The Sweetest Name of Jesus

Some years back, I was given instruction on saying the “Jesus Prayer” by Archimandrite Zacharias of Essex. We spoke about the form of the prayer, and the pace it should be prayed. But it was his final instruction that touched my heart: “Pay particular attention to the Name when you pray it.” It is, after all, the Jesus Prayer. The Scriptures have much to say about His holy name. We pray “in His name.” We speak to the Father, in the name of Jesus. The name is “above all names.” “At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow”… The list goes on and on.

In the early years of my time in the “Jesus Movement,” I shared an apartment with a dear Christian brother. We developed a very sweet practice at bedtime. The apartment we shared had two bedrooms. But one of us would call to the other in the dark with a “name” of Jesus. “Lion of Judah,” one would call and the response would come, “Honey in the Rock.” We would go on like this, slowly exhausting every “name” image we could remember from the Scriptures. My experience at the same time was one of increasing ecstasy as the “Name” worked within our hearts and pushed us ever further into the heights.

Devotion to the name of Jesus is widespread in Christianity and takes many forms. There are evangelical hymns. There are mystical treatises, both Orthodox and Catholic. In Orthodoxy, there is the Akathist Hymn to the Sweetest Lord Jesus that, like my late teen ecstasies, presses deeper and deeper into the mystical imagery of the Name.

The Scriptures say,For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”(Romans 10:13) This statement, I think, is most often treated in a “legal” manner, that is, as a statement of a minimal requirement for Christian salvation. As such, it becomes like a magical password, guaranteeing deliverance from future punishment and promising future reward.  That understanding, it seems to me, trivializes what is taking place in salvation and diminishes our understanding of the holy Name.

If we remember what it means to be “saved,” then we can better understand what St. Paul is saying regarding the name of the Lord. Salvation is much more than a heavenly reward or the deliverance from hell. Rather, salvation is the transformation of the whole person and their ultimate transfiguration into the image of Christ. Salvation is becoming eternally and truly what we were created to be – the very image of God.

With this in mind, it is possible to see that “calling on the Name” is a profound act of the heart, soul, mind, and body. To call on the Name is, in this sense, not unlike receiving Christ in the Holy Eucharist.  He says, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in Me and I in them” (Jn. 6:56). This is not a legal status – it is a matter of our entire being. Calling on the Holy Name of Jesus is similar – it is a “communion” with Christ Himself.

Devotion to the name of Jesus has had its own controversies over time. In the first couple of decades of the 20th century, a Russian controversy erupted in what today is called the Imyaslavie Controversy (Imyaslavie=Name Worshiper). In a very popularly read book of the time, the hermit schema-monk, Hilarion, wrote: “The name of God is God Himself.” Over time, there came to be a push-back, particularly in some of the higher circles of the Church. The truth is that Fr. Hilarion’s simple statement lacked definition and could easily be miscontrued in a magical manner (or some such thing). Perhaps the most refined response to that charge can be seen in the works of Aleksei Losev, Russian philosopher and defender of the teaching: “…The exact mystical formula of Imiaslavie will sound like this: a) the name of God is an energy of God, inseparable from the essence of God itself, and therefore is God himself. b) However, God is distinct from His energies and from His name, and that is why God is not His name or a name in general.” Nonetheless, the Imyaslavie teaching was condemned by the Holy Synod of Russia at one point, with monks on Mt. Athos who adhered to it being expelled. The doctrine was slated to be re-examined at the Moscow Council in 1917, but was never undertaken due to the onset of the revolution. Prominent defenders of the Imyaslavie were Fr. Sergei Bulgakov and Fr. Pavel Florensky.

All of that seems to be something of a footnote in Orthodox history. What was under consideration was the statement that “the name of God is God.” Orthodox theology being what it is, I can easily see how such a statement could be reconciled with Orthodox teaching – though, on its face, it is certainly too susceptible to misunderstanding. What the controversy surrounding this did not do – was change the devotional life of the Church in any way. The Jesus Prayer, and devotions to the name of Jesus were and remain at the very heart of our Orthodox life.

For myself, I stumbled across all of this when I was doing doctoral studies at Duke. The question for me arose around the nature of language. What is it that words do? How should we understand them? My “clue” was a statement from the 7th Ecumenical Council that “icons do with color what Scripture does with words.” I followed that lead and spent time pondering the “iconicity of language.” I came to the conclusion then that this approach held promise in thinking about the Holy Name. We would certainly say of an icon of Christ that it “makes present what it represents.” However, we would never say, “The icon of Christ is Christ.”

More important than these theological speculations is the simple experience that I first learned in those late teen years. The name of Jesus is sweet. When spoken by a heart that loves Him, its invocation brings with it the presence of Christ Himself. It is Jesus that our hearts desire and Jesus whom we are given: in the sacraments, in the Scriptures, and in His holy Name.

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About Fr. Stephen Freeman

Fr. Stephen is a retired Archpriest of the Orthodox Church in America. He is also author of Everywhere Present: Christianity in a One-Storey Universe, and Face to Face: Knowing God Beyond Our Shame, as well as the Glory to God podcast series on Ancient Faith Radio.



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Comments

62 responses to “The Sweetest Name of Jesus”

  1. John Robert Jones Avatar
    John Robert Jones

    I am having problems getting on your subscription list. Maybe this work.

