The Incarnation and Peace Among Men

+ His Eminence Archbishop Dmitri

(Although written almost thirty years ago, the following article is still very relevant for Christians.)

"For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity..."  (Ephesians 2: 14-15)

The preceding Scriptural passage is read on the 24th Sunday after Pentecost:  (this year November 27).  St Paul is describing one of the most important meanings of the Incarnation.  The "enmity" between nations and people of differing races, taken for  granted as something natural and actually sanctioned by religion, was destroyed by the Incarnation, the entrance of God Himself into time, into human history.

The Incarnation is the great turning point of history.  Even the secular world marks its time "Before Christ" (BC.) and "Anno Domini (AD. -- the year of our Lord).  Time since Christ is the modern era.  Twentieth-century man likes to think of his century as the truly modern one, and of deep concerns for equality and justice as being products of his time.  Yet, all that is said now about these concepts was said many centuries ago by Jesus Christ Himself, and society is only beginning to catch up with His "advanced ideas."

Racial equality, brotherhood among nations and peoples, integration -- these are ideas that one hears expressed continually in our day, and many, even some Christians, regard them as foreign to the teachings of the Church.  The fact is that Christians themselves have obscured and distorted the fundamental characteristics of the new life that God Incarnate gave to the world.

Religion has been, historically, the sanctifier of national differences.  The "Faith" often has coincided with the boundaries of the nation, and unfortunately Christian communities have been strongholds of ethno-religiosity-national faith ideas.

One radical misunderstanding of Christians of their own faith is partially responsible for this attitude.  Christianity is often thought of as one of so many "religions," when the truth is that Christianity is not religion in the usual sense of the word.  It is above religion; Christ came to complete and crown religion.  It is the new life in Christ, the worship of God in spirit and in truth.

Unaided by direct revelation, man's relationship to God found its expression in "religion," yet when the fullness of time was come, and God entered into the world, the real nature of that relationship was revealed.  This revealed relationship, then, is "super-religion," above and beyond all pietistic systems devised by man, the end toward which all religion was directed.

However, throughout Christian history there have been those who would force Christianity into the mold of traditional religion and make of it one more competitor for men's loyalties.  Even in our own Church, by historical accident, the Faith had been identified with nationalities.  It is particularly sad that Christians have not taken the initiative and, being true to their nature, broken down the walls of partition.  It is tragic that Christians have identified themselves with the old idea of religion as the separator of men. Due in part to this misunderstanding, a large-scale abandonment of the Church was seen in years past, and is evident even to this day.

In reality, faith in Christ is the force of unification and could solve the world's problems; all those things which captivate men's minds in our day -- peace, brotherhood, equality, social justice -- have their origin in the teachings of Jesus Christ.

The Church has always prayed for the union of all men in the Liturgy, because she is convinced that God so wills it. Tragically, when men speak now of peace, brotherhood, equality and social justice, they offer humanism as the only basis for these things.

The unity and peace of which St. Paul spoke are unity and peace that only Christ can give, and this is exactly what faith in Christ will lead to.  Unity and peace on any other foundation can only lead to further chaos and wider gulfs of separation.

We Christians must re-examine ourselves and allow ourselves to be unified by Christ.  We can start by removing, with God's help, all enmity and ill-will that exists among ourselves; we must consciously make ours, the characteristic measures by which we can judge just how close we are to Christ -- "do unto others as we would have them do unto us," "forgive men their debts, just as our heavenly Father forgives us our debts."

No matter how chaotic the world may be, no matter how much hatred and bitterness exists among men, we know that when men take seriously Christ's command to "love our neighbor as ourselves," the influence and effect of that love is so great that it can overcome the world.

In Praise of National Councils: The 16th All-American

Fr. Basil Zebrun

(In light of the 16th All American Council held in Seattle, I would like to offer the following thoughts.  A presentation of proceedings was given at St. Barbara's on Sunday, November 6, during coffee hour. Further material, as well as podcasts of the council, may be accessed at OCA.org, the website for the Orthodox Church in America.)

     Councils have continually played a prominent role in the life of the Church.  The Church is not only hierarchical but conciliar in nature.  Councils are vehicles through which the Holy Spirit acts, a means by which divine truth, God's will, is discerned and expressed for the salvation of all. The Orthodox Church, in fact, has been referred to historically as, "The Church of the Seven Ecumenical Councils."

     In North America councils have nothing to do with defining sacred Truth for the whole of Orthodoxy, as did great councils of the past. They do, however, concern themselves with conveying such Truth on a local level, discerning a Godly path for the Church on this continent.  They help to shape and define elements of local tradition in a formal sense, as the Church seeks to express what can be termed an American Orthodoxy.

