Dynamis Devotional

[Philip]

Friday, September 19, 2003
Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury

Epistle: Galatians 2:6-10 Gospel: St. Mark 5:22-24, 35-6:1


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Grace and Favoritism: Galatians 2:6-10, especially vs. 6: "God shows personal favoritism to no man...." This portion of verse 6 employs a classic Scriptural idiom rich in imagery and wisdom. Literally the expression reads, "God does not receive the face of a man." Recall the days of the Patriarchs, specifically the Divine appearance to Abraham at the oak of Mamre, the Visitation of the Three Angels that the famous Rublev icon uses as a type of the Holy Trinity (Gen. 18:1-33 LXX). When Abraham saw the three 'men' before him, the account tells us, "he ran to meet them from the door of his tent, and did obeisance to the ground" (Gen. 18:2 LXX).
A great personage, a lord or a king, takes hold of one bowed down in lowly homage and "lifts up [or receives] the face" of this prostrate one. In this manner, the mighty and powerful chose to show their favor to subordinates, or to express their goodwill to those bowed face down. They reached out a hand and lifted up the face of the person abased before them.

Before God, all approach as equals, for the "God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great God, and strong, and the God...does not accept persons [look with favoritism upon the face], nor will He by any means accept a bribe, executing judgment for the stranger and orphan and widow..." (Dt. 10:17,18 LXX). "For God shows no partiality" (Rom. 2:11). Likewise, human rulers and judges are sternly warned throughout Scripture by use of this very idiom. "It is not good to accept the person of the ungodly, nor is it holy to pervert justice in judgment." (Prov. 18:5 LXX). Yet, note that it was said to the Lord Jesus, "Master...Thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest Thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly" (Lk. 20:21).

In today's lesson, St. Paul goes back to events that occurred earlier in his Apostolic career, to a time when some might imagine him showing favoritism to win the support of the original Apostles for his work among non-Jews [Gentiles]. However, he makes clear that such was not the case: "But from those who seemed to be something, whatever they were, it makes no difference to me...for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me" (Gal. 2:6).

In fact, those "who seemed to be something" were none other than James the Brother of the Lord, Peter and John (vs. 9). They welcomed St. Paul's work among the Gentiles (vs. 9). True Apostles always favored persons, work, or ministries where there was clear evidence of the grace of God (vss. 8,9), nor should this inclination to follow proof of the grace of God be taken as favoritism, but as respect for the grace of God at work in men's souls and lives.

As stated above, Orthodoxy rejects all teaching which suggests that God gives His grace capriciously. When God "lifts up a man's face" to favor him, it is because He knows the man's heart and his contrition and openness. When a person begins to love God, God knows. He is aware. As our love for God grows more and more unbridled, St. Diodochos says, "we feel divine longing well up within us from the depths of our heart." St. John Cassian confirms this: "The thief who received the kingdom of heaven, though not as a reward of virtue, is a true witness to the fact that salvation is ours through the grace and mercy of God."

God's grace or favor toward us always is known or experienced as personal encounter. Bishop Kallistos Ware insists that "grace is not just a 'gift' of God, not just an object which God bestows on men, but a direct manifestation of the living God Himself, a personal confrontation between creature and Creator....When we say that the saints have been transformed or 'deified' by the grace of God, what we mean is that they have a direct experience of God Himself. They know God...." Blessed is the penitent whose face is lifted up by the hand of God!

May I ever remember Thy grace and live not unto myself, but unto Thee O good Master.

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This meditation provided by DYNAMIS. For questions and subscription information contact a3dynamis@aol.com or DYNAMIS, St. George Orthodox Cathedral, 7515 E 13th St. N, Wichita KS 67206-1223 or go their website: www.trisagion.com/dynamis

Republished with permission

 

[Philip]

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Saturday, September 20, 2003
Great Martyr Eustathios and his Family

Epistle: 2 Corinthians 1:21-2:4 Gospel: St. John 8:21-30


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The Gift of the Holy Spirit: 2 Corinthians 1:21-2:4, especially vss. 21, 22: "Now He Who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, Who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee." Every Orthodox Christian, either upon hearing or reading these two verses, can naturally connect them with Holy Baptism - our being established as "a member and partaker of the death and resurrection of Christ"- and Holy Chrismation - our receiving "the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit." The reference was not accidental. For as he was explaining why he changed his travel plans (2 Cor. 1:15-2:13), the Apostle alluded to the initiation Mystery so as to call attention to his spiritual bond with the Corinthians, and to emphasize that he and they were "fellow workers for your joy" (2 Cor. 1:24).
First, see how plainly references to Holy Baptism shine throughout the language of verse 21. Notice how appropriate it is to say that in the Mystery of Holy Baptism the candidate is "established" in the Lord Jesus with all others who are united in Christ (vs. 21). As Alexander Schmemann points out: it is a gift to those who receive the laver not of something resulting from Christ's Death and Resurrection, "but of that unique and totally new possibility: truly to die with Christ, truly to rise again with Him....thus truly to unite the human to the divine in the 'newness of life.'" Such bonding and uniting with Christ are tantamount to being 'established' in the Lord.

Likewise, the anointing of which the Apostle speaks (vs. 21) ought not to be confused with Holy Chrismation, but rather associated with the anointing that precedes Holy Baptism, "the Oil of Gladness." This anointment is for healing, restoration of hearing with the heart, cleansing of the hands from all evil, and a walk or life pleasing to God. As the Baptismal service states, this holy oil "illumineth and sanctifieth."

As the Apostle continues (vs. 22), he distinguishes the earlier anointing from Holy Chrismation by the use of "also," by which he signals that God has done something more in addition to establishing us in Christ. Hence, the two oils serve two different sacramental purposes in the initiation Mystery.

Whereas the anointing before Holy Baptism is intimately associated with the regenerating which God carries out through dying and rising with Christ, "the 'sealing' with Holy Chrism" to use Father Schmemann's words, "is obviously a new act which, although prepared for and made possible by Baptism, gives the liturgy of initiation a dimension so radically new that the Church always knew it to be another 'mystery - a gift and a sacrament distinct from Baptism....The gift of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit as gift!"

Here is Apostolic light which we should heed closely. While the Holy Spirit acts in Baptism to effect regeneration and to unite us to Christ for healing and renewal, even more intimately He comes to us Himself as an indwelling gift in our spirits, souls, and bodies. Again, listen to Father Alexander: "this gift of Christ's own Holy Spirit and Christ's own high calling is precisely a gift. It does not belong to human nature as such, even though it is in order to receive this gift that man was created by God. Prepared and made possible by Baptism...it takes man beyond Baptism...making him 'christ' in Christ, by anointing him with the Anointment of the Anointed One, it opens to man the door of theosis, of deification."

The initiatory rites of the Church are just that, initiation, starting points with a guarantee in time from which, together with the Lord, we can move toward being fully what God intends.

O Holy Spirit, Giver of life incorruptible, work in us those things which are pleasing in Thy sight and sanctify us with an imprescriptible hallowing of our souls and bodies.

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This meditation provided by DYNAMIS. For questions and subscription information contact a3dynamis@aol.com or DYNAMIS, St. George Orthodox Cathedral, 7515 E 13th St. N, Wichita KS 67206-1223 or go their website: www.trisagion.com/dynamis

Republished with permission

 

[Philip]

Sunday, September 21, 2003
Leave-Taking of & Sunday after the Elevation of the Cross

Epistle: Galatians 2:16-20 (Tone 5) Gospel: St. Mark 8:34-9:1


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Crucified With Christ: Galatians 2:16-20, especially vs. 20: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me." Looming above the solemn days of Great and Holy Week is the dread, unimaginable Crucifixion of Christ. In fact, the Lord's Death on the Cross dominates the mind of the Faithful from the days of the Triodion, weeks before Lent even begins. And now, once again in the Fall of the year, we return directly to the Crucifixion, including days of preparation and days following the Feast of the Elevation.
Furthermore, after each service all through the year, we file forward for a blessing and kiss the Cross, yet another reminder. What is the meaning of all this attention to the Lord's Crucifixion? In truth, the Cross teaches us to embrace the Crucifixion. This thought is woven into the Apostle's words. He speaks to each one of us. Let us make these words our words each time we look at ourselves in the mirror. Let each one say "I have been crucified with Christ...."

In the original, the words are, "With Christ I have been co-crucified." Each of us was crucified with Christ, not separately from Him, as if our crucifixion happened after His or apart from His. The crucifixion of each Christian occurred just once, in 33 AD, "with Christ." How can this be? It is through "the operation and indwelling" of the Holy Spirit at our Baptism.

"Dost thou unite thyself unto Christ?" we were asked. When we said, "I do," the Church prayed that we might "be a...partaker of the death and resurrection of Christ our God," united to Him! What shall we make of the two thousand years that stand between us and Christ's death? He is the eternal God. His Crucifixion is not bound by time, although it took place in time.

Since the Crucifixion is infused with the power of the Eternal, let us think in terms of the hymnody of Great and Holy Thursday: "Today He is hung upon a Tree Who hung the earth above the waters." That cross that was placed around our neck at Baptism is an ever-present reminder to each of us, "I have been crucified with Christ." Our co-crucifixion is not a matter of idealism, but of objective participation, a fact eternal in dimension and significance.

