Reflections

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 “…If it is the Lord’s will, we will do this or that.” (James 4:15)

We plan things and speak in certainty as if we have control of the future. We speak of the future as if we are immortal. We often forget that life is fragile and the unexpected can happen anytime without warning.

Dear friends, always say God willing, when you plan to do this or that. Life is unpredictable. We hope things will go as planned, but there is never a guarantee.

St. James wrote, “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know that will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15)

May God bless you.

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Christ our God, at all times and in every hour, you are worshipped and glorified in heaven and on earth. Long in patience, great in mercy and compassion, you love the righteous and show mercy to the sinners. You call all to salvation through the promise of good things to come. Lord, receive my prayer at the present time. Direct my life according to your commandments. Sanctify my soul. Purify my body. Set my mind aright. Cleanse my thoughts and deliver me from all sorrow, evil and distress. Surround me with your holy angels that, guarded and guided by you, we may arrive at the unity of faith and the understanding of your ineffable glory. For you are blessed to the ages of ages.

Amen.

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St. Gregory the Theologian, from the Paschal Orations
Yesterday I was crucified with Him; today I am glorified with Him.
Yesterday I died with Him; Today I am made alive with Him.
Yesterday I was buried with Him; today I am raised up with Him.
Let us offer to Him Who suffered and rose again for us…ourselves, the possession most precious to God and most proper.
Let us become like Christ, since Christ became like us.
Let us become divine for His sake, since for us He became man.
He assumed the worse that He might give us the better.
He became poor that by His poverty we might become rich.
He accepted the form of a servant that we might win back our freedom.
He came down that we might be lifted up.
He was tempted that through Him we might conquer.
He was dishonored that He might glorify us.
He died that He might save us.
He ascended that He might draw to Himself we who were thrown down through the fall of sin.
Let us give all, offer all, to Him who gave Himself as a ransom and reconciliation for us.
We needed an incarnate God, a God put to death, that we might live.
We were put to death together with Him that we might be cleansed.
We rose again with Him because we were put to death with Him.
We were glorified with Him because we rose again with Him.

“اليـوم يـوم القيـامـة، فلنحتـفـل بالـعـيـد ونُقبّـل بعضُنـا بعضًا بقـبلـة السـلام ونسـمـّي إخـوةً الـذين يكـرهـوننـا ولـيس فقـط الـذين خـدمـونـا وتـألـمـوا من أجلنـا. لنصفـح عـن كـل شيء فـي القيـامـة، أنـا أَغـفـر لكـم فـرض المسـؤوليـة علـيّ (يعني الأسقفية) وانتم اغفروا لي تأخّري… تخلّفت عن خدمة السر فترة فحصتُ فيها نفسي. والآن أعود في هذا اليوم البهيّ لأتغلّب على تردّدي وضعفـاتي. وأرجو أن يجدّدني القائم من بين الأموات بالروح ويُلبسني الانسان الجديد ويدفعني الى خليقته الجديدة عاملا جيدًا مستعدًا للموت مع المسيح والقيام معه…
أمس كنتُ مصلوبًا مع المسيح، اليوم أُمَجّد معه. أمس متُّ مع المسيح، اليوم أحيا معه. أمس دُفنت مع المسيح، اليوم أَخرج معه من القبر… لنقدّم للمسيح ذواتنا: هذه هي أثمن تقدمة في عيني الله والأقرب اليه. لنردّ الى صورته ما هو على شبهه… لنفهم قوة هذا السرّ وسبب موت المسيح.
لنصِر مثل المسيح بما أن المسيح صار مثلنا. لنصِرْ آلهة من أجله بما انه صار إنسانًا من أجلنا. أَخذ الأسوأ ليعطينا الأفضل. أفقر ذاته ليُغنينا بفقره. أخذ صورة عبد لنحصل على الحرية. وضعَ نفسَه ليرفعنا، جُرّب ليشهد انتصارنا. قبِل الإهانة ليُظللنا بالمجد، مات ليخلّصنا. صعد الى السماء ليجذبنا اليه نحن الذين تمرّغنا في الخطيئة. لنقدّم كل شيء الى من أعطى ذاته فديةً عنّا. لن نعطي أبدًا تقدمة أعظم من أنفسنا إن فهمنا هذا السر وصرنا من أجله ما صار من أجلنا”.

