Learning Through Pain and Suffering

“Why do men learn through pain and suffering, and not through pleasure and happiness? Very simply, because pleasure and happiness accustom one to satisfaction with the things given in this world, whereas pain and suffering drive one to seek a more profound happiness beyond the limitations of this world.”-Blessed Seraphim Rose

The Future Challenge For Orthodoxy

“The great challenge for Orthodoxy in the near future is not to find new and better ways of adapting to the dominant culture by assimilation and thus becoming “relevant”; the challenge is to establish and maintain genuine continuity with the Saints and Fathers of the past. This means more education, for ignorance of the Faith among many Orthodox today is appalling and is the single greatest factor in the crisis we are now facing.”-Fr. Alexey Young (now Hieromonk Ambrose)

St. Vincent of Lerins and Catholicity

“A fundamentalist Protestant publication recently published an attack against Orthodoxy in which the accusation was made that Father Georges Florovsky and his “followers” reject St. Vincent—specifically his definition of Catholicity. I have not read much of Florovsky, but I have a hard time believing that this claim is correct. (Fr. J.W., TX)

Neither did Father Florovsky reject nor have his “followers” ever rejected St. Vincent and his definition of catholicity. Rather, Father Florovsky and those who have expanded on his notions point out that the Vincentian formula, “…quod ubique, quod semper, quod ab omnibus creditum est,” is not adequate, per se, to describe the catholicity of the Church. Catholicity is not a matter of geography and majority (what is believed everywhere and by everyone), since it is often the case that truth resides in the minority (the “little flock”) and among even the very few (e.g., the Cappadocians or the anti-unionists at the time of St. Mark Evgenikos). What Father Florovsky, in particular, argues is that we must understand St. Vincent in terms of a larger consensus, a kind of existential universality that encompasses the whole spiritual voice of the Church. “Universal consent,” a Protestant idea, can easily be derived from a misunderstanding of St. Vincent’s famous words; therefore, Father Florovsky rightly points out that we Orthodox (and St. Vincent) accept the teachings of the Fathers, for example, not by subjection to the external authority of some “democratic” consensus, but because of their inner catholicity, the inner evidence of their catholic truth. This profound distinction is not immediately obvious in St. Vincent’s formula. Clearly, then, the formula is inadequate only in the sense that it cannot stand alone, without a deeper understanding of what catholicity is and how it relates to the Church’s true authority, which rises from the common authority of the Fathers, who are the criterion of catholicity (even, in some matters, beyond and above the synods and councils) when they speak (each one of them in every place, their oneness and location understood, here, spiritually and not empirically) for the whole people of God, for the entire experience of the revealed truth of the Christian Church.

It is obvious, from what we have written, that the Protestant fundamentalists to whom you refer not only misunderstand us Orthodox when we speak about the Fathers, but imagine that we are somehow limited in our thinking, such that a phrase or formula from one of the Fathers cannot be approached in critical terms. Father Florovsky is, once again, simply pointing out, in his statements about St. Vincent, that this Saint’s famous formula for catholicity is inadequate only if its terms are accepted in an empirical, simple-minded way, as they are by Protestants in deriving a theory of “universal consent” (democratic truth) therefrom, and Roman Catholics, who find therein a geographical and external definition of authority. Moreover, he also argues, in one place, that St. Vincent’s catholic formula is as much a statement about the permanence of Christian teaching as about catholicity itself. Needless to say, Father Florovsky and his “followers” do not, thereby, reject St. Vincent. “-Fr. John Whiteford

Read the whole article at orthodoxinfo.

The Antichrist

“The Antichrist will not appear in history with a fearful and shocking manner by which all would recognize him, nor will he have an ugly appearance, nor yet will he do immoral works. He will come in such a way that very few will realize who he is. He will come after a long preparation of centuries which started in the first days od the Church and which continues with increasing progress in our days. Humaniry will see in his person its greatest benefactor.” From Against False Union by Alexander Kalomoris

I came across this quotation and thought that it fit with what Blessed Seraphim Rose said here.

Not every act of prayer is prayer

“However, not every act of prayer is prayer. Standing at home before your icons, or here in church, and venerating them is not yet prayer, but the “equipment” of prayer. Reading prayers either by heart or from a book, or hearing someone else read them is not yet prayer, but only a tool or method for obtaining and awakening prayer. Prayer itself is the piercing of our hearts by pious feelings towards God, one after another – feelings of humility, submission, gratitude, doxology, forgiveness, heart-felt prostration, brokenness, conformity to the will of God, etc. All of our effort should be directed so that during our prayers, these feelings and feelings like them should fill our souls, so that the heart would not be empty when the lips are reading the prayers, or when the ears hear and the body bows in prostrations, but that there would be some qualitative feeling, some striving toward God. When these feelings are present, our praying is prayer, and when they are absent, it is not yet prayer.

It seems that nothing should be simpler and more natural for us than prayer and our hearts’ striving for God. But in fact it is not always like this for everyone. One must awaken and strengthen a prayerful spirit in oneself, that is one must bring up a prayerful spirit. The first means to this is to read or to hear prayers said. Pray as you should, and you will certainly awaken and strengthen the ascent of your heart to God and you will come into a spirit of prayer.

