CALLED TO HOLINESS — 20170205

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I believe that we are “called to holiness” by God out of love. If we truly respond to this call, we begin to understand that our personal “salvation” is what transpires. So, it would seem that personal salvation is somehow connected to a real and true understanding of the meaning and purpose of this earthly existence. Furthermore, I believe that this “call to holiness” challenges us to believe that this present life is only a small portion of the immortality which is ours – only a portion of eternal life. We have things to learn during this earthly existence – things which can make us more like the human that God intended when He created us. The purpose of this present existence is to help us develop the spiritual-psychological dimensions of our person – to develop our ability to unconditionally love and forgive others. The ability to live in this manner is, perhaps, the most important ability to develop during this earthly life. I say this because this is the unique ability that Jesus demonstrated during His earthly life. This ability can also, as it did for Him, bring a certain internal peace. With this ability – that is the ability to unconditionally love andthe ability to unconditionally love and forgive others – we can grow in our likeness of God as seen in the Person of Jesus.

We must always remember that we are here on earth for a purpose. It is no accident that we have been born in this time and in this place. God has allowed life to orchestrate our existence. God’s Divine Plan is that all humans will be given the opportunities and help to fully develop the spiritual-psychological dimensions of their personalities. We are here to accomplish this. It is all a matter of believing this and then, voluntarily, doing all in our power to achieve it. The one wonderful thing is that, if we freely attempt to develop ourselves in this manner, God will see to it that we are given all the help we need to achieve it. We were created with free will. We have to make the decision!

Understanding Our Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church — 20170205

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In the last issue I began to share thoughts about the establishment of the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God (Assumption in the Western Church). As I indicated, the feast was established because the Church was fighting Nestorianism.

Relations between the Nestorians and the rest of the Empire were not good. In 486 the Christian Church in Persia officially pronounced itself to be Nestorian, in 489 the Nestorians were expelled from Edessa. Conflict between Nestorianism and the those who held an orthodox faith, continued during the entire sixth century. By this time the new heresy was tolerated to such a degree in Persia that even the ruler Kavadh II was rumored to be a Nestorian Christian. Some time during the reign of the Emperor Maurice (582-602), the Feast of the Dormition was established throughout the Empire on the date of August 15th. Maurice had had one war with Persia and was threatened soon after that with another. It seems likely that, with his record of religious persecution and practice of enforcing Chalcedonian Faith in the Eastern regions of his empire, the Emperor decreed the Feast of the Dormition as part of an anti-Nestorian policy to bolster religious and political unity in the face of the Persian threat. The fact that this feast, like the one before it, was established by imperial decree demonstrates that the institution of a liturgical feast was a recognized and effective method of promulgating a particular doctrine. And this practice was not limited to the portion of the Church that upheld the decrees of Chalcedon. One author points out that during the sixth century some churches kept older Marian feasts celebrated at various times of the year rather than the new one on August 15th. This same author rather mistakenly suggests that Maurice instituted the Dormition to end this diversity of observance. It was not the diversity of observance to which Maurice objected, however, but the diversity of intention. The older feasts commemorated the role of the Virgin in a manner which did not acknowledge her as Theotokos. In fact, Maurice was suppressing what he must have felt to be heterodox festal practice.

One thing is important to point out. The Church developed feasts as a result of reinforcing doctrines that were established by various Councils and emperors established them, many times, to bring political order to the empire. All the feasts were established, however, to somehow help Christians understand more clearly the doctrines that the Church saw as truth.

The Spirituality of the Christian East — 20170205

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The third type of prayer that is a part of the 28th Step on John’s Ladder, is PRAYER OF THE HEART. The highest level of prayer is prayer of the heart. This is when prayer is not only something we do, but something we are; when the Holy Spirit Himself prays within us. Perhaps this is what St. Paul meant when he said,

We do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered. (Romans 8:26) and It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. (Galatians 2:20)

As with prayer of the mind, so too with prayer of the heart, the Jesus Prayer has enjoyed special attention as a method of acquiring such an elevated state of being. Unfortunately, many have come to see the practice of the Jesus Prayer as synonymous with prayer of the heart, but they are not one and the same thing. The Jesus Prayer is a means of acquiring perfect and ceaseless prayer; it is not the only means, but there can be little doubt that it is the most tried and tested method. While practitioners of the Jesus Prayer sometimes employ certain techniques (i.e., controlled breathing, certain postures, use of a prayer rope), prayer of the heart cannot be achieved simply by mastering any particular technique or method; nor can it be acquired by repetition and practice alone: it is truly a gift from God.

