A Sermon of His Eminence, Metropolitan Moses

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
 
On this Sunday we commemorate the Forefathers according to the flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ. We remember especially the Patriarch Abraham, to whom the promise was first given, when God said to him, “In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Gen 22:18). This promise was given two thousand years before the birth of our Savior Christ.

For the Dismissal Hymn of the feast, we chant:

By faith didst Thou justify the Forefathers, when through them Thou didst betroth Thyself aforetime to the Church from among the nations. The Saints boast in glory that from their seed there is a glorious fruit, even she that bare Thee seedlessly. By their prayers, O Christ God, save our souls.

The Gospel for this feast is the parable of the Great Banquet, which is a type of the gathering of the faithful, as it is found in the Gospel of Saint Luke. One can easily contemporize today’s parable:

‘They all at once began to make excuse. The first said unto him, real estate is more important: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have an investment in livestock, business, machinery, electronic equipment, etc., I pray thee have me excused. And another said, because of my family affairs or ethnic or community pressures, I pray thee have me excused.’

Before we squander the limited time of our life, we need to spiritually reflect upon the significance of our Savior’s words. Our Heavenly Father has called us to the Great Banquet and given us the guiding light of His unchanging Truth. We have come from diverse backgrounds, we have had various experiences on our way and had to confront different errors, yet, as Orthodox Christians, our common journey is to this Banquet, to be united with the Holy Trinity. What is it that we partake of at this banquet? Saint Isaac the Syrian explains in one of his homilies that the nourishment we partake of is love. This love is attained through union with God. As our Savior prayed unto the Father:

That they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me. And the glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as We are one: I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one. (John 17:21-23)

The oneness of the Father and the Son is by nature, our oneness with them and each other is by an effort of our free will and grace. This banquet is singular and is to be found only in the Father’s house, that is, the Church. The Evil Ones’ goal is to sow the seeds of confusion and false notions (heresies) and through them, divide and break this union of love. The Holy and God-Bearing Fathers have taught us how to cast down the might of the Evil One, and we can find life and union with the Holy Trinity as long as we do not allow anyone to separate us from their teachings.

We partake of the banquet both here and in the age to come. When we gather as a Eucharistic community in the Church, we partake of the banquet of love. Thus, the Church is not simply an administrative body, but rather it is a mystical union. The Church is not some abstract idea. We are united to one another in our local Eucharistic community, made into one body, the Body of Christ, through Baptism and the Sacred Eucharist in the bond of love.

On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit overshadowed the Holy Apostles and granted them the charism to baptize and to consecrate Holy Communion. They were also given the grace to appoint successors, i.e., bishops, in each land. Through the grace given to him, from the beginning, the bishop of each local church manifested this mystical unity in the bond of love. Saint Ignatius the God-Bearer, a disciple of Saint John the Theologian, explains some facets of this mystery of union with the Holy Trinity through the Eucharist his Epistle to the Philadelphians:

Take ye heed, then, to have but one Eucharist. For there is one flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup to [show forth] the unity of His blood; one altar; as there is one bishop, along with the presbytery and deacons, my fellow-servants: that so, whatsoever ye do, ye may do it according to [the will of] God.

I have confidence of you in the Lord, that ye will be of no other mind. Wherefore I write boldly to your love, which is worthy of God, and exhort you to have but one faith, and one [kind of] preaching, and one Eucharist. For there is one flesh of the Lord Jesus Christ; and His blood which was shed for us is one; one loaf also is broken to all [the communicants], and one cup is distributed among them all: there is but one altar for the whole Church, and one bishop, with the presbytery and deacons, my fellow-servants.

-- Epistle of Saint Ignatius of Antioch to the Philadelphians

Thus in the Great Banquet of love, oneness is manifested in the Eucharist through the one bishop in the local Church. The local bishop ordained presbyters (this word means elders in Greek) and deacons to help minister to the rational flock of Christ. In the early Church the bishop, presbyters and deacons concelebrated at one single altar in any given city. Later, when the Church grew in size, certain elders (presbyters) were commissioned by the bishop to act, with his blessing, as his personal representatives and to serve the liturgy consecrate the Holy Eucharist in his name in separate parishes throughout the territory of his diocese. This concept of the spiritual reality of one altar for each local Church was expounded by Saint Ignatius the God-Bearer throughout his many epistles:

Let that be deemed a proper Eucharist, which is [administered] either by the bishop, or by one to whom he has entrusted it.

-- Epistle of Saint Ignatius of Antioch to the Smyrneans

Up until the 8th Century in some locations in the Orthodox west, the local bishop would take out from the Eucharist that he consecrated, a portion called the Fermentum. Deacons would carry the Fermentum to every altar in the diocese for it to be placed in the chalice at each liturgy with the Eucharist consecrated by the presbyter. This demonstrated how much  they desired to have before them the Apostolic principle of Eucharistic unity in one bishop.[1]

To this day, in every part of the world at every service throughout the Orthodox Church, in the local parishes, chapels or monasteries, the serving presbyter or deacon commemorates his own ruling diocesan bishop. In addition, during key parts of the liturgy, the deacon addresses the presbyter as “Holy Master” and not as “Holy Father” as he does at all of the other services, in order to emphasize the fact that the presbyter is representing the one bishop in whom there is found Eucharistic unity.

As is obvious from what has been quoted, in the Orthodox Church, the relationship of a bishop to his flock is outside of the categories found in secular organizations. From ancient times, a ruling bishop was said to be “wedded” to his see and when a ruling bishop died and the local see was vacant, the diocese was declared to be "widowed." When a see is “widowed” the Christian flock assembles, in canonical order, to find a new bishop. In times of trouble when an entire local Patriarchate falls into heresy, as has happened in the past and as has happened recently in the case of the great contemporary heresy of ecumenism, a presbyter may commemorate, "the episcopate that rightly divides the word of truth," at the local liturgy, but as soon as there is peace and order is restored, it is required that he place himself back within the hiearchical structure of the Church by acknowledging the canonical authority of a right-believing, right-teaching bishop. Without the bishop, the canonical order of the Church is absent. As Saint Cyprian of Carthage wrote in his 66th Epistle, “The bishop is in the Church and the Church in the bishop.” As the saying goes, “One hundred presbyters cannot make one bishop, but one bishop can ordain one hundred presbyters.”

Oneness of mind are hallmarks of this unity in the Eucharist in the bishop of the local Church, as Saint Ignatius the God-Bearer so eloquently wrote in his Epistle to the Ephesians:

Wherefore it is fitting that ye should run together in accordance with the will of your bishop, which thing also ye do. For your justly renowned presbytery, worthy of God, is fitted as exactly to the bishop as the strings are to the harp. Therefore in your concord and harmonious love, Jesus Christ is sung. And do ye, man by man, become a choir, that being harmonious in love, and taking up the song of God in unison, ye may with one voice sing to the Father through Jesus Christ, so that He may both hear you, and perceive by your works that ye are indeed the members of His Son. It is profitable, therefore, that you should live in an unblameable unity, that thus ye may always enjoy communion with God.

