Sermon on the Cross

Sermon on the Cross

+  Metropolitan Anthony Bloom

(On Saturday, September 14, the Church celebrates the feast of The Universal Elevation of the Cross of Christ.  In anticipation we offer the following sermon which speaks of the Cross in terms of love.)

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We have been keeping these days the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. There is a passage in the Gospel in which the Lord says to us, "No one has greater love than he who gives his life for his neighbor."  And these words resolve the antinomy between the horror of the Cross and the glory of it, between death and the resurrection.  There is nothing more glorious, more awe-inspiring and wonderful than to love and to be loved.  And to be loved of God with all the life, with all the death of the Only-Begotten Son, and to love one another (as well) at the cost of all our life and, if necessary, of our death, (this) is both tragedy but mainly victory.  In the Canon (Anaphora) of the Liturgy we say:

"Holy art Thou and all-holy, Thou and Thine only-begotten Son and Thy Holy Spirit!  Holy art Thou and all-holy, and magnificent is Thy glory!  Who hast so loved Thy world as to give Thine only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life; who when He had come and had fulfilled all the dispensation for us, in the night in which He was given up -- or rather, gave Himself up for the life of the world -- took bread in His holy, pure, and blameless hands;  and when He had given thanks and blessed it, and hallowed it, and broken it, He gave it to His holy disciples and apostles....."

This is the divine love.  At times one can give one's own life more easily than offer unto death the person whom one loves beyond all;  and this is what God our Father has done.  But it does not make less the sacrifice of Him who is sent unto death for the salvation of one person or of the whole world.

And so when we think of the Cross we must think of this strangely inter-twined mystery of tragedy and of victory.  The Cross, an instrument of infamous death, of punitive death to which criminals were doomed -- because Christ's death was that of an innocent, and because this death was a gift of self in an act of love -- becomes victory.

This is why Saint Paul could say, "It is no longer I, it is Christ Who lives in me."  Divine love filled him to the brim, and therefore there was no room for any other thought or feeling,  any other approach to anyone apart from love, a love that gave itself unreservedly:  love sacrificial, love crucified, but love exulting in the joy of life.

And when we are told in today's Gospel, "Turn away from yourself, take up your Cross, Follow Me"  (Mark 8: 34) — we are not called to something dark and frightening;  we are told by God:  "Open yourself to love! Do not remain a prisoner of your own self-centeredness." Do not be, in the words of Theophane the Recluse, "like a shaving of wood which is rolled around its own emptiness." Open yourself up!  Look — there is so much to love, there are so many to love!  There is such an infinity of ways in which love can be experienced, and fulfilled and accomplished.  Open yourself and love (others) — because this is the way of the Cross! Not the way which the two criminals trod together with Christ to be punished for their crimes;  but the wonderful way in which giving oneself unreservedly, turning away from self, existing only for the other, loving with all one's being so that one exists only for the sake of the other — this is the Cross and the glory of the Cross.

So, when we venerate the Cross, when we think of Christ's crucifixion, when we hear the call of Christ to deny ourselves — and these words simply mean: turn away from yourself! Take up your cross! — we are called to open ourselves to the flood of Divine Love, love that is both death to ourselves and openness to God, as well as to each and to all.

In the beginning of the Gospel of Saint John we are told, "And the Word was with God"; in the Greek it says "Godwards." The Word, the Son, had no other love, no other thought, no other movement but towards the Beloved One, giving Himself to Him Who gave Himself perfectly to Him.

Let us learn the glory of crucified Love, of this sacrificial Love which is, in the words of the Old Testament, "stronger than death, stronger than hell," stronger than all things because it is Divine Life conquering us and poured through us onto all those who need to be loved in order to come to Life, to believe in Love, and themselves to become children of Love, children of Light, to inherit Life eternal. Amen.

No Greater Blessing

No Greater Blessing

(Holy and Righteous Parents:  Examples from History)

Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko

There is no greater blessing that a person can have than to be raised by righteous parents.  And there is no greater sorrow and source of sadness and harm than to be raised by the wicked and ungodly.

When we consider the greatest of Christians, and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, we are struck by the fact that the holiest people were the children of the holiest parents.  Jesus was born of the most perfect human being who ever lived and will live, the blessed Virgin Mary.  He was raised by her, with the righteous Joseph;  was subject to His parents from childhood, and grew in wisdom and stature before God and man in obedience to them within the gracious atmosphere of their holy family.

Mary herself was the child of the righteous Joachim and Anna.  She was born as the answer to prayer, according to the promise of God, and was consecrated to the Lord from before her birth.

John the Baptist, the prophet and forerunner of Christ whom Jesus called "the greatest born of woman," was also conceived by God's gracious will to his aged parents, the priest Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth who were among the holy remnant of the righteous poor prepared to receive Christ at His coming.

The Three Hierarchs: Although there were saints who were persecuted and even killed by their parents, as for example, Saint Barbara, most of the greatest and most influential saints in the history of the Church were the children of holy parents.  A powerful example of this in church history is that of the Three Hierarchs:  Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom.

Saint Basil's mother and grandmother were widows.  They built a chapel on their estate and dedicated their lives to the service of God and the care of their children.  Saint Basil wrote in this way about his mother at the time of her death:

"Now for my sins I have lost my mother, the only comfort I had in life.  Do not smile if, old as I am, I lament my orphan-hood.  Forgive me if I cannot endure separation from a soul with whom I can see nothing in the future which lies before me to compare."

Saint Basil's mother Emmelia, with his grandmother and his brother Gregory of Nyssa and his sister Macrina are all canonized saints of the Church.

Saint Gregory the Theologian's mother Nonna is also a canonized saint with his father Gregory, and with his brother the "distinguished physician" Caesarius and his sister Gorgonia.  Nonna was the cause of the conversion of her husband to Christ from a pagan sect, who later himself became a bishop of the Church.  About his parents, particularly his mother, Saint Gregory wrote:

"...she was consecrated to God...possessed of piety as her most precious possession, not only for herself, but also for her children...she (and her husband) were lovers of their children and lovers of Christ...their one joy was to see their children names and acknowledged by Christ."

Saint John Chrysostom's mother Anthusa is also a canonized saint of the Church.  Her son lived with her until he was well over thirty at which time he began his service in the Church first as presbyter in Antioch and later as bishop in Constantinople.  The pagan rhetorician Libanus was so impressed with the mother of his famous student John, that he uttered the often-quoted phrase about her:  "Heavens, what women these Christians have!"

