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Father George's Letter

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Written by: Fr George

A FOREIGNER?

 

“The virtues build a new person radiating love to the world.”

(Metropolitan Paul (Yazigi) of Aleppo who consecrated our temple.)

 

“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet  without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”   

(Hebrews 4:15-16)

 

      “The Fathers and more generally Church tradition place a condition on obedience that one not go blindly to someone and do obedience, because it could be that he has gone to a heretic and  without  realizing it might be led straight to hell or one might be going to  someone with  no  knowledge of  spiritual  life or who finds himself in spiritual delusion.  One needs to have  an indication that wherever one is going to do obedience the soul will be safe. Beyond this, he should be without exception in his obedience, as the Synaxarion says about St. John of Damascus: “He followed in perfect obedience the commands of his elder" (who had given him the command not to compose any hymns). One should obey without limit, carte blanche, willingly, and not think: “I will be obedient a little more and then I will escape.” This is how one denies oneself, how one cuts off one's own will, how one imitates the saints and Christ: that is how one becomes Christian. And He is blessed.”

(From “Timeless Truths”, From the teachings of Fr. Symeon Kragiopoulos)

 

St. FRUMENTIUS OF AXUM. Feastday 30^th November.

      Frumentius and his brother Edesius were young Phoenician boys from Tyre in modern day Lebanon. In around 316 they were travelling with their uncle in the Red Sea when they were attacked by pirates and taken as slaves to the king of Axum in what we  now call Ethiopia. Here the two Christian boys gained favour with the king who on his death bed freed them. Their integrity was such that the Queen asked them to stay and teach her son, trusting them to help in affairs of the state until the young prince came of age. During this time they helped spread Christianity in the kingdom of Axum. When the Prince became of age the two brothers were released from their obligation, Edesius returning to Tyre and Frumentius stopping in Alexandria to ask Archbishop Athanasius to send clergy to Ethiopia. In Frumentius, Athanasius saw his potential and consecrated him as bishop to the Ethiopian mission. St.Frumentius baptized the new king and over time built many churches and received many people into the Christian faith. He became a revered father to his flock who called him “abouna” (Our Father) And “Abba Slama” (Father of Peace), titles still used by the head of the Ethiopian Church. St. Frumentius died about 383. Think about it, after all these years St. Frumentius is commemorated by millions of Christians throughout the world. Contrast this to our politicians who write their memoirs, that eighteen months later end up on the clearance shelf at Waterstones! By their nature politicians are yesterday’s men and women, saints are always for today.      

 

TODAY'S GOSPEL READING. Luke 17:12-19. “Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem, that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, “We’re there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? “Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”  And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

 

      Once again we have a despised Samaritan being held up by Jesus as an example to us all. Being a leper was bad enough, being shunned by society and forbidden to go near other people and also being a Samaritan regarded with deep suspicion by Jewish society. The ten lepers regardless of religious beliefs and racial background must have found some sort of solace and companionship in the terrible brotherhood of leprosy. They call out to Jesus asking for His mercy. We are told that He saw them, presumably because they shouted out having to be some distance away. When we consider that if they communicated with none lepers they would have to shout to be heard because of not being allowed near other people.

      To prove that they were “clean" and free from leprosy the men had to go to the priests who would give them the freedom to re-join normal society and their families and be no longer outcasts. This is what Christ told them to do and as they went seeking priests the leprosy left them. This miracle great though it was, has another aspect. The lepers must have been filled with joy, rushing to get the priests’ blessing. In all this euphoria one turned back, he was the Samaritan, this foreigner who fell at the Lord's feet in deep gratitude, and loudly gave glory to God and thanking Jesus for healing him. Christ asks where the other nine are that did not return to say “Thank you" to God and sends the man on his way.

      And so it is with us. We are all ready and eager to listen to Christ's words when it suits us to do so. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8). We send up our prayers to God and ask His Mother and all the Saints for their prayers as well. We don't shout as the lepers did, believing we are free from “leprosy". In His infinite compassion our prayers are answered in ways we do not always understand. How often we seek His help and when it comes do we say “Thank you" or do we rush off as the nine lepers did, leaving it to a foreigner, someone different to us, to do so?  

      In the world we are all touched by spiritual leprosy, we are all sinners. Notice that the ingratitude of the nine lepers because of His love were still healed. We are surrounded by all the glamour and glitter that pulls us away from God and in this secular world Christmas has become merely a time of sentimentality, of false goodwill that evaporates when Christmas is over. Our faith calls us to something far deeper as we approach the birth of Christ. In a dimly lit cave, in a land occupied by a foreign power a young woman, the Most Holy Mother of God, gave birth to God Incarnate, to be one of us. Let us, like the Samaritan who gave thanks to God for his cure give thanks for this Birth that opens the gate of Eden to us. But let us look beyond Bethlehem to the dark day of Christ's Passion and Crucifixion, remembering another cave where His broken dead body was laid but which was then filled with the light of His glorious Resurrection which permeates our beloved Orthodox churches, if we open our hearts to Him and not close them, surrounding ourselves with the trappings of the Church and not listening to its beating heart which was given to us in Bethlehem!

 

                                                                                  Much Love,

 

                                                                                 Fr. George.

 

Next Sunday 11^th December is the last day on which DONATIONS to the food bank can be made before Christmas. Please consider those less fortunate then ourselves in these difficult times and be grateful for God's love for us.

 

 Let us continue to pray for the sick needy and distressed and hold them up before our All Compassionate Father who sent His Son into this world through the workings of the Holy Spirit and the obedience of the Mother of God.