Catechism: Divine and Healing Path

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Catechism: Divine and Healing Path
A Catholic Catechism

Author	Bp. Jim Rankin (Elijah)
Author born	1942
Author died	2005
Published	2000

Forward to the Second Edition

Archbishop Wynn Wagner, Regionary Bishop of the Southern Province USA

It began as one of those simple internet things. The Presiding Bishop of the North American Old Catholic Church asked if I knew any good catechisms. The Old Catholic Church in America casts itself all over God’s Reality Map: some are rigid with lots of rules against women and gay people, while others seemingly require diversity as a condition of membership. (If you are keeping score, I’m much closer to the second group because that’s where the interesting people live.)

I was happy to recommend Elijah’s catechism: the one you are reading. Off to the internet to glom a few copies for the archbishop. That’s when things took a nasty turn. Although I fancy myself above average in being able to find something hidden in an e-nook or e-cranny, I couldn’t find a single copy of Elijah’s catechism.

Amazon failed... off to ABE and the other used book carriers. What the Sam Hill is the benefit of being an internet guru if you can’t make it work?

“Help!” I cried out through my gnashing teeth.

Bishop Rob Angus Jones came through for me, although I wasn’t pleased to hear what he found. Bishop Jones knows absolutely everyone in the independent catholic movement.

Bishop Elijah was Jimmie Ray Rankin. He died on August 9, 2005, at the age of 63.

I was bummed completely. Elijah has popped off this plane before I could meet him, before he had written all the books I wanted him to write. He left us for his reunion with God.

From what I can tell, he was as cantankerous as he was spiritual, which makes me like him even move.

Jim Rankin, Requiescat in Pace

By a friend of the Bishop

Jimmie Ray Rankin died ... on the 9th of August (2005), at only 63 years of age. He died in his sleep, without trauma, and his sister (who found his body) told me in tears of the radiant smile that remained on his face in spite of death. That didn’t surprise me too much. Jim beat the Bad Guy in high style; whupped his ugly ass, in fact, and found the God that he had sought all his life. Like me, he believed less in eternal rest than in eternal challenge — he was a writer and a preacher and a mind always in furious motion. I hope God has something for him to do, because he suffers boredom badly.

Just as Catholics choose a new name on their confirmations, Old Catholic bishops often choose a new name on their consecrations, to reflect their new identity as the caretakers of the Catholic faith. Jim chose the name Elijah, and that is how most people on the Internet (where he was most visible) knew him, as Bishop Elijah of the Old Catholic Church.

It was an odd thing, but almost simultaneously back in 1998, I met two of the most formidable men of the Old Catholic Church: Bishop Elijah of San Francisco and Fr. Sam Bassett (since made a bishop as well) of Santa Clara. The two of them roped me back into Catholicism after a lonely 20-year wander through agnosticism and various odd corners of the New Age. Privately, I sometimes think of them as the Hounds of Heaven, who (separately and without much apparent effort) made it clear to me that I was God’s own and could not be taken from Him by any power in Heaven or Earth.

Fr. Sam taught me that faith requires rigor; and Bishop Elijah taught me that faith requires discernment. Not every damfool notion one might have about God has value. Jim chewed me out here and there for surrendering to odd ideas without adequate reflection. Faith is often a struggle, but it is never passive acquiescence to the first solution one finds to difficult and cosmic questions. There is such a thing as Sacred Tradition, and it must be respected, and if we challenge it, we had better be ready for a lifetime of wrestling with the wisdom of those who have gone before us.

On the other hand, when the ashes of Coriolis were piled up around my ankles in 2002, and 12 years of hard work seemed to have vanished without a trace, he sent me a little vial of holy oil that he had blessed (via FedX!) and told me to anoint myself, start healing, and get back on track. God allows us sadness, but He does not allow us self-pity.

He used to tease me on occasion about my enthusiasm for the very eccentric Old Catholic movement (which he also embraced) and referred to me once with a grin as The Only Known Old Catholic Layman, a silly title I will wear with honor in his memory.

Jim was also a publisher, and his Dry Bones Press used the emerging short-run print-on-demand technologies of the late 1990s to publish books that would never have reached print in the days when a 3,000 copy run was considered a minimum viable effort. I hope to republish some of his Old Catholic Studies series once I get my Copperwood Press up and running. He willed me the copyrights to all his books and asked me to shut Dry Bones Press down gracefully in the event of his death. He was not the healthiest of men, but we had been exchanging long and lively emails until two days before his unexpected passsing. So it was with considerable shock that I learned of his death this past Sunday, and I caught the first flight I could to Sacramento, to honor his life and fulfill the promise I made him two years ago.

Unlike many Protestants (who fret endlessly about whether God will toss them in the fire) Jim and Sam and I were and are confident about our role in the world and our ultimate (and, I feel, inevitable) reunion with God. To us, salvation is not an event but a process, begun and enabled by God but facilitated by the power of human friendship and a willingness to reach out to the lost and confused. Jim helped me get my head around the notion of God — and Sam is still out there urging me on. In each life, I think, someone eventually stands face to face with us and demands that we pay attention and get on the path. So it happened with me. Jim Rankin, Bishop Elijah, who got in my face and hauled my ass back into the Faith, is now face to face with the Ground of All Being. If someday some confused person comes to me and asks me which way is the Way, I hope to God (truly!) that I can give as well as I got.

Our union with God is first of all a unity of love and experience — Thomas Merton
(commenting upon Ephesians)

Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; all is vanity. — Ecclesiastes 12:8

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. — Ecclesiastes 12:13

And I will betroth thee unto me forever; yea, I will betroth thee to me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the Lord. — Hosea 2: 19–20

For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. — Hosea 6:6

— Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? Prudent, and he shall know them? For the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein. — Hosea 14:9

And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. — Micah 4:2

— For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever. — Micah 4:5

He hath shown thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? — Micah 6:8

But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. — Amos 5:24

Oh Christ our God, who are Thyself the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, who did fulfill all the dispensation of the Father: fill our hearts with joy and gladness, always; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. — Prayer at the Placing of the Gifts on the Table of Preparation, after Communion; Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.

And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. — Ephesians 1:22–23

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple to the Lord, in whom you are also being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. — Ephesians 2:19–22

The stone which the builders refused is become the stone of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. — Psalm 118:22–24

Walking with God

Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God? Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 40:27–31) For we walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)

Our faith calls us to walk a path every day of our lives, a way of discovery. We do not keep to this path because it gives us a set of propositions that we may adhere to, or a set of rules by which to live, but rather because on the way we are drawn ever deeper into truth, and faced every moment and every day with the sheer reality of things. If we persevere in the Way, we evolve a certain understanding of the world, and of what makes it tick; we begin to understand how to live. We become whole, a person with a “heart;” which is to say, a person in whom body, mind, and spirit are one. Integrated. A person of “integrity.” Or, to express it in more traditional terms: righteous. Godly (god–like), a person in whom the righteousness of God is revealed.

When we depart from this path, we begin to know suffering. The sheer distractedness of our life begins to teach us how sin, and death, and suffering came into the world with the sin of Eden, and persists still, even to this day. Our perceptions of things, and even of ourselves, become distorted, at the very core, and we cease to have a human heart. We dis–integrate. We are, as Luther tried to remind us, radically (at the radix, root), if not substantially, separated from the very ground of our being. We are uprooted — or, at the very least, “unrooted.” Or, as the Orthodox would say: the image of God in us persists (reason, freedom, choice), but the moral likeness of God has been effaced.

Someone walks with us. As we continue in the Way, the more certain we become of that unseen presence that shares the path with us. Even more, we come to understand more and more that not only does Someone share this path with us, but that it was this Someone who called us, from the beginning, this Someone to whom our faith responded — and responds every day, as we are called every day.

We do not set foot upon the path in any particular spot, or in any particular way: when and where one is, will do. And whoever one is, will do. (“Just as I am, and waiting not...” — Traditional hymn.) “For He says: ‘In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you.’ [Isaiah 49:8] Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” [2 Corinthians 6:2– 3]

For the testimony of God is that the Cosmos was to be perfected, and the human person in it — even before the Fall. We are eternally predestined to grace, and mercy, and compassion, and perfection in the presence of God. “Cur Deus homo?” the ancient question — ”Why did God become Man?” The reply of the Alexandrian Fathers — as indeed, that of the Catholic Church — was that God became man, that man might become God. Deificatio, the expression in Latin; theosis, the term in Greek. In English, “deified” or “deification” does not express the included reality as much as does the term, “divinization.” For it is the eternal destiny of Man to enter into union with, participate in, the energies of God, whose eternal essence remains and will always remain ineffable, unknowable in its depths: God is the Abyss, but to us — created in the image and likeness of God — is given the grace to participate, as our birthright only a little delayed by the Fall, in the divine life. This is our life. This is our path.

“Oh, happy fault of Adam, by which we knew the grace of God!” This is the cry of Saint Paul, echoed each Pascha of the Western Church in the “Exultet” hymn of the Vigil of the Resurrection.

We do not walk the path alone, for what is true of ourselves is true of others: that they are called of the Spirit, and respond when they are able and as they are able, wherever the call reaches them. We are a body of people, walking with Someone who calls and loves us, sharing the experiences of love as they come to us, sharing all experiences and learning from them. Every day. Every step of the way.

Merton’s insight that our union with God is first of all a unity of love and experience is a profound perception of the transcendent mystery of our life with God.

And with each other. For, “our life with God,” while experienced at times as individual, is at the last, in its depth, communal. “No one is a Christian alone.” We are united to God in Christ, as one body, and diverse in our oneness as the Spirit leads us, even as the heavenly flame at Pentecost founded the Church of Christ as one, yet stood over the heads of those gathered in the Upper Room, individually.

We are a mystery of unity and diversity, of individual and communal, a communion of saints, even as we share in the life of God, partakers of “a unity of love and experience.”

When shall we begin to walk? A story is told, of a man who was given a revelation that to attain salvation he would have to walk one million times around the great circle of the earth. Stunned by this news, he fell back upon the earth, and sat pondering this statement of the heavens. For ten thousand years, he sat and pondered. Then, one day, he got up and began walking...

This is our life also, except that we know another dimension to the mystery: the journey is half the fun, if not more. For the journey is already the end of the journey, and when we are in the path we are in Heaven, since we walk in fellowship with one another, and with that Someone whose presence is Heaven itself, and salvation.

I want to do things out of love. Most people do not understand the importance of developing their love. They feel they are living to accomplish goals or tasks before they die. When I worked with children, it was because for me I could (I thought) do what I love and therefore be in the process of developing my love. But, no one cared about this; for them, it was task–related: to teach the children the curriculum so that the children were able to complete tasks throughout their lives. — Cheryl Lee Morrow

What new heavens and new earth there may be is not given us to know in this time, but to know that One at whose word they appear and dissolve is given to us — and to know the path we share, and to walk it together.

Amen.

Symbolon

If kerygma^[1] tells us we walk a path, the catechesis of the Symbol of Nicea and Constantinople tells us with whom we walk it. The apostolic faith came to the Church as an internal mystery, Tradition, which was not held fitting for the unbaptized — or even for the learners (catechumens) who were preparing for baptism. “Holy things are for the holy.” The Symbol, which the Western Catholic refers to as the “Creed,” was deemed worthy to be given out to the learner, while such internal prayers as the “Our Father” and the eucharistic mysteries were for the initiated Christian only.

The Symbol, which like an icon participates in the reality it expresses, is both kerygma and catechesis. To the initiate, it expresses the depths of the mystery of the Christian path, or way of life. For the catechumen, it is both an introduction to the concept of a path or way of life, and a formal introduction to the central mysteries of the Catholic faith.

The Symbol of Faith, first introduced at the Council of Nicea (325 AD), and completed in its present form at the Council of Constantinople (381 AD), is a capsule presentation of the Catholic faith. Its authority is complete, for it is received by all the Catholic Church, and the councils which enacted it are recognized as ecumenical by all Catholics, of whatever tradition.

Symbolon refers in Greek to being “thrown together,” implying a kernel statement of faith, an icon which while it expresses the fullness but not the entirety of Tradition, participates in the very faith it expresses. The Western “Creed,” referring to the Latin of its initial word, “Credo,” focuses on the statement of belief itself. The Symbol is reverenced so highly that it precedes the Eucharist in almost every Liturgy, and it is said that according to one custom, not even the priest celebrating the Eucharist was allowed to receive Communion without first reciting the Symbol.

However important as an expression of the true and Catholic faith, it would be a serious mistake to see in the Symbol a set of propositions to which one must give moral and verbal assent, to be considered an orthodox Catholic. Rather, it tells us with whom we walk, and the eschatological hope in which we walk. And the “whom” and the hope are one.

The Nicene Creed, or Symbol of Faith, is the great statement of the early Church of its journey in this world, and of its understanding of that daily journey as a body walking with that Someone who both accompanies us, and awaits us at journey’s end as our salvation and our hope. We have already begun to live in both worlds, says the Church — in this world, and in the world to come. Herein lies the mystery of the Incarnation (“and the Word became flesh”), our firm belief in the redemption of the Cosmos entire, and our own eternal destiny (“the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come”), in which hope, as of an accomplished redemption, we already live.

...and calling to mind all that has been accomplished for us: the Cross, the Grave, the Resurrection, the Ascension, the Seating at the Right Hand, and the Second and Glorious Advent, which is to come.^[2]

The Way of a Christian is witnessed in the apostolic proclamation of the glad tidings of Jesus Christ (kerygma), carried forth in the Church by the leading of the Holy Spirit (Tradition), and is encapsulated for the learner (catechumen) as well as the Church as a whole in the Symbolon enacted at Nicea (325 AD), and completed at Constantinople (381 AD).

Nicea and Constantinople address the “Who” and the “why” of the Christian way; or better, tells us with Whom we walk, and with what expectation. [“for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed unto Him against that Day&rdque; [2 Timothy 1:12, NKJV.]

The Symbol of Nicea–Constantinople

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible; And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only–begotten, Begotten of the Father before all worlds, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, Begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made: Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man; And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried; And the third day, He rose again, according to the Scriptures; And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; And He shall come again with glory to judge the quick and the dead, Whose kingdom shall have no end. And We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, Who spoke by the Prophets; And We believe in One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. We acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins. We look for the Resurrection of the dead, And the Life of the world to come. Amen.

In modern times, the “We” of the ecumenical council of Nicea has become an “I” — where the Council said: “We believe” moderns tend to say: “I believe” Yet, unless the “We” of the Council becomes in fact an “I” — unless each one of us internalizes the faith of the Council, to live it out in its full mystery of unity and diversity, individual and communal, the faith is a lifeless thing. Each of us must take up the mystery, and seek to plumb its depths, treasure it, and guard it.

We believe in one God

God is One, because the Father is One. Christ, the Logos, is begotten of the Father eternally, before all creation, by some method we do not know, and is begotten in this world as human, as the Scriptures tell. The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, by a process we do not know, but which is distinguished from begetting.

Yet, God is One. The Father is the arche, or fundamental principle of godhood, and while the Son and the Spirit arise from this origin, they arise eternally, and are co–extensive in time with the Father. In the Father lies the Oneness of God, who otherwise comes to us as Persons, as a Trinity. In God there is unity, and diversity.

Yet, as Tradition says, God is unknowable in essence, and is beyond all our concepts and categories — and will be so, forever. God is the Abyss.

God is personal. That is, God comes to us as person, as persons. Whatever the unfathomable essence of God, we experience God as distinct persons, and are told that these persons are real, not symbolic, not modes or operations, not “masks.” (Do I accept Jesus Christ as my “personal” Savior? Of course!) The personhood of the Father rests in the fact of being the origin, beginning, ruling principle and fundamental ground of God, the One.

The God of Christians is not abstract, and the oneness of God is not abstract, or empty. The oneness of God is personal.

...the Father Almighty

God is Father in Jesus Christ, and in us. God the One, who is the foundation of godhood, begets the Christ the Logos, the eternal Word, and in the world of time, creates us, and adopts us as children:

“For you are all sons of God, through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:26–29)

Christ, who is consubstantial (of the same essence) with the Father as to his god nature, is consubstantial with us as to his humanity; and thus his Incarnation is the beginning of a great mystery, which is revealed in the fatherhood of God, Father to the Word in the divine order and Father to Jesus in the human order; Our Father.

We receive the Spirit that leads us to cry: “Father!”

“Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba!’ (‘Father!’) Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God, through Christ.” (Galatians 4:1–7)

East or West, almost all the great eucharistic liturgies place the “Our Father” just after the prayers of consecration, and before Holy Communion. This is an essential part of the kerygma, the apostolic tradition of the Church, whereby we affirm the adoption we have as sons and heirs of God in Christ Jesus. (Divinization.)

Our approach is humble, and without arrogance or pride. We do not presume, but neither are we shy with regard to the Father. We are God’s holy people, of whom it is said: “Holy things to the holy!” (Chrysostom Liturgy) We stand where we have a right to stand: in our Father’s house, at our Father’s table.

“Formed by the Word of God, and taught by divine precept,” says the Roman Catholic Mass, “we make bold to say: ‘Our Father...’” We have heard Gospel and Epistle, listened to a sermon or homily, proclaimed the Mystery of Faith during the consecratory prayers of the Canon; and now, as Christ himself gave us the words, we pray the “Our Father” before taking Communion.

“And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think they shall be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

“In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
In earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.”
(Matthew 6:7–13)

The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is typical of the Eastern liturgies, and makes the same point the Roman Mass does, that we acquire an intimate confidence in God, in His mercies and compassions, having a spirit of adoption that allows us to approach the Throne of Grace: “Unto you we commend our whole life and our hope, O Master who loves mankind; and we beseech you, and pray you, and supplicate you: make us worthy to partake of the heavenly and terrible Mysteries of this sacred and spiritual table, with a pure conscience: unto remission of sins, unto forgiveness of transgressions, unto communion of the Holy Spirit, unto inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven, unto boldness toward You, and not unto judgment or condemnation.

“And vouchsafe, O Lord, that with boldness and without condemnation we may dare to call upon you, the heavenly God, as Father, and say: ‘Our Father...’”

And this affirmation immediately arises out of our spiritual preparation, and immediately before Holy Communion. The “Our Father” is a participation of the people in the divine life, and the proclamation of the apostolic witness as our own. It is kerygma, not catechesis.

The relationship of God the Father and God the Son demonstrates our relationship to God, by adoption: we are called upon to know, love and serve God, as a son would his father. And not only we as individuals, but we as the Israel of the Lord of the Old Covenant, and the Church, the Israel of the New Covenant.

“You, O Lord, are our Father; our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name.” (Isaiah 63:16)

“For I am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn.” (Jeremiah 31:9)

“Have we not all one Father?” (Malachi 2:10)

“Do not call anyone on earth your father: for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.” (Matthew 23:9)

Until, at last, God the Father speaks to us through His Son, in whom we have the adoption:

“For to which of the angels did He ever say: ‘You are My Son, today have I begotten You’? [Psalm 2:7] And again: ‘I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son’? [2 Samuel 7:14]” (Hebrews 1:5)

...Maker of Heaven and Earth

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

God the Father created the world in Christ Jesus, through the activity of the Spirit.

Creation was not, as with pagan gods, from existing matter, nor from an over–riding Necessity that ruled the gods. Rather, it was “ex nihilo,” as the Chrysostom and Basil Liturgies emphasize. God does not operate upon co–eternal Matter, or under the bondage of an external Necessity, but is totally free, then and now, to act. All things exist or do not exist out of the will of God alone. Necessity, to the degree that it exists, is an expression of the internal structure of what God brings into being.

Creation ex nihilo, (“out of nothing”) should not be romanticized or misunderstood. The “nothing” of Christian creation is not the no–thing or unmanifest of Asian religions; but is rather an expression of the freedom of God, vis–a–vis creation in the manifest, material world. God is present in the world (immanence), but beyond it as well (transcendence), and in no way can God be reduced to a mere part of the world, not even the summation or total of it (pantheism). God is truly Other, God is the Abyss. God is truly free, subject neither to a co–eternal field of Matter nor to an external Necessity.

God created “ex nihilo,” which means, first of all, that God created the world as a free act of His own will, and not from any necessity whatsoever.

Creation “ex nihilo” reminds us that God is beyond “Being.” And if beyond “Being,” then beyond its antithesis, “Non–being.” Nor does Hegel’s “Becoming” answer the matter, for while it posits validly a certain knowledge of process within Creation, Hegelian process (Being/Non–being/Becoming) applied to the Deity as if to an object, tends toward Gnostic reductionism, or pantheism.

“Thou art God ineffable, inconceivable, invisible, incomprehensible, ever-existing and eternally the same,” says the Anaphora of the Chrysostom Liturgy, “Thou and Thine only–begotten Son and Thy Holy Spirit.” “Thou it was who brought us from non–existence into being...” God is alone “the only truly existing God,” revealed in Christ Jesus and revealing the Holy Spirit, through whom we have “the gift of sonship,” says the Anaphora of the Liturgy of St. Basil.

God alone is, but God has no name, for to be named would be to be located in the field of the known, creation: “Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field.” (Genesis 3:19–20)

God makes all things, but is not made, neither as Father, nor as Son, nor as Holy Spirit.

...and of all things, visible and invisible

Pantocrator (All–Creator; All–Container): if God is the creator of the whole manifest world, so also is God creator of the unmanifest.

We cannot imagine the worlds of God’s creation, nor the extent of it, whether seen by our eyes, or not seen.

In God all things come to have their being, but freely by the will of God, and not of any necessity.

This is what we mean when we say that God created all things “ex nihilo” (“out of nothing”). God was under no necessity or compulsion to create, had no inner need, no lack or defect, which mandated creation. It was an act of God’s freedom.

The Gods of Olympus were under necessity. Eternal chaos reigned, and they subdued or disciplined it. The creator god of the Greeks was an artisan working upon the co–eternal matter of the Cosmos. To matter and slow time, the gods were subject, as well as man.

The pagan gods were gods of passions, most often human passions of the most ordinary sort — or the exaggerations of them. They were filled with jealousies, and resented the cattle they call “men” resisting or presuming upon their state. The havoc wrought upon Prometheus for having brought fire to man is indicative of the rule of the gods, and their jealousy.

In a deeper sense, the Gods of Olympus are little more than the oligarchical model of human society, rendered as a complete cosmology, for the oligarchs of old were privileged elite classes, for whom the broad mass of humankind were as but cattle to their eyes, or tools for their use and desires. Parnassus and Olympus had but little other meaning, in an age when human beings only slowly emerged from the darkness of the primitive human soul. They are the interpretive masks of another society, one whose persistence into the Twentieth Century has virtually turned it into a century of horrors.

God permeates all of Creation, is immanent in it, even while God utterly transcends all Creation, even as God transcends all our ideas, images and categories. God, the Knowable, comes to us as grace; God, the Abyss, the Unknowable, rises above all our ideas, and all created things.

God is love, and is not jealous.

God comes to us in Creation, which in turn bears witness in its very contingency to the Eternal Purpose that creates and sustains it.

One cannot “reduce” God to nature, or creation — not even the whole of it. In this transcendence, or this transcendent immanence, which we call “mystery,” we understand that God is not a metaphor for the universe as a whole, which we encounter in Spinoza as tendency, and in some religions of the East as a clear proposition.

God is not a metaphor for us.

God is.

In a deeper sense, God is beyond all “is-ing” — beyond all being and existence, altogether. The love of God, which comes to us as Predestination — an eternal purpose of creative good, and good in creation — is an activity of the most holy and undivided Trinity, as a whole:

For, the Father, who is the Uncreated Creator, does not “create” the Son, nor much less, the Holy Spirit. Rather, they are eternally — from “before” Time (outside Time, as created) — ”begotten” of the Father, and “proceed” from the Father as from the One Principle, sharing the nature of God, each experiencing a personal being only as God, and each participating in creation.

The Trinity is outside Creation, and creates — as one God, as three Persons. They are eternally God, and even the idea of the Trinity is not adequate to represent them, nor to express the fullness of their love for humankind.^[3]

The Trinity is not a process or the result of a process, but “a primordial given.” (Lossky, Orthodox Theology, p. 47.) The begetting of the Son, and the procession of the Holy Spirit are a “work of nature, “ according to Athanasius, which John Damascene explains as being opposed to a “work of the will.” God comes to us as Person and Persons, as work of the very nature of God, but our creation, and the creation of all things (visible and invisible), is a work of the will of God.

But, here we can pose no necessity in God. The Trinitarian life is an expression of God’s internal nature, but is in no wise an act of the will, as is creation — and thus an expression of no necessity.

The revelation or manifestation of God in various attributes, such as love or creation, is fully Trinitarian: no attribute belongs to any one of the divine Persons alone, but finds its unique expression in each of them.

Or rather, “attributes” is by far too academic and Scholastic a way of expressing the divine life for us: Eastern theology prefers to speak of the common life of the Trinity as the “divine names,” or “energies,” of God. “The divine names are the flow of the divine life whose source is the Father, shown to us by the Son, and communicated to us by the Spirit.” (Lossky, Orthodox Theology, p. 48.) The energies of God are the eternal radiance of God, uncreated energies, overflowing of the divine glory — grace, mercies, compassions.

The divine nature, which we call “essence” — God the Unknowable — and the divine radiance, which we call “energy” (Dynamis) — God the Knowable — are in the last sense, one nature. The divine energies while appearing in creation are in no way dependent upon creation. It is a forever radiance, in no way conditioned by the existence or non–existence of creation. (Lossky, Orthodox Theology, p. 49.)

Nor do the divine energies “explain” God — Love, Wisdom, and so forth — for God cannot be reduced to the operations and manifestations of God in the created world, or even outside creation. No more than we can reduce God to creation, however much immanent in creation. God is more than the whole and the parts.

The Creation exists by the free will of God, and is other than God.

Creation is absolute, out of nothing, ex nihilo — a concept shared by Jews and Christians alone.

Creation did not involve pre–existent nature, or matter.

Creation did not involve “procession” from the nature or being of God.

Creation was ex nihilo, both as to matter and spirit — and as to will.

Creation is an activity of the Trinity: the very Symbol which we now discuss describes the Father as “creator of heaven and earth, and of all things, visible and invisible,” calls the Son the one “by whom all things were made,” and identifies the Holy Spirit as “the Lord, the Giver of Life.”

Creator, like the other divine names (energies) posits each of the Trinity as being involved: the Father, as source of creation, working through the Son, in the Holy Spirit. Each creates, in a way unique and personal. In words that underline the phrase of the Symbol that we are now exploring –”and of all things, visible and invisible” — Basil says that the Father is “the primordial cause of everything that has been made,” while describing the Son as the “operative cause” of things, and the Holy Spirit as the “perfecting cause.”

...and in one Lord, Jesus Christ

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only–begotten, Begotten of the Father before all worlds, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, Begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made:

Christ alone is Lord. The head of the household (oikos), the one in whom the economy of salvation is proclaimed and realized.

To the dismay of the Roman Emperor, who had arrogated to himself as Imperator and Pontifex Maximus also the domestic title, “Dominus,” the cry of “Christus Dominus!” (“Christ is Lord!”) must have seemed subversive indeed.

But to the Household of faith, the point must have been obvious: there is only one community, one household — the household of God — and Christ alone is Lord there.

All things are delivered into his hands.

Christ is made “the heir of all things” (Hebrews 1:2), and “upholding all things by the word of his power (Hebrews 1:3).

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” (Colossians 1:15)

To the “Dominus et Deus” (“Lord and God”) of the Roman emperor, the Church asserts but one Lord, Jesus Christ, to whom alone it says: “My Lord and my God.”^[4]

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

“Therefore God also has exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5–11.)

...the Son of God

If the Father is God–with–a–Son, the Son is God–with–a–Father. The scriptural testimony of Christ as Son of God is immense and constant. So, in coming to know this One with whom we walk on the divine and healing path, let us begin at the beginning, with the Gospel of Matthew, the third chapter:

In those days, John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying: ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! “For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.” (Matthew 3:1–3) Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him, and John tried to prevent Him, saying: “I need to be baptized by You, and You are coming to me?” But Jesus answered and said to him: “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying: ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’“ (Matthew 3:13–17)

This witness of Heaven to the Son is a conflation of Psalm 2:7 and Isaiah 42:1, with reference to other passages in Isaiah. It is echoed almost precisely in Mark 1:11, and Luke 3:22.

I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, “You are my Son, today I have begotten You.” (Psalm 2:7) Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom my soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. (Isaiah 42:1)^[5] ...The Lord has called Me from the womb; From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name. (Isaiah 49:1) And He said to me, “You are My servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.” (Isaiah 49:3) And now the Lord says, Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel is gathered to Him... Indeed, He says: “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give you as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:5–6)

Psalm 2:7 is echoed again in Hebrews1:5, to which is added 2 Samuel 7:14, “I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son.” –whose Kingdom shall be forever, and not taken away.

The Baptism of Christ is the opening of his public ministry. We celebrate it as the closing of the liturgical season of Christmas. In the East, we associate it with the Theophany (Epiphany), for God in the Holy Trinity is present to us in that day: the Father, eternally begetting the Son; the Son, eternally begotten of the Father; and the Holy Spirit, eternally proceeding from the Father, bearing witness to the Son.

Baptism, as a passing through the waters, is marked in the Eastern Church by the blessing of homes at Theophany. Epiphany or Theophany is not only associated historically with the Baptism of Christ, but is the day on which the Nativity was anciently celebrated, quite aside from the “Three Kings,” or Magi.

The Western Church celebrates Epiphany, and then the Baptism of the Lord following; so that the Monday next following becomes the first day in commons, or “ordinary time” — the First Week of Ordinary Time, in the liturgical calendar. Mostly, the Church no longer marks the Sundays after Epiphany as in the old Calendar.

If the Feast of the Circumcision (January 1) marks the participation of Jesus Christ in the Old Covenant, according to Moses, the Baptism marks the entry of Christ into the New Covenant, giving to the work of John the Immerser a new meaning, for Christ is now “the firstborn of many brethren” even as the ancient foreshadowings in the passage through the waters (at the Red Sea, at the Jordan, and in the waters of ritual and immersion) are brought forward.

In this, are the Son-ship of Christ and the Holy Trinity revealed together at the very outset.

And in this, is Baptism, as the mystery of our initiation into the community of faith and the divine life in Christ, established as the first Mystery (Sacrament) — at the very outset.

But to the Son, He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” (Hebrews 1:8–9, quoting from Psalm 45:6, 7, and Isaiah 61:1, 3 as the author of Hebrews bears witness to Christ as Son.) And John bore witness, saying: “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove,” and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me: “Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining upon Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” (John 1: 32–34)

The Only–Begotten

The one begotten. The Greek is very clear, for it is one word: monogenes.^[6] There is none other begotten of the Father. There is but one.

For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.?” (Hebrews 1:5) Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

Even the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father, is not begotten.

Begotten by the Father before all worlds

Begotten by the Father before all ages (aeons).

Before Time was, and outside Time; before the creation was, and outside creation. For, if Christ was born in time, or in the first moment of creation, he is no longer God the uncreated, but a creature, however elevated and exalted a creature.

“Before” and “outside” really are absurd terms here, for they have no relevance to the internal life of the Trinity.

On a deeper level, Christ comes to us as the express image of God, the One in whom we see God, the One in whom we can come to know God (theology).

No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. (John 1:18)

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known my Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” Philip said to Him: “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us?” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you do not know Me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’” (John 14:6–9)

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son..., who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person...., sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Hebrews 1:1–3)

Christ Jesus is “the brightness of His glory” because he has his origin in the Father, and his nature is identical with that of the Father. And he is “the express image of His person” because as Son he is a distinct Person from his Father, he is an eternal icon (image) of the Father, perfect in every way. “Thus the personal distinction of God as Trinity is known only in the Lord Jesus Christ (see John 14:9). No one knows the Father but through the Son.”^[7]

Light from Light

There is no compromise. Having said Christ is the one and only begotten of the Father, the Church drives home the teaching of kerygma and Tradition (Scripture): that Christ is God, personal and incarnate. Christ is the Uncreated Light, that springs from that Dweller in Light Inaccessible.

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man who comes into the world.” (John 1:4–9)

The Light which shines into our darkness is the light of Tabor, the light of the Transfiguration.

It is the light of deifying grace.^[8]

Very God of Very God

What comes of God is God. The Trinity is proclaimed clearly and unequivocally in the opening chapter of the Gospel according to John. Christ is the Word come into the world, Christ is light, and the light is life. And in Christ is the first and greatest of the theophanies (manifestations, revelations) of God:

For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (Messiah). No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. (John 1:17–18)

As the chapter moves on, John bears witness as “the voice of one crying in the wilderness” to the Christ, and Jesus comes to the Jordan to be baptized of John — who testifies concerning the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus (“I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove...” John 1:32) and that this Jesus Messiah (Christ) is the one whom the Father had told John earlier “this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” (John 1:33)

John’s gospel (glad tidings) begins, as do the three “synoptic” gospels, with the revelation (theophany) of Jesus Christ at the Jordan, in the waters of baptism — which is at the same time, the revelation of the Trinity itself, and the beginning of the public ministry of the Lord.

This is not a teacher that has come to us, this is God.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (John 1:1–3)

Begotten not made

Christ is not a creature, or any sort of created thing, but is begotten of the Father before all things. The Father is now revealed, for there is a Son. And the Son is of the same nature and being as the Father, of whom he is generated, God. The creation follows, and is another matter altogether.

Most of the great heresies depended upon a refusal to acknowledge God as Father, and insisted that God had “sons” only in the earthly sense that we are all the sons of God; but we are sons only because there is a Son. Hence, many efforts were made, to explain away in one philosophical, rationalizing way or another, the fact of Jesus as the Word born of the Father before all creation began, Light from Light, God from God.

Of one essence with the Father

Born of the Father, as a Son, the eternal Word shares the Father’s essence (or, as the West says, substance). There is no distinction whatsoever in the essential nature of God, whether God knows himself as Father, or as Son. They are distinct as persons, they are one as God.

How else shall it be said that only the Son has seen the Father at any time, and that the Son is the perfect revelation (theophany) of the Father?

Ultimately, the Father and the Son are united in their one nature or essence with the Holy Spirit, and we come to experience the Three as One, Trinity of Persons, ever One God.

By whom all things were made

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (John 1:3) God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.... (Hebrews 1:1–3)

All of creation (“the worlds”) came from the Father, through Christ Jesus. In creation, the Trinity is present as a whole, each person in a distinct way: the Father as Ground and First Principle, the Son as operative principle, and the Holy Spirit as efficacious principle. For, as with all the “divine names” or “energies” of cataphatic theology (theology of light, or affirmative theology), each of the Trinity is present in a distinct way, but all three together as God.

Christ the Word is the one who, begotten of the Father, and the express image (icon) of his person, creates the cosmos and sends the Spirit into it. (Ground, Unity and Diversity.)

Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man; And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried; And the third day, He rose again, according to the Scriptures; And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; And He shall come again with glory to judge the quick and the dead, Whose kingdom shall have no end.

With these next sentences of the Symbol of Nicea–Constantinople, we move from a discussion of who Christ is, to his saving mission: he came down from heaven to reveal God to us, and to redeem the world as holy to God.

God made us in the beginning, as a free gratuitous act, and God when we have fallen, raises us up.

In redemption, as in creation, the most holy and undivided Trinity works, each person in a manner distinct: Christ comes into the world obedient to the Father, and the Holy Spirit works to carry out the process by which the eternal Word takes on flesh and blood and bone, in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph, the son of Mary.

Once again, the divine names — creator, redeemer — are about the Trinity as a whole, and about each person of the Trinity distinctly.

Once again, the human person is called upon to collaborate with God in the divine work, to become like God, in the divine and healing path. To walk and talk with God, and to work with God, to share a unity of love and experience. In this case, Mary, the mother of Jesus, Theotokos (God–bearer).

Who for us men

Men, here, means Man, the unity of male and female in one kind of being, as the Scriptures make plain:

And the Lord God formed man out of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7) Then God said: :Let us create man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” (Genesis 1:26) So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27)

Contrary to the dividers among us, the moderns so–called, who would like to present not one but two parallel human races, men and women, who have no ability to know one another, Scripture bears witness of one race of being only formed “in the image and likeness of God.”

Contrary to the backward among us, too, the dignity of man and woman as expressions in the living world of the nature of God cannot be gainsaid, nor the inherent rights and destiny of that unified species being.

...and for our salvation

Our early parents in Eden were of a potential perfection, and they laid that perfection aside. In their sin, we became subject to all the rewards of that sin: death, disease, error, and all the other things that plague humankind.

As C. S. Lewis says, in his wonderful story Perelandra, there was nothing that made our first parents subject to death until then, and their falling away from their destined perfection was in no way foretold or “in the cards.” They chose. And they chose badly. The potential of Eden was lost, and they were cast out into another world, a world that must have seemed like a curse to them.

Genesis records God’s words to the Serpent, to Eve, and to Adam, as three judgments or curses. (Genesis 3:14–19)

Yet, in the fullness of time, Christ came into the world, to restore Men to that original unity with God, and that original fellowship. In fact, over the centuries, God never ceased from pursuing His original will for us — and in that sense, in the constant movement of God’s mercy, love and compassion toward us, we perceive our predestination.

The Church has often said that even had there been no Sin of Eden, even if Adam and Eve had not fallen from their first love and their potential for perfection, Christ would have come into the world. For, in time, it would have been necessary. But, once those evils had occurred, the divine mercy would not surrender what had been created, and Christ came into the world anyway, but worked differently that might have otherwise been the case.

The Lady in Perelandra makes it clear to Ransom that her destiny, and that of the King, are not as on his own world (Thulcandra, or Earth), for she and the King had met their Serpent — serpents, really — and emerged strengthened in their relationship to God, and their world emerges into its full self. Even as the Earth could have, but did not.

...came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man.

The Trinity is at work: the Father sends the Son into the world, this same Son by whom he created the world, and by the Holy Spirit is Mary made the Theotokos, the God–bearer.

Already, there is a shock to the sensibilities of the Hellenistic world, for the idea of God becoming material in any sense, or becoming human flesh, was repugnant to those who held “spirit” as holy and pure, and the material as impure.

Catholics know that all of creation is consecrated to God, and is holy. Contrary to Gnostics and others, Catholic Christians accepted the Incarnation (Taking on Flesh) by the Logos or Son, and expressed their acceptance of this union of material and spiritual, of human and divine, by genuflecting (or making prostrations) at these words of the Symbol of Nicea–Constantinople. Yet, this world however holy in its inception had to be redeemed out of the hands of those into whose grasp it had fallen.

One symbol of this redemption was the consecration of the Levites to the Lord, as his portion in Israel, who were to have nothing but him as their portion. As also the consecration of the firstborn male child to God, so that such children had to be redeemed by a Temple sacrifice. (Exodus 13:2, 12, 15; and Luke 2:23–24)

Catholics also express their love for Mary, who was a human being par excellence (Man), of an exceptional union with God in faith:

The Magnificat, her wonderful testimony to her cousin Elizabeth concerning the Angel’s message, is a model of faith and acceptance of God’s will for all of us. It shows a soul so in union with God, that there is neither disbelief nor hesitation when a visitation from Above occurs:

For as she had responded to the Angel saying: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38), her testimony to Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, tells of a great and increasing love of God, and a conscious sense of who and what she represented in salvation history, a greater and greater unity with God in love and experience:

My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
For He had regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden,
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm,
He has scattered the proud in the imaginations of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones.
And exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of his mercy,
As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and his seed forever.
Luke 46–55

Roman Catholics revere Mary as the Immaculate Conception, a teaching formalized by Pius IX in 1854, and as the Mother of God.

The Immaculate Conception says that Mary, in view of her future role as Mother of the Redeemer, was from the time of her own conception the womb of her mother, Anna, preserved free of the effects of Original Sin, and thus was all that Adam and Eve were created to be.

There are two problems with this concept, one political, and one conceptual. First, it is by no means clear that the early Church actually held such an idea as “Original Sin,” in the sense that the Western Church has come to believe, and thus no basis would exist to consider Mary a special or unusual creature, however much we may venerate her memory and faith. Second, the Orthodox and others have never acceded to any concept of power residing in the Roman Pontiff that would allow him unilaterally to declare dogmas necessary to salvation, as Pius IX did in 1854, many years before the “primacy” and “infallibility” of the Roman Pope were proclaimed in the truncated and abortive “ecumenical council,” Vatican I.^[9] As the response of the Eastern Patriarchs at the time pointed out, they held no such concept of their own powers collectively as an ecumenical council, and had a different understanding of how the acts of an ecumenical council become ecumenical in fact for the Church.