     Though at times, taken for granted -- viewed as routine business -- significant manifestations of this process already exist. Speaking specifically about the OCA, on both national and diocesan levels numerous topics have been addressed repeatedly by council delegates:  moral and spiritual issues, as well as those pertaining to evangelization and Church organization. In addition, methods for Church funding have been taken up often by the Holy Synod, the Metropolitan Council, dioceses and parishes. As the Orthodox Church in America develops, a shift of emphasis is gradually being felt nationally on two topics in particular, through the process of discernment:  proportionate giving, and defining responsibilities more appropriate to dioceses rather than centralized departments.  The above efforts reflect the OCA's sense of self-identity, an awareness of the need for periodic self-evaluation and changes in Church structure, but also an acceptance of Orthodoxy's sacred duty to be a conscience for North America.

     Recent convocations have responded additionally to cries for accountability and transparency at multiple levels of Church life. The laity in this country, while affirming the hierarchical nature of the Church, tend to be strongly aware of their responsibility to safeguard the teachings, as well as practices, of Orthodoxy.  Thus their desire, and that of clergy, that all members of the Body be held accountable for personal actions.

    The specific make-up of councils in America further reveals a local sense of identity through the open exchange of ideas by bishops, priests and deacons, as well as lay delegates.  St. Tikhon is pointed to as having espoused this comprehensive understanding of conciliarity. He thought it wise that our experience of "unity in diversity" include a broad cross-section of Church membership. This vision is not radically new, though locally the concept finds fertile ground.  St. Tikhon's approach is consistent with a Eucharistic-centered Church life, the notion of a "royal priesthood" of believers, and the belief that all Church members are responsible for the Faith imparted unto them.

     This latter aspect of councils - that of inclusion - I find particularly fascinating, especially at a national level.  I am encouraged by the fact that Orthodox Christians, clergy and laymen, from diverse regions of North America can gather together once every three years, listen to one another, address passionately at times specific issues, reach a common understanding of these issues (even if that means agreeing to disagree), vote on proposals, and then greet one another later as brothers and sisters in Christ. These are signs of maturity, signs that people are not focused on the sins of others, or primarily on defending personal opinions, but rather their attention is directed toward the work of the Church.

     The process of conciliar discernment is not always easy or pleasant.  Smoothing out rough edges through prayer and dialogue takes both commitment and patience.  In Seattle a delegate was overheard saying that, "No one is convinced by arguments from the council floor.  When it comes to voting on issues, people already have their minds made up as to what side of the political fence they stand."  Short term, that sentiment may indeed be true.  But in many respects the Church's life is like that of a Christian: the fruit of our Lord's work is revealed over time.  Before growth can occur, before progress can be made, seeds have to be planted in the hearts of council delegates.  This is accomplished in diverse ways: certainly through receiving the Word proclaimed at services and plenary sessions, as well as through the experience of Christ's presence, wherever two or three are gathered.  But seeds are sown as well through the hearing of differing opinions expressed by other delegates.  Once sown, people must strive to cooperate with the Truth revealed, to change their personal rationale when necessary, and open their hearts to the work of the Spirit.

     For Church growth to occur this latter experience, of listening to the reasoning of others, is difficult to overestimate. A person may truly believe that discussions at councils do little good, that minds are already made up, or worse, will never change. Personally, I do not accept this last notion.  The Faith, in a sense, is all about change: repentance in the light of truth and wisdom.  We cannot overlook what fruit may develop, over time, through people's exposure to different ways of thinking. In addition, it is hard to imagine -- for the life of the North American Church -- the unity, the common mind, being forged through personal contacts and public exchange, even if that process takes decades.

While recognizing the time, money, effort and sometimes headaches involved with convening  Church councils at a national level, I must also confirm the joys and inspiration that come through these gatherings.  In my opinion they are invaluable for our formation as an Autocephalous Body striving for administrative unity with other jurisdictions.  I must also express gratitude to those people who spent countless hours organizing the council in Seattle.  No doubt their efforts will lead to growth and meaningful changes for the life of the Orthodox Church in America.

The Season Ahead: Christ is Born!

Metropolitan Kallistos Ware

     (Orthodox Christians are currently in the midst of the forty day Nativity Fast, anticipating the Birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  We pray that everyone has a fruitful Advent and a blessed Nativity.  The following contains edited excerpts from Metropolitan Ware's explanation of the days leading up to Christmas, and the central meaning of the feast.)

