tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37929371104224359612024-03-14T01:20:22.342-07:00Sermons and CommentaryArchpriest Thomas Kulphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817236968749412695noreply@blogger.comBlogger172125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792937110422435961.post-37339744044461596762018-05-24T11:09:00.000-07:002018-05-24T11:09:02.907-07:00WHO RENT THE SEAMLESS ROBE?Today we commemorate the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council convened in the God-protected city of Nicea in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) by the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostle Emperor Constantine specifically to condemn the false teaching of the arch-heretic Arius, who confessed the eternal Son of God, Who is of one essence with the Father and the Holy Spirit, to be a mere creature. Thus it was Arius who rent the seamless robe of Jesus Christ, Who is confessed by the Church to be <em>one </em>Person in two natures--at one and the same time both fully human and fully divine. Therefore it was Arius who taught Nestorius not to call the Holy Virgin Mary "Theotokos"--the Birthgiver of God--but rather "Christotokos."<br />
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It should be emphasized, however, that the Holy Fathers in no wise proclaimed a new and unheard of doctrine. They were merely defining with greater precision the dogma revealed from the beginning by Christ to His Apostles and sealed by the blood of the martyrs. For Jesus Christ is indeed the same yesterday, today, and forever, and the doctrine of the Church is not subject to change or development over time. The same Lord Who descended into Hades to proclaim the good tidings to the captive souls held in bondage to the power of death is the same Lord Who also ascended into the heavens, opening the gates of Paradise to the faithful of all ages, deifying fallen human nature through the power of His Divinity. <br />
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Nowadays, the term "Theology" is applied indiscriminately to any branch of study vaguely connected to religion--such as "pastoral theology" and "liberation theology." In truth, however, true theology (literally, "God words") consists solely in doctrines and teachings concerning the Holy Trinity. And it is only in the Church, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that this doctrine is revealed to the human heart purified and sanctified by the grace of God. The Ecumenical Councils were all convened in order to correct false teachings concerning the Holy Trinity, because any distortion of this teaching--however seemingly slight and insignificant by human standards--imperils the very salvation of the faithful.<br />
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Thus, if Jesus Christ is not truly the eternal Son of God, of one essence with the Father, our deification by grace and our transformation into sons and daughters of God is not possible. On the other hand, if He is not fully human, we cannot be saved, because it is only by assuming the fullness of our human nature from the pure blood of the Virgin that He can grant healing and salvation to our souls--because, according to the Holy Fathers, only that which is assumed can be saved.<br />
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For this reason we must be ever vigilant, guarding ourselves against every false and heretical teaching of the heterodox, that we may be enlightened by the Holy and Life-creating Spirit and granted the gift of discernment--lest we be deceived and beguiled by the Enemy of the human race and cast aside from the path of salvation. May we, therefore, strive--along with the Holy Fathers and martyrs of the Church--to hold firm unto the end to the divinely revealed teachings of the Church, ever bearing witness in our lives to He Who proclaimed, <em>"I am</em> the Way, the Truth, and the life."Archpriest Thomas Kulphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817236968749412695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792937110422435961.post-88004076875162427152018-04-03T14:32:00.000-07:002018-04-03T14:32:25.277-07:00A BROKEN AND CONTRITE HEART...When the sinful woman learned that Jesus was sitting at supper in the home of Simon the Pharisee, she entered in, "stood at His feet behind Him weeping, and began to wash His feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment" she had purchased at so great a price. Now consider, if you will: what was the state of this woman's heart and mind in this moment long past, yet still present in the eternal memory of God? Clearly she possessed faith in the power of Jesus to forgive, profound humility, and an outpouring of love that could not be retrained. She possessed, in fact, <em>philotimo, </em>an active and spontaneous love that naturally disregards every self-serving thought and desire. But how had she, a sinner so thoroughly immersed in the carnal pleasures of this life, been made worthy to acquire these divine gifts?<br />
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First and foremost, it was because she was <em>broken. </em>Having tasted unto its bitter dregs the cup of egotistic thoughts and desires, having lost every hope of satisfaction in the ultimately vain and transient pleasures of this earthly life, at last she hit rock bottom and found herself imprisoned in a dark and lonely place of emptiness, hopelessness, and despair. And it was precisely at this point of brokenness--when she was forced to acknowledge that she was powerless to turn her life around in a more positive direction--that God could <em>act. </em>All it takes, you see, is a mere crack in our psychic defenses, and God's grace can enter into our hearts, delivering our souls from bondage to the sinful passions and making us worthy of eternal salvation in His heavenly Kingdom.<br />
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Today we commemorate the heroic life and witness of St. Mary of Egypt. She experienced her own moment of brokenness when she stood before the icon of the Theotokos and was forbidden by an invisible force to enter into the church to venerate the Holy Cross. It was in this transformative moment that she was granted the divine gifts of genuine humility, sincere repentance, and the love of God in her heart. And so it was that this former prostitute, a slave of the passions, became a desert dweller whose amazing story is recounted every Great Lent unto this very day. For truly, "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little."<br />
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Truly our heavenly Father is a God of love (in fact, God <em>is </em>love), Who desires not the death of a sinner, but rather that the sinner should, through heartfelt repentance, turn from his evil ways and <em>live, </em>that he might be saved at last from eternal damnation in a hell of his own making. For surely--though our sins be more numerous than the sands of the sea, the love of God is <em>infinitely </em>greater. <br />
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Nevertheless, as the Psalmist affirms, "A broken and contrite heart God will not despise." The thief gained Paradise in an instant, while the woman with an issue of blood received healing just by touching the hem of His garment. It is not because of the multitude of our sins that we shall be condemned to a self-created hell, but rather because of willful failure to repent. Let us, therefore, forsake our evil pride and self-centered desires, humble ourselves before God, and acknowledge that we are indeed broken, destitute, and in desperate need of His healing and salvation. Only then shall we be deemed worthy to behold His glorious Resurrection on the third day.Archpriest Thomas Kulphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817236968749412695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792937110422435961.post-11014722748672828052018-02-24T21:22:00.000-08:002018-02-24T21:22:33.235-08:00THE TRIUMPH OF ORTHODOXYHaving so eloquently praised the martyric feats of the Old Testament righteous who endured with patience sufferings and afflictions for the sake of a promised Christ not yet revealed, St. Paul writes in his epistle to the Hebrews, "wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith." And so do we celebrate today that Faith by which the whole universe has been established.<br />
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We commemorate today, on this first Sunday of the Great Fast, the defeat of the iconoclastic heresy and the restoration of the holy Icons. Through this victory it is confirmed once again that the gates of hell cannot prevail against the Church of God, which is (according to the Symbol of Faith) both catholic (universal) and Orthodox (rightly glorifying God). It is on this day, therefore, that the anathemas are read, casting from the Holy Church all who oppose the true and divinely revealed teachings taught by the Apostles and sealed by the blood of the martyrs. <br />
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It is not surprising, therefore, that those of us who remain faithful to the time-tested traditions of the Church are often accused of Triumphalism, claiming that we alone are members of the True Church and therefore superior to those who belong to other so-called "churches" or "denominations." And so it is that instead of striving for the "one thing needful," we get caught up in vain speculations and disputes, making religion into some sort of competitive sport among conflicting teams confessing various beliefs and philosophies. We argue ceaselessly over who is "right" and who is "wrong," while losing sight in all the confusion of the <em>real </em>issue at sake (as simply expressed by Pontius Pilate) "What is truth?"<br />
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It is obviously childish to argue that my church is better than yours, or to consign to hell those who do not happen to share our beliefs and convictions. There can be, in any case, but one Church, because there is but one Christ, one Faith, one Baptism, and one God and Father of us all. What we all should be seeking primarily is not the True Church, but rather Truth itself--and that Truth <em>is Christ, </em>Whose Body <em>is </em>the Church, which was established not on the day of Pentecost, but rather at the very creation of the world. <br />
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The Church is not one organization among many, which we may choose to belong to or not. If the Church is truly universal (as we Orthodox Christians profess), then it must encompass the entire created order, the angelic hosts, and the whole human race--from the creation of Adam unto the consummation of the ages at the end of time. <br />
