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Virtual Parish
Pray for us here at Saint Philaret's House in Roslindale, Massachusetts U.S.A.
Unworthy,
Priestmonk Theodore & mga
March 1
THE HOLY AND BLAMELESS FAITH OFTHE PIOUS AND ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Our Holy Faith is Blameless because the Faith comes from Christ, not from man. It is “the faith which was once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). The Holy and Blameless Orthodox Faith is “the faith of the Saints” (Rev. 13:10).
The Lord Jesus Christ acts in the mysteries of the Church, which are without number. It is not the Priest who blesses, he simply says, “May the Lord bless you.” The Priest’s hand is the instrument; the blessing is the Lord’s. We receive the mystery of the Lord’s Body and Blood not by the hand of another but by the Lord’s own hand. Truly, He gives Himself with His own hand. For the Church is the body of the Risen Lord protected from the River of Fire by dew, by the freshness of the True Confession of the Apostolic Faith, as were the Three Holy Children in Babylon.
If ever we lose the True Confession of Faith, we will, unprotected by the dew, be caught up in that river of fire. Without the Orthodox Faith, we have nothing; we are worthless.
The Apostles appointed successors and called them Bishops. St. James, the Brother of God, is mentioned as a Bishop in St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians (Gal. 1:19). St. Ambrose of Milan writes, “Because the shepherds (Bishops) are persons of humble estate, do not esteem lightly the testimony of their faith. For the more humble the testimony appears to human wisdom, the more precious it is to the eyes of faith. For the Lord did not seek out the schools of learning, filled with the wise, but the simple people, who would not know how to twist, to color, what they had learned, for He sought not ambition, it was simplicity He looked for.”
Hear now Saint Paul, writing to the Church in Galatia; the Mouth of Christ is speaking, “I marvel that you are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ for another gospel. For there is not another; but there are some who trouble you and would pervert the Gospel of Christ. But should we, or an angel from Heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema. As I said before, so I say now again: If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that which ye have received, let him be anathema. For do I now persuade men or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I sought to please men, I should not be the servant of Christ. But I certify to you brethren, that the Gospel which was preached by me is not according to man; for I neither received it from men, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Gal. 1:6-12).
Saint John Chrysostom teaches the same thing in his First Homily on Titus:
Ver. 3. “But hath in due times manifested His word through preaching, which is committed unto me.”
“That is, the preaching is committed unto me. For this included everything, the Gospel, and things present, and things future, life, and godliness, and faith, and all things at once. ‘Through preaching,’ that is, openly and with all boldness, for this is the meaning of ‘preaching.’ For as a herald [Greek: kerux] proclaims in the theater in the presence of all, so also we preach, adding nothing, but declaring the things which we have heard. For the excellence of a herald consists in proclaiming to all what has really happened, not in adding or taking away anything. If therefore it is necessary to preach, it is necessary to do it with boldness of speech. Otherwise, it is not preaching. On this account Christ did not say, Tell it ‘upon the housetops,’ but ‘preach upon the housetops’ (Matt. 10:27); showing both by the place and by the manner what was to be done.” NPNF Vol. 13, p. 521 Homily I on Titus 1: 1-4
The Holy Fathers of the Seven Ecumenical Councils continue in Blameless fashion by making their proclamations in accord with the divinely-inspired theologies of the Saints and the pious mind of the Church (Chapters Against Barlaam and Acindynus, p.64 The Synodicon of Orthodoxy; The True Vine, Vols. 27 & 28). The Fathers of the Ecumenical Councils set forward, not their human opinion, but Apostolic Truth, saying, with the council of Apostles in Jerusalem, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” (Acts 15:28).
All in the Church are measured by the one Gospel, the holy Catholic and Apostolic Faith. The Orthodox Faith is Apostolic because it proceeds from Christ through the Apostles. The Orthodox Faith is Catholic, in the basic meaning of the word, ‘Catholic,’ for it is in accordance with the whole Faith: adding nothing and leaving nothing out.
Saint Paul tells the Elders at Miletus, “Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God” (Acts 20:26, 27).
