|
|
|
Does
Evil Exist?
Baba Jude
A proper question that needs a proper answer.
Remember the movie The Exorcist?
In the film and in occult literature demon possession
is presented as an unusual, readily identifiable phenomenon
that causes the possessed person to act out in fearful
and paradoxical ways. It is presented as a terrifying
and rare experience.
The Exorcist faces the demonic reality in a dramatic
face to face personal encounter. He EXORCISES the devil,
that is, in the name of God, he commands the devil to
depart from the possessed person.
There are at least three things that need to be said
about this phenomenon:
1. The reality of the devil and demons 2. The meaning
of demonic possession
3. Who are exorcists?
ARE DEVILS/DEMONS REAL?
While to raise such a 200 years ago would have been
ludicrous. Today itıs a fair and honest question. One
to two generations of liberal education has lumped devil
talk together with all sorts of chicanery, superstition,
fortune-telling and astrological nonsense.
In the past, perceptive people knew that devil talk
was much more than that. Essentially it spoke of a deep
and disturbing reality the reality of evil in our
lives. Some intelligent people however separated what
they call the mere personification of evil as the devil
and demons from the reality of evil. By doing so, evil
became just a concept an idea to be included in systems
of philosophical and theological debate. Interesting
but powerless.
Only when it became respectable in recent years to understand
that symbols and symbolic language made truth an existential
reality in the lives of people, did the ancient practice
of identifying evil with the devil begin to make profound
sense to earth bound minds.
The Church has always taught the reality of the devil
and his angels the demons as powerful adversaries
both of God and his people.
In his fascinating book The Screwtape
Letters, the famous author C.S.Lewis argues in his correspondence
that the devilıs biggest weapon against humanity is
a disbelief in him! Those who are able to identify the
devil as a personal enemy, are one step ahead in the
struggle against evil.
But even those who are uncomfortable with such an understanding
can fully comprehend how "devil talk" makes real the
power and influence of evil in our lives. Whether you
say the devil or leave off t "D", the fact remains that
the fundamental reality is the same.
WHAT IS DEMONIC POSSESSION?
The Exorcist and much of the contemporary discussion
makes the tremendous error of seeing evil or the devilıs
work as an unique and terrifying phenomenon only occasionally
expressed. The Gospels throughout and many times over,
present demon possession as an object of Jesus' healing
work.
But both the Bible and The Church understand evilıs
pervasive powers as much more common, much more widespread,
much more a part of our lives that The Exorcist type
of experience implies.
It is evil at work in us when we lie, steal, hate, commit
adultery. It is the devil is at work in society when
radical injustice triumphs, when poverty flourishes
amid affluence, when thousands of lives are daily aborted
before they are born. It is the devil, evil at work,
when nations prepare for peace with multi over-kill
nuclear weapons, germ warfare and genocidal policies.
The Scripture speak of the "prince of the world" and
the dragon "who makes war on those who keep the commandments
of God. We pray - "and lead us not into temptation but
deliver us from evil (evil one).
The world in large part is possessed by the devil. It
is a daily experience lived from minute to minute.
WHO ARE EXORCISTS?
Exorcism means to banish the devil (evil) from our lives.
EXORIZO means to put someone beyond the boundary i.e.
to banish or exile.
Christ is the chief exorcist. His death and resurrection
were His victory over evil.
The priests are exorcists when they baptize when they
confirm, when they hear confessions, when they conduct
the Divine Liturgy. When they preach the Word of God,
the devil flees and the grace of God abounds.
Every Orthodox Christian is an exorcist. As you struggle
against personal sins, fight against immorality in family,
neighborhood, state, nation, it is a battle against
the prince of this world. The whole Church, past, present,
and future has the task of an exorcist: to banish evil,
sin, injustice, spiritual death, t/devil from t/life
of humanity.
Let us always remember the words of St. Paul to the
people of Corinth. "Keep alert, stand firm in your faith,
be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do, be done
in love."
For more info: e-mail office@stsahmes.org
|
Diocese
Links
Diocese
of the Armenian Church of America
Music
and Literature
bazaarplus.com-
The largest selection of Armenian and and Middle Eastern Music
anywhere
armenianmusic.com- Armenian Music, Parseghian Photo and
Records
narek.com- Armenian
Music, Books Film, and Art Gifts
Tourist
Info- Pilgrimages
Levon
Travel
|
| Church
Last Updated January 27, 2001 |
 |
|
|
CHRIST IS SACRIFICED AND SHARED AMONGST US. ALLELUIA.
Baba Jude
Free choice is a gift that God has granted to each of us. And
most of us really take advantage of it, especially on Sunday
mornings. Do we go to Church or not?
There are no "observers" of the Divine Liturgy, only participants.
This is why we must choose to attend church Services, for in
attending, one assumes the responsibility of participation.
"Liturgy" in Greek means "Service". A Christian who partakes
of the Divine Liturgy is, in the most proper sense of the word,
"at Godıs Service". The Liturgy is an action to be realized
and executed corporately and individually. It is the family
of God united in Christ. This becomes the Church. The Body of
Christ. Christ is the head of the Body and the faithful are
the members of that Body.
Man can know God only inasmuch as He reveals Himself to man.
