Brothers and sisters, let’s take a look at the driving maxims of our faith—Holy Orthodoxy. The first one is faithfulness to traditions. The dogmatic truths established at the Ecumenical Councils are our light on the narrow path towards salvation: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it (Matt. 7:14). They were not only recorded in the decrees of these Councils as theological truths, but were also included in the church services in the form of numerous hymns and prayers. This is what constantly nourishes the spiritual life of the faithful. Any alteration in these truths will have negative consequences for the Church and moral life of Christians.
Icon of the Fathers of the Six Ecumenical Councils
Orthodox spirituality presupposes the inner spiritual life of believers who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1). The Apostle John the Theologian says: God is a Spirit (Jn. 4:24)—that is, it is an inmost, transcendent reality that abides in everything and everyone. Therefore, Orthodox spirituality appeals to the heart, to the unfathomable depths of the human being. It is in it that God is present. All of humanity, all of Creation, and all of man with all his physical and psychological energies are concentrated in the human heart as in a focus. Thus, if a human being retains his individuality he is united with God, with the whole of mankind and with all Creation.
The Apostle Paul expresses this mystery in this way: Now ye are the Body of Christ, and members in particular (1 Cor. 12:27). The Holy Fathers also speak of man who is not separated from anyone or anything, but bears everything within himself. Hence the responsibility of every person before the whole of humanity and the whole of Creation. And this is the natural state of man, from which he fell away through Adam’s sin of disobedience, which is repeated by each one of us to this day. Sin destroys the integrity of man’s physical and mental powers, concentrated in his heart. Sin leads to fragmentation of his personality relative to the original one. Sin gives evil spirits access to his heart.
If through Adam man fell and came to know death, then through faith in Christ the faithful are saved and inherit eternal life: The grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many (Rom. 5:15). The Son of God became incarnate as the God-man, in order to heal Adam’s human nature and restore our original union and communion with God and with our neighbors. The laws of Christian spirituality are aimed at healing man from sin. For sin destroys a person and turns him against himself, against his neighbors, and against all Creation.
Prayer in Orthodoxy serves as a means of restoring the inner integrity of the human being and acquiring peace of mind. As is known, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Liturgy and prays. Only through prayer can we penetrate into the depths of our hearts—to where the Lord dwells: If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him (Jn. 14:23). The church is a place of prayer, adorned with holy icons, and the Liturgy celebrated in it; all of this creates a prayerful atmosphere and brings Heaven down to earth. “Standing in the Temple of Thy Glory, we seem to stand in Heaven,” as one liturgical hymn proclaims.1 In the first centuries of Christianity, the Church decreed that God must be glorified several times a day. King David sang: Seven times a day do I praise Thee because of Thy righteous judgments (Ps. 118:164). We glorify Him at Vespers, Matins and other services; and the Divine Liturgy, the Holy Eucharist, crowns everything.
In addition to liturgical prayer, the Church recommends that the faithful pray at home. St. John Chrysostom calls Christian homes a “small Church”. Private prayer is recommended to believers in any place and at any time. We must always remember God—for example, through short, ceaselessly repeated prayers. Such a prayer is the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” It is practiced primarily by monastics, but also by zealous Christians in the world. The purpose of our prayer is to unite with God deep in our hearts. As the Apostle Paul teaches, through unceasing prayer, performed with attention, the believer gradually begins to feel God in his heart. Then the heart begins to warm up with love for God and others, to expand and absorb all people and all Creation.
The Mind (Greek: “nous”) is the energy of the heart, which arises from its depths and is expressed in thoughts, words and deeds. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders (Mk. 7:21). In a state of neglect and carelessness, a person forgets about the heart, and his mind wanders around the external things of this world. This ultimately causes its confusion, fatigue and emptiness. Therefore, the mind needs to return “home” to the heart, and then the person will acquire or regain peace of mind and mental balance. But, as I said, your mind can only penetrate into your heart through undistracted prayer, reading the Holy Scriptures with faith and reverence and reflecting on the mysteries of God. However, it is not easy to pray in this way. We all have the following painful experience: when we begin to pray, our thoughts scatter. So, efforts are required in order to concentrate during prayer. When the mind follows the words of prayer attentively, it is fully focused on them. With such prayer, a person’s heart is comforted by peace of mind. “Acquire the spirit of peace, and thousands of souls around you will be saved,” St. Seraphim of Sarov used to say.
Brothers and sisters, the Orthodox faith also presupposes ascetic labors and serious warfare against sin and passions: Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin (Heb. 12:4). Asceticism means a lifestyle based on abstinence. The Apostle Paul compares Christian life with that of athletes running in a stadium: And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway (1 Cor. 9:25-27).
