CALLED TO HOLINESS — 20160403

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transfigurationSo the call to holiness is a call to work to achieve our likeness to Jesus, who is God incarnate. It must be asserted that we cannot become unto the likeness of God Himself, since He is without figure or image. But we can become unto the likeness of Jesus Who is God incarnate.

When you think about our religion, you quickly see that it make a great deal of sense. To grow in God’s likeness means to grow in the likeness of Jesus Who is God incarnate as a human being. God has manifested Himself to us as a human, that is Jesus Christ. Our goal in life, therefore, must be to become more like Jesus. We must make every effort to incorporate His attitudes, thinking and behaviors in our lives. This must be, of course, a conscious and voluntary decision on our part. God never forces us to live, act, think in any way. He created us as “free” humans so that, if we return His love, it might be voluntary and free. He did not create slaves but, rather, free men and women who are called to give to God worship and praise.

We are exhorted to have no doubt. This earthly existence is given to us so that we might develop ourselves to be more and more like Jesus Christ, Who is the human image of our invisible God. This, of course, requires that we make a choice to attempt to live like Jesus.

To live like Jesus means to do more than just not break one of the Ten Commandments or Church rules! To live like Jesus means to work at bringing our attitudes and thinking into conformity with the attitudes and thinking of Jesus as revealed to us through the Gospels. To live like Jesus means to take positive action to make God’s Kingdom real right now in the places where we work, live and recreate. To live like Jesus means doing all in our power to develop the ability to unconditionally love and forgive others.

Now while this challenge given by God to us might seem difficult, He will give us the help if we choose to accept the challenge. The result: fullness of life!

Learning Our Faith From the Greek Fathers of the Church — 20160403

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john-chrysostomPrior to the Easter break, I was sharing some thoughts about how the Fathers of the Church, especially John Chrysostom, thought about the Transfiguration of Christ. This event in the life of Christ is important since it serves as a real foundation of Eastern Christian spirituality.

Speaking in terms of very broad structure, there is at least one indication of the centrality of the event of the transfiguration that   warrants mention. It is connected with the baptism of Jesus. Only twice, in the Synoptic Gospels, do we hear a voice from heaven: the first time is at the baptism, the second at the transfiguration of Jesus. If the baptism signifies and initiates the opening phase of Jesus’ public ministry, the transfiguration apparently inaugurates the next, climatic phase. We have only to think of the content of the transfiguration accounts to have our sense of its importance in the Gospels reinforced. In some respects its visually dramatic features exceed those of any other part of the Gospels, with the possible exception of Luke’s accounts of the ascension. The resurrection stories contain mysteries of recognition, appearance, disappearance and motion. There is drama enough at the empty tomb. But none are as visually spectacular as the transfiguration. Nor do the miracles performed by Jesus seem as dramatic as this, whether or not we describe it as a miracle performed upon him. Puzzling this all may be, but marginal it is not. It has been said that in its content ‘it presents the Gospel in microcosm.’

Outside the Synoptic Gospels we find only one clear reference to the event of the Lord’s transfiguration. According to 2 Peter we did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and      coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eye-witnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, ’This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’ We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

There may be reminders or echoes of the scene of transfiguration elsewhere in the New Testament (NT). I will continue sharing thoughts on the role of the transfiguration in our lives. It is a great symbol to us as we grow in our faith. One of the true meanings and purposes of earthly life is personal transformation or, as we might know, personal transfiguration.

ACQUIRING THE MIND OF CHRIST — 20160403

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christ_iconAs may have become obvious to those who read all the various articles in my Bulletin, it is quite clear that the Eastern Church sees the goal of life’s journey as each person’s acquisition of the Mind of Christ. Jesus Christ is the proto-archetypal man. He reveals to us not only perfect God, but also perfect man, as man is intended to be, showing us the potential of everyone born into this world. This potential is to have the “fullness of the Godhead dwelling in us” (Col 2:9), not by nature, but by Grace, so “that we might become partakers of the Divine Nature (II Peter 1:4) and truly be “temples of the Holy Spirit (I Cor 6:19). To deny the Lord Jesus Christ is to deny our true selves, “hid with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). The purpose for which we were created is that we might know God and through this knowledge (communion) become eternal, sharing in God’s very life.