Saint Augustine: One of the most blessed men of the Western Church, and its most influential theologian, was Saint Augustine.   His mother too is a canonized saint (as, incidentally, is the mother of Saint Gregory Palamas.)  When, after a profligate and wandering life of almost forty years, Augustine finally met Saint Ambrose, also the son of a holy mother, and was baptized, he wrote to his mother Monica:

"I believe without a doubt and affirm that it is because of you and your prayers that God gave me that mind to prefer nothing to the discovery of the Truth;  and to desire and think and love nothing else...to you I owe all which to me is Life."

And when Monica died, he recorded these as her last words:

"My son, I have no further pleasure in this life...there was one reason, and one only, why I wished to remain a little longer in this life, and that was to see you a catholic Christian before I died.  God has granted me my wish...All that I ask of you is that, wherever you may be, you should remember me at the altar of the Lord."

Thankful to God: I recently  participated in a spiritual renewal conference where a leading theologian of the Greek Orthodox Church was introduced to speak by the pastor of his parents.  The priest introduced the speaker by praising his parents.  When we look into the lives of many of our church leaders today, priests, bishops and lay persons, we discover that the great majority are children of righteous and godly parents and grandparents.  We are thankful to God for this, His most wonderful blessing.

St. Herman of Alaska: August 9

St. Herman of Alaska: August 9

A Necessary Witness and Example

Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko

The elder Herman of Alaska, missionary monk of Spruce Island, near Kodiak, died on the December 13, in 1837.  He is the first formally canonized saint of the Orthodox Church in America, glorified on August 9, 1970. (Both dates are annual feasts of this beloved father in Christ.)

For those familiar with the actions of the Lord in history, who have heard of the Passover of His people from Egypt, who have been struck by the Word of God from the mouth of His prophets, who have believed in the Gospel of the Kingdom of His Incarnate Word Jesus, the fact that the elder Herman should be the first glorified saint in His Church in America comes as no surprise whatsoever.  How like the Lord it is – Who has His only begotten Son born on earth of a lowly woman in a cavern, nailed to the Cross with thieves outside the wall of the Holy City, witnessed in His resurrection by a former prostitute out of whom came seven devils, and preached by the greatest apostle who had previously acted as an accomplice to the murder of the first Christian martyr – how like this Lord it is to raise up first among the holy ones of the Church in the new lands a person like St. Herman.

The young monk Herman was a hermit in the monastery of Valaamo in Russian Finland.  He was chosen to be a member of the first missionary team being sent to the Russian lands in Alaska.  He was not ordained.  He was not formally educated.  He had no particular human skills.  His only grace was that he was a holy man, a person of genuine faith and continuous prayer.

Herman came to America with the first group of missionaries.  He alone survived, living for many years as a simple monk on Spruce Island.  He taught the people the Gospel.  He attended to their spiritual and physical needs.  He defended them against the cruelty of the Russian traders.  He pleaded their cause before the imperial throne.  He was beaten and persecuted by his own people for his condemnation of their injustices and sins.  He identified wholly with the afflicted and oppressed.  He died in obscurity, foretelling his glorification in future years by the Church that would emerge from his own humble efforts and those of the waves of immigrants who would inhabit the continent.  And he revealed himself from heaven to those who, like him, remained faithful to God, including the great missionary bishop, the widowed priest and “Apostle to America,” Saint Innocent Veniaminoff.  (Bishop Innocent died in 1879 as the Metropolitan of Moscow and was officially canonized on October 6, 1977, which day remains his annual feast, together with the day of his death, March 31.)

American Christianity desperately needs the witness of Saint Herman, for the American way of life is so radically opposed in so many ways to the life of this man and the Lord Jesus whom he served.  Power, possessions, profits, and pleasures: these are the things that Americans are known for. These are the goals that we are schooled to pursue.  These are the things in which we take pride.  And, sadly enough, these are also the things that many of us are taught to value by our “religious leaders,” both by their words and their examples.  But this was, and is, not the way of the Lord Jesus Christ.  And it is not the way of His saints.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasure in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also…No one can serve two masters…You cannot serve God and mammon…But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.” (Matthew 6:19-21, 24-25, 31-33.)

By American standards, Saint Herman of Alaska, like the Lord Jesus Himself, was a miserable failure. He made no name for himself. He was not in the public eye. He wielded no power. He owned no property. He had few possessions, if any at all. He had no worldly prestige. He played no role in human affairs. He partook of no carnal pleasures.  He made no money.  He died in obscurity among outcast people.  Yet today, more than a hundred years after his death, his icon is venerated in thousands of churches and his name is honored by millions of people whom he is still trying to teach to seek the Kingdom of God and its righteousness which has been brought to the world by the King Who was born in a cavern and killed on a cross.  The example of this man is crucial…especially in America.  (From The Winter Pascha, pp. 45-48, published by St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press.)

A Christian Understanding of Freedom

A Christian Understanding of Freedom,

+ His Eminence Archbishop Dmitri,

(In light of America's July 4th celebration of Independence, we offer the following article written years ago and published in The Dawn.)

People generally use the word freedom in order to describe two things:  the first and perhaps most persistent meaning of the term is simply lack of subjection to any kind of ownership or tyrannical authority, the lack of restriction of one’s actions, the absence of obstacles to self-determination or personal choices, the right to make up one’s own mind with regard to occupation, speech, assembly, religion and so on. Naturally, this kind of freedom is entirely desirable and, in many ways, our very nation came into being out of a deeply felt need for this. Although our democratic system of government has experienced many pitfalls and defects, and throughout the course of our history we have not always been able to achieve perfect freedom in the sense just described, it is none the less true that few would question the desirability for such freedom. Men are still willing to make enormous sacrifices – their very lives at times – for the  ideal of freedom.

Christian teaching lies at the very heart of such an ideal. And in spite of the ups and downs of Church history, wherein even the Church has seemed to be an accomplice to agencies and forces that would deny this kind of basic right to the human race, it would be inaccurate to say that the Christian Church in most of its classical forms teaches that men are not destined to be free in this very sense. It is incompatible with Christian teaching to maintain that man should be shackled with restrictions against his personal freedom to pursue a way of life to his own choosing.

At the same time it appears also that freedom is being increasingly applied to a kind of license which says that man is not to be subjected to any kind of restriction that is not to his liking. Even when the common good demands the contrary he is somehow to be free to "do his own thing." The blame for much of the disorder and confusion of our own times could perhaps be laid to this concept of freedom:  the near capitulation of our legal system in face of demands for freedom to peddle pornography, to sell drugs, to defy the law enforcement agencies of the cities, etc.

