Articles for author: Elder Athanasios Mitilinaios

GIVING WITNESS TO THE TRUE CHURCH

Orthodox Christians all over the world have received the unchanging Christian Faith, passed down from the Holy Apostles to their successors, and continue to practice it today in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church – The Orthodox Church.
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THE NEED FOR CATECHIZING GOD’S PEOPLE

THE NEED FOR CATECHIZING GOD’S PEOPLE

a translated homily of

Blessed Elder Athanasios Mitilinaios

on the Epistle reading, Acts 11:19-30

Delivered at the Holy Monastery Komneniou, Larissa, on May 12, 1996

SUNDAY OF THE SAMARITAN WOMAN

Homily B335b

The evangelist Luke describes to us, my beloved, the first days of the life of the Church, after Pentecost. And he writes, as we heard in today’s Epistle reading which is from Acts: “Those who were scattered by the suffering which happened over Stephen went as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch” (Acts 11:19). That is, after the stoning of Stephen, fear fell upon the city of Jerusalem. Many people left, they “scattered”, he says, and they began to preach Christ in the countryside. And we see here that the preaching of the Gospel had already reached Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch. When the Apostles learned of it (they had remained in the city) they acted accordingly.

But how exactly was the Gospel spread? By anonymous people. Luke writes: “Some of these men, who were from Cyprus and Cyrene, having entered Antioch, spoke to the Greeks, preaching the Lord Jesus” (20). There had been a breakthrough, for sure, and the Gospel spread much farther than they had expected. Those who were spreading the Gospel were amazed. As I said, they were anonymous people. Luke notes a very characteristic little phrase: “And the hand of the Lord was with them” (Acts 11:21). This is a Hebrew expression which means “help from heaven”.

You may have noticed that many times in our Iconography, in an icon of a Saint or some Saints, there is a hand entering from a corner of the frame of the icon, usually from the upper left, but it can also be on the upper right, and the hand is blessing. This is the Lord’s hand which is giving the blessing. Iconographically, this is how it is depicted.

Preaching, then, was a holy missionary effort, and it had every blessing of God. In other words, as we clearly see, their preaching also began to evangelize the world, the world of nations. This is one reason (not the only one) why God allowed the dispersion of the Christians from Jerusalem after the stoning of Stephen, precisely because they had remained in Jerusalem, despite the Lord telling them to go out after Pentecost. You see, when God wills something, after commanding it to us [and we don’t act], He then creates a violent way [to implement it]. Do not be frightened. This violent way is in God’s plan, to shake us up, or, as we would say today, to wake us up, so that we will realize a few things. The Lord had said to His disciples, on the day of His Ascension: “Go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to do all that I commanded you” (Mt. 28:19). This, then, is how the preaching of Christ begins, with much fruit-bearing and with many blessings. I remind you, “And the hand of the Lord was with them.”

But the question is posed: Has this blessing of the spreading of the Gospel been maintained with the same fervor throughout the twenty following centuries? Unfortunately not. It is known that no one in the first 3-4 centuries [who was an outsider] was allowed [to be present] in the Church – in the sense of participating in the Divine Liturgy, to receive Holy Communion. We see in the Divine Liturgy something preserved from those days: “The doors! The doors!” [Τάς θύρας! Τάς θύρας!]1 This was a command. “Close the doors, doorkeepers! Close the doors! Let no uninitiated, no catechumens, remain inside!” Only the faithful were allowed to remain in the church. So we see here that there was some austerity applied in this matter. No one who had not been baptized was allowed to remain in the church.

Yet in order to be baptized it was necessary to receive a catechism. In those days, Baptism usually followed catechism, and after one had received enough catechism, the bishop would test them. He would say, “Tell me this, tell me that”, and if someone had not learned the catechism well enough, his baptism was postponed until the next time, because it was still possible that they might be “held back” (as we say with schoolchildren), after a long catechesis which might last months or years – yes, even years. (It is well known that baptisms were administered about once or twice a year, on Christmas or Theophany and on Pascha, and this is why on these days we chant “Those of you who have been baptized in Christ have put on Christ” instead of the Trisagion hymn; it is in their honor).

So there was austerity, and this is why great Christians were produced. It is said that the Catechumens entered “through the door” when they were baptized in the Church, because they had received an extensive, rich catechism. If you would like to see a sample of what these Catechumens would learn, please take a look at the Catechisms of St. Cyril [of Jerusalem] from 350 A.D., and read what he was requiring them to learn. A small portion of this Catechism is also found in The Apostolic Constitutions. There were lessons on dogmas, that is, God is Triune, that He is this and He is that, etc., but there were also lessons on morality, for example, that you cannot be immoral, and you had to learn why. This was the beginning of our Church, and it shined. Because, as I mentioned, those who were baptized entered “through the door” since they had received a rich catechism. It is also said that “they exited through the other door of the Church, as martyrs”.

This good start of the Church slackened, however, after Christianity emerged as the official state religion (this is how catechism ended up following Baptism). But then catechizing began to be neglected, and there was nothing to give them a push forward other than Baptism. This situation created a laxity in both morality and faith in the Church members. The catechesis had, of course, focused on knowledge of dogma, but it also addressed correction of life (and what kind of world did Christianity find? The world of nations as we know it today ­– idolaters – with many faults, vices and passions which needed to be corrected). However, by setting aside catechism, there was corresponding fruit – ignorance of dogma and lax living.

About this, Blessed [Panagiotis] Trembelas wrote, in his Catechism: “Into a very large cauldron of boiling water, a large amount of cold water was suddenly poured in and the boiling stopped.” This is what happened. We see how this happened in Russia, for example 2 (which was introduced to the Orthodox faith, but were catechized very crudely. The whole nation ran to the rivers to be baptized, masses and masses of people. No time was given to catechism. The same happened with our Greek nation.3 So then, these people, since they were not given a catechism, neither corrected how they lived nor acquired knowledge of the Faith, and the boiling stopped, that is, the fervor, the enthusiasm, that “I am a Christian” (because one paid a price to be a Christian).4

Today catechising is done after Baptism, in the form of lessons, if it is done at all. We say, “We have catechetical schools. The children need to go to catechetical school.” How many children go to elementary school, middle school and high-school? They all go. But how many of them go to catechetical school? So then, all those children who are not catechised never will be catechized 5 (and wherever the catechism is taught, how frequent is it? An hour, once a week?) … The implications of not catechizing are grave. Our Orthodox people live, unfortunately, in gross ignorance. And the morality? O, the morality… It is something to shed many tears over. It is profoundly worldly.

So we see that our Christians today have a secular mindset, and it is a fact that the secularized way of life does not save. Pay attention to this. We cannot be saved by it. Out of all the secular Orthodox Christians of ours, a number of them, precisely because they have no foundation or knowledge, are led astray, and they join heretical groups, but also worldly religions. Today you see Greek Orthodox Christians turning to Hinduism and other worldly religions. Why do we call them “worldly”? Because all of these religions place God within the world, which, in the final analysis, is pantheism.

As for the Jewish religion (which was a preparatory religion; it no longer exists; it was simply the preamble of Christianity), people are accustomed to saying, “God is one, and since God is one it is the same religion as Christianity.” The God of Israel, the Holy One of Israel, is indeed the God of the New Testament. There is no doubt about it. But the Jews wanted to separate. In fact, they wanted to separate more [than the Christians did], because they did not accept the New Testament. Yet still, people say “the religion is the same” and “there is only one God”.

And we also have the poor copy [of Christianity] which was made sometime in the 8th century A.D. from elements of Judaism, Christianity and the local Arabic traditions, notorious Islam. In Europe, not the least in Greece, people are beginning to join Islam. Does this surprise you? (A few years ago, not too long ago, a Greek translation of the Koran was presented to the “Parnassos” philological institution of Athens, an event attended by the Archbishop of Athens, and this translation was funded by some [Greek] ship magnate. Did you hear that? On another score, he lives the largest life, with not a care in the world. He makes his cross, a poor imitation, with no prospect of improvement. These people have no clue about what Christianity is…)

And finally, Satanism needs to be addressed, the worship of Satan especially by our younger generation and its social implications. Shall I say that what is to come will be very unpleasant? That God will lift His hand. We are witnesses, and everyone knows [what is happening].

What needs to happen? The good works of catechism and preaching. Preaching must be catechism; it must be a lesson. From being a dormant Christian, I will learn and grow. The homily should not be a few flowery words which we only say on feast days, only for a few minutes, just long enough for us to cover the most rudimentary things about the feast, if it is at a Liturgy for a feast with an artoklasia service (and they never fail to mention that there will be an artoklasia service for the feast – and this during the few minutes left for the homily – which is usually something secular, nothing more). Ah, my people! You have a microphone in your hand, and you speak the Word of God from somewhere, wherever the feast is, in Athens or wherever, and you say nothing of substance? What excuse will you give?

Preaching is a lesson. It is not catechism, but it is instructional. As it was done in the old days, this instruction, this catechesis, must be renewed periodically, because we will never be able to say that we know everything. In any case, preaching in the form of catechism must begin – correct teaching – if we wish to see better days for the Church.

The subject here, primarily, is love for Jesus Christ. If you love Christ, you will certainly transmit Christ to the one next to you. The Lord, appearing to the Apostle Peter after His Resurrection, said to him: “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these [other Disciples]?” (Jn. 21:15) And He received the reply: “Yes, Lord, You know that I love You.” What did the Lord say to him? “Feed my lambs”, which is to say, Be a shepherd, shepherd my lambs, the Christians. The question was repeated a second and third time, and to Peter’s affirmative answers, the Lord replied: “Feed my sheep” and “Feed my lambs”. Do you truly love Me? Then you will do the work of shepherding.

How is shepherding done? Through preaching, catechizing and administering the Sacraments of the Church. Notice that shepherding, the apostolic work, is bound to love of Christ. Do you love Christ? You will do the work of an apostle. If you love your neighbor, you will tell him the good news about Christ.

Today, however, the question is posed: Does such love even exist? Did it cool off? Did it freeze? Christ said: “In the last days the love of many will grow cold” (Mt. 24:12). The Apostle Paul, my beloved, writes: “If I preach the gospel, it is no reason to boast – I have been charged to! Woe to me if I do not evangelize!” (1 Cor. 9:16)

And the 58th canon of the Holy Apostles enjoins the following:

A bishop or a priest who is negligent in his duties, whether to the clergy or to the people, and does not instruct them in piety is to be excommunicated (that is, he is not to receive Holy Communion); but if he should persist in his negligence and laziness, he is to be deposed. 6

What would we say? If there are priests or bishops who prevent [εμποδίζουν] the Word of God from being heard in their town [let them be excommunicated]. Prevent! It is this other line which Christ said: “They themselves do not enter the Kingdom, and those who wish to enter it, they prevent” (Mt. 23:13).

In his interpretation to this canon, St. Nicodemos the Hagiorite adds a little phrase: “every day.”7 They are to teach every day, whether it is preaching from the pulpit, during Confession, in a Catechism class, or privately, it doesn’t matter how. (The Apostle Paul, in Ephesus, where he stayed for three years, also taught privately.)

But if the priest is obliged to teach, my beloved, the people and the individual must go where he teaches. This is only right. We care about you. How else will you hear? Do you come to hear? This is the only way a blessing of the Lord is bestowed on You. This is why the people must never be absent from where the Word of God is spoken. The Apostle Paul writes to the Hebrews: “Do not neglect to gather yourselves together, like others who are in this habit” (Heb 10:25), and regarding the negligence of the people, again, to the Hebrews he writes: “Though you have had so much instruction, and should be teachers by now, you need to be taught the basic teachings about God again; you have become like those who need milk, not solid food” (5:12).

There is something we must comment on. When the Apostles, who had stayed in Jerusalem, heard that the preaching of the Gospel had been accepted in Antioch, they sent Barnabas to see what was happening (he was a Cypriot). When he saw the movement in Antioch, he rejoiced. Listen to how Luke narrates it: “And when he saw the grace of God [at work], he rejoiced, and exhorted and encouraged them all to cleave to the Lord” (Acts 11:23). He rejoiced. Well done! Yes, with your heart, continue to cleave to the Lord! Do you see? He rejoiced. Why? Because the Gospel was advancing. And he was not envious (because envy exists in every age, and a worker of the Gospel can also be attacked. It usually happens. The Lord Himself was envied by the teachers of Israel. We mention this because we ourselves feel this envy intensely. When a worker of the Gospel envies, it usually means that he has not purified his heart, that he is not a sanctified man).

And Luke makes it clear that Barnabas felt no envy: “He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith” (Acts 11:24). This was Barnabas. A good man, filled with the Spirit of God. How could he possibly be envious? Paul, however, was pained, “Some of you preach Christ out of envy and are contentious, while others preach Christ with good intentions. So be it. However it is done, whether pretext or true, Christ is preached…” (Phil. 1:18).8 In the end, why should I mind, he is saying. They are responsible for themselves. As for me, I have only one interest, that Christ is preached. “…and for this I rejoice, and I will be glad” (Phil. 1:15-18).

Beloved, today our people are found in the dark pit of ignorance of the Gospel. This is why we see many heresies being accepted, and also corrupt living. “Ignorance of the Scriptures,” says Saint John Chrysostom “has turned everything upside down.” And Paul writes to the bishop (he is a bishop) Timothy, in Ephesus: “You, then, my son … what you have heard from me before many witnesses, entrust these things to faithful men who will able to teach others also” (2 Tim 2:2). In other words, Paul is telling Timothy to make preachers of the Word of God.

And further down he notes to him: “Preach the word! Attend to it, in season and out of season!” Catechize at all times (2 Tim 4:2). And he gives a reason, prophetically: “For there will come a time when sound teaching will not be regarded, but people will acquire teachers for themselves who will cater to their own desires” (2 Tim 4:3). Their ears will be tickled, he is saying. These teachers will say beautiful things. And what is Islam doing? Tickling the ears. “People will turn away from listening to the truth and will wander off into myths” (2 Tim 4:4), and such a time is right now, par excellence, my beloved.

Whoever, then, loves the Lord Jesus Christ, let him begin to equip himself, in order to spread the Word of God further, and to contribute to the knowledge of God among our people. The pulpit is not the only place where preaching takes place; it also happens at the catechetical school, and at all places and at all times – all of these [opportunities] are what St. Paul means by the “opportune time” (εὐκαιρως ἀκαιρως) (2 Cor. 6:2), and it will be very quickly understood that the hand of the Lord blesses the work of the preacher. Whoever loves the Lord, let him consider this.

FOR THE GLORY OF THE HOLY TRIUNE GOD

  1. Τὰς θύρας! Τὰς θύρας!, exclaimed by the priest before the Creed (see also The Heavenly Banquet p. 203-04).
  2. When the icy water of Communism was poured over boiling water of Holy Orthodox Russia.
  3. In the days of St. Paul.
  4. Like when the tyrants would ask the Christians to state their name, and they would reply: “I am a Christian!”
  5. For readers in the United States we might reword this paragraph as follows: “We say: “We have Sunday school; the children must attend Sunday school.” All of our children go to elementary school, middle school and high-school to receive an education, but how many of them attend Sunday School to be taught the Faith? Very few. Even if they do, Sunday School is only once a week for less than an hour. If these children are not being instructed now at church, or better, at their homes, they will never be taught the Faith.
  6. The Rudder, Orthodox Christian Educational Society, Chicago, Brookfield, 1983. pp. 100-01.
  7. ibid.
  8. Saint John Chrysostom interprets this passage as follows (our paraphrase of this source):
    Some indeed preach Christ out of envy and strife, and others with good intentions.

    What this means is worth inquiry. Since Paul was in prison, many of the unbelievers, wanting to stir up more violently the persecution enacted by the Emperor, also preached Christ, but so that the Emperor might become even more enraged that the Gospel was being spread, and so that all of his anger would fall on Paul’s head. From the time I was imprisoned, two parties of preachers have sprung up. One party was greatly encouraged by my imprisonment, while the other party which also preaches Christ is doing so only because they want to see me executed.

    Some out of envy.