     "Before Christmas, as before Easter (Pascha), there is a lengthy and elaborate period of preparation.  Christmas is preceded by a fast corresponding to Great Lent and lasting for forty days.  On the Sundays immediately before December 25, there are special commemorations which emphasize the link between the Old Covenant and the New.  The second Sunday before Christmas - the Sunday of the Forefathers - calls to remembrance the ancestors of Christ. The Sunday that follows is broader in scope, commemorating all the righteous men and women who pleased God from the days of Adam, the first man, to Joseph, the betrothed of the Mother of God.  Approaching Christmas in this way, the worshipper is enabled to see the Incarnation, not as an abrupt and irrational intervention of the divine, but as the culmination of a long process extending over thousands of years.

     On Christmas Day itself the services commemorate not only the birth of Christ in Bethlehem and the adoration of the shepherds.  They also recall the arrival of the Magi with their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The story of these Wise Men (Matthew 2:1-12), which in the Roman and Anglican use is appointed for January 6, is read on the morning of December 25 in the Byzantine rite.

     The familiar and homely elements of the Nativity story - the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger, the ox and the ass beside Him, the shepherds watching with their flocks by night - are by no means forgotten in the Orthodox hymns for this day.  But the main center of interest lies elsewhere:  not in these picturesque details, nor simply in the humanity of the child Jesus, but rather in the paradoxical union of that humanity with the divine.  "A young child, the pre-eternal God" (Kontakion):  this is the supreme and crucial meaning of Christmas. Without ceasing to be what He is from all eternity - true God - One of the Trinity, He became truly and entirely man, born as a baby from a human mother...

     It is to this theme, under varying forms, that the liturgical texts of the day continually revert,  to the contrast between the divine and the human in the one Person of the Incarnate Christ.  For example:

     "He who formed the world, now Himself 'takes form' as a creature; The Creator makes Himself to be created; He who holds the whole creation in the hollow of His hand today is born of the Virgin; Older than ancient Adam, He lies in His mother's arms;" and so on.

     Passages such as these are intended to make the members of the Church realize, in some small measure, how strange and amazing a thing it is that God should become man.  As the worshipper stands in spirit beside the crib, it is not enough for him to see, lying in the straw, "gentle Jesus, meek and mild;"  he must see more than this. He must behold the only begotten Son of God..."

     Metropolitan Kallistos' words indicate a challenge facing Christians that extends to our relationship with all of creation. As we are to see in the Child Jesus the face of the Incarnate Lord, we are to recognize in all men the image of this same God.  Likewise, we are to experience the Church not merely as a human organization, but as both a divine and human reality, the Body of Christ.  Furthermore, the world must be appreciated not as an end in itself, but as a reflection of the Creator, a means of divine knowledge.  "God is with us," the faithful sing at Christmas.  In Christ, God has taken up His abode among men.  He has united Himself to creation. He has filled that which is earthly with His divinity.  This is the meaning of Christmas. For this, man glorifies Christ throughout the ages.  Because of this, the Nativity/Theophany season remains one of the great lights on the Christian calendar.

Entrance of the Theotokos

Entrance of the Theotokos

Fr. Basil Zebrun

On Monday, November 21, Orthodox Christians celebrate one of the Church's twelve major feasts:  The Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple.  The historical events connected with this event form part of Sacred Tradition and are described in early non-Scriptural documents and in the hymns of the Church.

According to these sources, when Mary was three years old her parents, Sts. Joachim and Anna, the grandparents of Jesus, sent their daughter to the Temple in fulfillment of a promise made at the time of her conception, that she would be dedicated to the Lord.  Joachim did not want Mary's departure to be a sad occasion. He, therefore, gathered together young girls from the neighborhood, gave them lit candles or lanterns, and Mary intrigued by the bright lights happily followed them to her new home. She was met at the Temple by Zacharias, the future father of John the Baptist.  There she dwelt until her betrothal to Joseph.

The meaning of this feast can be derived from its title: Mary enters the Temple to become herself the Temple of God.  She enters the Holy Place to become a "living" Holy of Holies (Hopko, Fr. Thomas, The Winter Pascha).  In her womb the Fashioner of all creation will be fashioned.  He will take for Himself a complete humanity, our entire human substance, from Mary.  Everything we are He will become, and the years spent in the Lord's House prepare the Virgin for her role as Theotokos, the Birth-giver of God.  There she is nourished physically, mentally and spiritually, to become the flower of Old Testament piety. Indeed, Tradition relates that Mary was fed by messengers of God while in the Temple. Sometimes this pious belief is depicted artistically with Mary represented twice in the festal icon:  once in the center, escorted by Joachim, Anna and the young maidens as she enters the Temple; and once in the top, right corner, seated "near the door of the Holy of Holies, where an angel comes to assist her" (Leonid Ouspensky and Vladimir Lossky, The Meaning of Icons).