  2. glorytogod Avatar

    John,
    We’re trying to get the subscriptions thing fixed. It’s possible there’s a hold on adding subscriptions from WordPress until they get it straight. I’ll try to monitor it.

  3. glorytogod Avatar

    John,
    I think I got your subscription fixed.

  4. Daniel Rothamel Avatar
    Daniel Rothamel

    I very much enjoyed this reflection. I think it also hits at why we, as Roman Catholics, have so many names for the Theotokos. I find all of them to have their own flavor of sweetness.

  5. David Anthony Avatar
    David Anthony

    I find the appreciation of Jesus’s name to be a struggle. I’m not sure why; it may be something buried deep within the heart. For one thing, His name, at least among us English-speakers, sounds kind of funny. I’m hoping I can grow out of feeling that way some day!

    Having spent many years in an evangelical/Pentecostal context, I’ve heard (and still hear) the name of Jesus used like an exclamation point to a prayer — or like a red missile-launching button that one pushes to make the prayer effective (and pushes REALLY HARD for more effectiveness). “Lord, heal John, in the name of JESUS. In JESUS’ name!”

    Along these lines, I’ve frequently heard Christians rebuke the devil by adopting an intense and angry voice when doing it — just to make sure he knows we mean business, I suppose. My assumption is that one’s tone in such instances means nothing. But I still wonder. Maybe it does matter in that it trains our heart to resist and fight the enemy with intention.

    Aagh, more struggles…

  6. glorytogod Avatar

    David,
    Many things in our lives leave “toxic” traces. It is, of course, tragic that such traces should find the name of Jesus among them. I have practiced the Jesus Prayer for around 25 years – off-and-on throughout the day – and it has healed much within me. I sometimes pray the prayer in Russian (because I can), and sometimes in Greek (because I can). As much as possible, it is good to forgive and bless wherever you’ve come from – to let resentments go and to give thanks for whatever might have been good that it gave you. I have a deep love for the piety of simple Protestantism (as is commonly found among our Appalachian mountain folk hereabouts). I see their goodness and don’t judge it. It helps.

    I might add, that if you ever found yourself battling a demon – you might shout the name of Jesus in desperation or as a battle cry. It can be a very difficult experience. Most people don’t know it, but the name “Michael” is a Hebrew battle cry. The name means: “Who is like God?” and is a question (not a statement). It is a battlecry in that it challenges anyone who would dare to claim to be like God. May He intercede for us.

  7. Michael Bauman Avatar
    Michael Bauman

    Ah, Father, I have not thought of the underlying meaning of my name for a long time. Thank you for reminding me.

  8. Anna Avatar
    Anna

    “like the sweetness after the rain…kings and kingdoms shall all pass away, but there’s something about that Name”

    That was one of my grandmother’s favorite hymns. I’ll be singing it all day now, thank you Father.

  9. Fr. Stephen Avatar

    For everyone – a quote from St. John Chrysostom:

    The remembrance of the name of Jesus rouses the enemy to battle. For a soul that forces itself to pray the Prayer of Jesus can find anything by this prayer, both good and evil. First it can see evil in the recesses of its own heart, and afterwards good. This prayer can stir the snake to action, and this prayer can lay it low. This prayer can expose the sin that is living in us, and this prayer can eradicate it. This prayer can stir up in the heart all the power of the enemy, and this prayer can conquer it and gradually root it out. The name of the Lord Jesus Christ, as it descends into the depths of the heart, will subdue the snake which controls its ranges, and will save and quicken the soul. Continue constantly in the name of the Lord Jesus that the heart may swallow the Lord and the Lord the heart, and that these two may be one. However, this is not accomplished in a single day, nor in two days, but requires many years and much time. Much time and labor are needed in order to expel the enemy and instate Christ.   Letter to Monks (PG 60, p. 753).

  10. M. W. Avatar

    While I find it sad that all my favorite Orthodox bloggers have been cast out into a bit of a diaspora, as it were. I am glad that you continue your ministry unabated by the vagaries of earthly politics.

    Your words have been, and continue to be a balm as I struggle in this life.

    Thank-You for your ministry.

    Lord have mercy upon me.

  11. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    I am struck once again by the Father’s statements on how long and difficult actual penitential prayer, especially the Jesus Prayer is. Virtually impossible for any modern lay person to achieve. Yet I have known lay people who swear by the discipline and have, they say, reached a deep point of Grace (with much more indicated possible) in far less time and with much less diligence.
    That confuses me.

  12. Fr. Stephen Avatar

    It is grace. A gift.

  13. Dino Avatar
    Dino

    Anonymous,
    Although occasionally Grace can indeed gift someone a state and an experience of prayer that is far more advanced than they themselves happen to be, the rule is that, as with all virtue, you need all three elements: Grace, effort AND time.
    However, it is fascinating (for the subject himself) to see how Grace works inside and all around the diligent practitioner of the Jesus prayer. How it teaches them not to rely on the self but on the invoked One, how it instructs them to valiantly wage war with the adversary while surrendering their constantly discovered helplessness to Christ, how it convinces them that the invoked One wages all battles on their behalf and protects them from the inconceivable webs of the devil they start to perceive. This way man realizes and is convinced all the more that, more or less, all that is needed is to try to remain under the presence of the Lord, who will fight all fights and reveal all His providence to those who humbly continuously call upon His name.