    That is, They envy my good reputation and steadfastness, and it is because they want me killed, and have a warring spirit, that they work against me; and also so that they might be held in esteem and from the expectation that they might steal away for themselves some of my glory.

    And others with good intentions.

    That is, without hypocrisy, with all earnestness.

Translated from the original Greek by Anthony Hatzidakis, May 17, 2025, to the best of his ability. All emphases and scripture translations are the translator’s unless a source is cited.

SOURCES:

  • Greek text source: Aktines
  • Greek text transcription: Mr. Athanasios K., Greek text digitization and editing: Ms. Eleni Linardaki, philologist
  • This homily excerpt was delivered in a free manner and recorded live. The audio recording of this homily which we consulted can be found at www.arnion.com.

GIVING WITNESS TO THE TRUE CHURCH

Orthodox Christians all over the world have received the unchanging Christian Faith, passed down from the Holy Apostles to their successors, and continue to practice it today in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church – The Orthodox Church.
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A MODEL FOR THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

A MODEL FOR THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

a homily by

Blessed Elder Athanasios Mitilinaios

on the Epistle reading, Philippians 4:4-9

“Whatever is… think about these things”

Delivered at the Holy Monastery Komneniou, Larissa, on April 7, 1985

PALM SUNDAY

Homily B134

We live, my beloved, in a troubled era. Models have disappeared. Every single thing which was respected throughout the ages is now seen as an unhealthy and dangerous establishment which must be torn down… This is the precise reason our era has lost its orientation and is searching.

It is searching – in all fields: How society will live better; how man will express himself through art better; how he will philosophize most precisely; how he will use science for his benefit. It is searching – it is searching everywhere. This is why, in all his attempts to move away from classicism, one sees that both his art and his life are a caricature. This is how it is, if one lives the classic things a little, he feels he is in a state of decline. If we say that it is our era that is experiencing this decline, our era will answer us: “No, we are not on the decline. We have denied the past and we are searching for something new; it is a time of transition; we are searching for something else…” But what does the era seek? Beloved, what does this era seek… It seeks the true measures that will make man man.

But it is known that the man regresses in his life, and that this his regression is an interim phenomenon. When he holds the truth and leaves it to go seek the truth, an oxymoron. He begins to think that he is not holding the truth (or the truth bores him, or he gets tired of the truth) and goes looking for something else, and this other thing he is looking for he wants to be the truth. But truth is not fragmented. This is the precise reason man is regressing today in every area of his life, both as peoples and as individuals.

It is as if the man always arrives back where he started; he simply enters into an adventure, an adventure which troubles him and frazzles him. He returns to the truth, but a reasonable man might say: “Why live this adventure? Because if he lives this adventure it makes him (and this is fashionable, very fashionable) …“a person on the go”, “a supposedly deep person” (because if I have to stay with what I know to be true, I have no value, I live on the surface; but if I deny what I have, then I become deep because I am… “searching”).

My beloved… this is snobbery (if I may use the word and the characterization). In other words, the man in fact loses himself when he seeks something he wants to find; he tires himself out, and in the end he gets into trouble. Why should depth be lacking if we keep what we already have? Please, why will we not have what is deep if we keep what we have? If this moment I stay within one square meter, why should I have to make regressions here and there when I have an unlimited depth in which I can be?

So, beloved, that which is offered we must cultivate, to make deeper, and that which is offered is offered from heaven. Listen to this, my beloved, an immortal passage, about a way of life that has no ups and downs and adventures which wear a man out and make him a wreck thrown on the sidewalk from drugs and negligence, losing himself from these, making his situation pitiable, a pitiable man, prey of demons. It is from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians, which we heard in today’s apostolic reading. An immortal passage:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is respectable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is beloved, whatever is reputable, if there is any virtue, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things, and all that you have learned and received from me, and all that I said and did which you observed in me, put these things into practice, and the God of peace will be with you.

First of all, if you look at the entire 4th chapter from Philippians, you will see that the Apostle writes with an inexpressible peace, a grace not encountered in this world, but which is from heaven. Taking this short quotation, let us see what the Apostle can tell us.

“WHATEVER IS TRUE,” he says, “think about these things.” Which things are true? Maybe you have heard the expression, “I lived a fake life” a few times. Is there such a thing as real and fake life? Or do we characterize life itself as fake? Or do we say about a person that “his life is a lie” (not that he tells lies, but what he chose to experience was not real, was not correct, was not the real thing). If you like, this is precisely what defines the man as he comes from the hands of God; it is that which makes the man a communicant of heaven, without which, everything is fake. Thus, a man, if he lives his sinful life, the life of pleasures and the senses, ends up saying: “Fake life, how quickly you passed!”

Does God make fake things for you to make such exclamations about your life, the life He gave you as a costly and unique gift? Fake things? God makes fake things, you say? You have lived the lie, the falsehood, the deception, that for which the wise Solomon said: “Vanity of vanities; all is vanity” (Ecc. 1:2). The wise Solomon says this after he had tried whatever there is on earth for a man to try, from wisdom to the pleasures of the senses – he had tried everything! – and he ended up saying, deeply disappointed: “Vanity of vanities; all is vanity.” And yet, my beloved, nothing is vanity. To the contrary, God told us to turn our eyes away from vanity. What God creates is not vanity. Why, then, does man exclaim “all is vanity”? Because he has lived, and lives, a fake life.

So now the Apostle says: “Whatever is true…” Whatever is real. For example, we say, “Man is a metaphysical being”, which is not correct. Now I will say it correctly: Man is a theological being, which means that He is a being that cannot live without God. This is the truth. If he would desire to live without God, this is not a real life. This is the fake life. This is precisely what the Apostle Paul wants to say. Whatever is true, live these things.

“WHATEVER IS RESPECTABLE” – externally (because he will say something later about what is internal). Many things are respectable in this world. If, my beloved, we say there is nothing respectable in this world (and what is an elderly man, and what is a priest and what is a church, and so on…), then let us trample on everything, let us tear everything down. This precisely is what reveals the decadent man (the decadent man is a demonized man; the devil loves the destruction of man, his decadence). But when a man respects, he respects everything, (allow me to say) even a flower. When he passes it by on a mountain or on a path, he respects it; he does not step on it. But if he picks it, he will pick it to examine it. He will smell it, he will study it well, he will give glory to God, and he will put it in a vase at his house. He will not do what we do. You have seen how many times how we bend down and pick it with impudence (in the creation before us it is impudence), we pick a flower, put it to our nose, and quickly toss it aside with disdain. Man, why don’t you respect what God has created all around you? The man who respects respects everything, even a small child – not just a flower – even a small child. He will not talk down to a small child. He respects it. He does not have age as a criterion, nor smarts. He simply has before him the criterion that they are God’s creations. He respects everything. So, whatever is respectable, think about these things.

“WHATEVER IS JUST” Whatever belongs to your relationship, man, with God, with your fellow man, and with yourself. The just relationship is a great thing. The just relationship between employer and employee is not limited to the issue of salary, to money. This is a very narrow understanding. It is this too, but not only this; it is something far deeper, something far more broad.

What belongs to God? I will give it to Him.

The same with my neighbor. Even the quiet I must keep at noon [during siesta] is a matter of justice. Did you hear? It is a matter of justice when I understand that I must keep quiet, in order not to disturb the other person, but it is also justice toward myself. I will render to him whatever is proper.

Many times you hear people say: “I do whatever I want. I sin as I please. I don’t wrong anyone. Who do I bother?” Fine, let’s assume for now that you don’t wrong anyone. But aren’t you doing wrong to yourself? And shouldn’t justice also be rendered to yourself? Doesn’t the commandment say: “Love your neighbor as yourself”? (Lev. 19:18; Mt. 19:19; Mk. 12:31; Lk. 10:27; Rom. 13:9; Gal. 5:14; Jas. 2:8) What is the criterion? Your own self. The criterion is yourself, both in love and in justice. If you have not learned to render love and justice to yourself, how will you render it to others? How will you render it to God? If you yourself are your closest neighbor and you ignore him and despise him and do him wrong, how will you be able to render justice to others? Your criterion is missing. Your measure is missing. How, then, will you measure since you yourself are a mess?

So you see, then, my beloved, it is a great thing to be just. Justice is one of the four cardinal virtues of the ancient Greeks. And as the Fathers say, justice is shared among the other three. In patristic terminology, it is what we call discernment. It is how one virtue is connected to another. This is justice. It is a great thing. It is broad, something deep.

“WHATEVER IS PURE” If respect is something external, purity is something internal. It is whatever refers to the motives and intentions of man, all of which must be undefiled, pure. We say: “He is pure.” What does this mean? That he has pure intentions, his motives are pure. He is not the crooked man. His “yes” means “yes” and His “no” means “no”, what the Lord said: “Let your “yes” be “yes” and your “no” be “no”. This is precisely how he is. He is the guileless man, he is the pure man. Many times we say about a man: “He is a pure man, a pure compatriot”. What does this mean? It means that no external elements will enter in and influence his motives, decision-making or actions – a pure man. A beautiful thing. A pure man – in a broad sense, of course. In the narrow sense, in an ethical sense, someone is called pure if he does not commit immoral acts, the one who is continent.

“WHATEVER IS BELOVED” And what are the things that are beloved? Whatever is beloved to God, first of all. We say: “Is it pleasing to God?”; “Lord, if I do this will You be pleased?” It is also what is beloved to the people. Of course, people can like many things, but they may also be dirty. “He was pleased very much,” it says, “with Salome’s dancing” (Mk. 6:22; Mt. 14:6), when she danced in front of… (that completely corrupt and immoral girl) when she danced in front of her father Herod and the officials of the province. He liked it. Is this what is beloved?

The criterion of what is beloved is not determined by people; the criterion is what is pleasing to God. When something is beloved to God, it is beloved to the people, to pure people, to undefiled people. Would you like to know something more? It is also beloved to those who are dirty. It is not possible that what is respectable, good, beautiful and beloved should not be liked by corrupt people. You will tell me: “They make fun of it…” But this is the proof that they like it! You will say to me, “The proof is when they make fun of it?” Of course! This reaction means: I make fun of what I don’t have because I cannot reach it.

“They are sour”, the fox said about the grapes.1 Whatever the other does not have, he makes fun of. So if the corrupt person makes fun of you because you do what is beloved, it is proof that he cannot reach it. Deep down he wants it. If he had any humility, he would shake your hand and say “well done”.

“WHATEVER IS REPUTABLE,” because there are things which obviously do not have a good reputation. We must, then, always follow what has a good reputation. Not only whatever it is reputable, but also whatever appears reputable.

Pay attention to this. The Apostle Paul says: “Do what is perceived as good by all” (Rom 12:17). Let us be mindful to have a good reputation, not motivated by vainglory, but motivated that God might be glorified before all men, and not cursed and blasphemed (and when he says “all men” he also means those who are not Christians). It means I will do something in such a way that I do not scandalize anyone. Whatever I do, it will be reputable. So then, not what I believe, but also how I appear. This is very important.

There is an old proverb which says: “The emperor’s wife does not have to be honorable but she must appear honorable.” Because someone may say: “I am pure, and if I act as I want and something bad is put into someone else’s head, what is that to me? I am pure.” It is not enough. No, it is not enough. However you are, you must also appear, so that you don’t show off, so that you don’t say: “Do you know that I am this or I am that…” Simply, let your actions be such that they appear reputable and glorify God. This is why the Lord Himself says: “…that they may behold your good works and glorify your Father who is in the heavens” (Mt. 5:16; cf. 1Pet. 2:12). Do you see? The glorification of God must be at the end. “Whatever is of good repute, think about this.

“WHATEVER IS VIRTUOUS AND WHATEVER IS WORTHY OF PRAISE, KEEP THIS IN MIND”
To summarize, in order not to lengthen his list, what does the Apostle say? “Whatever is virtuous and whatever is worthy of praise, keep this in mind.” Today we do not pursue the virtuous and praiseworthy things, but their opposites, in order to show off. It is not fashionable for us (as I told you at the beginning) to live a life of virtue today.

Beloved, pay attention to this. What the apostle Paul says to us here is a teaching of Christian perfection, of the spiritual life – not simply keeping some commandments, not this only; the commandments are presupposed. What is it then? After we live the commandments, the commandments will begin to emit “a fragrance”.3 This, then, is what the Apostle refers to here: the fragrance of the commandments – it is not just the commandments themselves, but their fragrance. Many people keep the commandments, but a fragrance does not emit. We could interpret the verses as follows: Whatever is scented from virtues and praiseworthy things, these, he says, keep in your mind, and try by all means to live them and to appear with them.

“AND AS YOU HAVE LEARNED AND RECEIVED AND HEARD AND SEEN IN ME, THESE DO”
Here he makes two pairs. “Those things which you have learned and received…” From whom? From me. “…and those things which you have heard and seen in me, do these.” Beyond these theoretical things which he said, my beloved, the Apostle now gives them a practical plan of action. Don’t say that this is arrogance on Paul’s part. This entire verse is an expansion of another verse, where he said: “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). Do not say that Paul is vainglorious, that he is proud. Let us not say this. Paul presents himself for imitation. And what does he say? “The things which you have learned and received, do these.” He said this to the Philippians as a teaching: The things which you have seen and heard from me which you saw while I was in your city, and those things which you heard about me when I was not in your city but were reported to you, do these things.

Why might the Apostle Paul say this? Because he wants to present, my beloved, a model man. Paul is very humble – he is very very humble, but he fears all the examples which were being offered in his day. Christianity is making its debut in the world, and he wants to present a model. So he is speaking here about models, and it is known that Paul is not the only model. Everyone who lives a Christian life is a model. All the saints are models. So we could put it simply: In addition to counsels, you also have models. Our era is tearing down the models, whoever they may be. We must have models, models of God’s grace, the artworks of God’s grace, and these are the Saints. They will be our models.

Then he says: If you have the teaching and models of the saints and do all these things, “and if you apply them, then (pay attention) the God of peace will be with you.” Why does he call God, “the God of peace?” Because he really is the God of peace. God is true peace. “Then the God of peace will be with you.” You will be at rest within. Then you will find meaning in life; then you will say: “Nothing is vain in this world. Everything is sanctified. Everything is under the grace of God.” You will have inexpressible joy and peace within, the kind the world seeks to find but does not find, because it does not have Christ. All of these are treasures of Christ, the hidden treasures of Christ, which, when one believes in His person, little by little, he begins to discover Him and resemble Him.

THE END – GLORY TO THE HOLY AND TRIUNE GOD

Footnotes

  1. “One hot summer’s day a Fox was strolling through an orchard till he came to a bunch of grapes just ripening on a vine which had been trained over a lofty branch. ‘Just the thing to quench my thirst,’ quoth he. Drawing back a few paces, he took a run and a jump, and just missed the bunch. Turning round again with a One, Two, Three, he jumped up, but with no greater success. Again and again he tried after the tempting morsel, but at last had to give it up, and walked away with his nose in the air, saying: “I am sure they are sour.” (“The Fox and the Grapes”, Aesop’s Fables, Eliot/Jacobs version: https://fablesofaesop.com/the-fox-and-the-grapes.html#more-622)

Translated from the original Greek by Anthony Hatzidakis, April 13, 2025, to the best of his ability. All emphases and scripture translations are the translator’s unless a source is cited.