In this particular article it is not our intention to dwell on the matter of freedom as described above, making this a plea for law and order. Rather, we wish to present a general account of the Orthodox Church’s understanding of freedom, in light of Christ’s work of redemption, His "breaking the chains of hell and overthrowing the tyranny of hades."

Jesus said, "If you continue in my word, then you are my disciples indeed;  And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free" And those who heard Him said, "We are Abraham’s seed, and we were never in bondage to any man, how sayest thou, you shall be made free?" And He answered, "Verily I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin." (1 John 8:31-34)

He said in another place, "I am the way, the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If you had known me, you should have known my Father also; and from henceforth you know Him, and have seen Him." (John 14: 6-7)

Jesus Christ is the truth about God and the truth about man, since He is both God and man. God’s real nature is completely revealed in the Son of God, the Incarnate Word, and the whole truth about man, his worth, value and dignity, are realized and made manifest to man in the Son of Man, Jesus of Nazareth. And since man’s fundamental sin was and is godlessness or atheism, we then understand what is meant by the statement that "Christ came into the world to save His people from their sins."

An author once pointed out that, "Mankind is in bondage until Christ sets men free." St. Paul in the Epistle to the Romans says, "For when you were the servants of sin, you were free from righteousness. But what fruit had you then from those things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now set free from sin and become servants to God, you have your fruit unto holiness, and as your end, life everlasting." (6:20-22)

The deepest and most fundamental of the Church’s understandings of freedom is simply the freedom from sin and its wage or consequences. The understanding that Christ has given to men a freedom that cannot be taken away, no matter what the external circumstances of life may be, has provided the strength, the dynamism, the very life of the Church in the different periods of her bondage, her restrictions. There was the long three century persecution of the Church by the Roman Empire, and the very martyrs were witnesses and advocates of their freedom in Christ. The Moslem conquest and domination of much of the world that had been Christian, and the reduction of Christians to second-class citizenship, the restrictions against their proclaiming the Gospel, brought no despair to those who knew Christ and His truth. This lasted well into the nineteenth century in certain places.  And in our own twentieth century, restrictions and persecutions, perhaps heavier and more severe than in any other time, in Communist lands failed to extinguish the light of Christian truth, and finally the most essential Christian freedom.

It is in Christ, as perfect Man, that man comes to the full realization of what it means to be in the image and likeness of God.  For man’s freedom is an Icon, an image of the Divine Freedom itself.

It is just when our freedom lies within the "opus Dei," the work of God, that it does not cease to be true freedom. The "Let it be to me according to thy word," of the Virgin at the Annunciation does not come from a simple submission to His will, but that very acceptance expresses the ultimate freedom of her being. In this sense, she was the first fruits of the intervention of God into human time and history, the first product of the Incarnation. She is the image of the Church, those who receive the Word of God and keep it, of those who would lose their life and gain it.

Christ, in becoming Incarnate, has permitted us, not to imitate, but to relive His life, to conform ourselves to His essence.   In each Christian’s response to God, in saying, "let it be to me according to Thy will," he identifies himself with the God-Man Christ, and in this way, the Divine Will, freedom comes as an expression of one’s own will. The will of God, His work, His freedom have become one’s own. "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me," says St. Paul. (Galatians 2:20)

None of the foregoing is said to diminish or to negate in any sense the validity and importance of all human beings, especially Christians, to seek, to work for freedom in the usual earthly (if you will), sense of the word:  social justice, equality, and the right to pursue, unrestricted, a better life here and now for the human race.  The Christian, if he takes his commitment seriously, can never be guilty of putting restrictions in the path of others, of coercing, of forcing.  On the other hand, what has been said is conceived as a reminder that much of the Christian world, my own Church, has a long experience of this, has lived under repression in places where freedom, justice, equality, and the right to differ, were given lip-service, but were not realities. The hope of Christians, their consolation is based on a higher freedom, which only God can give, which our Lord Jesus Christ showed us.

The Ethics of the Resurrection

Ethics of the Resurrection

+ Protopresbyter John Meyendorff

     Human life is inevitably dominated by worries, preoccupations, fears or concerns with the one sure fact of the future for all of us:  physical death.  These concerns and worries are sometimes quite unconscious, but nevertheless, omnipresent.  There is no way in which we can avoid being concerned about our income, our insurance policies, our savings, as well as about the availability of such services which society can offer us to provide us with a measure of security in our old age or when we are sick.  But have we ever thought that all these preoccupations are basically connected with one reality:  the ultimate inevitability of death, which we understandably want to postpone and to make as harmless as possible?  Actually, our society even offers artificial gimmicks to make us forget about it, to hide death under funeral make-up.  But should we really ignore the obvious reality which lies behind it?

     Furthermore, is it not true that our mortality serves -- quite unconsciously again -- to justify our concern for ourselves, instead of our neighbors?  My neighbor can be cold and hungry next door, but I feel quite justified in preserving my own standard of living and the security of my own future, because I consider my money as having been earned by me (or given to me) with no other purpose than to prolong my own life and to make it as comfortable as I can.

     Moreover, even the laws of this mortal world of ours are made in such a way that their main purpose is to preserve my rights and my property.  They justify violence as a form of self-defense.  And the history of human society is one of conflicts and wars in which individuals and nations struggle and kill others in the name of temporal benefits which will be destroyed by death anyway.  But this is still considered as "justice."

     Such is, indeed, the inevitable logic of a world, which St. Paul describes as "the reign of death" (Romans 5:14).

     On Easter Day (Pascha) however, we celebrate the end of this reign.  Christ came to destroy it.  "Death is swallowed up in victory, O death, where is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:54-55).  "Christ is Risen, and no one remains in a tomb" (St. John Chrysostom).  Therefore, as the Church sings, "let us embrace," "let us forgive."

     This victory which our Church celebrates so brilliantly, so loudly, so triumphantly, is not simply a guarantee of "after life."  Rather, it changes the entire set of our ethical priorities, even now.  There is no need for self-preservation anymore because "our life is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3).  To love one's neighbors and to give them the "last penny" is better insurance than to "store treasures upon earth."  "To lose one's soul" is "to save it."

     This is indeed total "foolishness" in the eyes of the world, but it is the wisdom of God, revealed in the Resurrection of the Lord.

     (Fr. Meyendorff succeeded Fr. Alexander Schmemann as Dean of St. Vladimir’s Seminary.  Fr. John was a noted Orthodox Patristics scholar and prolific author.  For years he was also the editor of The Orthodox Church newspaper.  The above editorial appeared in the April 1981 issue.)