President Donald Trump The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, DC 20500

Mr. President,

I greet you and your family including your grandchildren with the same greeting that the angels gave the shepherds during this holy season, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.” (Luke 8:14) Peace on earth is an uncomplicated concept, with an unfortunately complicated means of achievement. Our people, the people of Palestine and the Middle East, have faced homelessness for the last 60 years, but never gave up on their jewel, the city of Jerusalem. They all prayed, as I have, that the holy city of Jerusalem will gather them as t he hen gathers her brood, under the shelter of her wings. Your recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on Wednesday, December 6 was a nuclear bomb that devastated all hope and aspirations for a t wo-st ate solution and for permanent peace in that troubled land.

Neither Jews, nor Palestinians were happy to hear this news. The only ones who were strengthened were members of the right wing political party of Benjamin Netanyahu. We urge you to rescind those remarks and impose a deadline for a negotiation for a peaceful resolution between Israelis and Palestinians. It is in your power to do so. Furthermore, it is your duty as our representative to t he world to uphold the impartial status of the United States of America as a negot iati ngparty and as an example of freedom, liberty, and democracy in the world. On behalf of everyone in our community, we hope that you will rescind this order. We wish you and your family all the good things t hat the impending birth of Christ will bring to this world.

Father George Shalhoub

Pastor of the Antiochian Basilica of St. Mary

Beloved,

This Thanksgiving season marks our 45th anniversary of being part of the most wonderful community and family in a church that houses us all. Over these last 45 years, we have done what our faith calls us to do—have a conversation about Thanksgiving, not just the holiday, but truly giving thanks. Those many years ago, we drove from Toledo to Detroit, one week married and one day a priest on February 6, 1972? For what? To be a parish priest. But how? I didn’t know. Was there a community? I wasn’t sure. Was there a building? No. Was there a place for us to sleep or hold church services? No. How many people were there? About a dozen families all with the same desire—to do what God wants us to do— build a church. For 45 years, we expressed loyalty, for it is the core of love, to be lived in season and out of season. Loyalty stands by prayer and prayer strengthens and invites us to live and trust in God, unconditionally.

For the first ten years, I went through two major adjustments. Being married to my wife, Nouhad and being married to our parish. Both adjustments went hand in hand. Often, we suffered from a lack of communication, arguing about what to do, who was right and who gets to make the decisions. We argued over money, especially when there was none to be found. But, during all this arguing we learned to adjust and keep going. It wasn’t all about me, but about the Body of Christ, the community- it was about and still is about the One we came to serve, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Who led the way and took us from the valleys where we were wanderers and directed us home. As I remember from my earliest memory, my mother always told me that no matter the circumstances, the promise of the Lord; “He is always with us until the end of time.” (Matthew 28:20)

Today, our conversation is about Thanksgiving and the gratitude we have to the others that came before us. Who were these others? They were your grandfathers and grandmothers, your parents, and aunts and uncles. Many of you who were small children when I first arrived are now parents, and even grandparents. What makes all our relationships strong is the belief that miracles happen when we work together. As St. Paul says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith…” (Hebrews 12:1-2) Where we are today, as a community and as a family is a reminder of what Isaac Newton once said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” We owe much to those who have gone before us, who led us personally and to the current children and grandchildren of those giants.

This cloud of witnesses has always been strong, and in those early days, the giant shoulders belonged to formidable people. But in my interactions with them, I came alive and found my voice. “You know you are truly alive when you are living among lions,” says K. Blixen. We are to make our shoulders available for future generations. How can this be done? We can do all things as long as we guard and nurture the mustard seed of faith, through prayer which produces kindness, and kindness which produces gratitude, for gratitude will always lead to the kingdom of God. St. Basil reminds us, “A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship and he who plants kindness gathers love.” We need to be mindful that the grace of our Lord is among us, for Thanksgiving does not happen once a year, but every Sunday as we partake in the Holy Eucharist, for the eucharist means to give thanks.

