You, perhaps, reading the true words written here about temples, relics, holidays… have been stirred in spirit and already want to stone the blasphemer who wants to destroy temples, abolish the customs established by the fathers… This was the same reaction of the murderers of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and of the persecutors of Christians throughout the history of the Church of Christ. The flesh cannot contain what is from the Holy Spirit – repentance, a change of mind, and sanctification by the Holy Spirit are needed. What you see around you – temples, priests, tomos, celebrations (with the blessing of Easter cakes, water, herbs, willows, apples, honey, etc.) – this is paganism, not Christianity, the religion of the Antichrist, the Jewish synagogue, not the Church of Christ! By their fruits, you will recognize them! The sign of the Church of Christ is the Eucharist (Sacraments) and the word of God (catechism)! In the OCU, there is everything except the one thing needed – catechism and (as a result of the lack of catechism) the Sacraments! Be vigilant! Begin to repent, be catechized – prepare for baptism! Be vigilant! God allows everything! As in the days of John the Baptist, so now (before the Parousia) all “Christians” need repentance: first and foremost, the priests of all ranks and degrees of severity (patriarchs, metropolitans, archbishops, proto-priests, priests…), scribes-lawyers-“theologians” (professors, doctors, candidates), Pharisees, Sadducees (heretics of various directions and shades)!
He deceives himself who reads prayers, psalms, canons… who performs (priests) or stands through (parishioners) the rites of worship (Sacraments, blessings, needs…), but does not repent, is not catechized, does not know and does not fulfill the will of God, the commandments of God! God’s response, God’s “salary” for such foolish, hypocritical labor: “They worship Me in vain with their lips, for the state of their hearts and their deeds are detestable to Me… For them (those who do not repent) a sentence is being prepared: I never knew you – depart from Me, all you who practice lawlessness, who do not show mercy to your neighbor, do not forgive the offenses of your neighbor from your heart, who condemn your neighbor…”.
The enemy of prayer is deceit, hypocrisy, self-will, irresponsibility..! Prayer is a conversation-communion with God. And for a conversation to become communion, one needs to be obedient, to hear, to listen to the interlocutor – one must first be silent, remain silent. The pinnacle of ascetic prayer labors is hesychia, silence – a state of being able to hear the voice of God, to receive God! Silence is not wanting to speak, to be in a state of “I have nothing to say” (see above), to be all attention, all obedience, all desire to hear-receive God. Therefore, the essence of prayer (ascetic prayer labors of catechism) is to be silent, to stop “praying” (to cease showing initiative, but instead to completely renounce one’s will and be ready to accept all of God’s will), and to humbly surrender oneself to God: “Let us commend ourselves, and each other, and all our life (the whole visible and invisible world, which for me is a Gift from God) to Christ our God (in Thanksgiving-Eucharist)”.
Prayer is a conversation-communion with God on the way to God, to unity with God. And the way to God is repentance (from lawlessness to Law, from Law to Grace, to Christianity, to life in Christ, in the Holy Spirit). Therefore, the context (foundation and goal) of any prayer (petition, supplication, thanksgiving, praise…) is constant repentance! Without repentance (humility, contrition), there is no God-pleasing prayer! Prayer without repentance (without humility, contrition) is a state of delusion, deception! (For you have not even set out on the path (have not begun to repent), and already claim to have reached the goal!?). For example, thanksgiving without repentance is deception, blasphemy, a state of pride, a sign of complete misunderstanding of spiritual life, alienation from the Truth. The main task on earth is repentance. Without repentance-humility, any deed, even thanksgiving, is displeasing to God. For an example of repugnant thanksgiving to God, we will tell a parable (for an example from Scripture, see Isa. 1:10-15). A worker comes to the director (of a firm, a factory) to thank him for the fact that this kind-hearted director gave him (a very bad worker who only causes losses to the firm… And the director keeps him employed only out of great mercy and for the sake of this careless, irresponsible worker’s children…) a bonus (!) in addition to his salary last month (= alms for his and his children’s treatment…). And yesterday this man (the careless worker) burned down the factory, causing enormous losses to the firm! And he, instead of repenting and asking for forgiveness-mercy, as if nothing happened, sincerely thanks the director for last month’s salary and for the financial assistance, which the director mercifully-wisely issued as a bonus (and all this to someone who only causes losses)!? (Is thanksgiving a good thing? It is the greatest virtue-quality-deed of created beings! The essence of the Church is Eucharist-Thanksgiving! Everything in the Church serves the Eucharist, leads to the Eucharist, and all deeds flow from the Eucharist: “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father!”). But there is an inappropriate and untimely thanksgiving. What does the chief expect from this unfortunate worker?! First of all, REPENTANCE! And then gratitude for the alms, the help! Thanksgiving is accepted only after repentance or in the context of repentance! And where there is no repentance, but there is supposedly thanksgiving (which was not preceded by repentance or which is not accompanied by constant repentance, humility, submission, pleading for mercy, forgiveness), such thanksgiving is repugnant before God (God opposes the proud). Remember the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee. The Pharisee said: I thank you, God (he thanked God!?)… and other meaningless words (see Luke 18:9-14). Therefore, everything in the Church is preceded by repentance-humility (a plea, a desire for forgiveness-mercy). The life of the catechumen is continuous repentance, a struggle for humility. Each Sacrament is for the forgiveness of sins, for the partaking of the Holy Spirit. God (Humble, Merciful) gives Grace only to the humble (and merciful), and humility is the fruit of repentance – fervent fulfillment of all God’s commandments! The seal of all Sacraments is the Eucharist (partaking of God, the Holy Spirit, and giving oneself to God, and God accepts only the humble (and merciful), and resists the proud, rejects them, casts them out of the wedding feast bound into outer darkness). Everything done without humility-repentance is repugnant before God. Therefore, the Lord said: if you do everything, say (and think, and feel yourself): we are unworthy servants… repent, and then thank the Master for His Love-Mercy to you. This is pleasing to the Lord and beneficial to the servants so that in due time they may hear: well done, good and faithful servant, you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things – enter into the joy of your Lord, into the joy of deification, be god by grace! This is the path of Orthodoxy – repentance! Not “love” (“romances with God”), “thanksgiving”… Without repentance (= fervent fulfillment of all God’s commandments!), there is nothing good: neither love, nor thanksgiving… nothing!