Pascha and Pentecost: Pascha, Baptism and Evangelism

Pascha and Pentecost:

Pascha, Baptism and Evangelism

+ His Eminence Archbishop Dmitri

     For forty days after Pascha the Church lives and rejoices in light of Christ's resurrection.  At every service during the Paschal season the faithful sing, "Christ is Risen!"  The Paschal canon, sticheras and kontakion are repeated many times.  Members of the Church greet one another with a holy kiss and the words, "Christ is Risen!" receiving back the affirmation, "He is Risen, indeed!"

     The Paschal season is experienced by the Orthodox as the focal point of all Christian celebration.  Such is the content of our liturgical life, and yet what a paradox that immediately after "the feast of feasts, holy day of holy days," Christian people take a vacation from Church.  We often witness generally, a decline in church attendance at this time of year.  As a result the wonderful joy proclaimed by the Church's liturgy fails to be deeply felt by many individuals.

     With regard to this phenomenon much thought has been given to the idea of restoring or recapturing that which has been lost.  In recent years the Church has devoted a great deal of time and effort to the restoration of Lent and to some extent of the Paschal season, because we have witnessed (probably for centuries) an almost complete loss of the Great Fast as a meaningful phenomenon in the Christian community.  Perhaps we Orthodox have been somewhat more reluctant than others to do away with these seasons entirely, for we have realized in some way that the very essence of the Faith is to be found in Lent, Pascha and the Paschal season.

     I am convinced, however, that the dimension that has been lost and which we are still somewhat far from acquiring, that makes it difficult to recapture and restore the meaning of what is at the heart of the Christian year, is what can be called the "baptismal dimension."

     We are all somewhat familiar with the history of the matter we are talking about:  (A.) how Lent developed from a period of intense preparation for those who were to be baptized;  (B.) how at the Paschal celebration the catechumens were baptized and became, for the first time, full participants in the Eucharist;  and (C.) that the Paschal season was a period of post-baptismal instruction, in which the newly baptized were told repeatedly of the marvelous things that had happened to them through the waters of the fount, and were prepared for their own "mission" as disciples.

     The entire Church not only lived the new life in Christ, but true to its missionary nature, concentrated its attention upon incorporating the new converts into the Body of Christ.  Such were the "missionary" and "baptismal" orientations of the Church.  All of this was centered on the Paschal celebration for one simple reason:  the moment of Christ's triumph over death was the most appropriate moment for one to become a member of Christ:  the meaning of being buried with Him in baptism and rising with Him to walk in the newness of life (Romans 6:3-4) was clear to every Christian.

     The true spirit of Lent and the Paschal season can never be recaptured as long as we have a weak missionary vision:  as long as baptisms and receptions of converts are private affairs, become "routine," and are not considered as matters of concern to the whole Church.

     With His ascension into Heaven, forty days after the resurrection, our Lord indicates for us the way, the orientation of our life.  The Kingdom of God is initiated on earth with the advent of Christ ("Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand"), and we are commissioned to receive into it, as citizens, "such as would be saved" (Acts 2:47).  Our life, following Christ, is all ascension, directed toward the "Kingdom to come" manifested in and through Christ.  At each Eucharistic celebration (the Divine Liturgy) we participate in that worship which eternally takes place before the Throne of God.

     The disciples went back to Jerusalem (after the Ascension) with great joy, because they had the confirmation and assurance that everything they had been told by Christ was true.  Now they simply awaited the power to perform their mission in the world.  They knew what their mission was:  to go into all the world, preach the Gospel to all nations, "baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you."  They knew from their Master that He would "always be with them, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28: 19-20).  This was the source of their joy:  the assurance of the Lord's abiding presence and of the power to bring others into the fold.  Any lack of joy or participation on our part during the radiant season of Pascha can be said to coincide with (A.) a certain amount of doubt or insensitivity to the fact that "Christ is in our midst," or (B.) a lack of appreciation for mission.

     It can be rightly asked, "how can we not revel in the joy of these forty days, when we think of the possibilities for bringing salvation to others, given to us by the risen Christ dwelling among us, unless it is true that our faith wavers and that we have little interest in mission and evangelism?"  We must pray always that our Lord will give to us the Spirit of wisdom and understanding to come to an appreciation of the Paschal season for the life of each of our communities.

The People’s Pascha

The People’s Pascha

Fr. Lawrence Farley

     At the end of October in 1840, the celebrated author Hans Christian Andersen (famous for his fairy tales) left his native Denmark for an extended trip in the east.  He wrote about his travels in his book A Poet’s Bazaar: a Journey to Greece, Turkey and Up the Danube.  Andersen was an experienced traveller, who had visited Italy some years before.  In his latest memoir, he compared his experiences of Easter in both Rome and Greece in the following words: “The Catholic Easter in Italy, especially in Rome, is wonderful, fascinating!  It is an uplifting sight on the vast square of St. Peter’s to see the whole throng of people sink to their knees and receive the Blessing.  The Easter Festival in poor Greece cannot be celebrated with such splendor.  But having seen both, one comes to the conclusion that in Rome it is a festival which, in its splendor and glory, comes out of the Church to the people; whereas in Greece it is a festival which flows out from the hearts and minds of the people—from their whole way of life—and the Church is only one link, one strand.”

     Sometimes “outsiders” can see with greater clarity and objectivity than “insiders” can, and I think that in this case the non-Catholic and non-Orthodox Christian Andersen was onto the something.  Andersen appreciated both the Catholic and the Orthodox Paschal celebrations, but he thought that the Catholic one “came out of the Church to the people”, whereas the Orthodox one “flowed out from the hearts and minds of the people”.  In other words, both Easter festivals were like the churches which celebrated them, the Catholic Easter manifesting the clericalism which characterized the Catholic Church, and the Orthodox Pascha manifesting the popular spirit which characterizes Orthodoxy.  In the Orthodox Church, Pascha “flows out from the hearts of the people.”  Clergy are involved, of course, since they too are part of the “People of God,” the holylaos; hence, Pascha is primarily “the people’s Pascha.”

     This popular spirit of Pascha reveals something fundamental about the Church’s life, namely the reality that Saint Paul calls “the koinonia of the Spirit” (2 Corinthians13:14, Philippians 2:1).  The Greek term koinonia eludes easy translation.  It is sharing, fellowship, joint participation, communion, an experience of the Spirit which is shared by all the faithful and which binds all of them together.  In Philippians 2:1, Saint Paul groups it together with “encouragement in Christ”, “incentive of love”, and “affection and sympathy” as inspirations and reasons for maintaining unity within the local church.

