Some Orthodox Christian Beliefs and Their Biblical Foundation

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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SOME ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN BELIEFS AND THEIR BIBLICAL FOUNDATION

How does the Orthodox Christian Church view the Mysteria (ries) (Sacraments) specifically Holy Communion?

Some teach that Holy Communion or the Lord's Mystical ("Last") Supper (which Orthodox Christians call "the Eucharist") is only a sign or symbol. Most of Christendom, however, believes it is far more. The Orthodox Church has always believed that we, in a mystery, receive the Body and Blood of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. What do Holy Scripture teach concerning Holy Communion?

1. Jesus said at the Mystical (Last) Supper: "This is My body" and "This cup is...My blood" (Luke 22:19-20). The Lord states clearly that His Gifts to us are more than just a sign or a mere memorial, and all of ancient Christendom took Him at His word.
   The skeptic might say: "But Jesus also said, 'I am the door.' Certainly He did not mean He was a seven-foot wooden plank." No, and Christians have never interpreted His statement that way. But the Church does teach that He is our entrance into the Kingdom of God and that the bread and wine become, in a mystery, His Body and Blood.

2. In 1 Corinthians 11:29-30, we read of people who became sick and even died through receiving Holy Communion hypocritically. People are not affected in that manner by something that is merely "symbolic." In this Mystery (Sacrament) we commune with God Himself.

3. In 1 Corinthians 10, Saint Paul is comparing the manna and water in the wilderness with the True Bread and Drink of the New Covenant. In 1 Corinthians 10:4 he writes: "And all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of the spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ." The question is, was the Rock Christ? Under laboratory observation, the rock would still most likely be granite. But the Word/Logos of God says, "The Rock was Christ." We do not subject the Gifts to chemical analysis, but to the Word/Logos of God. It is Mystery (Mysterion), but never magic. Christ was present in the Rock; He is present in the Holy Gifts.

4. In John 6:53 we read, "Then Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you." The Church receives this passage at face value--nothing added, nothing taken away. In Holy Communion we become partakers of the Body and Blood of Christ. Just as the new birth (John 3) gives us life through water and the Holy Spirit, so the Body and Blood of Christ sustain His life in us.

5. There is also the fact (Hebrews 11-12) that Christ Our High Priest enter the Heavenly Sanctuary with His own Blood, and that it is this heavenly Sanctuary that we worship (Hebrews 10:19-25). There is only one Eucharist, the one in heaven, and we join in that one feast.

We must neither add to nor subtract from the Word of God. Therefore we confess with Holy Scripture that the consecrate bread and wine is the Body and Blood of Christ. It is a mystery: we do not pretend to know how or why. As always, we come to Christ in childlike faith, receive His Gifts and offer Him praise that He has called us to His Heavenly Banquet.

Why does the Orthodox Church continually honor and bless Mary?

 Let us turn to the New Testament to learn what God says about Mary. A key passage is Luke 1:26-49.

1. The Archangel Gabriel calls the Virgin Mary "highly favored" with God and the Most "blessed" of all women" (Luke 1:28). The Church can never do less.  

2. In Luke 1:42-43, Elizabeth, the mother of Saint John the Baptist, also calls Mary "blessed", and "the mother of my Lord." Can we not make the same confession? For centuries the Church with one voice has called Mary the Mother of God. If was not in her womb, we are dead in our sins. By calling her "Mother of God" we do not mean, of course, that she is mother of the Holy Trinity. She is mother of the Eternal Son of God in His humanity. Thus we call her the Theotokos or God-bearer.

3. Not only does Elizabeth call her blessed, but Mary herself, inspired by the Holy Spirit predicts, "all generations will call me blessed" (Luke 1:48). This biblical prophecy explains the Orthodox hymn, "it is truly right to bless you, O Theotokos, the Mother of our God." One cannot believe the Bible and ignore Mary. Orthodox Christians bless her in obedience to God, fulfilling these holy words. We do not worship Mary. Worship Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We honor or venerate her, as is reserved only for God the Holy Scripture teach.

4. It is important to secure Mary's identity as the Mother of God in order to protect the identity of her Holy Son. "The Son of the Highest" (Luke 1:32); God in the flesh. Jesus assumed His human flesh from her! Mary's role is essential in understanding that Jesus is both fully God and fully man. (Source: Orthodox Study Bible)

(To be continued)

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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

October 28 - Great Martyr Parasceva

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 OCTOBER 28th OUR HOLY ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH COMMEMORATES THE HOLY GREAT-MARTYR PARASCEVA WHOSE NAME MEANS "FRIDAY"

During the reign of the impious Diocletian, who raised up a great persecution against the Christians, there lived in the city of Iconium a fair and noble maiden named Parasceva. Her parents, who were Orthodox, reared her well, instructing her in the holy faith and teaching her to keep the Lord's commandments. However, they reposed in the Lord while their blessed daughter was still very young, so she was left as their considerable estate.

