Here’s the second half of a discussion on the Eastern Orthodox Divine Liturgy. I structured it around an early second century description of a Christian Eucharistic service, written by St. Justin the Martyr:
“On the day called Sunday, all gather together to one place…
“And the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read…”
“Then the president verbally exhorts to the imitation of these good things…”
“Then we all rise together and pray…”
“Bread and wine and water are brought forth…
“The president offers prayers and thanksgivings… and the people give their ascent, saying: Amen…”
“There is a distribution to each of that over which thanks has been given…”
“And they who are well to do give what each thinks fit to take care of all who are in need.”
Here’s the first half of a discussion on the Eastern Orthodox Divine Liturgy. I structured it around an early second century description of a Christian Eucharistic service, written by St. Justin the Martyr:
“On the day called Sunday, all gather together to one place…
“And the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read…”
“Then the president verbally exhorts to the imitation of these good things…”
“Then we all rise together and pray…”
“Bread and wine and water are brought forth…
“The president offers prayers and thanksgivings… and the people give their ascent, saying: Amen…”
“There is a distribution to each of that over which thanks has been given…”
“And they who are well to do give what each thinks fit to take care of all who are in need.”
In my sermon at St Nicholas Cathedral in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on Sunday, September 24, 2023, we looked at how the Orthodox Church understands Romans 8:29 – “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son…” __
In the creed, we defined the churches Catholic. This comes from the Greek word “katholike,” meaning “concerning the whole.” The church preaches the whole Gospel, to the whole of humanity, throughout the whole span of history.
Preaching the Gospel “as a whole” means that we need to look at the entire scriptures as a single unit. We do not focus on one book, one chapter, one verse. Everything is looked at within the context of the broader message. We interpret everything with a “concern for the whole” story.
Consider, for example, what Saint Paul says to the Christians of Corinth: “For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” (I Corinthians 4:14)
Paul clearly identifies himself as the father of the Christians of Corinth. But what about what Christ says in the Gospel of Matthew: “Call no man father?” How do we reconcile Jesus’ teaching in Matthew with the apostle identifying himself as “Father Paul” to the Christians of Corinth?
St Paul does this because he understands that there’s a specific context for the teaching, “Call no man father.” There are times when it is completely appropriate to call our spiritual leaders, “Father.” This is a term that has been used for clergy — beginning with bishops, and later priests — for centuries in the Christian Church.
When we look at the teaching, “Call, no man father,” or any teaching of Christ in the Gospels, we need to interpret it through the wider context of Church life, including the wider context of scriptures. “Call no man father” in Matthew is correctly understood within this broader framework. (Like Paul identifying himself as the Father of the Corinthian Christians, or the multiple times our spiritual forebears are called “father” and “fathers” in the Book of Acts.)
St. Ignatius Brianchaninov said:
“When on a clear fall night I gaze upon the clear heavens, illumined by innumerable stars that send out a single light, then I say to myself: thus are the writings of the holy fathers. When on a summer’s day I gaze upon the wide sea, covered with a multitude of distinct waves, driven by a single wind to a single end, a single pier, then I say to myself: such are the writings of the fathers. When I hear a well-ordered choir, in which different voices sing a single hymn in shimmering harmony, then I say to myself: such are the writings of the fathers.”
In the Orthodox church, it’s not the voice of the soloist that we listen for, it’s the collective voice of the choir — of the saints, of the scriptures, of the liturgical texts, of the sacred art… all of these things proclaiming with one voice, the truth of Christ.
The word “heresy” comes from a Greek word meaning to pick and choose. If you pick and choose versus from the scriptures or quotes from the Fathers, you can string together whatever teaching you want. This is not what we’re interested in. We’re interested in the collective voice, we have a “concern with for whole.” Because when the Church speaks “with one mouth and one heart,” she declares the truth that will set us free.
The Greek word for the devil is “diavolos,” which is where we get the word “diabolical” from. This word literally means one who throws things in opposite directions, and this offers us insight into the work of the devil among humanity — to create division.
One the other hand, God calls us to unity. In Christ all fragmentation due to sin is healed. For example, in the Orthodox Church, we make a juxtaposition between what happens at the Tower of Babel and what happens at Pentecost:
The arrogance of those who built the tower caused the tongues to be confused, but now the tongues have been made wise through the glory of the knowledge of God! There the impious were condemned, now Christ has enlightened the fishermen with His Spirit! There the confusion of tongues was done in retribution; now harmony is restored for the salvation of our souls! (Pentecost Vespers)
At the Tower of Babel, because of the pride of the people we get the division of the tongues – the fragmentation of humanity. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit comes down in the form of tongues of fire and brings people together in the unity of the Church. The apostles go out and preach the good news, and people from various places speaking various languages can hear the gospel each in their own language.
The power of God, the work of God, the saving work of Jesus Christ, and the operation of the Holy Spirit brings us together. Out of discord, we get concord through God. What happens at the Tower of Babel because of pride is overcome, is healed by the humility and the service and the willingness to follow God of of the apostles and disciples on the day of Pentecost.
