Expanding the Atmosphere of the Kingdom of God

"The role of Christians in the world is to filter the atmosphere on earth and expand the atmosphere of the Kingdom of God", states Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica.

By far, one of the most powerful sentences I've read in recent memory.

The statement invokes simultaneous awe and an overwhelming sense of responsibility.  When I read this, I was thinking both, "How can any human being achieve such a thing?!" and "What a beautiful illustration of what Christians are called to do!".

This sentiment is found in the book, "Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives", which contains the life and teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica, who passed away recently in 2002, making him a modern-day Elder, well aware of the challenges faced in our current times.  The book is excellent. I started it some time ago but got distracted with another book, and put it aside.  I picked it up again recently and began reading it, and was astonished to learn how much our mere thoughts affect people; the good news is that we have the power to choose whether our thoughts can affect others in a positive way, or in a negative and damaging way.  The book is full of practical advice on how to deal with different situations and people, and will be very helpful to me for a long time to come.  I think it will be a treasured old friend I return to again and again, much like the Elder Paisios of Mount Athos' "Spiritual Counsels" series, and the St. Porphyrios the Kapsokalivite's "Wounded by Love" (canonized as a saint on November 27, 2013, and I assume subsequent publishings of his book will reflect the change from "Elder" to "Saint").

Great Lent is Coming

As Orthodox Christians are approaching the beginning of Great Lent (which begins after Vespers on Sunday, March 9), I've taken some time to reflect on some of the services and hymns that we will be hearing during this holy time. There are some very good books out there to help prepare and guide us as we go through Great Lent; one such book is Alexander Schmemann's "Great Lent: Journey to Pascha", the Lenten Triodion translated by Bishop Kallistos Ware and Mother Mary is another excellent book even for laypeople, even though it is also a service book of the Church for this time period.

My two favorite services of Great Lent are the Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, and the services of Holy Friday. The Canon of St. Andrew of Crete is filled with examples from Scripture of separations from God, and it is so penitential in character, not to mention so incredibly beautifully written. It's certainly worthy purchasing a copy of this booklet to read throughout Lent to keep "on track"; at only $6.00, it's very affordable. But the text also available on line in a few different places for those that may want to read a bit before deciding to purchase a copy.

The services of Holy Friday...the Twelve Passion Gospels. It's really something you must experience at least once to understand what it is like. In the services for this day, we hear things like:

He who clothes Himself in light as in a garment, stood naked at the judgement; on His cheek He received blows from the hands which He had formed. The lawless people nailed to the Cross the Lord of Glory. Then the veil of the temple was rent in twain and the sun was darkened, for it could not bear to see such outrage done to God, before Whom all things tremble. Let us worship Him. ...

Today He who hung the earth upon the waters is hung upon the Cross. He who is King of the angels is arrayed in a crown of thorns. He who wraps the heavens in clouds is wrapped in the purple of mockery. He who in Jordan set Adam free receives blows upon His face. The Bridegroom of the Church is transfixed with nails. The Son of the Virgin is pierced with a spear. We venerate Thy Passion, O Christ. Show us also Thy glorious Resurrection. ...

Today the Master of Creation stands before Pilate; today the Maker of all things is given up to the Cross, and of His own will He is led as a lamb to the slaughter. He who sent mann in the wilderness is transfixed with nails; His side is pierced, and a sponge with vinegar touches His lips. The Deliverer of the world is struck on the face, and the Creator of all is mocked by His own servants. How great is the Master's love for mankind! For those who crucified Him, He prayed to His Father,
saying: 'Forgive them this sin, for in their wickedness they know not what they do.'

Very humbling for us indeed.