As the dwelling place of God, Mary typifies humanity.  Her entering the Temple and later her conception of the Messiah, signals an end to a strict identification of God's House with any man-made structure.  "Man" is now revealed as the true and proper dwelling place of the Almighty.  According to Christian Tradition, "we are all fashioned in God's image and likeness to be abodes of His presence" (Hopko, Ibid).

"Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?  If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him.  For God's temple is holy, and that temple you are" (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).

"...the Most High does not dwell in houses made with hands..." (Acts 7:48)

The emphasis on man as the abode of God is applied not only to the individual but to the entire people of God.  The Church, for example, is spoken of by St. Paul as, "the fullness of Him Who fills all in all" (Ephesians 1:23), the fullness of God's life, revealed and shared with His followers.  Mary's entrance into the Temple is thus an essential reminder and celebration of our own entrance into the Church, through baptism and chrismation, at which time we are offered to God, and reborn of "Water and the Spirit."

As far as services are concerned, it is significant that "the feast of the Entrance of Mary...marks the first specific liturgical announcement of the birth of Christ" (Hopko, Ibid).  On the eve of this holiday the Nativity canon is sung during Matins, at the Vigil service, and at each subsequent major Vigil until Christmas.  The troparion (main theme song) for the day exclaims why this is:  'Mary's appearance in the Temple is an anticipation of the Messiah's Advent.'  In Orthodoxy Mary is always contemplated in light of her role as Jesus' mother.  The liturgical art of the Church bears this out.  Icons of Mary almost always depict the Incarnate Word as well.  Even the most traditional name used for Mary, "Theotokos," identifies her directly with Christ.  There is no separate cult of Mary in Orthodoxy.  Instead, "Mariology is simply an extension of Christology" for Orthodox Christians (Bishop Kallistos Ware, The Orthodox Church).  So it is, that as we celebrate the Entrance of the Theotokos during Advent we look forward already to the birth of her Son on December 25.

"Today is the prelude of the good will of God, of the preaching of the salvation of mankind.  The Virgin appears in the Temple of God, in anticipation proclaiming Christ to all.  Let us rejoice and sing to her:  Rejoice O Fulfillment, of the Creator's dispensation." (Troparion)

In closing we shall quote from Psalm 45, verses that are understood as prophetic utterances directly related to Mary.  They are used 'extensively in the services of this particular feast and have no doubt provided a great inspiration for the celebration of Mary's consecration to the service of God in the Temple' (Hopko, Fr. Thomas, The Orthodox Faith, Volume II).

"Hear, O Daughter, and consider and incline your ear;  forget your people and your father's house, and the King will desire your beauty.  Since He is your Lord, bow to Him...

"The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes, in many-colored robes she is led to her King, with her virgin companions, her escort, in her train...

"Instead of your fathers shall be your sons; you will make them princes in all the earth.  I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations, therefore, the peoples will praise you forever and ever"  (Psalm 45: 10-17)

On Being True to Oneself

On Being True to Oneself+ Metropolitan Anthony Bloom

Time and time and again I am asked by people: "What is the Will of God for me now, in the nearest future?"  And I always refuse to speak in God's own Name, because I believe that all I, or any priest, can do is to stand before God in awe, and say, "Lord, Thou art the Truth, Thou art Life, Thou art also the Way:  teach this person, be to this person the Way, enlighten this person with the truth, and bring him to such plenitude of life as no one can either convey or give."

And yet there are things which can be done. Each of us is a free man of God, as St. Paul said clearly. He says there was a time when we all were slaves of Satan, slaves of our passions, of our fears, slaves of all the things that press on all sides and do not allow us to be true people. In Christ freedom is granted;  not license, but the freedom to be ourselves, the freedom to grow into the fullness of the stature which God has dreamt for us, to grow into fullness that will make us truly living members of the Body of Christ, partakers of the Divine Nature. On whatever step of our spiritual development we are, the first thing which is required of us is that we should be true to ourselves: not to try to be anyone except the person we are; not to try to mimic any behavior, to force ourselves into any mould in heart, in mind, in will which could be a lie before God, to ourselves, a deception for others. The first rule is to be true to ourselves; and to be true with all the integrity, all the passion, all the joy of which we are capable. And what does this mean?

