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To Cradle Orthodox Christians
All of us have gone without food during our fasts. We all know what it is like to go without food. Do all of us know what it is like to be without food? Going without food, we know that we have food and will be feasting soon enough. But to be without food is to not have it and not know when we may have the means to get food. It is difficult to fast, physically we are drained, but we know that we will eat and that we have the means and therefore do not worry. Imagine how awful it must be for those who go without food and know not when they may have their next meal or scrap of food. What an awful life that must be, full of fear and sadness. No hope. Feeding on whatever may come your way, wether it be from garbage, homeless shelter, or from the hand of a generous brother. Not knowing if one day God may relieve you from your suffering here on earth, or if you will die hungry and poor.
I have been there my dearest people. I have been there spiritually not physically. I have been spiritually impoverished, outside of the grace of the Holy Spirit. I have gone through the rubbish of this world searching for peace and something to save my soul, only to find rotten food not fit for a dog. I have sat outside the banquet, starving, trying to find a way in through all the wrong means. I have wept many nights out of sadness and pity for my wretched soul. I was bitter and angry because of my situation, searching and rummaging through the garbage heap of this world. Often times wandering aimlessly in my quest for spiritual food only to find a mirage, an illusion.
Eventually I was allowed into the banquet to eat and to drink. Because I have been without, I take nothing for granted. I know what it is like to be without food, to be hopeless and I know what it is like to have this beautiful gift. Before I was without, now I have the body and blood or our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ. This is not culture, this is not symbolic, and it certainly is not something that comes second to anything else, God is life. To be without salvation and see those who have always had access to it, be ungracious and ungrateful, is an insult to truth and to God. Imagine being so poor you cannot even eat. Imagine eating from the leftovers in the trash of others. Imagine begging others for food. Then imagine being let into a large banquet only to see the people completely ungrateful for what they have, over eating and wasting without care. Would you not think: “These people are ungrateful, for they do not know what it is to be without. This is disrespectful!”
My brothers and sisters, I see in many cradle Orthodox many wonderful things. However I often see a people that do not understand the gift they have been given in Orthodoxy. I see a people seemingly unaware of the truth in Orthodoxy. I see women approaching our Lord in immodest attire. Many seem not to care if they are late, if even show up at all, but when a bishop arrives everyone is not just on time but early. Why is this? We not only see Christ at every liturgy we celebrate, we consume him. Is the servant greater than the master? Did this bishop save us from our sins? Why then is it more important to be to liturgy early when a bishop is coming and not for Christ? Believe me, to go without is hell. Imagine being outside of salvation, wether you know it or not, your soul is well aware. You have a gift. You are not starving spiritually and as long as you remain inside you never will. Know and understand the precious gift you have always had and never let it go. Nothing in this world saves, nothing in this world feeds but what is within the walls of the House of God.
+Ioa+
Comments
All of us have gone without food during our fasts. We all know what it is like to go without food. Do all of us know what it is like to be without food? Going without food, we know that we have food and will be feasting soon enough. But to be without food is to not have it and not know when we may have the means to get food. It is difficult to fast, physically we are drained, but we know that we will eat and that we have the means and therefore do not worry. Imagine how awful it must be for those who go without food and know not when they may have their next meal or scrap of food. What an awful life that must be, full of fear and sadness. No hope. Feeding on whatever may come your way, wether it be from garbage, homeless shelter, or from the hand of a generous brother. Not knowing if one day God may relieve you from your suffering here on earth, or if you will die hungry and poor.
I have been there my dearest people. I have been there spiritually not physically. I have been spiritually impoverished, outside of the grace of the Holy Spirit. I have gone through the rubbish of this world searching for peace and something to save my soul, only to find rotten food not fit for a dog. I have sat outside the banquet, starving, trying to find a way in through all the wrong means. I have wept many nights out of sadness and pity for my wretched soul. I was bitter and angry because of my situation, searching and rummaging through the garbage heap of this world. Often times wandering aimlessly in my quest for spiritual food only to find a mirage, an illusion.
