Of what use is a monastic?

            Before beginning on the topic of this article I want to say something to my readers concerning the series on the fathers of Sarov.  There is yet one more to approach – the Elder Nazarius who lived in monasteries both at Sarov and Valaamo.  His life and teachings have been published by St. Herman’s Brotherhood; but this book is currently out of print and unavailable.  My translator currently works full time; but hopes to eventually complete a translation of the life and teachings of the Elder into English. Our source for this material is the same book of the ascetics of the Sarov Hermitage which we have been translating.

            Now to the question I posed in my title.  I will say nothing of myself; but I will answer by referring to words of Saints Silouan and Sophrony the Athonites in the book, Saint Silouan the Athonite:

   “There are people who say that monks ought to be of some use to the world…The world thinks that monks are a useless species. But that is not the right way to think….We have to understand the nature of a monks service and the way in which he has to help the world….The world does not know how the monk prays for the whole universe—people do not see his prayers and how they are received of the Lord in His mercy….A monk is someone who prays for the whole world, who weeps for the whole world; and in this lies his main work.

“But who is it that constrains him to weep for the whole world?

“The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God incites him.  He gives the monk the love of the Holy Spirit, and by virtue of this love the monk’s heart forever sorrows over the people because not all men are saved.” (words of St. Silouan from pages 407 and 409)

   “When Parthenios, the ascetic of Kiev, sought to know what the strict monastic observance was, the Mother of God told him, ‘The monk who wears the schema is a man who prays for the whole world.’” (ibid p. 493).

            This is engendered within a man, as St. Silouan clarifies, through the love of the Holy Spirit Whom the Lord gives to man.  This is a revelation of the love of Christ for mankind. St. Sophrony tells us, “Through Christ’s love all men become an inseparable part of our own individual, eternal existence.  Speaking of St. Silouan, he continues, The Staretz began to understand the commandment, ‘Love thy neighbor as thyself’ as something more than an ethical imperative.  In the word ‘as’ he saw an indication, not of a required degree of love but of an ontological community of being¹.

            “The Father judgeth no man, but hath committeth all judgment unto the Son…because He is the Son of man” (John 5:22-7) This Son of man, the Great Judge of the world, will say at the Last Judgment that ‘one of the least of these’ is His very Self.  In other words, He assimilates every man’s existence and includes it in His own personal existence.  The Son of man has taken into Himself all mankind—He has accepted the ‘whole Adam’ and suffered for him.  St. Paul said that we, too, ought to think and feel like Christ—having ‘the same mind which was in Christ.’ (Phil. 2:5)

            “The Holy Spirit, in teaching Silouan Christ-like love, bestowed on him the gift of effectively living this love, of taking to himself the life of all mankind.  The intensity of his prayer as he wept for the entire world related and bound him with strong bonds to all mankind, to the ‘whole Adam.  In this world there are various distinctions and divisions among men but in eternity we are all one.  Each of us must, therefore, take heed not only for himself but for this single whole.” (pp. 47-8). A monk takes heed for the “single whole”—the whole race of Adam.

            In conclusion we can say that: “The world is supported by the prayers of the saints; and the monk’s calling is to pray for the whole world….Thanks to monks, prayer continues unceasingly on earth and the whole world profits, for through prayer the whole world continues to exist; but when prayer fails, the world will perish.” (excerpts from pages 408 and 407)  

 1.    This could perhaps also be expressed as such, “a theological truth: the nature of man’s existence is communal

Igumen Seraphim: Abbot of Sarov

The successor of Father Igumen Isaiah, the eleventh Abbot of the Sarov Monastery, Igumen Seraphim, was from a family of the state peasants^[1] from the Perm region. His name in the world was Spiridon Andreev Pestov. He entered the monastery in 1823 at the age of 19, together with his father Andrei (monastic name – Arseny). He was tonsured a monk on June 20^th, 1835, ordained a hierodeacon the same year on September 29^th by the Most Reverend Arseny, Bishop of Tambov (later Metropolitan of Kiev), and a hieromonk on May 29^th, 1844 by the Most Reverend Nikolai, Bishop of Tambov. He was appointed as treasurer in 1848, he held this  position until 1858, when he was appointed as the Abbot of the monastery on May 17th, 1858 after the repose of Fr. Igumen Isaiah.  He was appointed abbot by the higher spiritual authority with the general approval of the brethren. In November 1872, by the order of the Holy Synod, he was relieved of his duties as the Abbott and retired. He remained among the ill monks of the Monastery as an old, physically weak man until his passing on October 5^th, 1878 at the age of 74. He was buried next to Fr. Igumen Isaiah behind the altar on the left side of the Dormition cathedral temple.

In the course of his fourteen-year rule of the Sarov Monastery, Father Igumen Seraphim kept the monastery in order in external matters, as well as its inner spiritual state as it was established at the time of his ever-memorable predecessors. He was a strict follower of the testaments and traditions of the Elders of the monastery. Aside from the solemn conduct in church services, Father Igumen especially watched the moral conduct of the brethren. Often, at any time of the day, one could see him either on the monastery grounds visiting brethren’s cells or outside of the monastery at the passage to where was strictly prohibited for the brethren without the blessing of superiors.  In that case any transgression, as the true disciple of Father Igumen Niphont, he imitated him in fixing misdeeds of the brethren with a humble word and a fatherly correction. This kind of rigorous observance of the testaments and the charter of the monastery gained for Father Igumen Seraphim the love and respect of the Hierarchs of the Russian Church and other pious men who communicated regularly with him via letters, which were edifying and filled with brotherly love. Thus, at the very appointment of Father Seraphim to be the Abbot of the Sarov Monastery, the Most Reverend Arseny, later the Metropolitan of Kiev, writes,

Most honorable Fr. Abbott, beloved in Christ brother!

I rejoice from the bottom of my heart and congratulate you on your new appointment and I pray to the Lord that He may give you fortitude and strength to carry this honorable but difficult responsibility well. Your monastery is famous, so the feat of guiding it is even more challenging. However, with the help of God and your labors, which I have been aware of for some time, I hope everything will go well. The Apostle Paul says that “all things work together for good for those who love God” [Rom 8:28], and you do not lack that love.

Both mine, and your, God-loving Fathers Niphont and Isaiah, now seeing you in their place, building up the holy monastery according to their plan and wish, will rejoice, since they loved and prepared you for this position.

