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The Action of Divine Grace

We have said that the sinner is like a person who is sunk in deep slumber. Just as a person who is fast asleep will not stir and get up on his own in spite of approaching danger unless someone comes and rouses him, so will the person who is sunk in the slumber of sin not come to his senses and awaken unless divine grace comes to his aid. By the boundless mercy of God, this grace is prepared for everyone, approaches everyone in turn, and calls out clearly to each:

"Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." (Eph.5:14.)

Traveler,

May the Lord waken us more fully into the Light of Christ!

May there be Light on your travels.

Your fellow traveler,

Steve

The Lord's Reception Room:

You seek the Lord? Seek, but only within yourself. He is not far from anyone. The Lord is near all those who truly call on Him. Find a place in your heart, and speak there with the Lord. It is the Lord's reception room. Everyone who meets the Lord, meets Him there; He has fixed no other place for meeting souls.
St. Theophan the Recluse from "The Art of Prayer"

Abdur,

That is very a very nice qoute. I was wondering which of the volumes you got it from.

And how many blessings have we all received from the Lord each and every day not seeing one and thinking them to be curses?

Just a few minutes ago my youngest son soiled his diaper and what a blessing!

The Ascent to God

The mind's ascent to God, or its longing for Him, unfolds according to the degree the inner work is strengthened. It is germinated in this work like a seed, and ripens in it as in good soil. Therefore, in preserving this inner state in order to awaken a longing for God, one should:

1) Accustom the mind to living in the presence of God. Let him force himself to ceaselessly behold God, for He is near; and let him ascend to the feeling that he is seen by God. This practice is the doorway to God, the opening of heaven to the mind.

2) Do everything to the glory of God, and in no thing--either outwardly or inwardly--intend anything other than this glory.It should be the measuring stick of every endeavor and place its seal on each one.

3) Do everything in an awareness of its being God's will; proceed in this will and submit to it in everything with the whole soul. Acting according to God's will embraces everything that happens to a man. Whatever you do, force yourself to see that God wants this work fro you.....An individual, a thing, an incident, joy, sorrow...everything should be received with joy, submitting yourself eagerly, peacefully, delightfully, regardless of its distastefulness.

St.Theophan: The Path of Salvation by St.Herman of Alaska Brotherhood (1998).

Ood,

I hope the above helps.

Salaam,

Abdur

Slava Jesu Kristu,

I have read several of the works of St. Theophan and strongly recommend him. We can use his advise in these troubled times.

Dmitri

Abdur,

Thank you for the information. I have added that to my list of future reading.

And to think I was nearly laughed off of this board some time ago for suggesting that Orthodox men should have beards.

I like mine. It snares the feta ( goat's cheese) crumbs before they hit the floor.

BTW: Which Greek jurisdiction do you belong to?

Are there any legitimate traditional Greek jurisdictions--other than GOA--in the US? How about Albanian?

Salaam,

Abdur

Some Old Believers I met who lived in Oregon and have since moved to Alaska think that one who is clean shaven is, well, limp-wristed, lisp, you get the drift, queer. I know some old Zakarpatsky and Hutsul men that think like that as well. I have to admit, I don't miss shaving anymore, a trim every week or two and that's it.

Abdur,

I belong to the GOC (Genuine Orthodox Church) of Greece. That being said, it naturally follows that I don't believe the GOA is Orthodox at all.

It's similiar to a comment made by someone I know who recently said he knew of several Orthodox who were Freemasons. My reply was, there are no Orthodox who are Freemasons anywhere in the world. It is not enough to call yourself "Orthodox" and a quick review of the antics in the GOA reveal everything.

I'm very unfamiliar with the Albanian Orthodox in the USA except that I know most fall under the EP, and that's got to tell you something.

And I always felt the feta cheese tastes much better the second day.

Diak: When all things are done "as a child" for God, which is very hard, many things change. Next thing you know, you are mowing your lawn in the shape of a cross.

