From the most ancient times of the Church, liturgical vestments have been present and vital to the celebration of all Church services, for they employ symbolism to express the deepest and loftiest meanings of the Faith. No opportunity was lost, in utilising the time that the faithful spent within churches, to continuously remind them and transport them towards contemplation of the supra-sensual and transcendental. Thus liturgical vestments were no exception in assisting this task of catechising/inducting the faithful into a deeper state of spiritual thought and expression, to inspire them within their own life. The vestments utilised by Orthodox Christian clergy are as such the:

EXO-RHASSON (OUTER CASSOCK)

The exo-rhasson is a long, loosely fitted, floor-length garment. The Outer Cassock is a non-liturgical robe worn by Orthodox clergy both as ordinary daily clothing (their out-of-doors and domestic distinct attire), and underneath their “liturgical robes” (vestments which are worn during church services). The outer cassock symbolizes the cessation (distancing) and burial (death) of a clergyman from this world and all worldly things, and his subsequent dedication to God and the Heavenly Kingdom. Over the outer cassock a bishop wears an engolpion and a cross, while a “stavrophore” priest wears only a cross. Wearing the outer-cassock is common to bishops, priests, deacons, monks and nuns (permission to wear a cassock is often given to seminarians, monastic novices, sub-deacons and readers in parishes).

KALIMAFI/KALMAFHION

The black cylindrical hat, worn by all ranks of clergy, as shown in the above picture, with the clergyman wearing his exo-rhasson. The EPANOKALIMAFON, is the veil which covers the Kalimafhion, and hangs from the back of the hat all the way down to the waist. It is only worn by monastic (celibate) clergy, and it is a symbol of self-denial from the worldly, and devotion to the divine.

ANDERI (Rhasson/Under-Cassock)

A long, floor-length garment that is more closely fitted to the body than the exo-rhasson, and has long narrow sleeves (fitted like shirtsleeves). The Anderi is the other non-liturgical robe worn by all ranks of Orthodox clergy. It is worn under the outer cassock (exo-rhasson) both as ordinary daily clothing, and underneath “liturgical robes”. Like the exo-rhasson, the anderi symbolizes the death and burial of a clergyman from this world and all that entails, and his subsequent dedication to God and the Heavenly Kingdom. Wearing the under-cassock is common to bishops, priests, deacons, monks and nuns (permission to wear it is often given to seminarians, monastic novices, sub-deacons and readers in parishes).

STICHARION (ALB)

Is a long liturgical robe that reaches down to the floor, and has long sleeves. It is worn by all ranks of clergy during church services over their anderi, and it symbolises the spiritual cleanliness which a clergyman must possess when he is offering the Eucharist or officiating at other services. During the Order of Preparation, the Priest takes his sticharion, blesses the cross on the back and says, “Blessed is our God, now and always and forever and ever. Amen. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, for He has clothed me in the garment of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels (Isaiah 61:10); now and always and forever and ever. Amen.” Nevertheless it is the main vestment worn by a deacon, and it is designed in the form of a cross with openings for the head and down the side of the sticharion which is bound together by buttons and elastics.

ORARION (DIACONAL STOLE)

Is a long narrow ornamented band (as shown in the picture of a deacon’s vestments), with three or seven crosses and has two banks of fringe at either end. In some cases, the orarion is embroidered with the words “Holy, Holy, Holy”, a custom dating back to Apostolic times. The deacon wears the orarion over his left shoulder with the front portion draped over his left forearm. He will often take this section in his right hand when leading litanies or drawing attention to a particular liturgical action. When preparing for Communion, the deacon will tie the orarion around his waist, bringing the ends up over his shoulders (forming an X-shaped cross in back) and then down in front, tucking them under the section around the waist. Its name derives from a Latin word which means “towel”, because originally it was used by deacons to wipe the lips of those receiving Holy Communion. Nevertheless is symbolises the wings of the angels, the servants of God, thus the responsibility of the deacon in becoming the servant of God.

EPITRACHELION (STOLE)

Which literary means “around the neck”, is a liturgical vestment shaped like a band, worn around the neck over both shoulders as a sign of ordained ministry. It is stitched together at various intervals in front of the body, and reaches all the way down to the ankles. Across the bottom and again some six inches from the bottom it has two horizontal bands of fringe which stand for the souls of the living and dead entrusted to the clergyman. The epitrachelion symbolises the spiritual yoke of the priesthood and the grace of the Holy Spirit which flows abundantly upon officiating clergyman, yet it also signifies the double portion of grace bestowed upon a priest, for the celebration of the Mysteries. It is the one vestment (in the absence of any others) which is absolutely necessary for a priest or bishop to conduct any liturgical service.

ZONI (BELT)

The zoni is a narrow cloth belt that goes over the sticharion and epitrachelion, and helps a priest or bishop fasten these two vestments upon his body to facilitate his movements during liturgical services. Yet it also attests to a clergyman’s readiness for service, just as a man girds himself when he sets out on a journey, undertakes a task or sets out for battle. So also the priest girds himself when he sets about his sacred ministry, and he recites: “Blessed is God who girds me with strength, and has made my way blameless (Psalm 17(18):32); now and always and forever and ever. Amen”. It thus symbolises the strength given to a clergyman by the Holy Spirit, in order to perform the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.

EPIMANIKIA (MANIPLES/CUFFS)

Epimanikia are made of stiff cloth and are worn over the wrists to cover up the ends of the sticharion sleeves, and are tied up with lace which hangs at both ends of each cuff. The excess lace is tied up and tucked into the cuff itself. All three ranks of clergy wear the cuffs, but since the deacon wears a more elaborate sticharion as an outer garment, he wears the epimanikia underneath the sleeves of his sticharion. Usually epimanikia are decorated with an embroidered cross or some other Christian symbol. They symbolise the creative power of God.

EPIGONATION (GENUAL)

Literally “upon the knee”, the epigonation is a stiff, flat, diamond-shaped cloth, which is worn on the right-hand side of a priest or bishop, just hanging over the right knee. Within Byzantine tradition this was awarded to a priest who was elevated to the rank of a confessor or oikonomos (“steward”). In modern practice, it is worn by all bishops, archimandrites and priests who have received an offikion (honourary title) from the bishop. It represents a shield, originating from the thigh shield worn by soldiers during the days of the Apostolic Church. Yet it also symbolises a spiritual sword, which is the strength of the Word of God, the spiritual power, and the pastoral authority by which the bishops and clergy of the Church smite the enemies of Christianity, and everything which is impure and evil. In effect the epigonation denotes that a clergyman is a soldier of Christ who utilises the Word of God, to fight the wiles of the enemy. Originally though, the epigonation was a sort of towel that also was utilised for drying the hands after the celebrant washed his hands before or after handling the Holy Eucharist.

PHELONION (CHASUBLE)

The phelonion is a large, sleeveless, outer cape-like vestment, somewhat akin to a poncho, and is worn over the sticharion. The front part reaches to just above the waist,  in order to facilitate the movement of a priest’s hands during church services, while the back of the phelonion hangs as far down as the ankles. Originally within liturgical practice, bishops also wore the phelonion, just as the priests continue to do so, but their phelonion was distinguished by their design of multiple crucifixes joined together. However, later liturgical developments gave way for bishops to wearing the sakkos, with the exception of the celebration of the Divine Liturgy of St James (23 October). As a consequence, priests are the only clergy who wear the phelonion today. The phelonion symbolises the red tunic with which Pilate dressed our Lord before His Crucifixion. Thus indicating the torments and suffering that a priest will endure during his ministry in order to serve God’s faithful and bear witness to the world of the reality of the Cross as the means to pass into the grace of the Resurrection. The sleeveless nature of the phelonion, is explained by St Cosmas the Aetolian, as a reference to the fact that the priest has his hands bound close to himself, and not open, receptive or attached to worldly things, and thus can receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit unhindered.

SAKKOS (DALMATIC)

The sakkos was originally worn by the Emperors of Byzantium as an imperial vestment, symbolising the tunic of disgrace worn by Christ during his trial and mockery. The garment itself is a tunic with wide sleeves, and a distinctive pattern of trim. It reaches below the knees and is fastened up along the sides with buttons or tied with ribbons. Within liturgical use, the use of the sakkos was a privilege bestowed by an Emperor upon individual patriarchs as a sign of his personal favour and thanksgiving for their service within the Church. In time, as Byzantium declined and civil authorities were in disarray, bishops assumed a role of governance in the absence of competent authorities, and with the Fall of Constantinople (1453 AD) in effect became “ethnarchs” (political-religious leaders of the people), and thus the wearing of the Sakkos became common place, since it expressed this dual role that circumstances had placed them in. Hence, replacing the embroidered cross-patterned phelonion, known as the “polystavrion”. The sakkos is usually made of a rich brocade fabric and may be intricately embroidered. There is normally a cross centered on the back, which the bishop kisses before it is placed on him. Buttons or loops are sewn on the back, by which the bishop’s omophorion (either great or small) may be attached. Traditionally, bells are attached to the sakkos, following the biblical directions for the vestments of the Jewish High Priest (Exodus 28:33-34; 39:25-26).

OMOPHORION (PALLIUM) – LONG & SHORT

The omophorion is a scarf-like vestment which symbolises a bishop’s spiritual and ecclesiastical authority, and is worn around the neck and shoulders. Originally there was one type of omophorion that was made of wool with two crucifixes upon it, but over time embroidered cloth has been utilised, and a small and longer omophorion has come into being. The long omophorion is worn by the bishop from the beginning of the Liturgy until the reading of the Gospel, while the short omophorion is worn after the Great Entrance till the end of the Liturgy. The omophorion is a token of the yoke of Christ, and symbolises the stray sheep carried by Christ on His shoulders as the Good Shepherd, and thus signifies the pastoral role and responsibility of a bishop as the icon of Christ. Therefore clergy and ecclesiastical institutions subject to a bishop’s authority are often said to be “under his omophorion.”

PECTORAL CROSS

It hangs by a gold or silver chain over liturgical and non-liturgical vestments upon the chest. It symbolises the carrying of the Cross of Christ with sacrifice and self-denial. It is worn by bishops, archimandrites, protopresbyters, and priests who have received the permission of the bishop to wear it on certain occasions.

ENGOLPION

Is a highly decorated round or oval jewel with the image of Christ or the Theotokos or a saint on it, hanging by a gold or silver chain from the neck over the chest next to the cross. It is worn only by a bishop. It is a sign of the purity of the heart, and may be worn even when he is not officiating.

MITRE

An elaborately bejewelled headdress worn only by a bishop. It symbolises the glory of the Lord and the highest ecclesiastical authority given to the bishop. The word itself is derived from the Greek μίτρα, meaning a ‘headband’ or ‘turban’. However some Orthodox liturgical experts point out, that this word also denotes in ancient Greek “womb” because the cloth used for headbands and turbans was the same material used for child-birth. The reason for the connection as they would cite, is that the mitre was to symbolically represent the womb of the Virgin Mary who gave birth to the true High Priest and the source of all priestly authority, Christ.

