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- INTRODUCTION TO THE ORTHODOX CHURCH SERIES
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Session
6 – ORTHODOX
SPIRITUAL LIFE
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- INTRODUCTION
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- The Goal of the Christian Life: God-Likeness
- Our Creation in the
Image and Likeness of God. Image=the
characteristics that make us human. Image=Intellect,
Creativity, Community, Moral Sensitivity, Desire for the
Spiritual. Likeness=the potential to fulfill the
Image. Dynamic and Developmental. Step by step
fulfilling of the Image. Perfection=The process
of constant and continuing fulfillment of the Divine
Image in us.
- A process of Synergy.
The grace of God and human endeavor. But the grace of
the Holy Spirit is primary; our efforts are important
but secondary. Both are required. Our model=Jesus
Christ. “The myth of a compelling destiny is nonsense.
Our lives are subject to no unavoidable fate.
Everything, as I have argued, points to the beauty of
self-determination.” John Chrysostom, Homily on
Divine Love, 3
- “The human being, who
conforms to the model of the Son, gives glory to God
because of having been made by the Father by means of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the whole
person is like God and not just a part: the whole
person, soul and body, receives the Spirit of the
Father. This is the perfect human being When the Spirit
is united with the soul and with the body, then we have
the spiritual person, the perfect person, the human
being in the image and likeness of God. If, on the
contrary, the soul does not have the Spirit, we would
have a carnal and imperfect being. Such a person in
having been created would be in the image of God, but
would have no likeness to him. Likeness to God comes
only from the Spirit.” St Irenaeus of Lyon, Against
Heresies, 5, 6 (+202).
- “Spiritualities” and Being Spiritual
- The world is full of
“spiritualities.” Neither the Bible nor Holy Tradition
speaks of “Spirituality” – a “thing” that a person has
or doesn’t have. The Church speaks of being spiritual,
living spiritually, walking in the Spirit, etc. All
these refer to the Holy Spirit. (See article at the end
of the outline).
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- Spiritual Life in Worship and Church Life
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The primary relationship we have with the Holy
Spirit, Jesus Christ and the Father –that is, the Holy
Trinity, is through personal faith and our life in the
Church, especially in worship. For example: The prayer
of Consecration (“Epiklesis”) in the Eucharist:
“Also, we offer to you this spiritual worship without
shedding of blood, and we ask, pray and implore you:
send down your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts
here set forth.” (Translation of the Oxford University
Press edition).
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Spiritual Living in the community life of the
Church: Forgiveness; mutual support; “the fellowship of
the brotherhood,” Love. “Let us love one another so that
with one mind we may confess: Father, Son and Holy
Spirit . . . .”
- Spiritual Life in Outreach: Mission & Social
Concern
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The Great Commission: “Go therefore and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching
them to observe all that I have all that I have
commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the
close of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20.
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Foreign Missions; Home Missions; Parish Missions;
Reaching out for members; the difference between Mission
Outreach and Proselytism.
- The
Parable of the Last Judgment in Matthew 25: (Next
Session: Ethics)
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- Spiritual Life in Ordinary Living
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Living spiritually through and in the events of our
lives. Epiphany-the sanctifying of the waters, a model
for the sanctifying of all aspects of life, good, bad,
indifferent.
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“There are good things, bad things and things that are
indifferent. Some of the things that are indifferent
people consider to be good or bad while in reality they
are neither. I will give you an example, to explain my
meaning more clearly. Poverty is in general thought to
be an evil. Not so: if someone who is poor practices
watchfulness and wisdom, poverty itself can completely
overcome evil. On the other hand, wealth is regarded as
a good thing by most people. But that is not entirely
true: it depends how you use it. If wealth were a good
thing in itself and on its own account, then everyone
who possesses it ought to be good. Yet not all rich
people are virtuous, only those who manage their money
in a responsible way. Therefore wealth is not a good
thing in itself, it is only an instrument for doing
good. So with regard to indifferent things: they are
either good or bad according to the use that is made of
them.” John Chrysostom, Commentary on Isaiah,
3.
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- Spiritual Life As Way of Life
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an “extra level” of existence, (“supernatural”), but a
way of life relating all things to God through the Holy
Spirit. Spiritual living is living all aspects of our
lives “in the Spirit.”
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Galatians 5:22-26 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law.
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the
flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the
Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us have no
self-conceit, no provoking of one another, no envy of
another.”
- Spiritual Growth as a Way of Life
- The
Process of Spiritual growth toward God-likeness –
Divinization, or Theosis.
- The
Tradition of the Spiritual Ladder. St. John of the
Ladder, Ladder of Divine Ascent.
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Thanksgiving Prayer After Holy Communion: “May the
communion of your immortal Mysteries be for me light and
life, freedom from passion, progress and increase in
more spiritual virtues that I may glorify you, O Christ
. . . .”
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- Spiritual Struggle And Spiritual Exercise
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Spiritual Struggle is the fight against
temptation and evil inclinations.
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Spiritual Exercise is the training for
growth in the good.
- “But
as for you, man of God . . . aim at righteousness,
godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight
the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal
life to which you were called when you made the good
confession in the presence of many witnesses” (1 Timothy
6:11-12).
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Spiritual Practices such as the Imitation of Christ;
Fasting; Self-Discipline; Obedience; Almsgiving;
Service; Striving for Virtues; Stewardship of Time,
Talent, & Treasure; Sacrifice; Good Deeds.
- Forms of Prayer Life
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Liturgical Prayer. Fixed Prayers (The Lord’s Prayer).