When one attains prayer of the heart, everything becomes prayer, but the act of prayer remains a Central part of Christian life no matter how holy we become. St. John writes:

However pure you may be, do not be forward in your dealings with God. Approach Him rather in all humility, and you will be given still more boldness. And even if you have climbed the whole ladder of the virtues, pray still for the forgiveness of sins. Heed Paul’s cry regarding sinners “of whom I am first” (1 Timothy 1:15).

The main thing is to make prayer a part of your life. Then leave everything else up to God. He will guide your spiritual growth.

Gaining a Deeper Understanding of the New Testament — 20170205

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It is my hope that, by providing various forms of information about the New Testament (NT), my readers will gain a deeper understanding and love of it. The NT must be one of the essential books in every Christian’s library. It is the book that truly helps us to become true followers of Jesus Christ. Because of this, I have decided that I will, during the next several weeks, begin sharing information about each of the four Gospels. I will begin with Mark’s gospel since it is supposedly the oldest of the four Gospels we have in the Canon approved by the Church.

The actual author of the Gospel of mark, like those of all the Gospels, is unknown to us. The manuscripts that survived date from the fourth century; the names of the evangelists were added sometime in the second century. There is reason to believe that the early church was less interested in knowing the actual authorship than in connecting the Gospel narratives with actual apostolic witnesses. They found the names “Matthew” and “John” within their respective Gospels, and the name “Luke” as one mentioned by Paul as his traveling companion. For Mark they relied on a fragment written by a second-century bishop named Papias, who spoke of Mark as the “interpreter” of Peter. This suggestion dovetailed with the observation in Acts that Peter had visited the home of someone in Jerusalem named “John who is called Mark” (Acts 12:12). Some also found support in the reference in the first letter of Peter to “Mark, my son” (1 Peter 5:13). Not all scholars accept these inferences, yet to link with Peter is supported by internal evidence.

Since we do not know for certain who wrote the Gospel of Mark, we also cannot be certain of its intended audience. The link with Peter has led some scholars to speculate that it was addressed, like Peter’s first letter, to the church in Rome. But there are many other bases for speculating both about Mark’s Gospel and Peter’s letter. Among them is the fact that Peter is known in Acts as the head of the Jerusalem Church; an argument could be made that Mark was a member of that early Jewish-Christian community. Language offers some internal clues as to both the author and his intended audience. Mark’s manuscript, like the other Gospels, has come down to us as a GREEK text. Why, one might wonder, would the evangelist have written in Greek instead of in Hebrew or Aramaic, the Jewish idiom common in Galilee?

Learning Our Faith From the Greek Fathers of the Church — 20170205

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Irenaeus (icon above), a gifted father writing in the second century, also emphasized the importance of apostolic teaching and tradition in the propagation of the Gospel and particularly stressed the important role bishops played in preserving and protecting apostolic truth. “By ‘knowledge of the truth,’” he writes, “we mean the teaching of the Apostles; the order of the Church as established from the earliest times throughout the world.” Irenaeus contends that the “distinctive stamp of the body of Christ” is “preserved through the Episcopal succession: for to the bishops the apostles committed the care of the Church which is in each place, which has come down to our own time.” Heresy can be identified, Irenaeus believes, by the willingness of the heretic to proclaim a message “that he himself has discovered by himself – or rather invented.” When the heretic is presented with the tradition derived “from the Apostles, and which is preserved in the churches by the successions of presbyters, then they oppose tradition, claiming to be wiser not only than the presbyters but even than the Apostles, and to have discovered the truth undefiled.” Irenaeus explains that in distinction from the heretic – a theological maverick of sorts – the genuinely “talented theologian… will not say anything different from these beliefs (for ‘no one is above his teacher’): nor will the feeble diminish the tradition.

The word heresy is from a Greek word signifying (1) a choice, (2) the opinion chosen, and (3) the sect holding the opinion. In the Acts of the Apostles it denotes a sect, without reference to its character. Elsewhere, however, in the New Testament it has a different meaning attached to it. Paul ranks “heresies” with crimes and seditions. This word also denotes divisions or schisms in the church . In Titus 3:10 a “heretical person” is one who follows his own self-willed “questions,” and who is to be avoided. Heresies thus came to signify self-chosen doctrines not emanating from God. In the Church, heresy is always distinguished from true doctrine by a consensus of the Bishops of the Church.

Acquiring the Mind of Christ — 20170205

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I would continue sharing thoughts about acquiring of the Mind of Christ. I have been sharing the thoughts of St. Anselm, whose thoughts Western Christianity has embraced. They are different from those thoughts of the Fathers of the Eastern Church.