Apart from what I said a moment ago, it means that we must find who we are not only socially, but at another level. To do this, we can read the Gospel which is an image of what a true human being is. The Gospel is not a book of commandments, of orders, as it were, given by God, "Do this, and you will be right in My sight" — no:  it is a picture of what a real human being thinks, feels, does and is. Let us look into the Gospel as one looks into a mirror, and we will discover that in so many ways we are a distorted image, but that in a few ways perhaps, we are a true human being already, at least potentially. Let us mark those passages of which we can say, like Luke and Cleophas on the way to Emmaeus: Does not my heart burn within me when I hear, when I read these words? How beautiful they are! How true! That is life!.  And if you find one passage or another to which you respond in this way, rejoice. At that point God has reached you at the deepest level of your being, revealed to you who you truly are; but at the same time He has revealed to you Who He truly is.  He has shown to you that you and He are in harmony; that if you only become what you already, potentially, truly are, you will become (an image) of God; a true undistorted image; at least in one or two things.

Then there is another move:  if we want to be truly ourselves, we must remember that God does not expect us to be what we are not, but what we are. That we can stand before God, and say to Him, "Lord! I have read this and that in the Gospel; I understand it with my mind; I believe in my heart that it must be true; but it does not set my mind aglow, my heart on fire; it does not stir my will, it does not transform me yet. Accept me as I am! I will change, but for the moment I cannot respond to such a commandment, to such an example." There is a passage so beautiful, to me, in the writings of St. Mark the Ascetic in which he says, "If God stood before you, and said, Do this, and do that — and your heart could not answer 'Amen' — then don't do it; because God does not need your action: He needs your consent, and harmony between Him and you."

Let us therefore try when we ask ourselves - "where do I already stand?" - in an attempt to find out what the Will of God is for us, not in the absolute, but now. What can I already now be and do, and do it wholeheartedly with God? — because in the end, the aim of our spiritual life, of our life and our faith in Christ does not consist in being drilled into doing one thing rather than the other; it is to establish between God and us a relationship of true friendship, of a joy of mutual freedom, and within this freedom, within this friendship, in response to God's love, to God's respect for us, to the faith He has in us, to the hope He has vested in us, and say "This person has understood that he is not a slave, that he is My friend" — and He is our friend. What a joy! And it is a gift of God, which we can give Him as we received it from Him! Amen.

The Repose of His Eminence

A Sacrament of Love:

The Repose of Archbishop Dmitri

Fr. Basil Zebrun 

It is the day after the funeral for His Eminence.  As I think about the last few weeks of his life and what many experienced during that period, I am led to share some personal thoughts  concerning death generally and the Archbishop's repose in particular. 

We sing in the Paschal troparion, "Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death..."  We are called as Christians to live in such a way that our Lord's victory over death becomes ours as well.  That triumph may be manifested particularly at the time of our repose.  The martyrs (a term meaning witnesses) are venerated highly for this reason. They revealed the power of Christ by the way they approached their deaths in imitation of Jesus: with faith and love.  Those who witnessed such acts were often inspired to offer their own lives for the Lord;  many at the very least were converted to Christ because of the martyrs' courage. 

Archbishop Dmitri did not die as the ancient or modern martyrs.  But in a most profound sense, during his final days, he provided a courageous witness to the power of Christ over death.  That ability, that gift, was bestowed after decades of personal dedication.  It did not miraculously occur overnight, but was a natural extension of how His Eminence approached everything: constantly in reference to Christ. Various reports tell of the quiet joy exhibited by the Archbishop as he communicated with those by his bedside.  Weak and weary, yet ever the gracious host, he often cajoled his visitors to sit and make themselves comfortable during their stay with him. Turning attention from himself to the work of the Church, he asked priests about the progress of their parishes, and even spoke of future plans for the Diocese. During services for his health he seemed particularly attentive and at peace when the gospels were read.  The characteristic twinkle in his eyes, though fading, was ever present.

The faithful at St. Seraphim's and nearby churches responded to the illness and witness of His Eminence by caring and praying for him twenty-four hours a day, at his home, during his last weeks.  This they did happily, with no reservations. Their father in Christ needed them, and they him. A mutual, loving dependence could be strongly felt in the Archbishop's room.  For many, a unique experience was quietly yet powerfully unfolding before their eyes.  Whether one thought about it or not, a procession toward death was being made by all. That procession bore a strong sacramental quality. God's Presence was felt, and people were responding in faith.  Personally, I can only liken the situation to a profound liturgical experience. Vladika's love for the people, their love for him, and God's infinite love for man, transformed the home on Wycliff Avenue into a chapel.  The quiet vigil at the Archbishop's bedside became an offering every bit as beautiful as any liturgical celebration. Whatever His Eminence was facing, people desired to be present and to go through it with him, and their shared experience became a sacrifice of praise to the Lord.