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Truly Christ cannot be divided, nor can there be any divisions within the fullness of His Body. He <em>is </em>the Way, the Truth, and the Life, the one creator and redeemer of the entire human race. He is fully God and fully man, the Godman Who descended from heaven and took upon Himself from the pure blood of the Virgin the fullness of our human nature, the pre-eternal God made visible and depicted in icons, that through the veneration of the faithful He might be "rightly glorified." <br />
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But there is not in any of this any place for "triumphalism." It is Christ Himself Who triumphs over the powers of sin, death, and the devil. And it is through love alone (because God <em>is love) </em>that He opens unto all who humble themselves before Him the gates of Paradise and the promise of eternal life in His heavenly Kingdom.Archpriest Thomas Kulphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817236968749412695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792937110422435961.post-84720881617321702422018-02-13T17:31:00.001-08:002018-02-13T17:31:12.868-08:00THE FINAL JUDGMENTToday's Gospel concerns that Last Judgment that shall occur at the end of time, when our Lord shall return with all the angels at the end of time to judge both the quick and the dead (not to be confused with that particular judgment we must all face when we depart from this world). Now on the basis of this rather stylized account (it should not be understood as a literal presentation of the event, which shall occur outside the bounds of time as we know it), the whole basis of this Judgment seems to be--whether or not we have performed literal works of charity on behalf of our fellow man during our earthly lives. If we have done so, we shall be privileged to stand on our Lord's right hand and to be granted as our reward eternal life in God's Kingdom, while if we neglected to do so, we shall be placed on His left hand and cast into that eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels (demons). <br />
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It all sounds pretty simple, does it not? So if you want to be saved from eternal punishment in that nasty fire, you had better play it safe: volunteer to help out in a soup kitchen and a homeless shelter, join a prison ministry, make frequent visits to the sick whether in their homes or in hospital, and in general, give generous alms to the poor and the needy. And remember: God keeps score! The more good deeds you perform, the more likely you are to be allowed into the Good Place. <br />
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But all jesting aside, we all know that this is not the essential teaching of the Orthodox Church concerning salvation, which is certainly not some sort of merit badge God awards us for performing a certain quota of good deeds. It is, rather, our deification as sons and daughters of God, that is: our union and communion with our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ. If then, the whole meaning of salvation is to be united with God through the purification of our hearts and the cleansing of our sinful passions, it is essential that we understand just Who and what God is. Firstly, St. John the Theologian assures us that <em>God is love. </em>And secondly, if God truly is Who dwells eternally in the unapproachable light, then He can in no way be subject to change. And this means He must exist above and beyond every passion and emotion... whether anger, sadness, a desire for revenge, nor any other movement of the soul to which our fallen human nature is prone.<br />
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<em>God is love, </em>and so He loves with a perfect love both the sinner and the saint equally, and He never wavers in this love no matter how far we may have wandered (like the Prodigal Son) from the path of salvation. Nevertheless, God's love is (as St. Paul assures the Hebrews) a "consuming fire" that penetrates even unto the very depths of hell, illumining the righteous while at the same time scorching those who have willfully turned away from Him and trampled underfoot the commandment of love.<br />
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Of course it is true that if we have acquired in our hearts God's love, we shall naturally express His infinite compassion and mercy toward the poor and needy, loving our neighbor--even our worst enemy--as though he were our very own self. And we shall do so not for the sake of gaining any sort of reward, but rather because a heart consumed by the love of God can in nowise be constrained or limited by egocentric thoughts and desires. This is why those on the right hand have no recollection of the good deeds they have performed. As for those on the left hand... they are oblivious of the good deeds they have failed to perform due to gross negligence and hardness of heart. Let us set aside, then, every conception of God as a vindictive judge intent on casting the sinner into hell, for truly--as our heavenly Father--He in no wise desires the death of the sinner, but rather that sinners such as you and I should turn from our wicked ways and live.Archpriest Thomas Kulphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817236968749412695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792937110422435961.post-10112436170404103812018-02-03T19:58:00.002-08:002018-02-03T19:58:59.327-08:00FLEE FORNICATIONSt. Paul conveys to the Corinthians a stern warning, "Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body." Now fornication is defined as engaging in sexual relations outside the bounds of legitimate marriage... period! (And no, I do not include so-called "gay marriage" in this definition!) Nor can there be any exceptions. Jesus does<em> not </em>say fornication is sort of all right if the couple really and truly love each other, or if they are engaged to be married. But why, it may be asked, does the Church consider fornication to be such a serious sin? It is, after all, <em>my body, </em>so why should I <em>not </em>be free to indulge its purely "natural" desires?<br />
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It is to such apparent reasoning that the Holy Apostle replies (as though astonished by their ignorance) "What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye were bought with a price: therefore glorify God <em>in your body, </em>and in your spirit, which are God's." But surely you and I, who strive to be faithful Orthodox Christians, already know these things. So why, then, do I bring it up?.... It is because we live in a godless culture in which the sin of fornication has in many ways been normalized, and even glorified. It is being promoted in the mass media, on billboards, on the internet, in literature and pop culture... virtually everywhere! Our souls are being <em>inundated </em>by the spirit of the times, which is the spirit of antichrist, so that even we the faithful are in danger of being infected by the deadly disease of godlessness.<br />
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It was this same spirit of godlessness, in accordance with its various forms and manifestations, that injected its deadly venom into the soul of Holy Russia during the eighty year reign of the satanic Soviet regime. Yet though the authorities sought by every conceivable means to eliminate the very thought of God from the minds of the people, the gates of hell could not prevail against the true Church of God. A vast cloud of witnesses--the Holy Martyrs and Confessors of Russia--was revealed. Faithful unto the end, they gladly suffered persecution, grievous tortures, and death itself for the sake of their love of Christ, thereby proving that "all things work together for the good for those who love God, and are called according to His purpose." But lest we become complacent, let us recall the words of Fr. Seraphim Rose: "That which began in Russia will end in America." So let us examine ourselves to determine whether or not we are spiritually prepared for the coming trials and temptations.<br />
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And finally, let us consider the Prodigal, who having received his inheritance from his father, "took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living." Indeed, as the elder brother later complains to their father, he "hath devoured thy living with harlots." So yes, the Prodigal's "riotous living" involved, among other things--a good deal of fornication. And surely each and every one of us can identify with the Prodigal's plight, for have we not all, from time to time, wandered into a far country, squandering the grace and talents God has bestowed upon us? But the Good News is--as often as we go astray--the way of return to our heavenly Father is always open through sincere repentance and heartfelt humility. It is for this very reason that we must gird our loins and prepare ourselves for the rigors of the approaching Great Fast.Archpriest Thomas Kulphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817236968749412695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792937110422435961.post-65105403441805467992018-01-18T14:20:00.001-08:002018-01-18T14:20:21.686-08:00THE CIRCUMCISION OF CHRIST"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am first," writes the Holy Apostle. So it behooves one to wonder: if the foremost of apostles St. Paul considers himself to be the greatest of all sinners, how can miserable sinners such as you and I hope to be saved? Unless, of course, we strive always for genuine humility and an ongoing spirit of repentance. St. Paul himself, after all, reckoned himself to be the least among the apostles, because he persecuted the Church of God, yet through his radical repentance, he achieved (by the grace of God) the heights of spiritual attainment. But what, exactly<em>, is</em> this salvation revealed to us in the Holy Scriptures as the ultimate meaning and purpose of life in this world?<br />
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It is, indeed, neither more nor less than our union and communion with the living God, accomplished in and through the salvific work of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ, One of the Holy Trinity, Who has, by His life-giving incarnation, abolished and overcome the threefold power of sin, death, and the Devil, that we might be transformed by grace into sons and daughters of the heavenly Father, and inheritors of eternal life in God's heavenly Kingdom.<br />
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It is, in fact, the very same pre-eternal Word of God, the Logos, Second Person of the Holy Trinity, Who revealed the Law to the Holy Prophet Moses on Mount Sinai, Who <em>fulfilled </em>the Law <em>in His own body, </em>having taken upon Himself the fullness, the <em>Pleroma, </em>of our human nature through the pure blood of a virgin, that we might, by grace, become partakers of the divine nature and heirs of ineffable glory in His eternal Kingdom.<br />
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"For in Him dwellest all the fullness of the Godhead <em>bodily, </em>St. Paul continues. Having been circumcised in the flesh according to the Law of Moses, Jesus has <em>fulfilled </em>the Law, that henceforth the faithful believer might be "circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ." <br />