-- Epistle of Saint Ignatius of Antioch to the Ephesians

In this very early teaching by one of the truly great Fathers of the Church, there is already an emphasis on the unity of the body of the Church here on earth through the local bishop, in order to establish oneness with God Himself. Anything that would disturb, undermine or violate this unity found in a local Church through the Eucharist and the ruling bishop is repugnant to the Holy Church and the Canons. Saint Ignatius of Antioch uses even stronger language:

Moreover it is in accordance with reason that we should return to soberness [of conduct], and, while yet we have opportunity, exercise repentance towards God. It is well to reverence both God and the bishop. He who honours the bishop has been honoured by God; he who does anything without the knowledge of the bishop, does [in reality] serve the devil.

-- Epistle of Saint Ignatius to the Smyrneans

In times of confusion or turmoil, it is the responsibility for every individual Orthodox Christian, according to the best of their ability, to make sure proper measures are met in order to safeguard the Canonical order of the Church.

During these days when we prepare for the feast of the Incarnation and Birth of the God-Man Jesus Christ, let us take the time to spiritually reflect on these truths and know that the only way we can complete the journey to the Banquet of Love is to labor for that unity found in the local Church through the Eucharist and bishop.

“And the glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as We are one: I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one.”

Amen.

[1] See John D. Zizoulas, “Eucharist, Bishop, Church,” p 220, Holy Cross Orthodox Press

A Sermon of His Eminence, Metropolitan Moses

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
 
On this day we celebrate the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos at the tender age of three years old and her progress in her mystical union with the Most High God. Today a new genesis unfolds before all. In the first Genesis our Creator and God created the heaven and the earth and all that in them is, and when all was ready he took virgin earth and made man, breathing His Spirit into him. But alas, through our first parent’s disobedience God’s original plan was frustrated and the race of man became subject to death (and this was so that sin might not be made immortal, as the Fathers teach). Adam and his offspring made from earth, were doomed to return to the earth, yet they were given a promise of redemption.

Now, when the fullness of time came, we see the Virgin, born of a promise from God proclaimed by the archangel Gabriel to barren Joachim and Anna, born as an answer to prayer and fasting. From the race of men God formed a new marvel that far surpasses that of old. She who, though of the same nature as us and made of the earth like unto us, through her entry into the Holy of Holies is prepared to become a new creation. The Virgin enters in and the whole world is made new. Though a tender child of three, the Virgin begins an unprecedented life of mystical converse with the Most High. She who by the unceasing direction of her will towards the Sun of Righteousness, has become a vessel of the Holy Spirit and in an extraordinary way, the heavenly Tabernacle. And God’s Angels hymn her with songs of praise, as it says in the Kontakion for the feast.

We celebrate the great acts of God and the co-operation and synergy of the Most Holy Theotokos with the Divine Will for our salvation. Through her entrance and progress into the Holy of Holies, we enter into the Holy of Holies, that is, the mystery of our salvation begins: the Incarnation and dispensation of her Son and our God culminating in a new life wherein we participate in the life of the Holy Trinity. God made this new heaven and she walks the earth and enters the Temple that we might be lifted up from the earth and become temples of God and inheritors of His everlasting habitations in the heavens.

In the service for the Feast of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple Zacharias is referred to as the Great High Priest, when he was not the High Priest of Israel. Why is this so? This is a spiritual interpretation, in that he ministered to the Heavenly Tabernacle that dwelt in secret in the Holy of Holies.

As Moses grew up in the midst of the household of Pharaoh and the Egyptians did not understand that he would one day lead Israel from bondage. So also, this little child in the midst of the Temple was almost invisible to the many thousands that frequented the environs of the Temple and they could not conceive the fact that the Most Holy Theotokos would be the source of our liberation from the bondage of sin.

When did this all happen and where? We can avoid the many arguments concerning dates and say that we approximate and fix the year that the Most Holy Theotokos made her entry into the Temple in either 11 or 12 B.C.. And who built the Temple? We know that it was Herod, who is called “the Great” by historians, lived from 73 B.C. to 4 A.D. He was an Idumean, the son of a military man named Antipater who, with the help of the Romans, ruled from “behind the throne” of the legitimate ruler from the Hasemonian dynasty, Hyrcanus. After the death of his father, Herod married the daughter of Hyrcanus, in an attempt to legitimatize his link to the ruling house of the Jews, but he was always ready to kill whomsoever he perceived to be a threat to his rule and control of what became a Jewish vassal kingdom of the Romans. Without Roman rule, Herod would not have a place in the Jewish kingdom. At a time when it seemed his rule was threatened he killed his father-in-law Hyrcanus. Later he arranged that his brother-in-law Aristobulus be made High Priest. Aristobulus was from the Hasemonian dynasty and a legitimate choice for high priest. For this reason he was extremely popular with the Jews and fearing his popularity, the tyrant Herod had him drowned in an “accident.” From this point on, the high priests were not of the legitimate lineage and were put in place by the tyrant Herod, i.e., not according to the proper order.

Shapiro, A modern Rabbi comments, “As a result of Herod's interference and the ever-spreading Hellenistic influences among the Jewish upper classes, the Temple hierarchy became very corrupt. The Sadduccees, a religious group of the wealthy, who collaborated with the Romans in order to keep their power base, now controlled the Temple, much to the chagrin of the mainstream Jewish majority, the Pharasees, and of the extreme religious minority, the Zealots.”

This was the state of things “in the fullness of time” when our Creator fulfilled His promises. These events were prophesied to take place when ‘a ruler failed from the house and lineage of Judah.’

Just as today, there were faithful adherents to Holy Tradition on one hand, and those that were “Hellenize-Secularized” and being lead astray on the other. There was a tyrant then, there are tyrants now. At that time there were priests who were faithful to all aspects of Holy Tradition the proper order concerning the things of Israel and priests who compromised themselves for the sake of the tyrant, just as we see today.

When we look at the historical setting for this feast, we are confronted with cooperation and synergy with the Divine Will on one hand and egoism and arbitrary disregard for Holy Tradition on the other. And as we face the problems of today we see that every generation is confronted with the same choice. Let the tyrants of the world conspire, let them violate the order of things Divine, there will be a day of reckoning for all. Our life may be hidden and we may be seen as insignificant in the eyes of the world, but if we imitate our Lady, the Most Holy Theotokos and live a life of mystical converse through prayer and direct our will to the Will of God, we also can become vessels of the Holy Spirit.

May we ever be faithful to the Divine Will and let us rejoice and set our gaze on high praising and blessing the Theotokos. To her, then, with a great voice let us cry aloud: Rejoice, O thou fulfillment of the Creator’s dispensation.   Amen.

Gospel For The Fourth Sunday of Saint Luke
A Sermon of His Eminence, Metropolitan Moses

A Sower went forth to sow.

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Not an angel or an ambassador, but the Lord of Glory Himself came to redeem us.

A Sower went forth to sow.

The Timeless One clothed Himself in humility, and took the form of a servant, and entered time for us the lowly. He trod upon the pathways of men that He might draw nigh to us and save us.

