Saturday, December 19

DYNAMIS, The Household of God, December 21, 2009, Monday of the 29th Week APe

 

__________________________________________________________
Hebrews 3:5-11, 17-19 (12/21) Epistle
for Monday of the Twenty-Ninth Week after Pentecost

The Household of God: Hebrews 3:5-11, 17-19, especially vss. 5, 6: "And
Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony
of those things which would be spoken afterward, but Christ as a Son
over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence
and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end."

Each year as we celebrate the Lord Jesus' Nativity, the Church
undertakes a course reading through the Epistle to the Hebrews. This
week we will reflect on a series of passages from the Epistle's early
chapters. The first three passages are excellent meditations for the
Great Feast of the Christ's Incarnation.

Since the birth of the Son of God is of such great import for the
Church, we rejoice as members of His house - that is, of the household
of God (Heb. 3:5-19), Christ being the Promised Heir to God's household
(Heb. 4:1-13). Therefore, the Apostle urges that we continue our
journey in faith that we may receive God's blessing (Heb. 7:1-6).

The Church reads the Old Testament as the early history of God's
dealings with His People. Likewise, she understands the New Testament
as defining the new, transformed state of God's relationship with His
People - a changed relationship caused by Christ's ministry among us and
to us. The Apostle illuminates this contrast vividly in today's
reading. On the one hand, he points out that in early times the Prophet
Moses was the key figure in God's household, the man whom the Lord
charged with responsibility for all of the Israel of God - for His
entire household. Without question, Moses carried out his assigned task
most faithfully (vs. 5).

Next, the Apostle reminds us: we must understand that the great Prophet
was only a servant of God - even if the Lord's most outstanding
servant. But, when we address the present state of God's household, we
meet our Lord Jesus Christ, not a servant in the household, but "...a
Son over His own house..." (vs. 6). The leap in status within the
household between Moses and Christ is qualitative and immense. The
household belongs to the Lord Jesus, even though He ministered to its
members as a servant (Mk. 10:45; Jn. 13:14). Talk about the humility of
God!

In addition, Saint Paul points out that Moses laid the ground work for
Christ, bearing "...testimony of those things which would be spoken
afterward..." (Heb. 3:5). What are those things that the present
members of the household of God ought to observe from the Mosaic era?
The Apostle quotes the Prophet David: "'Today, if you will hear His
voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion...'" - as was done
against Moses in the wilderness (vss. 7,8) The ancient People of God
paid dearly for straying in their hearts (vs. 10). An entire generation
died in the wilderness and failed to enter the Promised Land,
"...because of unbelief" (vs. 19).

Now we, brethren, also are that house through the blessing of Baptism
into Christ (vs. 6), but only under the condition that we do not disobey
God through unbelief, "...if we hold fast the confidence and the
rejoicing of the hope firm to the end" (vs. 6) in the wilderness of this
life (vs. 17), and not be pining and yearning for the comforts and
provisions we had as slaves of the Egypt of this created and temporary
world. Christ our Passover, our Pascha, has led us from death and
slavery into life and freedom. He has made us sons with Him in the
household of God. The rest that Christ provides awaits all who
steadfastly hold fast their confidence in Him. What the Mosaic members
of the household lost in a temporal way, let us not lose eternally!

Lo, with Judah and Levi we magnify Moses the great, and Aaron the
wonderful; and with David we celebrate the memory of Joshua and Samuel,
inviting all with divine songs and divine praise to the preparation of
the Nativity of Christ, praying to receive His goodness; for He it is
that granteth the world the Great Mercy. Glory to Thee, O our God and
our Hope!