[It is not enough to call yourself "Orthodox" and a quick review of the antics in the GOA reveal everything.]

True! But isn't that how your jurisdiction was formed? Isn't your jurisdiction a 'self proclaimed jurisdiction' that separated over the calendar issue? If you are a 'genuine Orthodox' can you quote the canons of the Church that made you such? After all, a 'genuine Orthodox' must adhere to the canons in a much stricter sense than the rest of us 'not so genuine Orthodox' in order to proclaim themself as such.

[I'm very unfamiliar with the Albanian Orthodox in the USA except that I know most fall under the EP, and that's got to tell you something.]

That you are my friend. There are only two Albanian Orthodox Churches and one Chapel that fall under the EP. The rest are a separate diocese within the OCA.

OrthoMan

Orthoman,

I always thought the majority of the Albanian Orthodox, at least in the homeland, fell under the EP. From what you are saying, the Albanian Orthodox in the US are really OCA then?

I continue to wonder with much fascination how anyone could claim *we* were "formed". The Genuine Orthodox were not formed, we simply continued as the modernists broke away. You must be thinking strictly in terms of earthly organization to say such things.

Communion with heretical Bishops is inadmissible; Communion is a matter of substance and not of form. Do you believe this or do you just say it with your lips?

St. Basil the Great believed that communion was a matter of substance: a matter of faith and a matter of salvation. He wrote to the people of Evaesae, he prays that he may not fall away from communion with that segment of the Church which abides on the basis of �sound and unperverted doctrine,� for right Faith is the foundation of communion, and communion with the Orthodox is a sign that one is placed in the �lot� of the righteous �. As a Deacon he broke communion with Bishop Dianios and all those that followed him despite the fact that he deeply loved and revered Dianios and despite the fact that Dianios had Baptized and Ordained him. He did so because Dianios, out of weakness of character, had signed the un-Orthodox confession of faith of the semi-Arian Council of Constantinople.

Who was the schismatic? Are you going to say St. Basil? If St. Basil the Great were alive today, would he be in communion with the Orthodox ecumenists who are signing unorthodox confessions such as the 16 signatures on Balamand? Certainly not; and this is because the principle which he preached is eternally valid: �putting truth and our own firmness in the right Faith before everything.�

A heretical bishop ceases to be a bishop, he loses his priesthood, he is out of the Church. As many as follow him by commemorating him do not follow a bishop, but a man who has fallen away from hierarchical grace. How is it possible for his flock not to fall away also? From whence do the presbyters receive the commission of the priesthood? Is a fallen hierarch able to give the Body and Blood of Christ to his flock? The Fifteenth Canon of the First-Second Council clearly states that a heretical bishop is no bishop, but a false bishop, that is, a false priest. His liturgies are false liturgies: his ordinations are false ordinations; his chrism is not Holy Chrism, and all of his Mysteries are devoid of sanctifying content. But in the Church, which is one Body, no one stands by himself. A priest is dependent on his bishop. The priest always concelebrates with his bishop, the bishop that he commemorates, even if the bishop happens to be elsewhere. People, priests, and bishop comprise one Body. When the head of a body dies, the whole body dies.


The Fifteenth Canon of the First-Second Council of AD 867:

"But as for those who on account of some heresy condemned by the Holy Councils or Fathers, sever themselves from communion with their president, that is, because he publicly preaches heresy and with bared head teaches it in the Church, such persons as these not only are not subject to canonical penalty for walling themselves off from communion with the so-called Bishop before synodal clarification, but [on the contrary] they shall be deemed worthy of due honor among the Orthodox. For not Bishops, but false bishops and false teachers have they condemned, and they have not fragmented the Church�s unity with schism, but from schisms and divisions have they earnestly sought to deliver the Church."

Canons are only representations of the mind and belief of the Church that has always been. You do not like this canon, you do not beleive this canon, you do not follow this canon, because you have lost the mind and continuity of the Church.

