19th Sunday After Petecost ~ Love Your Enemies

Posted on by Fr. Peter
The Lord said, “And as you wish that men would do to you, do so to them. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” Luke 6:31-36
This is one of if not the most difficult passages of Scripiture that we face in the normal readings of the year in the Orthodox Church. Jesus clearly is telling us that we must love our enemies. He does not suggest that we do this he, dare I say, commands us to do this.
The question we need to ask is how do we know whether we abide in God and is sincere in our Christian Faith? The answer to this question comes from an annynmous Russian saint. “Where there is love for one’s enemies, there God also is.” We must do this as difficult as it may be we must love our enemies.
A hostile person hates because he fears you will strike him so he strikes first. The last thing that he expects from you is love, so love him. Charm and disarm is the best course of action. Love is the only thing that can destroy hostility. We need to love our enemies because he is first of all an enemy to himself. The very fact that this person dislikes you could simply mean that he needs you. His soul is warped by his hatred of you, and you alone can warm him and free him. They simply need someone to love them. Love is the only thing capable of transforming and enemy into a friend. Returning hate only multiplies hate, only love can break the cycle of hate.
So how do we make this love possible? What are some steps that we can take?
First we have to love God. When asked what the commandments are Jesus responded with Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and love your neighbor as yourself. We first need to love God so we can have the capacity to love others. When we make room for God in our hearts through love of Him, then we will have the capacity to love others. If we truly love God and know Him as our Lord and Savior then our heart will be predisposed to love others including our enemy.
Secondly we should do good those those who hate you. In the Divine Liturgy we pray for those who loves us and those who hate us. St. Paul tells the Romans to overcome evil with good. We must take the first step. We must reach out to those who hate us. If they hit us we must offer them the other cheek. If we find that it is not working then we need to double the dose and keep working at it. Love concours all!
Third, pray for those who persecute you. No where in Scripture does it say that being a Christian will be easy. In fact in several places Jesus warns of the persecution we will face as Christians and that we must take up our cross. The highest privledge we can offer another is to pray for them. To offer to take their needs to God in prayer is a wonderful thing that even the oldest of us can do. Asking for prayer and then praying for someone is important and a simple example of love.
Fourth, look for some good in the person. No one is evil to the core and there is always some good in that person. Bishop Melchizedek of Pittsburgh said recently, “Imagine the most despicable person you can think of, then on day of judgement you look up and you will have to see that face for all eternity.” No one is intrinsically evil, only their actions are evil. We are all created in the image and likeness of God and have the Divine Spark. We need to find what is good in that person and use that to compliment them. Again do this with love and watch what happens. People like to be complimented and what does it cost you to be charitable to someone.
The last and hardest of all is to develop the capacity to forgive. If loving your enemy is not hard enough we must also be able to forgive. In the Lord’s prayer we pray to forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who tresspass against us. In order for us to be forgiven we need to be able to forgive, again not an easy thing to do. But, with God all things are possible. Through prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit we can develop this capacity to forgive. Jesus would not ask this of us if we were not capable of carrying out his commands. Jesus knows us, He knows our thoughts and He knows what we are capable of doing and not doing. Most times we do not forgive because we do not know how to forgive. We are afraid to walk up to the person who has harmed us and say to them, “I forgive you!” This leaves us open and vulnerable and we do like to be in that position, ever. Forgiveness begins with ourselves. Forgiveness begins deep inside ourselves, the place where God dwells in each if us. We need to be able to access this point and forgive ourselves, deep inside. We must be able to forgive ourselves then we will be able to forgive others.
Hatred is destructive and no good can come from hate. Nothing good can come from hate. Hate is not an energy that come from God. Hate comes from the evil one and we have no room for the evil one. Hatred allows the evil to take root in our soul and darken it. Use the example of Jesus on the Cross who forgave those who had just crucified Him. “Father forgive them for they know not what they do!” It is never too late to forgive someone. But why wait?
“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”