I humbly beg you not to forget my unworthiness in your prayers, since a prayer of a pious man assisted by love may do much. I need it so much!

I invoke God’s blessing upon you and all of the brethren.

September 15^th, 1858

A humble servant of your great godliness

Arseny, Archbishop of Warsaw

What follows are two of the many letters of the Most Reverend Platon, Archbishop of Kostroma^[2]:

Most Reverend Father Abbot, beloved brother in Jesus Christ! Christ is risen!

May the Lord Himself reward you for your endless love towards my unworthiness. May your noblest wishes for me on the occasion of the most joyous feast of the resurrection of Christ the Savior ascend to the throne of the Almighty and bring the Lord’s blessings upon me. Please, accept my sincerest congratulations on the most joyous celebration of celebrations and the feast of feasts. May the Resurrected Savior grant you and your brethren in the Lord that heavenly joy which no one can take away.

Venerable Fathers, following the example of your valiant predecessors, pray for peace and for the Holy Church, that the Lord may keep Her unconquerable against the gates of hell, the hell, which seems to be rebelling in these final days to harm the Bride of Christ. Pray for us bishops that the Lord may grant us to “rightly divide the word of truth” [2 Timothy 2:15] and to fulfill our episcopal duties according to His holy will.

May the mercy of God be and remain with the holy Sarov Monastery forever through the prayers of its ascetics who have passed away and those who are currently laboring there.

April 21, 1864.

Your most most ardent well-wisher and servant,

Platon, Bishop of Kostroma

–

Most reverend Father Igumen,

beloved brother in Jesus Christ!

I am at a loss for words to express my gratitude for your unending love towards me, the unworthy one. Keep me in your holy prayers. May the Lord Himself reward you with goodwill and His mercies.

Nowadays, it is very difficult not only for the monastery ascetics in their struggles but also for us, those who are appointed to positions at the height of church administration. It seems that the time has come when one must save himself through sorrows. I implore you, Venerable Father, not to abandon the Sarov customs; in other words, attend services and common meals following the example of your predecessors. There is a great benefit for the monastery in that, especially in our time. Bear the burden of the duties of the abbacy for the sake of the Lord God, for the benefit of the monastery, and for your own salvation.

May the number of holy and ascetic elders never diminish at the Sarov Monastery through the prayers of your holy predecessors. May Sarov be a haven for those seeking salvation!

Holy fathers, remember me, a sinner amidst your prayerful sighs, and all of the Russian Orthodox hierarchs. Maintain your kindness to me, the unworthy one, dear Father Igumen, and do not forget me in your prayers. Neither the powers of soul or body are capable of the great and laborious service of ours which demands much and becomes increasingly difficult.

May the blessings of the Lord be upon you and the holy monastery entrusted -to you and its brotherhood.

April 5th, 1873.

The most devoted brother and servant

of your great godliness,

Platon, the unworthy Archbishop of Kostroma.

This truly Christ-like attitude, in the spirit of the Orthodox Church, of Her hierarchs contributed over time to the increase in beauty of the Sarov Monastery and in the splendor of its holy temples of God. Thus, during Fr. Igumen Seraphim’s leading of the monastery, with contributions from Christ-loving benefactors, all the holy icons of the iconostasis of the heated cathedral temple of the Life-Giving Spring were decorated with gold-plated silver rizas^[3] with fine embossment and precious gems.

However, a very special monument of the tireless care of Fr. Igumen Seraphim for the well-being of the monastery entrusted to him by God will be the proper management of their forest land which will always be remembered with gratitude by the monastic brotherhood. This was instituted during his tenure as abbot. Through its forest lots the needs of supporting the brethren and numerous visitors is supplied. This treasure was inherited from the founder, Hieroschemamonk Ioann, as a truly royal gift from the Tsars of Russia.

^[1] A large group of peasants in 18^th-19^th century Russia who were considered personally free, although, the state had restrictions on their movement across the country.

^[2] A city on the Volga river founded in 1152 by Prince Yury Dolgoruky.

^[3] A metal covering for the surface of an icon. Nilus 

Dimitrius: Abbot of the Sarov Monastery

    The second abbot of the Sarov Monastery, Hieromonk Dorotheus, [Dimitrius in the world] was selected by Ioann himself in 1731. He served as abbot for seventeen years. Originally from Kadom¹ county, he was from the family of a clergyman. He came to the monastery in 1705, to the founder Ioann. He was tonsured a monk in 1708; then ordained to the rank of hierodeacon and then hieromonk.  He remained in obedience as a true disciple and participated in all of the labors and sorrows of the monastic community.  He was for everyone an example of humility and monastic labor, following the example of his teacher. He took part in all of the obediences of the monastery such as mowing hay and fishing, since – according to the charter of the cenobitic monastery – all of the brethren [aside from the infirm and the elderly] went out to work together; when they did; the humble and caring shepherd of their souls and father was with them. His entire life was adorned with touching examples of patience, mercy and piety. Zeal towards the glory of God, and his ardent love for God were the constant qualities of his soul. He strictly followed the rules of the communal life in dealing with brethren. This was done in accordance to the Athos charter, given to him by his teacher for the sake of greater union of brotherly love and for uniform order in everything.  In 1714 brigands attacked the monastery seeking treasures, and many monks were left crippled from the attack. Fr. Dorotheos, was tortured on a fire.  He was later found unconscious on coals by monks who returned from the woods.  For the remainder of his life, Fr. Dorotheos remained without eyebrows or eyelashes and had scars on his face from the fire.  In 1745 he received the Great Schema with the name Dimitrius and he reposed in 1747.  He was buried at the same place where he was tortured by the fire.        