When Man sinned in Eden, the likeness of God was obscured radically, and the image of God in us is not always so easily discerned. Only redemption enables us to once again offer God (and the world) “fruits worthy of repentance.”

As Martin Luther would have said, according to the National Catholic Almanac, “Man is radically — but not substantially — separated from God.” To be sure, Luther shares much of the Nominalism of his time, and is rooted in the Medieval Scholasticism that the Western Church often used to express itself. Yet, Luther’s point is like an arrow pointed directly at the heart of the matter.

The Sin of Eden subjected us to death, and to futility. And it left us to be born into a world of imperfection, capable of corruption. But not without help, and not without hope.

In a certain sense, the image of God in us — freedom, choice, and the like — can never really be destroyed in us, unless by the “sin against the Holy Ghost” we destroy the very basis of our capacity for grace, the reality of our being God’s rational flock. The likeness of God in us — our moral likeness to Him — is often obscured, and not easily restored. Left to ourselves alone, we are hard put to even conceptualize the task, to understand what is to be done, and how.

What then, of Mary? Was she spared this human condition, in view of being Theotokos, God–bearer? Was she “immaculate” in the sense of the Roman Church? No, says Orthodoxy, she was as we are. But in her was grace, and grace abounding, even as it could be for any person who came into the world. She walked and talked with God, and was found worthy to be the Mother of the Redeemer. As the Angel said: “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” (Luke 1:28)

Hail, grace–filled one! You were worthy to bear our Lord, and we proclaim your honor and venerate your memory, to all ages. Wherever the story is told, we rejoice in your faith and constancy, O Mary.

We are humbled by your humanity, O Mary, for you are Man as Man should be, and we desire to be like you, O most beloved Mother, able to respond to God’s initiatives with a full and ready heart, a grateful heart.

For of you, by the Holy Spirit, the Word became flesh, becoming consubstantial with us, even as he is consubstantial with the Father, as God.

And was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried.

Christ came into the world to save sinners.

As John says: he himself is the Light that lightens all who come into the world (cosmos), the Uncreated Light. But, even as he came to his own, his own received him not. But to such as received him, he gave the power to become the sons and daughters of God. (John 1:1–14)

It is not without reason that many churches had for a long while the custom of the last Gospel, and some carry on that custom to this day. It is as direct an assertion of the Catholic faith — over against those who would explain it away — as one could wish. Like the ancient custom of genuflection or prostration before the words “and the Word became flesh,” this reading of the opening verses of the Gospel of John stood in the face of the ancient Gnostics, and the theosophists and modernists of our time — all the “Liquidationists” of the Catholic faith — and proclaimed the ancient faith anew, not only ancient but every new.

For of His fullness have we all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth through Jesus Christ. (John 1:16–17)

But, most of all, as Jesus himself would say later in another way, having seen Jesus, we have seen the Father, for: “No one has seen God at any time. The only–begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared him [made Him known — E].” (John 1:18)

Cur Deus homo? (Why did God become man?) That Man might become God, respond the Alexandrine Fathers. Not that we enter into the wholly unknowable essence of God, but that we enter into the life (energies) of God. Deificatio (deification), theosis, and divinization are the terms that are sometimes used to express this mystery of our becoming godlike (godly).

And Christ could have done it no other way, given the recalcitrance of Man, but given also the freedom of Man. No deus ex machina descending upon the stage of human history, setting all to rights and dispensing justice would ever suffice. But, God who is the Uncreated Light, descends to show us what he is, and what we are — and that is the whole point.

Legalistic concepts of sin and of redemption from sin do not address the essential issues. They cannot explain why Christ would have come into the world anyway, had Adam and Eve not sinned. As such, they are totally inadequate to carry us to the heart of the mystery, and hopelessly inadequate to express to us the depth of that love that should call forth our deepest gratitude and tears of bliss for the sheer glory of it.

Yes, we are taken out of our sins, and they are laid aside. For no other reason than that they are not and can never be the issue. They merely keep us from grace. It has rightly been said that when we come to God, the first gift we lay upon his altar is the whole baggage of our sins, and the burden of them.

They are no longer ours to bear, for we cannot. Rather, we turn away and leave them behind, and begin to walk in faith. Metanoia — a radical transformation of our body, mind and spirit has taken place, a mighty transformation. Not only that day, but every day of our lives. What God begins, he will bring to perfection. Our conversion will be a lifelong process, as we walk and talk with God on the divine and healing path.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you. (I Peter 5:6–7) ...for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him against that day. (2 Timothy 1:12)

And the third day, He rose again, according to the Scriptures

Even when told, the Disciples did not grasp the teaching of the Scriptures concerning the Messiah. On the road to Emmaus, after Jesus had died, two disciples walked along disconsolately, until the risen Lord joined them, and began to expound to them the meaning of the Scriptures, with reference to all that had passed. Yet, it was not until he broke bread with them that they recognized him. Are we much different today?

Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things that had happened. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him. And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?” Then the one whose name was Cleophas answered and said to Him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have you not known the things which happened there in these days?” And He said to them: “What things?” And they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as they had said: but Him they did not see.” Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to have entered into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. (Luke 23:13–27)

We do not know why their eyes were blinded. Surely, it was a spiritual blindness. Yet, their hearts burn within them as he talked, and they finally recognize him in the breaking of the bread. Indeed, after such an exposition of God’s work in Israel, how could they not?

Yet, they ought to have known, coming as they did from among those to whom the oracles of God were entrusted. To the Jews, it is said, the first Gospel, that of Matthew, was written. For if one looks at Psalm 22 (“My God, my god! Why have You forsaken me...”) and Matthew together, one perceives model and application, as Matthew expounds the ancient prophecies and applies them to the life of Jesus.

The Resurrection is the beginning of our faith, the central mystery, and in it we find the hope and the perseverance of the saints. For, if the grain of wheat falls to the ground, it shall rise again a new crop, and if we are buried with Christ, we shall rise with him to new life. This is the meaning of Baptism.

And it is the door to the next mystery: Pentecost. In Pentecost, the Spirit descends, and the transfiguring work of the Holy Trinity takes on a certain completion. At Pentecost, which we mark in the mystery of Chrismation, the Spirit descends upon the Disciples, and the Church becomes a living reality.

And ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father

Christ ascends back to God, but as God and Man. And, as if to drive home the point, is seated at the right hand of the Father. He that is “Light from Light” and “True God of True God” is again in the heavenly place. But he that is ascended draws all things to himself, and in him is their hope.

And He shall come again with glory to judge the quick and the dead. Whose kingdom shall have no end.

We live in the “Last Days,” the time between the First Advent, which we commemorate in the Eucharist, and “the Second and Glorious Advent, which is to come,” as the Divine Liturgy proclaims.

We live in a present and real hope of the world to come. Indeed, we have already begun to live that reality, as we walk and talk with God. Our divinization, our theosis, is not put off, but it does not know its fullness until the time has come for that.

We do not know the day and the hour of God’s appearing, nor the nature of it. We cannot know what transformation occurs when a new heaven and a new earth (cosmos) will appear, or what the process is. Even so, we cannot tell in what way the dead rise again, or what our new bodies will be like.

But we do know that we will reign with God, and the perfecting of our nature will be accomplished through the redemptive work of the Father, taken as a whole, through the Redemption in Christ Jesus, and the redemptive work of perfection (transfiguration) of the Holy Spirit, which creates in us, communicates to us a spirit that says to God, “Abba!” (Father!) and looks forward in eschatological hope in this world to the world that is to come (“Maranatha!”). Is this not witnessed by the very words of John, closing the Book of Revelation (Apocalypse), which itself closes the proclamation of the new Covenant (New Testament)?

He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely, I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22:20)

And now we turn to the third Person of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit, somewhat neglected among some Christians, but deeply loved and remembered among others. If Christ is our unity with the Father, and All in All, it is the Holy Spirit that is the diversity of gifts and communications in us.

And We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father, Who together with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, Who spoke by the Prophets;

The Church cleared its mind on the Holy Spirit at Constantinople, 381 A.D. Whatever doubts or confusions the Fathers may have had concerning the Holy Spirit were resolved there, and the temptation in the early Church toward a dyadic God (Father and Son) was lost in the full teaching of the Holy and Undivided Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).

And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life,

The co–creating Spirit, the co–redeeming Spirit, is Lord, and God. We acknowledge this, in the assembly of the faithful.

And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. (Genesis1:2) Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper with not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Of sin, because they do not believe in Me;
Of righteousness, because I go to My Father, and you see Me no more;
Of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot hear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth, for He will not speak of His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore, I said that He will take of Mine and declare it unto you.” (John 16:7–15)

All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:19–20)

Then Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed upon them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; and if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (John 20:21–23) But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1:8) Now when the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly, there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it fill the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1–4)

Who proceeds from the Father

Who has origin from the Father as from a single ground of God. The Western Church, beginning with sincere desire to refute certain heresies added here in the Latin, “filioque,” (“and the Son”), which has become the source of many errors and disputes. Old Catholics, at Utrecht, renounced the Western additions to the Symbol of Faith, and in the recent period, Rome, without denying derived teachings, has authorized the use of the original wording by all Roman Catholics.

On one level, the matter is simple: no one can add to the words of a Council; and certainly it is generally acknowledged that the local and regional councils that first added the disputed words and others did so in good faith, and with good intent.

On another level, the matter is serious, going to the heart of Christian teaching concerning the Holy Trinity, and the Persons of God. Yet, the ancient teaching of the Church is clear: the Father alone is the ground of the godhead, of whom the Son is begotten, from whom the Spirit proceeds. Thus, there is always only One God. But, also, our God is Personal: God comes to us as three Persons. The Spirit proceeds from the Father, and is sent on mission in the world (cosmos) by the Son — ”of the Father, through the Son” says an ancient formula.

We cannot pretend to know the full economy of the Godhead, nor to know precisely what God is in essence; for, we know God only as the Persons of the Trinity, in God’s operations or energies, not in essence. Let this be enough for us. But, let there be no confusions allowed to reign in the understanding of such of the mystery as has been given to us. And let us not introduce confusions.

God is not dyadic, a Duo, from which a Third proceeds; but is a true and equal and consubstantial and eternal and essential Trinity. As the Liturgy says: “Let us love one another, that we may worship the Holy Trinity, one in essence and undivided.”

Chrismation is the mystery of the Holy Spirit par excellence, sealing us in Pentecost, “the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Baptism is our admission to the assembly of the faithful, and Chrismation is our pentecostal sealing, that we may in the Holy Eucharist receive the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion, the mystery of our Oneness with him, and in him with one another.

Who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped (adored) and glorified,

The Holy Spirit, being God, is given the latria (divine worship) and glory that is due God alone, even as are the Father and the Son.

Alone, and as Trinity, God is adored and glorified.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy upon us. Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy upon us. Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy upon us. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, always: now and ever, and unto the ages of the ages. Amen. (The Hymn of the Trisagion, the Thrice–Holy)

Who spoke by the Prophets

All Scripture is of God, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit; and all prophecy comes from the teaching and the leading of the Spirit, for the good of the Church. (For the building up of the Church.)

Above all, as God has worked, the Spirit has borne witness. In the economy of salvation, the Spirit is at work, to teach and to prepare the way of the Lord. And to lead us into all truth.

In the Prophets, God the Holy Spirit gave witness to what was to come, so that we might know and understand. As we have seen, Christ held the Disciples responsible for knowing those prophecies, and taught them the fullness of what they did not know, did not understand, or (like Thomas) did not believe (“I believe, O Lord, help thou my unbelief.” Mark 9:24).

May we with Thomas, say, in the Spirit: “My Lord and my God!” in the face of our Lord in the day of judging (John 20:28).

And We believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. We acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins. We look for the Resurrection of the dead, and the Life of the world to come. Amen.

And We believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

“Old Catholic” as a name has had a number of uses, historically, and in the present day has often been rejected as confusing and divisive. However, our use of it is very clear, and very simple: Old Catholics are those who hold the ancient faith of Christ’s one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church, as delivered once and for all to the Apostles, and handed down by them, to us.

The Old Catholic Church is the Church of Christ, pure and simple —

ONE, because Christ is one, and the Church is the Body of Christ, who is her head and high priest;
HOLY, because God is holy, and dwells in her;
CATHOLIC, because Christ is in her midst, and in Him is the fullness of truth;
APOSTOLIC, because Christ delivered the worldly mission of the Church into the hands of His holy Apostles, and their successors in faith and practice, to this day.

The one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church of Christ witnesses to the world in her Tradition, which is nothing more or less than the living presence in her of the Holy Spirit, as she awaits the Second and Great Advent of our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Tradition of the Church sometimes comes to us as kerygma, as Scripture, as the witness of her teachers and her saints.

The core teaching of the Catholic and Apostolic faith is set forth clearly in the Symbol of Nicea (325 A.D.) and Constantinople (381 A.D.) — the so–called “Nicene Creed.”

Together with the “Apostles Creed,” and the “Athanasian Creed,” the Symbol of Nicea–Constantinople provides an orientation to the ancient Catholic faith, held in one form or another by almost all of Christendom. All those baptized with a Trinitarian baptism and professing that ancient faith are Catholics.

On a deeper level, the Catholic faith received its fullest expression in what for lack of a better term we call the “Church of the Seven Councils.” — since the common term, “the Undivided Church,” is somewhat a misnomer.

To be sure, the Church has grown in one or another of its parts since then, but there is a great reluctance on our part to acknowledge any universal and ecumenical action since the time of the last and Great Schism, around 1054 A.D.

We adhere to that ancient faith, and so are called “Old” and “Catholic,” while we honor the presence of God among all the disciples of the several churches, and look for the unity of all which is in Christ Jesus.

We adhere to that Ancient Beauty, ever ancient and ever new, seeking the perfection of our love — even as the Blessed Augustine has said:

Late have I loved Thee,
O thou Ancient Beauty —
Ever ancient yet ever new —
Late have I loved Thee.

Yet, late or early, we are confident that our faith will not be disappointed, and we adhere to Him, and to Him alone, who is Christ and God.

O Christ our God, who are Yourself the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, who did Yourself fulfill all the dispensation of the Father: fill our hearts with joy and gladness, always: now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

The Church is a mystery of unity with Christ, a communion of saints, his mystical Body. In the Church, we understand all who have gone before in the light of faith, and all those living with God in this life, here and now.

The mystery of the Church is a mystery of local and universal, of individual and community, of Man with God. There is no abstract “Church” apart from Christ and apart from the People; nor is there a universal Church that may ignore the local community. For, it is in the local Church that the whole Church subsists and finds its reality, while the local Church finds its reality in the greater communion on earth and in heaven, and is conformable to it. “For where two or three are gathered in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20)

The Local Church, and her clergy and Bishop, may never be replaced or subjected; but they are in communion with God and all the saints, and with the earthly Church in the Holy Spirit. For it has been said, that Tradition governs the Church, which is the Body of Christ, but Tradition is nothing less than the indwelling Spirit leading and guiding us into all truth.

No abstract “universal” Church may seize upon the rights and dignity of the local church; but no abstract “local” Church may seize upon the holy things of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church of Christ. God is not mocked, and if the Church is Christ, and Tradition is the constant witness of the Spirit in her midst, let no one dare to twist or pervert the life of the Church in any way, or put any of her people to shame. It is to Christ we shall answer, and to the Spirit, and to the Eternal Father, from whom they take their being.

No one is a Christian alone. But let us not presume upon the life of the holy community, and its Risen Savior. Rather, let us seek and find there the fellowship of the saints, and the unity of love and experience that is the beginning of our life with God.

We acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins.

Baptism is our initiation into the community of faith, into the Congregation of the Lord (the Congregation of Israel, as it were). Like circumcision of the male under the old Covenant (Old Testament), Baptism is the “mark” of the redeemed in Christ.

In Baptism, we die and rise again with Christ, and are made one with him, and all our sins are taken away in the waters of regeneration. We are made a member of the Church, the Body of Christ, the new Israel.

Baptism is not a mere ritual, however, but a divine mystery that uses the common element of water, and can never be repeated. The total immersion (triple immersion) in the waters of life is once and for all time.

Unlike the ritual baptisms or washings of the Old Testament, the cleansing waters of Holy Baptism remove from us the effects of Eden, and admit us into the community of faith, making us capable in God’s help, of “fruits worthy of repentance.”

The Church here affirms, in this Symbol of Faith, that there is but one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and entrance into the community of faith. As the Roman Church used to say, the sacrament of Baptism is “indelible” in the grace it imparts, and in its working. It cannot be repeated without sacrilege, by denying the validity of a true sacrament (mystery).

Baptism is accomplished as Christ commanded us, by running water, in which the catechumen is immersed three times, while invoking the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Historically, the Church in its holy Councils has rejected any baptism but a Trinitarian baptism as being a Christian baptism.

On the other hand, any person who has received a Trinitarian baptism is joined to Christ, and is directly or in some way connected to the Church of Christ. They are adherents or disciples, even when they are not in full communion with the Catholic Church. (See: the joint Orthodox/Roman Catholic Statement on Baptism, 1999.) Hence, when entering into full communion, any baptized person is not “re–baptized.”

Any person may baptize in emergency, although the regular clergy are expected to carry out the ritual under ordinary circumstances. All that is necessary is to immerse the person three times in running water, or pour running water over the person, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, intending to do what Christ commanded us, or what the Church does. The common formula is:

I baptize you / the servant of God N., in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Western teaching allows that even an agnostic or an atheist or unbeliever may validly baptize in emergency by using water and the statement of baptism along the lines indicated above. All that is necessary is that such a person intend to do what the Church does, regardless of any personal status of belief or unbelief.

Why? Because in this mystery, as in all the sacraments or mysteries, it is the Holy Spirit at work to “confect” the sacrament and realize the saving work. And God is faithful, to work and to complete the work in us that is begun.

There are many images of Baptism in the Old and New Testaments, from the Congregation of Israel passing through the waters at the Red Sea, and again led by Joshua at the Jordan, to the ritual washings of the Jews, and the Baptism of John the Immerser, the Forerunner — until the very Baptism of the Lord by John at the beginning of his public ministry. (Mark 1:1–11)

During the Holy Mass, the sprinkling of water during the Asperges recalls our washing in the waters of Baptism, even as does the Lavabo of the later service. In the Eastern Church, the blessing of the home at Theophany (the Baptism of the Lord, Epiphany) is an annual custom. Many preparatory and vesting liturgies begin with a ritual washing reminiscent of our baptism, often associated with the ancient words: “I wash my hands among the innocent, and walk about your altar, O my God. You shall purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; you shall wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” (Psalm 51:7)

In Baptism, we fall and rise with Christ, and experience the whole mystery of the Resurrection.

We look for the Resurrection from the dead,

If Christ came into this world to save sinners, and took on human flesh, then we are meant to die to our sins and rise to new life with him. “Why did God become man?” So that man might become God. Hence, we do not experience the Incarnation (taking on flesh) of the eternal Word without knowing at once that we dwell in the sure hope of his coming again, and the Resurrection of the dead. Our hope is in this world, and in the world to come.

But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is vain, and your faith is also vain. (I Corinthians 15: 13–14) And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile: you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. (I Corinthians 15:17– 19)

But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by Man also came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the first-fruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and all power. For He must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. For ‘He has put all things under His feet.’ But when He says ‘all things are put under Him,’ it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all. (I Corinthians 15:20–28)

Otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? Why then are they baptized for the dead? (I Corinthians 15:29) We shall be transfigured, and raised up in glory, and incorruptible. And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam became a life–giving spirit.” (I Corinthians 15:45) And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. (I Corinthians 15:49) Death is swallowed up in victory. (I Corinthians 15:54)

As the Pascal Troparion^[10] tells us:

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tomb bestowing life. (Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom)

And the Life of the world to come.

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying: “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God himself with be with them and be their God.” (Revelation 21:1–3) He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be His God, and he shall be My son.” (Revelation 21:7) But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it, and the Lamb is its light.... (Revelation 21:22–23) They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. And there shall be no night there. They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:4–5)

Even so, come, Lord Jesus! Maranatha!^[11]

The Catholic Creeds

The Symbol of Nicea–Constantinople is the great hymn of the Church.

Together with the so–called Apostles’ Creed and the Athanasian Creed, it represents one of the three “Catholic Creeds” of the Church, to which most of Christendom adheres. It is only with Ephesus and Chalcedon that the Nestorians and the Monophysites break away from the common tradition.

The Church has other great creeds, although many do not recognize them as such. They come to us as hymns from the Scriptures, and as the Angelic Hymn (Gloria in Excelsis Deo) and the Te Deum Laudamus.

The Angelic Hymn is an essential part of the Mass on most Sundays, and in the Eastern Church, appears in the Morning Office, and is repeated in part at the opening of the Liturgy. The Te Deum serves as a short office of praise, but also appears in the Morning Prayer of the Anglican Communion.

The Church proclaims her faith in her singing and in her chanting. By this, we know that the great symbols (creeds) of the Church are not a series of set propositions, to be assented to intellectually and analyzed, but a proclamation of the Biblical faith of the Apostles and saints.

A lived faith, and a faith for living.

We asked of the “Nicene Creed” that it show us this One with whom we walk and talk. And it does, in largely Biblical terms. For the Fathers in Council were reluctant to go much beyond what the Scriptures themselves said. We discover in the Symbol of Faith our Companion upon the path, and the hope wherein we walk.

Contrary to the calumniators of the Council and the Church, the faith of Nicea (and Constantinople) is not an outside faith imposed upon Christendom by the imperial politics of Constantine and his successors, but a careful expression in the form, as it were, of an “icon” expressing our faith in God and our eschatological hope. Only those grossly ignorant of the living Tradition of the Church, in its kerygma and Scriptures, would dare to say otherwise.

Just for the pure joy of it, let us look at some of these great anthems of the Church, her living creeds:

Angelic Hymn

Glory to God in the highest!
And on earth, peace to men of good will.
We praise you.
We bless you.
We thank you for your great glory,
Lord God, heavenly King,
God the Father Almighty;
O Lord, the only–begotten Son, Jesus Christ;
O Lord, the Giver of Life, O Holy Spirit.
O Lord Jesus Christ, Lamb of God, Son of the Father:
You that take away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.
You that take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer.
You that take away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.
For You alone are holy,
You alone are Lord,
You alone are the Most High,
O Jesus Christ,
To the glory of God the Father. Amen.

We recognize the origins of the Angelic Hymn in the Gospel of Luke (1:13-14), which echoes the promise of peace made in Isaiah 57:19.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men!”

Te Deum Laudamus

We praise you, O God,
We acknowledge you to be the Lord;
All the earth does worship you, the Father everlasting.
To You all angels cry aloud; the Heavens, and all the Powers therein;
To You Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry,
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of Sabaoth;
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The glorious company of the Apostles praise You.
The goodly fellowship of the Prophets praise You.
The noble army of the Martyrs praise You.
The holy Church throughout all the world does acknowledge You,
The Father, of an infinite Majesty;
Your adorable, true and only Son;
Also the Holy Ghost, the Comforter.
You are the King of Glory, O Christ.
You are the everlasting Son of the Father.
When You took it upon Yourself to deliver man,
You did humble Yourself to be born of a Virgin.
When You had overcome the sharpness of death,
You opened the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers.
You sit at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.
We believe that You shall come to be our Judge.
We therefore pray You, help Your servants,
Whom You have redeemed with Your precious blood.
Number them among Your saints, in glory everlasting.
Amen.

One can readily discern in these wonderful anthems of the Church the implied creedal statements that we have been discussing at some length. But more importantly, we are able to participate in the exuberance and exaltation of the Church in the presence of her Lord.

Bible Creeds

Before we go on, let us pause to think upon some of the wonderful “Creeds” of the Holy Scriptures, and the Fathers of the Church:

Hear O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD alone.	Deuteronomy 6:4
And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God.”	I Kings 18:39
Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”	Matthew 16:16
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.	Matthew 28:19
Nathan’a-el answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”	John 1:49
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”	John 6:68-69
Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”	John 20:28
And as they went along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What is to prevent my being baptized?”And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.	Acts 8:36-37
And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”	Acts 16:31
Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.	I Corinthians 8:6
Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.	I Corinthians 12:3
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.	I Corinthians 15:3-7
Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.	Philemon 2:6-11
Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of our religion: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.	I Timothy 3:16
Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, with instruction about ablutions, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.	Hebrews 6:1-2
By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God.	I John 4:2

There are also several early summaries of the Christian faith which predate the creeds, such as the “Rule of Faith” as recorded by Irenaeus:

...this faith: in one God, the Father Almighty, who made the heaven and the earth and the seas and all the things that are in them; and in one Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who was made flesh for our salvation; and in the Holy Spirit, who made known through the prophets the plan of salvation, and the coming, and the birth from a virgin, and the passion, and the resurrection from the dead, and the bodily ascension into heaven of the beloved Christ Jesus, our Lord, and his future appearing from heaven in the glory of the Father to sum up all things and to raise anew all flesh of the whole human race . . .

And Hippolytus’ account of the baptismal service:

When the person being baptized goes down into the water, he who baptizes him, putting his hand on him, shall say: “Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty?” And the person being baptized shall say: “I believe.” Then holding his hand on his head, he shall baptize him once. And then he shall say: “Do you believe in Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who was born of the Virgin Mary, and was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and was dead and buried, and rose again the third day, alive from the dead, and ascended into heaven, and sat at the right hand of the Father, and will come to judge the living and the dead?” And when he says: “I believe,” he is baptized again. And again he shall say: “Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, in the holy church, and the resurrection of the body?” The person being baptized shall say: “I believe,” and then he is baptized a third time. — Hippolytus, early third century

Both the Rule as recorded by Irenaeus and the baptismal service as recorded by Hippolytus bear very close similarity to the Apostles’ Creed.

Image and Likeness

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him, male and female created He them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply: fill the earth and subdue it....” (Genesis 1:26–28)

Psalm 8

O Lord, our Lord
How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
You who set Your glory above the heavens!
Out of the mouth of babes and infants
You have ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.
When I consider Your heavens and the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars which You have ordained,
What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
You have made him to have dominion
Over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
All sheep and oxen —
Even the beasts of the field,
The birds of he air,
And the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth!

Cur Deus homo?

Why did God become man?
God became man, that man might become God.

Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law ‘I said, ‘You are gods’?‘ If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, You are blaspheming, because I said, “I am the Son of God?” (John 10:34–36)

Psalm 82

God stands in the congregation of the mighty;
He judges among the gods,
How long will you judge unjustly,
And show partiality to the wicked? Selah.
Defend the poor and the fatherless.
Do justice to the afflicted and the needy.
Deliver the poor and the needy;
Free them from the hand of the wicked.
They do not know, nor do they understand;
They walk about in darkness;
All the foundations of the earth are unstable.
I said, “You are gods,
And all of you are children of the Most High.
But you shall die like men,
And fall like one of the princes.”
Arise, O God, judge the earth;
For You shall inherit all nations.

The 82^nd psalm is a very important one in Christian tradition, and is directly referred to in John 10:34. In the Eastern liturgies, it is sung on Holy Saturday at the Liturgy of Saint Basil, and again at Vespers. It is the Church’s confident assertion in the repeated use of the final verse, that she is ready for God to judge her in the Resurrection to be commemorated the following day, and that she is confident in God’s promise to make us by grace what He is by nature. This is called theosis, or deification; or divinization.

“Deification” (theosis) is the ancient theological term describing how we become more and more like God, not that we become God per se, but as Peter says

As his divine power has given to us all things that pertain tolife and godliness...that through these you may become partakers of the divine nature.... (2 Peter 1:3, 4)

We become more like God through His grace or divine energies, as is appropriate to us who have been made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26), according to human nature. We are gods in that we bear His image, not in the sense of being ourselves of the divine nature.

“The divine image is in all humanity,” says the Orthodox Study Bible (New Testament). Through sin, we lose this image and likeness of God, but when Christ came into the Virgin’s womb, and took on our nature, we were lifted up, and are once again capable of theosis, the fulfillment of our human destiny. We became able to show forth fruits worthy of repentance, and are become the children of God.

“Nourished by the Body and Blood of Christ,” says the Orthodox Study Bible in its discussion of deification, “we partake of the grace of God — His strength, His righteousness, His love — and are enabled to serve Him and glorify Him. Thus we, being human, are being deified.” (page 561)

The Liturgy reflects this understanding from beginning to end, but nowhere so faithfully as in the Preface to the Anaphora of Saint John Chrysostom, and most of all, the Anaphora of Saint Basil. As Chrysostom summarizes it: “You it was who did bring us from non–existence into being, and when we had fallen away did raise us up again, and did not cease to do all things until You had brought us back to heaven, and had endowed us with Your kingdom which is to come.”

Christian Psychology

Psyche

Science of the Soul

Is Christianity a religion? Certainly, it is a way of life, based on a certain idea of the human person, and those things that benefit people in the daily process of living. It is, as we have said, a path one walks.

Christianity also holds that faith is not irrational — that we are God’s rational sheep, and nothing that is opposed to reason can ultimately be of the content of faith. At the same time, we know God is ultimately transcendent over every image we can form within the current limitations of human intelligence or understanding, and that thus (in a very special sense) our faith looks “beyond reason” into the infinite and ineffable that is by no means ultimately “irrational” but neither is it limited to the intellectual component of our nature.

We must face also the reality that we are incarnate beings, creatures of flesh and blood, and as such have need of community (“No man is a Christian alone.”) and things that appeal to our senses in a full range of human experience. We are not bodiless beings, like the dwellers above.

The Wisdom of the World

Christ is the Wisdom of God become flesh: the Holy Wisdom. The true wisdom of the Apostolic Church is based in that reality, its “gnosis,” if you will. But there is a wisdom of the world, which is incomplete, and a false wisdom of the seekers–after–fascinations (the historical Gnostics, Theosophists, and others of that sort).

The True Wisdom of the Apostolic Church is based in theologia^[12] and theoria.^[13]

Paul, in the epistle readings of the Sundays after Pentecost, lectures the Corinthians repeatedly for their supposed “true wisdom,” which they think they have obtained, but which is very little indeed.

Let no one deceive himself, if anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, lest him become a fool that he may become wise. (I Corinthians 3:18)

And lest any should misunderstand the glory in which they are called, Paul but a moment later adds:

Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours. (I Corinthians 3:21)

And yet again:

And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. (I Corinthians 3:23)

Here is what the Orthodox Study Bible says about verses 18 through 20:

The wisdom of the world (v. 19) is attractive and reasonable, and on the surface appears to be true. But such earthly wisdom denies God and leads us away from Him — not to fulfillment, but to death. True wisdom and life are only in Christ, in our total abandonment to the love of God and neighbor. (p. 381)

And on verses 21 to 23, it underlines the key point:

Yours and you are not to the individual but to the corporate Church. The Church possesses the whole, all things, because the Church is the body of Christ — His perfect and glorified humanity — and Christ is God. Individual opinion in doctrine and private interpretation of Scripture which stand apart from that of the Church, or outside the apostolic tradition, are marks of worldly wisdom.

Remember here, that all this is true of the individual as one in the Church, but Paul is speaking in a passage where the Corinthians are engaged in great internal disputes over whose baptism and whose teaching they possess. Paul responds: Christ’s, or nobody’s; it is as simple as that.

Relative Wisdom

Worldly wisdom is not always evil, but may bear truth; however, it may be limited in its approach and application. So, our dispute with the great Plato, from whom we often derive the ancient saw, that all sin is ignorance. There is great and marvelous truth in such a saying. So also Sigmund Freud, in his understanding of the “psychopathologies” of everyday life, or in his understanding of the truth that the great errors and divergences of the human psyche are all rooted in the commonalities appropriate to the soul, which — when they get out of control, or become “uprooted” from their proper soil as it were — become either little eccentricities or “quirks” or become monstrosities.

And was not Goya correct in his “Cartones,” when he said: “El sueño de la razon produce monstruos.”^[14]

Yet, we must go beyond Plato, and insist that the human person, the human psyche, is more than an intellectual approach to the soul which mere knowledge of a worldly sort may cure, or a correct epistemology can heal. They are essential and correct processes, to be sure — but it is not enough.

So also, with Freud. If one reads his Psychopathology of Everyday Life, or his Interpretation of Dreams, or his delightful and thought–provoking work on the Unheimlich^[15] and other such short pieces, one can perceive the common patterns of our minds and cultures that dominate and form us in large part. And we weep with him, we of the Twentieth Century, when we realize his teaching that the Unheimlich is based in the Heimlich, so to speak — most of all, when applied to the great tragedies of this age. To begin with, the horror visited upon the first to bear the oracles of God, the Jews. Hannah Arendt spoke of the “banality of evil,” and showed the sheer pettiness of mind of many of those who carried out the Jewish Holocaust. Would Freud not say more: not banality, but a good thing like self–love and love of family and friends and community gone awry and become an idolatry that transmogrifies into a self–absorbed racialism or ethnocentricty that visits horror on all outside? (And leaves those who carry out the horrors later unable to grasp the horror, or their own participation in it. It seemed so natural, at the time...)

Shall we not agree with Goya, as he weeps over his country’s benightedness, and despairs of mankind’s ability to rise out of its agreeable slumber, that when reason sleeps, monsters arise from the very dreams, become nightmares? Indeed, let us agree. But, Goya is talking of rationalism only, of the reason as practical, as understanding. An essential tool — and we sin greatly against God if we will not use our understanding or reason in that sense — but one cannot stop there, one cannot end with the rationalistic (not rational, rationalistic) mind; one cannot end with the “Enlightenment,” which is nothing at all.

Unlike false knowledge of the Gnostics and others such, which posits an internal and secret Truth, of which Christianity and all other faiths and philosophies are but outward and transient forms for the ignorant or less–developed masses, the worldly wisdom of Plato, Freud, Goya and their friends is truth–bearing, and needs respect and consideration. Even as Virgil was worthy to lead Dante by Heaven’s command through the Inferno and Purgatory, their wisdom is partial, and should have its place. But, it does not rise even to the Earthly Paradise, let alone the Paradiso.

Here are the words of Orthodox Dynamis^[16] on this passage:

Readings for the Day: Epistle: 1 Corinthians 3:18-23
Gospel: St. Matthew 13:36-43
Growth In Christ III ~ Attaining True Wisdom: 1 Corinthians 3:18-23, especially vs. 18

Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. Each of the readings from First Corinthians this week centers on the theme of growth in Christ, for the Apostle Paul discerned that the Corinthian Christians were operating from immature perceptions of the Gospel, the Church, the world and themselves.

The Epistle discloses that the Corinthian Christians believed they had attained true wisdom. The Apostle gently undercut their false confidence:

“If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age...” (vs. 18). He knew they had to be awakened to the difference between what they thought was wisdom and the true wisdom of the Apostolic Church and her teaching. We live today in a culture that places high priority upon technological acumen as taught in the secular universities and colleges. The belief is promoted and prevalent that “education will solve all of man’s problems because ignorance is the real cause of the maladies in personality and society.” The false concept that education will solve all of mankind’s ills has blinded the vast majority today.

Therefore, the Apostle Paul’s message in this short passage is highly pertinent to our situation even as it was for the first century Christians of Corinth. So, let us look at St. Paul’s alternative, for in this reading he reveals how growth in Christ helps us to attain genuine wisdom.

In the phrase “among you” (vs. 18), the Apostle draws a sharp contrast between the ethos, values, outlook, and orientation of the Church (among you) and that of the world. Problems arise when Christians mistakenly blur this contrast. The ethos of the Church and the character of first century Greco-Roman culture, as well as the pervasive spirit of contemporary secular culture, stand in marked contrast to one another.

Orthodox Christianity labors for an integrated life involving all aspects of man’s existence, but to live this way is most difficult in modern humanist culture, for religion is divorced from business, community, social, and recreational activities. Further, Orthodox Christianity has very different moral values from contemporary culture in matters of personal behavior, marriage, family life, art, music and the work place.

How, then, in St. Paul’s view does one attain true wisdom? The Apostle believed that one must perceive the two competing wisdoms in both mind and spirit. Then, Christians must be able to express the difference between these two wisdoms in thought and action. Only then shall we realize how much of our life is being permeated and directed by the wisdom of this age. Without such God-given insight, no choices exist for turning one’s back on “the good life” that is held out by the world. We have no basis to “become a fool that [we] may become wise” (vs. 18). Once one sees the difference between true and false wisdom and has the capacity to speak of them in clear distinctions, then real choices can be made. “I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse: choose thou life, that thou and thy seed may live” (Dt. 30:19 LXX).

To become a fool for Christ is to submit one’s self to Him fully, to commit to the reshaping of one’s attitudes, thoughts and desires as well as one’s behavior and activities.

In a negative sense the Apostolic perception of true wisdom provides us with insight into our own temptation to “craftiness” and helps us reject such thoughts and behavior (vs. 19).

True wisdom enables us to abandon cherished thoughts as their futility is exposed by the light of Christ (vs. 20). It allows us to see how petty and useless in the eyes of God are all human boasting and pride in what we achieve (vs. 21). Choice of true wisdom and life are possible when we know that we are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s,” that He is true Holy Wisdom (vs. 23). </blockquote>

One can hardly improve on this “daily meditation” from OrthodoxDynamis, and so it is quoted here at some length, for it really points directly to the mind that is in us, as we finish the rest of this book.

Even with the worldly wisdom that we respect — being, as it is, an aspect of the true wisdom and therefore relatively true (true relative to the whole, as a part that has its place in the whole) — we must ask for more. Even if we know that sin is ignorance, our understanding of it is more profound by far than that of those who think that education alone may solve the world’s problems, or that economics alone will arrange the world, and so on.

For all these are answers in the world, but God is in and beyond the world. What OrthodoxDynamis says concerning Orthodox Christianity, we say (more simply) concerning Christianity as a whole.

Care & Cure of Souls

Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires are known, and from whom no secrets are hid; Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord.” Amen.
— Opening Collect, Holy Communion, Book of Common Prayer

Body, Mind, and Spirit — or simply, “Heart?” How do we express the human person as a whole?

The Cure of Souls

“The cure of souls” is one of the most precious concepts of the Latin Church, one that guides its moral and pastoral theology. It is best exemplified perhaps in the popular imagination with the Curé of Ars. One writer said that we almost prefer to say the “Care of Souls,” but that if we did, we’d be wrong, since both the concept of the care of souls and the cure of souls is contained in the phrase as it stands. Orthodox pastoral theology would say something similar: that the Church is the Hospital of Souls, and Christianity is not religion, but a healing process — and a priest, if he is a true priest, is a healer par excellence. Indeed, healing and priesthood are closely linked.

Before we get lost in that, however, there are a few basic phrases as our Brethren to the East use them, and which we use in much the same light, that need to be understood. We shall first begin with a “glossary” of sorts, setting forth the concepts needed in the discussion, and the idea of the soul as it exists in Christian understanding.

The primary concept is NOUS, “the eye of the heart,” often translated as mind or intellect.

THEOLOGIA (Theology) refers to the knowledge we have of God in Christ Jesus.

THEORIA (Theory) refers to the vision of God, in either absolute or relative terms — i.e., as the person is able.

PRAXIS (Action) refers often in Orthodox theology to ascetic practice, but can and should have among Christians a more extended meaning.

NEPSIS (Watchfulness) refers to the sober–minded vigilance of the ascetic life of the Fathers.

HESYCHIA (Stillness) refers to the stillness in the presence of God experienced by the Saints.