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Friday, December 18

Nicholas of Myra the Wonderworker

__________________________________________________________________________________Hebrews 13:17-21 (12/6) Epistle for the Feast of Nicholas of Myra the
Wonderworker
Submission: Hebrews 13:17-21, especially vs. 17: "Obey those who rule
over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those
who must give account."
In Orthodox churches, one may observe the custom of Servers, Readers,
Chanters, and even of Clergy coming to the Bishop for a Blessing before
beginning their ministries at services.
What is the message in these actions? Submission! We are to come under
the orderly and rightful leadership of those designated to rule within
the Church, as they submit to the Lord. Acts of submission demonstrate
respect and readiness to obey those appointed to watch over our souls.
Saint Paul believes that submission is undertaken readily, with
heartfelt delight, "...with joy and not with grief..." (vs. 17). Let us
all - serving or not - have truly submissive hearts toward our spiritual
Fathers, those ordained of Christ to care for our souls.
What is the Apostle's point in admonishing us to be submitted in the
Church? Simply that submission relates to the eternal destiny of our
souls. Saint Paul points to our stance before God when he reminds us
that our Pastors "...watch out for [our] souls..." (vs. 17). So,
consider the pastoral burden. Every Pastor and Bishop will give account
to Christ the Lord concerning those submitted to him. Submission is the
warp interwoven into the woof of Christian faith.
Recall the steps through which a candidate passes during the Baptismal
Liturgy: first, he is asked "Dost thou unite thyself unto Christ?" Then,
"Dost thou believe in Him?" When this desire and commitment is
established, there follows a double check, a cross-questioning: "Hast
thou united thyself unto Christ?" However, observe what follows once the
candidate answers, "I have:" no question follows, nor is a statement
made. Rather, a command is given: "Bow down also before Him." Submission
is of the essence for life in Christ.
Observe further the acts of submission that follow when the candidate
bows down: he kneels before the icon of the Lord. The fact and reality
of submission continues thereafter. Not only is it unprofitable for us
(vs. 17) if we fail to submit to the Lord in our hearts and deeds; but
more - God help us! - let us not be found unsubmissive to Him, Incarnate
as He is in our Godly Pastors. Then we could be judged incomplete "...in
every good work to do His will..." (vs. 21). Rebellion and resistance
are attitudes having temporal and eternal consequences.
How then may we manifest that we are compliant under the Lord? In
today's reading, the Apostle speaks for all Pastors of the Church as he
pleads, "Pray for us..." (vs. 18). Let us ask God for hearts ready to
obey the Lord in and through all our relationships - that we realize a
holy submission to each other that is "...well pleasing in [the Lord's]
sight..." (vs. 21).
When the Apostle wrote the letter to the Hebrews, he was absent from his
flock. Therefore, he asked them, "...I especially urge you to [pray for
me], that I may be restored to you the sooner" (vs. 19). Read the double
entendre here: if there is resistance within us to submit, see how
prayer functions to restore us to our Pastors and superiors the sooner.
Let us learn to watch for resistance, restiveness, or twinges of
rebellion within ourselves, and then to pray to the Lord for a wholesome
submissiveness, so that our souls not verge into serious, mortal danger.
Considering wholesome submission, let us also recognize that there is
such a thing as obsequiousness and servility, as well as inappropriate
domination or lording it over the Faithful, as some are given to doing
(Mt. 20:25-28). Let Pastors and Bishops submitted to the Lord as they
rule, and let the Faithful submit first to the Great Shepherd Himself
and then to Pastors and Bishops as they themselves are submitted to Him!
O Master, unite us to Thee that we may be Thy children, ever submitted
to Thee.
Posted by Metropolitan SYMEON at 12/18/2009 0 comments Links to this post

DYNAMIS, Who is Christ? December 20, 2009, Twenty Eighth Sunday APe

 

__________________________________________________________
Colossians 1:12-18 (12/20)
Epistle for the Twenty-Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

Who is Christ Jesus? Colossians 1:12-18, especially vs. 15: "He is the
image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation."

Are "Grace...and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ"
(Col. 1: 2) your eternal hope, as the Apostles Paul and Timothy teach in
the Epistle to the Colossians? They affirm that the answer to such a
question hinges on having faith in God and the person of Christ Jesus
(Col. 1:4). Therefore, early in the Epistle they introduce a passage
(Col. 1:12-18) of penetrating commentary into the person, the saving
work, and the unique importance of "...our Lord Jesus Christ..." (Col.
1:3), which virtually commands trust in Him.

The first two verses of the passage (Col. 1:12, 13) declare that union
with Jesus the Son of God qualifies those who choose Him "...to be
partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light", since God
"...has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the
kingdom of the Son of His love..." (vs. 13). What they say is directly
relevant to life and existence as human beings, and bears on everything
that confronts us every day of our lives.

Begin with the phrase, the invisible God (vs. 15). If we accept the
presence and rule of God over the universe, immediately we admit living
before One Who touches lives, experiences, and hopes. The Apostles
further address that "...which you heard before in the word of the truth
of the gospel, which has come to you, as it has also in all the world,
and is bringing forth fruit..." (Col. 1:5,6). It concerns Christ Jesus
Whom a fellow-Apostle of Paul and Timothy asserts to "...have seen with
our eyes...looked upon, and our hands have handled..." (1 Jn. 1:1).
Notably, the Lord Jesus Christ of Whom Paul speaks "...is the image of
the invisible God..." (Col. 1:15).

But the Apostle Paul takes one step further and declares that by this
Christ Jesus "...all things were created that are in heaven and that are
on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or
principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for
Him" (vs. 16). He announces that the Lord Jesus Christ is our Creator,
having existed "...before all things..." (vs. 17). And we exist because
of Him. In fact, everything exists because of Him, even a host of
persons and events that affect us that we do not see, for the entire
Creation continues and exists by His choice and His will, for "...in Him
all things consist" (vs.17).

These assertions are not matters liable to scientific or objective
proof, but depend on trust, on taking the word of the Apostles as
informed, worthy, and applicable to the life that you and I are leading,
to our choices, and to all that we undertake day by day. They elevate
Christ our God to headship over His "...body, the church..."(vs. 18);
and place members of the Church under His rule and authority, since He
has "...the preeminence" (vs. 18). These assertions of the Apostles
cannot help but influence our outlook on the world, how we relate to
other people, what we take seriously, as well as what we consider
secondary, or even trivial.