What follows co-crucifixion once each of us says, "I have been crucified with Christ"? Listen to the Apostle: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." There is no more "I." For the Christian, every thought, desire, choice, and act, all those activities of which this present life consists, are submitted to the Lord of the Cross. To Him we refer, defer, and confer.

We refer our thoughts to the Lord's mind (Phil. 2:5), defer to His will (Ps. 142:11 LXX), and confer with Him before we proceed in any matter (Jn. 6:68). Battle and struggle are joined, for "my" and "self" fight back. Being joined to Christ, we place the soul in a continuous trial. St. John of the Ladder says of this effort that it "brings about a cooling of the fire of the heart through mental confession." We enter into what St. John calls "joy-making mourning," that crucifixion of self which is greater than Baptism, "the fountain of tears after Baptism."

St. Paul knew well that the self dies hard. Therefore, he states the profession of all who would risk being co-crucified with Christ: "the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God." Each step in this Life is taken in faith, for Life is not ours, but His "Who loved me and gave Himself for me." Father Paul Nadim Tarazi says of Christ's love, "It is...the origin of everything that brings about our salvation, and it is nothing less than love on our part that can show forth the fact that we have indeed received God's gift in Christ. Faith...does not at all secure our salvation, [and] cannot at all prove to be truly faith...unless it passes the test of love."

Lord, in faith and love we stand before Thee and resign our despair to Thy deep mercy.


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This meditation provided by DYNAMIS. For questions and subscription information contact a3dynamis@aol.com or DYNAMIS, St. George Orthodox Cathedral, 7515 E 13th St. N, Wichita KS 67206-1223 or go their website: www.trisagion.com/dynamis

Republished with permission

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[Philip]

Monday, September 22, 2003
Twenty Six Martyrs of Zographou Monastery on Mt Athos

Epistle: Galatians 2:11-16 (Lukan Jump) Gospel: St. Luke 3:19-22


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Church Unity: Galatians 2:11-16, especially vs. 11: "...I withstood him to his face...." The Lord prayed that, after the time of the Apostles, the Church would draw its unity from the oneness of God the Holy Trinity (Jn. 17:21). Consistently, the Lord Jesus always manifested His unity with the Father in His words and deeds. So, also, He prayed that the Church would ever express its Divine and Apostolic unity, both visibly and tangibly. Such oneness, however, does not come without unwaveringly adherence to "the truth of the Gospel" (Gal. 2:14).
Gospel truth may not be "of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Pet. 1:20,21). Hence, even as the source of Church unity remains invisible in the Godhead, the Church still expresses concretely her unbroken Communion with the coming Kingdom of God. In today's Epistle, we have St. Paul's account of a major challenge to this manifest unity that occurred in the New Testament era, caused by no less than the Apostle Peter himself. By God's grace, from the Apostles themselves, we are given an example of how threats to disunity are to be resolved.

Notice, first of all, that both Apostles accepted the reality that men are fallible. When St. Paul saw that the Apostle Peter "was to be blamed" (Gal. 2:11), he openly questioned St. Peter before the whole assembly in Antioch (vs. 14). At stake was the primary place of "faith in Jesus Christ" (vs. 16), a doctrine so critical and necessary to the foundation of the Gospel that the Apostle Paul repeats the point three different ways in this one verse. Knowing that St. Peter always admitted error (see Acts 11:17), we can only assume that he agreed quickly with St. Paul.

The issue of "faith in Christ" came to the fore during a time when St. Peter came to Antioch in the course of his itinerant labors as chief Apostle "to the circumcised" (Gal. 2:7), that is, to the Jewish Christians. Early in his visit, he readily partook in the Agape feasts which were shared by all in connection with the Eucharistic Liturgy (see 1 Cor. 11:20-27). Both Jewish and Gentile Christians (Gal. 2:12) sat at table eating together, and St. Peter, following the official counsel of the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:23-29), unquestioningly joined the rest.

However, when "certain men came from James" (vs. 12) the Brother of the Lord and the head of the Jewish Christian Jerusalem Church, the Apostle Peter separated himself from the Gentiles "fearing those of whom were of the circumcision" (vs. 12). Hypocritically, "the rest of the Jews" did the same, putting obedience to the Mosaic Law ahead of "faith in Christ" (vs.13). The change in behavior exposed the fallibility even of St. Peter and made confrontation inevitable.

More important, notice that the infallibility of the Church was affirmed. As one Apostle stumbled, another stood forth for the truth of the Gospel (vs. 14) and called all to the greater doctrine of justification for all Christians, "by faith in Christ" (vs. 16). St. James' "private interpretation" of a counsel given by the Holy Spirit at the Jerusalem Council was challenged, because "a man of God" spoke as he was "moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Pet. 1:20,21).

The visible, tangible unity of the Church has been realized in this fashion repeatedly through history. Not always have those at fault had the humility and responsiveness to the Spirit manifested by St. Peter. Heretics, like Arius and the iconoclasts, have persisted in their individual opinions against the whole Church. Schismatics, rather than submit to the truth of the Spirit spoken through the counsels of holy men, have asserted their power and position, as St. Peter might have done. Let us, as St. Peter, ever heed the Spirit and follow the truth in Christ.

Most blessed art Thou, O Christ our God, Who didst show the fishermen as most wise, having sent down upon them the Holy Spirit: O Lover of mankind, glory to Thee.


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This meditation provided by DYNAMIS. For questions and subscription information contact a3dynamis@aol.com or DYNAMIS, St. George Orthodox Cathedral, 7515 E 13th St. N, Wichita KS 67206-1223 or go their website: www.trisagion.com/dynamis

Republished with permission

 

[Philip]

Tuesday, September 23, 2003
Conception of the Forerunner and Baptist John

Epistle: Galatians 2:21-3:7 Gospel: St. Luke 3:23-4:1


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The Spirit: Galatians 2:21-3:7, especially vs. 5: "Therefore He Who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" Two elements shape this verse: first, it is a question which asks us to select between two alternatives, "the works of the law" or "the hearing of faith." Second, it is a rhetorical question, and, therefore, expects the answer, "God supplies the Spirit to us by the hearing of faith." As readers of St. Paul through Galatians, if we would read with understanding, we must take into account the circumstances which led to the particular shape of this verse.
When this letter was written, the Church was rapidly separating from the greater Jewish community in which it first formed. The separation not only affected congregations in Galatia, but also touched the whole of the Apostolic community. And the division was painful, wrenching, and confusing, with individuals and groups trying either to stop and reverse separation, or, like St. Paul, to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit at whatever cost.

The churches in Galatia were largely Gentile, composed of persons newly converted to the Faith. They understood clearly enough from St. Paul, who first introduced them to the Christian message, that the Church was Jewish, yet, at the same time, they discovered in him an openness to Gentiles not previously found in Judaism. However, after the Apostle's departure, conservative Jewish Christians appeared who sought to introduce the Galatians to the full practice of Judaism, including circumcision, the dietary food laws, and the holy days.

For St. Paul, there was a fundamental reason for not requiring the traditional Jewish practices from Gentile converts. He saw that return to the practices mandated by the Jewish Law effectively denied the essence of the Gospel. In restored obedience to the Law in place of the gift of the Spirit, received in faith with reliance on God's promises. What the traditionalists proposed was not an allowable variant expression of the Gospel, but an in depth denial of it.

The next four readings (today through Friday), reveal St. Paul urging, demanding, and pleading for the Galatians to stand fast in the Gospel he had taught them, and not to turn back to the alternative being proposed. They had received "The Fulfillment" of Judaism, the true Faith of the true Israel. And, Beloved, we too can turn away from the Good News of fulfillment in Christ to legalism. Let us also read carefully what the Apostle teaches us.

Christian Faith is a radical alternative to all legalism. Follow St. Paul's thought: he would "not set aside the grace of God," which provides "righteousness" through the death and resurrection of Christ, nor resort to a religion that is principally a matter of obedience to a code of law (vs. 21 and vs. 1). It is the Holy Spirit Who fulfills righteousness in the heart, not human works of the Law (vs. 2)! Each Christian begins with the gift of the Holy Spirit in Baptism and Chrismation (vs.3). Let us not shut off life in the Spirit - His leading, teaching, and guiding, in favor of obeying rules from a book to the letter (vs. 3). Can one live right without the Spirit?

Rules and ethical codes have their ultimate source in God, and they do help us in the effort and struggle to live righteously before God, but only with the help of the Spirit which God supplies (vss. 4,5). If we revert to strict legalism, we labor in vain, no longer depending on the fulfillment which the Spirit gives us in Christ. We abandon the Spirit's transformation and miracles which He works in us (vs. 5). No, my Brethren, let us put our trust in Christ, known in and through the Spirit within the Church, for our God fulfills all righteousness in us and for us, and He it is Who forgives when we fail in the struggle to be righteous before Him (vs. 5).

O Master, by Thy grace uphold inviolate in us the seal of Thy Spirit and grant us mercy.