Sin enslaves man and distorts his life: Verily, verily, I say unto you, whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin (Jn. 8:34). Modern man does not understand what sin is and does not want to hear about it. He considers himself free and refuses to obey anyone, even God. Of course, God created us free and respects human freedom in everything. But we are free only to the extent that we live according to our original nature, which God created to be good: And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good (Gen. 1:31). In this sense, the Holy Fathers teach that a person becomes truly free when he is no longer able to sin. Freedom, as it is imagined by modern man, is the bondage to the flesh and material things. The Apostle Paul wrote about this: Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world (Gal. 4:3). Genuine freedom is gained in warfare! And this battle must be fought to the point of blood, as St. Paul instructs.
The Apostle Paul Sin cannot be understood legally as punishment for our mistakes, because God, Who is love, does not punish anyone. But there is a close cause-and-effect relation between sin and suffering. Sin is the cause of all our suffering. Sin harms human nature, weakens it and affects both the soul and body. Modern man does not want to know anything about sin, but suffers unbearably from its consequences. St. Maximus the Confessor (the seventh century) spoke about the vicious circle of sinful desires and pain: the desire associated with sin throws you into the arms of pain, but when you want to escape from pain, you rush back into the arms of sin. Therefore, the war with sin is vital. And first of all, it is necessary to fight with passions—that is, with recurring sin, to prevent sin from becoming a bad habit, second nature. Passion torments us tremendously until we overcome it through prayer and ascetic labors.
Fasting is a form of asceticism that is accessible to all and strongly recommended by the Orthodox Church. Orthodox Christians are called to fast on Wednesdays (on the day of the betrayal of the Lord by Judas) and on Fridays (on the day of the Crucifixion of the Lord). We observe these fast days throughout the year, with some exceptions. Christians also observe long fasts—before the feast of the Resurrection of Christ (seven weeks), before the Nativity of the Lord (six weeks), before the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God (two weeks) and before the feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul (from one to six weeks, depending on the date of Pascha). During fasting periods healthy Christians abstain from meat and dairy products. Passions are fueled primarily by eating and drinking. There is an ascetic maxim: “No one can pray on a full stomach.” Fasting helps the mind (thoughts) concentrate on prayer and sink into the heart to meet God.
Brothers and sisters, the proper spiritual life of Christians is that of Resurrection and joy. The greatest feast of the Orthodox Church is the Resurrection of Christ. The Paschal night service is an enthusiastic and joyful prayer whirlwind of many people. With candles in their hands, the faithful sing the troparion of Holy Pascha countless times over and over again: “Christ is Risen from the dead, / trampling down death by death // and upon hose in the tombs bestowing life.” People kiss each other with the Paschal greeting: “Christ is Risen!” “In truth He is Risen!”
True joy only comes into the soul after effort. The greater the effort, the greater the joy. The faithful fasted for seven weeks, accompanying the Lord on the way to Golgotha, and were crucified together with Him. And now they, too, will rise from the dead with Him, as we hear in ode 3 of the Paschal Canon: “Yesterday, O Christ, I was buried with Thee, and today I arise with Thy arising. Yesterday I was crucified with Thee. Glorify me, O Savior, with Thee in Thy Kingdom.” The Apostle Paul says: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me (Gal. 2:19-20). And we are called to this, too. The joy of the Resurrection extends not only to Ascension Day, but also beyond, because we celebrate a small Pascha every Sunday.
G. B. Tiepolo. Christ on the Way to Golgotha
The Resurrection of Christ is the fundamental message of Christianity. Thanks to it, the Lord conquered death and gave eternal life to the world. And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain (1 Cor. 15:14). Throughout the year, a Russian saint, St. Seraphim of Sarov, greeted his visitors this way: “My joy, Christ is Risen!”
The Resurrection of Christ can also become our resurrection if we unite with Christ and overcome the sin that separates us from Him. An Orthodox believer leading a spiritual life experiences the reality of Christ’s Resurrection every day, courageously overcoming sin and the adversities of life.
In our daily difficulties we experience partial death, because our lives are limited. But we also go through a partial resurrection when we call out to Christ to help us. A Christian never loses hope, no matter how tough trials and tribulations may be. For he knows that the final victory belongs to Christ, Who dwells in his heart: In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world (Jn. 16:33). It is hard to imagine tragically depressed and desperate Christians. And this applies to all life situations. Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice (Phil. 4:4), St. Paul implores us. Blessed Augustine said, “Love God and do whatever you please.” For if you love God and your neighbor as yourself, you cannot sin.
Another ascetic maxim says: “hate the sin, but love the sinner!” This is precisely the stance of a Christian who, by the grace of God, has acquired a merciful heart. It does not judge others or condemn anyone, but prays for everyone. In the seventh century St. Isaac the Syrian asked himself: “What is a merciful heart?” And he answered himself: “It is a heart burning for the sake of all Creation…; and at the recollection of them the eyes of a merciful man pour forth abundant tears. By the strong and vehement mercy that grips his heart and by his great compassion, his heart is humbled and he cannot bear to hear or to see any injury or slight sorrow in Creation. For this reason, he offers up tearful prayer continually even for irrational beasts, for the enemies of the truth, and for those who harm him, that they be protected and receive mercy.”2
Brothers and sisters, let us pray to God that He will grant us all such merciful hearts! Amen.