Preachers Institute and Academy of Preachers enter National Partnership

Posted on by Fr. Peter
The Preachers Institute, the world’s premier Orthodox Christian homiletics resource, has become a national partner with the Academy of Preachers.
The Academy of Preachers is an ecumenical initiative launched through a generous grant from the Lilly Endowment and energized by the conviction that Gospel preaching is a vocation of public and social significance, a calling worthy of the very best and brightest young people.
“In our mission to promote and advance superior preaching in the Orthodox Church, we are very happy to make this partnership with the Academy. We are very hopeful that this will provide an opportunity for more Orthodox youth and young adults to hone their preaching skills with confidence, and ignite their desire to spread the Gospel,” said Fr. John A. Peck, director of the Preachers Institute.
Both groups are driven by a strong conviction that Gospel preaching is a vocation of enormous social significance.
“Our mission is to identify, network, support and inspire young people in their call to gospel preaching. You are the first Orthodox entity to become a partner; I hope not the last. I am eager for you to come to Louisville with your Orthodox preachers.”
said Dwight A. Moody, founder and president of the Academy of Preachers.
Last year, the Academy of Preachers hosted the first ever festival of young preachers. 92 young preachers from 41 institutions in 21 states came to Louisville, KY and preached about Jesus. Included in the gathering were Catholic, Evangelical, Pentecostal, and Protestant preachers. It may be the most ecumenical initiative in American Christianity today. There was one Orthodox participant.
“We had one last year but we need more. We do not critique the theology, preaching style, or denominational loyalties of any young preacher. We do not deal with ordination or liturgical issues. We simply require that a young preacher have a sponsoring congregation or institution and be accompanied by a preaching mentor,” said Moody.
The most powerful element of the Festival of Young Preachers and the Summer Preaching Camps is the peer inspiration that creates webs of friendships and partnerships.
“This partnership will benefit both Orthodox preachers and heterodox preachers, as we learn more helping, and being helped by, each other,” said Peck.
“We need your influence. God bless you. We will make wonderful partners,” said Moody.
More information can be found at http://preachersinstitute.com.
Those interested in becoming Young Preachers, or in supporting the participation of young Orthodox men and women in the Festival of Preachers should contact Fr. John A. Peck at frjohn (at) preachersinsitute.com.
To request a registration packet for the 2011 National Festival of Young Preachers, Click Here.

In the Image and Likeness

Posted on by Fr. Peter
“Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” Genesis 1:26
I have always struggled with the image and likeness line that I have quoted from Genesis. It has always seemed to me like something that we could never live up to. Then I started to read more about how we are to love our neighbor as ourselves and it all becomes clearer.
In St. Benedicts Rule for Monasteries he tells his monks to receive all as Christ. We are to be able to see Christ in every person we come into contact with because we are all created in the image and likeness of God. We all have the Divine Spark that comes with our creation.
So what does this mean from a practical point of view? In the Orthodox Church we believe in the sanctity of life from the moment of conception to its natural death. That means we need to care for all people all along the spectrum of life. In a very real sense we are our brothers’ keeper.
Several months ago we began a Community Meal here at the Church. This is not a soup kitchen but a time for people from the community, of all walks of life, to come and enjoy a meal. We have served almost 1,000 meals in this time. The people who come don’t just eat and leave they stay and chat with each other, renew old friendships, and basically have a good time. They always leave with a smile on their faces.
The other day I came across a quote on Facebook that made me stop and think. “Imagine the most despicable person you know. How would you feel if on judgment day you looked up and saw that face for all eternity?” The quote came from Bishop Melchizedeck of Pittsburg. Wow, that one needed some thought.
No person is intrinsically evil. We are not born evil, evilness comes to us because of sin but no person is evil. I started to think about this and the people who have committed evil actions in the past, and applied that quote to them. Since we are all created in the image and likeness of God then we are all children of God, including the men who flew the planes into the World Trade Center on 9/11!
The Orthodox Church takes the positions it does in certain moral issues simple because of this point that we are all created in the image and likeness. Each of us needs to look at another person and be able to see the divine spark in the other person. When making decisions we need to always remember that aspect of humanity.
Each person that walks through the door here for our community meal is Jesus. Each person climbing over the wall or the fence of the US/Mexican Boarder is Jesus. There is no other way to put it.
Receive all guests as Christ. That’s what we are called to do! Caring for others is a very Christian thing to do. Christianity is a higher calling than any other and we are required to do more than the average person.
General

Spiritual Fatherhood in the Orthodox Church

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Over the last few years and very important aspect of my ministry has evolved that of spiritual fatherhood. Although each pastor of an Orthodox parish is the spiritual father of his community, the ministry of spiritual fatherhood goes much deep than the relationship of the local priest with their parishioners. This is not meant to degrade that relationship at all but it is much deeper.

The Celts called this the Anamcara, the Soul Friend. The Soul Friend is a guide; a person who guides you along your spiritual journey much like a mountain guide would guide you along the path up the mountain. This is a free and open relationship and in order for the relationship to work one must not hide anything from the Anamcara.

For as long as the church has existed there have been people that others have been attracted to for their spirituality. In the early days when people would retreat to the desert, people would come from the cities and become disciples of those who had withdrawn. Over time the relationship became more institutionalized than it was in the beginning. However the relationship still exists today and I fear that we have gotten away from this ministry in the Orthodox Church.

