The Holy and Glorious Feastday of the Annunciation

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

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THE HOLY AND GLORIOUS FEAST-DAY OF THE ANNUNCIATION

When the Most Holy Virgin had lived and served in the Temple at Jerusalem for eleven years and was by then fourteen (14) years old -- when that is, she was entering on her fifteenth (15) year -- the priests informed her that, according to the Law, she could no longer remain in the Temple but must be betrothed and marry. But, to the great surprise of all the priests (rabies), the Most Holy Virgin replied that she had dedicated herself to God and wished to remain a maiden till death and enter into wedlock with no-one. Then, by God's providence and under His inspiration, Zacharias, the high priest, and father of Saint the Baptist and Forerunner, in consultation with the other priests, chose twelve unmarried men from the tribe of David so that they might entrust the Virgin Mary to one of them to preserve her virginity and care for her. She was thus entrusted to Joseph, an old man from Nazareth and a kinsman of hers. In his house, the Most Holy Virgin continued to live in the same manner as in the Temple of Solomon, passing her time in the reading of the Sacred Scripture, in prayer, in pondering on the works of God, in fasting and in handwork. She scarcely ever left the house, nor took an interest in worldly matters or events.  She generally conversed very little with anyone, and never without a particular need. She was intimate only with the two daughters of Joseph. But when the time prophesied by the Prophet Daniel had come and when God was pleased to fulfill the promise made to Adam when He drove him out of Paradise, and to the Prophets, the Mighty Archangel Gabriel appeared in the chamber of the Most Holy Virgin, at the precise moment as some priestly writers have related that she was holding open on her lap the book of the Prophet Isaiah and pondering on his great prophecy:  "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son".  Gabriel appeared to her in Angelic Light and said to her: "Rejoice, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee", and so forth, just as is related in the Gospel of the divine Luke. With this Angelic greeting and the descent of the Holy Spirit, the salvation of mankind and the renewal of creation were set in motion. The Archangel turned the first page of the story of the New Testament with the word 'Rejoice', to show by this the joy that the New Testament signifies for mankind and for all things created. And therefore the Annunciation is looked upon as a joyous, as well as a great, feast.  

HOMILY

--on God's Almighty word.  

'For with God nothing (that He says) shall be impossible' (St. Luke 1;37)

And God said:  "Let there be light", and there was light until God spoke the word there was no light. Neither could anyone conceive of the nature of light until God spoke and light came to be.  In the same way, when God spoke, the water and the dry land came into being, and the starry vault, the plants and the animals, and finally man. Until God spoke, there was nothing of all this, neither could anyone except God know what might exist. By the power of His word, God created all that was created in heaven and on earth. Whatever God wished to be and called into being, that had to be, and it was impossible for it not to be because the word of God is irresistible and creative. The creation of the world is a great miracle wrought by the Divine word.

Having created all things, God also established by His word the order and manner of existence of all things and their behavior and relationship one with another. And this order and manner of existence which God has established is a great miracle of the Divine word.

But as well as this order and manner of existence among created things, visible and comprehensible to us, there is an order and manner of existence unseen and incomprehensible. From this invisible and incomprehensible order and manner of existence, which is a mystery hidden in the Holy Trinity, there have occurred, and continue to occur, phenomena which people call miracles. One such phenomenon was the conception of our Lord Jesus Christ in the womb of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, who had not known a man. This seems to be an interruption of the visible and comprehensible order and manner of existence, but it is not at all a strange event for the invisible and incomprehensible world. This birth is indeed a great wonder (miracle); perhaps no great wonder has ever been revealed to us mortals. But the entire created world is itself a miracle, and the entire visible and comprehensible order of things is a miracle, and just as this miracle came to be by the word of God, so in the same fashion the Lord took human form in a virgin's womb. Both the one and the other took place by the power of the word of God.  Therefore the wondrous Gabriel replied to the Virgin's question (a question asked by all generations: 'How can this be?'): 'With God, nothing that He says shall be impossible.'

