Category: Holy Theotokos Greenville

March 2 marks the beginning of Lent this year for Orthodox Christians. Lent is a period of preparation for the greatest feast of the Church year, Pascha—the Resurrection of Christ. In order to be ready to celebrate this feast, the Church guides us through the season of Lent, which is a time of fasting geared towards reordering our spiritual and physical selves.

Lent is often called a time of joyful mourning. On the surface, this sounds like an oxymoron, but it acknowledges that while we mourn our sins, we have hope thanks to Christ. God created Adam in the paradise of Eden, and gave him everything he needed in order to survive. Adam sinned against God, and was expelled from Paradise and told that he would now have to toil for his own food. Adam mourned his loss—but God already began to prepare mankind for his coming as Christ, where he would undo Adam’s sin. The culmination of this is clearly seen in the icon of the decent of Christ into Hades on Holy Saturday; while Christ rested bodily in the tomb, his soul descended into the spirit world, Hades, and released Adam and Eve along with all the righteous ones from bondage. We see Christ in the icon reaching down and pulling Adam and Even from the tomb. Thus Adam’s mourning would give way to hope. A hymn from Vespers for the Sunday before Lent illustrates this:

Adam was cast out of Paradise through eating from the tree. Seated before the gates he wept, lamenting with a pitiful voice and saying: “Woe is me, what have I suffered in my misery! I transgressed one commandment of the Master, and now I am deprived of every blessing. O most holy Paradise, planted for my sake and shut because of Eve, pray to him that made thee and fashioned me, that once more I may take pleasure in thy flowers.” Then the Savior said to him: “I desire not the loss of the creature which I fashioned, but that he should be saved and come to knowledge of the truth; and when he comes to me I will not cast him out.”

Adam’s expulsion was therefore a teaching tool that God gave him to effect his salvation since Adam had not responded to the free gift of Paradise. Lent for us is also a time of self-exile when we can reorder our lives. We are accustomed to eating too many rich foods, and being satiated; we become self-reliant. We sit down and relax to the point that we are out of shape. Fasting, a discipline involving limiting food both in type and quantity, restores our bodies and calms the passion for gluttony. It is difficult to do, and thus we are reminded of our dependence on God, who in the Garden of Eden provided Adam with all the food he would need from the trees and plants, and where he did not have to rely on hunting animals to survive.

We also exert ourselves physically by doing prostrations. A prostration is an exercise where we go down on our hands and knees before God and touch our forehead to the ground. This exercise builds humility as we remember that we are nothing in God’s sight, but also helps to fight laziness and sloth. We have longer and more services, which help to reorder our priorities, and we give alms to the poor with the money we save from not eating extravagantly. Finally, we begin Lent by asking each other for forgiveness—for if we expect God to forgive us, we must first forgive each other. All of these exercises together during Lent help to reorder our body and our soul. Adam’s act of eating a forbidden item had spiritual repercussions such as the passion for gluttony; through fasting, we can reverse this spiritual ailment and learn temperance.

Throughout the period of Lent, we will remember our sins and lament, but we will also remember that Christ loves us, and gives us this time of repentance to prepare us for the feast of Pascha. Let us take advantage of this time of self-discipline in order to become spiritually recharged.

Have you ever been unsure about some aspect of who Jesus is? Or maybe you’ve heard someone on television preach something one way that sounds different from what you have heard before? You may have even seen a film where the Church is made out to be the bad guy, covering up the truth, such as in The DaVinci Code.

Divergent views about God and division from the Church are unfortunately nothing new. St. Paul warns his followers at least two times in his letters: “Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines” (Hebrews 13:9) and “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (I Timothy 4:1). Keeping that in mind, we should not be too concerned when we hear these challenges to our faith, because it is something that even the earliest Christians had to deal with. Sometimes though we wonder why holding a correct doctrine or belief is important to our spiritual life in the first place.

The goal of our faith and spirituality is to have a relationship with God. Specifically, God is not an invisible force, but is a Trinity of persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Son—Jesus Christ—became incarnate of the Virgin Mary and revealed what it means to be God, by dying on the Cross. The love in the famous passage “for God so loved the World” refers not to an emotional feeling, but rather a state of self-emptying that culminated in Christ’s self-sacrifice of death on a Cross so that death and sin would lose their power and true life with God would be possible.

Because our relationship with God is defined in terms of a relationship with a person, it’s important to know accurately who this person is, or else the relationship will suffer. It’s like if you have an elderly aunt who cannot use the computer or phone, and you only know the details of her life through her son, who gives you frequent updates. If for some reason he reported back mistaken details, or was deceptive, you would not have an accurate picture of your aunt and her state of being. In a similar way, we have the written and oral record of Christ and his teachings, represented by the New Testament writings and the testimony of the bishops who succeeded the Apostles. Those who change the commonly-held and ancient teachings of the Church in effect obscure the Christ who is proclaimed. Such a distortion can have drastic consequences on our spiritual life, by leading us away from the path of repentance and spiritual transformation established by Christ. TV preachers proclaiming that following God will lead to financial wealth are but one example.