Yet Orthodox theologians would also add that this symbolism also highlighted the role of a bishop towards his diocesan congregation, which is that he serves as their spiritual father, but relates to and cares for them as a spiritual mother, reflecting St Paul’s assertion that in God’s eyes there is neither male nor female, but all are one in and under God. Historically speaking, the mitre has a very ancient heritage and can be traced back into Middle Eastern and Greek traditions, since head-coverings were a mark of position of certain religious and secular officials. In ancient Israel the Jewish High Priest (Kohen-Gadol) wore a headdress called the Mitznefetthat wound around the head to form a broad, flat-top topped turban. Officials of the court of the Byzantine Empire wore a cap called the camelaucum (Greek: καμιλαύκιον - kamilaukion) that developed into the imperial crown by the ninth century.

In liturgical use, the mitre was only bestowed upon certain bishops and patriarchs as a sign of honour for serving as confessors of the faith, usually by imperial authorities, or was a custom attached to the diocese/patriarchate that the bishop belonged to. The original Christian mitre was a small conical shaped hat, whose conical form was reminiscent of a triangle which is a symbol representative of the Holy Trinity and its perfect unity (because triangles within mathematics represent numeric perfection and strength, while in engineering the triangle is the strongest form by which to build all structures in). Furthermore the conical nature of the mitre pointed in the direction to which we must focus our spiritual endeavours towards, as well as denote the source of all priestly authority.

The mitre in its present imperial form was not used by Orthodox bishops until after the fall of Constantinople in 1453, and thus indicating their civil and religious authority as ethnarchs (leaders of the nation) during the difficult epoch of Ottoman rule. The typical present-day mitre in Orthodox churches is based on the imperial crown of the late Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire.

It is thus made in the shape of a bulbous crown and may be constructed of a number of materials such as brocade, damask, or cloth of gold. Embroidery may be used in its construction as well as use jewels for decoration. Mitres, while often of gold, may use other liturgical colours. Normally, there are four icons attached to the mitre. These usually are icons of Jesus Christ, the Theotokos, John the Baptist, and the Cross. A cross surmounts the mitre, either upright for bishop’s mitres or laying flat on mitres awarded to priests.

The awarding of mitres by bishops to priests, particularly those of the rank of archpriests, protopresbyters, and archimandrites, is a custom that occurs within the Russian Orthodox tradition.

RAVDOS/PATERISSA (CROSIER/PASTORAL STAFF)

The crosier is carried by Orthodox bishops and senior monastics as a stylized staff of office and a symbol of authority and jurisdiction. The crosier is carried by bishops, archimandrites, abbots, and abbesses. The crosier is presented to a new bishop by the chief consecrator following the dismissal at the Divine Liturgy when the bishop is consecrated. For archimandrites, abbots, and abbesses, the crosier is conferred at the time of their investitures. The crosier is carried by the bishop while outside the altar, and it is not taken within the altar area, that is behind the iconostasis. When the bishop enters the altar the crosier is placed leaning against the iconostasis next to the icon of Christ to the right of the Royal Doors.

When the prelate is not vested for services in the church, he uses a different, smaller staff (originally known as a bacterion – cf. Psalm 22:4 in a Greek Bible) that is in the form of a walking stick topped with a silver or brass pommel.

The crosier is usually a long metal staff ending at the top in the shape of two heads of a dragon facing each other, with a cross above them in the centre. It is a token of the bishop’s pastoral authority and symbolises the visible enemies of the Church and the power the bishop should possess to put them to flight and lead the faithful to God. The Eastern Orthodox crosier is found in two common forms. The older form is tau-shaped (T), with arms curving down, surmounted by a small cross. The other has a top composed of a pair of sculptured serpents or dragons with their heads curled back to face each other, with a small cross between them, representing the bishop’s diligence in guarding his flock.

This was from a pamphlet that I had first prepared for the parish of St John the Forerunner. I dedicate this work to Fr Gerasimos Koutsouras - V.M.

By L. Joseph Letendre

Source: http://thechristianactivist.com

(Light and Life Publishing Company: Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1987.)

FOREWORD

Confession is an important, yet neglected sacrament of our Church.

This offering provides a practical and stimulating guide for Christian growth in our age.

- Reverend Stanley S. Harakas -

In every sacrament there is an act of offering. In the Eucharist, we offer bread and wine; in Baptism and Chrismation and at ordinations, human persons are offered; in marriage, the relationship that has flowered between two people; and in anointing, human sickness and suffering are offered. In the Sacrament of Reconciliation – Confession – it is our own sinfulness that we bring as an offering.

When we stand before the icon of Christ on the Cross and the Gospel with the priest beside us, what should we say? What are the sins we must confess? What do we offer? And, perhaps most importantly, how do we discover what it is we should say? These are the questions we will try to answer here.

WHAT IS SIN?

*1. Sin is not just breaking the Ten Commandments.

We often think of confession as presenting a “shopping list” of the ways we’ve broken the Ten Commandments. But this approach often leads to confusion. I haven’t robbed any banks or murdered anyone, I’m faithful to my spouse, and so far I’ve resisted the temptation to sacrifice my children to idols. Why then does the priest insist I am a sinner? And why does the Church insist that I go to confession when I haven’t done anything?

The painful truth is that it is possible to keep all the Commandments and yet still be in sin. During the Sundays of Preparation before Great Lent we hear the Gospel of the Publican and the Pharisee. The Pharisee keeps the commandments and more. He tells God, “I am not like all other men – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.” Yet Jesus says, he is not justified (Luke 18:9-14).

Even more frightening are the words Jesus spoke in the Sermon on the Mount: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me you evil doers!’ ” (Matthew 8:21-23).

St. Paul writes that “no one will be declared righteous in [God’s] sight by observing the law; rather through the law we become conscious of sin” (Romans 3:20). The commandments reveal that sin exists in the world and in our lives.

*2. “Missing the Mark”.

To understand more clearly what sin is, we must look at the word that the New Testament and many Fathers used for sin: amartia. This Greek word means “missing the mark”. For the writers of the New Testament and those Fathers who wrote in Greek, sin was being off target, moving in the wrong direction, heading for the wrong goal. But what goal?

St. Paul writes that we are to attain to “the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). This is the goal. Like Christ we must be filled with the Holy Spirit and always doing the will of the Father. This means that the measuring stick we will use when confessing is not how well or how poorly we are keeping the rules. Nor will it be how better or worse we are when compared to others. The measuring stick is the person of Jesus of Nazareth. We will see later what this means practically for repentance and confession.

*3. Spiritual Disease.

When we do something foolish or make a mistake we often say, “Well, I’m only human”. But human beings by definition are creatures made in the image and likeness of God. Being human is not an excuse for weakness and stupidity, it is a call to greatness. Sin is a failure to live up to our high calling. When we are sinful we fail to be truly human as God wishes us to be. This means that sin is abnormal in human beings. It is an illness that distorts the image of God in us.

Some of the specific sins that trouble us may be symptoms of underlying sins that the Fathers call “passions”. For example, we may confess losing our temper, but the root of this sin may be jealousy or pride. In this “medical model” of sin and repentance, the priest’s task, as we shall see, is to diagnose and prescribe.

Finally, we must mention two broad types of sins: sins of commission and sins of omission. A sin of commission involves doing, saying, thinking or feeling something we shouldn’t. The Ten Commandments deal with this kind of sin. A sin of omission occurs when we fail to do, say, think or feel something we should. These are the hardest kind to recognize and to repent.

PREPARING FOR CONFESSION

A good confession happens before we even leave for church. In Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son, when the young man finally comes to his senses he says, “I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men” (Luke 15:18-19).

Before the son takes one step on the journey back to his father, he rehearses what he will say. In other words, he prepares. We must do the same. A good confession depends on good preparation.

How do we prepare for confession? First, we must set aside some time to prepare: a half hour, at least. This must be a period of time when we will be free from distractions and interruptions. We should not be shy about asking our family to help. One of the most loving things husbands and wives can do for each other is safeguard each other’s time and place of prayer. This can mean taking the children out, answering the phone, turning off the TV.

Preparation should also have a place where we will not be disturbed. We can go to our room and close the door. We can sit before our icons. But we must be in a place where we can relax and be quiet for the duration of the time we have set aside to prepare.

Once we have entered the time and place to prepare for confession, we must fill it with four things: silence, prayer, reading and reflection.

Silence and Solitude.

We begin simply by placing ourselves in God’s presence. We say to him, “Her I am”. We remind ourselves that for the next half hour or so our time and thoughts will be His and His alone. And we keep silence.

Anyone who has tried this knows what soon happens. We forget about God quickly. We become bored, and then all sorts of thoughts flood our minds. Anger about what someone said or did to us weeks ago comes bubbling to the surface and we find ourselves fantasizing about what we should have said or could have done. Last night’s TV show, a song we heard on the radio, a scene from the last movie we saw are played back in our minds. We get fidgety. We remember all the things we’ve put off for months and feel a sudden urgency to do them right now.

When we realize that our minds have wandered, we should bring our attention back to God through prayer, especially the Jesus Prayer.

Prayer.

Prayer is the single most important thing to do in preparing for confession. Unless the Holy Spirit reveals our sins and sinfulness to us, we will not see them. In prayer we ask God to show us what He finds displeasing in us, what He wants us to repent of. If we are concerned only with how we’re disappointed in ourselves, repentance can become an exercise in self-improvement but not a return to the Father.

We discover our sins not by seeing how evil we are, but by seeing how good God is. The more brightly lit a room is, the more clearly we see the dust and cobwebs. In the lives of saints we often see that the holier they became, the more they knew how sinful they were. In prayer we can begin to see our sins clearly as God sees them.

Through prayer we meet our God as the God of forgiveness and mercy, and see the sinfulness of our anger and judging of others; we find in Him the generous giver of all good things, and are convicted in our greed, jealousy, and material anxiety; we encounter the humble Lord of glory, and see the foolishness of our pride and conceit; we are embraced by the God of love, and so recognize our selfishness and lust for what they truly are.

In the end, we discover that even sins against our neighbour are ultimately sins against God. Like the Psalmist, we can then pray: “Against you, you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight” (Psalm 51:4).

How should we pray? It is good to begin with the prayer “Heavenly King”, and the Trisagion.[1] In this way our prayer is united to the prayer of the entire Church. Then we are free to use other written prayers from a book, the Jesus Prayer, or to pray in our own words or to use prayers from the Bible. The Psalms are especially good, particularly the Psalms 32, 38 and 51, which are Psalms of Repentance. When using words it is important to pray slowly. Pause after words and phrases so they can sink in and touch the heart.

In preparing for confession, our prayer should echo the prayer of the Psalmist: “Who can discern errors? Forgive my hidden faults” (Psalm 19:12).

Reading.

Reading helps us to “discern errors”. In particular reading can provide the right standard by which we must measure ourselves. This right standard is not the world around us or what we see others doing. We are not good Christians if we are at least no worse than other people. Nor does the standard of perfection consist of our own goals and aspirations. As we said above, the standard and measuring stick is the person of Jesus Christ. It is Christ who tells us, in the middle of a dog-eat-dog-world, “blessed are the meek”. He is the one who asks us, “Are you the kind of person I am? The person my Father wants you to be?”