The Church in Her wisdom uses the word "today" when referring to events in the past in the life of the Church, and I like that. It gives relevance for us Christians today, so we don't sit back and say, "Well, that's informative; it happened a long time ago, though, and it doesn't mean much to me today". It's relevant because each time we celebrate feasts or commemorate things in the Church, it's as if they are happening today; the sadness of the crucifixion of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ should be as pertinent to us as it was for those early Christians, as should the joy and hope that the Resurrection was for those early Christians should be as pertinent to us "modern-day" Christians; maybe even more so, because we have fallen so far away from God.

"Prayer Manual"

I just picked up Igumen Chariton's "The Art of Prayer" (ISBN 0571191657) from our parish library, and began reading it last night. The book is AMAZING!!! I had checked out its ratings on Amazon.com, and out of thirteen reviewers, it has a perfect five stars. After speaking to my priest about it, he highly recommended it to me, and that was really what prompted me to look into this book further.

Thusfar what I've read, the book is full of quotations from the Holy Fathers on prayer, and it's SO HELPFUL!!! Here's why: the Desert Father Abba Agathon (+3rd century A.D.) was asked, "Amongst all good works, which is the virtue which requires the greatest effort?" He answered, "Forgive me, but I think there is no labor greater than that of prayer to God. For every time a man wants to pray, his enemies, the demons, want to prevent him, for they know that it is only by turning him from prayer that they can hinder his journey. Whatever good work a man undertakes, if he perseveres in it, he will attain rest. But prayer is warfare to the last breath." So if a holy Desert Father explained the temptations experienced with prayer, we can only expect it to be ten times harder for us to pray undistracted and from the heart. Again, although I've just begun the book, it's already explained the two types of prayer (internal and external), and how to pray.

With regards to our morning prayer prayer rule (which should be in conjuction with our evening prayer rule, of course), Igumen Chariton quotes St. Theophan the Recluse (+1894) on the process of prayer:

Rising in the morning, stand as firmly as possible before God in your heart, as you offer your morning prayers; and then go to the work apportioned to you by God, without withdrawing from Him in your feelings and consciousness. In this way you will do your work with the powers of your soul and body, but in your mind and heart you will remain with God.

By doing this, because we are making a conscious effort to continue to connect ourselves with God throughout the day—and hopefully, we are offering Him prayers throughout the day when the Holy Spirit inspires us to do so, coupled with our own efforts to seek God out (the essence of James 4:8: "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you")—it makes what St. Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 possible: "Pray without ceasing".

St. Theophan continues: If we want to pray properly using the prayers of the Church, in Her services, in Holy Scriptures (like the Psalms), St. Theophan says "the power of prayer lies not in this or that oral prayer, but in the way in which we pray".

So when praying, St. Theophan says we must do this:

"enter into the spirit of the prayers in which you hear and read, reproducing them in your heart; and in this way offer them up from your heart to God, as if they had been born in your own heart under the action of the grace of the Holy Spirit. Then, and then alone, is the prayer pleasing to God. How can we attain to such prayer? Ponder carefully on the prayers which you have to read in your prayer book; feel them deeply, even learn them by heart. And so when you pray you will express that which is already deeply felt in your heart."

I know that St. Theophan was a big proponent on memorizing prayers and Psalms so that we would always have prayer available to us, no matter what place or situation we found ourselves, because there may not be places we can bring a prayer book with us. I agree with this holy practice. It's fairly easy to memorize these things, after all, "repetition is the mother of learning". By often repeating prayers and psalms from the heart, it's not the "vain repetitions" as our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ warns us of in Matthew 6:7 because it's from the heart (notice the emphasis there on those three words). The vain repetitions—prayer repeated but not prayed from the heart—is the very thing that God Himself spoke of in Isaiah 29:13: "Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me".

God just doesn't hear prayers like that.