The surest way to avoid this pitfall is to follow the lead of those who succeeded Christ, his Apostles, and their successors, the bishops. The bishops in the Orthodox Church today can be traced back to the Apostles, and the faith they proclaimed is publicly on record. This faith is a living faith that has been transmitted from generation to generation. The Body of Christ, the Church, is not just a horizontal collection of all who believe in Christ and have been baptized in His name, but also is vertical, extending back and forward in time to all generations. This surety frees us up from following the whims of the times, in order to focus on the tried and true methods of spiritual growth practiced by Orthodox peoples of all times.

We invite you to worship with us and “plug in” to this spiritual tradition yourself!

Yours in Christ,
Fr. Anastasios

Dear Friends in Christ,

I’d like to wish you all a Happy New Year and especially a Merry Christmas! For some of you reading this bulletin, you will have already celebrated the Nativity of Our Lord on December 25 with the civil, Gregorian, or “New” Calendar, while others are among those Orthodox who celebrate the birth of Christ on January 7 with the Julian or “Old” Calendar. Some people have expressed an interest in understanding the difference between the Old and New Calendar Greek Churches, so I thought I’d take an opportunity to do so now since Christmas is the time of year when this difference is most noticeable.

It must be stated at the onset that this issue cannot be explained succinctly in a few pages, so at the end of this message I will provide some links. I am also available to answer anyone’s questions via email or telephone.

The commonly understood argument as to why the Gregorian Calendar was implemented was to fix the astronomical inaccuracy which was causing the Julian Calendar to shift by roughly one day every century. By the 16th century, the Pope’s astronomers had noticed that the equinox had shifted approximately ten days. Therefore, in 1582 Pope Gregory XIII issued the bull Inter gravissimas which cut off ten days to realign the calendar with the equinox. The Pope invited the Orthodox to accept this revision, but the Orthodox rejected the change, seeing it as part of a wider program of Latin influences on the Orthodox Church. This formal statement is known as the Sigillion of 1583 and was signed by three patriarchs in the presence of various other bishops gathered in council.

The Orthodox steadfastly refused to change the Calendar since it was the Calendar that had been instituted at the Council of Nicaea in 325 and had been sanctified by use in the Church for all succeeding generations. Arguments about astronomical accuracy were not considered serious objections because the Julian Calendar was the Calendar that perfectly suited the Orthodox cycle of fasts and feasts and was an icon of time, uniting all Orthodox of all generations together in a common cycle.

Things were fine until the modern era in Greece began. An encyclical letter was issued in 1920 by the patriarchate of Constantinople entitled “To the Churches of Christ Wherever They May Be” which proposed a series of proposals for Church unity of Orthodox with non-Orthodox, the first of which was to establish a uniform Calendar. This encyclical was problematic because until this time, the Orthodox Church had consistently rejected the claims of other Churches to being part of “the” one Church of Christ, which the Orthodox Church considers itself to be. Basically, the encyclical was the first attempt to mix Orthodoxy with other Churches without first working out their differences, which was stated explicitly in the beginning of the letter. Almost no one is opposed to trying to fix the divisions among Christians, but the consistent position of the Orthodox has always been that there is only one Church of Christ, and that the other Churches have changed beliefs or practices as they broke away from the one visible Church; reunion thus must be based on a rejection of innovations and changes and not on compromises or cleverly-worded agreements that are more political than religious in nature.

This encyclical was followed by the introduction of the New Calendar in Greece in 1924, which separated the Church of Greece’s festal observances from the other Churches. Within Greece, a large minority of people refused to accept the change in calendar, although this was complicated by the fact that the Church in Greece is a State Church, and anyone who stayed on the Old Calendar would be denied state pay and in some cases there were even persecutions and arrests. At one point, priests were arrested and taken to the basement of the Archdiocese in Athens where they were clean shaven and put into laymen’s clothes and put on the street. One woman, St Catherine Routis, was even killed when she tried to defend her priest from the police, who hit her in the head with a rifle butt.

It is important to note that the Greek state took an active role in this modernization program; this was the time of conflict between the Royalists and the Venizelists, and Venizelos had an active relationship with the ambitious Meletios Metaxakis (who was at various times Archbishop of Athens, Archbishop of Cyprus, Patriarch of Constantinople, and Patriarch of Alexandria and active in America). Greece was seeking to become a modern, Western state, and Church “reform” was seen as a key part of the equation. In order to have good relations with the British, the Orthodox should become more modern, like the Anglicans, in these men’s plans, which can be clearly seen by reading their published letters to one another.