For this reason reading from the Bible is most important. The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and 1 Corinthians 13 are good places to start. By following a rule of daily Scripture readings, we will find other passages we can return to when preparing for confession. In addition, reading from Fr. Thomas Hopko’s booklet “If We Confess Our Sins” or the confession from “The Way of the Pilgrim” can help us focus and apply the Scripture to our own sins.

The last thing to say about reading is that this will not be the time to gather ammunition to use on the Jehovah’s Witness when he comes to the door or the “Pharisee” who sits with us on the parish council. What we read we must apply to ourselves, not to our neighbour.

Reflection.

Finally, we must actively take what we gather from our silence, prayer and reading and examine ourselves. To do this successfully we must have an attitude of self-blame or self-accusation. This is a very hard attitude to cultivate. We naturally want to see ourselves in the best light, and want others to think well of us. Self-accusation goes against our nature. It means refusing to make excuses or to compare ourselves with others. It means playing the role of prosecutor instead of defense attorney.

St. Dorotheos of Gaza, a 6^th century monk, tells a story that may help us understand:

 There once came to me two brothers who were always arguing, and the elder was saying about the younger, “I arrange for him to do something and he gets distressed, and so I get distressed, thinking if he had the faith and love towards me he would accept what I tell him with complete confidence”. And the younger was saying, “…but he does not speak to me with fear of God, but rather as someone who wants to give orders…”

Impress on your minds that each blames the other and neither blames himself…What they really ought to do is just the opposite. The first ought to say: I speak with presumption and therefore God does not give my brother confidence in me. And the other ought to be thinking: My brother gives me commands with humility and love but I am unruly and have no fear of God…Each considers himself right and excuses himself, as I was saying, all the while keeping none of the Commandments yet expecting his neighbour to keep the lot!…Ought we not rather to examine ourselves about the Commandments and blame ourselves for not keeping them?[2]

In our actual preparation silence, prayer, reading and reflection will not follow one after another, but will be mixed. Our silence may lead to reading, our reading to prayer, or more silence, etc. What order we do these is not important: this will vary from person to person and even from confession to confession. What is important is that we include all these ingredients. Let me give some examples of how this might work for you.

We are silent before God, and frankly, bored. We pray, but cannot pay attention to prayer. This can lead us to reflect on how little we must truly love God, for we find his company so dull. Or, our silence and prayer is distracted by worry and anxiety about money. Then we read in the Gospel the command of Jesus not to worry about these things (Matthew 6:25-34). We can reflect on our lack of trust in our heavenly Father.

By all means, write down these reflections and bring the list to confession if you think you might forget.

LIFE PREPARES US

So far we have been talking about particular preparation for confession. But there is also a “general” preparation. Since all of the Christian life is a struggle with sin and temptation and an ongoing effort of repentance, all of life can prepare us for confession.

This is obviously true of the “spiritual” aspects of our lives: prayer, the liturgy and sermons, spiritual reading, fasting – all of these can give us insights into ourselves that we should bring to Christ in sacramental confession. But there is more.

If we cultivate the attitude of self-accusation, God can use practically anything in our life to reveal hidden sins to us.

Pambo, a 4^th century desert father, once went into the city of Alexandria. He happened to see a prostitute and began to weep. Those who were with him asked why he wept. “Two things make me weep: one, the loss of this woman; and the other, that I am not concerned to please God as she is to please wicked men.”[3]

In the last century, Macarius, an elder in the Russian monastery of Optino, once wrote to a correspondent:

You say your maid annoys and irritates you so much that, in order not to fly into a rage, you have taken to telling her – whenever you feel a paroxysm coming on – that she must not lead you into temptation, after which you hurriedly leave the room. This seems to me a remarkably weak way of combating the root of the evil.

Consider her, in this connection, as being used by God to show you your greatest weakness: this rage which slumbers in you at all times but lies hidden until she, the hand of God, discloses it.[4]

For Pambo and Macarius the prostitute and the maid were ways that God used to lead them to see their sins and to repent more deeply. If we are alert and listening for God who speaks to us in a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:12-13), there will be many moments of our life that God will use to show us where we need to change.

If I have said much about preparing for confession, it is because I am convinced that what we actually say before the priest in confession is only the tip of the iceberg; it is the fruit of our preparation.

WHAT NOT TO SAY

Now I must admit that I cannot tell you what to say in confession. Prepare, and what you must say will be made clear to you. But I can tell you six things you should not say if you wish to make a good confession.

*1. “I Have No Sins”.

This is very frustrating for a priest to hear. How is he to “absolve” in Christ the sins of someone who “doesn’t have any?” How can he give that person the Body and Blood of Christ “for the remission of sins?” But it is even more serious. In the New Testament it is written: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us…If we claimed we have not sinned we make [God] out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives” (1 John 1:8, 10).

If this is all we can say in confession, hard questions must be asked; How seriously do we take Jesus’ call to repentance? How seriously did we prepare for it? It is far better to tell our priest: “I don’t know what my sins are. Will you help me, Father?”

*2. “I Am A Sinner”.

I do not mean that we should not say this, but that we should not stop there. Confession must not become a ritual formality we go through to fulfill a religious obligation. It must be real and personal When we approach confession, we should be able to echo the words of David: “My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).

*3. “I’ve Got A Problem”.

Too often we let confession become a counseling session where we tell the priest our problems and hope for advice, help or encouragement. We can and should discuss our problems with our priest, but the place is in the office in a special counseling session. Confession deals with sins.

There is much truth in the notion that the root of every problem is sin: our own and/or someone else’s. It is our own sinfulness that underlies our problems. This is what we must unearth in our preparation and bring to confession.

*4. Excuses.

Excuses such as: “Sure I drink, Father, but if you knew my wife…” have no place in confession. We come to confession to be forgiven, not excused. C. S. Lewis explains the difference:

Forgiveness says “Yes, you have done this thing but I accept your apology; I will never hold it against you and everything between us will be exactly as it was before”. But excusing says, “I can see you couldn’t help it or didn’t mean it; you weren’t really to blame”. If one was not really to blame then there is nothing to forgive…God knows all the real excuses very much better than we do. If there are real “extenuating circumstances” there is no fear that He will overlook them.

 …All the real excusing He will do. What we have got to do is take to Him the inexcusable bit, the sin.[5]

*5. Our Neighbours’ Sins.

Excuses such as: “My husband drinks too much”, are out, too. We must confess our sins, not those of our neighbours, friends or relatives. We may need to confess our sinful reaction to our neighbour’s failings. Have we become self-righteous? Judging? Unforgiving? Wanting revenge? Only after repenting of such sins can we begin to seek a Christian solution to the problems created for us by another’s sins. These we are free to discuss with the priest at another time, of course.

*6. “I Try To Be Good”.

Priests find this one frustrating, too. It’s like saying “I try not to murder anyone”. The obvious response is: “Have you succeeded?” It is important to remember that everyone is good – made in the image and likeness of God. But good people still say, do, think, and feel sinful things. Also, if you are coming to confession, the priest assumes you are “trying to be good”. The question is: where are you failing?

Let us end this section on a positive note. There is one thing you can say: the same sins you confessed last time. Do not be afraid to repeat yourself in confession after confession. And do not become cynical about confession because it always seems to consist of “the same old sins”. Why?

First, the Church Fathers teach that there are some sins and passions that we will have to wrestle with for most, if not all, of our lives. And second, we can be encouraged that we are at least holding our own. To confess one time that we covet our neighbour’s goods and the next time that we have become a burglar is not spiritual progress, but the opposite behaviour may well be a sign of spiritual growth.

There may be some comfort in a story that Metropolitan Anthony Bloom tells about the Western saint Philip Neri:

He was an irascible man who quarreled easily and had violent outbursts of anger and of course endured violent outbursts from his brothers. One day he felt that it could not go on…he ran to the chapel, fell down before a statue of Christ and begged Him to free Him from his anger. He then walked out full of hope.

The first person he met was one of the brothers who had never aroused the slightest anger in him, but for the first time in his life this brother was offensive and unpleasant to him. So Philip burst out with anger. …So Philip ran back to the chapel, cast himself before the statue of Christ and said “O Lord, have I not asked you to free me from this anger?” And the Lord answered, “Yes, Philip, and for this reason I am multiplying the occasions for you to learn.”[6]

WHAT ABOUT THE PRIEST?

For many, the greatest obstacle to confessing well, if at all, is that we must confess “to” a priest. This is perhaps even more frightening than what we might discover when we try seeing ourselves in the light of what God is calling us to be. A few words about the priest seem appropriate.

*1. The Priest’s Function.

The first thing we must remember is that we do not confess to the priest; we confess to Christ. In the Orthodox service books the priest is instructed to say to the penitent: “Christ stands here invisibly and receives your confession…I am only a witness…” In confession, the priest gives witness to two things: the repentance of the sinner who confesses and the forgiveness of Christ given freely to the sinner.

This forgiveness is imparted to the penitent by Christ through the priest to whom our Lord entrusted the ministry of forgiveness in accordance with His words, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:22-23).

The priest serves not as a judge but as witness to the sincerity of one’s repentance. That is why in the Orthodox practice of confession the priest does not face the penitent, but both priest and penitent face an icon of Christ. To show that the forgiveness comes not from the priest but from Christ, the priest does not say, “I forgive you…” but, “May God forgive you…”

Bishop Kallistos Ware writes, “The priest is simply God’s usher, introducing him (the penitent) into the divine presence; to pursue the medical analogy, he is the receptionist in the waiting room. It is to Christ, not to the priest, that the confession is made…and it is from Christ, not from the priest, that the forgiveness come….”

Absolution, then is the concluding proclamation of repentance and forgiveness. Traditionally, it takes the form of a prayer: “May the Lord God forgive you…” In the Slavic service books there is a formula that includes “I absolve you” but this is actually a later, Western addition to the service books. It is confusing and, happily, falling into disuse.

Since “absolution” proclaims the reality of repentance, the priest is obliged to be a truthful witness and withhold absolution if: (A.) there is no repentance or desire to stop an obviously sinful activity or way of life; (B.) there is a failure to acknowledge a sin as being, in fact, sinful; and (C.) the person is not a believer, that is, if he does not truly accept the dogmatic and moral teachings of the Church.

The priest may also delay absolution for a time of penance. During this period extra fasting, silence, special prayers, reading and further discussions with the priest may be prescribed. This is done to help the penitent to realize the true and serious nature of the sin and to deepen his repentance. In the case of a publicly known sin, it may be done to avoid giving scandal to others.

The priest is also expected (though not required) to give a word of exhortation. This can include a “diagnosis” in which the priest helps the penitent uncover the causes or the passions underlying the sins he has confessed; and a “prescription” of things the penitent should do to avoid the sin in the future, including prayers and readings to help the penitent in his or her struggle with sin.

*2. What Will He Think Of Me?

We all want others to like us and think well of us, and this is especially true regarding an “authority figure” such as our priest. To this concern I can respond from my own experience.

When I have seen someone wrestle with their fear and embarrassment and overcome them to make an important confession, I have been filled with admiration for them. Jesus said “There is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent” (Luke 15:7). As a confessor, I have often been a part of that heavenly rejoicing.

Related to this is the feeling that “my priest used my confession in his sermon”. I suspect that everyone who confesses gets this feeling from time to time. But what we may not realize is twenty people confessed the same sin in the past month, that Sunday Gospel deals specifically with that sin, and besides, the priest may have been struggling with that sin, too.