A Sower went forth to sow, but He constrains no one. We of our own free will can receive the seed of the message of salvation, or we of our own free will reject this seed and not bring forth fruit unto salvation.

A Sower went forth to sow, and the seed fell in to a variety of types of earth. This earth and the locations described in today’s parable signifies our hearts and the condition or state we are in and our attitude towards the Sower.

As it is written, “And when He was asked by the Pharisees, when the Kingdom of God should come, He answered them and said, The Kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the Kingdom of God is within you.” Lk 17:20-21

Parables have a twofold purpose. To the stiff-necked the message is kept in a shadowy form, yet for the believer great mysteries are portrayed in a few words. There are many facets to a parable. One word can signify many things.

Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

What is this wayside? It is the realm of heresy, the realm of false notions that have nothing to do with the “Faith once delivered to the saints” that the Apostle Jude proclaims in his epistle. These are the teachings concerning faith and morality that are outside the boundaries of the Fathers of the Church and Holy Tradition. —Through deceit and false notions demons and their helpers take away the word of salvation. In this realm the heart is trodden down and compacted, made hard and the word of Truth Incarnate does not penetrate.

Many call themselves Christian and trample down the teaching of our Savior. Alas, they do not understand that this trampling is what destroys their capacity to understand and be illumined and saved.

One can safely say that Ecumenism is the way side, the heresy that justifies all heresy and claims that the truth and the true Church has not yet been found. Whether wittingly or unwittingly, we make the choice daily either for the way side or the Way of Truth. Do we familiarize ourselves with the teachings of the Holy Fathers and try to gain an understanding of the mind of the Church, or do we choose to read only secular or questionable material? When we read the things of God, we partake of a transforming grace. Let us seek our own profit and the grace of salvation.

They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a time believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

How can we prepare ourselves in order to avoid falling away? The soil is conditioned by our will. Broken up through patient endurance of the various hardships that inevitably come. It remains as rock when we avoid the podvig or struggle that is essential in the spiritual life.

“…We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us. “(Romans 5:3-5)

“It is not possible with out temptations for a man to grow wise in spiritual warfare, to know his Provider and perceive his God, and to be secretly confirmed in his faith, save by virtue of the experience he has gained.” (P. 355 Saint Isaac the Syrian)

Without prayerful struggle there is no experience gained in spiritual perception and in time of tribulation one is only scandalized or confused and falls away.

The Ascetics of old had the saying, “Give blood and receive Spirit.” This is similar to Saint James the Brother of the Lord’s saying, “Faith without works is dead.” Christianity is not an abstract philosophy, it is a way of life.

As Vladika Anthony said, “the essence of Christianity id the renunciation of life’s pleasures; it is to be found in striving for purity; in the readiness to suffer for the Truth; in the acquisition of the feeling of constant love for God and men, and in the forgiveness of the offences of enemies.”

How can we prepare for the tribulation of the last days? Only by living the Christian life. Only by striving to become partakers of the grace of the Holy Spirit through keeping the commandments and through patience in the tribulations of day to day living.

And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

The thorns choke! This is about time and what occupies our time. Our time is choked with cares, choked with acquiring riches, choked with self indulgence with the pleasures of this life. And finally there is no time left and we have not brought forth any fruit and are bound hand and foot and cast into outer darkness. The seed of the Word of God, the call to the wedding banquet of the Son of The King, has been choked, that is crowded out. --I had other things to do! What a tragedy!

The greatest temptation of our age, the age of information—is that much of it is misinformation and distraction. We all want to manage our money well, but we don’t seem to understand that for the sake of our eternal well being we have to intelligently manage our time and energy. The Elder Ieronymous used to say, “the day you don’t find the Savior in prayer, that day is lost unto eternity.” We have only so much time to spend. Daily let us ask ourselves am I investing my time wisely?

But that on the good ground are they, which in a good and upright heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. And when He had said these things, He cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Our Savior constrains no one, He spake to the multitude, “he that has ears, let him hear.” In other words, “Let him respond to My call.” Do we take this seed up into our hearts and carefully preserve it? Do we bring to mind the significance of the message of the word? That we are called to be sons and daughters of the Most High in a completely extraordinary way. That through our membership in the Body of Christ we are participants in the life of the incomprehensible Trinity.

In order to nurture this seed that it bring forth fruit, we must walk with great sobriety. These are the days of the spirit of Anti-Christ wherein error and confusion abounds. We see that over the last fifty years, heresy and false understandings of ecclesiology have made inroads even into Orthodox Churches to an alarming degree. One must remember that Judas was one of the twelve disciples and Nicholas, one of the original seven deacons became a leader of a heretical sect. We are the rational flock of Christ and not an irrational herd. Each and every one of us is responsible for soberly discerning error and guarding the word of truth and ordering our life aright.

As Saint Paul, the Apostle to the nations wrote to the Ephesians:

"I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ… And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ." Eph 4:1-7,11-15

Let us hearken to the words of Saint Paul and reject the various forms of error and preserve the word of Truth. Amen.

A Sermon of His Eminence, Metropolitan Moses

Today we celebrate the Universal Exaltation of the Cross. The origin of this feast goes back to the time of the discovery of the true Cross by Saint Helen, the mother of Saint Constantine.

But it was Saint Constantine who first encountered the mystery of the Cross the day before the famous battle at the Milvian Bridge. Saint Constantine was opposite the city of Rome, on the other side of the bank of the Tiber river, considering his prospects for the battle the next day and saw a vision of the Cross. He then also saw a dream that night wherein Christ appeared unto him. Afterwards he asked Christian clergy in his entourage what this vision might mean, they affirmed “...They affirmed that He was God, the only begotten Son of the one and only God: that the sign which had appeared was the symbol of immortality, and the trophy of that victory over death which He had gained in time past when sojourning on earth.” As we all know, Saint Constantine became a worshiper of Christ and won the battle the next day and freed Rome from the tyrant Maxentius.

Later, after peace was afforded to the Roman Empire through the efforts of Saint Constantine, Saint Helen was inspired to make pilgrimage to the land sanctified by the footsteps of our Savior. Saint Helen sought out the Cross of our Savior, When the proper cite was located, as the story goes, she would throw pieces of gold down to where they were digging in order to inspire them. Their efforts were not fruitless, but they discovered not one but three crosses. How to identify the Cross of Christ? The crosses were placed one by one upon a woman that was nigh unto death and when the True Cross touched her she was completely healed. It is also said that the touch of the Cross raised a dead man.

The Patriarch of Jerusalem at that time, Saint Makarios, solemnly took the Cross in his hands and the enthusiastic crowd called out that they could not see the great object of their desire, The Cross, because of the multitude. Then Saint Makarios lifted the Cross on high and blessed the multitude.

