Holy Apostle Andrew

1 Corinthians 4:9-12 (11/30) Epistle for the Feast of the Holy
First-Called Apostle Andrew
Apostolic Imitation: 1 Corinthians 4:9-16, especially vss. 15, 16: "For
though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not
have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the
Gospel. Therefore I urge you, imitate me."
The long-standing practice of Orthodox Christianity passes on the Faith
principally through elders and spiritual fathers. Transmitting the
Gospel has never been so much at the level of ideas, but by what Father
Alexander Schmemann calls "supra-individual...ecclesial and
eschatological" experience.
From Kiev this counsel of a father to a son: "In the city where you are
living...seek a God-fearing man - and serve him with all your strength.
Having found such a man you need grieve no more; you have found the key
to the Kingdom of Heaven; adhere to him with soul and body; observe his
life, his walking, sitting, looking, eating....first of all....keep his
words."
The present reading reveals such Apostolic beginnings in Orthodox
Tradition. The Apostle calls on his disciples at Corinth to follow the
spectacle of his living (vss. 9-13). Then he points to his special
relationship with them as a father rather than as an instructor (vs.
15). It is from this personal, discipling relationship that he bids
them, imitate me (vs. 16).
Rather than examine the dramatic details of the Apostle Paul's life,
turn your attention to Saint Paul relationship as a father to the
Christians at Corinth. He defines fathering by contrasting it to
teaching. In the Church there are tens of thousands of instructors in
Christ, but Saint Paul points to his relationship with them was as a
father (vs. 15). In chapter eighteen of Acts, there is a brief account
of his founding work with the Corinthians (Acts 18:1-18), which
illumines this distinction between teachers of the Faith and spiritual
fathers.
When the Apostle Paul first arrived in Corinth, he became acquainted
with a couple, Aquila and Priscilla, fellow Jews and recent deportees
from the city of Rome (Acts 18:2). The three discovered that they shared
a common trade, and so established themselves as tent-makers (Acts
18:3). At the same time Saint Paul made himself known at the local
Synagogue as an expositor of the Scriptures, both with Jews and with
interested Greeks. Significantly, at first, he did not directly testify
"...that Jesus is the Christ...", the Messiah (Acts 18:4,5); but, by the
time his Apostolic companions arrived, he was beginning to feel
constrained to do so (Acts 18:5).
When he did witness to Jesus, opposition swiftly developed and he
withdrew from the Synagogue to devote himself to the Gentiles (Acts
18:6). Saint Paul then worked with a group who "...believed on the
Lord..." and many were baptized (Acts 18:7-8). In a vision, the Lord
Jesus also encouraged Paul to continue his witnessing (Acts 18:9-10). Do
you see that at first he began by teaching and that only later he began
witnessing to the living Lord Whom he knew?
In the Tradition, we have seen the requirement that one must "...join a
God fearing man..." to receive consolation from the Lord. Teaching about
the Faith is not the same as discipling, a distinction the Lord Himself
makes in His Great Commission: "Go therefore, and make disciples of all
the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit, [then] teaching them to observe all things that I
have commanded you..." (Mt. 28:19,20).
Teaching is necessary, but discipling is essential. Ultimately one is
"...begotten...through the gospel" (1 Cor. 4:15). Teaching surely must
precede, then accompany, but also follow discipling; yet fathering,
which begets, must have greater weight in each disciple's life so that
all rational learning about the Faith is formed within. Orthodox
disciples mature as they imitate the living substance of their fathers
in God, rather than as they learn many facts from their teachers.
O Lord, help me to imitate those who know Thee, that I may be made
worthy of Thee.

DYNAMIS, Godly Successors, December 15, 2009, Hieromartyr Eleutherios of Illyria

__________________________________________________________________________________________
2 Timothy 1:1-18 (12/15) Epistle, Feast of Eleutherios of Illyria:
Patronal Day, Diocese of Wichita

Godly Successors: 2 Timothy 1:1-18, especially vss. 8, 9: "...share with
me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who
has saved us and called...according to His own purpose...."

The Hieromartyr Eleutherios, Bishop of Illyria, is described in the
Church's hymnody as a "...high priest...a Martyr unsubdued for Him Who
bare the Passion for all of us..." and "...a contender for sacred fame."
To celebrate his feast is to remember thankfully, all our Bishops and
Priests who strive faithfully to maintain the Gospel received from the
Apostles. These are men like Saint Timothy, who must be reckoned as
beloved Apostolic sons (vs. 2).
Certainly the Apostles themselves, standing next to Christ in the
heavenly realms, remember these clergy in their "...prayers night and
day..." (vs. 3) as should all of us regularly.

For one thing, many of these clergy, and thankfully most and the best of
them, surely are men of tears (vs. 4). For they weep with us their
people in our sufferings, at our weaknesses, and for us in our moments
of triumph in struggling to live out the Faith well and commendably.

There always has been critical finger-pointing at the Church because of
those among us who appear at or serve the Liturgy but who do not seem to
live the faith with integrity. Can we do anything less than rejoice for
our clergy who consistently evince "...genuine faith..." (vs. 5)!?

No doubt the reason for invariable evidence of faith among many clergy
lies in the fact that they have "...the gift of God...in [them] through
the laying on of...hands" (vs. 6). In the Mystery of Ordination, always
there is the recognition that "...grace divine...always healeth that
which is infirm and completeth that which is wanting...through the
laying-on of hands...."

