Who Was the First Orthodox Christian Priest?
An Answer by Fr. Sergius Pravdolubov, a holder of a masters degree in theology, the professor of The Moscow Theological Academy and the rector of the Holy Trinity Church in Troitsa-Golenistchevo village.
Who Was the First Orthodox Christian Priest?
It is unknown.
However, the Book of Acts mentions the “church presbyters” in Ephesus, who were
not bishops like Timothy, the disciple of Apostle Paul. In the first centuries
of Christianity, there were also chorepiscopus or “country bishops”. Country bishops and presbyters differed
slightly.
An Excerpt from: http://goodguyswearblack.org/2017/07/25/10-questions-about-priesthood-and-priests/
Rare Orthodox Iconography: The Chernobyl Saviour Icon
Below
them is the scene of desolation caused by the Chernobyl disaster, along with
those who died because of it. As well as white-robed figures, there are various
medical workers, nuclear staff, and soldiers, all of whom battled to contain
the fall-out of the explosion and evacuate residents. They are being blessed by
Christ for their sacrifice, Who is above all and sovereign over all.
In the
bottom centre is a tree which, because of its natural shape, was used by the
Germans to hang opposition forces during the Second-World War. It became a
small graveyard and memorial for those killed there, in the shadow of the
Chernobyl nuclear plant. After the 1986 disaster it was poisoned and died.
The icon
was blessed in the Kyiv Pecherska Lavra by His Beatitude Volodymyr on the 28th
August, 2003, the Feast of the Dormition. At the moment of its blessing, a
miraculous occurrence took place, witnessed by the thousands gathered. A dove
flew over the icon and high in the sky, with no rain in sight, a rainbow
appeared in the form of a nimbus. Then three crosses appeared, resplendent in
the centre of the nimbus.
Source: https://iconreader.wordpress.com/2011/04/06/about-the-chernobyl-saviour-icon/
Spirituality: The Meaning of Theosis As the Goal in Life for an Orthodox Christian
The
Orthodox Church proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the Greek language,
the word for Gospel is Evangelion which means literally "the good
news." The good news of Orthodox Christianity is a proclamation of God's
unbounded and sacrificial love for man kind, as well as the revelation of the
true destiny of the human person. Reflecting on the joyous message of the
Gospel, Saint Gregory of Nyssa wrote in the fourth century: The good news is
that man is no longer an outcast nor expelled from God's Kingdom; but that he
is again a son, again God's subject.
Orthodoxy
believes that the supreme treasure which God wishes to share with us is His own
life. Our faith begins with the affirmation that God has acted in history to
permit us to participate in His love and His goodness, to be citizens of His
Kingdom. This conviction is expressed so beautifully in the prayer of the
Liturgy which says: "You have not ceased to do all things until You
brought us to heaven and granted us the Kingdom to come."
The
initiation of love of God the Father is perfectly expressed and embodied in the
Person and Ministry of Jesus Christ. The whole purpose of the Incarnation of
the Son of God was to restore humanity to fellowship with God. The great
teachers and Fathers of the Orthodox Church constantly reaffirmed this
conviction by proclaiming that God had become what we are in order that we
could become what He is.
Christ is
exalted as our Light and our Life. In His Person there is a unity of humanity
and divinity which each of us is called to share. In His way of life. there is
the model of authentic human life which we are invited to follow. In His
victorious Resurrection, there is liberation for us from all powers which can
keep us from the Kingdom. Through Christ, then, God the Father has repossessed
us and has called us to be His sons and daughters.
Theosis
Theosis
describes the spiritual pilgrimage in which each person becomes ever more
perfect, ever more holy, ever more united with God. It is not a static
relationship, nor does it take place only after death. On the contrary, theosis
is a movement of love toward God which begins for each Christian with the rites
of Baptism and which continues throughout this life, as well as the life which
is to come. Salvation means liberation from sin, death, and evil. Redemption
means our repossession by God. In Orthodoxy, both salvation and redemption are
within the context of theosis. This rich vision of Christian life was expressed
well by Saint Peter when he wrote in the early pages of his second Epistle that
we are called "to become partakers of the Divine nature." It was also
affirmed by Saint Basil the Great when he described man as the creature who has
received the order to become a god.
These are
certainly bold affirmations which must be properly understood. The Orthodox
Church understands theosis as a union with the energies of God and not with the
essence of God which always remains hidden and unknown. However, the experience
of the Church testifies that this is a true union with God. It is also one
which is not pantheistic, because in this union the divine and the human retain
their unique characteristics. In this sense, Orthodoxy believes that human life
reaches its fulfillment only when it becomes divine.
