Why Do I Wear a Cross?

 It’s a question that I doubt seriously that many of us ever ask ourselves.  And yet, the answer to the question is central to who we are as a people!

It is uncommon for me to write in the first person, but today we’ll violate our aversion to this, because I’ll speak for myself, and allow others to decide based on my offering how to compare and contrast their own practice.

I have a quite beautiful gold cross—small, on a short gold chain.  I wear it about my neck and against my skin 24/7.  It is on me when I bathe, when I sleep, when I wake, when I drive, when I walk.  The only time I’ve taken it off is when required to do so for medical testing.  No one (except for me) sees this cross.  It is there to remind me that I have been purchased at great price by my Master, who loves me.  It is for me alone.  Showing it to others has no purpose, since I am called by my Master to reflect His love to all who I encounter.  They are to see Him when they see me.  When I am conformed to His will properly, seeing His cross adds very little to an image of the One they should see when they look at me.

On other days, when I am doing my clerical duties as a priest, I DO wear a visible cross.  It serves several purposes.  It does make a statement to those who will notice it that I am a priest, one who is called to be a servant of the Lord.  It can be used as a “blessing Cross” similar to the one that lay upon our Altar to give a blessing to those who approach in faith looking for a blessing.  It is a message to the one wearing it that the first thing he needs to show to those seeing him is humility.  It is NOT an ‘emblem’ saying to others, “Look up to me!”  God forbid!

In the Bulgarian Patriarchate (and in many other Orthodox jurisdictions—but not all), the cross is given to a man at his ordination to the Holy Priesthood for these purposes.  Such a priest is called by his office to present himself at all times publicly in cassock wearing the cross.  An Orthodox priest must get a blessing from his bishop to be seen in public NOT wearing “clerics” as described.  I have such a blessing from His Eminence to dress in secular clothes for my secular job.

If I’m out in public and I am wearing clerics, often the things said to me by people are surprising.  The most repeated one?  “Are you some kind of priest?”  Less often people will smile and simply offer, “Hello, father.”  Too often, the response is, “I like your cross.”  To such people, it isn’t a symbol of our Lord and His call to be a servant, it’s a piece of jewelry.

So you have been given a number of reasons why your priest wears a cross.  But let’s return to the original question—Why do YOU wear a cross?  Why SHOULD you wear a cross?

It’s this later question that’s most important.  First, we should wear a cross to remind us of our Lord’s commandment to His followers, “you must deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Me.” Second, if I am following, I must be reminded to always look for the One Who is leading, and not to stray from Him.

But least of all, I should NOT wear a cross as a ‘show piece’, an ornament. 

There’s a story of a nun who was taken prisoner (I forget if in WWII or in Soviet Russia—the time/place is unimportant) and was stripped of everything that could remind her of her former life in Christ.  That included the cross she wore from her youth until then.  When she was permitted time to walk outdoors, she picked some longer blades of grass.  Alone in her captivity, she wove those blades of grass into the shape of a cross, which she clandestinely kept in her pocket.  So as she would walk, her hand held what was precious to her—her grass cross.  When she was alone, she would take if from her pocket and venerate it.

I submit to you that God’s creation was never more beautifully used by mankind than it was in those simple blades of His grass which connected her with Him in loving prayer, sustaining her through her captivity.

May the crosses we bear upon ourselves, regardless of what they are made of, be that precious to our daily existence.

 

Saints as Intercessors

 We just posted a "Spiritual Alms" piece about the saints who surround us who are ready intercessors for us in times of need.  The list that follows may help you find a saint you may turn to in any particular need.

