Dear Fathers,
I was reading the book The Orthodox Way written by Bishop Kalisto Ware and on page 100 he quotes"Although we say to the Spirit "Come ",he is already in us.
I just want to quote some scripture that the Holy Spirit can not be in us because we are born in sin. Romans 3:23-24 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,being justified freely by his grace through the REDEMPTION that is in Christ Jesus.
In luke 3:22 And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, meaning when Jesus was baptized the Holy Spirit descended upon him,it was not already in him.
In another example Acts 19:2 the apostle Paul said to them "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? So they said to him,We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit."
Acts 19:5-6 When they heard this,they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.And when Paul laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them,and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.
Father he is another example of the holy spirit came upon them when they believed because it cannot be in us already.
Father I would like to ask another question while we are on the subject of baptism, why is it that the Orthodox baptize babies,when in Acts 2:38-39 Then Peter said to them, Repent,and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of Sins;and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For this promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call"
Father can a baby really repent and ask for forgiveness of sins?
Acts 8:36-38 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized? Then Philip said,If you believe with all your heart,you may. And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
Father he is another example the eunuch spoke his confession out with his mouth, can a baby really confess with his mouth 'I believe with all my heart?
He is another example in Acts 18:8 Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians,hearing,believed and were baptized.
Father can a baby hear and believe on Christ?
Acts 22:16 Even the apostle Paul was baptized. And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins,calling on the name of the Lord.
Dear Father all these examples show you that all these people to make a choice to be baptized had to know Christ died for them on the cross, and then make a confession with there mouth.
He is another question I would like to ask you about being a saint of God. It seems to become a saint you must be a very holy person or a famous preist, done somthing of holy. 1colossians 26-27 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and generations, but now has been revealed to his SAINTS. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of his mystery among the GENTILES: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
See Father because we are gentiles if we both receive Christ we can become SAINTS OF GOD. Isn't that very exciting.
Dear Father it is important for us to become saints of God because in 2 Thessalonians1:8-10 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God,and on those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His SAINTS and to be admired among all those who,believed,because our testimony among you was believed.
Father in the last days Christ is comming back for his Saints. His people have CHRIST IN THEM!
Bless you.

I wish you all the best and may God give you his blessings.
I don't have the right to answer on behalf of Kallistos Ware, so you may write him your answer.
I will answer the questions you addressed me.
In Orthodox Church we baptise children because we want them to participate in God's Kingdom and Baptism is necessary for that. There is no prohibition in scriptures against children being baptised. I remind you the incident in Philippoi, were Paul had baptised the family of his guardian in jail, included children. See the Acts.
Then, there is a difference between Baptism as an mystery and Baptism in the rest of our lives. You can practise Baptism by participating in the life of Church (sacraments, love, spiritual fight etc) or you can erase baptism freely, if you don't consider yourself as a christian or you don't pay so much attention to it. Nobody enforces you to remain christian. However, God embraces you whwnever you are ready to accept his grace and love and you have tis right because of Baptism. What if a child dies before getting baptised? Why shall we deny the participation in Christ's life?
About Saints, yes everyone being baptised, becomes a saint. But there are people who have achieved in their life to attract God's grace because of their love towards him.
Church honours them and there are criteria for that. For example, miracles, relicks, the consensus of the lay people, and finally Church's decision.
Every christian is a saint in his life, if he is baptised and he tries to obtain the Holy Spirit. But Jesus said that "there are different and many places in my Father's Dome". That's why we in Orthodox Church honour saints, but we do not venerate them.
Try not to be so close to the letter of the law bu to the spirit of the Scriptures!
God be with you!

Fr. Themistoklis
Holy Diocese of Demetrias

Dear friends,
Orthodoxes can eat pork. We just have some days - parts of the year that we don't eat meat, milk, and food made of them or containing them. But every Christian Orthodox gets advise from the priest that confesses him/her, and may eat under some conditions. Furthermore, when we don't eat these specific food, this means that we try to fight our passions, our bad habits, and get closer to God, which means that we also try to do good things. Food is just a small part of the "fighting" with ourselves.

