“Build up the temple of God, not only within ourselves, but also in our neighbors, and thus we fulfill the purpose for which God brought us into this life.”  

- Archimandrite Zacharias, The Engraving of Christ in Man’s Heart, pg 18.

Reflection: 

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”(1)

We are created in God’s image, and when we unite ourselves to Christ through Holy Baptism and Chrismation, we are sealed with the Grace of the Holy Spirit.  

The seed of the Holy Spirit is placed in our hearts, with the full potential to grow, if we choose to live close to Christ in our lives. 

The more we depend on God, pray, attend Church, participate in the sacraments, read Scripture, and invite Christ into each moment of our day - we build up the temple of God within ourselves. 

We build up the temple of God in others when we listen to St Paul’s words:

“If a person is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”(2)

In these final days of Great and Holy Lent and Holy Week, let us build up the temple of God both within us and in our neighbors so that we may approach our Lord’s Passion, Cross, and Resurrection with love and humility.  

Resources:

1) 1 Corinthians 3:16

2) Galatians 6:1-3

“Our society teaches us an aggressive autonomy, a self-serving logic of our time which is a dead-end both socially and personally.”

- Archimandrite Zacharias, The Hidden Man of the Heart, pg 180.

Reflection:

Do you ever notice when you do something that benefits only you, the reward is short-lived?  But for some reason, when we give and sacrifice for others, the rewards are many and long lasting.

The way of Christ and His presence in the world overturns human standards and values.(1) He shows us that giving and sacrifice is the kind of love we are created to express. 

In a society and world where we are often out for ourselves, Christ our God reminds us that we are created and designed for love: loving both God and neighbor.(2)  We are designed for community. 

The way of Christ, His Gospel, can heal our self-centeredness and pride.(3) While we may not suffer physical crucifixion for our Faith, we do sometimes ‘crucify’ our minds.  In other words, we sacrifice our ego, our selfishness, in order to love God and others. 

To begin to ‘crucify’ our mind is to overcome the desire to exercise authority over anyone, and instead be ready to serve others.

Let us pray for the strength and wisdom to crucify our ego, so that we may express our love for God and neighbor through giving and sacrifice.  This is what brings people together, and shows us our purpose in God’s will.

Resources:

1) Archimandrite Zacharias, The Hidden Man of the Heart, pg 177

2) Luke 10:26-28 ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’

3) Archimandrite Zacharias, The Hidden Man of the Heart, pg 180

 “The keys that open the door to the deepest part of our heart are:

          1) Meditating on the teaching of the Gospel,

      2) Calling upon the Name of the Lord,

          3) Partaking of the sacrament of Holy Communion.”

- Archimandrite Zacharias, The Hidden Man of the Heart, pg 210.

Reflection:

Do we wish to grow and realize our worth and purpose this Lent?  We must open our hearts through the foundations of Scripture, prayer, and Holy Communion.

Within the deepest parts of our heart is the Gift of the Holy Spirit from our Baptism and the Image of God that we all are created in.(1) We sometimes cloud that image with our prideful thinking or our mistakes. Lent is here to guide us back to a pure heart in Christ.

Through Scripture we come to know God’s voice, through prayer we deepen our love for Him, and through Holy Confession and Holy Communion we are united in Liturgy to Christ our God in the most unique way in all creation. 

Christ reminds us, "Abide in Me, and I in you...If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples."(2)

Let us utilize the foundations that Christ offers us through the Church, so that we may abide in Him and He in us, preparing ourselves with open humble hearts for His glorious Resurrection!

Resources:

1) Creation of Humanity 2) John 15

“When we thank God for the blessings in life and the Saints, especially thanking Him for His Mother the Panagia, it is like celebrating our own liturgy before God, similar to the Divine Liturgy”

-Archimandrite Zacharias, The Engraving of Christ in Man’s Heart, Pg 293

Reflection:

When we give thanks and glory (doxology) to God, we offer a kind of ‘liturgy’ to Him.

Holy Communion is referred to also as the Eucharist, and we are reminded that the Saints sometimes refer to the Divine Liturgy as “Η Θεἰα Ευχαριστἰα” (Theia Eucharistia) The Divine ‘Thanksgiving’.  The common root word here referring to giving thanks.  

In the Divine Liturgy, God’s creation (Wheat, wine, water) we transform with our hands into bread, and offer it back to Him.  As we kneel during the consecration of the Gifts, we chant: “We hymn you, we bless You, We give thanks to You (σοὶ εὐχαριστοῦµεν Soi eucharistoumen - same root word), and we pray to you, our God.”  

God then blesses and sanctifies our offering through His Holy Spirit to transform it into His Body and Blood for our sanctification and union with Him, while remaining also bread, wine, and water.  

We have a similar opportunity to live liturgically each day, when we choose to give thanks. Our thoughts, words, and actions can be like small 'liturgies', taking what God gives us, transforming it to our best ability, and offering it back to Him so He may bless it further.