The most important element in the Apostles' teaching in these verses
must now be considered. They show why Christ Jesus, the Son of God,
became visible within the stream of human life, that is, why He took our
flesh from his human mother: in order that we might be
"...delivered...from the power of darkness and conveyed...into [His]
kingdom..." (vs. 13). Who would contest that there is terrible darkness
confronting us on every side! Violence, deprivation, immorality,
sickness and death menace us, making the Apostles' message most pertinent.
You know of "...His blood [and] the forgiveness of sins" (vs. 14), and
you know that He is "...the firstborn from the dead..." (vs. 18), a
promise of living, eternal redemption (vs. 14) from the threatening
death and darkness. Yes, there is grace and peace from God our Father!

Glory to Thee, Who hast shown us the light. Glory to God...and...peace,
good will to men.

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Thursday, December 17

Venerable Sabbas the Sanctified

 
Galatians 5:22-6:2 (12/5)
Epistle for the Feast of Holy Ascetics: Sabbas

The Spirit and Deification: Galatians 5:22-6:2, especially vs. 25: "If
we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."

Archpriest John Meyendorff, in his study of Saint Gregory Palamas,
describes deification both as an individual gift of God and as a
God-constituted means of manifesting Him to the world. We should,
therefore, expect to find deification or theosis present wherever
"...the fruit of the Spirit..." is being manifested (vs. 22), where the
Faithful are crucifying "...the flesh with its passions and desires"
(vs. 24), and where they are gently restoring others overtaken in any
trespass (vs. 1). As Saint Gregory himself says, "The Saints
participate in God; not only do they participate, but they also
communicate Him."

If we imagine theosis strictly as the final, completed state of restored
humanity, our efforts to find examples of deified persons becomes
severely restricted, limited to a very few of the most notable Saints.
However, the moment we realize that deification is an on-going process
occurring in many of the Faithful, then our eyes and ears may even
receive God's life in and through many around us in the Church. Who has
not encountered the fruit of the Spirit in people during every day
life? Who has not observed mortification of the flesh in his own Church
community? Who has not watched a mature Christian help a fellow servant
defeat temptation?

What is God communicating when we encounter theosis of this sort? Is He
not calling us to work at our own deification, to participate in His
life, and to have Him act through our lives? Reframe the matter: since
we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit!

There is no tidy order to deification; nor is there a simple,
step-by-step means that the mind of man can easily grasp, adapt, or
control theosis. Nevertheless, the Lord, at the very least, begins
renewal in hearts where there is poverty of spirit and mourning (Mt. 5:3,4).

So then, let us look into our own souls and say with Saint John
Chrysostom, "...my soul...is all deserted and in ruins, and Thou has not
a worthy place in me to lay Thy head." Now the Spirit may enter and
true life in the Lord be communicated. However quietly and tentatively,
each one may assert and affirm that I am Christ's (Gal. 5:24). Even if
our efforts are feeble and imperfect, nonetheless, let us begin to
display actual love for others tangibly, joy in God, peace-making with
those around us, exhibiting new-found capacity to put up with the
foibles and abrasive habits of others. In short, Beloved, let us begin
to manifest the fruits of the Spirit.

Likewise, let us observe growing Christians and study their ability to
bite the tongue. Struggling Christians stifle selfish ambition, craven
dissent, envy, and unworthy impulses to hate, be wrathful, or
self-indulgent. Observe more deeply: these servants disclose an inner
struggle to crucify the "...flesh with its passions and desires" (vs.
24). They help others who are struggling to fight off temptations. All
these changes happen as the Holy Spirit leads, and not necessarily in a
tidy, neat or predictable order. The Spirit helps us to wage unseen
warfare on many fronts at once. Draw near and live in Him that together
we may learn to walk in His ways.

Also, never infer that it is permissible to be passive observers of the
Spirit - simply to wait for Him to manifest His presence. The Apostle
teaches us to assert ourselves to gain life in the Spirit: "...let us
also walk in the Spirit" (vs. 25). Despite our fallen state, we can
apply our energy to crucifying "...the flesh with its passions and
desires" (vs. 24). It is difficult to keep fruit fresh and unspoiled in
an infected and corrupt environment. As Metropolitan Hierotheos says,
"...to become a temple of the Holy Spirit...the Christian must
previously have been purified spiritually, and after becoming a temple
of the Holy Spirit, he must keep it pure."

O good Lord, cleanse me from every taint of flesh and spirit. Teach me
to pray aright.
Posted by Metropolitan SYMEON at 12/17/2009 0 comments Links to this post

DYNAMIS, Faith in God, December 20, 2009, Sunday before the Nativity of Christ

________________________________________________________________________________________
Hebrews 11:9-10, 17-23, 32-42 (12/20) Epistle for the Sunday before the
Nativity of Christ

Faith in God: Hebrews 11:9-10, 17-23, 32-40, especially vss. 39, 40:
"And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not
receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that
they should not be made perfect apart from us."

