied to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit which have been sent down and are being sent down to the Church of Christ for the sanctification of its members, for their spiritual growth, and for the attainment by them of the Kingdom of Heaven.

In this second New Testament meaning of the word, Grace is a power sent down from on high, the power of God which is in the Church of Christ, which gives birth, gives life, (not death), perfects, and brings the believing and virtuous Christian to the appropriation of the salvation which has been brought by the Lord Jesus Christ. In Orthodox theology "Grace" most commonly refers to the Uncreated Energy, Power, or Operation of God, which is distinct yet inseparable from God's Essence. Thus Saint Gregory Palamas affirms that "this resplendence and deifying Energy of God, that deifies (theosis) those who participate in Charis, "Grace," as identical in meaning with the word dynamis, "power." The term "Grace" in the sense of "power" given from above for holy life is found in many places of the Apostolic Epistles. (Source: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology by Protopresbyter Michael Pomazansky)

(To be continued)

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Please note: In recent days and with the arrival of pandemic certain individuals within the Church have irresponsibly and wrongfully planted the seed of doubt in regards to the Mysteries (Sacraments) of the Church. It has not been a direct assault on the Sacraments but have implied or inferred that the instruments (communion spoon) may be a carrier or suspect of transmitting not the Grace of God but harmful disease. It is implied that using the same instrument to anoint a believer with Holy Unction could possibly transmit a virus to him or her, etc. Due to this approach doubt and fear has been instilled in the hearts of the believers. What happened to the Grace of God? What happened to the sanctity? What happened to the sacred? What happened to God the Holy Spirit? Our Orthodox Christian believers are scandalized by the inference that the Mysteries could be dangerous to one's health or even life.

If there is no Grace of God how is one sanctified and saved? Why have Sacraments at all? Are we becoming Protestant? Our Orthodox Christian believers must not be driven away from the Grace of God, the Sacraments of the Church. Any insinuation that the instruments used to administer the Mysteries of God to the believers could transmit anything other than the Grace of God is totally wrong and unorthodox. To those who promote this doubt my question is where is your faith in God?

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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

Orthodox Christian Worship: "Heaven on Earth"

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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ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN WORSHIP: 'HEAVEN ON EARTH'.

New Testament

"Then I saw another Angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth--to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people--saying with a loud voice, Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him Who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water" (Revelation 14:6-7).

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Old Testament (The Ten Commandments)

"You shall not make for yourself an idol or a likeness of anything in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God, am a jealous God, recompensing the sins of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me; but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My Commandments...

Remember the Sabbath (Lord's Day or Sunday), to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God...Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath Day and hallowed it" (Exodus 20:4-8).

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"...An altar of earth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your whole burnt offerings, your peace offerings, your sheep and your calves. In every place where I record My name I will come to you and bless you..." (Exodus 20:24).

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New Testament

"Then Jesus said to him (Satan), "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve" (Matthew 4:10).

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Old Testament

"Also, you shall make Me a sanctuary, and I will appear among you. According to all I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, so you shall make it" (Exodus 25:8-9).

New Testament

"Jesus said to her, 'Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship; the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is a Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:21-24).

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In our Holy Orthodox Christian Tradition, worship is 'heaven on earth.' Unlike other Christian traditions Orthodox worship is "God centered." The true celebrant of the Divine Liturgy is our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. During the Divine Liturgy we are indeed in the presence of God. The Divine Liturgy unites the Heavenly with the earthly world. Both in heaven and on earth the Divine Liturgy is one and the same divine service - one altar, one sacrifice, one presence. During the Divine Liturgy the Orthodox Christian worshippers are transported into the 'heavenly places;' in every place of worship where the Holy Sacrifice is offered, not merely the local faithful are present, but the Katholiki (universal) Ecclesia - the Theotokos, the Angels, the Saints and of course Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Himself, the Lamb of God.

The Orthodox Christian believer not only attends the Divine Liturgy but participates through prayer, worship, and by receiving the Precious Body and Blood of our Savior. Through Holy Communion the believer is united to Christ and all the other believers who have also received the Holy Eucharist. It is through the Holy Eucharist that we receive "forgiveness of sins and life eternal." We are truly reconciled to God and we are fortified and saved.

