Blog

11 October ~ St. Ethelburga, Abbess of Barking

Posted on by Fr. Peter
She lived in the 7th century. Benedictine abbess of a dual Monastery, daughter of the king of the East Angles and sister of Sts. Eronwald Bishop of London, Etheldreda, Sexburga, and Withburga…
Saint Erconwald founded a convent for her at Barking, in Essex, England. She was trained as an abbess by St. Hildelid, who came from France to assist her.
Ethelburga proved herself a sister worthy of such a brother and Barking became celebrated, not only for the fervour of its nuns, but for the zeal they displayed for the study of the Holy Scriptures, the fathers of the Church and even the classic tongues.

Christianity Should Not Change With The Times

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Letter By St. Theophan the Recluse
December 29, 1863
Sunday after Christ’s Birth
It reached my ears that, as it seems, you consider my sermons very strict and believe that today no one should think this way, no one should be living this way and therefore, no one should be teaching this way. “Times have changed!”
How glad I was to hear this. This means that you listen carefully to what I say, and not only do you listen, but you are also willing to abide by it. What more could we hope for, we who preach as we were ordered and as much we were ordered?
Despite all this, in no way can I agree with your opinion. I even consider it my duty to comment on it and to correct it, since – even though it perhaps goes against your desire and conviction – it comes from something sinful, as though Christianity could alter its doctrines, its canons, its sanctifying ceremonies to answer to the spirit of each age and adjust itself to the changing tastes of the sons of this century, as though it could add or subtract something.
Yet, it is not so. Christianity must remain eternally unchanging, in no way being dependent on or guided by the spirit of each age. Instead, Christianity is meant to govern and direct the spirit of the age for anyone who obeys its teachings. To convince you of this, I will put forward some thoughts for you to consider.
Some said that my teaching is strict. First of all, my teaching is not my own, nor should it be. In this sacred office nobody should, nor even can, preach his own teaching. If I or someone else ever dare to do so, you can put us outside the Church.
We preach the teachings of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, of the Holy Apostles, and the Holy Church, which is guided by the Holy Spirit. At the same time, we make sure to do everything possible to keep these teachings whole and inviolate in your minds and hearts. Every thought we present and every word we use, we do so very carefully, so as not to overshadow this brilliant and divine teaching in any way. Nobody can act differently.
Such a law that calls for each man’s preaching in the Church to be “God-sent,” was established at the creation of the world, and should thus remain valid until the end of the world. The Prophet Moses, after the delivery of the commandments from God Himself to the people of Israel, concluded: “You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you” (Deut. 4:2).
This law of constancy is so unalterable that the Lord and Savior Himself, when He was teaching the people on the mountain, said: “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Math. 5:17-18).
Then He gave the same validity to his teaching, before interpreting the commandments in the spirit of the gospel, by adding: “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven” (Math. 5:19).
This means that anyone who wrongly interprets the commandments of God and lessens their validity, will be an outcast in the future life. This is what He said at the beginning of His preaching. He assured the same thing to Saint John the Theologian, the beholder of ineffable revelations, to whom He described the final judgement of the world and the Church, indicating in the Apocalypse (Book of Revelations): “I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book” (Apoc. 22:18-19).
From the time of His first appearance in the world until the Second Coming, Christ has given the Holy Apostles and their successors the following law: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” (Math. 28:19-20).
That means “for you to teach, not what anyone else could possibly imagine, but what I ordered, and this to the end of the world.” And He adds: “And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen” (Math. 28:20).
The Apostles received this law and sacrificed their lives in order to keep it. And to those who wanted to keep them from preaching what it was they preached under the threat of punishment and death, they replied: “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20).
This clear law was delivered by the apostles to their successors, was accepted by them, and has timeless effect in the Church of God. Because of this law, the Church is the pillar and the ground of truth. Can you see then what an inviolable steadfastness it has? After that, who would be so bold as to stubbornly disturb or move anything in Christian doctrine and law?
Next listen to what is said of the Prophet Ezekiel who for seven days was in the ecstasy of prayer and after seven days heard the word of the Lord: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth” (Ezek. 3:17), and he declared to the people: Here is the law for you! If you see a wicked person committing iniquity and you do not tell him: leave your iniquity and change your way, “that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand” (Ezek. 3:18). Conversely, “if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul” (Ezek. 3:19-21).
What a strict law! And though it sounds in the consciences of all pastors during their election and consecration, when a heavy yoke is put on them, namely the instruction of the flock of Christ that He entrusted to them, big or small, not only to guide it but also to preserve it. How could anyone be so bold, to pervert everything in the law of Christ, when this involves the destruction of both pastors and flock?