The icon of The Harrowing of Hades reveals Christ, the Life-Giver,
standing triumphantly astride the gates of the place of the dead. Death
lies bound beneath His feet. Christ lifts Adam and Eve from their tombs.
The Old Testament Saints worship Him. The icon discloses the first
face-to-face encounter between the ancient worthies and the God Whom
they served intuitively. They lived by a faith described by Bishop
Kallistos Ware: "Faith is not the supposition that something might be
true, but the assurance that someone is there." Be instructed in faith
by these Saints of old. Be confident in the God Who is, willing to trust
in His promises, and ready to do His will.

Faith is revealed as living confidently in circumstances devoid of
measurable proofs. The materialist culture around us asserts that such
living is foolhardy by being unwilling to rely only on measurable data.
To the contrary, the servants of God in the icon and the reading lived
confidently because in their hearts they knew the God Who is and now is
revealed in Christ.

Abraham migrated to a land where settlers already were present with
well-established cities, fields, wells, and a defined way of life. With
some open tracts available to his flocks and herds, he was able to live
and even to thrive, but he remained a nomad, living as an alien (vs. 9)
among people with fixed boundaries and titles to all that he could see
from the hill tops (Gen. 13:14-15). Nevertheless, he dwelt comfortably
in the land because he knew God had promised to deliver the land to his
descendants for their own. Thus "...he waited for the city...whose
builder and maker is God" (Heb. 11:10). He trusted God's promises.

How satisfying it is when people calmly take honorable risks contrary to
tangible evidence and are justified by the outcomes. Age had closed all
hope that Abraham might receive a son of his own flesh, yet the
Patriarch held Isaac, his own infant son, in his arms. How then, later
could he possibly have thought to immolate that son upon an altar, and
remove from life him in whom his "...seed shall be called..." (vs. 18;
Gen. 21:12)? He took a great risk, contrary to the evidence - for God
assured him that he would be justified beyond by such a sacrifice.

Notice what the Apostle points out: Abraham concluded "...that God was
able to raise him [Isaac] up, even from the dead..." (vs. 19). Abraham
chose to obey the instructions of the present God, to trust Him Whom he
did not see physically, but yet spoke to him. Thus, Abraham reveals
faith as acting at great personal risk when God reveals a certain course
to the heart.

When God discloses a course to be followed in this life, blessing comes
only by preparing for, working at, and doing what is possible to
complete the course that God indicates. Joseph made his heirs promise to
remove his bones from Egypt (vs. 22), binding their consciousness to the
promises of God. He reveals faith as preparing for what is promised by
God. Be clear about the Source Who promises before applying this kind of
faith in life. "The Lord is well pleased in them that fear Him, and in
them that hope in His mercy" (Ps. 146:12). And heed the Evangelist also:
"...do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are
of God..." (1 Jn. 4:1).

The Saints of Old were able to subdue kingdoms, obtain promises and stop
the mouths of lions (vs. 33), because they accepted, as from God's hand,
what came to them in this life: death-by-sword, destitution, affliction,
torment, or whatever. May we be found worthy of such a faith in God,
that we may live confidently, take holy risks, and always fulfill the
will of God.

O Lord, grant us unwavering faith in Thee amidst all that befalls us in
this life.


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DYNAMIS, The Father Reveals Himself, Dec. 19, 2009, Saturday of teh 28th Week APe

_____________________________________________________________________________
Ephesians 1:16-23 (12/19) Epistle for Saturday of the Twenty-Eighth Week
after Pentecost

The Father Reveals Himself - Ephesians 1:16-23, especially vs. 22: "[God
the Father] put all things under [Christ's] feet, and gave Him to be
head over all things to the church...."

For the most part, we know Christ our God through limited, human senses
and understanding. However, He chose to became tangible as a man in
history - to be one of us in our humanity. We have records of His life
from birth to death, of His rising from the dead, of reliable
collections of His teaching and wisdom, including numerous accounts of
His powers demonstrated before many witnesses. On the other hand, our
experience of God the Father is far more of a mystery to us, despite the
Lord Jesus' assertion that "'He who has seen Me has seen the Father...'"
(Jn. 14:9).

Read and pray carefully through this present passage that Saint Paul
will help you move from whatever experience you have of Christ to
greater confidence in your knowledge of God the Father as well. The
Apostle does this by following the lead that the Lord Jesus gives to all
His disciples from the occasion when He pointed out that seeing Him is
to see the Father. (Jn. 14:9).

First, the Apostle teaches us where to find reliable revelation of God
the Father: in the "..church, which is [Christ's] body, the fullness of
[God the Father] who fills all in all" (Eph. 1:22,23). This is why we
who are united to the Church are able to assert with Saint Paul that it
is possible to know God the Father with reasonable human confidence. The
Church offers us "...the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the
knowledge of Him..." - that is, of God the Father (vs. 17).
Yes, the Church offers us information about Christ, but also about God
the Father through her words, the Holy Mysteries, her icons as windows
of eternity, and through her life lived before God. In Jesus Christ, God
offers much more to our hearts - "...a spirit of wisdom..." (vs. 17)
that reveals God the Father and helps us know Him as Our Father.