THEOSIS (Deification), a concept of the union of man with God, by becoming like God. As St. Irenaeus said: “God made Himself man, that man might become God,” a concept echoed explicitly in St. Gregory Nazianzen (Gregory the Theologian) and St. Gregory of Nyssa, not to mention Christian teachers in every century since. Given the teaching of St. Gregory Palamas with regard to the essence and energies of God, the present writer prefers the term “Divinization,” and happily finds this very term in the writing of Bishop of Nafpaktos Hierotheos (Divinisation).^[17]

A fundamental presupposition of Orthodox Theology is that our destiny is “deification,” which implies a theology of union with God, of re–acquiring the likeness of God in us, and that thus the more limited legalistic view is too limited. As Lossky says in his essay “Redemption and Deification,” “Nevertheless, when the dogma of redemption is treated in isolation from the general body of Christian teaching, there is always a risk of limiting the tradition by interpreting it exclusively in terms of the work of the Redeemer. Then theological thought develops along three lines: original sin, its reparation on the cross, and the appropriation of the saving results of the work of Christ to Christians. In these constricting perspectives of a theology dominated by the idea of redemption, the patristic sentence ‘God made Himself man that man might become God,’ seems to be strange and abnormal. The thought of union with God is forgotten because of our preoccupation solely with our own salvation; or, rather, union with God is seen only negatively, in contrast with our present wretchedness.”^[18]

Christianity is not a religion, and is really far more than anything that is said of it in this day and age. All presuppositions and theories fall away. And it is good to find confirmation of this basic premise of ours in Bishop Hierotheos and his co– thinkers. “God,” he says, “is not the Absolute Thou, but a living Person Who is in organic communion with man. Moreover Christianity does not simply transfer the problem to the future or await the delight of the kingdom of heaven after history and after the end of time. In Christianity the future is lived in the present and the kingdom of God begins in this life. According to the patristic interpretation, the kingdom of God is the grace of the Triune God, it is the vision of the uncreated Light. “We Orthodox [i.e., Christians] are not waiting for the end of history and the end of time, but through living in Christ we are running to meet the end of history and thus already living in the life expected after the Second Coming.”^[19]

This is related to another fundamental concept: that “Christianity is mainly a Church. ‘Church’ means ‘Body of Christ.’ ...This means that Christ does not simply dwell in heaven and direct human history and the lives of men from there, but He is united with us. He assumed human nature, and deified it; thus in Christ deified human nature is at the right hand of the Father. So Christ is our life and we are ‘members of Christ.’” (Vlachos, 26).

So, “No one is a Christian alone.” There is no I–Thou relationship here, but rather individual salvation is not so much set aside as accomplished in the context of Christ and his Church. The whole cosmos longs for the revelation of the sons of God.

Bishop Hierotheos is much taken with the work of Professor John Romanides, on the healing nature of Christianity and the Church as the hospital of the soul. While the two men perhaps overstate the matter in some respects, there is much to discern and to test in what they say.

When Bishop Hierotheos quotes Romanides saying, for example: “If Judaism and its successor, Christianity, had appeared in the twentieth century for the first time, they would most likely have been characterized as medical sciences related to psychiatry,” we must pause and consider whether he exaggerates, albeit with best intention. However, when he asserts with Professor Romanides, “In no way can prophetic Judaism and Christianity be construed as religions that use various magical methods and beliefs to promise escape from a supposed world of matter and evil or hypocrisy into a supposed spiritual world of security and success,”^[20] we have to confess they are making a very important point.

How much further can we follow them along this road? In another work, Romanides says: “The patristic tradition is neither a social philosophy nor an ethical system, nor is it religious dogmatism: it is a therapeutic treatment.” Given the premises underlying this Catechism, we have to agree with the opening phrase of that sentence, but while we’d like to agree with the closing assertion, it may not be possible to do so completely.

“So in the Church,” says Bishop Hierotheos, “we are divided into the sick, those undergoing therapeutic treatment, and those — saints — who have already been healed.” This is a wonderful thought. So, he says, again quoting Romanides: “The Fathers do not categorize people as moral and immoral or good and bad on the basis of moral laws. This division is superficial. At depth humanity is differentiated into the sick in soul, those being healed and those healed. All who are not in a state of illumination are sick in soul...It is not only good will, good resolve, moral practice and devotion to Orthodox Tradition which make an Orthodox, but also purification, illumination and deification. These stages of healing are the purpose of the mystical life of the Church, as the liturgical texts bear witness.”^[21]

Christianity, say these men, is a science which cures, and theology is not a philosophy, but a therapeutic treatment.

How far can we carry such ideas, even basing them in the Fathers of the Church?

Doctor of Souls and Discernment of Spirits

Gregory the Theologian says “...it is necessary to be truly at ease to know God.” Theology, or the knowledge of God, comes to the soul that has proceeded to at least some level of theoria (vision of God), and so also the discernment of spirits. In the West, there is a tradition that bishops of the Church are referred to with the Church title “D.D.” or “Doctor of Divinity.” Doctor, of course, means “teacher,” and thus we mean that the bishop is a teacher of divine things. Yet, without being a knower of the divine things, without having entered into them, neither he nor any other can truly say more of God than what they may have heard here and there, or operate on guesstimates or fond notions.

Yet, the testimony of Evagrius is that “If you are a theologian, you will pray truly. And if you pray truly, you are a theologian.” Theology is both a fruit of prayer, and a method of therapy.

The life of the saints is a living theology, through the Holy Spirit.

Gregory Palamas says that those who see God are theologians, and theology is the vision of God.

This much, then, we can agree with: that theology is a lived knowledge of God, and the discernment of spirits under the guidance of the Spirit. It is not a matter of abstract knowledge, but a lived knowledge.

And if therapeutic, what of the therapy?

What Manner of Healing?

“The therapy of the soul essentially means therapy and freeing of the nous,” says Bishop Hierotheos. It is this that [Christian] theology and worship cure. Human nature is sick, for it has fallen away from God. The sickness that came upon man when his whole nature became sickened, and this sickness is handed on in the descendants of Adam and Eve.

Romanides gives dramatic testimony of the fallen nous in us: “Every person has experience of the fall of his own noetic power to varying degrees, as he is exposed to an environment in which this power is not functioning or is below par...Malfunctioning of the noetic power results in bad relations between man and God and between people. It also results in the individual’s making use of both God and fallen man to fortify his personal safety and happiness.”^[22]

“By one man’s disobedience many were made sinners,” says Saint Paul (Romans 5:19). But how is this to be understood? Legalistically, as in the West, both Roman and Protestant? No, suggests Bishop Hierotheos, not as a matter of legality, but in medical terms: “Human nature became sick.”

Cyril of Alexandria explains it thus, in his Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans:

After Adam fell by sin and sank into corruption, at once impure pleasures rushed in, and the law of the jungle sprang up in our members. So nature became sick with sin through the disobedience of one, Adam. Then the many became sinners, not as fellow transgressors with Adam, for they did not even exist, but as being of that nature which had fallen under the law of sin...Human nature in Adam became sick through the corruption of disobedience, and thus the passions entered into it. Just as when the root of a plant is injured, all the young shoots that come from it must wither.

And if the soul is sick, and the heart imperfect, then healing must come if we know we are ill, and can seek the healer, and if we hold the true faith and true worship, rendering to God true glory. “Theology is the teaching of the Church about spiritual health, but also about the path which we sick must follow in order to be healed.” (Vlachos, 42)

Right faith or true doctrine is not sought for its own sake, or as an abstract set of propositions, or as some preferred custom; not at all. Rather, unless we understand the path of spiritual health, teach it truly, and refuse to allow it to be misunderstood or lied about, we essentially destroy the hope of change and cure, we essentially destroy the hope of perfection. Says Hierotheos, “That is why we Orthodox [Christians] give great weight to keeping the doctrine intact, not only because we fear the impairment of a teaching, but because we could lose the possibility of a cure and therefore of salvation.” (Vlachos, 43) In this, he is correct. So also, unless we know we are ill, and seek a healer, we are dead in our sins. This is the condition of the world today.

Thus, the powerful insight of Jesus’ words: not those who are well but the sick need a physician:

And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what it means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” (Matthew 9:11–13)^[23]

Signified Will of God VS The Will of God’s Good Pleasure

Madame Guyon, in one of her works distinguishes “the signified will of God” and “the will of God’s good pleasure.” Partly, the discussion is one of the inexperienced or foolish seeker setting aside the clearly indicated will of God, in favor of every sort and kind of vision, visitation, and consolation (to use the language of another time).

To be sure, says Mme. Guyon, God is free at all times, and can act on will. This sometimes we call “miracle,” or some other name. However, to found our spiritual life on a search for such things is to base it on a false ground, one where Satan can easily mislead us. We should accept God’s gifts when they come, but such free gifts of God come as He wills, not in the ordinary course of things.

Rather, our spiritual life as Christians is based upon the signified will of God, which is nothing less than God’s revelation of himself in Scripture, in Tradition, in the lives of the saints. One does not need a special vision from God to know that the Commandments of Sinai are still valuable, or that the Summary of the Law given by Jesus Christ still must guide us, or that the life and ministry of our Lord given in the New Testament provide the foundation of our faith.

This, from a rather abstract view of the spiritual life, which Madame Guyon tries to address.

As John Paul II said at Fatima, the Church possesses but one public revelation, and that is the revelation of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ. All other revelation, even Fatima, is private — and subject to all the questions concerning private revelations, not the least of which is that they cannot provide a certain basis for faith and practice. They do not govern the individual conscience, or bind it in any way, nor do they bind the mind of the Church as a whole.

However, we can here see the deeper point that Madame Guyon is trying to make: the self–consciousness of the Church of Christ, and the role of the person in it. For, the entire economy of salvation is in play, the entire dogma (internal, private teaching) and kerygma (external, public proclamation) of the Church, the entire Tradition, the entire mind of the Church as we encounter God who reveals and is revealed, on the divine and healing path.

The Testimony of the Jews

How odd
Of God
To choose
The Jews.
— Ogden Nash

Ogden Nash, in this humorous little bit of doggerel, expresses in his characteristic fashion his bemusement — and not only his own — at the historical role of Israel as the bearer of the oracles of God. One can do worse than to be so bemused, for thinking on such things leads one into a great wisdom — if one persists.

Yet, the God who hides himself reveals himself to Israel. Not just revealed, but reveals. For, the revelation continues, even as the calling and the election continue.

God reveals his Name, and calls Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by name — calls them into a relationship with him. In the Greek, ego eimi ho On (I am that which Is). This God who is the Absolute, is also personal, and enters into a relationship with human persons.

This is the marvelous testimony of Israel, even as Martin Buber says in Le message hassidique, an article in Dieu Vivant (2, p. 16): “The great achievement of Israel is not to have taught the one true God, who is the only God, the source and end of all that is; it is to have show that it was possible in reality to speak to Him, to say ‘Thou’ to Him, to stand upright before His face.” “It was Israel,” he continues, “who first understood and — much more — lived life as a dialogue between man and God.” “If there is a gnosis which is purely Hebraic,” says Vladimir Lossky in The Theology of the Image,^[24] “it is not a knowledge of the divine nature, but the revelation of the mysterious designs of God given to the prophets, a revelation of the divine economy being realized in history directed towards one end, a history which finds its meaning in the promise of an eschatological event.”

This God refuses a name as such, and simply tells Moses “I am who I am,” (Exodus 3:14), and to Israel he tells Moses to identify him as “The Lord God of your fathers; the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.” (Exodus 3:15)

Yet this God who is the Absolute, refusing every possible image and concept of himself as inadequate — therefore refusing all graven images, even of himself, as idolatrous and misleading — ”does not refuse personal relationship, living intercourse with men, with a people; He speaks to them and they reply, in a series of concrete situations which unfold as sacred history.” (Lossky, 129).

Is this not the testimony of Job? Job and God interact directly during the whole story laid down in the Book of Job. Yet, Job’s friends rebuke him, and advise him with this or that kind of human wisdom or religious knowledge — the very kind we can hear from well–meaning people today. Satan puts Job under the rod of evil, and abuses him. Job’s friends, caring about him to be sure, come to visit and comfort him: Eliphas the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite.

“Job,” says Eliphaz, “you have sinned. That is why this evil has come upon you. Happy is the man whom God corrects. Seek his face, and find peace.”

“Job,” says Bildad, “repent and have done with it! Are God’s judgments in error? Does God pervert justice? God will not cast away the blameless, or take away their joy.”

“Yes, Job,” says Zophar, “repent! God knows how to forgive. Only prepare your heart, and stretch out your hands to Him. Then will God lift you up, and break your enemies before you, and no one could make you afraid.”

When Job responds that he is blameless, and persists in his mourning and complaints, Eliphaz rebukes him for folly: “What is man, that he could be pure? And he who is born of woman, that he could be righteous?” (Job 15:14)

Elihu the son of Barachel enters as the discussion goes on, and condemns Job for justifying himself rather than God, and condemns the three friends for having condemned Job while finding no answer. Elihu proclaims the justice, goodness and majesty of God, and condemns Job’s self–righteousness: “Do you thing this is right? Do you say, ‘My righteousness is more than God’s?’” (Job 35:2)

Yet, God spoke to Job out of the whirlwind, and reveals himself to Job as the Absolute: “Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?” God says, rebuking Job’s friends. “Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you will answer Me” (Job 38:2)

And there follows one of the most beautiful and poetic passages of the Old Testament, in which God essentially tells Job, in the form of questions about the nature of things, “I am who I am.” Just has he had told Moses. Finally, God ends his initial questions to Job with a final call to judgment: “Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it.” (Job 40:2)

The dialogue begins, as God and Job talk back and forth. And Job does repent, in a sense; for his closing words are a confession of a vision of God, a theoria that is all but a confession of faith:

I know that You can do everything. And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. You asked, “Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?” Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Listen, please, and let me speak: You said, “I will question you, and you shall answer Me.” I have heard You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes see You. Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:2–6)

Job is no more correct in many respects than his friends, but maintains his relationship not to his ideas, but to God; and to Job comes the vision of God (theoria) and the knowledge of God (theology) that transforms him.

In the end, Job’s friends are commanded of God to go to him, and have Job offer sacrifices on their behalf: “Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job will pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly; because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.” (Job 42:8)

The Meaning of Job for Christians

The “God of Israel, the savior” (Isaiah 45:15) reveals himself to us here and now, and calls us into relationship with him hic et nunc.^[25] And that relationship is according to our nature. When we are in darkness and fall away, when the image and likeness of God — which is our very nature — is obscured in us, we are called back again.

This the meaning of the Transfiguration, which is God’s gift to us, and the fulfillment of our nature, in this life and the next.

Upon Mount Tabor, the Uncreated Light (Christ himself) appeared before the Apostles, accompanied by Moses and Elijah. Moses, through whom the Old Testament (Sinai Covenant) was given, and Elijah, the great prophet of God, of whom the Forerunner (John the Baptist) was the prophesized witness of Christ, by whom Christ Jesus was baptized.

How odd / Of God / To choose / The Jews? — How odd of God to have chosen us, in Christ Jesus. For we are the continuation of that ancient self–revelation of God which was entrusted of old to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to Moses and Elijah, and all the prophets who spoke in the Holy Spirit.

To us, in the Last Days, comes the full revelation in Christ Jesus, and the knowledge that we are to be healed in mind and body, and the image and likeness of God is to be restored in us. Divinization.

In this hope we walk, but it is ours in this life and in the next; it is not some vague future hope. We are transformed day by day, and we walk in heaven more and more. We are transfigured.

Yet, this is not foreign to our nature, but is like coming home at last to the place where we belong.

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7)

Here is the mystery of our being, here lies the cure of the soul. Not simply in our creation ex nihilo,^[26] not simply in the ongoing relationship with God in history, but above all in the manner in which the Trinity became personal to us, in Christ Jesus, in the Incarnation.

Would Christ have revealed himself in time and space, in history, had Adam never sinned? Almost certainly. For without the Incarnation, the revelation was not complete, and God’s design in history was not fully evident.

Incarnation

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. (Psalm 34:8)

The entire theological career of St. Gregory Palamas, says John Meyendorff, was centered on one simple truth: “The living God is accessible to personal experience because He shared His own life with humanity.”^[27]

In his debate with the Western monk Barlaam, Palamas insisted that theology was not a declension from revealed axioms (as it were), but an expression of true Christian experience. “Palamas insisted that theological discourse concerning the Trinity could reach apodictic (and not only dialectic) conclusions, that is, it could lead to Truth itself.” (Meyendorff, 6)

That is, we could know.

And this is true, because Christ became man.

There are a number of issues involved, concerning God, man and the natural world, and as we shall see, they are the same issues we deal with in discussing the path by which we walk and talk with God, the divine and healing path. They also touch upon the concepts that Bishop Hierotheos and John Romanides advance concerning Christianity as therapy and the Church as the Hospital of God — ideas that contain much truth, but perhaps overstate the case by limiting the reality of God, man and nature.

On the one hand the West, following Augustine, may have stated too harshly the matter of “nature” vs “grace,” almost to the point of positing nature and natural reason as a commonality to which is added grace, or upon which grace works. The concept becomes almost mechanistic.

Evagrius thought that in prayer man rises to God, and re–establishes his right and natural relationship with God. His work on prayer is foundational and impressive. But, there is much of the Greek concept of “kinship” there, the syngeneia of Origen, which implies that man and God share a similar nature, rather than the Christian teaching that man is by grace (adoption, the operations of the Spirit) what God is by nature. Origen and Evagrius are both criticized by the Church for saying or implying that the soul had a pre–existent life with God, “naturally divine and without matter,” (Meyendorff, 7) so that the material world was presented as if a result of the Sin of Eden. This is an unchristian, if not anti–Christian concept.

For by the Incarnation, Christianity posits all things as good and holy, glorified in Christ Jesus, the whole cosmos longing for the freedom of the sons of God.

If the soul is merely mind, nous narrowly conceived, then we have a rather limited sense of man and his destiny. And a contempt for the natural world. PseudoMacarius, on the other hand, located the centering point of man in the “heart” rather than the “mind.” In this case, body and mind together know and ascend to God, which is more in accord with Palamas and many teachers, who see the person as a whole participating in the divine life. Meyendorff quotes PsMacarius:

...the heart is the master and King of the whole bodily organism, and when grace takes possession of the pastureland of the heart, it rules over all its members and all its thoughts; for it is in the heart that the mind dwells, and there dwell all the soul’s thoughts; it finds all its goods in the heart. That is why grace penetrates all the members of the body.^[28]

Thus, says Meyendorff,

In Macarius, the goal of prayer is not the disincarnation of the mind, but a transfiguration of the entire person — soul and body — through the presence of the incarnated God, accessible to the conscious “certitude of the heart.”

Transfiguration.

Surely, Bishop Hierotheos and John Romanides mean this at their best, when they posit the nous as the eye of the soul.

Further, the difference in Eastern and Western emphases in nature and grace, and the knowledge of God, is made clear.

Barlaam, like Akindynos in the East, could not conceive of a direct experience of God such as the hesychast monks claimed, particularly one in which the body participated — that the body as well as the mind could be transfigured >(“That ghost story!” said Cardinal Spellman, centuries later, concerning the Transfiguration.) One had to know God in essence, or in his creatures only. A vision of God (theoria) had to be of God’s essence, or its created manifestations. God, said Akindynos, was identical in essence and existence.

Ah, but, said Gregory Palamas: if God is truly unknowable in his essence, but there is a true testimony of a direct experience of God, in which body and soul participated, then one must necessarily speak of both a transcendent and unknowable essence of God, and uncreated, knowable and revealed energies of God.

Man is not limited to his five senses, but can rise above his own nature, and enter into union with God — the darkness of the cloud surrounding God is not an empty darkness, and the purified body and mind are able to enter into communion with God. However, “Communion with God never becomes exhaustion or saturation, but implies the revelation that the greater things are always to come.” (Meyendorff, 15)

For Origen and Evagrius the point of prayer and contemplation was for mind to become free of matter; but for PseudoDionysus, Maximus the Confessor and Palamas, the point was a transfigured person, body and soul.

This mystic anthropology of the latter Fathers implies as well an approach to the cosmos as a whole.

For Palamas, “man is not fully man unless he is in communion with God: He is ‘open upwards’ and destined to share God’s fellowship. However, because God remains absolutely transcendent in His essence, man’s communion with Him has no limit.^[29] It never reaches an End, which would be a dead end. God is both transcendent and inexhaustible. Man’s communion with Him can never be ‘closed’ through exhaustion.” (Meyendorff, 18).

Christ, the Uncreated Light, changes the dynamics of salvation forever when, as Athanasius says, “God became man that man might become God in him.” The relationship between God and man changed, and everything else appears “as mere shadows of the realities to come.”

The Signified Will of God

The will of God for us is that we should have life, and more abundantly. We are predestined to life. Creatures, we are invited into the sphere of the eternal, by grace. For, when God breathed into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life, man became a living soul.

When man was placed in Eden, the perfection of Adam and Eve was a perfection that was potential. It was as yet untried.

When Adam and Eve failed, our perfection was lost, and sin and death entered the world, and the mind of man was darkened.

Redemption came in Christ, who took on flesh, and returned us to our original purpose. Redemption as a purchase out of our sins is a concept for too limited: we were redeemed from our sins, but we were also redeemed for life. Yet, even there, the matter does not end, for Christ came into the world and took on our nature, so that he is consubstantial with God as to his divinity, and consubstantial with us as to our humanity — but in the act, our humanity changed, was lifted up, and glorified; and the cosmos with it.

What, then?

If you wish to be a theologian and worthy of the Divine, keep the laws; by means of the Divine laws go towards the high aim; for activity is the ascent to virtue. (Homily 20, Gregory the Theologian)

Activity, in this sense, refers to the means by which we ascend to God and to the vision of God (e.g., commandments, discipline, prayer, and so on). Through these we acquire knowledge of God, and we acquire more and more the life in the Spirit.

Is there a distinction between the ‘image’ and the ‘likeness’ of God? The majority of the Holy Fathers and the teachers of the Church reply that there is. They see the image of God in the very nature of the soul, and the likeness in the moral perfecting of man in virtue and sanctity, in the acquirement of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Consequently, we receive the image of God from God together with existence, but the likeness we must acquire ourselves, having received the possibility of doing this from God. (Pomazhansky, 146) To become ‘in the likeness’ depends upon our will; it is acquired in accordance with our own activity.^[30] Man, having received existence, was to grow and mature, then become strong, and, reaching full maturity should be glorified and, being glorified, should be vouchsafed to see God.” (St. Irenaeus) Therefore, my beloved, ...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12–13)

The Three Greatest Stories of the New Testament

An Internet email came, which asked: “What do you consider the three greatest stories of the New Testament?” After a moment’s reflection, I decided to take the question literally, and interpreted “stories” as Gospel parables. Three came to mind immediately — the Woman at the Well, the Good Samaritan, and the Great Supper. Almost immediately following, came the thought of the Lost Sheep/Prodigal Son parable, and upon the heels of that one, the Unforgiving Servant. And there, I found a natural stop.

The first parable talks about the gift of God, the second asks “Who is my neighbor?” and the third speaks directly to the Supper of the Lord. Each has many themes and counter–themes of great significance.

In the tale of the Prodigal Son, we have the love of God, from Adam and Eve until now, revealed to us.

In the tale of the Unforgiving Servant, we are brought coldly up against one of the great and besetting sins of people in all ages: we are totally lacking humility in our self–perception, and merciless to others, even as we receive mercy.

Interestingly enough, the two first parables have as their protagonists Samaritans, a people despised by Jews of that time; and the third parable foretells the time when the elect are set aside in favor of anyone in the street.

Our first approach to the signified will of God, and our walk with God, comes to us in the parables of Jesus that we have chosen for review.

The Woman at the Well

Jesus was traveling with his disciples, and came to a piece of ground that had been owned by Jacob, which he gave to his son Joseph. A well was there, that was called Jacob’s Well.

Jesus, being tired, sat by the well, and rested. His disciples went into the nearby town, Sychar (perhaps today’s Shechem), to buy provisions.

This well was in Samaria, an area so despised by orthodox Jews that they would not walk through it. Many would pass over the Jordan into the land beyond, journey north to Galilee or south to Judea, and then cross back. The Samaritans were a despised people, perhaps of mixed race, perhaps descended from the lost tribes of Israel, who worshiped apart from the Temple in Jerusalem. They recognized only the Pentateuch (the Five Books, of Moses), and kept their own temple on Mount Gerizim.

About the sixth hour (noontime), a woman of Samaria came to draw water.

Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (John 4:1–26)

Now, this was a shock. For a Jew even to be in Samaria was remarkable, but for him to actually speak to a Samaritan was something indeed — and for him to take a drink from her hand, well...

And she says as much: “How is it that you, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?”

Jesus’ reply is totally unexpected: “If you knew the gift of God, and who it was who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked of Him and He would have given you living waters.”

How are you going to do that, she asks: you have nothing to draw water.

Are you greater than our father Jacob? Indeed, for the Fathers of the Church teach that the Patriarch Jacob, who had the vision of the divine ladder (Genesis 28:12) prefigures Jesus Christ, in whom we have the new birth, in water and in spirit.

Jesus presses his point: “Whoever drinks of this water [i.e., from Jacob’s Well] will thirst again, but whoever drinks from the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

“If you knew the gift of God...” What is this gift? Nothing less than the gift of the Holy Spirit, a well of water, as it were, within us, springing up unto life everlasting. Ah, and if you knew “Who it was Who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink...’” This is Christ himself, the Expected One, who sends the Holy Spirit into the world and into his Church.

True life comes from God, who is the fountain of life, the living water. (Cf Jeremiah 2:13; Ezekiel 47:1–12; Zechariah 14:8; Revelation 21:6, 22:1)^[31]

But, the woman of Samaria, like most of us, does not understand what is being said to her — she grasps it only literally: “Sir,” she says, “give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

Yet, she speaks better than she knows: for, drink of the waters of life, and you will not thirst again, nor have to draw waters from alien wells.

So, Jesus tries another tack: “Go, call your husband, and come here.”

She has no husband. And Jesus, knowing that, tells her that indeed she does not, for she was five times married, and is currently living with one who is not her husband. And at this point, a strange thing happens. The woman of Samaria takes him to be a prophet, and begins to discuss the worship of God, not her husbands: “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”

Do you see how close to God this despised Samaritan woman is? How she goes to the point, each time? This is the work of the Holy Spirit, preparing the ground for the seed of faith, as in every nation and people.

And Jesus delivers the most precious insight into the God of truth: “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:21–24)

Jesus does not waste time discussing history, or bygones. He goes directly to the issue: “the time will come, and now is” that God will be known and worshiped by all whom He calls, in spirit and in truth. He affirms the calling of Abraham, and Isaac and Jacob — ”salvation is of the Jews” — but having affirmed that to the Jews were committed the oracles of God, he presses on.

And the woman sees the point, immediately! “I know that the Messiah is coming.” “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”

And Jesus tells her what she is ready to hear: “I who speak to you am He.”

The Orthodox Study Bible^[32] underlines the I AM in this sentence, for it is the first time that Jesus says the ego eimi,^[33] of Genesis 17:1 and Exodus 3:14) in reference to himself. This is nothing less than a theophany (epiphany), a revelation of God, to this woman. The Samaritans accepted no prophet after Moses, and Jesus here tells her, in effect, this is no Mosaic prophet before you, and someone much more than the Messiah you expect: this is God Incarnate.

Jesus stayed among the Samaritans for two days, on their invitation after the woman introduced him. When he leaves, the people witness to the woman: “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this indeed is the Christ, the Savior of the World.”

Here is the fundamental profession of faith, long before Peter makes it; here is the Rock upon which the Church is founded: “You are the Christ, the Savior of the World.”

The Samaritan woman literally becomes the first evangelist, even when the Disciples still have to have it explained to them, and still do not understand, for she bears witness to Christ, and brings others to him. (Orthodox Study Bible, p. 222, notes)^[34]

There is a pun here, too, which delights the soul. When the Samaritan woman went back to the town to tell people about her conversations with Jesus at the Well, his Disciples came back from town. They bid him eat, but he says he has his own food, which is to do the will of him who sent him into the world.

The Disciples are confused, and don’t understand him, at which point Jesus makes this horrendous pun: “Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest.”

What is the joke? What is it the Disciples cannot see? Well, first it is that Jesus’ food is to bring people to God, and to deliver them. And look! He says, as the Samaritans approach from the town after hearing the woman’s testimony — dressed, presumably, in their traditional white — the grain is white, and ripe to the harvest! Look!

Essentially, the Father is the Sower, and Jesus is the Reaper; and the Disciples being his Apostles (Emissaries) will be given the task of reaping the fields where they have not sown, from that time forth to all times.

But, the Disciples miss the joke, even while the Samaritans are walking towards them, and it really won’t be until the Passion and Resurrection, and Pentecost, before they really understand — and come alive.

Jesus called the first episcopal college to recognize its task, and it could not; yet many believed, even there in despised Samaria, even before many among the Jews.

But Jesus had made his point, among the “politically incorrect” of the times: God is Spirit, and who worships God, worships in spirit and in truth. God the Holy Spirit is the living water that springs up in the soul, a river of everlasting life.

In this first story, we recognize the all–important question: “What is the Gift of God?”

Who is My Brother (Neighbor)?

Israel, in whom all the nations of the earth were called in Abraham, is challenged by Jesus to recognize its universal mission. Over and over again, the leaders of Israel, having forgot why they were doing what they did, kept on interpreting God’s self–revelation narrowly.

“A fanatic,” said the philosopher Santayana, “is one who, having lost sight of his aim, redoubles his effort.”

The story of the Good Samaritan opens with “a certain lawyer” asking Jesus — not sincerely, but with a desire to test him — “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus challenges him back: “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”

And this Talmudic scholar essentially responds with words that any follower of Hillel and Gamaliel would support: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind,” and “you neighbor as yourself.”

“You have answered rightly,” Jesus tells him, “do this and you will live.” But, the “lawyer” could not leave it there, and says to Jesus, seeking to justify himself, “And who is my neighbor?”

Jesus responds with the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30–36).

A certain man goes from Jericho to Jerusalem, and falls among thieves, who beat him, rob him of his clothes, and leave him for dead beside the road.

A kohane^[35] passes by, and seeing the man, moves past him on the other side of the road, giving the dying or the dead wide berth.

So also, a Levite, who passes by, moves to the other side of the road, and continues on.

The Temple priesthood, and the consecrated tribe of Levi, have weighed in, and seen fit to do nothing.

“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him, and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him upon his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

“On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii,^[36] given them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’”

Now, says Jesus to the lawyer: “So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”

And the lawyer answered the only way he could: “He who showed mercy on him.”

Well, then, says Jesus: “Go and do likewise.”

The despised Samaritan emerges as the one who knew who his neighbor was: anyone who needed him, and shared his human condition, even an enemy.

But there is more: the Samaritan is a type of Jesus Christ himself. The Lord of Heaven, who constantly pours out his mercies and compassions upon us, sees us in our sins, and has “compassion,” even as did the Samaritan. And like the Samaritan, he comes to us, binds up our wounds, and puts us in a place of safety. And promises to pay all debts.

Who is our Neighbor? Christ, who reveals in his mercy and compassion, the energies of the Most Holy Trinity.

Who is our neighbor? Anyone who needs our love and compassion. There is nothing here about family or tribal or national loyalties; but the call is to a greater grace, and that worship of God in spirit and in truth of which we spoke concerning the Woman at the Well.

Charles L. Allen, in his little book, God’s Psychiatry, retells the story of the Good Samaritan with regard to the commandment “Thou shalt not steal.” For, he says, three approaches to possession and theft are revealed in the story:

The thieves say, “What is yours is mine, and I will take it as I will.” They are willing not only to steal goods, but life and health itself. Yet, in their theft, they have no true understanding of even their own ”need” and “needs,” but can only take the path of rage and violence, visited not on those who may have harmed them or deprived them, but upon any innocent who comes along. Not even the theft is adequate release for them, in their selfishness and misery.

The priests and Levites, respectable servants of God that they are, steal by withholding what is needed, from compassion to material resources. In their narrowness, they even deny fellow–feeling to one they now define as beyond the pale of their restricted identity.

The Samaritan refuses to steal: he says in effect “What is mine is yours, and we are brothers under the skin, no matter what seems to be between us. I will deny you neither my person nor my compassion nor my resources.”

Here is the face of love, except that the love of God was extended to us even in Eden, and the God of all compassion went on revealing himself to us during the whole course of salvation history — which is nothing more than the whole of human history.

Here is the great mystery of the economy of salvation.

We were created to love and be loved by God. And when we fell away from his love, it pursued us still. God did not rest, until we were restored to grace, and to hope.

And we are told, “Go and do thou likewise,” with regard to all our brothers and sisters in the Lord, and all people.

In this parable, we learn “Who is my neighbor?” — from the angle of being a good neighbor, and from the angle of being the one who has a good neighbor, so that we may understand fully what brotherhood is, under God as Father.

The Great Supper

Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the Kingdom of God! (Luke 14:15)

One of those who sat at the table with Jesus spontaneously proclaimed this prophetic beatitude, testifying what it is to partake of the supper of the Lord, which is to partake of God’s eternal love and mission.

Jesus, at once, responds with the story of the Great Supper, an image of the Kingdom of Heaven. But, he says, the elect may choose not to enter, having self– selected themselves out, but the Kingdom may be open to all, and while many who are “Chosen” may not come, many may be called to enter in, if they but know how. (Luke 14:16–24)

And, as it turns out, the invited guests all make excuses. And the master of the house tells his servant: “Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.”

When this was done, the master then told his servant: “Go out into the highways and hedges; and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.”

The alternate form of this story, in Matthew 22, is more telling, and foretells the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, when the Bridegroom shall come, and the Wise Virgins shall know their reward.

A kingdom of heaven is like a certain king, who arranged a marriage for his son; and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding, and they were not willing to come. Again, he sent out other servants, saying: ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.” But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. But when the king heard it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then he said to his servants, “The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.” So those servants went out into the highways and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, “Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?” And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “For many are called, but few are chosen.”^[37]

On the first level, this is another parable that announces the transfer of the Kingdom from the Jews to the Gentiles. For, all are called into the Wedding Feast, the Jews first of all, as those who bear the oracles of God during many generations, and testify to the revelation of God It also touches upon what marks those who are invited into the Feast are to bear: in the Church, baptism and chrismation.

The “highways” can be interpreted as the Gentile world, according to the Orthodox Study Bible, a fact that the Disciples will not understand until Peter and Paul begin to teach the Church after Pentecost concerning the Gentiles. And the burning of the cities suggests the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

The Wedding Hall is the Kingdom of Heaven, into which all are invited.

One of the hardest things for this writer to understand over the years was the demand on one of the guests that he have a wedding garment. How can people be compelled to come into the wedding feast, and have a proper garment? Thinking upon this one day, I realized the only garment necessary was the garment of Faith, for it is by faith that we take up the promises of God and accept his salvation. Sharing that with my Pentecostal mother later that evening over supper, I was even more surprised at her response: “Yes, of course — we are clothed in the Lord.”

And she is right: we can be called to the wedding feast at any time, even on the spur of the moment, and still arrive clothed appropriately to the feast, and dressed fully for the Kingdom of Heaven.

This is the whole Christian message.

But, the Orthodox Study Bible extends this understanding, in its notes to the parable: “Jesus is speaking of the judgment which is to come. The wedding garment is provided by the host. To be at the wedding improperly dressed indicates one who is uninvited or who, having been invited, rejects the host’s hospitality. In the Church, the wedding garment is true repentance and righteousness — the way of salvation — gained only by the grace of God.” (p. 60)

The Lost Sheep: The Prodigal Son

And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, ‘This Man receives sinners and eats with them. (Luke 15:2)

Jesus hears them, and immediately tells three stories: the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Prodigal Son. Most people forget what the Parable of the Lost Son is about, or only remember part of it, stopping short when the Father, rejoicing, receives his Son back again. They forget the anger of the older brother, and his dispute with his Father, over the welcome accorded the prodigal — envidia, pure and simple. (Luke 15:11– 32)

You recall the story: a man has two sons, and the youngest one says to his Father, “Father, given me the portion of goods that falls to me.” In other words, let me have my inheritance now, while you are living, and let me make my way in the world. His father does that for him.

What happens next, Luke disposes of in a single verse: “And not many days after, the younger son gathered up all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.”

As if that were not enough, a great famine fell upon that distant land, and the young man became very needy. He was taken on by a citizen of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. And him a Jew, for whom the pig was an unclean animal.

Yet, his desperation became such that he’d have gladly eaten the husks that were given to the swine; but nobody would feed him.

But, in the midst of his desperation and despair, there comes a moment of grace: “...when he came to himself,” the Scripture says, he thought to himself, “How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!” Which thought is immediately followed by a decision taken in full humility, accepting responsibility for what he had done to himself, willing to pay the price for his prodigality, if only his father would give him a place, any place.

I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you, and am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” And he arose and went to his father.

Thought, and action.

But, as he drew near his home, a wondrous thing happens: his father, looking up, saw him while he was yet “a great way off,” and was filled with compassion for him, and ran toward him, and embraced him, and kissed him.

The prodigal begins his prepared speech, and his father interrupts it, to call out to the servants: “Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry. For this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”

How great the love of this father, who does not wait for his son to come to him, but rushes out the meet him, and embrace him, and cover his face with kisses.

There is no jealousy here, no envidia — only rejoicing in the good that has befallen them.

No rendering of accounts, no repeating of a history of abuses and disappointments, not even an attempt to listen to the son’s heartfelt apology. None of it:

my son was dead and is alive again; was lost and is found.

This is the Kingdom of Heaven in operation, this is the economy of salvation in motion. This is the mercy of God, the lover of mankind (Philanthropos). This is pure rejoicing.

Many an Evangelical or Salvation Army preacher has made this parable a mainstay of his preaching, calling many a defeated sinner to repentance, and proclaiming the grace and mercy and love of God.

But, a greater story is being told. The story of salvation history, and God’s pursuit of us, after we had fallen into darkness. As the Divine Liturgy says: we were born to grace, and without sin, to know God, and to walk and talk with God. When we had fallen away, God wasted no time in raising us up, and finally sent his Son into the world, to save and redeem it.

There is another part to the parable, however — envidia, which is sorrow over the good, or hatred of the good. The repentance of the son, and the love of the father are frequently told, but the father’s attempt to have his elder son rejoice in the good that has befallen them is not so much known.

Now the older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, “Your brother has come and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.”

The elder son was outraged, and would not go in. His father came out, and pleaded with him to join in the feasting. But, the older son rebuked his father: “Lo, these many years I have been serving you. I never transgressed your commandments at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.”

The father listens, and then says the only thing he can say — and it is simplicity itself. “Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.” That is: your brother took his inheritance and wasted it, and he won’t have another. All that there remains, the house and the entire estate, is your share of the inheritance, and you are not wasting it. In time, it comes to you, and to you alone. And, yes, you are always faithful.

But, his father says, “It is right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.”

Just as simple as that: How can you not rejoice at this great thing? The father is as tender with the older son as with the younger one. Yet, the older brother is showing a Pharisee’s self–righteousness and contempt for the younger, even as the younger brother is in full repentance. His brother was dead and is now alive — but he cannot rejoice. His brother was lost and is found — and he can find no happiness in it.

The younger son is responding to grace, and is starting on his own path of healing and growth. But, the condition of the elder son is serious indeed. God is not jealous, but rejoices in all good. Even in Eden, God wills the good, knowing the good of one is the good of all.^[38] (Cf. Marx, Hegel, I Corinthians 12,13)

The religious establishment and the “spiritually correct” will always try to own or control the Spirit. But the Holy Spirit comes and goes as it will. No fixed concept of God will work for very long.

The Unforgiving Servant

Then Peter came to Him and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”

Matthew 18:21–35 presents the story a man forgiven his debt, who will not spare those who owe him money. Where there is no forgiveness, particularly by those of us under grace, there will be no forgiveness show us — even as the Lord’s Prayer says: “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive out debtors.”

Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him saying, “Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.” Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, and forgave him the debt. But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii,^[39] and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.” And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. So, when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, “You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?” And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. So my heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses. (Matthew 18:23–35)

On the surface, the story is a simple one, and it is Peter, the chief of the Apostles, who asks. So, we may take the question as a very serious one, with implications for the Church. The rule that Jesus lays down is for Israel, and the Church, for the good of God’s kingdom — for “true reconciliation and healing come to the Church by God’s grace,” as we forgive even as we are forgiven.

The greater intent of the parable is indicated in part by the amounts in question. The first servant owed his king ten thousand talents, an amount that no worker could earn in a lifetime. It was a huge amount, but the second servant owed the first one only one hundred denarii, a sum that was equivalent to perhaps a hundred day’s work for a worker in those times, for the common wage was one denari (dinar) per day. The amounts are not even comparable.

One sees the point, immediately: the Kingdom of Heaven is God’s realm, who forgives us great errors, pursues us even in our sins and lifts us up, and goes to the Cross to bring us back. God from the Creation on, from Eden on, continues to reveal himself as the one who gives us life and being, and showers down mercies and compassions upon us.

Why? Because God is a schlimihl, a fool who cannot judge aright, or punish? Is it not rather that God knows better what makes the universe tick? God is the Strong One, the Almighty, in whose hands all things work together for good. Most of all, Jesus is telling us what the Kingdom is like, and what his mission is on earth: not to judge it, but to perfect it, and to show it the path of perfection.