  14. Stan Freeman Avatar
    Stan Freeman

    I am happy to see this blog. I pray the Jesus Prayer a lot for myself and others . It seems to make it easier to deal with troublesome matters and people.

  15. Angie Avatar
    Angie

    Thank you for this! The Jesus Prayer has been so life-giving to me, especially in pondering on the name of Jesus as I pray the prayer.
    This may be off topic, but I hear many outside of the Orthodox faith single out the Trinity at certain times in prayer. I know we pray to the Father as Jesus prayed to the Father… but what about praying to the Holy Spirit? Or calling on the Holy Spirit in prayer? I understand that everything is done through the Holy Spirit…so not sure about praying to the Spirit as we pray to Jesus. Would love your thoughts on this.
    Thank you!

  16. Angie Avatar
    Angie

    To be clear, I mean singling out the Holy Spirit as the receiver of the prayer. Like “Dear Holy Spirit…”
    Not sure if that came across correctly in my previous question.

  17. Fr. Stephen Avatar

    Angie,
    The liturgical prayers of the Church most commonly are addressed “to the Father, through the Son, by the Holy Spirit” in various traditional phrases. However, there are examples of prayers addressed to the Holy Spirit – most famously – “O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth…etc.” which is prayed at the beginning of almost every service, and is a standard part of most practices of prayer.

    The prayers of the Church, as written, have a couple of purposes. They serve to “teach us how to pray.” When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray – He gave them a prayer – the Lord’s Prayer. In the same manner, the written prayers of the Church serve to teach us the pattern of prayer. Secondly, the written prayers of the Church serve to preserve correct doctrine and teaching – There is an old rule-of-thumb that says, “lex orandi, lex credendi,” meaning, “The law of praying is the law of believing.” Our prayers teach our hearts how to believe.

    There is, of course, a freedom when we pray. It is necessary and important that we engage the heart when we pray – to speak to God from the deepest parts of our soul. The written prayers of the Church should never serve to eliminate that reality.

  18. Fr. Stephen Avatar

    Dino,
    I meant to say by “grace…it is a gift,” that “giftedness” is always an inherent aspect of grace. In many ways, it reminds us that our interaction with God is personal and not mechanical. Grace…effort…and time…in the acquisition of virtue – and the greatest action in this is humility. “He gives more grace to the humble.” There is something about grace – as it comes to the humble – that is always “surprising.”

    God give us grace!

  19. Justin Avatar
    Justin

    Fr Stephen,

    Following on your quote of +John Chrysostom, I don’t think an “amen” is the right response, but I can confirm that the Jesus Prayer does “stir the snake into action.” I have never had such difficult times in prayer and struggling with my passions as when I am praying the Jesus Prayer. At once my mind will explode with all manner of… stuff… and my habit is to begin sorting through it all. It so easily takes my attention away from Jesus. Every. Time. It’s exhausting. It is my shame that I oftentimes just give up.

    Thankfully I am prodded by the Spirit to begin again. Like the Saint says, I will likely be beginning again until my last dying breath. I am getting closer to being “okay” with that.

  20. Fr. Stephen Avatar

    Justin,
    One of the desert fathers said that “prayer is a struggle to a man’s dying breath”…so you’re apparently in good company!

    I have ADHD, which pretty much means that my mind is never “quiet.” It’s not unlike the tinnitis that rings in my ears 24/7. I work at “noting” it, and then at ignoring it. I think that one of the problems with thoughts is our mistaken notion that we can solve them by thinking. In many ways, it’s like trying to put out a fire by pouring gas on it. With the Jesus Prayer – I let the thoughts rattle on (cause that’s just what they’re going to do). I turn my inner attention to Christ and bring it back (again and again) as it wanders. The last thing I do (as in pretty much never) is to upbraid myself about all the distracting thoughts. They’re just noises – either from the adversary – or just brain artifacts – much like the pain signals from a broken arm.

    Sometimes I imagine myself on a battlefield – wounded, hurting, barely able to lift a sword. But standing by me is Christ and the angels, as well as all the saints in the battle. I am not the war – I’m just a wounded soldier. I’ll be glad to get in one more stroke of my blade. With each word of the Prayer, I strike the enemy. How effective I am is not really of great consequence – there are many mighty warriors around me. That I have been allowed to join the battle and that I am fighting on the side of Lord – it is enough. God give us grace and good strength!

  21. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    My own experience with Jesus Prayer was as spotty as everyone else’s until I was beset with a chronic pain disorder. I would wake up every night at about 3AM in pain. I had two choices: swear or pray. Finally one night I chose prayer using the Jesus Prayer. By His Grace it became something it had never been before. He opened my heart as never before. I have a sense that it is still just the surface though, it even has a physical focal point below and behind my physical heart.
    The pain is still with me but much more bearable and I still struggle with sin, but everything is in a new perspective. I have fewer excuses.

