“Christians should judge no one, neither an open harlot, nor sinners, nor dissolute people, but should look upon all with the simplicity of soul and a pure eye. Purity of heart, indeed, consists in seeing sinful and weak persons and having compassion for them and being merciful.”
St. Macarius the Great
“The fulfillment of God’s will in our world, regardless of obstacles, difficulties, suffering, and death itself—this is what the cross is in the Church’s understanding.”
- Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov)
Originally posted on Our Garden of Virtues:
Gospel: Mark 8:34-9:1
Поклоненіе Кресту
Self Denial and Sure-Footedness – One who claims to abide in Christ ought to walk as He walked. Would you follow Christ? Then be humble as he was humble. Do not scorn his lowliness if you want to reach his exaltation. Human sin made the road rough. Christ’s resurrection leveled it. By passing over it himself He transformed the narrowest of tracks into a royal highway. Two feet are needed to run along this highway; they are humility and charity. Everyone wants to get to the top – well, the first step to take is humility. Why take strides that are too big for you – do you want to fall instead of going up? Begin with the first step, humility, and you will already by climbing. (Saint Caesarius of Arles)[Jesus] called to him the multitude with his disciples, and said to them, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? For what can a man give in return for his life? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of man also be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power." (RSV)
Великое освящение храма в честь архангела Михаила в скиту Оптиной Пустыни
In the tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church, the Consecration of a church (Εγκαινια Ναου) is the service of sanctification and solemn dedication of a building for use as a church. The consecration of a church is a complex service that is filled with profound symbolisms. Many biblical elements are taken from the Old Testament: the Consecration of the Tabernacle (Exodus 40) and of the Temple of Solomon (1 Kings 8; 2 Chronicles 5-7).
While the consecration encompasses the whole church, the ceremony centers around the holy altar and holy altar table in particular. As salvation for an Orthodox Christian is union with Christ, called Life in Christ, the center of this Life in Christ is the holy altar, the consecration of a church is, in effect, the baptism and chrismation of the church.
In the early days of Christianity when the Church was heavily persecuted, the Christians met in underground burial places where they celebrated the Eucharist on the graves of martyred saints. After the Church was recognized this custom was continued by placing relics in the altar table during the consecration of the church. This is a reminder that the Church was built on the blood of the martyrs and their faith in the Lord.
After the bishop has entered the church, he continues into the altar. In the altar he places the diskos on the altar table. There he removes the relics and places them in a small box. The bishop then pours holy chrism over the relics, symbolizing the union between our Lord and his martyrs. With prayers and the reading of Psalm 145, the bishop then places the box with the relics in a cavity in the altar table where it is sealed in with a wax/mastic that contains fragrant spices as were used by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus to anoint our Lord’s body before his burial. In this, the holy altar represents Christ’s tomb.
- Excerpts from Orthodox Wiki