*3. Why Confess To Him? He’s A Sinner!

Why go to a doctor? He gets sick, too! In fact, it should be easier to confess to another sinner. Regarding Jesus it is written: “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Hebrews 2:18). We can also say that a priest can use his own experiences in struggling with sin to help those who come to him. In turn, the penitent’s struggle can strengthen and instruct the priest who must also repent. One of the most loving gifts we can give a priest is a good confession.

IN CONCLUSION

…we can say that the two great obstacles to confessing well are laziness and fear. Laziness prevents us from taking the time and making the effort to prepare well. Fear prevents us from being open and honest with ourselves and our God before another Christian, our priest. We should confess these sins, as well.

When we move beyond our laziness and fear, we will discover that the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has become our Father, as well, is very much like the father of the Prodigal Son. He stands on the high place watching for us. When he sees we have taken the smallest step to return to him, he forgets his dignity and reserve and runs to meet us. He opens his arms to embrace us, and takes us with Him to the place where He dwells.

An Examination of Conscience[7]

To help you personally prepare for the Sacrament of Confession we suggest you find time to sit quietly, and to prayerfully examine your life using as a guide the following examination of conscience.

*1. When Jesus him there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6).

What is my attitude to this confession? Have I prepared for it? Am I sincerely willing to change aspects of my life so that they will be more in keeping with the Gospel? Did I forget or hide any serious sins in my last confession? Have I made reparation to anyone I have injured? Since my last confession have I remained firm in my efforts to change my life, or did I give up due to laziness, discouragement or forgetfulness?

*2. Jesus said: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38).

Do I really love God above all things? Or are worldly things such as possessions, power or popularity more important to me? Have I placed my trust in these or in such things as horoscopes, occult practices and superstitions?

Have I prayed on a regular and daily basis? Do I pray attentively? Do I approach prayer with joy and enthusiasm, or do I allow anything, no matter how trivial, to be an excuse to shorten prayer or avoid it entirely? Do I think about God during the course of my day?

*3. Jesus said “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33).

Am I willing to be known as a Christian in public and private life? Was I embarrassed or afraid to admit my belief in Christ and His Church to others? If someone said something unfair or inaccurate about Christ or Christianity did I try to speak the truth with gentleness, respect and love?

*4. “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15).

Do I know what the Orthodox Church teaches and believes? Did I take the time to read, study, or learn more about my faith? Am I able and willing to answer questions about Christ, the Church and my faith?

Did I read, study or meditate on God’s Word in the Bible daily?

*5. “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come before him; worship the LORD in the splendour of his holiness” (1 Chronicles 16:29).

Do I keep Sundays and feast days holy by participating as fully as possible in the liturgical services? Do I observe the fasting days and seasons of the Church? Do I receive our Lord’s Body and Blood in Holy Communion frequently? Did I prepare diligently for Holy Communion by prayer and fasting?

*6. “Submit yourselves to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:21).

Have I honoured and obeyed my parents, showing them love and respect and helping them with their material, emotional and spiritual needs? Have I been loving, patient and understanding with my children? Did I discipline them appropriately? Have I tried to impart my faith to them by word and example? Do I contribute to the peace and well-being of my family by offering my time, service and love?

In my job or profession, am I an honest and hard worker? Do I view the service I render my employers and others as service done to and for Christ? Do I pay my employees a just wage? Are my expectations of them fair and reasonable? Have I fulfilled my promises, contracts and obligations?

Have I respected and obeyed legitimate authority? Have I voted responsibly and knowledgeably? Have I paid my taxes? Do I work, as I am able, to promote peace, justice, morality and love in my community, my country and the world?

Do I use my positions of responsibility and authority for the good of others?

*7. Jesus said: “Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If anyone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic” (Luke 6:27-29).

Have I caused injury to another’s life, health, spiritual or emotional well-being, or material possessions by violence or neglect?

Have I advised or helped in the obtaining of an abortion?

Have I quarrelled, been unduly angry with or insulted anyone? Have I been reconciled with them? If I have injured or offended anyone, have I sought their forgiveness? If anyone has injured or offended me, have I forgiven them? Or am I still filled with hatred or a desire for revenge?

Am I committed to accepting suffering rather than inflicting it?

Did I seek to retaliate in the face of provocation and violence of any sort?

Do I strive for peace within myself and work to be a peacemaker in my daily life?

*8. “It is God’s will that you should be holy; that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honourable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God” (1 Thessalonians 4:5-6).

Have I been faithful to my spouse?

Have I exercised self-control in regards to food, drink, drugs and sexual desire? Have I misused my sexuality by fornication, masturbation, impure thoughts and fantasies? Have I participated in indecent conversations or made use of pornographic entertainment, pictures or reading?

Have I incited others to sin by my own failures in this area?

*9. Jesus said: “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15).

Have I envied or desired inordinately another’s position or property? Have I stolen or damaged the property of others? Did I restore it or make restitution?

Do I share my possessions with those who have less? Do I give freely and generously of my time, talent and money to those in need and/or the church?

*10. “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless” (James 1:26).

Have I taken the name of the Lord in vain? Have I blasphemed or used profane language?

Do I talk too much and listen too little?

Have I lied or, by cowardly silence, have I avoided telling the truth? Have I gossiped or spread rumours about others? Have I spoken harshly, unjustly, unnecessarily or insultingly to anyone or about anyone?

Do I spend time in silence? Or must I always be talking or having the radio or television on?

Have I been boastful about myself or judgemental about others?

*11. “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Is all that I do motivated first and foremost by a desire to love and serve God and my neighbour in the way that God wills me to?

Do I think of myself as better than others?

When I pray, fast or do any good, do I try to do it secretly? Or, by word or display, do I make sure that others notice me and my works?

*12. “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall” (Psalm 55:22).

Am I anxious or worried about anything? Is there a problem or hurt that I should bring to the Lord in Confession for forgiveness, healing or guidance?

St. John Chrysostom on Repentance

“No sin is so great that it can conquer the munificence of the Master. Even if one is a fornicator, or an adulterer…the power of the gift and the love of the Master are great enough to make all those sins disappear and to make the sinner shine more brightly than the rays of the sun…”

“And Christ Himself, addressing the whole human race, said: “Come to me, all you labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest…”

“His invitation is one of kindness, His goodness is beyond description…”

“And see whom He calls! Those who have spent their strength in breaking the law, those who are burdened with their sins, those who can no longer lift up their heads, those who are filled with shame, those who can no longer speak out. And why does He call them? Not to demand an accounting to hold court. But why? To relieve them of their pain, to take away their heavy burden than sin?…I shall refresh you who are weighted down by sin, He says, and you who are bent down as if under a burden; I shall grant you remission of your sins. Only come to Me!”

Two Church Fathers on Repentance

“Repentance (metanoia) is fitting at all times and for all persons, for sinners as well as for the righteous who look for salvation. There are no bounds to perfection, for even the perfection of the most perfect is nothing but imperfection. Hence, until the moment of death, neither the time nor the works of perfection can ever be complete”, (St. Isaac the Syrian).

“Do all in your power not to fall, for the strong athlete should not fall. But if you do fall, get up again at once and continue the contest. Even if you fall a thousand times…rise up again each time, and keep on doing this until the day of your death. For it is written, ‘If a righteous man falls seven times’ – that is repeatedly throughout his life – seven times ‘shall he rise again’ ”, (St. John of Karpathos).

St. John Climachus

How well these words by St. John Climachus reflect God’s mercy:

“It is the property of angels not to fall, and even, as some say, it is quite impossible for them to fall. It is the property of men to fall, and to rise again as often as this may happen. But it is the property of devils, and devils alone, not to rise once they have fallen”.

APPENDIX – PRAYERS

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

Glory to you, our God, glory to you.

Heavenly King, Comforter, the Spirit of truth,

present everywhere and filling all things,

the treasury of good and giver of life,

come and dwell in us

and cleanse us from every impurity,

and save our souls, Gracious One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.[8] (3 times).

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit;

Both now and ever and to the ages of ages, Amen.

All-Holy Trinity, have mercy on us.

Lord, be merciful to our sins.

Master, forgive our transgressions.

Holy One, visit us and heal our infirmities,

for your name’s sake.

Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit;

Both now and ever and to the ages of ages, Amen.

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread

and forgive us our sins,

as we forgive those who sin against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

What is Prayer?

Prayer, by reason of its nature, is the conversation and union of man with God, and by reason of its action, upholds the world and brings about reconciliation with God; it is a bridge over temptations, a wall against afflictions, a crushing of conflicts, food of the soul, enlightenment of the mind, an axe against despair, a cure for sorrow.

Let us rise and listen to what that our holy queen of the virtues cries with a loud voice and says to us[1]: Come unto me, all you that labour and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and you shall find rest for your souls and healing for your wounds. For my yoke is easy and is a remedy for great sins.

Let your prayer be completely simple. For both the publican and the prodigal son were reconciled to God by a single phrase. Have all courage, and you will have God for your teacher in prayer. Just as it is impossible to learn to see by word of mouth, because seeing depends on one’s own natural sight, so it is impossible to learn the beauty of prayer from the teaching of others. Prayer has a teacher all its own – God – Who teaches man knowledge, and grants the prayer of the one who prays, and blesses the years of the just.

The Ladder of Divine Ascent, St John Climachus, Step 28, On Prayer

How to Pray

And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father (God) who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your name.

Your Kingdom come. Your will be done.

On earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Gospel according to Matthew 6:5-13

Persevere in Prayer

And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’.

And he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you?’

I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and rise and give him as many as he needs.

So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you;

Seek, and you will find;

Knock, and it will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives;

And he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone?

Or if he asks for fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?

Or is he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?

Gospel according to Luke 11:5-13

Pray Without Ceasing

One must learn to call upon the name of God, more even than breathing at all times, in every kind of occupation. The Apostle says, ‘Pray without ceasing’.[2] That is, he teaches us to have the remembrance of God in all times, places and circumstances. If you are making something you must call to mind the Creator of all things, if you see the light, remember the Giver of it, if you see the Heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, wonder and praise the Maker of them. If you put on your clothes, recall whose gift they are and thank the one who provides for your life. In short, let every action be a cause of your remembering and praising God and you will be praying without ceasing and therein your soul will always rejoice.

The Way of the Pilgrim, Chapter 4, page 81.

The Jesus Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Or simply: Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.

Prayer as Healing and Food for the Soul

The Holy Spirit is very much like a dear mother. A mother loves her child and has pity on it; and the Holy Spirit likewise has pity on us, forgives and heals us, enlightens and rejoices us. And the Holy Spirit is to be known through humble prayer.

The soul that loves the Lord cannot help praying, for she is drawn to Him by the grace she has come to know in prayer. Many people like to read books, and this is right, but it is best of all to pray; while he who reads newspapers or bad books condemns his soul to go hungry – hungry because the food of the soul and her true satisfaction lie in God. In God are life, joy, gladness, and the Lord loves us more than words can describe, and this love is made known by the Holy Spirit.

If you want to pray in your heart but by you are not able, repeat the words of your prayer with your lips and keep your mind on the words you are saying, as St John Climachus explains. In time the Lord will give you interior prayer without distraction, and you will pray with ease.