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But what, precisely, <em>is </em>this circumcision of Christ? It is, as the Holy Apostle plainly states, our death and resurrection with Christ in the waters of Baptism: "Buried with Him in Baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, Who hath raised Him from the dead."<br />
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It is by Baptism that our soul and body together are granted the remission of sins and the <em>possibility </em>of the gift of eternal life. This grace is, to be sure, freely given, but it is assimilated and made effective only through living a life of ceaseless struggle against the passions that we may hope to be made worthy of this gift of salvation. In no way is our salvation guaranteed by virtue of our baptism. Only if we are willing to patiently endure unto the end whatever trials and tribulations God may send, while striving to acquire every virtue, can we hope to be made worthy of those eternal good things He has in store for those who love Him and abide by His commandments. Archpriest Thomas Kulphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817236968749412695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792937110422435961.post-21152301552656591842017-12-14T14:53:00.001-08:002017-12-14T14:53:17.449-08:00THE KINGDOM OF GOD SUFFERS VIOLENCESt. Paul writes to the Ephesians, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." That is to say, as baptized Orthodox Christians, we have been enlisted as soldiers in the Militia of Christ, engaged--whether we like it or not--in spiritual warfare against Satan and his demonic hosts, those fallen angels who inhabit the air around us, ever seeking the destruction of the human race. <br />
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If, then, this is the existential struggle to which we have been called, why is it that we so often strive against our brother, who is weak and sinful and deceived by the Devil just as we are? We are, indeed, commanded by Christ to <em>love </em>our enemies, to ceaselessly <em>pray </em>for those who persecute us and despitefully use us. For it is the Devil alone who inspires hatred in the human heart--inciting violence, strife, and vengefulness among the sons and daughters of men. <br />
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For surely God is love, and it is love alone that can deliver us from the wicked machinations of the Evil One. Like all the other passions of the soul, anger is not in and of itself sinful... so long as it is directed not against our neighbor, but rather against the demons, and those sinful thoughts and desires that they engender within us. <br />
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"Unto this day, the Kingdom of God has suffered violence, and the violent take it by storm." And so it is that our Lord--Who is love incarnate--<em>commands </em>us to do violence... not against our fellow man, but rather against the sinful passions engendered within us by the Evil One, and against the demonic powers that ever strive to drag us down into the pits of hell. It is in this sense that Jesus has come into this world not to bring peace, but rather a sword. The sentimental Protestant image of Jesus "meek and mild" is but a pale and distorted image of this truth. It is, rather, through the sacrificial sufferings of the holy martyrs and ascetics of all ages that the Holy Orthodox Faith triumphs over the principalities and powers that rule this fallen world.<br />
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And so it is that the true path of salvation revealed by the holy Orthodox Fathers is not for the timid and the faint-hearted. It requires manly courage and self-sacrificial love, and the willingness to put to death every egotistical thought and desire, that we might in the end--through the prayers of the most holy Theotokos and of all the saints-- be made worthy of true and eternal life in God's heavenly Kingdom.Archpriest Thomas Kulphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817236968749412695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792937110422435961.post-54664458768994921402017-11-27T15:29:00.000-08:002017-11-27T15:29:03.049-08:00THE GOOD SAMARITAN "And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted <em>(i.e, tested) </em>him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Of course, the lawyer--being well versed in the Jewish Law--knows the answer already, so when Jesus counters, "What is written in the Law," he answers at once, quoting from the Old Testament book of Leviticus, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself." He had answered correctly, and this should have been the end of the discussion. Yet the lawyer was not satisfied. <em>Being </em>a lawyer, he sought to find a loophole. Seeking to justify himself, he asks Jesus, "And who <em>is </em>my neighbor?"<br />
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And so Jesus responds (as He often does) with a parable: A man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho is stripped naked by thieves, robbed, and left for dead. And it comes to pass that a Jewish priest, and then a Levite, walk by, gaze upon the unfortunate victim, then pass by on the other side: lest they should touch the man and be ceremonially defiled by his blood, and thus having to endure the inconvenience of being purified once again before they could offer their sacrifices in the Temple of Jerusalem. Yet does not God Himself declare in the Old Testament Scriptures that what He desires is mercy, <em>not </em>sacrifice? Or rather, the sacrifice He truly does desire is that we put to death every egotistical thought and desire upon the altar of sacrificial love, that we might strive to be merciful, even as our heavenly Father is merciful. <br />
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The thieves in this parable are, of course, the demons, who strive by every means possible to draw us away from the true path of salvation--while the Good Samaritan is Christ Himself, who never ceases to deliver us from the deception of the Evil One, and to bind up every wound inflicted by the enemy, that by His grace and compassion we might in the end prove ourselves worthy of eternal life in His Kingdom. <br />
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For surely the inconceivably glorious salvation wrought for us upon the Cross by our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ cannot be achieved by means of fulfilling a series of ceremonial laws and requirements, nor by simply confessing with our lips that Jesus Christ is our "personal" Lord and Savior. Nor is it achieved by the mere fact that we have been baptized, nor even that we attend Divine Liturgy on Sundays, as though these are magical rites that somehow ensure our salvation. <br />
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Salvation is, rather, a process, that begins in this earthly life, and extends into eternity. Because God is love, and love is eternal, our ascent to God--as St. Gregory of Nyssa assures us--can never end. But it is essential that having died and risen with Christ in the waters of Baptism, we should strive and struggle till the very end of our lives to acquire a spirit of true repentance, that having set aside all earthly things, we might receive in our hearts the King of all.<br />
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For this reason does the Holy Apostle write that we are saved by faith, <em>not </em>by the words of the Law. Because it is impossible to be saved simply by following a set of written laws--however exalted--but only through uniting ourselves to the living God, that we might in the end--by His grace and mercy--become partakers of His divine nature. <br />
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<em></em>Archpriest Thomas Kulphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817236968749412695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792937110422435961.post-87968252632675365242017-11-15T16:28:00.000-08:002017-11-15T16:28:28.461-08:00WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATIONSt. Paul assures the Ephesians, "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." Are we, then, to conclude, as do certain Protestants, that we are saved once and for all merely by confessing Jesus to be our "personal" Savior? Has He, indeed, already done it all, so that we need not strive and struggle to uproot the sinful passions that lurk within the soul, to acquire every virtue, and to purify our hearts that we might receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit?<br />
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St. James, of course, states clearly that "grace without works is dead," but even in today's epistle, the Holy Apostle goes on to say "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, that God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." The truth is, however, that the entire "faith versus works" controversy in the West--Catholic versus Protestant--is based upon a false dichotomy. Salvation is indeed God's gift, and not a reward for our good deeds and behavior. Apart from the grace of God, there can <em>be </em>no salvation. <br />
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Nevertheless, God's grace comes at a cost. God has granted unto us the gift of free will, and unless we freely choose to cooperate with His grace by striving to live a life of sacrificial love and suffering on His behalf--to mortify every egotistical thought and desire--then it shall be proved, in the end, that we have received His grace in vain.<br />
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There is, however, a deeper issue involved here: what, exactly, so we <em>mean </em>by salvation? Is it, as these same Protestants teach, merely that God forgives our sins (a purely legal pardon) so that we can go to heaven when we die? Or is it, rather, as the Church Fathers teach, that the Son of God became man, that the sons and daughters of men might become gods? That is, we are called--as St. Peter reminds us--to become "partakers of the Divine Nature"--transformed and sanctified by grace--a process beginning here and now in this earthly life and extending into eternity.<br />
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As St. Paul writes to the Corinthians, "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." To be sanctified, changed, and transfigured by the uncreated grace of God, from glory to glory--it is to <em>this </em>that we have all been called.<br />