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This meditation provided by DYNAMIS. For questions and subscription information contact a3dynamis@aol.com or DYNAMIS, St. George Orthodox Cathedral, 7515 E 13th St. N, Wichita KS 67206-1223 or go their website: www.trisagion.com/dynamis

Republished with permission

 

[Philip]

Wednesday, September 24, 2003
Proto-Martyr Thekla, Equal-to-the-Apostles

Epistle: Galatians 3:15-22 Gospel: St. Luke 4:1-15


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The Promises: Galatians 3:15-22, especially vs. 18: "For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise." Let us realize, as we read in Galatians, that it is an extended exhortation by St. Paul against the trap of legalism. The letter was evoked in the first century against certain Jewish Christians who wished to see the Church revert to all the practices of Judaism. However, it is also true that anyone at any time in history may fall into the entanglement of legalism and lose the life that is in Christ. In today's reading from Galatians, the Apostle shows that legalism empties the promises that are fulfilled in Christ.
St. Paul begins with a reference to the covenant and promises that God made with and to the Patriarch Abraham (see Gen. 12:1-3;15:1-21;17:1-7; and 22:16-18). Initially, the Apostle quotes the key promise, Gen 22:18, "And to your Seed." Then he declares that the Seed is "Christ" (Gal. 3:16). The full, original statement of the Divine promise reads: "And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed because thou hast hearkened to My voice" (Gen. 22:18 LXX).

Historically, this particular promise was given by God in response to Abraham's absolute, unswerving faith in the Lord's trustworthiness with respect to His promises (Gen. 22:1-15). The emphasis in the Genesis account is on faith in God, and therefore on the willingness to act contrary-to-appearances because of unbounded trust. Faith, the Apostle asserts, came in the sequence of history well in advance of Law - by a good 430 years (Gal. 3:17).

The temporal primacy of faith points to its primacy in spirit with God. Faith in God has greater worth or value with the Lord than objective obedience to the details of His Code of Law. The Apostle cites several reasons why this is so. As important as the Law is, and as holy and good as it is, it cannot annul the promises that were made before it was given (vs. 17). In other words, when God gave the Law to Moses, that Code given from Mt. Sinai did not set aside the promises that were already in place. Even God's holy Law does not supersede the promises. They still stand after Moses' great work. Put another way, the inheritance promised to the Seed, to Christ, is foremost among the promises of God, and the Lord extends it to those who, like Abraham, have unwavering faith in Him (vs. 18).

Note what follows. St. Paul is swift to point out that the Law was not a waste of time nor superfluous. He will say, in verse 24, immediately after this reading, that the Law functioned as "our custodian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith." [NBV] In today's lesson, the Apostle sets the stage for this insight by showing how the custodianship of the Law functions. Those who live under the Law of Moses are confined "under sin that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe" (vs. 22).

Law is a very able instrument of God, exposing the sin in all of us, for even good and godly rules have a way of provoking us to disobey them, because of sin operating within us. Therefore, if one foolishly believes that by having a clear-cut set of rules he will be able to attain righteousness, he is sadly mistaken. At best the Law is a restraint. As St. Paul says, "if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law" (vs. 21). Conversely, God's promises convey the assurance of life and righteousness.

The promise made to Abraham was a promise made to his Seed, to Christ. It promised that in Christ, the Seed of Abraham, "all the nations of the earth shall be blessed" (Gen. 22:18). That promise is being fulfilled in Christ. People of every nation, language, and tongue are being blessed with life in Christ. Let us not trade fulfillment in the Lord for any legalism!

Behold, the Hope of Israel hath come. Rejoice, O nations; for the Light appeareth!

This meditation provided by DYNAMIS. For questions and subscription information contact a3dynamis@aol.com or DYNAMIS, St. George Orthodox Cathedral, 7515 E 13th St. N, Wichita KS 67206-1223 or go their website: www.trisagion.com/dynamis

Republished with permission

 

[Oblio]

[c]Monday, December 8, 2003
The Venerable Patapios of Thebes

Epistle: 1 Timothy 1:1-7 Nativity Fast Gospel: St. Luke 20:27-44
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A Pure Heart and Sincere Faith: 1 Timothy 1:1-7, especially vs. 5: "The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith." [RSV] Many cities in the United States began as settlements at the confluence of major rivers: Pittsburgh where the Monongehela and the Allegheny join to form the Ohio, St. Louis at the meeting of the Mississippi and the Missouri, or Sacramento where the Feather and the American flow into the Sacramento. Similarly the Apostle points to the City of God from which Divine love flows forth to join "a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith" (vs. 5). Having journeyed into the human interior himself, he reveals how we may join the flow of Divine love into the world.
A pure heart commands and controls the soul, banishing evil thoughts that would enter, so that the soul "is not lifted up to vanity" (Ps. 23:4 LXX), but draws close to God, that He may dwell within and aid the Faithful in fully purifying their hearts (Jas. 4:8). St. John of Kronstadt bids each one of us: "notice that God does not tolerate the slightest impurity...and that peace and God Himself leave you immediately after the admittance of any impure thought into your heart. And you become the abode of the Devil if you do not immediately renounce the sin."

The issue is how we attain a pure heart, being long corrupted and still under constant assault by the spirits of evil that war against the soul. St. Philotheos of Sinai teaches that "Once we have in some measure acquired the habit of self-control, and have learnt how to shun visible sins, brought about through the five senses, we will then be able to guard the heart with Jesus, to receive His illumination within it, and by means of the [innermost aspect of the heart] to taste His goodness." The skirmish line of spiritual warfare is within our minds where evil thoughts must be stopped, but we are blessed, for in receiving the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit on our five senses, we have an invincible Ally Who can destroy these enemies, if we will but seek His aid.

The conscience, being an aspect of the heart, must be purified and healed along with the heart. By God's mercy, we were given a guardian angel at Baptism to speak to our conscience and awaken it. As we heed his prompting, we shall be led to examine our thoughts and actions each day. Then, each day we shall grieve before the Lord. Listen carefully to St. John of the Ladder: "Do not be surprised that you fall every day; do not give up, but stand your ground courageously. And assuredly the angel who guards you will honor your patience."

Of particular concern, like a holy alarm sounding at mortal danger, is deadening of our conscience. As St. John says, "We must carefully consider whether our conscience has ceased to accuse us, not as a result of purity, but because it is immersed in evil....Many from long neglect become incurable, but with God all things are possible." Without a good conscience, love cannot follow, neither for God nor for other men. As St. Diadochous of Photiki declares: "No one can either love truly or believe truly unless he has first brought accusation against himself."

Which brings us to sincere faith, the third essential source of Divine love. The entire work of purification of the heart as the precursor of Divine love applies also to faith, which is why St. Paul speaks of faith that is "sincere, unfeigned, without deceit." Hence, St. Herman of Alaska unites faith and love: "A true Christian is made by faith and love toward Christ. Our sins do not in the least hinder our Christianity, according to the word of the Savior Himself, for He deigned to say: 'not the righteous have I come to call, but sinners to salvation; there is more joy in heaven over one who repents than over ninety righteous ones'" (Mt. 9:13; Lk. 15:7).

O Lord, heal my soul, enlighten the eyes of my heart, grant peace to my spiritual powers, that with a faith unashamed I may love and obey Thee to the attainment of Thy Kingdom.



This meditation provided by DYNAMIS. For questions and subscription information contact a3dynamis@aol.com or DYNAMIS, St. George Orthodox Cathedral, 7515 E 13th St. N, Wichita KS 67206-1223 or go their website: www.trisagion.com/dynamis

Republished with permission

 

[Oblio]

[c]Tuesday, December 9, 2003
The Conception of the Theotokos by Righteous Anna

Epistle: 1 Timothy 1:8-14 Nativity Fast Gospel: St. Luke 21:12-19
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Begin With Christ: 1 Timothy 1:8-14, especially vs. 12: "I thank Him Who has given me strength for this, Christ Jesus our Lord, because He judged me faithful by appointing me to His service." The transmission of the Faith has continued in the Church from Apostolic times to the present, being directed by the Holy Spirit, so that God's People have the blessing in every generation of "the Faith once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3).
Factors of aging, death, and the need to place pastors and teachers in developing fields of ministry always mean the passing on of the truths of the Faith to new hands. The Pastoral Epistles, the two addressed to Timothy and the letter to Titus, are the earliest records of this process of entrusting the Faith to subsequent leadership. Hence, in First Timothy, the Apostle writes to a young Church leader naming him as "a true son in the Faith" (1 Tim. 1:2).

Observe the point which the Apostle emphasizes for his "true son," the new leader Timothy. Actually, it is a message for all the Faithful through all time, for leaders and followers alike: the strength, the necessary grace and mercy, and the mandatory faith and love for Christian life begin with the Lord Jesus Christ (vss. 12-14). In the reading let us observes St. Paul use his own life as an example of what the Lord Jesus accomplishes when He calls a person to follow Him. The Apostle describes how Christ empowers each Christian for discipleship, and especially those whom He appoints to ministries of leadership in the Church.