Eventually I was allowed into the banquet to eat and to drink. Because I have been without, I take nothing for granted. I know what it is like to be without food, to be hopeless and I know what it is like to have this beautiful gift. Before I was without, now I have the body and blood or our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ. This is not culture, this is not symbolic, and it certainly is not something that comes second to anything else, God is life. To be without salvation and see those who have always had access to it, be ungracious and ungrateful, is an insult to truth and to God. Imagine being so poor you cannot even eat. Imagine eating from the leftovers in the trash of others. Imagine begging others for food. Then imagine being let into a large banquet only to see the people completely ungrateful for what they have, over eating and wasting without care. Would you not think: “These people are ungrateful, for they do not know what it is to be without. This is disrespectful!”
My brothers and sisters, I see in many cradle Orthodox many wonderful things. However I often see a people that do not understand the gift they have been given in Orthodoxy. I see a people seemingly unaware of the truth in Orthodoxy. I see women approaching our Lord in immodest attire. Many seem not to care if they are late, if even show up at all, but when a bishop arrives everyone is not just on time but early. Why is this? We not only see Christ at every liturgy we celebrate, we consume him. Is the servant greater than the master? Did this bishop save us from our sins? Why then is it more important to be to liturgy early when a bishop is coming and not for Christ? Believe me, to go without is hell. Imagine being outside of salvation, wether you know it or not, your soul is well aware. You have a gift. You are not starving spiritually and as long as you remain inside you never will. Know and understand the precious gift you have always had and never let it go. Nothing in this world saves, nothing in this world feeds but what is within the walls of the House of God.
+Ioa+
Most Blessed Ioannes,
"...Blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear." (Matthew 13:16)
Pray for us to see our faith as you see it! We are weak, and we do not know what we possess.
✞✞✞
All of us have gone without food during our fasts. We all know what it is like to go without food. Do all of us know what it is like to be without food? Going without food, we know that we have food and will be feasting soon enough. But to be without food is to not have it and not know when we may have the means to get food. It is difficult to fast, physically we are drained, but we know that we will eat and that we have the means and therefore do not worry. Imagine how awful it must be for those who go without food and know not when they may have their next meal or scrap of food. What an awful life that must be, full of fear and sadness. No hope. Feeding on whatever may come your way, wether it be from garbage, homeless shelter, or from the hand of a generous brother. Not knowing if one day God may relieve you from your suffering here on earth, or if you will die hungry and poor.
I have been there my dearest people. I have been there spiritually not physically. I have been spiritually impoverished, outside of the grace of the Holy Spirit. I have gone through the rubbish of this world searching for peace and something to save my soul, only to find rotten food not fit for a dog. I have sat outside the banquet, starving, trying to find a way in through all the wrong means. I have wept many nights out of sadness and pity for my wretched soul. I was bitter and angry because of my situation, searching and rummaging through the garbage heap of this world. Often times wandering aimlessly in my quest for spiritual food only to find a mirage, an illusion.
Eventually I was allowed into the banquet to eat and to drink. Because I have been without, I take nothing for granted. I know what it is like to be without food, to be hopeless and I know what it is like to have this beautiful gift. Before I was without, now I have the body and blood or our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ. This is not culture, this is not symbolic, and it certainly is not something that comes second to anything else, God is life. To be without salvation and see those who have always had access to it, be ungracious and ungrateful, is an insult to truth and to God. Imagine being so poor you cannot even eat. Imagine eating from the leftovers in the trash of others. Imagine begging others for food. Then imagine being let into a large banquet only to see the people completely ungrateful for what they have, over eating and wasting without care. Would you not think: “These people are ungrateful, for they do not know what it is to be without. This is disrespectful!”
My brothers and sisters, I see in many cradle Orthodox many wonderful things. However I often see a people that do not understand the gift they have been given in Orthodoxy. I see a people seemingly unaware of the truth in Orthodoxy. I see women approaching our Lord in immodest attire. Many seem not to care if they are late, if even show up at all, but when a bishop arrives everyone is not just on time but early. Why is this? We not only see Christ at every liturgy we celebrate, we consume him. Is the servant greater than the master? Did this bishop save us from our sins? Why then is it more important to be to liturgy early when a bishop is coming and not for Christ? Believe me, to go without is hell. Imagine being outside of salvation, wether you know it or not, your soul is well aware. You have a gift. You are not starving spiritually and as long as you remain inside you never will. Know and understand the precious gift you have always had and never let it go. Nothing in this world saves, nothing in this world feeds but what is within the walls of the House of God.
+Ioa+
Amen. Amen. Amen!
"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit Who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God." - 1 Corinthians 2:12
"...to be spiritually minded is life and peace." - Romans 8:6