Set A Part for the Faith: A Refresher Course in Sainthood

 

The Sunday of All Saints was a few days ago, and while I had meant to write this blog sooner, I have not had a chance. I am not going away, as that would be an easy way out from all the controversy I have started with my previous post on Father Ephraim.  I understand that it is a very confrontational topic. I understand that many people still believe he conned an entire monastery for the past several decades, but his soul has been rendered up to God and God is his only judge. Yes, I believe that it is sad that the family of the victim never forgave him. Because they did not seek the peace that forgiveness brings to people. However, I would like today to go in another direction, a direction that reminds us, why men and women of the faith, who have been recognized as saints by the Church are important. Father Ephraim has not been declared a saint, and if he ever will be it will be decades before the Church has enough time to determine that.  However a refresher course on sainthood and saints is very important I believe. So today I think we need to look at Saints in the Orthodox Church and why they are so important to the Church and the history of Christianity.

            Sainthood in the Orthodox Church, as the early church fathers and the early Christians understood it does not mean perfect. Far from it. In fact, I would denote that Sainthood as a concept truly means that one has taken all their faults and shed them off to become holy. Holy means to be set a part, it does not mean perfect. When I refer to something as Holy, I mean that it is set a part for a specific purpose, a liturgical purpose. We have holy icons, holy water, and our holy fathers among the saints. All of these denote that something has changed in them. It means that despite the failings of the flesh, they overcame it through the grace of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. St. Moses the Black was a murderer and thief, St. Olga committed genocide. Despite all that, they found solace in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of the Universe and now dwell with him in heaven. St. Theodore the Commander was a warrior, so was St. George. If we look at purely these actions, one will see that these were regular people with regular dispositions.  St. Xenia of St. Petersburg, was a widow who lost her husband and became a fool for Christ. Elder Ephraim of Arizona left his home to seek Christ in the deserts of America, and in many ways is already a saint in all but title. The world around us, says that saints are people who have extraordinary gifts and personalities that led them to God more strongly than others. I disagree. I believe that these are people, who just like you and me, fought tooth and nail to overcome their passions. They realized that everything in this life was fleeting and unimportant. They sought forgiveness from their sins and forgiveness from others. Nothing stopped them from seeking forgiveness. They knew that forgiveness was the greatest gift of all. Something in them changed…through Jesus Christ.  The workings of Jesus Christ in their lives took precedence over sports, movies, television, video games, and other things people fill their lives with today. They did not care for the food of this world, they fasted and prayed. Longing for a home they had never seen, these men and women of the faith sojourned in a country that was foreign to them, yet had lived their since birth.  They abandoned the cares of the world and simple pleasures to obtain something greater than themselves. They did not let sin overcome them.

            However, that does not mean the Church knows all the saints. That does not mean the little old yiayia from down the street who has been going to church since she was baptized as a baby is not a saint. Again, far from it. She has as much potential as becoming a saint as we all do. Therefore, the Sunday of All Saints was established. It is recognized that the Church does not have the capacity to record every saint that has ever lived. We cannot commemorate every name, because that would be an inexhaustible list of people who have achieved perfection in Christ. The Sunday of All Saints was established to commemorate even the ones we do not know, to allow the church to recognize all the saints as we say in every liturgy.  The Sunday of All Saints reminds us that we too must continue our struggles.  We may not have a day set a part for us on the church liturgical calendar to be commemorated. We may not even been seen as a saint in our lifetime.  The Sunday of All Saints though reminds us that no matter the circumstances of life, we have been called to the exact same purpose that even the great men and women of the faith have been called to. We are their equal on that footing. We have been called to Sainthood.

            We all have the capacity to become saints. Every single one of us, through the grace of Jesus Christ can obtain the ability to perfect our shortcomings and enter into heaven. Those of us who choose not to accept the free divine grace that Jesus gives through his Church have rejected this capacity and instead are overcome by the demons of the world and transformed into mini devils. Those who persevere and forsake the glory of this world for the sake of the glory of heaven instead become Holy. We enter the mystical divine working essence of Christ and thus allow Christ to work through us and with us to achieve sanctification in the world. We become set a part from all the evils that have been allowed to enter into the earthly, mortal realm and can fulfill the divine plan of God, that is to bring order to everything as Adam once did, and was supposed to do. The only requirement for this is that we allow God to enter us. God is not an overbearing overlord who forces himself upon us. Rather he waits patiently until we are ready to be used by Him to begin his work in us.  He waits for us to be willing to become his children and accept the beauty of divine grace. Our call today as every day is to heed the same call that the saints of old did…to bring the Light of Christ to all people.

 

Amen.

Many Are Called, Few Are Chosen: Father Ephraim Atwood

 

The Orthodox Church throughout its existence has been home to many, many people the world would consider undesirable, even corrupt. From St. Moses the Black to St. Mary of Egypt, the church is filled with great men and women of faith who have been changed by the nature of Jesus Christ. They have found solace in the Eucharist, the divine services of the church, and lived out their days repenting of the sins they have committed on earth. None more so than that of the man formerly known as Anthony Atwood, recently tonsured Father Ephraim (Atwood) of Arizona.