On this day, we also celebrate the appearance of the Cross in 1925 in the area of Mount Hymettos, outside of Athens. The Traditionalist Orthodox who refused to accept the Papal calendar that was imposed on the State Church of Greece were being persecuted for their faith. For the feast of the Exaltation in 1925, many of the faithful planned to attend the service at a small chapel outside of the city, in order to be left alone. The police heard of the plan to hold services there, but by the time they arrived there were so many people present they dared not attempt to break up the service. Late into the night an enormous Cross was seen in the sky, not just two intersecting lines, but a three bar Cross. The Cross was lifted up and exalted for all to see for a long time. All traditionalists refer to this miraculous Exaltation of the Cross in the sky on the very feast day of the Exaltation of the Cross as a Divine confirmation of our sacred calendar.

The Cross which is lifted up on high today is a spiritual ladder which leads to heaven just as that ladder the Patriarch Jacob saw. How, it may be asked, is it that in some commentaries of the Fathers the ladder which Jacob saw is interpreted as a symbol of the Theotokos? Clearly it is both. Our Savior, moved by love for lowly man, clothed Himself in humility and took on our lowly nature, being born of the Holy Theotokos, thus putting on our flesh. By this singular and unique deed the Most Holy Theotokos became the ladder by which our Savior came down. He took on all that pertains to our nature, save sin, toiled and sweated for our sake, and at the last, mounted the Cross and was slain, Thus leading us up unto the heavens. We ascend by no other way, except the Cross. The Cross is the source of all good things. Without the Cross, there is no resurrection.

Today we celebrate the great mystery of the Cross, the essence of Christianity. The tree of disobedience that slew Adam is nullified by the Cross. Wood is healed by wood, the wood of obedience, the wood of humility, the wood of co-suffering love. As Metropolitan Anthony once wrote:

“The essence of Christianity is the renunciation of life’s pleasures; it is to be found in striving for purity; in the readiness to suffer for the Truth; in the acquisition of the feeling of constant love for God and men, and in the forgiveness of the offenses of enemies.”

It is necessary to deny ourselves in a heroic spirit. We are to be crucified through the cutting off of our will in obedience to the rules of the Church, in our efforts of self-sacrificing love, in patience and long-suffering. It is easy for a man to be deceived into making what appears to be a sacrifice, but as it turns out, is in reality for vainglory or an investment for some kind of return. True self-sacrificing love looks only to God and is ready to give up something for His sake.

In our “post-Christian era” there are many concepts proffered in the market place of ideas, quasi religious writers express their ideas on the power of myth and that religion is a consequence of a human need and that all religion is essentially the same, etc., etc.

Long ago, Saint Justin demonstrated that Christianity is unique and not similar to pagan myth. At best, mythologies borrow bits and pieces from the truth and make parodies of spiritual reality. As Saint Justin proclaimed in his Apology to the pagans in defense of Christianity, the one thing the pagans do not have is the mystery of the Cross.

And rightly so, what mortal man or sinful demon could ever fathom the depth of the love of God! The idea that our omnipotent God Who dwells in Unapproachable light would take on the form of a servant and not only that, but also tread the path of humility and death is beyond what any man could conceive of. A stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks, but unto them that believe, the mystery of Co-suffering, self-sacrificing love. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have life everlasting.”

Let us exalt the Cross in our love for the truth and the love that we have, one for another. Amen.

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From Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History (c. A.D. 260-340)...

From Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History (c. A.D. 260-340)

CHAPTER XXVII.

That after reflecting on the Dawn fall of those who had worshiped Idols, he [Saint Constantine] made Choice of Christianity.

Being convinced, however, that he needed some more powerful aid than his military forces could afford him, on account of the wicked and magical enchantments which were so diligently practiced by the tyrant, he sought Divine assistance, deeming the possession of arms and a numerous soldiery of secondary importance, but believing the co-operating power of Deity invincible and not to be shaken. He considered, therefore, on what God he might rely for protection and assistance. While engaged in this enquiry, the thought occurred to him, that, of the many emperors who had preceded him, those who had rested their hopes in a multitude of gods, and served them with sacrifices and offerings, had in the first place been deceived by flattering predictions, and oracles which promised them all prosperity, and at last had met with an unhappy end, while not one of their gods had stood by to warn them of the impending wrath of heaven; while one alone who had pursued an entirely opposite course, who had condemned their error, and honored the one Supreme God during his whole life, had formal I him to be the Saviour and Protector of his empire, and the Giver of every good thing. Reflecting on this, and well weighing the fact that they who had trusted in many gods had also fallen by manifold forms of death, without leaving behind them either family or offspring, stock, name, or memorial among men: while the God of his father had given to him, on the other hand, manifestations of his power and very many tokens: and considering farther that those who had already taken arms against the tyrant, and had marched to the battle-field under the protection of a multitude of gods, had met with a dishonorable end (for one of them had shamefully retreated from the contest without a blow, and the other, being slain in the midst of his own troops, became, as it were, the mere sport of death ); reviewing, I say, all these considerations, he judged it to be folly indeed to join in the idle worship of those who were no gods, and, after such convincing evidence, to err from the truth; and therefore felt it incumbent on him to honor his father's God alone.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

How, while he was praying, God sent him a Vision of a Cross of Light in the Heavens at Mid-day, with an Inscription admonishing him to conquer by that.

ACCORDINGLY he called on him with earnest prayer and supplications that he would reveal to him who he was, and stretch forth his right hand to help him in his present difficulties. And while he was thus praying with fervent entreaty, a most marvelous sign appeared to him from heaven, the account of which it might have been hard to believe had it been related by any other person. But since the victorious emperor himself long afterwards declared it to the writer of this history, when he was honored with his acquaintance and society, and confirmed his statement by an oath, who could hesitate to accredit the relation, especially since the testimony of after-time has established its truth? He said that about noon, when the day was already beginning to decline, he saw with his own eyes the trophy of a cross of light in the heavens, above the sun, and bearing the inscription, CONQUER BY THIS. At this sight he himself was struck with amazement, and his whole army also, which followed him on this expedition, and witnessed the miracle.

CHAPTER XXIX.

How the Christ of God appeared to him in his Sleep, and commanded him to use in his Wars a Standard made in the Form of the Cross.

He said, moreover, that he doubted within himself what the import of this apparition could be. And while he continued to ponder and reason on its meaning, night suddenly came on ; then in his sleep the Christ of God appeared to him with the same sign which he had seen in the heavens, and commanded him to make a likeness of that sign which he had seen in the heavens, and to use it as a safeguard in all engagements with his enemies.

CHAPTER XXX.

The Making of the Standard of the Cross.

AT dawn of day he arose, and communicated the marvel to his friends: and then, calling together the workers in gold and precious stones, he sat in the midst of them, and described to them the figure of the sign he had seen, bidding them represent it in gold and precious stones. And this representation I myself have had an opportunity of seeing.

CHAPTER XXXI.

A Description of the Standard of the Cross, which the Romans now call the Labarum.

Now it was made in the following manner. A long spear, overlaid with gold, formed the figure of the cross by means of a transverse bar laid over it. On the top of the whole was fixed a wreath of gold and precious stones; and within this, the symbol of the Saviour's name, two letters indicating the name of Christ by means of its initial characters, the letter P being intersected by X in its centre: and these letters the emperor was in the habit of wearing on his helmet at a later period. From the cross-bar of the spear was suspended a cloth, a royal piece, covered with a profuse embroidery of most brilliant precious stones; and which, being also richly interlaced with gold, presented an indescribable degree of beauty to the beholder. This banner was of a square form, and the upright staff, whose lower section was of great length, bore a golden half-length portrait of the pious emperor and his children on its upper part, beneath the trophy of the cross, and immediately above the embroidered banner.