Orthodoxes may have just one wife. Woman is treated exactly the same with man, is being respected and has exactly the same rights. We believe that when one man marries a woman, they are one body and one soul, they are the same one thing, they get connected. Having more women is sin for an Orthodox, and not respectful.

There are some similarities with the Catholics. However, there are also some big differences. We have Holy Liturgy, where bread and wine are transformed into the Flesh and Blood of Jesus Christ. When a Christian receives the Holy Communion, he receives the Flesh and Blood of Jesus Christ, who said that whenever people want Him, He will be with them.

regards,
Alexandros Iatridis, Holy Diocese of Demetrias

2. When these normative sources do not address a particular issue, what does your religious tradition do then?

3.Does your religious take positions on ethical issues that are binding on all of its members? If so, who is authorized to determine those positions? By what process are they determined?

4. What happens when a member of your tradition personally disagrees with the official position of the group?

Tom

1. We think that the spiritual father is the one who helps people to decide about ethical matters. Of course, he does not decide for the interested people, but he helps them by praying and explaining God's will. We have also itneresting books depending on our Spiritual Fathers tradition (our Saints) who give us positions to decide.

2. We pray to God, we discuss it and we decide in the basis of not hurming human life and human sentiments.

3. We are not supposed to decide for all. Our tradition proposes. Then we are interested in personal pastoral care.

4. It depends on what he disagrees. We do not ex-communicate him. we try to persuade him, but of course we believe that he is free to decide.

Fr. Themistoklis
Holy Metropolis of Demetrias

Hello. My name is Dana Heffern and I am a painter/photographer. I have been commissioned to create a series of hand painted photos of Greek Orthodox churches. I am having trouble finding information on some of your symbols; especially the double headed falcon. I would love any information you could send my way regarding research on this image, the Holy Trinity, Saint John the Baptist, icons and their meanings, and the like. I am Bulgarian Orthodox, and do have an understanding of the Orthodox religion in general, but need some help, as I would like my images to accurately represent and symbolize the Greek Orthodox tradition/religion.
Thank you for you time.

Sincerely,
Dana

Dear Dana,

1. The double headded falcon (eagle) is the symbol of the Byzantium and the Orthodox Church. The two heads mean the East and the West, Orthodox Church and the old Byzantine Empire sees over east and west, is ecumenical, global!

2. The Holy Trinity icon consists of the Three Angels, the Abraham and Sara and it is called "Abraham's Hospitality". Is is a story of the Old Testament. Abraham hospitalizes three strangers. The say to him that his wife Sara will give birth to a son. The three angels are the same (same substance of the Holy trinity, but three persons, "prosopa")

3. The icon of St. John the Baptist iconize his description in the New Testament (Gospel of Marcos) and he keeps his head as a symbol of its sacrifice, martirion.
Hope we helped you!

Fr. Themistoklis Mourtzanos
Holy Metropolis of Demetrias

I write from Turin, Italy, where I live. I am very interested to the spiritual tradition of the Eastern Church. I think that the precious intuitions of the theological orthodox patrimony in trinitarian, pneumatologic, mystic horizon are today absolutely necessary to "breathe with two lungs" the enlivening breath of the Spirit. And also important is a "theology of Beauty", the Beauty who produce every communion, that glorious irradiation of the divine energy that flows incessantly from the lap of the TriUnity and that is at the ontological roots of everythings, calling all creatures (kal?s-k?llein = beauty-call) to the Unity of the divine Agape, transfiguring all the creation into an immense "koinon?a", beyond every confusion and every separation. Now, dear fathers can I ask you a question? I would be very honoured if you could permit me to correspond with you to help me in some difficult questions about the orthodox faith.Now I'll try to express some questions about orthodox spirituality.

1) What's the meaning of "heart" in orthodox mystical practice? It seems to me that knowledge in Father's writings is not only intellective neither only sentimental, affective, like in western spirituality (the Dominican and Franciscan dispute) but consist in a "descent of the intellect inside the heart" that unify the separate soul's faculties in a knowledge for connaturality, a kind of charitative intellect or intellectual charity. Is it true?
2) How I must understand the correct sense of the divine energies, intra and extra trinitarian?
3) Is it exact to understand the man's deification like a perfect humanization? Not an human's annichilation in some impersonal divinity but a full "personification" in Christ, by the means of the Holy Spirit?
4) Can you indicate to me some e-mail addresses of theologian or orthodox people to correspond about orthodox teology?
Hoping you can understand my horrible english, I greet you with love and await yours news.