St. Theophan continues with his enlightenment on prayer with regards to hymns of the Church:

"It is not difficult to understand that the most important part of this is not good harmony in the singing, but the content of what is sung. It has the same effect as a speech written with warm feeling, which animates whoever reads it. Feeling, expressed in words, is carried by words into the soul of those who hear or read them. The same can be said of Church songs. Psalms, hymns and Church songs are spiritually inspired outbursts of feelings towards God. The Spirit of God filled His elect, and they expressed the plentitude of their feelings in songs. He who sings them as they should be sung enters again into the feelings which the author experienced when he originally wrote them. Being filled by these feelings, he draws near to the state wherein he is able to receive the grace of the Spirit, and to adapt himself to it. The purpose of Church songs is precisely to make the spark of grace that is hidden within us burn brighter and with greater warmth. This spark is given by the sacraments. Psalms, hymns and spiritual odes are introduced, to fan the spark and transform it into flame. They act on the spark of grace as the wind acts on a spark hidden in firewood."

As if we needed any further reason to draw us to the Sacraments, knowing their great power and benefit to our souls already, this Holy Medicine of the Church will give us a "spark of grace" to make us more zealous and warm in prayer. I say the Sacraments are "Holy Medicine", because the Church is not only the House of God wherein we worship and glorify Him, but also our Spiritual Hospital for the healing of our souls; the Sacraments given to us by our Great Physician our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ Himself. It's sad that in there are faithful in Orthodox churches that don't feel it's necessary to partake of the Holy Sacraments very frequently; maybe once a year. I suppose it's better than not preparing adequately and then partaking of Sacraments, doing so to the condemnation of our souls (1 Corinthians 11:27-28). But when I hear our priest call out the words, "With faith and with love, draw near!" as the chalice is raised, urging us to come to Communion, it reminds me of the parable our Lord spoke of in Matthew 22:2-14, where the king wants to give a marriage supper for his son, and invites people. We too are being invited to partake of this Supper. But many times, because we may be indifferent to exactly What we are being invited of to parktake in, or maybe we just didn't feel like preparing adequately that week with Holy Confession, prayers, and fasting, we are like those in the parable that gave every type of excuse as to why we can't come to the marriage supper. And it makes me feel sad to know that our Lord God and Savior offered Himself up for us, for our own benefit, that there can be such a cool indifference to His sacrifice for our benefits, and such a cool response to His love for us. So perhaps if somebody out there can see that the Sacraments are a way for us to enter into a more deeper life with God and our prayer to Him, it may prompt them to at least consider the importance of having Confession more often, having Holy Communion more often, and having Holy Unction at all times when it is offered.

From this page at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese website, an article by Father Thomas Fitzgerald on the Holy Sacraments of the Church explains effect of the Holy Sacraments in our lives and on our souls just beautifully:

"Not only do the Sacraments disclose and reveal God to us, but also they serve to make us receptive to God. All the Sacraments affect our personal relationship to God and to one another. The Holy Spirit works through the Sacraments. He leads us to Christ who unites us with the Father. By participating in the Sacraments, we grow closer to God and to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This process of deification, or theosis, as it is known by Orthodoxy, takes place not in isolation from others, but within the context of a believing community. Although the Sacraments are addressed to each of us by name, they are experiences which involve the entire Church."

That quotation also touches on why it's important for us to be part of a parish community. Indeed, Holy Father St. Cyprian of Carthage (+258 A.D.) has instructed us "You cannot have God for your Father if you do not have the Church for your mother". Wiser words and truer words have not been spoken. True, we can worship God "anywhere", as many claim as the reason they aren't a part of any "organized religion"—the Orthodox prayer to the Holy Spirit acknowledges this with the beginning "O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, Who art everywhere and fillest all things"—the Church is our Ark of Salvation, and only through Her can we be saved.

So I'm hoping to draw more from the rest of the book. Already getting a plethora of beneficial advice and teaching from just the beginning, the rest of it should be extremely enlightening and helpful!

"Father to Son: Life Lessons on Raising a Boy"

A friend loaned me a copy of Harry H. Harrison Jr.'s book, "Father to Son: Life Lessons on Raising a Boy" (ISBN 0761118691), and I have to comment on it. Apparently, there are other books by the author: "Mother to Son", "Father to Daughter", and a book he co-authored with his wife Melissa, "Mother to Daughter".

