Source: Saint John Chrysostom Orthodox Church (ROCOR), India
- Some equate God to a miracle worker and want only miracles to occur. These groups (Supposedly Christians) would therefore meet in conventions, prayer meetings/ circles and plead with God to make a miracle happen. If God chooses to heal you, it can happen at the Divine Liturgy too, it can happen when you are praying in your room too. God is not a magician and everything that happens to us happens for a purpose. Remember Christ did not heal everyone !. Yes, he did raise the dead, yes he did heal the lepers. But did he raise all the dead?., did he heal all the Lepers ?. Unfortunately in Non-Orthodox countries like India, the apathy of these denominations is in trying to lure people in all ways and just like there were people in Christ’s time who looked like they did not have a Shepherd, the same is true even now.
- Desirous of Signs and wonders – There are many who approach God desiring for Signs and Wonders to happen to them. Even a small lie is sufficient to get thousands of people in India to go to a place either for a ‘so called Pilgrimage’ or for the ‘so called miracle’ that happened to someone. What is the view of such kind of people in the Gospel ?. Matthew 16:4 – A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah. And he left them, and departed.
- Some people equate their relationship with God to that of a Television channel. Once I asked an elderly man – how is your spiritual life?. The answer I got was – I watch a lot of God TV and Angel TV. This is the apathy of the so many who constantly watch and listen to heretics preach the Gospel. Their messages are so shallow and they lack the right explanation of Holy Scriptures. There is no importance given to the Holy Fathers, no importance given to others whom we call Saints who actually lived the Gospel values though these saints actually explained the Holy Scriptures and further more, these heretics give no importance to the Holy Tradition that was lived by Christ himself and that his Apostles preached and lived. Holy Scripture is the Book of the Ancient Church. Without the Ancient Church, there is no right understanding of Holy Scripture. The relationship with God cannot be equated to a speech that one listens to from a TV channel. Without references to names, to the many of these people I have met – they themselves agree that they lack personal prayer, there is no time spent in reading and understanding scriptures. The very foundation of ones Spiritual life is Prayer as the Holy Apostle Matthew 6:6 says – But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
There is no spiritual life without personal prayer. There is also no spiritual life with the Word of God. There is also no Spiritual life without the Divine Liturgy. There is also no Spiritual life without Fasting and there is also no Spiritual life without the right Spiritual Environment. There is also no Spiritual life without Living Christ in this world that we live in. This Spiritual Life that we all seek for is Integrated within the Orthodox Church. The Orthodox Church is not just a Church, it is the Only Church that can give you life. This is the only Church that the Lord Jesus Christ established. Only in Orthodoxy is there an undiluted way to knowing Christ personally. Only in Orthodoxy is the experience of Christ complete. While these words are many, the journey for you will begin when you decide to explore and find out for yourself. May God help you in this spiritual journey.
Through the prayers of the Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus
Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.
Amen.
Through your prayers,
Fr. Silouan