As members of the Church, we have the Light of Christ enlightening us,
shining in us, illumining the recesses of our hearts, and casting out
the darkness of sin and ignorance. This is the miracle of living the
life in Christ within the Church - the place of true spiritual
knowledge. Little by little, through the work of the Holy Spirit, each
disciple may come to "...know what is the hope His calling, what are the
riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints..." (vs. 18). This
is the Mystery of Christ, the true miracle of which Saint Paul speaks -
a sure and certain hope.

The People of God (some more, some less), gathered to Christ in His
Body, the Church, know "...what is the exceeding greatness of His power
toward us who believe..." (vs. 19), taking Him at His word, and trusting
Him with our very being for the Faith we profess verbally.

What is the greatness of that power of God our Father? It is nothing
less than that "...which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the
dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above
all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that
is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come" ( vss.
20-21). While we are quite familiar with power in this technological
age, yet here is a different sort of power, one much more relevant to
the life of every human being through all time and forever.

Our Father has "...put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the
head over all things to the church..." (vs. 22). So, if we are in the
Church, we are in Christ, and God is our Father, and His authority and
dominion stand head and shoulders above all other claims on our lives.
In the Church, Christ and the Father fill all in all (vs. 23) with the
knowledge, hope, and power of our loving, merciful, and gracious Father.

Glory to Thee Who hast shown us the Light. We give thanks to Thee for
Thy great glory.


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DYNAMIS, Blessed in God's Sight, Dec. 19, 2009, Saturday before the Nativity

__________________________________________________________________________________________
Galatians 3:8-12 (12/19) Epistle for Saturday before the Nativity of
Christ our God

Blessed in God's Sight: Galatians 3:8-12, especially vs. 8, "And the
Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith,
preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, 'In you all the
nations shall be blessed.'"

We are confronted in these verses by a cluster of truths united in the
word justify (vs. 8) or justified (vs. 11). To justify is to make right,
balance, avouch to be true or good, or clear. However, as Saint Paul
develops the term in this passage, and explores the process of being
justified in God's sight, he shows us that one may be justified or not
justified in the sight of God (vss. 8,11) - something to consider!

When God deems anyone justified, he obviously is - or they are - blessed
(vs. 8), while anyone who seeks to be justified in God's sight by doing
all the works of the law will fail in the attempt (vs. 11). This is so
necessarily, because doing the works of the law requires "...'the man
who does them [to] live by them'" (vs. 12). And the problem with gaining
justification in God's sight by keeping the law, as Saint Paul says, is
that "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are
written in the book of the law, to do them" (vs. 10). Now if Holy
Scripture documents anything plainly, it is the fact that every human
being does not, and cannot, keep the law exactly in every detail. It is
the universal problem of sin that operates in all of us to defeat our
attempts to obey the law of God to perfection. It simply does not
happen. The Apostolic advice is: do not even go there, for you will wind
up failing and being cursed in the sight of God.

However, the Apostle addresses the possibility that some may yet be
justified in God's sight. Notice how he approaches this: he returns to
the era of Abraham, the ancient Patriarch of Israel, and says that God
recorded in Scripture and preached to Abraham that He would justify the
Gentiles by faith (vs. 8). Gentiles here refers to ethnic people-groups,
nations, or - in relation to Abraham's descendants - to those not in the
Patriarch's genealogical line - those who are not one of the peoples who
can trace their ethnicity from Abraham, the chosen of God. Gentiles is a
very inclusive term, meaning all other people in the world except the
Chosen People. Or, in our terms today: humanity is divided into Jews and
Gentiles; we are one or the other.

Saint John Chrysostom takes up Saint Paul's reasoning here to note that
"...faith is older than the law. That is obvious from Abraham's time,
since he was justified before the appearance of the law...." This
insight of Saint Paul is most significant, says Saint John, because God,
Who later gave His law to the His chosen People through Moses, "'...was
the one who decreed before the law was given, that the Gentiles should
be justified.' And Paul does not say 'revealed' but 'preached the
gospel' [beforehand to Abraham], so that you may understand that even
the patriarch rejoiced in this kind of righteousness and greatly desired
its advent."

Soon now we will be celebrating the advent of Divine righteousness, the
birth in the flesh of Christ our God. And while most of us, being
Gentiles, are not ethnically related to Abraham, we certainly are
"...those who are of faith [and] blessed with believing Abraham" by our
declaration of faith at our initiation into Christ. Remember: we were
asked, "Dost thou unite thyself unto Christ?" and "Dost thou believe in
him" and in a further act of faith we said, "I believe in him as King
and God." And, then, as directed, we made a statement of faith called
the Nicene Creed. And, finally, we capped off these acts of faith with
yet another one, saying, "I bow down before the Father, and the Son, and
the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, one in Essence and undivided."

We "...are blessed with believing Abraham" (vs. 9)! We have a good hope,
in Christ, of being justified in God's sight, if we continue seeking, as
we can, to "'...live by [our] faith'" (vs. 11).