Painting in heading image by Robert Bateman

  • This homily excerpt was delivered in a free manner and recorded live. Audio source.
  • Greek text source: Aktines
  • Greek text transcription: Mr. Athanasios K.
  • Greek text digitization and editing: Ms. Eleni Linardaki, philologist

GIVING WITNESS TO THE TRUE CHURCH

Orthodox Christians all over the world have received the unchanging Christian Faith, passed down from the Holy Apostles to their successors, and continue to practice it today in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church – The Orthodox Church.
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THE MUTE AND DEAF SPIRIT AND THE NEW GENERATION

THE MUTE AND DEAF SPIRIT AND THE NEW GENERATION

a homily by

Blessed Elder Athanasios Mitilinaios

on the Gospel passage: Mk. 9: 17-31

“The Lord heals a father’s demon-possessed son”

on the topic

“Why our youths today are controlled by Satan”

Delivered at the Holy Monastery Komneniou, Larissa, on March 28, 1993

FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT: ST. JOHN OF THE LADDER

Homily B 277

Today, my beloved, the Church has led us to the fourth Sunday of Lent. On this Sunday is placed before us the person of Saint John of the Ladder, author of the book The Ladder, to remind us that we must climb the ladder of the virtues step by step. Really, does Great Lent become a ladder of ascent? Or do we only keep the customary fast, by which, many times, we cultivate a hidden pride? …

Moreover, our Church places before us the Gospel passage about the healing of a demon-possessed youth which took place immediately after our Lord’s descent from Mt. Tabor after the Transfiguration, and the wretched father of his demon-possessed child says to the Lord: “Teacher, I have brought my son to you; he has a mute spirit, and wherever it seizes him it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth and becomes unconscious.” This is a frightful description of a person who is demon-possessed, and a young person at that. But at the same time it is the story of a parent, a despairing parent who suffers on account of his demon-possessed child. But let us take a closer look at these two tragic figures.

The child, the young man, had a demon; its behavior made him mute and deaf; he neither heard nor spoke – not that he couldn’t hear or speak, just when he was possessed. From his behavior we discern how the demon behaves, and we name the demon after its behavior. This story might seem to be a rare case, but it is not. To the contrary, this also appears in harsher forms, when it refers not simply to a condition of muteness or deafness, but to something far, far worse, as we will see later, which is happening in our day.

We see that our children today, a great many of them, are being controlled by Satan. This does not surprise us. Just as there were many who were demon-possessed in Christ’s day, so also in our day there are, unfortunately, many young people – especially young people – who are demon-possessed, and they are controlled by Satan. This happens, primarily, because they misuse their freedom. The word of God says:

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. (NIV) (Be careful, however, because the freedom which Christ gave us by nature, but also the freedom which He gave us with the grace He brought into the world with His coming, must not be an opportunity to live a carnal life). (Gal. 5:13)

View more quotation graphics like this here.

Unfortunately, despite the clarity the word of God gives us here, very many young people – many many people, young and old, view freedom as irresponsibility, and of course, to be precise, an opportunity to live a carnal life. They, of course, try in every way to defend themselves in favor of this “right” of theirs, their freedom, so they can do whatever they want, to live a carnal life. From this understanding of freedom, however, cruelty is born. When there is lawlessness, cruelty is born, the anarchism, the trampling of every authority there is, even the Church of God.

The freedom of the first formed was for them to say “No” to the evil – not to make a choice between the devil and God – it was not to choose – but to say an emphatic “No” to the devil. This is the essence of freedom.1 This great subject of freedom, which characterizes man, and our understanding of this freedom, is of tremendous importance.

A second reason why our young people are demonically possessed today, why they are controlled by Satan, is because they misuse logic. Logic, we all know, is the governing mind which governs a man. We say in Psalm 50, and ask: “…and with a governing spirit (the mind) establish me” (50:14). Logic has unfortunately deteriorated in many of our young people, in the younger generation; it has deteriorated into rationalism, because they have become sick, and rationalism is a sickness of the mind, wanting to accept only whatever it understands, and whatever it does not understand it does not accept. This is precisely why rationalism rejects faith.

Such a logic, however, is demonic. It is a logic which cannot understand that for which it was created – to perceive God. This logic serves inferior things, things unworthy of it, and not higher aims and, moreover, salvation. The mind does not rise upward, but is led downward. Consequently, when we have a mind such as this, such a logic, how is it possible for us not to give Satan an opportunity to take possession of us? With this impoverished mind, a man does not think about God even though he should think about God. This is why he was given logic. He does not think about God, but about earthly, worthless, shallow and trivial things.

A third reason why our young people today are controlled by the devil is because they misuse their bodies. They think their bodies belong to them. Holy Scripture, however, tells us: “They are not your own” (1 Cor. 6:19). The Apostle Paul is speaking about the body here, which people give over to immorality. He says: “You are a temple of the Holy Spirit and you are not your own.” The Spirit of God makes our body His dwelling because He owns our body; it is His temple. This is how it is. Instead of being a temple of the Holy Spirit, our body is changed, by sexual immorality primarily, into a den of robbers and demons.

There are also all of those hedonistic things, gluttony, alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs which are so prevalent in our day, which literally change the body of a man, especially a young man, into a dwelling place of demons, instead of being a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. What a pity. This is how the human body becomes a wreck, useless to the one who bears it. Such a person becomes one who is no longer able to think, work, make a family, study – nothing! nothing! – he becomes a rat’s burden, a load of clay.2

After our children are controlled by Satan, my beloved, the demon enters, the mute and deaf one. There are various kinds of demons, each having a particular specialty, which they use to attack a man. It is not without purpose that Scripture records the Lord Himself as saying, “You mute and deaf spirit”, or other characterizations analogous to the kind that is attacking the human being. So the demon, the mute and deaf one, enters the body of a man such as this and stays inside it, and in his soul, and it changes the young man into a mute and deaf being.

Today, of course, with the presence of television, the number of these cases has decreased, but what I will mention now is no less demonic possession: the reduction of our young people’s vocabulary… It has become very poor… Our young people do not talk to each other any more, they do not use the wonderful God-given ability to articulate – they grunt! Mm.mm.mm. …

Moreover, they have also stopped talking about God. The deaf and dumb spirit does not permit them to talk about God. They concern themselves with anything else but God. They do not pray. They do not discuss spiritual topics. Many of our young people have reached the point of forgetting God altogether. They have forgotten God – how sad – and they have entered the land of atheism, some into organized atheism.

On the other hand, Satanism is celebrated. Why not? For the single fact that widespread Satanism exists in our day, from music, which becomes a vehicle of Satanism (and not a few young people are demonically possessed from music), to acts and ritual worship of Satan, I ask: Can we not have our youths demonically possessed today?

Our children, possessed by the deaf demon, are also not permitted to hear. In what way? They will not accept whatever good exhortation it may be, whether from parents or from teachers.They do not recognize any authority at all. They are autonomous, demonically autonomous. Whatever the devil has, he imparts. This is why the devil [Lucifer] became the devil. He sought autonomy. So he offers it to humans in order for them to depart from God, in the name one’s “freedom”. How tragic.

They do not want to listen to the Gospel. They do not want to listen to the Divine Liturgy. They are dizzied or bored, they say, when they attend Liturgy. They go in and quickly go out. They cannot stay. Why, I wonder? What is happening? Why doesn’t this happen to them at other places? And why do they suffer this especially at Liturgy? The deaf spirit will not allow them listen to the Divine Liturgy, that they might be sanctified and saved. They never want to hear any good exhortation because they consider it established, obsolete, stale, old, outdated, old-fashioned…

And what might be the results of such a demonic possession? That wretched father enumerates them to the Lord, about his demon-possessed son, and says: “Sir, when it seizes him, it throws him to the ground.” He falls to the ground. Our youths also fall down, over and over, and they go over one cliff after another, and no one can help them, because they do not want to listen in order to be helped. It is known that a person can only be helped when he accepts the help, even medical help. The doctor cannot intervene. Unless you accept the treatment, he cannot treat you. Much more so with spiritual matters. The demon does not let him accept the help.

A second characteristic of this young man is that he foams at the mouth. … We see this today when young people go to soccer stadiums. What happens there? Let’s just say it’s not a good place for anyone to go. It is a frenzied place, as Saint Cyril of Jerusalem says (in his day it was the Hippodrome; today’s equivalent is the soccer stadium). Even if someone wanted to go, they are afraid to because of the frenzy and violence in these places today. So then, they foam, literally. …

A third characteristic which that wretched father tells the Lord is that his son grinds his teeth: “Sir, my child grinds his teeth.” Do you know what this is a metaphor for? The politicization and party spirit of our youth, the anarchy, etc., which makes them gnash their teeth at others. They view others as adversaries, whether at school, in their neighborhood, on the street – everywhere – and they gnash their teeth at them.

A fourth characteristic. “My child becomes rigid”, he says, and he said something else, that he sometimes throws himself into fire and sometimes into water – a suicidal tendency, in other words. (Do you know, from one statistic (and this is not the only one), in our day, here in Greece, do you know how much suicides have increased (and certainly among our youths who are soldiers)? What does this show? Does this not show a demonic possession?) So, he becomes rigid. This phenomenon has happened many times in history; it is known. Our youths become paralyzed, in their mind, in their heart and in their conscience.

And the parent too. What can we say about this parent? When this parent, the father, was asked by the Lord, “How long has the youth been suffering this?”, he answered, “From childhood.” What does this tell us? For the past three years (because this took place, I told you, after the Lord’s Transfiguration, shortly before His Passion), hadn’t this father heard about the Lord?3 Why hadn’t he taken his child? This is why the Lord said: “O faithless generation”, because the father was, of course, showing contempt toward the Lord when he said to Him: “If you can.” (“If I can?” The question is not whether I can, but whether you believe). It is clear that this father hadn’t taken his child to the Lord for three years because he lacked faith.

When parents do not give their children a Christian upbringing, when they do not encourage them to go to church, when they do not make sure that they pray in the morning and in the evening, and then they don’t do these things, and then they get married and have children and their children also do not pray in the morning, what do you expect? They were not encouraged to confess, to receive Holy Communion, to be pious. This here is the enormous responsibility of the generation of parents and grandparents, because grandparents also, in many cases, do not set a good example and create the necessary conditions to lead the new generation to Christ.

Beloved, are you waiting for me to mention the treatment? Shall I tell you about treatment? There is only one medicine – Christ. He is the medicine. He alone said to the demon, addressing the child: “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you (Who? I do. Not someone else. I command you), come out of him and do not enter him again.”

But why do we talk about treatment and not about prevention? Why not instill a Christian formation from infancy, at that time? Does our child need to get sick, to become demonically possessed, in order for us to run here and there for help? And when of course we see that we have not succeeded in important things or in anything, why does unfaithfulness nest within us? The proof? We go knocking on other doors – the doors of the magician, the card reader, the coffee ground reader, the psychic, etc.

I wonder, those of you who heard today’s gospel passage, who among you will think seriously? Let us not say that these thoughts are for others, because you, the parent, do not know what your child will encounter tomorrow. So if something bad happens to him, do not say it was bad timing. There is no bad timing. The demon encounters your child because you did not teach him to fight against Satan.

Today, then, from this day forward, lead your child to Christ. The best and most correct leadership for you, the parent, is for you to become a proper and fervent Christian. Take your child and go to Christ. You will take your child because you have also found Christ. When doing so, have hope – not certainty (our days are evil) – have hope, not just to see children being set free from the deaf and dumb demon, but also hope to see children in the Grace of God, basking in the light of Christ.

Notes

  1. “True freedom is not to be able to do good or evil, but to be able to recognize evil and naturally avoid it, and to always do what is good naturally and spontaneously.” See Jesus: Fallen? page 136, Chp. IV, About wills.
  2. άχθος αρούρης – (Google translated, slightly edited) Achthos arouris is a Homeric expression (Iliad S 104) and means “a load of earth”. Achilles, in the dialogue with his mother, mentions that he feels achthos arouris (a load of earth) after a long period of inactivity and abstention from battle. Today this phrase is used to describe a worthless, useless person. For example, he constantly asks for loans to secure the necessities and becomes a burden to the rat.” (https://e-didaskalia.blogspot.com Apostolis Zimvragakis, Philologist)
  3. …Who was curing people and working miracles left and right.

THE END – TO THE GLORY OF THE HOLY AND TRIUNE GOD

Translated from the original Greek by Anthony Hatzidakis, March 27, 2025, to the best of his ability. All emphases and scripture translations are the translator’s.

  • This homily excerpt was delivered in a free manner and recorded live. Audio source.
  • Greek text source: Aktines
  • Greek text transcription: Mr. Athanasios K.
  • Greek text digitization and editing: Ms. Eleni Linardaki, philologist

GIVING WITNESS TO THE TRUE CHURCH

Orthodox Christians all over the world have received the unchanging Christian Faith, passed down from the Holy Apostles to their successors, and continue to practice it today in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church – The Orthodox Church.
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FREEDOM AND EXISTENCE

SUNDAY OF THE PRODIGAL SON

a homily by

Blessed Elder Athanasios Mitilinaios

on the Epistle reading: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

“Everything is allowed to me, but not everything is beneficial…”

on the topic

FREEDOM AND EXISTENCE

Delivered at the Holy Monastery Komneniou, Larissa, on February 19, 1984

Homily B 108

Everything is allowed to me, but not everything is beneficial;
everything is allowed to me, but I will not be enslaved by any of them.” (1 Cor. 6:12)

Blessed Elder Athanasios Mitilinaios

These words, my beloved, of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians, are deeply significant. Our Church has appropriately placed today’s apostolic reading alongside the parable of the Prodigal Son, in order to show that everything is allowed, but not everything is beneficial. The Evangelist Luke presents us with the same theme in the parable of the Prodigal Son (Lk. 15:11). The prodigal son could have stayed or he could have left, but it was not beneficial for him to leave. This, my beloved, is precisely what the Apostle Paul is saying here today: “Everything is allowed to me, but not everything is beneficial; everything is allowed to me, but I will not be enslaved by any of them.” ­

Here one sees the apostle Paul defining freedom in relation to existence: When my being must move about in a safe manner, one use of my freedom could be fatal if it is indiscriminate. I am free to drink poison but this is not in my best interest, because it would destroy my existence. This is what the apostle Paul wants to emphasize here first of all, this great subject of freedom and existence. Let us take note of this.

If we look at this subject from one-side only, if we only view freedom as something which can exist independently, ignoring existence, then truly our freedom leads to destruction. I will give you an example, a very common example which we see these days: Do I have the right to take drugs? I have this right. I can take drugs. Can anyone prevent me if I want to? No. Am I free to do this? Yes. However, will the drugs I take benefit or harm my existence? Might this very freedom lead my existence to destruction? Undoubtedly, yes. This is how it is in our days. We see freedom being viewed with no consideration for existence. He’ll tell you… “I want to enjoy this; I don’t care how it will affect my life.” Let us consider this, my beloved.

The word of God brings within our reach something which we could not grasp: freedom is connected with existence. If we were to look at the subject existentially, that is, only from a philosophical perspective (not a Christian perspective), anyone in their right mind would say that the gift of freedom should not destroy existence.

In our day and age we say there is freedom, and at the same time we also say that we affirm existence, which is why in our century we have these existentialist currents, precisely in order to preserve existence. However, we trouble ourselves in vain, because we have mistakenly placed these two forces in opposition, these two good things, freedom and existence. The one must safeguard the other; freedom must safeguard existence. This is why – I will repeat – the apostle Paul says: “Everything is allowed to me, but not everything is beneficial.” Why not? Because these things which I am allowed could also destroy me; therefore they do not benefit me.

There is also a second point: “Everything is allowed to me, but I will not be enslaved by any of them.” This is, in fact, an oxymoron. Is it possible for freedom to enslave? Is this possible? Is this not an oxymoron? (An oxymoron is like saying: “Turn on the light to make it dark.”) So is it possible for me to have freedom and the freedom enslave me? It is not possible. The Apostle says: Everything is allowed to me, but the things which are allowed to me will end up enslaving me, and since they will enslave me, freedom ends up leading me to a kind of enslavement. And this, my beloved, is happening in our days. Today, in the name of freedom, we cultivate the passions, and the passions enslave us; we are enslaved to our own passions.

When you see the one who uses drugs because he is free to use them, a young man perhaps, and he says to you: “I took drugs because I was free to, but now I’m hooked; please, sir, save me”…, what can we save him from? A compulsion. This is precisely what a passion is; you create a compulsion. This compulsion, then, is no longer freedom, because he becomes just like the donkey which we put a bridle on, blind its eyes and whip from behind, and it goes round and round and round (this image from the old days) – this is what the man who is eventually led away from his freedom into slavery looks like.