As we come together, as the community of St. Mary’s Basilica, we give thanks to God, who sent us to each other, to gather love and reap friendship. Our hearts are filled with thanks giving-with gratitude to our own community. Gratitude is a medicine for the soul that expands the good things in life and helps us endure the difficult things with dignity and honor. Thomas Rosich once wrote, “The more thankful a person is, the richer he or she is within. Thankful people store up in their grateful memory all the good experiences of the past.” An Arabic proverb states, “Gratitude is the heart’s memory.” We are here today because we stood firm in faith.

After 45 years, we give thanks to you and above all to the Lord Who made us grow and achieve, and He gave us a house of prayer to praise His Holy Name. These past 45 years has been made possible by prayer and supplication. We all give thanks to the Lord and the Church of His Mother, the Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary. Our cup has always been full, even running over.
May you all have a blessed Thanksgiving, you are in our prayers; today and always.

Fr. George and Nouhad Shalhoub

Beloved,

The Basilica of St. Mary, its clergy, parishioners and
entire community are not only shocked, but numb and
appalled by the senseless mass shooting in Orlando, Florida
on June 12, 2016.

We condemn the use of weapons of mass destruction.
Lest we forget, we invaded Iraq under the pretense of
mass destruction to avoid the destruction of the entire region.
Yet, we have legalized these weapons for use by the average citizen.

We condemn, in the strongest term, Jihadists, whether they are
American or not, whether they are here or abroad. Terrorism is
not far off. It is on the doorstep on our nation.
Therefore, we must call on our President, Congressmen,
Senators and the entire free world to outlaw the sale of weapons
of mass destruction.

This week, we are awaiting the celebration, once again, of the
Feast of Pentecost where the Holy Spirit descends upon the Disciples and
gave birth to our Holy Church. We pray for healing. We pray for renewal.
We pray for God’s mercy to embrace humanity, to comfort the victim’s families
and the community of Orlando, Florida.

We urge for the elimination, from the face of the earth, this cancer of
terrorism and call upon all people to not only pray for peace, but to be
peacemakers themselves.

As people of God, created in His image and likeness, we refuse to live
in fear. So in the midst of this tragedy, we as Christians choose not to
focus on the criminal, but to focus on God Who is the source of
hope and love to overcome fear and uncertainty.

Prayerfully Yours,

Fr. George Shalhoub

Reflection for Mother’s Day
By: Fr. George Shalhoub
May 8, 2016

This Sunday, our nation will honor and pay tribute to Mothers by setting aside a day to say thank you with cards, flowers or lunch, which in my own opinion, is shortchanging the dignity and honor of what she represents to humanity. Nonetheless, my children and I will honor my wife and their mother.

Motherhood is God’s greatest creation, as stated in the Book of Genesis, for even the Son of God, Jesus Christ, was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in the Theotokos’ womb. She is our teacher, our mentor and our treasure.

So, this Sunday I shall pray for all mothers that God strengthen their faith and give them patience and wisdom. For those who are in heaven, we send them our gratitude and love.

I also will celebrate Mother’s Day, who departed this life some 30 years ago, by sending my mother a letter:

Dear Mom,

I am writing this letter as I reflect on what you meant to me on and how you shaped my life, not only Mother’s Day, but throughout the years. This is not being sent by email, Twitter, Facebook or text, but through a prayer; for the shortest distance between heaven and earth is nothing more than a prayer.
So, my prayer is one of gratitude for the way you instructed me, and my brothers and sisters, to walk honorably and never cause you heartaches, even though as a child I was mischievous. And when you spanked and reprimanded me, you embraced me with your arms and pushed me to your heart. You reminded me how much I matter, not only to myself, but to my friends and neighbors.
You taught me how to pray, not by reading the Bible, but by the way you lived the Bible. I found out later on you did not know how to read or write. Not one day passed without you blessing me and reminding me to bless myself. Going to church with you was an adventure as we partook in the wonderful banquet of the Lord’s Table.
I never forgot your tears when I disappointed you. When I fell, you raised me up. When I doubted myself, you reassured me. When I felt insignificant, you reminded me that I am a child of the Most-High God. You always said the world was awaiting me to be a servant of the Lord and my community. I remember the tears that flowed from your eyes when I was sent/volunteered to go from Hama, Syria to Lebanon to attend the Balamand Seminary, as the Bishop requested. I thought I was going to summer camp and I wondered why you were so sad. Now I know. Your tears sustained me when I was alone and frightened. Your tears assured me that tears is the ultimate love.