Hopefully, the above makes sense to my readers since I have, during the past, tried to present theosis in several different ways. I have repeatedly suggested that we must learn how to think like Christ and to replace any attitudes of mind that we have which are not in concert with the attitudes of Christ.

Indeed from the first moments of our life within the Church we have heard this. At baptism the Church proclaims: All you who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ! The only things of Christ that we can put on are, of course, His ways of thinking and behaving.

How do we do this, you may ask? First we must realize that our thinking has a huge impact on how we live and act. Indeed our thoughts determine our lives and we must realize that modern media does much to shape our ideas and thinking. We must, constantly examine the way we think, realizing that we are susceptible to the great influence that our society has on our ideas about life. We must continuously work at attempting to put on Christ – and put off old ways of thinking, habits and perspectives. Only the radical change afforded to us by profound repentance has the potential to remake us in the likeness of Christ.

Again, this process of growing in Christ’s likeness requires that we constantly reflect upon how we think and act and continuously make small adjustments so that we truly can say that we are one with the Mind of Christ. It is, of course, all a matter of personal choice. We are called to voluntarily do these things.

The Divine Liturgy and Our Worship of God — 20160403

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Mystical Supper

Mystical Supper

The idea of anamnesis (anyone who has been reading my Bulletin should be well acquainted with this idea) is of particular relevance to us during this post-Pascha period. Why? Because it reminds us that the events we are celebrating are timeless and are taking place right now, albeit perhaps with a different cast of characters. We must either join ourselves with Jesus or we become a part of the rabble that crucified Him. It is all a matter of our choice and our willingness to make these events real to ourselves.

I truly realize that some may find it difficult to think of the events we are celebrating as taking place right now. We have ritualized the events that took place long ago. However, the events are meant to be revelatory, that is to teach us something about life and give us insights into how we can live life so that we experience the fullness of life.

Needless to say, the fullness of life is very closely connected with our experience of God’s presence in our lives. For this to happen, however, we must truly become people of FAITH.

As you already know, FAITH is not based on events or facts that we can prove. FAITH, which is a gift from God, allows us to embrace ideas that have the power to touch our very souls – based on ideas that seem to resonate with our very beings. It requires that we freely embrace these ideas and give ourselves to them 100 percent.  This also requires that we spend some time thinking about what we really think God is like and what is the meaning and purpose of our lives. I would hasten to remind my readers that each of us must discover the meaning and purpose of our life. There is not just one purpose that fits all, even though there might be some similarities. Each of us has been called into existence at this particular time to complete God’s universe. When our presence is no longer required to complete His creation, we are called to move on to the next dimension.

So I would encourage all of my readers to attempt to make what we celebrate REAL to themselves. Christ’s resurrection has revealed to us that our lives are immortal. What does this mean to you? Does this revelation change anything in your life? Does it change in any way how you think and behave?            Christ IS Risen!

GAINING A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF OUR FAITH — 20160403

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holy-cross-justice-icon-of-the-resurrectionAs I indicated in the Easter issue of my Bulletin, it is my hope to share with my readers thoughts about redemption and salvation during this time of Pentecost. Why? Because they are so intimately connected with Pascha and are, I belief, understood by our Greek Catholic Church in a different way than in the Roman Catholic Church. I also believe that understanding this true difference is critical to the development of a true spirituality that resonates with our liturgical practice and theology.

As I began to share in the last issue, in the Western world the idea that Jesus’ death on the Cross was a reparation for the sins of mankind. It has to be understood that Western theology became greatly influenced by the philosophy of Aristotle and, therefore, became focused on finding the “cause” for the things that happened. It tried to answer the question: Why did Jesus die on the Cross? In fact one of the great Western theologians, Thomas Aquinas, posited the notion that the Lord’s death on the Cross was the “effective and sufficient cause” of our salvation. Also the expression “meritorious cause” has often been used in Western Christianity. Salvation, in the West, has a lot to do with achieving a defined measure of “merits”. Redemption is something transactional – something that happens because of things that we do.