In our prayer books, there are prayers of the Holy Fathers – Ephraim the Syrian, Makarios the Egyptian, Basil the Great, John Chrysostom, and other great men of prayer. Being filled with the spirit of prayer, they were able to up that living spirit into words, and handed it down to us. When one enters into these prayers with attention and effort, then that great and prayerful spirit will in turn enter into him. He will taste the power of prayer. We must pray so that our mind and heart receive the content of the prayers that we read. In this way the act of praying becomes a font of true prayer in us. I will give here three very simple instructions: 1. always begin praying with at least a little preparation; 2. do not pray carelessly, but with attention and feeling; and 3. do not go on to ordinary work immediately after prayer.

Even if prayer is common for us, it always demands preparation. What is more common for those who can read and write than reading and writing? However, sitting down to read or write, we do not immediately begin, but we calm ourselves before beginning, at least to the point that we can read or write in a peaceful state. Even more so preparation for the work of prayer is necessary before praying, especially when what we have been doing before praying is of a totally different nature from prayer.” -St. Theophan the Recluse

Read the entire homily at Monachos.net.

Existential Atheism

“Atheism, true ‘existential’ atheism, burning with hatred of a seemingly unjust or unmerciful God is a spiritual state; it is a real attempt to grapple with the true God whose ways are so inexplicable even to the most believing of men, and it has more than once been known to end in a blinding vision of Him Whom the real atheist truly seeks. It is Christ Who works in these souls. The Antichrist is not to be found in the deniers, but in the small affirmers, whose Christ is only on the lips. Nietzsche, in calling himself Antichrist, proved thereby his intense hunger for Christ…” Blessed Fr. Seraphim Rose

A Prayer Before Reading Holy Scripture

Prayer of Saint John Chrysostom
Before Reading or Listening to the Word of God

O Lord Jesus Christ, open Thou the eyes of my heart, that I may hear Thy word and understand and do Thy will, for I am a sojourner upon the earth. Hide not Thy commandments from me, but open mine eyes, that I may perceive the wonders of Thy law. Speak unto me the hidden and secret things of Thy wisdom. On Thee do I set my hope, O my God, that Thou shalt enlighten my mind and understanding with the light of Thy knowledge, not only to cherish those things which are written, but to do them; that in reading the lives and sayings of the saints I may not sin, but that such may serve for my restoration, enlightenment and sanctification, for the salvation of my soul, and the inheritance of life everlasting. For Thou art the enlightenment of those who lie in darkness, and from Thee cometh every good deed and every gift. Amen.

HT: Chrysostom Press

Orthodoxy and the Salvation of Protestants

“Sam Torode writes near the end of his essay: “Instead of “evangelizing” my evangelical friends, I now hope to learn from them. Discussing differences is worthwhile, but it’s more important to encourage each other as we grow in Christ.” Sam sees this as being a question of “humility” rather than of truth.

This reflects a serious misunderstanding of what it means to be Orthodox… as well as what it means to be heterodox. Being Orthodox does not mean that we are better than anyone else. I have known many pious Protestants who I am sure will have an easier time of it on the day of judgment than I will. Being Orthodox gives us a greater responsibility because we have the fullness of the truth and all the grace that is only available through the Church. To whom much is given, much is required.

We do not judge Protestants, because that is a matter for God. However, we do have an obligation to speak the truth in love to those who are not Orthodox.

We can learn a lot from Protestants. Here’s something I learned from one years ago. I was in a discussion between several college students and a Nazarene Missionary to Korea. We had just heard a lecture that spoke of the light and grace that God has made available to those who have never heard the Gospel. One student asked why we would bother sending missionaries to non-Christian countries, because they have their own culture, and if they hear the Gospel that will only increase their responsibility on the day of judgment. Why not just leave them be, and let them be judged based on the light that they already have? The Missionary responded roughly thus: “You tell me that people can be saved without hearing the Gospel, and I accept that as a possibility… and likewise I can believe that a man might be able to sail a kayak across the Pacific Ocean… but if I am in an Ocean liner, I am going to encourage the guy in the kayak to get on board the Ocean liner.

Likewise, I personally am convinced that many Protestants will be saved, but I know that the boats that they have crafted for themselves are not as sure as the Ark of Salvation that is the Church. And so, it is not due to a lack of humility that I encourage them to get on board the Ark… because I didn’t build the Ark, and have nothing to boast about it in any case. I entered the Ark the same way that I am now encouraging my Protestant friends to enter. It would only be due to a supreme lack of love and gratitude to God that I would fail to do so.” Fr. John Whiteford’s News Comments and Reflections

A Few Words From St. Macarius of Egypt

“Very many wish to gain the Kingdom without Labors, without struggles, without sweat; but this is impossible.”

“If you love the glories of men, and desire to be worshipped, and seek comfort, you are going off the path. You must be crucified with the Crucified One, suffer with Him that suffered, that you may be glorified with Him that is glorified.” -St. Macarius of Egypt

Come and See

“For years in my studies I was satisfied with being ‘above all traditions’ but somehow faithful to them… When I visited an Orthodox Church, it was in order to view another ‘tradition’. However, when I entered an Orthodox Church for the first time (a Russian Church in San Francisco) something happened to me that I had not experienced in any Buddhist or other Eastern Temple; Something in my heart said that this was home, that all my search was over. I didn’t really know what this meant, because the service was quite strange to me, and in a foreign language. I began to attend Orthodox services more frequently, gradually learning its language and customs… With my exposure to Orthodoxy and to Orthodox people, a new idea began to enter my awareness: that Truth was not just an abstract idea, sought and known by the mind, but was something personal- even- a Person- sought and loved by the heart. And that is how I met Christ”.- Blessed Seraphim Rose