But do not forget the pattern of spiritual life: God bestows His gifts on the simple, lowly and obedient soul. The one who is obedient and temperate in all things – in food, in speech, in movement – receives the gift of prayer from the Lord Himself, and prayer continues without difficulty in his heart.

When we love someone, we like to think about that person, talk about that person, be with that person. Now the soul loves the Lord, as her Father and Creator, and stands before Him in awe and love; in awe because He is the Lord; in love because the soul knows Him for her Father – He is all mercy, and His grace sweeter than everything else.

Saint Silouan the Athonite, By Father Sophrony, pages 295-296.

The Greatest Commandment

Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”.

Gospel according to Matthew 22:35-40

If you love Me, keep My commandments.

And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever – the Spirit of Truth….He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.

Gospel according to John 14:15, 16, 21

Let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

First Letter of John 4:18

These tings I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Gospel according to John 15:11-12

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

Saint Paul’s Letter to the Galatians 6:2

That we may be one

Our Lord prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who believe in Me throung their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are One: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You love Me”.

Gospel according to John 17:20-23

A Quote loved by Father Porphyrios

Father Porphyrios was a priest and a monk who fell asleep in Lord on the 3^rd of December 1991. This is one of his favourite quotes that he would copy and distribute to people to read. It was written by Saint Symeon the New Theologian who lived during the eleventh century.

“We should look upon all the faithful as one person, and consider that Christ is in each one of them. We should have such love for them that we are ready to sacrifice our very lives for them. For we ought neither to say nor to think of any person as being bad, but rather, we must look upon everyone as good. If you see a brother or sister afflicted with a passion, do not hate them. Hate the passion which afflicts them. And if you see them being terrorised by the habits and desires of previous sins, have compassion on them. Maybe you too will be afflicted by temptation, since you are also made from matter that easily turns from good to evil. Love toward your brother and sister prepares you to love God even more. The secret, therefore, of love towards God is love towards your brother and sister. For if you do not love your brother and sister who you see, how is it possible to love God, who you do not see?”

Saint Symeon the New Theologian, 1022

Christ the True Vine

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without me you can do nothing”.

Gospel according to John 15:4-5

“The Apostles beheld the Lord in glory when He was transfigured on Mount Tabor, but later, at the time of His suffering and crucifixion, were faint-hearted and ran away.

So weak and frail are we!

In very truth we are but earth – and sinful earth at that. That this why the Lord said, ‘Without me you can do nothing’.

And thus it is said. When grace is in us, we are truly humble, wise, compliant, meek an pleasing to God and each other, but when we lose grace, we wither away like a shoot cut from the vine. The person who does not love his brother or sister, for whom the Lord died in great suffering, has fallen from the vine (which is the Lord); but the person who wrestles against sin, the Lord will help”.

Saint Silouan the Athonite, By Fr Sophrony, page 499.

Psalm 102 – A reminder to us of God’s love[1]

Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me bless His holy name!

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all that He has done for you.

Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your illnesses,

Who delivers your life from destruction, Who crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your desire with good things,

Your youth is renewed like the eagle’s…

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.

He will not always strive with us, nor will he keep His anger forever.

He has not dealt with us according to our sins,

nor punished us according to our iniquities.

For as the heavens are high above the earth,

So great is His mercy towards those who fear Him;

As far as the east is from the west,

So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children,

So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.

For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.

As for man, his days are like grass;

As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

For the wind passes over it and it is gone,

And its place it remembers no more.

But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting

On those who fear Him,

And His righteousness is from generation to generation,

To such as keep His covenant,

And to those who remember His commandments to do them.

The Lord has established His throne in Heaven,

And His Kingdom rules over all.

Bless the Lord, you His angels,

Who excel in strength, who do His word,

Heeding the voice of His word.

Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,

You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.

Bless the Lord, all His works, In all places of His dominion.

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Author: Fr James Bernstein

Published by Conciliar Press, 2009

(Source: http://thechristianactivist.com)

Light and fire are interconnected. Light radiates heat, and when focused produces fire; fire emanates light. Both also have a wide spectrum of electromagnetic rays and energy, such as radiate from stars. Light illumines, is life-giving, but also burns.

Orthodoxy teaches that on a supernatural level, uncreated light, fire, energy, and grace eternally emanate from God’s divine nature. Like God’s love, they exist before the creation of the universe and time, and are called “uncreated”. We can see created light with our physical eyes, but uncreated light can only be seen with the eyes of the heart.

The Orthodox prayer, “In Thy light, we shall see light,” refers to the reality that when we walk and live in God’s light we experience the uncreated light that is beyond visible light. God’s divine essence is forever unknowable; yet God reveals Himself to us in His divine energies and grace, in which He is knowable. For simplicity’s sake, this is like saying we cannot have a direct experience of the surface of the sun without being immediately destroyed, but it is possible to encounter the sun by means of its heat and light. In receiving its heat and light we actually do encounter the sun, but in a form we can survive.

The divine light, fire, energy and grace of God pervade and sustain the universe. This light/fire was present in the burning bush from which God spoke to Moses on Mt Sinai. It burned the bush, but did not consume or destroy it. During Jesus’ Transfiguration on Mt Tabor, the uncreated divine light of God’s presence revealed Jesus’ divine nature to His three closest disciples. They were enabled by God’s grace to see this light, but had others been present, they might have not seen it. The Orthodox hymn for the Feast of the Transfiguration says the disciples experienced this “inasmuch as they could bear it”.

The Orthodox say that whether the divine light of God illumines or burns is determined not by the condition of the light or the action of God, but by the condition, nature, and perception of the person receiving the light. To the one who gladly receives the light, it illumines. To the one who resists the light, it burns. This holds true for both this life and the life to come.

This explains how God can love man unconditionally forever, and yet be experienced as the source of anguish and suffering by those who seek to flee Him.

Is Hellfire Physical or Spiritual?

The Christian Faith holds that at the general resurrection of the dead at the end of time, the souls of the lost will be reunited with their raised incorruptible bodies. Because the non-Orthodox view death as God’s legal punishment for sin, their view of the afterlife is that God actively continues and intensifies this punishment forever. In their resurrected bodies, the lost will suffer forever – physically as well as spiritually. In this concept, the bodies of the damned are specially designed by God to endure all the suffering and physical pain imaginable with no destruction or deterioration. This torment has no hope of ceasing or producing reconciliation. It serves no purpose other than the satisfaction of the “necessity of divine justice”. Therefore those judged receive an infinite amount of punishment for a finite number of sins committed in a relatively short lifetime.

In contrast to both Roman Catholics and Protestants, the Orthodox teach that hellfire is the presence of God. This fire is not physical but spiritual, because it is uncreated. For those who love God and desire Him, His divine light and presence make heaven. For those who want to escape God’s presence, His light, purifying fire, and omnipotence make existence hell because the lost are unable to escape Him.

St Basil the Great wrote, “The evils in Hell do not have God as their cause, but we cause them”. The oldest known creed of the Church, the Apostles’ Creed, does not state that God created hell. It states, “I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth”, not, “Maker of heaven, hell, and earth”. God is not the creator of hell. We humans are the cause of our own suffering and death.

What Makes Heaven, Heaven and Hell, Hell?

In typical non-Orthodox teaching, hell is a place created by God for the express purpose of banishing the wicked for everlasting punishment. The damned are spatially cut off from God, His Kingdom, His people, and His love. But in the Orthodox Christian understanding, both heaven and hell are essentially not spatial, but relational. Hence, the goal of the Christian is not to “get to Heaven” as to a locale, but rather to grow into deepening communion with God by acquiring the Holy Spirit, beginning in this life and continuing forever. Similarly, the Church does not see herself as sending people to heaven or to hell, any more than God send people there. Rather, the Church is the hospital for sinners, preparing people for the experience that all will have being in the presence of God. The only real question is what effect seeing God will have on us.

The Orthodox understanding is that Heaven and Hell are primarily states of the human soul. What makes them what they are is our individual response to God’s love, whereby God is either included or excluded from our being. In this present life we can experience a foretaste of Heaven as we live in communion with God, regardless of our physical circumstances. Jesus says, “For indeed, the Kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). We can also experience a foretaste of hell by excluding Him from our lives: “but he who does not believe is condemned already” (John 3:18). In either case, it is neither a change in our physical location nor a change in God’s attitude that determines our soul’s state; it is our own choice.

Jesus says that they unrighteous are to be cast into outer darkness (see Matthew 8:12; 22:13; 25:30, which refer to She’ol). Orthodox Christianity speaks of hell as darkness; its fire is a dark fire. Though the fire itself is light and spiritually illuminating, it is not perceived as such by the lost because they are spiritually blind. See St Irenaeus (second century) Against Heresies 5, 27, 2.

Thus, because of the wilful blindness of the lost, the light appears as darkness. This provides insight into our Lord’s saying, “If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:23). Likewise, St Anthony the Great of Egypt, often called the father of monasticism, said, “Thus to say that God turns away from the wicked is like saying that the sun hides itself from the blind”.

The Orthodox believe God never withdraws His love or ceases loving the lost. In resisting God, we do not change Him; we only change ourselves. Resisting the divine light of God’s love does not change God, but it has everlasting consequences for those in opposition.

When we sin but remain unrepentant, we begin to experience God’s love as fear and wrath. This is not because God has changed and become vindictive and wrathful, but because we have changed our relation to, and therefore our experience of God (John 1:5, 9-11; 3:19-21; 1 John 1:5-7). Jesus never turned away anyone who came to Him seeking forgiveness, healing, and life.

The River of Fire

An example of this divine fire is presented in the Orthodox icon of the Last Judgement, which depicts the river of divine fire proceeding from the throne of God. This river is presented as heaven for those on one side, and as hell for those on the opposite side.

St Basil the Great also speaks of this in the “Morals”, in interpreting the passage of Scripture, “the voice of the Lord who divideth the flame of fire” (Psalm 28:7):

The fire prepared for the torment of the devil and his angels, is divided by the voice of the Lord, so that after this there might be two powers in it: one that burns, and another that illumines; the tormenting and punishing power of that fire is reserved for those worthy of torment; while the illumining and enlightening power is intended for the shining of those who rejoice. Therefore the voice of the Lord Who divides and separates the flame of fire is for this: that the dark part might be a fire of torment and the unburning part a light of enjoyment. (Saint Mark of Ephesus quoting Saint Basil the Great, Homily on Psalm 28. Rose, Seraphim, The Soul After Death [Platina, California: Saint Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1993], p. 209).

So the Scriptures and the Orthodox Church understand that it is not the absence or exclusion of God that makes hell; rather, because He is everywhere present, it is the impossibility of completely excluding God that makes life hellish for the lost. Human freedom permits a certain degree of exclusion of God from one’s will and life, but total exclusion is impossible – even the continued existence of the lost is the result of His grace and love.

So to say, “I want to sin but not suffer its consequence”, is to state the impossible. It is like saying, “I want to live in darkness, but experience the warmth and brightness of light”, or, “I want to live apart from God, My Creator, but receive the blessings and benefits of being in union and communion with Him”. Sin is not breaking a law; it is the attempt to exclude God. Holiness and life are not found in keeping the law; they are found in welcoming God’s presence. Both paths contain within themselves their own reward or punishment; their consequences are not imposed from without.