O Lord God, our Creator, eternal and ever-existent Worker of wonders (miracles), give light to our minds that we may no longer doubt but rather believe, and direct our tongues no longer to question Thee but to praise Thee. To Thee be glory and praise forever.  Amen. (Source: The Prologue from Ochrid)

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It is meet indeed to bless Thee, the Ever-blessed and Most Pure and Mother of our God. Thee  that art more honorable than the Cherubim, and incomparably more glorious than the Seraphim, who without spot of sin didst bear God the Logos/Word; Thee, verily the Mother of God, we magnify.

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

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+ Father George

"To Everything There is a Season..." (Ecclesiastes 3:1-14)

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

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"To everything, there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven.
A time to give birth
And a time to die;
A time to plant
And a time to pluck what is planted.
A time to kill
And a time to heal;
A time to pull down
And a time to build up.
A time to weep
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn
And a time to dance.
A time to throw stones
And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace
And a time to refrain from embracing.
A time to seek
And a time to lose;
A time to keep
And a time to throw away.
A time to tear
And a time to saw;
A time to keep silent
And a time to speak,
A time to love
And a time to hate;
A time of war
And a time of peace."
(Ecclesiastes 3:1-14)

The Eternal Logos/Word--the beginning, and the end--came into time and redeemed all things.  He turned our weeping into joy, our mourning into dancing, our hatred into love, and our time into eternity.

"That men would fear before Him" (v. 14) expresses the Preacher's understanding of why the world is the way it is. God uses the world to turn us to Himself, for at the end of the age, the time will come for judgment. (Orthodox Study Bible)

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ God,

All of us without exception, at some point, must go through different seasons of life. There will be times that we will experience joy and happiness and moments when we must endure deep sorrow and pain. There will be times of joy at the weddings of our friends and family and periods at the passing of those that we love so much. We will have moments of silence and there will be times when we must speak up for something that we believe to be right. As human beings, we will have those times that we love those around us and there will also be times that we retain our love from others. In our lifetime we must live through many wars and there will also be those times of peace. As human beings, we will experience many different seasons of life during our time upon this earth.

The writer in the first chapter tells us that "Everything under the sun" is meaningless. So how do you and I find meaning in our daily lives out under the sun where so much seems to be meaningless?

We usually look for meaning in all of the wrong places in this world that we live in. Wisdom and meaning cannot be found in the world, it can only come from God, our Creator. We often focus on making a name for ourselves and leaving behind a legacy so that others will remember who we were and what we accomplished. The writer of Ecclesiastes tells us that even kings or other important people are soon forgotten after they die.

The world that God created for us to live in poses a problem for most of us. We look to the world for happiness, fulfillment or validation and we never seem to find any of those things. Nothing on this earth seems to satisfy us, at least not for a long period of time. The things of this world cannot fully satisfy us because we were not made of this world, we were made for eternity. We were made to live with Our Creator God in heaven, where God is Ruler of all. (Daily Walk with God)

I believe that we can find meaning in life if we remember this one important thing. We must, my dear friends, come to realize that meaning comes from the Almighty and Merciful God; it does not come from this world, God has set the gift of eternity in our hearts but we still cannot begin to comprehend all that God has done for us as mere human beings. We only find meaning and purpose in this life when we come to joyfully accept everything that comes our way as coming from the hand of God. Remember the words of Saint John Chrysostom who said, "Glory Be To God for all things." As humans, we have no control over the seasons of our lives, Who is Eternal and Sovereign, determines all of the seasons and activities of our lives.

Live out your life knowing that your Creator loves you and cares for you. Acknowledge His goodness and His Wisdom and you will discover that this life "under the sun" does indeed have meaning and purpose. And we will fully discover that purpose as we spend eternity with Our Father in His Kingdom.

As we continue on the journey to the All-Holy Pascha we recall the words of the holy Desert Fathers saying, "Better someone who has sinned, if he knows he has sinned and repents than a person who has not sinned and thinks of himself as righteous."