The following is a list of Saints called upon for special purposes: *

To Have a Child

• St. Anna, Mother of the Theotokos
• St. Elizabeth, Mother of the Forerunner
• St. Sabbas the Sanctified of Palestine
• St. Irene Chrysovolantou

For Safe Childbirth

• St. Eleftherios

For the Care and Protection of Infants

• St. Stylianos

For Young People

• Holy Great Martyr Demetrios the Wonderworker

Delivery from Sudden Death

• St. Barbara the Great Martyr

Against Drinking

• Holy Martyr Boniface and the Righteous Aglais

For Travelers

• St. Nicholas: in general, and specifically for sea travel
• St. John the Russian: for transport, auto, busses
• St. Niphon, Patriarch of Constantinople: for safety at sea

For Cobblers

• St. Eustathius the Cobbler of Georgia

For Physicians

• St. Panteleimon
• The Holy Unmercenaries, Saints Cosmas and Damian

For the Kitchen, Home

• St. Euphrosynos the Cook
• St. Sergius of Radonezh: for baking
• Sts. Spyridon and Nikodim of Kievo-Pechersk: Prosphora making

For Trading

• St. Paraskeva

For Headaches

• Holy New Martyr Demas of Smyrna

For Eyes

• St. Paraskeva

For Ears

• St. Spyridon the Wonderworker

For Teeth

• St. Antipas of Pergamum

For Hernias and Intestinal Disorders

• Holy Great Martyr Artemius
• St. Artemius of Verkola

For Throat

• St. Blaise of Sebastia

For Finding Employment

• St. Xenia of St. Petersburg

For Help in Studies

• The Three Hierarchs:St. Basil the Great, St. John Chrysostom, St. Gregory the Theologian
• St. Sergius of Radonezh
• St. John of Kronstadt
• St. Justin the Philosopher

For Church-Chanting

• St. Romanos the Melodist

For Iconographers

• St. Luke the Apostle and Evangelist
• St. John of Damascus

For Patient Endurance of Affliction

• St. Job the Much-Suffering
• Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebastia: especially in freezing cold weather
• Holy Forty-Two Martyrs of Amorion

For Protection Against Thieves

• St. Gregory the Wonderworker of Kievo-Pechersk

For Stone-workers

• Holy Martyrs Florus and Laurus

For Soldiers

• Holy Archangel Michael
• St. George the Great Martyr
• St. Barbara the Great Martyr
• St. Longinus the Martyr

For Spiritual Help, Consolation and Compunction

• St. Ephraim the Syrian
• St. Alexis the Man of God
• St. Seraphim of Sarov

For a Good End to One’s Life

• Holy Archangel Michael
• St. Niphon, Patriarch of Constantinople

For Captives and Court Cases

• St. Onouphrios the Great
• St. Peter of Athos
• St. George the Great Martyr

For Help in Distress, Poverty, Etc.

• St. Nicholas the Wonderworker
• St. John the Almsgiver of Alexandria
• St. John of Kronstadt

For Finding Things

• St. Phanourios the Great Martyr
• St. Menas the Great Martyr of Egypt

For Meeting a Difficult Situation, an Interview, Etc.

• St. David the Prophet, Psalmist and King
• The Holy Unmercenaries and Healers
• SS. Cosmas and Damian of Rome
• SS. Panteleimon and Hermolaus
• St. Julian the Martyr
• St. John of Kronstadt
• St. Nectarios of Aegina
• Holy Archangel Raphael

For Animals and Livestock

• St. George: cattle and herds
• St. Parthenius of Radovysdius: cattle
• SS. Spevsippus, Elesippus and Melevsippus: horses
• St. Tryphon: geese

For Protection of Crops from Pests

• St. Michael of Synnada

For the Protection of Gardens Against Pests and for Hunters

• Holy Great Martyr Tryphon

Against Demons and Witchcraft

• SS. Cyprian and Justina
• St. Theodore Sykeote
• St. Mitrophan of Voronezh

For Chastity and Help in Carnal Warfare

• St. John the Forerunner
• St. Demetrios the Great Martyr
• St. John the Much-Suffering
• Holy Martyr Theodore the Byzantine
• Holy Martyr Ignatios of Athos
• St. Mary of Egypt
• St. Joseph the All-Comely
• St. Susanna [Old Testament]

For Mental Disorders

• St. Naum of Ochrid
• St. Anastasia
• St. Gerasimos of Cephalonia: the possessed

Against Plague

• St. Haralambos
• St. Marina the Great Martyr

For Help Against Quick-Temper and Despondency

• St. Tikhon of Zadonsk

For Workers in Hospitals

• Holy Unmercenaries Saints Cosmas and Damian
• St. Dositheus, Disciple of Abba Dorotheus

For Guilelessness and Simplicity

• Holy Apostle Nathaniel and St. Paul the Simple

* Reprinted from Orthodox Family Life. Volume 3, Issue 3. Spring 1998

Messages From Within the Great Fast

 One of the calendar listed readings for the second Thursday of the Great Fast was from Isaiah Chapter 6.  It provides the prophet’s vision of heaven.  The words of the prophet are in part institutionalized within the Liturgy of St. Basil.

