Orthodox-Reformed Bridge

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The Light of the Resurrection Shines in the Darkness

 

Good News for all the world

Christos voskrese!  Voistinu voskrese!  — Christ is risen!  Truly He is risen!

 

There is a story told about Nikolai Bukharin, a Russian Communist leader who actively propagated the message of atheism.

One of the most powerful men in the world was Nikolai Ivanovich Bukharin, a Russian Communist leader, who took part in the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. In 1930 he addressed a massive assembly of workers in Kiev on the subject of atheism. He aimed the heavy artillery of his arguments at Christianity by hurling insults and proof against it. He went on and on for an hour effectively crucifying and killing our faith. When he was done he looked out smugly upon what he thought was the smoldering ash heap of the crowd’s faith. His speech was followed by silence and he demanded, “Are there any questions?” As deafening silence filled the auditorium, for what seemed an eternity, a man approached the platform and the lectern standing near the powerful communist leader. He surveyed the crowd scanning the silent faces from left to right. Finally, he shouted the ancient greeting known so well in the Orthodox Church: “CHRIST IS RISEN!” En masse, the crowd rose to its feet and the response came crashing forth like the sound of thunder: “INDEED, HE IS RISEN.”  Source

Some question whether this event actually happened but it is a matter of record that during the Soviet era thousands of churches were destroyed and tens of thousands of priests and monks were imprisoned.  It is no small miracle that the Orthodox Church in Russia has survived, outlasted Communist rule, and is currently thriving.  It is a fulfillment of Christ’s promise to the Apostles: “On this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18; OSB)  Let us remember that the power of Christ’s third day resurrection was more than a onetime event but continues to reverberate through human history.

Robert Arakaki

Cathedral of Christ the Savior - Symbol of New Russia  Source

Interesting story about the Cathedral of Christ the Savior – Symbol of New Russia Source

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holy Saturday and the Harrowing of Hell

 

Holy Saturday service - priest scattering flowers.

Holy Saturday – Priest scattering rose petals.  Article – The Baltimore Sun.  2013

During Holy Week each day has a particular theme, a spiritual lesson for the faithful who attend the services.  As an Orthodox Christian I get much of my theological education not from reading books but from attending the services.  In addition to the Scripture readings, the hymns and prayers of the Church teach me about how God saved us in Christ.  They form as it were a running commentary on the Bible, and for those diligent and attentive they offer a form of liturgical education and dicipleship training. Standing attentively with an open heart gives one a good spiritual workout!

Each day of Holy Week has a particular theme: Thursday – Christ’s death, Friday – his burial, Saturday morning – his descent into Hell, and Saturday midnight – his resurrection.  In my early days as an Orthodox Christian my focus was on the Pascha/Easter service that celebrates Christ’s third day resurrection.  Then I began to make it a point to attend the other services and found to my happy surprise that these services have their own special take on Jesus Christ and how Christ saves us.

Recently, I began attending the Holy Saturday morning Liturgy.  At first I thought to myself: “Why is there a morning Liturgy on the day of Christ’s resurrection when we are going to celebrate the Resurrection later that night?”  I soon learned that the theme of the Holy Saturday service is Christ’s time in Hell.  The Apostles’ Creed confesses: “And he descended into Hell” (descendit ad infernos). During my time as a Protestant Evangelical I thought that one line in the Apostles Creed was a curious aberration with little relevance for salvation.  This “curious aberration” turned out to be a hidden gem of the early Church.

 

Epitaphios - tapestry depicting Christ's burial

Epitaphios – tapestry depicting Christ’s burial

Did you ever wonder what happened to Christ after he was buried?  His body was lying in the tomb but what about his soul?  It is interesting that while the Nicene Creed used in the Orthodox Church does not say anything about Christ’s descent into Hell, the Church has a lot to say about that theme in the Holy Saturday Liturgy.

The Holy Week prayer book (p. 415) used in Greek Orthodox churches contains the following hymn:

 

Icon of the Resurrection - Descent into Hell  Source

Icon of the Resurrection – Descent into Hell Source

Today Hades cried out groaning: “Would that I had not received the One born of Mary; for He came upon me and loosed my power.  He shattered the gates of brass; the souls, which I held captive of old, as God He raised up.”  Glory O Lord to Your Cross and Your Resurrection.

Today Hades cried out groaning: “My authority is dissolved; I received a mortal, as one of the mortals; but this One, I am powerless to contain; with Him I lose all those, over which, I had ruled.  For ages I had held the Dead, but behold, He raises up all.  Glory O Lord, to Your Cross and Your Resurrection.

