"For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body," says the Holy Apostle. What a dreadful thought! that by receiving Holy Communion carelessly--while not even attempting to cleanse our hearts of evil thoughts and desires--we eat and drink to our own condemnation.
Consider Judas, who was present at the Mystical Supper and dared to partake of our Lord's most precious Body and Blood even while he was plotting to betray Him. And so it behooves us all to examine ourselves carefully before approaching the holy chalice. We profess to love Christ, and like the Apostle Peter, we loudly proclaim that we would never betray Him. Yet are we not guilty time and again of betraying our Lord's love by our thoughts, words, deeds and actions?
Truly none of us are worthy to partake of our Lord's most precious Body and Blood. Nevertheless, if we sincerely repent of our sins and strive to purify our hearts of those sinful passions that separate us from God, He can make us worthy. Even Judas--though he betrayed our Lord for thirty pieces of silver--could have been saved, had he truly repented and humbly beseeched our Lord for forgiveness. Instead, he fell into despair--the unforgiveable sin--and hung himself, thereby condemning his wretched soul to hell.
Truly this is why the repentant harlots and publicans enter the Kingdom, while the self-righteous Pharisees are left outside in that place of darkness "where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Indeed... it is not the multitude of our sins that condemn us, but rather our failure to repent.
Friday, April 25, 2014
Monday, April 14, 2014
ON THE TRAGEDY OF DEATH
"Jesus sayeth unto [Martha], I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." Jesus knew from the first that he would raise Lazarus from the dead--which is why He waited two days before going to Bethany--that the glory of God might be fully revealed. For who could imagine that a putrefying corpse already four days dead could be brought back to life?
Even so, this is the only place in the Gospels where it is recorded that "Jesus wept." But why did He weep if He knew full well the mighty miracle He was about to accomplish? Jesus wept--according to His human nature--over the tragedy of death, which was--and remains to this day--the root cause of all the suffering and violence in this fallen world. Lazarus, after all--unlike the Most Holy Theotokos--was not raised in a glorified body that would live forever. Though our Lord truly has "trampled down death by death," the tragedy of death overshadows our entire earthly life, from cradle to grave, and shall continue to do so until the final consummation at the end of time.
Our sojourn in this fallen world is indeed bittersweet: the stark reality of death and corruption is interwoven with the bright rays of Christ's resurrection and the promise of eternal life in His heavenly Kingdom, "where there shall be neither sickness nor sorrow, nor any more sighing, but life everlasting." The only hope for salvation from this "body of death" is in and through our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, who assures us, "whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die."
Even so, this is the only place in the Gospels where it is recorded that "Jesus wept." But why did He weep if He knew full well the mighty miracle He was about to accomplish? Jesus wept--according to His human nature--over the tragedy of death, which was--and remains to this day--the root cause of all the suffering and violence in this fallen world. Lazarus, after all--unlike the Most Holy Theotokos--was not raised in a glorified body that would live forever. Though our Lord truly has "trampled down death by death," the tragedy of death overshadows our entire earthly life, from cradle to grave, and shall continue to do so until the final consummation at the end of time.
Our sojourn in this fallen world is indeed bittersweet: the stark reality of death and corruption is interwoven with the bright rays of Christ's resurrection and the promise of eternal life in His heavenly Kingdom, "where there shall be neither sickness nor sorrow, nor any more sighing, but life everlasting." The only hope for salvation from this "body of death" is in and through our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, who assures us, "whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die."
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
"YOU KNOW NOT WHAT YOU ASK...."
The Holy Apostles James and John approach our Lord with the bold request: "Master, we would that Thou shouldst do for us whatsoever we desire." Specifically, what they desire is to be granted the honor of sitting at the right and left hand of Christ when He comes in His glory. Jesus replies, "You know not what you ask." How true...for all of us! Are we not often likewise guilty of expecting God to cater to our personal will and desires, while we only pretend to seek the will of God in our lives?
Because--let's face it--that which God wills for the sake of out salvation may be a bitter pill to swallow. What Our Lord asks us to do is to take upon our shoulders His Cross of sacrificial suffering and self-denial, but this is an inconvenient truth we would sooner forget.