Our search for God can be expressed in an acceptance of His
revelation and an acknowledgement of His existence. Worship
is the end of this search. It is the response of man to God.
It is an encounter with God, which allows man to come to a true
understanding of himself. Man was created to come to know and
to love God, to live in perfect communion with Him as His children.
We come together to worship and to encounter God so that He
might reveal Himself to us, to give us an understanding of who
we are in relation to Him and to the world.
God can be known most perfectly and most fully through His most
perfect revelation, Jesus Christ, Lord and Saviour. Christ tells
us "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to
the Father except through me." (John 14:6) It is through the
Divine Liturgy that we experience and gain that Way, Truth and
Life. In the Divine Liturgy, we unite ourselves in Holy Communion
to Christ. Thus the Divine Liturgy becomes the most essential
form and expression of Christian worship, allowing man to share
in the Divine Life in Jesus Christ, Lord and Saviour.
As a Christian, attendance and participation of the Divine Liturgy
is not a question, but a fulfillment of the promise of Christ
to be at one with God. It is not merely symbols of Christıs
presence. St. John Chrysostom writes, "What is in the chalice
is the same as that which flowed from Christıs side. What is
the bread? Christıs body..."
As a member of the Body, we must recognize our responsibilities
in gathering with others to declare our thanks and praise to
God, for His gifts of goodness.
Time is precious. There seems to be too little of it for all
the things we want to do. Sunday mornings should not be considered
"free time" for recreation or to catch up on matters undone.
The Church is our home; a safe harbor of
security, love and acceptance. The Divine Liturgy should be
our joyous expression of gratitude to God. On Sunday mornings,
come, participate, feel good, and open yourselves to the goodness
that awaits you. Allow the Divine Liturgy to become the central
point in your lives. Come home to your Father.
|
| Church
|
|
Time
and Again
by Baba Jude
Just when I thought it was safe to relax a bit, January showed
up again on the calendar. It does so every year at this time.
I took a look back and wondered whatever happened to summer with
its supposed relaxation and playtime; the fall with its beauty
of color; the Christmas season with its sounds of laughter, gathering
of family the Norman Rockwell picture. Projects that I had planned
to do for the most part never did get started. Books that I bought
to read were left on the shelf. Time that I was to spend with
my family and loved ones was all too little. I did get to see
some old friends, but the time spent with them was all too short.
With each year's passing and the number of candles on the birthday
cake increasing, time becomes more of a precious commodity. I
see this thing called time traveling toward a finish line somewhere
off in the distance we call the future, gaining speed and momentum
as it races forward. The closer it gets to that finish line, the
slower I want it to go, for I know that once it crosses that line,
the race will be over. The real problem is that we never realize
how close or how far away we are to that line until it smacks
us right in the face. Then, of course, we know that it is too
late.
Ready or not, the holidays came and went. As we start the New
Year and watch Dick Clark once again from Times Square, we all
seem to become a bit melancholy and ask the question "where did
the year go?" So what is our response.
Life is a gift from God, to be enjoyed lived, celebrated, nurtured
and given to others through our actions. If we don't use the time
we have to do those things that produce only special memories,
like watching a summer sunset with a loved one, playing a game
of catch with our kids, being on a family picnic rather than on
the golf course . . . you can add your own special times to the
list . . . we will finish the race, look back and say, " (this
is where we, each one of us, must fill in the words ourselves)."
You have read these words before about life being a gift. Maybe
with January here again and the routines of school, work, church
meetings, etc. along with a few more months of winter ahead of
us, maybe it's time to look at the day given to us to live with
a different mind. Maybe we will learn to take a few moments to
do the special rather than just the mundane. Maybe we will try
to open ourselves up to the goodness of God, to experience His
definition of life rather than just our own. And just maybe, the
words of St. Paul to his beloved friend Timothy will have true
meaning to us:
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race. I have
kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award
to me on the Day, and not only to me but also to all who have
loved his appearing."( II Tim 4:7-8).
Let's Pretend
Baba
Jude
Can
you remember far back in time when as a child or maybe even
now as an adult you played the game of "pretend"? Take the time
to do so now.
Pretend that you are walking on a long road and you are all alone.
It is daytime. No one else is with you. (Here is where you take
a moment, close your eyes and visualize the scene.)
Now, pretend you see someone walking on the same road as you.
It is Jesus.
Is he walking toward you or away from you?
Now pretend that he is walking with you for a while. What do you
say to him?
Pretend he says to you "I'll give you anything your heart wants,
anything at all." What would you ask for?
Pretend he asks you "what is your biggest problem"? What do you
say?
Pretend that you meet you very best friend along the way. Do you
introduce him/her to Jesus? What do you say?
Now you come to a place in the road where you go in one direction
and Jesus goes in the other. What does Jesus say to you as he
leaves?
What do you say to him?
Pretend games can be a lot of fun. They can also provide us with
an opportunity to examine and compare who we are to whom we pretend
to be at times.
Take
the time to go back over the questions. Pretend you have all the
time in the world to do this. Now pretend you don't.
|
| Music
of the Church and Sermons |
|
|
|
Online Sermons
Badarak.com
|
|
| |
This
Web Site is property of the CAKE Foundation
Reproduction and/or use of images or content without
the written authorization of the CAKE Foundation
is strictly prohibited
|
|