For the first thousand years of Christianity, the Gospel message was not understood from the new common scholastic mindset of Anselm. Today, Anselm’s ideas are unfortunately the most dominate perspective of Christianity in the Western world, both Protestant and Roman Catholic. The early Christians, understood that Christ releases us from sin by destroying its root, death. Those who have put on Christ are no longer slaves of sin, “because you are not under the Law but under grace” (Romans 6:14). For the “Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the Law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2).

Anselm, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Canterbury in the 11th Century (1033-1109), was the father of modern Scholastic theology and philosophy. He has been seen by some to be the first to develop a doctrine of Atonement apart from the Church’s biblical-patristic heritage. By adjusting his theology to fit his society’s understanding of the time, Anselm utilizes a feudal ethic to rationally discern the unfathomable depth of the mystery of God.

Anselm can be seen as a bridge between St. Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas. By using classical philosophy and logic as instruments of discovery (instead of a means of interpretation), Anselm’s doctrines made the finite truth of God subject to a created finite intellect. In contrast, the Scriptures are quite clear that God’s revelation “is not after man. For it neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:11-12). [It must be pointed out that the Eastern Fathers did use Greek philosophy to help them formulate their interpretations of the mystery of Christ]. The current Roman Catholic position, originating from Anselm, officially states that “justification has been merited for us by the Passion of Christ, who offered Himself on the cross as a living victim… whose blood has become the instrument of atonement for the sins of all men.” The question then is raised: How does this Atonement happen and who is it offered to? The Eastern Church’s approach is a little different. More to come

The Divine Liturgy and Our Worship of God — 20170205

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Mystical Supper

Following the head-bowing prayer of the Divine Liturgy, the celebrant says another prayer which, I believe, has deep content. In the very first part of the prayer, the celebrant calls upon the “Lord Jesus Christ, our God” to look down upon what we are doing. The prayer also specifies that Christ is in His “holy dwelling place” and sits on the “throne of glory of Your Kingdom.” Christ is seen as a King. In fact, much of the ritual of our Divine Liturgy emulates the ritual of the emperor’s court (the holding of the fans over the Gospel Book when it is read is a direct reflection of a court ritual).

In the prayer, the celebrant asks Jesus Christ to come an sanctify those who are praying the Divine Liturgy. He asks this of Jesus who is “seated on high with the Father” and “dwells invisibly among us.” Again, this stresses the REAL PRESENCE of CHRIST in our midst.

This prayer also suggests that it is Christ Himself who imparts the transformed bread and wine to us with His “mighty hand.” It is important to point out that this is the reason why in our Church it is traditional that only an ordained minister can distribute Holy Communion. When a person is ordained, he symbolically represents Jesus Christ so that it becomes real that the transformed gifts come directly from Christ. A bishop, priest or deacon, when they serve Communion, do not represent themselves but, rather, Jesus Christ.

This prayer is ended by the celebrant saying on behalf of all those present, “O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” It is critical that when the celebrant says these words that we all say them in our hearts. It is also traditional that we all make the Sign of the Cross on ourselves when these words are being said.

The next declaration that the celebrant makes is: “Let us be attentive. Holy Things to the Holy”. Think about this statement. We are called to holiness. The transformed gifts are a means of helping us attain holiness.

To this prayer the congregation responds:

One is Holy. One is Lord Jesus Christ. For the glory of God the Father. Amen

There truly is great meaning in this prayer. When we join ourselves with Jesus in offering thanksgiving for our lives, we do it for the glory of the Father. When we do it for His glory, we begin acting like holy people – we begin to act like God’s children.

Reflections on the Scripture Readings for this Weekend — 20170129

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On this weekend of Zacchaeus, our Epistle reading is taken from the first letter of Paul to Timothy wherein he states: “Our hopes are fixed on the living God who is the savior of all men, but especially of those who believe.” He also shares this with Timothy: “You can depend on this [that God is the savior of all men] as a means of trying to encourage Timothy to persist in his ministry.

Our Gospel reading, which is taken from Luke’s Gospel, relates the story of the calling of Zacchaeus. His name is used to designate this weekend which begins a sequence of five weekends that are designed to help us enter into the Great Fast – our preparation for Easter. Each of these five weekends are dedicated to some fundamental aspect of METANOIA (repentance) which is the focus of the Great Lent.

Long before the actual beginning of Lent, the Church announces its approach and invites us to enter into the period of pre-Lenten preparation. It is a characteristic feature of the Eastern Church’s liturgical tradition. Thus, long before the actual effort of Lent is to begin, the Church calls our attention to its seriousness and invites us to meditate on its significance. Before we can practice Lent we are given its meaning.