St. Paul first recalls the moral law of God as found in the Ten Commandments (vs. 8). Then he reviews the condition of the hearts and souls of the godless for whom the first four Commandments are given: individuals who disdain all relationship with God Himself. He characterizes such people as lawless, insubordinate, denying God, and profane (vs. 9). These people honor idols of their own hands rather than God, worshiping created things and investing their life energy in the things which they set up "in the temples of their hearts:" wealth, pleasure, power, status, or whatever. The claims of law and the directions of superiors are not considered holy or sacred, only what is required to please and satisfy these "gods" after whom they lust.

Next, the Apostle lists a group of sins forbidden by the last six of God's Commandments, the particular ones which God requires of all men in their relationships with others. Observe: as the Apostle names the "sins," he follows the same order in which the six Commandments are listed in Scripture. Clearly he had the Great Commandments in mind as he wrote. Most important, observe that his review of the Law of God establishes a background for his presentation of the sound doctrine of "the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to [his] trust" (vs. 11), the topic which follows thereafter.

In the phrase, "committed to my trust," the Apostle sets the stage for disclosing that it was God's grace that transformed him from a persecutor of the Church into an Apostle. He thanks Christ Jesus Who enabled him to obtain mercy, as the Lord does with all sinners who will turn in repentance to Him. Finally, St. Paul employs the example of his own life as a former "blasphemer, persecutor and insolent man" (vs. 13). Here he refers to his early life in Judaism when he was "breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord" and bringing men and women "bound to Jerusalem" for prosecution, trial, imprisonment and death (Acts 9:1-2).

St. Paul concludes with the reminder that "the grace of our Lord [is] exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus" (vs. 14). There is no sin that God will not forgive if we begin with Christ. Glory to Him Who restores to God's likeness all who repent!

O Lord, help me always to do that which is pleasing to Thee and to sin no more.


This meditation provided by DYNAMIS. For questions and subscription information contact a3dynamis@aol.com or DYNAMIS, St. George Orthodox Cathedral, 7515 E 13th St. N, Wichita KS 67206-1223 or go their website: www.trisagion.com/dynamis

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[Oblio]

[c]Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2003
Angelina of Albania, Mother of Blessed John, King of Serbia

Epistle: 1 Timothy 1:18-20; 2:8-15 Nativity Fast Gospel: St. Luke 21:5-7, 10-11, 20-24
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The Good Warfare: 1 Timothy 1:18-20; 2:8-15, especially vs. 18: "This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare." "The Faith once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3) must not be transmitted haphazardly, but conveyed well, without dilution or corruption of the truth which is our inheritance from the Apostles. Thus, succeeding generations remain true to the life-giving teaching and "wage the good warfare" unto "triumph in Christ" (2 Cor. 2:14).
Without surprise then, as we read First Timothy, we find one of the chief Apostles writing to charge an apprentice Apostle to apply his attention especially to matters of doctrine and worship. Rightly so, for as right doctrine and right worship (orthodoxia) are upheld, the Church is assured of continuing the Orthodox struggle "against...the darkness of this world" (Eph. 6:12).

Historically in Orthodoxy, worship and doctrine have been inextricably woven together. Therefore, to know what the Church teaches, one needs mostly to pay strict attention to the language and texts of the Divine Liturgy. At worship, the Church repeatedly affirms the basic truths which she proclaims to the world, teaches to the Faithful, and expects her members to uphold in their living. As doctrine and worship are rightly received, they enable us to have "faith and a good conscience" (1 Tim. 1:19), to pray "lifting up holy hands" (vs. 2:8) and to "continue in faith, love, and holiness with self-control" (vs. 2:15). These are the spiritual works we are to realize in ourselves and to pass on, that "the good warfare" may continue until the Lord returns.

How do we attain "faith and a good conscience"? We must acknowledge immediately that one cannot have faith in Christ with a "bad" conscience. The two are incompatible. Faith is sought for healing. So "straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief" (Mk. 9:17-24). One dying thief rebuked his companion for bitterness and then confessed his own sins (Lk. 23:39-41). Thereby he was enabled to cry out with faith, "Jesus, Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom" (Lk. 23:42).

When the inner eye of the heart is defiled by sins and passions, it must be purified, a work that is performed only with the aid of the Holy Spirit. As Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos says, "When the Mighty One enters the soul and overthrows the despoiler, then what has been taken captive can be set free." Then faith that languished blossoms under the attendant gift of the Holy Spirit as He purifies our conscience "from dead works to serve the living God" (Heb. 9:14).

Consider the alternative. If we indulge our passions and do as we please, rejecting the faith, there is bound to be "shipwreck" (1 Tim. 1:19). Let us not confine our lives to this dark world and be among those "delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme" (vs. 20).

How are we to be sustained by prayer? Again, listen to Metropolitan Anthony Bloom: "Unless the prayer which you intend to offer to God is important and meaningful to you first, you will not be able to present it to the Lord. If you are inattentive to the words you pronounce, if your heart does not respond to them, or if your life is not turned in the same direction as your prayer, it will not reach out Godwards." Let us pray to the Lord and say, "Lord have mercy."

Finally, heed what the Apostle says to Timothy: let us pray, "lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting" (vs. 2:8), but "with propriety and moderation" (vs. 2:9), "with good works" (vs. 10), "in silence with all submission" (vs. 11) to our spiritual elders. Thus shall we continue the good warfare "in faith, love, and holiness, with self control" (vs. 15). Thus shall we be granted triumph in Christ and the joy of passing on a living Faith to generations yet unborn.

Keep us in Thy holiness that all the day long we may meditate upon Thy righteousness.


This meditation provided by DYNAMIS. For questions and subscription information contact a3dynamis@aol.com or DYNAMIS, St. George Orthodox Cathedral, 7515 E 13th St. N, Wichita KS 67206-1223 or go their website: www.trisagion.com/dynamis

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[Oblio]

[c]Thursday, December 11, 2003
The Venerable Daniel the Stylite

Epistle: 1 Timothy 3:1-13 Nativity Fast Gospel: St. Luke 21:28-33
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Godly Clergy: 1 Timothy 3:1-13, especially vs. 10: "But let these also...be tested, then let them serve...being found blameless." The Epistle reading today contains advice from the Apostle Paul concerning the identification, training and appointment of competent leaders for the Church. Its message continues a major theme of this letter, the transmitting of the Faith to succeeding generations, for without blameless, competent, and mature clergy, the communication of the Faith to succeeding generations falters, leaving the Church weakened and less effective.
The present-day Orthodox reader will find notable differences between the kinds of leaders described in this first-century letter and today's ordained clergy. For instance, Bishops as well as Deacons normally appear to have been drawn from the ranks of married men (vs. 2). Further, as one would expect, there was a presumption of these Bishops having children (vs. 5).

Let the reader who is not familiar with the development of the Church's ministry through history realize that the clergy of the early Church were men with weaknesses and strengths, very much human beings like the clergy today, even though their social circumstances differed.

The unfolding of the Church's ministry is analogous to the way in which living organisms develop. For instance, as many seeds sprout and push up through the soil, their young seedlings first appear as "dicotyledons," tiny shoots formed like a two-leaf plant, yet even the growing plant that follows and the mature plant after it, will look much different. Similarly, the earliest historical records concerning the clergy, reveal an ordained ministry of much different shape than the more evolved orders found today within the Church.

The point is this: the ministry was a growing part of the developing Church and took different forms at different stages of its development, even though all the Church's clergy are organically related in the Body of Christ. As St. Paul discloses, the Church always has required men who are morally pure, mature in personality, and known to have a good testimony in all their relationships within and without the Church. Such have been and are the godly clergy always.

Note the emphasis the Apostle places on worthy moral character. As he asserts, the clergy must be "blameless" (vss. 2,10), have "good behavior" (vs. 2), "not given to wine" (vss. 3,8) and not be "violent, greedy" (vss. 3,8), not "quarrelsome" nor "covetous" (vs. 3). Also, they must not be filled with "pride" (vs. 6), nor be "double-tongued" (vs. 8), but hold "the mystery of the Faith with a pure conscience" (vs. 9). Much mischief has been inflicted on Church communities because of just a few clergy who have fallen into immorality! Thank God, the great majority of our ordained Pastors are men who lead pure, moral, and faithful lives.

The Apostle admonishes Timothy to be most careful about the maturity of both Bishops and Deacons. He mentions that they must be "the husband of one wife," not polygamous (vss. 2,12). They must be sober-minded (vs. 2), temperate (vss. 2,11), gentle (vs. 3), and never novices to the Faith (vs. 6). Observation over time is essential (vs. 10) for identifying demonstrated capacity to be "faithful in all things" (vs. 11). The pressures of life are such that clergy need to be balanced and settled in themselves as persons, which is why our hierarchs today take great care to assure a general education, seminary training, and other testing before they ordain men.

Finally, the Apostle urges that clergy have "a good testimony among those who are outside" (vs. 7), and that they are able to rule in their own homes (vss. 4,12). Here again are two arenas where telling criticism can appear to weaken the clergy's witness. Pray for our clergy.