The Holy Spirit
The
ever-deepening union of each Christian with God is not a magical or automatic
process. While Christ has destroyed the powers of sin, death, and evil once and
for all, this victory must be appropriated by each person in cooperation with
the Holy Spirit. Each person is called to join with the lifegiving and
liberating Spirit" in realizing the fulness of human life in communion
with the Father. The Holy Spirit is the agent of deification whose task it is
to incorporate us into the life of the Holy Trinity. However, the Spirit always
recognizes our human freedom and invites our active cooperation in perfecting
the "image and likeness of God" with which each of us is created.
Our
participation in the life of the Holy Trinity, which we know as theosis, takes
place within the Church. For the Orthodox, the Church is the meeting place
between God and His people. The Holy Spirit and the Church are organically
linked. In the second century, Saint Irenaeus reminded us of this by saying:
"Where the Church is there is the Spirit, and where the Spirit is there is
the Church." The Holy Spirit moves through the life of the Church to
reveal our common humanity in Christ and to unite us with the Father. We
acquire the Holy Spirit through our celebration of the Eucharist and the
reception of Holy Communion, through our participation in the Sacraments,
through our discipline of daily prayer, and through the practice of fasting,
all of which result in a Christ-like life.
The Holy
Spirit, Who is honored as the Lord and Giver of life, is manifest in the life
of the Church in order to bring our lives to perfection, and to make us
responsible and loving human beings. The fruit of Worship is the gifts of the
Spirit. In his letter to the Galatians, Saint Paul identified these as:
"love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, fidelity, gentleness, and
self-control." Certainly, these are the virtues of a Christ-like life.
They testify to the fact that the love of God and the love of neighbor are
inseparable.
The Individual and the Church
The
reality of theosis not only bears witness to the love of God who wishes to
share Him self with us but also expresses a very positive view of the human
person. Orthodoxy believes that each person has an intrinsic value and
importance in virtue of his or her unique relationship to God. The human person
is never seen as being totally depraved. The "image of God" which can
be distorted by sin, can never be eradicated. Through the life of the Church,
there is always the opportunity for fulfillment. When the Sacraments are
administered, they are always offered to the individual by name. This action
not only reminds us of the dignity of each person but also emphasizes the
responsibility each person has for his or her relationship to God.
While
Orthodoxy recognizes the value of the person, it does not believe that we are
meant to be isolated or self-sufficient. Each person is called to be an
important member of the Church. Orthodoxy believes that one cannot be a
Christian without being a part of the Church. The process of theosis takes
place with the context of a believing community.
To be
united with God within the midst of the Church does not mean that our unique
personalities are destroyed. We are not engulfed by an impersonal force or
power. As with all love which is true and valuable, God's love for each of us
respects our personhood. His love is not one which destroys. God's love is one
which reveals, elevates, and perfects our true selves. By entering into the
life of God, we become the persons we are meant to be.
Source: http://www.stpaulgoc.org/our-faith/spirituality
How to Prepare for Your Children for Sunday Liturgy in the Orthodox Christian Church
On Sunday
morning, the family should get up in a timely manner, so that all can be
properly prepared to go to Church. Large families sometimes find it difficult
to have all the children washed, dressed, and brushed in time without a lot of
nagging, arguing, and rushing around frantically trying to attend to last
minute details. A little organization can go a long way toward a serene beginning
to this holy day. First of all, have each child's church clothes laid out the
night before, already inspected by a parent so that there will be no last
minute arguments about inappropriate, mismatched, stained or torn apparel.
Children four years old and older can certainly dress themselves. Older
siblings can help the younger ones.
Good
grooming is important, both from a spiritual and a psychological standpoint.
Dress a child in playclothes and he will be prepared to play. This was once a
guiding principle behind school dress codes and is a reason that many public
schools nowadays are requiring uniforms. Little boys should wear suits to
Church, just as the men do (or should). It is not necessary to spend a fortune.
A hand-me-down or a thrift shop bargain will suffice as well a new suit to fix
the idea in the child's mind that he is wearing special clothing to a special
place where he is expected to act like a man. Not only will the suit serve to
instill in him a sense of dignity, but it will also restrict his movements
somewhat so that sloppy, casual behavior is rendered far more difficult. Dress
shoes go with a suit. Not only do tennis shoes look ridiculous on someone
attired properly for Church, but they contradict the message (which should be
reinforced constantly) that Church is not a place to play.