Now you would like, as you have said, to have others believe that you have separated yourselves from the Orthodox Church simply because you wanted a new calendar. But you have not separated yourself for this reason, you have separated yourself to pursue syncretism. All those who have not as yet understood what is happening around them think that the whole issue is the union of the Latins and the Orthodox, just as it was at Ferrara and Florence. The aims of the unionists, however, are not confined to the union of two churches. The unionists are syncretists and masons. They are not interested in amalgamation, but in co-existence. They are not about to pursue a union such as the naive imagine. They are satisfied so long as the idea that �we are all the same,� is firmly established in the minds of men, that that �we do not have essential differences,� and that �all of us are traveling toward God, each in his own way.� Today, this thinking is being preached among so-called Christians. Tomorrow, it will be preached to the monotheistic religions. After that it will become the creed of the whole world, without exterior changes of any consequence taking place in the various religions and reducing Christ Body the Church to a mere handful, as it is now.

So in two weeks when we are in the Apostles fast and you are wondering where it went, think about your separation in a serious manner. And consider the legions of saints who divided themselves from heresy and stand in communion with the Church and the legions of heretics who stand against them while at the same time honoring the saints like demons. Where do you stand?

[ 06-21-2002: Message edited by: OrthodoxyOrDeath ]

Orthodoxy or death:

Good reply! You makes some good points. Thanks for the input.

Now as to the Orthodox Church of Albania. It is autocephalous. It's present leader is a Greek who was sent by the EP because of the complete obliteration of religion in Albania under communism. To me, Archbishop Anastasios is both a living saint and a miracle worker. What he has accomplished in rebuilding the Orthodox Church in Albania in the last ten years is a miracle. Prior to that, he performed similiar miracles in his missionary work in Africa.
I attended an Albanian Orthodox Church for five years and the Albanians are not too fond of the Greeks. Because, like the Melkites they had Hellenism and Greek shoved down their throat. Until they became autocephalous, the language was never allowed to be served in Albanian. Only Greek. The first Liturgy served in the Albanian language was here in the U.S. by Bishop Frani Noli beloved by all Albanians. because of this, many Albanians are not to fond of Greeks.

OrthoMan

OrthoMan,

I don't think I have ever had a nice response like that when the cards are layed on the table. You have my graditute for your mature and levelheaded reply.

In another thread Abdur mentioned the lack of the Orthodox in their ability to evangelize, specifically Muslims. Is that such a wonder when we continue to flaunt our ethniticity as if it were the measure of Orthodoxy? Besides the rampant post-Christian nature of America, is it any wonder Cingular Wireless has added more subscribers in one year than Orthodoxy has in 100?

The situation between the Albanians and Greeks is much more complicated than a case of ethnic pride, but suffice it to say the Greeks are as hard headed as any and have not helped the situation much.

As a Greek American I even feel "outside" in the circles of teh ethnic Greeks and admit at times feel snubbed. I still feel the urge to fall down and kiss the feet of these people for bringing me that rich tradition and spirituality that I never came close to experiencing when I was in the OCA.

With regard to the above, I realize it is easy for me to irritate people with comments suggesting the GOA are not Orthodox. In the above case I honestly did so for Abdur's sake. From my perspective, I feel compelled to tell him indirectly that if he does not feel compelled to convert using the GOA as an example there may be a reason?

In addition, even though this applies to me as well, and since this thread is about St. Theophan...

"We have said that the sinner is like a person who is sunk in deep slumber. Just as a person who is fast asleep will not stir and get up on his own in spite of approaching danger unless someone comes and rouses him, so will the person who is sunk in the slumber of sin not come to his senses and awaken unless divine grace comes to his aid. By the boundless mercy of God, this grace is prepared for everyone, approaches everyone in turn, and calls out clearly to each:

"Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." (Eph.5:14.)