Today, my beloved, we have all become slaves of the devil. When we turn around and become slaves of God, then we become free men. The subject of freedom is very delicate. The passions do not control freedom, but freedom controls existence, and also the entire man himself and the course of his life. Freedom is a delicate thing; one misuse of it leads where no one would expect.

But why did the apostle Paul say these words? He said them, my beloved, because it seems that when he had found himself in Corinth, he said to the Corinthians: “Everything is allowed to me…” In regard to what? In regard to foods, because there were restrictions on foods in the old law, for pedagogical reasons. God said, This is clean; that is unclean. You may eat this; you may not eat that (Lev. 20:25). It seems that this is why Paul had said the phrase, “Everything is allowed to me”. He also said:“All things are clean” (to those who are clean) (Rom. 14:20; cf. Acts 10:15; 11:9). Nothing is unclean. As it usually happens, people isolate a single phrase from Holy Scripture and explain it however they want.

Do you recall how the apostle Paul said to the Thessalonians: “Test everything; retain the good”? (1 Thes. 5:21) He says this concerning the prophets in the Church, so that the faithful would test them: “Is what they are saying true?” But we test something because it pleases us, because this is how we benefit, and we also say “Test all things; retain the good”. In other words, “Try everything, it doesn’t matter if it is sinful or not; learn to retain only the good.” My beloved, do you see how people interpret the meaning of the word of God as they wish? This is what is happening here. The Apostle said “everything is allowed to me” to the Corinthians in regard to foods. This issue of foods, however, is a nonissue, because man is built to eat, only he should not go beyond his limits of course, about which he says right after: “Food is for the belly and the belly for food.” All foods are allowed to me, but be careful. Ιf, for example, I eat, but overeat, this is not to my benefit. But in any case, “a time will come when both the stomach and the foods will be done away with” (not the body, because it will resurrect) (1 Cor 6:13).

There are things which you should not try out. You are free to do these things if you like – you are free! – however Adam and Eve were also free to try their luck and their departure from Paradise. This, however, did was not to their benefit – and the things which do not benefit are the carnal sins. With these you cannot say, “I will try them”, because the result is death. And when Paul is speaking to the Christians in Corinth (where the goddess Aphrodite was worshiped, and where the sin of carnal passion was widespread) he says to them: You cannot give your body over to sin. “Everything is allowed to me, but not everything is beneficial.” And on this very subject, my beloved, the Apostle Paul takes up every proof and every argument to convince the Corinthians that they do not benefit at all from the carnal sins, but derive benefit by keeping themselves pure and undefiled. His arguments? You heard them in the apostolic passage. I will relate them to you very briefly:

The first argument: You cannot give your body over to sins because this body of yours will resurrect. Your digestive system which allows you to eat today will be done away with: “But God will do away with both this (the belly) and these (the foods)” (1 Cor 6:13). It will not be resurrected as functional; but the body will be resurrected, and you cannot give it over to sin, because if you give it over to sin it will be unfit [ακατάλληλο] to enter the kingdom of God. But God has also raised up the Lord (Jesus Christ), and He will also raise us by His power” (14). Consequently, since we will resurrect, since the body which we will take will be new (new, but bearing the scars of sin if we committed carnal sins in this present world, because sin has both a metaphysical and eternal dimension), the first argument he makes to the Corinthians is that we will resurrect.

The second argument: Our bodies are members of Christ’s body. How is it a member of Christ’s body? When I partake of the Body and Blood of Christ, I become part of the Body and the Blood of Christ. Have you ever considered, my beloved, that I do not open my spiritual mouth, my soul, to commune of the Body and Blood of Christ, as well as my physical mouth, which takes this Body and Blood of Christ in a sensible way? So when I take the Body and the Blood of Christ, and I receive Him psychosomatically, then, without a doubt, I become a member of His Body.

The Apostle also asks a rhetorical question supposing I go into immorality. He says, “Having taken the parts of Christ, shall I make them parts of an immoral woman? Does not the Scripture say, ‘He who joins himself to an immoral woman is one body with her?’” “God forbid!” he says (it is something unthinkable) (1 Cor. 6:16; cf. Mt. 19:5-6, Mk. 10:8, Eph. 5:31, Gen 2:24). Now wrap your head around this, my beloved: so many are those who commit sins of the flesh, and without going to confession, go and receive Holy Communion! Wrap your head around this. Think about what is happening now… the Apostle also shudders like this in the face of this reality…

A third argument: Moreover, our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Man could never imagine, even the greatest of minds, that his being could become a temple of God. Man’s thinking was: “The gods dwell on Olympus, and we in the plain. There is no relation between the gods and man.” However, the true God revealed that these things which they could never imagine and conceive as realities, that God – the living God – dwells in heaven and at the same time dwells within man himself, and that when man accepts God (of course through Jesus Christ, the Incarnate God), man himself becomes a dwelling place of God. Man could never conceive this thought on his own; it is a truth revealed to us.

Consequently, the Spirit of God comes and dwells inside the man (here, of course, the Spirit of God is emphasized; the entire Holy Triune God comes to dwell, my beloved). Since He dwells, it is His dwelling. In other words, it is a temple. Temple means dwelling place. Since this body is a dwelling place of God, of the Holy Spirit, how then is it possible to give it over to sin? It is never possible. Just think about this: if someone were to defile this temple building by doing filthy acts here, how would it be characterized? This temple of stone will eventually be demolished one day, it will not remain in eternity; but “You,” the Apostle says, “You are a living temple of God”1. These temple buildings are destroyed and rebuilt; I, on the other hand, will die and resurrect. How then can this temple of God, this temple of the Holy Spirit, be at the same time a den of thieves and filthy acts?

Moreover the apostle Paul adds something more: “Glorify God with your body and with your spirit, those of you who belong to God” (1 Cor. 6:20).2 How, then, can I glorify God with my body? I understand “with my spirit” to mean “if my mind is lifted up and gives glory to God”, but how can I glorify God with my body? “I glorify” does not only mean “I speak words”; it has a broader meaning: “My presence alone, as one who is sanctified” – this precisely is a glorification to God. That is, if I have kept my body pure, if I have not let it become a dwelling place of demons, a house of immorality, then this very body of mine is a glorification to God; my body takes on a doxological dimension – this is what the apostle Paul is emphasizing. This is how the true Christian, who by merely existing in this world, is a musical note of praise to God in this world; and His body, when he keeps it far from sin and immorality, this also is praise to God.

My beloved, the problem is, many times we cannot grasp what benefits us and what does not benefit us. We are uninformed. If, at some point, we study the word of God and we understand our ontology, that is, if we acquire an understanding of Christian anthropology, to know who we are as human beings, this will then lead us to be able to stand correctly before God. Then we will be making the most of our existence, and our freedom, which has been given to us by God as a very precious gift (there are two precious gifts of God; there are many, but there are two which are the most precious: rationality and freedom).

Freedom can never be thought of without rationality. It has no value. An animal is free to do something but it does not have rationality, and there is no value in this. Neither can rationality ever exist without freedom, because a rational being without freedom is also not worth much. Freedom and rationality are an inseparable pair of good gifts of God; they must go together. Our freedom, then, in the space where God dwells, must be the very element which should lead us to preserve our existence.

As St. Paul says “Everything is allowed to me, but not everything is beneficial”, and they must lead us to the correct preservation of our existence. What does “correct preservation” mean? If I martyr for Christ, don’t I destroy my existence? No, I do not. Existence is seen from a corner of eternity: When I resurrect, where will I be found? Here is where the matter is seen from. So if I destroy my being with the passions, I have destroyed it forever. If I give my being over to martyrdom for the love of Christ, then I have truly and correctly preserved my existence.

Thus, I will make an appeal that we never ever forget that freedom and existence are two things which go hand in hand; the one safeguards the other. Freedom safeguards existence; it should not destroy it. So when we learn the law of God, when we learn our ontology, then we will really actualize whatever God had in His mind for us: To bring us into existence, and to take us with Him into His eternal bliss.

THE END – TO THE GLORY OF THE HOLY AND TRIUNE GOD

Translated from the original Greek by Anthony Hatzidakis, Feb. 14, 2025, to the best of his ability. All emphases and scripture translations are the translator’s.

Photo credit: https://greekreporter.com/2017/06/26/drugs-cost-7688-lives-in-greece-over-last-10-years

  1. (2 Cor. 6:16; cf. Lev. 26:12) We translated “ναὸς Θεοῦ ἐστε ζῶντος” “a living temple of God” rather than “a temple of the living God”. Gramatically, there is no article to make it “the living God”. Contextually, St. Paul here seems to be contrasting lifeless temples and living (ζῶντος) temples, rather than characterizing God as living (ζῶντος), which is to say omething different. It seems that if it were “living God”, the Greek would be «Ὑμεῖς γὰρ ἐστε ναὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος», as in Mt. 16:16, 26:63 and Dan. 6:21.).

  2. (1 Cor 6:20) «δοξάσατε δὴ τὸν Θεὸν ἐν τῷ σώματι ὑμῶν καὶ ἐν τῶ πνεύματι ὑμῶν, ἅτινά ἐστι τοῦ Θεοῦ.» We translated ἅτινά: “whoever, anyone” rather than “which”. Rather than restating that the Corinthian Christians belong to God, it seems that this line might be an exhortation to them to glorify God: Now that you know you are God’s, you must glorify God by keeping your bodies pure!

GIVING WITNESS TO THE TRUE CHURCH

Orthodox Christians all over the world have received the unchanging Christian Faith, passed down from the Holy Apostles to their successors, and continue to practice it today in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church – The Orthodox Church.
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THE PERSECUTION OF THE PIOUS

THE PERSECUTION OF THE PIOUS

a homily by

Blessed Elder Athanasios Mitilinaios

Delivered at the Holy Monastery Komneniou, Larissa on February 12, 1984 (B108)

Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee

Epistle Reading: 2 Timothy 3:10-15

The Apostle Paul, my beloved, passed his final days in prison in Rome. From there he wrote his last charges in his second letter to Timothy, and relates the adventures of his life – his persecutions – how from them all, the Lord delivered him, and for this he thanks Him. He notes:

You have observed my teaching, my struggle, my purpose, my faith, my longsuffering, my love, my endurance, my persecutions, my sufferings, which happened to me in Antioch, in Iconium and in Lystra; such persecutions I suffered, and the Lord delivered me from all of them – and all those who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. (II Tim. 10-12)

He gives him an indirect hint: You see, my beloved child Timothy, what persecutions I endure. You see what difficulties I pass through – however, I am not alone – everyone else who wishes to be pious in Christ Jesus will be persecuted as well. As if saying to him: If you remain pious – and I urge you to remain pious in Christ Jesus – have this in mind, you will be persecuted.

So then, is this a rule? My beloved, it a rule. There are no exceptions. There is not one exception. Persecutions are the criterion of a true, pious life.1 Of course, there are also persecutions which bring miseries, temptations which are brought on by a false piety. Here no one is to blame but the one who bears this false piety. What is this? His indiscretion. The Apostle Peter says: …not suffering among you from a passion or a shortcoming, because then, if he suffers, whatever he may suffer, no one is to blame but himself (if a Christian is a fickle person, if he does not have the discrimination to judge at every moment how he should act, then in this case, for every affliction which he may experience, no one is to blame but himself) (1 Pet. 2:20).

There are also many who do not realize that they themselves are the very causes of their situations when they say: “I do good to everyone; I have love for everyone; I don’t step on a little ant; Why is everyone after me?” My brother, examine yourself to see if perhaps you are in the wrong and how you could be in the wrong. You have some virtue; no one questions you about this, but this virtue of yours is without discrimination. Whatever virtue it may be, if it is without discrimination, then it can even be transformed into something detrimental. You may be merciful, you may love (what is more beautiful, what is better?), but if you do not know how to exercise your love and your compassion, in the end it can be to your detriment. And when you begin to complain, this is an indirect indication to you (if you understand) and to those around you, that you do not have a mature piety, a correctly placed piety.

But let us look at genuine piety. A certain ecclesiastical writer says: “This is the only godly life: that which is in Christ Jesus.” The teaching is very comprehensive. If it were to be analyzed, perhaps many things could be said about what exactly the godly life in Christ is… but now is not the time, because I would like to look at something else, another side, the side which the Apostle says: “Whoever will desire to live a godly life will be persecuted.”

The question is reasonable anyhow: “Why?” Who do they tempt? Why should they be persecuted? and why should persecution be a criterion of their piety, and if you like, their authentic piety, that is, if they have genuine piety. Why? Because behind those who persecute him, behind the temptations, is the great adversary, the devil, and the devil does not love Christ; he is the adversary of Christ. When Christ came into the world, the devil looked at Him and wondered: “Who is this? I see much holiness in Him. Who is this?” He heard at His baptism: “You are my beloved Son, in You I am well pleased.” (Mt. 3:17; Mk. 1:11; Lk. 3:22; 2 Pet. 1:17) “Strange…” he thought. He watches Him for a time. He observes Him in the desert. “He fasts…” He has doubts. “Who is he?”

Of course, the devil did not know the Three Persons [Τριαδικόν] of God. Of course, the devil had not suspected the Incarnation of the Son of God, even though there were a multitude, a plenitude of prophecies in the Old Testament (and the devil, according to St. John Damascene, knows Holy Scripture). However, the prophecies were veiled, and it was necessary to fool the devil. The devil, then, is ignorant: “Who is this?”

And when the devil was defeated, after he himself went to challenge the Lord, with that threefold temptation, he was again defeated – definitively and overwhelmingly (at least for the present time, in this present age) on the Cross of Christ, but completely and overwhelmingly when Christ will appear again in the world (and eternal hell awaits him). The devil sees Jesus Christ as his dreadful adversary; this is why the devil resents and hates all the works of God, especially the work of Christ on earth.

So behind every persecution is the devil; and behind his instruments [όργανα], the persecutors, is the devil also. This is something extremely significant, which we must undoubtedly be aware of.

Of course, there is a psychology here as well, which is not so obvious. The pious person becomes the target and also the controller of the one who sins shamelessly. If I speak the truth, I become your control – even if silently, without saying a word to you – by my presence alone, to you who speak lies. If I am pure and you are immoral, my presence – my presence alone – to you becomes a control.

So then, the impious cannot bear to see the pious. He is controlled! How do we do this? There is a conscience. As much one might try to sear it, there is still a conscience, and since the conscience exists, it follows there is this to control, even if only slight. And how does the conscience become aware? Only if there is a comparative element – the pious man in front of it. About this, the Wisdom of Solomon wonderfully says to us, outlines for us, describes this psychology of the impious in front of the pious. And what does it say?

Let us set a trap for him, for he is unmanagable and he opposes our works (comes into conflict, even if silently as I told you, with our works); he has become to us a censurer of our thoughts (whatever we conceive, whatever we think, whatever we want, with him in front of us he becomes a living control); it is burdensome for us to even look at him (it is a burden even to see him; that is, just to see him… Why? It is heavy! Because it is a very heavy burden on their consciences), because his life is unlike the others, and his ways are different (this is the reason: “Because,” it says, “his life is different from ours and his ways of life are different; he lives differently; he doesn’t live as we live.”) (Wis. 1 2:12-15)

So then, it is very psychological. The impious very much feels the presence of the pious as something that crushes him. We only have to bring to mind, my beloved, the many many cases, historical cases, which confirm this reality.

Why did Cain murder Abel? (Gen 4:8) What was it that made him suffer inside? Because he saw his brother standing with piety, and God accepting his piety. This made him unable to feel good inside. He was moved, out of envy, to the point of murdering his brother with malice.

Remember also Joseph. Why did his brothers envy him? (Gen. 37:4) They reached the point of wanting to kill him – they sold him – because they could not stand Joseph’s virtue. There is a place in the book of Genesis where it says that they did something among themselves, something ugly, something evil. (37:2) Perhaps they committed some immoral act among themselves. Perhaps. This is what it appears to be. Joseph realized it and went to tell his father Jacob. Well… that stands as the first motive, and there were also some others mentioned later. They didn’t feel good with Joseph around.

