Author of …
What must grow and change in us while on earth to merit Heaven?
“The hereafter provides no more opportunities for change. So this leaves our life on earth as the only time during which changes possible. St. Paul says, ’Behold, now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation’.” (I Cor. 6:12)
“Let us therefore strive for the mastery in the time of this gift. It is a day of grace, of grace divine, wherefore with ease even we will obtain the crown (of heaven)… so how do we use this ‘accepted time’ to benefit us for all eternity? The Church, in her wisdom, has made available to us the sacraments for this purpose: Baptism, Confession, Communion, and Holy Unction. But none of these can help us in the depths of our being or effect the necessary essential change in us without our own contributing effort and without that crowning virtue: humility. A baptism casually buried in the mire of subsequent sin, upper functionary confession, communion taken without the fear and devout love of God, and holy action received without fervent belief in its power of healing–all these are useless to us. Indeed they are a mockery and sacrilege.
The change must take place in us must be in our heart, ‘ with much groaning and weeping’. (Rom. 8:23) It must be real. For only the real and the cured can enter heaven.”
St. John Chrysostom, pp.775, The Bible and The Holy Fathers
Link to a short Video from Book Event with Veronica Hughes, Jan. 25 2012
Pearl of Great Price
Please join us for a “Book Event” at 7 PM, on Wednesday, January 25. Author Veronica Hughes will be here to speak on her book “Pearl of Great Price” which chronicles her journey from disillusioned baby-boomer Roman Catholic—to practitioner of Hatha yoga, EST, Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism, to teacher of the occult, metaphysics, psychic healing, and Theosophy—to faith in Jesus Christ in the Orthodox Church.
St. Seraphim of Sarov Orthodox Church
90 Mountain View Ave.
Santa Rosa, CA 95407 info@saintseraphim.com
707-584-9491 (Phone)
707-585-9445 (Fax)
St. Arsenios of Cappadocia's Tomb, he reposed on November 10, 1924.
Highly recommended books – Both are must reads.
The Great Collection of the Lives of the Saints, Compiled by St. Demetrius of Rostov
St. Arsenios the Cappadocian, written by Elder Paisios
My husband and I have been reading the sweetest little book about the life of St. Arsenios the Cappadocian, written by Elder Paisios. This little book is available in paperback and quite affordable. It seems that God has blessed us with so many faith affirming elders in our efforts to study of the lives of modern saints, currently focusing on those from Greece.
At the same time we have been reading The Great Collection of the Lives of the Saints, which is only available in hard bound in monthly volumes. Many of the months have yet to be published. My husband and I made the commitment to buy and read this series of books in support our daily practice of reading the lives of Saints from the early Church. It is one of the most comprehensive, in depth and inspiring collections of the full stories and lives of many of the most beloved Saints of the Orthodox Church.
Reading these longer versions of the lives of Saints, such as St. John Chysostom (75 pages long) or St. Gregory the Wonderworker, who literally prayed to God and moved mountains has changed our lives! Daily we are being reminded that “With God, all things are possible”. Not only are they possible, but given how entrenched both my husband and I have been in the Western logical mind, reading the longer version of the lives of martyrs and ascetics is mind blowing! In a matter of months, by the grace of God and the prayers of the Saints, we have begun to enter into a deeper contemplation of the Divine and more fervent prayer as a direct result of reading these volumes. Glory to God!
St. Arsenios the Cappadocian (1840–1924) was the spiritual father of Elder Paisios’ family. He baptized Elder Paisios as an infant. Throughout his life Elder Paisios had great love and reverence for the memory of St. Arsenios, and it was out of this love that he compiled the book “Saint Arsenios the Cappadocian”[1] which provides us with the details of his life.
St. Arsenios pastored his Greek Orthodox flock amidst extremely difficult conditions. He lived with his people in the village of Farasa in Cappadocia, which after 1453 had fallen into the hands of the Muslim Turks. Under the harsh yoke of the Turks, the Greek people of Farasa formed an oasis of Orthodox Christianity. They sought refuge in holy St. Arsenios, who was their teacher, their spiritual father, and the healer of their souls and bodies. His reputation as a healer was so great that not only Greek Christians but also Turkish Muslims came to him for healing. Many times his village was threatened with violence from marauding Turks, but each time it was preserved in a miraculous way by St. Arsenios. The accounts in this book, which were taken down by Elder Paisios from eyewitnesses, testify to how powerfully God works through His holy ones, and to how lovingly He cares for and protects His children amidst adversity.
Since 1970, many apparitions and miracles have occurred near his holy relics, which reside in the Monastery of Souroti near Thessalonica. He was officially glorified by the Patriarchate of Constantinople in 1986.