When we read the early Church Fathers, especially the Greek Fathers, we find something different. If the goal of redemption is the union of man with God, then the Incarnation is far more than a condition for our salvation. Rather it served as the effective model and exemplar of salvation. Indeed the Church Fathers insisted that the “full humanity” of Jesus Christ was essential to man’s redemption because

“whatever was not  assumed was not redeemed.”

The principle enunciated in this simple formula was the foundation of much of the dogmatic work of the ecumenical councils.

When we read St. Basil we come to understand that the foundation thesis for our understanding of salvation is that what Jesus accomplished on our behalf, and for our benefit, depended entirely on WHO HE WAS.

When you read the Fathers closely, you discover that the RESURRECTION of Christ was essential to the causality of redemption – that the Resurrection was just as essential as His death on the Cross.

This will all become clearer as I continue to share thoughts on this subject.

Understanding Our Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church — 20160403

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brightweekThe way our Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church celebrates Pascha tells us what we truly believe about Pascha. Some things are very obvious. For example, the eight days from Pascha to the Antipasch are celebrated with all the doors to the iconostasis open.  This symbolizes that access to God’s world is made available to those who believe in Jesus Christ.

Then, each day uses one of the Eight Tones (i.e., proper prayers: Tropars, Kondaks, and hymns to the Mother of God). These tones are then used each weekend throughout the remainder of the liturgical year. By the use of these eight sets of proper prayers, the Church indicates that each weekend is a celebration of Pascha and the Pascha is the central feast of our Church.

The eight days of Bright Week, of course, imitate the eight days of the Jewish Passover. This tells us that  Pascha is truly the new Passover to a new creation. This is symbolized by the week consisting of eight days instead of seven. This symbolism is very subtle but very significant. This new Passover (Pascha) has freed humankind from the bondage of Death and Fear and has established a New Covenant with God.

The first eight days after Pascha are called, as everyone already knows, Bright Week – since the light of God’s revelation gives “light” to our understanding of creation and the meaning and purpose of earthly life.

All of this takes place within the context of various periods of 40 days. We have 40 days before Pascha and 40 days after Pascha. This is not by accident. The number 40 has been and truly continues to be of great significance not only in mysticism but, like it was in Judaism, in Christianity.

For example, the Bible tells us that: Moses received the Tables of the Law 40 days after leading the Jewish people out of Egypt; the Jewish people wandered in the desert for 40 years; the Flood lasted for 40 days; and, of course, that there are 40 days from the time of a person’s conception until the fetus is sufficiently formed so that a human person can be recognized.

The Hebrew letter mem has a value of 40 which means water, one of the ultimate symbols of life. It is also believed that when a person becomes 40 years old, s/he receives the wisdom to understand life in a much clearer way.

So we see that the symbolism that surrounds our celebration of Pascha is significant and tells us about life.

Gaining a Deeper Understanding of the New Testament — 20160403

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the_four_evangelistsBefore Pascha, I had been sharing some information about the various theories that address the Synoptic Problem, namely why there are very specific differences and similarities in the three Synoptic Gospels (i.e., Mark, Matthew and Luke). I would now like to summarize these theories. This will make sense if you have been reading past issues of the article.

(1) ORAL TRADITION
Must truly be given a more prominent place in the consideration of any solution to the Synoptic Problem. Oral tradition alone is not the answer; it alone cannot explain the similarities in the written texts.

(2) MARK AS THE SOURCE
Mark as a source of both Matthew and Luke is generally accepted by Protestants and Catholics as the sequence of the Gospels. There is a literary dependence of Matthew and Luke, therefore, on Mark. And Mark is to be regarded as the oldest of our Gospels in Greek.

(3) MATTHEW AS THE SOURCE
The canonical Matthew was very probably composed in Greek and is not a direct translation of an Aram original.

(4) SOURCES “Q” and “S”
It should be remembered that sources “Q” (in Greek) and “S” (in Aram) are pure conjectures. Moreover, to presume that either “Q” or “S” is Aram “M” or “Mg” is purely arbitrary.

(5) LITERARY SOLUTION
Any purely literary solution with no consideration for oral tradition does not present the picture adequately.

(6) MULTIPLE DOCUMENT THEORY
Perhaps the nearest approximation to the truth will be found in a multiple-document theory that takes into account a continuing oral tradition and its influence until the final crystallization of our present canonical Gospels.