Remember also, my beloved, St. John the Baptist, how he controls Herod. (Mk. 6:18) Herodias, that adulterous woman, who left her husband to marry her husband’s brother – that dreadful woman, how badly sick she was! – think how much she could have benefited after the senseless Herod (her second husband) watched his daughter dance in front of him (who was not his daughter; she was his niece, his brother’s daughter, because Salome was born from him) and said: “I give you up to half of my kingdom!” (Mk. 6:23) The passion of hate and malice in the soul of Herodias had reached the point that she didn’t ask for a single penny – but for what? – only the head of John “on a platter”! (6:25) Do you see the control, how formidable a thing it is? Why? Because John told him: “You are not allowed to have your brother’s wife” (Mk. 6:18).

Didn’t the Lord also fall victim, to the Pharisees? In the Gospels, are we not told: “…out of envy they handed him over”? (Mt. 27:18; Mk. 15:10) Weren’t the Jews constantly persecuting the Apostles and the Christians, because they weren’t feeling good?

Even in the Gentile world, that is, outside the borders of Jerusalem, outside the borders of Judea, were they not after the Christians there as well? They were, because they saw that the pagans were becoming Christians and they were terribly jealous and felt badly; they felt disadvantaged. Will not the pagans hereafter persecute the Christians?

But History continues, and it will continue down through the ages, whether we have mass persecutions or individual persecutions, and, if you like, these things happen in everyday life as well. Perhaps a pious woman, a wife, suffers all sorts of things from a godless husband? And vice-versa? Perhaps at a school there is a pious student and the others persecute him in every way and bully him, for no other reason than being pious and a Christian? …and on and on and on; these things happen every day.

My beloved, how do they persecute? A terrible weapon in the hands of the devil is irony – when the persecutor is ironic. Irony is persecution; it breaks bones. Irony is a terrible thing. Have you noticed that very many of us Christians cannot take irony, which can turn against them? Moreover, it is when the other person makes fun of you. This happens all the time. The oppression: marginalization, slander, defamation. All of these are persecutions. Would you like more? The martyrdom of the body also – death – sometimes a martyrdom of conscience, other times a martyrdom of the body, death. All of these are ways in which the persecutors persecute.

How is it possible for us to stand in the face of this reality? Because when I must be a Christian, and the word of God tells me that it is not possible to be a Christian unless I pass through the furnace of persecution, how must I stand? What must I do? When we know that persecution is an element of life for the spiritual man, we take our precautions, because one of the devil’s weapons is the surprise attack.

Very many of our Christians think that the life of a Christian is lined with roses, a life full of blessings and good times. Many times, God, at the beginning of the spiritual life, precisely to let a person grow a little stronger, so that he does not fall, gives him many such blessings, from material goods to successes. When he begins to mature spiritually, then the temptations begin, then the attack of Satan begins. The attack of Satan… It is dreadful. We must have realized this. This is why the Lord said: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake (righteousness, in a general sense, is holiness or virtue; blessed are those who are persecuted for their holiness) for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:10). Ah, so I am blessed, then, if they persecute me. This is something I must realize.

“Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake” (5:11) (did you notice, “revile”? “And when they persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you” means telling lies; slandering you, smearing your name, in other words, saying you are this or that. But pay attention. As the Apostle Peter says, “Not if someone suffers as a murderer or a thief, but only when he suffers for being a Christian” (when He suffers all these things for no other reason but this) (1 Pet: 4:15). “Rejoice,” says the Lord, “and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven; for they persecuted the prophets in the same way before you” (5:12). We must know this. We must realize, then, that it is an element we will experience in life. We must have resolve. Someone who embarks on the spiritual life must have resolve.

Second. He must have patience and persistence. The devil has persistence in doing evil; patience, however, he does not have. This is why, many times, when he sees the patience of someone who is pious, he (to use a popular expression) “blows up”. And many times his agent, the wicked person, also blows up, when he sees the patience of someone who is pious. This is why the Lord says: “He who endures to the end will be saved” (Mt. 10:22) and “By your endurance you will obtain your lives” (Lk. 21:19).

A third. The pious man, everywhere and always – and especially in temptations – prays. The Lord said: “Pray that you might not enter into temptation” (pray before you enter into temptation; and if you enter into temptation, pray again; pray everywhere and always; prayer is a very formidable weapon against the enemy) (Mt. 26:41; Mk. 14:38; Lk. 22: 40,46).

Fourth. Did you notice precisely what the Lord said? “For they persecuted the prophets in the same way before you.” What does this mean? Well, my beloved, we are not alone. If you want more, the history of Christianity has shown, up to this day, millions of martyrs – millions of martyrs… The Lord knows the exact number. They produce some numbers from statistics, but I will tell you, the Lord knows the exact number; and up until the end of History, how many more will martyr for the name of Christ. If we too are among them, it would certainly be an honor, but in order for someone to obtain the honor, he must toil, he must sweat, he must stand correctly. He must also, perhaps, shed his blood. For this reason, then, the message we must learn is: the examples of the saints and martyrs must be in front of us.

The Apostle Paul notes these things to Timothy, and tells him: You also, Timothy, will be persecuted (2 Tim. 3:12), and he was indeed persecuted; he was stoned to death; they killed him in Ephesus, where he had checked an illegality that had taken place, a kind of carnival we would say.

And you know, today, the beginning of the Triodion, instead of being a solemn period (it heralds the coming of Great Lent, the upcoming struggle, the upcoming arena, and prepares us little by little), what do we do? We do the exact opposite; we prepare for sinful revelries.

So this is what St. Timothy had reproved, and was ultimately stoned to death for it. But what does the Apostle Paul say to him? “As for you, continue in the things you have learned and believed, knowing from whom you have learned them (that is, from me, Paul)” (3:14). Thus the Saints might say: “Stand, O future Christians! We the previous Christians stood! Look to us! Look to our example!” The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Hebrews says, “Having such a great cloud of witnesses…” (a multitude of witnesses)2 (Heb 12:1) They all call us to follow their example.

There is also, however, the other side, if you will: the wretched end of the persecutors. We have an incomparable image from the holy Chrysostom, when he says:

Where are the Neros? Where are the Diocletians? Where are the frying pans?3 Where are the instruments of torture? They have all been silenced. As for the Church, it shines under the sun.

This is what is to come, this is the fate, this is the lot of the persecutors. This is why the Apostle Paul also says, my beloved: “But evil men and charlatans will only get worse, deceivers and deceived” (2 Tim. 3:13). This is the future of evil men and the persecutors.

And finally, there is also the knowledge of Holy Scripture. The Apostle Paul says to Timothy: “From infancy you have known the sacred writings, the things which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:15). We must study Holy Scripture. We must be immersed in it.

The secret of Alexander the Great, which made him brave and victorious, is known. He had the Iliad under his pillow, and read from it every day, the book of heroes; and he was inspired by the Iliad and became “The Great” Alexander.

My beloved, we have something far greater than the Iliad. We have the book of Saints, and the book of God – a living God – who strengthens and empowers every believer in the struggle. The Lord Himself says: If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also” (Jn. 15:20). What does this mean? They took Him all the way to the Cross. What does this mean? Christ is risen. We too will rise. Yes, my beloved, we too will rise. As the Apostle Peter says in his first letter:

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that is happening to you, as if it were something strange; ​but if you share in the sufferings of Christ, rejoice, so that you may also rejoice when His glory is revealed.​​​​​​​​​​​​ If you are reproached in the name of Christ (because you are Christians), you are blessed, because His glory and power and the Spirit of God rest upon you (because you have the Spirit of God within you; this is why the world ridicules you, because the world does not have the Spirit of God, but the spirit of evil) (1 Pet 4:12-14).

The Evangelist John says: “The entire world lies in wickedness (in the spirit of Satan, in thinking, always, morally)” (1 Jn. 5:19). So if the world persecutes us, it means that the Spirit of God rests with us. What do you need? Oh! What do you need? Courage!

The ancient Greeks regarded courage as one of the four great virtues. The Fathers of our Church also considered courage to be a great virtue. It refers to the mind and also to the heart, but above all, to the will. My beloved, courage is an important virtue, the one which we lack. This is why the Apostle Paul will note to Timothy: “God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power and love and self-control” (2 Tim. 1:7). Consequently, we must develop this power which His Spirit gives us, and we must stand.

Do not let the temptation burn us, then, so that we say: “Why?” and “How come?” Quite simply, brother, from the moment you take up becoming a Christian, I have some news for you: You will enter the land of trials, of temptations and of persecutions.

THE END – TO THE GLORY OF THE HOLY AND TRIUNE GOD

  1. St. Nikolai Velirimović: To be constantly persecuted, with brief intervals in between, is a characteristic of the Faith and of the Orthodox Church.” (Prologue, April 27)
  2. μάρτυρες – in Greek, means both “witnesses” and “martyrs”
  3. It was common for the early Christian martyrs to be tortured, fried, literally, on red hot griddles, as we read in the Lives of the Saints.
Translated from the original Greek by Anthony Hatzidakis, Feb. 3, 2024. The source text utilized for this homily translation was taken from a post on Aktines, Feb. 24, 2025. The Greek text was transcribed by Mr. Athanasios K. and digitized and edited by Ms. Eleni Linardaki, philologist. All emphases are the translator’s. This homily excerpt was delivered in a free manner and recorded live. The original audio recording of this homily referenced for this translation can be found at arnion.com.

GIVING WITNESS TO THE TRUE CHURCH

Orthodox Christians all over the world have received the unchanging Christian Faith, passed down from the Holy Apostles to their successors, and continue to practice it today in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church – The Orthodox Church.
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NO DIALOGUE, BUT REPENTANCE

An excerpt from a talk by Elder Athanasios Mitilinaios.

I would like to tell you something. I won’t expand on it too much but soon I will. There are people who want to create a dialogue with Christianity, and this is the heretical West, the Protestants, the so-called “World Council of Churches” and the Roman Catholics. For years and years they talk and talk, and have one dialogue after another, so that we discover what?

It is so simple. If, O Protestant or Roman Catholic West, you wish to know the Truth, there is no need for dialogues. Repent and come to Orthodoxy. End of conversation. The way is simple. It is repentance.

So much has been accused of this “World Council of Churches” (and don’t think that it does not concern us), because it simply wastes time and creates corruption in Orthodoxy, because those who go there suffer this corruption, and despite so many semi-official, unofficial and official outcries, it is a tragedy that we have not yet understood this. Dreadful corruption.

But this is not all. The latest is the creation of a so-called “neo-orthodox current”. … They are attempting to create a dialogue between Marxism and Christianity! I’m not saying anything new. It is known. It was published in the papers in the form of an alleged “study”, that a series of articles should become a means of approaching and finding – listen to this – common ground between Marxism and Christianity!

It is very simple. There can be no dialogue. If you would like to become a Christian, you will be a Christian only. You cannot be a Marxist and a Christian at the same time; this is impossible. And how will you become a Christian? There is one way only. Not with dialogue, but with repentance.

There is no other way but repentance. You will say, “I repent for what I am” (a Freemason, a Marxist, an atheist, an anarchist, or whatever…). Whatever you are, if you want to become a Christian you will repent without opening a dialogue.

Dialogue in the Bible does exist. It’s there in the New Testament. Christ opens a dialogue with the Samaritan woman, but the dialogue there is of a pedagogical nature, in order to cultivate the prospective believer, in the sense of getting at the meaning of things.

We, even have, if you like, two central dialogues developed in this way: The dialogue of the Lord with the Samaritan woman and also the dialogue of the Lord with Nicodemus. The Lord has no intention whatsoever of opening a dialogue, to give way to something of the dialectic which would be communicated between Christ and Nicodemus or the Samaritan woman. The dialogue is, I repeat, of a pedagogical nature, in order to impart some understanding to the other. He said: “Give me a drink.” “You, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman?” “If you knew who the One speaking to you is…” (Jn. 4:7-10)

This is one way, but not in the sense that we want to find common ground, the kind of dialogue that will end up in dialectic, in order to find common ground, to CO-EX-IST [συνυπάρχομε]. … for Freemasonry to co-exist with Christianity; for Christianity to co-exist with Marxism; for Christianity to co-exist with anarchy; for Christianity to co-exist (listen to this) with atheism. This thing as a dialectic is from the evil one. IT IS ONE-HUNDRED PERCENT DEMONIC.

I will say it one more time: CHRISTIANITY KNOWS ONE WAY IN ORDER FOR SOMEONE TO APPROACH IT, AND THIS WAY IS REPENTANCE.

“REPENT,” said John the Baptist, and the Lord also began His preaching with this. (Mat. 3:2, Mk. 1:15) You repent. Do you wish to enter the Kingdom of God? You repent. I WILL NOT CHAT WITH YOU. The Truth is complete and revealed. You either accept it or you do not. Anything more is from the devil (Mt. 5:37).

These days much is being written in these cultural magazines which are circulating, many cultural magazines. “Dialogue,” they say, “with Mount Athos.” And here you see something strange… strange things… These strange approaches, without them leaving the positions they hold – Marxist ones. They say it clearly: We are Marxists and we want to dialogue. What will we conclude? Nothing. Do you want to be saved? You will become a Christian… We have nothing to discuss.

Maybe tomorrow they will come to me and say, “What do you have to say?” I said it before. That which I am telling you. I am telling you this clear enough. DIALOGUE IS NOT POSSIBLE. I say this for the third time. THERE IS ONE WAY: REPENTANCE. NOTHING ELSE.

Translated from the original Greek by Anthony Hatzidakis, Jan. 19, 2025. Source: Aktines, Aug. 6, 2019. The Greek text was transcribed by Faye for ΤΑΣ ΘΥΡΑΣ ΤΑΣ ΘΥΡΑΣ. All emphases are the translator’s.

GIVING WITNESS TO THE TRUE CHURCH

Orthodox Christians all over the world have received the unchanging Christian Faith, passed down from the Holy Apostles to their successors, and continue to practice it today in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church – The Orthodox Church.
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IS THE LORD JESUS STILL SAVIOR TODAY?

IS THE LORD JESUS STILL SAVIOR TODAY?

a homily by

Blessed Elder Athanasios Mitilinaios

Delivered at the Holy Monastery Komneniou, Larissa on December 20, 1987 (B187)

Sunday before the Nativity of Christ – Matthew 1:21

Blessed Elder Athanasios Mitilinaios

The message, my beloved, of the archangel Gabriel to the bewildered Joseph about Mary, his betrothed, was: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for that which is born in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Mt. 1:20)

This message, my beloved, from the archangel Gabriel to Joseph was fundamental: “He will save His people from their sins.” Save. He will be a Savior. Save. Or, just as the angel said to the shepherds, as the Evangelist Luke narrates to us, “Today a Savior is born to you.” (Lk. 2:11) A Savior!

Of course, the idea of a savior was not unknown in the ancient world. The emperor was called “savior”, but of course to what extent the emperor was a savior we hardly need to mention. We know from history that ordinary human beings cannot be saviors, emperors least of all, and of course Roman emperors who were the masters of the lives of their subjects. How, then, could they possibly be seen as saviors? Nevertheless, some of them also took the title “savior” next to their name, as did the kings of Egypt, the Ptolemies.

But when the angel spoke of this Savior who would come into the world, this was a unique Savior, a special Savior, not quite like people would expect or think, not like those men who demand from others that they be addressed as saviors.

But when we say that Christ is Savior, what does “savior” mean? It means that He is a conductor of a salvation. But what does “salvation” mean? For many of our Christians today, salvation unfortunately means the covering of material needs. Like when we say, “I was saved by a raise” or “I got a promotion and was saved”, or even, “Doctor so and so saved me” or “Science saved me”, or other such expressions about our biological needs, our material needs. We can say “We were saved” with such ease. Moreover, we also say this about people, that they are our saviors: “He’s my savior.”

It doesn’t really matter so much that we call all these our saviors and that all other things are our salvation, even if we say we are abusing the term. If, however, we distinguish real salvation, but do not make a distinction, the tragedy is that we sometimes put Christ far below these saviors of ours. Because if we say that “Christ is the Savior of your body”, as the Apostle Paul says “Christ is the Savior of the body” (Eph. 5:23), and I never think to myself that Christ is my savior as much as the doctor is, then it is not simply an abused expression; it is a belief. This is why we must get out of this perception.