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But straight and narrow is the path that leads to salvation, and indeed--"The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force"... that is, our ultimate salvation demands that we do violence against our own sinful and fallen nature, ever striving to cut off at its roots every passionate thought and desire. Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, "Be sober, be vigilant: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."Archpriest Thomas Kulphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817236968749412695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792937110422435961.post-33159922116282176082017-11-06T16:33:00.001-08:002017-11-06T16:33:54.567-08:00THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS Today's Gospel reading, though generally referred to as a parable, most certainly (in my humble opinion) is not. Consider, for example, last week's Parable of the Sower: no pretense was made of relating to a real event that actually took place in space and time. It was, rather, symbolic, and therefore its meaning required interpretation. In this case, on the other hand, our Lord does <em>not </em>say that the Kingdom is <em>like unto, </em>or anything of the sort, but merely says, <em>there was </em>a certain rich man, and a certain beggar named Lazarus (and note: in no parable is a character given an actual name). And so it would seem, rather, that this is a straightforward true story.<br />
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I am not sure why this story should have been inserted in this particular place in the Gospel, but I would suggest that perhaps it was in order to illustrate the words just previously spoken by our Lord: "Ye cannot serve both God and Mammon." Which is to say: one cannot truly serve God while being at the same time attached to the riches and pleasures of this world. For all such "good things" shall surely pass away, and can in nowise be taken with us when we pass from this world to the next. As the saying goes, "You can't take it with you."<br />
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Therefore does the Holy Apostle Paul proclaim, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified to me, and I unto the world." That is to say, it is only through a disciplined life of self-denial--setting aside every attachment to the so-called "good things" of this world--that we can hope to be saved.<br />
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And so... was the rich man someone whom the world would consider evil? Did he flagrantly violate the commandments of God, willfully striving to inflict pain and suffering on others? Was he "literally" Hitler? By no means! Indeed, he may well have been a most esteemed and respected member of the local synagogue. But he had, nevertheless, forgotten God, having come to consider a life of self-indulgence and fleeting happiness to be the ultimate goal and purpose of his existence.<br />
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And as for Lazarus: was he such a model of virtue and piety that he was deemed worthy by God to be received into Abraham's bosom? Who can say? It is, however, fairly certain that he was profoundly humble and content to thankfully receive that small measure of consolation granted to him.<br />
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Truth is, neither was the rich man punished and cast by God into hell; nor was Lazarus permitted to enter Paradise as a reward for his good deeds. Rather, they both gravitated to that place to which their hearts naturally inclined. And so it is for us all: God neither casts us into hell, or rewards us with Paradise, on the basis of outward appearances. He alone is capable of judging the true inclination of each human heart. But in the end, it is we ourselves who choose: either eternal separation from God in a hell of our own making, or else communion in love with the angels and all the saints in God's heavenly Kingdom.Archpriest Thomas Kulphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817236968749412695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792937110422435961.post-28628674463427158622017-11-01T14:52:00.001-07:002017-11-01T14:52:58.341-07:00THE WORD OF GODHaving spoken the Parable of the Sower, our Lord Himself sets forth to explain its meaning to His Apostles: "The seed is the word of God." It is, however, easy to gloss over this introductory statement, and to move on to a consideration of the various ways (as illustrated in the parable) in which this word might (or might not) be received. But it might behoove us to consider first of all, what precisely <em>is </em>this "word of God?"<br />
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For those of us who have been brought up in a society deeply impregnated with a Protestant ethos, the Word of God signifies the Bible. But of course it should be remembered that at the time Christ spoke this parable, there <em>was </em>no New Testament, no Gospels or Epistles: only the written words of God's revelation as recorded in the Law and the Prophets. <br />
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Our Lord specifically states, however, that the seed sown is the <em>word, </em>not the <em>words </em>of God. And so it is that the Holy Apostle John the Theologian affirms that <em>in the beginning was the Word--</em>that is, our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ Himself, the <em>Logos </em>of God, One of the Holy Trinity, of one essence with the Father and the Spirit--the Trinity one in essence and undivided. <br />
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So it stands to reason that the seed sown by the sower (God the Father) in the hearts of the faithful is Jesus Christ Himself--not merely the <em>words </em>of a moral and philosophical system relating to salvation, but <em>salvation itself! </em>For it is not through mere words (however profoundly expressed) that we are saved, but rather through the power and mercy of the eternal Logos of God, of Whom the Holy Martyr Longinus proclaimed, "Truly this was the Son of God!" <br />
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If, then, a Protestant should ask, "Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior," the answer should be an emphatic <em>yes!... </em>and how could it be otherwise? Could there possibly be any such thing as an <em>impersonal </em>relationship with <em>anyone--</em>let alone with God? And so it behooves us to ask... do we indeed know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior? Have we so cultivated the soil of our hearts that His salvific grace might not only take root, but flourish within our souls? This is the ultimate question, the <em>only </em>question worthy of our consideration. Archpriest Thomas Kulphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817236968749412695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792937110422435961.post-107430629413808612017-10-24T17:40:00.000-07:002017-10-24T17:40:27.920-07:00THE CHURCH'S ONE FOUNDATION"But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me," writes the Holy Apostle Paul to the Galatians, "is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." And so it is evident that the truth of our Faith cannot be arrived at through rational thought and logical deduction, but only through a personal encounter with He Who proclaimed Himself <em>to be </em>the Truth--our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ. This is the very revelation of God to the human heart, imparted in and through the Church by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. <br />
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This divine revelation is the very basis of the Church's Holy Tradition, which includes but is by no means limited to the written words of Holy Scripture, which can only be rightly understood according to the inspired interpretation of the Holy God-bearing Fathers of the Church. This sacred Tradition has nothing to do--despite the teachings of the Protestants--with those "traditions of men" the Scriptures warn us against. The Church's one foundation, as the Protestant hymn rightly proclaims, is indeed Jesus Christ our Lord--Who is the same yesterday, today, and forever--and so the Truth He reveals in His own Person is not subject in any way to ongoing change and development, according to the spirit of the times we live in. Those sacred doctrines revealed by Christ, taught by the Holy Apostles, and sealed by the blood of the martyrs are immutable, and shall endure unto the very end of time.<br />
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This is verily the true Faith taught by the Fathers of the Seven Ecumenical Councils, those mystical trumpets of the Holy Spirit, those good shepherds of the flock of Christ who banished from the Church those teachers of false and heretical doctrines which perverted the God-revealed Truth, leading astray from the path of salvation many of the faithful. These Holy Fathers faithfully proclaimed and defended the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church--the <em>Orthodox </em>Church--the Faith which hath established the universe!<br />
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Now more than ever--as we draw ever closer to that universal apostasy and the revelation of the Antichrist prophesied for these final days preceding the end of time--it is essential that all of us who profess Christ should strive to remain steadfast in the Faith, that through God's grace we might endure and overcome every trial and temptation of the Evil One, that we may prove worthy in the end to inherit true and eternal life in God's heavenly kingdom. Archpriest Thomas Kulphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817236968749412695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792937110422435961.post-57265845666702890692017-10-12T11:48:00.001-07:002017-10-12T11:48:49.944-07:00CEASE TO EXIST"Whosoever will come after Me," our Lord proclaims, "let him <em>deny himself, </em>and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it." By these words, Christ expresses a seeming paradox, such as we encounter in the saying, "The first shall be last, and the last first." How, then, are we to interpret such profound and apparently contradictory passages? Are we to contemplate our Lord's words as though they are analogous to a Zen koan, like "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" God forbid!<br />
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The key to understanding such cryptic sayings is, rather, that there are two kingdoms manifest in the realm of this phenomenal, fallen world. On the one hand, there is the Kingdom of God, which is the truly existing, eternal realm of the holy, life-creating Trinity, transcending the created dimensions of time and space. On the other hand, there is the realm of the Kingdom of Self, the realm of the false ego and of those spirits of evil--the fallen angels--who inhabit the aerial sphere surrounding the earth. Within this realm, "your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." To be sure, his days are numbered--and so he is desperate in these final days to deceive and ensnare as many human souls as he can, dragging them down into the dark pit of eternal death and destruction. <br />