I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”

Picture yourself standing in this place and witnessing what Isaiah was blessed to see!

And yet, you also are so blessed, and perhaps even more so—because you witness this same scene inside of today’s Divine Liturgy, but not only becoming witnesses of the Lord’s glory, but of His provision to us, to His Bride the Church, and to the whole world (that portion which will accept Him) of His precious Body and Blood!

Isaiah continues:  “The posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.”

There’s nothing more beautiful than being inside a church on a bright sunny day, with sunbeams shining inside and illuminating the clouds of incense coming from the censer.  It provides a visual image of the warmness of our fervent prayer rising towards the light that comes from Heaven.

So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”

The word translated as “undone” is interesting.  From the Hebrew it can mean “cut off”, “perish”, or “destroy”.  Isaiah is clearly afraid that, because of the holiness of what he has seen, he cannot go on living as a mortal.

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.”

The faithful seldom get to hear this, but within ANY Divine Liturgy or even a Presanctified Liturgy, when the clergy commune themselves, they partake first of the Body of our Lord, then afterward they take the Cup and sip three times— “In the name of the Father (sip), Amen!  And of the Son (sip), Amen! And of the Holy Spirit (sip), Amen, Amen, Amen!”

Immediately after this act, the priest returns the Chalice to the Altar Table with the prayer, “Lo, this has touched my lips.  It shall wash away my iniquity and cleanse me from my sins!”

If you didn’t know before, you now know how intimately tied to Isaiah, to the Prophets, and to the Old Testament much of our regular worship is!

For his part, Isaiah is so overwhelmed with what has just transpired (as are those who partake at the contemporary Altars) that he is ready for the following call:

I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?”  Isaiah boldly steps forward.  Here I am!  Send me!!

Let us show such zeal, for our Lord blesses us to receive in its fullness the Holy Eucharist into ourselves, that which Isaiah only received in figure, as a ‘type’ in a vision.  Let us leave every Liturgy with hearts crying out, Here I am!  Send me, Lord, send me!!!

Idomelon, Second Friday of the Great Fast

 Now is the acceptable time,

Now is the day of salvation.

In the abundance of Your mercy visit my soul

And take away the burden of my sins,

For You are the only Lover of mankind!

Sin

 [A short essay by Fr. John Mancantelli from the booklet "Orthodox Great Lent - Reflections and Meditations"]

As sinners, we can have one of two attitudes towards our evil actions.  We can be lenient and nonchalant, making excuses for ourselves such as, "Everyone does the same thing," or "This commandment doesn't apply to my special situation," or "I had no choice," and the like.  In short, we can usurp the position of Christ and make ourselves the criterion of right and wrong in our lives.  Or, we can acknowledge and confess our sins, earnestly pleading Christ for forgiveness, and make amends to those we may have wronged, resolving with God's assistance never to do such deeds again.  The first approach leads to moral disintegration and personal destruction; the second to salvation.  Christ is the only true standard of good and evil in this world; to accept Him means to imitate His holy life in our own experience.  Therefore it is important for us to come to know Christ by reading the Scriptures and by encountering Him in the Sacraments of the Church.

To See My Own Sins

 [An essay from Fr. Basil Stoyka published in a little flyer entitled, "Orthodox Great Lent - Reflections and Meditations," Feb 1977, Royalton Printing Company]

"Cain said to his brother, 'Let us go into the open country!'  While they were there, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and murdered him.  Then the Lord said to Cain, 'Where is your brother, Able?' Cain answered, 'I do not know.  AM I MY BROTHER'S KEEPER?'"  

So we have the first murder of mankind recorded in the Old Testament. (Gen 4:8-9)

Cain tried to justify himself before the Lord for his actions.  He said, "Am I my brother's keeper?"  These words have echoed down throughout time.