We are, all of us in the Church, Bishops, Priests, Deacons, all of us, are measured by the same God-delivered Gospel. The Gospel is Good News and it is always News; there is no end of it nor of its goodness, the Lords care and His limitless love, His warm embrace, His sudden strength; the way a Saint powerfully, instantly, can clear up our thinking when we remember to ask, all the hugs and kisses they never stop giving us. We know they are with us: How could we ever make it through the day without their gentle help?
The faithful of the Church are called to believe and to act on that belief, for "faith without works is dead" (James 2:20, 26). Let us act in childlike simplicity:
This is what Saint Matthew says in his Gospel: “At that time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven? and Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them. And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
The little child was Saint Ignatius, disciple of Saint John the Evangelist and Theologian, the Beloved virgin disciple of the Lord; the Hieromartyr Ignatius, the Bishop of Antioch whose martyrdom in Rome is so easy, together with his epistles, to remember.
The Lives of the Saints are indispensable at all points in our walk in the Faith. The Saints freely convey to us their power in response to our prayers to them. They, when we ask, (and sometimes before we ask) give us guidance, moment by moment, and inch by inch.
Listen for a moment; this happened in the 1940s in time of war in Albania when young soldiers from the sunny islands in the Aegean Sea were transported to the cold mountains and told to fight the invading forces. These recruits woke up one morning and offered a Paraclesis to the All-Holy Theotokos for her help in their need. She then appeared to them, clad in her blue maphorion, and lovingly directed them away from machine gun nests they could not see, and around buried land mines to safety.
Let us, gently, and with love, encourage each other, as Saint Philaret counsels, “that which ye have hold fast” (Rev. 2:25).
Most Holy Theotokos save us, and preserve us by the holy and blameless Faith of the Pious and Orthodox Christians living and burning in our hearts forever.
Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. AMEN.
Saint Eudocia save us
March 4
Saint Isaac the Syrian
HOMILY FORTY-NINE
On the angelic Movement That Is Awakened in Us by
God’s Providence for the Soul’s Advancement
In Things Spiritual
THE FIRST THOUGHT that by God's loving-kindness descends into a man, that enters into his heart and guides his soul to life, is the thought of his departure from this nature. This thought is naturally followed by disdain for the world, and every good movement that leads a man to life enters him from this. And it is this that the divine power which accompanies man lays as a foundation when it wishes to manifest life in him. If he does not extinguish this thought by involvement in the affairs of life and by vain talk, and if he rears it in his soul by continual concentration within himself and by contemplating it, this thought will lead him to profound divine vision which no man can express. Satan greatly abhors this thought and makes war upon it with all his might to expunge if from man's heart. And if it were possible, he would give a man dominion over the whole world, could he but by this distraction erase this thought from his mind. And if he were able, as it was said, he would gladly do this, for the cunning one knows that if this thought abides in a man, his mind will no longer remain on this earth of delusion, and his machinations against him will not touch him. Now we do not say this concerning that first thought which stirs in us the remembrance of death by reminding us, but concerning the fullness of this activity, which unshakably establishes in a man the remembrance of death, and which, by his meditation upon it, brings him to a state of continual wonder. The former thought is corporeal, but the latter is a spiritual theoria and wondrous grace. This divine vision is arrayed in luminous intuitions. He who possesses it will not gaze searchingly at the world again nor will he cleave to his body.
In very truth, O beloved brethren, if God would send forth this true theoria to mankind but for a short while, the world would remain without succeeding generations. This divine vision is a bond before which nature cannot stand, and it proves to be for the man who has received this meditation in his soul a God given grace stronger than all the particular activities bestowed upon those found in the middle order, who desire repentance with an upright heart. It is given especially to those concerning whom God knows that they must truly withdraw from the world to a better life because of the good volition that He has found in them. But it increases and abides with them when they dwell in a secluded and solitary place. Let us make entreaty for this divine vision in our prayers. Let us keep long vigils for the sake of it. And let us beseech the Lord with tears that He grant us this as a gift which has no equal. Let us no longer be faint-hearted in the toil of this world. This is the commencement of the thoughts of life, and it perfects in a man the fullness of righteousness.