Oh, sure...it is easy enough to pay lip service to the Gospel commandments, but when push comes to shove, it is so much easier to deceive ourselves into thinking that our self-centered and egotistic desires somehow reflect the will of God.
The bottom line is, the will of God is always and everywhere the same: that we come to the knowledge of the Truth and be saved. This can only happen, though, when we cease to exist as self-centered egos. Only then can our hearts be filled with His abundant love. But of course this is a slow and painful process, not something most of us can achieve overnight. And so it is tempting to give up even trying, to allow ourselves to fall into a state of denial and complacency, figuring that our feeble efforts to follow external rules will be enough to carry us over into the Kingdom.
But salvation is so much more than a legal pardon from God for whatever sins we have committed. Simply put, it is our union and communion with the living God of Love, in Whom and through Whom we shall be transformed--if we are willing--into children of Light and citizens of His heavenly Kingdom.
Because--let's face it--that which God wills for the sake of out salvation may be a bitter pill to swallow. What Our Lord asks us to do is to take upon our shoulders His Cross of sacrificial suffering and self-denial, but this is an inconvenient truth we would sooner forget.
Oh, sure...it is easy enough to pay lip service to the Gospel commandments, but when push comes to shove, it is so much easier to deceive ourselves into thinking that our self-centered and egotistic desires somehow reflect the will of God.
The bottom line is, the will of God is always and everywhere the same: that we come to the knowledge of the Truth and be saved. This can only happen, though, when we cease to exist as self-centered egos. Only then can our hearts be filled with His abundant love. But of course this is a slow and painful process, not something most of us can achieve overnight. And so it is tempting to give up even trying, to allow ourselves to fall into a state of denial and complacency, figuring that our feeble efforts to follow external rules will be enough to carry us over into the Kingdom.
But salvation is so much more than a legal pardon from God for whatever sins we have committed. Simply put, it is our union and communion with the living God of Love, in Whom and through Whom we shall be transformed--if we are willing--into children of Light and citizens of His heavenly Kingdom.
Friday, April 4, 2014
AWAKE THOU THAT SLEEPETH!
St. Paul writes to the Ephesians, "Awake thou that sleepeth, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee the light. See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Indeed, the days are evil. According to Holy Writ, one of the signs that the End is drawing near is that the love of many shall grow cold--and it is, I believe, abundantly clear that this prophecy is already coming to pass. I do not intend, however, to pass judgment on the vast number of cold and indifferent unbelievers (whether in or outside the Church) "out there" in the world.
If we truly desire to understand what's wrong with this crazy, topsy turvy world, let us begin (if we dare) by turning inward and examining our own hearts, to determine whether or not there remains there even a shred of that fervent love of God that is absolutely essential for anyone who desires salvation in God's eternal Kingdom.
But in order to plumb the depth of the barren wasteland of our own souls, we must first awaken from our deadly slumber of complacency and worldly attachments, beseeching God to enlighten our spiritual eyes--before it's too late. We must redeem the time God has so graciously allotted us that we might work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, because once the curtain is drawn, there can be no second chance.
It would, of course, be easier in the short term to sleep and dream our lives away, because once we awaken, we must face the harsh light of a new day, admitting that we have indeed wandered far from the divinely appointed path of salvation. Like the father of the demoniac in the Gospel, we lack that saving faith that can move the mountain of our own pride and egotism and cast it into the sea, but we can, at least, pray "Lord, I believe...help thou my unbelief."
And if, by chance, we are truly sincere in our desire to be released from the shackles of delusion and despair and a world in bondage to the demons, God will indeed enlighten our souls, granting to us the gift of love and life eternal in His heavenly Kingdom.
If we truly desire to understand what's wrong with this crazy, topsy turvy world, let us begin (if we dare) by turning inward and examining our own hearts, to determine whether or not there remains there even a shred of that fervent love of God that is absolutely essential for anyone who desires salvation in God's eternal Kingdom.
But in order to plumb the depth of the barren wasteland of our own souls, we must first awaken from our deadly slumber of complacency and worldly attachments, beseeching God to enlighten our spiritual eyes--before it's too late. We must redeem the time God has so graciously allotted us that we might work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, because once the curtain is drawn, there can be no second chance.
