Posted on by frajarmus

Selfless Love in Action

Agape is selfless love – a love that seeks nothing for itself and gives everything for the sake of the other. This is the love of Christ, who gave up his own life so that we may live forever.

True selfless love goes beyond seeking recognition for what we have done or expecting gratitude or repayment in return. It is not a tool to leverage favors in the future, nor is it reserved for those who have earned our affection in the past. Instead, genuine selfless love flows freely, reflecting the boundless and unconditional love of God. It means acting because we recognize a divine opportunity to reflect the love of Jesus Christ – a love that calls us to care for others as He has cared for us.

When we embrace this kind of love, our actions and words become a living testimony of Christ’s love. As we show kindness, extend forgiveness, or offer help to others, we open the door for them to encounter Christ’s presence through us. As 1 John 4:19 reminds us, “We love because He first loved us.” This truth underscores the foundation of our lives as followers of Jesus Christ.

To bear the name of Christ is to carry His love into the world. It is to make visible the invisible God by allowing His love to shine through our deeds, even when no one notices or thanks us. In doing so, we fulfill His command to love others as He has loved us. By being ambassadors of his Christ’s this love, we glorify Him and share the hope of salvation with others.

Posted on by frajarmus

Pay Attention to These Things

There are a number of times in the Old Testament when God condemns Israel for their sins. And he says, “Because of your sins, the land is defiled.” 

In Hosea 4:1-3, we read, “Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: ‘There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. Because of this the land mourns, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the fish of the sea are dying.'”
What we focus our attention on matters… immensely. We give agency to the things we are most attentive to. These things gain a place of primacy in our minds and hearts. Eventually they shape our worldview and our character. By extension, our worldview and character impact our relationships with others, with our environment, and of course with God.

When we focus on toxic things, anger and bitterness and revenge and jealousy and all of these things, that has a negative impact on our hearts, on our families, on our communities, and on the world itself. So we need to focus on life-giving things. When Dostoevsky said that “beauty will save the world,” this is what he was talking about.

If we want to make the world a better place, we can start by paying attention to what St. Paul says in Philippians 4: whatever is good, whatever is holy, whatever is honorable, whatever is true, he says, “Meditate upon these things.” Pay attention to these things.

Posted on by frajarmus

Explaining the Divine Liturgy (Part 2)

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.”

__

Help keep my ministry going and growing… Buy me a coffee → https://www.buymeacoffee.com/frajarmus ☕️

Many thanks for your support! Prayers & Blessings 🙏 ☦️

Posted on by frajarmus

Predestined for Glory

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…”
__

Help keep my ministry going and growing… Buy me a coffee → https://www.buymeacoffee.com/frajarmus ☕️

Posted on by frajarmus

Holiness and the importance of place

“Someone asked Abba Anthony, ‘What must one do in order to please God?’ The old man replied, ‘Pay attention to what I tell you: whoever you may be, always have God before your eyes; whatever you do, do it according to the testimony of the holy Scriptures; in whatever place you live, do not easily leave it. Keep these three precepts and you will be saved.’” (Sayings of the Desert Fathers)

An important (but lesser-known) quality necessary for spiritual healing and growth is geographic stability. God calls un to be his disciples in specific places.

_

Interested in helping to keep my ministry going and growing?
→ https:// http://www.buymeacoffee.com/frajarmus ☕️
Many thanks for your support! Prayers and blessings 🙏 ☦️

Posted on by frajarmus

Online group for Orthodox seekers

The Fellowship of St Theophan the Recluse is a ministry of the Orthodox Church in America’s Bulgarian Diocese. We currently have over 100 members. Most members are from North America but we also have people from the British Isles, Latin America, Africa, and Australia.

It’s a mixed bag of interest levels. Some are very intentional about becoming Orthodox, but aren’t anywhere near an Orthodox church. Some would like to become more involved in the Orthodox Church, but cannot for a variety of reasons. Others are just checking Eastern Orthodoxy out.

We also have Orthodox Christians who can’t get to church regularly, or the church they attend has services and programs in a language they don’t understand.

All are welcome.

I send out an email every weekday to stay in touch and once a month we have a live meeting on Zoom.

If this sounds like something you might find helpful, send me an email for more info.

Posted on by frajarmus

Why pray to the saints?

A question that I hear quite frequently concerns the intercession of the saints. Why do the Orthodox believe in this? Can you find references to it in the scriptures? I want to keep these posts short, so let me share with you a link to an episode of my podcast where I talk about this in a bit more detail.

First let me say this. The popular understanding of heaven and earth is that the dead are “up there” while we are “down here” and that there is largely no practical connection between the “up there” and the “down here.” Classical Christianity (ie, Eastern Orthodoxy), does not see the world in this way. The spiritual realm is a lot closer to us than we think, but our ability to perceive it is impaired.

So with that said, here’s the link.

https://anchor.fm/frajarmus/episodes/The-intercession-of-the-saints-e204h4m