Yet, with the possible exception of the commandment, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor,” this is the one moment where Christians fail to even perceive a need or a gross, general hypocrisy. We receive grace upon grace, but are unwilling either to share it or to extend to others the same mercy, the same love, the same forbearance, and the same grace that we receive.

We have to let go of sins — to remit, or loose them. Our own, and those of others. The image used here is that of debt, which is not without its significance. Jewish custom did not allow debt, or sins, or slavery to rule over people for long; at some point all had to be canceled or released. In this, God was teaching that man is not made to bear evil for ever, or to bear the unbearable — even of his own making. At some point, there must come repentance (a turning away from sin, a turning towards what matters), and there must come from Heaven, redemption — not just “buying us out” of our debts, as it were, but showing us back to our original creation and our original calling, our predestination. (God is faithful, even if we are not.) Wise persons, spiritual counselors, have said that the first gift we give to

God when we finally come to him, is to lay our sins upon his altar. If we are wise, we leave them there and walk away. That is Paul’s constant testimony in the Epistles, concerning the new life.

Wiser still, is to lay the sins of others upon God’s altar as well. Leave them there, and walk away.

The true meaning of the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant is that we cannot progress in the divine life until we have first of all accepted the fact of grace, and secondly accepted that it applies to others as well as to us, and finally, until we know that not only our own spiritual life, but the life of the Church as a whole depends upon it, and the ongoing presence of the Holy Spirit leading us into all things.

To hang on to the past is to hang on to what is dead. As Jesus said to Julian of Norwich, who was meditating upon evil, trying to understand it: this is not for you, but listen to me when I say “All will be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”

Death and sin entered the world with the Sin of Eden, but were overthrown when Christ rose from the dead, even as the great Troparion of Pascha^[40] says: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tomb bestowing life!”

He is risen!

He is risen indeed!

As Pogo the Possum said, or maybe it was the Jack Acid Society in the Pogo columns, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

Nothing can stop us, if we don’t stop ourselves. Grace calls us into the light, but we can insist on keeping in the darkness and nourishing our weaknesses and grievances.

We are such an ungrateful bunch of wretches!

Summary

So, in these parables we find the basic self-revelation of God to Israel and to the Church. We begin by asking “What is the Gift of God?” and “Who is my neighbor?” We look at the Kingdom of Heaven in the image of the Wedding Feast, or the Great Supper, and ask: Who is invited into the great feast of the Lord? With the parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin and the Prodigal Son, we learn of the grace and nature of God’s search for us, opposed to all envidia, forgetful of sins. And in the parable of the Unforgiving Servant, we learn again the height and depth of God’s love for us, and his compassion on us in our weakness — for we cannot bear the burden that is upon us — but also that we are called to become like God, and to let go of things, to dwell in the divine light.

Hillel is echoed in the one parable, and Jesus often referred Hillel’s sayings, and those of Gamaliel, the teacher of Saul of Tarsus. As Jesus uses the best of the Pharisees to overthrow the Pharisees, he points in the Good Samaritan parable to Hillel’s challenge:

If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
If I am for myself only, what am I?
And if not now, when?

Those questions remain before us today, as we continue our journey of faith.

The Sermon on the Mount

The Beatitudes are the opening of the Sermon on the Mount, at the very beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry, as he was becoming widely known. There is a temptation to compare the Beatitudes to the Ten Commandments, and that is worthwhile to do. But, the Sermon on the Mount continues after the Beatitudes with two images of the Church as the new Israel: you are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world. Look to yourselves, O Saints, and know that if the salt loses its quality, it can season nothing, and cannot itself be “re–seasoned!” Look to yourselves, and keep your faith, for you are the light of the world, which must not be hidden. (Matthew 5:1–16)

But, Jesus adds, do not think that as I show you the higher path, that the Law has been set aside. Nothing like it! No Antinomianism here, the whole Law shall be fulfilled. Every jot and tittle. “Do not think I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5:17)

Moreover, he gives a third image for us: that of teacher, perhaps the noblest profession of them all. Great in the Kingdom of Heaven are those who follow and teach the Way; least in the Kingdom the one who departs from it even a little, and teaches others to do so. In other places in Scripture, even sterner admonitions are laid against those who lead the young and weak astray. This is a marvelous calling, to live and to teach God’s law. It is life itself.

As the Sermon on the Mount continues, Jesus drives home his point about the law being fulfilled, not destroyed. Take murder, he says (6^th Commandment; Exodus 20:13). The Law says: “You shall do no murder.” (“Thou shalt not kill.”) But I tell you that when you deliver yourself over to anger, you have already proceeded down that path, and done murder in your heart. And this will undo the life of grace within you.

Adultery? You know the Law says “You shall not commit adultery.” (7^th Commandment; Exodus 20:14) But, what if you have looked upon a woman with desire, and begun to lust after her in your heart, and delivered yourself over to fantasies? Is not the life of grace within you destroyed again, or at least undermined? Murder begins in the heart; adultery begins in the heart. Therefore, look to your heart. All that you are is governed there. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Only after Jesus continues this teaching for some time, does the Our Father (Lord’s Prayer) appear in the Sermon on the Mount. But after that great moment, Jesus goes directly to the central issue: Seek you first the Kingdom of Heaven. Ask, seek, knock — for what you ask, you will be given; what you seek you will find; and when you knock at the door of the Lord, it will be opened for you.

Amen!

The Beatitudes

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacmakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you, when they shall revile and persecute you, and say all kinds
of evil against you falsely for my sake.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so
they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
(Matthew 5:3–16)

Jesus, like John the Baptist, begins his ministry with the word “repent:”

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)

Saint Paul says to the Romans: “and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)

Paul’s word is the same as Jesus’ word: metanoia.

Repent, that is: turn again, and be pent upon your proper object. This turning again to fundamental things, and embracing them, is what repentance is all about.

A dear friend of mine, seminarian then in the Church of Christ seminary at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, a man with a marvelous sense of humor, once wrote an explication of repentance using the Byrd’s song, “Turn, Turn, Turn.”

As you recall, the song takes the words of Solomon in the Old Testament Book of Ecclesiastes, that “to everything there is a season” as its basis, and repeats the phrase “Turn, turn, turn” antiphonally:

To everything................. (Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season........... (Turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose under Heaven.

I doubt that many people knew that this was a direct quotation from Ecclesiastes, who proclaims “Vanity of vanities, and all is vanity.” Yet, what does the Preacher say, at the end: all earthly things are vanity, and only to walk with God is our calling. Nonetheless, it took my friend, with his wry sense of humor, to point out to me the implied call to repentance, and its echo in the Byrd’s song.

To repent is to turn. But more than turn, to turn back to fundamental principles. And as Hannah Arendt says in On Revolution, that is the actual meaning of “revolution” as well: to revolve as if upon one’s axis, and turn again to that which we held of old. There is nothing so revolutionary as repentance.

Arendt used the American Revolution of 1776 as the primary example of what she was trying to say, pointing out that the relative success of the American Revolution was based on the fact that the Founding Fathers knew this. They did not “overthrow” kings and princes, or cast down the old order, but rather sought out those fundamental principles of justice and social order that would allow any people to govern themselves well — if they would. Sometimes, it does look as if we won’t, but that is another matter. As Benjamin Franklin, asked what had been accomplished in Philadelphia in 1889, when the Constitution was written and proposed to the States, replied: “We have given you a Republic — if you can keep it.” He was an old man, and his time was limited. It was for the rest of us to live up to it.

So also the Church, delivered to our trust and care in the Apostles, but not left bereft of her Comforter, nor of her Savior.

Only the pure of heart can repent, only the meek can repent, accepting the changes in the soul that must come as we turn away from what draws us, and turn to God.

It is a fundamental transformation of the human person (sometimes presented as a transformation of the nous, the “mind,” as we have been discussing it).

The old Shaker “gift song” of Father Joseph is one of the most beautiful expressions of this spirit of simplicity before God that I know, and it is one that I treasure:

Simple Gifts

‘Tis the gift to be simple,
‘Tis the gift to be free,
‘Tis the gift to come down
Where you ought to be.
And when we’ve come at last
To the place just right,
‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gained,
To bow and bend we shan’t be ashamed.
And to turn, turn will be our delight
Till by turning, turning,
We’ve turned ‘round right.

‘Tis the gift to be simple,
‘Tis the gift to be free,
‘Tis the gift to come down
Where you ought to be.
And when we’ve come at last
To the place just right,
‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

The Shaker tradition in American culture is a wonderful one, with an eye always on simplicity, focused on the quality of the inner life with God. This purity of vision is seen even in their homes and handiwork.

But, back to our present topic: the Beatitudes, and the transformation of life they are calling us to embrace.

Jesus, as he stands on the Mount, and begins his teaching, knows that the people before him had to go through a great transformation of mindset, before they could hear what he has to say.

The Beatitudes must have been a real shocker for an opener, and yet as he expounds it, he carries them through what they have to see before they arrive at the place where the Our Father will have any but the most superficial meaning for them.

They have to realize that the Beatitudes, the Law, and the Our Father all express the same underlying reality — but that the Law as they have been taught it will never do. Rather, only when they are able to have that Spirit within them that cries out to God, “Abba! Father!” and when they are able to place first things first, to seek the higher and heavenly life, can they truly internalize and live out the glad tidings of Jesus Christ.

The Beatitudes, which the Church recites at every Sunday Liturgy in some churches, and at every funeral, constitute a model of life — the spiritual life, the life in Christ. The Ten Commandments have been called a Rule for Living, but their power is taken up in the Beatitudes even more.

The “Blessed” at the beginning of each Beatitude is a heavenly or spiritual blessing, far from mere earthly things; but the Beatitudes are far more real than the “realism” and the “pragmatism” of the world. They are a way of life, exemplified first and foremost in the internal life of the Most Holy, Consubstantial and Undivided Trinity. God, as God has dealt with us through all generations.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they shall see God.

Simple (haplos). Simplicity is the center for those who are called poor in spirit. Like the children, like Christ’s poor, they are simple in the quality of their lives. Their hearts are fixed upon the heavenly treasure, and they trust in God alone, who is their portion in this land of the living, and in the world to come.

The Levites, consecrated to God’s holiness, and to his service, were given no land or possessions in Israel. The others all were given a portion, all the other tribes of Israel, but to the Levites alone nothing was given. “The priests, the Levites, indeed all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part or inheritance with Israel; they shall eat of the offerings of the Lord made by fire and His portion. Therefore they shall have no inheritance among their brethren; the Lord is their inheritance, as He said to them.” (Deuteronomy 18:1–2)

In more modern days, we have imposed upon the Catholic priesthood in some areas the Levitic model: either making the priesthood pass down within families, or requiring the priesthood to separate from certain things, and requiring the episcopate to be monastic or celibate. Whether such rules are good or bad, they are rooted in ancient precedents. However, it is important to remember that they are but the customs of men.

God, for his part, took his people as his portion: “For the Lord’s portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance.” (Deuteronomy 32:9) (This is the greater hope, for it speaks of Christ and his Church.)

The traditional monastic vows, “poverty,” “chastity” and “obedience” all aim at this simplicity of life and of spirit. For, casting all upon the Lord, the person professing the vows surrenders material possessions and goods, and every inheritance, to fall into obedience to God alone. Obedience to God, which may at times be obedience to superiors, is a surrender of even the possession of personal will to God — or at least, to the superior.

Of course, it has been said that if one truly wishes to experience poverty, chastity and obedience, all that is necessary is to marry and have children. Simplicity of life is best learned in the world — monasteries are all too safe.

Poor in spirit is that soul that rests in God; which is no poverty at all.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Holy sorrow leads us to weep for the world, and for our sins. Blessed are those who weep, for their tears shall bring new things to life. Out of holy sorrow comes the hunger and thirst for the kingdom of heaven, which is to come, and is a constant part of conversion, a fruit of repentance and of realization of the nature of the kingdom of God.

Ungodly sorrow is a pathway to despair, and rests in selfishness. It refuses comfort.

Out of our godly mourning can come hope, and gentleness, and a desire to act, to work with God in bringing about the Kingdom of Heaven. God of our comforting becomes the God of our rejoicing and our labor in the Kingdom.

Another great gift is the gift of tears, of which two things may be said: first, when we have passed beyond our sins, and seeing them clearly, know how narrow was our escape and the greatness of God, we often cannot stop the flow of our tears.

So also, when we move into the divine and healing path, and look upon even many ordinary things of life, we become overwhelmed by a sense of the fitness of things, and an immense gratitude just to be, just to see and hear, just to be a part of it all — and tears flow freely, and sometimes cannot be controlled; those around us may consider us sentimental and doddering old fools, but we know better. We know the joy, the sense of relief, the sense of expectation that has produced them.

On another level, God is saying to us that whatever our toil and labor in this life, we are have fellowship here, and fulfillment in the life to come. (But, not a static fulfillment! A dynamic one, which portends greater adventures yet.)

When we think upon San Juan de la Cruz explaining the path of union with God in Ascent of Mount Carmel, or the Eastern fathers explaining the preparation for the vision of God, we understand that “poverty in spirit” is a state in that path which we shall indeed know, and “mourning” shall be our experience, if we are to continue to walk and talk with God.

We know the Saints will fast, as it were, until the Bridegroom is with them again.

We also acquire a “window” into the overwhelming, despairing sorrow that leads into sadness and despair, a mourning in the world, without hope. Many lose themselves in this way, and we must be clear that their mourning is not godly, and that they must be helped in every way we can find to help them. Depression is a terrible offspring of anger, and dominates many lives today. As Christians, we must bear witness in the world of hope, and of godly mourning, so that people may learn to center themselves properly, in God, and so change their perspective.

The mourning that Jesus is talking about here is that aspect of the spiritual life that brings us into closer union with God, on our journey of love and experience, leaving aside all anger and pride, learning gentleness from him who was the lamb of God.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Leaving all our pride to the side, we press on to the goal, which is to walk with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, in joyful communion.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light. (Matthew 11:28–30)

To take Jesus’ yoke is to make submission to the Kingdom of God. “Meekness is the mother of love, the foundation of discernment, and the forerunner of all humility,” say the notes of the Orthodox Study Bible (p. 33).

“Our souls are restless until they rest in Thee,” says Saint Augustine.

Meekness is like resting easy in harness: we know our work, we know our path, and we know how to apportion our time and our energies to the task, which is in accord with our nature and our being.

When the Disciples in their foolishness began to debate who was greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 18:1), Jesus called a little child to him, and said: “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:2)

And we have learned already in the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Unforgiving Servant that we need to judge with humility and gratitude.

Meekness is gratitude in the spiritual life, and acceptance of what comes. Meekness is proportion, and faith: we think of the Widow’s Mite. (Mark 12:42)

Meekness is repentance, and hope: we think of the Publican’s Prayer, which has become the basis of the Jesus Prayer, a devotion rich in gifts to the Eastern Church, by which we “pray without ceasing.” (Luke 18:13)

Meekness is intimate confidence in God; and patient working.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:20)

Righteousness, on one level, is the fulfillment of the Law, and keeping the Commandments. But that is not a formal process, or a matter of proper behavior. Righteousness (or integrity) is a special relationship with God. The mere obedience to formal laws will not do, as Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount.

It is the total transformation of the human person, a transfiguration, that brings us to the point of being able to discern what things serve the Good, the True and the Beautiful in this life; to live in the presence of God.

The one promise above all else that we have of God is that we shall be fed, who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for that is our destiny. The patience and the perseverance of the Saints rest in this promise, which is based on a simple fact: that what men call “righteousness” is nothing less than the coherence of our consciousness with the regular order of the cosmos, and must prevail.

It is this that makes us know that the Church of Christ is founded upon a Rock, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. Such a promise is vital to our age, when the ancient backward ways of human beings ally with advances in technology to create horrors that even previous generations could not conceive.

“Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness see the presence of God and his Kingdom as the most important thing in their lives,” (Orthodox Study Bible, p. 14) as it is written: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)

Our “justification” or “vindication” is in the Lord, who also is charged with the material things of life for the good of the Saints. While Satan has a certain power in the world, his power is limited by the fact that he is a creature, not the eternal and transcendent Creator. While evil men may oppress, they cannot conquer ultimately, because their very efforts make the world dissolve away under their very feet. Only the Saints, working ever for the glory of the kingdom, have entrance into the presence of the Lord, and the vision of his face.

We may at times wonder with the Psalmist, “Why do the wicked prosper?” but we have confidence that “all things work together unto good, to them that love the Lord.”

We go to God that he will change the “whats” of our life, or “do” this or that thing for us, but God first of all changes the “who” of our life: who he is, this divine One and Three, a God in persons not an empty or abstract God, and who we are, his children by the grace of adoption, in his image and likeness.

And above all, in union with the Holy Spirit, we are able to ask and receive, to seek and to find, knock and find the door opened to us. (Matthew &:7–11) Never are we alone.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

God’s mercy is poured out upon us, and we in turn are to show mercy to others. The parable of the Unforgiving Servant points us to the reality that the lovingkindness of our Lord must be received with gratitude and humility, and extended to others.

The “Kyrie eleison” is a constant in the prayer of the Church: in the Gloria, in litanies, and many other places. Invoking God in prayer, we respond “Kyrie eleison,” Lord, have mercy.

Yet the rich mercies of God are beyond knowing in their complete array. Mercy is God’s love poured out upon us, in acts that we experience as mercies and compassions.

A Roman Catholic priest once remarked, in commenting on the Kyrie eleison, that the English translation “Lord, have mercy” or even the Latin “Miserere nobis” comes nowhere close to the richness of meaning contained in the Greek, and its usage in Greek liturgies. To translate the “Kyrie eleison” into English, he said, requires at least three phrases all at once: “Lord, have mercy,” “Lord, be gracious,” and “Lord, be bountiful.”

Mercy is God moving toward us, and loving us.

“Mercy is love in set in motion, love expressed in action.” (Orthodox Study Bible, p. 14)

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

“Purity of heart,” said Soren Kierkegaard, “is to will one thing.” In a certain sense, he is right: if the heart’s focus is right, then all else falls into place. When our mind and heart are not divided, when we are not pulled hither, thither and yon by conflicting things, then we are truly pure.

One thing have I desired of the Lord, That I will seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
To behold the beauty of the Lord And to inquire in His temple. (Psalm 27:4) When You said, “Seek My face,”
My heart said to You: “Your face, Lord, I will seek.” (Psalm 27:8) Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart:
Wait, I say, on the Lord. (Psalm 27:14) “They shall see His face, and His name shall be ever on their foreheads.” (Revelation 22:4)
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. (I Corinthians 13:12) Seek His face evermore. (Psalm 105:4)

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Peace is not the absence of war, but the living presence of God. To Christ belong the names Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) and Reconciler (Shiloh), and both Jewish tradition and Muslim meditation upon the Names of God hold “peace” to be one of the names of God (Shalom, Salaam).

Peace is the expression in this life of our union with God, our transfiguration. Our sanctification by the Holy Spirit allows us to give to the world the witness of peace. To the degree that we hold back, or are fearful, our peace is disturbed, and we cannot give this witness.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in fear. (I John 4:18)

It is through the Holy Spirit that we are perfected in love:

No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. (I John 4:12) Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in the world. (I John 4:17)

On his last night with his Disciples, Jesus prepared them for what was to come, and assured them that they would not lack a Comforter, and that he would come again. He assured them of peace such as the world cannot give, even as we recall to this day in the Holy Mass:

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27)

Even to this day, we greet one another in the Holy Mass (“Pax vobiscum!”) and in the Divine Liturgy (“Peace be to all!”) over and over again, remembering that peace is one of the greatest gifts of God to us, and the witness of our walk in grace.

We pray also for those who keep the peace everywhere, knowing that in this world peace is hard bought and hard won. Still, without sentiment or illusion, we need to constantly work that peace may be accomplished between nations and between people.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Discipleship is not a way without its trials, for if the world hates Christ, it will hate his people. The present century, appearances to the contrary notwithstanding, has seen the Church of Christ undergo some of the greatest persecution it has ever faced, and with it the humanity of the world as a whole: the red martyrdom of terror and the white martyrdom of abandonment of the faith to the wisdom of the age. Above all, the commandment to love, and our abiding in Christ, who has taken on our humanity, forces us to seek the good of the world. If God comes into the world to bear a witness to mankind that it is indeed created in the image and likeness of God, and accepts mankind as it is, accepts the Cross, we cannot expect that our mission in the world is different from Christ’s.

To change the world takes the most incredible love. Christ, on the night he last shared the Passover with his Disciples, told them he was the Vine and they were the branches, that they drew their strength abiding in him, and carrying out the will of the Father in the world.

This particular Beatitude carries an extension in which Jesus draws out what he is saying, and tells his Disciples to rejoice and be exceeding glad when they are counted worthy to share in Christ’s love for the world, and to share in his work. Our union with God is truly first and foremost a unity of love and experience. And it is in the practicalities of that love and that mutual experience that we have the proof of the reality of all our faith. It is therein that at least part of our joy rests.

The Beatitudes stand at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, and prepare us for what Jesus is going to say, and prepare us for the moment in which we have the Spirit within us that makes us cry, “Abba! Father!” Above all, they demand a new look at reality, the Commandments, and all the testimony of God concerning himself, so that we can at last receive the Our Father in the fullness of its mystery — that we are by grace of adoption the children of God, heirs with Christ Jesus to the kingdom that God has prepared for all who believe in him.

Above all, we are told not to mistake the signs of our success in a backward world: that the world reacts to what we do and say, and sometimes not all that favorably. The process of healing can sometimes get rather “down and dirty,” and the world’s response can be ugly.

Martin Luther once said that the pastoral task was to “work in the mud” of lives, and he was not far wrong. Christ, knowing what we face, warns us not to be surprised, but also to be undismayed.

Blessed are you, when they shall revile and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:11– 12)

We, as the Church of Christ, have a prophetic role in this world — we are baptized prophet, priest and king — and we stand in good company.

Come, come ye saints,
No toil nor labor fear,
But with joy
Wend your way.
Though hard to you
This journey may appear,
Grace will be
As your day.
It is better far,
That we should strive
These our useless cares
From us to drive
Do this and joy your heart will swell,
All is well,
All is well.

Why should we mourn,
And say our lot is hard?
‘Tis not so,
All is right.
Is then the servant
Greater than his Lord,
And did the saints
Not e’er thus strive?
Life up your hearts,
Fresh courage take:
God does sustain,
Does not forsake.
And soon we’ll have this tale to tell:
All is well,
All is well.

And should we die
Before our journey’s through
God be praised,
All is well.
For then we are free
From toil and sorrow too,
And with the saints
We shall dwell !
Yet, if by some chance
We are spared again
To see the saints
Their rest obtain
Oh, how we’ll make the chorus swell:
All is well,
All is well.

This delightful hymn of the Mormon Church reflects the Christian spirit par excellence, and we have modified it here it express the fullness of the Christian witness.

The “Our Father” Prayer

We have now come from the Beatitudes, which demand of us a completely new orientation to the life of grace within us, and in the context of the expanded teaching of the Sermon on the Mount, lead us to the life in Christ by which we can say: “Our Father...”

In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven, Hallowèd be Your name.
Your kingdom come, Your will be done in earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever.
Amen. (Matthew 6:9–13; cf. Luke 11:2–4)

The Our Father, sometimes called the Lord’s Prayer, is an ancient treasure of Christians. It appears in every Mass and Divine Liturgy, as one of the mysteries that are reserved to the Faithful, the catechumens and other unbaptized having been dismissed. Usually, we say the Our Father just after the prayers of consecration (Anaphora), and before Holy Communion.

As we prepare to say the prayer together in the Divine Liturgy, the priest asks God to receive us as of his own household, as ones who are untroubled by fear of any rejection or condemnation, as ones who have an intimate confidence in God as Father. We have heard the lessons of the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Gospel; we have heard the homily or sermon, and we have professed our faith in the Nicene Creed; we have stood present as the bread and wine on the altar have become the Body and Blood of Christ; and now we are about to partake of the Lord’s Supper. In this holy moment, before Holy Communion, we pause to pray as Christ taught us.

Our Father...

Christ, in giving us this prayer as our constant guide and meditation, helps us put things into perspective: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:32)

Christ, the Only-begotten, is the Son of God by nature, but calls us to be the sons and daughters of the Father by the grace of adoption. “The emphasis in Scripture is not on a universal Fatherhood of God through creation, but on a saving and personal relationship with Him who is our Father by adoption through the Spirit.” (Orthodox Study Bible, p. 18, notes)

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. (Romans 8:14–16)

[Who are] in Heaven

We cannot maintain an attachment both the earthly and heavenly things, but must seek the things above, if we are to seek the real meaning of the things below (cosmos).

Hallowéd be Your name

Thomas à Becket, appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by the King, who thus thought to control both Church and State, tells the King at one point that he could not do as was wanted. He had never found anything worth living and dying for, until he was made Archbishop, and then he found the honor of God.

The Name is holy. So holy among the Jews that we do not know to this day the actual pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton, which some translate Jehovah, and some Yahweh. In the Scripture, wherever the Name appears, the word “Lord” is read. Hassidic Jews preserve some of the reverence in English by writing the word God as G–d.

Above all, God does not allow us to fall into imageries and bare concepts. “Ego eimi ho ôn,” he tells Moses, “I am that I am.” “Tell Pharoah that I am has sent you.”

In one of his Rabbi Small mystery stories, Kemelman has the rabbi in Barnards’ Crossing refuse to join Christian clergy in the blessing of the yachts. No, says the rabbi, for such a use of the Name is trivial, and we are told not to take the Name of the Lord in vain.

I give a beggar some coins, and I am told, “God bless you.” So far, so good. One must accept it at face value. But, if I do not give, the “God bless you” with which he greets me in anticipation becomes a curse. So, I tell him: “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God I vain.” An empty and insincere blessing, or a curse — no difference. The blessing of a beggar is reward indeed, and surely his curse is no advantage. But, upon him also rests the momentous issue of hallowing the Name, and not misusing or trivializing it. God’s name is not a tool to dig money from pockets.

“Holiness to the Lord” was written upon the garments of Aaron the High Priest, in the worship set up after Moses, yet while that reverence for the Living God continued, God also came to Israel as personal. God, whose essence is unknowable, who dwells in “light unapproachable,” made his habitation among men (Tabernacle, Holy of Holies), and through his grace sanctifies and uplifts us to this day. God is great, and the prayer of our souls is that the Holy Name of God will be blessed forever... “O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; ...” (Venite, exultemus Domino, Morning Prayer, Book of Common Prayer)

O be joyful in the Lord, all ye lands:
Serve the Lord with gladness,
and come before his presence with a song.
Be ye sure that the Lord he is God;
It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
O go your way into his gates with thanksgiving,
And into his courts with praise;
Be thankful unto him, and speak well of his Name.
For the Lord is gracious, his mercy is everlasting;
And his truth endureth from generation to generation.
— Jubilate Deo (Psalm 100), Morning Prayer, BCP

“Speak well of his Name...” — this is the primitive meaning of blessing, to speak well of someone. May we always speak good of the Lord, and may the eternal God always speak well of (bless) us.

Your kingdom come

“Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven...”

“Your kingdom come,” is the prayer of faith, and can only be made in faith, that the fulfillment of all things in Christ may come. The Church’s testimony is of Christ, and his Second and Glorious Advent, which is to come:

And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Who ever desires, let him take the water of life freely. For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in the book; and if anyone takes away from the words of this book, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. He who testifies to these things, says, ‘Surely, I come quickly.’ “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:17–20)

The Church is the Bride who awaits the coming of the Bridegroom, with great joy, filled with the Spirit. We, like the Wise Virgins, our lamps primed and full of oil, await the Bridegroom at the hour in which he comes, ready to greet him. The Church listens for the voice of her Beloved, and bids him come.

Your will be done, in earth as in heaven

“Maranatha!” was the ancient liturgical cry, at the Eucharist. We express our will, formed by the Holy Spirit, that we are prepared to see the Kingdom of Heaven in its fullness, and the consecration of Heaven and Earth — the world, the entire cosmos — to the eternal purposes of God, by which we are predestined to life, to participation in the Divine (theosis).

Every Eucharist we celebrate is a participation in the Great Supper of the Lord, in the heavenly kingdom; the Wedding Feast of the Lamb.

“Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world! Blessed are they who are called to his Supper,” says the Roman Catholic Mass, at the Agnus Dei. Only moments before, after the Words of Institution, the congregation had proclaimed the Mystery of Faith: “When we eat this Bread, and drink this Wine, we proclaim your death, Lord Jesus, until you come again in glory.”

In the Chrysostom Liturgy, in the Epiclesis, does the Priest not call upon the Holy Spirit to descend upon the people and the Gifts at the altar, “that to those who shall partake thereof they may be unto cleansing of soul, unto the remission of sins, unto the communion of they Holy Spirit, unto fulfillment of the kingdom of Heaven, unto boldness toward thee [unto intimate confidence in thee], and not unto judgment or condemnation”?

And are these words not echoed only a little later, as the Priest prepares to lead the people in the Lord’s Prayer? “Unto thee we commend our whole life and our hope, O Master who lovest mankind; and we beseech thee, and pray thee, and supplicate thee: make us worthy to partake of the heavenly and terrible Mysteries of this sacred and spiritual table, with a pure conscience: unto remission of sins, unto forgiveness of transgressions, unto communion of the Holy Spirit, unto inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven, unto boldness towards thee, and not unto judgment nor unto condemnation.”

We Christians live as a transfigured people, in the last days. The Last Days being, according to Tradition, the time between the First Advent (the coming of Immanuel at Bethlehem) and the Second Advent (when Christ Jesus shall come in glory to judge the living and the dead, and there shall be a new Heaven and a new Earth, and the New Jerusalem shall descend from the heavens as a bride adorned for her Beloved.)

We proclaim this in the Symbol of Faith, and we proclaim it in every Eucharist, in the Anamnesis, when the Priest elevates the Bread and Wine, saying: “Having in remembrance, therefore, this saving commandment [that we shall offer the Body and Blood of Jesus until his coming again] and all those things which have come to pass for us: the Cross, the Grave, the Resurrection on the third day, the Ascension into heaven, the Session at the right hand, and the second and glorious Advent [which is to come]: Thine own of thine own we offer unto thee, on behalf of all and for all.”

Our assurance of faith, of salvation, is that we walk and talk with God in this life, long before we enter into the next, whatever it may hold. The Transfiguration of Jesus on Mount Tabor is the promise of our transfiguration into the true image and likeness of God in this life, as human persons, acceptable to God and rejoicing in his company.

Give us this day our daily bread

Another version of this line is: Give us day by day our daily bread.

In this case “daily bread” is a single Greek word, epiousios (Greek: επιούσιος). It appears in both the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke. Unfortunately, there is no good English word.

We need to nail down the meaning of epiousios because it is used in a prayer that our Master told us to pray. He gave the prayer to His disciples, and they gave it to us. The entire line is "ho artos hemon ho epiousios" (ο άρτος ημών ο επιούσιος). If it means our regular nourishment from the grocery, it means that Jesus wanted us to pray for physical sustenance.

To catholics, this bread is “superessential.” It is the Eucharist, the bread of eternal life. Our nourishment for the day. The word in Greek that is translated “daily” is epiousios. The meaning of epiousios is not “daily.” Everyone will recognize the word “ousia,” which plays such an important part in the debates concerning Christ, as to whether he is homoousios (of the same nature) or homoiousios (of similar nature) with the Father. The word means “substance” or “essence” or fundamental nature.

“Epi” refers to above, or over, and can take on various meanings, depending on context. In this case, “above” the “substance” or “essence.” Or if you will, using the Latin, “super” (above, over): “supersubstantial” or “superessential.”

What is this “above the substance bread” that we ask be given to us daily? Is it not the bread of Heaven, the bread of everlasting life?

Panis angelicus.^[41]

Christ himself says as much in the parable of the Woman at the Well, when the Disciples bring food out of the Samaritan town, and bid him eat. Jesus says, “I have food to eat, of which you do not know.” (John 4:32) And when they press him upon the matter, he tells them: “My food is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work.” (John 4:34)

Barely two chapters later, John tells the story of the feeding of the five thousand beside Galilee. Not only were the five thousand fed on a few loaves and fishes, but a great superabundance was taken up, left over.

God is showing us something about the world. In this fourth miracle of Jesus, he is pointing the Eucharist, which is to come.

Indeed, the Disciples and Jesus begin to discuss the meaning all this the next day, as the multitude continued to follow him. “Do not labor for the food which perishes,” Jesus tells them, “but the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on him.” (John 6:27) They are to work for the heavenly bread.

“What shall we do,” his Disciples ask, “that we may work the works of God? (John 6:28)

And Jesus answers simply, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” (John 6:29) In other words, faith in Jesus Christ is the first and most fundamental work of God.

But, there is more. The Disciples press the question: What kind of a sign are you going to work, they as Jesus, to show us that what you say is true, and that we may believe? And, amazingly, the quote to him the manna in the Desert, that was given of God to those who had fled Egypt with Moses: “Our fathers at the manna in the desert, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” (John 4:30–31)

“Moses did not give you the bread from heaven,” responds Jesus. Whatever the manna was in the desert, it was only a provision, and a foreshadowing of the heavenly bread. “but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Then they said to Him, ‘Lord, give us this bread always.’” Thus far, through John 6:34.

And it is at this point, when the Disciples themselves raise the question and demand the heavenly bread, that Jesus reveals himself as the bread of heaven (John 6:35, and John 6:51); and not only that but challenges them with the images of the future Eucharist, both conceptually and in fact: for unless you eat this Bread and drink this Blood, you have no part in the heavenly gift (John 6:53–54) “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” (Compare the living waters, in the parable of the Woman at the Well.)

And also: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever, and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

We begin to perceive, then, that “our daily bread” is something more than just the material goods of life, and our daily portion is the Lord.

But Jesus does not let us off the hook; he presses the point: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

“Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

This is a very hard saying, and many left Jesus over this. What our blessed Lord is saying points directly to the Eucharist as we know it, but on a deeper level, it points to the whole Mystery behind and beyond the Eucharist: the union of the Father and the Son, and our union with God, who is our daily portion.

Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

Some prefer the softer words of other accounts: “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.” But, the stronger words of the Matthew account bring the matter home, much better. There, we are concretely up against the parable of the Unforgiving Servant. We are told not to judge, but to walk with God; that the measure by which we measure to others, will it be measured again to us. (Matthew 7:1–2)

Even more, we are told to get on with cleaning up our own messes, before we see fit to judge and heal others (Matthew 7: 3–5).

Abba Moses, one of the ancient desert fathers, was summoned into council to judge one of the hermitic community who had sinned grievously. He did not come. And he did not come again, when they sent for him, and demanded his attendance. Finally, they sent for him and commanded his attendance. Abba Moses filled a large basket with sand, then punched holes in it, so that the sand ran out behind him as he carried it on his back.

He walked into the monastic council that way, with the basket of sand on his back, and the sand running out of the holes in the basket. He looked around at the gathered monks, and said: “Brothers! You see, I come into this assembly with my sins pouring out behind me like this sand — and you would have me judge another?”

One is reminded as well of the Tibetan art exhibit some few years back, at the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, “The Marriage of Wisdom and Love.” A beautiful mandala^[42] was painted on the floor at the entrance, in the style and manner of the Tibetan monks. No sooner had the monks finished the beautiful thing — a metaphor, as it were, for the gates of Heaven, and the spiritual life — than a crazed Black woman jumped over the rail surrounding the mandala, and disrupted the exquisite design on the floor.

The woman was very much in spiritual turmoil, and distressed. Although she had destroyed a thing of great beauty, something that could never be done again, never replaced, it was very hard not to feel a great deal of sympathy for her.

The monks, who had come a long way to do that mandala, and had brought special colors and tools with them, ritually destroyed the old mandala — it was transient, even in its beauty, and once disrupted, could not be repaired — and began a new one.

All things are appearance, only that which endures is worthy of our attention. Transient things can only point, they cannot be the reality that possesses us. Concerning the disturbed woman, the monk leading the making of the new mandala said: “We do not have enough information to judge.”

And so it is.

And lead us not into temptation

God does not tempt mankind, nor does God play games with our lives (James 1:13). We have no sadistic overlord, but a loving Father, who delights in us, and asks that we delight in him, and in our life together.

Temptation, and misunderstanding what is to our true good, comes with life. We asked to be spared trials that will take us beyond our experience and ability to understand, judge and cope. We ask that our vices (weaknesses and tendencies) will not cause us to fall away from grace; for, we all have weaknesses that can be pandered to by those who do not wish us well.

The essence of Greek tragedy turns upon the cry “How are the mighty fallen!” Great men, great women, fall inevitably, when possessed of a besetting fault or sin, that they cannot recognize, or rid themselves of. In the beginning, the Furies pursued any who crossed the essential boundaries, whether they knew their sin or not; but in the end the Furies became the Eumenides (the Kindly Ones), when Athena persuaded them that to be sin there had to be conscious erring, and justice must take all things into consideration.

What a great improvement over the blind pursuit of the Furies, or the companion concept within Christianity, “Original Sin.” (At least, as the First Sin, or the Sin of Eden, the Sin of Adam, has been interpreted by some — a mechanistic original guilt, possessed by all as if by birthright; as though we each had become personally responsible for the sin of Adam and Eve, and thus infinitely evil before God at our very birth.)

But, let us not lose sight of what this phrase of the Our Father really is saying, which is: “Draw near to us, O Lord, and help us to draw nearer every day to You.” It is a prayer for closeness to our blessed Lord, and for perseverance. Even as Jesus says in Revelation: “Behold I am coming quickly, and My reward is with me, to give to everyone according to his work.” (Revelation 22:12)

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on his throne.” (Revelation 3:20–21)

Deliver us from the Evil One.

Satan is alive and well.

Peter says,

Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the Devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” (I Peter 5:8–9)

To pray to be delivered from the Evil One is to pray the prophecies of Revelation be fulfilled: that Satan will be bound, and cast into the bottomless pit, and into the lake of fire; and that the new heaven and new earth may come:

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them, and He is their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. (Revelation 21:3–4) Behold, I make all things new. (Revelation 21:5) He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be My Son. (Revelation 21:7)

The prophecy was made in Eden, that our First Parents’ sin would not fail of salvation, for God said to the Snake: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”

The Ten Commandments

Do the Commandments of Sinai constitute a “Rule for Living,” as some have called them? Yes, taken in light of the parables we have studied, them, and in light of the Beatitudes and the Lord’s Prayer, as we have presented them. God has come to us, and has been revealing himself to us over time. The Commandments summarize key areas of that relationship we have to the God of our salvation, who wills our good, and seeks our freedom.

First of all, we need to know who God is, and it is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that reveals himself on Sinai as the God of deliverance:

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. (Exodus 20:2)

Next, we are taught the holiness of God, and that God is Spirit, and will be worshiped in spirit and truth. This is the import of the first three Commandments, taken in traditional order:

You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself any carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall now bow down to them nor serve them. For I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy in thousands, to those who believe Me and keep My commandments. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord does not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. (Exodus 20:3–7)

God alone is God. The syncretism of the age is rejected, and the tolerance of many gods is refused. That each nation or people has its god, and each is to be respected, is not acceptable.

We still have many gods, and worship them assiduously, whenever we forget the relationship between the uncreated and the created. Nothing in creation, however good and great and noble, is God; and to place anything ahead of the living God is to make a god out of that thing. The field which generates is greater than anything that is generated in that field, but God is greater even than that, being outside and beyond all things, visible and invisible.

So also, the extension into idolatry, to which the prohibition of graven images draws our attention. God is beyond all images and concepts, and any attempt to limit him in a representation of creatures is forbidden to us, so that we may learn to essential lesson.

Orthodoxy, for similar reasons, while it does accept icons in religious art, insists that all depiction of divine things and saints be two–dimensional only. Art “in the round,” i.e., realistic and life–like sculptures or paintings, is reserved for secular society only; it may not be used in religious art, lest the tendency toward idolatry take over.

Nestorians and others keep closer to the Jewish roots, and make no depictions of things in religious art. Westerners, have never had such a concern, and have painted and sculpted freely. In all these traditions, the key is “and bow you down and worship them,” and how that phrase is interpreted. Some will use no images at all, and others will not use images for worship, but allow images for devotional or secular use. Often, the distinction is made between “veneration” which may be extended to persons, places or things, and “worship” which belongs to God alone. We love, and we treasure, things of this earth. We may have memories associated with them, and value them. In this there is only good. It is when our devotion to them extends over the proper bounds of earthly life, and our veneration of mementos, that there is harm.

In a very real sense, if we do not have God and things in perspective, things get skewed.