It would, of course, be easier in the short term to sleep and dream our lives away, because once we awaken, we must face the harsh light of a new day, admitting that we have indeed wandered far from the divinely appointed path of salvation. Like the father of the demoniac in the Gospel, we lack that saving faith that can move the mountain of our own pride and egotism and cast it into the sea, but we can, at least, pray "Lord, I believe...help thou my unbelief."
And if, by chance, we are truly sincere in our desire to be released from the shackles of delusion and despair and a world in bondage to the demons, God will indeed enlighten our souls, granting to us the gift of love and life eternal in His heavenly Kingdom.
Monday, March 24, 2014
SUNDAY OF THE CROSS
Today we arrive at the crux of our Christian Faith: the Cross of our Lord, God and savior Jesus Christ. (Crux is, indeed, the Latin word for Cross). For if we were to eliminate the Cross (as, for example, do the Jehovah's Witnesses, who refer to it as the "torture stake"), then our Faith would be simply one more vain philosophy among the many that have arisen over the course of the ages: serving, perhaps, as a helpful guide for those seeking happiness in this world, but having no power to transform our fallen human natures.
Our Lord Himself shows us the way, though of course He would never impose His will on anyone, having granted to us all the gift (or according to Dostoyevski's Grand Inquisitor, the insupportable burden) of freewill. He merely suggests, if anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross...and follow Me.
So, what it comes down to in the end is that we must deny our selves--which goes radically beyond what we usually think of as "self-denial"--as when we deny ourselves that second piece of chocolate we would so much enjoy. Rather, we are called upon to deny completely each and every claim of that false ego that has supplanted the place of Christ in our hearts. We must, in a very real sense, cease to exist (which is what my fictional character Angel finally succeeds in doing in my novel Many Mansions).
Because it is only when we cease to exist as self-centered egos that we are truly free to follow Christ and Him alone, to joyfully take up our own cross of sacrificial love and suffering and to follow Him. Only then can we say with the holy apostle St. Paul, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ liveth in me," because it is the Cross that crosses out the I, so that henceforth we live not for ourselves, but for Christ alone, serving His image revealed to us in our neighbor.
The fact is, the more we strive to save our self-centered lives in this fallen world, the more we shall lose our true identity in God. Only if we are willing to take the plunge--to set aside our false egos that we might immerse ourselves totally in the love of God--only then shall we be granted the gift of eternal life in His heavenly Kingdom. This, indeed, is the ultimate sacrifice, and every fiber of our fallen selves will rise up in protest if we choose this path. But if we persevere unto the end, the grace of God will surely sustain us, and we shall discover that the yoke of Christ is indeed easy and His burden light.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The miracle working Kursk Root icon will be visiting this parish (the Nativity of St. John the Baptist in Blue River, WI) on the Monday of Holy Week. Further details will be forthcoming.
Our Lord Himself shows us the way, though of course He would never impose His will on anyone, having granted to us all the gift (or according to Dostoyevski's Grand Inquisitor, the insupportable burden) of freewill. He merely suggests, if anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross...and follow Me.
So, what it comes down to in the end is that we must deny our selves--which goes radically beyond what we usually think of as "self-denial"--as when we deny ourselves that second piece of chocolate we would so much enjoy. Rather, we are called upon to deny completely each and every claim of that false ego that has supplanted the place of Christ in our hearts. We must, in a very real sense, cease to exist (which is what my fictional character Angel finally succeeds in doing in my novel Many Mansions).
Because it is only when we cease to exist as self-centered egos that we are truly free to follow Christ and Him alone, to joyfully take up our own cross of sacrificial love and suffering and to follow Him. Only then can we say with the holy apostle St. Paul, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ liveth in me," because it is the Cross that crosses out the I, so that henceforth we live not for ourselves, but for Christ alone, serving His image revealed to us in our neighbor.
The fact is, the more we strive to save our self-centered lives in this fallen world, the more we shall lose our true identity in God. Only if we are willing to take the plunge--to set aside our false egos that we might immerse ourselves totally in the love of God--only then shall we be granted the gift of eternal life in His heavenly Kingdom. This, indeed, is the ultimate sacrifice, and every fiber of our fallen selves will rise up in protest if we choose this path. But if we persevere unto the end, the grace of God will surely sustain us, and we shall discover that the yoke of Christ is indeed easy and His burden light.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The miracle working Kursk Root icon will be visiting this parish (the Nativity of St. John the Baptist in Blue River, WI) on the Monday of Holy Week. Further details will be forthcoming.
