| When Jesus preached the good news of salvation, He removed mountains for the good of the lives of people. Mountains of pride and selfishness, mountains of prejudice and hatred, mountains of sin and evil. Zacchaeus and Matthew were public outcasts as tax-collectors and sinners before they met Jesus and converted to His message. The sinful woman who washed Christ’s feet with water and her tears, and to whom much was forgiven because she loved much, was a harlot. St. Paul was a fanatic, a violent persecutor of the early Christians, before he met Christ on the Damascus road to become the most successful apostle and missionary in the early Church. The disciples of Christ too proved to be lions of faith and courage after the resurrection of Christ and the gift of the Spirit. They took on their mission with mountain-moving faith. St. Peter became the leader of the early Church. He preached the gospel as far as Rome where he died a martyr. The other apostles established churches in Palestine, Asia Minor, Greece, Italy, Egypt and many other places. They suffered hardships and persecution, being “spectacles” and “fools for Christ” in the words of St. Paul according to today’s Epistle reading. But by their strong faith they moved mountains of disbelief, paganism, idolatry and immorality in cities and towns where they planted churches. Our local parishes have been built on the foundation of mountain-moving faith. Most of our parishes were established by struggling immigrants. Their deepest strength was a triumphant faith which proved stronger than adversities, prejudices, lack of priests and occasionally internal disputes. We need their strength and example of faith today. Our times require active and powerful faith to rejuvenate our Church as a whole and have all our parishes flourish for our children and grandchildren. What is faith? Where does the power of faith come from? Faith is trust, assurance, confidence and loyalty to something or someone worthy of our trust. The uniqueness of Christian faith comes from its Christological orientation. Christological means the quality of faith being directed to Christ, His person and His saving work. Christian faith is trust and faithfulness to everything that Christ represents as Lord and Son of God, living sincerely by His example and teachings. |
| For life is not the same thing as virtue, since not every life, but a wisely regulated life, is virtue; and yet, while there can be life of some kind without virtue, there cannot be virtue without life. This I might apply to memory and reason, and such mental faculties; for these exist prior to instruction, and without them there cannot be any instruction, and consequently no virtue, since virtue is learned. But bodily advantages, such as swiftness of foot, beauty, or strength, are not essential to virtue, neither is virtue essential to them, and yet they are good things; and, according to our philosophers, even these advantages are desired by virtue for its own sake, and are used and enjoyed by it in a becoming manner. They say that this happy life is also social, and loves the advantages of its friends as its own, and for their sake wishes for them what it desires for itself, whether these friends live in the same family, as a wife, children, domestics; or in the locality where one " s home is, as the citizens of the same town; or in the world at large, as the nations bound in common human brotherhood; or in the universe itself, comprehended in the heavens and the earth, as those whom they call gods, and provide as friends for the wise man, and whom we more familiarly call angels. Moreover, they say that, regarding the supreme good and evil, there is no room for doubt, and that they therefore differ from the New Academy in this respect, and they are not concerned whether a philosopher pursues those ends which they think true in the Cynic dress and manner of life or in some other. And, lastly, in regard to the three modes of life, the contemplative, the active, and the composite, they declare in favor of the third. That these were the opinions and doctrines of the Old Academy, Varro asserts on the authority of Antiochus, Cicero " s master and his own, though Cicero makes him out to have been more frequently in accordance with the Stoics than with the Old Academy. But of what importance is this to us, who ought to judge the matter on its own merits, rather than to understand accurately what different men have thought about it? Chapter 4.– What the Christians Believe Regarding the Supreme Good and Evil, in Opposition to the Philosophers, Who Have Maintained that the Supreme Good is in Themselves. |