     This is why it is so important for a community to travel together, with a sense of mutual belonging.  We define ourselves not just in terms of our relationship to Christ, but also in terms of our relationship with one another; we serve Christ as our Lord, but as members of a particular community, as fellow-communicants with Sam and Suzy and Vladimir and Antonios whom we see at the chalice every Sunday.  It is as a community that we journey through Lent; it is as a community that we experience the power and intensity of Holy Week.  It is as this same community that we finally arrive together at our Paschal goal.  Our weekly Sunday attendance at Liturgy and our annual experience of Great Lent and Holy Week all combine to meld us into one body, allowing us to experience the koinonia of the Spirit, and it is as this united body that we experience Pascha.  Pascha “flows out from the hearts of the people” as Andersen noted because the koinonia of the Spirit has knit our hearts into one.  The priest prays for this at the conclusion of every Anaphora:  “Grant that with one mouth and one heart we may praise Thine all-honourable and majestic Name….”  After Holy Week has reaches its climactic conclusion on the following Sunday, this prayer is abundantly answered, as the people’s Pascha flows out from this one heart.  Andersen saw this when he visited “poor Greece” well over a century ago.  It can be seen even today in Orthodox Christian parishes throughout the world.

     Fr. Lawrence Farley, formerly an Anglican priest and graduate of Wycliffe College in Toronto, Canada in 1979, converted to Orthodoxy in 1985 and then studied at St. Tikhon’s Seminary in South Canaan, Pennsylvania. After ordination he traveled to Surrey, B.C. to begin a new mission under the OCA, St. Herman of Alaska Church.  The Church has grown from its original twelve members, and now owns a building in Langley, B.C.

     Fr. Lawrence is the author of many books including the Bible Study Companion Series,  Let Us Attend: A Journey through the Orthodox Divine Liturgy, and A Daily Calendar of Saints.

     The preceding is from the website of The Orthodox Church in America:  oca.org.

Paschal (Resurrection) Season: 2013

Paschal (Resurrection) Season: 2013

Fr. Basil Zebrun

Introduction and Bright Week:

     The week following Pascha (Easter) is called Bright Week, by the Church.  As Holy Week was a final time of anticipation and preparation for “the Feast of Feasts,” so Bright Week is a period of unique Resurrection joy, manifested outwardly in diverse ways.  For instance, during Bright Week there is no fasting at all from various types of food;  all liturgical hymns, ideally, are to be sung rather than read;  and the Church remains highly decorated, with the royal doors and deacon’s doors of the iconostasis left open as they were during the Midnight Service.  This latter practice emphasizes visually that the gates of God’s Kingdom have been open to man through the Cross, Tomb and Resurrection of Christ.  Services during Bright Week are celebrated in a particularly glorious manner, identical to that experienced during the Midnight Service and Resurrection Vespers on Pascha Sunday.  The traditional announcement, “Christ is Risen,” is sung repeatedly by the Church choir, and people greet one another with this same message of hope.

While Bright Week is a time of profound, perhaps uncommon celebration, the Resurrection season is not limited to one week.  For forty days, until Ascension (this yearJune 13), the faithful recall in songs and greetings the joyous news that ‘Christ has trampled down death by death, bestowing life upon those in the tombs.’  Clergy and altar servers continue to wear their brightest vestments, and everyone stands (rather than kneels) in prayer, both at home and in Church.  The practice of standing in prayer during the Paschal Season serves to stress our belief that in Christ we are already resurrected beings, residents on earth yet citizens of Heaven. The faithful continue this practice until Pentecost (this year June 23), when after Liturgy for the first time since Holy Week we kneel in prayer during three special prayers that are read from the ambo by the clergy.

The five Sundays following Pascha emphasize, through the appointed Scripture readings and hymns, (1.) post-resurrection appearances of Christ;  (2.) the Church’s early life and missionary endeavors (epistle readings are taken from the Book of Acts); and (3.) aspects of baptism, through which we ourselves have died and risen with Christ to a new life in God (Gospel readings are taken from the most “sacramental” of Gospel accounts, that of John the Theologian or Evangelist).  Fr. Thomas Hopko in hisOrthodox Faith Handbook Series, Volume II, provides a summary of the meaning of the five Sundays of Pascha.  The following contains quotes and paraphrases from that summary.

Thomas  Sunday  (May 12):                                                                                      

     On the Sunday following Pascha, called in our liturgical books “the Second Sunday,” the stress is on the Apostle Thomas’ vision of Christ.  The significance of the day comes to us in the words of the Gospel:  “Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see My hands;  and put out your hand, and place it in My side;  do not be faithless, but believing.” Thomas answered Him, “My Lord and My God!”  Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen Me?  Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”  (John 20:27-29).  In this last statement Christ refers to all those who will come after the Apostles and become disciples through their words. This includes Christians of every century, including our own.  We have not seen Christ with our physical eyes, nor touched His risen body with our physical hands, yet in the Holy Spirit we have seen and touched and tasted the Word of Life (1 John 1:1-4), and so we believe.  In the early Church it was only on this day that those baptized at Pascha removed their (baptismal) robes and entered once again into the life of this world.

The  Myrrhbearing  Women  (May 19):

     The Third Sunday after Pascha is dedicated to the Myrrhbearing Women who cared for the body of the Savior at His death and who were the first witnesses of His Resurrection.  The three troparia of Holy Friday, (having to do with the Noble Joseph of Arimethea anointing and burying the Body of Jesus;  Christ’s descent into hell and its defeat;  and the angel’s proclamation to the myrrhbearing women of Christ’s resurrection) are sung once again and form the theme of the day:

     "The noble Joseph, when he had taken down Thy most pure body from the Tree, wrapped it in fine linen and anointed it with spices, and placed it in a new tomb."

      "When Thou didst descend to death, O Life Immortal, Thou didst slay hell with the splendor of Thy Godhead."

      "The angel came to the myrrhbearing women at the tomb and said: Myrrh is fitting for the dead, but Christ has shown Himself a stranger to corruption! So proclaim: The Lord is risen, granting the world great mercy."

The  Paralytic  (May 26):

     The Fourth Sunday is dedicated to Christ’s healing of the Paralytic (John 5).  The man is healed by Christ while waiting to be put down into the pool of water.  Through baptism in the church we too are healed and saved by Christ for eternal life.  Thus, in the church, we are told, together with the paralytic, to “sin no more that nothing worse befall you” (John 5:14).  Our Lord’s question to the man, “Do you want to be healed?” is directed to us as well, reminding us that the gift of life and illumination through the Resurrection brings with it responsibilities.  It must be nurtured and shared with others.