CONCLUSION

All the time and effort put into the consideration of the Synoptic Problem over the past century and a half have not been in vain. For each attempt at a solution, though faulty in some area, has contributed some insight. With each new insight we are brought closer to the complete answer. Yet the origins of the Synoptics, going back as many centuries as they do, are difficult to perceive. We are still a long way from a completely satisfactory answer. Perhaps the problem will never be totally solved. The challenge, however, still remains and will continue to be accepted by dedicated scholars. So a simple interpretation of the Gospels is not in our best interest. We must think about the message that they are attempting to convey!

Christ IS Risen! Indeed He IS Risen!

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Now are all things filled with light; Heaven and earth, and the nether-most regions of the earth. Let all creation, therefore, celebrate the arising of Christ, whereby it is established.

Christ IS Risen! Indeed He IS Risen!

resurrection_icon

 

Хрїстóсъ воскрéсе! Воистину воскресе!
(Old Slavonic)
Christos voskrese! Voistinu voskrese (Transliteration)

Христос воскрес! Воістину воскрес! (Ukrainian)
Chrystos voskres! Voistynu voskres! (Transliteration)

Χριστός ἀνέστη! Ἀληθῶς ανέστη! (Greek)
Khristós Anésti! Alithós Anésti! (Transliteration)

Christus resurrexit! Resurrexit vere! (Latin)

المسيح قام! حقا قام!‎ ; المسيح قام! بالحقيقة قام!‎ (Arabic)
al-Masīḥ qām! Belḥāqiqāti qām! (Transliteration)

 

 

By God’s grace we, who believe Jesus is God Himself incarnate, celebrate again a wondrous revelation: Life is immortal because it is a sharing in God’s own life! Death need not be feared for it is destroyed! The meaning and purpose of life has been made clear!

The confirmation of these truths is the basis for our joy today. Therefore, let us truly rejoice – let us truly celebrate the resurrection of Christ!

Hopefully our celebration today is not about a past event for you! Hopefully it has helped you in some way to experience God’s great love for you right now. God’s love is not something in the future. God loves us right how exactly as we are. Why? Because His Kingdom exists right now.

PASCHA, Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, is God’s way of revealing to us how we must live if we desire the fullness of life. He does not force us to love Him. He only shows us His great love, believing that if we truly understand how very much we are loved, we will do all in our power to live like His children.

It is my sincerest priestly prayer that the joy of this day may touch your hearts and lives and that you may truly understand all that God has done for you and me. It is my sincerest hope that the joy of this day will fill your lives and cause you to declare from the bottom of your hearts, our God is truly wonderful.                                                                                      

With all my love, Father Wayne

 

THE EASTERN CHURCH’S ICON OF THE RESURRECTION

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holy-cross-justice-icon-of-the-resurrectionIt should be noted that in the Eastern Church the icon of the Resurrection of Christ is called the Harrowing of Hades or the Descent into Hades. It depicts the impact of the Lord’s Resurrection, and not His coming out of the tomb. It tells us what His resurrection means to all creation.

Here are some facts about the PASCHA icon. Christ’s robe is flowing upward, symbolizing his descent into Hades to save those who died in the flesh. The golden bars under his feet are the gates of Hades, which He has broken and torn apart. There are keys floating in the abyss below, symbolizing that He has entered and conquered both death and Hades.

Although not real clear, you can see a skeletal figure who is chained up: that is Death.  He has been bound and killed by Christ. Death no longer exists.

The two figures whom Christ is pulling from their tombs are Adam and Eve, symbolizing that His victory over Death redeems all mankind, even back to the beginning. The resurrection and the redemption of mankind is taking place in the past, present and future.

To the left, three characters are seen: David, Solomon and John the Baptizer, all related to Him in the flesh.

The figures on the right vary from icon to icon and truly represent all humankind.

Although the Resurrection is an act that happened in the past, it is beyond time and is happening right now, and continues to happen for all eternity. Christ is always in the state of redeeming and setting us free from the Hades of sin and death.

