The Religion of the Future Final Part, part 4 (The Spirit of Charlatans)

 

In Part 3, The Revival of Charlatans we discussed the Spirit of God, what it was and how it relates to the Pentecostal movement. Now we are going to expose the Pentecostal movement for what it is…DEMONIC in nature. For that we must use context and discover how the Enemy has infiltrated the hearts and minds of sincere yet deceived people. I must confess that though these people are sincere, and I do believe their experiences are genuine, I do not condone nor believe that we should be practicing such things. After all, as I stated in the previous blog, the church went nearly 2000+ years without this so called speaking in tongues and it does not need it now. The Church is Christ’s body and must act in accordance with Christ not outside of Christ.

From the onset of this section of Orthodoxy and Religion of the Future, Father Seraphim Rose painstakingly conveys the message that the Charismatic, Pentecostal Movement is NOT of the Church.  First let’s find its origins, then we will discuss the actions of these Charlatans and finally we will place in context the true and Orthodox mindset with how to proceed in our thoughts regarding the movement.

First, the origins. As the book states on pages 115-17, it comes from the Protestant Revivalism spirit that began with Martin Luther, but particularly with Charles Parham on December 31, 1900. He was trying to discover “ancient” Christianity. Had Charles Parham been acquainted with the Church Fathers, then he would know ancient Christianity has been kept by the Orthodox Church and the successors of the Apostles for 2000 years. But alas, he was not. Charles Parham and his disciples were trying to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, through the power to speak in tongues as it mentions in Acts. Through the instruction of a young girl, the “gift” was received after he laid hands upon her, and she spoke incoherently. From pages 118-119 we see that this “baptism” and “gift” spread like wildfire culminating in even the Pope of Rome admitting he was a Pentecostal. Thus we see that the movement began outside the established Church of Christ, and is a relatively new phenomenon, not something that the Church has preached for a majority of its existence

On Page 126, Father Seraphim Rose quotes the scriptures of 1 Corinthians Chapter 12-14 where St. Paul discusses the use of speaking tongues, and states that St. Paul was not trying to promote it, rather he was trying to minimalize its importance in the everyday life of the Church. Pentecostals and those who support the speaking in tongues charlatan movement use these chapters to justify their means. This is a simple misinterpretation and without proper guidance, misinterpretation happens quite frequently, even among those of us who profess Orthodoxy. Father Seraphim quotes a person on page 127, who began to use the word la, repeatedly and then began to speak wildly. This person by a psychological nature was conditioning themselves to speaking in tongues, not allowing the Holy Spirit to overcome them. Another grave error. On page 128, Father Seraphim discusses the repentance aspect of the movement and notes that many do not feel a need to ask for forgiveness from their sins after speaking in tongues, because God is inside them. We can see that this is inconsistent even with Protestant doctrine that calls for one to come to a saving grace in Christ and violates Romans 3:23. Father Seraphim even further explains this movement usinh Lutheran pastor Dr. Kurt Koch, who along with Father Seraphim denotes that this movement is psychic in nature and is a form of mediumism or to put it bluntly…sorcery. Father Seraphim also denotes that while many would consider this Christian, the devil does not necessarily take away our “Christianness” when this act is taking place, rather he replaces it with what we want to feel and how we want to act, rather than giving us true and proper experiences in Christ. Meetings of interdenominational charismatics included free-form prayer and dancing, no consensus of piety or respect for God (page 151) From pages 151-156 Father Seraphim discusses the laughter within these meetings and how that this is common among those brought to Orthodox Priests in the old countries who need an exorcism. This laughter is produced by those who speak in tongues and is a disregard for the faith in Christ. While laughter is not a bad thing, lack of respect for Christ is. Father Seraphim also at length discusses preachers like Rodney Howard-Browne who during his “revivals” would witness people “slain in the spirit” falling unconscious and being almost superglued to the floor. Again, signs of possession but not by God. Those who are possessed by God are in their right minds. Howard-Browne on page 214, states, “I’d rather be in a church where the devil and the flesh are manifesting than in a church where nothing is happening…” Brothers and Sisters, if the devil himself is entering a church, then it is not a church…it is pure and simply Satanic worship. 

So, what is the Orthodox, and well to be honest the Christian response? The Christian response is to have nothing to do with it. Leave it to its own devices and do not seek it. Seek only that which is pure and uplifting.  Seek Christ through the saints, the scriptures and leave speaking in tongues alone.  Do not forget to pray for those in spiritual deception, because we could be there just as easily. Seek forgiveness of your sins, pray, and be at peace.

 

Amen.

The Religion of the Future part 3 (Revival of Charlatans)

 

Part 3 of the Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future book review is the most polarizing. For some readers of this blog, the next few paragraphs will be the last they read of this blog.  Christ lost many followers along his way, and I don’t expect to always keep everyone, because sometimes, the truth is too difficult to handle and as the parable says, the weeds grow up and choke the seeds.

Today’s blog will be about the Revival of Charlatans. More specifically the likes of Kenneth Copeland, Joyce Meyers, Benny Hinn, and others. This blog will be looking at the phenomenon of speaking in tongues and not only giving you the truth as presented by Father Seraphim Rose in his book, but also the truth as it has been handed down to us for 2000 years. Yes, the words will sting for those under the deception. Yes, the words might come as a shock to most people, but I pray that I might not be harsh in my words, but bold. Speaking clearly and distinctively with a conscience that is guided not by man’s interest, but by the Spirit of God.

So, let’s start there actually. The Spirit of God. The Spirit of God is his Holy Spirit and will be capitalized to give no confusion or credence to the other “spirit” that will be discussed in this blog. We have discussed in the previous two parts of the series, about the nature of the pagan gods, and their miracles, the nature of the spirits of our age and how demonic presences can be felt among the UFOs seen by people in the sky, and now we will talk about perhaps the greatest deception taking place in the guise of God’s own people. There are now Christian movements which seek to receive the “Baptism of the Holy Spirit” instead of the Baptism of Christ. This is commonly referred to as speaking in tongues. But if we can glean anything from Father Seraphim Rose and others within the text of this book, it is anything but Christian. Those who speak in tongues from their own mouths suggest that they have lost all desire to read the scriptures, to repent of their sins (because God is inside them why do they need to repent of anything), and to in general draw closer to God. Some have even reported faking their experience, because they wanted to fit in with the crowd and to do as others did. Clearly this is not something that we as Orthodox or any true Christian would want to seek, because we want authentic experiences and witnesses of the faith. We want full repentance of our sins because we see that we are sinners before God.

The Spirit of God, not only seeks and draws us to repentance and authentic experiences and witness, but it is also a unifier. There is not a single united Pentecostal Church. If this spirit, that is flowing through these people truly was from God, they would be unified in their front. The movement would be one. But like the Protestant movement in general, differences have risen from the various members of the Pentecostal movement, and have caused division, squabbles, and outright heresies to be spoken. The very interpretation of scripture varies among the different denominations of the Pentecostal movement and even the practices vary. This is not and never has been taught by Orthodoxy. If we contrast this with the Spirit that lives within the Orthodox Church, we see that for 2000 years the Spirit has unified us and kept us free of divisiveness. Like any family, there are disagreements and people will from time to time be corrected for their wrongdoings, but the Church remains intact. To an outsider, when we as Orthodox speak of Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Georgian, Greek Orthodox, they see that as separate faiths. However, to the Orthodox observer, he knows they are simply jurisdictions placed in the world for the sake of governance and they are united not by a leader like the papists, but by their faith.  The Pentecostal movement does not have that. It never did, and because the spirit is not from God, it never will.

