How to Stand in Relationship to God

Want to deepen a relationship with God? 

"Truth, dogma and doctrine, are not just intellectual facts or a framework for understanding things.  They are intimately connected with the Christian way of life – they are expressed in our love for God and for one another.  They are helping us to enter into communion with the God who is love." 

+ Fr Theodore (Ted) Bobosh

Reblogged from Fr Ted's Blog http://frted.wordpress.com/2014/05/31/dogma-how-to-stand-in-relationship-to-god/ :

What is Faith?

What is Faith?

"Doxa Patri kai Yio ke Aghio Pnevmati. Christ is risen. Faith. Isn't it what it's all about on Thomas Sunday - faith? Now that's not the same thing ... Faith is not the same thing as believing in things, like "I believe in electricity; I don't necessarily understand it, but I believe in it," or "I believe in taxes; I don't particular understand it, but I believe," or "I believe that there was a man on the moon."

That's not what faith is about. It's not about believing things you can’t quite figure out, just close your eyes and "I believe." That's not what faith is.

Homily on the Sinful Woman

Homily on the Sinful Woman
by St Ephraim the Syrian
http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3708.htm

1. Hear and be comforted, beloved, how merciful is God. To the sinful woman He forgave her offenses; yea, He upheld her when she was afflicted. With clay He opened the eyes of the blind, so that the eyeballs beheld the light. To the palsied He granted healing, who arose and walked and carried his bed. And to us He has given the pearls; His holy Body and Blood. He brought His medicines secretly; and with them He heals openly. And He wandered round in the land of Judea, like a physician, bearing his medicines. Simon invited Him to the feast, to eat bread in his house. The sinful woman rejoiced when she heard that He sat and was feasting in Simon's house; her thoughts gathered together like the sea, and like the billows her love surged. She beheld the Sea of Grace, how it had forced itself into one place; and she resolved to go and drown all her wickedness in its billows.

The Clarity of Humility

"A lady who was a doctor and worked in a hospital came one day and said to me, "It is impossible to stay in my work...Because the director there of the clinic is very nasty to me and I cannot work there anymore and I'm thinking of abandoning my job completely." 

I said to her lets try to make an experiment, stay there where you are but try to change yourself.

She said, "how?"

"Start praying" I said to her like that, "Lord I thank Thee that through this man You're showing me how far is my heart from You and I cannot keep my peace."

She started praying like that, "Lord I thank Thee that through this man You're showing me how far is my heart from You..." and after two weeks the director of this clinic went to visit this young lady doctor and said to her, "Either you are no longer the same person or I made a mistake."

And the whole thing changed and there was a perfect harmony in their collaboration and working together.

...But she had to humble her self and not to have any bitterness at all and have complete confidence in God that He can speak to his heart good things, and put herself under that and within two weeks she won the victory.

It's a matter of faith...if we reason humanly and on a psychological level there is no way out, but if we manage to do what our fathers taught us...what did they say?

I'll give you an example from the Desert Fathers...One novice went to St Pimon the Great, and said to him , "father I think I have got the unceasing prayer."

He began to think he acquired the prayer of the heart... And the saint said to him "and you think that is a great thing? The great thing is to put yourself under ever creature"

That is the reasoning of our fathers. If we manage to humble our selves before the other..."

+ Father Zacharias of Essex, Human Relationships In the Light of Christ 3 of 5, http://youtu.be/e2HoJOYisQk

http://youtu.be/e2HoJOYisQk

The Words of a Heart

It seems that the great elder Apa Makarios was journeying in the blazing North African desert one day with a zealous young novice.

Urging the disciple to go on ahead of him, Apa Makarios found a shaded place to rest awhile. The novice went on ahead and soon encountered a priest of the Egyptian idols traveling on the same road. Filled with fundamental zeal, the novice verbally attacked the priest, piously proclaiming that God could not and would not have anything to do with his religion and its evil idols. So abusive was this young monk, that it is said the priest of idols struck him with a mighty blow, leaving him semiconscious at the side of the road.

As the priest proceeded on his way, he soon encountered Elder Makarios, sitting beneath the shade of a great rock. Seeing him, the old monk called out saying, ‘My brother, you must be weary with the burden of your travels. Why don’t you sit here with me in this cool place for a while and speak to me of your journey?’ ‘What?’ the priest responded, still enraged by the last encounter. ‘Are you, old monk, not also going to berate me and condemn my faith and my gods as did that young monk down the road?’ ‘Certainly not,’ replied Makarios, and again bade him to sit and speak with him as a brother and fellow-pilgrim.

There the two sat and spoke of things great and small for hours.

Seeing evening’s approach, the ancient Makarios finally arose to bid his new friend farewell and be on his way, but the priest of idols would not let him go. ‘I shall in no wise allow you to depart this place, unless you allow me to return with you.’ And so the two made their way back to the monastery, picking up and helping the young, confused—and very much humbled—novice on their way. When they arrived, Apa Makarios called together all the brethren to greet the new seeker, and treated him with the greatest of honors.

Now all of this was beyond the comprehension of the young monk, who was so certain of where God was and where God was not. So he went by night to ask the elder to explain all that had happened with the infidel priest of idols. And the ancient Makarios, who must have shined like the sun in the midst of that desert night, responded with words like these: ‘My child, the hostile words of a closed heart can turn a potentially good situation into a bad one, while the hospitable words of an open heart can turn a potentially bad situation into a good one.’

+ As retold by Fr. Elias Bouboutsis in his book "Singing in a Strange Land," (Massachusetts, Holy Cross Orthodox Press: 2010) 30-31.

The Effects of Reductionism

The early warning signs of an Orthodox Church in crisis...