Even pet ideas or images, favorite concepts, can take on the form of idolatry, and keep us from progressing in the knowledge and love of God.

Even our faith, narrowly conceived, or abstracted, or taken as a formalism, can become an idolatry; at the worst moments, what seems to us to be most holy becomes the occasion of abominations — as we learned at Kosovo.

God is the God of all.

Every man, woman and child who comes forth on the face of the earth is formed in the image and likeness of God. This temple of God, the human person, is unutterably sacred. No one who loves God can hate his brother or sister.

Loving God, as the Author of life, and the Beginning of Things, who alone is God, is the starting place for overcoming our idolatries, and entering into the true love and use of all things.

So also do we learn that God is holy, and the Name of God is holy. First of all, we are given no name that is reducible to an easy formula, and that requires some effort on our part to understand. “I am that I am” is not exactly a name.

We are taught not to trivialize the Name, either to swear by it, or to use it facetiously, nor to use it for light and trivial reasons, nor may we use the Name of God to curse any man. God is the God of good gifts, and is not the author of curses, and it does not behoove us to curse anyone or anything, or to wish damnation upon anyone, let alone do it in the Name of the Holy One.

The Archangel Michael, contending with Lucifer over the body of Moses, did not dare to curse Satan, but said to him: “The Lord rebuke you!”

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and so all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor the stranger within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath and hallowed it. (Exodus 20:9–11) The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath. (Mark 2:27–28)

The mystery of the Sabbath is the restoration of the soul and body, as we abide in the Lord. It is linked to greater Sabbaths, like the Jubilee and the Day of Atonement. For to enter into the Sabbath is to enter into the Lord’s rest.

The greater mystery of the Sabbath is the fulfillment of all things in the kingdom of heaven, which is the true Sabbath of the Lord.

We are not only the children of God adopted to be by grace what God is by nature, but in Christ Jesus we are heirs to the kingdom of heaven.

We are meant to be at the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, for which the love song in the Song of Songs is thematic.

Jews say that one must go forth to meet the Sabbath as if going to meet a great Queen. This is a true witness. For ‘sabbatarians” of whatever persuasion who do not know that the Sabbath is a type and a promise of the perfect rest that we have and shall have in God, have no knowledge of the Sabbath at all, but only a sterile formalism. But, when we enter into the mystery of God’s self-revelation to Adam and Eve, to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, and to all mankind, we begin to see that the Sabbath was given us as a precious gift, to prepare us for our life with God, to give us a chance to “taste and see that the Lord is good.”

My beloved spoke, and said to me:
‘Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away.
For lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth:
The time of singing has come,
And the voice of the turtledove
Is heard in the land.
The fig tree puts forth her green figs,
And the vines with the tender grapes
Give a good smell.
Rise up, my love, my fair one,
And come away!’
(Song of Solomon 2:10–13)

Amen!

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

This is the first Commandment with a promise: “that your time may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you,” as Paul reminds the Ephesians (Ephesians 6:2). (Cf Deuteronomy 5:16)

God places upon parents the duty not only to protect and provide for children, but of training and godly admonition; hence, the obedience of child to parent includes the duty to hear, to listen and learn. The older generation has the obligation of witnessing to the young, and telling them their who they are, and their hopes, dreams, and destiny.

It is more than likely, in this regard, that the Jesuits were correct on the so– called “Chinese Rites” issues, including open and formal respect to ancestors, and that the Dominicans and Franciscans were wrong. Ancestor worship was not the issue, but regard for and respect for where one had been (in the persons of one’s ancestors) and where one was going (in one’s own person and the persons of one’s descendents, whether actual or spiritual) was the issue entire.

God’s purpose in combining the commandment and the promise in this case is not entirely clear, at least, to this writer; but, it is most interesting. Surely, the natural love between parent and child is being fostered here, and a proper community feeling — in the one community God had chosen as the historic bearer of the central witness, of the oracles of God, as it has been said.

Without loyalty of parents to children, and the willingness of children to receive the witness of their elders, civilization itself would stop. That is why the betrayal of children by their parents’ repeated cowardice in this present century is such an abomination before the Lord, and why Mother Theresa could say: “That a mother can kill her own child is the greatest disturber of peace.” The rage and unsettling of the young in response is not unexpected, in result.

Parents who do not honor their own parents, cannot expect to find honor from their children, and the land will surely be disturbed. Surely, our time in the land the Lord gives us will be short.

As Richard Epstein says in his rollicking sendup of the Sixties and their bastard offspring, the Nineties: “Belles on ballsy in the Sixties; Bells’ Palsy in the Nineties.”

The lawfulness of civil relationships in community is a pressing matter, here. The legitimacy of relations is critical, and all disturbers must remain outside the community of the Lord. A momser, or “bastard,” in Jewish law, is not one born outside of wedlock per se — any child born of a Jewish mother is a Jew, aside from frank apostasy — but rather the child of incest or adultery. Children of certain relationships remain outside Israel for a number of generations, before being able to be counted in Israel again. When one looks at the civil order, the potential for social disturbance is great, and the reason for preventive law seems clear.

Can the same be said for the Church, and the community of faith, in all these respects? Certainly, the epistles of Paul point over and over again to the necessity of good family relationships as key to the peace of the household of faith.

Reciprocity is vital, as Jesus and his Disciples are clear on that, but not a simple reciprocity — rather, a reciprocity in the Lord, a reciprocity of love, devotion and self–sacrifice in light of the Spirit. Each finds fulfillment in the progress and development of the other; a mutual process.

Indeed, as community processes are involved, the discussion extends to masters and slaves.

For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. (Ephesians 5:29)

The mystery hidden in all these relationships is also caught up in the mystery of the Church, and of God’s seeking after his people and nourishing them. For as the obedience of the child is understood in Christ Jesus’ obedience to the Father, in the Trinity, so also is the Father’s love witnessed in his love for his Son, and for the holy congregation.

You shall not murder.

Historically, “Thou shalt not kill.” Apparently, homicide and murder are being distinguished here, and justifiable homicide is being omitted from the definition of murder.

Jesus uses this commandment as one of his examples of true righteousness in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:21–26), just as he uses the commandment following. “You shall not murder” is not enough, he says: anger and resentment, and rage are equally forms of murder. If nothing else, they kill the life of grace within us, and in others, and destroy relationships.

Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:23–24)

Charles L. Allen, in God’s Psychiatry, says that under this commandment comes the requirement that we shall not expose ourselves or others to either needless physical risks or needless spiritual or moral risks. More telling, he says we are to avoid “the destructive emotions of men: fear, hate, jealousy, anger, envy, anxiety, excessive grief, and the others.” (p. 65) He is absolutely correct, in all regards. Perhaps in this day of Yuppies and idleness and ennui, where true risk in God’s work is laid aside for thrill–seeking, and we have become misdirected in our need to stretch ourselves into the transcendent, it would be good to issue a caveat about such activities for “fun” that put the human person at risk of life and limb, and perhaps of soul. Bungee jumping, particularly divorced from its religious basis (already questionable itself, but understandable), trivializes the ritual and the worth of human life. Thrills may make one seem “alive,” but only if one is dead inside, or relatively numb, or is mistaking adrenalin rushes for living.

Allen also notes the slow death of attitudes like ingratitude, neglect, cruelty, and indifference. Again, he is on the mark.

Murder is always the destruction of love, or the culmination of that aspect of the divine life. The Summary of the Law, both in Deuteronomy and in the Gospel, touch on the duty to love God above all, and our selves, and our neighbor as ourselves. John, in his epistles lays the proof of our faith and practice in love itself; for no man can not love, and claim to love God. Love is the fulfillment of the law, and the very evidence that we abide in God and God abides in us, for God is love. Poverty, Gandhi said, was the greatest form of violence. Indeed, it is, and remains a form of murder to this day. By this standard, racism, greed, prejudice, war, ignorance and other such emotions, all play their role, vis a vis murder.

The universal suppression of women, from its moral and spiritual aspects, to defamation that leads to actual murder, all are forms of violence and murder, in violation of this commandment. The Church, for its part, may want to review its stance vis a vis women again, in light of Genesis and the testimony of Saint Paul that in Christ Jesus there is neither male nor female.

Genocide, as well, is a modern temptation against this commandment, arising from devaluation of people, such that one is inclined to restrict their human freedom and human worth for selfish and self–interested reasons.

Reverence for life, as Dr. Schweitzer called it, is the only known antidote; and that is based in love itself. In fact, the love of life, and the proper use of life, are the common positive content of this commandment.

Life is. It is a gift in itself, and is given just to be lived.

Life is the first gift we have of God, who created us out of nothing, to become living beings.

Excessive or overweening grief perhaps deserves special mention, given that it plays such a role in modern society. Along with the associated guilt and depression, even despair, of such situations, the excessive grief destroys the life of grace within us.

Witch-hunting is of the same order of things, replacing an actual need for explanation or justice with an obsession with “staking out definitively” the particular vampires of our inner life that torment us.

You shall not commit adultery.

Again, here is a commandment which Jesus uses in the Sermon on the Mount to illustrate the inner nature of the commandments, so that we may learn that they are not positive laws per se, but the actual conditions of our existence, and that they have a higher life.

Adultery is always a social crime, one that tears apart the fabric of society. It is for that reason, for example, that the children of adultery were set outside Israel for a number of generations before their descendants are allowed back into the Congregation of Israel, although one hopes they are never beyond the reach of God’s concern. Any wife has a right to demand for her children that they are not defrauded of their father’s love and concern, and of their proper inheritance, by the singular act of the father, particularly if a society supports the thought that any child of adultery may make claim upon the father, upon the wife, and upon her children, as if legitimate. Does this seem harsh? Marriage is the construction of community, and in fact, that community is not merely one between the husband and the wife. Civil society may take the limited view that marriage is a mere contract in law, but such a concept is horrible in its many implications and ramifications. The Church has to take the broader view than human sexuality has a more significant role to play than simple species reproduction, taken in the narrowest sense.

We begin with God, and the internal nature of God, in the persons of the Holy Trinity. We consider that Man was created, male and female, in the image and likeness of God. And we consider that Jesus Christ, the Word become flesh, took on and raised up our flesh as part and parcel of our whole humanity — becoming consubstantial with us, as he is consubstantial with the Father.

And this flesh that we are (become, becoming) is not the flesh of “the world, the flesh, and the devil.” It is the beginning of Heaven, the transfigured us, that has other needs than only the simplest human level.

The unity lovers has been used in the Song of Songs as the model as well of the spiritual life, and of the unity of Man with God, and the unity of Christ and the Church. They are marvelous images, and it is not at all to be wondered at that they are used.

Tibetans have used ancient statues portraying sexual love to express the concept of the marriage of wisdom and love of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Whether that was the early meaning of the statues or not we leave to others to debate, but the truth being told through them is wonderful.

The Christian understanding of sexuality is clear, and is often undermined by ideas that we’d have dismissed as Manichean in other times. One recalls the lectures of the great saint of Constantinople, John Chrysostom, on sexuality. It is said that many of his parishioners were no more advanced than many of us are today. As he spoke, listeners would chuckle, nudge one another, and in general, behave in the generally juvenile way that many would even today. At one point, the great Saint grew highly annoyed, and cried out to the congregation: “What! Are these things not good? Are these things not holy? Why, you are close to heresy!”

To John Chrysostom, the human body and human sexuality were part and parcel of man’s self, created in the image and likeness of God. Like Creation in general, material things were not seen by him as of a debased lower nature, as opposed to higher, “spiritual,” things. We are, body and soul, a single, unified, holy being (person, hypostasis).

One wonders at what we lay on the young, in understanding sexuality, as if they are to hate what they are given every right to most enjoy and use. Or as if without training in this most essential part of life, they are to arrive of age for sexual expression and parenthood, and somehow “guess” as to what it is all about, and what is to be done.

We even act as if the mechanics of sex were sex itself. And refuse to discuss and train. As if we expect the young to arrive of age, and then perform without having first conceptualized the task. We even seem to suggest that to think on these things and desire them is in itself impure, unholy, or otherwise outside the normal bounds of nature. Yet, our nature itself tells us different.

A recent American president denounced himself for “lusting in his heart,”^[43] to the general amusement. Yet, he applied a rather common standard, in interpreting Christ’s words in the Sermon on the Mount. Christ, discussing this present commandment, said that to lust after a woman in one’s heart were already a sin, what matter the act itself? And he was right. But, is the mere sexual thought crossing the mind the same thing? Surely, Christ was being much more pointed in his example, and in his warning: if you desire adultery, and pursue it in our mind actively, perhaps with a particular person, what then, that you did not “actually” do it? Have you not impaired the life of grace within you, in any case?

Yet, we lay this on the young, as if to have a sexual thought created us as monsters of sexual error, and unworthy of the sacraments or of the kingdom of heaven. Who created us, knows us, and knows whereof we are made. Lighten up, folks!

Andrew Greeley, in his insightful work on love and marriage, has suggested that fidelity and constancy in a relationship is the preferred and most beneficial thing for human beings — and the best sexual “turn on,” if by that we mean the proper exploration of our sexuality and sexual pleasure. Casual sex cannot bring one to that point, or give the time and experience necessary for mutual exploration and discovery, body and soul.

Here, we have to note the Commandment says: “You shall not commit adultery.” To be sure, this is extended in many interpretations to all forms of human sexuality, such that sex outside marriage is forbidden. And perhaps that is a correct interpretation, that fornication is understood in this commandment as well as adultery. Certainly, we hold that chastity is the normal state of man, either within the marriage bond, or without.

But, the commandment itself says: adultery.

Adultery addresses the community of sexual and familial and social ties that inter-relate us.

Marriage itself is the concern of those united by the bonds of matrimony, but when the community thus formed is expanded by adoptions, childbearing, and so on, then all members of that community have vested interests, physical and spiritual, in that community and what it is to foster and achieve. Those things may not be laid aside.

The trivialization of marriage in modern culture is a very serious problem, as is also the business of making marriage bear all sorts of penalties, so that men and women avoid it.

Divorce, also, for light and transient causes, has participated in that trivialization.

One corrective is to increase the preparation of the young for sexual expression and marriage, and to sponsor marriage preparation in particular, with rites of betrothal well before the marriage vows. Beyond this, one must act definitively to protect those who are married from the abuses that can occur within marriage that are harmful to souls, and to do so early and proactively. Divorce is a great failure, but to remain within the fraud of a marriage and tolerate abuse of spouse or children, is unforgivable.

The Church rightly exercises economia in those instances.

If there is any reason to fear for the young, or fear them, we can look not far back, and not far from home. Hell begins at home. (So does Heaven — and that is the good news.)

You shall not steal. What shall it profit a man, if he should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? (Mark 8:36)

The Bhagavad Gita^[44] says that if a man uses the things of the earth without sacrifice, he is a thief. And rightly so, for all that is comes from the Creator of all that is, and is a pure gift to us, but most of all because as Christ said to the Adversary:

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. (Luke 4:4, Deuteronomy 8:3)

The first theft is spiritual: do not destroy the life of grace in yourself, or any other. This is murder; it is also theft.

Economic systems come and go. Christians have no particular attachment to any of them, but only to certain fundamental principles. First, we acknowledge God’s creation of the earth, and all that is in it. Second, we acknowledge that to man was given dominion over the earth. But, not only certain ones, but to all, and for the good of all. Except God give a place for a particular purpose, as to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was given a land, as to Joshua and the Children of Israel was given a land, for God’s own purposes, then no one has a particular claim upon any part of the earth, although all have a right. Disposition is in our hands, except disposed of by God, for his purposes.

Third, we recognize not as “property right” but as human right a certain possession and use of land and things. There is no absolute right of possession, commonly called “ownership,” by person or society or culture. Calvin Coolidge, a judge by profession, rightly said: “There are no property rights. There are only human rights.”

Fourth, the good of the whole precedes all other goods. The common use, if reasonable, precedes private use. Man lives upon earth within a very narrow zone of life, called the biosphere. This consists of a crust of the earth and the atmosphere about it, as a single, functional unit upon which all life upon earth depends. The good of that biosphere, and its proper use for the good of all, is the highest law, and the highest dominion granted to man by God.

Fifth, we recognize as absolute evil the creation of classes of people to whose good, as part of the common good, the economic benefits of society do not run. Or, the deprivation of classes of people in the essentials of their well–being, whether in the name of property, or business, or any other such thing. Scripture is clear that to rob the widow, the orphan, the needy, or to rob the workman of his hire, constitute abominations in the eyes of the Lord.

Sixth, any social order, particularly in the economic sphere, that focuses on the mere accumulation of things, particularly by looting and primitive accumulation without just purpose, is a culture of idolatry: having raised things above the Creator in order of worship, and even above the Temple of God, which is the human person, who is also the living image and likeness of God.

To proceed further, and justify such an economic order by denigrating those ill–served, is to move away from God, into zones of active danger, both in the natural and spiritual orders of things. To go even further, and denounce those disfavored as “useless eaters” or as “lives unworthy of life” or “subhuman” or not human, or any such thing, is to become a living abomination, and a curse. God bring such things down, and thrust them promptly into Hell!

Seventh, human freedom and the proper use of human creativity, are the proper bases of all economic and social good, in God.

Charles L. Allen rightly says that “Consecrated service, both of my material resources and of my life” is the positive meaning of “You shall not steal.” For this reason, in the Mass of Saint Tikhon, and in the Holy Communion of the Book of Common Prayer, we make the offering of ourselves during the service: “...we here present ourselves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy and living sacrifice unto Thy divine Majesty...”

And is this not the meaning of adding a drop of water to the wine to be consecrated, in the Roman Mass? “By the mystery of this water and this wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to partake of our humanity.” We, too, are upon the altar with Christ, and in him.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

False witness of all kinds destroys the person or persons against whom it is directed, and undermines the social order. When given as false testimony in law, it goes to the heart of justice, and slays it. When directed against the person, it robs the person of the normal social esteem in which he should be held. We are social creatures, and to undercut the common opinion of a person is a particularly great evil.

Calumny may exist as slander (spoken) or libel (written) forms of false statements. Detraction may involve gossip or the use of true statements to the detriment of another, without just cause or necessity. Strictly speaking, we don’t even have the right to detract from the worth of a person in the eyes of others by repeating even known or true things.

Mohammed, the Muslim prophet, was sought out by a man who had defamed a fellow villager, and regretted it. Mohammed told the man to take a sack of feathers, and place one on the doorstep of every house in the city in which they were carrying on their conversation, and then return to him in the morning. The next day, the man reported to Mohammed as instructed, and was told by the Prophet: “Go, and gather all the feathers, and bring them to me!” The man was taken aback: “Prophet! A wind came up during the night, and the feathers have all blown away. I can never gather them up again!” “So it is with the words you have spoken,” replied Mohammed, “they have scattered to the winds, and you cannot call them back, however much you may wish it.”

A wise priest once said that in all his years of hearing confession, he’d never heard anyone confess the violation of this commandment — yet, he said, it was perhaps the one we needed most to confess! Gossip, self–serving partiality, and so on, probably do more harm than is every fully known in the lives of people. We may be very surprised to hear our words — every one of them! — quoted back to us when Christ calls us to account before the throne of grace.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.

“Thou shalt not covet,” as it was written in other days; and that is enough. What is it to covet? To look fondly after a thing, one supposes, with an internal grasping form of interest in it. To each his own, and let each be content with what is given him. Not in the natural order, but in the divine.

Consecrated service in the good of all is the cure of covetousness, for it requires we think of things differently. Altruism is probably the natural mindset of humankind, and covetousness is the witness that it has failed, and the soul has narrowed, become avaricious and grasping.

Karl Marx once said: “from each according to his ability; to each according to his need.” This is a true and Christian concept, and Marx stole it to good effect, making an excellent point with it: we can somehow manage if we desire to, to get to each what he needs; but to create a just world, in which each is able to create and produce according to his or her God–given ability, is difficult indeed. For that, we have to know ourselves well, and our souls must become grand.

Envidia — the hatred of the good, or the hatred of the good of another — is a particularly virulent form that covetousness can take. It was a special study of the Renaissance masters, who were often its targets. However, each of us experiences it daily.

Schadenfreude^[45] is but another form of envidia, whose real root is covetousness. In the end, covetousness is the abandonment of the gift God gave us in the world, and the commission given us at the Creation, for the idolization of things in themselves, rather than appreciating and using them in their proper context.

The Summary of the Law

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 22:37–40)^[46]

Jesus responded thus to the Pharisees who were baiting them, citing Scripture, but also citing that one of their own teachers, who said concerning these two commandments that “the rest is mere commentary.”

Anglicans, of course, will recognize this from the Decalogue and Summary of the Law of the Holy Communion service (Book of Common Prayer). The Pharisees baiting Jesus had combed the Law of Moses and found 613 commandments. Both their own teachers and Jesus pointed out to them, that commandments may detail the Law, but the substance of the Law was love — love of God, a love of self in God, and the love of neighbor in God. Who does this fulfills all the Law, and the Prophets. For, this is the essential content of God’s self–revelation to his people.

Jesus, placing the Beatitudes at the head of the Sermon on the Mount, underlines this fact in a new way, and thus prepares us for the greater life in God that we express in the Our Father, which he gives later in the Sermon.

Is this not the prophecy, which Jesus quotes at the beginning of his ministry?

The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heat the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed, To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. (Isaiah 49:8,9; 61:1,2 as quoted in Luke 4:18–19)

In light of all we have said, it is fascinating to read this passage again, and to realize all that it says and implies.

Even so, “Come, Lord Jesus!”

The Twenty-Third Psalm

The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

The 23^rd Psalm is perhaps the most beloved of the psalms, and is sacramental, in that it has references to oil, water and a table; it is certainly the expression of a way of seeing life.

He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young. (Isaiah 40:11)

Located “between” the prophetic Psalm 22, which is the model for the Gospel of Matthew, and the magnificent Isaiah 40, the 23^rd Psalm is a psalm of rejoicing of God’s people in their Savior, particularly the Gentiles, who are called to the Lord’s table, even as the promise was made to Abraham, in Ur of the Chaldees. Together with Psalm 24, the great psalm of the Entrance of the Lord into his Kingdom, which proclaims that the earth and all its peoples are the Lord’s, these psalms and Isaiah 40 proclaim the great story of salvation — and Psalm 23 is the fullness of rejoicing of God’s people in their Lord, and his grace.

We greet the Holy Trinity, the Lord, in the person of our Father, in the person of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ, and in the person of the Holy Spirit: each our guardian and our Shepherd, and all together the Shepherd — confident that Paul’s words to the Philippians are true: “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (4:19)

The Lord has testified in Ezekiel 34, that he has cast down the irresponsible shepherds, and will himself gather his flock from all the ends of the earth, and will govern them:

For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I will feed My flock, and I will make them to lie down,” says the Lord God. (Ezekiel 34:11–15)

And from the New Testament,

For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. (Revelation 7:17)

The whole of the 23^rd Psalm foretells the joys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and in a certain sense tells us something about Christ among us. In the first three verses of the psalm, we are given a sense of the Lord’s Table, and we can relate that to the Last Supper, and the Holy Communion of the Divine Liturgy:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of right
For His name’s sake.

If we think back on the Our Father, and the epiousios bread (the superessential bread, our daily bread), we understand at once. This is what it means to walk and talk with God in the divine and healing path.

In the next verse, we have not only a description of the Christian life in this world, and our confidence in God, but we have also a very precise description of Jesus’ passion and death on Calvary — a response to Psalm 22, which Jesus was clearly reciting from the Cross:

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and your staff they comfort me.

In the closing verses, Christ enters into the fullness of the promised Kingdom, even as we are able to do — sharing something of his life in grace in this life, and even more in the life to come.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalm 23, taken as a whole, is a foretaste of heaven.

The Will of God’s Good Pleasure

We have been speaking of the signified will of God, as it is revealed in some of the primary teachings of Christendom. To speak of the will of God’s good pleasure could take ages, for it is out of God’s good pleasure that all the mercies and compassions and graces of God come to us. But let it suffice to speak of the one moment when God, of his good pleasure, began all our joy: the Creation. For out of no necessity whatsoever, God of his good pleasure made all things, and created man, in his own image and likeness created he him, male and female created he them. And God saw that it was good.

Incarnation, Resurrection, Transfiguration

Christ came into the world to glorify mankind, and bring us back to the original purpose of our creation. This was done in his taking on flesh and glorifying it in himself (Incarnation), the Resurrection from the dead, and the Transfiguration. In Christ Jesus is the acceptable day of the Lord brought to fulfillment, even as foretold in the Scripture he read in the synagogue at the beginning of his earthly ministry. (Luke 4:18–19)

Pascha, the Feast of the Resurrection, is the appointed time, the acceptable day of the Lord. We celebrate Pascha each Spring, but also on every Sunday of the year, each of which is a new Pascha; and in every day of a Christian life, for each day is a Pascha, in which we walk with God.

The restoration of mankind in Christ Jesus gives us the beginnings of a science of soul, a knowledge of the heart of man, his “mind” or nous. We are given a door into understanding all that man is, and what is for him the path to theosis, to healing, on the divine path.

Essentially, man is not whole, and cannot be healed, unless he takes up his freedom, and runs with it. This is the eternal will of God, the will, if we may say so, of God’s good pleasure — which we experience first and foremost as a unity of love and experience between us and God, and with each other, as a people.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

“In Him we have redemption through His blood,^[47] the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace, which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth — in Him.

“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined ^[48] according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,^[49] who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession to the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1:3–14)

The economy of salvation, taken as a whole, involves three general things:

preparation,
actualization, and
eschatological hope.

In the Old and New Testaments, up to the final acts of Christ’s earthly ministry, we are being prepared for the great work of the Lord. In the Resurrection and the Ascension, and all human history from that time on, we have the actualization of the Lord’s salvation: i.e., “the reception and assimilation of it by the faithful.”^[50] The culmination of the great work as it is caught up in the end of the world, or rather, the second coming of Christ Jesus in glory (our eschatological hope).

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only–begotten Son, that
whosoever believe on him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Fr. Michael Pomazansky says in his usual pithy manner: “The Son of God came in to the world in order a) to open the path to mankind in its entirety for the personal salvation of each of us; and in order by this means b) to direct the hearts of men to the search, to the thirst for the Kingdom of God, and to give help, to give power on this path of salvation for the acquirement of personal spiritual purity and sanctity. The first of these has been accomplished by Christ entirely. The second depends upon ourselves, although it is accomplished by the activity of grace of Christ in the Holy Spirit.” (p. 198)

It is in this sense, that Paul tells us to work out our salvation “with fear and trembling,”^[51] making up in our own persons “what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ.” What is that, else our own collaboration in the economy of salvation, out of our pure freedom?

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12–13)

Our destiny, to become godly, to be deified (theosis) or transfigured in this life and the next, is understood in a special way, with regard to the teachings of the Councils on the nature of Christ.

Nicea and Constantinople defined out of Scripture the basics of the Catholic faith, but it was not until the third and fourth Councils (Ephesus, 431 A.D. and

Chalcedon, 451 A.D.) just after the fall of Hippo and the death of the Blessed Augustine (430 A.D.) that the Church affirmed what we say of Christ Jesus, definitively.

In these two ecumenical councils, the Church laid down the final teaching concerning the two natures of Christ, as God and Man. The Nestorians split off at Ephesus, and the Monophysites at Chalcedon; hence, we speak of the Nestorian (Non–Ephesine) Church, and the Syrian/Monophysite/Jacobite (Non–Chalcedonian) Church. Most of Christendom accepts the Seven Councils of the so–called “Undivided Church,” although some formal Anglican statements endorse only these first four Councils. (Rome, of course, goes far further, acknowledging councils up to Vatican II as ecumenical.)

Regrettably, some of these ancient errors concerning the nature of Christ find shelter in our day in the teachings of certain Protestant denominations, and Protestantism tends to ignore or refuse to recognize the decrees of the Ecumenical Councils.

Essentially, each of the errors concerning the reality of Christ as God and Man tends to deny or lessen the humanity of Christ — precisely along those lines wherein it is said that Christ has become a stumbling block to the Jews, and to the Greeks (Gentiles) a scandal. (I Corinthians 1:23)

For, either it is said that the absolute God of the Old Testament could not be God in Christ Jesus — the Messiah or Shiloh (Reconciler) cannot be God — or that the holy and divine cannot be mixed with the material world (i.e., the human nature of Christ cannot be real). Or that one nature or will must take over, dominate, and suppress the other — or that one or the other of them is merely symbolical, or by adoption. All these errors lead us away from the path of salvation, and forbid our entry into the economy of salvation, wherein we might attain the predestined adoption as the children of God (theosis), wherein we might be transfigured in Christ Jesus. Scripture is clear, and the Church holds as she always has, that the testimony of God is true and to be received by all.

The denial of the divinity of Christ took a number of forms, including the frank denial of the Ebionites, of Paul of Samosata, and of Arius. The Arian heresy dominated most of the Church for some time, and the Catholic faith was all but lost. Arius of Constantinople held Jesus to be the most perfect of creation, and thus the Son of God, but still a created being. Yet, this is in clear violation of the concepts laid down by the Emissary (Apostle) John, the Evangelist, in the opening of his gospel: “In the beginning of the Word, and the Word was God, ...” But at Nicea in 325 A.D., Arius’ teaching was overthrown.

Theodore of Mopsuestia, supported by Nestorius of Constantinople, downplayed the humanity of Christ, by teaching that the Lord Jesus Christ was only the “bearer” of the divine principle — much as the cohorts of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon (the Moonies) state today. Hence, as a symbol of that denial, they referred to Mary only as Christotokos (Christbearer), rather than Theotokos (Godbearer), denying that that which came forth from Mary was God, but insisting that Jesus was only Man. The divine and human natures in Christ “touched each other” in some sense, but were wholly independent of each other: Christ had two different natures and two different persons.

That is, God did not really become Man, and take on our humanity; and our humanity was not glorified in Christ Jesus. This is in clear violation of the teaching of the Church in the Gospels and Epistles, in Acts and the Book of Revelation; not to mention the Old Testament prophecies. The Docetists denied or depreciated the humanity of Christ by insisting that the divine in Christ was real, and the human only an appearance (from the Greek, dokeo, meaning “to seem”), since they held the pagan philosophy that regarded flesh and matter to be an evil principle, and said God could never be joined to the flesh and matter at all. Apollinaris of Laodicea taught that the humanity of Christ was imperfect or incomplete: that Christ had a human soul and body, but that his spirit (mind) was not human but divine.

Ephesus essentially overthrew these concepts, insisting that Christ was one Person (Hypostasis), a particular Person, who united in himself both what was divine and what was human, thus being consubstantial with God (one in essence with God) as Nicea had said (325 A.D.) and as Paul witnesses in Ephesians, but also consubstantial with us (one in essence with humanity). Thus, our humanity is lifted up, redeemed, justified, saved, and glorified in Christ Jesus. That is the testimony of faith.

“The Church has always strictly guarded the correct teaching of the two natures of the Lord Jesus Christ, seeing in this an indispensable condition of faith, without which salvation is impossible.” (Pomazansky, p. 179)

On the other hand, Christ’s humanity was denied by those who asserted that his humanity was swallowed up in his divinity. Just as Nestorians had downplayed the divine nature, the Monophysites, so–called, downplayed Christ’s human nature, holding Christ had only one nature (physis). Yet, the clear testimony of John is that “the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (John 1:1, 14). This heresy is also known as Eutychianism (after Eutyches), and was set aside at Chaldcedon (451 A.D.) Monophysite churches continue to this day (Armenians, Copts, and others known as Jacobites), but like the Nestorians, are insisting that their teachings are indeed orthodox, and that only their language was misunderstood. There is a real desire for reunification, and we may pray that God will judge between us, and bring us together in one mind and one Spirit, in his own time, “that all may be one” in Christ Jesus.

(Amen!)

Chalcedon is clear: in Christ Jesus, there are two natures, and both are wholly present. Christ is the Word become flesh, in whom all flesh is glorified. His divine nature is uncreated, God before all things were; and his human nature is even as ours, except for sin: he alone was born without sin. (Despite Roman teachings concerning Mary as the Immaculate Conception) Christ is the perfection of humanity, even as Adam and Eve could have been perfect, and in him are we raised up. Thus, he is “the Firstborn of many brethren.” (Romans 8:29) There was a later upsurge of conflict concerning the nature of Christ, which arose out of the rejected Monophysite teaching later, called Monothelite (One Will, from the Greek, thelema, meaning will). This group held that Christ might have two natures (physis), but only one will (thelema). The Monothelites feared that acknowledging a human will in Christ would be to acknowledge two Persons in him, and thus said only the divine will in Christ prevailed. This false teaching was set aside at the Sixth Ecumenical Council, in 681 A.D. (Constantinople III) when the Church clearly said that in Christ there were two wills just as there were two natures, and two operations, even as the Gospel bears witness concerning the Agony in the Garden (Gethsemane): “Not my will, but Thine be done.”

This is a very important one, and we need to understand it, because it touches upon us, upon our individual salvation, and how our individual will and God’s will work together, in no way setting aside our predestination in God, or God’s will, but also in no way setting aside our human freedom. The world is not a sandbox, and we are not puppets on a string. We are living souls, and free creatures of God. Hence, even as in Christ both God and Man are one, are united in a single Person, but in no way mingled or merged, but each wholly his and each wholly him, so also we, in our freedom, are able to adhere to God of a good, perfect and free will, yet continue as free persons with a real contribution to make. We, too, possess in a certain sense, two natures: human and divine by grace of adoption. This is especially affirmed as Constantinople III (681 A.D.) underlines and seals the teachings of Ephesus (431 A.D.) and Chalcedon (451 A.D.).

What Constantinople III says is, in part: “Two natural wills not contrary the one to the other...but His human will follows and that not as resisting and reluctant, but rather as subject to His Divine and omnipotent will” (from: the Sixth Council’s “Definition of Faith). “I came down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him that sent me.” (John 6:38)

Human nature, the flesh in Christ, is united with the Godhead, and is enriched by the divine powers, without losing itself. It participates in the divine dignity, as Fr. Michael Pomazansky says, but not the divine nature. It is deified, but not destroyed, but continues in its own state and nature.

Hence, we get a sense, in these three Councils and their teaching, what the Church in her Scripture (written Tradition) and her Tradition as a whole witnesses to concerning our union with God.

And the vistas thus opened to us are breath–taking, indeed.

The Church does not try to over–define all these things concerning Christ, the Shiloh (Reconciler) Messiah, but acknowledges that it is all a great mystery hidden in God. It is a mystery, because though we can perceive it, and bear witness to such of it as we are given to glimpse in the witness of the Apostolic Church, and the Fathers of the Church, we recognize that it transcends all that we can know or conceive. Like God himself, who is known to us in grace (charis, dynamis, powers, energies), but in his total nature, in his essence, is beyond all our concepts and images.

We are lost in the mystery, and we confess it.

Prophet, Priest, & King

Our whole life, it is said, is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit. That witness is true. However, Fr. Pomazansky says it another way: “Man’s salvation consists in the acquirement of eternal life in God, in the Kingdom of Heaven.” (p. 197) “In the preaching of the Apostles,” he underlines, “especially worthy of attention is the fact that they precisely teach us to distinguish between the truth of the salvation of mankind as a whole, which has already been accomplished, and another truth — the necessity for a personal reception and assimilation of the gift of salvation on the part of each of the faithful, and the fact that this latter salvation depends upon each one himself. ‘Ye are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God,’ writes the Apostle Paul (Ephesians 2:8); but also he teaches, ‘Work out your salvation with fear and trembling’ (Philippians 2:12).” Salvation in this sense touches acutely upon the science of the soul (psyche, psychology), and healing.

We are not left alone, we are not bereft of help. Grace comes to us, and the constant attentions of the Holy Spirit, and the life of grace in the Church, of which “goodly company of all faithful people” we are an integral part, whose help we depend upon. In the mysteries of grace and the Church, we are brought to Heaven, if we will. Even as Peter writes: “...if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

Coming to Him, as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” I Peter 2:3–4)

Peter, indeed, bears witness to our deification, that we become “partakers of the divine nature” (II Peter 1:4), warning us to work with all diligence (love, delight) that we may make our “call and election sure” (II Peter 1:10). (Cf, Augustine, “Dilige, et quod vis, fac.”)

When we are baptized, we are baptized and anointed into the life in Christ, which means, in particular, into his ministry in this world: the priesthood of Christ, the prophetic role of Christ, and the kingship of Christ — prophet, priest and king. This life of grace is carried out primarily in the life of the Church in the world, as we as individuals receive and assimilate the whole of the economy of salvation, and as we as a Church receive and assimilate that reality, and convey it into the world. Even as Saint Peter says.

Grace is our help. “Grace shall be as your day,” as the hymn “Come, Come Ye Saints” has it.

The economy of salvation is expressed in the Scriptures by many different words, and a similar thing happens with grace. Charis, the Greek word usually translated as “grace,” may refer to the general good will of God toward us, or may be far more specific in its meaning.

For example, says Fr. Pomazansky, “grace” may refer to the whole economy of salvation in Christ Jesus: incarnation, resurrection, transfiguration. Or it may refer to the concept of power, being taken as the equivalent of the word dynamis (power; or as Palamas would later say: energy or energies of God, God’s operations as opposed to his essence).

Pomazansky particularly warns against a general Protestant misconception concerning grace, relating it to the general process of redemption or salvation of mankind, through the Cross and the Resurrection (p. 258). This leads them to a mistake, in that they then assume that a person who believes and receives remission of sins is numbered definitively among the “Saved.” This is a mistake, he says, and in opposition to the Apostolic Witness, which says that man in this life is “being saved,” and in constant need of grace and the leading of the Holy Spirit. Even as it is written so gloriously in Paul’s letter to the Romans: “We have access by faith to this grace wherein we stand...” (Romans 5:2).

How we take up the work of Christ in his threefold ministry of priesthood (offering of acceptable sacrifice), prophecy (witness and evangelization), and kingship (rulership and stewardship), determines our particular (hypostatic, individual) salvation — a salvation in the Spirit, and in the Communion of Saints. The world depends upon us, and upon how we receive and assimilate the life of grace, the economy of salvation. And we depend for our salvation on the life of the Church, filled with the Holy Spirit, as we “work out our salvation with fear and trembling.”

The Church of Christ and The Communion of Saints

In Christ, we have access to the Communion of Saints, as members of his Body, which is the Church.

In the life of the Church, we have access to the Apostolic Witness and the means of grace supplied to us by God, using the things of this world, to teach us.

Without a doubt, “no man is a Christian alone.”

Even more, we have a deeper understanding of the mystery of the life of grace in Jesus’ wonderful images of the Vine and the Branches, at the Last Supper

(John 15). “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can you, except you abide in Me, I am the Vine, you are the branches.” (John 15:4–5)

“Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.

“If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him, for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.” (I I John 1:9–11)

A charism is a gift of God, given for the common good, for the building up (edification) of the Church as a whole. “Although the Holy Spirit abides in the Church as a permanent gift, His presence is experienced again and again in the liturgical assemblies of the Church as recurring Pentecostal outpourings. He gives both boldness and confidence to the Church.” (Orthodox Study Bible, p. 281, notes).

In the tale of Barnabas (Son of Encouragement), Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 4:36 – 5:1–11), the issue of acting for the common good, for the good of the community is placed directly on the table. Barnabas is an example of early Christian sharing, but Ananias and Sapphira, while free to do what they wanted with their money and property, lied to the Holy Ghost concerning it, and died for their trouble. The Holy Ghost was given by God to those who obeyed the divine will (Acts 5:32), according to what they had witnessed.

The Church itself is a living charism, for the good of each and all. In it, we have communion with the living and the dead, in Christ Jesus. Christ is the Church’s center and being, and the Holy Spirit is the constant guide and comforter of the Church, its living Tradition.

It is through the Church that we receive the revelation of God, and the testimonies of those who were witnesses to the saving acts of the economy of salvation, as well as being guided into all grace by the Holy Spirit.

More than that, the Church is where we receive the benefits of the mysteries of God. Being human, we often need outward signs of grace to help us on the road, and the Apostolic Church is the means God has appointed to this end: the emissaries (apostles) of his grace have handed on to us not only their personal and collective witness, but the sacred signs by which we can be healed and sustained in our pilgrimage. Although it is nowhere set down that only seven Mysteries (Sacraments) can exist, we customarily record seven as given in the written components of Sacred Tradition (i.e., Holy Scripture). All the world can be penetrated by God’s energies, and thus convey the divine to us in and with the created, and thus can be sacramental. But we acknowledge three mysteries (sacraments) of membership (Baptism, Chrismation, and the Eucharist), two of Church order (Penance, Holy Orders), one of sexual consecration and family building (Holy Matrimony), and one of healing (Unction).