Thirdly, the Spirit of God, like the demons that imitate it, changes with the times. When the church was established, the various surrounding nations and tribes had long been in idolatry and paganism, just like many in the world today. The Spirit of God in those times used the apostles and the first Church Fathers, to speak boldly in the language of foreign tongues, to proclaim that the Gospel would reach all people in all times. As the Spirit of God went forth with the missionaries called to various lands, the gospel became translated among the faith across the world, from Eastern Europe, to Africa, the natives of America and many others. It was no longer necessary for the gift of speaking in tongues to be given to the people. The best example of this is the Egyptian Fathers. While certainly you can find great feats in the spirit, especially among the life of St. Anthony the Great, you don’t find the speaking in tongues. In fact, for the Church’s nearly 2000+ year history, a majority of that time has been spent WITHOUT the gift of speaking in tongues! Do you think that God, in his great providence, would leave His Church, His Body, WITHOUT the most important portion of His Spirit IF it was so necessary for salvation as those of the Pentecostal movement say it is? If you said No, then you’re not under the deception like those who follow this movement are. God is certainly not mocked, and by assuming that God is just now revealing a portion of His Spirit, when He has given the Church his blessing and established it on the Day of Pentecost so that IT and IT ALONE, could dispense of the blessings of the Holy Spirit upon all those who believe. Therefore, this again dear brothers and sisters is grave error and must be avoided by all who call themselves True Christians.

While I could continue to write an entire book on this subject, the information is more concise in Father Seraphim Rose’s book.  We will be continuing this discussion in the next blog and looking exactly at the characteristics of speaking in tongues and while they are opposed to Christianity and Orthodoxy in general. I have for the sake of this blog not included quotes from the book to use them in that discussion.

The Religion of the Future part 2 (The Spirits of our Age)

   

                Again, we arrive at the controversial stage of this blog, and for most people they will turn away from this and will not listen to what is going to be said. Father Seraphim Rose was a bright man, with many wonderful insights from God. Along with the knowledge gleaned from Patristic church literature that has been passed down for over 2,000 years. Therefore, when such a giant of our generation writes about the deceptions taking place in our world, I believe I have the very right and responsibility to inform the people of this world to take heed and to help lead them back onto the narrow and straight path. We are of course going to be dealing with the chapter on UFOs that inspired The UFO Deception by Father Spyridon Bailey and which of course you can find a full book review of on this sight. Let me preface something if I did not earlier, my family has experience with UFOs...I do not discredit nor disavow them for their belief in such objects. In fact, I would say that Orthodox Christians would say that they are very real...but not just in the way that you would think.

 

                First let me say that Father Seraphim Rose's book does not deal primarily with UFOs in the same way that Father Spyridon does. Father Spyridon's is an entire book devoted to the subject, Father Rose's? Just a chapter. But the impact is just the same. Like Father Spyridon, Father Seraphim Rose agrees that we cannot lump all sightings of UFOs into the category of demonic spirits that people have witnessed. Some are very clearly military and secret agencies performing tasks that they do not want the general population to discover and so they cover it up with the belief that extraterrestrials are visiting us to get the people to not dig further into the story and to go about their business devoid of the knowledge of what they are doing. In fact, before the wild craze that was ETs and the possibility of life on other planets, most scientists who reported and observed the early accounts of eyewitnesses of UFOs believed them to be highly advanced technology, usually American, but also Russian (page 80). However most if not many of the UFOs that are seen and the humanoids that are "uncovered" are the spirits of this age. They are the ghosts of years past, they are the dragons, the serpents, the fantastical creatures of mythology and fairytales. Though they have changed their appearance to meet the expectations of the people of this generation, their mission, to prepare us for the coming of the Antichrist, remains the same. Father Seraphim Rose explains in these discussions within the topic of UFOs that the prince of air (Eph. 2:2) is Satan himself, the devil and that his "miracles" take place within the air, because that is his only true place of power. On page 101, Father Seraphim Rose, states quite unashamedly, "Men have abandoned Christianity, and look for "saviours" from outer space..." These spirits perform their acts in the sky and deceive many. He even assumes that the Antichrist himself, might descend from the air, to conclude his imitation of Jesus, like the UFOs do on occasion. (Page 111). Father warns Christians to walk more cautiously and soberly on the path of salvation during these times, because the apocalyptic times are getting closer at hand (page 113)

 

Concluding the discussion on page 114, Father Seraphim warns all Christians to not believe in these fairy tales of demonic origins and to remind ourselves that we must be prepared for the coming of the Antichrist. He also states that all Christians believe in higher beings. No, not extraterrestrials, but angels, and demons. They are not our saviours, they are created beings just like us, some have fallen away and want to drag us away from God, which have become demons. Those who want to lead us toward God and to His Logos, are the angels. We must not rely on our senses to tell us whether these things are pure and good, which some believe these beings to be. We also cannot rely on our senses to tell us these things are evil, which also some believe these beings to be. We must rest in the writings of the Church, the Holy Scriptures, and the Christian witness. We do not have time to be caught up in arguments that do not have basis in our salvation. We must remain firmly rooted in our Faith.

 

 

 

Amen.

The Religion of the Future pt 1 (The nature of the pagan religions)

 

    When I read that Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future had changed contemporary Russia, I personally was a bit skeptical. After all, any number of things could have been the driving factor for the revival of orthodoxy in Russia with the fall of communism in the 1990s certainly a large factor. So I was also a bit skeptical of Father Seraphim Rose, a polarizing figure in Orthodox circles, who has been the spiritual father and basis of many of Orthodox converts and Christians in the past few decades. Both of these things led me to avoiding the magna opus of Father Seraphim Rose. However, the truth was I wasn't ready to be confronted with the truth. I was content to attend my parish on Sunday, read my prayers as often as I can, try to digest the daily readings, and attempt to live an exemplary life that was safe within the confines of its walls that I had personally set up so that I could be "protected." However that all changed. I, like so many of my fellow converts to the faith, have finally read Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future.   It has indeed changed my life. 

    Father Seraphim Rose begins his discussion of the various topics surrounding the Orthodox Church in modern times with his discussion on the Church vs Other Faiths. And in this aspect, I don't mean protestants or papists, but rather the Church versus Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism, etc. Father Seraphim clearly outlines from the onset that Triune Christianity is directly opposed to all other faiths.   God of the Christians is not the same as the God of Islam, Krishna of Hinduism, and even though the Jews might be the posterity of Abraham, they are the not the sons of Abraham, because that would require a faith in Jesus Christ.  But the proponents of this so called "unity of faith" proclaimed on page 3 of the book "...all three confess God the Father." Father retorts, that no, Orthodox Christians don't just confess God the Father, but the "Holy, Consubstantial (of the same essence), Life-giving, and UNDIVIDED Trinty." (page 3).  For Father and all Christians, God is not the father of men in this world, but the Father of men in the realm of redemption. He has given us His Son, Jesus Christ, who without faith is "a great imposter" and thus we destroy our own faith by surrendering to the heretical teachings that both Jews and Muslims and any other faith that denies the divinity of Christ. From there, Father Seraphim then details the nature of these pagan gods and their diabolical actions.  These actions are seen by many as modern standards which would seem harmless, even humanitarian.  Unfortunately,  these teachings all have the same goal...erasing Christian thought and tradition and replacing it with a nameless. impersonal god, which is man himself.  