To begin with, not all spiritual fathers are confessors and vice versa. The ministry of confession in the Orthodox Church is not automatic with ordination to the priesthood. In the Romanian tradition, that to which I was ordained into, only the pastor of the parish is given that ministry and some monks. If one is to be a second priest in a parish then the ministry is not necessarily given to them. The spiritual father or mother by the way does not even have to be an ordained person. This person can be a simple monk, nun or a layperson.

The spiritual father is a charismatic figure given this ministry by the Holy Spirit. One does not need to run to a monastery to find a spiritual guide; perhaps your parish priest can fill this role. As one who serves both as a parish priest and a spiritual father I would suggest that your confessor should be your parish priest. As the father of the community that right should be given them first. If someone from another parish approaches me to begin this relationship I will contact their parish priest and receive their blessing especially is confession will be involved.

The spiritual father is blessed with three gifts. Insight and discernment allows the guide to perceive intuitively, to see into another person’s heart and to understand the hidden depths that the other person may not be aware of. The spiritual guide uses few words and listens and guides sometimes gently and sometimes no so gently. Through the silence he is able to “hear” what the other person is really saying. When words are used they are to guide the other deeper into their own heart and soul. This gift is exercised through the practice of disclosure of thoughts. This is deeper than confession as confession is reflective and this disclosure looks forward to look at the thoughts before they manifest themselves as sin. The idea is not juridical but helps the other to know them better, and to see them as they truly are.

Another gift is the ability to love others and to make others suffering their own. “Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2. The Spiritual Father is required to take up the soul of his spiritual children into his own soul, their life into his life. We need to pray for our spiritual children and constantly intercede on their behalf. Intercession for your spiritual children is more important than any words could ever be.

The last gift is the power to transform the human environment both the material and non-material. The idea here is the spiritual father helps his disciples to see the world as God created it and as God desires it to be once more. It is the job of the guide to see the world as God created and to help others see that.

So how does this relationship work? Through full and unquestioning obedience of the father to the child and vice versa, the relationship goes both ways. The relationship not only helps the spiritual child to see themselves as they should be but also aids the spiritual father in seeing himself as he should be. The relationship is actually not just two sided but triangular as God is also involved in this relationship.

This relationship is not forced but is given willingly and voluntarily. It is through the free will of each person that the spiritual child places themselves in the hands of the Spiritual Father. The will of the child is not broken but is accepted as a gift, it is not forced but voluntary. This has to be done continually not just once and then never again.

Not every pastor is a Spiritual Father in this sense and not every person is ready for this relationship. It is hard to be open and honest with another person if we are not open and honest with ourselves. It is a wonderful gift that God has given His church and is you feel your ready I would encourage you to seek out an Anamcara.

Hearing

Posted on by Fr. Peter
For as long as I can remember my father has been hard of hearing.  Over the last few years it has progressively gotten worse.  Without his hearing aid he is completely deaf.  I cannot imagine how frustrating that must be.  I know how frustrating it is on this side, but on the other side it must be just out of control.
A few months ago he went to see a new hearing doctor who recommended a cochlear implant a little device implanted in your head that enables you to hear.  As I understand it, little wires are hooked up to the stuff in your ear that allows you to hear.  Sorry to get all technical on you.  There is a device that attached to your head by a magnet under your skin and a wire that is run to a small device that you wear either behind your ear like a hearing air, or on your belt.  The sound travels up the wire and to the implant.  Wa la, you hear.

So he had the device implanted a month ago and today he had it turned on.  For the first time in 30 years he was able to hear out of his right ear.  It is very low and dim at the moment but over the next few months is should get clearer and he will have some of his hearing back.  It is not perfect but any hearing is better than not hearing.

So I find technology an amazing thing.  Imagine being able to hear after 30 years!