If the saving power of this teaching depended on our opinion of it and our consent to it, it would make sense for someone to imagine rebuilding Christianity according to human weaknesses or the claims of the age and adapt it according to the sinful desires of his heart. But the saving power of Christian law does not at all depend on us, but on the will of God, by the fact that God Himself established precisely the exact path of salvation. Beyond this there is no other way, nor could it exist. Therefore, anyone who teaches in any other way, is deviating from the true path and is destroying himself and you. What logic is there in that?
Notice how strict judgment was mentioned when something similar happened to the nation of Israel during the difficult years of their captivity. Some prophets out of pity for the suffering and sick talked to the people, not as the Lord had ordered, but as their heart dictated. Concerning them the Lord gave the following commands to Ezekiel: “And you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people, who prophesy out of their own minds. Prophesy against them and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the women who sew magic bands upon all wrists, and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature, in the hunt for souls’” (Ezek. 13:17-18).
This means: Woe to those who order any kind of special treatment and suggest such leniency, so no one feels the slightest displeasure, either from those on top or those at the bottom, not caring whether this is for their salvation or destruction, whether it is pleasing to God, or repulsive. Woe to them, because “thus says the Lord God…your pillows and veils,” namely your candied and comforting teaching, “upon which there you are perverting souls, I will tear from your arms and I will let their souls that you are perverting, go away…” (Ezek. 13:20-21) from this teaching of yours and I will destroy you corrupters.
This is the benefit of this special treatment and leniency, such as you want to hear from preachers! When you put all this deep in your heart, it is not right for you to want us to make any concessions in Christian doctrine, having the wrong desire to be pleased by us. On the contrary, you are obliged to persistently demand from us to remain true to doctrine, as strictly and firmly as possible.
Have you ever heard of the indulgences of the Pope of Rome? Here is what they are: special treatment and leniency, which he gives defying the law of Christ. And what is the result? From all of this, the West is corrupt in faith and in their way of life, and is now getting lost in its disbelief and in the unrestrained life with its indulgences.
The Pope changed many doctrines, spoiled all the sacraments, nullified the canons concerning the regulation of the Church and the correction of morals. Everything has begun going contrary to the will of the Lord, and has become worse and worse.
Then came along Luther, a smart man, but stubborn. He said, “The Pope changed everything as he wanted, why shouldn’t I do the same?” He started to modify and re-modify everything in his own way, and in this way established the new Lutheran faith, which only slightly resembles what the Lord had commanded and the Holy Apostles delivered to us.
After Luther came the philosophers. And they in turn said, “Luther has established himself a new faith, supposedly based on the Gospel, though in reality based on his own way of thinking. Why, then, don’t we also compose doctrines based on our own way of thinking, completely ignoring the Gospel?” They then started rationalizing, and speculating about God, the world, and man, each in his own way. And they mixed up so many doctrines, that one gets dizzy just counting them.
Now the Westerners have the following views: Believe what you think best, live as you like, satisfy whatever captivates your soul. This is why they do not recognize any law or restriction and they do not abide by God’s word. Their road is wide, all obstacles displaced. Their way is broad, all the obstacles taken out. But the broad road leads to perdition, according to what the Lord says. This is where leniency in teaching has led!
Lord, save us from this broad way! But it is better to love each difficulty that the Lord has appointed for our salvation. Let us love Christian doctrines and let us compel our mind with them, pushing it not to think otherwise. Let us love Christian morals and let us compel our will in them, forcing it to lift the light yoke of the Lord humbly and patiently. Let us love all Christian rituals and services which guide us, correct us, and sanctify us. Let us compel our heart with them, encouraging it to convey its desires from the earthly and perishable, to the heavenly and imperishable.
Let us confine ourselves as though in a cage. Or better, let us drag ourselves, as if we were passing through a narrow passage. Let it be narrow, so no one can deviate neither to the right left, nor the left. Yet undoubtedly, through this narrow way we will obtain the kingdom of the heavens in return. For as you know, this kingdom is the kingdom of the Lord. The Lord laid this narrow way and said, “Follow exactly this route and you will obtain the kingdom of heaven.”
Could anyone then doubt whether the traveler will get to his destination? And what mind would one have who starts wanting all kinds of annulment of the commandments, when by doing this he would immediately lose his way and be lost?
Once you have fully understood this assertion, do not worry if something in our teaching seems to be strict. The only thing you should strive for is to carefully make sure if it is from the Lord. And after you have made sure it is from the Lord, accept it with all your heart, no matter how strict or obliging it may be. And not only avoid wanting special treatment and leniency with doctrine and the ethics, but even flee from all these, as though fleeing from the fire of Gehenna. Those who cannot escape from this are those who think up such things and with them lure those who are spiritually weak to follow them. Amen.