Someone once wrote:
They say memories are golden
Well maybe that’s true
But I never wanted memories
I only wanted you.
A million times I’ve needed you
A million times I’ve cried If love alone could have saved you
You never would have died.
In life I loved you dearly
In death I love you still
In my heart you hold a special place
No one could ever fill.
If tears could build a staircase
And heartache build a lane
I’d walk the path to heaven
And bring you back again.
To hear your voice, to see your smile
To sit and talk with you awhile
To be with you the same old way
Would be my fondest wish today
(anonymous)
So, today I bow before the altar of your heart to thank you; for you have taught me how to forgive, how to always be strong, to be humble, to be persistent, yet gentle. You taught me to be ambitious, yet never greedy, and to never go alone, for success or failure is more meaningful when it is shared with others.

Pray for me, my children and family, as you sit on the right hand of the Lord, that our family continues to have peace and for our community to produce holy mothers such as you.. Keep us under the shelter of your love.

Your Son,
Hanna (Fr. George)

Beloved,

I know for a fact that within a few days the New Year will be knocking at each and every one of our doors. Many will go to parties and celebrate, others will stay home and many of our beloved will be spending their New Year’s Eve in refugee camps, in dilapidated homes or going to church that has lost its roof by the bombings. The news in our city of Detroit will be even more frightening with another person or child being murdered.

When I drove to church on Sunday, December 27^th, much to my sadness, I noticed Christmas trees already piled on both sides of the road; thrown away, a sign that Christmas is over. The celebration of lights and songs will soon be dimmed and removed.

2015 has passed and 2016 is within our reach. I will not give you advice as to what your resolution should be, but I will sit down and reflect on my resolution for the New Year. For the 66 years that I have lived, the New Year did not mean much to me, but Christmas did. For Christmas, to me, is a constant reminder that God’s love is steady and irrevocable. It fills my heart so I will be ready to face the world at any time.

I promise to be a better pastor, a better husband and a better dad and grandfather in the coming year. But I pray that I can face all my challenges with courage and confidence to be faithful to my household, which is my first church, and to the larger household, which is the family and community of St. Mary’s.

If my resolution is based in my faith, in Christ and His Holy Church, I will always know my salvation is near, even if I did not lose the weight I wanted For this reason, I make my own resolution because the only one I can change is myself. “If anyone is in Christ, he/she is a new creation. The old has gone and the new has come.”  (II Corinthians 5:17)

So the New Year comes to give me new opportunities and fresh hope to stay the course, to forgive, to reconcile, and to leave behind all the worries and tragedies of the world because the New Year will give us its own tragedy and worries. So, if I live in the New Year, I live for the Lord and if the Lord is with us, who can be against us.

Our most powerful asset, as Orthodox Christians, is our prayers. I can only recommend to you to make a new resolution to spend 5 minutes every day praying for peace, your nation, your church and your family. And in return, I will always keep you in my prayers.

So I pray that God’s love and blessings will come to all so growth and success will be from the Lord.

 

Blessed New Year to all.

Fr. George Shalhoub

 

New Year Prayer

Christ our Lord, You who provide the rains and fruitful seasons, and hear the prayers
of those who humbly seek You, accept also our requests about our needs
and concerns and deliver us from worry, danger and sin.
Your mercies are as abundant as Your works. Bless all our activities, direct our steps by
Your Holy Spirit, and forgive’ our shortcomings. Lord, bless the year with Your goodness
and make it a year of grace for all of us.  Give peace to the world, especially the Middle East,

our nation and cities and above all, our homes. O Lord, Creator of all things,
who by Your authority have established times and seasons,
bless the beginning of our Church year with Your goodness; preserve Your people in peace,
and through the intercessions of the Theotokos, save us.

Amen.

Someone once said, when asked why they find it so important to attend church regularly, that they go to church because for them; “The church is where I find my reality.”  Wow…what a statement.  Not only is that comment full of humilty…but also full of truth! 