The emperor constantly made use of this sign of salvation as a safeguard against every adverse and hostile power, and commanded that others similar to it should be carried at the head of all his armies.

CHAPTER XXXII.

How Constantine received Instruction, and read the Sacred Scriptures.

These things were done shortly afterwards. But at the time above specified, being struck with amazement at the extraordinary vision, and resolving to worship no other God save Him who had appeared to him, he sent for those who were acquainted with the mysteries of His doctrines, and enquired who that God was, and what was intended by the sign of the vision he had seen. They affirmed that He was God, the only begotten Son of the one and only God: that the sign which had appeared was the symbol of immortality, and the trophy of that victory over death which He had gained in time past when sojourning on earth. They taught him also the causes of His advent, and explained to him the true account of His incarnation. Thus he was instructed in these matters, and was impressed with wonder at the divine manifestation which had been presented to his sight. Comparing, therefore, the heavenly vision with the interpretation given, he found his judgment confirmed; and, in the persuasion that the knowledge of these things had been imparted to him by Divine teaching, he determined thenceforth to devote himself to the reading of the Inspired writings.

Moreover, he made the priests of God his counselors, and deemed it incumbent on him to honor the God who had appeared to him with all devotion. And after this, being fortified by well-grounded hopes in Him, he hastened to quench the threatening fire of tyranny.

A Sermon of His Eminence, Metropolitan Moses

On this day we commemorate the Beheading of the Forerunner and Baptist John. The Church holds Saint John in exceedingly high regard, calling him a celestial man, an earthly angel, the culmination of the Prophets and Apostle to the Apostles. What is more amazing is that our Savior Himself called him the greatest born of woman, yet, despite all of this, God allowed that he die such a seemingly tragic death.

When we look into the matter we see that, although Saint John is considered a martyr and witness for the truth, he was not correcting Herod for a false teaching on a point of doctrine or desecrating the worship of the Most High God. Saint John was simply pointing out to Herod that he had violated the moral law of God.

It is important to note that theoretically Saint John could have compromised, he could have said that ‘Herod is not teaching the Israelites to worship idols’ or ‘this is a moral issue and not a point of doctrine and therefore I could ignore the whole matter and not risk the wrath of the king,’ but he did not. Out of love he desired to offer a spiritual remedy for the sin in the king’s life and for this he was beheaded. From this we learn that violation of the moral law of God is no trivial thing.

Much has been written about Herodias and her daughter, but I think that it is timely to focus on the man who gave the order for the beheading of Saint John the Baptist. Herod the tetrarch, a man who knew somewhat of the law given by God to His people. It is written in the Gospel of Saint Mark that Herod 'heard John gladly and did many things.' This indicates much. Herod conversed with Saint John and it is no stretch to assume that there was a time, before Herod took his brother’s widow to wife, when there was a good relationship between Herod and Saint John. More than likely, he listened gladly concerning doctrine. Furthermore, if, as the Gospel relates, he heard and did what Saint John told him, Herod could have very well been an almsgiver and shown mercy and outward virtue in various ways. Yet, it was plain for all to see that when Saint John admonished Herod for the sake of his own salvation to do the right thing on this one point, the man who formerly had a good relationship with Saint John turned against him, imprisoned him and then beheaded him.

Upon hearing such deeds, we become indignant at the lawless outrage committed against the minister and saint of God, but of course we know that God takes all things into account. Saint John suffered indignities and outrage for a short season and he abides in the glory of God for eternity.

And when we consider Herod, it is evident that he is the ultimate victim of Satan because, despite his other virtues, he chose to follow his own will and not the moral law of God and this lead to the greater sin of killing not just an innocent man, but the greatest man born of woman. In his gospel commentary on this passage, Saint John Chrysostom points out that if Herod had hearkened to the call to repentance from Saint John the Baptist, and done the right thing, few indeed were the people who would have heard of Herod’s sin. But the pride of arrogance and abuse of authority lead to further tragedies and now, even after…

so great a time has passed, and yet the memory of that which was done hath not faded away, but alike Persians and Indians, Scythians and Thracians, and Sarmatians, and the race of the Moors, and they that dwell in the British Islands, spread abroad that which was done secretly in a house by a woman that had been a harlot.

-Saint John Chrysostom, Commentary on Gospel of Matthew, 80th Homily

Alas, the man who heard Saint John gladly and did many acts of virtue is known throughout history for his infamous deeds and not his former virtue, all because he refused to do the right thing.

We see this story repeated throughout Church history, how men in positions of power who begin with a greater or lesser degree of virtue, reject God’s will, fall into sin and violate the moral law of God. And what is worse, when a minister of God admonishes them, because of their pride of power, they attack the messenger of God who is attempting to get them to do the right thing for the sake of their own salvation.

One example from Church history that comes to mind is from the life of Saint Niphon, Patriarch of Constantinople. Saint Niphon was born in Greece and was tonsured a monk at an early age. He spent his early years of monasticism on Mount Athos, mostly at the monastery of Dionysiou. It is interesting to note that the main church of that monastery is dedicated to the holy Forerunner and Saint Niphon had a special veneration for him. Because of his renowned reputation for meekness and spiritual wisdom the holy Niphon was chosen to become Bishop of Thessalonica. After two years of serving the Church in Thessalonica, he was elected to the vacant see of Patriarch of Constantinople. The saint held his post in Constantinople for a few years and subsequently, because of intrigue, the Sultan banished him from Constantinople to live in exile in Jedrene. The Wallachian (Romanian) Prince Radul heard of the wisdom of Saint Niphon and ransomed him from the Turks, convincing the saint to oversee the Church in Wallachia (present day Romania).

At first Radul was very solicitous towards the saint and helped him in his spiritual endeavors. Some time passed and Radul abandoned his wife and began living with another woman of noble rank. Eventually Radul found some unscrupulous bishops and clergyman to justify his deed and, although there were no grounds for divorce according to the canons, they granted him a divorce and married him to the paramour. Saint Niphon reproached Radul for this and Radul threw off his mask of piety and threatened the former Patriarch. Saint Niphon could have said that, it is just a case of morality, not heresy or part of Church order and it is better to compromise, but he did not. He stood his ground lest there be many other imitators of Radul. The tyrant’s working assumption was that because of his high position, the law of God did not apply to him. There is an old saying, “one does not tell the King, ‘you transgressed the law.’” There are many examples in history of men who embraced this ideal and were corrupted by their misuse of power to their own perdition. Better for men in positions of authority to meditate in their hearts the words of our Savior, “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom they have committed much, of him they will ask the more. (Luke 12:48)

At length, Radul exiled the saint from his former residence and told his lackeys that they should offer Saint Niphon no assistance and that anyone who helped the saint would lose his life. With God’s help, Saint Niphon found safe conduct out of Wallachia, but also predicted a bitter end for Radul and many tribulations for the people of Wallachia. As prophesized, Radul, who had brought a curse upon himself, died a miserable death and the local state and Church of Wallachia underwent many woes because the leaders were complicit in his sin. Saint Niphon returned to the monastery of Dionysiou on Mount Athos and reposed in peace. After many afflictions, order was restored in Wallachia and the saint’s disciple Neagoe Basarab became ruler of that land.

