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Fr. Panagiotis Papanikolaou

February 2012 - Pastoral Reflections

 My beloved in the Lord:

             This year Triodion begins of Sunday, February 5th, and as we start our spiritual preparations to traverse the journey of Great Lent, I would humbly like to share with you some reflections on what is the make-up of an Orthodox Christian.  It is human nature to categorize and evaluate others, and this nature also applies to us as Orthodox Christians.  We apply words like good, real, indifferent, lukewarm, or bad to this title, perhaps because we understand there are entirely too many nominal Orthodox Christians.  Surely, however, most of us consider ourselves pretty good Orthodox Christians.  This raises the question, what is a “good” Orthodox Christian?  What are the qualifying criteria?

             Some suggest that a “good” Orthodox Christian does not do those things the Church prohibits.  This is the negative test of the Orthodox Christian life.  It is good, but not enough.  Others consider a “good” Orthodox Christian one who is faithful to the teachings of the Church, who tries to live up to its formal requirements by attending services, receiving Holy Communion and contributing money.  Still others contend that the supreme test of Orthodoxy is activity – teaching in Church school, working with youth, assisting the Priest in pastoral work, belonging to various auxiliaries, singing in the choir or pitching in to help with the many chores around the Church buildings.  A few people feel that a “good” Orthodox Christian should not confine himself only to our tradition, but should get out into the community and participate in resolving the problems.  Anyone providing leadership for a worthy cause, they contend, is a “good” Orthodox Christian because that person is using the Orthodox background for the good of the greatest number of people.

             The list can go on and on.  You can readily see yourself or others in these categories.  Taken together, they do characterize a “good” Orthodox Christian; however, no one of them is the supreme test.  We may refrain from drinking and swearing, may be faithful to the formal requirements of Orthodoxy, may be active in the Church and community, and yet not be “good” Orthodox Christians.

             To be “good” Orthodox Christians, we must live faith above and beyond these practices.  A “good” Orthodox Christian needs to understand the source of Christian living.  As children of God, we have been brought into a vital union with the Resurrected Lord, and that relationship changes us.  A “good” Orthodox Christian is a “new creature” in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  According to Holy Scripture and the Church Fathers, to be a real Orthodox Christian means to let that which was potentially in our initial experience become a living and dynamic reality.  We must let the Resurrected Lord live within us and express Himself through us.  We are “good” Orthodox Christians to the degree that we are Christ-like.

             The supreme test of an Orthodox Christian is positive rather than negative.  It is a relationship so deep and meaningful that all of life is influenced by it.  Yes, obey the commandments and moral laws.  Deeply believe in the teachings of the Holy Church. Fully live up to the requirements of the Church.  Work with love for the Church and the community.  Faithfully attend Church services regularly.  Support His Church, which He has placed in our hands, both financially and morally.  But let the motivation for all these expressions of the Orthodox Christian life be your love and gratitude to Almighty God for the blessings that have been bestowed upon you through the Resurrected Lord.  A “good” Orthodox Christian life flows from within outward, and its source is your vital relationship to the living Lord, the Panagia and all His Saints.

             Praying that the abundant blessings of Almighty God and the prayers of the most Holy Theotokos be with you and all your loved ones, I humbly remain,

With paternal blessings and love,

+Fr. Panagiotis