h/t Mystagogy Blog

Blog

11 October ~ St. Kenneth, Abbot of Aghaboe and the Outer Hebrides

Posted on by Fr. Peter

According to a legend he was born in 525 in Glengiven, County Derry, northern Ireland. His father was a distinguished royal bard, and his mother’s name was Maul. He became a monk under St. Cadoc at Llancarfan, Wales, and was ordained there. After a trip to Rome, he studied under St. Finnian at Clonard, Ireland, accompanied Ss. Kieran, Columba, and Comgall to St. Mobhi at Glasnevin…

He founded the monastery of Agahanoe and served as its abbot. May have founded the monastery of Kilkenny, Ireland, a city named for him. Missionary to Scotland with Saint Columba in 565; known as an effective preacher. Built a church in the place now known as Saint Andrews. He copied out the all four Gospels, and wrote a commentary on them.

He died in 599 at Aghaboe, Laois, Ireland of natural causes.

Report Finds Strong Growth In U.S. Orthodox Churches

Posted on by Fr. Peter
By Whitney Jones
Religion News Service
(RNS) America’s Eastern Orthodox parishes have grown 16 percent in the past decade, in part because of a settled immigrant community, according to new research.
Alexei Krindatch, research consultant for the Standing Conferences of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas, said the 16 percent growth in the number of Orthodox parishes is “a fairly high ratio for religious groups in the United States.”
The number of Orthodox parishes has reached 2,370, and the Orthodox community in America consists of more than 1 million adherents across 20 different church bodies, according to the 2010 U.S. Orthodox Census.
The top five largest Orthodox churches in the U.S. are Greek Orthodox (476,900), Orthodox Church in America (84,900), Antiochian Orthodox (74,600), Serbian Orthodox (68,800) and Russian Orthodox (27,700).
Two of these church bodies–the Bulgarian Orthodox Eastern Diocese and the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese–experienced a growth rate of over 100 percent. Both churches began with a small number of parishes in 2000 and are supported by a community of established Eastern European immigrants.
“It takes immigrant communities a little while to establish a religious community,” Krindatch said. “They settle, then begin to think about their religious lives.”
Even though the majority of Orthodox church bodies grew, some lost parishes. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, Patriarchal Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church and Armenian Apostolic Church of America all experienced a slight decrease in the number of parishes.
The study, which was part of the national Religious Congregations and Membership Study 2010, also shows that just 27 percent of members attend Orthodox churches regularly.
Krindatch said the definition of each of the groups affected this statistic. Church “adherents” was the most inclusive category, consisting of anyone who occasionally participated in church life, while “regular attendees” are those who attend church on an almost weekly basis.
More information on the survey can be found at http://www.orthodoxreality.org/.

Fr. Meletios Webber on Priesthood and Spiritual Fathers, Part Two

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Steve the Builder
A layman’s view of living the Orthodox Christian Faith
Steve Robinson is heard regularly on Our Life in Christ with his co-host Bill Gould. But in this shorter podcast, Steve reflects on the practical side of being an Orthodox Christian working in a secular environment.

Steve continues his interview with Fr. Meletios Webber and they discuss the role of the parish priest as a Father/confessor, confession and counseling, penances, clairvoyance and much more.

Click Here for the Episode

Fr. Meletios Webber on Priesthood and Spiritual Fathers, Part One

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Steve the Builder
A layman’s view of living the Orthodox Christian Faith
Steve Robinson is heard regularly on Our Life in Christ with his co-host Bill Gould. But in this shorter podcast, Steve reflects on the practical side of being an Orthodox Christian working in a secular environment.
Steve interviews Fr. Meletios Webber, the Abbot of St. John’s Monastery, on what the “grace of the priesthood” bestows on a man and what the priest’s authority and role is in the life of the parish and in his relationship with his parishoners as his spiritual children.