Christ Himself is the Head

Christ alone is the head of the Church, even as he says: “Where two or three are gathered together in my Name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20)

And Paul witnesses: “Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (I Corinthians 3:11)

For the Church is built upon the Rock of faith, with the proclamation of

Peter, which is ours as well: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16)

The inner life of the Church is mystical, which means: centered in the holy mysteries (sacraments). Not in their external forms, but in regard to their inner meaning. Hence the Apostles understood themselves as the stewards of the mysteries of God, even as Saint Paul says to the Corinthians: “Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” (I Corinthians 4:1)

Grace in the holy mysteries acts unfailingly to any who come to them, but the freedom of man is not overcome: grace is not irresistible. Each person approaching the sacraments (mysteries) must approach them worthily to receive their effects, and not lose them.

Baptism

Baptism is the first of mysteries, and the doorway to all the others. In Baptism, we are united with Christ and his Kingdom, as members of the Church, which is the Congregation of the Lord.

In Baptism, we renounce the world, the flesh and the Devil, and adhere to Christ. We die and rise again with Christ in the waters of regeneration, by triple immersion in flowing water, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. In Baptism, we unite ourselves with Christ, and receive the full remission of sins, and enter into a new life.

Healing knows Baptism as its first moment.

But spiritual growth depends upon the free will of man, and it is also possible that once washed free of sin and begun upon the path of the new life, our weaknesses and vices (tendencies) may draw us away from the path of perfection in Christ Jesus. So, moral perfection cannot be accomplished without a struggle based in faith and hope. “A man finds help for this inward battle in the whole grace–given life of the Church.” (Pomazansky, p. 270)

Confirmation (Chrismation)

Confirmation is the seal of the Holy Ghost upon the baptized person. The descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was the birthday of the Church, so it has been said, and the laying on of hands by the Apostles seals the baptized by the Holy Spirit. After people had been baptized, as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, the Apostles laid hands upon them and prayed, that the Holy Spirit might descend upon them. (e.g., Acts 8:14–17)

Historically, the laying on of hands and prayer effected the mystery, but at some point anointing was added or accompanied the rite. Eventually, the anointing became the substance of the rite, along with the prayer of invocation (epiclesis). This is true from the earliest period of the Church. The Holy Myrrh, or Holy Chrism, was set aside for this purpose. Eventually, it could be administered just after baptism by the local priest, but only an apostle or bishop could consecrate the Holy Chrism. To this day, priests must received from the bishop the Chrism to be used in Chrismation in the East, and in the West, only the bishop confirms.

It is interesting that only Confirmation (Chrismation) is done by the laying on of hands and perhaps the words “Receive the Holy Spirit,” aside from the laying on of hands to holy orders. Is this not in a sense the recognition that the laos, the people as a whole, are a holy people, a royal priesthood? Holy orders are given within the holy priesthood of the people of God, for their good, and for God’s work; but before all else we are sealed to the Holy Ghost for the completion of the work begun in us in baptism. The mystery of Chrismation is one of the most wonderful and powerful of all the healing and perfecting gifts given by God to the Church. While the West tends to administer Confirmation as virtually a coming of age ceremony, thus giving a false implication that it has to do with a conscious, adult confirmation of baptismal faith, the East administers Chrismation immediately after Baptism, whether of an infant or an adult.

Chrismation, also called “the perfection” and “culmination” is the perfecting or sealing of the “illumination,” or Baptism. It is the descent of the Holy Spirit upon us. This is a clear testimony of the Fathers.

Chrismation is effected by the anointing the brow, the eyes, the nostrils, the ears, the breast (front and back), the hands and the feet, with the sign of the Cross, saying each time: “The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Saint Ephraim the Syrian says: “By the seal of the Holy Spirit are sealed all the entrances into your soul; by the seal of the anointing all your members are sealed.”

Confirmation in the Western style consists of anointing of the brow, with the invocation, and often a slight slap on the cheek, to remind the person that the Holy Spirit is given for guidance and strength in the way. The ancients understood that when Jesus referred to being born of water and of the Spirit, he spoke of Baptism and Chrismation. Saint Basil compared our sealing in the Holy Ghost to the seal placed over the doors of the Hebrews, when the Angel of Death passed over the land of Egypt. “Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are signed unto the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30)

Tertullian bears witness to the rite of the Church, picking up on the idea of the priesthood of all believers we expressed above, when he says: “After coming up from the font, we are anointed with blessed oil, according to the ancient rite, as of old it was the custom to anoint to the priesthood from a horn.” Myrrh specifically is used, being the ancient oil of anointing. Note also, the anointing immediately follows Baptism.

(As a ritual matter, anointing with oil in Baptism aside from Chrismation should be set aside, since it confuses people concerning Chrismation; or at least, the two rites should be clearly demarcated.)

Holy Myrrh is used only in a scarce few other cases: anointing of a new altar, anointing the walls of a new church, reception of converts from heretical and schismatic churches, and in some historic instances, the anointing of Orthodox kings upon their accession to the throne. (Pomazansky, p. 275)

The Holy Spirit is present in the Church as a living presence, and we express that living presence of the Spirit when we speak of Holy Tradition. The Church is grace–filled, if we can but receive it, and find strength for our souls there, if the exercise of our human freedom is God–ward. Thus, the Church is Pentecostal by her very constitution, from the Day of Pentecost when the tongues of fire descended, to the sealing of each of the saints from that day forward, and to the living out of the faith by each of us, every day. We are caught upon in a holy Pentecost, every day of our lives.

We are called upon, as the Desert Father once said to his disciple, to “become pure flame.”

We are called “Christians” not only because we follow Christ (the Anointed One), but also because we ourselves in the Holy Chrism have our own anointing,

Chrismation, our own Pentecost, and the fullness of all graces. “Having become participants in Christ,” testifies Cyril of Jerusalem, “you are worthily called ‘Christians,’ that is, ‘anointed ones;’ and concerning you God has said, ‘Touch not my anointed ones.’ (Psalm 104:15)” (Pomazansky, p. 273)

Eucharist

The Bread of Heaven & the Cup of Life

The Eucharist is the greatest treasure of the Church. Many say so, and rightly; yet, it is almost always the most underestimated of all the mysteries given to our aid and comfort.

We are called to the Table of the Lord by our Illumination (Baptism) and Sealing (Chrismation), called to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, and properly garbed for the occasion.

Here we experience the mystical union we have with one another in Christ Jesus, and with God.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.” (John 6:53–56)

This is our center.

The Eucharist is the cleansing of our souls, the remission of our sins, the communion of the Holy Spirit, the fulfillment of the Kingdom of Heaven, and the spirit within us that makes us cry “Abba! Father!” with the boldness of sons and heirs, with intimate confidence in God. All this, even as the Divine Liturgy says, in the Anaphora.

Plainly and simply, the Eucharist is the sacrament of the Church, which is our participation in the Body and Blood of Christ, even as it is our offering up of all of creation to God.

All that is, is holy; and we lift it all up before the Lord. “Thine own of Thine own we offer Thee, on behalf of all and for all,” as the Liturgy says. Because this is the center and focus of our Christian experience, we must take some time on the Eucharist, to make sure we have understood it, and understand some of the mistakes that Christians have fallen into concerning the Eucharist, that end up leading them away from the life of grace in Christ Jesus, away from the Spirit–filled path.

In so doing, we will focus particularly upon two chapters of Fr. Jordan Bajis’ Common Ground: Chapter 11, The Impossibility of “Individualism” — The Church as Community; and Chapter 13, The Eucharist (Part I): The Early Church’s Reply to Western Questions.^[52] Koinonia is the central word by which we understand the importance of the Eucharist to early Christians: it is a Greek word that is variously translated in the English translations of the New Testament as communion, association, fellowship, sharing, common, contribution, fellowship, and partnership. However, to early Christians, the richness of meaning is hardly approximated in such terms, let alone exhausted by them.

Koinonia, says Fr. Bajis, expresses a relationship of tremendous intimacy and depth, and has even been used as a word expressing the marriage relationship. (Bajis, p. 151) Koinonia is “that bond which binds Christians to each other, to Christ and to God,” says William Barclay — to which Fr. Bajis adds: “Fellowship is all– inclusive, deep, personal, and intimate. The meaning of ‘fellowship’ or ‘communion’ in the New Testament relates to sharing one common life within the Body of Christ at all levels of existence and experience — spiritual, social, intellectual, economic. No area of life can be excluded.” (p. 151)

Salvation is of the Church. In a very real sense, “Extra Ecclesia nulla salus.”

As Georges Florovsky says: “Christianity from the very beginning existed as a corporate reality, as a community. To be Christian meant just to belong to the community. Nobody could be Christian by himself, as an isolated individual, but only together with ‘the brethren,’ in a ‘togetherness’ with them. Christianity means a ‘common life,’ a life in common.”^[53] Koinonia is local, based in love and the Trinity. Our union with God is communal, as is salvation. But, the Church is made up of persons, just as the Church encounters God as Persons in the most holy and undivided Trinity. The Holy Spirit did not fall upon individuals at Pentecost, but upon the Church, and upon the persons who made up the Church. Charisms (including holy orders) are not given for individuals, based upon some abstract, individualistic “call,” but based in the Church and the need of the Church, for the work undertaken. Our personal relation within the community is not individualistic; our community is not impersonal and abstract; our togetherness is a union of persons in love, not the suppression of persons or the binding of heteronomic individuals.

“Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love,” says the old eucharistic hymn. “The fellowship of Christian hearts is like to that above.” In this hymn is the whole truth of Christian koinonia.

The community is the temple of the Holy Spirit, as the Body of Christ; and is the place of the Spirit’s indwelling.

“For as the body is one and not many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free — and have all been made to drink from one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.” (I Corinthians 12:12–14

“Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejecting indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (I Peter 2:4–5)

“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:19–22)

Sacraments

The Eucharist is the Sacrament par excellence, as we are in the process of showing. Historically, the Church accepts seven sacraments (Greek: mysterion), although Reformers insist on only two. However, there is no real limitation to the number of sacraments, since “Anything which reveals God’s Redemptive Mystery — words, acts, symbols, Christian relationships, etc. — qualifies as a mystery of the Church.” (Bajis, p. 170)

The Church is a living sacrament, expressed in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper; but Jesus is the Sacrament of Sacraments, the Mystery of Mysteries. He is himself the living Sacrament, the Lamb of God. The Church, being his body, is the chief sacrament (mystery).

“Because Jesus is The Sacrament which makes all sacraments possible, every sacrament finds its unity in Him. No one sacrament, therefore, can be isolated from the others, nor is each sacrament administered to perform a different ‘job’ (i.e., baptism to erase Original Sin, confirmation to impart the Spirit, the Eucharist to communicate Christ’s atonement). Each sacrament manifests Christ in His wholeness, not ‘pieces’ of His power; each brings union in and with the one Lord.” (Bajis, p. 171)

Thus, says Fr. Bajis, the three initiatory mysteries — Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist — are seen as an organic whole, expressing “the one and same mystery, ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory.’” (Colossians1:27)

Sacraments as well challenge the concept of spirit as good and matter as bad or degraded. There is no such disunity allowed in the concept of the early Church, which treats the spiritual and material aspects of the creation as good and an organic whole, subject to transfiguration.

This points to the mystery of our own transfiguration in Christ Jesus, and shows the inner meaning of his Incarnation, and his redemptive Passion and Resurrection. The mystery (sacrament) is an encounter with God, as personal, which effects a change in us, in the community of faith.

So also, we begin to see that God uses the material world, or the material spiritual unity that is the world (cosmos), to work. God in Christ makes all things new, and sanctifies them, and uses them.

Even more, Fr. Bajis cites Baillie, to the effect that: “The New Testament never uses ‘spiritual’ (pneumatikos) in antithesis to the bodily (somatikos). There is no opposition between spirit and body, for there is even such a thing as a spiritual body (soma pneumatikon). [I Corinthians 15:44]”^[54]

Symbol and Remembrance

The Eucharist is symbol and remembrance, two things that have been both the greatest treasure of the Church, and the source of great error on the part of some. It is critical that we understand these two things.

Symbol, historically, refers to something that is rather like an icon: it manifests the thing signified or symbolized, and re–presents it in the world. Unlike the modern use of the term, it does not refer to an abstraction pointing to something else, in which it does not participate. We tend today to take a symbol as that which stands for something else. That is not the understanding of the Church, which says that a symbol manifests and communicates that which it reveals.

Manifests and communicates the reality.

The symbol makes the reality represented present; but as with the Eucharist, not of itself, but in the Spirit and the koinonia of the faithful. It is not the symbol in its material aspect that has power, but power resides in that which is represented in the congregation of the Lord, through the Holy Spirit.

Yet, the material of the symbol — in the Eucharist, bread and wine (and water) — is transfigured, as it were, so that God is made present to us in and through the bread and wine, which become the Body and Blood of Christ for us in community, in the Holy Spirit. The material creation “conveys” as it were the Living God, without itself ceasing to be itself. Thus, all of creation is capable of being mysterion (sacramental).

Even as we are. This is the great mystery of our being, which is glorified in Christ Jesus, and transfigured. Without ceasing to be human, we become divine, even as Christ Jesus, being both the divine Word is also incarnate as human flesh; so that bread and wine as common elements of the world are “consubstantial” with us and with Christ as man, and “consubstantial” with the divine Word revealed in Christ Jesus and manifested in the Body and Blood of Christ at the altar.

So also, the Eucharist as remembrance. Contrary to our modern trivialization of the term, keeping a memory or making a remembrance — as Christ commanded his Apostles to do until his coming again — does not mean to recall, recollect, or think about something, but rather to re–present it and make it operative in the present, before God. In other words, to experience (relive) it, and to enter into it anew. For example, the Jewish observance of the Passover.

To make an “anamnesis” (remembrance) in the Eucharist however requires not only that we re–live and re–experience the saving event, but calls upon us to look to the eschatological hope in which we live: for we are commanded this anamnesis until Christ comes again, in the Second Advent.

The Eucharist marks the redemption of mankind as a whole, which is accomplished, and the personal acquisition of that redemption in the fullness of time, as we are “being saved” and when Christ comes again.

No Empty Symbol, but a Full One

Early Church witnesses spoke of “change” to explain the Eucharist, and used terms that indicated both metaphorical and literal meaning in regard to the “real presence” of Christ in the Eucharist.

Irenaeus (120–202 A.D.) gives an excellent account of the early Church’s view, as quoted by Fr. Bajis )p. 200): “But our opinion is in accordance with the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in turn establishes our opinion. For we offer to Him His own, announcing consistently the fellowship and union of the flesh and Spirit. For as the bread, which is produced from the earth, when it receives the invocation of God, is no longer common bread, but the Eucharist, consisting of two realities, earthly and heavenly; so also our bodies, when they receive the Eucharist, are no longer corruptible, having the hope of the resurrection to eternity.” (Against Heresies, IV. 18. 3.)

John Meyendorff says: “The Byzantines understood the Eucharistic bread to be necessarily consubstantial with humanity, while Latin medieval piety emphasized its otherworldliness. The use of ordinary bread, identical with the bread used as everyday food, was the sign of true Incarnation. The Byzantines did not see the substance of the bread somehow changed in the Eucharistic mystery into another substance — the Body of Christ — but viewed this bread as the ‘type’ of humanity: our humanity changed into the transfigured humanity of Christ.”^[55] “How do the elements change into the body of Christ? As we have previously implied, they change in the same way the congregation ‘changes’ (manifests) the body of Christ — by the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, neither Christ’s incarnation, the birth of the Church, nor the foretaste of redemption in the Eucharistic assembly would be possible.” (Bajis, p. 201)

Even as the words of the Eucharist imply: “Send down your Holy Spirit upon us, and upon these gifts here spread forth...” (Chrysostom epiclesis). The elements are not obliterated and replaced by something else, but rather, they are fulfilled. (Bajis, 202) “In so many of the debates throughout the years,” says Fr. Bajis, “too much attention has been focused on the elements and not enough on the brethren gathered around them. As the Spirit reveals the elements to be the body and blood of Christ, so we too are revealed to be the body of Christ by the same Spirit.” “In the early Church,” he adds, “when the presider of the worship service prayed for the Holy Spirit’s presence, he did not ask Him to descend upon the bread and wine alone but upon the people as well. Why? So that they, like the gifts, might manifest the real presence of ''Christ, God’s dwelling in the midst of His Assembly.” (Bajis, 201)

When? That is, when do the bread and wine on the altar change? The Church has never said, any more than it has ever said anything definitive about the nature of the change. Other than the material elements of bread and wine upon the altar (and water), we normally cite three essentials of the Eucharist: Words of Institution, Anamnesis, Epiclesis. Yet, in the Nestorian liturgy of Addai and Mari, no words of institution appear — leading to the assumption that they have no proper anaphora, or that to multiple legends of a “sourdough starter” concept of the Eucharistic bread. Yet, there is nothing suggesting that any of this is true: the particular Liturgy is beautiful, and makes a wonderful anamnesis. Is there any particular form of eucharistic offering needful, or is the Holy Spirit present and working, regardless? Is the mystery effected by the prayer as a whole, in the midst of the Church, rather than particular words? It is not, after all, magic.

“The Early Eastern Church,” Bajis replies, “did not rely upon any word or action as being the definitive consecrating moment. She relied upon the Holy Spirit, One Who never can be reduced to a liturgical formula.” (Bajis, 202) and quotes Philippou’s The Orthodox Ethos to this effect:

“The real presence of Christ does not depend upon the repetition of the words of the Last Supper and of the institution of the sacrament; it is not limited to the material elements of bread and wine only. The real presence of Christ is real because in the Ecclesia [Church] He comes after Pentecost as the Father’s answer to the invocation of His Name through the Holy Spirit. This presence is neither an imprisonment of Christ within our limitations nor an act of binding the Spirit, but precisely the result of His freedom as communion, based on Christ’s redemption and resurrection.”

Christ is the High Priest, in whose priesthood we participate, and through whom we offer ourselves in sacrifice to God. “The manifestation of the Spirit within the Eucharistic assembly is not due to a ‘power’ which resides in the pastor. The entire assembly’s presence and prayers are needed to welcome the Spirit’s activity. The clergyman has neither an ordained power ‘to make sacraments,’ nor can he perform his role as an officiating pastor–priest on ‘his own.’ Without the Assembly, his ministry does not exist. The pastor’s ministry, as each member’s ministry, can only manifest itself within the context of his relationship to the entire Church.” (Bajis, 203).

Christ himself is, as the Liturgy says, the one priest of the Church: “You are the Offerer and the Offered, the Acceptor and the Distributed, O Christ our God.” We, as the laos, the people of God, are co–priests with him, able to offer our selves and our service through the Holy Spirit. And the priest/pastor’s role is also a gift to the Church through the Holy Spirit, “and it is through the one who has been given this gift that Christ’s shepherding is manifest in the Eucharist.” (Bajis, 203) It must be remembered, too, that in the Old Testament sacrifices, the community as a whole partook of the meats used in the sacrifice, and to the priests and Levites were left certain portions. The communal nature of the act was explicit, and the implications for understanding the New Testament priesthood and sacrifice of Christ were clear.

We would do well, to pause here and consider the nature of the divine and healing path, by praying quietly the 23^rd Psalm, “The Lord is my Shepherd...” in which the priestly and pastoral role is revealed.

The Eucharist is a “sacrifice and offering” in which we offer “ourselves (in and through Christ) as members of His Body,” the moment in which Christ’s life becomes our life, and in which we show we are willing to drink the Cup he drank, even as he asked of us. (Bajis, 204)^[56] As I write, word comes from a dear friend of the passing of his mother, this evening. She had not recognized anyone in a long while, but her son blessed her with a blessing that was also a spontaneous viaticum: “Your witness on this earth is finished, and is fulfilled in your faith, and in your children, and in the good you have done for others. I bless you and thank you, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” He said other things too, which he does not recall, given the state he was in. Yet, as a priest, I could add little, if anything, to this blessing of the person on the way, and this manner of telling his mother that she could depart now, if she had to, and that he and those she left behind would be all right. All I would add, as a priest, would perhaps be a final absolution: “Any wrong you have done, I cast into oblivion.” — just before the closing blessing.

It is so good to bless those we are sending on to the Father, and to thank them for the gift of their lives. This is true Christian koinonia (fellowship), and it is this that we celebrate in the Eucharist, for we are a part the one of the other, in Christ Jesus, through the Holy Spirit. (Amen!)

As Maya Angelou has said (approximately): “for it is love that costs all that we are, and all that we can ever hope to be; and it is love that sets us free.” Blessing is one of the true joys of the priesthood, and the blessing of children by parents is a custom of the Lord’s Israel that we need to recover in our religious work. We are, as an ordained priesthood, able to bless God’s people; but it is important to recognize that as a priestly people, a royal priesthood (I Peter 2:5, 9), it falls to the whole body of the faithful (the laos, or all baptized and chrismated people) to bless, give alms, and to offer prayers and sacrifices. Therefore, we need to take up this thought of my friend, to offer blessing and thanks for his mother’s life, and recognize that blessing and rejoicing in one another is essential in the koinonia of the Church, its fellowship. We need to anoint, to pray, to visit; and even after death, to visit graves and bless. And we need to do these things not only formally, but spontaneously, as the occasion warrants. To help the priestly people of God to carry on such work, it would be very good to develop or record examples of the forms of such things, or brief services they can use.

To begin with, within the family and the marital bond, let parents bless children, let the mother of the house bless and usher in the Sabbath or the Lord’s Day, and in every walk of life, let blessings be given.

“Brethren, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (I John 4:7–8)

Repentance

Salvation is to make whole what was defective or impaired. In human terms, to restore our union with God, that we are once again in the image and likeness of God. Hence, repentance after baptism is the mystery of return to communion, with all disruption and loss of communication restored. God is not a legalistic sadist, and does not hold us responsible for sins, imposing suffering and death for it; but rather, God seeks to restore the native harmony of our nature. So also, God does not in justifying us engage in the legal fiction of “not seeing” sins; rather, God restores, perfects and fulfills the nature of man.

In Christ Jesus, this is accomplished, for man’s nature, which is to be in union with God, is restored and given again its native powers: we are what we were always meant to be. The natural harmony between the human and the divine is again present, and we have a new life.

In the Sacrament of Penance, as the West calls it, we can continue to work out our salvation as we stumble and rise again, over and over: we turn again and again to God, and are restored, healed, forgiven. Forgiveness walks amongst us, from the day of Resurrection on, and does not fail.

Repentance heals us, and makes us whole. It removes the spiritual effects of sin, and opens us once again to grace and spiritual growth. It is, Pomazanksy says, an act of one’s will for correction (p. 287). And in the formal confession of sins before the pastor, one confronts pride, the ground of sin, and one confronts despondency and hopelessness.

And God, like the father of the Prodigal Son, sees us coming, and runs out to meet us, and embrace us.

God wishes us no ill, and always restores us.

Above all, we do not “earn” our salvation, for through our faith and trust we are changed, and become able not to offer up “satisfaction” for our sins or the sins of others, but rather to bring forth “fruits worth of repentance.” God grants the power to bind and to loose, to remit and retain sins, to the Apostles, as the Scriptures say: He appeared to the Disciples after his resurrection, and said: “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” (John 20: 21) And also: “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (John 20: 22–23)

So also, in Matthew 16:19, upon the confession of Peter: “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Christ is the Rock upon which the Church is founded, as is also Peter’s confession of faith is the rock upon which the Church is built. It is our confession, too, and we repeat it in the Divine Liturgy, just before receiving Holy Communion. “Binding and loosing,” says the Orthodox Study Bible, “is a reference to the teaching, sacramental and administrative powers of the Apostles which were transmitted to the bishops of the Church.” (p. 47) The “keys of the kingdom” refer to a power given to Peter based on his confession of faith, and never apart from it. One should never overstate that power (e.g., Rome) or minimize it in reaction to overstatement.

And this is said to the Church as a whole, as well, in Matthew 18:18, “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Immediately after, Jesus tells them whenever two or three agree and ask a thing of God, they will have it; but also assures them that where two or three are gathered in his name, he is in the midst of them. This is a mystery of the life of the local Church.

So also, epitimia, or the imposition of punishments or penances is given to the Church, but like the sacrament as a whole, is designed for healing and restoration.

Mystery of the Priesthood

Holy Orders come from the Apostles, and are transmitted from the Apostles by the bishops of the Church. Orders are transmitted by the laying on of hands and prayer, and normally during the Divine Liturgy. According to the Apostolic Canons, a deacon or priest is ordained by a single bishop, while a bishop is ordained by two or three bishops.

Election of clergy was historically by the whole community, as a work of men, but the act of ordination was sacramental according to apostolic succession. Ordination is unrepeatable, according to the Apostolic Canons. The gift and grace of orders is as unchanging and ineffaceable as those coming in Baptism, which also can only be received once. (Cf. Nicene Creed) Hence, the Canons read: “If any bishop, presbyter, or deacon shall receive from anyone a second ordination, let both the ordained and the ordainer be deposed; unless indeed it can be proved that he had his ordination from heretics.”

Priesthood, however, is distinct from the graces received in Baptism and Chrismation.

In the East, the Mystery of Cheirotonia (Priesthood) is given during the Divine Liturgy, at specified places in the service. The person being ordained kneels at the side of the bishop, who lays his hand upon his head and says: “The Divine grace which always heals that which is infirm and completes that which is wanting, elevates N., the most devout deacon, to be a priest. Wherefore, let us pray for him, that the grace of the All–Holy Spirit may come upon him.” And there follows the prayer, with the bishop’s hand remaining on the person’s head until the prayer is done. (The example given here is for ordering a deacon to be a priest.) There may be Church offices that do not participate in the Cheirotonia, and their ordering is different.

The ordained priesthood is given for the good of the Church, and in accordance with the evidence of the New Testament only three orders are recognized as of divine origin: deacon, priest, and bishop. The fullness of the priesthood rests in Christ, in whose priesthood we participate both as laos and ordained clergy, but to bishops is given the role of the Apostles for our time.

Andre Feuillet’s The Priesthood of Christ and His Ministers (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1975) is an excellent study of the apostolic priesthood, and the nature of the priesthood of the faithful and the ordained priesthood as they exist in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Feuillet opens with the words of Jesus to the (Samaritan) Woman at the Well, that in the fullness of time the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, and focuses his study of the priesthood on the great priestly prayer of John 17.

The Congregation of Israel, of which the Church in Christ is the fulfillment and completion, had under the Covenant the priesthood of all the people, but also a priestly ministry of certain individuals. Israel is “a kingdom of priests” (Exodus 19:6): “And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.” In Israel will God be manifest, and in Israel will God work his will for all nations. “But this choice of Israel does not prevent a further setting apart of men within the bosom of the chosen people for the exercise of liturgical functions that are strictly reserved to them.” (Feuillet, 130)

In the great chapter of Isaiah that begins with the words Christ read in the Synagogue to begin his earthly ministry (“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me...”), the priestly consecration of the Israel of the Lord is proclaimed: “But you shall be named the Priests of the Lord, Men shall call you the Servants of our God.” (Isaiah 61:6) But also Isaiah proclaims the ordained priesthood as well: “And I will take some of them for priests and Levites, says the Lord.” (Isaiah 66:21)

The refusal to acknowledge the two kinds of priesthood in the old dispensation continues to this day. Yet, Scripture is clear: those who deny either are seriously in error and at risk of their souls, even as it was when Korah the son of Izhar and his companions rebelled against Moses and Aaron (Numbers 16).

Those who rebelled were of the tribe of Levi, whom God had appointed to the Tabernacle, and chosen as his portion: to them was given no portion in Israel, but God was their portion. Yet, in Korah and his companions, they rebelled. And Moses rebuked them: “You take too much upon yourselves, you sons of Levi!” (Numbers 16:7) “Is it a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the work of the tabernacle, and to stand before the congregation to serve them; and that He has brought you near to Himself, you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking the priesthood also?” (Numbers 16:9–10)

For Korah and his companions had said to Moses and Aaron: “You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the congregation of the Lord?”

And on the next day, God commanded Moses and Aaron to tell Israel to stand away from Korah, Dathan and Abiram; and the earth opened and swallowed them. (Numbers 16:23 — 33) And of those who murmured to see this, many fell sick and died.

To Aaron was given the sanctuary, and Levites were assigned to assist them in the tabernacle of meeting, as the Lord commanded. “Therefore you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything at the altar and behind the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood to you as a gift for service, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.” (Numbers 16:7)

The Septuagint distinguishes the two priesthoods by two different words, systematically. For the priesthood of all the people, the word used is hierateuma. For the priesthood in the narrower, more restrictive sense, the word is hierateia. This use is systematic over both Old and New Testaments. In the New Testament, I Peter 2:5,9 uses the term hierateuma when telling the saints that they are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation.”

“All the disciples of Christ,” says Feuillet, “must love one another as Christ has loved them, and must sacrifice themselves as he has done before them. They must even be ready to give their lives as he did. It is undoubtedly through such self– sacrifice and readiness to die that they chiefly carry out their priestly office.” This is the hierateuma. “But how are they to fulfill their duty and reach such heights of generosity if they do not have at their disposition the redemptive and sanctifying power of Christ? It is by means of Christ’s ambassadors and agents and the exercise of their ministerial priesthood that his power is normally present with and given to his disciples. From such texts as John 13:20; 17:18; and 20:21, it follows that Jesus hands on his own mission of sanctification to the Twelve and thus to their successors.” This is hierateia. (Feuillet, 131)

And, adds Feuillet, in Christ, priesthood and mission are closely linked. Christ choses his Apostles, and sends them into the world on mission.

The Sacrament of Matrimony

Matrimony is the foundation of community, and of the social order. Even more, it is an expression of the internal unity of the Trinity, and an expression of the union of Christ and the Church.

Except for Holy Orders, no other state of life is recognized as sacramental, or: a mystery. (And the two, despite some Church customs that have arisen over the centuries are not mutually exclusive.)

The Christian family is a church.

The Church, it is said, treasures virginity, and in monasticism places it above the Christian marriage. God grant that this is not so, for the chastity and virginity of true love, and of marital devotion, are never to be despised, but are to be sought and God is to be sought in them.

We forbid bishops to marry in the East, and impose its monasticism on the Church through the bishops — as if to flee from the world instead of living in it were the essence of things. We forbid priests to marry, and monks and nuns. Yet, while vowed celibacy and vowed chastity are a great treasure, they participate in married love and have part of their mystery there.

In marriage, we discover, too, the mystery of the unity of Man, and God’s love, for he is the lover of mankind (philanthropos). Here, Man, as man and woman, works out his salvation “with fear and trembling,” endeavoring to make his “call and election sure;” making up in the body what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ — namely, our own particular participation, as persons. Not as individuals, but as persons — in community. The community of marriage, the community of the Church. We also begin to understand that the community formed in marriage includes not only the man and woman, but the children as well, and perhaps also those who depend on the household in various ways.

We also begin to understand by implication what is meant when we refer to “the household of faith,” and such terms as “ecumenical,” “economy” and the “economy of salvation,” which refer in some root way to the household, the family. God’s blessing of marriage is fundamental, stemming from the first commandment God gives to Man at the Creation, concerning man’s mission on the earth: “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; ...’” (Genesis 1:27–28) God’s blessing is reinforced soon after, as Eve is created: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24)

Christ reinforces this passage in Genesis 2, and adds: “What God has joined together, let not man put asunder.” (Matthew 19:6) And with regard to Genesis 2, Paul in Ephesians 5 says: “This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the Church.”

Indeed, the mystical union of the soul with God, and of the Church with Christ, is celebrated in terms of sexual love in the Song of Solomon, as is that love itself.

Christ, in the Marriage at Cana, blessed marriage with his presence, and at the behest of Mary worked his first miracle there. In the Sermon on the Mount, he explicitly blesses marriage and proclaims that in the higher marriage the bond cannot be set aside. Divorce, he says, was given only for the hardness of your hearts. The Kingdom of Heaven is likened to a wedding feast, and the image of the Bridegroom is present in the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, by way of discussing the life of prayer and watching. The bridegroom image is, in fact, used in a number of places in Jesus’ talks to the people and to his disciples. Marriage is not to be understood as a civil contract, or a means of fulfilling individual or individualistic aims. This debases marriage, and undermines it, which is why so many fail today. Some 50% of all marriages in the United States fail, it is said. Marriage, Webster’s dictionary to the contrary notwithstanding, is not primarily “a legal union for mating.”

The failure of marriage is the failure of koinonia.

The rites of marriage vary from East to West. In the East, there is a betrothal ceremony, in which man and woman give their consents and testify as to their intents. Then the marriage is accomplished by Crowning and the triple prayer, “O Lord our God, crown them with glory and honor.” (Virtually, an epiclesis.) Crowning is to glory, but also a reminder of the Crown of Thorns, for there is a self–giving in marriage, and a witness that may at times approach a martyrdom. In the West, marriage historically is seen as a sacrament accomplished by the man and the woman in the exchange of vows (and the later consummation of the marriage). The clear statement of intent is now required before the priest and witnesses, followed by the exchange of vows, and a priestly blessing. Romeo and Juliet touches upon the old way of marriage as a simple exchange of vows by a couple, provided they are of age and not otherwise impeded from exchanging vows. However, the abuses were so many that the Church in the West began to demand a more considered and public approach to marriage. And the presence of the priest and two witnesses to the vows.

Now we need to take human sexuality more seriously, and prepare people more consciously to confront as an occasion of grace the fact of their sexual being. Partly, this has to do with the training of the young, and the recognition of the sexuality of the young, perhaps combined with some coming of age observance like the bar mitzvah, where one becomes at least incipiently an adult, and responsible for one’s own sins. But, in our age of perpetual juvenilism, it has also to do with teaching adults to grow up, and be adults.

The defense of life, in all its aspects, is rooted, too, in the mystery of matrimony and the family, the “house church.” It is in the midst of the family that we first learn to be human. Unless the family fails, or is destroyed — in which case, the family is the doorway into Hell.

Given this “house church” aspect of marriage, one begins to understand why the koinonia of Christian marriage is under ordinary circumstances not to be disrupted or imperiled by marriage with non–believers.

Healing Unction

Anointing is a powerful thing in the Church. We anoint catechumens (Oil of the Catechumens), and we anoint in Baptism. We anoint the sealing of the Spirit with the Holy Chrism, and sometimes use the Chrism in healing rites of reconciliation for converts. But, above all, we anoint for healing, and forgiveness of sins, and for the end to suffering (Oil of the Sick).

James indicates the use of healing anointing among Christians. “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.” (James 5:13–15) Note also, however, that Jesus also sent the Twelve Disciples out, to anoint unto healing (Mark 6:13).

Healing is as real today as it ever was, for the Holy Spirit is present now as ever; and it is for the whole person. Hence, we seek to address in healing not only disease, but suffering, and sin; for, our purpose is to restore the person in Christ. We deal with healing from the rite of Baptism, with its included anointing for healing, through all the sacraments, right up to and including this holy anointing (unction). And we deal only with the person as a whole. As with all the sacraments / mysteries, it is not a specific action only that is involved, but the total encounter of the human person with the fullness of grace in Christ Jesus.

Grace is always one, and undivided; and we encounter the Trinity in all movements of God’s love toward mankind — as the Trinity and as the Persons of the Trinity.

Historically, Holy Unction has been given only to adults and children who are conscious and able to participate in the prayers. It was often given with Confession and Holy Communion.

Rome for a long while gave the Anointing as “Extreme Unction,” which custom has happily been discarded in favor of a more traditional understanding of the Mystery of Unction. For, historically, the Church ministered to the dying with Confession, Holy Communion, and Prayers for the Departure of the Soul (when death was imminent). (Holy Unction could be given to the dying during the sickness, but that was as Unction per se; and the oil remaining from Unction could be poured in the form of a Cross over the grave.)

Orthodoxy administers Holy Unction by seven anointings, by seven priests or fewer, in the form of the Cross, on the forehead, nostrils, cheeks, lips, chest and both sides of the hands; and with the invocation “O Holy Father, Physician of souls and bodies, who did send Your Only–begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who heals every infirmity and delivers from death: Heal also your servant N...” and so forth, with the appropriate Epistle and Gospel, and dismissory prayers.

The Roman Rite varied somewhat, but anointed all the five senses and hands and feet. Newer rites now exist.

We strongly recommend a revision of the rites of healing, both for the individual sacrament, but also using the service of Unction used in Orthodoxy in Passion Week for general unction as the pattern for general healing services and anointing in the Church.

Are You Really He?

“Are you really He?” comes the question in the night, to Jesus. Amazingly, the question comes from one who, it would seem, could not be asking that question: John the Baptist. (Matthew 11:3, Luke 7:19)

Jesus’ answer to John was to send back word through John’s disciples, to behold the fulfillment of the prophecies.

Yet, says Ratzinger,^[57] “The believer will repeatedly experience the darkness in which the negation of unbelief surrounds him like a gloomy prison” like that of John the Baptist’s, “from which there is no escape, and the indifference of the world, which goes its way unchanged as if nothing had happened, seems only to mock his hope. We have to pose the question, ‘Are you really He?’ not only through honestly of thought and because of reason’s responsibility but also in accordance with the intrinsic law of love, which wants to know more and more him to whom it has given its ‘Yes,’ so as to be able to love him more. Are you really He? In the last resort all the reflections contained in this book are subordinate to this question and thus revolve around the basic form of the confession: ‘I believe in You, Jesus of Nazareth, as the meaning (logos) of the world and my life.’” (pp. 49–49)

The Apostles’ Creed is a Roman creation entire, and had great influence in the West because of the leadership role of the Roman See, the only Apostolic See of the West. But, it was almost totally unknown in the East, as the Romans discovered at the Council of Florence. In his wonderful exposition of this simple Creed, Joseph Ratzinger demonstrates a humble and compassionate understanding of the role of modern man before the Christian faith, which he understands not as a “religion,” but as a way.

The “Credo” of the Apostles’ Creed demonstrates the difference between belief and religion. In the Old Testament, belief was not such, but was rather law. Among Romans, religion appeared as a set of forms and rites, in which one did not have to believe at all. Yet, in the Old Testament one encounters an assertion: “God is not just he who at present lies in fact outside the field of vision but could be seen if it were possible to go further; no, he is the being who stands essentially outside it, however far our field of vision may be extended.” (p. 24)

Belief in this sense, for Jews and even more for Christians, is not a set of statements or propositions, but the clear assertion that there lie things outside our field of knowledge (actual and potential) that must come revealed from God; else, we could not know them. But, even more: “Christian belief is not merely concerned, as one might at first suspect from all the talk of belief or faith, with the eternal, which as the ‘quite other’ would remain completely outside the human world and time; on the contrary it is much more concerned with God in history, with God as man.” (p. 27)

— ”No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.” (John 1:18)

Rejecting Anselm’s “satisfaction” theory of the Incarnation, and the simplistic understanding of “Original Sin,” Ratzinger posits the essentially collective and historic nature of Christian faith and experience: “We are therefore bound to say that such a thing as the mere individual, the man–monad of the Renaissance, the pure Cogito–ergo–sum–being does not exist. Humanity comes to man only in the web of history that impinges on the individual through speech and social communication; ...It is simply not the case that every man plans himself anew from the zero of his own freedom...” (p. 186)

“Terms like original sin, resurrection of the flesh, last judgment, and so on, are only to be understood at all from this angle, for the seat of original sin is to be sought precisely in this collective net that precedes the individual existence as a sort of spiritual datum, not in any biological legacy passed on between otherwise utterly separated individuals.” (pp. 186–187)

“Being a Christian is in its first aim not an individual but a social charisma. One is not a Christian because only Christians are saved; one is Christian because for history the Christian diaconate has a meaning and is a necessity.” (p. 187)

Ratzinger is, willy–nilly headed in the direction of the understanding of the cosmic and glorified role of mankind, for which the individual is not so much a reality as is the particular (person).

In rejecting the “satisfaction” theory of Anselm, he points to the predestined destiny of mankind, created in the image and likeness of God, and its restoration and transfiguration in Christ Jesus.

In rejecting the simplistic concept of “original sin” as an hereditary guilt or corruption passed down from Adam, Ratzinger points toward a different understanding of the Fall, essentially affirming the teachings of the ancient Church as to the deification of mankind in Christ Jesus, as well as the concept of the fundamental koinonia or fellowship of Christians.