Divine Fire Purifies

It is a paradox that the same fire that purifies gold also burns and consumes wood. It is “like a refiner’s fire…a refiner and a purifier of silver” (Malachi 3:2, 3). Previously we discussed the metaphor of the sword in the fire, where the sword represents Jesus’ glorified human nature and the fire the energy of God’s divine nature. The heated sword represents the indwelling and energizing of Christ’s human nature by His divine nature. When we bring the sword of our life or nature into contact with the energized sword of Jesus’ human nature by receiving His Body and Blood and living holy lives, our lives take on similar qualities, radiating spiritual energy, light, fire, and love.

Extending this metaphor, we can view God as the furnace a craftsmen uses to temper a sword. When a properly prepared sword is placed within a fire, it is purified and strengthened, and takes on the properties of the fire by radiating heat and light. If the metal is properly forged and wrought, it will not be destroyed. However, this same fire will melt and destroy a sword that is not properly prepared. This metaphor illustrates how those who desire God and His light/fire are purified, energized, and transformed, while those who abhor His light/fire experience destruction.

The fire of God’s furnace is a loving fire, for God is love and the divine fire of His presence is love. In discussing love, St John of the Ladder (seventh century), abbot of St Katherine Monastery at Mt. Sinai, says of the saints, “for just as subterranean waters nourish the roots of a plant, the fires of Heaven are there to sustain their souls”.

The divine light of God is also a two-edged sword. The surgeon’s sharp scalpel of healing can also be used as a dagger of death. For the one who permits the master surgeon to wield the knife, it removes the sinful spiritual tumour. In contrast, for the one who distrusts the master surgeon and struggles and resists, the potentially healing and life-giving scalpel can be deadly.

This purging or burning of the Holy Spirit is a purification for our good as we receive it in faith and love. This uncreated fire is both a spiritual and a loving fire, for God is Love and divine fire of His presence is Love. See St Symeon the New Theologian, tenth century (Discourse 78).

Understanding Scripture on the Judgement

Several places in the Scriptures appear to say that God is the one who punishes and casts the sinners out of His presence. Examples include the parables of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35); the wedding feast (Matthew 22:1-14); the wise and foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-13); and the great supper (Luke 14:15-24). These all imply that people were punished and cast out at the Master’s command. However, these passages should be taken metaphorically; in every case the cause of suffering is the people’s own actions. In general, their suffering is caused by being in the presence of the Master unprepared.

Moreover, in this life, chastisements are fatherly corrections or, as in the destruction of the Flood and that of Sodom and Gomorrah, necessary to put an end to evil. This is similar to a surgeon amputating a gangrenous limb to save the patient’s life. However, such chastisements have reference only to this temporal life; their purpose is to correct what can still be corrected.

The Scriptures do represent God as a judge and the judged as suffering torment, but such passages should be interpreted in harmony with the whole Biblical teaching on the subject. The Fathers taught that such language communicates truth to those who are able to understand only at the most simple and basic level, which includes most of us. St Basil the Great wrote that such representations of God are given because “fear…edifies simple people” (St Basil the Great, On the Human Condition, Crestwood NY, SVS Press, 2005) –Homily: That God is not the Cause of Evil, pg. 7.98.

The Doors of Hell are Locked on the Inside

This life is either a foretaste of Heaven or a foretaste of hell. Those who go to hell do not want to go to Heaven; “going to Heaven” is not a change of location, but drawing ever closer to the God who is repulsive and abhorrent to them. Some say that there are no doors in Heaven – there is nothing preventing the lost from entering, other than their refusal. To “come in” means to commune with God forever. “Ultimately”, states CS Lewis, “there are only two kinds of people…those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done’, and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done’. All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell…The doors of Hell are locked on the inside” (The Great Divorce, London, Geoffey Bles, 1945, p. 115).

Such is the nature of a loving God. God really is Love, rather than merely having love. Thus, St John Chrysostom (fourth century) challenges us to experience the healing and life-giving fire of God’s love and presence (See Homily LXXVI).

On Judgement Day, as we stand naked before God, the penetrating divine light of His presence will open the “books” of our hearts. His light will reveal what these books contain. They will show whether our hearts are drawn to God or repulsed by Him, either foretasting heaven or foretasting hell. St Symeon the New Theologian says that it is not so much what we believe or what we do, but what we are that will determine our future state. We have either a similitude with God or dissimilitude with Him:

In the future life the Christian is not examined if he renounced the whole world for Christ’s love, or if he has distributed his riches to the poor or if he fasted or kept vigil or prayed, or if he wept and lamented for his sins, or if he has done any other good in this life, but he is examined attentively if he has any similitude with Christ, as a son does with his father, (See The River of Fire, Homily 2, ch 3, p 119).

From Glory to Glory: Perfection that Grows

Because Heaven is primarily a state of being in which the redeemed are moving into an ever-deepening life in God, the experience of Heaven is not static, but ever intensifying. Yet we are told that not all advance at the same rate. The greater our desire, love, and inclusion of God in our capacity to receive the divine light and the fuller is our experience of Heaven. See St Gregory the Theologian, fourth century (Oration 40 on Holy Baptism, 45).

An everlasting rejection parallels an everlasting acceptance of God. Just as there exists the possibility of going from glory to glory, of drawing ever closer to God, going deeper and deeper into Heaven, there exists the possibility of spiralling down into deeper degrees of hell. That is what the Scriptures mean when they speak of different levels of reward and punishment in the afterlife.

So the Orthodox understanding is that Heaven is more than a place with an inside and an outside. Similarly, it is more than an achieved condition that is static, never deepening or changing. Rather, it is a dynamic, living condition, moving from one degree or level of bliss to a deeper degree or level of bliss. It is an everlasting journey in which the redeemed go, as the Scripture says, from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Of course, mere words are inadequate to describe judgement and salvation. Human language uses words based on our common understanding and experience. The saints and the prophets received glimpses or foretastes of being in God’s presence, then resorted to words and allegory to share these experiences in the Scriptures and their writings. St Paul quotes from the prophet Isaiah: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,/Nor have enetered into the heart of man/The things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Within the Divine Fire of God’s Love

Being “a living sacrifice”, as St Paul challenges us to be, is not seen as a desirable goal by many. Fewer still would want to be a holocaust, offered up in totality to God.

Only through beginning to understand who God is, and in what sense Jesus Christ presents for us the ultimate victory of life over death, could I deal with my own misery. This is why it was crucial for me to understand what God’s love looks like, both in a broken world and in the afterlife. Only in seeing how God loves could I come to understand how I should love, and discover in what way love triumphs over death.

We all to some degree suffer trial, disaster, tragedy, pain, sorrow, loneliness, abandonment, despair, confusion, and even dread, horror, and terror. Most view these as abhorrent, destructive, and ultimately of no redeeming value. Yet as human suffering becomes sanctified and illumined with divine light and love, we understand differently.

In His Incarnation, God the Word sanctifies not only our fallen human nature, but suffering as well. When in faith we share in Christ’s sufferings, we are closer to fulfillment and godlikeness than we do not.

This is why early Christians considered that the highest calling was to be martyred for the faith. Not the Islamic sort of “martyrdom” of death, in which the goal is to destroy others. Theirs was the true martyrdom of love, in which one is tortured and put to death because of one’s unswerving love for God and others, including one’s enemies. The true martyr seeks to save life, not destroy it.

Power is popularly understood as gaining increased control and mastery over the world, over others, or even over death itself. In contrast, for the Orthodox Christian, ultimate power is to be godlike, to love as He does, to be humble, to serve, to suffer, even to be smashed, like Christ on the Cross, yet through it al to maintain love and faith as did the Incarnate God.

For the Christian, authentic ultimate power is to be a human burning bush, burning with divine love, light, and fire yet not being consumed or destroyed. It is to be a living holocaust – and offering to God – knowing that though we lose everything in this life, we are not defeated is we have God, who is Life and Love. While burning with the fire of God’s love, true power is to be thankful for all things at all times, yet simultaneously willing to relinquish all things at all times, save God.

By Jodie Anna

When I became a born-again Christian in the mid 1990s I knew nothing about Church history. It was at this time and in this context that I started reading the Bible with intense interest and studying it with others. In my Lutheran upbringing, I had been taught the importance of communion, but my beliefs had never before been challenged. In my new church I was taught a radical Protestant form of communion, which treated the bread and wine as merely a symbol of Christ’s body and blood and the partaking of communion as a memorial only. I adopted these doctrines and held to them zealously. I did not know a good reason to believe otherwise and was compelled by the passionate faith of those in my new church. About 12 years later I began a very slow movement back toward liturgical Christianity and Church Tradition. This transition took about three years and was completed when I was chrismated an Orthodox Christian. So you could say I came full-circle and then some.

Through this experience I have found that one of the most important rites of Christianity is also one of the most hotly debated topics between different Christian groups. I have seen the view from the Evangelical Protestant side, from the traditional, liturgical Protestant side as well as from the side of Orthodox Christianity.

As an Orthodox Christian who knows what it is like to be completely opposed to the Tradition of the Eucharist to which I now hold, I would like to appeal to Protestant Evangelical Christians with some passages written by the earliest Christian teachers after the Apostles.

We’ll begin with words written by Justin Martyr in his 1st Apology (Chapter 66) around 155-157 AD, very early in the life of the Christian Church:

And this food is called among us Εὐχαριστία [the Eucharist], … not as common bread and common drink do we receive these; but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Saviour, having been made flesh by the Word of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word, and from which our blood and flesh by transmutation are nourished, is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh. For the apostles, in the memoirs composed by them, which are called Gospels, have thus delivered unto us what was enjoined upon them; that Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, said, “This do ye in remembrance of Me, this is My body;” and that, after the same manner, having taken the cup and given thanks, He said, “This is My blood…”

Ignatius of Antioch c 35 AD – c 107AD

They [the Gnostics] abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they confess not the Eucharist to be the flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ, which suffered for our sins, and which the Father, of His goodness, raised up again. Those, therefore, who speak against this gift of God, incur death in the midst of their disputes. But it were better for them to treat It with respect, that they also might rise again.

Letter to the Smyrnaeans Chapter 6

………..

Especially [will I do this ] if the Lord make known to me that you come together man by man in common through grace, individually, in one faith, and in Jesus Christ, who was of the seed of David according to the flesh, being both the Son of man and the Son of God, so that you obey the bishop and the presbytery with an undivided mind, breaking one and the same bread, which is the medicine of immortality, and the antidote to prevent us from dying, but [which causes] that we should live for ever in Jesus Christ.

Epistle to the Ephesians, Chapter 20

Ignatius of Antioch was a disciple of Jesus’ beloved Apostle John and according to Church Tradition, was the child whom Christ called to himself in Matthew 18:2. He was one of the first bishops of Antioch and a martyr for his faith. He was from the first generation of Christians and he believed and taught, as a bishop who was instructed in the faith by the Apostles themselves, that the Eucharist was the real body and blood of Christ and that it is for our salvation. He did not mince words on the matter.