Click Here for the Episode

6 October ~ St. Innocent of Alaska

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Our father among the saints Innocent of Alaska, Equal-to-the-Apostles and Enlightener of North America (1797-1879), was a Russian Orthodox priest, bishop, archbishop, and Metropolitan of Moscow and all Russia. He is known for his missionary work, scholarship, and leadership in Alaska and the Russian Far East during the 1800s. He is known for his great zeal for his work as well as his great abilities as a scholar, linguist, and administrator. He was a missionary, later a bishop and archbishop in Alaska and the Russian Far East. He learned several native languages and was the author of many of the earliest scholarly works about the natives and their languages, as well as dictionaries and religious works in these languages. He also translated parts of the Bible into several native languages.
St. Innocent, né Ivan (John) Evseyevich Popov-Veniaminov, was born on August 26, 1797, into the family of a church server in the village of Anginskoye, Verkholensk District, Irkutsk province, in Russia. His father died when John was six.
In 1807, John entered the Irkutsk Theological Seminary. In 1817 he married, and on May 18, 1817 he was ordained deacon of the Church of the Annunciation in Irkutsk. He completed his studies in 1818. He was appointed a teacher in a parish school, and on May 18, 1821 he was ordained priest to serve in the Church of the Annunciation.
At the beginning of 1823, Bishop Michael of Irkutsk received instructions to send a priest to the island of Unalaska in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. Father John Veniaminov volunteered to go, and on May 7, 1823, he departed from Irkutsk, accompanied by his aging mother, his wife, his infant son Innocent, and his brother Stefan. After a difficult one-year journey, they arrived at Unalaska on July 29, 1824.
After John and his family built and moved into an earthen hut, he undertook the construction of a church on the island and set about studying the local languages and dialects. He trained some of his parishioners in construction techniques and with them undertook the construction of a church, which was finished the following July.
Father John’s parish included the island of Unalaska and the neighboring Fox Islands and Pribilof Islands, whose inhabitants had been converted to Christianity before his arrival, but retained many of their pagan ways and customs. Father John often traveled between the islands in a canoe, battling the stormy Gulf of Alaska.
His travels over the islands greatly enhanced Father John Veniaminov’s familiarity with the local dialects. In a short time he mastered six of the dialects. He devised an alphabet of Cyrillic letters for the most widespread dialect, the Unagan dialect of Aleut and, in 1828, translated the Holy Gospel of St. Matthew and other church materials into that dialect, which were eventually published in 1840 with the blessing of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. In 1829, he journeyed to the Bering Sea coast of the Alaskan mainland and preached to the people there. In 1836, his travels even extended to the south, to the Ross Colony north of San Francisco and to the Spanish missions of northern California. At Ross Colony he conducted services at its small, wooden chapel.
In 1834, Father John was transferred to Sitka Island, to the town of Novoarkhangelsk, later called Sitka. He devoted himself the Tlingit people and studied their language and customs. His studies there produced the scholarly works Notes on the Kolushchan and Kodiak Tongues and Other Dialects of the Russo-American Territories, with a Russian-Kolushchan Glossary.
Innokentii (Innocent), Metropolitan of Moscow (1797-1879), called the “Apostle of Alaska”In 1838, Father John journeyed to St. Petersburg and Moscow, Russia, and Kiev, Ukraine, to report on his activities and request an expansion of the Church’s activities in Russian America. While he was there, he received notice that his wife had died. He requested permission to return to Sitka. Instead, it was suggested that he take vows as a monk. Father John at first ignored these suggestions, but, on November 29, 1840, made his vows. He chose the name Innocent in honor of Bishop Innocent of Irkutsk.
On December 15, 1840, Archimandrite Innocent Veniaminov was consecrated Bishop of Kamchatka and Kuril Islands in Russia and the Aleutian Islands in Russian America. His see was located in Novoarkhangelsk, which he returned to in September 1841. He spent the next nine years in the administration of his see as well as on several long missionary journeys to its remote areas. On April 21, 1850, Bishop lnnocent was elevated to Archbishop. In 1852, the Yakut area was admitted to the Kamchatka Diocese, and in September 1853, Archbishop Innocent took up permanent residence in the town of Yakutsk. Innocent took frequent trips throughout his enlarged diocese. He devoted much energy to the translation of the scriptures and service books into the Yakut (Sakha) language.
In April 1865, Archbishop Innocent was appointed a member of the Holy Governing Synod of the Church.
On November 19, 1867, he was appointed the Metropolitan of Moscow, replacing his friend and mentor, Filaret, who had died. While there, he undertook revisions of many Church texts that contained errors, raised funds to improve the living conditions of priests and established a retirement home for priests.
Innocent died on March 31, 1879. He was buried on April 5, 1879, at Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra

h/t Orthodox Wiki

One Word at a Time ~ Healing

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Some years ago actor Steve Martin appeared in a film about a preacher who went around the country side setting up a tent and holding an old fashioned revival meeting. People came from all over the place to see and hear him and the music. At the end of the service he would call people up on the stage and heal them. The only problem, he was a fake and he was doing this to defraud people of their hard earned cash.
I believe in the power of healing, I have seen it in my own life, and I know many readers will be able to tell stories of how healing has worked in their own life as well. Healing is something as old as history. Jesus and His apostles healed people and healing has been part of the church since the start.
People email me and ask me to pray for this person to be healed or that person to be healed and I am happy to do this. I offer their names each day in my prayer and ask God not for healing, but that His will be done. Ah that is the secret His will be done!
I think this is the hardest part of asking God for anything. We must be willing to accept the will of God if we ask Him for something. It is hard to explain God’s will and maybe we are not meant to understand His will in our life, but our prayer should be for His will to be done in our lives.
God does not allow us to get sick. Sickness is due to our fallen nature as human beings and perhaps because of some choice that we made at some point in our lives. God does not control our every movement and is not responsible when something goes wrong. When we pray for ourselves or for others we simple need to ask that His will be done.
We are all in need of healing. Each and every one of us is broken in some way or the other. We all have the illness of sin that comes with being human. Due to the sin of our first parents we have the inclination to sin. We are not born bad, nor is anyone evil to the core. All of us are born with the light of Christ in us, it is just hidden in there and we need to allow it to shine. It is hidden under our sin and we need to be healed from that.
In our Orthodox Christian tradition we have the blessing of Sacramental Confession. This gives us the opportunity to stand before God, and another human being, and confess what we have done. Absolution is given, but not by the power of the priest, the forgiveness does not come from the priest but from God. This is a time for healing. Standing naked and exposed before God and another human and telling our deep dark secrets can be healing. It is also a time for counsel from the priest; perhaps a single word or a thought is exchanged. The knowledge that one is forgiven, and give the assurance by another person that you are forgiven, helps to heal the soul.
What is it that you need to be healed from? Ask God for His will to be done in your life. Turn it over to Him and be happy with the answer.

Bullying

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Yesterday I wrote a post about the Orthodox Church position on homosexuality. This post was inspired in part by the deaths of kids because of the fact that they are gay. I took some heat for not condemning the bullying but that was not part of the post just the inspiration behind it.
Bullying is wrong not matter what the reason is. Plain and simple bullying is hate and hate is a sin plain and simple. Bullying comes from pride, as all sin does, pride that we know better than the person we are bullying. We bully, most of the time, not to put the other person down, but to make our own weak self feel better.
Recently there have been several cases of kids being bullied because they are gay. Many of these cases have led to the death of the person being bullied by their own hand. I do not consider these death suicides but murder. These kids were murdered by the ones who did the bullying.
This past week it came to light that an Assistant District Attorney has been cyber bullying someone who is know to be gay. This DA has set up a website and stalks the person on the internet. He claims free speech and claims that he is doing it on his own time so it is protected speech. As I have said may times before on these very pages, freedom of speech comes with a moral responsibility that we use that speech for appropriate means. Stalking and bullying are wrong.
Jesus teaches in the Gospels that we must love everyone. We must love our neighbor as ourselves. I firmly believe that we will be judged more by how we have or have not treated each other then we will for any other reason. How we treat our neighbor, who is everyone by the way, directly reflects how we think about ourselves as people. The entire Gospel message is about love, all of Christian Doctrine and Dogma can be boiled down to love, love of God and love of neighbor.
Bullying is hate and hate is not and energy that comes from God. Hate is an energy that comes from the evil one and we Christians should have no part in anything the evil has to offer. God = Love plain and simple.
Time for people to stand up against the bullies and say no more. I don’t care what the reason is the bullying is taking place, it is never and will never be right or Christian.