| And speaking of the youth, our experience has been that liturgical worship without catechetical instruction and the possibility to participate directly in Christian work and spiritual life produces no long-lasting fruits of the Holy Spirit. And neither does catechetical instruction and participation in activistic programs disconnected from well-prepared participation in the Church’s liturgical life experienced as “reasonable worship.” Orthodox and Heterodox, Believers and Non-believers Our experience in the United States and Canada, especially in recent years, has also revealed that on either side of Christ’s narrow way concerning the relationship between Orthodox Christians and non-Orthodox, and between believers and non-believers, there exist two broad and easy ways, opposite to each other and equally pernicious and destructive. One broad and easy way is to consider everyone and everything outside the Orthodox Church to be totally devoid of God’s grace and goodness, totally untrue and totally evil. Those of this way consider Roman Catholic and Protestant Christians, as well members of the pre-Chalcedonian Oriental Churches (the Egyptian Copts, the Armenians, Ethiopians, and Syrian Christians of India) as not being Christians at all. They hold that their services and sacraments are wholly devoid of grace and truth, that there is nothing of God and the true Church of God in their doctrines and practices. They consider “ecumenism” to be heretically sinful, even when “ecumenism” is understood as all Orthodox Churches in the world today officially understand it, namely, as the work to overcome disagreements and divisions among Christians and Christian confessions and communities, to affirm unanimities and agreements where these actually exist, and to cooperate in practical activities whenever possible for the good of human beings, especially the poor, needy, afflicted, outcast and suffering. For those following this way, there can be no discussion or cooperation. There can only be condemnation and judgment of others which is often presented as the expression of Orthodox strictness, as the narrow way itself. |
| O Ransom of mine offences, I ask Thee to receive me, and that I may partake without condemnation of Thy life-giving and perfect Mysteries, that Thou mayest remain, as Thou hast said, with me, a thrice-wretched one, lest the deceiver, finding me without Thy grace, craftily seize me, and having beguiled me, draw me away from Thy deifying words. Wherefore, I fall down before Thee, and fervently cry unto Thee: As Thou did receive the prodigal, and the sinful woman who drew near, so receive me, the prodigal and profligate, O Compassionate One. With contrite soul I now come to Thee. I know, O Saviour, that none other hath sinned against Thee as have I, nor hath wrought the deeds that I have done. But this again I know, that neither the magnitude of mine offences nor the multitude of my sins surpasseth the abundant long-suffering of my God and His exceeding love for mankind; but with sympathetic mercy Thou dost purify and illumine them that fervently repent, and makest them partakers of the light, sharers of Thy divinity without stint. And, strange to angels and to the minds of men, Thou conversest with them oftimes, as with Thy true friends. These things make me bold, these things give me wings, O Christ. And taking courage from the wealth of Thy benefactions to us, rejoicing and trembling at once, I partake of Fire, I that am grass. And, strange wonder! I am bedewed without being consumed, as the bush of old burned without being consumed. Now with thankful mind, and grateful heart, with thankfulness in my members, my soul and body, I worship and magnify and glorify Thee, my God, for blessed art Thou, both now and unto the ages. Prayer of St. John Chrysostom, 7 O God, loose, remit, and pardon me my transgressions wherein I have sinned against Thee, whether by word, deed, or thought, voluntarily or involuntarily, consciously or unconsciously; forgive me all, for Thou art good and the Lover of mankind. And through the intercessions of Thy most pure Mother, Thy noetic ministers and holy hosts, and all the saints who from the ages have been pleasing unto Thee, deign to allow me without condemnation to receive Thy holy and immaculate Body and precious Blood, unto the healing of soul and body, and unto the purification of mine evil thoughts. |
| There are presently some seventy priest-trainees at Shasta Abbey and its “branch priories,” chiefly in California. The monastery is now in a state of rapid expansion, both on its own grounds and in its “mission” to the American people; there is a growing movement of lay Buddhists who make the Abbey their religious center and often come there, together with psychologists and other interested persons, on meditation retreats of varying lengths. With their publications, counselling and instruction in California cities, a projected children’s school and a home for the elderly – Shasta Abbey is indeed progressing in its aim of “growing Zen Buddhism in the West.” Towards Christianity the Abbess and her disciples have a condescending attitude; they respect the Philokalia and other Orthodox spiritual texts, recognizing Orthodoxy as the closest to them among “Christian” bodies, but regard themselves as being “beyond such things as theologies, doctrinal disputes and “isms,” which they regard as not belonging to “True Religion” ( Journal, Jan.