  22. Michael Bauman Avatar
    Michael Bauman

    Philippians Chapter 2 seems to speak to this, esp verses 8-11

    Moderator’s Note (Phil 2:8-11)

    “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

  23. Matthew Avatar
    Matthew

    I love this:

    “The Scriptures say,“For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”(Romans 10:13) This statement, I think, is most often treated in a “legal” manner, that is, as a statement of a minimal requirement for Christian salvation. As such, it becomes like a magical password, guaranteeing deliverance from future punishment and promising future reward. That understanding, it seems to me, trivializes what is taking place in salvation and diminishes our understanding of the holy Name.

    If we remember what it means to be “saved,” then we can better understand what St. Paul is saying regarding the name of the Lord. Salvation is much more than a heavenly reward or the deliverance from hell. Rather, salvation is the transformation of the whole person and their ultimate transfiguration into the image of Christ. Salvation is becoming eternally and truly what we were created to be – the very image of God.”

    You have no idea how my heart warms when I hear again and again how the Orthodox understand and experience salvation. It draws me closer and closer to the Church.

  24. Jim Avatar
    Jim

    Just checking: Do online donations go to Glory For All Things, Inc. ?

  25. Fr. Stephen Avatar

    Jim,
    Yes, they do. Last year, I set up Glory for All Things, Inc., as a 501C3 (tax-exempt) entity to receive funds to support the blog and other elements of my ministry. None of the funds are used as income for me…all of them go to support the ministry. Expenses took an immediate increase with setting up the new site (still not finished) and paying for various hosting requirements. Donations are very welcome. They qualify as charitable giving if you use that option in your tax preparation.

    Deeply appreciate any gift.

  26. David Avatar
    David

    Father Stephen,

    As someone who also has ADHD (diagnosed as an adult), your reply to Justin moved me deeply. Thank you for that.

    Sometimes “the noise” is unbearable and I have had to learn how to forgive myself and see my situation as it is (I used to try in futility to pray Akathists and do the Prayer Book, but it doesn’t work for me. All I can manage is the Lord’s Prayer said as slowly and attentively as possible, day and night). St. Porphyrios is my favorite saint who I hold close, and his words on prayer (especially the Jesus Prayer) have been very helpful.

    I don’t know if I missed it, but have you ever written (or spoken) specifically on the Spritual life for Neurodivergent (ADHD, Autism) people?

  27. Fr. Stephen Avatar

    David,

    I have not done a “deep-dive” article on the spiritual life of the neurodivergent, but I do have a couple of articles that reflect on my experience:

    A Priest’s Thoughts on Depression, Anxiety, the Soul, Your Body, and Your Brain

    Living with a Brain

    As to the “spiritual life” – there really is only one spiritual life in Orthodox understanding – that is nothing other than the life of God within us. The point of all spiritual striving is nothing other than seeking to dwell in communion with Christ at all times and places. The monastic and the non-monastic have the same spiritual life – we differ only in the setting. Monastics have longer Church services and such, but they still wash dishes, hoe the garden, do laundry, deal with strangers, and daily struggle to love one another and to forgive everyone of everything. It’s not very esoteric.

    What can be said of the neurodivergent (autism, ADHD, OCD, etc.) is that the “landscape” of our struggle is made different and more difficult by certain handicaps. The largest problem with that, I think, is a kind of false explanation of how things “should be” and a frustration with reality when it does not match up with that – or, worse still, a self-condemnation that is useless and damaging.

    I liken brain-wounds (or whatever we might call them) to other physical ailments: pain, broken arms, etc. We do the best we can – and, as necessary, we adapt circumstances or ourselves to what is possible.

    You note the difficulty with Akathists and written prayers, etc. It might be that doing a single stanza of an Akathist would be possible (just as you do the Lord’s Prayer with care). The Jesus Prayer has been the great mainstay of my life – particularly with a prayer rope in hand (it’s sort of the “fidget spinner” for ADHD Orthodoxy). Indeed, there are times that I cannot manage the words of the prayer – but still can manage the knots of the rope. Like making the sign of the cross, or a prostration, that physical action is a prayer in itself.

    In all things, I work at banishing frustration. We “bear a little shame” in offering our half-hearted, broken attempts to God. Humility draws the grace of God to us in a way that a “perfect action” never will.

    God is with us in everything we do.

  28. Michael Bauman Avatar
    Michael Bauman

    The world wants to keep all of us away from acknowledging and loving the Lordship of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Whether it is neurodivergence, chronic pain, other physical problems, or just the ordinary distractions of our fallen existence in body, mind and heart, we each have challenges.
    That being said, if we seek, God’s grace will open a way for us. Our very breath is the Jesus prayer if we but knew it.

    May Jesus calm our minds, bodies and passions so that we can acknowledge His ever presence, joy and mercy. Giving glory to him (as the blog says) in the midst of our struggles, especially when we don’t want to or it is difficult (whenever it is possible) does a lot.

    “This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!”

    Even as the darkness surrounds us and seems to interpenetrate our bodies.

  29. Dee of St Herman Avatar
    Dee of St Herman

    Humility draws the grace of God to us in a way that a “perfect action” never will.

    Amen Father!!!

  30. Fr. Stephen Avatar

    Dee,
    If we rightly understood God, we would see that humility is the fulfillment of “being like God” (“for I am meek and lowly,” Christ says). We are saved by our weakness, not our excellence. Love is the most complete fulfillment of humility – the emptying of the self for the sake of the other.