O Lord, may Thy Holy Spirit guide the leaders of the Church always to choose, and ordain worthy men to stand before Thy Throne and to edify and feed Thy beloved children.


This meditation provided by DYNAMIS. For questions and subscription information contact a3dynamis@aol.com or DYNAMIS, St. George Orthodox Cathedral, 7515 E 13th St. N, Wichita KS 67206-1223 or go their website: www.trisagion.com/dynamis

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[Oblio]

[c]Friday, December 12, 2003
Spyridon the Wonderworker

Epistle: Ephesians 5:8-19 Nativity Fast Gospel: St. John 10:9-17


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Walk as children of the light: Ephesians 5:8-19, especially vs. 8: "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light." After the swift, four day campaign in 1943 during which his army swept ashore and occupied the Vichy French colony of Morocco, American General George S. Patton issued an order to his troops using a classic speech-maker's device - a situational declaration followed by a series of commands: Patton declared, "Each one of you is a representative of a great and victorious army." And then he ordered, "Stand up, keep your clothes buttoned, your chin straps fastened. Salute your officers...." In the Epistle for today, St. Paul uses this exact same time-tested method. He declares, " You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord" (vs. 8); and he follows his declaration with a string of commands, starting with, "Walk as children of the light" (vs. 8). The subsequent commands in the Apostle's list are expansions of this first command.
The reader should notice that throughout the passage both the declaration and its related commands are paired - a positive connected with a parallel negative - "once darkness" - "now...light" (vs. 8), "have no fellowship" - "rather expose them" (vs. 11), and "walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise" (vs. 15). It is also clear that all of the commands are rooted in the nature of being a Christian - of being "light in the Lord" (vs. 8) and the basic command that follows from such discipleship - "walk as children of the light" (vs. 8). There are four paired commands given by the Apostle for us to take to heart and carry out.

The first command is: "have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them"(vs. 11). Deliberate choice is clearly implied in this imperative. We may choose those with whom we have fellowship - koinonia.- or communion. But by openly opting out of idolatry or immorality, we expose such worship or gatherings for what they are, for what St. Paul elsewhere calls, "the cup of the demons" (1 Cor. 10:21). Light exposes darkness.

Next, the Apostle commands us to "see then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise"(Eph. 5:15). Of course, Biblically, a fool is one who says, "There is no God" (Ps. 13:1 LXX). But we are children of the light (Eph. 5:8), who have wakened from sleep and received the light of wisdom from Christ (vs. 14), despite the evil days of this present age (vs. 16).

The key to avoiding unwise choices is to "understand what the will of the Lord is" (vs. 17), as St. Paul's next command to us indicates. This directive points any committed Christian toward regular participation in the Liturgy, a regular prayer rule, the reading of Holy Scripture, and the constant petitioning of our gracious God to "come and dwell in us and cleanse us of every stain of sin," and to "illumine our hearts...with the pure light of Thy divine knowledge." It is so easy, by false choices, to be led astray from the blessings of God.

Finally, the Apostle orders that we "not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit" (vs. 18). So much of pagan worship surrounding the early Christians was little more than orgies and bacchanals, to which St. Paul offers the obvious, positive option of the "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs"(vs. 19) of the Church's Divine worship, that always encourages "singing and making melody in [one'] heart to the Lord" (vs. 19).

So, how do we "walk as children of the light" (vs. 8)? The Apostle Paul directs us to avoid obvious evil company, heed the Church's teaching, seek God in regular devotion and to practice moderation in our daily living. For, after all, we are "light in the Lord" (vs. 8).

Fulfill now, O Lord, the desires and petitions of Thy servants as may be most expedient for us, granting us in this world the knowledge of Thy truth, and in the age to come, eternal life.

This meditation provided by DYNAMIS. For questions and subscription information contact a3dynamis@aol.com or DYNAMIS, St. George Orthodox Cathedral, 7515 E 13th St. N, Wichita KS 67206-1223 or go their website: www.trisagion.com/dynamis

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[Oblio]

[c]Saturday, December 13, 2003
The Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker

Epistle: Galatians 3:8-12 Fish, Wine & Oil Gospel: St. Luke13:18-29

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Faith and Works: Galatians 3:8-12, especially vs. 9: "So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham." Christians in the West, influenced by Scholasticism, the Protestant Reformation, and the ensuing Counter-Reformation, divided sharply in their understanding of faith and works in salvation, even turning them into opposites. The battle cry of Protestants became "sola fidei," by faith alone. Roman Catholic teachers upheld the Church's traditional high regard for good works but over-emphasized them to minimized faith.
Then, in the West, texts from the Epistles to the Galatians and the Romans became sources for reinforcing the position of "faith alone" held by the Reformers, and the Roman Catholic Church fought back, quoting the Lord Jesus and the Epistle of James. The Orthodox Church, separated from this controversy by geography, culture, and its own theological comfort in the synergy of faith and works, continues to repudiate all opposing of faith and works.

In today's reading from Galatians, the Apostle clearly differentiates "those who are of faith" (vs. 9) from those who "are of the works of the law" (vs. 10). The passages provide a starting point for examining the Orthodox understanding of the mutuality of faith and works.

First, two givens: Orthodoxy understands that in the economy of God both law and faith are essential. Further, an Orthodox reading of today's passage assumes that the opposition which St. Paul describes involved issues that were contested and settled during the Apostolic age.

Both St. Paul and his opponents accepted Christ as Messiah and Lord. However, those who were "of the works of the law" opposed St. Paul's reception of Gentile converts, being convinced that it was necessary to 'complete' converts by requiring them to adopt the full panoply of rituals demanded by the Mosaic tradition: circumcision, keeping of the dietary laws, and the regular Jewish observance of special seasons and days of fasting and celebration.

St. Paul vehemently repudiated these demands for cultic conformity to Mosaic practice. In this rejection, he represented the common position of all the Apostles (see Acts 15). The Apostles' orientation to salvation, based on the leading of the Holy Spirit, rejected conformity to the majority of the visible rituals of Judaism, in favor of living the Way of the Lord Jesus.

Hence, in Galatians 3:8-12, the Apostle holds up Abraham as a model for all who are saved by the preaching of the Gospel. He asserts that all the Faithful are saved by living the Truth to which God calls them. As he asserts: Abraham, centuries before the Mosaic Law and before he received circumcision as a sign of God's covenant with him and his descendants, already had the Gospel concerning the conversion of the Gentiles revealed to him (vs. 8).

Observe how St. Paul calls the ancient Patriarch, "believing Abraham" (vs. 9). He concluded that there was no necessity to maintain practices given centuries later. God blessed Abraham for believing Him long before his descendant, Christ Jesus, won the salvation of all by His death and Resurrection. When non-Jews, the Gentiles, believe in Christ Jesus, they become "those who are of faith" (vs. 9) and are Divinely blessed with Abraham. They are saved without the necessity to keep the many practices of the Mosaic tradition - just as Abraham was saved.

What about all the high ethical requirements of the Law? In St. Paul's view, these existed before they were codified under Moses. Men knew such requirements in their hearts (Rom. 2:14, 15). Furthermore, the Lord Jesus Himself expects all who believe in Him not to break "one of the least of these commandments" (Mt. 5:19), but, through faith in Himself, to do these works by faith. Those who have faith in Christ keep the commandments in joyful thanksgiving.

O Lord Jesus, true fulfilment of the Law, fill our hearts with joy and gladness always.


This meditation provided by DYNAMIS. For questions and subscription information contact a3dynamis@aol.com or DYNAMIS, St. George Orthodox Cathedral, 7515 E 13th St. N, Wichita KS 67206-1223 or go their website: www.trisagion.com/dynamis

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[Oblio]

[c]Sunday, December 14, 2003
(Tone 1)
Sunday of the Holy Forefathers of Christ

Epistle: Colossians 3:4-11 Fish, Wine & Oil Gospel: St. Luke 14:18-25

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Future, Present, Past: Colossians 3:4-11, especially vss. 5-7: "Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth....Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked...." In reflecting on today's Epistle, let the reader note carefully the grammatical tenses and all references to time in each verse or phrase; for our entire salvation, stretching from the past, to the present, and into the future, is summarized in these brief lines. Here the Apostle exhorts us concerning the labors and tasks of this present life, yet, in swift, impressionistic strokes, he looks ahead to the future, back to the past that was, and then returns again to the present where we now choose, decide, act, and live.
Today's passage begins at verse four. Here the Apostle holds up our present condition: "Christ Who is our life" (vs. 4). However, when he speaks of the life in Christ, he is placing our present within the future. What future? The time yet to come, when the Life-Giver will appear: "then you also will appear with Him in glory"(vs. 4). Participating in the Christian Mystery at present as a member of Christ, astonishingly, places us on a path toward the glory that shall be.

Those who know and firmly hold on to Christ as their inner essence will be manifested in glory when He is manifested in glory. Wondrously, those now motivated and impelled by their belief in Him are to be glorified together with Him (Rom. 8:17). We would be utterly at a loss to receive these words if we did not have the revelation of the glory of God in the flesh, the record of "Wonder" Himself, Who was incomprehensibly born among us in a form senses can comprehend. He enables us to project from this limited present to a limitless, glorious future.