For us, as Christians, the simple truth…is that we believe our true reality is that we were created to be with God.  But, because sin entered the world…we fall short of being able to participate fully in that reality. 

But, when we come to church…we believe that we truly do enter into the joy of heaven, and fully have the opportunity to commune with our God.  And we believe that this is made possible to us because of God’s ultimate love for us in sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ…that whoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)  This is our true reality!

And we believe that, as Christians, we have the opportunity…and the duty…to reflect that heavenly joy to others around us. 

In Matthew 5:14 & 16, Jesus said in the sermon on the mount; ” You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden…Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”  All of us, who are baptised Christians, are called by Christ, Himself, to  be the light of Christ to the whole world.

But that means that in order for our lights to shine in this darkened and cruel world…our lights need to be bright!  And the place we come to learn how to keep our lights bright…is in church.  

We live in a world where people seem to want to do everything possible to tear others down.  We even see this among friends and family sometimes.  But for some reason, people like to look for the weakness in others…or a possible flaw that someone else has.  And when they find it…they are quick to point out that weakness or flaw…in a mean spirited attempt to make the other person feel bad,or in an attempt to make themselves feel superior.  This human behavior doesn’t make sense, but we’ve all experienced it.  And nothing positive really ever comes from it.  All it does it creates what is commonly referred to as drama.  It creates hurt feelings,  it creates broken trust between family and friends, and it ultimately creates sadness. 

But as Christians, we’re called to a higher standard.  And we learn about this standard by coming to church.  St. Paul says in his letter to the Philippians, that we are called to be humble before those around us…not arrogant and quick to point out weakness…but that we should be quick to build each other up…and that we should regard those around us as even better than ourselves. (Phil 2:3)   Because the result of such action is a true reflection of God’s love, which creates healthy relationships, and which brings joy to others around us.  This should be our reality.  And this is the reality we find in church. 

In Matthew 5:19, Christ said that for those who do and teach the Will of God to others, they will be great in the kingdom of heaven.  And as an example of this, the church commemorates individuals (saints, martyrs, church fathers and mothers)  who not only helped to uphold the teachings of the church throughout history, but helped to define the meaning of our faith over a period of four centuries (325-787).  These individuals were teachers, and although they all lived at different times throughout history, they are examples to us of the Christian way of life.  They were spiritual lights to the world, and beacons of humanity for all of  us.  They combined both practice and theory, and whatever they taught, they also put into practice.  And according to St. Francis of Assisi, we don’t need to be scholars or great theologians in order to accomplish this command from Christ.  St.Francis says that, as Christians, we are called to preach and teach the gospel of Christ always…but only when necessary, are we to use words.  We need to be examples to others, and model the Christian way of life…by our actions…and not necessarily by our words only. 

As Christians, we have been given a great opportunity to share the light of Christ with others.  But we cannot do this unless our own lights are burning bright.  So let this become our reality.  Let our reality be to have God’s uncreated light always shine within us.   And let our reality be for God to fill us with understanding about His Holy church.  And let our reality be for us to endure our calling as Christians, so that we may be teachers and preachers  of truth, and so that we may be a beacon of light and reflection of heavenly joy to all those around us

Is Orthodoxy a Religion?
by Fr. John Romanides
This is an excerpt from the upcoming book Patristic Theology, The University Lectures of Father John Romanides, by Uncut Mountain Press.

Many are of the opinion that Orthodoxy is just one religion among many and that its chief concern is to prepare the mem-bers of the Church for life after death, securing a place in para-dise for every Orthodox Christian. Orthodox doctrine is pre-sumed to offer some additional guarantee, because it is Ortho-dox, and not believing in Orthodox dogma is seen as yet another reason for someone to go to Hell, besides his personal sins that would otherwise send him there. Those Orthodox Christians who believe that this describes Orthodoxy have associated Or-thodoxy exclusively with the afterlife. But in this life such peo-ple do not accomplish very much. They just wait to die, believ-ing that they will go to paradise for the simple reason that while they were alive they were Orthodox Christians.