Justin Martyr, 1st Apology Chapter 65:

But we, after we have thus washed him who has been convinced and has assented to our teaching, bring him to the place where those who are called brethren are assembled, in order that we may offer hearty prayers in common for ourselves and for the baptized [illuminated] person, and for all others in every place, that we may be counted worthy, now that we have learned the truth, by our works also to be found good citizens and keepers of the commandments, so that we may be saved with an everlasting salvation. Having ended the prayers, we salute one another with a kiss. There is then brought to the president of the brethren bread and a cup of wine mixed with water; and he taking them, gives praise and glory to the Father of the universe, through the name of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, and offers thanks at considerable length for our being counted worthy to receive these things at His hands. And when he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all the people present express their assent by saying Amen. This word Amen answers in the Hebrew language to γένοιτο [so be it]. And when the president has given thanks, and all the people have expressed their assent, those who are called by us deacons give to each of those present to partake of the bread and wine mixed with water over which the thanksgiving was pronounced, and to those who are absent they carry away a portion.

This scene, as described by Justin Martyr is the very same thing you may see on any given Sunday in your local Orthodox Church. I have been told that the way we worship is “weird” and many newcomers from Protestant backgrounds (such as myself) have difficulty adjusting to how “foreign” Orthodox worship seems. However, based on the above passages, it would appear that the earliest Christians would not find the way Orthodox Christians today worship to be foreign or weird. And they would likely fit right in.

This is certainly not an in-depth examination of the Eucharist. For that I would suggest The Eucharist: Sacrament of the Kingdom or For the Life of the World both by Alexander Schmemann. The purpose of this post is simply to shine a light on how the early Christian Church viewed the Eucharist, as a challenge to those Christians who hold to different views.

And now the next challenge is to discover, if the Eucharist is more than just a memorial to Christ and if the bread and wine are more than just symbols of Christ’s broken body and shed blood, what is it? And more specifically, what is it to you?

By Father Brendan Pelphrey, PhD

The Orthodox Church is the original Christian church on Earth. It has existed since the Day of Pentecost, described in Acts Ch. 2 in the Bible. Through the centuries the Orthodox way of worship, and the Orthodox faith, have not changed.

The Orthodox Christian faith is Biblical faith. The New Testament was written by the Apostles in Greek, and today the Orthodox Church still reads the New Testament in its original language. While the Bible is interpreted in many different ways today, the Orthodox Church does not try to interpret the Bible in new ways. Rather, we understand the Bible in the same way it was understood in the first centuries of the Church.

Therefore we believe in salvation by the grace of God, in Jesus Christ. We also understand that no one is saved apart from faith, which we also understand in terms of being “faithful to Christ.”

The correct name for the Orthodox Church is “The Holy Apostolic Orthodox Catholic Church.” The word “holy” indicates that it is the Body of Christ. “Apostolic” means that it was begun by the Apostles, and the teachings of the Church completely agree with their teachings. “Orthodox” means that the Church keeps the original doctrines and practices of the ancient Church: ortho means “right, correct, straight” and doxa means “appearance, glory” (or perhaps from dokeo meaning “I teach”); hence “straight-teaching,” “correct teaching” or “right appearance.” The word “catholic” comes from katholicos in Greek, which means “universal.” This word was used by the first Christians to mean that the true Church is the same everywhere in the world. The word “church” translates the Greek word ekklesia, which means “called out”—that is, that Christians are called by God to be set apart from the world, for Him.

According to the Bible, the Church is the mystical body of Jesus Christ on Earth. Jesus promised His disciples, “Lo, I will be with you always, even to the end of the ages” (Matthew 27:20). He also said, “Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). St. Paul understands the presence of Jesus Christ to be hidden within those who are baptized into Christ. In baptism we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is the same gift which was poured out upon the disciples at Pentecost (Acts ch. 2).

The Church is also the Bride of Christ, according to the vision of St. John the Evangelist (cf. Revelation 22:17, 2 Corinthians 11:2). Jesus referred to Himself many times as the Bridegroom, fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy that the Saviour would be a “husband” to Israel (cf. Matthew 9:15, John 3:29, Song of Songs 4:08). In fact, the most common image of salvation in the New Testament is that of marriage, in which Christ is the Bridegroom and the Church is the Bride. This image is often employed in Jesus’ parables and sayings, for example the parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25) or the sayings in John 14, which is a lengthy reference to Jewish marriage customs.

Orthodox Christians believe that the Church, the Bride of Christ, is a real gathering of people whose history can be traced back to the Day of Pentecost. Being part of the Church does not just mean agreeing with what the first Christians taught. It means actually joining the historical Church through baptism and chrismation (“confirmation”). In this sense, there is only one true Church in the world: the Orthodox Church, which can trace an unbroken history back to the very beginning.

The first Apostles appointed their own successors in each city where they founded a congregation. Those bishops (church leaders) in turn appointed others to follow them, and so on. Historically, there were always several equal bishops or “overseers” of the Church. These were the bishops of the most important cities in the world at their time: the bishops of Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria (Egypt), Antioch (Syria), and Jerusalem. In later centuries, to these were added the Patriarchs (senior bishops) of Moscow (Russia) and of other ancient cities and countries.

Both Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches make the claim to be the “original” Church. However, historically the Roman Catholic Church split away from the Orthodox Church in the so-called “Great Schism” of 1054. While there were many differences in faith and practice between the Eastern Church and the Church of Rome, a primary difference occurred over the issue of who is at the head of the Church. In Orthodox tradition, all the senior bishops (Patriarchs) are equals, and they make decisions together; whereas in the West, the Patriarch (“Pope”) of Rome was seen as the sole and infallible head, Christ’s representative on Earth. The Orthodox Church has never accepted the idea of a single leader of the Church, apart from Christ.

Today in America the Orthodox Church is sometimes called “Greek Orthodox.” This is only a matter of convenience, since the largest group of Orthodox Christians in America originally came from Greece. However, Orthodox churches are found in all parts of the world. Historically the Orthodox Church always used the local language in its liturgies (worship services). Originally the primary language was Greek throughout the Roman Empire. Later, Latin was used in the western part of the Empire; Copt, G’ez and other local languages were used in North Africa; Armenian was used in much of Asia Minor, and so on. Gradually the local Orthodox churches around the world became known according to languages they used (i.e. “Russian Orthodox,” “Syrian Orthodox,” “Serbian Orthodox” and so on). Unlike the Protestant churches, however, all these churches are one and the same in their faith and worship.

Among the oldest Orthodox churches are those in the Middle East and Africa, Asia and Armenia, India, Russia and the Balkan states. It is interesting that Americans frequently think Christianity arrived in Africa in the 19^th century, whereas in fact the churches in Ethiopia and Egypt are among the oldest in the world (Acts 8:26 ff.). St. Thomas the Apostle evangelized India and is still remembered there. St. Andrew the Apostle brought the gospel to the Caucasus, paving the way for later missions to the Ukraine and Russia. Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales received the Gospel from monks in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, and Celtic Christian spirituality continued the traditions of Orthodoxy. Orthodoxy first arrived in the Americas in Alaska, from Russian missionaries in the late 18^th century. In America, Orthodox Christians reflect many different national backgrounds, as the Church came to this country from many parts of the world. Eventually, however, there will be only one Orthodox Church in the United States, with its worship in English.

Worship in the Orthodox Church today is the same in all parts of the world, and strictly follows the ancient traditions of the Church. On Sundays the Divine Liturgy is the same as that in the fourth century, and is named for the Patriarch of Constantinople, St. John Chrysostom, who gave it its current form. The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, in turn, is very similar to the Liturgy as it was followed in the second century. Earlier liturgies were similar, but not exactly the same in the various local churches. The Liturgy is always a complete celebration of the Lord’s Supper, celebrated with solemnity and profound beauty. The very beautiful robes (vestments) worn by Orthodox bishops, priests, and deacons are also ancient and reflect very early Christian practice.

Finally, the faith and teachings of the Orthodox Church are those of the original Church. Orthodox Christians point out that the New Testament was composed in Greek, the language of the ancient Church. Not everything was written down in the books of the New Testament, as the evangelist John writes at the end of his Gospel. That part which was handed down orally, and later written down as Canons of the Church, is known by Orthodox Christians as Holy Tradition.

Holy Tradition tells us how the original Christians practiced their faith and interpreted the New Testament writings, from the first century onward. For this reason Orthodox Christians say that the Bible must be understood in light of Tradition. This Tradition defines for us the beliefs of the Church, as opposed to false teachings. These beliefs are stated clearly in the Creeds of the Church (chiefly, the Nicene Creed composed at the ecumenical councils of Nicaea and Constantinople in the fourth century). The ancient Tradition also defines for us our way of worship and of personal prayer and conduct.

For these reasons, Orthodox Christianity today has become important to all the denominations in the world as a source for their own traditions and understanding of Christian faith. We may say that while all Christians read the Bible, it is Orthodox Christians who wrote it! We welcome you to visit the Orthodox Church and to learn more about our faith and way of life.

June 18, 2008

Source: http://www.gosaintgeorge.org/vsItemDisplay.dsp&objectID=3A649928-7C97-4A3B-9802F0AA3EA2256D&method=display

(Jesus Said): “Truly”, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life in you…For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed” (John 6:53, 55).

When we receive Holy Eucharist (Thanksgiving), we are receiving Jesus Himself. This tangible experience and action allows us the opportunity to come into direct communion with God Himself, and therefore we give thanks (Eucharistia) for this meeting with Our Lord which could bestow a blessing and strength upon our own lives. However the manner in which we conduct ourselves to receive Holy Eucharist determines whether this communion will be for us a blessing and the bestowing of strength upon our life, or condemning ourselves by receiving the Eucharist in a careless manner and intent.

For according to the Orthodox Church, the bread and wine offered at the Divine Liturgy, is consecrated by the descent of the Holy Spirit, (through prayer), who changes it into the real Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Thus this change is not symbolic, but is an awesome, mystical experience of the Holy Spirit to which we must be adequately prepared.

In stating the Church’s perspective, it should be noted, that preparing for Holy Eucharist is not simply limited to fasting of foods. More importantly, it requires an honest self-examination of ourselves and our lives, in order to recognise any personal shortcomings and errors which may have led us to sin. Having examined our conscience and recognising our mistakes, preparing for Holy Eucharist truly begins with a genuine, heartfelt repentance, a cleansing of the body and soul through the rite (mystery) of Holy Confession and fasting, and the reading of certain prayers before and after approaching the Holy Chalice.

Naturally for many people, the thought of confessing to a priest can be daunting: some feeling embarrassed and ashamed, others indignant at the thought of having to bare their souls and darkest secrets to another person. And yet God is pure love. In inviting us to formally confess, He does not want us to be humiliated or ‘exposed’. Instead, He gives us the chance to acknowledge our transgressions and be truly forgiven and cleansed so that we can be transformed and guided towards a higher state of being.

Many people mistakenly believe that they can confess directly to God through personal prayer without the presence of a Father Confessor. Whilst private prayer is important and encouraged, it is not the same as Confession. Holy Confession is actually a Holy Mystery (Rite) not just a human process or experience. In fact, it is something which dates back to the days of Christ Himself when He sent out His apostles to evangelise the world, giving them authority on earth to release the sins of anyone who was truly repentant, making the Mystery of ‘Holy Confession’ also the Mystery of ‘Holy Forgiveness’; [Cf. the Holy scriptures; ‘….. “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matt. 16:19].