Witnessing such things, a person has to declare that, "this is how our end is supposed to be."  If we are to undergo death, then let it be like this.  A loving, cooperative work between God and man was being lived out before peoples' very eyes, as the blessed founder of the Diocese of the South began to pray, "Into Thy hands I commend my spirit."  And even after his repose, it was the faithful and clergy who prayed over, washed and prepared the body, placed him in the casket and escorted him to his beloved Cathedral, next to which a final resting place for the Archbishop will be constructed in the months ahead.

Death, in and of itself, is tragic and a despicable intrusion into God's creation. But in Christ, even death is miraculously, mysteriously, transformed.  The power of that miracle -- that sacrament -- was assuredly seen at the Archbishop's home during the days leading up to Sunday, August 28.  For this precious gift we are thankful.  For this gift we ourselves can pray, that Christ's triumph over death will be manifest in our lives and our repose, as it was for our father in Christ, Archbishop Dmitri.  May his memory be eternal!

The Transfiguration of Christ

The Transfiguration of Christ (August 6)

Metropolitan Kallistos Ware

This is a feast that enjoys far greater prominence in Orthodoxy than in western Christendom.  In the Roman rite, the Transfiguration is merely a "double of the second class," while the Anglican Prayer Book of 1662 does not even provide a special Collect, Epistle, or Gospel for this day.  (This omission has been rectified in the 1928 Book, as also in the revisions of the Book of Common Prayer used in many parts of the Anglican Communion overseas).

In the Orthodox Church tradition August 6 is reckoned as one of the Twelve Great Feasts, of such importance that it supplants the Sunday office entirely (when the feast is observed on the Lord's Day).

The Transfiguration is par excellence the feast of Christ's divine glory.  Like Theophany (January 6), it is a feast of light.  During Matins the exapostilarion for the day states:  "Today on Tabor in the manifestation of Thy Light, O Word, Thou unaltered Light from the Light of the unbegotten Father, we have seen the Father as Light and the Spirit as Light, guiding with light the whole creation."

Nor is this the only parallel between the two feasts.  Like Theophany, although less explicitly, the Transfiguration is a revelation of the Holy Trinity.  On Tabor, as at the baptism in Jordan, the Father speaks from heaven, testifying to the divine Sonship of Christ; and the Spirit is also present, on this occasion not in the likeness of a dove, but under the form of dazzling light, surrounding Christ's person and overshadowing the whole mountain.  This dazzling light is the light of the Spirit.

The Transfiguration then, is a feast of divine glory;  more specifically of the glory of the Resurrection.  The ascent of Mount Tabor came at a critical point in Our Lord's ministry, just as He was setting out upon His last journey to Jerusalem, which He knew was to end in humiliation and death.  To strengthen His disciples for the trials that lay ahead He chose this particular moment to reveal to them something of His eternal splendor, "as far as they were able to bear it"  (Troparion of the Feast).   He encouraged them -- and all of us -- to look beyond the suffering of the Cross to the glory of the Resurrection.

The light of the Transfiguration, however, foreshadows not only Christ's own Resurrection on the third day, but equally the Resurrection glory of the righteous (ones) at His Second Coming.  The glory which shone from Jesus on Tabor is a glory in which all mankind is called to share.  On Mount Tabor we see Christ's human nature -- the human substance which He took from us -- filled with splendor, "made godlike" or "deified."  What has happened to human nature in Christ can happen also to the humanity of Christ's followers.  The Transfiguration then, reveals to us the full potentiality of our human nature: it shows us the glory which our manhood once possessed and the glory which, by God's grace, it will again recover at the Last Day.

This is a cardinal aspect of the present feast, to which the liturgical texts frequently revert.  For example, it is said at Great Vespers that at His Transfiguration the Lord, "in His own person showed them the nature of man, arrayed in the original beauty of the Image."  Similarly at Matins one hears, "Thou wast transfigured upon Mount Tabor, showing the exchange mortal men will make with Thy glory at Thy second and fearful coming, O Savior."

The feast of the Transfiguration, therefore, is not simply the commemoration of a past event in the life of Christ.  Possessing also an "eschatological" dimension, it is turned towards the future, towards the "splendor of the Resurrection" at the Last Day, towards the "beauty of the divine Kingdom" which all Christians hope eventually to enjoy.  (From the Festal Menaion)

The Lord is My Shepherd

The Lord Is My Shepherd

(A Traditional look at a well known Psalm)

Archbishop Dmitri

Psalm 22/23 which begins with the words, "The Lord is my Shepherd," is probably one of the best known, most often quoted and memorized of all David's beautiful hymns.  It has always occupied an important place in the spiritual life of the Orthodox Christian, and is one of the Psalms included in the order of preparation for the reception of Holy Communion.