When the maiden reached adulthood, she did not squander her wealth on vain adornments and wanton living. Instead, she emulated her parents' virtues, clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, and offering hospitality to strangers. She did not care for her temporal suitors but betrothed herself to the Bridegroom Who alone is immortal, the Only-begotten Son of God, for Whose sake she lived in holiness and righteousness. Every day she confessed His Holy Name unceasingly before others, leading many to the knowledge of the Truth. But while some of the pagans came to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ through her, others reviled and upbraided the Saint. The unbelieving citizens who could not endure to hear her boldly proclaim the word of God and the vanity of the lifeless idols hold of her, beat her, and then cast her into prison.

At the time the pagan emperor Diocletian sent a governor to Iconium with orders to put to death all the Christians who lived in those parts. The citizens who had seized the Saint went to him and said, "O most illustrious Governor, in this city there lives a maiden who is a witch. She believes in the Crucified One and preaches Him to all. By her sorcery she has caused not a few persons to abandon sacrifice to our gods, and she will not cease to revile the gods and the emperor. Because we heard report of the imperial decree commanding that all who do not worship the gods are to be put to death, we laid hold or this girl and have since held her in prison."  

When the Governor heard this, he commanded that the holy virgin be hauled before his judgment seat. As the sacred martyr was brought to be judged, the Holy Spirit overshadowed her. Her face became so radiant that all who beheld her marveled and said, "Her countenance is not sad, but she seems rather to shine with light!"

The Governor said, "Cease speaking empty words, and sacrifice to our gods, that I may take you as my wife. Thus you shall become the mistress of much wealth, and many will extol you in this life."

Saint Parasceva answered, "I have a Bridegroom in heaven, Jesus Christ. I have no need of another." Said the Governor, "It is because of your youth and your beauty that I pity you and wish to show you mercy."

The Saint replied, "Do not spare me on account of the beauty that passes away, blossoming today and withering tomorrow. Have mercy rather on yourself, for eternal torments await you."

This angered the Governor, who commanded that her garments be torn off and that she be beaten cruelly with rods. The Saint remained silent as she was being thrashed, her lips making no sound, but she cried out to Christ in her heart, beseeching Him for the strength to endure torments. 

The Governor still felt pity for her, on account of her comeliness, and he ordered that her beating be stopped. He was enticed and wounded by her beauty, so he began to say to her meekly, "O maiden, spare your youth, and do not destroy the blossom of your tender years. Sacrifice to the gods and you shall live, and we shall bestow upon you great honors."

Saint Parasceva, however, would not answer him. The Governor then grew angry again and said, "So you refuse to answer me, O wicked offspring of Christian parents?"

The Saint spit in his face, and after this the persecutor became furious. He ordered that she be suspended from a tree, that her sides be scraped mercilessly with iron claws, and that her wounds be rubbed raw with sackcloth. As her flesh was entirely stripped off her bones and she was left scarcely breathing, her torturer supposed that she would soon die. He had her taken down from the tree and cast into prison where she lay in silence, barely alive. However, at midnight an Angel appeared to her, a golden sash wrapped crosswise about his breast and shoulders. In his hands he held the instruments of Christ's Passion: the Cross, the crown of thorns, the lance, reed, and sponge. He said to her, "Arise, maiden sharer in Christ's suffering! I have been sent to you to comfort you in your sufferings by bringing you the instruments of our Lord's Passion. Behold the Precious Cross and the crown of thorns worn by the incorruptible Bridegroom! Gaze upon the lance that pierced the side that gushed forth life, the reed used to record the remission of the world's iniquities, and the sponge that wiped away Adam's sin. Arise, for Christ the Lord heals you!"

Immediately the holy Martyr arose as if from sleep. The Angel drew near the martyr and wiped all her wounds with the sponge. Saint Parasceva's entire body was made whole, and the beauty of her countenance was restored so that she was still more comely than before. She kissed the instruments of Christ's Passion and the Angel and she gave glory to God. Then the Angel vanished.

The Governor ordered that Saint Parasceva be suspended from a tree and that her sides be burnt with candles. As the Saint hung there and was seared, she signed to God, saying, "O Lord my God, Who didst create all things and dost provide for them, Thou didst cool the burning furnace for the Three Youths and didst deliver the protomartyr Thecla from the fire. Wherefore do Thou save me, the unworthy one, from the hands of my tormentors!"

Immediately an Angel descended, put out the candles, and kindled a great fire which consumed many of the transgressors. When the people saw this, they cried out, "Great is the God of the Christians!" Throngs of those present believed in Christ, and when the Governor saw that a tumult had arisen, he began to fear lest there be an uprising. Because of this he ordered that the Saint's head be cut off without delay. As she was being beheaded, a voice from heaven was heard by certain of those who stood nearby, saying, "Rejoice, O you righteous, for the martyr Parasceva is wed!"

The Christians took Saint Parasceva's sacred body and buried it reverently in her home. Thus did the good virgin end her struggle or martyrdom and depart unto her Bridegroom. In her hands she carried not oil, but blood, yet she now dwells with the Wise Virgins in the bridal chamber of Christ.