Hence, if you are Orthodox and have not been blessed by the
"...spirit...of power and of love and of a sound mind" (vs. 7) through
the ministry of one of our clergy, you are an exception among us, for so
many of our Priests and Bishops are truly spirit-filled, godly men.

One of the watershed markers that identifies those clergy who stand in
the place of the Apostles is their unhesitating willingness to "...share
with [the Apostles] in the sufferings for the gospel according to the
power of God..." (vs. 8). Without hesitation, they speak up for the
truth of our Faith no matter the personal cost to themselves. When
others falter; they do not.

These men are marked by the attention they pay to words - their speech
and the words of others. They know that words have great power, so they
"Hold fast the pattern of sound words which [they] have heard from [the
Apostles], in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus" (vs. 13). They
speak not to punish and flail with words, but to heal and speak the
truth in love.

Following the advice of the Apostle Paul to Timothy, godly clergy keep
that good thing that was committed to them, by the Holy Spirit who
dwells in them (see vs. 14). They are able to do this only because they
have ministries grounded in earnest, disciplined prayer.

To cap off all this evidence we already have examined concerning clergy
who are evident, godly successors of the Apostles, consider what Saint
Paul says of his fellow worker, Onesiphorus: "...he often refreshed
me..." (vs. 16); and so do the good men who minister to us. "...he
sought me out very zealously and found me" (vs. 17). Realize that the
Apostle Paul was in prison awaiting trial on life-or-death charges, and
Onesiphorus did not hide or delay to protect himself, but sought out the
Saint in his difficulties. The mark of a consecrated man is to put
himself on the line, and it should be true of all of us. At Ephesus,
Onesiphorus ministered to Saint Paul in "...many ways..." (vs. 18). True
Pastors find many ways to bring life and light to people. That is the
blessing of being an Orthodox Christian - we have so many clergy like this.

Remember in mercy, O Lord, those who are kind to us and minister unto us.

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Saint for our times - Patriarch Pavle of Servia

Patriarch Pavle of Serbia Reposed in the Lord

By Yuri Maksimov

I have never personally seen Patriarch Pavle, although I have heard about him for a long time. I first visited Serbia in fall 2006. I very much wanted to see His Holiness, especially because, from what I knew, he was normally completely accessible. It was not that I expected to have an audience, but I hoped simply to look with my own eyes at a holy man of our time and receive his blessing, and this alone would be a joy. But this did not happen. In the fall of 2006 his health worsened, and in my later visits it grew still worse. I was clearly unworthy of seeing His Holiness, Pavle.

While in Serbia I heard many remarkable stories about him from trustworthy people, which I would like to share. His Holiness, Patriarch Pavle, is a unique phenomenon for our times; therefore, of course, it would be pointless to make him the measure for other patriarchs, just as it would be, for example, to make St Philaret the Merciful or St Alexei the Man of God the measure for the majority of contemporary laypeople. Everyone has his own standard and his own kind of podvig. It seems to me that one should simply rejoice that in our lifetime such a person was and is in the Orthodox Church.

It is well known that the Serbian Patriarch, even when taking up his high-ranking position, continued his ascetic podvigs and strove to live modestly – although for him this was all quite natural, without any deliberate affectation. He went around town by foot or took regular public transportation, among the throngs of people, was not acquisitive, and ate as little as the ancient desert fathers – simply because that was the way he was.

Mrs Jana Todorovic told me a story that concerned her sister. She was at a reception at the Patriarch’s for some reason. Discussing business, she happened to look at the Patriarch’s feet and was shocked at the sight of his shoes: they were old, had been torn and then repaired. The woman thought: “How shameful for us Serbs, that our Patriarch has to go around in broken shoes; couldn’t somehow give him some new shoes?” The Patriarch said joyfully: “Look at what good shoes I have! I found them near the garbage cans when I went to the patriarchate. Someone had thrown them away, but they are real leather. I darned them a little bit and, look, they can still serve a long time.”

Another story is connected with these same boots. A certain woman came to the patriarchate with the request to speak with the Patriarch concerning an urgent matter, about which she needed to speak with him personally. This request was unusual and she was not immediately admitted, but the visitor’s persistence bore fruit, and an audience took place. Seeing the Patriarch, the woman said with great excitement that that night she had dreamed of the Theotokos, who told her to take money to the Patriarch so that he could buy himself new shoes. Saying this, the visitor took out an envelope full of money. Patriarch Pavle, not taking the envelope, responded affectionately: “At what time did you lay down to sleep?” The woman, surprised, asked: “Well… around eleven.” “You know, I lay down later, around four in the morning,” the Patriarch responded, “and I also dreamed of the Theotokos, who asked me to tell you to take the money and give it to those who really need it.” He did not take the money.

Once, approaching the patriarchate building, His Holiness, Pavle, noticed many cars near the entrance and became interested in whose they were. He was told that these cars belonged to bishops. To this the Patriarch replied with a smile: “If they, who know the Savior’s commandment about unacquisitiveness, have such cars, just imagine what kind of cars they would have if there this commandment did not exist!”