     During his tenure as abbot jealousy, flattery, division and competition were not to be seen between the brethren. Instead a surprising concord, like-mindedness and meekness reigned over them. The brethren entrusted their souls to him, and he, as a child-loving and caring father, had constant care about their salvation.  He treated the souls wounded by evil in a fatherly manner. His caring, compassionate and gentle word was directed to do away with remembrance of wrongs and instilling peace and humility among the brethren.   He taught the brethren forgiveness, mutual help, acknowledgement of one’s own weaknesses, restraint of pride and self-love, not to seek vengeance, but to have perfect love even to the point of self-denial. He was, himself, the greatest example of all of the virtues he taught. With his prudence, firmness of character and exemplary life he established among them an orderly communal life, love of labor, obedience and love for one’s neighbor. Rumors about his holy life gathered more and more of those who sought a life of stillness. He spent days in unceasing prayer. Whenever he talked to the brethren regarding the struggles which awaited them, he also prayed for them; he never tired of the labors of edifying the brethren and never ceased to listen to the wise counsel of the senior pious monks until his death. Therefore, everyone, according to the spirit of the Gospel, obeyed him wholeheartedly, and expressed a sincere reverence befitting spiritual children. Thus, everyone glorified God with their lives, and advanced their struggle for salvation under the guidance of an elder experienced in spiritual feats.

     The admonitions of the experienced elder Dimitrius were so wise and useful that they did not only remain in the hearts of his contemporaries, but even until now are repeated by the brethren for mutual edification. The following are some of his instructions:

“We should have patience at all times and when trials and afflictions visit us we should remember how the saints before us passed through all of their lives in sorrows, afflictions and adversities, and ended their course in suffering.  Therefore they received from God the unspeakable and indescribable joy in the kingdom of heaven.  It is written of this joy, ‘Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.’ (ICor. 2:9)

     “If one will not endure temptations, he will not receive the gift and crown from God. Forbearance is the salvation of a man, laziness and relaxation and comfort (idleness) – his destruction.  Since relaxation makes the body lazy and weak and leads to neglect of  the soul. Relaxation and vain cares ruin saving time. Nothing torments the evil spirits, or torches them more than the Jesus prayer. Demons fear the Jesus prayer very much.

     “Be watchful with great caution, since we walk among passions and traps. Passions surround us at every hour, everywhere; the nets of the demons are set everywhere. Just like the air penetrates everything, the earth is filled with passions and traps.

     “Goodness is in restraint, therefore, great is the virtue of restraint; it is the mother of all virtues. If we restrain our body from overeating, brethren, we will enter the kingdom of heaven. Since restraint means killing sin and departure from passions, it is the start of the spiritual life and the solicitor of eternal blessings. Overeating, without a doubt, makes you feel tired; feeling tired in turn leads to dozing, sleep and laziness, and sleep and laziness open the door to passions. Thus, we should curb sleep and laziness and God will strengthen us. Laziness causes the weakening of mental faculties and their exhaustion – while submerging into sleepiness, sleep and tiredness the lazy soul gives entrance to evil thoughts. Impure thoughts diminish grace and good deeds. The mind is cleared and becomes brighter from prayer and becomes enlightened.

     “It is impossible for him who is negligent and does not take care of his soul to defeat the enemy and the passions, to come to perfection, to live a spiritual life and be saved and to please God. Those who live in idleness and who became slaves to their flesh and who fill the belly – the king of all passions – cannot inherit the kingdom of God. The saints for that reason lived in afflictions and illnesses, in need, thirst and poverty.

     “Furthermore, one cannot free oneself from napping much and laziness and the burden of other passions while serving the princes of passions – the mouth and the stomach, while eating and drinking until full. He who is the slave of evil passions will not progress in life with God. We should pray diligently; so that for him, who is negligent and does not take care of his soul the darkness of passions will not cover the eyes of our mind.”

1. Kadom – a town founded in 1209 was a part of the Tambov region of Russia in the 18th century, now a settlement in Ryazan region of the Russian Federation.

Scripture Interpretation: Conclusion—Who can do it?

Who is most trustworthy to interpret the Holy Scriptures?  In the last article we saw how beneficial was the scholarly research on the background of the problem facing the Church in Colossae.  But to understand the whole of the New Testament, what does it take?  The Apostle Peter wrote: “Account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you.  As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.” (IIPet. 3:15-6)  This is fearful!  So who can we trust?  Father Theoclutus, a respected ascetic and scholar of Dionysiou Monastery on Athos, once said, “It is Protestantism to read the Bible and interpret it.  In the Orthodox Church we go according to the teachings of the Holy Fathers.  They lived the Gospel, they reached a state of illumination and wrote out of the illumination they had received.”  Now this process is what must be explained. 

In the letters of Saint Joseph the Hesychast he writes to a correspondent of stages of grace as follows:

“The spiritual life is divided into three stages, and grace acts in a person accordingly.  The first stage is called purification, during which a person is cleansed.  What you have now is called the grace of purification.  This form leads one to repentance.  All eagerness that you have for spiritual things is due to grace alone.  Nothing is your own.  It secretly acts upon everything.  So when you exert yourself, this grace remains with you for a certain period of time.  If a person progresses with noetic prayer, he receives another form of grace which is entirely different.

“As we mentioned earlier this first form of grace is called, ‘perception of the action of grace’ and is the grace of purification.  That is, one who prays feels the presence of divine energy within him.

“The second form of grace is called the grace of illumination.  During this stage one receives the light of knowledge and is raised to the vision of God.  This does not mean seeing lights, fantasies, and images, but it means clarity of the nous, clearness of thoughts, and depth of cognition.  For this to occur, the person praying must have much stillness and an undeceived guide.

The third stage—when grace overshadows—is the grace of perfection, truly a great gift.  I shall not write about this now, since it is unnecessary.”¹

This development could be explained in another way as follows:

“Central to Christian life is ongoing repentance, and the saints are those who repent thoroughly and completely.  Repentance in the Orthodox Church has various shades of meanings.  The Greek word, ‘metania’ literally means a change of mind, implying what the Holy Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans: ‘be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind’ (Rom. 12:2).  The equivalent word in Slavonic—‘pokaianie’—implies to be wretched, to mourn and lament—to be filled with tears.  In conjunction with the disposition of one’s heart, and effort of free will, this ‘spirit of repentance’ acts in varying degrees.  In some people it acts temporarily according to the sins they have committed.  There is confession, the resolve to change, remorse, and maybe some act of penance.  However, in others this ‘spirit of repentance’ acts systematically, remaining upon one, leading him from one degree of purification to another.  Then continuing on, this ‘spirit’—which is an action of the grace of God—leads one from one degree of enlightenment to another.  Perhaps we could presume to say that the latter is what the Apostle Paul wrote of to the Corinthians: ‘But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the spirit of the Lord’” (II Cor. 3:18).²  Thus one reaches the state of grace of illumination.