We, too, try to justify our actions today, just like Cain.  But we haven't killed.  Or have we?

The murder of which I speak is our lack of understanding and love for each other.  Let the Great Fast be our window, a time to view ourselves and see what we will see.  If we're honest with God and with ourselves, we will see that improvement is needed!

The prayer of St. Ephraim which we pray throughout the Great Fast summarizes what is expected of us.

"O Lord and Master of my life - take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power and idle talk.  But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to Your servant.  O Lord and King, grant that I may see my own transgressions, and not to judge brother or sister, for You are blessed unto ages of ages.  Amen!"

There's a verse from the hymnology for the Third Sunday of the Fast:

"Because of my evil deeds, I, wretched man, dare not gaze with my eyes to heaven.  But like the publican, sighing, I cry to You: 'God, forgive me, a sinner, and deliver me from pharisaic hypocrisy, for You alone are compassionate.'"

Fasting

From "The Shepherd of Hermas"

'This fasting,' he said, 'if the commandments of the Lord are kept, is very good. This, then, is the way that you shall keep the fast. First of all, keep yourself from every evil word and every evil device, and purify your heart from all the vanities of this world. If you keep these things, your fast shall be perfect for you. And thus shall you do. Having fulfilled what is written, on that day on which you fast, you shall taste nothing but bread and water; and from the meals which you would have eaten, you shall reckon up the amount of that day's expenditure, which you would have incurred, and shall give it to a widow, or an orphan, or to one in want, and so shall you humble your soul, that he that received from your humiliation may satisfy his own soul, and may pray for you to the Lord. If then you shall so accomplish this fast, as I have commanded you, your sacrifice shall be acceptable in the sight of God, and this fasting shall be recorded; and the service so performed is beautiful and joyous, and acceptable to the Lord.'

Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete

Each Great Fast begins with Forgiveness Sunday Vespers, in which we pray for blessings as we traverse the path of the Fast.  The next service we encounter is the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete.  It is called the "Great Canon" in that it is the longest canon used in the Church.

The Canon is parsed to be prayed over the first four evenings of the first week of the Great Fast, and then again in its entirety on Thursday of the Week St. Mary of Egypt (fifth week).

The Canon is a dialogue between St. Andrew and his soul, in which he urges himself to change his life, focusing on his sinfulness and comparing it to both good and bad examples in Holy Scripture from both the New and the Old Testaments.

And Irmos (the 'initial' Troparion of an Ode in the Canon) begins each section of the Canon.  It is most often sung by a choir, but hopefully by all the gathered faithful.  The Ode 1 Irmos prayer is, A Helper and a Protector has become salvation to me.  This is my God, I will glorify Him!  God of my fathers, I will exult Him, for in glory was He glorified!  Then between following Troparia, the refrain is sung, Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me!

The Canon is gifted to us as a tool to be used to expose to our own souls sins described by a great saint of the Church, and then in ascribing those same sins to ourselves, to seek sincere repentance.

The Great Canon was written by St. Andrew who was seeking the path for the right way to live. If we are to benefit from his great work in gifting this Canon to us, we must make it a priority to stand in prayer, in the church, and not just listen to the words of the Canon, but to pray them - sincerely - with all others present, with a great desire and expectation for God’s grace to teach us and to heal us. Orthodoxy is a faith requiring engagement, it is to be experienced and prayed, and not observed.

Why Forgiveness Sunday?

 Each year as we come to Forgiveness Sunday, many Orthodox Christians ask their pastors, "Why do I need to ask forgiveness from everyone in the Church?  Some of these people I hardly know.  I don't interact regularly with most of them.  How is it possible that I've offended them, or that they've offended me?  What therefore is the point of seeking mutual forgiveness?"

Father Alexander Schmemann once wrote brilliantly on the issue.  Here are his words:

One may ask, "Why should I perform this rite when I have no “enemies”? Why should I ask forgiveness from people who have done nothing to me, and whom I hardly know?" 

To ask these questions is to misunderstand the Orthodox teaching concerning forgiveness. 