Let us use this holy season and time, to strengthen our love and commitment to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us strengthen our relationship with our husband or wife, children and friends, our co-workers and our fellow citizens. Let us use this precious time to reconcile with our enemies and do good to them. Let us be thankful for the many blessings granted to us by Our Heavenly Father. Our life here on earth is, as you see, brief, and it is important to understand that we can be and should be, an instrument of God to bring joy and love to all of His children, men, women, and children of the world.  

Let us use this priceless time and season to prepare for the eternal life that has been promised to us by our Lord. Let us prepare to hear the Divine words of our Lord when we come before Him to be judged by Him at His Second Coming, "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me...Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me" (Saint Matthew 25: 34-40).

The standard of judgment is uncalculated mercy toward others. The works produced by faith are emphasized, for saving faith always produces righteous works. What we do, reflects our true inner state. The least refers to all the poor and the needy. The needs described in this Parable include both physical and spiritual needs. Therefore, the hungry or thirsty are not only those who need food and drink but also those who hunger and thirst for compassion and love. They also hunger and thirst for the word of God.

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

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),

The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

The Home (Domestic) Church or Kat' Oikon Ekklesia

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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THE HOME (DOMESTIC) CHURCH OR E KAT' OIKON EKKLESIA

The Christian home, according to our Holy Tradition, is a sacred place. It is a holy place where God dwells and protects us. It is where our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is present and guides and leads the members of the family to ever greater spiritual heights. The Christian family is Christ-centered for everything revolves around our Savior. A Christian home is a place where the family prays together daily in front of their holy icon corner. The Christian parents teach their children by example and lead their children closer to our Christ God.

The Orthodox Christian home is blessed at least once a year by the local parish priest. The priest is not only the parish priest but a member of each and every family in his community. The Orthodox Christian home is a place of love. Christian parents rule their families with righteousness and self-sacrifice. The children are taught that our Lord Christ is their Savior as well as the Savior of the world. They are taught how to serve Him, to obey Him in everything, to trust Him, to see Him as their best friend, to turn to Him first but especially when they are faced with personal problems and/or temptations. The Christ-centered family is strong because they are united in Christ.

There should be no doubt that a Christian family is very different than a non-Christian family. Why? Christ! The secular or Gentile family is lead by different rules. The 'modern' or 'secular' family is guided by a materialistic society with worldly objectives and goals. In most cases, one can see that there is no real family unity. Each member, of the secular family, claims to be independent of each other, including parents. In general, they may not even believe in the existence of God, to belong to a religious community, to feel any need to adhere to any ethical rule or precept. It is very possible that they do not believe that there is after-life, that there is the existence of good and evil, that there is such a thing as sin, and that there is an accountability to God for all of our actions. The ambitions of the secular family are all about achieving and fulfilling their materialistic goals in life. In attaining a lucrative position or profession which will help them to have a 'good life', a life which will provide them with every good thing with little or of any personal effort or sacrifice. The secular family believes in material wealth and privilege.  It is a Godless existence.

Christianity is not 'a religion'. Christianity is an apocalypse, a Divine revelation. Jesus Christ is not another religious leader and/or the founder of another of the thousands of world religions. For the Christian, our Lord Jesus Christ is the True and Only God. He is the Son of God and the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. He is the Savior of the world. His Divine word and His Divine Teachings are the absolute Truth. By His coming into the world, He reveals to all of humanity the path to salvation and His Heavenly Kingdom. He teaches that God is love and that we should love Him and love one another. He teaches that He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end of all things. Through His Sacrifice on the Cross, death, and Resurrection, He saved mankind. Jesus Christ is the only hope of humanity. He is the Good Shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine sheep and goes after the one that is lost. No matter how often we sin against Him He forgives those who repent. Jesus Christ is the Godman, perfect God and perfect man. He desires the salvation of all men. He has promised to come again and on that Final Day to judge the living and the dead whose Kingdom shall have no end. He taught us of the existence of evil, of Satan, the Adversary of mankind whom He defeated, and whose power over humanity was destroyed by Him and rendered powerless.

