Christ is Risen! I agree with you wholeheartedly, Father. I am a convert to Orthodoxy (2009) from Pentecostalism and I too was shocked at the Churches response. However, Glory to God for yourself and other priests like Father Spyridon Bailey - your online videos and teachings have reinforced my faith despite the current situation. I believe even more in the power of the Church and it's Holy Mysteries. May God grant you many years! In Christ, Tamara
Father, Bless. Thank you. Despite the confusion, it's heartening to hear the faith growing too, in people touched by the truth in Christ, spoken boldly. My heart hurts from the darkness that seems to be growing. But I also see the light that shines brighter and brighter, the darker things seem. Glory to God, for and through all things. Crist Sodhlice Aras!
Thank you Father for responding to my comment. I must apologize, I spoke while in a state of despair. While the actions of the local hierarchs has disappointed me, I also was inspired by the sermon of that priest in Athens, as well as by the actions of the parish near my family, which has continued holding services. I intend to return there, but I'm supposed to be starting a job in my current location. Please pray for me brothers and sisters, that I may find a way to become part of the body of Christ in these evil times. One can wait, and be patient, but the establishment is telling us that "social distancing" could continue on for years, it appears that this is their end game to usher in a new order. God bless, and Christ is risen!
Olaf Haraldsson Yes! Christ is INDEED Risen! Let us "stand still and WATCH the salvation of our Lord!" The world can plan and plot all they want, but God has the last word!..As always!
God bless you! Even now Gods angels are sealing up the faithful since we still have time to repent and return to the True Faith. Don't let anger or frustration whipped up in you by satan cause you to delay.
Father, surely Christ is the fountain of all healing, of body, of soul, of mind, and of spirit. Heal my soul, for I have sinned against thee. Thank you, Father and God bless.
Christ is risen, truly He is risen, Amen. Thank you Father. Bless the ones who teaches the Word of God the Holy Trinity, bless the ones who put their faith in God Christ effectively. Glory to God 🙏☦️
This is all very revealing!!! If as our saints point out we are in a great apostasy, it is allowed by Gods hand for correction. I celebrate this even as my hearts bleeds. For in that I am saved of course. As I am as God purifies me of my little apostasies. The lack of faith amongst those clinging to this ship in stormy seas is the crisis. Who is now with the Father???!!! That is the way and the key and that comes from true repentance. And this is eluding the clergy. Well if I am with the Father any can come to him. What is stopping this but that those in any seat of power are now ever subtly deluded??? God have mercy!!!
Very good points father Peter. I am too a fairly new convert to Orthodoxy, and God forbid that after all these years searching for God's true Church, I should turn my back on it at the first trial! That is exactly what the enemy of our souls would want! But we must stand firm in the faith and "watch the salvation of our Lord"!.. IF we indeed believe this is Christ's Church for we have been called, not to fix, worry about or save the Church, but to BE SAVED BY THE CHURCH for it truly is the ARCH of our salvation! May the Lord help us all endure.
Not being alone as a Christian is SO important to hear. So many, especially of the Protestant variety, need to hear this. You can't receive the life-giving mysteries/sacraments from a televangelist. It's not enough to KNOW, but rather to PARTICIPATE in the faith. Faith is lived out or it is not real. In your next video, please address the issue of obedience to the hierarchy. Where do the limits lie? When do we respectfully say no? We don't have the kind of clear cut issues like iconoclasm that rose up in the past. We are in a place where subtlety of argument and (sometimes) outright sophistry assail us.
Southlander1000 Great questions! Respectful, and traditional confessors of the Faith in Greece have addressed the issue/limits of obedience to the hierarchy. For example, Fr Theodoros Zisis, the blessed/reposed Augoustinos Kantiotis, etc. This is why it is a blessing to have Fr Peter who can transmit/translate directions to such important questions.
Southlander1000, check this out: Read "There is an obedience unto life - there is an obedience unto death" @: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6rcJ-Gdyyis.html
Southlander1000 Good questions. My OCA Priest here in Virginia responded to my email that if the lockdown continues past Pentecost he would expect some pushback--I guess they will revise the schedule at that time?--we've been locked out of Liturgy since mid-March. The Governor ordered lockdown until June 10. I would like to hear Fr Peter's answers to your questions.