The  Feast  of  Mid-Pentecost:

     In the middle of the Fourth Week, there is a day which is called by the Church, the Feast of Mid-Pentecost (this year May 29).  On this day we recall that Christ, “in the middle of the feast” teaches men of His saving mission and offers to all “the waters of immortality” (John 7:14).  Again we are reminded of the Master’s presence and His saving promise:  “If anyone is thirsty let him come to Me and drink” (John 7:37).

The  Samaritan  Woman  (June 2):

     The Fifth Sunday after Pascha deals with the Woman of Samaria with whom Christ spoke at Jacob’s Well (John 4).  Again the theme is the “living water” and the recognition of Jesus as God’s Messiah (John 4: 10-11; 25-26).  We are reminded of our new life in Him, of our own drinking of the “living water,” of our own true worship of God in the Christian Messianic Age “in Spirit and in Truth” (John 4: 23-24).  We see as well that salvation is offered to all:  Jews and Gentiles, men and women, saints and sinners.

The  Blind  Man  (June 9):

     Finally, the Sixth Sunday commemorates the healing of the man blind from birth (John 9).  We are identified with that man who came to see and to believe in Jesus as the Son of God.  The Lord has anointed our eyes with His own divine hands and washed them with the waters of baptism (John 9: 6-11).  In Christ we are given the power to see and confess Him as God’s only-begotten Son, and we are given the ability to comprehend clearly and with love, our own lives, the lives of others and the world around us.

Ascension, Pentecost and All Saints Sunday:

      The Paschal Season ends with the great feast of Ascension (again, this year June 13) on which believers celebrate the Lord’s ascent in order to be glorified with God the Father and to glorify us with Himself.  He goes in order to “prepare a place” for us, and to take us into the blessedness of God’s presence.  He goes to open the way for all flesh into the “heavenly sanctuary...the Holy Place not made by hands” (See Hebrews 8-10).  Furthermore, Christ ascends in order to send the Holy Spirit (an event celebrated on Pentecost) who proceeds from the Father, to bear witness to Him (Christ) and His Gospel in the world, by making Him (Christ) powerfully present in the lives of His disciples.

On Pentecost (June 23) the Church celebrates the final act of God’s self-revelation and self-donation to the world.  God’s plan of salvation – starting with and including the formation of His chosen people, Israel;  the sending of the prophets;  the birth of Christ; His teachings, miracles, sufferings, death, burial and resurrection – all of this culminates with the giving of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost and the birth of the New Israel, the Church of God, the life of which is the continued presence of the Spirit in our midst.

The Sunday after Pentecost, that of All Saints  (June 30), reveals the power of the Holy Spirit in this world, the reason that He was given.  The Saints are those who, without a doubt, have been saved and transformed by the Spirit’s presence, a fate open to all who believe.

And then finally, on July 7, we commemorate All Saints of America, as a logical follow up to the previous Sunday.  This celebration affirms God’s presence and activity amongst His disciples in North America, placing before us local and contemporary examples of sanctity.

Thus a journey which began for us way back on February 17 with the Sunday of Zacchaeus will end on July 7.  But the journey was taken for a reason.  The seasons of fasting and celebration that we have experienced are to lead us to a deeper faith in Christ as Savior.  They are to instill within us a stronger commitment to our own mission, to be Christ’s witnesses “to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

     (Some of the above information taken from Fr. Thomas Hopko’s, The Orthodox Faith, Volume 2, Worship, published by the O.C.A.’s Department of Christian Education.)

Orthodox Christian Perspective on the Cross

An Orthodox Christian Perspective on the Cross of Christ

Archpriest Stephen Kostoff

(Father Steven Kostoff is rector of Christ the Savior-Holy Spirit Church, Cincinnati, Ohio. He is also a member of the adjunct faculty of the theology department at Xavier University in Cincinnati, where he has taught various courses on Orthodox theology.)

The misunderstanding may still persist that the Orthodox Church downplays the significance of the Cross because it so intensely concentrates on the Resurrection, or on other such themes as transfiguration, deification, mystical encounter with God, and so forth.  This is an implicit criticism that there is some deficiency in the Orthodox Christian presentation of the place of the Cross in the divine dispensation “for us and for our salvation.”  Such criticism may not hold up under further reflection and inspection, for the Orthodox would say that based upon the divine economy of our salvation, resurrection – and any “mystical encounter” with God – is only possible through the Cross.  As this was “the purpose of his will” and “the mystery of his will” (Ephesians 1:5,9),  our salvation could not have been accomplished in any other way.  The “Lord of Glory” was crucified (1 Corinthians 2:8) and then raised from the dead. Elsewhere, the Apostle Paul writes that “Jesus our Lord” was “put to death for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Romans 4:25).

The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews writes of “Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).  A text such as this could be behind the hymn we sing at every Divine Liturgy after receiving the Eucharist:  “For through the Cross, joy has come into the world.”  Jesus himself said “that the Son of Man must suffer many things…and be killed and after three days rise again” (Mark 8: 31).  Of the Greek word translated as “must” from these words of Christ, Archbishop Demitrios Trakatellis wrote: “This expresses the necessity (dei) of the Messiah’s terrible affliction.  Judging from the meaning of the verb (dei) in Mark, this necessity touches upon God’s great plan for the salvation of the world” (Authority and Passion, p.51-52).

Many such texts can be multiplied, but the point is clear:  The Cross and the empty tomb – redemption and resurrection – are inseparably united in the one paschal mystery that is nothing less than “Good News.”  Like Mary Magdalene before us, one must first stand by the Cross in sober vigilance before gazing with wonder into the empty tomb and then encountering the Risen Lord (John 20:11-18).

As something of an aside, part of this misunderstanding of the Orthodox Church’s supposed neglect of the Cross in the drama of human redemption could stem from a one-sided emphasis on the Cross in other churches at the expense of the Resurrection.  The redemptive significance of the Cross somehow overwhelms the Resurrection so that it is strangely reduced to something of a glorified appendix to the salvific meaning of the Cross.  As Vladimir Lossky wrote:  “This redemptionist theology, placing all the emphasis on the passion, seems to take no interest in the triumph of Christ over death.”  Since the “triumph of Christ over death” is so integral to the very existence of the Church—and since it is the ultimate paschal proclamation, as in “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death!”—then the Orthodox Church will never concentrate on a “theology of the Cross” at the expense of the Resurrection.  Rather, the one paschal mystery will always embrace both Cross and Resurrection in a balanced manner.  Within the Church during the week of the Cross (beginning on the third Sunday of Great Lent), we sing and prostrate ourselves before the Cross while chanting, “Before Thy Cross we bow down in worship, and Thy holy Resurrection we glorify!”