“To summarize all this, we can now say that in our [Apostles’] Creed the Church is understood as proceeding from the Holy Spirit, as the center of the Spirit’s activity in the world.” (p. 259)

And thus, also, our activity.

This community, this living koinonia that is the Church, the field of the Spirit’s work and ours, has as its “basic elements” “forgiveness, conversion, penance, eucharistic communion, and hence plurality and unity: plurality of the local Churches which yet only remain ‘the Church’ through incorporation in the unity of the one Church. This unity is first and foremost the unity of Word and sacrament: the Church is one through the one Word and the one bread. The episcopal organization stands in the background as the means to this unity.” (p. 267)^[58] Above all, the Church is holy, not because it is a church of “holy people,” but because God dwells within and is faithful when Man is not. The Church is the living Mystery, resting upon the “peace” of Christ, which the world cannot give: “...be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

In a world grown more and more confused, trying to understand itself by secular means alone, with Christians all but ready to liquidate the Church (as if they could) in favor of an individualistic “feelgoodism,” the Church of Christ is the fount of healing waters, “the waters of Siloe, that flow in silence.” Let her keep her ancient witness, having been “sent,” (which is the meaning of Siloam), confident in him who has said that the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against her life and order, “for I have overcome the world.”

Pray without Ceasing

Prayer Unceasing

Prayer, alms, and the other corporal and spiritual works of mercy are historically the fruits worthy of repentance that the Church expects. Prayer is perhaps the foremost, and the one that most gives us a taste of the Lord, and of Heaven. “Prayer,” says Fr. Pomazansky in a beautiful passage, “is the manifestation of the Church’s life and the spiritual bond of its members with God in the Holy Trinity, and of all with each other. It is so inseparable from faith that it may be called the atmosphere of the Church, or the breathing of the Church.” (p. 308)

Prayer is an expression of our union with God. And we are told to “pray without ceasing.” (I Thessalonians 5:17)

We pray as the Church, as the people of the Church, which is Christ. It is written, that “The first man Adam became a living being,” even as Paul quotes in I Corinthians 15:45, but “The last Adam became a life–giving spirit.” We pray knowing not the “wisdom of men but in the power of God” (I Corinthians 2:5) “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given us by God.” (I Corinthians 2:12) And thus we pray with the “mind of Christ” as it is written: “For ‘who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (I Corinthians 2:16) And his mind is formed in us by our faith, and the working of the Spirit, which is opposed to the wisdom of the flesh or of the natural (sensual) man (I Corinthians 2:14), for we are the children of God.^[59]

Our Savior, above all, has taught us to pray: Our Father, which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

This, in traditional mode, is the Lord’s Prayer, which Jesus gave us in the Sermon on the Mount, and which we have already discussed.

The “Our Father” or Lord’s Prayer has become a constant prayer of the Church, given as it was by the Lord himself. In the Divine Liturgy, it is prayed only in the Eucharist, just before receiving Holy Communion, for it is part of the mystery of faith, reserved for the faithful only.

And that is appropriate, because this is not some simple formula of prayer, but an actual prayer between God’s people and God, a breathing in and breathing out of the Church, which can only be understood in its depth from within the experience of faith. Only as we walk and talk with God can we understand this prayer, and pray it as we should.

As such, it is a good meditation at all times to say this prayer slowly, thinking on each thing. To recite it as a mere scriptural formula, or as a formal prayer, is to kill its meaning for us, and in us. It is one of our dearest treasures, and must be guarded in our hearts as such, even as Mary carried so many things in her heart, and pondered them. (Luke 2:51).

John Cassian

John Cassian, in the tenth of his Conferences, says that only the soul that is “safely removed from all the turbulence of sin” can rise to prayer unceasing, and perceive the divine face of Christ. “This, then, is the goal of the monk,” he says. “All his striving must be for this so that he may deserve to possess in this life an image of future happiness and may have the beginnings of a foretaste in this body of that life and glory of heaven. This, I say, is the objective of all perfection, to have the soul so removed from all dalliance with the body that it rises each day to the things of the spirit until all its living and all its wishing become one unending prayer.” (p. 130)^[60]

Cassian is referring in part to the status that San Juan de la Cruz points to in his poem–lesson La noche oscura: “En una noche oscura, siendo ya mi casa sosiegada,...” (“On a dark night, my house being all at peace, I went out &c.”) and also that which Fr. Pomzansky and other Orthodox writers refer to as “impassibility.” The original term as apatheia (apathy), which many writers avoid, if they do not actively flee from it, for fear of the obvious misunderstandings. Apatheia refers to the rising of the soul from the wisdom of the flesh to the wisdom of the Spirit, so that it cannot be made to respond to or suffer from the things of the world, or earthly passions and desires. Such a soul responds only to grace, to the desires from above, heavenly passions, so to speak. Apatheia means anything but apathy.

Gandhi sought this within Hindu tradition, but some of his expressions of it in the commentary of his translation of the Bhagavad Gita are unfortunate. He speaks for instance of the man who becomes like an automaton, in that his response to the divine is automatic: he feels the impulses of the good, responds to them virtually without thinking. Like an automaton. One understands what he is saying, and sympathizes with it, however much words adequate to the reality fail him. For which of us would not desire to be so transfigured by grace that our response to the initiatives of the divine is an immediate “Fiat!” like Christ at Gethsemane, or Mary at the Annunciation. We would like to begin to dwell in that place “where to will and do are one.”

John Cassian, with his immense humanity and common sense, turns this apatheia around, and states it positively: “purity of heart.” For, that is the positive content of “impassibility.” Dante refers to this, when Beatrice tells him that those who have begun to enjoy the Beatific Vision, while able to care about and pray for those they have left behind, can no longer suffer from the world, or even know such things as would cause suffering.

Kierkegaard took this concept and worked with it in a new way, in his “Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing.” But, did Kierkegaard not individualize this, and make this a mere question of the existential will? Where then is grace, where then is revelation? Kierkegaard takes too much upon himself. As regards prayer itself, and the desire to rise up to the higher prayer, Cassian acknowledges a problem of the human mind that will be later taken up by what is called after The Cloud of Unknowing “centering prayer.” “And here is what happens. When our thoughts slip away from spiritual contemplation and run here and there, we turn to ourselves as though coming from a deep sleep of forgetfulness. We wake up and look for the formula by which to revive our vanished spiritual thinking. The looking is a delay for us and before we have even found it we lapse a second time and before a contemplative gaze opens up and what our heart wishes for is vanished.” (p. 131)

For the human mind is without method and guide, and “So it happens that the mind, held back by ignorance of this and by this difficulty, is forever wandering and is tossed in all directions, like a drunk. If by chance — and not because of any effort of its own — it comes into direct encounter with something spiritual, it is powerless to hold on to it firmly and for a long time. One thought follows another, arriving, coming to being, ending and going away — all without the mind noticing.” (p. 131)

All this addressed to Abba Isaac, a spiritual father of the desert. Abba Isaac responds that his questioner is right, and lacks a model of prayer and focus, a formula of prayer, if you will.

However, he warns, you must be ready, and “completely free from all bodily concerns and cares.”

“This is something that has been handed down to us by some of the eldest of the Fathers,” says Isaac, “and it is something which we hand on to only a very small number of the souls eager to know it: to keep the thought of God always in your mind you must cling totally to this formula for piety: ‘Come to my help, O God; Lord hurry to my rescue.’ (Psalm 69:2)” (p. 132)^[61] Those who have prayed the Roman Breviary know this immediately as the beginning of the several hours: “O God, come to my assistance; O Lord, make haste to help me.” Generation after generation, this versicle has opened the hours of prayer in the West. And here, in the Conferences of John Cassian, is the concept that lies behind them, and points to the future idea of “centering prayer.” Abba Isaac continues: “It is not without good reason that this verse has been chosen from the whole of Scripture as a device. It carries within it all the feelings of which human nature is capable. It can be adapted to every condition and can be usefully deployed against every temptation.” (P. 133) And he begins to give every sort of example for its use. In the end, citing the injunction of God to the Jews (Deuteronomy 6:7) to write his Laws upon their hearts, and upon the doorposts of their homes, to meditate on them day and night, he compares this verse from the Psalms to that Old Testament use, calling it a “continuous prayer,” as the soul gains proficiency.

Such prayer focuses on no image, or form of sounds, but is the pouring out of the soul to God. Three things control a wandering mind: vigils, meditation, and prayer. For focus in prayer increases prayer, but distraction in prayer is not praying at all. (p. 139)

This method is open to all: “But at least this much is clear. No one is shut off from perfection because of illiteracy. Lack of culture is no bar to that purity of heart and soul which lies quite close by to everyone. Constant meditation upon this verse will keep the mind wholly and entirely upon God.” (p. 140)

The Jesus Prayer / Prayer Ropes

The East celebrates one particular form of “praying without ceasing,” in the form of the Jesus Prayer, an adaptation of the Publican’s Prayer in Luke 18:13 (“God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”).

The Jesus Prayer is: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me, a sinner.” With the help of a prayer rope, or without it, this prayer is lifted up to God. This prayer becomes an essential tool of the hesychast tradition of the East, and is often shortened to the Divine Name itself, continually repeated. A phrase often heard in regard to this prayer is “prayer of the heart.” The Blessed Augustine was familiar with the simple prayer of one phrase or one word, and admired it. His remark, “short prayer pierces heaven” is known to the author of The Cloud of Unknowing, written a full thousand years later, after John Cassian and Augustine (p. 17).^[62] The basis of the Jesus Prayer is a deep understanding in Orthodoxy that the name of Jesus alone has a great power to heal, to convert, and to elevate us in prayer. As one uses the Jesus Prayer continually over time, the prayer enters into the heart, and is called “The Prayer of the Heart,” and almost prays itself (p. 332 ff).^[63] A classical teaching on the Jesus Prayer is the book The Way of the Pilgrim, written at the turn of the century, by an anonymous author. The book has been republished frequently in the current period, along with the Philokalia, and is well known.

Other devotions may be used with the prayer rope, such as: “Holy Mother of God, (by your prayers) save us!” but there is generally resistance in the Church to prayer directed to any but Jesus Christ. No creature, even Mary, is so exalted as to replace Christ our God in the prayers of the faithful, particularly with regard to “prayer of the heart.”

“One Little Word” (Centering Prayer)

The Cloud of Unknowing, a thousand years after John Cassian and the Blessed Augustine, sets for in its chapters 7, and 37–39, the basics of what has now become in one form or another, “centering prayer.” The author of the Cloud has wide experience of the mystic and prayer tradition of the Church, and is among other things, the translator of the works of the pseudo–Dionysus.

The concept is “one little word,” or phrase, that is used to focus and refocus the person on God. This concept is introduced in Chapter 7 of The Cloud of Unknowing, but the background for that is in the idea of prayer presented in Chapter 3 and Chapter 6.

We are, the anonymous author says, to be “oned” with God, in a prayer that rises above bondage to any earthly thing, any creature, or any idea or concept that we may have. This, he says, means that we must fix our hearts on God, and seek him alone. “Lift up thine heart unto God with a meek stirring of love; and mean Himself, and none of His goods. And thereto, look thee loath to think on aught but Himself. So that nought work in thy wit, nor in thy will, but only Himself. And do that in thee is to forget all the creatures that ever God made and the works of them; so that thy thought nor thy desire be not directed nor stretched to any of them, neither in general or in special, but let them be, and take no heed to them.” (Cloud, Ch 3, p. 53) Essentially, when you attempt this, you will enter into what seems a darkness or a cloud of unknowing, which seems to stand between you and God. For God is hid in light inaccessible, above all our images and concepts, and we are left, as it were, with only the experience of a darkness of all our senses and concepts, a sort of cloud wherein we cannot use senses and concepts, and thus cannot “know” in the human sense. “This darkness and this cloud is, howsoever thou dost, betwixt thee and thy God, and letteth thee that thou mayest neither see Him clearly by light of understanding in thy reason, nor feel Him I sweetness of love in thine affection.” (p. 54) But, do not worry; only abide in this cloud, as if by grace of God.

Love can come into the presence of God, but thought never; for God can be loved, but not thought. Persist. “And smite upon that thick cloud of unknowing with a sharp dart of longing love; and go not thence for thing that befalleth.” (Cloud, Ch 6, p. 62)

In Chapter 7, the actual content of the prayer of unknowing is introduced, as: “How a man shall have him in this work against all thoughts, and specially against all those that arise of his own curiosity, of cunning, and of natural wit.” Specifically, that author says: “And if any thought rise and will press continually above thee betwixt thee and that darkness, and ask thee, saying: ‘What seekest thou, what would thou have? say thou, that it is God that thou wouldst have. ‘Him I covet, Him I seek, and nought but Him.” (p. 63)

And if this thought would persist, and seek to draw you into an intellectual discussion concerning God or anything, tell the thought that it is not competent in that area, and seek God again. “And if he ask thee, ‘What is God? say thou, that it is God that made thee and bought thee, and that graciously hath called thee to thy degree. ‘And in Him,’ say, ‘thou hast no skill.’ And therefore say, ‘Go thou down again,’ and tread him fast down with a stirring of love, although he seem to thee right holy, and seem to thee as he would help thee to seek Him. For peradventure he will bring to thy mind diverse full fair and wonderful points of His kindness, and say that he is full sweet, and full loving, full gracious, and full merciful.” (p. 63) And so on. Thus, whether in noble thoughts of God, or other things, one is drawn in thought to a point where one is distracted, and thoughts scattered. These thoughts, even good and great, need to be put down and held in check, so that one may sit before God in holy expectation and love, with a single will and intent: to enter into the presence of God.

Anything else, and we will fail of our purpose. Unless thought is kept under the cloud of unknowing, we cannot pass through that cloud that stands between us and God. “Therefore what time that thou purposest thee to this work, and feelest by grace that thou art called of God, lift then thine heart unto God that made thee, and bought thee, and that graciously hath called thee to thy degree, and receive none other thought of God. And yet not all of these, but if thou list; for it sufficeth enough, a naked intent direct unto God without any other cause than Himself.” (p. 64) “And if thee list to have this intent lapped and folden in one word, for thou shouldest have better hold thereupon, take thee but a little word of one syllable: for so it is better than two, for ever the shorter it is the better it accordeth with the work of the Spirit. And such a word is this word GOD or this word LOVE. Choose thee whether thou wilt, or another; as thee list, which that thee liketh best of one syllable. And fasten this word to thine heart, so that it never go thence for thing that befalleth.” This word is going to be your mantra or focus. “This word shall be thy shield and thy spear,...” And with this word, you shall beat upon the cloud of unknowing, the darkness above; and with it slap down any thought that arises to distract or involve you in all sorts of considerations. If anything comes to mind, and demands attention, answer only with this one word. No distraction will last long, subjected to this treatment. Not even the subtlety of trying to get you to meditate on that word alone.

And this word will pierce the darkness of the cloud of unknowing, and reach to heaven.

A study of The Cloud of Unknowing is rewarding in itself, the author is very simple, and very direct. Even with slightly archaic English. However, it will be noticed that what a number of teachers and authors are proposing as “centering prayer” is not exactly what the anonymous author of the Cloud is suggesting. Centering prayer is a method of keeping focused when sitting in silent adoration before the Lord. The style and emphasis is different, as is also the activism of the prayer, which differs from the more direct activism of the Cloud. There does come a point in prayer for some people, when to keep on talking and blathering to the Lord (aside from particular prayers and devotions, like the Breviary or the Rosary, or some other daily discipline) becomes somewhat bothersome. One almost has the intuition that it is undesirable; or at least, not what is desired.

And one begins to simply sit in God’s presence.

A story is told about an old man who was most faithful in the time he spent in chapel, sitting before the Altar. However, it was noted by some that he often just sat for long periods, saying nothing, and doing nothing.

One of the parish clergy asked him about this one day. The old man replied: “Sometimes I just sit here and look at God, and he looks back at me.” Centering prayer, whether in the “activist” sense of The Cloud of Unknowing, where one wishes to “pierce” the darkness in which God hides his essential nature — in a relative sense of penetrating the mystery, if not an absolute sense — or in the sense of sitting attentively and peacefully in God’s presence whoever God is and however God chooses to reveal himself, can open the doors of prayer for us. In the Palamite understanding, we cannot ultimately know God in the fullness of God’s nature. It is not in us to know that. We can grasp something of God’s nature in the grace which comes to us, which teaches us, and gives us inner resources for greater and greater knowledge and love of God. We can experience a transfiguring grace that increases our capacity to know and love and serve God, in perfect freedom, even as we know deeper the mystery of our own nature — that we are created in the image and likeness of God, and reflect in our nature the holy and undivided Trinity.

I cannot escape the conclusion that being human is enough, and that being called to grace is a superabundance of wealth. If we cannot go by the central path, by what path shall we proceed? And if we cannot sit quietly in our Father’s presence, where then can we know our Father’s love and the glory of his being, in sure and intimate confidence?

Words fail, and our hearts long to remain there, in peace. Our bodies are unwilling to move, or disturb the moment. And, with a sigh, when the time comes, we tear ourselves away, and go about the business of the day. But, somehow we remain in God, and in prayer.

Centering prayer, lectio divina, and our devotions are the moments that we spend at the waters of life, to refresh ourselves; for the streams of living water run deep and run quiet. We cannot tell how they affect us, but we can take a legitimate comfort in them — so long as we do not forget that life is there for living. In the midst of our duty, which is to say, the living out of our gifts, we can be sure that we need do nothing other than that to which we have been called; and this shall be not only pleasing to God, but also the one thing necessary. For, as the Bhagavad Gita says: “Better one’s own duty poorly done, than the duty of another excellently done.” We are called to ourselves, not to become another. And our heavenly Father knows what things we need, and need do.

The prayer is a precious gift in the midst of that.

To put it simply: “Be yourself!”

For the person we are, transfigured, is the only person we can be. Or should want to be.

Let us therefore proceed, and trust that the Holy Spirit, “which heals what is infirm and supplies what is wanting,” will lead us into all grace. Yet, for such as are called to it, and can bear it, the question of the Desert Father remains: “Why not become pure flame?” To each of us, on one level or another, that gift and calling is open — as the person each of us is, which is our theosis.

What then is “centering prayer,” as adduced from the Cloud, and other writings, for our time?

Here are the “rules,” and they are simple indeed.

When you come to prayer, take whatever time is necessary to become quiet and still in the presence of the Lord.
Find a word that expresses God to you.
Allow yourself to slip into prayer.
Whenever you find your mind has wandered, say the word you have selected, and allow it to refocus you upon your watchful sitting before the Lord.
When the time appointed — five minutes, fifteen minutes, twenty minutes — has been completed, retreat from prayer with some simple devotional act. The “Our Father” is perhaps the best, if said slowly and thoughtfully.
When the time of prayer is ended, leave it quietly and joyfully, and go about the business of life. And when the time to return to prayer comes again, enter again into the joy of your Lord. But remember, in every hour of the day, that on a deeper level, you are always in his presence, and all you do is done in his view, and he is always with you — until everything you do and say becomes a living prayer to God. The candle of prayer is always lit, so to speak.

Cistercian Monk M. Basil Pennington has two small books out that present “centering prayer” in its current recommended form. Both books touch on wide themes, but overlap a bit. Adding one or the other to your library is certainly a good investment in your spiritual life. The classic study is Centering Prayer, and the other is Daily We Touch Him: Practical Religious Experiences. The latter book, like Centering Prayer, has a clear and simple introduction to the practice of “centering prayer.” If not currently in print, they will still often be found on the shelves in stores selling used books.

While you can begin centering prayer simply, by following the “rules” given above, and perhaps should, it is important sooner or later to read such books as these or The Cloud of Unknowing, so that you have a greater grasp in depth of the nature of the prayer in which you are participating. Especially, one must learn to leave all things behind, and even the great “insights” that may come in the prayer should be just given to God and let go.

The Prayer Rope, East & West

Prayer ropes are primarily known among Eastern Christians, and are generally used for the “Prayer of the Heart.”

I set out again, continuously praying the Jesus prayer, which had become more precious and sweeter to me than anything else in the world. O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have mercy upon me, a sinner!”^[64]

Prayer ropes are usually made of black yarn, marked off by wooden or glass beads of a variety of colors. They consist of a circle of 33, 50 or 100 knots. Some have 300 knots.

Usually, the prayer rope is marked off in groups of 25 or 10 knots, and decorated with a cross or tassel, but occasionally the cross or tassel may be omitted (wrist or finger prayer ropes). The author is most familiar with 50 knot prayer ropes, separated by beads into groups of ten.

There is no particular significance to the number of knots, other than historical development — e.g., as many Jesus Prayers as there are Psalms in the Psalter, or some such devotion. Beyond that, only the expected number of devotional utterances may dictate the number of knots, or a number that make a rope of convenient size for one’s daily life and routine.

However, the 33 knot rope reflects the 33 years of Jesus’ earthly life, and so has a definite reference.

Alexander Roman, Ph.D., (Alex_Roman@ontla.ola.org) writes to say that “the original prayer rope was devised by the Fathers of the East as a counter for the Prayer of Jesus,” and had, and still has, 100 knots divided into groups of 25, separated by three larger knots, ending in a Cross and a tassel.”

He also notes that the Byzantine Psalter is divided into 20 groups or “kathismata,” each consisting of 3 “stases,” usually 3 psalms for each of the stases. “Saint Basil the Great recommended that, if a Christian was unable to say the Psalter, he or she could say 100 Jesus Prayers for each one of the smaller units, called ‘Stases,’ and 300 Prayers for each one of the 20 ‘Kathismata.’”

The Byzantine Daily Office can also have Jesus Prayers substituted for those who cannot sing one or more offices, each day: “300 for Matins, 150 for Vespers, 100 for Compline, 100 for Nocturnes, and 50 Prayers each for the 4 Day Hours and the Typika.” The 50 knot rope was more convenient to carry for people “in the world” or monks for especially the day hours at six, nine, twelve and fifteen hours (Lauds and/or Prime, Terce, Sext, and None in the Western hours).

The Russians also developed later a 100 knot rope: 12 for the Apostles, 38 for the 36 weeks and 2 days Jesus was in Mary’s womb; and after the divider knot, 33 for Christ’s years on earth, and a final 17 knots for the Prophets of the Old Testament and John the Baptist.

For practical purposes, this prayer rope also helps people keep count of the 12 Kyries during the Office and Liturgy, or the 40 Kyries by counting the divider knot, the following 38 knots, and the end knot of that group. The group of 17 knots helps keep track of the prostrations during the Prayer of Saint Ephrem during Lent. The 33 knot group helps monks with their 30 prostrations during their prayer rope service in Church (Abbot: 3 Jesus Prayers out loud, then the monks do 30). They say 1,000 prayers this way in Church every day.

There are also prayer ropes of three groups of 33 knots, to emphasize the Trinity.

Prayer ropes divided every 10 knots relate to a particular way of saying the Jesus Prayer: 10 Prayers, then a prostration on the divider bead. So, for every 100 Prayers, 10 prostrations are made.

The prayer rope is very flexible, and can be used for many devotions — any other prayer, in fact. Seraphim of Sarov, a model of transfiguration in the Uncreated Light, often used the 50 knot prayer rope divided into groups of 10 for saying the Rule of the Mother of God,^[65] known in the West as the Rosary. (Hence, you can use a Western style Marian Rosary as a substitute for the prayer rope, if you cannot find one readily.)

There is no hard and fast rule for the prayer rope, and it is a very fluid and flexible tool for personal and group devotions. And it is for that reason that we recommend it. Substituting Jesus Prayers for parts of the Psalter or the Hours may have been appropriate in a time when one either memorized the Psalter or Hours, or did not use them, but today when one can find or develop a decent rule of life or rule of prayer, that is hardly to be recommended. And certainly not the endless numbers of such prayers. The Kathismata may be followed, or such as the Hours as one can do, either in Eastern or Western mode.

We strongly recommend either the 33 or 50 knot ropes, as appropriate sizes for daily devotions, particularly if desired for discreet use in public places like public transportation, waiting rooms, and the like, where one may wish to continue one’s daily rule of prayer unobtrusively, or uninterrupted.

Above all, the use for the Jesus Prayer or some other devotion is emphasized. Websites dedicated to the Prayer of the Heart and the Jesus Prayer do exist, and can be accessed. There are also websites for introducing the prayer rope. Use of the “Search” function on your browser will point to a number of interesting sites.

Two sites especially sell prayer ropes made by their own monastics:

Holy Nativity Convent
70 Codman Road
Brookline, MA 02445–7555
Phone: (617) 566–015
Fax: (617) 566–4183

Convent of Saint Elizabeth
P. O. Box 126, 4432 N. Hwy 3
Etna, CA 96027
Phone: (530) 467–5625
Fax: (530) 467–5635
Email: csc@sisqtel.net

You may also purchase a videotape on making prayer ropes, if you would like to not only make your own, but participate in the devotion of prayer rope making, from either Dry Bones Press or Light and Life Publishing. Both are online, and have websites.

The Psalter of Christ

The Roman Orthodox Church website has an excellent history of the prayer rope in the West, calling it the “Celtic Rosary” or the “Psalter of Christ.” Which makes sense, since from Apostolic times the substitution of simple, memorized prayers for Psalms was common; and the materials used were simple and readily available. Such as wool yarn, and beads. Modern rosaries and chaplets, with their plastic and glass beads, and so on, are a development of the early prayer ropes. Western rosaries arose from substituting 150 Our Fathers for the 150 Psalms, and suchlike. Hence, there is a tendency toward 150 knots or beads for a full devotion, usually divided into three groups of 50.

The prayer ropes were often called the Psalter, or paternoster bedes. In the Celtic culture, around the time of Saint Patrick, it was custom to recite the entire Psalter over the grave, and four more times. The actual Psalter, not the beads. By the 7^th Century, monks used knotted cords to keep track of the 150 psalms, or the Divine Office. The author asserts that “in the same century” the Eastern Church began using the prayer rope, but it seems doubtful that it was that late.

In the 11th Century, wooden and clay beads began to replace knotted cords in some circles, and the 50 knot cord came into use as more convenient than the 150 knot cord. The Marian Rosary, called the Marian Psalter, came into vogue in the 13th Century, with 150 “Ave Maria” prayers and a reduce number of “Our Father” recitations. This, as the “Rosary,” has become the most popular form of devotion in the present period.

Some of the “Western Orthodox” have kept the old “Psalter of Christ,” instead, which ends up being a compendium of prayer, or daily devotions. In addition to the Our Father, which is substituted for each of the psalms, there are added such traditional elements as the Sign of the Cross, the Apostles’ Creed, and the Gloria Patri.

Added to the Western devotions, by at least one group, are 150 Jesus Prayers, in the Eastern style, and 150 Adoramus Te prayers (most commonly known from the Way of the Cross devotions in Roman Catholic churches (“We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, for by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.”) In all, 156 prayers are said on each 50 knot rope (Sign of the Cross, Apostles’ Creed, 4 Gloria Patri, 50 Pater Noster, 50 Jesus Prayer, 50 Adoramus Te); and it is recommended to do this three times a day (morning, midday, night). All this seems a bit much, and a much more temperate and measured use of the prayer rope is suggested. Mere repetition and multiplications of devotions is hardly to be recommended. Rather, choose a devotion that is meaningful for you, whether in the current period only or for longer use. And use the rope as a marker and stimulant for prayer, and a comforter.

The Jesus Prayer is excellent, or John Cassian’s “O God, come to my assistance; O Lord, make haste to help me.” Or such other things as your may choose, but preferably Christ–centered.

One can say the Eastern form of the Gloria, or the Trisagion; or even the prayer “Blessed is our God always...” One can perhaps say the Prayer at the Deposition, “O Christ our God, who are yourself the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, who did yourself fulfill all the dispensation of the Father: fill our hearts with joy and gladness always: now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.” This prayer is a constant reminder of the paschal nature of our Christian life. Or, any other prayer or devotion one may find inspiring or helpful to meditation.

Eventually, learning to make prayer ropes may become part of the meditation or devotion.

As for the Psalter itself, or the Hours of Prayer, they are increasingly accessible as devotions for the laity (people of God) as a whole, and not just the monastic or clerical portions of the laos. They should be done in their own right, and not by substitution. However the prayer rope began, regardless the Psalter of Christ or the Marian Psalter, the prayer rope has acquired its own life and use. That life is combined now with the Prayer of the Heart, and it has the most important use as an aid to the profoundest course of prayer. And that should be where it is used.

It is good to know the history of these things, and how we got them, but it is vital not to lose their true meaning for us, and for our walk with God.

The Psalter

The Psalter is one of the great treasures of the faith. It has remained one of the most constantly used books of meditations and prayer in love of God. The use of the Psalter is rather the same in the Churches, but the Roman Breviary, or Divine Office, is perhaps the most developed as a guide to meditation, for it tends to group psalms according to themes where possible, rather than just read them through from Psalm 1 to Psalm 150, as with the Anglicans and the Orthodox. Historically, the 150 psalms were read over the period of one week, grouped with the traditional hours of the Church, and thus sometimes was known as the Liturgy of the Hours. In the recent period, the Divine Office has been regrouped in the Roman Breviary, and one takes the psalms, less a few difficult ones, over a four week cycle instead of one week.

Anglicans still tend to read from first to last, and the Orthodox do the same. However, the Orthodox follow the traditional hours more closely, dividing the psalms into 20 kathismata of 3 stases each, with at least 3 psalms in each of the stases. In accord with ancient tradition, that sundown ends the day, Vespers is still in some Churches regarded as the first office of the day, followed by Compline, and the Nocturnes of Matins during the night, anytime after Compline.

In the morning, there is Lauds, which may correspond to 0600, and Prime, which begins the day in the first hour (0700). The “day hours” are briefer, and correspond to the third, sixth and ninth hours of the day (0900, 1200 and 1500) which are called, respectively Terce, Sext, and None.

Vespers still begin the Orthodox hours in the Horologion, and when combined with Holy Communion, constitute the Liturgy of the PreSanctified. Unfortunately, there has arisen the custom of grouping the Hours and saying a number of them together, producing prohibitively long services of prayer, that become a grueling endurance contest for people and clergy. Instead of the sensible adaptation of the Hours to good sense and physical tolerance, we seem to indulge in that kind of scrupulosity that refuses to let drop hours we cannot get to, and inundate ourselves. Matins, with its groups of Nocturnes, can be a wonderful time to spend with the Lord, as one is able. And with the dawn we move towards Orthros, which can be said just before the Divine Liturgy, or as in the West, Lauds, Prime, and the Little Hours. Anglicans normally mark only Morning Prayer and Evensong, but some of their monastics keep the night hours and the day hours.

We recommend the older pattern, with 150 psalms being prayed in one week, according to the ancient hours. But, we recommend leaving out many of the accretions that have gathered around the hours, and strongly suggest that when any hours cannot be said or are missed, that one simply leave them behind, and not try to “catch up” just to keep a rule. If there are consistently many missed hours, it is suggested to revise the rule of prayer.

Father Frey’s little book, arranging the psalms according to the traditional hours, but excluding all extraneous information or devotions, is strongly recommended. It uses older Catholic translations of the Psalms, but otherwise is very useful.

Old Catholics will shortly have a pocket edition Psalter along the same lines, so that one can pray the psalms without a lot of historical baggage on the one hand, and with considerable freedom to expand and improvise on the other. The Church’s use of the psalms in prayer and song is a study in itself, so that in one’s private devotions, or when praying the psalms in common, one is free to use a number of antiphonal styles. This is particularly true when the psalms are not written as a single continuous text, but are presented with the verses in sense or theme groups. Thus, one can take the first verse of any given psalm, or a thematic verse, and use it as a refrain after each verse group. Or, a congregation can alternate sense groups.

For example, Psalm 51, which is said (whole or in part) in three different places of the Divine Liturgy, from Preparation to Eucharist:

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.^[66]

These are the first two verses of the psalm, grouped together to make a sense group, as if a stanza. If one were to take the opening phrase as a refrain, one could repeat it at the beginning, and after each “stanza:” so that the refrain would be: “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness.” Now, let’s continue through the rest of the psalm, showing in bold face the reduced sections that are used in different parts of the Divine Liturgy in place of the whole psalm:

For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight —
That You may be found just when You speak,
And blameless when You judge.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.^[67]
Make me to hear joy and gladness,^[68]
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation.
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways.
And sinners shall be converted to You.
Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
The God of my salvation,
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.^[69]
For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and contrite heart —
These, O God, You will not despise.
Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion;
Build the walls of Jerusalem.
Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness,
With burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.^[70]

As said before, for antiphonal use one can alternate stanzas in group prayer, or one can take the first verse or part of the first verse, or some thematic verse, to use as a refrain recited between stanzas.

A “Gloria Patri,” in either Eastern or Western style, can be said at the end of each psalm, or each group of psalms. Organized prayer of the Psalms can be prayed using the Roman Breviary (Divine Office) in either its full or short forms, or the excellent Hours in the Byzantine prayerbook from Alleluia Press. The full Orthodox Horologion is increasingly available, as are Anglican psalters. The ancient rule of “singles” and “doubles” and such virtuosities merely complicate the understanding of prayer and liturgy, and should be discarded. Develop a style individually or congregationally, and stick with it, or vary a group of styles according to the sense of things. Many rubrics and rules poison the spirit of the prayer, in the Prayerbook of prayerbooks, the Psalter. The whole purpose of praying the Psalter is to enter into God’s rest, and into the “mind of the Church.” Or, as my Pentecosal grandmother once said, reading over Christian Prayer (a shortened form of the Breviary): “There’s a lot of praise there.” Which, coming from a Pentecostal lady of the old school, is a significant statement indeed. For, the Pentecostals at their best are what Hindus would call “devotees,” the disciples who follow with praise and thanksgiving. As the Desert Father once said: “Why not become pure flame?”

Entering into the Lord’s Rest

“For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.” (Hebrews 4:10)

Hebrews 4 is the most precious invitation to us, to enter into the Lord’s rest, and cease from work. Not that we cease from responsibility or from action, but that we hear and understand what is written:

Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy–laden, and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” — Matthew 11:29–30

How close this is to what Gandi says in his translation of the Bhagavad Gita, which is called “The Gospel of Selfless Action.” Gandhi has not caught the whole point, but he draws close, from within his tradition to the “apatheia” or “passionlessness” with which the Saints are to leave off “work” in the worldly sense, and act (where to think and do are one). “All Self abandon, ye who enter here,” Gandhi says at the beginning, paraphrasing Dante’s entrance into Hell; only Gandhi is suggesting that this is the exit from Hell, and Self, into the real discovery of Heaven, and Self.

The third Discourse of the Gita, says Gandhi, sums it all up: performing action without attachment, Man attains to the Divine.

God had promised rest to his people three times, from the Old Testament, and in the New Covenant. The first rest God gives is the Sabbath, and the second is the release from the enslavement in Egypt — a rest, so to speak, from Israel’s labors there. Another rest given of God to Israel, which both Caleb and Joshua are ostensibly able to see, is for Israel to enter into the Promised Land, and dwell there as in its own land. But, Caleb and Joshua, entering the Promised Land because they alone had not sinned in the Desert, still have not entered into that final rest of the Lord — for David the King many generations later still speaks of that rest as something yet to be obtained (attained). (Hebrews 4:8)

Rest, or sabbatismos in the Greek, is finally realized only in the rest of our entry as a people and as persons into the Kingdom — a full, perfect and final rest. (Hebrews 4:9)

To enter into that rest requires diligence (love, delight) in our working.

The call to that rest as expressed in Hebrews is in the 95th Psalm (94th), which has become the standard Invitatory Psalm of the Roman Breviary, and which is used also in the Eastern Church (3rd Antiphon):

“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord!

Let us heartily rejoice in the Rock of our salvation...”

Hebrews quotes the same passage twice: at the end of Chapter 3, discussing faith and faithlessness (Hebrews 3:13), and in the discussion of entering into the Lord’s rest (Hebrews 4:7):

“Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts...”

For when hearts are hardened, and faith and obedience are lost, then God determined that those so afflicted in the Desert should not enter into his rest:

“So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’
Today, if you will hear His voice:
Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion,
As in the day of trial in the Wilderness,
When your fathers tested Me;
They tried Me, though they had seen My work.
For forty years I was grieved with that generation,
And said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts,
And they do not know My ways.’
So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter into my rest.’ (Psalm 95:7b–11)

“... as in the rebellion (Meribah), as in the day of trial (Massah) in the Wilderness...” Meribah can mean also strife, contention; and Massah can mean trial or testing. In other words, on the day when the Children of Israel contended with God in the Desert, and put him to the test.

God forbad them, even Moses and Aaron, to enter into the Promised Land; but Caleb and Joshua were allowed, because they had remained true to the Lord’s command. They backed up their faith with works of obedience. So also, in the deeper sense, we must work so as to enter into that greater Promised Land, the Kingdom of Heaven.

Our invitation, in the words of the old hymn, I Have Entered Beulah Land,^[71] is to cease from our rebellion, from dwelling beside the waters of strife and contention, and to dwell in the green pastures of the Lord, and beside the still waters. (Psalm 23)

For it is written: “...but you shall be called Hepzibah, and your land shall be called Beulah.” (Isaiah 62:4)

This is a prophecy concerning Judah, and by extension all of us: That Judah, which was called Forsaken shall now be called Hepzibah (My delight is in her); and her land, once called Desolate, shall be called Beulah (Married), for she is married to the Lord, who is her health and sure defense.

“For as a young man marries a virgin [O Jerusalem], so shall your sons marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” (Isaiah 62:5) (Amplified Bible)

Yet, to profess our faith once, as if we as persons are “Saved” once and for all (even if it is true of all of us together), is false: we must persevere in the faith to the end. Even as Hebrews says: “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered into His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.” (Hebrews 4:9–10)

Hence, “Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience” (Hebrews 4:11)

And “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16), for our High Priest has gone before us, and entered into the Heavenly Realms.

Jews hold the Rest (Sabbath) was given to mankind, and they received the Commandment to observe the Rest, to keep it holy, at Sinai. And it was closely related to the Sabbath of Years multiplied by a Sabbath: the Jubilee. Jews are clear that we are to keep the Rest holy, and go forth to greet the Day of Rest as if to go forth to meet royalty.

On another level, we are able to enter into the Lord’s rest every day of our lives, when we approach the throne of grace boldly, with an intimate confidence in God.

We receive the blessing when we go about our work in this world, as if in unceasing prayer, confident in God, walking with God, who rests, and we with Him. It is for us to be watchful, and work, confident in God. For we buy our own trouble, when we will not do this.

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (I Peter 5:6–7)

The Heart at Prayer

Christian life is the way of union with God, although our theosis will not be completed except in the world to come. Our entire life, says Seraphim of Sarov, nothing less than the acquisition of the Holy Spirit. For, he says, “Prayer, fasting, vigils, and all other Christian practices, although wholly good in themselves, certainly do not in themselves constitute the end of our Christian life: they are but the means for the attainment of that end.”^[72]

However, unless they are done in Christ, all such works are empty. There is no question of any human merit capable of perfection, but rather it is the coincidence of grace and works, of the Spirit’s energy and human energy, that perfects us. Grace, thus, does not come as a reward for merit, but as a synergistic force; as God’s energies working with us in synergy to accomplish the works of righteousness, fruits worthy of repentance, and our theosis.^[73] John Cassian, in particular, as the early teacher of the Western Church and Western monasticism, opposed the idea of “merit,” holding with the Fathers that grace and work coincide, and operate together. For as St. Macarius of Egypt said: we are wholly free, and God accomplishes no salvation in us without us “The will of man is an essential condition, for without it God does nothing.” Hence, the subjective aspect of our union with God, is that union of grace and works in us, beginning with conversion.

When the will turns from the “world” and toward God, we have conversion, says St. Isaac the Syrian. “For the soul is not in itself subject to passions, but becomes so when it leaves its interior simplicity and exteriorizes itself.” (p. 200)

“But if the heart must always be ardent, the spirit must remain calm, for it is the spirit which is the guardian of the heart. For the ascetic tradition of the Christian East, the heart (he kardia) is the center of the human being, the root of the ‘active’ faculties, of the intellect and of the will, and the point from which the whole of the spiritual life proceeds, and upon which it converges. Source of all intellectual and spiritual activity, the heart, according to St. Macarius of Egypt, is a ‘workshop of justice and injustice.’ It is a vessel which contains all the vices, but where at the same time, ‘God, the angels, life and the Kingdom, light and the apostles, and the treasures of grace are to be found.’” (pp. 200–201)

We are talking about the heart entering into God’s rest. Grace moves into the heart, to enter into man’s whole nature, including the spirit (nous, pneuma) which is the highest part of man, through which man seeks God.