In the early Church the catechumens, especially as the time for their Baptism drew near, were made familiar with its content and were even obliged to learn it by heart.  It seems, however, that its meaning was not fully explained to them until after they had received the grace of the All-holy Spirit in the mysteries of Baptism, Chrismation and the Eucharist: "We gave you the Psalm, beloved children who hurriedly approach the baptism of Christ, so that you might learn it by heart.  But, it is necessary, because of its mystical, hidden meaning, that we explain it to you, with the light of divine grace." (From a sermon attributed to St. Augustine.)

The Fathers of the Church saw in Psalm 22/23 both a prophecy and a summary of the mysteries (sacraments) of Christian initiation.  St. Gregory of Nyssa, for example, explained: "By this Psalm, Christ teaches the Church that, first of all, you must become a sheep of the Good Shepherd:  the catechetical instruction guides you to the pastures and fountains of doctrine.  Then you must be buried with Him into death by Baptism.  But this is not death, but a shadow and image of death.  Then He prepares the mystical table.  Then He anoints you with the oil of the Spirit.  And finally He presents the wine that gladdens the heart of man and produces that sober inebriation characteristic of the true Christian."

It is to be noted that then, as now, our Orthodox Church used the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint - it is Psalm 22 in the Greek), and the understanding of its mystical meaning was based on this version.  The traditional meaning given the Psalm in our Church is obscured in a few phrases of the most widely known English translations, since they follow the Hebrew rather than the Greek.  In the following selection of commentaries on the six verses, we give first the King James translation and in the parentheses a more or less literal translation of the Septuagint.

(1.)  The Lord is my Shepherd (The Lord Shepherds me);  I shall not want (I shall lack nothing).  Once again St. Gregory of Nyssa explains: "David invites you to be one of the sheep whose Shepherd is Christ and who lack no good thing.  The Good Shepherd makes Himself everything for you:  pasture, water of rest, food, dwelling place, and the way of righteousness, and He gives you the Comforter, distributing His grace according to your needs."  St. Cyril of Alexandria states, those who belong to Christ "have as their guide not a simple, holy man, as Israel had Moses, but the Prince of Shepherds and the Teacher of doctrine, in whom are found all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge"...

(2.)  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures (He has made me to dwell in a place of verdure): He leadeth me beside the still waters (He has nourished me beside the waters of rest). "The place of verdure (green pastures) means the ever-fresh words of Holy Scripture, which nourishes the hearts of believers and gives them spiritual strength" (St. Cyril of Alexandria).  "The waters of rest means, no doubt, Holy Baptism, by which the weight of sin is removed."  After having fed the person who comes to Him in faith with His word, the Lord leads him to the waters of Baptism, making him a sheep of His holy flock, whose destiny is only to enter into God's rest.

(3.)  He restoreth my soul (He has converted my soul):  He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake (He has led me...).   David speaks of his own experience: after having learned of God's ways he strayed from the paths of righteousness and fell into deadly sin.  His experience in this Psalm becomes a prophecy:  anyone, no matter how far he may have strayed from God, in Christ may be converted and return to the way of righteousness and learn to do God's will.

(4.)  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil (....though I walk in the midst of the shadow of death...):  for thou art with me;  thy rod and thy staff they comfort me (...they have comforted me).  "It is necessary for you to be buried in death with Him by Baptism.  But it is not really death, but a shadow and image of death" (St. Gregory of Nyssa). "For we are baptized into the death of Christ, Baptism is called the shadow and image of death, in face of which there is no longer anything to fear" (St. Cyril of Alexandria).  The last part of this verse refers to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  "He comforts the believer, or guides him, with the rod and staff (the Shepherd's crook) of the Spirit, for the One who guides or comforts is the Spirit" (St. Gregory of Nyssa).  "And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever...when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth..." (John 14:16; 16:13).