Back to the "Father to Son" book. The book is compact in size, and is an easy read; just little blurbs on each page to think about or do. Because of its brevity and "user-friendly" style, it made the book a pleasure to read. But the content! I felt the book described what a wife would like her husband to know about how to be actively involved with their son, but she didn't know a way how to tell him. While I was reading it, I thought to myself, "It's like a little instruction manual for boys!" I felt the book offered advice and help without being preachy or condescending or nagging. At $8.00, it's certainly economical, and Amazon.com had some used copies to purchase for only 1¢ (not including shipping and handling of course). The book covers a vast variety of subjects and is a good "springboard" to build upon.

I'm curious to check out the aforementioned other books; if they're as good as this one is, they'll be worth purchasing. This one would certainly make a great gift for a new or expecting dad.

"On Wealth and Poverty"

I just finished reading a compilation of seven of St. John Chrysostom's homilies on Luke 16:19-31, which is the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The book is entitled, "On Wealth and Poverty", translated and introduced by Catharine P. Roth, ISBN 088141039X. St. John Chrysostom, the "Golden-mouthed" is obviously blessed with the talent for teaching, and has not wasted his talent like the parable of the wicked servant (Matthew 25:14-30 and Luke 19:12-27) but has perfected it, increased it, and shared it with us poor, pitiable, unprofitable servants. It's amazing to read his homilies and first of all, see how timeless they are; how relevant they are for those of us living not in the time of St. John's death of 397 A.D., but over 1,600 years later, and because "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8) and because what He has taught is true, it is always pertinent to us and always applicable. It's also amazing to read his homilies and see what knowledge he draws out of this parable and the extent of the further teachings he can apply to our lives from this short parable.

The book is an excellent read, of course; I knew it would be simply because of who spoke the words. It goes without saying that it is the kind of book that should not only be read cover to cover once, but should be kept in a visible location to be referred to and reread often. I wanted to highlight a few points from the book.

Tragedy is allowed in order to gain our attention and to enable us to change our course
At the time of one of St. John's homilies (the sixth one), there was an earthquake. He uses the earthquake as a teaching aid to the faithful in his parish. He points out that although God allowed the earthquake, He did not allow everyone to be destroyed. "If He had wished to destroy us, He would not have shaken us. But since He did not wish to destroy us, the earthquake came in advance like a herald, forewarning everyone of the anger of God, in order that we might be improved by fear and prevent the actual retribution." (pg. 98) St. John also cites the disaster that our Lord Jesus Christ's spoke of, the tower that fell in Siloam, killing eighteen people (Luke 13:4). We can be inclined maybe to think sometimes that when a tragedy happens like that, only the people are injured or killed are "bad" people. Knowing our natural inclination to this particular conclusion, Jesus inquires aloud, "those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?" (Luke 13:4) then answers in the next verse, "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish." St. John says, "He showed that God had allowed them to suffer for this purpose, in order that the living might be frightened by what happened to others, and might repent and become inheritors of the kingdom" (pgs. 72-73) Getting back to the earthquake: St. John then says something intriguing. He says, "Everyone else was afraid because of the earthquake, but I was afraid because of the cause of the earthquake. Do you understand what I mean? They were afraid that the city would collapse, and they would die; but I am afraid that the Master is angry with us. Death is not grievous, but it is grievous to provoke the Master. So I was not afraid because of the earthquake, but because of the cause of the earthquake; for the cause of the earthquake was the anger of God, and the cause of His anger was our sins. Never fear punishment, but fear sin the mother of punishment." (pg. 101; emphasises mine)