It is most important for the Orthodox Christian to understand that what experience during worship is not just an 'ancient ritual.' The Divine Liturgy must never be trivialized and marginalized by any member of the Church. Speaking to the priest, Saint John of Kronstadt says, "When you are celebrating the holy Mysteries, it is God the Father Himself Who, by His Holy Spirit, changes the bread and wine into the very Body and Blood of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ: you are only His instrument. God--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--through you celebrates the Divine Liturgy and consecrates the Holy Gifts. "Thou, O Christ our God, art He that offerest and art offered."

Worship, as mentioned in the Holy Scripture, must be offered "in Spirit and Truth" and must be "well pleasing unto God," Who is the only One we strive to "please" by and through our worship. We are assembled on the Lord's Day to partake of the Body and Blood of Christ "as often as you come together" lest, as we read in the words of our Lord Himself in the Gospel of Saint John, we have no life in us; that we are to "lay aside all earthly cares".

Orthodox Christian worship reflects the fullness of Truth as preserved and proclaimed by our Holy Church. It is "sacramental"--that is, it strives to "make holy." It is the Eucharistic--that is, all worship flows from the one, essential act of worship and thanksgiving, the "common union" with the Holy Trinity and with God's People into which the "koinonia" enters through the reception of Holy "Communion."

"The Divine Eucharist 'is not an image and prefiguration of sacrifice, but an actual Sacrifice', because Christ is sacrificed and offered to the faithful. Saint John Chrysostom says: 'You are approaching an awesome and Holy Sacrifice...Christ lies before you slain.'  

The Sacrifice on Golgotha and the sacrifice of the Divine Eucharist are one, because 'we always offer the same Christ. We do not offer one sheep today and another tomorrow, but always the same one. Thus the sacrifice is one...The sacrifice that was offered then is the one we offer now, the sacrifice that is never expended.' Christ 'having brought Himself as an offering once... He is ever being slain, sanctifying those who partake."

The Divine Eucharist is the Mystery of Christ's death on the Cross. So as we participate in this Mystery, we taste the fruits of Christ's Sacrifice. Through the Cross of Christ, 'death was abolished, resurrection was granted to us, the gates of Paradise were opened...we became children of God.' Man was freed from enslavement to the Devil, and his original beauty with which he was endowed when first created was restored: 'When Christ ascended the Cross and died and rose again, the freedom of mankind was firmly established, and form and beauty [that of the first-created man] were fashioned.' Man and the cosmos were sanctified for all ages: 'A few drops of blood re-create the entire world.'

On the holy Altar we see the root that put forth the Tree of Life: God's love for man. We ask ourselves, 'What could compare with this love?...What mother ever loved so tenderly? What father so loved his children? Who has ever loved their beloved with such mad desire?'

Upon the Table of Life we encounter the loving Father, Who 'through the Passion of His Son was reconciled with the human race, and showed love to His enemies'. Divine Love is at once the root and the fruit of the Cross." (The Divine Liturgy by Hieromonk Gregorios)

The true Orthodox Christian does not attend the Divine Liturgy to be entertained. Worship must always be seen as focused on the Almighty God, period, and not on the "person."

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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

A Short Christian Teaching

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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A SHORT CHRISTIAN TEACHING
By Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk

Christians, remember what God is, and that He looks not only on your works, but also on your very thoughts and intentions, and that you are not able to hide anywhere or anything from Him.

Remember, that He preserves your life, health, and strength and that whatever good fortune you may have in life, He has bestowed it all on you. And so thank Him at every hour for the mercy He has shown you, love Him with all your heart, revere Him, obey Him in all things, and call on Him for help in you every endeavor. When He helps you, then all your deeds and efforts will bring you benefit and will meet with success.

Remember, that the Heavenly Father sent our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ into the world. Believe in Him, and submit to His Divine teaching which is revealed to you in the Gospel, and portrayed here in brief, so that you may fulfill the vows that you made to God at Baptism, and inherit life, and not be called a Christian in vain.

On Sundays and feast days come to church, and falling down with reverence before God, be mindful of all the mercies you may ever have received from Him. Thank Him for them with all your heart, and as a sign of your thankfulness, promise to live as He has commanded you. This is a sacrifice most pleasing to God.