    As Father Seraphim continues his book, he looks at stories and eyewitness accounts of the demonic actions of these beings.  The power of the pagan gods can sometimes cause great feats and various so called "miracles" that would have any person fall into deception. His first story is that of a young woman who by the power of Christ overcame the prelest (spiritual deception) of Hinduism.  Let us take the eyewitness account of this young woman and others to discover that the pagan gods do everything they can to tear us away from faith in Christ. This young woman, who by her own experience states that she worshipped, Kali, the goddess of death, discusses at length how the Swamis of India tried in earnest to show that India was the birthplace of the Christianity. They claimed that the scriptures found in the Bible were nothing more than Hinduism writings that had been carried to the Holy Land and then misinterpreted  for nearly 2000 years without their "help." (page 13)  Do you realize that if that's the case, that we have been deceived? That nothing can be true! God is not mocked, brothers and sisters, that is clear from the scriptures, and do you truly believe that God for 2000 years after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ would allow the Church to go into deception and to misinterpret the scriptures through the writings of the Church Fathers and Elders? I don't think so!  As I spoke in a previous blog, we must test the spirits and see if they are from God or from something else. This so called misinterpretation is simply a desire to see the very essence and life of Christ reduced in the eyes of the world. Of course this took hold in America and other countries where many even today are still searching for "truth." Where truth is an opinion. Truth, dear brothers and sisters, is not an opinion--it  is fact. Without holding true to what we believe and what has been handed down to us, for generations, we are no better than the church that Jesus spewed out of his mouth for being lukewarm. (Revelation 3:16). 

    Continuing on, as I stated earlier, she mentions that she worshipped death, Kali in India. Nothing more than a form of the devil himself, or herself in this case, as we know demons can change appearance to fit their needs. She is described as Terror on page 20, and I don't know about you, but I would not want to worship something that is called Terror, or evil. Secondly she continues to discuss how the very nature of the pagans has entered our Christian thought. This young woman of who Father Seraphim Rose writes, discusses Thomas Merton, who by his own experiences and devices was influenced by the pagan religions so far as to turn away from the faith by correlating Christianity to Zen, Buddhism, and other pagan religions. This staunch Catholic writer, was in turn himself deceived -into believing that all religions were equal. I am sorry if this offends anyone, but Christ can only be found in Christianity. No where else. On page 26-27 of the book, still within the article on the young woman, father writes about Teilhard de Chardin a Jesuit priest. This Jesuit priest also dabbled in Hinduism and came to the conclusion,"...I recognize that, following the example of the incarnate God revealed to me by the Catholic faith, I can be saved only by becoming one with the universe." Dear brothers and sisters, our goal as Christians is not to become "one with the universe, but one with Jesus Christ! Uniting ourselves with Him through daily practice of our faith and growing in stature and more into Christmindedness.  Our salvation does not lie in some abstract universe, but in the life of Jesus Christ. Those who believe anything other than Jesus Christ can save them are deceived and I will continue to say that over and over again until it is engrained in this writing. 

    One of the most interesting stories takes place on page 57 of the book where he describes the arrival of Mahara-ji to the United States in 1973. Mahara-ji had been declared "God" by the people of India and he was known as the Lord of the Universe. Rennie Davis, one of the disciples was quoted in the book as saying, "He is the greatest even in history and we sleep through it...I feel like shouting in the streets. If we knew who he was we would crawl, across America, on our hands and knees, to rest our heads at his feet." This is grave error brother and sisters! Any Christian who calls himself as much must see the pagan teachings exuding from this philosophy. Over and over in the first portion of this book, Father Seraphim Rose, refutes the pagans and the nature of the pagan gods for what they truly are...demons.  Much more can be said on this topic, but for now I will leave you with the prayer that we will see through the lies of those outside the Faith, and will pray for their repentance to come to a full understanding of Christ and His Church. 

Amen. 

Saints Herman and Juvenaly of Alaska

    

Today Alaska rejoices and America celebrates,

For the new world has been sanctified by martyrdom.
Kodiak echoes with songs of thanksgiving,
Iliamna and Kenai observe the festival of faith.
The Apostle and martyr Juvenaly is glorified,
And Peter the Aleut is exalted by his voluntary sacrifice,
In their devotion and love for the Lord
They willingly endured persecution and death for the Truth,
Now in the Kingdom of Heaven they intercede for our souls!

 O blessed Father Herman of Alaska, north star of Christ’s holy Church, the light of your holy life and great deeds guides those who follow the Orthodox way. Together we lift high the Holy Cross you planted firmly in America. Let all behold and glorify Jesus Christ, singing his holy Resurrection.

     Saints Herman and Juvenaly of Alaska are among the first group of Orthodox Christians that came to the new world through the Russian Orthodox Church and their evangelizing of Alaska and the native peoples of the region. 

    Saint Herman of Alaska was born around the 1750s and was a monk at St. Sergius Hermitage before moving to Valaam to become tonsured as a monk, where he received the name Herman. While there at St. Sergius his faith was tested when he became sick with an abscess on his throat, which according to sources disfigured his face. He was near death until the night of his miraculous healing where he prayed all night before an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. In the morning, the abscess was gone, and doctors, by their logical and precise reasoning could not explain the miracle. Only that God had taken mercy on the young Father Herman, and healed him. After he transferred to Valaam, he studied under Abbot Nazarius where he became well versed in the hesychastic life and teachings. He eventually obtained the blessings of the abbot to become a hermit and settled 2km outside of the monastery for his solitary life. While renowned among the brethren and as equally liked by Metropolitan Gabriel, he did not receive ordination into the priesthood choosing to remain a monk. When a Russian-American company appealed to Catherine the Great in regards to sending a group of priests to the new world to teach the natives the basic teachings of the faith, St. Herman and likewise St. Juvenaly were chosen to be among the chosen company. He along with his fellow servants of God, were able to convert 7,000 natives to the faith, despite the harsh conditions of the region. Not only was he able to convert the natives, he converted others of different faith traditions to Orthodoxy such as a navy captain who until his encounter with St. Herman was a Lutheran.  When he moved to Spruce Island later in his mission he remarked, I am not alone. God is here, as God is everywhere." Again though, people became as they often are, to the saints and their piety and began visiting in droves, families moved, people were drawn to St. Herman and his life. He would live there on Spruce Island for 40 years near a cave which he had prepared for his burial. On the night of his death, it is said that light shown from his face, noting the repose of the blessed man of God, and a sweet smelling odor filled the room. 

    St. Juvenaly of Alaska is the Protomartyr of America, meaning the first martyr on American soil. Juvenaly like St. Herman was chosen to be among the company that was to witness to the native peoples of Alaska. St. Juvenaly was full of religious zeal and faith for the people of Alaska that he widely preached the gospel. He was known to have baptized over 700 natives at Nushek. St. Juvenaly was eventually martyred by a group of natives, and the precise reason behind the attack is still unknown but various theories do persist. St. Juvenaly was first attacked from behind and rose to forgive his attackers, they attacked again. This continued several times, until they hacked him into pieces. The shaman leading the attack tried to use the pectoral cross that St. Juvenaly wore to cast a demonic spell. The power of God overcame the shaman and His power was greatly revered by the men. The shaman was lifted up probably in the air four different times by God's miraculous work, and after the last attempt as I stated they did not try anything again. At the repose of the great martyr of America, a column of light rose from his relics, and no one knows how long this lasted, but it must have lasted for some time. 

    These two monks who came to America saw the life of Orthodoxy and Christianity in two totally different ways. St. Herman was able to repose quietly on Spruce Island where he had taught the faithful for many years. St. Juvenaly went like the apostles to preach the gospel and like many of them was given the crown of martyrdom for his work. Both worked tirelessly to advance the faith among the native peoples and others of Alaska and America and both should be honored for their dedicated service. May Christ our True God through their prayers have mercy on us and save us. 

Amen. 

The Spiritual Successors of the Faith

 

    We are the spiritual successors of the faith dear brothers and sisters. Each one of us having been baptized into the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Orthodox Church have been given the same charisma, the same gift as those who have came before us. We as Christians have been called to Theosis, the divinization of the soul, and the call to become holy. Those who have been purified of their sin, those who have rejected the world and lived their lives in accordance with Holy Tradition and the Church, are regarded by the Church as saints, regardless if they have been glorified or not. Most of the world reflects on those the church has glorified, those like St. Seraphim of Sarov, St. Sergius, St. Tikhon, St. Catherine and others. But the truth is, we have all been called to become saints. 