Ιn a few days we will celebrate the event of the Birth of Christ. As what? As Savior. As I told you, this was announced from heaven. Moreover, if you like, even the name “Jesus” was predetermined. The angel said to Joseph: “And you shall call His name Jesus.” The name Jesus [Ιησούς] translates as “Savior” [Σωτήρ] in Greek. Jesus means “He who saves”. Consequently, we must always see in the person of Christ the true Savior.

But how will we be able to discern that Christ is really the Savior? First of all, Christ gives an answer to all of the metaphysical questions – not just gives an answer, He is the answer. It is both of these. For who could possibly know the meaning of man’s existence, or even this Man? Do you know that apart from God, apart from the confession of Jesus Christ, we don’t know what man is. This is what Philosophy and Science wrestle with to measure, to reveal and discover what man is. (Some wise and noteworthy expressions have come down to us from antiquity, such as, “Behold–a man!” Some say about Diogenes, that he took a plucked rooster and said: “Behold–a man!” Meaning that man is a being which has two legs and two arms… It is, at any rate, an attempt by man to know who he is.)1 Man could never know who he is had it not been revealed to him by Christ Jesus, and, having been revelaled the truth about man, a man is already being led up to heaven. He becomes a child of God by grace. He enters into the divine glory.

A question for you all: Who will tell me what exists after death? Why should something exist after death? and if something does exist, what is it? The soul? Does a soul exist? We reached the point, beginning in the last century, where the field of Psychology began to speak about psychology without a soul. Science does not accept a spiritual soul. (We are talking, of course, about those psychologists who have materialistic views.) They don’t know… Does man have a soul or doesn’t he? Don’t think that it is obvious. It is not obvious at all. The Lord will answer this for us: “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?” (Mk. 8:36) And He says to the robber: “I assure you, today you will be with Me…” (Lk. 23:43) Where? When someone dies, does it end there? Where will You be with Him? In the tomb?

So you realize, my beloved, that Christ gives the answer to all these great and vexing metaphysical problems – not just gives the answer, He is the answer. For if Christ had not marked the great station of His Incarnation and the individual stations of His earthly life, such as the Crucifixion, the Resurrection and the Ascension, we would never be able to follow His path to our great destination which is heaven. This is how Christ came and answered all these [metaphysical problems]. Yes, He Himself said: “I am the Resurrection” (Jn. 11:25); He said, “I am the Life” (Jn. 11:25; 14:6); He said: “I am the truth” (Jn. 14:6); He said: I am the rest, when He said: “Come to Me all of you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt. 11:28). How am I your rest? Because I am the rest. Pay attention. He did not come to say, “I came to tell you the truth”, or “I came to tell you to be in control of your lives”, or “I came to tell you to find the way to rest.” No. “I am the Life”; “I am the Truth”; “I am the Resurrection.”

Remember what the Lord said to Martha, the sister of Lazarus: Don’t you believe that your brother will rise? (Jn. 11:23) I know Lord, she said, that one day, at the end of history, there will be a resurrection of the dead (24). The Lord said, I am the Resurrection (25), and since I am the Resurrection, whoever is incorporated into Me will be resurrected into eternal life. (25-26)

Do you perceive, then, my beloved, who the person of Jesus Christ is? Can He possibly be compared with the “savior” emperors of Rome or with any other “saviors” in history, those who promised salvation and proclaimed salvation to the people? Indeed, we are an impoverished civilization when such a title is given to a man, a title which belongs only to Christ.

Moreover, Christ is Savior because He dissolves the guilt. Did you notice what the angel said to Joseph? “For He will save His people from their sins.” What does this mean? It is what the Lord said later: “If you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins” (Jn. 8:24). Believe that I am what? The Lord. He who forgives sins. Consequently, He is the one who really forgives sins.

When we say “forgives”, it means God no longer sees sins. “Blessed,” it says, “are those whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered” (Ps. 31:1). Covered. If I put a bandage on a wound, the wound is not visible. But for God, every creature is naked and visible. So how could God not see what is under the bandage? So when the Psalmist says that in God’s eyes sins are covered, he means He doesn’t see them, but “He doesn’t see them” means they don’t exist anymore, because God sees everything. There are no objects in-between or which hide an object from God’s sight.

Therefore guilt no longer exists. Did you catch that? Do you know that the core of all psychological problems is guilt?2 Do you know this? Of all the ills man suffers from, bodily illnesses and also the psychological illnesses, the mental illnesses (and I will stay on this particular topic), do you know that the core of all these mental illnesses is guilt? I’m not the one who says this. The psychologists say this. So then, if we somehow eliminate the guilt, we will not have psychological problems, the mental illnesses.

But how will guilt be eliminated, since guilt, like it or not, has a metaphysical dimension? It is impossible for us, then, to eliminate it, unless God eliminates it, and God does this through that philanthropic sacrament of Confession to grant forgiveness of sins. Such an easy way. [Forgiveness of sins through the sacrament of Confession eliminates metaphysical guilt and, consequently, illnesses.]

It is enough for there to be an “I’m sorry” [μετανοώ] on the part of the person, an “I’m sorry” from the heart. And “I’m sorry” means “I change my mind. I repent. I am changing my way of thinking. I am changing my lifestyle. From now on, I won’t go back to whatever those old ways were.” This is why the sacrament of Confession is such a philanthropic sacrament, because it effects the blotting out of sins, the erasing of sins. This makes Christ Savior.

The day before yesterday, a young man who was beginning to lose his faith in the theanthropic person of Christ visited. I said to him: “Ah, poor child, you have tied my hands; because only if you believe that Jesus is God become man will He be able to work the mystery of forgiving your sins. You insist, even forcefully, that you don’t believe that Christ is God Incarnate. I am sorry. It is not possible to grant you forgiveness of sins.” And he left. As he came, so he left… There is no forgiveness of sins unless you believe. So in this sacrament, my beloved, Christ comes and dissolves the guilt, the source, center and starting point of all psychological (as I told you) problems and mental illnesses.

Moreover, Christ is Savior of the body in an ontological way. Have you considered this? As the Apostle Paul says (I have told you this before), “And He is Savior of his body” (Eph. 5:23). How is He Savior of his body? He means this suffering body, which is an image of the Incarnate Son of God. (Because Christ did not take our image, but we took His image. He was not made man in the image of Adam, but Adam was made in the image of Christ, even if Adam came first historically, even if we have this form after. Christ, however, leads as a model. This form called “man” was destined to become the Son of God. And He made Adam according to His image and likeness. And when Adam’s first child is born, he will be in the image and likeness of his father, Adam.)

So then, the human body is in the image of Christ. Sin reduced this body to death, to the grave, and it becomes that from which it was composed of, earth. It decomposes. Consequently, this body cannot remain standing and composed, but will one day decompose into that from which it was composed. Who will rebuild this body? Not in the sense that the new generation is coming and the human race is being rebuilt. For example, I give of my being, of my essence, for a new child to become a new person. Is this person me? It is not me; it is a new existence. I provided the necessary materials in order for this person to be constructed. I, however, am on my way to disintegration.

How can Christ be a Savior for you? By resurrecting your body. This is how Christ is Savior ontologically. He comes to resurrect the body, my same existence. I am one, my child is another, and my grandson is another. We are different persons, whether three, or four, or a hundred, or a million. In this case, however, we have salvation as individuals, personal salvation, not “general salvation” as it is called. No. Every person has his personal Savior, Jesus Christ. All will be resurrected by Christ Jesus, the godly and the ungodly. So, my beloved, Christ is the ontological Savior. How did He become Savior? By virtue of His Resurrection. These are not mere words. It is a reality. Just as Christ became man and resurrected after He had died, He takes my own mortal nature and now gives it life. By virtue of this event, I will resurrect.

So then, if, my beloved, humanity accepts Christ in this way, then we can have all those other good things which we call salvation. We say “my food is salvation, my profession is salvation…” God gives all of these good things, as long as we have identified correctly what salvation is.

These days we will celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. How will it be celebrated? With a Christmas tree? With lots of good food on the table? With vacations? With spending money? With amusements? With dancing? And, for some, with fornications and various sins? (The other guy is going to find a girlfriend for Christmas. What oxymoronic things! What contradictory things! He’s going to find a girlfriend, to celebrate Christmas…)

Do you realize, my beloved, how the world celebrates? They simply use the occasion for a vacation, nothing more. What more could there be, since they don’t have the least bit of knowledge about the feast of the birth of Christ, that is, about the event of the Savior Christ’s becoming man. So then, let us leave such views behind.

As for the legitimate things, “give us today the bread we need”, as we say in the Lord’s prayer, these things will be given to us, if only we put the Savior Christ first. God Himself says the same thing in the Old Testament: “If you listen to Me, you will eat the good things of the earth” (cf. Deut. 7:12-14; Deut. 28:1-14). We would change it a little bit to say: “If you in some way understand the meaning of the events, the feasts which are behind these various events, then you will eat the good things of the earth.”

So then, let us not make idols of the things of this world. Let us not make idols of our body, our health, our belongings, and think that these are our saviors. Our only savior is Christ, and Him alone.

A troparion of these days says: “Come, O believers, let us see where Christ was born!”3 It is so lovely! In fact, all the hymnology of these days, and the hymnology throughout the year, is lovely. It is so lovely! It is so human! It is so moving! It is so poetic! Where, if one returns to being a child in heart, with a sound mind, then he delights in these expressions.

“Come, O believers, let us see where Christ was born!” Picture a group of little children saying to each other: “C’mon guys, lets see where the hidden treasure is!” That familiar game. “Come on guys…” Only if someone is also a child can he feel this expression, “Come on guys.” And with all the delight that every child feels, they say to each other: “Let’s go see…” “See what?” This is what it is like, because as I told you, our hymnology has so much feeling.

So then, “Come, O believers, let us see where Christ is born.” In other words, so we can truly learn the meaning of the Incarnation. Where was Christ born? In Bethlehem? This happened once. If I go to Bethlehem and worship there these days, will I be fulfilling this, “Come, O believers, let us see where Christ was born”? And those who don’t go there, so to speak, to that place, will they not learn this? Will they understand nothing at all? This is not how it is, my beloved. There are many pilgrims who go, without of course perverting the idea of pilgrimage, yet they remain oblivious as to where Christ was born. So, whether I go or not, the point is this: I must learn where Christ was born. And where was Christ born, my beloved? Once in Bethlehem, but always within every human heart. This is not a figure of speech; it is not poetic imagery to say that Christ is born in the heart. It is a reality. When we say that Christ was born in a manger (in a trough used for animal feed) and that the heart becomes a manger, this is not a figure of speech. It is a metaphor. At first it might seem that this doesn’t have much importance and significance, that He was born in a manger. Here is what is significant: If Christ is born in my heart, then He also makes it His manger. In other words, Christ is really born in my heart – and He is born from having knowledge, theological understanding. Moreover, He is born to come and stay inside me, fully incarnated, with His Body and His Blood. Because, what does “He was laid in a manger” mean? It means that He was placed there. So when I commune, what does this mean? It means that I place my Savior Christ within me, to make me eternal, to make me immortal, to dissolve my guilt, to answer all of the agonizing problems of my existence and my destiny. He is the Savior of the world.

We celebrate these days, my beloved, His Birth, His Incarnation. Let us therefore grasp the meaning of this great event, and grasping the meaning, we may celebrate the event as the greatest and most central in History.

  1. “The ancient Greeks debated this topic feverishly. Plato famously attempted to define a man, using references from his mentor Socrates. He settled on a scientific definition, naming man a “featherless biped,” two characteristics that distinguished humanity from other animals. In a humorous scene, Diogenes the Cynic, hearing Plato’s definition, plucked a chicken in his home and brought it to one of Plato’s lectures. When Plato asserted that man was a featherless biped, Diogenes stood, brandished the bald chicken and shouted, “Behold—a man!” Plato, perhaps missing the point of Diogenes’ criticism, then continued to amend his definition to “featherless biped with flat, broad nails.” (https://sites.psu.edu/sierraastle/2019/10/21/behold-a-man)
  2. See, for example: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13548506.2021.1903058
  3. Nativity of Christ Matins, First Kathisma, First hymn:
    Come, O faithful, let us see where Christ the Savior has been born;
    let us follow with the kings, even the Magi from the East,
    unto the place where the star does direct their journey.
    For there, the Angels’ hosts sing praises ceaselessly;
    shepherds in the field offer a fitting song,
    while saying, Glory in the highest
    to Him this day born within the cave
    from the pure Virgin and Theotokos
    in Bethlehem of Judah.
    (December Menaion, Holy Transfiguration Monastery, p. 217, slightly edited.)

THE END – GLORY TO THE HOLY AND TRIUNE GOD

Translated from the original Greek by Anthony Hatzidakis, Dec. 20, 2024. The source text utilized for this homily translation was taken from a post on Aktines, Dec. 21, 2023. The Greek text was transcribed by Mr. Athanasios K. and digitized and edited by Ms. Eleni Linardaki, philologist. All emphases are the translator’s. This homily excerpt was delivered in a free manner and recorded live. The original audio of this homily can be found at arnion.com.

GIVING WITNESS TO THE TRUE CHURCH

Orthodox Christians all over the world have received the unchanging Christian Faith, passed down from the Holy Apostles to their successors, and continue to practice it today in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church – The Orthodox Church.
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OUR BEHAVIOR IN CHURCH

OUR BEHAVIOR IN CHURCH

a homily by

Blessed Elder Athanasios Mitilinaios

Delivered at the Holy Monastery Komneniou, Larissa on December 9, 2001

10th Sunday of Luke – Luke 13:10-17 – Jesus heals on the Sabbath day

Blessed Elder Athanasios Mitilinaios

Today, my beloved, the Evangelist Luke describes to us an incident which took place in a certain Synagogue. The Lord went to teach and it was a Sabbath day. He found there a woman who had a bent back. She was hunched over for eighteen whole years, and it could not be completely corrected. When Jesus saw her, He said to her: “Woman, you are freed from your illness,” and He placed His hands upon her, and immediately, this woman was made straight.

And she, of course, glorified God. The leader of the synagogue, on the other hand, did not do the same, but at once became jealous. However, he covered his jealousy with alleged indignation that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath day and, turning to the crowds, told them they should shun these healings and such on the Sabbath day because it was a day of rest.

Why was he envious? Oh, my beloved! Because he, as the leader of the synagogue, was in a way overshadowed by the presence of Jesus… but the Lord unmasks him. Indeed, he was envious. So the Lord says to him: “Hypocrite!” (a complete unmasking) “Don’t all of you on the Sabbath day loose your ox or your donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And shouldn’t this woman, a daughter of Abraham (not of Adam, but of Abraham), whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” And while He was saying these things, those who opposed Jesus and His work (because, it seems that quite a few of them stood behind the synagogue leader) were put to shame – but not the people; they rejoiced and gave glory to God.

At the synagogue we notice, beloved, that the people had different behaviors: The Lord teaches, heals, places the correct meaning of the Sabbath day of rest; the healed woman, in silence, was listening to the Lord’s teaching and rejoicing (and of course she in no way suspects the great benefaction which she was about to receive – to be healed, that is). The congregation also listens and rejoices – but not everyone. The synagogue leader feels envious because, as we said, his presence was overshadowed by the presence of Jesus Christ. He, however, cannot hide his envy, and with a face of supposed indignation about not keeping the Sabbath day of rest, expresses his bitterness. (So many times people hypocritically cover up a supposed transgression, as if they were religious people!) And there are also others, those who led a corrupt life. They of course agree with the stance the synagogue leader takes because they do not want to leave the corrupt lives they are leading, and they too oppose the Lord. There are also the people, the people who gather, who maintain a good disposition and rejoice for whatever happened inside the synagogue.