During Confession, the Holy Spirit descends and participates, in order to forgive our sins and cleanse our souls. It is yet another direct experience of God which helps us to establish an eternal relationship with Him. What makes it especially amazing is that any sins confessed during Holy Confession are permanently erased and therefore omitted from our Final Judgement. It is most beneficial to have one spiritual father to whom we confess regularly, and with whom we can have an open, ongoing relationship.

Our spiritual father can also help guide us in our spiritual life with advice specific to our personal circumstances. The first confession is usually the hardest. Regardless of the number and severity of sins; they can be forgiven. Many people are not clear what constitutes a sin and therefore some believe that they do not ever sin, while others feel they have sinned so greatly that there is no point in even asking for forgiveness.

Either way, people are not taking the opportunity to allow God to participate in their lives and forgive them; to cleanse them and help them advance spiritually. The Church teaches that man’s purpose is to advance through certain levels of spiritual purification and enlightenment by participating in the mysteries of the Church, in order to reach his ultimate potential in Christ; becoming deified through the Holy Spirit and becoming a Saint. In fact, the Orthodox Church has countless numbers of Saints who became so, by doing exactly that – fasting, praying, confessing and partaking of Holy Communion (Eucharist).

In this regard, it should be remembered that the Orthodox Church is the original, eternal Church of Christ, which has always existed, but was revealed to us during Christ’s earthly ministry. It is the Truth which other spiritualities and religions try to mimic.

BASIC SUMMARY OF GUIDELINES TOWARDS A SOUND EUCHARISITIC PREPARATION

*(1.) Only Baptised Orthodox Christians are to receive Holy Eucharist. The Orthodox Church does not allow Non-Orthodox to receive Eucharist: (This also applies to Non-Orthodox Christians who are married to Orthodox Christians).

*(2.) Fast before receiving Eucharist. You must refrain from eating or drinking on the morning before receiving Holy Eucharist.

*(3.) Make every effort to arrange to see a Priest for Confession, particularly if you only receive Holy Eucharist very infrequently.

*(4.) Make some effort to engage in some sort of preparatory prayers the night before receiving Eucharist and then offer prayers of thanksgiving after receiving the Holy Communion – (this pamphlet further on has provided some useful prayers for this purpose).

*(5.) When you come forward to receive, please state your name. This is because when you receive Holy Eucharist, you are reaffirming your baptismal commitment to Christ and the Church, (to which the priest will say a short prayer on your behalf). Furthermore, your name is sacred, and it was sanctified on the day of your baptism.

*(6.) Try to remain silent and prayerful while waiting for your turn. Use this time as a time to pray, not as a time for gossip or idle chatter. One suggestion is to say the ‘Jesus Prayer’: “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy upon me a sinner” silently under your breath or in your mind.

*(7.) Make sure to remove from your lips any lipstick or balms before receiving the Holy Eucharist.

PRAYERS BEFORE HOLY COMMUNION

Prayer of St John Chrysostom

I believe, Lord, and I confess that you are truly the Christ, the Son of the living God, who came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first. I also believe that this is indeed your pure Body, and this is indeed your precious Blood. I ask you, therefore, have mercy on me and forgive me my transgressions, voluntary and involuntary, in word and deed, in knowledge and in ignorance; and make me worthy, uncondemned, to partake of your pure mysteries, for the forgiveness of sins and life eternal. Amen

Verses of St Symeon Metaphrastes

Behold, I approach for holy Communion; Maker, burn me not as I partake; For you are fire burning the unworthy; But cleanse me from every impurity.

Troparion

Of your mystical Supper, Son of God, receive me today as a partaker; for I will not speak of the mystery to your enemies; I will not kiss you as did Judas; but as the Thief do I confess you; remember me, Lord, in your kingdom.

Verses

Tremble, mortal, as you behold the deifying Blood; for it is a burning coal consuming the unworthy. The Body of God both deifies and nourishes me; It deifies the spirit and wondrously nourishes the mind.

Troparia

You have smitten me with yearning, Christ, and by your divine love you have changed me; but consume my sins with immaterial fire, and make me worthy to be filled with delight in you, that leaping for joy, Gracious One, I may magnify your first and second comings. Into the splendour of your Saints how shall I, the unworthy one, enter? For if I dare to enter the bridal chamber, my clothing betrays me, for it is not a wedding garment, and I shall be bound and cast out by the Angels. Cleanse the defilement of my soul, Lord, and save me in your loving kindness.

Prayer

Loving Master, Lord Jesus Christ my God, let not these holy gifts be to me for judgement through my unworthiness, but for the purification and sanctification of both soul and body, and as a pledge of the life and kingdom to come. For it is good for me to cling to God, and to place in the Lord the hope of my salvation

THANKSGIVING PRAYERS AFTER HOLY COMMUNION

Glory to you, O God

Glory to you, O God

Glory to you, O God

Anonymous

I thank you, Lord my God, for not rejecting me a sinner, but making me worthy to be a partaker of your holy things. I thank you for making me, who am unworthy, worthy to partake of your pure and heavenly gifts. But loving Master, who died for us and rose again and bestowed on us these your dread and life-giving mysteries, for the benefit and sanctification of our souls and bodies, grant that they may be to me for the healing of both soul and body, for the averting of everything hostile, for the illumination of the eyes of my heart, for the peace of my spiritual powers, for faith unashamed, for love unfeigned, for the fullness of wisdom, for the observing of your commandments, for the increase of your divine grace, and the attainment of your kingdom; so that protected by them in your holiness I may always remember your grace and no longer live for myself, but for you our Master and benefactor.

And so when I have departed this life in the hope of eternal life may I attain to everlasting rest, where the sound of festival is unceasing, and the pleasure is endless of those who behold the indescribable beauty of your countenance. For you are that which is truly desired, and the inexpressible gladness of those who love you, Christ our God, and all creation praises you for ever. Amen.

Prayer of St Basil the Great

Master, Christ our God, King of the ages and creator of all, I thank you for all the good things you have bestowed on me and for the partaking of your pure and life-giving mysteries. I ask you therefore, good and loving one, guard me under your protection and in the shadow of your wings; and grant that with a pure conscience until my last breath I may worthily partake of your holy things for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. For you are the bread of life, and the source of holiness, and the giver of good, and to you we offer glory, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Anonymous

May your holy Body, Lord Jesus Christ our God, be to me for eternal life, and your precious Blood for the forgiveness of sins. And may this Eucharist be to me for joy, health and gladness; and in your fearful second coming make me, a sinner, worthy to stand at the right hand of your glory, through the intercessions of your all-pure Mother and all your Saints. Amen.

Anonymous

All-holy Lady Theotokos, the light of my darkened soul, my hope, protection, refuge, consolation and joy, I thank you for making me, who am unworthy, worthy to partake of the pure Body and precious Blood of your Son. But you who gave birth to the true light, enlighten the spiritual eyes of my heart; you who conceived the source of immortality, give life to me who am dead through sin; you the compassionate Mother of the merciful God, have mercy on me and give me compunction and contrition in my heart, humility in my reasoning, and the recall of my thoughts from captivity. And make me worthy until my last breath to receive without condemnation the sanctification of the pure mysteries, for the healing of both soul and body; and grant me tears of repentance and confession, so that I may praise and glorify you all the days of my life. For you are blessed and glorified for ever. Amen.

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PLEASE NOTE:

Holy Communion should not be taken if one has not been for Holy Confession. The frequency of Communion and Confession and the fasting required can be discussed with your spiritual father.

There should be no food or drink consumed for at least 6 hours prior to taking Holy Communion.

Also, when communing children, do not claim that the Eucharist is chocolate or any sort of food, for this is a grave blasphemy and one that needs to be confessed. Furthermore do not let the child being communed, to spit out the Holy Eucharist, otherwise it is the priest’s and your responsibility to consume the spat out Eucharist. And if the Eucharist falls upon clothes, those clothes must be washed by hand, and the washing water poured in an area of garden where no one treads upon. (Technically speaking, the clothes must never be worn again, but ritually burned.)

Furthermore, there are no risks of “catching” illnesses and viruses from receiving Holy Communion, as demonstrated by the priest who is the first and last to partake of Holy Eucharist. In actual fact, the conclusion of every Divine Liturgy requires the priest to finish off all of the remaining Eucharist in a prayer service after the Divine Liturgy.

As one can see the seriousness and reverence by which Orthodox Christians hold and must hold towards the great and awesome Mystery of the Holy Eucharist.

My dearly beloved,

The Lord wants to protect us from great calamities as well as the dangers of the Final Judgement, He bestowed one particular teaching essential for protecting and saving us. What is this teaching I am referring to?

Simply that to do on to others what you would expect them to do to you, for if you do not wish evil upon yourself, then do not do evil upon others. Hence if you do not want things to be stolen from you, or to be slandered, defamed, cursed and so forth, then you should not steal, or commit murders and so forth to others.

Now I shall advise you, both young and old, to take your worry-beads (komboloi) within your left hands and to do the sign of the Cross with your right hands and to recite: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son and Word of the living God, through the Theotokos and all the Saints, have mercy upon me Your sinful and unworthy servant”.

For the all good and loving God bestowed upon us the Honourable Cross by which we can bless, as well as the All-Pure Mysteries (Sacraments). For with the Cross we open Paradise, for with the Cross we expel demons, but we must have our hands clean from sin, in that way the devil shall burn and take leave seeking refuge elsewhere. So my dearly beloved brethren, whether you are eating, drinking, or working, may this one teaching and the Cross never leave you. Furthermore, it is good and holy for one to pray always at dawn, in the evening and in the dead of night.

Listen my dear brethren, for how should one do their cross, and what does it signify. Firstly, just as the Holy Trinity is glorified within Heaven by the Angels, you too shall clasp together the three key figures of your right hand, raising your hand with conviction towards Heaven, in worship, placing it upon your forehead (since the head represents Heaven) and say: “Just as the Angels glorify the Holy Trinity, for just as my three fingers are joined together but distinct, so too is the Holy Trinity Three Persons but One God”.

Then lowering your hand towards your stomach, you then proclaim: “I venerate You, I worship You my Lord, for You condescended and became Incarnate within the womb of the Theotokos on account of our sins”.

Then raising your hand and placing it upon your right shoulder, you then proclaim: “I beseech You my God, forgive me and place me on Your right-hand amongst all those who are just and righteous”. Then you cross-over and place your hand upon your left shoulder saying: “I beseech You my Lord do not place me on Your left-hand amongst all the transgressors”.

After completing these gestures, bow down to the ground proclaiming: “I glorify You my God, I venerate You and I worship You, for You were placed within the tomb, just as I shall be entombed”. And when you arise from the ground, symbolising the action of the Resurrection, proclaim: “I glorify and venerate You my Lord, for You arose from the dead to bestow eternal life upon us”.

This my dear brethren is what the meaning of the Cross is!

Translated by VM for Mode of Life Project, and dedicated to the late and beloved memory Ioanna Krikelis of Glyfa, Evvoia, who is now laid to rest here in the Antipodes. May we learn from you Ioanna, a true woman of faith and devout example of what an Orthodox Christian should be.