*Adapted from Prickly City Comic Strip by Scott Stantis (http://www.gocomics.com/pricklycity/2014/05/17#.U4NWt_mSzVQ)

"Sound Orthodox theological teaching is a pressing matter in our Orthodox Church. Where there has been bad theology, no theology, simplified theology or shallow theology, we have seen our youth melting away..."

+ His Grace Anba Roufael (Raphael), General Secretary of 
the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Toronto 2014.

“It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out.”

+ C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge..."

+ Hosea 4:6

"Everything we do or learn has theological implications...attend a bible study and you're being exposed to a theology...sing a song and you're hearing theology...commit an act of mercy and your actions are based on a theological premise....say a prayer and you're actually theologizing...I even heard an Abouna say "all our Church's theology is expressed in the Divine Liturgy and the Church services"...

...sometimes we feel and think that we don't like this thing called theology but be aware we're almost always learning a theology...we just have to ask if we are learning and living good theology or bad theology...bad theology will not serve or save the Orthodox Church...bad theology will develop bad religion..."

+ Coptic Orthodox Student

"We need to humbly and without making excuses acknowledge to our children what is true in our failure to be the authentic witness of the true faith. We have failed miserably in many ways to live the Orthodox faith. Finally, what is most important is to understand that the response that must be given to “bad religion” is not secularism or atheism, but rather what St Paul calls a “beautiful witness of the hope that is within us.” How can we recognize authenticity when it concerns the Orthodox Church? What will convince our children to recognize where is the truth? In the same way we recognize beauty and goodness! They are self-evident! The same with the true faith! It declares itself! It attracts by itself. The reverse is also true: atheism is a parasite that feeds of the believers' betrayal of the truth." 

+ Fr Roberto Ubertino,  How atheists can help us

How can we recognize authenticity when it concerns the Orthodox Church?
What will convince our children to recognize where is the truth?

O Lord save Your people and bless Your inheritance; protect the whole body of Your Church; sanctify those who love the beauty of Your house; glorify them in return by Your divine power; and do not forsake us who hope in You....

Beloved readers, as the holy feast of Pentecost approaches, please remember your Coptic Orthodox brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers in your prayers. Please also remember all the Orthodox Churches in your prayers. Please pray for peace in the whole world, for the stability of the holy churches of God, and for the unity of all...

Lord have mercy. 

Don't dumb down the message

Sometimes we might feel that it would be beneficial to reduce or package the Christian message to make it more 'relevant', 'hip', or accessible. In this video, Father Robert Barron addresses some of the issues of embracing the feel-good banners and balloons presentation of the Faith which he experienced as a child. His observations are definitely food for thought for Orthodox Christians.

Fr Robert Barron Comments On Reductionist Faith 

at the 10 minute 15 seconds mark of this 

Keynote Speech on the "7 Keys to the New Evangelization":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRzDBro3FiE&feature=share&t=10m15s

Partial Transcript:

On Theological Illiteracy

Archimandrite Vassilios Papavassiliou mentions various concerns with imparting Orthodox Theology: from reductionism, poor catechesis, to resorting to books alone. Fr Vassilios' article also implies that there be a lived theology, a theology that is encountered in beauty as well as leading one from rationalism to a real encounter of the Living God. That one be led to repentance and union with the Holy Trinity, and behold the beauty of God, in all the paradox, all the mystery, all the depth and wisdom of His Body, the Church. Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Theological Illiteracy
http://www.pravmir.com/theological-illiteracy/

A talk given by Archimandrite Vassilios Papavassiliou on Clergy Laity Conference, November, 2010.

True Love

"True love is love that causes us pain, that hurts, and yet brings us joy. That is why we must pray and ask for the courage to love." + Mother Teresa

The effect of Christ’s Nature Becomes Manifest in Us

Reblogged from http://sayingsoftheorthodoxfathers.wordpress.com/2014/05/17/by-prayer-the-effect-of-christs-nature-becomes-manifest-in-us-fr-matta-el-meskeen/

The transcendent gifts of the Christian life are manifold. Some are general, like the second birth, redemption for the forgiveness of sins, justification by grace, sanctification by the blood of Christ. Others are personal, like the gift of love, humility, piety, the glowing of spirit in constant intimacy with the Lord, and so forth. The strength and efficacy of all these gifts, however, can never be manifested except through prayer. 

By prayer, the effect of Christ’s nature becomes manifest in us. By prayer, the power of his death and life appears in our works and behaviour. By prayer, the sweet savour of Christ is scented in our words and thoughts. It is even scented in our quietude and silence as well. 

The work of Christ to redeem from sin, to save from sin, and to bring victory over evil can never appear except through a life of prayer. Neither can the living testimony of the new birth be brought about without such life. Without a life of prayer, all attempts to declare these divine actions in man’s nature become false, theoretical, and a product of the ego or self-will. In such a case, the old Adam remains as he is with his inclinations, passions and earthly nature. 

We should then accept these facts about prayer and set our hearts to them. We should resolve firmly to apply them with all our strength, which will cost us much effort and sacrifice. But whatever the sacrifice or effort, we will surely attain to all the transcendent mysteries of Christ – such mysteries as were previously only a matter of hearing. 

This can be realised only when prayer becomes our supreme concern, our main preoccupation, which outweighs all other cares; our duty, which challenges all other duties; our pleasure, which surpasses every other pleasure. We would then pray at all times, in all circumstances, in all places, in all conditions. We would pray in an insatiable hunger for constant contact with Christ. In all this we would be urged by his words, deeds, actions, and character – as he said, “Learn from me” (Mt 11.29). 

[Fr. Matthew the Poor, Orthodox Prayer Life]

http://sayingsoftheorthodoxfathers.wordpress.com/2014/05/17/by-prayer-the-effect-of-christs-nature-becomes-manifest-in-us-fr-matta-el-meskeen/