-Feb., 1978, p. 54). Zen has, in fact, no theological foundation, relying entirely on “experience” and thus falling into the “pragmatic fallacy” that has already been noted earlier in this book, in the chapter on Hinduism: “If it works, it must be true and good.” Zen, without any theology, is no more able than Hinduism to distinguish between good and evil spiritual experiences; it can only state what seems to be good because it brings “peace” and “harmony,” as judged by the natural powers of the mind and not by any revelation – everything else it rejects as more or less illusory. Zen appeals to the subtle pride – so widespread today – of those who think they can save themselves, and thus have no need of any Saviour outside themselves. Of all of today’s Eastern religious currents, Zen is probably the most sophisticated intellectually and the most sober spiritually. With its teaching of compassion and a loving “Cosmic Buddha,” it is perhaps as high a religious ideal as the human mind can attain – without Christ. Its tragedy is precisely that is has no Christ in it, and thus no salvation, and its very sophistication and sobriety effectively prevent its followers from seeking salvation in Christ. In its quiet, compassionate way it is perhaps the saddest of all the reminders of the “post-Christian” times in which we live. Non-Christian “spirituality” is no longer a foreign importation in the West; it has become a native American religion putting down deep roots into the consciousness of the West. Let us be warned from this: the religion of the future will not be a mere cult or sect, but a powerful and profound religious orientation which will be absolutely convincing to the mind and heart of modern man. 5. The new “spirituality” vs. Christianity |
| Chapter 10.– Concerning Theurgy, Which Promises a Delusive Purification of the Soul by the Invocation of Demons. But here we have another and a much more learned Platonist than Apuleius, Porphyry, to wit, asserting that, by I know not what theurgy, even the gods themselves are subjected to passions and perturbations; for by adjurations they were so bound and terrified that they could not confer purity of soul – were so terrified by him who imposed on them a wickedcommand, that they could not by the same theurgy be freed from that terror, and fulfill the righteous behest of him who prayed to them, or do the good he sought. Who does not see that all these things are fictions of deceiving demons, unless he be a wretched slave of theirs, and an alien from the grace of the true Liberator? For if the Chaldæan had been dealing with good gods, certainly a well-disposed man, who sought to purify his own soul, would have had more influence with them than an evil-disposed man seeking to hinder him. Or, if the gods were just, and considered the man unworthy of the purification he sought, at all events they should not have been terrified by an envious person, nor hindered, as Porphyry avows, by the fear of a stronger deity, but should have simply denied the boon on their own free judgment. And it is surprising that that well-disposed Chaldæan, who desired to purify his soul by theurgical rites, found no superior deity who could either terrify the frightened gods still more, and force them to confer the boon, or compose their fears, and so enable them to do good without compulsion – even supposing that the good theurgist had no rites by which he himself might purge away the taint of fear from the gods whom he invoked for the purification of his own soul. And why is it that there is a god who has power to terrify the inferior gods, and none who has power to free them from fear? Is there found a god who listens to the envious man, and frightens the gods from doing good? And is there not found a god who listens to the well-disposed man, and removes the fear of the gods that they may do him good? O excellent theurgy! O admirable purification of the soul!– a theurgy in which the violence of an impure envy has more influence than the entreaty of purity and holiness. |