Silent and Audible Prayers. Daily Prayer (Morning,
Evening). Prayers for Forgiveness, Thanksgiving Prayers.
Private Prayer. Table Prayer. “Talking to God.” Common
Prayer. Occasional Prayer. Personally formed Prayers.
Continuous Prayer.
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Some Passages from the Bible about prayer:
Colossians 4: 2 “Continue steadfastly in prayer;”
1 Corinthians 14:15 “I will pray with the spirit
and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the
spirit and I will sing with the mind also;” Ephesians
6:18 “Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all
prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all
perseverance, making supplication for all the saints;”
Philippians 4:6-7 “Have no anxiety about
anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to
God. And the peace of God, which passes all
understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in
Christ Jesus.”
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An Outline of Personally formed Prayers: Address
(Dear God); Acknowledgement (Who came to earth to
save us); Thanksgiving and Praise (You are my
Savior. I thank you for your love and glorify Your Holy
Name); Intercession for others (bring peace to
your world and heal my neighbor of his illness);
Personal Petition (grant peace to me, success in my
work); Ascription (For you are a loving God); and
Conclusion (Amen = So be it; So let it be).
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- The Jesus Prayer
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1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray
constantly (ajdialeivptw~
proseuvcesqe – literally = pray without
interruption), give thanks in all circumstances; for
this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
- Orthodox Monastic
practice: Repeating a brief prayer continuously until it
is repeated by itself in the heart. Usual form: “Lord
Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.” But it can
take other forms. Example, “Lord Jesus Christ, I love
You and Your servants.”
- A Story: Work or
Prayer?
- Certain monks, called
'the Prayer People' because they wanted to dedicate
themselves entirely to prayer, went to pay a visit to
Abbot Lucius. The aged monk asked them: 'What work do
you do?' They said: 'We don't do work, but we obey
Paul's teaching to pray without ceasing.' The old man
asked them: 'Do you eat?' and they replied, 'Yes.' The
Abbot then demanded to know who prayed instead of them
while they were eating. Then he asked them: 'Do you
sleep?' and they replied, 'Yes.' The Abbot then demanded
a second time to know who prayed instead of them while
they were sleeping. The monks were at a loss to answer
- either of the two
questions.
- Then the old man
continued: 'Forgive me, but you are not doing what you
say you are. I, on the other hand, succeed in working
with my hands and at the same time in praying without
ceasing. I start by sitting down in the presence of God.
Then I begin my task of making ropes and I say: “Have
mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy blot out my
transgressions.” ' [Ps. 51:1]
- Then he asked them if
that was prayer and they replied 'Yes.' The old man went
on: 'At the end of a day passed in work and prayer, I
have earned roughly sixteen shillings. Two shillings I
deposit on the ground outside the door and the rest I
spend on food. The person who picks up the two shillings
prays in my place when I am eating or sleeping. In this
way, by the grace of God, I am obedient to the teaching
to pray without ceasing.' Sayings of the Desert Fathers
(Patrologia Graeca, 65, 253).
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Question and
Answer Time.
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An Article by
Fr. Stanley Harakas from The National Herald,
“The Whats and Whys of Our Church.” December 7-8, 2002.
- “SPIRITUALITIES” AND
BEING SPIRITUAL
- Our era is full of paradoxes. We are the most
materialistic culture ever to exist. Yet, we are also
awash with so-called “spiritualities.” From the
reintroduction of pagan deities to “earth spirituality”
with its goddesses, to feminist spirit religions, to the
introduction of Far Eastern traditions such as Buddhism.
There are the spiritualities of art, music, drugs, yoga
and Zen, to mention a few. All of these basically seek a
transcendent experience of something beyond the material
world, but somehow within it. Their one common
characteristic is their rejection of the Christian
understanding of being Spiritual. So, you see, there is
nothing in the Old or the New Testaments about
“spirituality” or, about “spiritualities.” Neither of
these words is found in the Bible.
- In the Bible, there are three basic meanings to
the word “spirit” or “Spirit.” The first refers to the
inner world of our human existence. For example, we read
“Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his
spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city
was full of idols” (Acts 17:16).
- The second use of the world “spirit” in the Bible
refers to evil or unclean spirits that are destructive
and demonic, i.e., “The people also gathered from the
towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those
afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all
healed” ('Acts 5:16)
- The most frequent use of the word “spirit” is
with the adjective “Holy.” The Holy Spirit is a gift of
the Father through the Son to the 'Church: “But you
shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon
you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in
all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth” (Acts
1:8). In the teaching of the Church, the Holy Spirit is
the third person of the Holy Trinity, and is God, as is
the Father and the Son. At Pentecost, 50 days after the
Resurrection of Christ, it was, indeed, given to the
Church and is a gift for every Christian to be able to
live the Christian life. Thus, in the first Apostolic
Sermon we have recorded, St. Peter's declaration: “you
shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts' 2:38).
- So, the Bible speaks of “receiving the Holy
Spirit” (Acts 8:15, John 20:22), “living in the Holy
Spirit” (Romans 8:5-6), being “in the Spirit” (1
Corinthians 3:6, 14:2), “love in the Spirit” (Colossians
1:8), “praying in the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:18),
“rejoicing in the Spirit” (Luke10:21, Romans 14:17),
“participating in the Spirit” (Philippians 2:1), and so
on.'
- For Christians, there is no such thing as
“spirituality” without reference to the Holy Spirit of
God. There, is to be found the true transcendence, which
fills our earthly existence with the divine reality. All
other so-called “spiritualities” confuse earthly
experiences with the Holy Spirit and miss the mark.
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