Once the Patriarch was flying somewhere on a visit. While they were flying over the sea the airplane went into a zone of turbulence and began to shake. A young bishop who was sitting next to the Patriarch asked what he would think if the airplane were to fall. His Holiness, Pavle, replied calmly: “With regard to myself personally, I would take this as an act of justice: I’ve eaten so many fish in my life that it would be no surprise if they were to eat me now.”

It would not be a bad idea to cite a passage from a conversation between Nikolai Kokukhin and Deacon Neboisha Topolic:

“By God’s mercy we have such a spiritual pastor as His Holiness, Patriarch Pavle… He leads an ascetic life and is a living example of an evangelical pastor. He lives in Christ in the full sense of this word… As an Orthodox monk he fasts, that is, does not eat meat, and keeps a very strict fast on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays… He serves the Liturgy every morning in a small chapel in the building of the patriarchate. There is no choir there, and only parishioners sing…

“He vests himself before the service and unvests after the service, he Confesses and Communes parishioners himself. He has worn the same riasa and cassock from the time of his tonsure to the angelic order (and this was fifty years ago). He does not replace them. He washes, irons, and mends them himself. He prepares his own food. Once he told me that he had made himself a pair of good boots out of women’s boots. He has all the instruments for fixing boots; he himself can fix any shoes. He frequently serves in different churches, and when he sees that a priest has a torn riasa or phelonion, he says to him: ‘Bring it, and I’ll fix it’… Being around such a person is a great benefit for the education of the soul, for spiritual growth.”

For all this, Patriarch Pavle is a doctor of theology (he received this before becoming Patriarch), and is the author of several books: a monograph on the monastery of St Joannicius of Devich and the three-volume To Clarify Certain Questions of Faith, several selections of which have recently appeared in Russian translation.

Patriarch Pavle has repeatedly requested to be retired for reasons of health, but the last Council of Bishops decided that he will remain the spiritual head of the Serbian Church until his very death. Patriarch Pavle was very close to the people, and the people loved him very much. He is a unique figure even for the Serbian Church and the next Patriarch, of course, will be different.

By Predrag Miodrag

He is very accessible. When his sister was alive he frequently walked to her house by foot. He in general like to go about by foot, without an escort. Anyone can approach him and speak with him. He receives visitors every day at his residence. People go to him with their needs and their small questions, and he finds a comforting word of consolation for each of them.

He gets up very early and, when everyone is still sleeping, he serves the Liturgy, praying for the entire Serbian people. All Serbia is in his heart. He is small in stature, but great in spirit. He has thin fingers, but when he forms these fingers into the sign of the cross legions of demons flee; he wears thin cotton vestments, but beneath these vestments is hidden the soul of a brave warrior. The people say: “This is our angel, who protects and defends us.”

DYNAMIS, Do Good Works, December 14, 2009, Monday of the 18th Week APe

 

__________________________________________________________
2 Timothy 2:20-26 (12/14)
Epistle for Monday of the Twenty-Eight Week after Pentecost

Servants of Honor I ~ Do Good Works: 2 Timothy 2:20-26, especially vs.
21: "Therefore if anyone cleanses himself...he will be a vessel for
honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good
work."

We are approaching the Nativity of Christ Himself. Remember that this
Letter to Timothy from Saint Paul is instruction from the Lord's own
Apostle directed to an entry-level servant - another worker like you and
me. The Apostolic writer and all believers are servants of the Master -
our only God and Savior. So, read with healthy attention, appropriate
to a servant. And be open to instruction from one of the Master's
finest trainers, to become a servant of honor. For surely you and I
labor "...in a great house..." (vs. 20) with the prospect that we may
each become a blessed vessel for honor (see vs. 21).

Saint Paul teaches us to cleanse ourselves (vs. 21), for until we
determine truly to be purified we will not be useful to the Master for
good works. Cleansing is the primary effort that precedes being
"...prepared for every good work" (vs. 21). It is the basic regimen of
all entry-level servants. And note that cleansing efforts have both
negative and positive aspects, both of which must be carried out
simultaneously: fleeing from "...youthful lusts..." and pursuing
"...righteousness, faith, love, peace...out of a pure heart" (vs. 22).

First, then, be sure to understand rightly what it means to flee from
"...youthful lusts..." (vs. 22). The Holy Fathers of Orthodoxy learned
from Saint Paul and from spiritual struggle to understand lust, or
epithymia, as strong desire arising from the soul. Gregory of Sinai
points out that "The soul by virtue of its creation as a
deiform...entity possesses an intrinsic power of desire and an intrinsic
incessive power, and these lead it to manifest both courage and divine
love." However, he points out, "...the soul has acquired the qualities
of the passions or, rather, of the demons; and the powers of the body
and the soul have...produced a single animal driven impulsively by anger
and desire." So we are able to find in ourselves: uncleanness,
licentiousness, love of material things, and desire for glory, gold,
wealth, and the pleasures of the flesh. Do we know the upwellings of
lust for such things in ourselves?

Indeed, who is free from every trace of unlawful desires? which brings
us to fleeing from lusts after every kind of thing - more than are even
mentioned by Saint Gregory. So, fleeing is where we begin cleansing
ourselves. Thus let us pray and fast, and the Holy Spirit will identify
our most troublesome sins, and strengthen us to flee (see vs. 22) - a
most appropriate term, for it suggests earnestly running from the first
sight or hint of sinful desires as they awaken within.
The Apostle includes two other activities along with fleeing that make
up cleansing (vs. 21): avoiding "...foolish and ignorant disputes..."
(vs. 23) so as not to quarrel (vs. 24). And, we must seek from God the
gift of repentance (vs. 25). Saint Paul places greatest emphasis on
this latter - attained by all-important striving to change the heart.
By repentance alone will we "...know the truth, and...come to [our]
senses and escape the snare of the devil..." (vss. 25,26).