Now let us go on to a living example of this.  The Elder Joseph of Vatopedi Monastery on Athos gives us an explanation as he refers to the struggle of a saint of his monastery, Joachim Papoulakis.  He writes of a particular period of the saint’s life when he had much solitude and practiced strict ascetic labors.

“During this time Saint Joachim’s chief occupation was prayer; and he went about it using all of the rules and principles of spiritual inwardness³ and sobriety that he had practiced so intently during his stay on Athos.  His five years of extreme asceticism in his carefree surroundings, coupled with his earlier training, raised him to the level of godly illumination; and Divine grace elevated him to deific theorias⁴—now a normal state for him—at which point his blessed soul was adorned with clairvoyance and foreknowledge.  What is more blessed than the mind that has been illumined and the heart that has been purified?  The person who is found worthy of these things sees, by means of them, God and the things of God. How very little we know about the life of holy men—and only in a faint way do they become known to us—and this from glimpses of their life that they themselves have allowed us to see.

“Everyone drew attention to the saint’s spiritual gifts of prophecy and healing, which were usually revealed when he associated with people for their benefit,  But what struggle did this spiritual giant undergo in order to ‘put off the old man’ (Eph. 4:22) of corruption and lies, to ‘put to death the members which are on the earth’ (Col. 3:5), and to crush the beast of egocentricity—which is truly the ‘abomination of desolation’ (Matt. 24:15)—so that ‘mortality might be swallowed up by life’ (2Cor. 5:4)?  Only fellow spiritual athletes who are one in heart, way of life, and belief know these things; those who take up the Cross of Christ; those who have hurled themselves with zeal into the sea of painstaking diligence and have fully embraced ‘spiritual poverty’ (see Matt. 5:3) by means of voluntary obedience and submission.  ‘As many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them’ (Gal. 6:16), and this is precisely what the blessed Elder Joachim Papoulakis did.”⁵

I do not know if my readers agree but I believe that a person who has reached such a spiritual state is the most trustworthy interpreter of the Holy Scriptures, as the above mentioned Monk Theoclutus said, “In the Orthodox Church we go according to the teachings of the Holy Fathers.  They lived the Gospel, they reached a state of illumination⁶ and wrote out of the illumination they had received.”  Amen!

1.    Monastic Wisdom The Letters of Elder Joseph the Hesychast, St, Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery 1998, pp. 44-5    

2.    In the Footsteps of a Saint, St. Tikhon’s Seminary Press, 2006, p. 3

3.    Spiritual inwardness is defined in Glossary of the book quoted as, “The turning of the mind to the place of the heart where Christ resides.

4.    In the Glossary of this book Theoria is defined as, “The state of prayer where the heart and mind, after being cleansed and purified by spiritual activity, are drawn up into God by His grace.”  So the idea of “deific theorias” is that one ascends into the likeness of God through such experiences,   provided he continues in his ascetic struggles.

5.    Saint Joachim Papoulakis of Vatopedi, Holy Great Monastery of Vatopedi, Mount Athos 2024, pp. 33-4

6. I thought it might be of interest to relate the following: Once the late Abbess Makrina (reposed in 1995) of the convent of “Panagia the Directress” at Portaria in Greece in speaking a state of prayer one can reach said, “It is as though the heart is bleeding and then everything becomes as gold and diamonds, the trees, the houses, everything becomes as gold and diamonds.”  She also comented, “The mind receives illumination through prayer of the heart.”  

Scripture Interpretation: Part II Holy Tradition

The Holy Apostle Paul wrote in his first letter to Timothy: “I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth.” (1Tim. 3:14-5) This letter is estimated to have been written between 64 and 66 A.D.  This was long before the New Testament had been gathered into one book and all of its contents were not yet written.  Nevertheless, the Apostle Paul calls the Church the “pillar and bulwark of the truth”.  What was the source of the truth which was embodied by the Church: Tradition and to express it more properly we can say “Holy Tradition”.   But what does the term “Holy Tradition” signify for the Orthodox?

Hieromonk Sophronios Michaelidis tells us: “Holy Tradition is nothing other than the life of the Church in the Holy Spirit throughout the ages. Consequently, all the expression of this life in the Holy Spirit, that is the imparting of the revealed truth, the apostolic succession of Pastors, the liturgical and sacramental life, the correct teaching and interpretation of the gospel truth by the Holy Fathers, the experience of divine Grace in the life of believers and all the expression of ‘new’ life, which Christ imparts to people, through his Church, comprises Holy Tradition.”¹ 

In the catechetical book, These Truths We Hold, the following is written concerning Holy Tradition: “We take special note that for the Orthodox, the Holy Bible forms a part of Holy Tradition, but does not lie outside of it. One would be in error to suppose that Scripture and Tradition are two separate and distinct sources of Christian Faith, as some do, since there is in reality, only one source; and the holy Bible exists and found its formulation within Tradition.”²   

The Apostle and Evangelist Luke draws on Tradition when he writes his Gospel.  He begins, “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things which have been accomplished among us, just as they were delivered to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word.”  (Luke 1:1-2) The Apostle Jude does likewise when he writes: “Contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints”. (Jude 1:3)  The word “delivered” in both of these quotes is the same in Greek: paradidomi.  The Apostle Paul uses a Greek term with the same root when he writes of tradition: paradosis.  For example, he writes in his second letter to the Thessalonians, “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is living in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.” (2Th 3:6) The Strong’s and Thayer Greek/English Dictionaries state that paradosis is derived from paradidomi.  The first definition for this term in the Thayer Dictionary is “to give into the hands (of another)”.³   So it can be thought of that which has been handed down, whether oral or written—this is Tradition. 

