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Fr George's Letter

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Written by: Fr George

CHRIST.

“The virtues build a new person radiating love to the world.”

(Metropolitan Paul (Yazigi) of Aleppo who consecrated our temple.)

 

“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”  

                                                                                (Hebrews 4:16-16)

 

 

 

SUNDAY 24^th MAY. Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council (325). Afterfeast of the Ascension. St. Symeon Stylites (the Younger) of the Wonderful Mountain (592). St. Vincent of Lerins (c 450). St. Nikita Stylites, Wonderworker of Pereyaslavl-Zalesski (1186).

 

THE NICENE CREED.

“I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in all things visible and invisible; And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-begotten, Begotten of the Father before all worlds, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, Begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father, by Whom all things were made; Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was Incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,  and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried. And on the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures. And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. And He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, Whose kingdom shall have no end. And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and Son together is worshipped and glorified, Who spoke by the Prophets; And I believe in One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the Life of the world to come. Amen.

 

TODAY’S GOSPEL. John 17:1-13. “Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You, Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.””

 

Beloved of God, today we find ourselves between the Feast of the Ascension and the Feast of Pentecost. Christ has ascended into heaven and the Disciples and Apostles await the coming of the Holy Spirit. Today we celebrate the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, which was held in the year 324 AD. This event gave us the Church’s first proclamation of the Nicene Creed which we repeat over and over again in our churches. The Fathers established the Faith against false heretics that troubled the early Church. This is not dusty historical drama, this is the truth that the Church has held down the ages and which our Orthodox Churches witness to today.

In last Sunday’s Gospel Christ revealed to a blind beggar who He was. The Sunday before He told the Woman of Samaria who He was. Two seemingly unimportant people were chosen to hear and see the promised Messiah. In the Gospel for today Christ tells us, unimportant though we are in the world, who He is. He was there before Creation, He was there at Creation. He is one of the Holy Undivided Trinity. He came into the world for us that we may find true joy, and not in the passing whims of time or space.

St. Andrei Rublev’s famous icon of the Holy Trinity depicts the Holy Trinity  as the three angels who visited Abraham under the Oak Tree  at Mamre. One cannot distinguish between the angels as to each one’s place in the Holy Trinity although people debate as to which one represents which. This is foolishness as it detracts from the sacred mystery. Today  good and honest Orthodox people get embroiled in all sorts of “orthodox” debates on all sorts of trivia, trying to prove this or that aspect of our faith, often by the Internet and media sources. Why do people persist in this endless and fruitless debate when the Holy Fathers gave us the Creed we say today? We have everything we need and hold dear in the Nicene Creed.......”I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of........ That is enough, it is our strength and our joy, the rest is chaff blown away by the winds of time.

                                                                             Much Love,

 

                                                                             Fr. George.

Forgive me for not sending an article last week as I was somewhat incapacitated, hopefully I will improve.