The 'kat' oikon ekklesia' ('Domestic church') must be protected at all costs. When an Orthodox couple marries in the Church the couple is crowned by our Lord as the king and queen of their new royal realm, their own little kingdom. They are to rule with love and justice and when blessed by Him with children to raise them in our Christian faith. They are to instill in them the love of God, their neighbor; and when older to live virtues and holy lives. They are to teach them how to implement the teaching of our Lord Christ in their lives, to be kind to others, to have self-respect and respect for their fellow-man, to be compassionate and to give of themselves to those in need. To respect their parents, their teachers, their priest, those in authority over them, and to avoid selfishness and self-centeredness.

We live in very difficult and challenging times. All of our beliefs are constantly challenged by others who do not believe in God. We must remain strong and resolute in everything that we believe in. We must not make concessions or compromise who we are and to remain steadfast in our personal convictions. Christians throughout history would rather die than to betray Christ and/or their Christian faith. We, in the Orthodox Church, call them holy Martyrs, holy Fathers, holy Mothers, holy Confessors, and Saints. Their holy and righteous lives serve as an example for us to follow and to emulate it to the best of our ability.

Maintain the integrity of your Christian identity no matter what the circumstances. The Christian is focused on Christ always and He remains constantly in our sights. Know the value of prayer and worship. Do not allow anyone to dictate to you whether you should believe or not believe. Ignore the worldly enticements and trappings. You are a child of God and your allegiance is to Him and Him alone. Be a good and positive force in the world. A Christian is someone who constantly gives and contributes towards the general welfare of the world he lives in. Know that you have been given God-given talents to use them wisely and make a real difference in the world. Always stay alert and informed of what is happening around you.

May God bless all of you and may He bring this deadly pandemic to its end soon. Stay well and be strong in your faith. Be assured that I love you and that all of you are in my prayers.

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

With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

On The Power of Faith

Icon of the Theotokos “the healer”

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 THE POWER OF FAITH

"So Jesus said to them, 'Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you" (St. Matthew 17:20).

Indeed, the time has come, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, for our personal faith to be tested. In the midst of death and fear due to the coronavirus, we come to a critical point in our lives where we definitely realize how strong or weak our faith in God is. Our fellow Christians throughout the 2,000-year history of our Church experienced countless dangers and horrific persecutions. We need only to read the Lives of the Saints and we will see how they confronted torture, trials, and death. The lives of our holy martyrs are truly an inspiration. If we need to discover a true example of how to confront the enemy and triumph, we need only to read their lives.

The enemy that threatens our very existence can take different forms, names, and rulers.  Our Lord Himself faced them head-on and destroyed them. Even with His Disciples who constantly witnessed His Divine power and miracles, He reveals their faithlessness. Jesus rebukes His Disciples' powerlessness and their participation with the "faithless and perverse generation." He asks "how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you?" (St. Matthew 17:17).

The evil enemy presently is the coronavirus which is killing thousands of people throughout the world. It is a major threat and it is a real threat to us and to our loved ones too. However, how do we, as Orthodox Christian believers, respond to the threat? Are we to cower before the enemy and surrender to it? Are we prepared to face death? Are we willing to trust in God? Is our dependence only in science and the scientific community for our survival? If that is true what happened to our belief in the Almighty, Our Savior Jesus Christ? Has it been replaced by science?

We, as reasonable people, respect and adhere to the advice of the medical community, however, we believe in the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ Who reminds us always "without Me you can do nothing" (St. John 15:5). Our dependence on everything is in Him Who gave His life to save us from evil and death.  

The Christian community has always responded to the numerous calamities, famines, epidemics, wars, persecutions, pandemics and such with a greater reliance on God. At this moment I keep on recalling how the Patriarch of Constantinople and Orthodox Christians responded to the barbaric hordes that besieged the city of Constantinople. The Patriarch and the people processed with the holy icon of the Theotokos chanting and entreating her aid by chanting the solemn hymn to her known as 'Ti Ypermaho Stratigo ta Niketiria.' Soon after that, through the intercessions of the Mother of God, the miracle took place and the city and people were saved from the imminent danger.