Massimo

Dear Massimo,

Thank you for your very interesting mail. Although it is very difficult for me to answer you in English, I will try to do so.
1) In Orthodox tradition the meaning of the "heart" is neither sentimental nor mental, rational. Heart is the center of the human existance, person, both body and soul. I 'll try to explain it by using an example. When Ignatios of Antiocheia was eaten by lion in Rome, in his heart they found the name of Christ! that means that all his existance was full of love to Christ, he breathed Christ's name, he lived because Christ gave him life, he loved everyone because Christ gave him love, he died because after death he and Christ would be united in light. Orthodox monks are trying by using Chris'ts prayer "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me" to stop thinking mentally anything else but Christ and stop feeling anything else but Christ. That affects all their life, because Christ is not a mental phaenomenon but we can eat and drink Him in the Holly Communion and being enlightened by his presence as a Holy Light. you can find very interesting essays about these experiences by reading Philocalia (English version by Bishop Callistos Wear) and the writtings of St. Gregory Palama.

2)The devine energies first of all "aktistes", not built, not material and "Ktistes", material. The materiality is refered to the results, not to the substance of the energies. You can see the Holy Light, not as a materila substance but the result of the energy has its material way, we can see it as a light. That's why when in Jerusalem, before Easter, the holy Light comes out of Jesus Grave, and during the first minutes of its appearance you wo'nt be burned from it., It is a blessing! For more, you can see St. Gregor of Palama writtings.

3) A perfect man is son of God not phusically but by God's Grace giving. That is very important to understand. We are not transferring into gods, but we participate in God's glory. The speaches to the Holy Transfiguration by St. John of Damaskus give more explanation. The purpose of our life os the obtaining of the Holy Spirit said and live as a full experience St. Seraphim of Saroph. That means that Holy Spirit is in our heart, a heart clear of passions, a heart full of love to Jesus, a heart redy to see Jesus' face (theoria, Paradisos).

4)See our links and find addresses of Theological Faculties and Schools. Communicate also to Fr. Arsenios Mescos arsme@forthnet.gr.

Yours in Christ,
Fr. Themistoklis Mourtzanos

thanks,
Elvira

Dear Elvira,

the only thing you need to join the Orthodox Church is to love Christ and try to make your soul, your character better and better, day by day.
If someone wants to become an Orthodox Chriastian, he/she must be catechised (be teached by someone, so as to learn many things about the Orthodoxy) and then (after some days or months) baptised (baptism is a Holy Mystery, in which the priest prays for you so The Holy Spirit comes inside you and blesses you, so as you can start a new life as Orthodox Christian).

with respect,
Alexandros Iatridis

Dear friends,
During the Easter we are celebrating the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ became a human being, sacrificed Himself for all the people of all the world (including us), and Resurrected.

Each day of the Holy Week has its point:
On Sunday we celebrate the enter of Jesus to the town of Jerusalem, where He was going to sacrifice Himself.
On Monday, Tuesday we celebrate some parts of His preaching, and some miracles He made.
On Wednesday, there is the Last Supper that Jesus had with His Apostoles, in which He washed the Apostoles' feet, so as to teach them humbleness, and that the best person is the one who is the most polite and sacrificing for the other people.
On Thursday there is the fact that He was crussified, and some other things before His Crucifixion.
On Friday Jesus goes to Hades after His Crucifixion, to preach to the dead people and to give life.
On Sunday is His Resurrection.

I told only a little bit from these Holy days. Every day of the Holy Week is one big feast, and we do many things. For example, on Friday evening, we have a very big cross, and the epitaph(epitafios, which is made during the night of Thursday by many people of each specific church) and we go around to the neighborhood of the church, in order to bless the homes. All these are being done because there is the funeral of the Jesus.

with respect,
Alexandros Iatridis