On illness
If they don’t already, all Christians ought to know that people suffer from illness for a multitude of reasons, the most beneficial reason is to bring us to our senses back to God, and God uses illness if we endure it patiently and prayerfully to cleanse us from our sins. St. John illustrates this point: "Some people, if they stumble at all, or are slandered by anyone, or fall ill with a chronic disease ... at once begin to blaspheme. They submit to the pain of the disease, but deprive themselves of its benefit. ... You do not make your suffering lighter, do you, if you blaspheme? Indeed you aggravate it, and make your distress more grievous. For the devil brings a multitude of misfortunes for this purpose, to lead you down into that pit. If he sees you blaspheming he will readily increase the suffering and make it greater, so that when you are pricked you may give up once again; but if he sees you enduring bravely, and giving thanks the more to God, the more the suffering grows worse, he raises the siege at once, knowing that it will be useless to besiege you anymore. ... "if you throw at him [the devil] as to a dog, some blasphemous word, he will take it and attack you again; but if you persevere in thanksgiving, you have coked him with hunger, you have chased him away and thrown him back from you. But, you say, you cannot keep silent when you are pricked by distress. I certainly do not forbid you to make a sound, but give thanks instead of blasphemy, worship instead of despair. Confess to the Lord, cry out loudly in prayer, cry out loudly glorifying God. In this way your suffering will be lightened, because the devil will pull back from your thanksgiving and God's help will be at your side. If you blaspheme, you have driven away God's assistance, made the devil more vehement against you, and involved yourself even more in suffering; but if you give thanks, you have driven away the plots of the evil demon, and you have drawn the care of God your protector to yourself." (pgs. 69-70)

St. John details the physical suffering of Lazarus in the parable; his hunger, his disease, his paralysis, but points out, "What harm came to him from the weakness of his body, since his soul was healthy? Let the poor hear and not be suffocated by discouragement." (pg. 107) I think it is good to also say, "Let the chronically ill hear and not be suffocated by discouragement", since he is speaking of Lazarus' physical ailments, but of the health of his soul. Those suffering from chronic illness can definitely benefit from these words. To the rich, St. John turns and says, "Let the rich hear and change from their wickedness". Again, he stresses, "I am happy to keep turning these things over with you, in order than no one of those who are in disease and hunger may despise his situation, feeling sorry for himself, but bearing everything with patience and thanksgiving, may already be nourished by good hopes, awaiting that ineffable recompense and the repayment for his sufferings." (pg. 138)

On speaking evilly
"Out of habit, however, the tongue often starts to utter that evil word. When it starts, before it brings forth the word, bite it hard with your teeth. It is better for the tongue to flow with blood now, than later to desire a drop of water and not be able to obtain this relief. (Luke 16:24) It is better for the tongue to endure a temporary pain than to suffer the retribution later of a lasting punishment, as the tongue of the rich man burned and obtained no relief." (pg. 70)

Why some are punished here and some aren't
"Because if all were punished here, we would have all perished, for we are all subject to penalties. On the other hand, if no one were punished here, most people would have become too careless, and many would say there is no providence. ... He punishes some, cutting short their evil ways and making their retribution hereafter the lighter, or even completely releasing them, and making those who live in wickedness better by the punishment of these people. Others, however, He does not punish, so that if they attend to themselves, repent, and respect God's forbearance, they may be freed from both the punishment here and the retribution hereafter; but if they persist, without benefiting from God's tolerance of evil, they may undergo a greater retribution because of their great contempt." (pgs. 71-72)