Being greatly ill and wounded, O Lord, I thank Thee for justifying me by
Thy Holy birth!


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Posted by Metropolitan SYMEON at 12/17/2009 0 comments Links to this post

Wednesday, December 16

DYNAMIS, Exhibit Your Integrity, December 18, 2009, Friday of the 28th Week APe

 

__________________________________________________________
Titus 1:15-2:10 (12/18)
Epistle for Friday of the Twenty-Eighth Week after Pentecost

Exhibit Your Integrity: Titus 1:15-2:10, especially vs. 7: "...in all
things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine
showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility...."

Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos emphasizes the inseparability of right
doctrine from tangible living of the Faith when he says, "We Orthodox
attach great importance to preserving the Faith, just because we know
that when the Faith is distorted, the cure is automatically
distorted.... Theology is the teaching of the Church about spiritual
health, but also about the path which the sick must follow in order to
be healed. That is why we Orthodox give great weight to keeping the
doctrine intact...." The careful reader of this present passage will
perceive that the Apostle Paul held this same conviction: that there is
a direct correlation between right doctrine and right behavior. It is
correct to speak of this unity of belief and action as integrity.

Saint Paul knew that Christians need to integrate belief and action. He
urged Titus to "...speak the things which are proper for sound
doctrine..." (vs. 2:1). How did he phrase it? "...that the older men
be sober, reverent, temperate....older women likewise...reverent in
behavior...that they admonish the young women to love their husbands..."
(vss. 2:2-4). The Apostle calls Titus to uphold both sound doctrine and
a definite pattern of good works (vss. 7-8). Observe how Saint Paul's
teaching itself flows from sound doctrine to right behavior, barely
distinguishing between them, but always assuming full integrity of
belief and behavior.

How may we gain and keep intact Orthodox doctrine that truly teaches the
path to health and salvation and guides us on the right path? Listen
again to Metropolitan Hierotheos: "Christ said that the kingdom of
heaven is within us, indicating that the Divinity dwells in our hearts.
Dwelling in our hearts, God there teaches and writes His doctrines and
His law. Therefore the heart is the site where God's commandments are
written." Saint Paul assumes the same truth: "To the pure all things
are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure;
but even their mind and the conscience are defiled" (vs. 15).

The Apostle assumes that both purity and defilement begin in the nous -
the spiritual center of a person's heart and the seat of the
conscience. The nous is the element of the heart which, when illumined
by the Holy Spirit, faithfully guides one in right moral decisions. If
the nous and the conscience are pure, then the person knows God, and his
works affirm God (vs. 15). However, if the heart is defiled, it does
not matter if one professes to know God. He will deny the Lord,
"...being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work"
(vs. 16).

Integrity of doctrine and works, belief and action, is the Apostle's
aim. Throughout the communities he formed - in young and old, men and
women - he urged sobriety, reverence, temperance, love, and patience,
but especially in the older men, knowing that these virtues would flow
naturally into the others if they were "...sound in faith..." (vs.
2:2). Hence, the Apostle's emphasis on older men in speaking "...the
things which are proper for sound doctrine..." (vs. 2:1).

Saint Paul reminds Titus that he will necessarily have to exhibit
integrity in his own personal "...pattern of good works...", carefully
matching it to the integrity of his doctrine (vs. 7). Thus, the Apostle
commands Titus to instruct the Faithful who are chattel slaves to be
obedient to their masters and "...well pleasing in all things, not
answering back, not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity..." (vss.
9,10), and adorning "...the doctrine of God our Savior..." (vs. 10).

What of our integrity? May we purify our hearts with God's help, then
He Himself will dwell within us, teach us how to hold fast to His laws
and exhibit His grace in our living.

Holy Father, deliver us from the sorrow of sin that we may serve Thee in
spirit and truth.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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Tuesday, December 15

DYNAMIS, The Faithful Word, December 17,2009, Thursday of the 28th Week APe

 

__________________________________________________________
Titus 1:5-2:1 (12/17)
Epistle for Thursday of the Twenty-Eighth Week after Pentecost

The Faithful Word: Titus 1:5-2:1, especially vss. 7, 9: "For a bishop
must be blameless... holding fast the faithful word as he has been
taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and
convict those who contradict."

>From bits of information in Saint Paul's letters, one learns a good
deal about the process the Apostles used to establish churches. With
clear goals for the communities they planted, they fostered fellowships
capable of nurturing souls to live purely within a corrupted society
rife with lying, inhumanity, laziness, and gluttony (vs. 12).

The Apostles knew that if the churches they were founding were to thrive
they would require blameless leaders capable of "...holding fast the
faithful word..."(vs. 9), while teaching and manifesting the Lord Jesus
in the power of the Holy Spirit, so that men and women would be
refashioned as saints. Hence, they sought as stewards of God those able
"...both to exhort and convict...", men of sound doctrine and mature in
"...holding fast the faithful word..." (vss. 7,9).