The story of Zacchaeus is the story of a man who was too short to see Jesus but who desired so much to see Him that he climbed up a tree. Thus the first fundamental aspect of metanoia is DESIRE. A strong desire overcomes the natural limitations of man. When he passionately desires something he does things of which “normally” he is incapable.

So we must, at this point in our yearly journey to Pascha, ask ourselves: Do I truly desire to become more like Jesus Christ? If I do, then I will make plans to observe the Great Fast in a way that will truly promote my spiritual development. As we know from St. Paul, God desires to bring all of us to union with Him. He will never force us to this greater union because He respects our free will. God has revealed to us His offer of helping us become His children. It is our choice. We have to truly desire to be His child which requires that we engage in a process of personal transformation or change. We need to change if we want to be His children. Why? In order to freely return His love. We do that – return His love – by working to grow in our likeness of Jesus.

Gaining a Deeper Understanding of the New Testament — 20170129

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Continuing on my comments in the last issue of this article concerning the methodology used to attempt to determine the meaning of a biblical texts, it must be reported that biblical scholars do not agree on the value and use of the methodology that I described for determining the meaning of a given passage. The problem involved is two-fold: to determine the meaning of the apostolic writing in its original historical context, and to discern its significance for today in the internal life of the Church and for the Christian mission to the world. Strictly speaking, the first aspect concerning the original message that is communicated by a biblical author is, in a way, a scientific problem. In seeking its solution, exegetes are divided only by their selection of different critical methods used to study the text: for example, literary and form criticism, redaction criticism or structuralism. Most exegetes today employ a combination of these tools and their differences concern the particular accent they place upon one or another of these diverse methods.

So, as you might guess, it is truly very difficult to determine the exact meaning of the biblical texts since their authors were influenced by many different things. We do not believe that God’s inspiration is seen as “dictation”. Most serious disagreement occurs when the exegete attempts to interpret the doctrinal content of a biblical passage and to elaborate its significance for Christian life and faith. And yet, the Fathers of the Church all used various biblical texts to focus their teachings and used those texts in the formulation of dogma and doctrine. This is one reason why dogma always has been the product of consensus of bishops in Council. The Church believes that when the leadership of the Church is joined in debate about religious dogma and doctrine, the resultant meaning is guided by the Holy Spirit. Dogma cannot be generated by just one bishop.

The Eastern Church has always maintained that truth comes from a synodal approach. That is why the first seven Councils are consider to be the foundation of our Christian faith. Why? Because the leadership of the whole Church participated in those Councils.

It is because of the problems involved in interpreting biblical passages that Protestantism emerged with its approach to the Bible. All biblical literature was produced in a historical-social context which helped form the literature.

The Divine Liturgy and Our Worship of God — 20170129

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In the last issue I began a description of the Communion Service which takes place after the Anaphora. While it can begin with a litany, the true beginning of this service is the praying of the OUR FATHER, the Lord’s Prayer.

Immediately after this prayer, the celebrant again offers a blessing and invites people to bow their heads for the Head-Bowing Prayer. Almost all of our services include a Head-Bowing Prayer. It is a very ancient ritual.

The Head-Bowing Prayer in the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is a true declaration of our faith. It starts out by making a declaration of our faith that the God we are worshipping is the God who has “fashioned all things”. We acknowledge Him as the Creator of the Universe. It also states that we believe that He brought “all things out of nonexistence into being.”

This is an important part of our faith. The God we worship created all things out of “nothingness.” Even if we take into consideration evolution, He, we believe, started the process and initiated it out of “nothingness.” This is stated to express our belief that there was nothing but God Who originally existed and that He is the source of all things.

The prayer then states something that I believe is very important. It says that we bow our heads to Him and then adds that we do not “bow to flesh and blood but to You, our awesome God”. This statement, I believe, declares something that is so very important, namely that the bread and wine are not just transformed into the elements of Christ’s Body and Blood but, rather, into Christ Himself. We sometimes fail to realize this fact. The words Body and Blood could mean that only Christ’s bodily accidents are present and, therefore, He is only “represented” by them. Our faith tells us that HE, Christ, is truly present and that the Body and Blood are only an indication of His presence since all hu-mans have both a body and blood.

The most important thing is to believe and realize that HE, Christ, is truly present among us. This is the way that Christ fulfills the promise He first gave to the Apostles that He would be with them until the end of time. HE, Himself, is present in our midst just as He was at the Last Supper.

It is critical that we understand that we believe in Christ’s REAL PRESENCE. Communion is not just something symbolic or representative of Him. Through our faith and prayers HE IS WITH US.