Orthodoxy and Homosexuality

Posted on by Fr. Peter
The past few weeks have seen the number of young people being targeted for their homosexual identity then it has in years past. Recently TV personality Ellen Degeneris, herself a lesbian, posted a video about the bullying of people who are different then the rest of us. I posted this video to my Facebook page and received a variety of responses. I thought it would be helpful to review the Orthodox Christian position on Homosexuality.
I know this will be hurtful to many of my readers and please know that I do not wish to cause you any harm but the truth of the teachings of the Orthodox Church are time tested. The Church does not nor should not, conform to society. It is the Churches role to conform society to the way of Jesus Christ. It is also the Churches role and responsibility to point out sin and make a way for reconciliation with people to Christ and His Church. Jesus loves everyone regardless of their sin, but our sin separates from Him and His desire is that all be reconciled to Him and His Church.
As I have said before, since there is no one single head that speaks for the Orthodox Church it is difficult to come up with a clear statement one way or the other. Also, I do not speak for the Orthodox Church or even my Archdiocese; these words are my interpretation of church teaching. These are also the words of the Orthodox Christian Priest. I make no reference to what other churches believe or do not believe. If you wish further clarification I suggest you seek out your own priest.
The bulk of this will come from the book, Contemporary Moral Issues Facing the Orthodox Christian by Fr. Stanley Harakas.
A distinction needs to be made between the homosexual person and homosexual acts. The Orthodox Church has a long and clearly articulated position on homosexual acts but a position on homosexuality is difficult to come by. From the Encyclopedia of Bioethics Vol. 2 p. 671 comes this definition of the homosexual person that will aide us in our conversation.
“Homosexuality is… a predominant, persistent, and exclusive psychosexual attraction toward members of the same sex. A homosexual person is one who feels sexual desire for and a sexual responsiveness to persons of the same sex and who seeks or would like to seek actual sexual fulfillment of this desire by sexual acts with a person of the same sex.”
The Orthodox Church considers the homosexual act morally wrong. Homosexual acts, along with all other expressions of wrongful sexual expression, to include fornication, adultery, prostitution, incest, bestiality, masturbation would be considered the wrongful expression of sex and therefore morally wrong. The only proper place for sexual expression is in marriage.
The evidence from Old and New Testaments as well as the writing of the Church Fathers and Mothers clearly state that homosexual acts are morally wrong.
“If there is a man that lies with males as those be with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act.” (Leviticus 20:13)
“Their women exchanged the natural functions for that which is unnatural, and in the same way the men abandoned the natural function of women and burned in their desire towards one another, men with men, committing indecent acts…” (Romans 1:24-28)
All of this points towards the fallen nature of man and the depraved passions of man in the fallen state.  We must work to turn away from the passions and configure our life towards Christ.
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the Kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
The patristic tradition is also clear in the judgment. From the Didache of the Twelve Apostles in the 2nd century, through the writings of St. Basil, St. John Chrysostom, Blessed Augustine, St Gregory of Nyssa. The 6th century Code of Justinian, the cannons of St. John the Faster to the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in America in March of 1978, the teaching of the Orthodox Church is consistent and unvarying, homosexual acts are immoral and wrong.
In the terminology of the Church the attraction of one person to another person of the same sex is called a passion. It is a wrongful orientation of our desires. Passions come in many forms and are directed away from many things. Self – pride, money – greed, food – gluttony, extra marital sex partners – lust, others property – theft to name a few. It is our common spiritual and moral struggle against sin in all forms that we work together to fight temptation and overcome the passions.
The Church offers many spiritual tools in fighting the passions to include, worship, fasting, the Sacrament of Confession, reading of Scripture and Patristic works and spiritual counseling. This passion of homosexuality is no different then the other passions and the church need to exercise care and concern for all those who are battling the passions no matter what the passion.
With all of this said, and in light of my opening statement the Orthodox Church supports the guarantees to the basic rights due all persons, life and dignity, liberty, basic needs and access to them. However the Orthodox Church cannot support any action that would allow for the public display of homosexuality to include marriage. “The overt practice of homosexuality, its public acceptance as an ‘alternative life-style’, the effort to make prideful that which is shameful are condemned by the Orthodox Church and seen as a severe attack on the family.” (Harakas 95)
The general position then of the Orthodox Church can be summed up in the statement from SCOBA issued on March 7, 1978:
“The Christian family is currently subject to serious negative pressures from secular elements in our society. Such are the extensive campaigns of self-proclaimed homosexuals, both individually and collectively, to obtain recognition of their life-styles as being of equal worth with marriage and the home. Without wishing to penalize anyone who deserves sympathy and pastoral assistance from the Christian community because of physical or emotional personality states over which they have no control, the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas reiterates the clear directives of scriptures and tradition which condemn voluntary homosexual acts as sinful and forbidden and detrimental to the existence of the Christian home. Persons who embrace homosexual life-styles are not qualified to teach children or act as spiritual leaders.”
error: Content is protected !!