Do you see how the Apostle couples cleansing from sin with pursuing
virtues in life (vs. 22)? The two activities must be carried on
together, which is why he interweaves them as he teaches. Hence, Saint
Thalassios says, "Strive to love every man equally, and you will
simultaneously expel all the passions." Pursuing virtues, as the
Apostle suggests, is an active, purposeful acquisition of righteousness,
faith, love, and peace. These are good works to be done. Saint Paul
mentions other positive activities that must be included in the overall
pursuit of righteousness: one must be gentle to all, understanding, and
patient (vs. 24), correcting in humility (vs. 25). These good works are
proven aids in attaining honor as servants.

O Christ, keep us ever as warriors invincible, and make us victors even
unto the end.

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DYNAMIS, Stand Firm, December 13, 2009, The Twenty Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

 

__________________________________________________________
Ephesians 6:10-17 (12/13)
Epistle for the Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

Stand Firm: Ephesians 6:10-17, especially vs. 10: "Finally, my brethren,
be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might."

Three times in this passage, the translators use the word stand (vss.
11,12,14) to covey the Apostle's counsel concerning our struggle or
conflict (vs. 12) as Christ's warriors. The sense of the Apostle is
that we should remaining opposing whatever forces come against us. Note
in addition that the same verb, with an added prefix, is used in verse
13 to mean resist or withstand. All of these are combat terms akin to
orders often given in live fire-fights: hold your position.

Of utmost importance to grasp in reading this passage are the
assumptions underlying the Apostle's triple counsel: 1) we are in a
fight; 2) it is possible to lose; but 3) we have the capability to
oppose the enemy's tactics: resist, stand, and extinguish everything
thrown at us. His last counsel is his primary message. Saint Paul is
utterly confident that victory is sure "...in the Lord, and in the power
of His might" (vs. 10). Our battle gear in Christ, both defensive and
offensive, turns the advantage totally in our favor against whatever
schemes, forces, wickedness, and flaming missiles the devil may throw
against us.

If we lose in the struggle it will not be because of the Lord our God.
God is with us! We will lose only if we fail to recognize the strategic
nature of the engagement. We are not dealing with the human beings,
with flesh and blood (vs. 12). Other people may seem to be our active
opponents, but they are pawns. In fact, we are pitted against
"...principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness
of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly
places" (vs. 12). Therefore we cannot use the kind of weaponry
appropriate to fights involving people. What we face daily is spiritual
warfare. We must use entirely different defensive and offensive
implements - armaments suited to the nature of the strife.

Twice the Apostle uses the term armor of God (vss. 11,13). In spiritual
warfare, if we would be "...strong in the Lord, and in the power of His
might" (vs. 10), then we must rely on "...the whole armor of God...
(vss. 11, 13). If we rely on what our physical senses commend, we will
lose, so let us examine briefly the weapons God gives from His armory.
Our primary defense is truth (vs. 14), not just any truth but the Truth
Who is God, He Who enables us to become gods, as the Fathers say.
Christ is the Truth, and the only reliable Truth against satanic lies,
half-truths, abuse of words and the use of one truth against another.

Righteousness (vs. 14) is the best guardian of the heart, which is why
Saint Paul speaks of it as a breastplate. If we do not vacillate to the
left or right, but hold solidly to what is good and just, then our
thinking and acting will cope with every distortion and attractive delusion.

The Apostle relates the Gospel to our feet (vs. 15), which directs
attention to our walk, to our way of living - our manner of choosing,
being, and interacting with others. The Good News has to be presented
to others through lives that convince, not by words and gestures.

The hardest part of the life in Christ is trusting God in all
circumstances (vs. 16). "Teach me to treat all that comes to me
throughout the day with peace of soul and with firm conviction that Your
will governs all." Still, that kind of faith shields against any
assault on heart and mind.

Keep your mind fixed on the salvation that is to come (vs. 17), which
steadies resolve and action, moment by moment.
And the word of God (vs. 17) in Scripture and the Fathers is capable of
cutting through the web of lies, and, like a pillar of light, dispels
the darkness that overtakes so many.

Keep us ever warriors invincible in every attack, and make us all
victors even to the end.

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DYNAMIS, Future, Present, Past, December 13, 2009, Sunday of the Forefathers of Christ

 

__________________________________________________________
Colossians 3:4-11 (12/13)
Epistle for the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers of Christ

Future, Present, Past: Colossians 3:4-11, especially vss. 5-7:
"Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth....

Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of
disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked...." Read the Epistle
for today and note the grammatical tenses - the references to time - in
each verse or phrase; for the entire working of salvation, stretching
from the past to the present and into the future, is summarized in these
brief lines. As the Apostle exhorts us concerning the manner of our
present life, he looks ahead to the future judgment in swift,
impressionistic strokes; and so, he returns to the present where we
daily evaluate, decide, act, and live, to encourage us to live always
for Christ.

