Christ is Being Crucified Again

An epistle from the Athonite Grigoriou Monastery

The following is an epistle from the Mt. Athos Grigoriou Monastery that has been circulated amongst Greek believers after the passing of the “same-sex marriage” law in Greece on February 15, 2024.

    

“The princes of men gathered against the Lord and against His Christ” (Matins on Great Saturday).

In the Greek parliament, Christ is again being crucified.

He Who rules the entire universe endures revilement from lawless judges, with the exception of a few, who deserve praise.

The “anointed of the Lord”, our baptized people, is under attack. The powers of darkness from without and within the country are co-conspirators in this initiative. “The dragon was wroth” against those who “have testimony of Jesus Christ” (Rev. 12:17). Those who do not enter into compromise with the orders of the globalists are entering into a great temptation. This is the beginning of tribulations.

The Church, the Synod, the clergy, and the people have said their word, and raised their voices to heaven: “This is a crime!” But the ears of the rulers did not hear it.

O evil day! The fall of Constantinople and the Asia Minor catastrophe pale before it.1 But there is also the eye of justice.

Serious consequences are falling upon our shoulders and the shoulders of our children. The aged, the young, and the yet unborn are all experiencing them. Especially innocent children, for whom the most shameful “blood tax”2 is being prepared.

All this theomachy that has been legalized has put down roots as supposed “social progress”. Fornication, abortion, and no-fault divorce. Now “same-sex marriage” will speed up “progress”. We are falling lower and lower. We are sinking into man-centeredness, into idol worship. All for the sake of ease, and with ease. Ionesco with his song, “Rhinoceroses” was absolutely right. In Paris, one after another were becoming rhinoceroses. Only one opposed it, saying, “I’ll remain a man.”

We knew and survived the calamity of soviet godlessness. Now we are experiencing the horrors of “white demonism” (St. Nikolai [Velimirovich]).

But we shall be courageous. Christ said, I have overcome the world (Jn. 16:33). The Church will live throughout the ages.

We are left with only one option: to revoke this law in practice. We will strengthen our children in virtues and chastity. And this will be a great deed. We will remain with Christ. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we will call upon the name of the Lord (Ps. 19:8). Our strength is prayer. The Church must hide in the “desert”, no matter what this prophetic desert may be. In any case, it is far from consent to sinful laws and lawless legislators. We will not be afraid of poverty, or social and psychological isolation. We are accompanied by the Light of the Resurrection. In similar instances our holy fathers were victorious through their courage. They preferred the labor of virtues, and when necessary, exile, sorrow, and deprivation—whether it came to heretical dogmas or morals that contradicted the Gospels. In Babylon the three youths preferred endurance in the furnace over the good life.

Under Julian the Apostate, the Patriarch of Constantinople preferred boiled wheat instead the food that had been offered to idols, which was being forced upon Christians at the market. It is a symbol of voluntary poverty for Christ’s sake, so that our conscience would remain pure, and not subject to the influence of temptations.

Victory belongs to the Sacrificial Lamb. In the end, Christ Crucified, and those who will be of Christ, crucified together with Him, will be victorious. He expects us to follow Him. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing (2 Cor. 6:17), so that He would remain in our lives.

Soon the Lenten Triodion period will begin, and Great Lent is approaching. The life of repentance is not folklore and not an appearance of piety. It is the departure from all iniquity, manifested in deed and pain of heart. For the Resurrection awaits us!

1 Two events that Greeks consider the most grievous day in their Christian history: the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453, and the exile of the Greek population from Asia Minor that began in 1922.

2 Here is meant the so-called devshirme—a practice in the Ottoman Empire, when Christian boys were forcefully taken from their families and given over to the Sultan’s complete disposal. Many of them ended up in harems. This is a reference to the possibility presented by the new law of the legal adoption of children by same-sex couples.

Grigoriou Monastery, Holy Mount Athos
February 16, 2024
Translated from the Russian version by OrthoChristian.com

ΑΚΤΙΝΕΣ

2/23/2024

1 Two events that Greeks consider the most grievous day in their Christian history: the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453, and the exile of the Greek population from Asia Minor that began in 1922.

2 Here is meant the so-called devshirme—a practice in the Ottoman Empire, when Christian boys were forcefully taken from their families and given over to the Sultan’s complete disposal. Many of them ended up in harems. This is a reference to the possibility presented by the new law of the legal adoption of children by same-sex couples.