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Thus, it is essential that the false, self-centered ego--bound by the passions--must be put to death if we truly desire to say with St. Paul, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." That is to say, our corruptible, earthbound self must <em>cease to exist </em>if we hope to enter into that dimension of true and eternal life, that we might become partakers of the divine nature and gods by grace. <br />
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Now it is by love alone (because God <em>is love) </em>that we shall be fully united to Him--whether in this life or the next. It is only through receiving this gift of unconditional, self-giving love that we might die with Christ, putting to death the false ego, that the true, God-centered self can emerge, like a butterfly from its chrysalis. But if we are to acquire this pure and perfect love, it is essential that we first lay the foundation of genuine humility, without which it is impossible to cast forth the works of darkness and to enter into the light of God's eternal Kingdom.<br />
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As an example of this humility, let us consider the Canaanite woman in today's Gospel. She shamelessly beseeches our Lord's mercy, for her daughter is "grievously vexed with a devil"--most likely as a consequence of her own mother's sinful life and pagan practices. Yet even when our Lord snubs her and insults her, in effect calling her a dog, this woman in nowise objects or takes offence, meekly replying, "Truth, Lord: yet even the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from the master's table." It is this profound humility that our Lord commends, and that we ourselves should strive to emulate in our own lives.Archpriest Thomas Kulphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817236968749412695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792937110422435961.post-40063011531919419572017-09-25T16:13:00.001-07:002017-09-25T16:13:24.533-07:00THAT YE LOVE ONE ANOTHERThe Holy Apostle, Evangelist, and Theologian John assures us, "For God so loved the world that He gave His Only-begotten Son, that whoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.... For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved." This is good news indeed! For if any of us were to be judged strictly according to how successfully we have invested that talent entrusted to us at our Baptism, it is unlikely that we could hope to be saved. <br />
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Consider, if you will, the gospel account of the woman caught in adultery: according to the letter of the Jewish Law, she should have been stoned to death, thereby reflecting a harsh and uncompromising understanding of God's justice still enforced in Muslim countries unto this day. (And it should be noted that nowhere in the Koran is love an attribute attributed to the falsely conceived Muslim God, Allah). But when, in the fullness of time, our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ reveals Himself in the flesh, he imparts to His disciples a New Commandment that supersedes (or rather, fulfills) the Law of Moses: that we love one another, even as He has loved us. For truly, as St. John the Theologian assures us, God <em>is </em>love, and therefore it follows that "He desires not the death of the sinner, but rather that the sinner should turn from his way and live."<br />
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A perfect example of God's ardent desire for the salvation of the sinner is recorded in His encounter with the woman caught in adultery. The Jewish rulers expect our Lord to uphold the decree of condemnation, to support the letter of the Jewish Law. But as on previous occasions, He surprises them. He pauses, while writing something in the dust of the ground with His finger. Or is He merely doodling, trying to gain time while thinking through His response--or perhaps for the sake of a dramatic effect? Not at all! According to tradition, he is revealing in bold terms the past sins of those hypocrites who are seeking to bring the woman to justice. Only then does He proclaim, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."<br />
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Does this mean, however, that Jesus excuses--or even condones--sin? Is He, in effect, telling the woman that what she did is no big deal after all, that all is automatically forgiven through the superabundant love of God? Definitely not! He says, rather, "Neither do I condemn you. <em>Go, and sin no more." </em>Indeed He does <em>not </em>condemn. It is rather <em>we </em>who condemn <em>ourselves </em>to eternal separation from God by our failure to sincerely repent of the multitudinous sins we have committed every day of our lives--whether by thought, word, deed, or desire. By rejecting the commandment of love, we reject God, thereby separating <em>ourselves </em>from true and eternal life in His heavenly Kingdom.<br />
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So while it is true that God's love is unconditional, His forgiveness is not. He forgives us our debts only to the extent that <em>we </em>forgive our debtors. And while He assures us that those who believe in Him will be granted eternal life, mere belief obviously isn't enough. For if we truly believe in Him, we will strive day and night to abide by His commandments--and above all, the commandment of love--for as it is written, even the devils believe... and tremble.<br />
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His desire for our salvation far exceeds our own. If it were other wise, we would strive and struggle unto the very end to increase whatever talents God has entrusted unto us. We would be diligent in prayer and every form of self-denial, ever seeking to acquire a genuine spirit of repentance, that through God's grace and mercy, we might be found worthy on that dreadful day of judgment to inherit those eternal good things God has in store for those who love Him.Archpriest Thomas Kulphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817236968749412695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792937110422435961.post-16789320560160041802017-09-11T16:31:00.001-07:002017-09-11T16:31:06.235-07:00THE MARRIAGE FEASTThe Marriage Feast in today's Gospel is an image of that eternal Kingdom of God, to which "many are called and few are chosen," prepared for those who love Him and abide by His commandments. According to this parable, the King (God the Father) "sent forth His servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding of His Son" (our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ<em>): and they would not come</em>. And indeed, "they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise." That is, they were so caught up in the affairs of this world that they failed to perceive those eternal good things God has in store for those endure unto the end the trials and tribulations of this earthly life for the sake of a better hope.<br />
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They were invited to the wedding--to enter into true and eternal life in God's heavenly Kingdom--yet they thoughtlessly <em>spurned </em> this gift, freely choosing instead to live their lives in bondage to the false and superficial goals and desires of this world. So it is that we ourselves are responsible for our ultimate destiny. We can either chose to accept God's gracious invitation to enter into the joy of eternal life and salvation, <em>or </em>we can willingly and voluntarily consign ourselves to a hell of our own making.<br />
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It is sure and certain that it is not God Who created hell, nor does He "send" us there as punishment for being "bad." When the King's servants were, in the end, sent forth into the highways, they "gathered together all as many as they found, <em>both bad and good." </em>Nowhere in the Holy Scriptures is it said that we are saved because we are "good," for indeed: "God desires not the death of the sinner, but rather that the sinner should turn from his way and live." It is, rather, through sincere repentance and a fervent desire to live our lives in accordance with God's commandments that we are made worthy to receive within ourselves the transforming grace of the Holy Spirit, that by dying to the false promises of this world, we might be made worthy to inherit our true destiny as sons and daughters of God.<br />
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So who is to blame if we find ourselves in the end cast into that place of outer darkness, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, because we would dare to enter the wedding feast without a wedding garment--that is, those virtues we are all called to acquire--above all, that humble and contrite heart which God does not despise? (According to Jewish custom, by the way, the wedding garment was provided for all guests as they entered, so there can be no excuse for not wearing it.) God <em>is </em>love, and so--if we truly desire in our hearts to be made worthy of His Kingdom, we must pray above all for humility, patience, the gift of love in our hearts--and all things needful for our eternal salvation in his heavenly Kingdom.Archpriest Thomas Kulphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817236968749412695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792937110422435961.post-22635616249806097362017-08-20T13:56:00.000-07:002017-08-20T13:56:42.763-07:00THAT YE LOVE ONE ANOTHER"Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto... a certain king, which would take account of his servants." In numerous occasions throughout the Gospels, in fact, our Lord likens the Kingdom to this, that, or the other. But why does he so often speak in parables, likening it to something else, rather than simply explaining to His listeners what the Kingdom actually <em>is? </em>It is because those good things God has in store for those who love Him and abide by His commandments belong to a realm so far beyond anything of which the human mind is capable of conceiving that it is only through a comparison with the things of this world that we can begin to grasp that ineffable reality that transcends even the most exalted philosophical construct that is rooted in our experience of this visible and transient world.<br />
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It is through the eyes of faith alone that we can begin to perceive beyond and beneath this phenomenal world of the five senses a realm of existence rooted not in time, but in eternity, unbounded by the limitations of space and time because it is permeated by the boundless and unconditional love of God. For truly, it seems to me (sinful and unclean though I am, mired in the mud of the passions) that the love of God (or rather, the God Who <em>is </em>love) is not only the foundation and ultimate goal of the entire created order, but also the only means we are given by which we might (by God's grace) cast aside the darkness of sin and despair and be made worthy in the end of that ineffable glory of eternal life in God's heavenly Kingdom. <br />