It is always difficult to raise up godly leaders for the Church, for
this world too often accepts insubordination and self-indulgence.
Today's Epistle encourages the selection of clergy from men of evident
integrity, capable of healing degradation in their people. Saint Paul
knew that "...there [were] many insubordinate, both idle talkers and
deceivers...whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households,
teaching things which they ought not..." (vss. 10,11), and so he reminds
Titus: "For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in
order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city..."
(vs. 5).

Christian leaders must always be marked by holiness, justice, and
blamelessness (vss. 6-8). Further, each one must be "...the husband of
one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or
insubordination" (vs. 6). In his heart, a leader must be submitted to
Christ as Lord, displaying true virtues: being fair and just in all
things, sustaining a faultless life, remaining faithfully with the wife
of his youth (Mal. 2:14,15) and raising up fair children, free of
insubordination. Especially, those selected for leadership should have
the capacity to grow in and exhibit these virtues within the context of
the immoral world surrounding them. These are the sort of men the
Church still requires to serve as Presbyters [Priests], Bishops, and lay
leaders.

Saint Paul yearned for Titus to understand the causes of
insubordination, but also its opposite, blamelessness. True Christians
purge themselves of quick-temper. They resist addiction to wine,
violence, stubbornness, and greed (Titus 1:7).

Just as in the contemporary world, so also in the first century, there
were many who enthusiastically promoted all kinds of things they ought
not to teach, "...for the sake of dishonest gain" (vs. 11). Desirable
leaders in every generation need to be self-denying, even-tempered,
sober-minded, peaceful, and lovers of what is good (vs. 8). Purity of
heart is the goal of every true Christian, that all may be blameless;
but for Christian leaders holiness is an absolute essential: "To the
pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving
nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled"
(vs.15). The pure in heart shall see God (Mt. 5 :8), and follow and
manifest the Lord, being qualified "...for every good work" (Tit.1:16).

Our Lord Himself teaches us: "You will know them by their fruits" (Mt.
7:16). It is not accidental that men who hold "...fast the faithful
word..." are "...able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict
those who contradict" (vs. 9). How often the Lord Jesus' opponents
tried to silence Him with contrary teaching (see Lk. 20)! Always, He
silenced them by His faithful word. Likewise, Christians are victors
when we speak "...things...proper for sound doctrine..." (Titus 2:1).

Grant, O Lord, to Thy Priests, by Thy Holy Spirit, pureness of life and
unswerving faith.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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Monday, December 14

DYNAMIS, Distinguish Themselves, December 16, 2009, Wednesday of the 28th Week Ape

 

__________________________________________________________
2 Timothy 4:9-22 (12/16) Epistle
for Wednesday of the Twenty-Eighth Week after Pentecost

Servants of Honor III ~ Distinguish Themselves: 2 Timothy 4:9-22,
especially vs. 16: "At my first defense no one stood with me, but all
forsook me. May it not be charged against them."

There are Christians who fail the test of faith; but the names of many,
such as Timothy, Luke, Mark, Priscilla, Aquila, and Onesiphorus, are
well known to readers of the New Testament. These servants of the Lord
stand out from a list of lesser-known disciples, some of whose names are
found in the New Testament, for the distinguished ones proved themselves
by diligence, usefulness in ministry, obedience, loyalty, and prayer for
all the brethren. Certainly the Master commends every such servant:
"'Well done, good and faithful servant...'" (Mt. 25:21,23).

The Apostle Paul likewise urges their virtues upon us all, even as he
pressed Timothy to be diligent in coming to him quickly (2 Tim. 4:9);
for diligence is widely respected in all cultures. Among his Proverbs,
Solomon affirms that "...the hands of the courageous are diligent" (Pr.
13:4), and realize the desires that the idle never accomplish. Even the
pre-Christian, Greek historian, Xenophon, recognized that "...the gods
do not give what is really good and beautiful without effort and
diligence;" and Samuel Johnson, the Eighteenth Century English author,
reminded his readers that "Few things are impossible to diligence and
skill." Yes, and along with the grace of God, our own diligence in
Christ helps us "...preserve our baptismal garment and the earnest of
the Spirit pure and undefiled unto the dread Day of Christ our God."

Even when we are diligent, the efforts of each of us must be focused and
carried out to be "...useful...for ministry" (2 Tim. 4:11). Saint
Mark's usefulness caused Saint Paul to single him out because he had
served so effectively, so productively in the Apostolic tasks of
ministry. To be of use to the Church's ministry, even at the entry
level that we all share, requires love for the beauty of God's house and
a willingness to strive for fruitfulness and righteousness. Even more,
it is the prayer of the Church that our Priests be marked by innocence,
a worthiness to minister the word of God's truth, and a desire to renew
His people through all the days of life. May each of us strive to
assure that the entire ministry of our parish or community is useful in
the hands of God for carrying out His mission in the world.