Father Ephraim Atwood was born Frank Atwood, and was a notorious child murderer who was convicted of the killing and kidnapping of an eight-year-old girl. Father Ephraim Atwood was accompanied to his execution this morning June 8, 2022, by his spiritual father Elder Paisios of Arizona, an elder at the St. Anthony’s Monastery established by Elder Ephraim of Arizona. Father Ephraim Atwood was sixty six years old at the time of his pronouncement of death at 10:16am local time.

So while this is not going to be a very in depth look at the life of Father Ephraim, as I cannot find much, I would like to offer a few words on the nature of this. According to sources, this was the most peaceful execution in the history of Arizona, and one that was marred in various religious aspects. Father Ephraim was converted to Orthodoxy through the prison ministry if I am not mistaken. Father Paisios, his spiritual father said that he had witnessed a complete transformation in the man that can only be described as Jesus Christ transforming Father Ephraim through the Holy Spirit.

A lot of times people like to write off those who have been convicted of serious crimes as unable to be brought back to the light of Christ because of their heinous actions. The Church does not teach that some are elected, and some are chosen to burn. The Church rather teaches that all are called to salvation, and that few will truly answer the call. Father Ephraim is one of the men who answered the call of Christ to be transformed by His power. We see that he willingly accepted his death, fasting the night before his execution and refusing at first to take his last meal. While reports cannot confirm or deny that he ate his last meal, his resolve to fast before his execution indicates to me that he was in a state of constant prayer, asking the Lord Jesus to forgive all his offenses. From reading some of the published correspondence that he wrote, I gather a man who had great love and respect for the Jesus Prayer, as well as for the Service of the Hours. He was completely at peace with execution.

But what does this mean for us? Well, lets look at the whole situation with Father Ephraim. Being a child murderer, you expect someone who is full of rage and hate. Someone who has spent years in death row stewing and brooding over the conviction that led him to prison. Instead, you find someone completely at peace with themselves. Christ forgives all offenses if we ask. He only asks that we allow him to enter our lives and let him live through us. While in prison, Father Ephraim was introduced to the Orthodox Church and found the peace that had been lacking in his life before his conviction. If it had not been for his entrance into the prison system, Father Ephraim might never have found Christ and been brought to salvation. We see that preaching the gospel no matter the consequences is important in our own lives because we know that we do not know the reach and impact our words might have. Father Ephraim confessed he was the most hated prisoner in Arizona, and I can imagine that is in no small part because he was outspoken about the transformation that Christ had brought about in his life. Being able to live the life of a hermit in many ways away from the world, he was able to focus on Christ in his prison cell and cultivate a spiritual renewal that changed his life for the better. We also see that our past offenses don’t always allow us to receive a positive outcome. Though he maintained his innocence throughout the trial and the various appeals that were made by his legal team, the state of Arizona upheld his conviction and upheld their sentence of death. Accepting those things, we cannot control is a vital part of our acceptance that everything that is placed in our path is for our salvation, even those things that will lead us to the physical death. I cannot confirm or deny the changes in Father Ephraim’s life. I trust the monks and nuns who spoke on his behalf telling of the great miracles that Christ had done through Father Ephraim’s life. I trust their counsel and their words. I trust that those present for the tonsuring ceremony, yesterday were of sound mind and heart when they determined Father Ephraim was worthy of the great schema.

We also see a difference in the lives of those who were his victims. While I cannot imagine what it is like to lose a child, I see hurt and anger in the hearts of the victims. I see their pain and I pray for them. I see that there was never a chance for them to forgive Father Ephraim for what he did to the young lady, and that pains me. Forgiveness is a gift we give ourselves, as much as we give the person who wronged us. Wishing for someone to die because they wronged you is no way to act. Christ did not condemn those who executed him, rather he forgave them for what they did to Him. We see that in Father Ephraim’s final hours he simply went to his death willingly, much as Christ did. We see that the family was excited that “justice” had been done and that Father Ephraim could not hurt anyone any longer. While there is a time and place for justice, the more Christlike response would be to forgive and to pray for those who have harmed us. The taking of a life is not an easy decision. Brooding in your own hatred, while the person who has wronged you is also in a state of hatred of themselves, causes spiritual harm to both souls.  It causes a rift between brothers. Christ says that if we have an issue with someone we should go to them and ask them to forgive us for having issues with them. The family of the victim never asked Father Ephraim to forgive them for their hatred of Him. Often times, this is because of the pain that they are suffering, and I totally understand. Still, asking for forgiveness is a requirement for all of us who have accepted Christ. We must learn to let those who have wronged us go, in the sense that yes they have caused us harm, but this harm is only temporary. Eternity is not something that we should throw away simply because we have a grudge against someone. However now the time for reconciliation is gone for Father Ephraim and the family of his victim. The only hope we have now is to pray for the victim’s family and pray that Christ will transform their lives in the same way that Christ transformed Father Ephraim’s.

