Grace to the Humble

Behold, I will send you Elijah

The Gospel according to Matthew 3:1-6

At that time, John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." Now John wore a garment of camel's hair, and a leather girdle around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river.

Icon of Ss. Elijah and John the Baptist
Sourced from modeoflife.org

The significance of the person of John at this point in the Gospel as we approach the feast of the Theophany is integral to the continuity of the story of salvation of God's people.
Christ does not come unannounced to his people, he is foretold by the ancient prophets and prefigured in the final of those, John, the Baptist, Our Lord's cousin.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. (Malachi 4:5)

The description Matthew gives us of John's attire is not without significance. The camel hair and leather belt refers John to Elijah, it is the dress code of the Prophet of the Lord.

"What kind of man was he who came to meet you and told you these things? They answered him, "He wore a garment of haircloth, with a girdle of leather about his loins." And he [King Ahazi'ah] said, "It is Elijah the Tishbite." (2 Kings 1:7-8)

 And so with John comes the completion of the Old Prophets, and the beginning of the era of the Incarnate God. In Christ history is fulfilled and perfected, in the incarnation the requirement for prophets to reveal God's will among men was no longer needed for Christ is with us intrinsically through the flesh.

With the coming of Christ, the ministry of John came to completion, the new age begins, and the old rites perfected.

I baptize you with water [...] he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Matthew 3:11)

What's in a Name? - Circumcision of Our Lord

Circumcision of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

The Gospel according to Luke 2:20-21

At that time, the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Reflections

There are two major points in the above Gospel passage; those of Circumcision and Naming. Both of these are inextricably linked in the history of God's covenant with His people, but for the sake of this post I shall focus mainly on the latter, the naming.

Should you wish to read a recent blog post centred on the Circumcision, I would have no hesitancy in directing you toward Dimitris Salapatas' excellent blog Londinoupolis, where he engages with the Pauline exhortation that we are circumcised in the Spirit.

The Eighth Day

As Orthodox Christians the eighth day holds particular significance. The week as represented on earth is seven days, the eighth day is representative of the day of completion, the eschatalogical day. It is for this reason the Divine Liturgy is considered to take place on the 'eighth day', which is to say, outside of time as we perceive it.

It is on the eighth day that the Lord is circumcised and given the name Jesus.

It is on the eighth day that we will be given a new name as foretold in Rev. 2:17.

Purpose of Name

A name is a means by which to identify an individual.
It is what differentiates a pet from livestock, a loved one from the crowd.
By granting a name one is granting identity to the bestower of the name. The named one is called out and made recognisable.
The identity of that person is bound to the name so that when the name is called, so too is the remembrance of that person to whom it relates.
The name 'Jesus' gives us a means to identify the incarnate Son of God. 

Furthermore the name gives us the ability to call upon Jesus.

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer's ear!... 

What is Sin?

Reposted from Simply Orthodox

Sin is primarily a metaphysical phenomenon whose roots lie in the mystic depth of man’s spiritual nature. The essence of sin consists not in the infringement of ethical standards but in a falling away from the eternal Divine life for which man was created and to which, by his very nature, he is called. Sin is committed first of all in the secret depths of the human spirit but its consequences involve the individual as a whole. A sin will reflect on a man’s physcological and physical condition, on his outward appearance, on his personal destiny. Sin will, inevitably, pass beyond the boundaries of the sinner’s individual life, to burden all humanity and thus affect the fate of the world.

- Archimandrite Sophronius Sakharov

Reposted from Simply Orthodox

A Prayer Book - Archbishop Hilarion of Austin

So, I have someone staying with me and they have deposited their books.
I go for a rummage (naughty I know) and come across 'Orthodox Prayers of Old England', a Western Rite publication.

I am careful to form views regarding the Western Rite and am open to receiving the perspectives of all whom it concerns; nevertheless, the Preface to the book is brilliant in its concise summary of the purpose of a prayerbook.

A Prayer book for Christian people can have but one true purpose - the salvation of their souls. This intention is that ordained by Almighty God Himself through the grace of His Son our Lord Jesus Christ and sanctified and envivified by the Holy Spirit. The compositions contained in this book were written by men inspired by the Holy Spirit Himself (consider, for example, the Psalms of St. David, King of Israel); therefore, they assist our salvation by bringing us to petition for Grace. That they are historical means that they connect us with our spiritual forebears, Western and Eastern; and they are also instructive, thereby enlightening the intellect. The intellect, after all, is no enemy to faith, but was itself created by God to guide the heart, so that humankind might seek their Creator.

The book (I have yet to explore its contents) is available at St. John Cassian Press

Pray for the Terrorists

Pray for the Terrorists.

Pray that their hearts may be softened and they may come to repentance.

There are those among us who pray for demons; how much more so should we pray for our fellow humanity who, bearing the likeness of God in the Incarnation, have forgotten their divine calling and have become subject to passions.

"Forgive them, for they know not what they do."

As for those who have died in recent violence against their fellow man, let us pray for their souls. 

The burden they carry with them before the Throne of God Almighty is immense.

They were drunk on delusion but are now sober in despair.

Pray for the young men and women who are seduced into believing they must commit atrocities to gain favour with God. 

Wounds such as these are not healed by retribution but with forgiveness.

"For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions."

Pray for the Terrorists 

Fluctuat Nec Mergitur - Tossed [by the waves] but not sunk
Motto of City of Paris

Brace Yorselves - Advent is Coming