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But meanwhile, these heartfelt words of mine are... just words. Trials and tribulations abound for us all, for having been called forth from non-existence into being, we have been cast forth upon the sea of life, beset by the raging waves of the passions, often struggling merely to tread water amidst the tumultuous waves of this storm-tossed world.<br />
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Only, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God," Christ commands us, and all else that is necessary for us in this earthly life will be added unto us. Therefore, "Do not be anxious for tomorrow, for sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Indeed it is! As for the ultimate goal of our existence--true and eternal life in the Kingdom of God--this cannot be comprehended by words alone. It can only be <em>experienced --</em>in the here and now--through striving by every possible means to live our lives in accordance with the commandments of God. Above all, that we might abide by our Lord's first and foremost commandment, "That ye love one another." This much we can<em> surely </em>do, if we remember that God first loved us, having so loved the world that "He sent His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him" might enjoy the fullness of life in His eternal Kingdom. And so we are enjoined to love our enemies, to pray for those who persecute us, and to forgive those who have trespassed against us as we ourselves have been forgiven. Only then shall our fallen human nature be transfigured by the uncreated light of God's glory.<br />
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For if we struggle at all times during this earthly pilgrimage to keep this one simple command--that we "love one another"-- we are already close to the Kingdom--which is a Kingdom not of words and theological discourse, but rather of the power of God at work in a humble and contrite heart in which every egotistical thought and desire has been put to death, that having died with Christ in the waters of Baptism, we might be deemed worthy of resurrection to eternal life.Archpriest Thomas Kulphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817236968749412695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792937110422435961.post-80021822732330016922017-08-14T17:48:00.002-07:002017-08-14T17:48:46.845-07:00A GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED`While Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration with Peter, James, and John, the other disciples were approached by a man whose son "was lunatic, and sore vexed"--but the disciples were in nowise able to cast out the demon. At our Lord's rebuke, however, the demon "departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour." Afterwards, when the disciples came to Jesus and asked why they could not cast out the demon, He replied, "Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible to you." Now a mustard seed is indeed very tiny and seemingly of no significance, but I cannot help but wonder: do you and I, as 21st Century Christians, living in a secular, post-Christian society on the very brink of the Apocalypse have faith even in proportion to an amoeba? <br />
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Compared to the first Christians, fervent in faith and empowered by the grace of the Holy Spirit to work miracles and to endure for the sake of Christ persecutions, sufferings, and martyrdom itself--it would seem that we are a miserable lot indeed. It seems to me that we are, for the most part, Christians in name only, professing to believe--while hardly daring to venture beyond the limits of our comfort zone. If our prayers are for the most part feeble and ineffective, it is because we have failed to acquire that living faith through which it is possible to overcome every obstacle upon the path of salvation.<br />
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Such a faith truly is, you see, a gift of God... but it is certainly <em>not </em>a free gift. It is only given to those who struggle for virtue and persevere unto the end upon the path of salvation. Thus, our Lord assures his disciples that "this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." True it is that it is by faith we are saved, and not by the works of the Law. Nevertheless, it is an inconvertible truth that "faith without works is dead." Christ Himself assures us that "straight and narrow is the path" that leads to true and eternal life in His heavenly Kingdom. But let's face it: we contemporary Christians of the last and final generation are pampered and lazy, accustomed as we are to think that life in this fallen world should be easy and essentially pain free. The so-called "good life" is to acquire as many earthly goods as we can, and to strive to achieve a superficial happiness based upon the fulfillment of our own self-centered desires.<br />
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"For my yoke is easy and my burden is light," says our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But this is a promise only given to those who have taken up their cross of sacrificial suffering and followed Him, enduring unto the end the trials and tribulations of this earthly life, putting to death every egotistical thought and desire, that we might say with the Holy Apostle, that it is no longer I who live... but Christ liveth in me.Archpriest Thomas Kulphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817236968749412695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792937110422435961.post-63638362295913070792017-07-29T20:44:00.000-07:002017-07-29T20:44:16.939-07:00THE MIND OF THE CHURCH St. Paul writes to the Corinthians, "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." The same mind... that is to say, the Mind of the Church. There is, in fact, no place in the Church for "personal opinion"... so long as that opinion is in any way contrary to that Truth revealed by Christ, preached by the Holy Apostles, and sealed by the blood of the Martyrs.<br />
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As the Most Holy Trinity is one and undivided, so it is essential that we all should strive as members of Christ's Body--the Church--"to be perfectly joined together in the same mind and the same judgment." If, on the other hand, we pridefully insist upon our own personal opinion, we prove ourselves--having rent asunder the seamless robe of Christ-- to be of one mind with Arius, along with all those other heretics who were rightfully cast from the universal Church by the Holy Fathers of the Ecumenical Councils.<br />
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Nowadays, of course, to merely mention heresy is considered politically incorrect: decidedly judgmental and counter to that spirit of relativism that infects contemporary society. Admittedly, this term is too often used as a bludgeon against anyone who dares to deviate from that strict interpretation of the Faith that we ourselves fall short of fulfilling in our daily lives... rather like saying that a certain someone whose views do not align with our own political philosophy is "literally Hitler."<br />
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Having said this, however, it must be affirmed that heresy has been from the very beginning and remains to this day a real and present danger to the salvation of human souls. To deviate from the Mind of the Church--even though ever so slightly--can only lead to a profound spiritual blindness and bondage to those demonic powers of the air whose one and only purpose is to drag, by any means possible, our immortal souls into that place of outer darkness, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.<br />
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The Church of Christ--the Holy Orthodox Church--truly is the Ark of Salvation, the <em>only </em>place of refuge and safety in this storm tossed world. To depart from the teachings of the God-inspired Holy Fathers of the Church is the sure and certain means of courting spiritual shipwreck and disaster, thereby setting our souls upon a perilous path toward a self-chosen damnation in a hell of our own making. May our All-merciful God guard and preserve us from this danger--both now and at the moment of our soul's departure from this world.Archpriest Thomas Kulphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817236968749412695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792937110422435961.post-17067233969202073472017-07-08T14:16:00.001-07:002017-07-08T14:16:55.533-07:00EVEN THE DEMONS BELIEVE The Holy Apostle Paul assures the Ephesians, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Here he refers to that vast multitude of demonic hosts that inhabit the air around us, ever striving to corrupt our minds and hearts during the course of this earthly life, while obstructing the course of our path to the Throne of God at that dreadful moment when the soul departs from the body. <br />
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Nevertheless, it is evident from today's Gospel reading that the demons are, in a sense, but paper tigers. Though Satan has been given leave, according to the providence of God, to prowl the earth, like a ravening lion seeking whom he may devour, his rule is strictly limited to the time preceding the Final Judgment of God, and even so, it is subject to the supreme authority of Jesus Christ the Pantocrator. And so it is that the demons cry out to our Lord, "What have we to do with Thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come to torment us before the time?"<br />
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And so it is that even the demons are compelled to confess Christ. As St. James writes, "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." So it is that even the demons, while confessing Christ, require His permission to enter the swine, "and behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place, and perished in the waters." For truly Satan is a murderer from the beginning, and that very same destruction the demons wrought upon the swine, they would gladly accomplish upon the human race. Fortunately, though, the demons have not been granted the power to destroy a single human life. Through their wicked suggestions, they can surely incline us towards that dark path of destruction that leads to eternal damnation in a hell of our own making... but only if we freely and voluntarily submit ourselves to their authority.<br />