  31. Dana Ames Avatar
    Dana Ames

    Father, do you know the little prayer book “Light of the World” published a couple of years ago, compiled and translated by Fr M. Constans? It has some truly beautiful and soul-nourishing prayers of different lengths by different ancient authors. Even if I’m not intending to “officially” pray, simply the reading of the prayers becomes the prayer inside me. This is a new and delightful experience for me. I don’t want to stop reading, but I must because the expanse of Christ’s beauty expressed in the prayers begins to overwhelm me. I highly recommend this prayer book.

    Dana

  32. Fr. Stephen Avatar

    Dana,
    I am not familiar with it – but I love the work of Fr. Maximus Constans. I’ll track the book down for certain – tonight!

    Well, when I went to order it, a picture of it came up – and I thought – I think a copy was recently given to me at an OCF conference where I spoke. It was lying on my dining table…and lo! Now it’s in my hands. So, thanks for point it out, and I’ll peruse it a bit before bed!

  33. David Avatar
    David

    Father,

    Thank you for the articles. I think your answer is a good one for me, as for the longest time my ADHD was an excuse for a myriad of sins that I was slow to address (and am still fumbling with). What I didn’t see, is that God gives us our measure, and as you note, it is what we do with that measure which makes the difference (like the widow’s mite). I am the man with 1 talent, and more. Not only do I struggle with the temptation to bury it (due to my difficulties), but I also struggle not to be jealous of the man with 5 talents.

    Your words on humility are balm, as it is only something I am beginning to attempt. I was baptized 10 years ago, and this conversation reminds me of something that Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpatkos once said: It takes 10 years for a western convert to begin to fully think in an Orthodox way. For me that was about right.

  34. Matthew Avatar
    Matthew

    The sweetest name of Jesus. I heard the name of Jesus yesterday on the L train in my city. I was traveling to work, a man got on, and began singing loudly about the tribes of Israel, the prophets, and then Jesus. He did this for a number of stops. I don´t think most people even listened to him and those that did probably were annoyed that this man was greatly disturbing their morning commute. As a Christian myself who once was a member the fundamentalist tribe I wasn´t sure what to think. I know this man is my brother in Christ (at least I think he is if I take him at his singing word), but I couldn´t help but think he was doing more damage to the Gospel than actually helping to promote it. I wanted to say something to him, but I thought what good would it really do? When I myself was like him, I probably wouldn´t have listened to anyone either. How do Orthodox share the Gospel as they understand it? How do they proclaim the sweetest name of Jesus Christ?

  35. Mark Spurlock Avatar
    Mark Spurlock

    Matthew,

    Father Stephen and those who have been Orthodox longer than I can better answer your two concluding questions, but I will share my personal thoughts as someone often in your position. I work at a university that has public spaces, and these spaces are made use of by those who wish to engage students on religious and political matters. I frequently pass by people using the names of God and Jesus in ways that don’t accord with my own views. (Even speaking for God at all, which they do with boldness, is something I instead do so only with the greatest circumspection.)

    Without knowing firsthand what your fellow commuter was like, I’d say he at least accomplished some good in making you yourself think about some important questions. He reminded you that your struggle is not unique to you; countless others are working it out within their own lives. And that’s something I think we are all as Christians to practice: looking for opportunities to see and bring out the good in any events and people we encounter. Contrariwise, evil wants us to see the bad and amplify that. You are not responsible for how other commuters are reacting to him but only for your own response.

    Behaving in this way (removing the mote from our own eye) is always a prerequisite to being able to help our brother with the speck in his.

    You mentioned the L, so it’s very possible your commute is in Chicago. When I was a 14-year-old I worked during the summer as a “gopher” in Chicago and had to walk the area from 1150 North State down to about Grand Avenue many times a day. A parking lot along the way was attended by an elderly black man named Clarence, who might have fit the definition of one of God’s fools. He and I would chat about Jesus from time to time, and it was both a pleasant experience then (to find someone who wore his Christianity on his sleeve in a big, secular seeming city) and a warming memory now. So you even little encounters like that can make a lasting difference in someone’s spiritual journey.

  36. Matthew Avatar
    Matthew

    Thank you so much Mark. I know my fellow commuter made me think more about my own faith journey. Maybe my fellow commuter made others on the train think about their spiritual travels as well. At the end of the day, though, I wonder if these types of Christians are really the weaker brethren, those living on milk rather than meat, babes in the faith? Maybe some are even the wolves in sheep´s clothing that the Bible talks about?

  37. Fr. Stephen Avatar

    Matthew,
    It is best not to judge – we really don’t know enough to judge. However, Orthodox evangelism is mostly done through the establishment of parish communities – which is a slow and patient process. We’ve experienced great growth in the US over the past 30 years – and there is so much more to do. But, evangelism is most effective when it comes in response to questions that are being asked.

    St. Peter:
    “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.”
    (1 Peter 3:15–16 NKJV)

  38. Matthew Avatar
    Matthew

    Thanks so much Fr. Stephen. That´s the kind of evangelism I try to do these days as well. I have said so much for so long I think now it´s time to let my actions speak louder than my words! It´s time to listen intently!