Another section of the Orthodox is involved with and active in the Church, interested not in the next life, but chiefly in this life, here and now. What interests them is how Orthodoxy can help them to have a good life in the present. These Orthodox Christians pray to God, have priests say prayers for them, have their homes blessed with holy water, have services of supplica-tion sung, are anointed with oil, and so forth, all so that God will help them to enjoy life in the present: so that they do not get sick, so that their children find their place in society, so that their daughters are ensured a good dowry and a good groom, so that their boys find good girls to marry with good dowries, so that their work goes well, so that their businesses go well, even so that the stock market goes well, or the industry they work in, and so on. So we see that these Christians are not so very different from other people who follow other religions, for those people do the very same things.(1)

From what we have said, we can clearly see that Orthodoxy has two points in common with all other religions. First, it pre-pares believers for life after death, so that they will go to para-dise, whatever they imagine that to be. Second, Orthodoxy pro-tects them in this life so that they will not have to experience
sorrow, difficulties, disaster, sickness, war, and the like – in other words, so that God will take care of all their needs and de¬sires. Thus, for this second type of Orthodox Christian, religion plays a major role in the present life and on a daily basis at that.

But among all these Christians we have just discussed, who cares deep down whether God exists or not? Who really yearns for Him and seeks Him out? The question of God’s exis-tence does not even come up, since it is clearly better for God to exist, so that we can appeal to Him and ask Him to satisfy our needs, in order for our work to go well and for us to have some happiness in this life. As we can see, human beings have an ex-tremely strong predisposition to want God to exist and to believe that God exists, because we have a need for God to exist in order to ensure everything we have mentioned. Since we need God to exist, therefore, God exists. If people were not in need of a God and could take measures to ensure sufficiency for the necessities of life by some other means, then who knows how many would still believe in God. This is what happens in Greece as a rule.

So we see that many people who were previously indifferent to religion become religious towards the end of their lives, per-haps after some event that has frightened them. This happens because they feel that they cannot live any longer without ap-pealing to some god for help – that is, it is the result of supersti-tious beliefs. For these reasons, human nature encourages man to be religious. This holds true not only for Orthodox Christians, but also for adherents to all religions. Human nature is the same
everywhere. Since as a result of the Fall the human soul is now darkened, people are by nature inclined toward superstition.

Now the next question is this: Where does superstition stop and real belief begin?

The Fathers’ views and teachings on these matters are clear.  Consider first someone who follows, or rather thinks that he fol-lows the teachings of Christ, simply by going to Church every Sunday, communing at regular intervals, and having the priest bless him with water, anoint him with oil and so on, without ex-amining these things very closely.(2) Does this person who re-mains at the letter of the law, but does not enter into the spirit of the law, stand to gain anything of any account from Orthodoxy? Now consider someone who prays exclusively for the future life, for himself and for others, but is completely indifferent towards this life. Again, what particular benefit does such a person stand to gain from Orthodoxy? The former tendency can be seen in parish priests and those who flock around them with the attitude described above. The latter tendency can be seen in some elders in monasteries, usually retired archimandrites waiting to die, and the few monks who follow them. (3)
Since purification and illumination are not their main focus or concern, both these tendencies, from the viewpoint of the Fa¬thers, have set the wrong goals for themselves. But insofar as purification and illumination become their focus and the Ortho-dox asceticism of the Fathers is practiced with a view towards
attaining noetic prayer, then and only then can everything else be placed on a firm foundation. These two tendencies are exag-gerations that reflect two extremes and share no common core. But there is a common core, a structure that runs throughout Or¬thodoxy and holds it together. When we take into account this one core, this unique structure, then every subject that concerns Orthodoxy finds its proper place on a firm foundation. And this core is purification, illumination, and theosis.

What will happen to man after death was not an overriding concern for the Fathers. Their primary concern was what will man become in this life. After death, his nous cannot be treated. The treatment must begin in this life, because “in hades there is no repentance.”(4) This is why Orthodox theology is not outside of this world, futuristic, or eschatological, but is clearly grounded in this world, because Orthodoxy’s focus is man in this world and in this life, not after death.

Now why do we need purification and illumination? Is it so that we can go to Heaven and escape Hell? Is that why they are necessary? What are purification and illumination and why do Orthodox Christians want to attain them? In order to find the reason for this and to answer these questions, you need to have what Orthodox theology considers the basic key to these issues.