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Having been baptized into Christ, we Orthodox Christians have put on Christ, and therefore we have been given, through the Church, the armor of God and the weapons required that we might engage in that spiritual warfare to which we have been called. For while we should never underestimate the powers of evil arrayed against us, and while the demons are indeed fierce adversaries fully capable of striking abject fear into the hearts of the faithful, we must ever keep in mind St. Paul's injunction, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" For indeed, through the power of the most sacred and life-giving Cross, "we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us:" our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ.Archpriest Thomas Kulphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817236968749412695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792937110422435961.post-56652486798876681042017-07-06T12:41:00.000-07:002017-07-06T12:41:23.118-07:00THE WAGES OF SIN"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." In this passage in St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans, the Holy Apostle refers to that recompense which each and every soul born into this world is due to receive in the life to come, according to how he or she has labored in this earthly life: whether we have striven to acquire virtue and the gift of the Holy Spirit of God in our hearts, or else we have willfully aligned ourselves with Satan and his demonic hosts by indulging our sinful passions. The first path leads to eternal life in communion with God, while the second path leads to the spiritual death of our soul and eternal communion with the Spirit of Evil. It is for this reason that we pray in the Lord's Prayer, "Deliver us from the Evil One."<br />
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The surest way of attaining eternal life in God's heavenly Kingdom is through sincere and heartfelt repentance, combined with humility and a prayerful desire to acquire God's gift of love in our heart. If, by the grace of God, we are deemed worthy to patiently endure this struggle unto the end, it matters not if we have labored in the Lord's vineyard from the first hour or the eleventh: we shall receive the very same wages: eternal life and salvation in the Kingdom of our heavenly Father.<br />
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Truly it is given to every man to die once--and then to be judged according to how well we have invested those talents God has granted to us in this earthly life. Have we utilized wisely the time and resources allotted to us, or have we, like the Prodigal Son, foolishly squandered the good gifts of God? According to the unanimous consensus of the Church Fathers and the Holy Tradition of the Church, it has been revealed that in that very moment of death, when the soul is forcibly sundered from the body, we shall encounter not only our Guardian Angel, but a vast multitude of demons as well, intent on dragging our soul into the dark and dismal depths of Hades. As we rise through the air (the domain of the "principalities and powers," the demonic hosts who dwell in "high places") we shall be required to pass through a series of so-called "toll houses," each one devoted to a particular sin or passion--wherein we shall be detained by demons who accuse us of those various and sundry unconfessed sins we have committed during our sojourn on earth--whether in thought, word, deed, or desire. <br />
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It is true, as St. John the Theologian assures us, that "God is love," and therefore... He does not desire the death of a sinner, but rather that he should return from his way and live. It is an inconvertible truth, nevertheless, that if we have willfully separated ourselves from God in this life by participating with the demons in their evil works in rebellion against the Law of Love, then it is only natural that the spirits of darkness should be fully justified in claiming that which is rightfully theirs: our immortal souls. And so--having defaced the image of God within us--we shall be dragged into the depths of Hades, that place of outer darkness where there shall be weeping and the gnashing of teeth. And so we shall obtain the wages of sin: eternal death in a hell of our own making.<br />
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Let us make haste, therefore, while there is still time, before that dreadful day of reckoning overtakes us like a thief in the night, to live a life of repentance, humbly confessing our sins before God, casting aside the works of darkness while striving to clothe ourselves in the armor of light. Through the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos and all the saints, let us beseech our God to have mercy upon us, that in the hour of death, we might be delivered from the dreadful accusation of the demons and be found worthy of ascending to the Throne of God. Archpriest Thomas Kulphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817236968749412695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792937110422435961.post-40624098950608035572017-06-22T14:30:00.000-07:002017-06-22T14:30:34.199-07:00ALL SAINTS OF RUSSIAThe Holy Apostle Paul writes to the Romans, "For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified." And thus it is that only those who are actively <em>striving </em>to fulfill the two great commandments of the law--to love God with all one's heart, soul, and mind, and to love one's neighbor <em>as oneself--</em>can be accounted worthy of the gift of salvation and eternal life in God's heavenly Kingdom. It is, indeed, only by fulfilling in our everyday, practical lives that law of love which God has inscribed within the hearts of believers that we may hope to become partakers of the Divine Nature, inheritors of that eternal and unfading glory which God has in store for those who love Him and abide by His commandments. <br />
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But what <em>is </em>love?.... Our Lord Himself assures us that if we do really and truly love Him, we will keep His commandments. As St. John the Theologian writes in his gospel, God <em>is </em>love. And so it is that if we truly love God, we will be ever vigilant to keep His commandments of love, to do nothing that might in any way offend Him. And this is so not because we fear "breaking" the law and being "sentenced" to hell. Unlike Judaism, the Christian Faith is in no sense legalistic. It is, rather, a <em>relationship </em>we experience in and through the Church with a living Person: our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ, Who is the eternal Son of God and One of the Holy Trinity. Genuine love, however, is <em>not </em>an emotion, a warm and fuzzy feeling. It is, above all, a <em>commitment </em>to remain faithful to the object of our love, despite the consequences. And there is no greater love than the willingness to lay down one's life for the sake of the beloved--whether it be Jesus Christ Himself, or that spouse to whom we have committed ourselves in the Mystery of Marriage.<br />
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Today we commemorate the feast of All Saints of Russia, and indeed, innumerable are the vast array of saints who have shone forth in the Russian land, beacons of holiness for all Orthodox Christians throughout the inhabited world. It has always been somewhat of a quandary for me, however, to differentiate the saints of Russia from the totality of saints commemorated on the feast of All Saints. For truly, no nation on this earth has a monopoly on sanctity. Even the secularized, Masonically inspired land of America has produced a handful of saints. Nevertheless, I do firmly believe (though there are those who consider this to be a spurious claim) that Russian is (according to the ancient Chronicles) the Third Rome. The first Rome fell to the barbarians in the Fifth Century, while the Second Rome--Constantinople--fell to the Turks in 1453. Following this catastrophe, it was Russia alone who can claim the distinction of being the Third Rome... and we can rest assured that the shall never be a fourth. <br />
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It has therefore been given to Holy Rus to proclaim the final word to the world in these final times, before Christ returns to judge the living and the dead. Significant it seems to me is that a law currently pending within the Russian Duma would restore as the national anthem <em>God Save the Czar</em>, to replace the current, Soviet-inspired anthem. According to prophecy, the God-blessed monarchy will indeed be restored before the final revelation of the Antichrist, and at that time, our father among the saints Seraphim of Sarov will be resurrected in order to proclaim to all who have ears to hear the truth of the Orthodox Faith--that though sincere repentance, many of the faithful might be numbered among the elect--strengthened by God's grace to faithfully endure the manifold trials and temptations appointed for those Christians of the final days who are destined to endure unto the end, receiving crowns of glory in God's heavenly Kingdom.<br />
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You and I, dear friends in Christ, have not yet been called to endure with Christ the sacrificial suffering of the Cross. We have become soft, lulled into a potentially deadly sleep, paying lip service to the possibility of martyrdom, but not in the least comprehending what this would entail. But we can rest assured (as Father Seraphim of Platina assures us): that which began in Russia will end in America. The question is... are we truly prepared to endure those temptations and tribulations that we will undoubted face us in the days ahead? If the answer is no (as it surely is for most of us), then let us fervently beseech all the saints who have shone forth in the Russian land--that vast cloud of witnesses--that through their holy prayers we might endure unto the end those trials and tribulations God has appointed unto those who love Him.Archpriest Thomas Kulphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817236968749412695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792937110422435961.post-11012133286247301672017-05-24T13:03:00.000-07:002017-05-24T13:03:00.739-07:00THE LIGHT OF CHRISTThe Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, whom we commemorate today, proclaims: "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not tell the truth." And indeed, the whole goal of the Christian life is to purify our hearts and minds, that we might be enlightened--by the grace of God--with the light of Truth. We are called, therefore, to strive to overcome the sinful passions, that our spiritual eyes might be opened, that having been illumined by the grace of God, we might be delivered from the tyranny of the Prince of Darkness.<br />
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According to the first Book of Moses, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.... And darkness was upon the face of the deep.... And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. It is plain to see, therefore, that Light is the first and foundational principle of God's creative work. Take note, however, that this Light is revealed before the creation of the sun and moon. It is <em>not, </em>therefore, the material light we perceive with the physical eyes of our bodies. (Nor can it be, as some assert, the uncreated Light of God, but rather a <em>created</em> light that emanates from God and permeates the entire created order). <br />