Initially, no bishops stayed on the Old Calendar, because of fear or because of confusion, or because they believed they could persuade the others to return to the traditional calendar. During this time, the priests from Mt. Athos often came to celebrate for the people who did not have priests on the Old Calendar. It is important to note that on Mt. Athos, which is universally known to be a center of Orthodoxy, almost the entire monastic population refused to accept the New Calendar or to pray with the bishops who had accepted it. They were called “non-commemorators” because they did not accept the bishops who had innovated.

By 1935, however, several bishops realized that they could no longer in good conscience serve on the New Calendar, so they returned to the Old on May 13, 1935 in front of a crowd of thousands. They ordained new bishops and formed a Synod which called itself Genuine Orthodox Christians because they followed the ancient and unchanged practices of the Church. The State immediately moved against these bishops, and some were exiled. Some were enticed to return to the New Calendar with threats and bribes. By 1955, the last Old Calendarist bishop from this original group, Metropolitan Chrysosotmos of Florina, reposed, and the Old Calendar Church was without bishops. They appealed abroad, and by the 1960’s, bishops of the Russian Church Abroad (ROCOR) consented to ordain new bishops. In 1969, this was officially sealed with a document of intercommunion between the Russian bishops and the Greek Old Calendar Church.

The response of the New Calendar Church to the Old Calendar Church is usually to label it uncanonical, fanatical, old-fashioned, “basically pious but misguided,” or a joke, although there are some prominent exceptions. The problem with the label uncanonical, however, is that the Old Calendarists are the ones who have maintained the canons of the Church, by not altering the practices of the Church. As stated above, the change of the Calendar was only part of a larger program of compromise which includes less fasting, western styles of music in the Church and dress by the clergy, the drastic curtailing of confession, questioning of traditional Orthodox practices and beliefs, and praying with non-Orthodox clergy who deny central Orthodox beliefs (such as many Protestants who deny the Lord’s true presence in the Eucharist).

What we see then is basically a program by the Greek state to modernize and Westernize its population included a plan to modernize and Westernize the Orthodox Church, since it was such an integral part of the Greek kingdom. Those who stayed true to the ancient Orthodox practices were labeled as schismatics or uncanonical, while those who disobeyed previous councils and changed the teachings of the Church claimed to be the legitimate Orthodox. The majority sided with the modernizers, but this should not be taken as any sort of proof of legitimacy; the majority of people will simply go with the flow. The Old Calendarists are the smaller of the group, but they are the ones who, despite persecution at times and disdain and dismissal at other times, have preserved Orthodox practices. Given the general problems in the world today, where traditional values and Christian society are being dismissed, the traditional Orthodox practices are an important corrective, and attempts to modernize in order to “reach the modern person” have taken away this opportunity, making the Church seem no different than any other association. The Old Calendar Church maintains its stand in the hope that others will be encouraged to return to traditional Orthodox practices. We invite you to come and see for yourself what we are all about, and we are available to answer any questions you may have. If you are unsure about worshipping with us, you may also come around 11:30 on any day when a liturgy is served to meet me after liturgy.

Yours In Christ,
Fr. Anastasios

References
1) Sigillion of 1583: http://orthodoxwiki.org/Sigillion_of_1583
2) Encyclical of 1920: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jim_forest/Ecupat.htm
3) A Scientific Examination of the Orthodox Church Calendar (available for purchase: http://www.ctosonline.org/oldcal/SEO.html)
4) Excerpt from the book Against False Union on the Calendar question:http://www.zephyr.gr/STJOHN/against1.htm#THE%20OLD%20CALENDAR%20QUESTION

Dear Friends in Christ,

Thanksgiving has passed, and we are now jumping into the “Holiday Season.” Even in times of economic slowdown, shopping continues, and many of us will be invited to various holiday social functions at work, or at the homes of our family and friends. This is a good time to catch up with our loved ones, but it will be a more rewarding time if we keep a few points in mind.

The first point to remember is that leading up to Christmas, Orthodox Christians begin a period of preparation which includes fasting. The general rule of fasting is no meat or animal products during the forty days before Christmas. Young children, elderly people with medical needs, and pregnant women are either exempt from fasting or have traditionally cut back on the rigors of fasting proportionate to the needs of their situation. Those new to Orthodoxy may also find it beneficial to ease into fasting gradually under the guidance of their local priest. I am available via telephone at any time to address any concerns about fasting.

Why do we fast? One reason is that the types of food we give up—animal products—are the types of food most commonly desired and which we are most likely to over-consume. It is rare that anyone will admit that they have just overindulged in broccoli, for instance. But a hamburger, or cheesy dishes, or ice cream are all things we can eat too much of—especially in the hustle-bustle leading up to Christmas. Fasting allows us to free ourselves gradually from the passion of gluttony, which slows us down, hurts our health, and reduces the time we have to pray since we sleep more when we overeat. Fasting helps us to overcome various other spiritual ailments, as Christ himself taught (Matt. 17:21).