But let us now go on to see how the New Testament itself proves that it is not the sole source of Christian faith.  Here are some examples:   

In His intimate conversation with His disciples at the Mystical Supper our Lord tells them: “The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (Jn. 14:26). And a little later, “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” (Jn. 16:12-13)

“I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you.”   [1 Cor 11:2]

“What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you.” [Phil 4:9]

“So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.” [2 Th 2:15]

“Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is living in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us” [2 Th 3:6]

“Follow the pattern of the sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.  Guard the truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.” [2 Tim 1:13-4]

“What you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” [2 Tim 2:2]

“Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink, but I hope to come to see you and talk with you face to face.” [2 John 1:12]

 Another point which merits our attention are the references to sacred literature in the New Testament which are not found in the Old Testament, but were preserved and imparted through Holy Tradition.   For example, the Apostle Matthew tells us that the Holy Family “went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that what was being spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, ‘He shall be called a Nazarene.’” (Mat. 2:23) There is the prophecy of Enoch, which the Apostle Jude mentions in his epistle: “Enoch in the seventh generation from Adam prophesied, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord came with his holy myriads, to execute judgment on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness which they have committed in such against him.’” (Jude 1:14-15) The event of the dialogue between the archangel Michael and the devil related to the body of Moses, which Jude again mentions (Jude 1:9), and which is not found written in the Old Testament. The same applies also about the words of Christ “It is more blessed to give than to receive” which are not found in any gospel, and which the Apostle Paul mentions from Holy Tradition (Acts 20:35). Finally in critiquing the Scribes and Pharisees our Lord says, “Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute.’” (Luke 11:49) None of the aforementioned are found in the Scriptures.

Before closing, a passage from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians should be considered.  “See to it that no one makes a prey of you by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ…. Let no one disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, taking his stand on visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind.”  I know of Protestants who apply these words to the Orthodox Church without researching the historical context in order to learn the contemporary problem the Apostle Paul was dealing with.  In The New Oxford Annotated Bible we read the following in the introduction to this epistle: “The Apostle heard the disquieting news of the activity of false teachers in the newly founded church, and he wrote this letter to correct their erroneous speculations.  These teachers who claimed to possess superior knowledge of divine matters (2:18) advocated a theosophical mixture of ascetic (2:16, 20-23) and ritualistic (2:16-18) practices, some of which had parallels in the Jewish sect of the Essenes.” (The New Oxford Annotated Bible With The Apocrypha, expanded edition, Revised Standard Version, Copyright 1962, Oxford University Press, Inc., p.1428)

The “erroneous speculations” are explained in more detail within the introduction for the letter to the Colossians of The Orthodox Study Bible as follows: “Error in Colosse was a local blend of Jewish (perhaps Essene) and Oriental ideas.  The heretics thought they were ‘supplementing’ apostolic Christianity, which they saw as primitive, with greater knowledge and better access to spiritual things. They imagined that (1) the hierarchy of celestial powers (the ‘angels’ in some Jewish thought) was supreme rather than Christ; (2) Christ was not unique in His divine nature nor in His actions, for He was not God but one of several mediators; (3) sin resulted from a lack of knowledge (Gr. gnosis), a particular sort of knowledge in which the heretics were specialists; and (4) salvation consisted in having this gnosis imparted by a series of rituals and ascetic practices (among which the Jewish rites were prized, but Christian baptism was considered a mere low-level initiation).” Pp. 461-2   

As a concluding comment we can refer to the words with which the Apostle John the Theologian ends his Gospel: “There are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”  Archimandrite Vasileios of Stavronikita (he now lives as a recluse outside of Iveron Monastery on Athos) thus comments on this, “However, those things which the world could not contain if they were written in detail are found, made known and lived in the Church, where Jesus Himself lives.  Those who think they know Christ outside the Church know very few things about Him; those who belong to the Church live ‘in Him’”⁴

1. Orthodoxy and the Jehovah’s Witnesses, 2^nd Edition Improved and expanded, The Holy Metropolis of Kitios Larnaka – Cyprus 1997, Hieromonk  Sophronios G. Michailidis, p.39-41. (This publication exists only in Greek)
2. These Truths We Hold, St. Tikhon’s  Seminary Press 2010, p. 224
3. See https://e-sword.net
4. Hymn of Entry, Archimandrite Vasileios, St Vladimir’s  Seminary Press, 1984, pp. 17-8  

Scripture Interpretation

I believe that all of us—I assume I am writing primarily to Orthodox Christians—have, at least once, run into someone who has expressed the opinion that the Orthodox Church is not in harmony with the Bible.  These people typically claim to belong to a “Bible Church” and assert that they are non-denominational.  They maintain that they follow the Bible, and it is primarily the New Testament that they are referring to.  They have their own understanding and interpretation of the Scriptures and conclude that the Church contradicts the Scriptures by its way of life and therefore proclaim that they are a Bible church and we are not.  Again, I repeat that this is based on their own understanding and interpretation of the Scriptures.  Long ago, in the fourth century, a man Arius, who had a large following, denied that our Lord Jesus Christ is God; and he based his belief on the Scriptures, as well.  Today, the Jehovah Witnesses also deny that Christ is God, and they, too, claim to follow the Scriptures.  Likewise, I can offhand think of two other groups in our times which do not share a Trinitarian doctrine and who also claim to base their beliefs on the Scriptures.  I am speaking here of Christian Scientists and Unitarians. So then, who can understand and interpret the Scriptures?  Let us take one step at a time and begin by answering the question: Is the Orthodox Church a Bible church?  What is the answer?  NO!  So now, we must carry on with an explanation. 

The Apostolic preaching of the Christian Faith and the gathering together of communities of believers existed before the New Testament.  In the late fourth century St. John Chrysostom in his first homily on the Gospel of St. Matthew wrote the following:

“It were indeed meet for us not at all to require the aid of the written Word, but to exhibit a life so pure, that the grace of the Spirit should be instead of books to our souls, and that as these are inscribed with ink, even so should our hearts be with the Spirit. But, since we have utterly put away from us this grace, come, let us at any rate embrace the second-best course.

“For that the former was better, God hath made manifest, both by His words, and by His doings. Since unto Noah, and unto Abraham, and unto his offspring, and unto Job, and unto Moses too, He discoursed not by writings, but Himself by Himself, finding their mind pure. But after the whole people of the Hebrews had fallen into the very pit of wickedness, then and thereafter was a written word, and tablets, and the admonition which is given by these.

“And this one may perceive was the case, not of the saints in the Old Testament only, but also of those in the New. For neither to the apostles did God give anything in writing, but instead of written words He promised that He would give them the grace of the Spirit: for ‘He,’ saith our Lord, ‘shall bring all things to your remembrance.’(John 14:26)  And that thou mayest learn that this was far better, hear what He saith by the Prophet: ‘I will make a new covenant with you, putting my laws into their mind, and in their heart I will write them,’ and, ‘they shall be all taught of God.’ (Jer. 31:31-3) And Paul too, pointing out the same superiority, said, that they had received a law ‘not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.’ (IICor. 3:3)

“But since in process of time they made shipwreck, some with regard to doctrines, others as to life and manners, there was again need that they should be put in remembrance by the written word.”