  39. Michael Bauman Avatar
    Michael Bauman

    Father, one point I missed or ignored in the quote front St. John Chrysostom was the double edged sword of the Jesus Prayer. It exposes and arouses the evil in the heart of the one praying. Adherence to the Prayer and the Name of Jesus overcomes that evil but the evil must first be seen for who and what it is.

    I am sure such recognition can be challenging and, I am sure, part of the ‘time’ element. The flesh is stubborn.

  40. Michael Bauman Avatar
    Michael Bauman

    Shameless plug: Next Sat. & Sun in Wichita, Is the Big Lebanese Dinner and Food sale. Any one who happens to be near “Y’all come by.”
    Tours of the Cathedral are also given.
    It is our 88th Big Dinner. The last several years we have fed 5000 to 6000 people.
    In Houston the same weekend is the gathering of the Brotherhood of St. Moses the Black with Mother Katherine Weston as the keynote speaker.

  41. Matthew Avatar
    Matthew

    I am currently reading “The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church” by Vladmir Lossky. After a rather long discussion about apophatic/negative theology as well as the Trinity, he offers up a short critique of those corners of Christianity which tend to be, as he puts it, too “Christocentric”. It seems Lossky is teaching that the Trinity, and coming into contact with it, is the only stabilizing factor in a world where humans are in a constant state of flux (moving from a state of non-being toward being). He seems to shun isolating Jesus, the God-man, as the person of the Trinity who brings us into union with God. My question is:

    What role does Jesus Christ play in our salvific journey from an Orthodox perspective? I call on the name of Jesus. I pray in Jesus´name. It is Jesus Christ who is the center of my faith. I have never once denied the Trinity, but I must admit that on a daily and practical basis I don´t often focus my spiritual life on coming into contact with the Trinity. I simply assume that when I call on the name of Jesus Christ, I am also calling on and coming into contact with the Trinity.

    Also … if God is essentially unknowable and if no reasonable or intellectual construct can grasp God, why then the revelation of God in Jesus Christ – a person I can know intimately; a person I can call brother and friend?

    Any help would be greatly appreciated.

  42. Fr. Stephen Avatar

    Matthew,
    I suspect that Lossky’s critique is better focused on those Christian groups in which the Trinity is pretty much only referenced by title rather than as a grounded part of worship. That said, I continue to maintain that we only know God as He makes Himself known to us in Christ. I understand that I know Jesus as the Son of the Father, made known by the Holy Spirit – thus even the invocation of Christ is inherently Trinitarian.

    Keep it simple, don’t overthink it.

  43. Fr. Stephen Avatar

    Matthew,
    I would add that, although Lossky is an important read, I would not use him as a guide for devotional practices. I will say that, for myself, when I pray, I do not “visualize” God the Father, much less the Holy Spirit. Like you, I would describe Jesus Christ as personal friend (and Lord), etc. He is the only image given to us (“the express image of the Father”). I don’t try to “get behind” Jesus – to “know” God apart from Him in any way. Whatever I might need to know, I trust Him to show me. I always feel that when Christ as the Anchor is left behind in any way, we have launched into dangerous, stormy waters.

    I recently had a long conversation with someone who had spent time (perhaps even grown up) in a Pentecostal group that was a bit odd on Trinitarian doctrine. I don’t quite remember all the details. It was a reminder of how quickly any number of more modern Protestant groups get strange when it comes to the doctrine of the Trinity.

    I trust the published prayers of the Church and do not stray far from them – ever. There is an amazing abundance.

  44. Matthew Avatar
    Matthew

    Thanks so much Fr. Stephen. Wow. Just before I signed onto the blog only moments ago, I was planning to write some thoughts on Protestant sects and their inherent problem with the Trinity! I find this so telling.

    I believe trusting in the prayers, the sacramental and the liturgical life of the Church is extremely important. If there are no intellectual or philosophical contructs which can teach us created beings the Trinity, then I assume the Trinity must be revealed to us in a supernatural way. The Bible alone (Protestantism) cannot do this fully I don´t think. New Age spirituality falls extemely short, etc.

    Only Christ through the life of His Church can reveal this to us (I think).

  45. Dee if St Herman Avatar
    Dee if St Herman

    Matthew,
    Similar to what Father has said I was taught there different types of readings. Father mentions devotional which is very important and separate from readings on theology, especially where there is a discussion on comparing praxis and paideia. When you’re reading one type or the other it is important to keep in mind the purpose.

    I believe Lossky was also writing in a period to help the Orthodox community have a better grasp of the influence of western practices on Orthodoxy. For example to discern such distinctions in the prayers spoken in non Orthodox baptism where the words “in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit” are omitted. These words are constantly spoken in Orthodox Liturgy.

    The Trinity is ever present but seen through not just the image or abstraction but in the very physicality of Christ. The emphasis is on the reality rather than a message or ideology. We put on Christ in our baptism. This reality has a very deep bodily meaning.

    Father I ask for correction as needed.

  46. Dee if St Herman Avatar
    Dee if St Herman

    I’ll mention one more thought, which is the presence in some places in western Christian thought or of a practice to separate Christ from His relation to the Father and Holy Spirit. This approach is not Orthodox. The God of Christianity is The Trinity of Persons. But there are sects that call themselves Christian that do not believe this, which I find hard to understand but apparently is true.