Listening to the Heartbeat of God

Posted on by Fr. Peter
On September 26th the Orthodox Church commemorates the Repose of St. John the Apostle, Evangelist and Theologian.
St. John was the Son of Salome the Myrrh-bearer and Zebedee a fisherman. He was also the brother of the Apostle James and together they were known as the Sons of Thunder!
He was the youngest of the Apostles and was the closest to Jesus during His earthly ministry. He was called the one whom Jesus loved and was present at the healing of Jarius Daughter, the transfiguration; he followed Jesus after His arrest, was in the courtyard of the High Priest, and stood with the Theotokos at the foot of the Cross.
He wrote the Gospel about 95 AD and also wrote 3 pastoral letters as well as the Book of Revelation. When he was over 100 years old, knowing the time of his death was near, he asked his disciples to dig a cross shaped grave for him. After it was dug he laid down in it and was buried alive. It is said each year on May 8th a very fine dust rises from the grave and this is used to heal the sick.
St. John was the Disciple the reclined against Jesus chest during the last supper. He therefore was able to listen to the heartbeat of God. He listened to God at the very center of creation and the center of life.
This action gave us the example that we all need to listen for God in each other. We are all created in the image and likeness of God and all carry the Divine Spark of that creation. St. Benedict urged his monks in his Rule for Monasteries to receive all as Christ. We need to see the image of God in every person as God is present in each and every created human regardless of what they do. Each life is precious from the moment of conception until its natural death.
To listen to God is to listen deep within ourselves. St. John leaned on Christ and listened to His heartbeat. He listened deep within Christ to hear Him through His heart. For the Fathers and Mothers of the Church the heart was the very center of our being, the place where the soul resided, and the very place where God dwells in each of us. To listen to God is to listen to our very souls.
John writes from a very human perspective and His Gospel was written to supplement the other three. He writes about the nature of the Trinity and their relationships to one another. He writes about the glory of God working through the earthly ministry of Jesus, through His person, His works, and His words. There is a mystical, theological perspective that dominates his Gospel. He speaks of the revelation of the Divine Light that will be resisted by this age resulting in great spiritual warfare. He also writes about the strong sense of community in the early church and uses the term. True disciples are those who believe in Jesus as the incarnate Son of the Father, and are united with Him, and who express this life here and now. And he speaks of Love! The love of God and the love of neighbor.
St. John teaches us that we need to pause and listen for the heartbeat of God in each person and in all of creation.
What are you listening for?

Sow Bountifully, Reap Bountifully

Posted on by Fr. Peter

V. Rev. Fr. Nicholas Apostola
Pastor, St. Nicholas Orthodox Church
Shrewsbury, Massachusetts
Guest Blogger

Following the Feast of the Precious Cross, we begin a new cycle of Scriptural readings in our Sunday Worship. The Gospel lessons are taken from St. Luke and the Epistle readings from St. Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. The Ecclesiastical Year begins in September (as does the Jewish New Year), and in so many ways September is a more appropriate time for new beginnings than the icy days of January. Those with children start the new school year. The crisp days of fall invigorate us for hard work after the lazy days of summer. So, we begin anew studying God’s saving words for us.
Today’s reading is 2 Corinthians 9:6-11. St. Paul is writing to the Corinthians to inspire them to contribute to the fund he is raising from the newly formed Gentile Churches. The purpose is to offer a gift to the needy brothers and sisters in Jerusalem and all of Palestine. The Holy Land was never a very wealthy place. During the time of St. Paul’s missions a great famine had broken out over the whole region. Everyone there was in great need. St. Paul saw a gift from these newly formed communities to the brethren there as a way to tighten the bond between Christian believers, especially between Jewish and Gentile Christians. This is the background for today’s reading.
Even though his words were written with very specific intention, St. Paul has left generations of Christians a number of important guidelines to live by when considering giving and generosity. This section begins, “The point is this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” (v. 6) The first thing we should notice is that he uses an agricultural (organic) image, not a monetary one. He speaks of sowing and reaping, not of investing and return on investment, although this is implied. He wants us first to enter into the relationship of the farmer with the land, and then the farmer, his land, and God (that is, the rhythm of nature and weather). In many ways it is not unlike the calculation an investor makes in a start-up company or the market. But as anyone who has planted a crop (even a backyard garden) knows, the variables of nature are much harder to predict than those of the marketplace. One plants a crop with faith and many prayers, all the time hoping. It is the same whenever we give something to charity, perhaps to someone we know who is in need; it requires from us hope, faith and trust in God that what we give will bear fruit.
Also, sowing bountifully asks of us a certain amount of boldness and courage. The one who sows “sparingly,” even if she or he has faith, is expressing a reserve or reticence when asked to put that faith into practice. Sowing bountifully requires us to really put our complete faith in God. We’re giving up a part of our own resources.
At the same time, no one forces us. St. Paul tells us, “Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (v. 7) Most of the modern translations use the word “mind” as the place where this decision is made, but the Greek word St. Paul uses is “heart.” For St. Paul and the Church Fathers it is the heart that is the center of spiritual discernment. Today we think of the heart as the center of emotion and passion — the opposite of rational decision-making — so the translation makes sense in that way, but still something is lost. Our decision to sow bountifully and cheerfully is not just a rational calculation. It is a decision that is tempered and shaped by our trust in God.
We all have fears when we give away some portion of our possessions. So, St. Paul addresses these fears directly: “And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work. As it is written, ‘He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever.’ (Psalm 112:9)” (v. 8-9) If a person bases his decision to be generous simply in his or her intellect, the rational part will say, “the more you give, the less you will have for yourself.” St. Paul is telling them and us to trust in God’s generosity. He is saying that the rational calculus is not the whole story; that generosity, not selfishness, is the fundamental principle at work in creation. God’s rules are different than what might seem to be true on the surface. God’s rules require faith and trust in Him in order to become evident.
“He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your resources and increase the harvest of your righteousness.” (v. 10) God wants us to understand the correlation between material generosity and a spiritual harvest. He wants us to recognize how He sustains us in every way, and that the way to repay Him is by helping others who need our help. This is the real economic principle, a principle that rarely shows up on the nightly ‘Business Report.’
We take as our comfort and inspiration this blessing that St. Paul bestows on us: “You will be enriched in every way for great generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.” (v. 11) When we are generous we not only provide material relief to the person in need, we also strengthen their hope and faith in God. We are the instruments of God’s mercy. He gives to each of us the means and the power to act, comfort, and gladden those around us. Let us use this gift, not sparingly, but bountifully; not grudgingly, but cheerfully. So that together we might thank and glorify our Heavenly Father who loves us.