Thus did Chrysostom assert that a diminution of grace among the believers was the cause of the need for a written word.  This may appear very speculative, but having reposed in the year 407, he was much closer to the days of the Apostles than we are and therefore had more insight into the Church as it existed in Apostolic times.   We are aware that the twenty-seven books of the New Testament were written at various times and places by separate authors who were “moved by the Holy Spirit and spoke from God” (IIPet. 1:21).  So let us approach the question: can the New Testament be the foundation of the Christian Church?

The Holy Scripture- and specifically the New Testament – can be neither the sole source of Christian faith, nor can it be single the criterion of the true Church because, very simply, the Christian faith and Christian Church preceded the New Testament.  It was men of the Church, who in a state of illumination through the grace of the Holy Spirit, produced the writings which in time came to comprise the New Testament.  The New Testament did not produce the Church.

“As is known, the New Testament, is comprised of twenty-seven books. These books were selected by the Church, from a multitude of other similar books.  It is known that in the two first Christian centuries, many “gospels” other works were circulated which were attributed to the Apostles or to their disciples. Examples of these works are the Protoevangelion of James, the Gospel According to Peter, The Gospel According to Thomas, The Gospel According to the Hebrews, the Gospel of the Twelve Apostles, the apocryphal Acts of the Apostles, the Preaching of Peter, the Epistle to Laodicaeans of the Apostle Paul, as well as others.  Among these are four familiar Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – and the epistles. Of all these books, the Church- through the holy Father’s and the sacred Synods – selected, only twenty-seven, which She considered divinely inspired….

“From Church History we ascertain that the need for defining a specific Canon for the New Testament appeared around the end of the second century, when certain heretics (such as Marcion¹) tried to define their own Canon with the books which they wanted.  For this reason, various Fathers of the Church began referring to specific books which they considered divinely inspired. This problem of the Canon of the New Testament was not solved until the second half of the fourth century, when the Church accepted the opinion of St. Athanasios the Great who, in 367 A.D., presented a complete catalogue of books which ought to be considered divinely inspired: our familiar twenty-seven books which comprise the New Testament. Thirty years later, in 397 A.D., this final catalogue was made official in the West with the Synod of Carthage.

“This final declaration was the result of many long years of conversations, doubts, and differing opinions. But even after this final declaration of the Church, questions about some of these very books (for example the Epistle to the Hebrews, some of the Catholic Epistles, and The Book of Revelations) persisted. It was only during Justinian’s reign, in the sixth century, that all disagreement had vanished, at least in the Byzantine Empire….

Consequently, the validity and trustworthiness of the New Testament depends exclusively on the witness of the Church.  It is the Church, in other words, which assures us of the divine inspiration of the New Testament and, in general of all the Holy Scripture.  If we take away this witness of the Church, no one, but no one can prove that the New Testament is divinely inspired.”²(to be continued…)

1. Marcion of Sinope.  He founded a dualistic belief system. He believed the Old Testament God was vengeful and distinct from the benevolent God revealed through our Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament.  He rejected the Old Testament entirely and created a modified version of the New Testament, excluding Old Testament references.  
2. Excerpts from Orthodoxy and the Jehovah’s Witnesses, 2^nd Edition Improved and expanded, The Holy Metropolis of KitiosLarnaka – Cyprus 1997, Hieromonk  Sophronios G. Michailidis, pp.39-41. (This publication exists only in Greek)

Sermon for Sunday of Local All Saints

On this day which is traditionally dedicated to local all Saints I want to read something from the epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus.  One notion it puts forward is that Christianity and sanctity is for everyone in this world and for every place in this world.  This is an anonymous work by someone who called himself a disciple of the Apostles.  Mathetes is the Greek term for disciple.       

The Christians are distinguished from other men neither by country, nor language, nor the customs which they observe. For they neither inhabit cities of their own, nor employ a peculiar form of speech, nor lead a life which is marked out by any singularity. The course of conduct which they follow has not been devised by any speculation or deliberation of inquisitive men; nor do they, like some, proclaim themselves the advocates of any merely human doctrines. But, inhabiting Greek as well as barbarian cities, according as the lot of each of them has determined, and following the customs of the natives in respect to clothing, food, and the rest of their ordinary conduct, they display to us their wonderful and paradoxal method of life. They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others, and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers. They marry, as do all; they beget children; but they do not abort their offspring. They have a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men, and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death, and restored to life. They are poor, yet make many rich; they are in lack of all things, and yet abound in all; they are dishonored, and yet in their very dishonor are glorified. They are evil spoken of, and yet are justified; they are reviled, and bless; they are insulted, and repay the insult with honor; they do good, yet are punished as evil-doers. When punished, they rejoice as if quickened into life; they are assailed by the Jews as foreigners, and are persecuted by the Greeks; yet those who hate them are unable to assign any reason for their hatred.

To sum up all in one word-what the soul is in the body, that are Christians in the world. The soul is dispersed through all the members of the body, and Christians are scattered through all the cities of the world. The soul dwells in the body, yet is not of the body; and Christians dwell in the world, yet are not of the world. The invisible soul is guarded by the visible body, and Christians are known indeed to be in the world, but their godliness remains invisible. The flesh hates the soul, and wars against it, though itself suffering no injury, because it is prevented from enjoying pleasures; the world also hates the Christians, though in nowise injured, because they abjure pleasures. The soul loves the flesh that hates it, and loves also its members; Christians likewise love those that hate them. The soul is imprisoned in the body, yet preserves that very body; and Christians are confined in the world as in a prison, and yet they are the preservers of the world. The immortal soul dwells in a mortal tabernacle; and Christians dwell as sojourners in corruptible bodies, looking for an incorruptible dwelling in the heavens. The soul, when but ill-provided with food and drink, becomes better; in like manner, the Christians, though punished, increase in number daily.  God has assigned them this illustrious position, which it is unlawful for them to forsake.¹

Thus were the early Christians described let us follow in their footsteps. Amen!