Although not depicted in this icon, typically there is a blue shaped aura around Christ which is called the MANDORLA. The Mandorla is the uncreated, eternal light of Christ.  In the writings of the mystics of the Eastern Church, God is often prayerfully experienced as light. This is not simply a pretty bright light.  It is the same light which filled the apostles with wonder when they witnessed His Transfiguration. It is the light which Christ Himself described as the power of the Kingdom of God (Mark 9:1; Mat 16:28; Luke 9:27). It is the light that filled the once perpetual darkness of Hades before Christ descended and brought life into the realm of death.  It is also the light that is seen when a person purifies his heart and mind.

The PASCHA icon tells us that indeed God’s life-force fills all.

GAINING A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF OUR FAITH

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pantocratorThis Easter, for some reason, I have decided that I must begin sharing thoughts about REDEMPTION and SALVATION even though I have written two pages about the meaning of Holy Pascha. It is my current thought that I shall share these ideas during this Pentecost Period which extends from Pascha to Pentecost. Why? Because it has become more and more evident to me that the Eastern and Western Churches have a different understanding of these essential religious ideas. It is not my intention in doing this to, in any way, diminish either of these understandings but to highlight the fact that there can be differences of interpretation within our Christian faith. These differences come from our theology, spirituality and liturgical practice. I would encourage all of my readers, if they decide to follow this article, to not judge one understanding right and the other wrong, realizing that in truth all of these ideas are a matter of faith and the understanding of the Eastern Church is as valid as that of the Western Church.

It seems that even from the very beginning of Christianity the followers of Jesus were asking: Who is Jesus? In fact Jesus asks His disciples, Who do you say Jesus is? Jesus, of course, is the ultimate mystery of mysteries. We all struggle to understand who He is. Like our struggle with who God is, we tend to want to define Him, albeit, we are truly unable to do so. All that the Ecumenical Councils could do is say Who Jesus is not! Although He is God and Man, the Council Fathers said, we know that if He is man He cannot be controlled by His divine nature, otherwise He could not be truly man.

From our struggle with the question of Who is Jesus, other questions naturally arise. There are three questions that I would have my readers keep in mind during the coming weeks, when they read this article. Those questions are: What does it mean when we declare that Christ has saved us? From What has He saved us, and for what purpose has He saved us?

Now it is important to note that as Ukrainian Greek-Catholics, we have, in so many ways, accepted the Roman Catholic answers to these three very important questions. That is because of our real desire, I believe, to be recognized as Catholics and the pressures that have come from trying to be in union with the Catholic Church.

Western Christians seem to think about salvation or redemption in chiefly forensic terms. The word merit is directly connected to the Cross. Their thoughts about salvation/redemption can be summed up by these words” Christ, “by his one oblation of himself once offered”, made “a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction, for the sins of the whole world.” Somehow Christ’s death upon the Cross has made up for the sins of all humans (I wonder how many of my readers think this is true?)

Many probably think as St. Anselm did, who taught that the sacrificial death of Jesus satisfied the requirements of God’s infinite honor, which was offended by sin. Others, more simply, would describe the work of salvation as answering the divine standards of justice; Jesus “corrected” man’s relationship to God within the structure of created reality.

Others, I believe, probably see the idea of salvation/redemption in the ideas of another theory, namely the “penal substitutionary atonement” theory, believing that Jesus, by His sufferings and death, had propitiated the divine wrath, in the same that God laid on Him – in place of us – the punitive retribution deserved by our sins. According to this theory, God’s Son bore the punishment that properly was ours. Somebody had to be punished, so God punished Jesus in our stead. This presumes that God is in the business of punishment (many would like Him to be so that the “bad” at least suffer in eternity).

In all of these Western theories, these words are present: meritorious cause, satisfaction, and punishment. I must confess that I do not believe that Jesus was punished on the Cross. I also do not believe that God took out His anger on His Son. I have made sure that the words merit and satisfaction never appear in my preaching or writing.

While it is true that in my earlier years I did think of the death of God’s Son as repairing the injury that human sin inflicted on the divine honor, I have always felt that these theories were lacking in something based on my belief of Who God IS.

This basic belief has always caused me to search for a different answer to the question: Why did Jesus die on the Cross? I have found that the Eastern Church’s ideas about redemption and salvation are much more positive.