    Most of us however would rather sit on the sidelines than be in the starting lineup. How often do we think about the fact that as Christians we are called to become friends of God, through our piety, through our love, through our prayers? All of these have been given to us through the lives of the saints that have gone before. It is not rocket science, we are not trying to discover some new secret about God that has only been revealed to us. We have the lives of the Christian witnesses throughout all ages to give us the exact playbook that takes us from the bench to the starting lineup. Most of us however, don't use it. We don't want that kind of responsibility. We sit in our churches, going through the motions of the divine services especially the liturgy and we think about what is coming next. What other things we need to accomplish that day, or what our job requires of us. However those things will pass away. Our eternal soul? It lasts for eternity. When we practice the ascetism that God requires of us, and remember ascetism for each of us is different, because each of us is unique, we grow and become more like him. I remember in an earlier blog post that I stated that Jesus didn't come to make us good people. He came to unite us to himself. If we truly believe that, if we truly want to experience the Christian experience, then we must do everything in our power to shun the wiles of the devil and the world. We must proclaim "Death to the World" because it is not of this world that we belong. But alas, so many today reject that! I myself have been caught up in the things and passions of this world many times, and I am no master of the faith. I too fall and make mistakes. Often times these posts are preaching to me, as much as I am sharing it with you. Our very souls depend on the sustenance that the Church offers for our salvation. We need the life giving cross to be our weapon against the demons. We need the intercessions of the saints to overcome our passions. We need the blessings of the priest, the prayers of the faithful, we need all of this and much more. Fasting, praying, all of this combined together unites our souls with the One, Holy Triune God. It is not merely motions, but the inner heart that needs to be united with the motions. I feel as if I'm repeating myself over and over, but it really is that simple. No need for fancy wand waving or silly incantations, just simple humility. 

    Do we wish to be sanctified in both body and spirit? Then we must partake of the Eucharist! We must pray! We must make prostrations! We must continue our fight against the things of this world. Only then, will be true successors of the faith! 

Testing the Spirit

 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.  This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

     It's often times strange how the Lord works.  I had an entirely different blog planned for today, but it was accidentally deleted, right after posting, so I decided to go with something different. The above passage is from today's reading in the epistle and has a strong message for us as Christians and especially for those of us of the Orthodox Faith. In his first universal letter to the Church, John warns us of the false prophets that have gone out into the world to deceive and to destroy the faith of people who would otherwise come to a fullness of faith in Christ. He warns us that this is the spirit of the antichrist. We can see this in the world today, of how the world has turned from the Christian faith to a more occultist and demonic way of life. 

    So often today we see people denying the reality of Christ and His Church, we see people supporting ecumenism and the belief that all faiths are equal, we see people denying the virgin birth, and in some if not most protestant denominations, the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. All of these things are from the false prophets. Just as I discussed other day in a previous blog about the false teachers of the prosperity gospel and the teachers of Arianism and Nestorianism, these too are of the spirit of the antichrist. 

    Since the dawn of the Church on the day of Pentecost, the church has dealt with heresies and false teachings. Paul dealt with many in his writings to the various churches that can be found in Holy Scripture. The apostles dealt with many in Acts and the church continues to deal with them even now. What then is our response to them? We must test the spirit. I recently heard Father Peter Heers speak on this and his teachings have rang clear in my ears since then. If it does not meet the experience of the Christian witness from the time of the beginning of the church, then it is heresy. We can say this about the teachings of the rapture, which was not taught at the dawn of the church. We can say that about once saved always saved, which again was not a position of the early church and still is not a position of the church at the present day. If it does not fit with the Christian witness and the experience of the Church throughout all ages we should reject it.  

    We as Christians should have no part in heresy, we should flee from it. St. John himself did not spend time in the presence of heretics. St. Paisios and Porphyrios would not meet with the Pope when he wanted to have a meeting with them. Throughout history, Christians have not debated, argued or even conversed with heretics. Why so should we now? We should live our lives in service to Christ to the fullest so that our light shines. Jesus discusses this very thing in Matthew 5:14-16. We are the light of the world, we are not meant to be of the world, but outside the world, being the city on the hill, the light that is not hidden in a basket. 

Amen. 

Betrayal: Forgiveness or Death?

    Today's blog will deal with loving God above all else and betraying that love for the love of the world. As we approach Lent we are reminded of our sins, in that we might continue to work on them and perfect ourselves as Christ is perfected. Becoming holy as our Father in Heaven is Holy.  However that is not always the case, and for most of us, we will never achieve the level of spiritual life that even the lowest of the saints achieved. In today's scripture readings however, we see two levels of betraying Christ and what the consequences were for that betrayal.  

    In 1 John we read that, "He who does not love, abides in death." The first betrayal that is evident is those who know the truth, and completely reject it. Later in the gospel reading we are reminded of Judas Iscariot who betrayed the Lord for 30 pieces of silver, and had been with Christ since the beginning. He had lived and worked with Christ the entire time of his ministry, and yet he did not abide in the same love that Christ did. He abided in the love of money and rejected Christ for the same wealth and power that many today even in the church do.  Judas Iscariot took the money, led the guards and other leaders to the Garden and betrayed Christ with a kiss as many of us know.  Do we often times spend too much time worrying about money and power and fame? Do we spend time wondering how people will perceive us? Most if not all of us do. Judas is the prototype for this, we see that he cared for the world in a way he did not care about Christ. Judas would eventually commit suicide, overcome with worldly grief and not spiritual grief. He never sought the forgiveness that Christ would have freely given him had he simply asked for it. In the second betrayal, we will see that the one betraying cared for Christ more than this world, and yet he still caused grief.

    I am obviously talking about Simon Peter. During the Last Supper, Jesus tells Peter that he will deny him three times. Peter openly says to everyone there that he will not, though Jesus assures Peter that he will.  After Judas' betrayal in the garden, Jesus is taken before the High Priest and questioned.  While there, Peter who was with Jesus in the garden follows at a distance and gains entrance into the courtyard so that he could be with his friend. After denying Christ once, twice, three times the rooster crows. Does Peter do like Judas and hang himself? Does he immediately decide that life is not worth living because he committed atrocities like so many do today? No. Peter steadies himself, though bitterly heartbroken, he returns to the rest of disciples and witnesses the outcome of the crucifixion and ultimately the resurrection itself. Peter like so many true Christians accepts the forgiveness freely given to us by God through Christ, and Peter knew that he was called to a higher purpose. Yes he had made a horrific mistake, he had left the fold of Christ. He had lost his faith. But Peter was determined to go on. Even if Christ wouldn't accept him back, Peter would resolve to live the rest of his days in ascetical practice and love. The same love that Christ had taught him. However the story doesn't end there with Peter leaving the courtyard and weeping bitterly. Peter is then restored by Jesus after the resurrection in the same manner that he betrayed Christ. Confirming his faith three times in the presence of Jesus Christ. 

So the question today, of all days, is Betrayal: Forgiveness or Death? We all fall everyday we all sin and leave the narrow path given to us by God for our salvation. Some leave the path for a long time, others for a short time, but we all leave it. The question is, will we act like Judas, and in self pity and hatred for our actions commit self annihilation and death? Or will be like Peter, resolved to continue the fight with our fallen selves and struggle to overcome the passions? The choice my friends is clear. We must do what the saints have done. We must strive to overcome the passions and become true sons of God. 

Amen.  

