THE HOLY MYSTERIES OF THE EASTERN ORTHODOX CHURCH BY HIS EMINENCE PANTELEIMON LAMPADARIOS ARCHBISHOP OF PELUSIUM (PORT SAID, DAMIETTA, MANSOURAH & QANTARA EAST) PORT SAID – EGYPT 2006 1 © : 2006, H.E. PANTELEIMON LAMPADARIOS, ARCHBISHOP OF PELUSIUM. PUBLISHED BY : H.E. PANTELEIMON LAMPADARIOS, ARCHBISHOP OF PELUSIUM. ADDRESS IN PORT SAID - EGYPT: His Eminence PANTELEIMON LAMPADARIOS, ARCHBISHOP OF PELUSIUM. GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH IN PORT SAID P. O. BOX 251 PORT SAID EGYPT TEL. & FAX: +20 (066) 3224534. MOBILE: +20 (012) 1717768 ADDRESS IN GREECE: His Eminence PANTELEIMON LAMPADARIOS ARCHBISHOP OF PELUSIUM. ENORIA TIMIOY PRODROMOY, HORA 852 00 KALYMNOS GREECE 2 Αξηζκ. Πξση. 1150 ΢εβαζκηώηαηε Μεηξνπνιίηα Πεινπζίνπ, αγαπεηέ θαη ζπιιεηηνπξγέ ηεο εκώλ Μεηξηόηεηνο, θύξηε Παληειεήκσλ, ράξηο είε ηε πκεηέξα ΢εβαζκηόηεηη θαη εηξήλε παξά Θενύ. Αλεθιάιεηνο ραξά δηαθαηέρεη εκάο επί ησ αθν΄ππζκαηη ηεο εθδόζεσο ηνπ πλεπκαηηθνύ θαξπνύ πκώλ ππό ηνλ ηίηινλ «The Holy Mysteries of the OrthodoxChurch», θαη ζπγαραίξνκελ πκάο δηά ηελ λέαλ ηαύηελ πλεπκαηηθήλ πξνζθνξάλ πξνο ηελ Οξζόδνμνλ Δθθιεζίαλ θαη δε πξνο ην αγγιόθσλν πιήξσκα. Η επηκειεζηάηε ηαύηε έθδνζηο απνηειεί ρξήζηκνλ βνήζεκα ηόζνλ δηά ηνπο αγγιόθσλνπο θιεξηθνύο θαη πηζηνύο, σο θαη δηά θάζε κειεηεηήλ ηεο νξζνδόμνπ ιαηξείαο θαη εκπινπηίδεη ην αμηόινγνλ θαη πνηθίινλ ζπγγξαθηθόλ πκώλ έξγνλ. Δπί ηνύηνηο, ζπγραίξνληεο κελ αύζηο πκάο, ζεπρόκελνη δε ηελ πξόνδνλ θαη ηελ αλαπηύμεσο ηεο πνηκαληηθήο πκώλ θαξπνθνξίαο, επεπινγνύκελ ηελ παξνύζαλ έθδνζηλ θαη θαηαζπαδόκεζα πκάο θηιήκαηη αγίσ. Δλ ηε Μεγάιε Πόιεη ηεο Αιεμαλδξείαο ηε 25ε Ιαλνπαξίνπ 2006 3 NOTE BY THE AUTHOR The “The Holy Mysteries of the Orthodox Church” is the continuation of my humble book entitled “The Orthodox Teachings”. The purpose of this book is to enlighten all English speaking Orthodox Christians, Greeks, Arabs and Africans as well as those who desire knowledge of the Truth, so that they may be informed about the teachings of our Holy Orthodox Church concerning the Holy Mysteries (Holy Sacraments) that were delivered to us from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and His holy Apostles. For this reason “The Holy Mysteries of the Orthodox Church” is based upon the two Sources of Divine Revelation: Holy Scripture (Old and New Testament) and Apostolic Tradition. Following the Teachings of the Holy Apostles and the Fathers of the Orthodox Church, this book presents to the reader the clear Teachings of Orthodoxy concerning the Holy Mysteries. This book has been enriched with many biblical references and opinions of the great and Holy Fathers, Ecclesiastic Writers and Scholars of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Eastern Orthodox Church. I wish to express me heartfelt gratitude to my beloved friends in Port Elizabeth – South Africa, Mr and Mrs DIMITRI and MARGUERITE PAIZIS for all their hard work, help and assistance in correcting the final text. Thank you Marguerite and Dimitri for sacrificing your time for God‟s work. The whole Orthodox Church is grateful for your devotion in the Lord‟s Vineyard. May the Lord our God grant you all that is necessary for your good health, both of body and spirit, and lead you to the Salvation in Christ. 4 I pray that this humble effort will bring forth its fruits for the glory of our God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and the benefit of His people. +PANTELEIMON, Archbishop of Pelusium Port Said, 23rd April 2006 Holy Easter. 5 NOTE BY THE EDITOR Throughout the years I have been constantly blessed by the Grace of God to know many special people who have contributed to my spiritual growth and progress along the path of life. However, I have been especially blessed with the love, support, encouragement, guidance and teaching of His Eminence PANTELEIMON, Archbishop of Pelusium. After devoting three long years to his latest book on Orthodoxy, he honoured me with the task of editing it. A year later, with many distractions along the way, I planned to join him in Port Said, Egypt, to complete the last of the editing. However, ill health prevented me from travelling, so His Eminence, with his usual sincere humility and despite his own personal health problems, made the long journey to Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The three weeks we spent together working on this wonderful book of precious Orthodox Treasure, has been a very special time, truly blessed by the Grace of God. I am sure that many Orthodox Christians as well as all others who seek God‟s Divine Truth will find this labour of love to be most enlightening. Many years ago, when I converted to Orthodox Christianity, there were very few English publications available to laymen that explained Orthodoxy in terms we could understand. Now we have access to far more writings of the Church Fathers and ecclesiastic writers that have been translated into English. However, there is still a great need for books written particularly for the layman such as this one. As a convert who had no guidance or teaching to begin with and being dependent on my beloved husband, Dimitri‟s limited knowledge until my Calling in Jerusalem in 1980 when God granted me the Gift of Teaching, I was determined that no other Orthodox Christians would ever be made to feel like an outsider due to the lack of understanding of the exquisite Divine Services throughout the year and Orthodoxy in general. 