The obedient servant is distinguished in the Lord's eyes as the one who
stands by the Apostolic Faith when Truth is brought to trial (vs.16).
Remember that while all of the Disciples fled in the dark of night from
the Garden of Gethsemane, yet Saint Peter followed along after the
Master and the arresting party (Mt. 26:58). Furthermore, we know that
it was Saint John the Beloved Disciple who stood at the Cross unto
Christ's death (Jn: 19:26.27). But what happens in a parish when there
is a string of disasters involving the clergy or lay leaders? It is
then that we discern who are the obedient servants, those who do not
desert, flee, or wander off.

One of the finest marks of the great servants of God, a characteristic
that distinguishes them above the many, is the capacity to beseech God
not to charge the faults of other brethren "...against them"(2 Tim.
4:16) - a quality Saint Paul himself demonstrates in this Epistle.
Thus, whether others in the Church are diligent or diffident, obedient
or rebellious, fruitful or unproductive, loyal or apostate, the true
servant of God prays for them all. To all he says, "To [the Lord Jesus]
be glory forever and ever. Amen!" (vs. 18), and "The Lord Jesus Christ
be with your spirit. Grace be with you. Amen" (vs. 22). Remember,
"...prayer is energy of an especial order. It is the fusing of two
actions - ours, the creature's, and that of the uncreated Divine. As
such, it is both in the body and outside the body; even outside this
world of space and time."

O Holy Apostles, intercede with the merciful God to grant our souls
forgiveness of sins.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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Sunday, December 13

DYNAMIS, Serve God's Truth, December 15, 2009, Tuesday of the 28th Week APe

 

__________________________________________________________
2 Timothy 3:16-4:4 (12/15)
Epistle for Tuesday of the Twenty-Eighth Week after Pentecost

Servants of Honor II ~ Serve God's Truth: 2 Timothy 3:16-4:4, especially
vss. 1, 2: "I charge you....Preach the word! Be ready in season and out
of season."

In the Second Letter of Saint Paul to Timothy we learn how to draw
Divine Truth from God-inspired sources to serve as the foundation for
our lives, and to aid us in sharing the life-giving Truth with others in
an honest and helpful manner, being ever watchful for resistance within
ourselves and others against Truth.

Isaiah the Prophet declared, "'Behold, God is my Savior and Lord. I
will trust in Him and be saved by Him. I will not be afraid, for the
Lord is my glory and my praise. He has become my salvation.' You will
draw water with gladness from the wells of salvation" (Is. 12:2,3). But
what are these wells where we may find the true waters of salvation?
Saint Paul mentions two: First, "All Scripture is given by inspiration
of God..."and second, "I charge you...before God and the Lord Jesus
Christ..." (vss. 3:16; 4:1). Holy Scripture is one source of truth.
The other source is the body of truths given by the Apostles to the
Church. These constitute the building blocks of Holy Tradition, of
Christian truth. Note that when Saint Paul speaks of Scripture, he is
referring to the Old Testament. Notice also that he is not hesitant to
place his Apostolic teaching alongside those Scriptures, for he knew
that he had received ultimate truth directly from the Lord Jesus.

Like Saint Paul, all Apostles, were direct recipients of Divine truth
from Christ. And their writings now are those Scriptures that we call
the New Testament. About this Saint Basil warns that some teachings
"...we have received...from written sources, while others have been
given to us secretly through apostolic tradition. Both sources have
equal force in true religion. No one would deny either source - no one,
at any rate, who is even slightly familiar with the ordinances of the
Church." Bishop Kallistos Ware names and then discusses these other
sources of the true water of salvation: namely, the definitions of the
Ecumenical and of other Church Councils, the writings of the Holy
Fathers, the Liturgical texts, Canon Law, and the Icons. And still
Saint Basil's caution is worthy; for not all is written down, and yet
truth remains in the Church by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is in the
Church that we find the wells of which Isaiah speaks. To draw truth, we
need to be within the Church where the true sources are available.

Saint Paul not only teaches where we may find truth, but also charges us
to present truth to others in truthful ways. In the translation he
says, "Preach the word!" (vs. 4:2). The verb he uses includes a very
wide range of meanings such as "...impart, share, inculcate, proclaim,
and announce." The word implies a public activity. For those who are
charged in the Church with the ministry of preaching - as Timothy was -
the English preach is the apt translation.

For us who conduct our lives in the public arena, the Apostle's
admonition applies to the workplace, our neighborhoods, and other
associations outside the Church. Our lives, our actions, and our words
together are meant to share the truth of the Gospel in ways appropriate
to our positions and opportunities, although not necessarily cast always
in religious terms. When we meet genuine interest in the Faith, or
blatant falsehood, or guileless ignorance, let us "Convince, rebuke,
exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching" (vs. 2), but ever in ways
that are life-giving.

Do you see how this means we must be watchful in all things against
self-serving and resistance to the truth (vs. 5)? There may be in
ourselves a lingering unwillingness to "...endure sound doctrine..."
(vs. 3). This must be fought against, as well as the preference of men
in the world to live "...according to their own desires..." (vs. 3).
May we be faithful to the Truth!

Help us, O Lord, to uphold truth by Thy Truth, and to remain watchful
against all error.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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