Let us bow before God’s inscrutable providence, which at times allows insult and outrages against His ministers. Let us not be confused if the tyrants of this age attack the men of God with assassination or exile. God is the ultimate judge of all things. It is for us to follow in the footsteps of the saints.

We do not know what lies ahead for us in an increasingly anti-Christian culture. Contemporary society trivializes and mocks the idea of Christian morality, and seeks to influence our children. There are elements in society that speak from positions of authority and seek to groom our youth for their eventual acceptance and participation in unchristian behavior. We must be vigilant and walk wisely and according to knowledge. We cannot live like unto those who know not God.

It is wise and fitting to seek the blessing of God for every aspect of our lives and we gain a blessing by following His moral law. We are the work of His hands and He knows what is best for us as individuals and as families and as a Church. If we are admonished for our own correction, let us not imitate the ways of the proud, but the ways of the meek. As we see from many examples and common sense, anger and repentance cannot both dwell in a man.[1] Let us remember the words of the Lord, recorded by the Prophet Esaias, “"But to this man will I look: even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at My word.”(Esaias 66:2) A true sign of repentance is contrition. In the later years of his life, whenever the Apostle Peter heard a cock crow, he remembered his sin of denial and wept. Let Saint Peter be for us an example to imitate in our own repentance.

On this day wherein we commemorate the beheading of the Forerunner, let us pay heed to the importance that the men of God have attached to the moral law of God and let us not become confused if we see someone suffering some indignity for this truth. The saints fought for this principle to preserve order in the Church for their own and future generations.

May God preserve us all in unity amongst ourselves and with such saints as Saint John the Forerunner and Saint Niphon, by whose intercessions may we increase in spiritual knowledge unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ Jesus. (Eph 4:13)

Amen.

A Sermon of His Eminence, Metropolitan Moses
On the Gospel of St. Matthew 14:22-34

Today’s gospel passage contains one of the most encouraging and hopeful messages for us all.

Our Saviour just completed feeding the five thousand and sent both the disciples and the multitudes away.  He then went up onto a mountain to pray in solitude, not because he needed to separate Himself from the multitude to converse with the Father, since He is everywhere present and fills all things, but so as to show Himself as an example and a pattern for us all.

The disciples were in the ship rowing until the fourth watch of the night and the wind was contrary. They were discouraged and anxious and our Saviour passed by, walking on the water. Upon seeing him, they thought He was a spirit. Our Saviour called out to them to them saying, “Fear not, it is I.” Saint Peter in his ardour and zeal said, “If it is Thou, bid me come on the water.” And our Saviour bade him to come. So Saint Peter undertook to approach our Saviour, and seeing the wind boisterous and the waves of the sea, thoughts began to enter his mind. He reasoned also concerning the great depth of the sea, which as a fisherman he knew so well. These things filled his mind and he became distracted even in the presence of our Saviour. His faith began to fail him and he started to sink, yet even in his failings he knew Who to turn to, and cried out, “Lord save me!”

Our Saviour replied, “O ye of little faith, why didst thou doubt?” Clearly warning us that lack of faith is an obstacle to any of the works of virtue and the grace of God.

It is good to reflect at this point on the character of Saint Peter. Saint Peter was a good man with many virtues. He demonstrated his humility when our Saviour worked the miracle of the great catch of fish and in astonishment Saint Peter humbly said, “Lord depart from me for I am a sinful man.” Saint Peter had zeal and love—but his faith was not always as it should have been. Time went on, St Peter saw miracles, healed the sick and even experienced the Transfiguration. Then he endured another more grievous tempest than before—our Saviour’s voluntary Passion.

At the Mystical Supper our Saviour warned Saint Peter that, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have made supplication for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou hast turned again, strengthen thy brethren.” (Luke 22:31-32) St John of Kronstadt explains that by the term “sifting” our Saviour meant that Satan was going to distract Saint Peters mind and make him forgetful and cause him to fall.

The chief priests and the officers appeared at the Garden of Gethsemane to take our Saviour and in his ardour Saint Peter pulled out his sword and cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest. Our Saviour commanded him to put away his sword. Consternation and confusion set in, yet, when our Saviour was taken away, Saint Peter followed him out of love and devotion. Saint Peter was threatened and he was distracted and faltered in his forgetfulness. He was accused that he was a disciple of Jesus by one of the maids and he denied. Again he was accused and again he denied. Then, according to our Savior’s prediction, the cock crowed and Saint Peter had to confront his sin. He had become distracted and that lead to confusion, which tempted his faith, which lead to denial. Yet he knew where to turn to and did not despair —but wept bitterly before God. His faith failed him, but he did not lose faith in God’s mercy. These things are recorded for us that we keep the remembrance of this faith in God’s mercy for time of need. Saint Peter demonstrated what the Holy Fathers call “praiseworthy audacity.” We should always trust in God’s mercy and even be audacious in our pursuit of it. Yet, we have to act in order to find mercy. We have to find a way to repent.

How do we know that Saint Peter repented? There is a tradition that whenever Saint Peter heard a rooster crow, he remembered his denial and wept. That is an important lesson for us. If we fall into a sin and try and convince ourselves that we have repented, the only way to be sure is by the measure of our contrition and regret. It is easy for us to be lazy and complacent and not really repent. One indication that we have not repented is if someone were to bring the sin up and we become angry or try and justify ourselves, or trivialize our sin. Such an attitude is self-deception and not repentance.

Saint Peter had failings, but he loved God. The elder Ambrose of Optina once stated, “You know, personalities are only significant in human judgement, and that is why they are praised or scorned. But in God’s judgement, personalities, like natural tendencies, are not approved or disapproved. The Lord looks at good intentions and struggle for the good, and values opposition to the passions…”

Yea, our God looks to the sincere disposition of the heart and struggle and effort. Saint Peter failed, yet because he loved and was sincere and did not justify or trivialize his actions, grace supported him even in his fall and eventually restored him.

This image of Saint Peter in the wind tossed depths of the sea is a powerful one. It reminds one of the many perils that the saints endured, and yet in the midst of perils they kept their eyes on Christ.