  47. Matthew Avatar
    Matthew

    Thanks so much for your helpful thoughts Dee.

  48. Gabriel Avatar
    Gabriel

    Fr. Stephen Freeman,
    I would like to ask you a question about the comparsion between praying the Jesus Prayer, invoking the Holy Name of Jesus and the Eucharist.
    In the Roman Catholic Church, there is a (or more than one?) prayer for a Spiritual Communion, in which one’s ardent desire for Jesus Christ present in the Eucharist can produce similar effects in his soul as if the person had actually ingested the Eucharist. Given this, it would be considered an irreverence if someone attempted to have a Spiritual Communion without having previously confessed his sins. Sinful to do so, maybe not, but an irreverence.
    Could we say that this would also apply to the praying of the Jesus Prayer? Or to any prayer in general?

  49. Fr. Stephen Avatar

    Gabriel,
    I’m familiar with the Catholic notion of “spiritual communion.” It is not a practice in Orthodoxy. But, in Orthodox understanding, the whole of our life, and certainly prayer, is directed towards union (communion) with God. It is also a common practice to prepare for receiving Holy Communion (the Eucharist) with fasting and repentance. Sometimes that includes sacramental confession. But the use of confession as a preparation for Holy Communion varies a great deal across the Orthodox world. Some jurisdictions and cultures are quite strict about it. I’ve met Orthodox Christians from certain cultures who’ve actually never been to confession, though they receive communion regularly. There is no hard and fast rule about this – though we follow whatever the local practice is in our own parish.

    But, the Jesus Prayer is itself a form of repentance – so we do not “prepare” for the Jesus Prayer by going to confession. I can how the reasoning in your question is working – but that is not how the Jesus Prayer is understood.

    Also, a word of caution. It is possible to become too fastidious about confession. This is particularly the case for personalities that tend towards compulsive or obsessive thoughts. None of us, for example, go to confession and then find ourselves without so much as a sinful thought by the time we’re able to take communion. Think of confession as medicine rather than in legal terms. It’s a medicine that helps us fight against sinful actions and thoughts (the passions). But it is a lifelong treatment. Probably the greatest effect of confession is the act of humility that it involves – that we humble ourselves before God. It is not, however, a legal matter in which we’re concerned to “wipe the slate clean” as if God was keeping a tally of our sins. That imagery leads in a wrong direction.

  50. Matthew Avatar
    Matthew

    I have been reading Vladimir Lossky lately. For the longest time I have struggled with this idea of constant repentance, but his explanations have been helpful I think. I don´t think repentance rightly understood is a “wipe the slate clean” kind of legal matter, but rather a position of the heart which understands that turning to God, having a change of mind, is critical at all times for humans who are all too often distracted by sin and the passions. Repentance (and prayer) seem to be the way(s) to a pure heart which then can see God; experience God as light (like on Mt. Tabor); experience grace (uncreated energies) and ultimately move on in the salvific journey toward union with God.

    If I am understanding all this correctly, then I am keenly reminded of how far off the mark I really am in all this … 🙁

  51. Fr. Stephen Avatar

    Matthew,
    I think that the juridical version of sin, repentance, and forgiveness has done great damage to the whole thing (unintentionally, no doubt). In so many ways, it feeds a kind of neurosis in us – wishing that we had never done what we did – wanting everything to be ok – earning or finding a kind of affirmation, etc.

    I think that repentance, at its very heart, is simply the act of profound humility – the willingness to “bear a little shame.” That is, to stand honestly just as we are in the presence of God and not run away or hide. I think of St. Peter as a wonderful example. He denied Christ, which, in his pride he swore he would never do. He was refusing to bear the shame of being such a coward. But, after the resurrection, when Christ asks him, “Do you love (agape) me?” He refuses to make such a claim – the most he can do is say – “I love (phileo) you.” As Christ asks a second time, “Do you love (agape) me?” He still cannot say it. When Christ changes the question at the third asking and says, “Do you love (phileo) me?” He breaks down, and says, “You know everything. You know that I love (phileo) you.” He is facing his failure – he has not returned to his previous boasting. He has returned to the integrity (wholeness) of his soul. He become the man who can “feed my sheep.”

    That is an encounter of repentance. Strangely, neither he nor Christ mention the 3 denials. But, if you will, this is Christ walking in the midst of the Garden, and Peter is now like Adam – naked. Only, instead of hiding, he stands in the truth of who he is in the presence of Christ. The questioning is also a healing and restoration.

    God give us grace!

  52. Matthew Avatar
    Matthew

    Thanks Fr. Stephen. So let´s see if I understand this …

    Is the exchange you mention between Jesus and Peter an example of the ideal way repentance should look? Also … Peter not returning to his previous boasting means that Peter didn´t say … “Yes Lord! Of course I (agape) you!!”, but rather he admitted his shame of only being able to (phileo) Jesus?

  53. Fr. Stephen Avatar

    Matthew,
    Yes. The inner change that we call repentance – begins by “agreeing” to tell the truth – to admit to who you actually are. If we insist that there should be some sort of component of “I promise to do better” – or “to try harder” – we’re back at a juridical model and are refusing to bear the truth of who we are. Better to say, “Apart from you I can do nothing.”