This image is stereotypical. Wherever the Lord went, we have a division of the crowd, the mass of people, a difference in how they are moved by Him, how they feel. They were all in the synagogue area, and they all went there, of course, to pray, because every Sabbath there was prayer – not worship – but prayer. (Worship only took place in the temple which was in Jerusalem. It is known that sacrifice was never permitted in the synagogue, and sacrifice is always worship. Therefore, we do not have worship in the synagogue, only prayer.) Seeing these varied and different behaviors, a question is posed to us: In our Christian temples, how do we move? How do we feel? How do we conduct ourselves? How do you feel about each other? How does everyone move in church?

The Apostle Paul writes, in his first letter to Timothy, the bishop of Ephesus: “I am writing these things to you so that you may know how one should behave in the house of God (in this place where we have not only prayer, but worship also – and, in fact, the mystery par-excellence – the Divine Eucharist) which is the church of the living God” (14-15). In other words, everyone must learn how to conduct themselves in church, where – I will repeat – first and foremost, not only prayer, but worship takes place, and this elevates the issue of behavior of Christians in church. Let us occupy ourselves with this topic for a while.

Really, which is our behavior? We must admit that it is not good at all, because we Christians have been deprived of liturgical training, and we need training in every area of our lives. When making a phone call, for example, shouldn’t I at least have a little training? Such as knowing to say my name first if I am calling? (Have you noticed how much time is wasted in order to find out who is calling? We have all suffered this: “Who is this?” We don’t know because he never learned to say his name first.) On the bus… because the other guy likes to smoke, he starts smoking, even though someone else is bothered. Or he wants to open the window because he is hot, or he wants to close the window because he is cold. So you understand, in every area of our lives we must have a similar behavior when we are not alone, when we are with other people.

So what we are saying today? Everyone must be trained, to learn what his conduct should be in church. If we are not careful in church, this means that we have lost the meaning of worship, and also of the awesomeness of the temple area, where the sacrament par-excellence, the Holy Eucharist, takes place.

Have you noticed how many times the priests make announcements at a wedding or at a baptism (most of all at weddings), how many times he has to say: “Please be quiet” or “Please, no laughing”, “Please this or Please that”, wanting to restore some order among the guests who are present at the wedding sacrament? Why all this every time? Because we lack the necessary training for being inside the temple of God. If Moses was commanded to take off his sandals when he saw that bush burning, which was not burning (Ex. 3:5), how much more, my beloved, should we, who are not in front of a burning bush, but are in the temple where the Mystery par-exellence takes place – the mystery of the Holy Eucharist?

And thus, because we have been deprived of liturgical training, and lack an awareness of the presence of the awesome God, we chit-chat, laugh, and criticize the person next to us, ready to criticize everyone, even in the sanctuary, and to tell our neighbor as well. We do not have a reverent attitude. We move around brashly. Many times we enter the temple with our hands in our pockets – even defiantly! (When a woman enters dressed in men’s clothing, in pants, is this not a provocation? And when they arrive at the monastery gate they say: “Do you have a skirt I can wear?” Yes, we will give you a skirt, but you are supposed to put it on before you leave your house, since you knew you were going to visit a monastery, but we will give you a skirt. Why did you wear pants? Here, take it.)

Those who march around in church show so little sensitivity by the way they conduct themselves, and thus they scandalize – they disturb everyone and everything. We get the feeling that church is a market or a sidewalk, as if we are at the store to do some shopping… All of these are characterizations a disrespectful, irreverent disposition, even though the profound awareness of the awesomeness of the place should make us reverent. Let us say to ourselves: “O Lord, I fear You. I am entering Your temple.” We will make our cross, we will venerate the icons, our garb will be proper, etc.

I will share with you now a sampling from a book called The Apostolic Constitutions1, a very old book [AD 350], where prescribed behaviors have been formulated for the Divine Liturgy of St. Clement of Rome (one of the most ancient Liturgies). In the 8th chapter, we find:

And let the deacons walk about and watch the men and women, so that no disturbance may be made. (Bk. 8, Chp. 11)

Here, many times, my beloved, I don’t know how it happens with the air, I don’t know… as you enter through the door… “Bam!” the door slams… Do you know that any movement, disturbance or sudden noise which can startle the churchgoer offends the reverent concentration which everyone should have when they are praying? Do you know this?

And he also says:

No one should signal, whisper or slumber. (Bk. 8, Chp. 11) (The deacons are still watching, looking, from afar, with understanding, at what is happening. No whispering! No nodding off! (The one taking a nap in the chair mentioned above.) … No one should go out, nor should a door be opened (so that no disturbance is made), and this should be followed faithfully up until the Anaphora (the holy Anaphora in the Divine Liturgy). (Bk. 8, Chp. 11) … Let us be standing before the Lord with fear and trembling when we make the offering. (Bk. 8, Chp. 12) (We must be standing not only with fear, but also with trembling, which is the manifestation of fear, during the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.)

And St. Clement of Rome continues:

Let the mothers take hold of their children. (Bk. 8, Chp. 12)

Did you hear that? They are to hold on to their children, so that they are not “off the leash” (pardon the expression) inside the Church, turning here and there, disturbing, running around. No. The child will learn from a young age how to stand in the house of the Lord. We may not take a chair for the child. No. We will have stools for them, the folding kind. We will always bring it with us when we take our children to Church. We will open the stool and the child will sit in front of us. No bench, no chair; these are for the elderly.

(It should be noted that in the ancient Church, like today, the people sat down for some parts of the Divine Liturgy. This is why we also have the order: “Arise! [Ὀρθοί] Having received the divine and immaculate Mysteries of Christ…” In other words, “It’s time to stand”, because while everyone was communing the others waited, and of course they were allowed to sit. They sat down because it took a long time; everyone went back to their place and sat. Now that all are finished, “Arise!” [Ὀρθοί], that is, “Stand up! Having received…” (Some priests, however, say: “Righteous partakers…”2, and they change the meaning of the phrase.) So, they stand up. Those who participated stand, because we will continue [praying] as before in the Divine Liturgy.)

So then, mothers hold on to the children, to keep them close.

And after the bishop partakes, then the presbyters (here is a lineup of how everyone will receive communion), then the deacons, then the subdeacons, then the readers, then the chanters and the monks; then of the women, the deaconesses, then the virgins and widows (a differentiation in the order of women) then the children (the children are last) and then all the people in order, with reverence and godly fear, without tumult. (Bk. 8, Chp. 13)

St. Clement continues:

These things concerning mystical worship we appoint for you, the apostles. (Bk. 8, Chp. 15)

All of the above expresses the apostolic command, which is in line with what the Apostle Paul writes: “Let everything be done becomingly and with order” (1 Cor 14:40). Everything should be done well, not badly, but well, that is to say, in good form. Because what does “badly” mean? Not done well. “Let everything be done with order.” “For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace” writes the Apostle Paul in the 14th chapter of his first letter to the Corinthians (14:33) – and we too must conform and move in such a way.

But our becoming reverent in church is not the only thing required of us. Our live participation in divine worship by our regular congregation is also needed. That poor little woman, the hunchback, if she had not gone that Sabbath day, would the Lord have made her well? She did go, however, without fail, every Sabbath day, and on one of those Sabbath days, the Lord honored her and made her, this hunched over woman, well.

We too must attend church regularly, not one Sunday and not the next, as a duty, according to God’s commandment (Deut. 5:12-15), and this is because the purpose of the gathering is “divine therapy”, and when we say “therapy” we mean worship, the Divine Liturgy. This is why the Apostle Paul writes: “Do not neglect to gather yourselves together, as is the practice of some” (the mistake of some, that one goes and another one doesn’t) “but encourage one another, especially now that you see that the Day is approaching” (Heb 10:25). (Which “Day”? The end of History. It is approaching; the Lord is near.) The hunched over woman, despite her physical affliction did not, as we said, neglect to attend the synagogue without fail. This is why the Lord honored her.

Moreover, our presence at a worship service should be good-hearted, full of faith and love, both for God and for the churchgoers around us. Let us not say “That person bothers me.” No, my beloved! The Apostle says to the Hebrews: “And since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart, strong faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience” (Heb 10:21-22) and “Let us consider how to encourage one another to love and good works” (Heb 10:24).

Something very heartfelt. Here we have the encouragement of love. Something very heartfelt. There, in divine worship (and this is the most important thing) the Lamb of God is offered. If we understand only this – only this – what It is that we partake of, what is brought to pass, we would be standing with fear and trembling in the temple of God.

“I beseech you, brethren,” says the Apostle Paul, “by the mercies of God, present your bodies as a living sacrifice” (as if each body were placed on a rack, in order to be sacrificed; holy bodies) “holy, well-pleasing to God, your rational worship” (Rom 12:1).

When I also offer myself, at the same time Christ offers Himself for the salvation of His people, this is participation, real participation. If we learn what this means, that we really have the Body and Blood of Christ, not figuratively, not symbolically, but really, then truly we are overwhelmed. Let us thank the Holy Triune God always – always – when we understand all these things. When we commune, let us also give thanks – pay attention – to the Most Holy Theotokos, who gave her body to her Son, whose Body we commune. For this reason also, the mystery of Holy Communion is called “the mystery of Holy Thanksgiving”.

Beloved, the synagogue where the Lord was found was given a deep incision. There were those who accepted the benefaction and rejoiced in the Lord’s presence, and there were those who envied and opposed the Lord’s presence. Unfortunately, it always happens this way. The Lord’s presence creates two camps, His own people and His enemies, and many times they coexist inside the same temple. For this reason, says the Apostle Peter in his first letter: “The time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? (1 Pet 4:17)

So – I repeat – “Let us learn” writes the Apostle Paul, “how to conduct ourselves in the house of God”. Let us learn. Do you see? Let us learn how we must behave inside the places where God is worshiped. Amen.

  1. The Apostolic Constitutions can be read online here.
  2. Ὀρθοί “arise”, “up” can also be understood in the sense of good moral character, “upright”.

THE END – TO GOD BE THE GLORY

Translated from the original Greek by Anthony Hatzidakis, Dec. 4, 2024. The source text utilized for this homily translation was taken from a post on Aktines, Dec. 8, 2023. The Greek text was transcribed by Mr. Athanasios K. and digitized and edited by Ms. Eleni Linardaki, philologist. All emphases are the translator’s. This homily excerpt was delivered in a free manner and recorded live. Most of the scripture quotations are not direct quotations. The original audio of this homily can be found at arnion.com.

GIVING WITNESS TO THE TRUE CHURCH

Orthodox Christians all over the world have received the unchanging Christian Faith, passed down from the Holy Apostles to their successors, and continue to practice it today in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church – The Orthodox Church.
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CHRISTIANITY IS NOT A RELIGION, BUT A REVELATION

This homily excerpt was delivered in a free manner and recorded live. Most of the scripture quotations are not direct quotations.

Christianity is not a religion, but a revelation

an excerpt from a homily by

Blessed Elder Athanasios Mitilinaios

Delivered at the Holy Monastery Komneniou, Larissa on October 13, 1985

fr athanasios mitilinaios
Blessed Fr. Athanasios Mitilinaios

We should know what Christianity is, because the topic concerns us directly. It is not at all taken for granted that the content of Christianity is known. Of course, the content of Christianity is known, but it is interpreted in various ways. This “interpreted in various ways” is very very significant, because for this reason a variety of opinions about Christianity have been formed.

In order to know Christianity truly, we must first say what Christianity is not, and then what Christianity is; a clearing out must be done. I will insist very much on what I said, that Christianity is interpreted in various ways. You will see outsiders, both educated and uneducated, having an opinion about what Christianity is. And of course all these opinions are deviations.

I don’t know how many people truly know what Christianity is. We must become Saints. It is a very rough thing. And someone will say to you, “You want me to become a saint?” But this is precisely what Christianity wants, for you to become a Saint. “Be holy, for I am holy” (Lev 12: 44-45). So, children, the topic is not an easy one. We will be sure to make it simple so that it can be understood, so that you may know how to position yourselves as proper Christians.

We said we would say what Christianity is and what it is not. First of all, you ask: Is Christianity a religion? It is not a religion. Truly, Christianity is not a religion. This statement is factual, but it does not say what it is. Indeed, Christianity is not a religion, it is a stance, a way of life. This too is correct, but only half-correct, and we will see why shortly.

So, first of all, Christianity is not a religion. This sounds strange at first. Isn’t Christianity a religion? What does “religion” [θρησκεία] mean? If you look up “religion” in an encyclopedia you will find an explanation of what religion is, but only insofar as this is possible, because we cannot know the depth and the breadth of what religion is. …

Religion is an innate tendency of a man to seek God in order to be dependent on Him, to have a feeling of physical and metaphysical security knowing that he depends on God. That is, if I sense danger, I will say in an instant, “God, help me.” (This “God help me” is not only said by Christians, but by others of any religion, by pagans and others. “My God”, they say, but who is this God?) Secondly, we seek God for what we call a metaphysical sense of security, because I, the man, will eventually die. If I know or believe that I will live on after death, what will this afterlife be like? So I seek an answer and an assurance of the afterlife.

(Those objects put in the tombs of the Egyptians, for example, which archaeologists find today, the various personal belongings of the deceased, were put there precisely because they believed that the deceased needed his personal belongings. These days we don’t put personal belongings of the deceased in the grave, but we keep them in our homes in order to remember the deceased who left this world.)

So when a person confronts death he feels a certain insecurity; he doesn’t know what will happen. Thus, faith in God provides a sense of security, both physical and metaphysical. This is why the Apostle Paul told the Athenians in his speech at the Areopagus to seek the Lord, that they might perhaps feel for Him and find Him (Acts 17: 27). Pay attention to this point: To seek God. I emphasize this phrase, to seek God, that is, the effort of man to find God. He seeks God to find God. Whose effort is it? Not God’s to find man, but man’s to find God.

Whether we call it religion or a religious feeling, God has implanted this in the depths of the human soul, so that if man turns away from God, if he leaves, if he moves away from Him (as when [Adam] fell into sin and moved away from God) he will never be able to forget God and will always seek Him, even if in a distorted way. That is, he may believe that an object is God, whether lightning, a river, the cow (the sacred cow of the Indians) or whatever else it might be. In order for us to understand this reality better, here is what it is like:

God wanted to have fellowship with man, face to face, as He spoke with Adam, and took care to do the following: He took a spool with string, the kind we sometimes fly a kite with (and when we fly a kite, we tie one end of the string to the kite, and it flies, and we hold on to the other end, to the spool; and when the eagle goes up, we let the spool loose and the string unravels; and when the eagle is going down, we pull on the spool, wind some string, and the eagle comes closer), and God holds this spool, and the other end of the string He tied inside of man, inside of every human being. And now God says: “If you want to leave, go wherever you want.” Man goes and goes and goes, but he is bound to God by the string. And now what happens? Either God pulls on the string and brings man closer, or man gathers the string to find God. This is called the innate religious feeling implanted in man by God, in order for man to seek God and to find Him.

I will repeat what the Apostle Paul said to the Athenians: to seek the Lord, that they might perhaps feel for Him and find Him. Look at the verbs. The verb “to seek” [ζητεῖν]; the verb “to feel” [ψηλαφίζω]; and the verb “to find” [ευρίσκω]. These verbs mean that man moves to find God.

Religion, however, as stated, is the search by man for God, an opening of man to God. In other words, man tries to find God, even if this man’s openness to God is impaired, if it is foggy, if it is unclear. This is why the Apostle Paul writes, that they may feel. Notice, this verb of the Apostle Paul is characteristic. What does “to feel” mean? It means I feel around with my hand for an object if I cannot see, or if it is dark, and by feeling I am going to “see” the form of the object, and so forth.

(This is why I told you earlier that man seeks to find God, feels for God. In fact, there are some who, while they are Christians, leave the full light of the truth and say to you: “I am searching for God”. This is condemnable. Many times we think of it as some great statement. He’s searching, he says. Why are you searching? There is no need to search. As long as God has not revealed Himself to you, seeking is praiseworthy, but the moment you know God, why search for Him?)