“The most personal part of man, the principle of his conscience and of his freedom, the spirit (nous) in human nature corresponds most nearly to the person, of the human hypostasis, which contains in itself the whole of man’s nature — spirit, soul and body. This is why the Greek Fathers are often ready to identify the nous with the image of God in man.” (p. 201)

Man must learn to live in the spirit, become spiritual (pneumatikos). In so doing, man acquires again the likeness of God. Hence, the union of the human spirit and the human heart as the center of man’s nature is the critical process. In watchfulness (nepsis), man ascends to God by action (praxis) and contemplation (theoria), to a new kind of knowing (gnosis, in the Christian sense). The path of union is very well summarized in the chapter of Lossky that we are working through, and it is not necessary to rewrite that chapter. Sufficient to point you to it, and to the great body of Christian literature, of Christian praxis and theoria, of Christian gnosis, that lies behind it. Here, we need only take up certain aspects of it, and point out where the Churches coincide or vary as to concept and practice.

“The elect — those united to God — come to the condition of the perfect man,” says Lossky, “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, as St. Paul says.” (p. 215) But though this conformity with Christ is our ultimate state, a state we are being initiated into and guided deeper into, it is not reached, in the mind of the Eastern Church, by a way that involves the imitation of Christ. This may contradict, or seem to contradict, Western practice. The “imitation of Christ” is a well–established concept among Western Catholics, as WWJD (“What Would Jesus Do?”) is among Protestants. The latter is much quoted by the current Democratic presidential candidate, as this book is being brought to its end. Yet, that is likely interpreted in a most subjective, individualistic and emotional way. Human persons cannot “imitate Christ” in the path to union with God for the simplest possible reason: Christ’s path was that of a descent of the Divine into human flesh, whereby our humanity was lifted up and glorified. For us, the path is one of ascent, rising up toward the divine nature toward a union with the Uncreated Light, through the Holy Spirit.

Our life then is a “life in Christ.” (p. 215) “Such a life in the unity of the body of Christ provides human beings with all the conditions necessary for the acquisition of the grace of the Holy Spirit, and thus for participation in the very life of the Holy Trinity, in that supreme perfection which is love.” (p. 215)

But love by which we ascend to God must be closely associated with gnosis (knowledge); a process of personal awareness must be operative, or all is illusion. We are not allowed the self–indulgence of ignorance. We cannot be: it won’t work. In such a life of watchful, aware progress, God transfigures our nature and makes it like the divine nature and “making it participate in the uncreated light of grace, just as was the humanity of Christ in the presence of the Apostles, in the transfiguring light on Mount Tabor clothed in uncreated glory.” (p. 215)

What he says next is mind–boggling: “Gnosis, or personal awareness, grows in the measure in which [our] nature becomes transformed by entering into an ever– closer union with deifying grace. In one who is perfect, there will remain no further room for the ‘unconscious,’ for the instinctive or involuntary; all will be illumined with the divine light, appropriated for the human person which has acquired its proper character by the gift of the Holy Spirit. For ‘the righteous shall shine forth as the sun’ (Matthew 13:43) in the kingdom of God.” (p. 216)

There is so much that can be said here, for the treasures of which we are possessed in the divine and healing path by God’s grace are rich treasures indeed. I leave it to you the reader to take on this chapter of Lossky’s, “The Way of Union,” and the magnificent following chapter, “The Divine Light,” in which he explores this “gnosis” or “personal awareness” in our union with God, until our transfiguration in the Uncreated Light, which is Christ.

There he quotes St. Gregory Palamas, from the Homily on the Presentation of the Holy Virgin in the Temple, and this is such a passage, which tells of the glory of Mary, which is also our glory, each of us: “He who participates in the divine energy, himself becomes, to some extent, light; he is united to the light, and by that light he sees in full awareness all that remains hidden to those who have not this grace; thus, he transcends not only the bodily senses, but also all that can be known by the intellect...for the pure in heart see God...who, being Light, dwells in them and reveals Himself to those who love Him, to His beloved.” Amen! Maranatha! (Even so, come, Lord Jesus!)

The Spirit of God Resting Upon Us

There is lacking to us but one thing, that keeps us from such grace, says Seraphim of Sarov: a firm resolve.

“God is a fire that warms and kindles the heart and inward parts. And so, if we feel in our hearts coldness, which is from the devil — for the devil is cold^[74] — then let us call upon the Lord, and He will come and warm our hearts with perfect love not only for Him, but for our neighbor as well. And from the presence of warmth the coldness of the hater of good will be driven away.”^[75]

We have confidence to make such a firm resolve and remain in it, if only we consider the three reasons why Jesus Christ came into the world: “

The love of God for the human race: ‘For God so loved the world he gave his only–begotten Son.’ (John 3:16).
The restoration in fallen humanity of the image and likeness of God, as the holy Church celebrates it: ‘Man who, being made in the image of God, had become corrupt through sin, and was full of vileness, and had fallen from the better life Divine, doth the wise Creator restore anew’ (first Canon of the Matins for the Nativity of Christ, ode 1).
The salvation of men’s souls: ‘For God sent not His Son ino the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.’” (John 3:17) ^[76]

Why did God become man (Cur Deus homo?): for these very reasons. Or, as traditionally said: “That man might become God.”

The Conversation with Motovilov^[77] is a classic Russian presentation of this transfiguring grace, which in the light of Christ does not destroy our humanity but perfects it, so that the human person walking in grace is not “estatic” (outside himself), but fully, as it were, “self–possessed” — more himself than he or she has ever been. That is the nature of our union with God: we discover God, but we discover ourselves as well. We do not merge, as some religions would have it, back into the great primordial “Soup” that is God. We were created immortal, in God, and that is by Christ restored in us.

Kallistos Ware and Vladimir Lossky both quote key passages from this conversation as illustrative of the Orthodox concept of union, which is not estatic, but perfecting. Ware, in his The Orthodox Way, and Lossky in the book we are presently considering, The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church. I do not have Timothy Ware’s book immediately to hand, so we will continue on with Lossky.

“Why not become pure flame?” asked the Desert Father. St. Macarius of Egypt says that when the Holy Spirit enkindles the hearts of the faithful with the fire of grace they shine like the flames of candles before God. (“Gnosis, the highest stage of awareness of the divine, is an experience of the uncreated light, the experience itself being light: ‘in Thy light, we shall see light.’” (Lossky, p. 218) This is the fire of Pentecost.

In the conversation with Motovilov, Seraphim of Sarov is seen permeated and surrounded by the divine light, yet walking and talking normally, as if to a friend in the way. Which, in fact, is what is happening. Motovilov remarks the light, and it is only when Seraphim points out to him that he, too, is taken up in that light that Motovilov realizes that it is a shared experience.

What is remarkable in the conversation is the seeming ordinariness of it all. The conversation begins with Seraphim telling Nicholas Alexandrovich that God has revealed to him that since the age of 12, Motovilov has desired to know “the aim of the Christian life,” but had revealed this to no one, since nothing given him as information along these lines helped. (In this, he is not unlike the Pilgrim, in The Way of the Pilgrim, who eventually learns the Jesus Prayer.) None of the usual answers work. All are inadequate.

Indeed, says St. Seraphim, all those things are not “answers” because they are only means: the aim of the Christian life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit.

“Prayer, fasting, vigil and all other Christian practices, however good they may be in themselves, do not constitute the aim of our Christian life, although they serve as the indispensable means of reaching this end. The true aim of our Christian life consists of the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God.” (L.R. Philokalia, Vol I, p. 79)

We “acquire” the Holy Spirit by walking and talking with God, by doing all things worthwhile for Jesus Christ’s own sweet sake. And, as a candle gives light to the world, and lights other candles, so we distribute those graces of the Holy Spirit to those in need of them. And as the candle gives light and distributes light without itself being diminished at all, so also we. For earthly gifts are used up, but the divine are not. And the image Seraphim uses here is the image Jesus gave to the Samaritan Woman at the Well: who comes to these waters, and drinks of them, will possess a well of living waters within, springing up unto everlasting life.

It is important too, to underline again, that as this conversation proceeds, both the human spirit and the human body are present in the transfiguration, even as was the case on Mount Tabor. “Man” in the Christian sense refers not to spirit versus body, as with the Manicheans or pagans, but rather only body and spirit together are called “Man.” Thus, the whole human persons expericnces salvation, and is transfigured in Christ Jesus. This is a key component of the event.

Interesting is the fact that while aridity can be experienced as a transient phenomenon, the Western concepts of spiritual development are said by Lossky to be alien to Eastern experience: “In fact, both the heroic attitude of the great saints of Western Christendom, a prey to the sorrow of a tragic separation from God, and the dark night of the soul considered as a way, as a spiritual necessity, are unknown in the spirituality of the Eastern Church.” (Lossky, p. 226)

The reason for this, Lossky opines, is that the East and the West have diverged with regard to a key understanding of the Holy Spirit: the West pursues fidelity to Christ in the pain of Gethsamane, while the East knows Christ in the transfiguring Light of Tabor. (However, he is unwilling to state this as an absolute distinction.)

Motovilov becomes concerned in the conversation with what Lossky expresses as gnosis or consciousness of the union with God. In fact, his report of the experience of the Transfiguring Light begins with a precise question to St. Seraphim: “But how,” I asked Batiuska Seraphim, “can I know that I am in the grace of the Holy Spirit?”

“It is very simple, your Godliness,” responds Seraphim, and begins to show him the Scriptures on the subject. The transition into the transfiguring light is so simple that as Seraphim talks we are not even aware that something has happened. Nor is Motovilov, until he asks again: “Nevertheless,” he says. (How many of us have spoken that “Nevertheless” in our own lives in our own way?) “Nevertheless, I do not understand how I can be certain that I am in the Spirit of God. How can I discern for myself His true manifestation in me?”

And here we begin to become aware that something has happened: Seraphim says in reply that he’s already laid out how people come to be in the Spirit and how we recognize His presence in us. “So what do you want, my dear?” “I want to understand it well,” says Motovilov. “Then Father Seraphim took me very firmly by the shoulders and said: ‘We are both in the Spirit of God now, my dear. Why don’t you look at me?’ “I replied: ‘I cannot look, Batiushka, because lightning is flashing from your eyes. Your face has become brighter than the sun, and my eyes ache with pain.’ “Fr. Seraphim said: ‘Don’t be alarmed, your Godliness! Now you yourself have become a bright as I am. Your are now in the fullness of the Spirit of God yourself, otherwise you would not be able to see me as I am.’”

Motovilov had been entirely unaware of God’s presence in the both of them, and the transfiguring light in and about them.

And the conversation goes on from there. I leave it for you to read for yourself. The point is, as both Ware and Lossky point out, that every teaching of the Eastern Fathers on “gnosis” and transfiguring prayer is there in that conversation. “No longer,” says Lossky, “is it an ecstasy, a passing condition which snatches a human being away from his habitual experience, but a conscious life in light, in endless communion with God.” (p. 230)

The transfiguration of created nature here in this life — in the here and now — is the promise and foreshadowing of that perfection in the transfiguring light of grace, which is only realized fully and completed in the world to come, in the very presence of God.

I cannot recommend too strongly reading and thinking upon this exchange between Seraphim of Sarov and Motovilov. And, with it, the comments that Kallistos Ware and Vladimir Lossky make concerning that grace–filled communion between the two men, a saint and a landowner in old Russia.

A simple conversation on a brisk morning in a clearing of the forest where the two men walked and talked. Simple, and yet not so simple at all. “In the parousia, and the eschatological fulfillment of history, the whole created universe will enter into perfect union with God.” (Lossky, p. 235) We are invited, as if of right, to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb.

“You do the same, your Godliness, and having seen the mercy of God manifestly shown to you, tell of it to all who desire salvation. ‘The harvest truly is great,’ says the Lord, ‘but the laborers are few.’” (Luke 10:2)
— Seraphim of Sarov

Holy Father Seraphim, pray to God for us.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice <and opens the door, I will come in to him, and dine with him, and he <with Me.” (Revelation 3:20)

“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely, I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20)

References

Quotations from Scripture are from the Authorized Version (KJV), unless otherwise noted. When the New King James Version (NKJV) is used, the New Testament and Psalms are usually from the Orthodox Study Bible (New Testament and Psalms), Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1993 (prepared and copyright 1993, by the Saint Athanasius Orthodox Academy, Santa Barbara, California).
Library of Congress Card Number 00–108579
ISBN 1–883938–92–9

↑ Kerygma /kɪˈrɪgmə/ (Greek: κήρυγμα, kérugma, pronounced “kay-roog-ma”) is the Greek word used in the New Testament for preaching (see Luke 4:18-19, Romans 10:14, Matthew 3:1). It is related to the Greek verb κηρύσσω (kērússō), to cry or proclaim as a herald, and means proclamation, announcement, or preaching. The New Testament teaches that as Jesus launched his public ministry he entered the synagogue and read from the scroll of Isaiah the prophet. He identified himself as the one Isaiah predicted in Isa 61. The text is a programmatic statement of Jesus' ministry to preach or proclaim (Kerygma), good news to the poor and the blind and the captive. (Wikipedia)
↑ Anamnesis, from the Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom
↑ “Thus the Trinity is the initial mystery, the Holy of Holies of the divine reality, the very life of the hidden God, the living God. Only poetry can evoke it, precisely because it celebrates and does not pretend to explain. All existence and all knowledge are posterior to the Trinity, and find in It their base.” (V. Lossky; Orthodox Theology: an Introduction, p. 46. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1989.)
↑ Charles Norris Cochrane; Christianity and Classical Culture: A Study of Thought and Action from Augustus to Augustine. New York: Oxford University Press, 1974.
↑ See also Isaiah 43:10, and 49:1, 3, 5–6.
↑ Monogenēs (Unigenitus) is a Greek term (μονογενής) in Christology, usually translated as “Only begotten”. This is based on deriving monogenēs from monos μονος (only) and gennaō γενναω (beget). An alternative understanding derives monogenēs from genos γενος (kind or type, cf. Latin genus), so means ‘unique’, ‘one of a kind’. This is supported by New Testament usage: Hebrews 11:17 refers to Isaac as Abraham’s ‘only begotten son’, yet Abraham begat other sons (Ishmael, and by Keturah). But Isaac was Abraham’s unique son, the son especially promised to him and Sarah in their old age, and who would carry on the covenant line. (Wikipedia)
↑ The Orthodox Study Bible: New Testament and Psalms, p 513, footnote. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1993.
↑ “The distinction in God between ‘essence’ and ‘energy’—the focal point of Palamite theology—is nothing but a way of saying that the transcendent God remains transcendent, as He also communicates Himself to humanity.” John Meyendorff, contributing editor, Introduction, p. 20, Gregory Palamas: The Triads. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1983.
↑ Interrupted by the fall of Rome to the forces of the Italian monarchy, Vatican I was never officially closed until just before Vatican II, and its decrees may never have been officially promulgated until then.
↑ The Paschal troparion or Christos anesti (Greek: Χριστὸς ἀνέστη) is the characteristic hymn for the celebration of Pascha (Easter) in the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite. Like most troparia it is a brief stanza often used as a refrain between the verses of a Psalm, but is also used on its own. Its authorship is unknown. It is nominally sung in Tone Five, but often is sung in special melodies not connected with the Octoechos. It is often chanted thrice. (Wikipedia)
↑ Maranatha (either מרנא תא; maranâ' thâ' or מרן אתא; maran 'athâ' ) is an Aramaic phrase occurring once only in the New Testament and also in the Didache which is part of the Apostolic Fathers collection. It is transliterated into Greek letters rather than translated, and is found at the end of Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians as a farewell. The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible translates it as: “Our Lord, come!” but notes that it could also be translated as: “Our Lord has come” The phrase may have been used as a greeting between Early Christians, and it is possibly in this way that it was used by the Apostle Paul. (Wikipedia)
↑ Marcus Terentius Varro (116-27 BC) in his (lost) Antiquitates rerum humanarum et divinarum established a distinction of three kinds of theology: civil (political) (theologia civilis), natural (physical) (theologia naturalis) and mythical (theologia mythica). The theologians of civil theology are “the people”, asking how the gods relate to daily life and the state (imperial cult). The theologians of natural theology are the philosophers, asking for the nature of the gods, and the theologians of mythical theology are the poets, crafting mythology. The terminology entered Stoic tradition and is used by Augustine of Hippo. Natural theology, thus, is that part of the philosophy of religion dealing with describing the nature of the gods, or, in monotheism, arguing for or against attributes or non-attributes of God, and especially the existence of God, purely philosophically, that is, without recourse to any special or supposedly supernatural revelation. (Wikipedia)
↑ Theoria (Greek θεωρία) is Greek for contemplation or 'the perception of beauty regarded as a moral faculty' (Oxford English Dictionary). From within Eastern Orthodox theology it is the 'vision' or 'seeing' of God achieved by the pure of heart who are no longer subject to the afflictions of the passions. Theoria is obtained as a gift from the Holy Spirit to those who through observance of the commandments of God and ascetic practices (see also kenosis, schema) have achieved dispassion.
↑ “The sleep of reason makes monsters.”
↑ the Leaden Casket
↑ OrthodoxDynamis is a service that prepares and emails to subscribers the daily Scripture readings for the Divine Liturgy. They can be found on the Internet. For Roman Catholics, a similar service exists, called Oremus.
↑ Vlachos, Hierotheos S.; Orthodox Psychotherapy (The Science of the Fathers), translated by Esther Williams. Levadia, Greece: Birth of the Theotokos Monastery, P. O. Box 107, 321 00 Levadia, Greece. Published 1994, reprinted in 1995.
↑ Lossky, Vladimir; “Redemption and Deification,” in In the Image and Likeness of God. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1985.
↑ Vlachos, p. 25.
↑ John Romanides; Jesus Christ in the Life of the World. (Talk)
↑ John Romanides; Romaioi i Romioi Pateres tis Ekklisias.
↑ John Romnides; Jesus Christ in the Life of the World.
↑ Cf Hosea 6:6, Micah 6:6–8.
↑ In the Image and Likeness of God, a collection of essays by Lossky, published by St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, Crestwood, NY; 1985.
↑ In the here and now.
↑ Literally “out of nothing,” without necessity on the part of God, but of God’s will and good pleasure.
↑ John Meyendorff, Introduction, in Gregory Palamas, The Triads; in The Classics of Western Spirituality Series. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1983.
↑ Homilies 15, 20.
↑ Meyendorff: “The distinction in God between ‘essence’ and ‘energy’...is nothing but a way of saying that the transcendent God remains transcendent, as He also communicates Himself to humanity.” (p. 20)
↑ Fr. Michael Pomazhansky; Orthodox Dogmatic Theology. 1994. St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, P. O. Box 70, Platina, CA 96076.
↑ Orthodox Study Bible, p 220, notes.
↑ The Oxford Study Bible uses the New King James translation.
↑ “I am.”
↑ According to ancient tradition, she is known as Saint Photini (the enlightened one), and is said to have gone with her children to Carthage to bear witness; and in the end, was martyred under Nero.
↑ A Jewish priest
↑ The denarius (plural: denarii) was a Roman coin used after 211 BC.
↑ Matthew 22:2–14.
↑ Karl Marx, in his 1844 Manuscripts, comes very close to this Christian concept— probably because of his own early Christian education, and his education in the Whig tradition of American economics: the powers of any are the powers of all, and any talent another has or develops enriches the whole, and enriches each and every “other.”
↑ A small, silver, Roman coin.
↑ a short hymn (troparion), sung at Easter (Pascha)
↑ The “bread of angels,” which is a verse by Thomas Aquinas.
↑ A mandala (Sanskrit maṇḍala मंड “essence” + ल “having” or “containing”) is a drawing or pattern intended to be used for meditation or spiritual uplift.</li>
↑ Jimmy Carter</li>
↑ The Bhagavad Gita (Sanskrit भगवद्गीता, “Song of God”) is a Sanskrit text from the chapter Bhishma Parva of the Mahabharata epic, comprising 700 verses. Krishna, as the speaker of the Bhagavad Gita, is referred to within as the divine one. The Bhagavad Gita is revered as sacred by Hindu traditions, and especially so by Vaishnavas (followers of Vishnu-Krishna). It is commonly referred to as The Gita.</li>
↑ Schadenfreude (IPA: [ˈʃaːdənˌfʁɔʏ̯də] German) is enjoyment taken from the misfortune of someone else. The word referring to this emotion has been borrowed directly from German by the English language and is sometimes also used as a loanword by other languages. Philosopher and sociologist Theodor Adorno defined schadenfreude as “largely unanticipated delight in the suffering of another which is cognized as trivial and/or appropriate.” (Wikipedia) Watching the slapstick of the Three Stooges is a good example of Schadenfreude.</li>
↑ C.f., Mark 12: 28–34; Deuteronomy 6:5, 10:12, and 30:6; and Leviticus 19:18</li>
↑ Reference to the divine mysteries of Baptism (redemption) and Eucharist (blood).</li>
↑ Redemption is being set free from the bondage of sin. It is accomplished for mankind as a whole, but must also be accomplished in our individual lives, by our acceptance of it, and living out its consequences in our lives. We do not so much invite Christ into our life, as get ourselves into Christ’s life. (Cf Orthodox Study Bible, p. 439, footnote.)</li>
↑ Reference to the divine mystery of Chrismation.</li>
↑ Michael Pomazansky; Orthodox Dogmatic Theology. Platina, CA: St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1994. (pp 195–196)</li>
↑ Philippians 2:12. It is noteworthy that Paul, who has such confidence in Christ, uses the word “trembling” four times in the Epistles, and the phrase “fear and trembling” three times—this being the most known.</li>
↑ Jordan Bajis; Common Ground: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity for the American Christian. Minneapolis: Light & Life Publishing, 1996.</li>
↑ Georges Florovsky; Bible, Church, Tradition: an Eastern Orthodox View. Belmont, MA: Nordland, 1972.</li>
↑ Donald M. Ballie; The Theology of the Sacraments. (New York; Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1957).</li>
↑ John Meyendorff; Byzantine Theology. (New York: Fordham Press, 1979)</li>
↑ See also: Dom Gregory Dix; The Shape of the Liturgy. (New York: Seabury Press, 1983.)</li>
↑ Joseph Ratzinger, (before he became Pope Benedict XVI); Introduction to Christianity. (J. R. Foster, translator) New York: Seabury Press, 1971. (First published in German, 1968, as talks on the Apostles’ Creed)</li>
↑ “The function of the Bishop of Rome,” he continues, “would thus be to form the next stage in the category of means.” This begs the question, but contains an element of truth: if Peter is possessed of a primacy of jurisdiction and witness, even as an ecumenical council is in the Eastern sense, then the witness of the Holy Spirit through that office by one person is not beyond reason. For, the Spirit can use one as well as many; but the key would be the Eastern sense of the nature of a Council, which Vatican I was converging upon, when interrupted. Vatican I is a truncated council at best, and only a local council, as are all councils since Constantinople III.</li>
↑ Thomas Merton; Basic Principles of Monastic Spirituality. (Springfield, IL: Templegate, 1996)</li>
↑ John Cassian; Conferences. Translated by Colm Luibheid. (New York: Paulist Press, 1985)</li>
↑ Psalm 70, in King James Version and New King James Version.</li>
↑ The Cloud of Unknowing. Text rendered by Evelyn Underhill, Introduction by Laurence Freeman. (Rockport, MA: Element, Inc., 1997)</li>
↑ A Monk of St. Tikhon’s Monastery; These Truths We Hold: The Holy Orthodox Church: Her Life and Teachings. South Canaan, PA: St. Tikhon’s Seminary Press, 1992.</li>
↑ From: The Way of the Pilgrim, by a Monk of the Eastern Church. Multiple publishers.</li>
↑ One Angelic Salutation (Hail Mary) on the knot, and an Our Father on the divider beads.</li>
↑ The entire Psalm 51 (50) is said at the end of the Prothesis, as the altar is incensed.</li>
↑ Used in the Roman Catholic Mass, in the Asperges and in the Lavabo.</li>
↑ Echoed in the Prayer of the Deposition, “O Christ our God, who are Thyself...”</li>
↑ At the Little Entrance, instead of the whole Psalm. Also, opens prayer in the Roman Breviary.</li>
↑ At the Offertory, instead of the whole Psalm, “Then shall they offer young bullocks upon thine altar.” (Three times.)</li>
↑ You may hear this song by Fanny Crosby, on the Cyber Hymnal, which is on the Internet. There are two other Beulah Land hymns, but none really does credit to the Lord’s rest, although Crosby’s comes closest, albeit primarily in an individual salvation/personal devotion mode.</li>
↑ Vladimir Lossky; The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church. (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1976). Chapter 10, The Way of Union.</li>
↑ Cf. St. Gregory of Nyssa.</li>
↑ Compare Dante’s image of Satan in the Inferno: at the bottom of Hell, encased in ice, with three mouths that perpetually chewed on traitors.</li>
↑ The Little Russian Philokalia, Vol. I: Seraphim of Sarov, translated by Fr. Seraphim Rose. (Platina, CA: St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1996) p. 23)</li>
↑ Little Russian Philokalia, Vol I, p. 24.</li>
↑ Actually, “The Holy Spirit Clearly Resting on Fr. Seraphim of Sarov in his Conversation on the Aim of the Christian Life with he Simbirsk Landowner and Judicial Counselor Nicholas Alexandrovich Motovilov,” which may be found in the the Little Russian Philokalia,Vol I, in Chapter II: The Acquisition of the Holy Spirit.</li></ol>

[0] Kerygma /kɪˈrɪgmə/ (Greek: κήρυγμα, kérugma, pronounced “kay-roog-ma”) is the Greek word used in the New Testament for preaching (see Luke 4:18-19, Romans 10:14, Matthew 3:1). It is related to the Greek verb κηρύσσω (kērússō), to cry or proclaim as a herald, and means proclamation, announcement, or preaching. The New Testament teaches that as Jesus launched his public ministry he entered the synagogue and read from the scroll of Isaiah the prophet. He identified himself as the one Isaiah predicted in Isa 61. The text is a programmatic statement of Jesus' ministry to preach or proclaim (Kerygma), good news to the poor and the blind and the captive. (Wikipedia)

[1] Anamnesis, from the Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom

[2] “Thus the Trinity is the initial mystery, the Holy of Holies of the divine reality, the very life of the hidden God, the living God. Only poetry can evoke it, precisely because it celebrates and does not pretend to explain. All existence and all knowledge are posterior to the Trinity, and find in It their base.” (V. Lossky; Orthodox Theology: an Introduction, p. 46. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1989.)

[3] Charles Norris Cochrane; Christianity and Classical Culture: A Study of Thought and Action from Augustus to Augustine. New York: Oxford University Press, 1974.

[4] See also Isaiah 43:10, and 49:1, 3, 5–6.

[5] Monogenēs (Unigenitus) is a Greek term (μονογενής) in Christology, usually translated as “Only begotten”. This is based on deriving monogenēs from monos μονος (only) and gennaō γενναω (beget). An alternative understanding derives monogenēs from genos γενος (kind or type, cf. Latin genus), so means ‘unique’, ‘one of a kind’. This is supported by New Testament usage: Hebrews 11:17 refers to Isaac as Abraham’s ‘only begotten son’, yet Abraham begat other sons (Ishmael, and by Keturah). But Isaac was Abraham’s unique son, the son especially promised to him and Sarah in their old age, and who would carry on the covenant line. (Wikipedia)

[6] The Orthodox Study Bible: New Testament and Psalms, p 513, footnote. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1993.

[7] “The distinction in God between ‘essence’ and ‘energy’—the focal point of Palamite theology—is nothing but a way of saying that the transcendent God remains transcendent, as He also communicates Himself to humanity.” John Meyendorff, contributing editor, Introduction, p. 20, Gregory Palamas: The Triads. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1983.

[8] Interrupted by the fall of Rome to the forces of the Italian monarchy, Vatican I was never officially closed until just before Vatican II, and its decrees may never have been officially promulgated until then.

[9] The Paschal troparion or Christos anesti (Greek: Χριστὸς ἀνέστη) is the characteristic hymn for the celebration of Pascha (Easter) in the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite. Like most troparia it is a brief stanza often used as a refrain between the verses of a Psalm, but is also used on its own. Its authorship is unknown. It is nominally sung in Tone Five, but often is sung in special melodies not connected with the Octoechos. It is often chanted thrice. (Wikipedia)

[10] Maranatha (either מרנא תא; maranâ' thâ' or מרן אתא; maran 'athâ' ) is an Aramaic phrase occurring once only in the New Testament and also in the Didache which is part of the Apostolic Fathers collection. It is transliterated into Greek letters rather than translated, and is found at the end of Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians as a farewell. The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible translates it as: “Our Lord, come!” but notes that it could also be translated as: “Our Lord has come” The phrase may have been used as a greeting between Early Christians, and it is possibly in this way that it was used by the Apostle Paul. (Wikipedia)

[11] Marcus Terentius Varro (116-27 BC) in his (lost) Antiquitates rerum humanarum et divinarum established a distinction of three kinds of theology: civil (political) (theologia civilis), natural (physical) (theologia naturalis) and mythical (theologia mythica). The theologians of civil theology are “the people”, asking how the gods relate to daily life and the state (imperial cult). The theologians of natural theology are the philosophers, asking for the nature of the gods, and the theologians of mythical theology are the poets, crafting mythology. The terminology entered Stoic tradition and is used by Augustine of Hippo. Natural theology, thus, is that part of the philosophy of religion dealing with describing the nature of the gods, or, in monotheism, arguing for or against attributes or non-attributes of God, and especially the existence of God, purely philosophically, that is, without recourse to any special or supposedly supernatural revelation. (Wikipedia)

[12] Theoria (Greek θεωρία) is Greek for contemplation or 'the perception of beauty regarded as a moral faculty' (Oxford English Dictionary). From within Eastern Orthodox theology it is the 'vision' or 'seeing' of God achieved by the pure of heart who are no longer subject to the afflictions of the passions. Theoria is obtained as a gift from the Holy Spirit to those who through observance of the commandments of God and ascetic practices (see also kenosis, schema) have achieved dispassion.

[13] “The sleep of reason makes monsters.”

[14] the Leaden Casket

[15] OrthodoxDynamis is a service that prepares and emails to subscribers the daily Scripture readings for the Divine Liturgy. They can be found on the Internet. For Roman Catholics, a similar service exists, called Oremus.

[16] Vlachos, Hierotheos S.; Orthodox Psychotherapy (The Science of the Fathers), translated by Esther Williams. Levadia, Greece: Birth of the Theotokos Monastery, P. O. Box 107, 321 00 Levadia, Greece. Published 1994, reprinted in 1995.

[17] Lossky, Vladimir; “Redemption and Deification,” in In the Image and Likeness of God. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1985.

[18] Vlachos, p. 25.

[19] John Romanides; Jesus Christ in the Life of the World. (Talk)

[20] John Romanides; Romaioi i Romioi Pateres tis Ekklisias.

[21] John Romnides; Jesus Christ in the Life of the World.

[22] Cf Hosea 6:6, Micah 6:6–8.

[23] In the Image and Likeness of God, a collection of essays by Lossky, published by St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, Crestwood, NY; 1985.

[24] In the here and now.

[25] Literally “out of nothing,” without necessity on the part of God, but of God’s will and good pleasure.

[26] John Meyendorff, Introduction, in Gregory Palamas, The Triads; in The Classics of Western Spirituality Series. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1983.

[27] Homilies 15, 20.

[28] Meyendorff: “The distinction in God between ‘essence’ and ‘energy’...is nothing but a way of saying that the transcendent God remains transcendent, as He also communicates Himself to humanity.” (p. 20)

[29] Fr. Michael Pomazhansky; Orthodox Dogmatic Theology. 1994. St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, P. O. Box 70, Platina, CA 96076.

[30] Orthodox Study Bible, p 220, notes.

[31] The Oxford Study Bible uses the New King James translation.

[32] “I am.”

[33] According to ancient tradition, she is known as Saint Photini (the enlightened one), and is said to have gone with her children to Carthage to bear witness; and in the end, was martyred under Nero.

[34] A Jewish priest

[35] The denarius (plural: denarii) was a Roman coin used after 211 BC.

[36] Matthew 22:2–14.

[37] Karl Marx, in his 1844 Manuscripts, comes very close to this Christian concept— probably because of his own early Christian education, and his education in the Whig tradition of American economics: the powers of any are the powers of all, and any talent another has or develops enriches the whole, and enriches each and every “other.”

[38] A small, silver, Roman coin.

[39] short hymn (troparion), sung at Easter (Pascha)

[40] The “bread of angels,” which is a verse by Thomas Aquinas.

[41] A mandala (Sanskrit maṇḍala मंड “essence” + ल “having” or “containing”) is a drawing or pattern intended to be used for meditation or spiritual uplift.</li>

[42] Jimmy Carter</li>

[43] The Bhagavad Gita (Sanskrit भगवद्गीता, “Song of God”) is a Sanskrit text from the chapter Bhishma Parva of the Mahabharata epic, comprising 700 verses. Krishna, as the speaker of the Bhagavad Gita, is referred to within as the divine one. The Bhagavad Gita is revered as sacred by Hindu traditions, and especially so by Vaishnavas (followers of Vishnu-Krishna). It is commonly referred to as The Gita.</li>

[44] Schadenfreude (IPA: [ˈʃaːdənˌfʁɔʏ̯də] German) is enjoyment taken from the misfortune of someone else. The word referring to this emotion has been borrowed directly from German by the English language and is sometimes also used as a loanword by other languages. Philosopher and sociologist Theodor Adorno defined schadenfreude as “largely unanticipated delight in the suffering of another which is cognized as trivial and/or appropriate.” (Wikipedia) Watching the slapstick of the Three Stooges is a good example of Schadenfreude.</li>

[45] C.f., Mark 12: 28–34; Deuteronomy 6:5, 10:12, and 30:6; and Leviticus 19:18</li>

[46] Reference to the divine mysteries of Baptism (redemption) and Eucharist (blood).</li>

[47] Redemption is being set free from the bondage of sin. It is accomplished for mankind as a whole, but must also be accomplished in our individual lives, by our acceptance of it, and living out its consequences in our lives. We do not so much invite Christ into our life, as get ourselves into Christ’s life. (Cf Orthodox Study Bible, p. 439, footnote.)</li>

[48] Reference to the divine mystery of Chrismation.</li>

[49] Michael Pomazansky; Orthodox Dogmatic Theology. Platina, CA: St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1994. (pp 195–196)</li>

[50] Philippians 2:12. It is noteworthy that Paul, who has such confidence in Christ, uses the word “trembling” four times in the Epistles, and the phrase “fear and trembling” three times—this being the most known.</li>

[51] Jordan Bajis; Common Ground: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity for the American Christian. Minneapolis: Light & Life Publishing, 1996.</li>

[52] Georges Florovsky; Bible, Church, Tradition: an Eastern Orthodox View. Belmont, MA: Nordland, 1972.</li>

[53] Donald M. Ballie; The Theology of the Sacraments. (New York; Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1957).</li>

[54] John Meyendorff; Byzantine Theology. (New York: Fordham Press, 1979)</li>

[55] See also: Dom Gregory Dix; The Shape of the Liturgy. (New York: Seabury Press, 1983.)</li>

[56] Joseph Ratzinger, (before he became Pope Benedict XVI); Introduction to Christianity. (J. R. Foster, translator) New York: Seabury Press, 1971. (First published in German, 1968, as talks on the Apostles’ Creed)</li>

[57] “The function of the Bishop of Rome,” he continues, “would thus be to form the next stage in the category of means.” This begs the question, but contains an element of truth: if Peter is possessed of a primacy of jurisdiction and witness, even as an ecumenical council is in the Eastern sense, then the witness of the Holy Spirit through that office by one person is not beyond reason. For, the Spirit can use one as well as many; but the key would be the Eastern sense of the nature of a Council, which Vatican I was converging upon, when interrupted. Vatican I is a truncated council at best, and only a local council, as are all councils since Constantinople III.</li>

[58] Thomas Merton; Basic Principles of Monastic Spirituality. (Springfield, IL: Templegate, 1996)</li>

[59] John Cassian; Conferences. Translated by Colm Luibheid. (New York: Paulist Press, 1985)</li>

[60] Psalm 70, in King James Version and New King James Version.</li>

[61] The Cloud of Unknowing. Text rendered by Evelyn Underhill, Introduction by Laurence Freeman. (Rockport, MA: Element, Inc., 1997)</li>

[62] A Monk of St. Tikhon’s Monastery; These Truths We Hold: The Holy Orthodox Church: Her Life and Teachings. South Canaan, PA: St. Tikhon’s Seminary Press, 1992.</li>

[63] From: The Way of the Pilgrim, by a Monk of the Eastern Church. Multiple publishers.</li>

[64] One Angelic Salutation (Hail Mary) on the knot, and an Our Father on the divider beads.</li>

[65] The entire Psalm 51 (50) is said at the end of the Prothesis, as the altar is incensed.</li>

[66] Used in the Roman Catholic Mass, in the Asperges and in the Lavabo.</li>

[67] Echoed in the Prayer of the Deposition, “O Christ our God, who are Thyself...”</li>

[68] At the Little Entrance, instead of the whole Psalm. Also, opens prayer in the Roman Breviary.</li>

[69] At the Offertory, instead of the whole Psalm, “Then shall they offer young bullocks upon thine altar.” (Three times.)</li>

[70] You may hear this song by Fanny Crosby, on the Cyber Hymnal, which is on the Internet. There are two other Beulah Land hymns, but none really does credit to the Lord’s rest, although Crosby’s comes closest, albeit primarily in an individual salvation/personal devotion mode.</li>

[71] Vladimir Lossky; The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church. (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1976). Chapter 10, The Way of Union.</li>

[72] Cf. St. Gregory of Nyssa.</li>

[73] Compare Dante’s image of Satan in the Inferno: at the bottom of Hell, encased in ice, with three mouths that perpetually chewed on traitors.</li>

[74] The Little Russian Philokalia, Vol. I: Seraphim of Sarov, translated by Fr. Seraphim Rose. (Platina, CA: St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1996) p. 23)</li>

[75] Little Russian Philokalia, Vol I, p. 24.</li>

[76] Actually, “The Holy Spirit Clearly Resting on Fr. Seraphim of Sarov in his Conversation on the Aim of the Christian Life with he Simbirsk Landowner and Judicial Counselor Nicholas Alexandrovich Motovilov,” which may be found in the the Little Russian Philokalia,Vol I, in Chapter II: The Acquisition of the Holy Spirit.</li></ol>

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Catechism: Divine and Healing Path

From CatholicWikipedia

Contents

Forward to the Second Edition

Jim Rankin, Requiescat in Pace

Walking with God

Symbolon

The Symbol of Nicea–Constantinople

We believe in one God

...the Father Almighty

...Maker of Heaven and Earth

...and of all things, visible and invisible

...and in one Lord, Jesus Christ

...the Son of God

The Only–Begotten

Begotten by the Father before all worlds

Light from Light

Very God of Very God

Begotten not made

Of one essence with the Father

By whom all things were made

Who for us men

...and for our salvation

...came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man.

And was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried.

And the third day, He rose again, according to the Scriptures

And ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father

And He shall come again with glory to judge the quick and the dead. Whose kingdom shall have no end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life,

Who proceeds from the Father

Who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped (adored) and glorified,

Who spoke by the Prophets

And We believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins.

We look for the Resurrection from the dead,

And the Life of the world to come.

The Catholic Creeds

Angelic Hymn

Te Deum Laudamus

Bible Creeds

Image and Likeness

Psalm 8

Cur Deus homo?

Psalm 82

Christian Psychology

Psyche

Science of the Soul

The Wisdom of the World

Relative Wisdom

Care & Cure of Souls

The Cure of Souls

Doctor of Souls and Discernment of Spirits

What Manner of Healing?

Signified Will of God VS The Will of God’s Good Pleasure

The Testimony of the Jews

The Meaning of Job for Christians

Incarnation

Incarnation

The Signified Will of God

What, then?

The Three Greatest Stories of the New Testament

The Woman at the Well

Who is My Brother (Neighbor)?

The Great Supper

The Lost Sheep: The Prodigal Son

The Unforgiving Servant

Summary

The Sermon on the Mount

The Beatitudes

Simple Gifts

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they shall see God.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The “Our Father” Prayer

Our Father...