Comments
Gabriel4/5/2024 10:55 pm
Without the comunion with eretica clergy, the on participation on Liturgy with the Priests and Bischops thei admit the false resolution of Crete Sinod is the posibility to salvation of each Ortodox( Gheronda Savvas Lavriotis - conferences youtube, Profesor Thedoros Zissis, Priests PhD in teology Ciprian Ioan Staicu prieteniisfantuluiefrem.ro (eng and greek languages at all) Priests Rafail Berestov and Priests Savatie-Mount Athos
Anton3/12/2024 11:31 am
This is another proof that any deviation from the doctrine and traditional practices of the Orthodox Church handed down to us by Orthodox saints is extremely dangerous. Any attempt to "improve" the teaching, the liturgy or pious customs of Orthodox Christianity so as to make it more palatable to the heterodox or to secularists is lethal. The Church of Constantinople started with an apparently minor change not affecting the doctrine of the Church - she replaced the Julian calendar with the Gregorian one. However, by doing so she has chosen to become more similar to the heterodox Western Christian communities. That was the first step of a long road. Now this road has brought Constantinople to the stage of acceptance of same-sex pseudomarriage as something normal. What will be next? Acceptance of abortion? Of paedophilia? Of assisted suicide? Of cannibalism?
Carole Leret3/3/2024 8:42 pm
Carole Leret Thank you with all my heart for the Greek Orthodox response to this deadly law. As a Catholic I am grateful to you. This required an immediate and strong response and you have responded. God will not desert your faithful. These are dark times but we have God for our support. The words of Our Lord remain: If the world hates you, know that it hated me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world the world would love you as its own (John (John ch 15 vs 18-19)
Panagiotis3/1/2024 5:04 am
The ecumenical nonsense movement is indeed NO GOOD, just like this demonic sodomite marriage nonsense is a great tragedy for a once great Orthodox Nation. The defile sodomite marriage tragedy inflicted upon Greece is the result of many years of pressure from the filthy liberal internationalists who seek to destroy the traditional conservative Orthodox Christian Family, which will lead to the destruction of the Orthodox Church, and then the Orthodox Nations. But some Orthodox are just plain too stupid to see this, or maybe they have been compromised like Judas Iscariot? Was the Masonic clown who was masquerading as a Patriarch in Constantinople compromised when he decided that he knew more than centuries of other Orthodox Patriarchs, and decided to switch to the so-called new calendar? The Orthodox Greeks and others did not want to switch at that time, but the Masonic puppet did what his Masters in the corrupt West wanted. I have great respect for the old calendarists, and ALL the Orthodox should be on the old calendar. But my friends this is how the sinister demonic internationalists work, they gradually infest and infest. All of this is paving the way for their false Messiah, who will be THE ANTICHRIST. You see my friends they have to weaken the Orthodox Church before their false Messiah (THE ANTICHRIST) arrives so he can deceive many people into believing him. Patriarch Kirill was correct when he stated it was the Orthodox Church that is holding back the Antichrist. Take a look at the clowns in the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) who decided now to leave the old calendar and adopt the new one, strictly for political purposes and following what their diabolical wealthy internationalist puppet masters in the decadent West want. God Almighty when will the Orthodox People WAKE UP! Let us pray to our Almighty God Jesus Christ, THE ONLY TRUE GOD AND TRUE MESSIAH, and The Panagia to give knowledge to our people so that they finally wake up and see through the smoke screen of the devious internationalists. All glory to God. All glory. Just my humble opinion.
Vasili Spanos2/28/2024 8:31 pm
Father Steven Allen, the fruit of the church are the saints that it produces, not its super correctness nor its philanthropic works. I learned this from former Metropolitan Pavlos from St. Markella's "Genuine Orthodox Church" in Astoria, NY when I was one of them and their priests and bishop were often in our homes. Great people for sure and well meaning and very helpful in keeping reverence amongst the faithful. Please remember that those who commemorated the Ecumenist patriarchs and bishops include St. Justin Popovich, St. Porphyrios of Kafsokalivia, St. Paisios of Mount Athos, St. Iakovos Tsalikis, St. Sophrony of Essex, and of course many more. St John Maximovitch con-celebrated with those who commemorated such priests and bishops. Please reconsider your stance and I ask in these turbulent times that we turn OUR zealotry toward fearlesly proclaiming Christ and not Calendar factions. I ask for your blessing, priest of God.
Fr. Steven Allen2/27/2024 5:13 pm
As long as they commemorate the heretical ecumenist hierarchs, their protests are meaningless.
Carl Zellie2/24/2024 8:43 pm
Only God can save His people from what is coming upon mankind. The precious blood of the Lamb was sacrificed for us once and for all. The Church will be victoriously triumphant on that great and terrible day. Only those with the pure Faith will be saved. We who have been washed, anointed and fed from the sacred chalice will be able to withstand the forces of evil and darkness that will be thrust upon us in the coming days. Come Lord Jesus. Save us O our God. Amen ???? ☦️????☦️????☦️
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