Honor the sovereign foremost as the authority appointed by God, and submit to Him in all things. Honor your spiritual pastors, your masters, your father and mother, and all elders and virtuous people, and obey their useful counsel. Try to be virtuous not only in your person but counsel your wife, children, and domestics in every good and God-pleasing deed. Avoid not only doing what is bad before them but even saying it, lest you accustom them to evil. Thus God's blessing shall rest on your house.

Always remember that you were born into His world so that you may do good to all insofar as possible on every occasion.

Love not only those close to you and your benefactors, but even your enemies, so that you might thereby pacify them, correct them, and make them good people. And so do not fight with anyone, and do not curse; and though someone may have offended you, try to endure it as far as possible, and at the appropriate time do him good. Have compassion on also your cattle, which God gave you to serve you. 

Avoid not only impure deeds but even words, so that you may be a pure and undefiled man not only in your deeds but also in your words. 

Do not steal anything from anyone, and take nothing, and be content with what you earn by your own labors. Be diligent and avoid idleness. For as diligence is pleasing to God, so idleness on the contrary, as a source of every evil, is a sin very offensive to God.

Never lie, but always tell the truth. For all falsehood and deceit is the most harmful of all vices, and the customary work only of the devil.

Do not become drunk, for God turns all the more away from a drunkard, since a drunkard is more quickly able to do every bad deed than a sober man.

When you observe all these things, then God Who is compassionate will be merciful to you not only in this life, but He shall glorify you in the next with the glory with which His Saints are glorified, and all men shall love you. (Source: Journey to Heaven)

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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

Faith in Our Lord, Savior and God, Jesus Christ

My beloved spiritual children in the Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

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FAITH IN OUR LORD, SAVIOR AND GOD JESUS CHRIST

"The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread" (1 Corinthians 10:15-17).

My beloved spiritual children, we are indeed engaged daily in spiritual warfare. It is, therefore, necessary and most important to always remain vigilant. The evil one pursues us constantly and deliberately to separate us from the Almighty God and our Creator. He is our adversary, arch-liar, and the antichrist. It is he who "creates defective reasoning and confusion of thought." It is he who leads the unbelievers to everlasting darkness and condemnation. He is the source of every evil in the world. "...Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good...Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:9, 21).

When we speak of saints, we imagine astonishing servants of God, who have received spiritual gifts from the Lord: miracle workers, healers. When we open the New Testament we see that every Christian is a saint. All Christians must be holy. "...but as He Who called you is Holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I Am Holy" (1 Peter 1:15-16). Christians are called to holiness in every area of their lives. When a priest serves a Divine Liturgy to God in the Altar, before Holy Communion he intones "Holy things are for the Holy." Holy means the Precious Blood and Body of our Lord. To be given 'only' to the holy, all of us.

People confuse particular gifts from God, which He Himself bestows upon a believer when He so wills, and the Holiness which is in the Gospel, which is our life's purpose. We must constantly strive toward Christian holiness. The Christian understands that nothing can be accomplished without God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit guides, bestows His gifts to us, inspires us, and directs us to the knowledge of truth. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are the following: "love, joy, peace, patience, grace, charity, faith, gentleness, and abstinence" (Galatians 5:22-23).

The holy Apostle Paul says, "Let him who thinks he stands take care lest he fall" (1 Corinthians 10:12). Also, in his holy Epistle to the Hebrews, he warns, "take heed, brethren, lest there be any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, departing from the living God" (Hebrews 3:12). Our Eternal salvation depends upon our perseverance in Christ: "For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end" (Hebrews 3:14).

Consequently, for Orthodox Christians, salvation does not depend on one experience of faith; it requires a daily walk of repentance and continuing trust in Christ. Otherwise, it will be for us as it was for those whom the Holy Apostle Peter addressed: "For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter and is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them" (2 Peter 2:20-21).

Evidently then, it is always possible to fall away even after having known Christ, and that applies to everyone. The only safeguard against it is continual, daily, trust in our Risen Lord, and to struggle against sin. Let us, my brothers and sisters in Christ, remember that the gate which leads to life and salvation is a narrow and the way to heaven difficult, and there are few who find it. As members of the Holy Orthodox Church, we have our God the Holy Spirit, the Comforter (Parakletos), to lead us to all truth. And not only that we have the sacred writings of the Holy Fathers of the Church, in which the interpretation has been preserved intact. Again, Saint John Chrysostom reveals to us "Never separate yourself from the Church. For nothing is stronger than the Church. Your hope is the Church alone; your salvation is inside the Church only; your refuge is the Church, she is higher than the heavens and wider than the whole earth. She never grows old, but is always full of vigor and vitality. Holy Scripture (which would not exist were it not for the Church), when pointing to her strength and stability, calls her the unshakeable mountain."

