fruits of the struggle

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they are in the world but not of the world

they are separated from all yet united to all

We visit monasteries to leave the noise of the world and find some stillness.   Especially after a tragedy it is a blessing to be in contact with monastics, better still if one has developed a relationship with them.  But either way, it’s good to get away.

Despite the growth of monastic communities there still remains skepticism by some about the role of monasteries in our Faith, yet Saint John Chrysostom is clear that the health of our Churches is interrelated to the presence of monasteries.   Monastics truly place themselves beneath all the people in the world and consider themselves the chief among sinners.  They cultivate a patience and silence that is palpable to the souls that visit them.

They pray for the salvation of the whole world as fervently as we pray for ourselves.   Their joy is not a fleeting joy but the jewel-joy forged of the pressure of the struggle.  It is like a low hanging fruit, uplifting and  nourishing all who gather under it’s branches.

Elder Amphilochios amplifies this interconnection between the health of the parishes in this way,

“Wherever Orthodox monasticism is absent, the Church does not exist, just as there can not be a government with out an army and a well-governed state without a national guard.  The monastics guard the boundaries of our Church and protect Her from her enemies, who in or contemporary materialistic ages rush to mangle her like wolves.”

To visit a monastery is to visit a place of intensified authentic spiritual struggle.  Orthodox believers should always bear that in mind when visiting monastic communities.   You might walk right in to the spiritual struggle of another – but yet all of us are in a great struggle – aren’t we?

But for pilgrims with no expectation, for pilgrims seeking a good word, one finds low hanging fruit, a respite from earthly cares, and a glimpse at heaven on earth.

and breathed life into it

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The Words Require Faith

What is that you say? Taking dust from the earth he shaped the human being? Yes, it says; it did not simply say ‘earth’ but ‘dust,’ something more lowly and substantial even than earth, so to say.

You think the saying amazing and incredible; but if you recall who is the creator in this case, you will no longer withhold faith in the event but marvel at the Creator’s power and bow your knee to it.  If, on the other hand, you chanced to put your mind to these matters in light of the limitations of your powers of reason, you would likely get this strange idea into your head, namely, that a body could never be made from earth a brick or a pot, yes, but never could such a body be made. Do you see that unless we take into account the Creator’s power and suppress our own reasoning which betrays such limitations, we will be unable to accept the sublimity of the message? After all, the words require the eyes of faith, spoken as they are with such great considerateness and with our limitations in mind…

“God shaped the human being, and breathed,”

Saint John Chrysostom

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 Great is this Mystery

Man was formed of the dust of the ground – what good thing can there be in him?

Behold, God in His goodness adorned man with the grace of the Holy Spirit,

and he became after the likeness of Jesus Christ, Son of God.

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Great is this mystery, and great is the mercy of God towards man.

Saint Siouan the Athonite

living catechism

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Raising children – in the world but not of the world –  truly this is a magnificent arduous labor – impossible without God

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Whether your children attend private school, public school or are homeschooled, one of the best ways to give our children an excellent Orthodox education, is to take them to Church – not just on Sunday mornings, but Vespers and any Festal Liturgy or service that you can attend.   An Orthodox catechism begins at Baptism and is hands on : young lives fed by the Sacraments and steadfast timeless seasons of the Church :  integrated into the fabric of  liturgical life.

Life lived through the Church’s seasonal rhythms seeps into the core of a child’s being.  This is the perennial unshakable and fortifying foundation of Truth and Love.

 In a world where truth is relative,  our children are bombarded with the noise of consumerism peddling false messages of self worth, ephemeral instant gratuity and distorted images of what it means to be fully human, joyful and even content.   It’s constant drone it can be alluring.

A parent must “walk circumspectly” in the Faith and “redeem the time:”,  while they are yet young.  None of us  knows whether our child will become one who is part of the increasing numbers of youth leaving the Faith….  and so it is no vain labor to let the Lord build the house (Psalm 127:1) and strive as a family to live the Faith sincerely and wholeheartedly.