Volume I The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Chapter V and VI of “The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus” (with slight editing)

Hymnology of Lazarus Saturday and Christology

In serving the Matins of Lazarus Saturday I found the translation of one hymn especially troubling.  Since we had a heavy cycle of services I was unable to deal with looking into it at that time.  This has been pressing upon my mind again of late, so I decided to undertake researching it.  There is one hymn among the Praises of Matins which reads as follows:  

“Thou hast granted to Thy disciples, O Christ, tokens of Thy divinity, but Thou hast humbled Thyself among the crowds, wishing to conceal it from them.  Foreknowing all things as God, Thou hast foretold to the apostles the death of Lazarus; yet at Bethany, when in the presence of the people, Thou hast as man asked where Thy friend was buried, being ignorant of this.  But then Thou hast raised him four days after he was dead, and so he rendered manifest Thy power as God. O Almighty Lord Glory to Thee.”

The words in bold are my emphasis.  This translation, which is quite literal, is from the Lenten Triodion prepared by Bishop Kallistos Ware and Mother Mary.

There is another translation in the booklet, Psalm Sunday and Lazarus Saturday, published by Saint Vladimir’s Seminary which reads thus: 

O Lord, Thou didst give Thy disciples signs of Thy divinity, while concealing Thy majesty from the crowd though humility: To Thy disciples Thou didst predict the death of Lazarus, revealing Thy knowledge of future things.  But in the presence of the crowd in Bethany, Thou didst ask, “Where is my friend buried?”  For Thou, in Thy compassion for us, didst take upon Thyself our ignorance.  Then, Thou didst raise up a man who had been dead four days.  Through him, Thou hast finally revealed Thy divine power to all.  O Almighty Lord, glory to Thee!  

The words in bold, which is again my emphasis is that which is in question. It should be obvious that this rendering has a significant interpretive slant.  But is this “interpretive slant” Orthodox or theologically erroneous—could we perhaps even say “heretical”?  To say that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the God-Man had human ignorance is to separate the divine and human natures in Him and to do that is erroneous theology and I repeat: Could we perhaps even say “heretical”? 

Let us go back to the literal translation of the phrase in question:

“Thou hast as man asked where Thy friend was buried, being ignorant of this.”

Why did the hymnographer write this when in a number of places in the liturgical service for Lazarus Saturday we see the opposite?  Let us review these.  Starting with Vespers: “O Lord wishing to see the tomb of Lazarus…Thou hast asked; ‘Where have ye laid him?’  And learning that which was already known to Thee.” In the Compline Canon: “O Strange and marvelous wonder!  Although He knew the answer, yet as if ignorant the Master of all asked.”  Again the hymnographer speaking in the person of Lazarus writes: “Thou knowest all things, yet has asked where I was buried.”  Additionally, in the Matins Canon: “O Christ, Thou hast become man taking human form from the Virgin, and as a man Thou hast asked where Lazarus was buried, although as God Thou wast not ignorant of this.”  Again, “The sisters of Lazarus stood beside Christ and lamenting with bitter tears, they said to Him: ‘O Lord, Lazarus is dead.’ And though as God He knew the place of burial, yet He asked them, ‘Where have ye laid him?’”  One more to conclude: “And, though Thou wast not ignorant, Thou hast asked: ‘Where have ye laid him?’”

How is it we have this contradiction?  Why does the hymnographer, in one place, write above mentioned: “When in the presence of the people, Thou hast as man asked where Thy friend was buried, being ignorant of this.”

First let us ask: Who was the hymnographer.  In the Matins service there are three authors indicated in the canons, the service books mention Theophanes, Kosmas the monk and monk John.  There is no designation of who wrote the hymn in question.  One thing we know in reference to the hymnographers of the Church is that they were of a well to do or of the noble class in the Byzantine Empire and well educated.  They would have been well acquainted with Hellenic literature. In this hymn we see irony which was not uncommon in such literature.  Irony is a literary technique, originally used in Greek tragedy, by which the full significance of a character’s words or actions are clear to the audience or reader although unknown to the character.  In this hymn a verbal and dramatic irony are combined. Verbal irony is when a person says one thing but means the opposite; dramatic irony is when the audience knows something that the characters do not.¹ In this Church hymn the chanter and listeners are the audience while the characters are those who were present at the raising of Lazarus.  In addition, we know that Irony is used for an emphatic effect and that is exactly what we see here.  So then, those who chant or hear this hymn should understand that this is an irony otherwise it would not be consistent with everything that preceded² it in this service nor Orthodox theology.

In concluding I would like to appeal to my readers to be careful of any Church hymnology or even Scriptures in English which may seem confusing.  In such cases we check with the clergy who have been theological trained.  We need to be obedient children of the Church.  I once heard obedience defined as such: “Obedience is a spiritual state, it is to be in harmony with the Church and the Holy Spirit.”³Amen!    

Afterword: For an examination of the topic of the omniscience of our Lord Jesus Christ see the posts: The Theology of Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko: Orthodox or Opinion.

1.    The bulk of the information on irony is taken from Google searches.

2.    The hymn in question is one of the last in the service for Lazarus Saturday.

3.    These words were spoken by Hieromonk Raphael Noika, a Romanian spiritual child of St. Sophrony the Athonite who presently lives in his homeland.  

Abbot Isaiah of Sarov

He was born into a family Moscow merchants, the son of Ivan Grigoryevich Putilov and Anna Ivanova Golovina. He came to the monastery in 1805 together with his older brother Timothy. Jonah (the name of Igumen Isaiah in the world) remained at Sarov while his brother sought out his monastic calling elsewhere and eventually became the abbot of the renowned Optina Monastery, Moses—as he was named at his tonsure.  Jonah was tonsured a monk on September 6, 1812 and given the name Isaiah. He was ordained a hierodeacon on August 15, 1813, and elevated to hieromonk on March 14, 1815. He was selected to be a treasurer in 1822 and continued in that role until 1842. In that same year at the unanimous request of the brethren he was appointed to be the Abbot of the monastery by the diocesan authorities to succeed the deceased Igumen Niphot. On August 15, 1846 he was raised to the rank of Igumen by the Most Reverend Nikolai, Bishop of Tambov^[1] and Shatsk. In 1850 he was honored with a pastoral staff and was awarded a pectoral cross.