One of my favorite Eastern Orthodox authors is Metropolitan Anthony Bloom. And my favorite book written by Metropolitan Anthony is “Living Prayer.” Unfortunately it’s not so easy to find copies of it anymore as, I believe, it is our of print. If you can’t find it, I’d recommend another of his books on prayer, “Beginning to Pray.”
“Living Prayer” is not a long book, but it just offers some beautiful insights into having a healthy — a living! — prayer life. One of the chapters includes a quote from St Ambrose of Optina concerning the Last Judgment. It’s a reminder about the importance of humility in our spiritual life. I remember when I first read this quote, it just gave me much hope and encouragement in my own spiritual life. Here’s Metropolitan Anthony, quoting from St Ambrose:
“Ambrose of Optina, one of the last Russian Staretz, said once that two categories of men will attain salvation: those who sin and are strong enough to repent, and those who are too weak even to repent truly, but are prepared, patiently, humbly and gratefully, to bear all the weight of the consequences of their sins; in their humility they are acceptable to God.”
What wonderful words to hold onto as we struggle with our own sins, particularly our habitual sins. Ultimately the thing that opens the floodgates of God’s mercy is that we embrace a humble heart.
Before and above all else, may we cultivate a spirit of humility. Anybody who can cultivate that spirit, anybody who can go through their lives with a humble heart, is capable of salvation and eternal joy.
Here are some more quotes on Mary from Church Fathers throughout the centuries:
“I have been amazed that some are utterly in doubt as to whether or not the holy Virgin is able to be called the Mother of God. For if our Lord Jesus Christ is God, how should the holy Virgin who bore him not be the Mother of God?” (St Cyril of Alexandria, 5th century)
“Though still a virgin she carried a child in her womb, and the handmaid and work of his wisdom became the Mother of God.” (St Ephraim the Syrian, 4th century)
“The first thing which kindles ardor in learning is the greatness of the teacher. What is greater than the Mother of God? What more glorious than she whom Glory Itself chose?” (St Ambrose of Milan, 4th century)
“For Luke, in the inspired Gospel narratives, delivers a testimony not to Joseph only, but also to Mary, the Mother of God, and gives this account with reference to the very family and house of David.” (St Gregory the Wonderworker, 3rd century)
“And if the former (Eve) did disobey God, yet the latter (Mary) was persuaded to be obedient to God, in order that the Virgin Mary might become the advocate of the virgin Eve. And thus, as the human race fell into bondage to death by means of a virgin, so it is rescued by a virgin; virginal disobedience having been balanced in the opposite scale by virginal obedience.” (St Irenaeus of Lyons, 2nd century)
“Eve, who was a virgin, willingly brought forth the word of the serpent into the world. Mary, the Virgin, willingly brings forth the Word of God into the world.” (St Justin Martyr, 2nd century)
The ancient Christian Fathers with one voice honor Mary as the Virgin Mother of God, whose obedience to the will of the Father opens the doors of salvation for all. This understanding echoed through the centuries in Christianity, even in some most unexpected places. Consider the following:
“I firmly believe that Mary, according to the words of the Gospel, as a pure virgin brought forth for us the Son of God, and in childbirth and after childbirth forever remained a pure, intact virgin.” (Ulrich Zwingli)
“To this day we cannot enjoy the blessing brought to us in Christ without thinking at the same time of that which God gave as adornment and honor to Mary in willing her to be the mother of his only-begotten Son.” (John Calvin)
“She is rightly called not only the mother of the man, but also the Mother of God.” (Martin Luther)
Through the prayers of the Theotokos, may our Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on us.
“Blessed are you, O Lord, teach me your statutes!” This quote from Psalm 118 is often repeated in Orthodox worship. There’s even a hymn in our morning service, Matins, built around it.
Thinking about God’s statutes might seem pretty daunting. In Judaism, in addition to the Torah, there were over 600 Commandments known as “Mitzvot,” acts that resulted in God’s blessing when fulfilled. So when people ask Jesus about the greatest commandment they’re not always trying to trip him up. Sometimes this question was driven by a sincere desire to know. Thankfully, Jesus gave us a way of streamlining the issue.
When asked about the greatest commandment, Christ offers two that are closely related: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength,” and, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Before we go on, we should note that these two commandments do not appear in sequence in the scriptures. “Love God…” is from Deuteronomy 6, and “Love your neighbor…” is from Leviticus 19.
We often misread that second commandment as “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” That’s not what it says. It says love your neighbor “as yourself.” That’s an important distinction because it’s not just about treating others the way you would treat yourself. Actually, it zeroes in on the fact that all human life is intricately linked.
We need to look at our neighbors’ lives, their joy, their pain, as extensions of our own lives. The second great commandment reminds us that we’re all connected. Whether we are aware of it or not, every life has an impact on the lives of others.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus offers us teaching on how we should look at our lives. Some things in the scriptures are really difficult to understand but this particular teaching is so direct that you just look at it once and it’s obvious. It’s not easy, but it’s very clear.
Eastern Orthodoxy 