    

The Martyrs of St. David Gareji Monastery

 

    One of the most active persecutors of Christianity was Shah Abbas I of Persia. History will tell of his greatness, how he regained control of the empire after the death of his weak and feeble father, how he was able to revolutionize Persia and how it was the golden age of its power-both militarily and economically. However the Christian Church, especially the Georgian Orthodox Church paints a different picture of this man, one that will be unfolded in this story about the Martyrs of the St. David Gareji Monastery. 

    Shah Abbas I was as I stated a very powerful man, with vast amounts of territories and many vassals. Of those Georgia was one. After invading and reclaiming eastern Georgia, he marched on Imereti and massacred about 100,000 people. He defeated the ruler Ketevan and had her tortured to death after she refused to recant Christianity.  Shah Abbas I, was genocidal when it came to the Georgian people, wanting to eradicate them from existence because of their staunch faith in Orthodox Christianity. I tell you all of this, not because the Shah is the focus of our story, rather, that this was a very difficult time in the history of such a strong Christian nation. 

    One of the causalities of this war with Georgia was the St. David Gareji Monastery and their entire brotherhood of monks. Persecution of the monastic way of life is nothing new, but the manner in which these monks sacrificed themselves for the faith strengthens even my faith because of their sound resolve. 

    On the night of Pascha 1616, the monks of St. David Gareji were preparing to celebrate, they had everything prepared. Shah Abbas and his men who were on their 100,000 men killing spree were near the area of the monastery as the celebrations began. The Abbot, Arsenius, was a holy man, and was visited by an angel warning of the impending attack and the loss of their life. The angel told him that he should offer the chance to the monks to flee if they chose and all but two stayed. After the chanting of the Lord's Prayer during the Paschal Liturgy, Abbot Arsenius knowing that they were surrounded asked the Persian warriors for more time to finish the service and for the fathers of the monastery to receive communion. They agreed. After the service the monks presented themselves before their captors and surrendered their lives for the faith. They beheaded Abbot Arsenius first and the monks one by one after.  The other monasteries in the area were not spared either and the Shah continued his quest to eradicate Christianity from the region.  The two monks who fled from the monastery when they had heard the news of their impending death? They too were executed after being captured and refused conversion to Islam. 

The relics at St. David Gareji Monastery still stream myrrh to this day, and miracles abound in this place of torture and execution.  Their relics are buried at the left of the altar of Holy Transfiguration Church on the site of the monastery.  

May God through their prayers have mercy on us. 

Amen. 

St Nektarios of Aegina

 "O faithful, let us honor Nectarios, divine servant of Christ, offspring of Silivria and guardian of Aegina, who in these latter years was manifested as the true friend of virtue. All manner of healing wells forth for those who in piety cry out, "Glory to Christ who glorified you; glory to Him who, through you, wrought wonders; glory to Him who, through you, works healing for all."

    

 Perhaps one of the most beloved saints of the 19th and 20th Centuries is St. Nektarios of Aegina. St. Nektarios was born Anastasios Cephalas and moved to Constantinople at a very early age.  He left home for the island of Chios in 1866 and became a monk at the age of 30.  Anastasios as he was known then was a pious man, having been raised by a pious family, albeit a poor one.  Anastasios eventually was ordained a deacon because of his piety and given the name Nektarios, thus this was the name he would be known by for the rest of his life. Noticing his piety was growing in the faith, he was consecrated Bishop of Pentapolis in Libya by Patriarch Sophronios of Alexandria in 1889.  

    This was the beginning of the hardships of the life of St. Nektarios as he would serve as a bishop in Cairo for one year, before jealousy and hatred would encircle his life. Clerics of the Patriarchate of Alexandria began to stir up lies and discontent within the Patriarchate towards St. Nektarios and the Patriarch, Sophronios, felt as if the only way of dealing with the situation was to remove him as bishop.  A trial was never held and he was anathematized by the Patriarchate and exiled from Egypt. To a normal man, without faith, this would have broken them and destroyed their faith. However, St. Nektarios like any true Christian, took the suffering in stride.  He returned to his native Greece, becoming a director for Rizarios Ecclesiastical School and preached widely throughout Athens. He is known for his harsh punishments on himself for conflicts within the school, solving a dispute with two seminarians by fasting himself for three days. At the end of 15 years with the school, he left at the request of a group of nuns to be their spiritual father on the island and the place where his name is most widely associated with. 

    At the urging of some nuns, St. Nektarios traveled with them to the island of Aegina, in the Saronic Gulf, which is part of the Saronic Islands, and 17 miles near Piraeus. There St. Nektarios would continue his work, at the Holy Trinity Convent, where he would live out the rest of his days in peace.  He heard confessions, taught, preached and wrote. St. Nektarios was even more popular now than he had been before. St. Nektarios also used personal funds to build and grow gardens around the island, and was appointed the Metropolitan there. He eventually reposed in the Lord on November 8, 1920. It is recorded that a miracle occurred upon his death, when his shirt was thrown onto a neighboring bed and the man lying in the bed was healed. 

    The Church canonized St. Nektarios on April 20th, 1961, a mere 40 years after his death. The Patriarchate of Alexandria, which had anathematized him in the late 19th century, recanted their statements under Petros VII, in 1998 asking for forgiveness from the saint, and restoring to St. Nektarios that which was unfairly stripped from him by Patriarch Sophronios.

    By his intercessions, Lord, may you have mercy on us and save us. May St. Nektarios pray for us always. 

Amen. 

 

The Sunday of the Prodigal Son

 

“For this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”

(Luke 15:24)

    How many of us are familiar with the story of the prodigal son? In my protestant days it was one of the most known parables and probably the one most preached on that I can remember.  The story became even more special and meaningful to me when I converted from Southern Baptist to Orthodoxy about five years ago now. I recognized that I was the prodigal son, who had rejected the very love and faith of my Father, and squandered my life away in a far away country, and I was the chief among sinners.  But my story is not different than many others coming from other faith traditions to Orthodoxy, we recognize a part of ourselves in the story and it certainly makes the scriptures even more meaningful and alive for all of us who have had that experience.  However there is more to this Sunday than just those who converted to Orthodoxy, it is a story for all true Christians. A story that shows us the true nature of two kinds of people. Those who become prideful because they have not fallen away and have kept the faith in the actions but not their words, and those who by their actions and their faith are restored to life. 

    I would like to focus first on the prodigal son, but I will come back to the elder son in the next paragraph. The prodigal son, is the obvious main character in the parable told by Christ. He was tired of living under the yoke of his parents, especially that of his father, and wanted to become his own person. We see this today among so many people especially in the west, where they want to overthrow authority and to reject the teachings of their forefathers. We see this in the science of our day, trying to reject the reality of a God-inspired creation, where they have replaced it with a demonic evolutionary creation where man is nothing more than a cog in the wheel of time and has no purpose other than to live and die. We see this in the governments of today where people want to reject the authority of the people placed in charge, and replace with governments that would tear down society and replace with a shell of what they want, where everything and anything is legal.  We see this in the church, where people have taken the unity of the Body of Jesus Christ, and tore it into 300,000+ traditions that have no basis in the scripture, that have taken their own authority of God instead of allowing God to be the authority through His Church.  But that was the prodigal in the beginning.  As the story progresses, he realizes the errors of his ways and realizes that what his father was offering him, peace, prosperity, comfort was far better than what the world was offering him...slop and immoral temptations. The prodigal son rises up and comes to his senses. He determines that being a slave in the house of his father is more profitable than that of being a slave in the house of someone he does not know. This echoes the psalmist when he says, "I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness." (Psalm  84 in Western Bibles) The Prodigal Son, then comes home eager to see his father, to seek his forgiveness for squandering the inheritance that he was given, for destroying their relationship. The father in the story, just like God, welcomes him home with open arms. All is forgiven, all is taken back. The father throws a party, he gives his a robe, a ring, and restores to him the position of sonship. This is just like us every time we repent. No matter what sin we commit or do, when we seek repentance and forgiveness from God we receive it freely and without condition. God gives us everything and restores us back within the fold.  So the prodigal is the example Jesus gives us of who we should be.  Will I do not condone sin, and the world is rampant with it today, Jesus shows that when we seek true repentance, then we have fulfilled the commandments to the fullest. 