Our Faith is a Living Faith and we must never underestimate the power of God for there is no greater Power. He can stop and destroy this virus in an instant. He, however, awaits  us to invite and seek His help. It is time that we all turn to Him in faith, prayer, and fasting. When the holy Disciples of Christ asked Him 'Why could we not cast it out?" Jesus answered, "because of your unbelief" (St. Matthew 17:19-20).

Faith is a gift of God. Seek, therefore, for Our Lord to bestow this divine gift of faith to you. When you are blessed with the gift of faith you will feel its power within you. All fear will disappear from within you and you will be able to face anything that threatens you with confidence, courage, and surety. "Do not be deceived" (1 Cor. 6:9). Be vigilant and alert for the evil one has a way of using any and every opportunity to separate us from God. 'Let us be attentive' the priest declares in the Divine Liturgy. We cannot be in a hypnotic state when there is so much physical and spiritual danger. All of us must be awake at all times and discern what is from God and what is from the evil one.

Pray unceasingly. Saint John Climcus writes, "Prayer is by nature a dialog and a union of man with God. Its effect is to hold the world together. It achieves a reconciliation with God" (The Ladder of Divine Ascent). Think of the elderly, the destitute, the poor, the infirmed, and take time to help those in need. We all need to repent for drifting and abandoning our God and Creator. The genuine Christian is a person who is sensitive to the trials and tribulations of others. Be compassionate, merciful, and generous to those that need your love.

Do you know that the world is in apostasy from God? I witnessed that fact when my family and I visited the country of Ireland last year. However, it is not Ireland alone but much of the world. You see it when you see Christian churches converted to distilleries, office space, and museums. You see it in a secular society that worships the new idols,  pleasure, and wealth. You see it in a Gentile world where everything immoral, wrong, and contrary to the teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is condoned and promoted by world governments. You see it in schools where prayer and the commandments of God have been removed and replaced with meaningless programs. You see it in commerce where greed is manifested in all its aspects. You see it in our churches where the Orthodox Christians are absent from the Divine Liturgy because the commitment to Christ has been lost or replaced with sports and leisure.   

When a holy elder was asked why the world today is in distress and chaos, he answered him, because mankind has abandoned God. What do you expect when the creature stops believing in His Creator? Adam and Eve lost Paradise due to their disobedience to God.  We, too, are losing this beautiful world because of our disobedience to God. There are only two powers, God and that of the evil one. "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon" (St. Luke 16:13).

"Thanks be to God Who always leads us in triumph in Christ" (2 Cor.14).

Please take care and be faithful.

With agape in His Service,

+Father George

On Courage

Saint Cuthbert, Wonderworker of Britain

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 COURAGE

"...God gave us the courage to boldly...even though we were surrounded by enemies..." (1 Thessalonians 2:1-3).

Beloved in Christ God fear of imprisonment did not keep Saint Paul from preaching the Good News. When God wants us to do something, He will give us the strength and courage to do it in spite of the obstacles that may come our way.

At a time of distress and danger we recall the divine words of the Old Testament psalms: "The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yea, wait for the Lord!" (Pss 27:1,14; 31:24).  

Courage reveals our personal faith and confidence in Christ our Lord. Saint Gregory of Sinai, is the first of the "four original virtues." Courage is considered to be one of the very important virtues in our Christian faith. However, courage is shown not only in times of danger, persecution and suffering, but also when one is ridiculed and hated. The Christian believer confronts all challenges of life, no matter if they are little or great, by the grace of the Holy Spirit our God. The Saints and Martyrs of our Holy Church were eminently courageous in their lives and believed this virtue to be key to spiritual life.

Life, as we all know, is unpredictable and even threatening but we must be strong. Holy Apostle Paul wrote to the community in Corinth saying, "Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong." Saint Paul unites strength with bravery, the emphasis turns from physical strength to a power of character. The holy Apostle Paul reminds us "watch, stand fast in the faith" (v. 13).  Faith implies that it all starts with the Almighty God, with faith in Him.  