It is true, that open enmity, personal hatred, real animosity may be absent from our lives, though if we experience them, it may be easier for us to repent, for these feelings openly contradict Divine commandments. But, the Church reveals to us that there are much subtler ways of offending Divine Love. These are indifference, selfishness, lack of interest in other people, of any real concern for them—in short, that wall which we usually erect around ourselves, thinking that by being “polite” and “friendly” we fulfill God’s commandments. The rite of forgiveness is so important precisely because it makes us realize – be it only for one minute – that our entire relationship to other men is wrong.  It makes us experience that encounter of one child of God with another, of one person created by God with another, makes us feel that mutual “recognition” which is so terribly lacking in our cold and dehumanized world.

You see, if I "hardly know" my brother or sister in Christ, how important have I made them in my life?  What do I display to them as the "value" that I see in them?  And, is such behavior not offensive?

And if I "don't interact" with my brother or sister, is not the same dynamic at play between us?  Have I not, by my ignoring them, shown them that I don't care about them?

Is it not these very same people, who could rightly be offended by my indifference, whose forgiveness I should seek FIRST?  Are they not MOST worthy of my most sincere repentance, seeking sincerely their forgiveness?

Some will say, "It's a two-way street, Father.  Why must I be the one to be caring?  They could come to me as easily as I could go to them!"

But you see, you just indicted yourself.  You admit - it's EASY to be a loving brother or sister in Christ.  Any relationship must begin somewhere.  None of us can be exonerated from a responsibility to care for the needs of others.  Our Lord just taught us that lesson in last week's Gospel!  "As you have done it to the least of My brethren, you have done it to Me." (Mat 25:40)

And so we come together, and in full sincerity, and with open hearts, we ask in all humility for EVERY other person to forgive us.  We dare not ignore our Lord's words on THIS day:  “If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses…” (Matt. 6:14-15).  

I won't judge you.  But I NEED this forgiveness!  So to all of you, forgive me!  God forgives all!!!

Friday Before Cheesefare

[From St. Theophan the Recluse]

So will I save you, and you shall be a blessing promises the Lord through the Prophet Zachariah (Zach 8:13).  But under what condition?  Under the condition that every man will speak the truth to his neighbor, that men will righteously sort out their affairs amongst themselves, that men will not remember wrongs in their hearts against their neighbor, that they will love no false oath, and will love truth and peace.  If these conditions are met, says the Lord, they shall be to Me a people, and I will be to them a God, in truth and in righteousness (Zach 8:8), and His blessing shall spread among them.  Then all strangers shall hear and say, 'Let us go speedily to them to pray before the Lord, for we have heard that the Lord is with them (cf Zach 8:21-23).  And many peoples and many nations shall come to seek earnestly the face of the Lord Almighty (Zach 8:22).

Thus did the high moral purity of the first Christians attract people to the nations of the Lord.  Those who live always according to the spirit of Christ are, without the use of words, the best preachers of Christ and the most convincing apostles of Christianity.

The True Meaning of Forgiveness

My brothers and sisters in Christ,

On "Forgiveness Sunday" we find ourselves at the threshold of the Great Fast.  Saint Paul’s words from the day’s Epistle should ring in our ears and burn in our hearts, “It is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” 

The Holy Church has been preparing us for this day for lo these past four weeks, bringing us gently into the realization that it is time to awaken ourselves from our spiritual slumber, that it is “high time” to arouse ourselves to spiritual efforts, the struggles with the flesh and the spirit, to conform ourselves to the will of God in our lives.

To take us to that point, let us review a Gospel reading NOT of this day, but of the days to come.  We all know where we are headed – to the Cross, to the tomb with Christ, to show our love by walking with Him as He approaches trial before the unlawful judges of the Sanhedrin, as He subjects Himself to beatings and scourgings at the hands of the Romans, and as He submits His body to death on the Cross and burial in the tomb.

On Holy Thursday, we will hear the following words from the lips of our Lord.  “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”  This phrase is recorded only in the Gospel of Saint Luke (23:34).  None of the others record this marvelous prayer from our Lord and Savior.