God gives us His creation: our skills, possessions, time, and opportunities, and we transform these things into something more(1) - offer it back to Him in gratitude - and then He blesses these things offering us even more beauty in life than we could ever imagine.   Human beings are liturgical by nature. Our daily lives take after the Divine Liturgy; we live the ‘liturgy after the Divine Liturgy’. When we make the effort to constantly multiply and transform our God-given abilities and possessions to their fullest potential, thanking God for them, to the glory of God and love of neighbor, we will see that He will bless our lives and those around us with His peace and joy.

Resources:

1) Parable of the Talents

“God forbid that I should boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” - Galatians 6:14

Reflection: 

St Paul tells us the only thing he would boast of is the Cross of Christ, Christ’s sacrifice of unconditional love for all humanity - our Salvation.  What do we boast of or take pride in? Do we ‘put ourselves first’ in an unhealthy way (at all costs) disregarding Christ and everyone around us? Unfortunately our society preaches this kind of superiority.

“We pick up our Cross when we forsake our ego. To society we may seem weak, but this ‘patience of the Saints’ is an incredible strength unmatched by the world, and which alone has and can change the world.”(1)

St Paul says, “For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?”(2) Every talent, every ability, every breath we take, our very existence, are gifts from God. 

When we recognize that all of our accomplishments are due to the gifts and capabilities God has given us, how could we boast of anything as if it is solely our own doing, rather than thank God for His power and mercy in the sacrifice of the Cross?

Boasting in the Cross is prioritizing, thinking, and acting in humility and unconditional love for everyone.  When we boast in the Cross and the Cross only, we experience the joy(3) of the Resurrection in our lives daily.

We have trouble finding authentic joy in our lives because we do not have the Resurrection of Christ in our hearts.  We do not have the Resurrection of Christ, because we do not have the Cross of Christ. We do not have the Cross of Christ, because we do not want the responsibility of the Cross, the responsibility of the Faith.(4)  The responsibility and accountability of loving God and neighbor while keeping a healthy self-worth, does not disregard others. 

When St Paul says the world is crucified to him and he to the world, he means that he takes on the pain of those around him in empathy(5), and sacrifices himself for God and neighbor.  We are to do as Christ did for us, for everyone - those who love us and those who hate us.

Let us boast in the unconditional sacrifice of the Cross of Christ by living a humble loving way uniting ourselves with Christ, so that we may experience the freedom of authentic joy and peace of the Resurrection both in this life and the life to come, Amen. 

Resources:

1)  Vassilios Papavassiliou, Meditations for the 12 Great Feasts, pg 26. 

2) 1 Corinthians 4

3) “The joy felt when one receives is a human joy. However, the joy felt when one gives is a divine joy."  -St Paisios the Athonite, Passions and Virtues, Volume V. pg 305

4) Archimandrite Georgios, Monastery of Gregoriou Mt Athos, Ομιλίες σε Ακίνητες Δεσποτικές και Θεομητορικές Εορτές (των ετών 1981-1991) Α' (Άδετο) , Pg 28

5)  Empathy vs Sympathy YouTube Video

“The ‘weakness’ of God’s humble love and of His wisdom is ‘stronger than men’ because it saves every human being by drawing them near without terrifying them, without constraining their natural gift of free will...this humble love of God is manifested in Christ’s self-emptying, in which the Cross holds central place.” 

- The Engraving of Christ in Man’s Heart, pg 345

Reflection: 

God draws us to Him through the humble love of the Holy Cross(1), so it is through this way that we grow closer to God and to our neighbor.  The mindset and way of the Cross is foreign to much of our society, remaining a stumbling block(2) and seen as foolishness(3) for many.  

“Our society teaches us an aggressive autonomy, a self-serving logic of our time which is a dead-end both socially and personally. Crucifixion of the mind is especially helpful today since it can heal our self-centeredness and pride.”(4) To begin to ‘crucify’ our mind is to overcome the desire to exercise authority over anyone, and instead be ready to serve others.

Do we notice that we are freely, naturally, and joyfully drawn toward someone when they help us or serve us?  We are drawn toward them because we recognize Christ in their actions. This is the Orthodox Christian mindset of the Cross, Crucifixion of the heart and mind; to give of ourselves and love God and neighbor spontaneously and unconditionally as Christ did for us.  St Paisios describes this mindset in his definition of Philotimo, see below.(5)

As difficult as it is to sacrifice for and unconditionally love others who treat us well, it is even more difficult to unconditionally sacrifice for and love those who are our enemies; who curse, hate, spitefully use or persecute us. Nonetheless, Christ tells us to, “Love our enemies” by blessing, doing good, and praying for them.(6) 

Following Christ’s example means loving our enemies too, for “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’(7) Even when humanity mistreated Christ our God, He still died for us to save us. When we are mistreated, we are called by Christ to love them, to bless, do good, and pray for them.  