The purpose of Great Lent is to prepare the faithful to not only commemorate, but to enter into the Passion and the Resurrection of Jesus. The totality of the Orthodox life centers around the Resurrection.[1] Great Lent is intended to be a “workshop” where the character of the believer is spiritually uplifted and strengthened; where his life is rededicated to the principles and ideals of the Gospel; where fasting and prayer culminate in deep conviction of life; where apathy and disinterest turn into vigorous activities of faith and good works. Lent is not for the sake of Lent itself, as fasting is not for the sake of fasting. Rather, these are means by which and for which the individual believer prepares himself to reach for, accept and attain the calling of his Savior. Therefore, the significance of Great Lent is highly appraised, not only by the monks who gradually increased the length of time of the Lent, but also by the lay people themselves. In the Orthodox Church, asceticism is not exclusively for the “professional” religious, but for each layperson as well, according to their strength. As such, Great Lent is a sacred Institute of the Church to serve the individual believer in participating as a member of the Mystical Body of Christ. It provides each person an annual opportunity for self-examination and improving the standards of faith and morals in his Christian life. The deep intent of the believer during Great Lent is encapsulated in the words of Saint Paul: “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).
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HOW ARE YOU APPROACHING LENT?
Question:
I just heard your interview on AncientFaith Radio. I come from a Christian background, but see myself as more of a Hindu these days, though I’m looking into the Catholic and Orthodox Church. I was curious as to how whether you believed in reincarnation/rebirth in your Tibetan Buddhist days, and, if you did, how your belief was changed as a result of becoming Orthodox? Maybe you talk in depth about this in the book: if so, could you give me just the basics of how you dealt with this issue of rebirth/reincarnation? (Also: do you believe that rebirth/reincarnation is necessarily incompatible with Christianity?) Thanks.
My response:
I did believe in reincarnation/rebirth not only in my Tibetan Buddhist days, but in my early 20s when I started meditating and had a guru. I do not believe in reincarnation now, but for a good 20 years I really was heavily into channeling, metaphysics, and facilitating past life regressions. I talk about this in my book. It was quite a process for me to move from being steeped in the new age and Eastern religions to what I think is the most profound eastern religion, Eastern Orthodox Christianity. My belief in reincarnation took time and much prayer and soul-searching to resolve.
Acceptance of reincarnation in my early 20s was related to starting to have a relationship with a guru. I was looking for something spiritual, but not Christian. At the time I was seeking relief from severe depression and health issues. I found the concept of reincarnation refreshing at the time–because of the guilt I carried about sin. I was haunted unconsciously by the Western concept of sin–related to being bad–going to hell for my sins–and many other misunderstandings about Christianity from my early Catholic years. The thought of having more than one life felt freeing at the time. Eastern Orthodox Christianity approaches sin a very different perspective–actually a lot of things from a more heartfelt less logic related or legalistic approach taken by Western Catholicism.
I explore so many of my reactions to Christianity and Western Catholicism in my book. From where I am now as a convert to Eastern Orthodox Christianity–I can say that rebirth comes through baptism/reincarnation is not compatible with Christian doctrines and beliefs. This is because we believe that Christ resurrected body and soul and that we will also.
I would like to give you this quote from St. Cyril of Alexandria which might be helpful in understanding the complexity of the relationship between our bodies/souls and the resurrection of Christ:
The prophet Isaiah therefore has said to us, ‘ your dead shall live; together with my dead body they shall rise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead’. (Isa 26:19) And by dew I imagine he means the life–giving power of the Holy Spirit, and that influence which abolishes death, as being that of God and of life and the blessed David also … says of all those upon earth,’ You take away their spirit, and they die and return to their dust; You send Your Spirit, and they are created, and You renew the face of the earth (ps103:29) … For ‘ it is sown,’ it says, ‘ in corruption, it is raised in in corruption; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory.” (1 Cor. 15:42) For the prophet Isaiah again assures us that death which is entered in because of sin does not retain its power over the dwellers on earth for ever, but is abolished by the resurrection from the dead of Christ, Who renews the universe, and refashion set into that which it was at the beginning–for God created all things for incorruption, as it is written (wisdom 1:4): for he says, ‘He has swallowed up death having waxed mightily: and God shall again take away all weeping from every countenance: He shall remove the reproach of the people from the whole earth’(Isa 25:8) …But those who have maintained an honorable and elect life, full of all excellence, and have, therefore, been accounted worthy of attaining to a glorious and marvelous resurrection, will be necessarily raised far above the life which men lead in this world; for they will live as become saints, who already have been brought near to God. Since, therefore, all fleshly lust is taken away, and no place whatsoever is left in them for bodily pleasure, they resemble the holy angels, fulfilling a spiritual and not a material service, such as becomes holy spirits; and are at the same time counted worthy of a glory such as that which the Angels enjoy. Commentary on the Gospel of St. Luke, homily 136 B# 42, PP. 541–542.
Food for thought and prayer,
Veronica
WestbowPress.com