Now I ask you, why is it that Jesus finds it necessary to ask the Father to forgive those who crucify Him?  In previous accounts, we find Jesus making a point of showing the Scribes and Pharisees that He indeed, as the Son of Man, as the Son of God, has the authority to forgive sins.  We find this in at least two places.  One is in the Gospel of St. Matthew Chapter 9, where we find others bringing the paralytic to the Lord for healing.  A second is in the Gospel of St. Luke Chapter 7, where the woman comes and anoints the feet of the Lord with her costly ointment.  In both instances those who surround the Lord are at first horror filled to hear a Man saying, “Your sins are forgiven,” for they understand the forgiveness of sins to come from God alone.  But the Lord shows His authority in both these instances, teaching the unbelievers that He indeed has this authority.

Now, back to the Cross.  If Jesus clearly has the authority to forgive sins, why does He ask the Father to forgive those who crucify Him?  Why does He not simply say, “Father, I forgive them”?

You see, my brothers and sisters in Christ, the Lord indeed HAS already forgiven them.  By His words, He shows us that HIS forgiveness is already complete.  By offering this prayer, He transfers His will to the Father, for they share all things.

And there is yet one even more marvelous thing within this prayer.  For when the Lord offers this prayer, He has forgiven them even as they are committing the sin.  Not after – during!  His crucifixion is not complete, He has not yet died on the Cross.  Those responsible for His crucifixion still had the ability, the authority, the power to bring Him down, to recognize His divinity.  As they stand, watch, and wait for the Life of the World to die, He prays for them, and forgives them.

How much more should I be forgiving of any who have only spoken badly of me, or taken from me, or dealt dishonestly with me.  I am not in any kind of mortal danger from what others have done to me.  Jesus was laboring to breathe.  The Lord was gasping for each breath.  His ligaments were stretched to the breaking point.  Read Psalm 22, and from it learn what the extent of the Lord’s suffering on the Cross.  

“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning? …. I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. 7 All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8 "He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!" 9 But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother's breasts. 10 I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother's womb You have been My God. 11 Be not far from Me, For trouble is near; For there is none to help. 12 Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. 13 They gape at Me with their mouths, Like a raging and roaring lion. 14 I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. 16 For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; 17 I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. 18 They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.”

God Himself suffered in this way for me.  And who am I to say that I am offended to such an extent that I will not forgive.  What does our Lord teach me about holding back my forgiveness until one who seeks my harm asks for it?  Those who surround the Lord do not know Him.  They do not ask His forgiveness, because they desire His death.  Yet, He freely has already forgiven them, and transfers His forgiveness to the Father.

Those of us who call ourselves His followers do not seek His death.  We come seeking His life, and we desire to have that life in abundance.  We cannot have it, we cannot share it, unless and until we follow our Lord in His example of forgiveness.  

This is why Orthodox Christians gather around the world on this day to seek one anothers' forgiveness.  Only by entering the Fast with our hearts free from holding onto judgment of others can we truly begin to judge ourselves, to cleanse ourselves, to approach the Lord with open hearts, to be truly and fully repentant.

Only then might we hope to hear our Lord offer His forgiveness to us, coming to know concretely that He has already forgiven us as well. 

Metropolitan Anthony - On Healing

In today's Gospel we hear about two occasions on which Christ healed the sick. And we may ask ourselves, 'Why didn't He heal everyone who was in need of healing?'

Because - this is how I read it - because it is not only the healing of the body that was involved in the miraculous act of God; those were healed in their bodies who were ready, mature to be made whole and not only free from physical illness, who were prepared and capable for being given a wholeness that at the same time made them responsible for the gift of health. The natural life which they have had before was wane; illness was undermining all that nature has given them; the end was death, and here, they met the Living God. The Living God Who had by His word of power, but also by His act of love called them into the existence. And they were prepared, they were inwardly ready to receive a new life. The natural life had come to an end, or was coming to an end, and now, a new life was offered, a life which was a gift of God, and a gift of God that entailed a completely new relationship between them and God, between them and all the surrounding world; a new relationship with themselves, a new attitude to themselves. Those who were healed were prepared to receive new life, for the second time, as it were, to be born by the power of God.