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If we reference any concordance of the Scriptures, we will discover that the theme of light versus darkness runs like a golden thread throughout the divine Scriptures--both Old and New. The works and the powers of darkness, and the very Prince of Darkness himself--the Devil--are set in contrast and opposed to the Light of divine revelation granted unto the sons and daughters of light in the waters of Baptism. For it is only by receiving into ourselves the Light of Truth that we may hope to be delivered from the darkness of ignorance. "Ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free."<br />
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The eyes of the man born blind were opened when he did as Christ commanded and washed them in the pool of Siloam, but it was by means of the immaterial Light of God that he recognized Christ as the promised Messiah and the fulfillment of the long-awaited hopes of Israel. The Pharisees, on the other hand, saw clearly the light of the material world, but their spiritual eyes were utterly darkened by the passions of pride and vainglory.<br />
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Truly "the light of Christ illumines all," as the priest proclaims in the Presanctified Liturgy. But just as a man born blind cannot conceive of what darkness is, since he has no concept of light and therefore has no means of comprehending the contrast, nor can those who have willingly separated themselves from the love of God in Christ Jesus begin to comprehend the nature of that darkness into which they have unwittingly descended. For how can we "see" darkness if we have no concept of the light? It is only through God's gift of sincere and genuine repentance that we may be granted, by the grace of God, the illumination of our spiritual eyes and the salvation of our souls in God's eternal Kingdom.Archpriest Thomas Kulphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817236968749412695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792937110422435961.post-88030911534655374452017-05-13T20:53:00.000-07:002017-05-13T20:53:22.553-07:00THE GIFT OF GOD Having met the Samaritan Woman at Jacob's Well, our Lord makes a seemingly simple request: "Give me to drink." And had she merely complied with this request, who knows what might have happened? Of course Jesus--as the God-man--foreknew the course of events that must inevitably unfold. When the Samaritan Woman dared to question why He, a Jew, would deign to talk to a woman of the despised Samaritan race, He said to her, "If thou knewest the gift of God, and Who it was that sayest to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldst have asked of Him, and He would have given unto thee living water." Jesus was referring, of course, to the gift of the Holy Spirit--the Third Person of the Holy Trinity--but the Samaritan Woman--her mind darkened by the sinful passions that held her captive--could not see beyond the literal interpretation of His words. So Jesus clarifies: "Whoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again; but whoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst." And even then, her carnal mind can only conceive of his words in a literal sense. It is only when our Lord exposes her sinful way of life (she has had five husbands, and the man she is currently living with is <em>not </em>her husband) that the truth at last begins to dawn upon her.<br />
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In a flash of insight, the Samaritan Woman is given to understand that this is no ordinary man, nor merely a prophet: but rather the promised Messiah. Illumined by the light of truth, Photini (whose name means "light") sets forth to proclaim the dawning of that transcendent truth so long concealed beneath the types and shadows of the Law. What is significant is that she could only repent in the true sense of the word (turning 180 degrees from the darkness to the light) in that moment when she was forced to confront the truth concerning her sinful past. And once having repented, the scales fell from her eyes and she could perceive--beyond the superficial appearance of this earthly life--the possibility of <em>eternal </em>life and salvation. <br />
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So it is for all of us: it is only through the power of genuine repentance that we are enabled to break free from the shackles of ignorance and spiritual blindness, that we might pray from the depth of our heart to be vouchsafed the gift of God: the living water of the Holy Spirit. It is through repentance alone that we can come to a true knowledge of God: not merely by hearsay, but rather through first hand experience, having achieved through humility, patience, and self-denial an existential encounter with Christ. For truly to know Him is to love Him, and if our love is genuine and sincere, we will strive at all times and in all places to fulfill His commandments--above all the commandment to love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind, and our neighbor as our very own self. Only then may we hope to be granted the boldness to worship God "in spirit and in truth."Archpriest Thomas Kulphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817236968749412695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792937110422435961.post-78775254003245979652017-04-29T22:04:00.002-07:002017-04-29T22:04:40.892-07:00THE NOBLE JOSEPHToday is the Sunday of the Myrrhbearing Women--the first to bear witness to our Lord's rising on the third day. These three pious women--their hearts burdened by a depth of sorrow fully comprehensible only to the soul of a mother--were driven by a pure and selfless love to honor with due reverence the mortal remains of Jesus.<br />
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Having been touched by the poignant beauty of this scene, I confess that I have in the past paid scant attention to another hero of the faith also commemorated on this day: St. Joseph of Arimathea , "an honorable counselor, which also waited for the Kingdom of God," who "went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus."<br />
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Like the Myrrhbearers, he too was driven by love. While the Holy Apostles were hiding behind closed doors "for fear of the Jews," he dared to boldly request, in the full light of day, the body of Jesus. Then having been granted his request, he received into his trembling hands the immaculate and sinless body of our Lord and reverently wrapped Him in costly linen which he himself had purchased. (Unlike the traitor Judas, he did not count the cost). And so he placed the precious and incorruptible Body in a newly hewn rock sepulcher and rolled into place at the entrance a huge rock. This he did, it should be noted, though soon afterwards the Myrrhbearers would wonder among themselves, "Who shall roll away the stone?"<br />
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As it turned out, it was an angel of the Lord who finally unsealed the entrance... though even had the stone remained, the Lord Who created in the beginning the heavens and the earth could in no wise be constrained by the narrow confines of the tomb. He Who entered the upper room through closed doors cannot be bound to the normal so-called "laws of nature" that govern the universe He Himself brought forth into existence <em>ex nihilo--</em>out of nothing.<br />
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According to tradition, St. Joseph later evangelized Britain, taking with him the cup of the Mystical Supper (the Holy Grail), hiding it from profane eyes within a well in Glastonbury. And while the whole truth of these legends may be shrouded in mystery, the fact remains that the noble Joseph remains as a manly counterpoint to the Myrrhbearing Women: A brave and steadfast man of honor and integrity, who took <em>action </em>at this moment that he might ensure for our Lord a dignified burial and place of repose--that having descended into hades and freeing those captives held in bondage to the power of death, He might trample down death by death--arising victorious on the third day.<br />
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Archpriest Thomas Kulphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817236968749412695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3792937110422435961.post-41764009182482697392017-04-15T13:20:00.001-07:002017-04-15T13:20:49.446-07:00THE BLESSED SABBATHToday is the Blessed Sabbath, the day on which our Lord and Savior rested in the tomb following His salvific labors on behalf of all, and for all. Yet it is precisely within this suspended moment in time that the sorrow of Great and Holy Friday is <em>transformed </em>into joy. For while He rests bodily within the confined space of the tomb, His soul descends into Hades, where he tramples down death by death, raising fallen Adam and all the righteous men and women who died before His coming. It is this event that we see depicted in the icon of Pascha. The Resurrection itself--having occurred outside the bounds of time and space--cannot be depicted. It can only be experienced in the hearts of the faithful.<br />
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The Resurrection is indeed the <em>fulfillment </em>of Christ's redemptive work already accomplished on this day. Sunday is both the First Day and the Eight, because it is the image and reflection of eternity. It is rightfully celebrated by the Church as the Lord's Day, yet it is wrong to suggest--as do the sabbatarians--that the New Testament Church has ceased to honor the Sabbath. The seventh day remains the day of fulfillment: both of the pre-existent Christ's work of creation at the beginning of time, and--more significantly--of His sacrificial work of redemption through which the fallen human race is <em>re-created </em>and restored to Paradise.<br />
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It is imperative that we remember as well that just as the original creation was the result of the outpouring of the superabundant love of God, even so was Christ's sacrificial suffering upon the Cross the<em> ultimate </em>manifestation of that divine love that sustains and vivifies the entire order of creation. As St. John the Theologian assures us, <em>God is love, </em>and so it is impossible to become partakers of the Divine Nature and communicants of life eternal unless we ourselves abide in this love, ever striving to purify our hearts of every sinful passion and egotistic desire, that we may in the end prove ourselves worthy to behold Christ's glorious Resurrection on the third day.<br />
<br />Archpriest Thomas Kulphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817236968749412695noreply@blogger.com0