As this passage begins, the Apostle holds up our present condition:
"...Christ Who is our life..." (vs. 4). However, as he speaks of the
life in Christ, he also places the present within the future. What
future? The time yet to come, when the Life-Giver will appear: "...then
you also will appear with Him in glory" (vs. 4). Participating in the
Mystery of Christ at present as a member of His Body, astonishingly, we
are on a path toward the future glory that shall be.

Those who know and firmly hold on to Christ in the depth of their being
will share in His magnificence when He is manifested in glory.
Wondrously, those who live, motivated by their belief in Him, are to be
glorified together with Him (Rom. 8:17). We would be utterly at a loss
to receive these words if we did not have the revelation of the glory of
God in the flesh, the record of "Wonder" Himself, Who was
incomprehensibly born among us in human form that our senses may
comprehend. He enables us to project from our limited present to a
glorious future.

In the reading, the Apostle invites us to consider what is demanded of
the Faithful in the present by a certain future to come: "Therefore put
to death your members which are upon the earth..." (vs. 5). He lists
what must be mortified: "...fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil
desire and covetousness, which is idolatry" (vs. 5). Consider the
extent to which these sins operate in us now.

Saint John Chrysostom explains the present need to mortify ourselves by
having us imagine one who "...has clean scoured a statue that was
filthy, or rather who has recast it, and displayed it bright afresh, [as
if he] should say that the rust was eaten off and destroyed, and yet
should again recommend diligence in clearing away the rust. He doth not
contradict himself, for it is not that rust which he scoured off that he
recommends should be cleared away, but that which grew afterwards." New
and former sins alike can begin anew to corrode our hearts and souls.
Now, therefore, we need to continuously purify and cleanse the traces of
sin that threaten to grow within us so that we may be found worthy of
the glorious, future appearing of our Savior.

Having encouraged us by means of a God-promised, ineffable future, the
Apostle also reminds us of another of God's promises: of future
retribution upon those who disobey Him. The sons of disobedience will
face wrath when the Lord returns (vs. 6). Further, Saint Paul reminds
us that we once walked like them - in "...anger, wrath, malice,
blasphemy, [and] filthy language..." (vss. 7,8). So, heed him and
"...put off all these..." wrong doings (vs. 8).

Returning to Saint John's thought: once, in the past, in the waters of
Baptism, "we were illumined, we were sanctified, we were washed...."
And now, "...even unto a ripe old age...", we need to continue to
ascribe glory to God by putting "...on the new man who is renewed in
knowledge according to the image of Him who created him..." (vs. 10).
Yes, labor now so that "...Christ is all and in all" (vs. 11) - in
ourselves and in everyone we may influence to live in Him. Then, when
He appears in glory, we too shall "...appear with Him in glory" (vs. 4).

Grant a Christian ending to our life and a good defense before Thy dread
Judgment seat.

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DYNAMIS, Fruit of the Spirit, December 12, 2009, Saturday of the 27th Week APe

 

__________________________________________________________
Galatians 5:22-6:2 (12/12)
Epistle for Saturday of the Twenty-Seventh Week after Pentecost

The Fruit of the Spirit: Galatians 5:22-6:2, especially vs. 22, 23: "But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control."

At Holy Chrismation we receive "The seal of the Gift of the Holy
Spirit." Prayers are offered that our good Master and Lord will uphold
us inviolate by His grace, show mercy unto us, "...keep us ever warriors
invincible in every attack of those who assail us...and make us all
victors, even unto the end...." Do you appreciate the tentative note in
these petitions? The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit has a limit -
not a limit on God's part, certainly, but on our part. Never doubt that
the grace of our Master is all-powerful, inviolable, ever-merciful, and
invincible unto the ages of ages. We know too well that you and I have
the ability to override the prompting and voice of the Spirit of God in
Whom we are sealed. It is by our choice that we fail as warriors of
the King and are overcome by those who assail us. And we do affront
God's goodness, break His commandments, and disobey His laws. But do
not despair; all is not lost necessarily!

In His compassion, God also gives us His Spirit to repent that we may
labor once again with the Spirit, as the Apostle says. For we "...are
Christ's..." (vs. 24), and we can "...live in the Spirit...[and] also
walk in the Spirit" (vs. 25). We may be "...overtaken
in...trespass...", but we may also be restored "...in a spirit of
gentleness..."(vs. 1). The Seal of the Gift of the Holy Spirit is ever
ours if we avail ourselves of His presence, ask His forgiveness, heed
Him, and "...walk in the Spirit" (vs. 25). Let us not remain in our
conceit (vs. 26)! Indeed! Let us labor with God the Holy Spirit, God's
undying Gift! "...there is no law" impeding us (vs. 23).

Along the side of our land there was once an well, used for a time by
the previous owners, but closed and sealed when they joined the Water
District. We, however, put a new well into the same vein of water.
Spiritually, as long as we are in this life, it is possible to clean out
the way in our heart to the ever-flowing Source, to the Life-Giving Holy
Spirit. This is done thorough repentance, for He awaits our return.
By sin, we clog and plug up the line to the Gift, effectively blocking
our way to the Holy Spirit given in Holy Chrismation. Our genuine
tears, the humbling of ourselves before God in confession, true
commitment to cease sinning, will open up the vein to Life again, that
His wisdom, strength, and light may become available once more.