What's fair about evil people who live in luxury and righteous ones who suffer?
"Nothing tends so much to disturb and scandalize the majority of people as the fact that rich people living in wickedness enjoy great good fortune while righteous people living with virtue are often driven to extreme poverty and endure a multitude of other troubles even worse than poverty. But this parable (Luke 16:19-31) is sufficient to provide the remedies, self-control for the rich and consolation for the poor. It teaches the former not to be conceited, while it comforts the poor for their present situation. It persuades the rich not to boast when they do not pay the penalty for their wickedness in this life, because a grievous retribution awaits them hereafter. It calls up on the poor not to be disturbed by others' prosperity, nor to think that human affairs are without providence when a righteous person fares badly in this life but a wicked and abominable person enjoys continuous good fortune. Both will receive their desserts hereafter; the one will gain the crown for his patience and perseverance, but the other will find retribution and punishment for his wickedness." (pg. 82) In another page of the book, St. John points out, "In summary, every punishment, if it happens to sinners, reduces the burden of sin, but if it happens to the righteous, makes their soul more splendid. A great benefit comes to each of them from tribulation, provided that they bear it with thanksgiving; for this is what is required." (pg. 73, emphasis mine) Likewise, St. John states, "You see, when continual troubles come upon you in quick succession, you must not be annoyed, but wait for the end. Undoubtedly conclusion will be worthy of God's great generosity, if you only endure what happens in the meantime with thanksgiving." (pg. 93)

On a final note, this last quote of St. John Chrysostom: "Nothing is so deadly to sin as self-accusation and self-condemnation with repentance and tears." (pg. 89)

"The Law of God"

Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy's "The Law of God" (ISBN 0-88465-044-8).

This book covers what I believe to be just about every subject there is about God and Christianity. It discusses God, prayer, sin, the Old Testament, the New Testament, Christian faith and life (including the purpose of man), the Ten Commandments, the nine Beatitudes, services and feasts of the Orthodox Church, the church building, the clergy's vestments, prayer, explains certain prayers of the Church, etc. While it is written as a catechism for Eastern Orthodox Christians, I feel that it is an incredible resource for anybody that wants to know more about God and His plan for mankind. Father Seraphim explains things thoroughly and speaks to the reader gently as a father would speak to a child, but never talks down to the reader nor oversimplifies the subject matter. Edifying for a new seeker as well as a learned scholar of the Faith. It's an invaluable addition to a book collection, and it is very well made so it will last a long time--a most worthwhile investment. Here is an excerpt of the New Testament section.

"The Teaching of the Holy Fathers on Illness"

"The Teaching of the Holy Fathers on Illness", by the Nikodemos Orthodox Publication Society (ISBN not listed).

Part of a three book series ("The Teaching of the Holy Fathers On:" Illness, the Body, the Passions), all of which are excellent. But for anybody that suffers from a chronic illness, this book is such a consolation. It's a small booklet--only 47 pages and 4¼"x5½"--but it's packed with helpful information on the purpose of pain and suffering, the cause of it, and how it can be used in a positive way in our spiritual lives. As a person that has had both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, this book gave "purpose" to what seemed like meaningless suffering, and it has helped me substantially to get through painful and bad days. Here is part of the contents of the booklet.

Archimandrite Spyridon Logothetis' "Depression: A Spiritual Guide"

"Depression: A Spiritual Guide", by Archimandrite Spyridon Logothetis (Abbot of Holy Transfiguration of our Savior Jesus Christ Monastery in Nafpaktos, Greece), ISBN 960-86639-1-1.

This book is a valuable resource for those suffering from depression. We are redirected to the Great Physician for healing, rather than the typical medication route, and the book offers "spiritual therapy and medicines for depression", as well as "preventative medicines" for depression, and lists the main causes of depression. Depression isn't anything new; the Holy Desert Fathers themselves (who lived in the 300's) spoke about a kind of depression which is called "accedia" ("spiritual weariness or distress of heart"), and for sure, depression even preceded them. As it is often true, ancient remedies are often superior to the modern day "new and improved" ones.

A great accompaniment to this book is "Conquering Depression", published by the St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood (ISBN 0-938-635-6). It is quotations from Holy Fathers and Mothers from the Church as well as the story of a saint who is termed "Healer of Depression", New Martyr St. Maria of Gatchina (+1930, commemorated January 26/February 8).

There is also a brief but very helpful article here on depression.