In the reading, the Apostle has us consider what is demanded of the Faithful now in the present by this future of God which is to come: "Therefore put to death your members which are upon earth" (vs. 5). He lists what must be mortified: "fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire and covetousness, which is idolatry." Let us consider: "Are these sins part of us now?"

St. John Chrysostom explains the present need to mortify ourselves by having us imagine one who "has clean scoured a statue that was filthy, or rather who has recast it, and displayed it bright afresh, [as if he] should say that the rust was eaten off and destroyed, and yet should again recommend diligence in clearing away the rust. He doth not contradict himself, for it is not that rust which he scoured off that he recommends should be cleared away, but that which grew afterwards." New and former sins alike can begin anew to corrode our hearts and souls. Now, therefore, let us continue to purify and cleanse every trace of sin that threatens to grow within us so that we may be found worthy of the glorious future appearing of our Savior.

Having encouraged us by means of a God-promised, ineffable future, the Apostle also reminds us of another of God's promises - of future retribution upon those who disobey Him. The "sons of disobedience" will face wrath when the Lord returns (vs. 6). Further, St. Paul reminds us, we "once walked" as these - in "anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, [and] filthy language" (vss. 7,8). So, let us heed him and "put off all traces of these" wrong doings (vs. 8).

Returning to St. John's thought: once, in the past, in the waters of Baptism, we were illumined, we were sanctified, we were washed, so now "even unto a ripe old age" we must continue to ascribe glory to God, putting "on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him Who created him" (vs. 10). Let us labor now so that "Christ is all and in all" (vs. 11) - in ourselves and in all those we are able to persuade to live in Him. Then, when He appears in glory, we too shall appear with Him in glory (vs. 4).

Grant a Christian ending to our life and a good defense before Thy dread Judgment seat.


This meditation provided by DYNAMIS. For questions and subscription information contact a3dynamis@aol.com or DYNAMIS, St. George Orthodox Cathedral, 7515 E 13th St. N, Wichita KS 67206-1223 or go their website: www.trisagion.com/dynamis

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[Oblio]

[c]Monday, December 15, 2003
Hieromartyr Eleutherios, Bishop of Illyria

Epistle: 1 Timothy 5:1-10 Nativity Fast Gospel: St. Mark 8:11-12
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Church As Community I ~ Care for Widows: 1 Timothy 5:1-10 (adding vss. 11-16), especially vs. 3: "Honor widows who are really widows." St. Nikolai of Zica notes that although "before Christ men were able with their own spirit and effort to create great civilizations...it was not possible to arrive at a proper concept of God...as love." Thus, not surprisingly, he asks, "How would men know about charity had God not first acted with His?" For it is with Christ that a world-wide community of care, love, and charity came into being and continues to exist to this day, caring for all its members in all their diversity.
How natural it seems to us that the Church of God, filled with His Spirit, should be a caring and loving community. Yet as St. Nikolai of Zica notes: "As there are plants that grow only in one region, so this rare plant, this rare love, grows and flourishes only in Christ's Church. If anyone would be convinced...he must read the lives of Christ's apostles, the fathers and confessors of the Christian faith...." It is the work of God that love is the norm of the Church.

This week we will read four lessons to conclude the First Epistle to Timothy. Each of the readings is concerned with the status and needs of a particular group or class of persons within the Church: widows, presbyters, slaves, teachers, and the wealthy. Since all of them are members of the Body of Christ, all are of special concern to the Church as a loving community.

We begin with St. Paul's remarks concerning care for widows in the first century Church. However, from his admonitions concerning widows, let us think how to apply his teaching to our contemporary circumstances, to love and care for single women and widows amongst us.

Today's reading discloses that a monastic-like order of widows was established in the early days, to avoid having the Church's goodwill abused. The general criteria for admission: "being sixty years old...and...the wife of one man, well reported for good works" (vss. 9,10). Younger widows were refused admission, "for when they have begun to grow wanton against Christ, they desire to marry, having condemnation because they have cast off their first faith" (vss. 11,12). "Younger widows should marry, bear children, manage the house" (vs. 14), so, as Tertullian noted later, to travel "the whole course of probation whereby a female can be tested."

The Apostle counsels Timothy that care be given to those widows who truly require the help of the Church, those "who are really widows" (vs. 3). Notice, however, that he divides widows who have "children or grandchildren" (vs. 4) from any widow "who is...left alone" (vs. 5). These latter are of special concern because they have no natural family to "repay their parents" (vs. 4). Where families are capable of assisting, they should bear the burden of care for their dependent relatives: "for this is good and acceptable before God" (vs. 4). When one who calls himself a Christian, "...does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever" (vs. 8).

On the other hand, women who have no recourse except to make "supplications and prayers night and day" to God for help (vs. 5), genuinely are the responsibility of the Church, because the community bears Christ's name. In the second century, St. Ignatius of Antioch similarly counseled a fellow Bishop: "Do not let the widows be neglected; after the Lord, you must be their guardian." However, such an obligation should not be thrust on the Church in any or every case. If a woman "lives in pleasure (or indulgence)," though "technically" she may be a widow, simply because her husband is deceased, she is in fact, "dead while she lives" (vs. 6). Christian churches are to shelter their dependent members but expect others to live diligently.

Heavenly Father, guide Thy Church to administer justice for the fatherless and widows.


This meditation provided by DYNAMIS. For questions and subscription information contact a3dynamis@aol.com or DYNAMIS, St. George Orthodox Cathedral, 7515 E 13th St. N, Wichita KS 67206-1223 or go their website: www.trisagion.com/dynamis

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[Oblio]

[c]Tuesday, December 16, 2003
The Holy Prophet Haggai

Epistle: 1 Timothy 5:11-21 Nativity Fast Gospel: St. Mark 8:22-26
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Church As Community II ~ Presbyters and Pastors: 1 Timothy 5:11-21 (and vss. 22-25), especially vs. 17: "Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine." As we said yesterday, each of the four readings this week from First Timothy addresses the status and needs of a particular group or class of persons within the Church. In the present reading the Apostle instructs us concerning "elders," those who today are called Priests and provide the on-site, pastoral work of the Church for our Bishops.
Last week, in reading the earlier chapters of this Epistle, we observed that the Apostle at that point in his letter did not mention the Presbyters or Elders. At the same time, we noted that the earliest organization of the ordained ministry had a different appearance from the pattern we are accustomed to today. Now, toward the end of his letter, speaking still from the context of the early Church, St. Paul offers counsel concerning the Presbyters (i.e., Priests). Let us note his wise principles, advice which, as ever, still is applicable in the Church today.

Originally, Pastors of each local congregation appear to have been Bishops, worthy men appointed by the Apostles (1 Tim. 3:1-7). From the records we have, it appears that as the Church grew, there soon came to be multiple congregations of the Faithful in different neighborhoods, but under a single Bishop. The Bishops began to assign Elders (Presbyters) to carry on their pastoral work in the subsidiary, outlying congregations. The growth of the Church led from such temporary assignments to the actual development of dioceses as we understand them today. In the era during which First Timothy was written, elders still were a "board" of ordained men, mostly at one locale, who assisted the Bishop in "word and doctrine" (vs. 17). The ordained Deacons, in that period, handled the management of money and other material assets.

However such pastoral helpers have been named throughout history - Presbyters, Elders, Priests, Pastors - today, as in St. Paul's day, a man who serves in this capacity with a local congregation "is worthy of his wages" (vs. 18). The need for fair and adequate compensation has not changed. If there is a need that remains outstanding in the modern Church, it is adequate compensation for our pastors, for these are the leaders who give up much of their time with their own families to serve the Family of God. Like all of us, they and their families have expenses.

Another issue that arose even in St. Paul's day was accusations against Presbyters. It is so easy to criticize a Pastor! After all, much of what he does is not seen: preparation for services and teaching, counseling, Confessions, teaching, organizational meetings, community relations, diocesan responsibilities, Baptisms, Marriages, Funerals, and a host of other details.

The Apostle becomes very explicit in cautioning against negative remarks concerning the clergy: "Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses" (vs. 19). When matters reach the point where there are witnesses with specific charges about violated morals or the Church's teaching, then it is time for the Bishop to intervene. However, gossip and whispering about the clergy serves only to degrade fellowship within the Church.

When there are problems, it is the Bishops' task to rule on such matters. Our hierarchs are to "observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality" (vs. 21). This requires our Bishops to be careful in the first place about ordination, not to "lay hands on anyone hastily" and so to "share in other people's sins" (vs. 22). Likewise let us not fault our Bishops when the clergy fail the Church, for neither are all sins nor all good works plainly evident, and our chief Pastors have much to sort through in the relations between parishes and their Pastors.

Bless, O Lord, our Bishops, the venerable Priesthood, the Diaconate and all the clergy.



