Comments on: For the Love of God – the Elder Porphyrios http://glory2godforallthings.com/2008/02/23/for-the-love-of-god-the-elder-porphyrios/ Orthodox Christianity, Culture and Religion, Making the Journey of Faith Sat, 18 May 2013 23:00:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: fatherstephen http://glory2godforallthings.com/2008/02/23/for-the-love-of-god-the-elder-porphyrios/#comment-18900 fatherstephen Mon, 03 Mar 2008 21:52:23 +0000 http://glory2godforallthings.com/?p=1103#comment-18900 May God bless you.

]]> By: Marianne http://glory2godforallthings.com/2008/02/23/for-the-love-of-god-the-elder-porphyrios/#comment-18899 Marianne Mon, 03 Mar 2008 21:21:38 +0000 http://glory2godforallthings.com/?p=1103#comment-18899 Thank you Father Stephen.

]]> By: fatherstephen http://glory2godforallthings.com/2008/02/23/for-the-love-of-god-the-elder-porphyrios/#comment-18898 fatherstephen Mon, 03 Mar 2008 21:08:49 +0000 http://glory2godforallthings.com/?p=1103#comment-18898 This quote comes from the writings of a very great and holy Christian. His humility is an expression that very much part of the Orthodox Christian Tradition. Whereas we recognize that Christ alone can save us, and that He clothes us with His wedding garment, His righteousness as we accept Him, Orthodox hymnography and piety, continue, like St. Paul, to say, “Of sinners, of whom I am first,” and to focus on our unworthiness that we might glorify the mercy of God, not to doubt His promise in Scripture. It is a language of piety, perhaps different than found in some Protestant contexts, though there you can say, “Just as I am, without one plea.”

In the statement by the Elder Porphyrios, a modern saint, he imagines Himself before Christ, without one plea, and casts all of His trust upon the love of God.

You shouldn’t be too literal when reading such devotional language. Orthodoxy would never deny the Scriptures. It is the Orthodox Church that first declared the Holy Scriptures as the Canonical Word of God.

If it sounds different than what you are used to hearing, that’s not surprising. Much of Orthodox Christianity has been unknown in the Western World through many centuries. It has suffered persecution by Islam and Communists and produced more martyrs than all of the rest of Christianity combined – even in the modern era.

Christ alone is our clothing in righteousness. If I were to begin to cite how many times in the course of a liturgy, much less in the course of the liturgical year, we confess Christ as our clothing of righteousness, time would not permit.

Read with patience, ask questions, but don’t race to judge what you have had little contact with.

The language of pious humility is a hallmark of Orthodox prayer. It is strange to some ears in the West.

]]> By: Marianne http://glory2godforallthings.com/2008/02/23/for-the-love-of-god-the-elder-porphyrios/#comment-18897 Marianne Mon, 03 Mar 2008 20:51:46 +0000 http://glory2godforallthings.com/?p=1103#comment-18897 I do not understand how you would feel you would not have a wedding garment at the second coming. It is the garment of righteousness. When we turn our hearts over to Jesus, our own righteousness is discarded as rags, and He puts his own righteousness upon us. We do not deserve it, but he already knows that. That is why he came to earth to give us of Himself. If we give Him our hearts, He gives us His garment of righteousness Your life now is covered with the peace, blood and grace of Jesus :)

Rom 3:22 Even the righteousness of God [which is] by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

Phl 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

2Ti 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Rev 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

God bless you
marianne
http://heavenawaits.wordpress.com/

]]> By: Justin http://glory2godforallthings.com/2008/02/23/for-the-love-of-god-the-elder-porphyrios/#comment-18752 Justin Sun, 24 Feb 2008 04:18:36 +0000 http://glory2godforallthings.com/?p=1103#comment-18752 Wow… that really struck me. Thank you, Father, for posting this.

Especially: “…I think that when I appear at the Second Coming and Christ says to me: Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment? I will bow my head and I will say to Him: ‘Whatever you want, my Lord, whatever your love desires. I know I am not worthy. Send me wherever your love wishes. I am fit for hell. And place me in hell, as long as I am with You. There is one thing I want, one thing I desire, one thing I ask for, and that is to be with You, wherever and however You wish.’”"

]]> By: fatherstephen http://glory2godforallthings.com/2008/02/23/for-the-love-of-god-the-elder-porphyrios/#comment-18751 fatherstephen Sat, 23 Feb 2008 22:07:47 +0000 http://glory2godforallthings.com/?p=1103#comment-18751 I do not know about others – but the older I get the more I understand about love – about desire. Most of it has to do with my children who now live elsewhere. How my heart desires to see them and spend time with them. I think that they cannot know the extent to which this is present to me. Nor do I realize the extent to which God desires to spend time with me. I cannot fathom His love for me, yet it must be so, since He sent His only begotten Son to die for me and to win me back to Him. Such love. Such desire.

]]> By: Meg http://glory2godforallthings.com/2008/02/23/for-the-love-of-god-the-elder-porphyrios/#comment-18749 Meg Sat, 23 Feb 2008 21:58:39 +0000 http://glory2godforallthings.com/?p=1103#comment-18749 YEP.

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