    We are creatures who think we are gods. Repentance is (to turn a phrase) gods who admit they are but creatures. It is why the giving of thanks is so fundamental to our true existence. What else can a creature offer to God other than to thank Him?

    I wrote in my book on Shame: “The giving of thanks is humility in the active voice.”

    Forgive the shameless plug for my book… 🙂

  54. Gabriel Avatar
    Gabriel

    Thank you, Father Stephen!
    And, as you might have correctly perceived, I do tend towards obsessive thoughts and worries/ruminations.

  55. Fr. Stephen Avatar

    Gabriel,
    It’s a fairly common problem and can create difficulties surrounding such questions. No that you’re not alone – and that God loves you without reservation. When such thoughts assault me, I like to read bits of the Gospel of John and the First Letter of John. They center on love.

  56. Gabriel Avatar
    Gabriel

    Thank you very much for your kind words and your advice, Father Stephen.
    I’ve really appreciated!

  57. Alan Avatar
    Alan

    Father, your last few comments here are so incredibly helpful. Especially for those of us who spent decades under this juridical model. Thank you.

  58. Fr. Stephen Avatar

    Alan,
    I think we have all lived under this model. It is hand-in-glove with a secular worldview (which dominates much of Christianity). It is not absent from lots of Orthodoxy – simply because it’s not been taught clearly enough (in my observation). Back when I wrote on the “Unmoral Christian” – the pushback I got came from several clergy. This stuff is deeply imbedded in our culture. Perhaps I’ll write something more in depth.

  59. Matthew Avatar
    Matthew

    Fr. Stephen … when you have a moment … could you briefly flesh out what you believe to be the major differences between the sacrament of confession in the west and in the east?

    You mentioned something above I think, but I would appreciate something a bit more comprehensive.

    Thanks so much.

  60. Fr. Stephen Avatar

    Matthew,
    I’m not familiar enough with how Confession is presented in the West to make a definitive comparison. I suspect, however, that there’s often a juridical approach – that our sins are like a legal problem that needs to be cleared up.

    In Orthodoxy, you can run into that very same mentality, depending on the training of the priest. But, ideally, the understanding in the East is much more “medical” in approach – that is – sin is seen like a disease and forgiveness is like a medicine. Canon 102 of the Quinisext Council (also known as the Council in Trullo) says this:

    It behooves those who have received from God the power to loose and bind, to consider the quality of the sin and the readiness of the sinner for conversion, and to apply medicine suitable for the disease, lest if he is injudicious in each of these respects he should fail in regard to the healing of the sick man. For the disease of sin is not simple, but various and multiform, and it germinates many mischievous offshoots, from which much evil is diffused, and it proceeds further until it is checked by the power of the physician. Wherefore he who professes the science of spiritual medicine ought first of all to consider the disposition of him who has sinned, and to see whether he tends to health or (on the contrary) provokes to himself disease by his own behaviour, and to look how he can care for his manner of life during the interval. And if he does not resist the physician, and if the ulcer of the soul is increased by the application of the imposed medicaments, then let him mete out mercy to him according as he is worthy of it. For the whole account is between God and him to whom the pastoral rule has been delivered, to lead back the wandering sheep and to cure that which is wounded by the serpent; and that he may neither cast them down into the precipices of despair, nor loosen the bridle towards dissolution or contempt of life; but in some way or other, either by means of sternness and astringency, or by greater softness and mild medicines, to resist this sickness and exert himself for the healing of the ulcer, now examining the fruits of his repentance and wisely managing the man who is called to higher illumination. For we ought to know two things, to wit, the things which belong to strictness and those which belong to custom, and to follow the traditional form in the case of those who are not fitted for the highest things, as holy Basil teaches us.

    I think that the popular imagination has a very juridical understanding of Confession – movies don’t really help, either. When I’ve done catechesis, I spend a lot of time with this. One has to admit that the language associated with “temporal punishment” and such is very easily taken in a juridical manner. That sort of language is alien to Orthodoxy.

  61. Matthew Avatar
    Matthew

    Thanks so much Fr. Stephen!

    The Quinisext Council quote was very helpful.

  62. Fr. Stephen Avatar

    That quote: Canon 102 of the Quinisext is considered a very crucial canon, giving instructions, as it is, on how the canons are to be read and used. It is a typical understanding of economia (the Greek term that’s usually translated “dispensation”). Canons, etc., exist for our healing, not for our condemnation. They are not legal measures, but medicinal in nature (the medicine of the soul). Just as our bodies are not legal entities (nobody’s law can change my body), so the soul is not a legal entity (nobody’s law can change my soul). These matters are strictly ontological.

    Legal strictures are all about the use of power (violence). If you do this – you will be punished (hurt, imprisoned, beaten, killed, etc.).

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Latest Comments

  1. Matthew, God has made His will known: “He is not willing that any should perish…” We are the unknown -…

  2. Thanks so much Fr. Stephen. I’ll try to heed your advice. How are we an “unknown problem” ?

  3. Yes, Father, exactly! Matthew, about two years ago I had a most amazing experience of healing within a very broken…

  4. Matthew, The answer, I think, is found in actually knowing God. Finding an ideology that we like doesn’t satisfy in…

  5. Thanks Dee. I understand Fr. Stephen, but I like many are simply trying to reconcile a loving God with all…


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