Friday, March 14, 2014
THE SUNDAY OF ORTHODOXY
"And Nathaniel said unto him, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, come and see." Today we commemorate the victory of the Orthodox over the heretical Iconoclasts, who condemned as idolatrous all images of Christ and His saints. By so doing, however, they denied the whole basis of our holy Orthodox Faith and the very means of our salvation: the Incarnation of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ.
Thus unto our own day, our icons are a stumbling block to many (especially Protestants) who would otherwise embrace the fullness of Truth revealed in the one, true, apostolic Faith of the Orthodox Church. But the fact is, those who refuse to venerate the icons have already placed themselves outside the Ark of Salvation.
To deny the veneration of the icons is to deny that Christ really and truly became man, taking on our flesh from the pure blood of the Virgin. As the Holy Fathers confess, That which is not assumed cannot be saved. And if our Lord truly did assume our human form, then it is not only possible but indeed laudatory to depict and venerate His image, as well as all those saints that have become vessels of His grace. We do not, of course, honor the paint and wood of the material icon, but rather the prototype that is represented. Thus an icon becomes a "window to heaven" and a channel through which God bestows upon us His sanctifying grace.
Thus unto our own day, our icons are a stumbling block to many (especially Protestants) who would otherwise embrace the fullness of Truth revealed in the one, true, apostolic Faith of the Orthodox Church. But the fact is, those who refuse to venerate the icons have already placed themselves outside the Ark of Salvation.
To deny the veneration of the icons is to deny that Christ really and truly became man, taking on our flesh from the pure blood of the Virgin. As the Holy Fathers confess, That which is not assumed cannot be saved. And if our Lord truly did assume our human form, then it is not only possible but indeed laudatory to depict and venerate His image, as well as all those saints that have become vessels of His grace. We do not, of course, honor the paint and wood of the material icon, but rather the prototype that is represented. Thus an icon becomes a "window to heaven" and a channel through which God bestows upon us His sanctifying grace.
Friday, March 7, 2014
FORGIVENESS SUNDAY
Have you ever said or thought, "I don't know how I can ever forgive that person...after what he (or she) has done (or said) to me...? How frightening! Considering the countless times we ourselves have offended God...yet He never ceases to forgive us! It is only necessary that we acknowledge our sins and sincerely repent. Just consider: our Lord prayed "Forgive them, for they know not what they do"--even as he suffered an agonizing death on the Cross.
Yet we--wretched sinners that we are--find it so hard to forgive others for their petty offences against us, and we dare to ask, how can I ever forgive them? The answer--as the Beatles famously sung--"It's easy....All it takes is love!" And herein lies the crux of the matter: our failure to forgive is fully explained by our failure to love. Because if we were truly striving day and night to acquire the love of God in our hearts, forgiveness would be as natural to us as breathing.
Truly love covers a multitude of sins: not only our own sins in the eyes of God, but also the sins (real or imagined) of those who have supposedly offended against us. The only thing that stands in the way of acquiring this love is our deep-seated pride, which hardens our hearts and renders them impervious to the indwelling grace of God. May this Lenten Season be for all of us an occasion to strive and struggle to acquire the grace of God, that our stony hearts might be softened by His gift of love.
Yet we--wretched sinners that we are--find it so hard to forgive others for their petty offences against us, and we dare to ask, how can I ever forgive them? The answer--as the Beatles famously sung--"It's easy....All it takes is love!" And herein lies the crux of the matter: our failure to forgive is fully explained by our failure to love. Because if we were truly striving day and night to acquire the love of God in our hearts, forgiveness would be as natural to us as breathing.
Truly love covers a multitude of sins: not only our own sins in the eyes of God, but also the sins (real or imagined) of those who have supposedly offended against us. The only thing that stands in the way of acquiring this love is our deep-seated pride, which hardens our hearts and renders them impervious to the indwelling grace of God. May this Lenten Season be for all of us an occasion to strive and struggle to acquire the grace of God, that our stony hearts might be softened by His gift of love.
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