Do not listen to those who are attempting to drive you away from your Church. Do not listen to those who attempt to convince you not to receive Holy Communion. Our loyalty is only to Christ our God and Savior. Evil will always attempt to deceive you and to frighten you. The Christian never fears evil, for evil has no power to force you to do evil things. Our Lord Christ destroyed the power of the devil. Evil will tempt you and whisper in your ear to reject Christ and to deprive you of salvation but you must never obey him. Your immediate response to the evil one must be 'get thee behind me Satan'. Our obedience is only to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The one who betrays Christ brings upon himself or herself condemnation and eternal damnation.

I have been informed recently that a member of our parish is telling some of our fellow Christians not to attend the Divine Liturgy and not to receive Holy Communion. If that is true then that person has abandoned Christ and his/her place in the Church. If what is said is true, that person is committing a grave sin. What I find even more disturbing and most alarming is that few people of our church have already listened to this person and are staying away from the church and Holy Communion. This type of influence and persuasion is very dangerous. However, the immediate question, if true; is the faith of our brothers and sisters in Christ so weak so as to abandon the Lord? Is our loyalty to our Lord so superficial and hollow? Why would any true Christian listen to this unholy advice?  

All of us should pray for this person and supplicate God to forgive this 'lost' sheep and soul. We can clearly see how any one person, with weak faith, can easily lose his/her path and fall away. We must always act with compassion and love to turn this soul around and save it from destruction. It is up to us, as children of God, to be willing to take up our cross and follow Him and be His instrument of love, goodness, and kindness in the world, and not to be instruments of hatred and division. Jesus said: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand" (John 10:27-28).

We have only one Shepherd, the Good Shepherd, Christ our Savior. "I am the good shepherd, and I know My sheep, and am known by My own" (John 10:14). We, as Orthodox Christian believers follow Him who gave His life so that we might be saved  We follow Him who is the Only True God and Whose love for us is unconditional. 

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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

The Beginning of the Apostles' Fast (June 15-June29)

My beloved spiritual children in 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 APOSTLES' FAST (June 15 - June 29th)

Today begins the Apostles Fast for Orthodox Christians throughout the world. The fast of the Holy Apostles is very ancient, dating back to the first centuries of Christianity. The oldest testimony regarding the Apostles Fast is given to us by Athanasius the Great (+373 A.D.).

This summer fast, which we now call the Apostles Fast, was earlier called the Fast of Pentecost or of the Holy Spirit. Our Holy Orthodox Church calls us to keep this fast, according to the example of the Holy Apostles, who, having received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, prepared themselves to preach the Gospels to the whole world.

After the extended feast of Pentecost, the fast is particularly needed in order to cleanse our mind by ascetic labors and to make us worthy of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. This fast has been given to us in order to preserve us from slackness, for it is very early to become slack due to the long period in which we were allowed to eat various foods. If we do not cultivate the field of our flesh continually, thorns and thistles will easily grow there and produce fruits suitable only for burning, and not for the harvest storehouse. Therefore, we are obligated now, as Orthodox Christian believers, to scrupulously preserve those seeds that we received in our hearts from the Heavenly Sower, Christ, and take precautions so that the envious enemy (Satan) might not spoil what God has given us, and so that the thorns of vice should not grow in the Paradise of virtues. We can only avoid such evil through almsgiving, prayer, and fasting.

The asceticism of the Holy Apostles Fast is less austere than the forty days of Holy and Great Lent.

During the Apostle's Fast, the Church rubrics prescribe for three days of each week -- Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays -- abstinence from fish, wine, and olive oil. The duration of the Apostle's Fast this year is for 14 days or two weeks.

Depending on the day of Pascha, the Apostles Fast can begin as early as May 18th or as late as June 21st. Thus, it may be as short as a few days or as long as a month or more in duration.

In His Holy Diakonia,

+Father George