Notice what the Apostle says: God's gift is the Holy Spirit in Whom we
are sealed. "...love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" are not gifts, but fruits of the
Spirit (vss. 22,23). Fruits grow on trees. They need protection
against insects and predators. Nutrition is required to produce
healthy, disease-resistant fruit. Weeds must be kept down so that pure
water and air free of pollutants and killing poisons may feed the trees
and aid the fruiting. It is so with the virtues. The Spirit does His
part; we must do ours.

The Holy Fathers teach us that certain basics are needed consistently to
produce the fruits of the Spirit. Our sins must be purged. The deep
center of our heart must be cleansed and kept free of pollutants by
persistent watchfulness. Archimandrite Ioannikios reminds us that
"...three giants of the devil...demolish the spiritual life of the
fighter to its very foundation...forgetfulness, ignorance, and
indolence. Watchfulness, however, shows itself much stronger than these
three treacherous malefactors. It can seize the giants, imprison them,
and handcuff them."

We are the cultivators. To keep the Spirit's life flowing, we must use
what the Lord provides in the Holy Mystery of Confession, prayer, the
Holy Gifts from the Chalice of Grace, and the saturation of our hearts
with the words of Holy Scripture and the Holy Fathers.

Help me, Lord, to resolve myself in persistent prayer and watchfulness
unto purity.

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DYNAMIS, Illumination of the Spirit, December 12, 2009, Spyridon the Wonder-Worker

 

__________________________________________________________
Ephesians 5:9-19 (12/12)
Epistle for the Feast of Spyridon the Wonder-Worker

The Illumination of the Spirit: Ephesians 5:9-19, especially vs. 9:
"...for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and
truth...."

A noteworthy feature of this verse lies in the fact that the large
collection of ancient manuscripts attesting to its being part of Saint
Paul's letter to Ephesus has two traditions concerning a key word in the
sentence - one tradition mostly from Eastern Fathers and one largely
from Western Fathers. In the West the preferred reading is the fruit of
the Light but in the East the fruit of the Spirit. Ultimately, as Saint
Mark the Ascetic teaches us concerning the Holy Spirit: "On those who
have been baptized He pours Himself out in His fulness like the sun.
Each of us is illumined by Him to the extent to which we hate the
passions that darken us and get rid of them." To speak of the Spirit as
the Light simply changes the focus from the Spirit in Himself to the
manner in which we experience His presence.

Mostly we should understand the point that Saint Paul makes in the
verse, which is well-stated by Saint John Chrysostom: "In all, that is,
the fruit of the Spirit ought to be evinced in everything, 'proving what
is well-pleasing unto the Lord' (vs. 9 KJV); so that those things are
tokens of a childish and imperfect mind." Thus, when the Lord Jesus,
acknowledges "'I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not
walk in darkness, but have the light of life'" (Jn. 8:12), He also is
conveying responsibility to us who follow Him: "'You are the light of
the world.... Let your light so shine before men, that they may see
your good works and glorify your Father in heaven'" (Mt. 5:14,16).

Not only should we "...have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of
darkness, but rather expose them" (Eph. 5:11) through lives so illumined
by the Holy Spirit that they allow others to behold God with us. Ought
there not be a contrast between the manner in which we live in Christ
and the lifestyles of the great numbers around us who are children of
this world and committed to its darkness? For this reason, God Himself
chides us: "...'Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ
will give you light'" (vs. 14). We can be so nice and accommodating, so
considerate of the feelings of others, and remain dead silent before
blatant immorality that we effectively become accomplices ourselves in
wickedness. God forbid!

This life is very brief, after all. Let us not through carelessness,
nor fear of having others ostracize us, be found of God as fools (vs.
15), but heed the Spirit within us and labor with Him toward our own
purity until we bring forth fruit "...in all goodness, righteousness,
and truth..." (vs. 9). Let us be wise (vs. 15). Why does God give us
"The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit"? You have heard it: to
"...ever graciously illumine our heart....maintain the shield of our
faith unassailed by the enemy. Preserve pure and unpolluted the garment
of incorruption, wherewith [Christ our God] hast endowed us, upholding
inviolate in us by His grace the seal of the Spirit...."

On every corner, in every theater, at the office, and on the production
line opportunities to drink the "...wine, in which is dissipation..."
(vs. 18) is offered under a hundred different labels. Whatever your
place or mine in this world, actually we have but one task: to manifest,
to live openly that all may see, to bear "...the fruit of the
Spirit...in all goodness, righteousness, and truth..." (vs. 9). We are
not alone. The Spirit of the living God is sealed upon us; "...be
filled with the Spirit..." (vs. 18).

And the worst mistake is to think we are alone. God is with us, and
gives us strength in the flesh through the Church - other mortals with
whom we may speak and grow "...in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody in [our] heart to the Lord..." (vs. 19).

"O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endureth for
ever" (Ps. 135:1).

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DYNAMIS, Living Continuity, December 11, 2009, Friday of the 27th Week APe

 

__________________________________________________________
_2 Timothy 1:1-2, 8-18 (12/11) Epistle
for Friday of the Twenty Seventh Week after Pentecost_

Living Continuity: 2 Timothy 1:1-2, 8-18, especially vss. 13, 14: "Hold
fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith
and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed
to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us."