This meditation provided by DYNAMIS. For questions and subscription information contact a3dynamis@aol.com or DYNAMIS, St. George Orthodox Cathedral, 7515 E 13th St. N, Wichita KS 67206-1223 or go their website: www.trisagion.com/dynamis

Republished with permission

 

[Oblio]

[c]Wednesday, December 17, 2003
The Holy Prophet, Daniel, The Three Holy Youths

Epistle: 1 Timothy 5:22-6:11 Nativity Fast Gospel: St. Mark 8:30-34

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Church As Community III ~ Slaves and Teachers: 1 Timothy 5:22-6:11, especially vs. 6: "Now godliness with contentment is great gain." The Christian communities of the first century faced the needs of a large number of their members who were slaves (bond-servants), persons wholly owned by masters who mostly were not Christians. When masters and slaves both were Christians, the problems could be complicated (see the Epistle to Philemon). The counsel of the Church to slaves, which St. Paul states in this reading, did not challenge the social institution of slavery directly. Rather it encouraged slaves to "count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the Name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed" (vs. 6:1). But note especially his counsel to those who had Christians as masters: they were to "serve...because those who are benefitted are believers and beloved" (vs. 2).
These first century admonitions of St. Paul will readily transfer to the arena of work in contemporary society. We who have managers, employers, supervisors, and directors ought to count them "worthy of all honor" (vs. 1). The reason St. Paul offers is crucial: "that the Name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed" (vs. 1). Every relationship related to the workplace - with superiors and subordinates, peers and colleagues, customers and others - should be honored for God's sake, rendering to society and its claims on us what rightfully is theirs, and retaining always for God those things which are His prerogatives (Mt. 22:21).

Above all, let each of us, in whatever station we are, remember that we are teachers. But let our lives instruct others in the "wholesome words...of our Lord Jesus Christ, and...the doctrine which accords with godliness" (vs. 3), or we betray Christ. To live the Faith has little to do with displaying the words and pious gestures of our Faith, and much to do with determining to "flee... [all kinds of evil] and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness" (vs. 11).

Let us not be proud before others, but rather consider the grace which our Lord has extended to us, not being wroth with us, "slothful and sinful" as we are; neither destroying us in our transgressions, but in His compassion raising us up as we "lay in despair" (Morning Prayer to the Holy Trinity). Beloved of the Lord, we are called to reframe our lives as revealed by Light Himself. Does not He humble us? We are the least of all men, but we are His, and joyfully!

The proud, as St. Paul says, "knowing nothing...[are] obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil, suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth...." (vss. 4,5). Let us consider the reverse image and reflect on Christ's humble ones. They know all things, are filled with peace, and have no quarrel with anyone. The Truth they know is the Incarnate Word Who gives His peace to His own. Each one has His peace in his heart, and not as the world gives - in agreements and treaties. "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (Jn. 14:27). Who are we tempted to envy? We are richer than the world's great men of wealth. If we bring strife into the world (Mt. 10:34-37), it is because men prefer darkness (Jn. 3:19), but let us never sow discord.

We are blessed when we are reviled, when men "say all manner of evil against [us] falsely for My sake," says the Lord (Mt. 5:11). The Lord releases us from corrupt minds. He sets the Way before us to cleanse ourselves, to be pure, "even as He is pure" (1 Jn. 3:3). Rejoice! We are His bond-servants and slaves. Let us celebrate our Teacher and Master Who hath saved us. Let us begin today, from this moment, from the eternal now where Christ reigns.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: both now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. Glory to Thee, O God.




This meditation provided by DYNAMIS. For questions and subscription information contact a3dynamis@aol.com or DYNAMIS, St. George Orthodox Cathedral, 7515 E 13th St. N, Wichita KS 67206-1223 or go their website: www.trisagion.com/dynamis

Republished with permission

 

[Oblio]

[c]Thursday, December 18, 2003
The Martyrs Sebastian and Zoe of Rome and Companions

Epistle: 1 Timothy 6:17-21 Nativity Fast Gospel: St. Mark 9:10-16

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Church As Community IV ~ Includes The Wealthy: 1 Timothy 6:17-21, especially vs. 17: "Command those who are rich in this present age...not to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, Who gives us richly all things to enjoy." When the rich young ruler discovered that he was not willing to acquire the treasures of heaven, he went away sorrowfully from the Lord Jesus. "Then said Jesus unto His disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven....It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God" (Mt. 19:23,24).
How often the "uncertain riches of this present age" become spiritual obstacles! Still, rich and poor, men and women, slave and masters, young and old, all yearn for true Life (vs. 19), and our compassionate and loving Lord and Savior, knowing the deceitfulness of riches (Mt. 13:22), illumined His Apostles to understand both the spiritual pitfalls and the potentials for good that are inherent in material wealth. Hence, in today's reading, we find St. Paul addressing the hearts and souls of wealthy Christians, warning them against the snares into which the heart can fall, but also showing them the way to use riches for laying hold on Life.

Let the rich "not...be haughty" (1 Tim. 6:17). The insidious deceiver, from the beginning, has used things to distract us from God, to lead us into the belief that we might "be like God" (Gen. 3:5) by "having." When things become "pleasant to the eyes" (Gen. 3:6), then the lie appears as true: "that one is wise merely because he possesses" (Gen. 3:6). Seeing only wealth, and not men's hearts, one becomes inflamed with the belief that mere possession makes one wise. God help us!

Awash in this falsehood, hearts easily become "lifted up" so that we forget the Lord our God Who can bring all men into Life through Christ (Dt. 8:14). Even Christians may become haughty through material riches, for wealth gives temporal power and capacity to those who possess, tempting them to believe that they are "superior" to, or "more important" than, others.

Let the wealthy not "trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, Who gives us richly all things to enjoy" (1 Tim. 6:17). As we note: wealth does bestow power, influence, status, and capacity, which the insidious deceiver then uses to suggest that we should have faith in riches. Such trust is the devil's bargain. As the God-illumined Apostle reminds us, material riches are uncertain, ephemeral, and passing. Markets crash. Technology makes obsolete. Sickness eats up estates.

Let each one, rich or poor, first and foremost, "trust in the living God." When we trust in God, we are free to "to enjoy" and to "do good" with whatever He has given us, whether we are great or small among men (vs. 18). However, let us not be confused about the meaning of "doing good." The Apostle cites three aspects of "doing good" with wealth: "be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share" (vs. 18). There are more than enough "needs" among our fellow Christians, as well as among the impoverished and destitute of the world. Each of us can be rich in good works, giving, and sharing with those who need. Notice what follows though: by good works we store up "a good foundation for the time to come" (vs. 19).

In the original, the phrase "storing up" literally means "treasuring up." It is the same word the Lord used with the rich young man: "You will have treasure in heaven" (Mt. 19:21). As St Maximos says: "If...Christ dwells in our hearts through faith (Eph. 3:17), and all the treasures of wisdom and spiritual knowledge are hidden in Him (Col. 2:3), then all the treasures of wisdom and spiritual knowledge are hidden in our hearts....in proportion to our purification...."

O Lord, Who art provident above all we require, enable us to love Thee in all things and above all things that we may obtain Thy promises, which exceed all that we can desire.



This meditation provided by DYNAMIS. For questions and subscription information contact a3dynamis@aol.com or DYNAMIS, St. George Orthodox Cathedral, 7515 E 13th St. N, Wichita KS 67206-1223 or go their website: www.trisagion.com/dynamis

Republished with permission

 

[Oblio]

[c]Friday, December 19, 2003
The Martyrs Boniface and Areos of Cilicia

Epistle: 2 Timothy 1:1-2, 8-18 Nativity Fast Gospel: St. Mark 9:33-41

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Living Continuity: 2 Timothy 1:1-2, 8-18, especially vss. 13, 14: "Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit Who dwells in us." Bishop Kallistos Ware echoes St. Paul's counsel to "hold fast the pattern of sound words" (vs. 13) when he speaks of Orthodoxy's living continuity with the Lord Jesus, the Apostles, and the Holy Fathers: "Orthodox are always talking about Tradition...the faith and practice which Jesus Christ imparted to the Apostles, and which since the Apostles' time has been handed down from generation to generation in the Church." Like the Apostles, Bishop Kallistos links Holy Tradition to the activity of the Spirit of God: "In order to live within Tradition, it is not enough simply to give intellectual assent to a system of doctrine; for Tradition...is a life, a personal encounter with Christ in the Holy Spirit....it is the life of the Holy Spirit in the Church."
Orthodoxy is able to hold fast to "the pattern of sound words" from the Apostles successfully because of the Holy Spirit Who dwells within the Church, a continuity that often astonishes those from the denominations. St. Paul would not be surprised at this, however, as today's reading shows. He expected and counseled constancy of doctrine and practice in the Church even in the early decades during which he served: "...I know Whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day" (vs. 12).

St. Paul urged his apprentice Timothy to "hold fast" the pattern, and further, he directs Timothy to maintain "that good thing...by the Holy Spirit Who dwells in us." Because the Apostle knew the Lord by direct encounter of the Holy Spirit, he was able to issue such an order.