Saint Gerasimus save us.
March 9
A Sermon by His Eminence Metropolitan Ephraim
Recently, I officiated at the wedding of two of our faithful in Indianapolis, Indiana. The groom, Michael, came from a Lutheran background; the bride, Christa, was from Pentecostal religious roots. In both families matters of faith are deeply held.
The parents of the couple came to the wedding, although the bride's father and mother, having said that they would not be present at their daughter's wedding, did come to see her be married. Afterwards, we all met and took some time to talk things over.
What led this former Protestant couple to Orthodoxy?
I said to them that in the First Century while the Apostles were living there was no such thing as the book we now call the New Testament. Isolated letters from certain Apostles were kept by the local Churches to which they had been addressed; there was a Gospel here and there. No collection of these writings existed as yet. In those days copying books was expensive and laborious. The Church was under persecution, and Christians were periodically rounded up for martyrdom. Moreover, there were a number of false 'Gospels' in circulation. It took centuries before the Holy Fathers separated the wheat from the chaff. Not until 418 A.D. did the Holy Fathers of the Council of Carthage publish the Canon of Scripture that we have today.
What kept the Church together all this time? St. Paul has the answer; Stand fast and keep the traditions that I delivered unto you whether by my word or by my epistle (II Thess. 2:15).
The Holy Spirit was working strongly to produce the New Testament Canon that we have today.
That's good enough for me! That's good enough for me to prove that Christ is not a liar when He says to the eleven disciples: All power is given unto Me in heaven and earth. Go ye therefore and teach 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. And lo, I am with you always even unto the end of time (Matt. 28:18b-20).
That's good enough for me to know that Christ, true to His divine promise, guides the Church, His bride and body, into all truth by the Holy Spirit (John 16:13), continually protecting His spouse, the pillar and foundation of the truth (I Tim. 3:15), from any and all encroachment by or erosion from pagan philosophy and idolatry. The Lord sanctifies and cleanses the Church with the washing of water and the Word, since He, by His promise, which cannot be broken, is with her always, even unto the end of time, so that He might present her to Himself eternally through the mystery of the Divine Liturgy "a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish" (Eph. 5:26-27).
In accepting the Canon of Scripture, Protestants base themselves on Orthodox Holy Tradition. Sola Scriptura as a rule of faith is a figment of Protestant imagination.
ÒBible Thumpers" have nothing to thump. The oral Apostolic Tradition in the Orthodox Church is the pillar and foundation of the truth.
Orthodox Christians live today in the midst of people who are completely deluded. When someone says, "It's not in the Bible," an Orthodox Christian might want to ask, "Who gave you the Bible?" The answer to that question is: “The Tradition of the holy Apostles.”
The Canon of the New Testament comes into being, as noted above, in 418 A.D. This is well after the First Ecumenical Council of Nicea in 325. In this assembly of 300 Holy Fathers, Holy Tradition, which is the voice of the Holy Spirit in the Church, spoke authoritatively to denounce the heresiarch, Arius, and his heresy; to authorize a married clergy of priests and deacons, and also to fix the date of Pascha, which date is still observed in the Orthodox Church of Christ.
The Church is well guided and governed in all things by Holy Tradition.
Speak to people about these important issues with great care, working with all people in love and patience.
Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebastia save us
Mach 17
Put a Pebble in your Pocket
From the sermon of His Eminence Metropolitan Ephraim on the
Feast of the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist.
If you wish to try this exercise, secure for yourself a small pebble and carry it with you at all times. If doing so proves an inconvenience, so much the better. A Cross, or the device used on prosophora seals, may be printed on the pebble if you choose to do so. Hopefully, God will use its presence to impress a variety of truths upon your mind and heart; and help you to comply with the will of God in a variety of situations and ways. For example:
1. It can remind you not to harden your heart and make it like a stone. You will be surprised how relevant this is when you are about to neglect a spiritual duty or good work, when you see others in need, when tempted, when preparing for Confession, and when turning the cheek seems the least logical of all options.