    

    The other son within the story, the elder son, is completely different. He has the fullness of the scriptures, he has the fullness of faith.  He sits in the bosom of the father day after day. He never leaves his father's side. However we see that though he never leaves his father's side, he truly never learned about the father, or about the fullness of his love. The elder son comes in from the fields at the end of the story angry, distraught and furious with the father for restoring the younger son to the sonship of his love. He looks upon his younger brother, who had wasted his life with harlots, pigs and other immoral people with disdain. So too, do many in the church look upon those who sin with hatred. They see the people for their actions, not as God would see them as beings worthy of love. The older son doesn't and can't understand why the father is rejoicing in the return of his supposed son, who committed the atrocities of the world. What the elder son is missing is the teaching of forgiveness. The elder son, who knew all the scriptures, knew all the hymns, knew everything there is to know about the church and the love shown therein, had not conformed his heart to the teachings of the church and was now completely rejecting it.  There are many within the church today who on the outward, appear to be true Christians, true disciples of Jesus, but on the inside are completely oblivious to Him and His Church. I am reminded again of another scripture.  In Matthew 23:25, Jesus says, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence." Jesus wasn't referring to actual cups and dishes folks but to the soul.  The scribes and Pharisees were acting just like the elder brother.  They knew so much about God, but they forgot to cleanse their own selves. 

    Finally we get to the Father.  Yes the Father. Why? Because he is God the Father. He is the Father of us all, and whether the world wishes to accept that it remains true.  We see the Father at first heartbroken, that his child would reject the love and teachings that he has given him for salvation and comfort within the world. We see him distraught and distressed over the supposed death of his beloved son. But no matter how upset he was with the prodigal, he sits on the front porch, probably drinking sweet tea, especially if this was here in the south, watching the road for the day that he knew the prodigal son would return. He sits there day after day watching and waiting until...off in the distance he sees the prodigal son. He doesn't even think twice or do a double take. He knows that it is him. He takes off running. He takes off sprinting to wrap his little boy in his arms. The son that he had been told was dead, that was written off, no longer a part of the family, was alive again. God is the same way. He is constantly waiting for us to repent of our actions. He seeks our forgiveness above everything else.  He didn't just send Jesus to teach us how to be good people. He sent Jesus to bring us back into the fullness of his love, to the fullness of what Man was called for, and that is to the be the image of God.  It is fitting that we read this parable directly before the Sunday of the Last Judgement, because we see that though next week will be frightful and in many ways disturbing, we have nothing to fear if we follow Christ and openly seek his forgiveness. We don't need to fear the Last Judgement.  The Father will welcome us with open arms if we honestly and sincerely repent of our sins.  We must become Holy as our Father in Heaven is Holy. It is not a one time deal, but an ongoing continuous process that will only be completed on the day of our death. 

As you can see there are many aspects to this parable that the Church wants us to see during this time as we prepare for Great Lent. I have only scratched the surface and may even have a different view than some of the church fathers and saints. I am human and make mistakes. But I have learned much from this parable over the years and hope that you will pick up your copy of the Bible and read it for yourself. As we prepare for Great Lent, I pray that I, humble Seraphim, are in your prayers as you are in mine.  

Amen.  

UFOs and the Deception of Extraterrestrials

     This one is going to be a little controversial, as many people are on both sides of the argument of this topic. However,  I am going to do something that I haven't done on this blog yet...and that is a book review, or at least a summary of a book.  I recently read The UFO Deception by Father Spyridon Bailey, and must say it is one of the greatest works Orthodox Christianity has produced at least in the 21st Century.  The book takes a look at the various claims of a variety of scientists and eyewitness accounts to determine the root cause of the phenomenon that is UFOs and whether there is something more at work than meets the eye. Through the use of the own words of Carl Sagan, Carl Jung and others Father Spyridon systematically tears through the deceptions that our government and other celebrities of this age promulgate in the existence of UFOs and extraterrestrial life. One of Father's quotes that sticks out with me is that the lies spread by scientists and the government are all in preparation for the coming of the Antichrist (not the antichrist which is the spirit but the final one Antichrist). Father Spyridon also states that now through the promise of technology, the satanic worshippers and atheists of the world have even more sway in tearing the faithful away from the Body of Christ, which is the Church.  Father Spyridon on page 91 states, "Here Sagan is acknowledging the reason for his yearning for ETs to exist, because without them he imagines human life is alone and purposeless." Others he quotes clearly state their goal in discovering ETs is to destroy traditional religion as we know it.  

    We as Orthodox Christians understand that the gates of Hell cannot and will not overcome the church, but we must still fight against this blatant attack on the church and defend her positions and honor. Father Spyridon continues on page 99, "...truth cannot be interpreted by the limited scientific findings of the day." But We as Orthodox Christians know where truth can be found...Holy Tradition, both in the scriptures and in the every day life of the Church. On the very next page, page 100, Father Spyridon makes his most ardent and most logical point. He states, "...for man experiencing a limited timespan during whatever theories are fashionable in his age, the gamble of  risking his eternal salvation  on such shifting sands demands a very strong faith in the science of his day." Father clearly states within the context of the writing that believing in the church, resting in the Rock of Faith, that is the apostolic faith presented by the Orthodox Church is more logical and more just than relying on what man has said about the world. Man's understanding of the world comes from a limited knowledge, from his discovery of what God has ordained and put in motion. Holy Tradition, is what God has given us for the benefit of our salvation and placing our faith in anything less is idolatry. 

    Another valid point that Father makes within all the context of the book, is that the government, and the media are controlling the narrative to deceive the people.  Throughout the book he quotes generals, airmen, naval officers and journalists who have seen the documents the government is supposedly hiding from the public, but in reality these narratives all published by credited sources are used by the government to control the flow of information. In reality, they want to prepare us for the inevitable creation of an alien threat to create the One World Government that is to be led by the Antichrist. Something that was new to me was the revelation from Father that both the United States Government and the Government of the USSR worked tirelessly together during the cold war to bring about this alien threat. On page 35 of the book, Father quotes directly from one of the most "beloved" presidents of the United States in modern history Ronald Reagan. Reagan states, "I occasionally think how quickly our differences worldwide would vanish if we were facing an alien threat from the outside world." Father continues his discussion by listing a number of other political leaders from various countries like Russia, Greece and the UK, all with varying degrees of the same statement.  The government's clear goal is to remove national identity with a humanitarian one, but one that will lead us to destruction, not to salvation.  By creating this threat themselves the governments of the world are keeping the people in check and destroying the very soul of humanity.

    Finally he takes a look at the nature of the "abductions" conducted by aliens through eyewitness accounts. Father looks at it as always through the eyes of the Christian witness and shows that many of the so called procedures conducted by the aliens are akin to occult and satanic practices, finally giving the last nail in the coffin of aliens being demons.  While I could focus on the other aspects he presents in this book, I believe if you want the whole picture you should buy yourself a copy of The UFO Deception by Father Spyridon Bailey. What I have gleaned from it might not be what you glean and I would hate for you to miss this wonderful book. 

Amen. 

St Olga of Kiev

 

Giving thy mind wings with the knowledge of God, thou didst soar beyond visible creatures, seeking the God and Creator of all things; and having found Him, thou didst receive rebirth by baptism. Since thou dost enjoy the Tree of Life, thou remainest incorrupt for all eternity, O ever-glorious Olga.