The pure and holy soul of the great-martyr Parasceva was taken up into the hands of God, while her precious holy relics proved a source of healing for many who were ill, to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Unto Him be honor and worship, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, unto the ages. Amen. (Source: The Great Collection of the Lives of the Saints)

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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

On Remembrance of Death, Hell and Judgment

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 REMEMBRANCE OF DEATH, HELL, AND JUDGMENT
From "Counsels from the Holy Mountain," from the Letters and Homilies of Geronda (Elder) Ephraim of Arizona, pp. 144-150.

The older I grew, the more I perceive the instability the vanity of earthly things. Oh, why do we trouble ourselves in vain? Our life is short--dust, ashes, a dream--and in a little while we shall taste corruption. Today you have your health, and tomorrow you lose it; today you are laughing, and tomorrow you are sullen. Now your eyes are shedding tears from an abundance of joy, and soon they will be shedding tears from pain and grief; today the economy is stable, and tomorrow misfortune strikes; today you receive good news, and in a little while bad news replaces it.

In vain we trouble ourselves; life is a shadow and a dream. Where are our parents, our siblings, our grandparents? The tomb has received them all; they have all decayed and have been eaten by worms. The tomb and decay await us also!

Ah, ah, death--bitter is your remembrance. Our Christ has given us the power "to become children of God" (John 1:12) by arming us with so many Divine weapons to fight our relentless enemy. But we--and I, above all--become prisoners of our enemy by neglecting the weapons Christ gave us, and as we approach death we tremble in agony and try by every means to prolong our life, because the soul is afraid to leave the body. Why is it afraid? Why does it not take courage as a child of God? Is it going perhaps to a foreign king? But the King is its Master, its Savior, Who shed His blood in order to redeem our soul from its enemy.  Why then does it fear and lack courage?

Death is inherently cold--"my soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death" (Matthew 26:38) said our Jesus. Yes, death is cold by nature. But unfortunately, most of the fear comes from the conscience: the conscience does not assure the soul that it has lived properly; it has not put itself in order; it has not washed its wedding garment, and so it is ashamed to present itself to the King, thinking about what the verdict will be: yes or no? Will I be saved or not?

If, however, the soul leaves without having confessed and without having repented completely, then woe--this is the "evil day" which the Prophet Jeremiah hints at (Jeremiah 17:17). Let us pray that our Holy God will deliver us from this by giving us complete repentance, worthy works of repentance, works of mercy and love, and a spirit of repentance with True humility, so that the just Judge may be merciful towards us, so that when the fearful hour of death come, the soul will take courage in the mercy of God and say, "I trust in God, that He will have mercy on my lowliness."

The years roll by and pass, and day by day each one of us draws closer and closer to the end of his life. Our precious time rolls by and disappears before our eyes. Without our realizing, of course, what is escaping us unnoticed. For if the little child knew the worth of gold, he would not prefer to have a cheap candy instead. Doesn't this also hold true for people and above all for me?

"...Now that the sun is shining and the day casts its sweet light upon us, let us walk quickly along the road of our correction, before the night of the future afterlife overtakes us, at which time we shall no longer be able to walk. "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2), cries the holy Apostle Paul in his immortal words.

Oh, how much the memory of death should flourish in the soul of the Christian! Since he believes in the real truth, it is impossible for him to ignore death.

After my Elder's heart condition had passed, he wept and recited a line from the funeral service: "Alas, what a struggle the soul has as it parts from the body!" Indeed, this is the truth! How beautifully the psalmist expresses what peace is prepared soul has: "I prepared myself and was not troubled" (Psalm 118:60).

At any moment, every soul can expect the telegram from heaven to break off all relations with earthly things, to seal the time of this "fair," to render an exact account of his spiritual trading, and to seal his eternal life either in the heights of heaven or the depths of hell.

Ah, when I reflect upon this, what can I say! May the All-compassionate God be merciful to my unreadiness. My mind stops when it contemplates this absolute Truth about salvation.

Eternity--oh, what a great mystery! The world, the flesh, and the devil lead us astray and threw us into forgetfulness--and suddenly a voice is heard!

"Behold the Bridegroom comes!" When we are breathing our last, what preparation can we make then, when our conscience has already been cauterized and can no longer feel anything or cry out to us? Then the voice of truth is heard: "Only when the sun was setting did you remember God; what were you doing all day long when the sun was shining?"

"Watch and be ready" (cf. Matthew 24:43-44) cries our Jesus! Blessed are those who have ears to hear, who hear and get ready, for they will be counted worthy of eternal happiness. Blessed are those servants whom the Lord, will find ready when He comes, for they will rejoice eternally.

Let us patiently endure the sorrows of life, that we may attain the eternal things of joy. "In vain does every mortal trouble himself; as soon as we conquer the world, we dwell in the tomb." As long as there is light, let us walk towards our great destination, for the hour is coming when there will be darkness, and then we shall no longer be able to work for our soul.

Raise your mind to the dread judgment seat of Christ: what defense shall we give on the Day of Judgment when our deeds are judged? How frightening is the hour in which the waits full of fear to hear the decision regarding where it will go to dwell eternally!  (Source: Orthodox Heritage)

(To be continued)

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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