During this crisis created by the pandemic mankind is faced with an extraordinary threat and danger. Thousands of people have lost their lives because of this virus.  However, as people of faith, we must not allow fear to overcome us as those who do not believe. We must follow the advice of physicians, scientists, specialists, experts but to do it always without compromising our Christian faith. In other words, we must do everything with prayer, with faith in God, with obedience to His Commandments, with hope and seeking the holy intercessions of the Theotokos, and Saints of God. God is present always and He is always in control of everything.  "...Rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance, character, and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit Who was given to us" (Romans 5:15).

Jesus tells each one of us: My strength is made perfect in your weakness! When you are weak, then I will be strong for  you! My brothers and sisters in Christ God, have hope! Be brave and be strong!  Amen.

Pray for one another and pray for physical and spiritual healing.

With agape in the Physician of our souls and bodies,

+Father George

On Hope

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 HOPE

The Divine Scripture has much to say about the necessity and significance of hope. First, they tell us why we should always hope in our Loving and Merciful God:

1. "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (St. John 16:33).

2. "For God so loved the world that He gave His Only-Begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (St. John 3:16-17).

3. "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Romans 8:28).

4. "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).

5. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?...For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:35, 38-39).

6. "But I do not want you to be ignorant, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14).

In other words, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, no matter what happens to us, we hope that God will bring good our of evil, granting life in death. Furthermore, no person can live without hope.

Hopelessness is faithlessness. We must never despair. There are no hopeless situations in life, there are only people who have grown cold and hopeless. Have we ever felt hopeless in the depths of fear and despair? It could be because we live as if God were dead, despite our claim to be Christians. In order to be sure of our faith, we must examine our thoughts, words, and actions to see if we indeed hope in the Almighty God.

It is possible that we do hope but unfortunately it is a false hope. Humanity puts a lot of trust in different false hopes, i.e., progress, science, political systems, education, banks, business, and government. All of these are created by us to serve our earthly needs, however, all of them are secular substitutes for God and His Kingdom. They consistently disappoint us and because of it, they create greater hopelessness than ever before.

The Apostle of all Nations, Saint Paul, writes to the Romans, "For in this hope we are saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope.  For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience" (8:24-25).

"Hope is the assurance of the good outcome of our lives lived by faith in God. Hope is the power of certain conviction that the life built on faith will produce its fruits. Hope is the confidence that, despite all darkness and sin, the Light of the loving forgiveness of God is upon us to do with us and for us what we ourselves cannot do."

"Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and shield. Yea our hearts are glad in Him because we trust in His Holy Name. Let Thy steadfast love, O Lord be upon us, even as we hope in Thee" (Psalm 33:2022).

At times of danger and uncertainty, the faithful and believing person remains steadfast in his or her faith. Despondency is evil and deadly. Saint Isaac the Syrian writes: "...the force of despondence...overwhelms him and oppresses his soul; and this is a taste of hell because it produces a thousand temptations: confusion, irritation, protesting and bewailing one's lot, wrong thoughts, wandering from place to place, and so on".

Evagrius of Pontus, 4th century, writes: "The demon of despondency, which is called the "noonday demon" (Psalm 91:6) is more grievous than all others...It arouses in him vexation against the place and mode of life itself and his work, adding that there is no more love among the brethren, and no one to comfort him…Then it provokes in him a longing for other places..."

"The only remedy for despair is humility and patience, the steadfast holding to the life of faith, event without conviction or feeling. It is no virtue to feel weak and helpless in the presence of evil. It is no virtue to consider oneself totally at the mercy of evil and sin. It is a virtue rather to be always "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation" knowing and believing that the final victory is God's" (Romans 12:12).

Trust and hope in Jesus Christ, our Lord, Protector, and Savior!

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

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With sincere agape and hope in God's love for us,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George