“In the education of children, the most important thing is that they should see their parents leading an intense spiritual life.”  Father Alexander Elchaninov

Faith is transmitted through parents; it is a living gift of nourishment.  Children and especially teenagers and young adults crave Truth and authenticity.  Parental devotion to the Lord  enables children to love and know their Creator – a thirst quenching, life sustaining relationship.  It is a noble goal : striving  to live the Greatest Commandment, rearing children in the Faith – through word and deed – bringing them to Church regularly and making that a priority.

It is necessary for everyone to know Scriptural teachings, and this is especially true for children.  Even at their age they are exposed to all sorts of folly and bad examples from popular entertainment.  Our children need remedies for all these things! We are so concerned with our children’s schooling,  if only we were equally zealous in bringing them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Saint John Chrysostom

the gift of parenting

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Is it not strange that we send our children to learn skills and to school, and make a lot of effort for this purpose, but we do not bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4)?

We are actually the first to reap the fruits of this.

Saint John Chrysostom

the priceless image of God

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image and likeness preserved

“If artists who make statues and paint portraits of kings are held in high esteem, will not God bless ten thousand times more those who reveal and beautify His royal image?  For man is in the image of God.  When we teach our children to be good, to be gentle and to be forgiving — all attributes of God: to be generous, to love their neighbor, to regard this present age as nothing, we instill virtue in their souls and reveal the image of God within them.”

Saint John Chrysostom

“He [Father Maximos] went on to summarize the key themes of Eastern Orthodox spirituality: that God is love and that human beings made in the image of God are also love in their very depth. Therefore, to be truly healthy means to think, feel, and act in conformity with our innermost nature.”

Kyriacos C Markides
Inner River: A Pilgrimage to the Heart of Christian Spirituality

Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!

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Christ is risen from the dead! Trampling down death by death and on those in the tombs bestowing life!

Paschal Troparion

 

The Catechetical Sermon of St. John Chrysostom is read throughout all Orthodox Churches, in the whole world, during Matins of Pascha.

If any man be devout and love God, let him enjoy this fair and radiant triumphal feast. If any man be a wise servant, let him rejoicing enter into the joy of his Lord. If any have labored long in fasting, let him now receive his recompense. If any have wrought from the first hour, let him today receive his just reward. If any have come at the third hour, let him with thankfulness keep the feast. If any have arrived at the sixth hour, let him have no misgivings; because he shall in nowise be deprived thereof. If any have delayed until the ninth hour, let him draw near, fearing nothing. If any have tarried even until the eleventh hour, let him, also, be not alarmed at his tardiness; for the Lord, who is jealous of his honor, will accept the last even as the first; he gives rest unto him who comes at the eleventh hour, even as unto him who has wrought from the first hour.

And he shows mercy upon the last, and cares for the first; and to the one he gives, and upon the other he bestows gifts. And he both accepts the deeds, and welcomes the intention, and honors the acts and praises the offering. Wherefore, enter you all into the joy of your Lord; and receive your reward, both the first, and likewise the second. You rich and poor together, hold high festival. You sober and you heedless, honor the day. Rejoice today, both you who have fasted and you who have disregarded the fast. The table is full-laden; feast ye all sumptuously. The calf is fatted; let no one go hungry away.

Enjoy ye all the feast of faith: Receive ye all the riches of loving-kindness. let no one bewail his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed. Let no one weep for his iniquities, for pardon has shown forth from the grave. Let no one fear death, for the Savior’s death has set us free. He that was held prisoner of it has annihilated it. By descending into Hell, He made Hell captive. He embittered it when it tasted of His flesh. And Isaiah, foretelling this, did cry: Hell, said he, was embittered, when it encountered Thee in the lower regions. It was embittered, for it was abolished. It was embittered, for it was mocked. It was embittered, for it was slain. It was embittered, for it was overthrown. It was embittered, for it was fettered in chains. It took a body, and met God face to face. It took earth, and encountered Heaven. It took that which was seen, and fell upon the unseen.

O Death, where is your sting? O Hell, where is your victory? Christ is risen, and you are overthrown. Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen. Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice. Christ is risen, and life reigns. Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave. For Christ, being risen from the dead, is become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages. Amen.

 

originally posted at http://oca.org/fs/sermons/the-paschal-sermon