Bishop Kallistos Ware echoes Saint Paul's counsel to "Hold fast the
pattern of sound words..." (vs. 13) when he speaks of Orthodoxy's living
continuity with the Lord Jesus, the Apostles, and the Holy Fathers:
"Orthodox are always talking about Tradition...the faith and practice
which Jesus Christ imparted to the Apostles, and which since the
Apostles' time has been handed down from generation to generation in the
Church." Like the Apostles, Bishop Kallistos links Holy Tradition to
the activity of the Spirit of God: "In order to live within Tradition,
it is not enough simply to give intellectual assent to a system of
doctrine; for Tradition...is a life, a personal encounter with Christ in
the Holy Spirit....it is the life of the Holy Spirit in the Church."

Orthodoxy holds fast to "...the pattern of sound words..." (vs. 13) of
the Apostles by the operation of Holy Spirit Who dwells within the
Church. This continuity often astonishes those on the outside; yet
Saint Paul would not have been surprised at this, as this passage
shows. The Apostle knew constancy of doctrine and practice in the
Church; for, as he said, "...I know whom I have believed and am
persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until
that Day" (vs. 12). His confidence in God was his source of
steadfastness and continuity.

Saint Paul urged his apprentice Timothy to hold fast the pattern, and
further, he directs Timothy to maintain "That good thing...by the Holy
Spirit who dwells in us" (vss. 13,14). Because the Apostle knew the
Lord by direct encounter of the Holy Spirit, he was able to issue such
an order. In the Apostle's generation, Christians faced brutal attempts
to crush the Church and to remove the Gospel from history. Do not
forget that this letter was penned during a time of mounting efforts to
end the living continuity of the Faith. Shortly, the Apostle would be
martyred at Rome, beheaded for his Faith. Yet Saint Paul never doubted
that God would advance the Gospel "...until that Day" (vs. 12). Hence,
he strove to impart this certainty to his under-study, Timothy. We too
are blessed, for, as an intercessor, Saint Paul is praying for us even
now - that we remain confident before the opposition facing us in the
modern world that worships secularism.

Listen to our Apostle: "...do not be ashamed of the testimony of our
Lord, nor of me..." (vs. 8). Rather, he commands us to "...share with
me in the sufferings..." (vs. 8), to embrace repudiation, shame, and
sufferings "...for the gospel according to the power of God..." (vs. 8).
How? In the same manner as the Lord Jesus, Who suffered as a man, being
upheld by the power of God even on the Cross. He "...trampled down
death by death..." vested in the power of God; and in what impossible
circumstance in this world, may not we accomplish the same?!

Listen to the Apostle's next counsel: ours is a holy calling, "...not
according to our works, but according to [God's] purpose and grace which
was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began..." (vs. 9). Be
confident! The Saint points out that we are engaged in the eternal
purpose of God that is breaking into history and shaping many lives.
Here's the best: God's purpose is not subject to the change and the
vicissitudes of events, people, or movements!

Finally, heed this from Saint Paul: while many "...turned away..." from
the Apostles and their message, like "...all those in Asia...among whom
are Phygellus and Hermogenes" (vs. 15), still God had and has zealous
servants who are not ashamed of chains or the gospel, but ever seek out
faithful teachers true to the Apostles (vss. 16,17). Why? because
Apostolic teaching is life!

O, Holy Apostles, intercede with the Merciful God that He grant
salvation to our souls!

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DYNAMIS, The Wealthy, December 10, 2009, Thursday of the 27th Week APe

 

__________________________________________________________
1 Timothy 6:17-21 (12/10) Epistle for
Thursday of the Twenty-Seventh Week after Pentecost

Church As Community IV ~ Includes The Wealthy: 1 Timothy 6:17-21,
especially vs. 17: "Command those who are rich in this present age
not... to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us
richly all things to enjoy."

When a wealthy young ruler discovered he was not willing to pay the
required price for acquiring the treasures of heaven, he went away
sorrowfully from the Lord Jesus. "Then Jesus said to His disciples,
'Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the
kingdom of Heaven. ...it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of
a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God'" (Mt. 19:23,24).

Our compassionate and loving Savior knows the deceitfulness of riches
(Mt. 13:22), their uncertainty in this present age, and their potential
as deadly, spiritual obstacles! Deep down, rich and poor, men and
women, slave and masters, young and old, all yearn for true Life (1
Tim. 6:19), and so Christ Jesus enlightened His Apostles to understand
both the spiritual pitfalls and the potentials for good inherent in
material wealth. Thus, in the present reading, Saint Paul addresses the
hearts and souls of wealthy Christians, warning them against the snares
into which the heart can fall, while also showing the way that riches
may be used to lay hold of Life.

Let the rich "...not...be haughty..." (1 Tim. 6:17). The insidious
deceiver, from the beginning, has used material things to distract us
from God and lead us to believe that we might "...be like gods..." (Gen.
3:5) through knowledge. Things are "...pleasant to the eyes..." (Gen.
3:6), but also the lie may appear as truth that one must be wise since
he has possessions. Seeing material wealth and not men's hearts, one
can be seduced to believe that their possessions are the result of wisdom.

Awash in this falsehood, hearts easily become "...lifted up and...forget
the Lord your God..." (Deut. 8:14), Who can bring anyone into Life
through Christ. Yes, Christians may become haughty through material
riches, for wealth gives temporal power and capacity to those who
possess, tempting them to believe that they are superior to, or more
important than others.