We can also prepare for Christmas by remembering the poor among us. Here at Holy Theotokos we recently had a charity dinner to benefit the Ronald McDonald House, which assists the families of sick children who need to stay in the area for treatment long-term. We also have instituted a clothing closet to provide needy families with something to wear. If you know of a local charity that helps the poor, you can donate your time or treasure to them as well. We mustn’t forget these basic Christian practices in the hustle and bustle of our own preparations.

We should also plan to attend the liturgy as much as possible in the time leading up to, surrounding, and following Christmas, as Christmas is not a one-shot experience, but rather a cycle that we are drawn in to, which has a culmination in the Nativity liturgy, and which we then remember for twelve days, leading up to the feast of Theophany (Christ’s baptism). Please consult the calendar for when we will be having services.

I look forward to seeing you soon at liturgy and may the Lord bless you as you prepare yourself for his Birth in the flesh by fasting and charity.

Yours In Christ,
Fr. Anastasios

Dear Friends,

In a recent Gospel reading, we heard the Parable of the Sower (Luke 8:4-15). The Sower cast seed on the ground, and it landed in various places. Some of the seed fell to the side, and was devoured by birds.

Other seed landed on rock, grew immediately, but then lacking a source of water, choked. Still other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns choked the seed. Finally, some seed fell on good ground, and bore the Sower a rich return.

Christ compares each of these scenarios to people hearing the Gospel.

Some have the word taken away by the Devil, while others become excited and fall away at the first difficulty. Some believe the message, but are more concerned with worldly concerns. Finally, some receive the Word of God, and bring forth a harvest—but with patience.

God gives us the tools we need to produce this same harvest. We were created in his image, and he gives us his grace as nourishment for our souls. He also gives us free will—a choice in the matter—which means that how we end up responding is our own decision.

Working in a small mission such as ours, there will always be people who hear the news of the new Church, become excited, and then disappear. There will be others who come but do not commit because of their other priorities. Still others will be against us from the start. However, Christ is the Sower who planted our mission, and he is watering it with Divine grace, which we receive from the celebration of the Holy Liturgy and the preaching of the Gospel. We should not allow any distractions to take us off course; as we progress spiritually, we will ourselves bear fruit, and this includes seed which will germinate those around us in the community. As the community sees the positive impact the Church has on our life and on others, more will be inspired to join us in our work. But it will be a slow process which will require much patience. The seed that grew in the fertile ground did not appear as quickly as the seed that was on the rock, because it was more immediately exposed to the sunlight, but it grew roots which let it weather the storm.

For those who are receiving this mailing who have not yet visited the mission, I extend to you my greetings and an invitation to come to our next service. I would love to meet you and hope that you will be inspired to join with us in our worship and charitable work!

Yours In Christ,
Fr. Anastasios

Dear Friends,

It is a great blessing and honor that we recently celebrated our first cycle of worship services at the newly formed Orthodox mission in Greenville, NC. Our inaugural liturgy was celebrated on our parish feast day: The Nativity of the Holy Theotokos.

Normally we celebrate a saint on his or her date of death, as this is the birthday into Heaven; but with Christ, the Theotokos, and John the Baptist, we celebrate their Conception, Birth, and Death. With Christ, it is because each event in his life had significance directly for our salvation, and with the Theotokos and St. John the Baptist, it is because the events in their lives point us to and serve as parallels to the events in Christ’s live.

The Virgin Mary was born to Saints Joachim and Anna who were barren; and this is a precursor to the Virgin Mary giving birth seedlessly.

From the first reading at Vespers, we see that Jacob’s ladder is a type of the Virgin Mary; she is the gate from earth to Heaven, by which God comes down to us.

We see in another reading at Vespers that the Virgin Mary is the gate through which no man has passed except the prince; who after having passed, left the gate unopened. This refers to Christ and the Virgin birth.

We read in the Scripture readings on Sunday about the snakes and Moses; the Israelites worshipped idols and as a result, God allowed poisonous snakes to bite them; they were saved when Moses put the image of a snake on a pole and they looked at it. Moses putting a snake on a pole is a type of Christ hanging on the Cross; when the Israelites put their mind on things earthly, they sunk like Peter in the water, but when their eyes were on the snake, they were “lifted up” to good health and salvation; so when we look up at the Cross, we are lifted up. This may lead to us sharing in Christ’s suffering, but now suffering and death have meaning for us and can be overcome.

I look forward to seeing at future services and sharing the Lord’s word with you.

Yours In Christ,
Fr. Anastasios