As Saint Paul described his spiritual journey of contending with the billows of life, “…in scourgings above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths often. From the Jews five times received I forty scourges save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep, in journeyings often, in perils of rivers, in perils of robbers, in perils from countrymen, in perils from heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren, in weariness and painfulness, in vigils often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside external matters, the tumult against me daily, the care of all the Churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is scandalized, and I am not inflamed?” (1Cor. 11)

Such is the Apostolic life. It is precisely because they were steadfast in similar perils that the saints were glorified. Saint John Chrysostom lived during the golden age of Christianity. Yet, his life was filled with tumult from the time he became Archbishop of Constantinople. The Patriarch of Alexandria Theophilus did not want him as a candidate and continually intrigued against him after he was elected. The local clergy resented him because they thought he was too strict in some matters. He raised the ire of the Empress because he complained about immodest dress (including hers) and stood up to her when she took some land that had been part of a poor family’s estate for generations. Whisperings and intrigues were continually used against him. These storms intrigue were against the “Golden Mouth,” the greatest preacher in the history of the Church. The empress and the patriarch of Alexandria conspired against him and he ended his life in exile ever looking to our Saviour and saying, “Glory to God for all things."

Saint Herman of Alaska was part of that band of heroic men that came to Alaska to preach the world of God to the local natives. After Saint Juvenal was slain by a certain group of natives, Saint Herman and the others found willing converts to the word of God, but it was a corrupt leader of the Russian America Company that undermined all of their efforts. As it is written in the life, the others became demoralized, yet Saint Herman simply withdrew from the corrupt leader and redoubled his prayers, finding another location and way to help the Christian converts. Things were not as he wished, but he prayerfully kept the mind of his eye on Christ and made it through the storm.

These things are recorded in the lives of the saints in order to instruct us how we can set our gaze on Christ in the midst of storms in our own lives.

Today there is much confusion in the world. There may be a time when to do the right thing for yourselves and your families will be very unpopular with society and with those you interact with on a daily basis. When a Christian stands for what is right that person is many times vilified in the press and abandoned by fair weather friends.

It is precisely during these times we must remember the image of Saint Peter and the examples of the saints and more earnestly direct our gaze towards our Lord Jesus. Without our Christ we are nothing, with Him we can rise above the storms of life. In Christ we can find forgiveness of sins, if we truly repent. Let us "seek the face of God at all times and be strengthened" (Psalm 104) in the storms of life and find consolation both here and in the age to come, in Christ Jesus, to Whom be all glory honour and worship with His Unoriginate Father and all Holy and Good and Life Creating Spirit.   Amen.

A Sermon of His Eminence, Metropolitan Moses

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

We continue our journey to the Pascha of Christ. On the first Sunday of Great Lent we began with the Truth when we celebrated the triumph of Orthodoxy. On the Sunday of Saint Gregory Palamas we encountered the Life, i.e., we learned of the workings of grace, that our salvation consists of participating in God, both in body and soul. On the third Sunday of Great Lent, the Sunday of the Cross, we learn of the Way.

In the Cross we encounter the superabundance of God’s love, how He freely chose to save us by the Cross, though there was no necessity to compel Him to do this. In the Cross we stand face to face with the mystery of self-sacrificing, co-suffering love.

The Lord said, Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. (Mark 8:34-35)

Our Savior Himself first took up His Cross and was crucified for our love that we might be moved, that we might come to understand how to throw off the yoke of sin and domination by the passions, that is, by self-sacrificing love.

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mark 8:36-37)

In other words, what shall it profit a man to ceaselessly indulge himself, even if he were to “gain the whole world” and be able to fulfill all of his earthly desires these earthly delights and dissipations would not satisfy his soul and in the end would be the cause of his eternal separation from God.

Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy Angels. (Mark 8:38)

One aspect of carrying the Cross, is to confess our Savior “in spirit and in truth.” In our day, the Christians who desire to stand fast and hold the traditions which we have been taught from the Apostles (2 Thess 2:14) are marginalized and ridiculed. Mainstream “orthodoxy” has entered into an adulterous relationship with the god of ecumenism, they are ashamed to proclaim the singleness of truth that Orthodoxy stands for. As difficult as it is sometimes, we are called to stand at the Cross with our Savior, Who was rejected by His people.

On this Sunday of the Cross, let us remember that at the bear minimum in our lives, in our choice of action, we are called upon to do the right thing. It is amazing how human nature can find a way to use the most self-indulgent justifications for not doing the right thing. We all are tempted in this to one degree or another. Young healthy people are careless in keeping the fast. Through laziness one does not attend Saturday night vespers, or arrives very late on Sunday. A person chooses to ignore his responsibility to support the Church. A couple moves in together without the benefit of marriage. One can produce a long list, but the guiding principle is self-indulgence wins out over self-sacrificing love. Life is a balance, not everyone is called to great heroism, but all are called to heroism in at least the small things in life, otherwise we are not carrying the Cross.

May we all follow our Christ and find the Way, the Truth and the Life. Amen.

*Repousse icon of the Cross by Leonid Ouspensky, 20th C.

++++++++++

Words of Saint Antony the Great regarding the Cross...

From the Life of Saint Antony the Great, by Saint Athanasius of Alexandria:
After this again certain others came; and these were men who were deemed wise among the Greeks, and they asked him [Saint Antony] a reason for our faith in Christ. But when they attempted to dispute concerning the preaching of the divine Cross and meant to mock, Antony stopped for a little, and first pitying their ignorance, said, through an interpreter, who could skillfully interpret his words,

'Which is more beautiful, to confess the Cross or to attribute to those whom you call gods adultery and the seduction of boys? For that which is chosen by us is a sign of courage and a sure token of the contempt of death, while yours are the passions of licentiousness. Next, which is better, to say that the Word of God was not changed, but, being the same, He took a human body for the salvation and well-being of man, that having shared in human birth He might make man partake in the divine and spiritual nature; or to liken the divine to senseless animals and consequently to worship four-footed beasts, creeping things and the likenesses of men? For these things, are the objects of reverence of you wise men. But how do you dare to mock us, who say that Christ has appeared as man, seeing that you, bringing the soul from heaven, assert that it has strayed and fallen from the vault of the sky into body? And would that you had said that it had fallen into human body alone, and not asserted that it passes and changes into four-footed beasts and creeping things. For our faith declares that the coming of Christ was for the salvation of men…
…But concerning the Cross, which would you say to be the better, to bear it, when a plot is brought about by wicked men, nor to be in fear of death brought about under any form whatever; or to prate about the wanderings of Osiris and Isis, the plots of Typhon, the flight of Cronos, his eating his children and the slaughter of his father. For this is your wisdom. But how, if you mock the Cross, do you not marvel at the resurrection? For the same men who told us of the latter wrote the former, Or why when you make mention of the Cross are you silent about the dead who were raised, the blind who received their sight, the paralytics who were healed, the lepers who were cleansed, the walking upon the sea, and the rest of the signs and wonders, which show that Christ is no longer a man but God? To me you seem to do yourselves much injustice and not to have carefully read our Scriptures. But read and see that the deeds of Christ prove Him to be God come upon earth for the salvation of men…

…Tell us therefore where your oracles are now? Where are the charms of the Egyptians? Where the delusions of the magicians? When did all these things cease and grow weak except when the Cross of Christ arose? Is It then a fit subject for mockery, and not rather the things brought to naught by it, and convicted of weakness? For this is a marvelous thing, that your religion was never persecuted, but even was honored by men in every city, while the followers of Christ are persecuted, and still our side flourishes and multiplies over yours. What is yours, though praised and honored, perishes, while the faith and teaching of Christ, though mocked by you and often persecuted by kings, has filled the world…

…For when has the knowledge of God so shone forth? or when has self-control and the excellence of virginity appeared as now? or when has death been so despised except when the Cross of Christ has appeared? And this no one doubts when he sees the martyr despising death for the sake of Christ, when he sees for Christ's sake the virgins of the Church keeping themselves pure and undefiled…

…And these signs are sufficient to prove that the faith of Christ alone is the true religion.