(5.)  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies (...in the presence of those that afflict me...):   thou anointest my head with oil;  my cup runneth over (...thy cup which inebriates me, how excellent it is).  "What does David mean by this ("Thou has prepared a table...") if not the mystical and spiritual table which God has prepared for us?...He anointed thy head on the forehead with the seal of God, which thou didst receive so that thou mightest bear the seal impressed as the sign of consecration to God.  And you see that David is speaking of the chalice, over which Christ said after giving thanks, "This is the chalice of my blood" (St. Cyril of Jerusalem).  "Having abandoned the remains of the former error and renewed his youth like that of an eagle, the newly baptized hurriedly approaches the celestial banquet.  He arrives and seeing the altar prepared, he exclaims, 'Thou has prepared a table before me...'" (St. Ambrose).  "In these lines the Word clearly designates the sacramental unction (Chrism) and the holy sacrifice of Christ's table" (Eusebius of Caesarea).  "The Holy Spirit expresses in the Psalms the same figure of the Eucharist when the Lord's chalice is mentioned; 'Thy cup which inebriates me, how excellent it is!'  But the inebriation which the Lord's chalice gives is not similar to that of profane wine.  It intoxicates in such a way that it does not make one lose his reason; it leads souls to spiritual wisdom..."  (St. Cyprian of Carthage).  "Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.  But Peter...said unto them...these are not drunken, as ye suppose...but this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel:  and it shall come to pass in the last day, saith God, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams" (Acts 2:13-17).

(6.)  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life (...mercy shall pursue me...);  and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.  "Christ, providing the world with the wine 'that maketh glad the heart of men,' provokes in it that sober intoxication which elevates the dispositions of the heart from transitory to eternal things...He who has tasted, in fact, this inebriation trades the ephemeral for that which has no end and remains in the house of the Lord all the days of his life" (St. Gregory of Nyssa).

The Day of the Holy Spirit

Fr. Alexander Men (This year we celebrate the feast of Ascension on Thursday, June 2, and the feast Pentecost, the giving of the Holy Spirit and Birthday of the Church, on Sunday June 12.  In anticipation of the latter we offer the following sermon by Fr. Alexander Men.)

When the temple guard, the soldiers who used to keep order in the House of God, were sent by the temple authorities to seize the Lord, they returned without success, as they had not been able to lay hands on Him. When sternly asked: "Why did you not bring him back with you?" -- they replied, "No one ever spoke like this man." There was power in the words of Christ the Savior.  But that power was not there in the words of His disciples, because the force that spoke through Him was divine, while human weakness alone spoke through them. Even when the disciples had seen the Resurrected One with their own eyes, they hid in fear, locking their doors.  Despite everything, they did not believe. They doubted, even when they saw Him on the mountain in Galilee, as the Evangelist Matthew tells us. Some worshipped Him, but others doubted, believing it to be a ghost.

A few weeks later, on the feast of Pentecost, everything changed.  (Just over a month) had passed since the Lord had died at the place of the skull, in full view of everyone, and then risen again, showing Himself to be faithful and true. Suddenly there was a great noise of troubled voices --and Christ's disciples came out of the house and bore witness to the Risen Christ in front of a whole crowd of people. Everything in them changed:  their fear, timidity and confused speech had gone, as if they had never existed.  They spoke so that everyone could understand, even visitors from distant lands who did not know the language well. Their words were now reaching everyone. Why? What was happening?  They were able to bear witness because the divine power of the Lord had descended on them -- not in a human way, not through flesh and blood, but directly through the Holy Spirit; so they could openly say, "This Jesus, God has raised from the dead, whereof we are all witnesses."

This is an important saying, which we should take to our hearts, like those witnesses. Every Christian is a witness for God.  Think for a moment what a witness is in our ordinary life.  In court, a witness must describe truthfully what he has seen and heard and tell what he really knows honestly and truly. There are false witnesses and slanderers, but a true witness speaks only the truth -- and not just the truth, but a truth that he knows well personally. So the power of Christian witness lies in what we say about the Lord whom we know, about the grace we have experienced, the blessing that is ours and the faith which is in our hearts. If we do not have that Spirit, that power, then we are bad disciples.

The Apostles said:  "He has been raised by God and we are the witnesses thereof" -- because they knew it, they had seen it with their own eyes and had experienced it.  But what about us?  When we pray to the Lord after taking Holy Communion, do we not touch Him?  All true faith is contact with the Lord, but once there has been living contact with God, with the Risen Christ who has saved us, it means we can honestly and courageously witness to the world about our hope, our consolation and our joy.

Our joy is the Lord, who loves the world, trying to save each man and seeking every soul that has erred.  We do not say this just because of reports by others. We ourselves must be witnesses of His Spirit and His power. Let us pray today for the most important thing of all -- that the Spirit of the Lord, which is promised to us, to each one of us, should come to us and touch our hearts.  Then we shall say, not in vain, but out of the experience of our hearts, that we know our Lord and have known the touch of the Spirit of Christ and of God.  Then we shall have the right to say, "Yes, we know Him, whom we have loved, who has loved us, saved us and given us the gift of eternal life."  To Him we all cry, "King of Heaven, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, come and make your home in us."