In addition, and perhaps more tellingly, the growth, development and continuing existence of certain theories of atonement that have proven to be problematic today, but not shared by the Orthodox Church, have had an impact on evaluating the Orthodox Church’s understanding of the Cross on the whole. These theories of atonement will portray God as being primarily characterized by a wrath that demands appeasement, or “propitiation,” something only the death of His Son on the Cross could “satisfy.” These theories would stress the “judicial” and “penal” side of redemption in a one-sided manner. They may also bind God to act within certain “laws” of eternal necessity that would impose such categories as (vindictive?) justice on God in a way that may obscure God’s overwhelming mercy and love.

Not sharing such theories of atonement as developed in the “West,” the Orthodox Church may face criticism for lacking a fully-developed “theology of the Cross.” However, such “satisfaction” theories of atonement are proving to be quite unsatisfactory in much of contemporary theological assessments of the meaning and significance of the Cross in relation to our salvation “in Christ.”

The Orthodox can make a huge contribution toward a more holistic and integrated understanding of the role of both Cross and Resurrection, so that the full integrity of the paschal mystery is joyfully proclaimed to the world. From the patristic tradition of the Church, the voice of Saint Athanasius the Great can speak to us today of this holistic approach (using some “juridical” language!): “Here, then is the…reason why the Word dwelt among us, namely that having proved His Godhead by His works, He might offer the sacrifice on behalf of all, surrendering His own temple to death in place of all, to settle man’s account with death and free him from the primal transgression.  In the same act also He showed Himself mightier than death, displaying His own body incorruptible as the first-fruit of the resurrection” (On the Incarnation, 20).

In soberly assessing too great of a dependency on juridical language when speaking of redemption, and anticipating some later theories that would narrowly focus on the language of “payment” and “ransom” in relation to the sacrifice of Christ; Saint Gregory the Theologian argued that a “price” or “ransom” was not “paid” to the Father or to Satan, as if either would demand, need or expect such a price as the “precious and glorious blood of God.” Saint Gregory says, rather, the following:  “Is it not evident that the Father accepts the sacrifice not because He demanded it or had any need for it but by His dispensation? It was necessary that man should be sanctified by the humanity of God; it was necessary that He Himself should free us, triumphing over the tyrant by His own strength, and that He should recall us to Himself by His Son who is the Mediator, who does all for the honor of the Father, to whom he is obedient in all things …. Let the rest of the mystery be venerated silently” (Oration 45,22).

However, getting it right in terms of a sound doctrine of atonement is one thing – essential as it is – but assimilating the necessity of the Cross in and to our personal understanding and the conditions of our life is another. In fact, it is quite a struggle and our resistance can be fierce! If this is difficult to understand, assimilate and then live by, the initial disciples of the Lord suffered through the same profound lack of comprehension. Their (mis)undersanding of Jesus as the Messiah was one-sidedly fixated on images of glory, both for Israel and for themselves. A crucified Messiah was simply too much for the disciples to grasp, ever though Jesus spoke of this in words that were not that enigmatic.  When Peter refused to accept his Master’s words of His impending passion and death in Jerusalem after just confessing His messianic stature and being blessed for it; he is forced to receive what is perhaps the most stinging rebuke in the Gospels when Jesus turns to him and says: “Get behind me Satan! For you are not on the side of God, but of men” (Mark 8:33).  It was Satan who did not want Jesus to fulfill His vocation by voluntarily dying on the Cross, so Peter’s refusal to accept Christ’s words was his way of aligning himself with Satan.

The disciples were not enlightened until after the resurrection of their Lord and Master.  We are raised in the Church so that we already know of Christ’s triumph over death through the Cross.  Our resistance is not based on a lack of knowledge, but of a real human dread of pain and suffering.  It may be difficult to us to “see” the joy that comes through the Cross until we find ourselves “on the other side,” for “now we see in a glass darkly, but then face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:12).  It is our hope and the “certainty” of our faith that Christ has indeed triumphed over death, “even death on a Cross” (Philippians 2:8).  God has blessed us with yet another Great Lent and upcoming Holy Week and Pascha in order to share in that experience of His glorious triumph that begins with the life-giving wood of the Tree of the Cross.

The Spirit of Lent

The Spirit of Lent

Fr. Basil Zebrun

Introduction:  Pre Lent and the Great Fast

Orthodox Christians entered the Pre Lenten Season on February 17, the Sunday of Zacchaeus.  The particular hymns and scripture readings during this period provide select lessons in preparation for the Great Fast, chosen to guide the faithful in the way of repentance.  In effect, before the Fast begins the Church sets out the meaning of Lent so that her members may use wisely this "tithe of the year" in preparation for Pascha.Humility, love, forgiveness, and above all a desire to "see and know" Christ, these are fruits of a Christian life.  It is precisely these themes, as well as an emphasis on the true nature of the Fast,  that are placed before us during the five Sundays of Pre Lent through specific Bible passages, as well as through their elaboration within Church services.   On these Sundays the following readings are heard:  Zacchaeus (Luke 19; 1 Timothy 4: 9-15), the Publican and Pharisee (Luke 18; 2 Timothy 3: 10-15), the Prodigal Son (Luke 15; 1 Corinthians 6: 12-20), the Parable of the Last Judgment (Matthew 25; 1 Corinthians 8:8 - 9:2), and a summary of Lenten efforts provided in Matthew, 6:14-21, with an epistle from Romans 13:11 - 14:4.

Lent is a sacred time, highly anticipated each year by the faithful.  Love for the Fast might seem strange to many, since people often understand it primarily in terms of deprivation:  "what are you giving up for Lent," is a frequently asked question. For the Orthodox, however, the Fast is about gain, as much as it is about sacrifice.  In fact, it might be better defined as a time of "gain through sacrifice."  The focus is on drawing closer to God, spiritual renewal, self awareness in light of the Gospel, and recognizing the fullness of life to which each person is called.   Such realizations are possible, however, only after a "stripping away" has taken place in a person's life, in the proper spirit:  i.e. self denial for the sake of the Gospel.

The Fast, among other things, directs the faithful toward specific bodily disciplines.  These may be understood as spiritual tools.  As with any tool, the "40 days" with its directives can be abused to our detriment or used properly to our great benefit.  If we enter Lent with a purpose, focused on the right things, it will profit us immensely.