    If ever the church had its own version of John Wick, it would be St. Olga of Kiev. St. Olga was the spiritual daughter of the Emperor of Byzantium, Constantine, Son of Leo, and while conflicting reports are spread about her in regards to her conversion, it is known she was one of the first pagans to convert to Christianity from Kievan Rus.  She was the regent for her son, Sviatoslav, who refused to convert to Christianity, unlike his mother.  Her husband, Igor was the successor to Rurik, founder of the Rurik Dynasty and it was this marriage that caused the John Wick scenario that I alluded to at the beginning of this post. 

    During this pagan period in the eastern part of Europe rival tribes and rival lords competed with each other for control of land, supremacy and wealth. Igor, was the leader of Kievan Rus, the eventual state that would form what we know as Russia today. Igor was the Prince of Kiev and as such had many tribes which paid tribute. One of those was Drevlians.  Igor not satisfied with the tribute given to him by the Drevlians returned to their capital and was subsequently tortured, eventually being torn completely in two.  I will spare the more graphic details, but Olga upon hearing this plotted her revenge by agreeing to marry the Prince of the Drevlians. The diplomatic party was then buried alive by her forces, and at a funeral party she hosted with the Drevlians, 5,000 were executed.  This was not a lady to mess with. She laid siege to Korosten.  She used pigeons to set the city ablaze and executed the surviving members of the city. After this she continued to rule in place of her son, as the Grand Princess of Kiev. 

    This is where Christianity finally enters into the narrative for Olga. She decided some time in the 950s AD, to visit Emperor Constantine VII, son of Leo in Constantinople. While there she was overcome with the beauty of Christianity and the life of the Church.  Recognizing her misdeeds and her desire for more from life than what it had given her, she was instructed by the Patriarch of Constantinople and the Emperor in the faith and converted receiving the name Elena, and becoming the spiritual daughter of Constantine to avoid marrying him.  She returned to Kiev and earnestly tried to convert her son, but Sviatoslav refused saying his subjects would laugh at him if he decided to convert to Christianity. However she planted the seeds of faith in her grandson, Vladimir, who would convert the entire nation to Christianity a few decades later. She is known to have built churches in Kiev and Pskov, among other places and is renowned throughout Eastern Europe as equal to the apostles for her undying faith and loyalty to Christ. Though her reign started out as a bloodbath in revenge for the death of her husband, she was able to repent of her sins that she committed to become one of the Church's most beloved saints.  

Amen.  

Lovers of Themselves

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,  treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected.  But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.

    Throughout Church history, there have been heretics. From the very beginning with the Arians, and the Nestorians, various sects and people have risen up to claim that they have the form of the true Christ and that the Church though it appears genuine has somehow lost the true path even though it has remained unchanged for centuries.  As I mentioned, the first heresy recorded by the Church is Arianism. Arianism, teaches that Jesus was begotten of the Father in time, and was not co-eternal with him at the beginning, thus making Jesus a subordinate of God the Father, a creation set a part, and not as the Creed teaches, Light of Light, True God of True God.  Today two religious heretical groups, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) and the Jehovah's Witnesses still claim this as the true doctrine.  The Mormons teach that Jesus is completely subordinate to God the Father and that Jesus while a creation of God, has perfected his will with God's in that he is now eternal.  While they reject some of the basic tenants of Arianism, they certainly derive their theology from Arius and his so called disciples.  Jehovah's Witnesses on the other hand also state that Jesus is a created being, they see God the Father as the only "true God" and Jesus as a mediator.  Thus both of these heretical groups deny the teachings of the Church as established in the Symbol of Faith.  They claim to be continually learning and developing ideas about God but never coming to the truth.  The truth being that Jesus was co-eternal with the Father before all ages, and that he is the second person of the Trinity...the Logos. St. Paul warns us in the reading to be wary of this, because we could continually question God, about everything, and never really come to know him.  The second heresy I mentioned was Nestorianism. That Jesus was 100% both God and Man, and that there was no union of the two or rather, that the Logos entered the physical body of Jesus and that he was a man, given the power of God.  The Church teaches a hypostatic union of both human and divine. He was not sometimes human, sometimes divine, but 100% both God and Man at all times.  This was formalized at the Council of Chalcedon, which was rejected by the Assyrian Church of the East, and is the only true form of Nestorianism still practiced today.  

    Let us continue our quest to outline more fully the reading from today.  As you can already tell, both heresies arose out of a love for themselves, for their knowledge that supposedly no one else had and it placed themselves as God rather than God himself and His established One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Orthodox Church.  More recently we have seen the likes of organizations like TBN, Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, TD Jakes, Joyce Meyers, Paula White, and of course the largest prosperity gospel preacher, Joel Osteen flout the prosperity gospel, becoming lovers of money and lovers of themselves...hence the name of this blog post. They promote that by sending in money to their ministries, that people will be given vast amounts of wealth and that God will bless them.  However if we look at even modern church history through the eyes of the Church under Soviet era Russia, we understand that the Church is not meant for prosperity on earth.  We are meant for prosperity in heaven.  In the Russian Civil War alone, 652 clergymen were executed by the Soviet Atheists, and 579 monasteries completely destroyed. But of course it gets worse as this story continues. Kiev was completely obliterated when 28 bishops, and 6,775 priests were condemned to death by the Soviet regime in 1921. The Soviets violated the 73rd Orthodox Canon, and manipulated church law to install Metropolitan Sergius as the so called head of the church. 8,000 were killed in 1922.  Finally the worst came in 1937-38 when 106,300 were executed for their faith alone. No crimes, except for being Christian.  The Gospel therefore is not one of peace and prosperity, but one that brings us to the fullness of Christ. If Christ suffered, then so must we.  

    Finally let us briefly mention those who are the renovationists, the ones trying to renovate the church.  While the protestants certainly are renovationists in the fullest extent, the ones I am most concerned about were those within the Russian Orthodox Church at the time of the Soviets.  These are the treacherous, rash and conceited that Paul discusses in the reading from today. These men, having no concern for their flock subjected them to the horrors and tortures of the Soviets without regard for their wellbeing or their salvation.  They believed just like the Arians and Nestorians through their own intellect they knew more than God himself and could bring the church into a new era with new ideas. They rejected the lives of the saints, they rejected the teachings of the church, and refused reason. Though they claimed they had more reason than the Church.  They were content with the pleasures of this world, being protected by the government to live their lives in peace, while their flocks were pushed underground into the catacombs to pray and worship.  They saw the church not as a eternal ship guiding the world to salvation in Christ, but as an earthly ship guiding man to a better life on earth.  They are anathema.  

    Today's blog post might not be the most wonderful you have ever read, nor will it be the most cheerful. But we can see that through the eyes of this passage that I stated in the beginning that Paul knew what was to come. He was warning not just his spiritual son Timothy, but the church throughout history to be on the lookout for those who seek the destruction of the faith and to turn it into something foreign, something demonic.  This is the work of the antichrist, in preparation for the Antichrist.  Let us as St. Theophan says to watch carefully for the Second Coming of Christ and to prepare inward our hearts that our hearts may be the throne of God. We must prepare ourselves not for comfort but for persecution. 

Amen. 