Every time we sacrifice, do good, pray, and love unconditionally and spontaneously for anyone regardless of how they treat us, we are taking up our Cross, and following Him.(8) It is then that we are co-crucified with Christ(9); Christ suffered for us, He has been in our pain and suffered unjustly. When we join Him on the Cross, He helps and guides us toward the eternal joy and peace of His Kingdom while here in this life.    

Resources: 

1)  Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is on September 14th

2) 1 Corinthians 1

3) 1 Corinthians 1

4) The Hidden Man of the Heart, Pg 180

5) “The spontaneous, self-sacrificing, love shown by humble people, from whom every trace of self has been filtered out, full of gratitude towards God and neighbor.  Philotimo comes from a deep, abiding connection with God, so that one is constantly moved to do and seek that which is good, right, and honorable. Out of spiritual sensitivity, such people forget all that they give, but remember even the slightest good that others do to them, and repay it 100 fold.” Explanation of Philotimo, our Orthodox Disposition of Heart

6) Matt 5:43-48 Love Your Enemies

7) Romans 5

8) Luke 9:23 “let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

9) Galatians 2

 “Our preparation before the Liturgy is our cultivation of the gift God gave us to become a Christian.”

- Archimandrite Zacharias, The Engraving of Christ in Man’s Heart, pg 35 

Reflection: 

Our primary offering is the preparation of our heart, our inward disposition, reflective of our relationship with God and one another that we bring to God and the Church. It is a gift to Christ and the community.  Our heart is the starting point, from where all of our God-given gifts flow. 

How do we achieve such a heart so that we may then cultivate our gifts?

“One way of preparing is by praying on our own for a period of time before the Liturgy, and then going to Church with our heart full of warmth, faith, love, hope, in expectation of the Lord’s mercy, and full of spiritual dispositions.” 

St Nikodemos reminds us that we must prepare ourselves for the Holy Eucharist by “forgiving our enemies, being reconciled with those who have wronged us, and putting away all hate...so that we approach the Holy Mysteries with a clean conscience.”  This is according to our Lord’s commandment, that we must clear our hearts before approaching the Altar, otherwise we restrict ourselves from the fullness of God’s grace.  

We must examine our thoughts, words, and deeds throughout the week. Our daily actions prepare us for the Divine Liturgy, soften or harden our heart, and determine the success of our cultivation of our God-given gifts. We must strive for and remember to ask for God’s help in prayer, with the assistance of our Spiritual Father, to achieve an authentically ‘clear conscience’ - pure heart through our life in the Church.

We begin to truly cultivate our God-given gifts when we approach every moment as we do the Holy Eucharist, with a clear conscience: without anger or resentment toward anyone, but love, peace, and joy, through repentance.  When we take steps to achieve a pure heart, our God given gifts will become even more evident.

Let us continually cultivate the gift of our heart as best we can, for our participation in the Divine Liturgy, for the glory of God and for the building up of our neighbor, so that we may be in communion with Christ and with the gifts of the other members of the Body of Christ.

Resources:

1) Archimandrite Zacharias, The Engraving of Christ in Man’s Heart, pg 35

2) St Nikodemos Resource Page

3) Rev. Fr. George Dokos, Made for Union, pg 133.

4) Matthew 5:23-24

5) 2 Corinthians 13:5

6) Matthew 5:8

7) Matthew 5:22

8) 1 Corinthians 7:7

9) Ephesians 3

 “As members of one Body, each is responsible for the health of the whole Body... to reconcile when a neighbor has no peace with us, even when we are not to blame.”

- Arch. Zacharias, Remember Thy First Love, pg 295. 

Reflection: 

We are all members of Christ’s Body, the Church(1). As members of the Body of Christ, we are responsible to live our life in Christ, through Whom we are transfigured into our best-most authentic self.  We continually grow through repentance, for the health of the entire Body of Christ.  

St Paul reminds us, “If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.”(2)  Do we consider and interact with everyone around us, and those we encounter even online, in this manner? 

Christ tells us that in order to live a life in Him, we must first reconcile with our brother(3) (neighbor). We cannot truly offer our lives to God, while holding resentment.  Forgiveness(4), our hearts being at peace with one another, is necessary in order for us to authentically offer anything to God, to truly love Him and our neighbor. 

Archimandrite Zachariah reminds us, that even when people have something against us regardless of whether it is justified or not, our Lord wants us to follow His example and do what we can to bring peace between us and our neighbor. 

In a time when tensions are high, we may slip into judging and experiencing harsh feelings toward others. Christ, His Gospel, and our responsibility for the Body of Christ do not pause for any season, nor offer exceptions for any event during the year.  Christ is the only Truth.(5)

We are accountable and responsible for every word, deed or even thought - no matter how that word, deed or thought is expressed. We must be the light of Christ in the world, which so desperately needs His love and peace. 

Let us strive to release any resentment from our own hearts through our repentance and confession(6), so that we may bring peace to others and be able, with assuredness and authenticity, to offer our prayers and lives to God with a pure heart.  

Resources:

1) 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

2) 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

3) Matthew 5:23-24

4) One Example of Forgiveness

5) John 14:6

6) On Confession and Repentance