Changes During the Fast:

Lenten disciplines influence our diet, a fact quite familiar to the faithful.  The strict dietary rules of Lent are severe:  many people would find them difficult to follow precisely.  For instance, according to Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, 'during the first five days of the Fast only two meals are to be eaten, one meal each day on Wednesday and Friday.  If that practice proves too harsh, then one additional meal may be eaten on both Tuesday and Thursday.  These consist of bread and water, or fruit juice, but not cooked meals.' Generally speaking, however, Church members refrain from all meat, fish, egg and dairy products during the Lent.  It is also advised that a person leave the table hungry after most meals.Additionally during the Fast we modify our usual routines as they relate to entertainment:  television and "surfing the net" should be kept to a bare minimum, as should idle chatter through electronic devises.  Concerts, movie going, parties and school dances might be curtailed completely.  The "negative," however, must be balanced with the "positive." Activities eliminated from schedules should be replaced with more profitable ones, in preparation for "the Feast of Feasts."  Parents may find this effort challenging, but it is extremely worthwhile. Above all it is a yearly opportunity to impress upon children the seriousness of the Faith, the saving importance of the Cross, Tomb and Resurrection of Christ.   Lent is a perfect time to focus on a daily rule of prayer, to enact a routine of scripture reading, of familiarizing ourselves with the lives and teachings of the saints, as well as with the writings of modern authors.  Nowadays, in many households, even one meal a day, taken together as a family without distractions, would be considered an accomplishment.  We should also make special efforts to help others during the 40 days, and to seek reconciliation with estranged neighbors.  These struggles are made with Christ in mind.  They are signs that we desire to be renewed inwardly, and a means of achieving that renewal.

Lent provides a unique worship experience, prayers and services chanted only during the Fast:  for example, the Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian with its many prostrations, the Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts, and the Penitential Canon of St. Andrew of Crete; not to mention the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, the commemoration of the Sunday of Orthodoxy, as well as special Holy Week services leading up to Pascha night.   In his celebrated work, "Great Lent:  Journey to Pascha," Fr. Alexander Schmemann stresses that "the spirit of the Fast is best communicated to the faithful through the Church's unique cycle of lenten prayer."

A Meaningful Fast: 

As we draw closer to March 18 --the start of Lent -- the following words from the prophecy of Isaiah are significant.  They provide a useful distinction between a false, useless fast;  and a fast that has meaning, that is acceptable in the eyes of God."Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers.  Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight, and to hit with wicked fist.  Fasting like yours, this day, will not make your voice to be heard on high......

     Is not this the fast that I choose (says the Lord), to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?  Is (not the fast), to share your bread with the hungry, and to bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?..........If you pour yourself out for the hungry, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness.........And the Lord will guide you continually.........and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail." (Isaiah 58: 3,4,6,7,10-11).Jesus states something similar to the religious leaders of His day.  In the Gospel according to St. Matthew, chapter 23,  He speaks about hypocrisy, about the Scribes and Pharisees being more concerned religiously with outward appearances than with justice and mercy.  Jesus refers to them as whitewashed tombs which look beautiful on the outside, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all manner of uncleanness.

The words of Isaiah and Christ indicate an ever present temptation, especially during the Fast:  the lure of putting one's trust in outward rules of the Faith, to see their "perfect observance" as an end in itself, rather than acknowledging their true goal of conversion and communion with God.  St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, a 19th century Russian bishop, in his book, "The Arena," speaks of this danger.  He says that those who approach fasting in this manner become worse than animals, their motivation becomes truly demonic.   At the same time, St. Ignatius affirms the benefit of Christian discipline as absolutely necessary for the heart's proper reception of God's Word in order to bear spiritual fruit.

"Bodily discipline (fasting, etc) is essential in order to make the ground of the heart fit to receive the spiritual seeds and bear spiritual fruit.  To abandon or neglect it is to render the ground unfit for sowing and bearing fruit.  Excess in this direction and putting one's trust in it is just as harmful, or even more so, than neglect of it.  Neglect of bodily discipline makes men like animals, who give free rein and scope to their bodily passions;  but excess makes men like devils and fosters the tendency to pride and the recrudescence of other passions of the soul" (p. 138).

We assuredly do not wish to understate the significance of the Fast and its disciplines.  These tools are indispensible for helping to free Christians from fallen passions, and for fostering within the faithful a conscious dependence on God.  Christ taught His disciples to fast (Matthew 6:16-18).  He indicated that certain types of evil can only be dealt with, "through prayer and fasting" (Matthew 17:21, Mark 9:29).  The commands to "deny oneself, take up the Cross, and to lose one's life for the sake of the Gospel," are in effect instructions to engage in the ascetic life.   I do hope, however, that in our struggles we are able to pay equally  close attention to what may be called "the spirit of Lent," to realize that our Lenten efforts are directed toward bringing about profound changes "in us." Outward changes are relatively easy to accomplish, and are frequently temporary.  Far more difficult is authentic repentance, a desire for permanent change and true enlightenment in accordance with the Gospel.

Conclusion:

During the next two months the Church worldwide will be moving spiritually as one Body, toward the greatest celebration of the year;  the "Holy Day of Holy Days," on May 5.  During this time let us fast and pray, but strive pre-eminently to place ourselves in God's hands, saying to Him, "You teach me, You fashion me more and more in Your likeness."  This humble approach and submission to the Creator, constitutes a proper spirit of prayer and of Lent.We can end with a quote from Metropolitan Kallistos Ware on the true nature and spirit of the Fast as conversion, as abstinence from sin as well as from food.    His Eminence writes:   "If it is important not to overlook the physical requirements of fasting, it is even more important not to overlook its inward significance.  Fasting is not a mere matter of diet.  It is moral as well as physical.  True fasting is to be converted in heart and will;  it is to return to God, to come home like the Prodigal to our Father's house.  In the words of St. John Chrysostom, it means "abstinence not only from food but from sins."  "The fast, " he insists, "should be kept not by the mouth alone but also by the eye, the ear, the feet, the hands and all the members of the body;"  the eye must abstain from impure sights, the ear from malicious gossip, the hands from acts of injustice.  It is useless to fast from food, protests St. Basil, and yet to indulge in cruel criticism and slander:  "You do not eat meat," (he says), "but you devour your brother."  The same point is made in the Triodion (the book of Lent) especially during the first week.  At Forgiveness Vespers, and on Monday and Tuesday of the first week of the Fast, we sing the following:

     "As we fast from food, let us abstain also from every passion...Let us observe a fast acceptable and pleasing to the Lord.  True fasting is to put away all evil, to control the tongue, to forbear from anger, to abstain from lust, slander, falsehood and perjury. If we renounce these things, then is our fasting true and acceptable to God..."" (p. 17, Introduction, Lenten Triodion)