*Icon of Saint Antony the Great by the Monastery Icon Workshop, 2002.

A Sermon of His Eminence, Metropolitan Moses of Seattle

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Holy Fast is an archetype of the life of spiritual progress.

We crossed over into the arena of fasting by seeking mutual forgiveness, the first Sunday of the fast, we celebrated the triumph of Orthodoxy, true glory, true worship and the conciliar Tradition of the Church and the principle of the consensus of the Holy God-Bearing Fathers that enlightens our path to salvation. Without the true faith, our labors are in vain.

In fitting manner we progress to this Sunday wherein we celebrate the feast of our Holy Father among the saints, Gregory Palamas, who expounded the workings of Grace more than any other Church Father. Saint Gregory was a great man of prayer and was made manifest as a wonder-worker while still in his late twenties. This great saint of our Church was given a special grace to articulate his mystical experiences.

From the life of Saint Gregory:
"Another time, in a state of noetic prayer, Gregory fell into a light sleep. It appeared to him that in his hands was there was a vessel of pure milk, so full that it was flowing over the brim. Then this milk took the form of wine, which flowed over the brim of the vessel onto his hands and clothes, spreading abroad a wonderful fragrance. As soon as Gregory perceived it, he was filled with holy joy.
There appeared to him a radiant youth who said, “Why do you not pass on this wonderful drink, left by you without due attention. This is the ever-inexhaustible gift from God.”
“To whom should I pass on this drink when there is no on in need of it?” asked saint Gregory.
“Even if at the present moment there is no one actually thirsting for the drink,” answered the youth, “yet, nevertheless, you should do your duty and not neglect this gift of God. With the proper use of which, you will have to answer before God.” With these words the wondrous vision came to an end.
Saint Gregory interpreted it in this way: The milk meant the ordinary gift of the word, understandable to very simple hearts looking for spiritual instruction The turning of milk in to wine meant that when the time comes, the Supreme-Will will ask him for deeper instructions of the sublime Christian Faith."

Thus, things that are beyond the mind of man, beyond the grasp of philosophical inquiry are imparted to us not by speculation, but by men of spiritual experience. Saint Gregory defended the Orthodox doctrine on how we participate in God, how we become partakers of God’s uncreated energies, i.e., the holy truths of our Church regarding Theosis, or deification.

In the days of Saint Gregory one Barlaam of Calabria arrived in the parts of the east and spread his false teaching that God Himself does not unite with man or enter into man’s heart, but that God creates a grace that He imparts to man. This is because in the parts of the west they were immersed more in the Greek philosophers than the Gospel. They tried to force Christian revelation into Pagan Greek philosophical constructs.

Consistent with the God bearing Fathers, Saint Gregory explained for us that only nonbeing is without operation. All creatures have operation and activity. If one were to say that the operation or energy of the Holy Trinity was created then the logical conclusion is that the Holy Trinity is created (which is blasphemy). Uncreated nature has an uncreated energy.

Thus, Essence is cause and Energy is effect. This revealed Spiritual Truth, affects our world-view and gives us a precise perspective on spiritual reality. God is completely distinct from His creation, there is no similarity. We partake of life, He is the Source of life. He brought all things into being from nothing and is Beyond Being. The Church teaches that God is completely transcendent and unapproachable in His essence, but we partake of His energies. The correct understanding of the distinction between the essence of God and His uncreated energies, given unto us by the God-bearing Fathers, is one of the greatest gifts of Orthodox theology. This spiritual insight is the only way to properly understand the words of Saint Peter when he says that we are called upon to, “be partakers of the Divine Nature.” The Church has its own vocabulary and understanding, without which it is impossible to grasp the meaning of the Holy Scriptures.

When we read in scripture of the glory of God, His illumination, a Divine light, etc. this refers to the uncreated grace of God that we are called to participate in. As our Savior said, “For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels” (Luke 9: 26). This glory is the uncreated Energy of God (Divine Grace) that emanates from the Holy Trinity, which both angels and men partake.

Saint Basil the Great expressed this quest to acquire the Grace of God thus, “The contest for virtue is the struggle for one to become God and a son by the illumination of the most pure light of that day which is uninterrupted by darkness. He that shines forth with the true light has made virtue as another sun, which having once shined upon us no longer hides itself in the west; but having clothed all things with its illuminating power, it grants an unceasing and perpetual light unto the worthy and makes into other suns those who partake of that light.”

Saint Gregory also taught that we participate in the uncreated grace of God in both soul and body, thus overturning all of the spiritual error of the dualists, both ancient and modern.[1] The Church teaches that when God made man He made “all things very good.” It is sin, man’s misuse of free will that is the cause of everything wrong in creation. Thus Christ became the New Adam that we might be made new and become temples of the Holy Spirit. What is the significance of this spiritual truth?

Your body belongs to God.

The only variation on this is in Christian marriage, when the two become one flesh. The husband’s body belongs to the wife and the wife’s body belongs to the husband. For a man, every woman in the world is his sister, unless he gets married, then he has one wife. For a woman, every man in the world is a brother, unless she gets married, then she has one husband. God Himself has implanted the law of attraction and He has ordained that marriage has certain consolations that are to be reserved for marriage. This is the definition of chastity.

The Church is a spiritual hospital and has always offered the therapy of repentance to those who have fallen into sin. Our contemporary problem is that there are many who, with malicious intent, wish to change the law of God. They trivialize the body and the Christian concept of purity and want to remove sex from the proper context. For this reason we need to repeat to our youth again and again that popular culture has it all wrong. We are called to become temples of the living God and these things matter. The custom of “sowing wild oats” is a great spiritual error. Chastity is bodily purity and godliness. One who lives in chastity has good hopes to become a temple of the Living God, in Christ Jesus.

As Saint Peter so wisely put it in his introduction to his Second Catholic (universal) Epistle:

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you in the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, according as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him Who hath called us by glory and virtue; by which are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, so that through these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And for this cause, by applying all diligence, add virtue to your faith, and to virtue, knowledge, and to knowledge, continence, and to continence, patience, and to patience, godliness, and to godliness, brotherly affection, and to brother affection, love. For if these things be in you, and abound, they render you neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:2-8)

May we pay heed to these words and come to the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ by participation in His Grace, to Whom be all glory, honor and worship, with His Unoriginate Father and All Holy Life Creating Spirit. So be it. Amen.

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[1] Dualist doctrine claims that only the soul is good and worthy and the body is evil and that upon death the soul is liberated from the body and only then enters its true existence.