Little
girls should wear nice dresses and dress shoes. Even from infancy, their heads
should be covered. Some people who are misinformed about Orthodox tradition may
try to tell you that girls do not need to wear a scarf or hat until they are
twelve. Perhaps this has become confused with the age children are usually
confirmed into the Roman Catholic Church or they think that the head covering
somehow signals to the community that the girl will soon be available for
marriage.
Whatever
the source of the misconception, it has no basis in Orthodox tradition
whatsoever. Girls and women should arrive at Church with their heads covered,
stand throughout the service with their heads covered, and leave Church the
same way. This is done for spiritual purposes concerning modesty and humility.
Therefore, do not be misled into believing that the headcovering needs to be
worn only when confessing or communing (another popular myth).
Girls, no
matter what age, should NEVER wear pants to Church (or anywhere else, for that
matter). It is easy to fall to the mistaken idea that toddlers should be exempt
from such a rule. Yes, they are cute and they crawl around on the floor but
little girls are not puppies. They will grow up to be women, hopefully women
worthy of praise and emulation. It is much better to train a child correctly
from a very young age than to impose something suddenly at an arbitrary stage
of maturity. The very fact that it is arbitrary and based on personal opinion
rather than any teaching of the Church will create feelings of rebellion in the
child for which you may have difficulty finding an adequate response. In any
case, if your concern is primarily that the weather is cold, have the child
wear leggings or tights under her dress.
Boys and
girls should be clean and their hair brushed. Even a very small child
experiences anticipation and a sense of awe about an event for which they are
being so carefully prepared. When a child is allowed to go to Church looking
unkempt, dressed in whatever assortment of clothes that came to hand that
morning, that child will look and feel like an afterthought - someone who had
to be dragged along when the parents wanted to go to Church. No one should
expect an "afterthought" to be terribly thrilled about the idea of
attending services or to be very cooperative when he gets there. Another
important aspect to be considered is that, fair or not, the child will judged
by the adults at Church according to his or her appearance and treated
accordingly. Warm approval and compliments from adults other than his parents
can have a very positive and encouraging effect on a small child. He will not
receive any such attention if it does not appear that even his parents think
enough of him to do more than toss some wrinkled clothes at him in the morning.
The tone
of parental expectations and familial participation can be set during communion
prayers before the family even leaves for Church. As at all prayer times in the
icon corner, the children should be expected to stand quietly and reverently.
Even very small children should be with their parents at this time because even
if they do not understand the words of the prayers, they do understand the
serious attitude of the parents. This will help to accustom them to particular
behavior whenever prayer is being said, thus preparing them to be quiet and
attentive in Church. Children who are old enough to read should be allowed to
read some of the communion prayers. This will help them to understand that, as
they mature, they will be expected to take on some of the responsibilities of
adults. Spiritually, psychologically, and emotionally they will respond with
enthusiasm to this invitation to become a contributing member of the family
Church.
Source: https://stjohntheforerunnerblog.blogspot.com.by/2016/11/young-children-in-orthodox-church.html
8 Simple Suggestions From Elder Paisios For Our Spiritual Growth
The
following is advice Elder Paisios gave on spiritual growth after he was asked
for his blessing by a visitor:
1. You
must take care of the purification of your soul on a daily basis.
2. You
must acquire divine justice and not logic, for only then the grace of our
Christ will come to you.
3. Before
you do something, think if Christ wants you to; the, act accordingly.
4. You
must perfectly practice obedience, so you may later talk to others about the
virtue of obedience.
5. The
"no" you say to people must be "no", and the
"yes" must be "yes".
Do not pretend, but say whatever you think, even if it hurts the other
person; say it in a good manner, however, and also give some explanations.
6. You
must have and maintain this spiritual dignity; always pay attention to what
pleases your fellow monks and not to what pleases yourself.
7.
Everyday, you should read a section from the New Testament for the purification
of your soul.
8. Do not
look at what other people do, or examine how, and why they do it.
Your own
goal is the purification of your soul and the perfect submission of your mind
to divine grace. So everything for the sake of your goal; pray, study, say
humbly the Jesus prayer, being aware that you absolutely need God's mercy. In other words, pay attention to your
spiritual work.
This is
advice we can all benefit from.
Source: http://orthodoxwayoflife.blogspot.com.by/2010/10/8-points-for-our-spiritual-growth-from.html
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