I ask today, that you would join me over the next 40 days to pray for the soul of Father Ephraim, as he has entered the tollhouses. May God forgive all his offenses, and forgive all those who have committed atrocities against their brothers. Today we see that the harvest is heavy, but the laborers are few. Father Ephraim answered the call to be a laborer…will you?

Amen.

The Holy Fathers of The 1st Ecumenical Council

 

Well folks, the Sunday of the First Ecumenical Council has once again come and gone for the year, and that means that we are once again discussing the vast amount of wealth that was preserved by the Fathers of the 1^ST Ecumenical Council. All Three Hundred and Eighteen of them, to be exact. These Church Fathers helped pave the way for the faith that was preserved by the Church for the past two thousand years and without their immense faith and courage, the Church would not have remained the way it was. In fact, the church might have agreed to heresy with the Arian controversy and other issues had these brave fathers not met at Nicaea and dealt with the issues at hand. Now today I am not going to discuss Arianism, rather I am going to discuss the 1^st Ecumenical Council and what exactly transpired…and oh yes, St. Nicholas.

Outside of the obvious Arius issue, the 1^st Ecumenical Council had to deal with the Meletian schism, and the formation of the Nicene Creed. You can check out the explanation of the Creed in an earlier article. While the Arian controversy was the focal point of the discussion, we got the formation of twenty canons of the church out of this, and as I am currently going through the canons and explaining a few, it was interesting to note that some of them were written here, especially the organization of the church. So when those who are non-episcopal tell you that the church never had bishops or priests and that each church could decide for themselves, you can direct them to the 1^st Council, where the church formation was solidified, not established, as it was just formality of what the Church already practiced. The Church also determined the date for Pascha, and as was stated in the previous article, that it was not to be celebrated with the Jews.  The formula was established and kept by the Church for centuries until Rome came along and decided they were superior to everyone else. We were given the instructions on reentering the lapsed, the heretics, and the schismatics, and why rebaptism and other practices were put in place.

The Meletian schism was of particular importance outside of the Arian controversy.  . Melitius advocated for the open practice of Christianity in a time of persecution, which seems harmless enough. Peter I of Alexandria, laid down terms for those who were lapsed or had committed sins that would warrant them being labeled heretics and schismatics to return the church. In spectacular “I know better than you” fashion Melitius decided that these terms were too lax for him, and rebelled…which is why a priest should never speak ill of another bishop, nor another bishop speak ill of a fellow bishop. Melitius was then excommunicated and cast out from the Church. He like the protestant reformers who didn’t get their way in 1517, founded his own church because he believed that he had found the true knowledge of the scriptures and was teaching the proper way.  By the time the 1^ST Ecumenical Council rolled around, there were enough issues that the discussion to bring them back into the fold was addressed. The Council of Nicaea agreed that the issues surrounding the schism between the twenty eight Meletian bishops and the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church were not so different as to warrant them any major changes in their theology to be accepted by the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. And while Melitius was accepted back into the fold, as a bishop without a see, he only lasted three more years and died. Thus, the schism was reinstated and was not truly healed.

Of course, though you came for the violence right? We all woke up this morning and chose violence, eh? No of course not, I woke up and chose Christ. And so did St. Nicholas. While I have chosen to leave out the Arian controversy from the gist of this article, because there were certainly other issues at this council besides Arius, I would be amiss if I did not briefly discuss Nicholas and Arius, because it well was the talk of the entire council. Outside of Pacquiao vs Mayweather, or McGregor vs Mayweather, Nicholas vs Arius might be the boxing match of the millennium. Obviously with Arius’ lack of respect for the divinity of Christ and his clear lack of mental fortitude, Nicholas decided that he had heard enough of the ramblings of the heretic. Walking across the floor with three hundred and sixteen other bishops, surrounding him, Nicholas completely and utterly knocked Arius the heck out. While it was illegal to strike another person in the presence of the Emperor, Constantine gave control of the punishment over to the bishops of the Church. The bishops stripped Nicholas of his rights as a bishop and expelled him from the council, and decided that once the council had finished they would finalize his punishment.  In a miracle that only be described as awesome, Nicholas who was locked away from the rest of the world as punishment for his crime of assaulting Arius, was visited by the Lord Jesus Christ and the Theotokos.  After giving Nicholas the gospel book, and revesting him with his vestments, the Bishops came to look for Nicholas. Astonished, the bishops told Constantine of this development, and Nicholas was reinstated to the Bishopric of Myra. Nicholas of course is one of Greece’s most beloved saints, and no Greek home is complete without an icon of St. Nicholas.

The Orthodox Church along with most protestant churches and the Latins recognize the 1^ST Ecumenical Council. Though issues have arisen between the three over the past 2000 years, it is nice to not argue against either for a change. The 1^ST Ecumenical Council determined what the Church had already practiced for the first hundred years of its founding. Placing it right before the Feast of Pentecost reminds us that the Church is Universal, and that it is everlasting. The gates of hell cannot overcome it, as Jesus quotes in Matthew. We pray that these Fathers of the 1^ST Council would intercede on our behalf and that the bishops of today would see the wisdom of coming together and discussing issues when the need arises.  I pray that our leaders will be as wise and courageous as the 1^st Ecumenical Council.

Amen.