Let the wealthy not "...trust in uncertain riches but in the living God,
who gives us richly all things to enjoy" (1 Tim. 6:17). Note: wealth
does bestow power, influence, status, and capacity, and the insidious
deceiver suggests that we should trust in riches. Such trust is a
devil's bargain. As the God-illumined Apostle reminds us, material
riches are uncertain, ephemeral, and passing. Markets crash.
Technology makes obsolete. Sickness eats up estates.

Let each one, rich or poor, first and foremost, trust in the living
God. When we trust in Him Who is, we are free to enjoy and do good with
whatever He has given us, whether we are great or small among men (see
vs. 18). However, do not be confused about the meaning of doing good.
The Apostle cites three aspects of using wealth to do good: "...be rich
in good works, ready to give, willing to share..." (vs. 18). There are
plenty of needs among fellow Christians and among the impoverished and
destitute of the world. Each of us can be rich in good works, giving,
and sharing with those who need. Notice what follows though: by good
works we store up "...a good foundation for the time to come..." (vs. 19).

In the original, storing up literally means treasuring up. It is the
same root word the Lord used with the rich young man: "...you will have
treasure in heaven..." (Mt. 19:21). Thus, as Saint Maximos says:
"If...Christ dwells in our hearts through faith (Eph. 3:17), and all the
treasures of wisdom and spiritual knowledge are hidden in Him (Col.
2:3), then all the treasures of wisdom and spiritual knowledge are
hidden in our hearts....in proportion to our purification."

O Lord, Who providest far more than we require, enable us to love Thee
in all things and above all things that we may obtain Thy promises,
which exceed all that we can desire.

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Great Martyr Katherine

Galatians 3:23-4:5 (11/25) Epistle for the Feast of Great Martyr
Katherine of Alexandria
Great Women Martyrs: Galatians 3:23-4:5, especially vs. 28, "There is
neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither
male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
Saint John Chrysostom expands this teaching of the Apostle Paul
concerning the place of women as equals within the Church. We are
reminded to honor them in memory eternal: "Many women have suffered
martyrdom. She is able to practice chastity even more than men, no such
strong flame disturbing her, and to show forth modesty and gravity and
'holiness, without which no one shall see the Lord' (Heb. 12:14), and
contempt of wealth, if she will, and in short all other virtues." Yes,
countless women have witnessed unto blood for Christ. During
commemorative Litiya - a word from the Greek meaning Prayers of
Supplication - the Church specifically names among "...the holy,
glorious, great women martyrs, Thekla, Barbara, Anastasia, Katherine,
Kyriaki, Photeini, Marina, Paraskeva and Irene...," not forgetting many
who remain unnamed!
The virtues and strengths of the great women martyrs are well defined in
the present reading; exemplifying what Saint Paul describes as being
justified by faith (vs. 24), sons of God, that is, heirs of the His
Kingdom (vss. 26, 29), in Christ (vs.27), and redeemed from all bondage
to the spiritual powers of the world (vs. 5). Thus, they call us to
follow them in the life in Christ, and by their prayers will surely aid
us to attain His heavenly Kingdom with them.
The great Martyr Katherine of Alexandria shows herself wholly justified
by faith (vs. 24), being "Set aflame with divine longing for Christ...,"
for she "...didst despise the torments..." of the Emperor Maxentius in
his paganism. He thought to defeat her wisdom before His great court
philosophers; but she defeated them in reasoning, leading them to faith
in Christ. In fury, the Emperor had his philosophers burned. Katherine's
courage before Maxentius so moved his Empress, that she came to the
martyr and found life in Christ. Maxentius then tortured and slew his
wife, and, after further tortures failed to prevail over Katherine's
faith, he had her beheaded.
The great Martyr Barbara chose the Kingdom of God, our true inheritance,
above the riches of natural family, being a child of God (vs. 26). She
repudiated all the suitors offered by her godless father. Then, she was
"...slain and offered unto God as a sacrifice" at his hands.
When we are "...baptized into Christ [and] have put on Christ" (vs. 27),
we are redeemed (vs. 5) from every bondage by which persons and
institutions in this world may seek to enslave us to their ways or
desires. But when we know that we are free in spirit through Christ, we
gain His unconquerable detachment from whatever would enslave us. The
Great Martyr Anastasia was the daughter of a pagan senator in the city
of Rome. However, her mother, Fausta, was a Christian who had been
instructed by the wise tutor, Chrysogonos, from whom Anastasia learned
the freedom that is ours in Christ. Legally married, she avoided her
husband's advances, outlived him, and spent his wealth in bringing
relief to Christians undergoing imprisonment and torture. She traveled
widely over the Empire, supporting the faithful everywhere until
finally, under Diocletian's Governor in Illyricum, she was burned alive,
freely giving her soul to Christ.
The hosts of the great women martyrs "...by divers torments and fire and
stripes showed forth and depicted the saving and august Passion of
Christ....Being set aflame with the fire of the love of the Lord God,
they fully disdained the fire...and thus...wholly burned up the dead
wood of error's insolence...and, in that they poured forth their blood
in streams through their endurance and great patience, they watered all
the Church, which then blossomed forth with faith." Let us learn from
them that we may become "...heirs according to the promise" (vs. 29).
O Great Martyrs, pray that we may attain to the lot which we were given
through mercy.