| 2. It is on this basis that it is essential to develop in all directions inter-Christian co-operation for the protection of human dignity and the preservation of peace so that the peace-keeping efforts of all Christians may become more relevant and effective. 3. The general recognition of the lofty value of the human person may become the cause for wider co-operation in the field of peace-keeping. The Orthodox Churches are called upon to help in religious dialogue and co-operation, and as a result of this to overcome all manifestations of fanaticism for the strengthening of friendship between peoples, the triumph of freedom and peace throughout the world for the good of each human person, regardless of their race and religion. Of course, this co-operation excludes both syncretism and the attempt of one religion to dominate over all the others. 4. We are convinced that as laborers together with God (I Cor. 3:9) we can develop on local, national and international levels joint service for the good of humanity with all peoples of good will that strive for a peace that is pleasing to God. This ministry is a commandment of God (Matt. 5:9). 2. Freedom and Responsibility . 1. One of the loftiest gifts of God to the human person both as a concrete bearer of the image of a personal God and as a member of a community of persons in the unity of the human race by grace reflecting the life and communion of the Divine Persons in the Holy Trinity, is the gift of freedom. " He Who created the human person in the beginning made him free and autonomous, limiting him solely by the laws of the commandment " (St. Gregory the Theologian, Homily 14 , On Love for the Poor , 25. PG 35, 892A). Freedom allows the human person to ascend to spiritual perfection, yet at the same time includes the danger of disobedience, the abandonment of submission to God and through this the fall, the tragic consequences of which is the existence of evil in the world. 2. The consequence of this evil are the imperfections and shortcomings which predominate in modern-day life: secularization, violence, moral laxity, negative phenomena such as narcotic and other forms of dependency that can be seen in certain young people, racism, the arms race, war and the social catastrophes that result from it, discrimination against certain social groups, religious communities and whole peoples, social inequality; the limitation of human rights in the field of freedom of conscience, in particular religious freedom, disinformation and the manipulation of public opinion; economic backwardness, the disproportionate redistribution or complete absence of the essentials of life, the hunger of millions of people, the forced deportation of populations and the trade in human beings, the uncontrolled use of genetic biotechnologies and the end of human life – all of this causes infinite anxiety in the life of modern-day humanity. |
| This would mean following the advice of David: ‘Depart from evil, and do good” (Ps. xxxiv. 14). Such .actions lead straight to acquiring the habit of the virtue opposed to the passionate movements which had troubled you; and this habit strikes them to the heart and kills them. Try to forestall, or accompany, or conclude these actions with an inner resolve, which would make such passionate impulses for ever impossible in the future. For instance, in the foregoing example, consider yourself worthy, of every insult and bring yourself to welcome every kind. of insult and calumny: welcome them and be ready to receive and accept them with joy as the most salutary remedies. In other cases, try to incite and establish in yourself other corresponding feelings and dispositions. This would mean driving the passion out of your heart and replacing it by the virtue opposed to it, which is the aim of the unseen warfare. I will give you a general indication, suitable for all occasions, in accordance with the guidance of the holy fathers. Our soul has three parts or powers-the thinking, the desiring and the excitable. Owing to their corruption, these three powers give birth to three corresponding kinds of wrong thoughts and movements. The thinking power gives birth to thoughts of ingratitude to God and complaints, forgetfulness of God, ignorance of divine things, ill-judgment and all kinds of blasphemous thoughts. The desiring power gives birth to pleasure-loving thoughts, thoughts of vainglory, love of money and all their numerous ramifications, belonging to the domain of self-indulgence. The excitable power gives birth to thoughts of anger, hatred, envy, revenge, gloating, ill-will, and generally to all evil thoughts. You should overcome all such thoughts and impulses by the methods indicated above, trying on every occasion to arouse and establish in your heart good feelings and dispositions opposed to them: in place of unbelief-undoubting faith in God; in place of complaints-a sincere gratitude to God for everything; in place of forgetfulness of God-a constant deep remembrance of the ever-present and all-powerful God; in place of ignorance-a clear contemplation or mental examination of all the soul-saving Christian truths; in place of ill-judgment-faculties trained to discriminate between good and evil; in place of all blasphemous thoughts-praise and glorification of God. |