Glory be to God + Fr bless +++ For the person that asked about the obedience of Heirarchy ... I’ve seen this- The Bishop must obey the Gospel. Therefore, when the Bishop is ordained, he is ordained under the Gospel and this means, as the Fathers say, that the people will obey the Bishop on one condition, that the Bishop will also obey the Gospel. But when the Bishop does not obey the Gospel and does not act according to the Holy Canon, then the clergy and the people are not obliged to obey the Bishop. In case of contradiction between the Gospel and the teaching of the Bishop, when a dilemma arises, it is preferable to apply the "discipline seen rather by God or men" (Acts 5:29). And then heroic clergy and monks, even ordinary lay people - in cases where the Bishops are silent, the pulpits are silent - then every clergyman and laity has the right and is obliged to say those which the Bishop does not dare to say, either out of cowardice or in a secular spirit, or out of a bad perception. And when the official pulpits were silenced, then simple and humble monks and people, women and men, promoted Orthodoxy. Let us not forget that Romania was ousted by Ceausescu with the help of an invisible clergyman who lit the flash of freedom and overthrew Ceausescu's dictatorial and tyrannical regime. Therefore, every clergyman is not a slave of the head of the Metropolitan, but must obey the Bishop on the condition that the Bishop will be a pioneer in the sacred struggle ". Metropolitan Augustinos Kantiotes ICXC NIKA
God love this world that He give us the Only Son that everyone have Eternal Life. All Patriarch, Metropolitans, Archbishops, Bishops, Monks, Priests are Jesus Christ followers and will never say such disgraceful words “church = hospital” , Church is the place where people are getting blessings, thankful for each day, week, month, year . “Repent the Heavenly Kingdom approaching” John the Baptist
I can relate to the person who wrote about doubting her shepherds. I am also a Catechumen and am sick at heart by the quick decision of the OCA to shutter the Church so quickly at the suggestion of the State. I have stated elsewhere that it gives the impression that Liturgy & proper worship is optional (only non-essential businesses closed!). I called the local ROCOR Priest after getting nowhere with my Priest, and he has been very kind & encouraging, but they only do Western Rite in Richmond so I'm not sure where to go. God help us all. ☦️
Be patient, as much as you can. Pray more. Don’t burn bridges. Let us pray for repentance. May our merciful Lord help all of us, including our bishops and clergy, see more clearly with every passing day, when we will see in hindsight and our vision will be closer and closer to 20/20.
Holy holy holy art thou O God, through the Theotokos have mercy on us. Panagia Mou, intercede for us, that we may be delivered from everything that prevents us from getting to an orthodox church. Pray for our salvation, O blessed mother of God. An incredibly fascinating video, thank you so much for sharing this. As for the Moslems, Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered, may those who hate him flee from before His face. God bless you Father.
Thank you Father Peter for all these inspiring reminders of miracles in Christ's Church. When my priest, Father Andrew was labouring to prepare me for baptism he told me early that the Church is not a stranger to miracles. I was baptized on Dec 16, 2017, less than 3 years ago. Because I am rather isolated, almost 3 hours drive one way from my parish, I can't attend often. It is not easy. I have not partaken of the heavenly gifts, the Eucharist in more than 2 years. Like some who have written to you, I have mixed thoughts about the Church being shut down, but we have no choice at this point but to obey the Bishop. The moment of decision may come soon. I have my own personal thoughts about this virus, but when in history has the well been quarantined rather than the sick? I can't help but believe this event is being used and we are being slave trained. What happens, if as I suggest, they are not going to allow this event to end? The Church will be closed forever? No more Eucharist? This is why I say the moment of decision may be coming soon. The faithless would hurl darts at opening the Church, calling us crazy and accuse us of endangering everyone else. To that I reply, if you are so afraid that being near another human being may cause you to become sick unto death, go lock yourself in your own home where you think you will be safe. For me, the thought of being fearful of kissing icons, the holy Cross or partaking of the sacraments never entered my mind! I only hope that when the time of my passing arrives, it will find me engaged in good. I read a comment from a wise elder recently: It is later than you think. The trees that will be used to make our coffins are already growing!