So there is darkness in the space, and from the way I feel an object I draw different conclusions, because I do not have a complete picture of the object. This is why, children, there are different perceptions of God in the field of religion. This is why. Someone will tell you: “God is transcendent”, as Plato said. Someone else will tell you: “God is nature”, as pantheism says (he will make everything that exists into “God”). All these perceptions show that we humans are secarching, that we are open to God, but this openness is limited, it is foggy, it is unclear, as I told you. Christianity is the opposite. We know where we are.

Let us not call Christianity a religion. Christianity is the opposite of religion. If religion is the search by man for God, Christianity is the search by God for man. I remind you, in brief, of the parables of the lost sheep (Mt. 18:12-14; Lk. 15:4-7) and of the lost drachma (Lk. 15:8-10). In the parable of the lost sheep, the shepherd lost one out of one-hundred sheep and searches high and low to find it; and when he finds it, he puts it on his shoulders and goes around saying: Rejoice with me! I have found my lost sheep! Who is doing the searching here? Are the sheep searching for the shepherd, or is the shepherd searching for the sheep? Is man searching for God or is God searching for man?

So when man is searching for God, this is called “religion”; when God is searching for man, this is called “Christianity”, not religion. This is the difference as I explained to you. I would like you to understand this: Now when we say that God wants to find man, what does this mean? It means no more feeling, no more searching. It is a revelation. God comes to us and reveals Himself, and the culmination of revelation is His becoming man. In Judaism, God reveals Himself on Mount Sinai, but in a dark cloud, and now, how is He revealed? Through human nature. He comes among us (cf. John 1:14). “God was revealed in the flesh,” says the Apostle Paul (1 Tim: 3:16).

So we now have here a complete revelation of God (and you know, we are not expecting another revelation in history; this is the final revelation of God in history), and the way to approach this self-revelation of God is faith. In the religions, what we call “faith” does not exist. That which I am searching to find, I accept when I understand it. This is what “faith” is in Christianity. I must accept it as it is offered to me. Do you see? They are diametrically opposite. This is why we cannot really say “the Christian religion” as you hear it being said, but instead we say, “the Christian faith”.

It is an abuse to call it “the Christian religion”. Of course, I who am telling you these things, if I had to write a report, some statement, and refer to Christianity, you will probably see me writing “the Christian religion” because this has been established, but we must see not what was established but what it is. I can say “the Christian religion” for a moment – but listen to me – it is not right. What do we say? We say, “the Christian faith”.

In the Old Testament, children, the word “religion” is only found in the Wisdom of Solomon and in 4 Maccabees. I will mention only one instance for you because both are essentially the same in concept. In the Wisdom of Solomon (14:27) – pay attention – it says:

For the religion of nameless idols is always the beginning and cause and end of every evil.

So what does he call religion? Something which refers to idols. Did you notice? The term “religion” refers to idolatry. What is more, in the so-called natural or invented religions, these man-made religions, the religious feeling is innate, but the construction is human. This is what religion is. In the Old Testament this is very clear.

(Perhaps you will go and find where these instances are, in 4 Maccabees, chapters 5 and 6, and after you read, you will tell me: It doesn’t talk about idolatry there, but about the Jewish religion. Yes, but who is saying it? Antiochus Epiphanes, a pagan, speaking to Eleazar, the teacher of the seven Maccabees, and he calls the monotheism of Judaism a religion.)

So then, the meaning of the word “religion” in the Old Testament means pagan religion. In the New Testament the word “religion” occurs only three times. One instance has the meaning of external Jewish practice, referred to in Acts 26:5 [“…after the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.”]. The second instance refers to demonic worship, where the Apostle Paul in Colossians 2:18 writes, “worship of angels”, about Gnosticism, a pagan religion. And the third, mentioned by Saint James, the Brother of God (1:27), concerns philanthropy, what pure religion is, “to visit widows and orphans.”3 [“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” (RSV)] But the concept of religion cannot be exhausted with philanthropy. In other words, if I do philanthropic acts, I cannot say that I am a religious person.

So we see that in both the Old and New Testaments the word “religion” does not correspond to what it is in Christianity or even in Judaism, as a revelation of God. Do you know the danger in saying that Christianity is a religion? We inevitably end up comparing Christianity with religions, those invented religions, the worldly, demonic religions; we put them side-by-side with Christianity and make comparisons. And what do we say? We say: “All religions are good.” How many times have we heard this? Or, you yourself may say to someone: “Be a Christian” (in order not to be in heresy, or a Buddhist, or whatever), and he will answer you, “All religions are good, they all talk about God.” Today, celebrated “ecumenism”, which wants to blend all religions into one, a syncretism, is based on this thought. And someone will say: “All religions are good, they all talk about God; it doesn’t matter if that God is Jesus Christ or is Buddha or Allah (or I don’t know what else)”. In so many words, what he is saying is that with each people God takes a different name but is the same God: “Let each one worship the One God as as he prefers…” and “All religions are paths to salvation.” Is it the same God?

And the significant thing is, I repeat once again, we end up placing Christianity side-by-side with religions and make comparisons. Of course, if we want to be somewhat more favorable to Christianity, we add: “…but Christianity is the superior religion.” There is no greater or lesser. EITHER I HAVE A REVELATION OF THE TRUE GOD, OR I DO NOT HAVE IT. GOD IS EITHER THE TRUE GOD AND ALL OTHERS ARE FALSE, OR HE IS NOT TRUE AND THEN I MAKE COMPARISONS. Can you see this? Truly, Christianity is not a religion.

If we asked Jesus Christ what He would say about the religions of the world, what would He answer? Do you think Christ could answer this? Christ has answered, children. Listen to what he says in John 10:8: “All who came before Me…” (all those who came before Me with the purpose of calling people to a religion, that is, to make them like sheep, to make them a flock; therefore, all religions which do this) “All who came before Me…” (Who are these, Lord? Tell us who came before You? Buddha, Confucius, and I don’t know who else, whoever made claims as founders of religions) “…they are thieves and robbers.”

Did you hear what Christ calls all these founders of religions? Thieves and robbers. Do you know why? Because the object they wanted was man, however since they were not true, in the end they abuse man spiritually and end up thieves; they steal the human soul. And robbers, because they occupy the human existence, the human personality. They are thieves and robbers. “The thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy…” (10:10) Whether he understands it or not, the thief comes to steal, to kill and to destroy. “…I came…” (pay attention – all these thieves and robbers do not compare to Me, the only God, Jesus Christ) “…I came that they may have life, and have it in abundance” (so that people may have life, eternal life, abundant life).

So we see here, children, that indeed Christianity is not a religion. What is it? Christianity is a revelation.

THE END – TO GOD BE THE GLORY

Translated by Anthony Hatzidakis from a transcription by Faye found at Aktines, August 17, 2017. All emphases are the translator’s. Original audio consulted can be found at: arnion.gr, 00:40 to 26:34. (Homily number 3 is in position 4 by mistake).

GIVING WITNESS TO THE TRUE CHURCH

Orthodox Christians all over the world have received the unchanging Christian Faith, passed down from the Holy Apostles to their successors, and continue to practice it today in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church – The Orthodox Church.
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Dialogue, coexistence, penetration, subversion

Dialogue, coexistence, penetration, subversion

an excerpt from a homily on the Wisdom of Sirach

by Blessed Fr. Athanasios Mitilinaios

Delivered at the Holy Monastery Komneniou, Larissa

on June 27, 1989

The homily was delivered in a free manner and recorded live. Most of the scripture quotations are not direct quotations.
fr athanasios mitilinaios
Blessed Fr. Athanasios Mitilinaios

It is said that we live in a world where there will end up being only one government. These things are known. And we already know this, because 100 years ago the Zionists had planned it. It is well known. They had planned it. It is in The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. And we see things moving steadily in that direction. …

The point is that we are seeking to make a world here which, of course, is comprised of dissimilar elements, which is precisely what happened with the conquests of Nebuchadnezzar … as is was in the vision he had, which Daniel interpreted; it was a vision of a kingdom. Which? The Third kingdom … said to be of iron and shell, that is, of mortar and iron (Dan. 2:33). These do not stick to each other, they do not mix. This vision also concerns the world to come, but because every people has its own traditions, its own way of thinking, [implementing a single government] is not as easy as we might think.

I am not talking about how this comes about, but only from a Greek standpoint, a national and spiritual standpoint. I am not talking from a financial standpoint. Let us put that point aside. The point is that these people [are encroaching] step by step, these Franks – these Franks! – whom Greece had faced so many times, from when? Centuries ago, those whom we call scumbags [κουτοπόνηρους] are now with the European Economic Community (EEC), and will perhaps set foot [in Greece] more than they ever have in this century.

For us, my beloved, Greece is something most special. We have tradition, and we have a language, a precious language (the most serious works – Holy Scripture above all – are written in this language), and we also have Orthodoxy. Today [1989] the EEC on the one hand and ecumenism on the other intend to demolish whatever exists in this country. Our language? It’s leaving and saying goodbye. Foreigners who love our language torment us by telling us that we have destroyed it, yes, for a plate of lentils. We resemble Esau, who says, “I’m hungry.” And you will tell me “birthright”. (Gen. 25: 29-34) … We who are lost now also say, “Let’s eat.” And even though we are living in a time of prosperity, we think of nothing else but to eat, and we are selling off our treasures and don’t realize it (of course this is not the first time I have told you this).

But [they are also intent on demolishing whatever we have] because of our intelligence; they have feared us throughout the ages, and they want to exterminate us because of it (only we don’t know how to use our intelligence properly, to get into a rhythm so that it bears us fruit). … I will give you a two examples.

You know Mt. Athos. It is what it is, I will not make an analysis. One of the targets of the EEC is Mt. Athos. They know that a monastery always reacts. Monasteries are feared by everyone. By everyone. I recently received a phone call from America. Elder Ephraim, the Abbot from Philotheou Monastery, is there. They want to build a monastery but they cannot; everyone rose up against the establishment of a monastery. Justifiably, I say this, my beloved, in order for you to understand how much value a monastery has, not because we are a monastery here, but because this is a historically attested truth. The Emperors of Byzantium were not afraid of the monasteries, but when were they afraid? When they were underground. …

They [the EEC] might approach us and say: “What do you want us to make for you?” The Lord knows how many times this has this happened! “Let us build the road for you.” “Let us set this up for you.” “Let us build that for you.” No, sit on your eggs, we don’t want your money. …

So, Mt. Athos is a target of the EEC. Of course they did not say to bombard it but, as you know, a few years back they proposed infrastructure projects. “Let’s build ports,” they say, “so that a ship can approach,” etc. Then it is impossible to say where things will go. … They will take away buildings in order to build museums, to have “nicer” things… but if they build them later, do you know what they will say? “Hey, we should [be allowed] see them too since we gave you so much money; everyone else should also be able to see them.” Because once they step their foot in … they will succeed in closing the mouths of the monks of Mt. Athos. So, if they step their foot inside, this is what they will do.

Do you want more? This is not the only concern. We also have the conquest from within, when the mindset of the Athonites change. How does this happen? (This is even more demonic and wicked, because the one you see, while this one you do not.) Friendly spirits. Friendly relations. Invitations. “Come, let’s meet there.” “Come see us, we want to see you and converse.” And then begins the change of his mindset, and this is even more dreadful.

Would you like us to look at Freemasonry, which even finances church projects? What will you say? … How about Zionism which has penetrated [Greece], and which has not penetrated throughout the world. Shall we look at cases of this in Greece? My beloved, Zionism claims even lands. It claims Cyprus and Crete. You know this very well – yes, lands – for the great Israel, the great state of Israel. At the expense of others, of course, undeniably.

The method, for all we know, is downright diabolical. Penetration with traps, or, to be more precise it is: dialogue, coexistence, penetration, and subversion. These four things.

It starts with dialogue: “Come and chat.” And then, “Why not co-exist? We won’t bother you and you won’t bother us if we are together, if we co-exist.” (The subject of coexistence is fashionable, you know.) With coexistence, penetration is achieved, and when penetration reaches a satisfactory level, then the reversal takes place, the turnaround, and then he is standing on top, and you are found below. What can you do? Nothing. End of story. Or are these things not true?

This, we may say, is how the World Council of Churches operates, the infamous WCC. I have always had the question: What do we want over there? At times some voices are heard, but what do we want there? Sometimes we break away because they ask for something more than [we can agree to], but later we fix these things and go back again.

We break one thing down and rebuild. Do you know what it’s like? It’s like the knife going in, but as soon as the heretic sees that you are hurt, he pulls it out. That is, he has taken two steps forward and now he takes one step back, because things are not going well for him. And later, when all is forgotten, again, two steps forward, one step back. With this method, there is a gain in the territory of our Orthodoxy and in our Church. Do we realize this?

You will say to me: “Why are you telling this to me and not to others? I am insignificant and you are insignificant.” No, you are not insignificant, nor am I insignificant. If we talk and our people become enlightened it will create resistance. Now, in what form? As time progresses, what this resistance will be, I do not know. I know that resistance must live on in human hearts, because this precisely has very much value and significance.

Take note: In the days of the Antichrist, should we want to fix anything? (Because the days of Antichrist are coming.) Is there anything you would like us to fix? Nothing will be corrected then, nothing at all. It has been written, “They will go from bad to worse” (2 Tim 3:13). What will have strength then? Resistance. By whom? By some souls, by some people.

When the Prophet Elijah and Enoch come, what will they do? Will they correct things? No. We know this. We also know from prophecy that they will not correct things. What will they create? Resistance. That is, those who stand will stand.

Someone we know called me from England, a Cypriot. He was terror-stricken, and told me about what they had showed on TV in London a month prior to his call: Zionists and Arabs had a dialogue, a roundtable, on the subject of how to move the mosque of Omar without destroying it, so that the Temple of Solomon can be rebuilt there. (You know, today we can move large ancient buildings, entire churches. Today we have the means. To put it simply, they insert a shovel from underneath and then, with machines, slowly pull this shovel and plant the building somewhere else. From a technical standpoint this is resolved.)

So there was this discussion of how to make the transfer of the mosque of Omar to another place so that the Temple could be built there. I have told you what was previously said: “What will become of the mosque if we build the temple there? We will blow it up.” However, in order to keep friendly relations (this is what coexistence is, we said, right?) they came up with this solution. Do you remember that on a whole page of THE TIMES [of Israel] it was written (I have told you this before): “We must pray for our temple to be built and for our messiah to come.” My beloved, all these things are being worked out. So if at some point in time we see the foundation of Solomon’s temple being laid, then the end is near. … (Also, is it a coincidence that the whole world is advertising 666? What product doesn’t have 666 on it?) …

So when we see all of this, don’t we see that an end is near? Of course, we do not wait [for things to improve] in all this jumble of evil. Neither the Greek language, nor national boundaries and borders [will be spared]. Everything, my beloved, will sink and be lost. One thing must remain – the Orthodox soul who waits for the Lord. This is why I am telling you that we may not be able to do many things, but if we put into the soul of our Christians the element of resistance, I think that we have put in something very great.

Their ultimate goal is enslavement, exploitation. Can you see this clearly? They slander your good things, they misrepresent them. And consequently they propose a correction with the aim to distort. As Isaiah says, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, those who call darkness light and light darkness” (Is. 5:20). What do they tell you? “Orthodox spirituality today is outdated. There are other ways we can live.” They call your light darkness and darkness light.

You may read in the papers about Olivier Clément. He is a Uniate but presents himself as Orthodox. He accuses us, in an article he wrote in France, that in Greece we do not accept dialogue, that there is dogmatic infexibility, sullen nationalism and religious totalitarianism. He accuses us in order for us to say, “No, we are not these things”, so that we change. Beloved, great deceit exists. Their goal is always subversion and destruction.

So then, be careful. Eyes open. Clear mind. Ready spirit. And be watchful, my beloved.

THE END – TO GOD BE THE GLORY

Translated from the original Greek by Anthony H, October 27, 2024. The source text utilized for this homily translation was taken from a post on Aktines, August 4, 2019, which was taken from The Doors, The Doors. The Greek text was transcribed by Argyro. The original audio we consulted for this translation can be found at arnion.com, beginning at minute 35. All emphases are the translator’s.

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