The basic key is the fact that, according to Orthodox theology, everyone throughout the world will finish their earthly course in the same way, regardless of whether they are Orthodox, Bud-dhist, Hindu, agnostic, atheist, or anything else. Everyone on earth is destined to see the glory of God. At the Second Coming of Christ, with which all human history ends, everyone will see the glory of God. And since all people will see God’s glory, they will all meet the same end. Truly, all will see the glory of God, but not in the same way – for some, the glory of God will be an exceedingly sweet Light that never sets; for others, the same glory of God will be like “a devouring fire” that will consume them. We expect this vision of God’s glory to occur as a real event. This vision of God – of His Glory and His Light – is something that will take place whether we want it to happen or not. But the experience of that Light will be different for both groups.
Therefore, it is not the Church’s task to help us see this glory, since that is going to happen anyway. The work of the Church and of her priests focuses on how we will experience the vision of God, and not whether we will experience the vision of God. The Church’s task is to proclaim to mankind that the true God exists, that He reveals Himself as Light or as a devouring fire, and that all of humanity will see God(5) at the Second Coming of Christ. Having proclaimed these truths, the Church then tries to prepare Her members so that on that day they will see God as Light, and not as fire.(6)

When the Church prepares her members and everyone who desires to see God as Light, She is essentially offering them a curative course of treatment that must begin and end in this life. The treatment must take place during this life and be brought to completion, because there is no repentance after death. This curative course of treatment is the very fiber of Orthodox tradi-tion and the primary concern of the Orthodox Church. It consists of three stages of spiritual ascent: purification from the passions, illumination by the grace of the Holy Spirit, and theosis, again by the grace of the Holy Spirit. We should also take note. If a believer does not reach a state of at least partial illumination in this life, he will not be able to see God as Light either in this life or in the next.(7)
It is obvious that the Church Fathers were interested in peo-ple as they are today at this moment. Every human being needs to be healed. Every human being is also responsible be-fore God to begin this process today in this life, because now is when it is possible, not after death. Everyone must decide for himself whether or not he will pursue this path of healing.

Christ said, “I am the Way.”(8) But where does this Way lead? Christ is not referring to the next life. Christ is primarily the Way in this life. Christ is the Way to His Father and our Fa¬ther. First, Christ reveals Himself to man in this life and shows him the path to the Father. This path is Christ Himself. If a man does not see Christ in this life, at least by sensing Him in his heart, he also will not see the Father or the Light of God in the life to come.(9)
NOTES:

(1) As we noted in the Prologue, Father John’s words are at times caustic.
(2) Of course, genuine Orthodox Christians do these same things and it is not wrong for them to desire to do them. The problem is when someone stagnates at this level.
(3) As a rule, this is seen when the spiritual father and his monks are not interested in hesychasm.
(4) St. John of Damascus, An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Book II, Chapter IV.
(5) Of course, all people have a partial experience of this vision of God immediately after the departure of the soul from the body at their biological death.
(6) “In the fire of revelation on the final day, the deeds of each will be tested by fire as Paul says. If what one has built up for himself is a work of incorruptibility, it will remain incorruptible in the midst of the fire and not only will it not be burned up, but it will be made radiant, totally purified of the perhaps small amount of filth…” St. Nikitas Stithatos, “On Spiritual Knowl¬edge,” §79, The Philokalia, vol. III, page 348 [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][in Greek] [in English, page 165].
(7) “We have fallen so far from the vision of Him, correspond¬ing to the dimness of our sight, since we have voluntarily de¬prived ourselves of His Light in this present life.” St. Symeon the New Theologian, Extant Works, Discourse 75 [in Greek].
(8) John 14:6.
(9) “…At Christ’s Second Coming, all mankind will be raised and will be judged according to their works. The sinners who
did not acquire spiritual eyes will not cease to exist. They will continue to exist ontologically as persons, but they will not par¬ticipate in God. The righteous will both participate in God and commune with Him. As Saint Maximos the Confessor teaches, the sinners will live with an ‘eternal lack of well being,’ while the righteous will live in a state of ‘eternal well being.’” Metro¬politan Hierotheos Vlachos, The Person in Orthodox Tradition (Levadia: Birth of the Theotokos Monastery, 1994), p. 162 [in Greek].[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]