| A Christian’s Freedom, the Church’s Freedom, and Religious Freedom From the book, The Search for Truth on the Path to Reason, by Professor Alexei I. Osipov Destruction by Soviet regime of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Moscow. The concept of freedom has several dimensions. Here we will note three of them as being the most relevant to the question of a Christian’s freedom. The first is the metaphysical. By freedom in this case is understood one of the most fundamental qualities of human nature—free will, expressed first of all by a person’s moral self-determination in the face of good and evil. Free will is such an important quality that, when it is lost, the personality becomes completely degraded. But as long as self-awareness is preserved, no one can take authority over this freedom—not another man, nor society, nor laws, nor any regime, nor demons, nor angels, nor even God Himself. Saint Macarius of Egypt (fourth century) said: You are created in the image and likeness of God; therefore just as God is free and creates what He wants … so are you free. Therefore, our nature is well capable of accepting both good and evil; both God’s grace, and the enemy’s powers. But it cannot be forced. A classic saying of the Church Fathers, “God cannot save us without us,” excellently expresses the Christian understanding of the sense and meaning of this freedom. The second dimension of freedom is spiritual freedom. Unlike outward freedom, it signifies man’s authority over his own egoism, his own passions, sinful feelings, desires—over his own self. This kind of freedom is only acquired through a correct spiritual life, making the believer capable of communion with God, Who alone possesses absolute spiritual authority. The saints attained to great freedom, having purified themselves of the passions. Every “ordinary” person possesses relative spiritual freedom (cf. Jn 8:34). Only those who are hardened in evil, who blaspheme the Holy Spirit (cf. Mt 31–32) and have become incapable of good, have lost this freedom. Christianity sees the ideal of spiritual life in God in this way, and thereby in principle denies the possibility that some sort of absolute freedom can exist in man (“on this side of good and evil”). Archpriest Sergei Bulgakov wrote, “[Man’s] freedom is relative.… It stands and falls, is conquered and surpassed on the paths of created life to its deification. Freedom is not an independent power in itself, and in itself is powerless when it opposes Divinity.” Saint Isaac the Syrian says, “For there is no perfect freedom in this imperfect age.” |
| It must be clarified that it would be an exaggeration to consider every modern pastor or non-orthodox preacher a false prophet. Undoubtedly, among religious activists of other faiths there are many truly believing, deeply sacrificing and decent people. They belong to one or another branch of Christianity not by an objective choice, but by inheritance. False prophets are, specifically, the founders of non-orthodox religious trends. Modern television «miracle-workers,» diabolical charmers in a state of exaltation, conceited preachers presenting themselves as God’s chosen, and all those who transform religion into a weapon for personal gain can be called false prophets. In the Sermon on the Mount the Lord warns His followers about false prophets. He teaches them not to trust their external attractiveness and eloquence, but to pay attention to the «fruits» of their activity: «A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.» The «evil fruit» or deeds are not necessarily to be understood as sins or evil deeds, which false prophets can skillfully conceal. The evil fruits of the activities of false prophets, common to all of them, are pride and the forcible separation of people from the Kingdom of God . A false prophet cannot hide his pride from the sensitive heart of a believing person. One saint said that the devil can show any form of virtue except one – meekness. Like wolf’s teeth from under a sheepskin, so does pride show in the words, movements and glances of a false prophet. False prophets seeking popularity love show, to perform «healings» or «exorcisms» of demons before a large audience, to amaze listeners with brave thoughts, to drink from public exhilaration. Their performances always end with large monetary collections. How distant this cheap zeal and self-assuredness is from the meek and humble image of our Saviour and His Apostles! The Lord further presents how the false prophets will point to their miracles: «Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?» About which miracles do they speak? Can a false prophet perform a miracle? No! But the Lord sends His help according to the faith of those who ask, not by the merits of those presenting themselves as miracle workers. False prophets ascribe to themselves the deeds which the Lord performed out of His compassion toward people. It is also possible that the false prophets, in their self-delusion, sincerely believed that they performed the miracles. In any case, the Lord will reject them at the Last Judgment, saying: «I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity!» |
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