  

Ye Condemn yourselves

     Let us take a moment and reflect on our lives.  Whether we have lived up to the standards of the saints, or even of Christ himself.  I can guarantee that many, if not all of us have not lived our lives according to the commandments of God, and that we have all fallen short.  In fact, Romans 3:23 says as much.  However often times when we look at our own lives, we constantly esteem ourselves as better than our neighbor. We say, "Well at least I'm not doing that." However this is a grievous error on our part.  Simply because we refuse to accept our own sins, our condemnation that we have heaped on ourselves by our own rejections of God. We push away God, and we dont even realize the judgements we have reaped because so often we are concerned with others. While we are right to be concerned for our neighbors, there is a difference between being concerned and being judgmental. That is where often times we blur the lines and enter into the realm of hatred and sin.  We become eager to catch our brother or sister in an act of grave sin, so that we may laud it over them that they are worthless and do not deserve the love of God.  When we do this, we cause many to fall out of the faith and leave the church all together.  We are seeing this so much in the church today, with young people and old a like leaving the church all together and falling into the heresy of atheism, all because the Church is failing to love like it should and to join together with our brothers and sisters.  I am not saying that we should enter into sin with them, by no means.  Entering into sin with those people who are committing atrocities like ecumenism, abortions, homosexuality, and the like does not uphold the teachings of the church. However offering compassion, correct teachings, and providing the pathway of repentance through Christ to those who wish to repent must take place.  We must like the river flow towards God, towards unity in faith.  We must first correct ourselves then we can correct others.  Returning to the traditions of the church, restoring the canons in their proper place, fulfilling the prayer life of the church, all of these things we can do to draw people back into the faith of the apostles. Because we offer nothing different than that of the world, the world does not see the benefit of being a part of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.  The World (and with a capital W I mean those outside of the Church) see us act in the same manner that they do, they see us judge, they see us condemn, they see us ridicule those who commit sin.  We must be set a part.  We must be Holy, as our Father in Heaven is Holy.  And unlike the Protestants, this is not a one time deal, we don't say a prayer and some sort of magic comes over us and we instantly are Holy. No, this is a struggle, this is the struggle of ascetism, each day we must get up and esteem others better than ourselves.  We must love like Christ loved.  We must pray that God will forgive our sins as he forgives those around us.  We must go into the world and preach the gospel through our actions not through words.  Giving up our own desires, giving up our egos and our lives for the sake of the Gospel. We are called to heal the world, and to draw it back to Christ. When we give of ourselves, when we feed the homeless, when we clothe the naked, visit the infirm, provide for those in prison, then we begin to live in earnest the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Lent is coming swiftly upon us, and it is during this time that we can cleanse ourselves and make room for Jesus Christ in the throne of our hearts.  I pray that during this lent, that while the attacks of the enemy will be strong, that we will resist those attacks and draw upon the living water of Jesus Christ to strengthen us.  

Amen. 

Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee

​"'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'”

(Luke 18:13)

It's upon us again dear brothers and sisters, the opening of the Lenten Triodion and the beginning of the long trek to the Holy Sepulchre and the celebration of Pascha.  As we do every year, we begin this trek with the gospel reading from the story of the Publican and the Pharisee. As many know this passage contrasts the two hearts of the men detailed in the parable. The Lord wants to show us the proper way of repentance. It isn't the titles or the amount of prestige we have in the church or in the world that matters. Rather what matters is in our hearts. Are we willing to submit ourselves to God entirely? Are we willing to admit that we have not lived to standards that God has ordained for us? Within the passage that we read on this Sunday, only one of the men leaves justified. The Publican leaves the temple with his sins forgiven. The Pharisee does not. In fact he condemns the Publican because he says he is thankful he is not like him. That is not the Christian way, and never will be. Pray for those around us, because we seek all to be saved all to enter into the kingdom of God. Let us not act like the Pharisee but rather the Publican and enter Lent this year with a clean heart and mind. 

Amen 

Even to the least of these

​And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

How often do we think about the consequences of our actions? Do we spend deep in thought about how in 10-15 years those actions will reap exactly what we sowed all those years ago? I can tell you from personal experience that I don't. I usually go about my day after my actions have taken place and forget about them...unless it was a really traumatic experience, I move on and I will only think about it in passing. However in the scripture that I presented in the beginning of this blog post, our Lord, Jesus presents to us a picture of the final judgement.  The King is judging those of his kingdom by their actions. Those on right, are the sheep. Those on his left, the goats. But he also says that those who are being judged will ask when they did the things that the King speaks of and then that is when the King utters the phrase posted above. To the least of these. God isn't expecting us to behave some way in front of those in authority and another way to those behind closed doors like our friends and family. God is commanding us in that scripture to have a way of life. A way of life where we take care of those around us, the poor, the sick, the suffering. But not only that but every action we undertake should be one that is spiritually edifying and glorifying God.

This starts in the home. Parents are often the first interactions children have with others and the actions of the parents will shape and mold the child. When the parents lives reflect Christ and the teachings of the chufch, the child is more likely to grow into a strong Christian example. The opposite could be said for those who are raised by non Christian parents. Those children will often times follow in their footsteps into the sins of this world. Now this is not always the case, but for the most part that is the case. Teaching our children to take care of the poor, to love their neighbors as theirselves, is the job of the parents. When they fail, then they have failed in their responsibility before God. 

Continuing on, not only are parents responsible, but all Christians are responsible for the raising and spiritual edification of those around us. Godparents are to assist the parents in raising the child in the love of Christ, Priests are the spiritual fathers of the entire parish and bishops, the spiritual fathers of the diocese. We must lead by example. In the West so many have forgotten their call to take care of each other because we are constantly drawn to think about ourselves and how something will make us look better in the eyes of society. Instead we should be out there visiting prisons, going into hospitals, establishing orphanages and homes for the destitute and downtrodden. And yes I'm preaching to myself as much as to all of you. So the next time you see the person on the street begging for money, spare a moment in prayer or spare a few cents, after all, you can always acquire more money, but you can't acquire more time. 

May God have mercy on us all. 

Amen. 

Elder Cleopa of Romania

​Elder Cleopa of Romania is one of the most beloved elders and saints of the 20th century, especially in Romania. At the age of 17 he entered the monastery and six years later he took the name Cleopa which means guide upon his tonsure into the monastic life. In 1948 he was ordained a deacon and a year later in 1949 he was ordained a priest monk. Between 1952-1954 he was sought after by the secret police of Serbia but by the grace of God he was not found In 1956 he returned to Sihastria Monastery where he had been anointed and in 1964 he retired there spending the next 34 years offering his advice to clergy and laity a like. He reposed in 1998 having given Romania everything he could. 

May he intercede for us before God. 

Amen. 

Saying Yes to the Icons

​Today is the celebration of St Theodora the Empress within the Church. Especially in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America of which I belong. And it is a commemoration of which holds significant place among the history of the church and the profession of the Orthodox faith. Most often we recognize this commemoration as being held on the First Sunday of Lent, also referred to as the Sunday of Orthodoxy. St Theodora, who ruled alongside her iconoclast husband Theophilus, was a true venerator of the icons even to his disdain and anger. Upon his death she returned icons to their rightful place in the worship of Orthodox Christians and brought an end to the second iconoclasm. With this, Orthodoxy triumped once again over the heretics which wished to destroy the very heart of the church and discredit it as the witness of Christ upon earth. Icons hold a special place in the hearts of Orthodox Christians everywhere, they are the windows to heaven, giving us a glimpse of the beauty that awaits us in the Bosom of Abraham. It gives us a reminder that those we call saints were humans just like us, that they were not superheroes who had special powers but were granted the ability to do extraordinary things by God for his glory. Those who seek to discredit their veneration do not understand that it is not idol worship, but rather giving of honor to the person the same way you would a celebrity or high ranking political figure. The saints are our family as we are a part of theirs because we are brothers and sisters in Christ and they though not physically alive on earth are more alive than we are because they sit at the footstool of God. Let's not forget the boldness of Theodora the Empress who restored this sacred tradition and very heart of Orthodoxy. May she intercede for us and may we be found worthy of Jesus Christ.

Amen.