Father Igumen always liked to talk about diligence, purity and the strictness of monastics’ life, often recalling the charters and the rules of the monastic life. He often reminded the brethren of the heights of spiritual life and spiritual discernment, reverent worship, humility, and the wisdom of the founder Ioann, the venerable prior of the monastery Ephraim and the humble Abbot Isaiah. Yet, he took even greater joy in recounting the lives of the champions of faith – Macarius, Pachomius, John Chrysostom and others – whom he called “pillars of the Church,” holding them up as models of steadfastness in faith.

He adhered to his cell rule with the modesty typical of him. He used to say,  “A monk without a rule is no monk at all. The holy fathers of old, as we know from history, preserved in unceasing prayer, in extreme silence and fasting and, thereby they were deemed worthy to receive God’s grace, which strengthened them in their feats. As for us, may God help us to at least fulfill this small rule with diligence.” Fr. Isaiah was the embodiment of asceticism and a great zeal for the cause of God. He attended every church service without fail, even unto exhaustion, he had an insatiable thirst for the closest communion with the Savior Christ in partaking of the Holy Mysteries. He used to repeat often, “While we have time, we must take care not to live aimlessly; so that upon the departure from this world we may inherit the kingdom of Heaven, which we cannot merit unless we become as meek children. Without love for God and peace with our neighbor we are unworthy of beholding God. One must strive in every way to please God, to save his soul, which is more precious than the entire world. Poverty and non-acquisitiveness are the necessary assets of a monk; all of the riches of the world are worthless compared to the eternal bliss promised to those who love God.”

He used to constantly admonish the brethren about bearing labors and afflictions without complaint. He used to say, “Chains, long vigils, numerous prostrations and all kinds of bodily austerities profit nothing without spiritual virtues. One should have sincere love for others, be obedient, and endure with humility. Prostrations alone will not save us. God seeks peacefulness. A monk who neglects his salvation insults God. Abstinence, labors, fleeing idleness, keeping the mind fixed on contemplation of God, remaining in the cell – those are the adornments of a monk.”

The ever-memorable Father Igumen Isaiah passed away from his labors on April 16, 1858 on the day of the Feast of Mid-Pentecost at four o’clock in the morning. Before his departure, as a farewell, he partook of Holy Mysteries of Christ followed by Holy Unction. His mind was clear until the last minute. He passed away on the seventy third year of his life, having guided the Monastery for sixteen years, altogether he lived at the monastery for 54 years.  He did not travel out of the monastery with the exception of visiting the Optina Monastery to visit his brother Abbot Moses in August of 1856. The Monastery lost in him a kind and humble father. His coffin was made already in 1850 from cypress, he was laid to rest next to elder Abbot Isaiah behind the altar on the left side next to Dormition Cathedral. He himself wished to be buried there, since he respected Abbot Isaiah, and bore his name out of love for him. He imitated his life, their souls were inseparable, now their bodies found repose side by side. How touching is this constant, unchanging union of hearts.

In the course of sixteen years of his rule Father Isaiah improved the entire monastery significantly and brought it to the excellent condition it remains in at the present time. His interactions with everyone were meek, condescending, simple, fatherly. Due to gentleness and meekness of his quiet character he had a surprisingly meek temperament, gentle, friendly to all, distinguished by a God-pleasing wisdom born of humility. He was loved and respected by all for the exceptional meekness of his quiet character.

^[1] A city located 270 miles south-southeast of Moscow.

World Crisis

We do seem to be living in a time of foreboding world crisis; a time where the world appears to be about to blow apart.  What can we do?  Should we talk about it, speculate about it, or squabble about what may be coming?  No! we need to pray.  What I am offering here has as its source a series of petitions that was circulated by the Orthodox Church in America after the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center in the year 2000.  I have stored them electronically and have revised them for personal use and to better fit the changing world situations.  The last petition is from another source.  Perhaps some of my readers might want to incorporate these in their personal prayer time; if so a making the sign of the Cross with a bow would be appropriate after each.  So here they are:  

O Lord our God in this time of world crisis by the grace of Thy Holy Spirit do Thou grant peace and steadfastness of soul to our hierarchs, and every order of clergy; thus enabling them to minister to Thy flock upholding us in the true faith and constant in worship so that in the face of evils to come we may not lose our hope in Thee but see Thy providential care for us and all mankind 

O Lord Almighty do Thou bless those who serve in the government and homeland defense, for all civil authorities and for our armed forces to protect and defend our land.  Grant unto them wisdom and strength and guide them in the days to come that they may be granted courage and discernment to contend against all evil and violence and that in the pursuit of justice may they be found worthy of a blessing.

O Lord our God do Thou be present with those who work and carry on the industry and commerce of all nations.  Preserve them in safety, and keep them mindful of the dignity of their labor and the needs of others.

O Lord our God do Thou give rest to those who have lost their lives through war, terrorist attack or civil strife.  And grant that those who have suffered injury or bitter sorrow and tragic loss and for those who are anxious, confused and fearful may all find healing, consolation and courage and hope in Thee, O Christ.

O Lord our God do Thou look with mercy upon those suffering the consequence of war, those in battle, those who have lost their lives, the wounded, those fleeing from danger, the homeless and the hungry, the orphaned and the widowed.  Bless those who work to bring them relief; and inspire generosity and compassion in all our hearts.

O Lord God do Thou bless those who minister to the sick, the suffering and the bereaved with the power of healing and guide the work of their hands, confirm them in the ways of righteousness, and deliver them from every danger and despair.

O Lord our God, do Thou grant that all the faithful may be united in love and obedience to our Orthodox Faith, may we be seen as witnesses, messengers and servants of divine truth, love, and righteousness before the world and that we bearing the name of Christ may be found His worthy and honorable servants in all times of trial and temptation.

O Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Who in the beginning in the Old Covenant didst reveal our divine nobility when Thou hast said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness”.  O Almighty Lord, we have distorted this image to the uttermost and have not gone after Thy likeness but rather we follow the inclinations of our human nature in its fallen state.  We multiply sin and wickedness in every generation and Thine impending wrath lieth upon us.  Yet do Thou the same Lord Who hast fashioned us, turn our hearts unto Thee, restore us to our former state, inspire us to run after Thy likeness to the uttermost bounds of our mortal strength. 

Amen!