2. It can build your confidence in God's goodness and the power of prayer. If we pray for bread will God give us a stone? (St Matthew 7:7-11)
3. It can help you to recall God's power, while teaching humility and the necessity of good action. "God is able out of stones to raise up children unto Abraham" (St Matthew 3:7-10).
4. It can assist you when you are tempted to judge "Let him who is without sin...cast the first stone." (St. John 8:3-11)
5. It can make the possibility of a monastic vocation (you would receive a new name) a positive and secret force in daily life. "To him who conquers I will give of the hidden manna, and a white stone, with a new name..." (Rev. 2:17).
Saint Patrick save us.
March 20
SAINT JOHN OF KRONSTADT
Selections from
My Life in Christ
When praying to the Lord, to the Mother of God, or to the saints, always remember that the Lord will give you according to your heart. He will "grant thee according to thy heart" (Ps. 19: 4 LXX).[1] Whatever the heart is, such will be the gift. If you pray with faith, sincerely, with all your heart, not hypocritically, then a gift will be given you by the Lord in accordance with your faith, in accordance with the degree of the fervour of your heart. And, on the contrary, the colder your heart is, the more incredulous and hypocritical it is, the more useless will be your prayer; not only this, the more it will anger the Lord, Who is a Spirit, and seeks to be worshipped in spirit and in truth (John 4: 23, 24). Therefore, whether you call upon the Lord Himself, or His Mother, or the angels, or saints, call upon them with all your heart; whether you pray for anyone living or departed, pray for them with your whole heart, pronouncing their names with heartfelt fervour; whether you pray that any spiritual blessing may be granted you or anyone else, that you or anyone near to you may be delivered from any misfortune, or from sins, passions, or bad habits, pray for this with your whole heart, desiring for yourself or others with your whole heart the blessings you pray for, being firmly resolved to forsake, or desiring others to free themselves from sins, passions and sinful habits, and the Lord will grant you the gift according to your heart. "Ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you" (John 15: 7). You see, therefore, that it is absolutely necessary to wish and long for that which you ask; for then only you will obtain it. "Pray one for another that ye may be healed" (James 5: 16).
My daily greatest misfortune is my sins, wounding and gnawing at my heart. But against this calamity there is also a daily greatest Deliverer and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He daily benefits me, me invisibly, bountifully. Poor sinners! Learn to know this Saviour as I know Him, by His uncreated grace, by His gifts.
How vividly God’s Saints represented God to themselves!—the Saints who through the Holy Spirit wrote prayers for their own and our guidance. In what fear and trembling they stood before God in prayer, but also with what love and hope! Every word of their prayers says: “God is with us; and God within us hears each of our words, sees every thought, every wish, every tear.”
Kissing with the lips corresponds to kissing with the soul; and when we kiss holy things, we ought to kiss them with the soul and heart as well as with the lips.
March 24
Metropolitan Anthony Khrapovitsky
What happened with the Supreme Apostle is a rule of the life which operates in all of God’s servants. It is not in daring plans, nor in bold imagination that their power is disclosed, but in the very denial of their natural strength does the power of God find a place. (referring to the Apostle Peter)
Saint Tikhon save us.
Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow
March 25
The Prophecy of Esaias
Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; behold, a Virgin shall conceive and bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name Emmanuel. Butter and honey shall He eat, before He knows either to prefer evil or to choose the good. For before the Child shall know good or evil, He refuses evil to choose the good (Esaias 7:14-16 LXX).
All-holy Theotokos save us
SAINT JOHN OF THE LADDER
(excerpt from The Menaion, March 30)
ODE THREE
Troparion
Burning up all thought of the remembrance of wrongs with the fire of Christ’s love, O blessed Father, thou faithfully shonest with the rays of love for thy brother, and didst point out to all an easy way to salvation, by making clear what it is not to remember wrongs.
Saint John save us.
Righteous Father John of Sinai
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