Posted on 12/29/2016 11:43:57 AM PST by NRx
December 26, 2016
On December 25, 2016, the Twenty-Seventh Sunday of Pentecost, the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers and day of commemoration of St. Spyridon of Tremithus, the Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokalamsk celebrated in the Moscow church of the Joy of All Who Sorrow Icon of the Mother of God the rite of union with the Orthodox Church for those who have temporarily fallen away from it, defecting into schism or sects.
On this day 115 people renounced paganism, sectarian errors and schismatic false beliefs. Metropolitan Hilarion addressed words of edification to them:
“I congratulate all of you, dear brothers and sisters, with the completion of your reunification with the Church of Christ.
The Lord has allowed each of you to fall into various errors. You have learned from personal experience all their dangers and the corrupting effect which they have on the human soul, mind, and spiritual development.
You have experienced this power of evil over yourselves, but the providence of God brought you back to the Church. And now, when you are reuniting with the Church, the Lord again calls you to live a Christian life, to flourish in knowledge of the truth and to rise from strength to strength (Ps. 83:8), on the path of spiritual perfection. And may your guide on this path be the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
Read the Gospel every day that the Word of God would always resound in your mind and in your heart; that through the Holy Gospel the Lord Jesus Christ would always be present in your life and address Himself to you every day that you would hear His voice and reconcile your life with His Word.
Try not to miss the Sunday and feast day services. Commune of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, to unite yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ not only spiritually, but also physically, opening your heart to the Savior, Who is ready to come, settle in and live with you, and to act through you.
Name your sins in the Mystery of Confession to receive forgiveness from the Lord and cleanse your soul of all sinful defilement. Try to live according to the Divine commandments and to do good for your neighbors. And who are our neighbors? The Lord answers in the Gospel: neighbors are all who are in need of your help, and all who happen to be near to you (Lk. 10:25-37).
Christianity does not divide people into friends and enemies, those who need help and those who do not need any help. For Christians every person is a neighbor. And the Lord will teach us this through His Gospel, through the Sermon on the Mount, through parables and other teachings brought to us by His holy apostles.
Never doubt the truth of the words of the Lord in the Gospel. Never doubt the truth of the teachings of the Church. Evil and lying voices will continue to say that there is no truth in the Church or that it lacks the fullness of truth, or that it is somewhere in error. Don’t believe these voices and don’t listen to them. If you come across any sectarian, schismatic, or heretical literature, abhor it as an abomination, don’t keep it in your houses, destroy this literature and don’t allow your friends to come into contact with it, for its corrupting influence, which you personally experienced, would adversely affect other people.
Live Christian lives. Love God, love the Church of God, love one another and the Lord will always be with you, blessing your life’s path. Amen.”
***
Work with people who have fallen away from Orthodoxy is carried out in the Moscow church of the Joy of All Who Sorrow Icon of the Mother of God by the Center for Rehabilitation of Victims of Non-Traditional Religions in memory of A. S. Khomiakov. Currently the center is lead by the church’s cleric priest Eugene Tremaskin. Preparatory talks are conducted for a few months before celebrating the rite of uniting to the Orthodox Church of sectarians and schismatics desiring to return to the true faith.
28 / 12 / 2016
GOOD!!!! We need such ministries and rites here in the US, too!
All it takes for Roman Catholics is:
1. Confession/Sacrament of Reconciliation--and in every confession is the intention of not repeating that/those sin/s.
2. Do the penance that the priests says to do.
3. Avoid the "near occasion of sin." It's an old fashioned term but it is on the money for definition.
We have an increasing number of Orthodox who have decided not to attend Church anymore for various reasons, often because conflicts with their family and/or professional time make it too “complicated” to come to Liturgy. So they want to “simplify” their lives. Then there are those who have various issues with another parishioner.
Our Priest complains about such things reducing attendance all the time.
Despite the ready availability of Holy Confession and other means of re-integration with the Church, if people have those issues, they do not take advantage of them.
I sometimes offer prayers to the Mother of God—before a wonderworking icon (!)—that people I know in these situations will return to Divine Liturgy and Holy Communion. Sometimes these prayers are answered, and people return!!!! Nevertheless, that is not always the case.
I’m sure that situations in Russia that lead Orthodox away from the Liturgy may not be the same as here in America. But we Americans also live in a tough culture that is not always friendly to regular attendance at our Services.
There are no pockets in shrouds and we are told to store up treasures in HEAVEN, not here.
Do we pay attention to that? I wonder.
I know that when Orthodox Christians do not prepare for Holy Communion via the prescribed prayers, and then receive the Holy Mysteries, not only do they miss out, but Christ misses them, too!!!!
That’s why I pray for these people to the Most Holy Theotokos!!!!
I don’t know what happened when our Priest spoke to them, but I’m sure that he did or else he wouldn’t be able to speak so knowledgeably about this situation.
But I find it interesting and potentially important that the Russian Orthodox Church had a special rite for people who had stopped coming to Liturgy.
....those who have temporarily fallen away from it, defecting into schism or sects...
It seems that the Russians have this additional temptation to deal with.
When I was a Lutheran, I would all too often participate in New Age sessions, and I would see my fellow Lutheran parishioners at these sessions. But since I’ve been received into the Orthodox Church, I’ve been rendered completely immune to any desire for the New Age.
Perhaps that’s not true of everyone. Lord have mercy!!!!
Our Priest (Antiochian) delivers strong admonitions to use the Sacrament of Confession during Advent; and virtually requires Confession during Great Lent in order to receive Communion at Pascha.
By Mary of Egypt Saturday there are dozens waiting to Confess after Saturday Vespers.
His Eminense’s exhortations for fully living in the communion of the Church should be heeded by every Orthodox Christian.
Our Catholic pastor grew up as a Lutheran. It always makes me think of defrocked, disgraced Catholic priest Father Martin Luther.
I think he was not happy with the outcome of his protest.
As for the "new age"--WHAT A LOAD that was. Those who fell into its trap are probably on to yet another "faith-du-jour" trip.
Remember David Koresh? There was also another sect that had space travel involved. I can't recall their name.
Yes, it is MOST interesting.
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