6 Over the years, by the Grace of God, I have taught many willing souls and have compiled Sacred Lessons for Sundays and Feastdays of each month as well as various translations of the exquisite Divine Services of our beloved Church, (which have now been corrected by His Eminence, to the infinite gratitude of all who will be making use of these!) For this reason, I am overjoyed with this important and most necessary book, which is the fruit of His Eminence‟s dedicated mission to enlighten and educate everyone in the Perfect Truth of God. Throughout the years, far and wide in the world, he has taught, guided and encouraged so many people, both young and old, who will never forget him because of the priceless Treasure he has bestowed upon them. His simplicity of language and humility of demeanour endears him to all who are fortunate enough to spend any amount of time in his blessed company. I pray that this heartfelt effort will bear abundant good fruit throughout the world and that many who are now stumbling along in spiritual darkness and ignorance, will discover God‟s Perfect Truth and, being more knowledgeable, will be compelled to become willing and eager disciples of Christ. I pray, too, that God in His Infinite Wisdom and Mercy grants our beloved Spiritual Father many years of good health so that he is able to continue his labours of love that benefit so many of us who hunger and thirst for enlightenment and guidance. May God Bless His Eminence Panteleimon Archbishop of Pelusium and all those who peruse these pages. With Love in Christ, Marguerite Paizis Port Elizabeth, Republic of South Africa December 2005 7 THE HOLY MYSTERIES AS WAYS OF DIVINE GRACE, WHICH INCORPORATE US IN GOD’S KINGDOM CHAPTER ONE THE HOLY MYSTERIES AS THE MEANS OF DIVINE GRACE The work of Grace is accomplished in all sinners who do not oppose its action, through certain ways, which were instituted by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and His Holy Disciples and Apostles. These ways comprise the channels through which the Holy Spirit transmits the necessary supernatural support and strength to create the Regeneration and the new Creation within those who receive them, and which enables them to progress even more in the newness of Life in Christ. Without disregarding the power and necessity of prayer, as well as the preaching of the Divine Word, we do not include them in the special ways by means of which Divine Grace is transmitted and which are the only God-instituted Mysteries.1 Prayer and the hearing of the Divine Word are part of the preparation Grace and the future growth of the newness of Life in Christ, but the transmission of this life and the creation of the new Creation in Christ takes place through the Holy Mysteries. These Holy Mysteries draw their saving Power from the death on the Cross of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the Son of God. They are not as common as prayer and the knowledge of the Divine Will, but are the actions of the Holy Trinity within the Holy Orthodox Church. And in the Old Testament the Holy Mysteries were 1 Cf. Damalas, Catechesis, pp. 78-82. Mitsopoulos, Themata, pp. 88-89. 8 prefigured but lacked Grace or any other Supernatural substance. On the contrary the Holy Mysteries of the Divine Economia in Christ are performed within the Holy Orthodox Church as the main, common and necessary channels of Divine Grace, which have within them the Power that makes them active and effective even in situations when those partaking of them, do not resist them. Even more so, without the participation in these Holy Mysteries, the work of prayer and Divine Word remains incomplete because only through the Holy Mysteries is one incorporated into the Mystical Body of Christ and becomes a partaker of the Redemption in Christ. 1. The Ways of Divine Grace are God-instituted Rites The term “ways of Grace” is not found in Holy Scripture but generally prevails in Christian Theological literature signifying the God-instituted Rites, which as Divine Gifts lead towards piety and the newness of Life in Christ. Through these Rites Divine Grace is transmitted to the faithful, which regenerates them and makes them grow “…to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”2 These Mysteries are characterized as being God-instituted because they were instituted by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who is the Leader of the Orthodox Church.