Today Hades cried out groaning: “My power had been trampled on; the Shepherd has been crucified, and Adam He raised up.  I have been deprived of those, over whom I ruled; and all those, I had the power to swallow, I have disgorged.  He, Who was crucified has cleared the tombs.  The dominion of Death is no more.”  Glory O Lord, to our Cross and Your Resurrection.

For Orthodox Christians Hell is not a fearful place of torment and punishment, but rather a battlefield where a great battle was fought and our Hero Christ triumphed over the enemy Death (1 Corinthians 15:20-26).

 

Greek Orthodox priest scatters rose petals.  Source

Greek Orthodox priest scatters rose petals. Source

In the Greek Orthodox tradition there is the custom of the priest walking up the aisle of the church on Holy Saturday morning scattering rose petals or flowers left and right as a sign of Christ’s triumph over Death and our release from Hell.  It is quite a surprise then to walk into an Orthodox church for the Pascha/Easter service and instead of finding everything tidy and neat, one sees a joyous mess — the floor all covered with flowers.  In a little while the walls of the church will reverberate with shouts of: “Christ is Risen!” and the response: “Truly He is Risen!”

Robert Arakaki

Articles and Resources

Dan Rodricks.  “Orthodox Easter arrives, with bells, chants and rose petals.”  The Baltimore Sun, 4 May 2013.

Wesley J. Smith.  “The Joy of Orthodox Pascha.”  First Things, 18 April 2014.

Saint John Chrysostom’s 5th century Pascha homily on Christ’s resurrection.  Also in the Holy Week service book, pp. 481-482.

 

April Fools’ Day

 

Reformed seminary turned upside-down.  Theologians unable to explain mystery.

Reformed seminary turned upside-down! Theologians unable to explain mystery.

On April 1, 2015, Tony Arsenal, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary graduate “announced” his conversion to Eastern Orthodoxy.  See “From Geneva to Constantinople — The Eastern Orthodox Arsenal.”  He writes:

As many of you know, I have a deep love for the early Church. My theological passions circle around the related doctrines of Triadology and Christology, and I have recently become disillusioned with the insufficiency of the modern Reformed bodies in these areas. . . . .  Read more.

 

Orthodox Fools for Christ

There is in Orthodoxy’s spirituality the tradition of “fools for Christ.”  What may seem at first glance to be bizarre has biblical roots.  Apostle Paul writes:

We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ!  We are weak, but you are strong!  You are distinguished, but we are dishonored!  (1 Corinthians 4:10; OSB)

The tradition of holy fools points to the radical message of the Cross and reminds us of the radical difference between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the present age.

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.  For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness.” (1 Corinthians 3:19; OSB)

There is the temptation in today’s society to be cool, to be respectable, to go with the flow but the Lenten journey to Christ’s humiliation, crucifixion, and his resurrection all remind us of a divine wisdom that challenges the wisdom of the world.

But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14; OSB)

Thus “becoming fools” is part of Christian discipleship.

Let no one deceive himself.  If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. (1 Corinthians 3:18; emphasis added; OSB)

Some Christians have taken these verses literally and used them to express a particular type of Christian discipleship.  Keep in mind that this is not a form of mental illness but an intentional form of Christian discipleship.  In the blog CityDesert article “Fools for Christ” is a concise explanation of this seemingly outrageous form of spirituality.

One form of the ascetic Christian life is called foolishness for the sake of Christ. The fool-for-Christ set for himself the task of battling within himself the root of all sin, pride. In order to accomplish this he took on an unusual style of life, appearing as someone bereft of his mental faculties, thus bringing upon himself the ridicule of others. In addition he exposed the evil in the world through metaphorical and symbolic words and actions. He took this ascetic endeavor upon himself in order to humble himself and to also more effectively influence others, since most people respond to the usual ordinary sermon with indifference.

 

 Basil the Fool

Basil the Fool for Christ.  Source

Basil the Fool for Christ. Source

One of Russia’s important saints is Basil the Fool.  He lived in the days of Ivan the Terrible and one occasion rebuked the Czar for not paying attention to the sermon during  the Divine Liturgy.  On other occasions Basil rebuked the Czar for his violence against innocent people.  When Basil died the Czar acted as pallbearer and carried his coffin to the cemetery.  The icon depicts Basil’s nakedness which demonstrated his utter destitution and the severity of his asceticism.  Basil is credited with a number of miracles.  It is believed that by his prayers the city of Moscow was spared from invasion by the Crieman Khan, Mukhamed-Girey.

St. Basil's Cathedral - Moscow

St. Basil’s Cathedral – Moscow

Today, many people who visit Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow are unaware that this famous church building was named after a Fool for Christ.

Wishing you all a blessed April Fools Day!

Robert Arakaki

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