26 September ~ The Falling Asleep of St. John the Evangelist and Theologian

Posted on by Fr. Peter
This Apostle was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and the brother of James the elder. First a fisherman by trade, he became an Apostle and the beloved Disciple of Christ. Only he of all the Disciples followed Him even to the Cross, and was entrusted with the care of our Saviour’s Mother, as it were another son to her, and a brother of Christ the Teacher. After this, he preached throughout Asia Minor, especially in Ephesus. When the second persecution against the Christians began in the year 96 during the reign of Domitian, he was taken in bonds to Rome, and there was cast into a vat filled to the brim with boiling oil. Coming forth therefrom unharmed, he was exiled to the island of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation. Returning again to Ephesus after the death of the tyrant, he wrote his Gospel (after the other Evangelists had already written theirs) and his three Catholic Epistles. In all, he lived ninety-five years and fell asleep in the Lord during the reign of Trajan in the year 100. He was called Theologian because he loftily expounded in his Gospel the theology of the inexpressible and eternal birth of the Son and Word of God the Father. It is for this cause that an eagle-a symbol of the Holy Spirit, as Saint Irenaeus says-is depicted in his icon, for this was one of the four symbolic living creatures that the Prophet Ezekiel saw (Ezek. 1:10).

Facebook and Prayer

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Since it’s founding on February 4, 2004 more than 500 million people have subscribed to Facebook. Certainly this is the new communications tool and one that the Church needs to harness for good.
I consider myself a Facebook Evangelist and use Facebook not only to stay in contact with friends and family in far distant places but I also use Facebook to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Each day I try and post either a Scripture passage or a saying from the Father’s and Mother’s of the Church. Most recently I have been on a St. Isaac of Syria kick. I spend most of the day checking and commenting on Facebook and consider it an extension of my ministry, and very important part of my ministry.
Recently, my mother was admitted to hospital for the 5th time since June. I turned to Facebook to ask for prayers for her and in a matter of minutes people I did not even know from all over the planet were commenting that they were praying for her. For some it was thinking happy thoughts and for others is was formal prayer. Whatever the prayer tradition I was pleased to see and feel the prayers literally of thousands of people.
I am truly a believer in the power of prayer. Pray is an important part of the Orthodox Christian Tradition and one that we use for just such occasions. Someone, not on Facebook by the way, criticized me for posting my mothers health status on such a public site. Well, I said, this is the fastest way to get the word out and to ask for prayer. And I am happy to say, it is working. She is getting much better both physically and spiritually. This has really taken a toll on my family and we are all grateful for the thousands of people, people that I will never know or meet, that have been praying.
That is the power of Facebook. Facebook has been used to get candidates elected to office and get some thrown out. It is used to notify people of parties and book signings and may, many other things. We have certainly put the social in social media.
Some 2,000 years ago, when Jesus walked on the earth, He used what was available for Him to spread the message, word of mouth. He used His voice and the voice of others to spread the “Good News” to all the ends of the earth. If Jesus was to come today, no doubt he would have a Facebook page and no doubt He would be posting all sorts of things about the “Good News.”
Yes Facebook and the other Social Media Sites have been used for not so good things and even murder, but I choose to use them for good. I choose to use them to spread the news that Jesus Christ is Lord and that He came and died for you and love you and wants to save all of His creation. What else could I possibly use it for?
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