In the Apostle's generation, Christians faced brutal attempts to crush the Church and to remove the Gospel from history. Do not forget that this letter was penned in the context of mounting efforts to end the living continuity of the Faith, during which the Apostle would be martyred at Rome, beheaded for his Faith. Yet St. Paul never doubted that God would advance the Gospel "until that Day" (vs. 12). Notice that he strove to impart this certainty to his under-study, Timothy. We too are blessed, for, as an intercessor, St. Paul is praying for us even now - that we remain confident before the opposition that faces us in the modern, secular world.

Listen to our Apostle: "do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me" (vs. 8). Rather, he commands us to "...share with me in the sufferings" (vs. 8). We are to embrace the same repudiation of shame and sufferings "for the gospel" "according to the power of God" (vs. 8). How? In the same manner as the Lord Jesus, Who suffered as a man, being upheld by the power of God even on the Cross. He "trampled down death by death" vested in the power of God, and in every impossible circumstance in this world, we may accomplish the same.

Listen to the Apostle's next counsel: ours is a holy calling, "not according to our works, but according to [God's] purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began" (vs. 9). We are to be confident. St. Paul points out that we are engaged in the eternal purpose of God which is breaking into history and shaping the lives of many. Further, God's purpose is not subject to the change and vicissitudes of events, people, or movements.

Finally, let us heed this from St. Paul: while many "have turned away" from the Apostles and their message, like "all those in Asia, among whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes" (vs. 15), still God has zealous servants who are not ashamed of chains or the gospel, but in all conditions seek out faithful teachers true to the Apostles (vss. 16,17). Apostolic teaching alone is life.

O, Holy Apostles, intercede with the Merciful God that He grant salvation to our souls!


This meditation provided by DYNAMIS. For questions and subscription information contact a3dynamis@aol.com or DYNAMIS, St. George Orthodox Cathedral, 7515 E 13th St. N, Wichita KS 67206-1223 or go their website: www.trisagion.com/dynamis

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[Oblio]

[c]Saturday, December 20, 2003
Hieromartyr Ignatios the God-bearer, Bishop of Antioch

Epistle: Hebrews 10:32-38 Nativity Fast Gospel: St. Luke 13:18-29

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Struggle: Hebrews 10:32-38, especially vs. 32: "But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings." In the Christian Mystery, we are called by our Master, Lord, and God, Jesus Christ, to Holy Illumination. Thereafter, as we participate in the Divine Liturgy, we recall "all those things which have come to pass for us: the Cross, the Grave, the Resurrection on the third day, the Ascension into heaven, the Session at the right hand, and the second and glorious Advent." In the passage from Hebrews appointed as the Epistle for the Feast of the Hieromartyr Ignatios of Antioch, the Apostle prompts his readers to recall the shape of the life in Christ - a life that begins with the call to Holy Illumination (vs. 32) that is received in the Holy Mysteries of Baptism, Chrismation and Communion and requires great endurance in order to live in Christ, daily awaiting the coming of the Lord Jesus (vs. 37) by Whom we shall receive of the eternal and great "promise of God" (vs. 36).
Herein, the Apostle also reminds us - as at first he reminded those to whom Hebrews initially was addressed - that following Holy Illumination, there ensues real life struggle for those who take up day to day living in and for Christ. In this present passage, the Apostle recalls some very specific events in the struggle through which he personally had passed as well as some of the tribulations which his earliest readers had faced (vss. 33,34): imprisonment, public ridicule, looting of property, and anguish at witnessing the depredation of others. So how, we may ask, does such struggle relate to our circumstances? The majority of us have not had to endure catastrophic events such as these as a result of having commended "ourselves and each other and all our life unto Christ our God." What then?

Struggle in the Christian life takes many forms, but the most common, and the one shared by all, is not even outward tribulations, but the struggle within. Holy Illumination enlightens our spiritual eyes to the image of God within us. But it also reveals to us the grave distance between what God is in His perfection and what we are like within ourselves. The image is there, but the likeness is badly deformed, disfigured, corrupted. The Christian Mystery only sets us on the road to labor for the recovery of that pristine beauty which Adam had before the fall into sin. It is humbling, as St. Theodore reminds us, to be awakened "from the slumber of negligence, to be cleansed of the filth of indifference and of the sluggishness of worldly thoughts and [the coldness] of the flame of our recitation [of prayers] night and day." There is the continuous, unremitting struggle of all who have united themselves unto Christ and bowed down before Him.

Very quickly, for those who take up the painful interior struggle to live in and for Christ, there forms a bond and fellowship with all others who likewise are endeavoring, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to increase in stature in Christ and to become victors "even unto the end." There grows up a true companionship with others who are also struggling in Christ (vs. 33), a tender compassion for one's fellow sufferers (vs. 34), and an inextinguishable joy at worldly losses, so long as our "enduring possession...in heaven" holds its claim firmly upon our hearts (vs. 34).

The true issue is holding fiercely to the "great reward," to the Divine "promise" of God in Christ (vss. 35,36). Once one has truly sampled what God graciously is offering us, the greatest fear becomes the discovery of any loss of faith in one's self, that one is simply living by rote or habit, and is not keeping up the vigorous effort to claim our blessed heritage. Easing back is a subtle course by which to "cast away"God's promise and to "draw back" from His grace.

O Christ our God, keep us ever as warriors invincible in every attack of those who assail us; and make us all victors even unto the end, through Thy crown incorruptible.



This meditation provided by DYNAMIS. For questions and subscription information contact a3dynamis@aol.com or DYNAMIS, St. George Orthodox Cathedral, 7515 E 13th St. N, Wichita KS 67206-1223 or go their website: www.trisagion.com/dynamis

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[Oblio]

[c]Sun., Dec. 21, 2003
(Tone 2)
Sunday Before the Nativity of Christ: The Holy Fathers

Epistle: Hebrews 11:9-10, 17-23, 32-40 Nativity Fast Gospel: St. Matthew 1:1-25
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Faith As: Hebrews 11:9-10, 17-23, 32-40, especially vss. 39, 40: "And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us." The icon, "The Harrowing of Hades," reveals Christ, the Life-Giver, standing triumphantly astride the gates of Hades. Death is bound beneath His feet. He is lifting Adam and Eve from their tombs. The Saints named in today's Epistle reverence Him. Observe closely, for the icon discloses the first face-to-face encounter between these worthies of old and the God Whom they served. Of old these Saints had only known God intuitively. They had lived by the kind of faith described by Bishop Kallistos Ware: "Faith is not the supposition that something might be true, but the assurance that someone is there." Let us be instructed in faith by these Saints of old, in faith as confident living, as risk-taking because of promises, and as acquiescence before the will of God.
Faith is revealed as living confidently in circumstances devoid of tangible proofs. The materialist culture around us insinuates that such living is foolhardy by being unwilling to seek out hard, measurable facts. To the contrary, the servants and handmaidens of God in the icon and in the reading lived confidently because in their spirits they knew that God "is there."

Abraham migrated to a land where settlers already were present, with well-established cities, fields, wells, and a defined way of life. With some open tracts available to his flocks and herds, he was able to live and even to thrive, but always as a nomad, existing as an alien (vs. 9) among people with fixed boundaries and with the titles to all that he could see from the hill tops (Gen. 13:14-15). Nevertheless, he was able to abide comfortably in the land because he knew God, Who had promised to deliver the land to his descendants for their own, was at work. Thus "he waited for the city...Whose builder and maker is God" (Heb. 11:10).

How admirable it is when people calmly take great risks contrary to apparent evidence and are justified by the outcomes. Age had closed all hope that Abraham would receive a son of his own flesh, yet Abraham held Isaac, his own infant son, in his arms. Later, how could he possibly have thought to immolate that very son upon an altar, to remove from life him in whom his "seed shall be called" (vs. 18; Gen. 21:12)? He took a great risk, contrary to the evidence, without tangible proofs to assure him that he would be justified by such a sacrifice.

However, as the Apostle points out, Abraham concluded "that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead" (vs. 19). He chose to obey the explicit instructions of Him Who is present, to trust the God he did not see physically but Who spoke to him. Thus Abraham reveals faith as acting at personal risk when God has revealed a certain course to the heart.

When God does disclose a course of life to be followed, blessing comes only when we prepare for, work at, and do what we can to complete the course He indicates. Joseph made his heirs promise to remove his bones from Egypt (vs. 22), binding their consciousness to the promises of God. He reveals faith as preparing for what is promised by God. Let us be clear about the Source Who promises before applying this kind of faith in life. "The Lord is well pleased in them that fear Him, and in them that hope in His mercy" (Ps. 146:12 LXX).

The Saints of Old were able to subdue kingdoms, obtain promises and stop the mouths of lions (vs. 33) because they accepted death by the sword, destitution, affliction, torment or whatever came to them in life as from God's hand. May we be worthy of such a faith from God, that we may live confidently, take holy risks, and fulfill the will of God.

O Lord, grant us unwavering faith in Thy presence amidst all that befalls us in this life.



This meditation provided by DYNAMIS. For questions and subscription information contact a3dynamis@aol.com or DYNAMIS, St. George Orthodox Cathedral, 7515 E 13th St. N, Wichita KS 67206-1223 or go their website: www.trisagion.com/dynamis

Republished with permission