wow, that point about the Golden Age of the Church is so true, thank you Father Heers that is encouraging! so long as there are men like you in the Church and laypeople speaking up their concerns then we should not fear
REFLECTION At the time of the First Ecumenical Council [Nicaea, 325], the quarreling clerics wrote accusations one against the other and presented them to the emperor. Emperor Constantine received all of these accusations and, not opening them, burned them over a lit candle. To the amazement of those around him, the emperor said: “If I saw with my own eyes a bishop, a priest or a monk in a sinful act, I would cover him with my cloak, so that no one would ever see his sin.” Thus, this great Christian emperor embarrassed the scandalmongers and sealed their mouths. Our Faith prohibits us from being spies of the sins of others and stresses that we be merciless judges of our own sins. The sick person in the hospital is concerned with his own particular malady, so that he has neither the will nor the time to question others who are ill or to mock their illness. Are we not all in this world as patients in a hospital? Does not our own common sense emphasize that we look at our own illness and not at another’s? Let no one think that he will be cured of his illness in the other world. It is this world that is the hospital and place for healing; in the next world there is no hospital; there is either a palace or a prison. Prologue
Yes, ideally. Only if there is a matter of faith or departure from the basic orthodox way (I.e. they won’t baptize you) can you leave without a blessing.
Christ is Risen! Christ is in our Midst! Let us pray for the Clergy and seriously reflect on the 2 natures of Christ and His Church, St. Paul's reference to the "one Loaf" or Holy Eucharist and what God commands or reveals as the Body of Christ or Ecclessia. And the merciless, condescending, and backwards attitude of many who neither enter in, nor practice the asceticism they daringly preach while joined with the God hating secular powers in forbidding others to enter in, thus causing confusion and extricating themselves from the narrow path which leads unto salvation...Axios to the holy, encouraging, and consoling Bishops of Cyprus, Athos, Greece and elsewhere who are setting better examples....Where the Bishop, Eucharist, and yes...the Holy Spirit is...There is the Church...Obedience to any other superstructure or worldly organization is another-or antichrist-"another communion"...Preached positively by a Greek American Bishop.... Heresy....Not pastoral-human concern...The 2nd nature of Christ is Incorporated in the Church chiefly as she gathers to celebrate Eucharist, yes a primary hospital and place of healing...more important than a livestream or supermarket! Forgive us brethren. Truly He is Risen...He is and ever shall be!
Fr has said before that he uses the one by Hieromonk Makarios of Simonos Petra. Listen to his 2019 Lenten Retreat talk @ HVC in SF on The Lives of The Saints, the Continuation of the Incarnation in this podcast channel. I think it's the 2nd or 3rd podcast in the podcast section on this OE yt channel. I think you will find it ver helpful. I did, as did many others.
I'm unsure about having Faith in the Church though (from the 28:40 minute mark of this video). There seems to be something uncomfortably concerning about having faith in the Church. We are called to have Faith in Our Lord, Jesus Christ who is the Head of the Body of the Church but, the Church Herself is the Bride. We (being part of the body or The Bride), cannot have faith in ourselves. This is defeatist unless we mean something else be "The Church". We (being The Bride) cannot have faith in The Bride. We (The Bride) can ONLY be faithful or have faith in The Bridegroom. Also, the Divine Humanity of Christ is not The Church. Rather, it is the Resurrected Body of The Risen Lord who sanctifies His Church through His Pure and Sinless Sacrifice on the Cross. We must distinguish between the Bridegroom and the Bride; between the Head and the Body. In the Parable of the 10 virgins, Jesus himself distinguishes between the virgins (five of whom joined with Him and became the Body) and the Bridegroom (who is He, Himself - our Risen Lord). I ask you to please enlighten me if my abovementioned understanding is flawed. Thank you for your very informative, comforting and inspirational videos. May Christ be with you always! Nektarios