I believe, it is everyone who longed not only for physical healing, not only for a new strength to continue to live according to nature that could be healed. The Lord asks from them two questions; the one which we hear in today's Gospel, and the other one which we hear more than once in other passages. Today we have heard this question, 'Can you believe, do you believe? Do you believe that My compassion extends to you? Do you believe that I can heal you because you have seen in Me, the "I am": the Living God become the Living man? Do you believe that you can be made whole, not only temporarily repaired, but given the wholeness of eternal life now? If you do, however little - you can. ‘I believe, Lord, help my unbelief, my lack of belief!’.. And the Lord said, ‘If you can believe however little - it is possible’...

And the other question was, 'Do you want to be healed?' It seems to us such a strange question: who doesn't?.. Yes, if it was only a matter of being restored to physical health it would be simple; everyone would say 'yes’. But it is wholeness that is at stake; and wholeness means to become a human being in perfect harmony with God, in harmony with one's neighbor, with the created world, restructured inwardly as to be whole.

And this, it is not everyone of us who wishes, because the cost, if we think of it, is great; to accept this wholeness, we must accept a life that would be in the image of the life of Christ: to be among men as He was, with no thought of Himself, ready to accept all humiliation, ready to accept all suffering, all rejection, and humiliate no one, protect oneself against no suffering and reject no one; to receive all brothers without exception as Christ receives us. And who of us can claim that he is worthy of being received, of being recognized by Christ, by God in Him, as His brother or sister?

Let us therefore ask ourselves: Can we answer these two questions? Can I say to the Lord, 'I believe, Lord - help my lack of belief, my inner hesitation born of the experience I have of a broken personality and of a distorted world. Help me believe that wholeness and harmony are possible!..’

But also, let us ask ourselves whether we are prepared to accept new life, wholeness on God's own terms: to remain in this world as Christ lived in it, possessed of sacrificial love, renouncing ourselves, caring only for the other person's salvation, and every other person's life. If we are, then we turn to God and say, I believe, Lord; I open myself to wholeness: I may not achieve it at once, but I will struggle for it, give all my life for it, and serve everyone possessed of Your Own sacrificial love. 

Amen.

One Common Message

 In Matthew Chapter 3 Verse 2, Saint John the Forerunner’s first recorded words are, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!

In Matthew Chapter 4 Verse 17, we find our Lord having just defeated Satan and his temptations after 40 days fasting in the wilderness, and our Lord’s first words after this are, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand! 

Thus we find two men who have met only once, whose only recorded conversation with one another is John’s expressed reticence in submitting God the Son to his baptism in Jordan, but receiving the command from Christ to do so with these words, Permit it to be for now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.  With this being the only conversation between the greatest born of woman (Mat 11:11) and God in the flesh, isn’t it astounding to find the words so precisely matched?

For those of us who follow the Orthodox Faith, it shouldn’t be surprising at all!

The preaching of the need for repentance is integral to nearly every aspect of our faith.  The teachings of the Holy Fathers are filled with references to the need for repentance.

How many sinful acts we have to grieve for.  For without grief there is no purification. St. Peter of Damascus

Cleanse your mind from anger, remembrance of evil, and shameful thoughts, and then you will find out how Christ dwells in you. St. Maximos the Confessor

If you are afraid of sinners like yourself seeing your sins, how much more should you be afraid of God who notes everything? St. Isaiah the Solitary

These are only three ‘pearls’ - there are countless more.  This is why we encourage all of us to use whatever ‘spare time’ we have to read the Holy Fathers.  You see, their message does not echo exactly what the Forerunner and our Lord said, word for word, but it is clear that the message is contained in their teachings.

And these are things that we know even without study, if the Holy Spirit has not departed from us.  St. Paul makes this eminently clear in his letter to the Romans when he teaches, for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them.  (Rom 2:14-15)

 This is no different from when David the King and Psalmist wrote, For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.  Against You, and You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight… (Ps 51:3-4)

The thing is, God, in His infinite love for us, His creation, wants nothing more from us that this simple component of living in this fallen world:

Repentance.

In every instance when those who approached the Lord came for healing, He freely (and without prompting) spoke, Your sins are forgiven you!  Not once do the Gospels nor any Scripture point to any who come to the Lord in repentance being denied His absolving them of their sins.

It was that way 2000 years ago.

It is still that way today.  Glory to God for His abundant mercy!