By St. Nikolai Velimirovich (Written in 1956)
You ask me, why is the Orthodox Church against cremation. First of all, because it considers it violent. The Serbs still shudder with the crime of Sinan Pasha, who burned the dead body of St. Sava in Vratsa.
Do people burn dead horses, dogs, cats and monkeys? I have not heard of this. I have heard of and seen them buried. Why should the dead bodies of people who are the lords of all animals on earth endure violence? Would it not be in all respects much more reasonable to incinerate dead animals, especially in big cities, than people?
Second, because this pagan and barbaric habit disappeared from Europe thanks to Christian civilization two thousand years ago. Anyone who wants to reinstate it doesn't do anything else, neither civilized nor modern nor new, but something ancient which has long expired.
In England, which one can hardly call uncivilized, this form of Neopaganism is very much hated by the people. To tell you a case: during the years of World War II a famous Yugoslav lost his mind. When asked before he died, he said his only desire was to have his body burned.
In our day, our little Yugoslavian community was reduced in the incinerator of Golders Green. When the dead bodies entered the burning furnace we began to tremble with horror. Then they shouted to us on the opposite side of the furnace, "wait a quarter of an hour to see your compatriot in the form of ashes". We waited over an hour and were mystified why the fire struggled with the dead body, and we asked the stoker about this. He apologized saying the furnace was cold, "it is not heated every day, since rarely do volunteers get handed over to the fire". Listening to this we were dissolved, unable to wait at the edge for our compatriot. And we know that in London over a thousand human beings die every day.
I am in America, I saw the graves of the great Presidents Wilson, Roosevelt, Lincoln and many other important persons. None of them are cremated. Now this surprised me, that among the descendants of Saint Sava there could be found those who are like-minded with Sinan Pasha!
But why create an issue that has already been solved? If we want to be loaded with unnecessary worries, then someday we could be troubled by the question on whether to kill our decrepit men and women as do some primitive tribes? And we will create clubs to propagate this "idea"!
Finally, what sense is there in fighting the cemeteries, particularly in this country where the cemetery serves as a national pride, as a source of inspiration, and if you will as the book of the state?
Peace to you and health from God.
St. Nikolai Velimirovich
http://artoklasia.blogspot.ca/2015/10/cremation-st-nikolai-velimirovich.html
When you don’t live with Christ, you live in melancholy, in sorrow, in anxiety and in worry. You don’t live properly. Then all sorts of abnormalities appear, even in our organism. The body’s affected, the endocrinal glands, the liver, the gall bladder, the pancreas and the stomach. People tell you: ‘If you want to be healthy, drink your milk in the morning, eat your egg, your butter and a couple of slices of toast’. But if you live with Christ, if you love Christ, you’ll be fine with an orange or an apple. The best medicine is to devote yourself to the worship of Christ. Everything’s cured. Everything works properly. God’s love transforms everything, reconstructs it, sanctifies it, rectifies it, changes it and transmutes it
Burning love for Christ is something else. It’s not the end, it’s not satiety. It gives life, it gives resilience, it gives health, it gives, it gives, it gives… And the more it gives, the more we want to be in love. Human love can diminish us, can send us crazy. When we love Christ, all other loves recede. Other loves have a saturation point, but love for Christ doesn’t. Carnal love has a saturation point. After that, there might come jealousy, nagging and even murder. It can be transformed into hatred. Love in Christ doesn’t alter. Worldly love lasts a short time and then slowly dies, whereas divine love increases and deepens. Any other kind of love can drive us to despair. But divine love raises us up into the sphere of God, it gives us serenity, joy and fulfillment. Other pleasures fatigue us, but this is never satisfied. It’s an unquenchable pleasure which you never tire of. It’s the greatest of blessings.
Pemptousia.com
http://orthognosia.blogspot.ca/
A person looking around on a Sunday morning may notice that different people cross themselves at different times. To a certain extent, when to cross oneself is a matter of personal piety and not of dogma. However, there are times in the service when crossing oneself (thumb and first two fingers touching each other, third and fourth fingers folded into the palm: touching head first, to stomach, right shoulder to left) is called for:
To cross: when you hear one of the variations of the phrase “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”; before venerating an icon, Gospel, or Cross; when blessed with an icon, Cross, Gospel, or Chalice; entering and exiting the temple; when passing before the Altar.
Not to Cross: (only bowing of the head): when blessed with hand (as in “Peace be unto all”), or censed. In receiving a blessing from a bishop or priest one does not make the sign of the Cross beforehand. “In this way ought we to distinguish between reverence toward holy things and toward persons”.
Since this is entirely inappropriate, without due cause, for a Christian who has come to worship God, the point is moot. The same goes for leaving services early. Experience testifies that coming to Church late is more a matter of “habit” than circumstance: there are those who come late, and those who don't. Some rules of thumb: Those who arrive late should generally refrain from partaking of the Eucharist that day as “proper preparation” for Holy Communion assumes the ascetical effort of arriving on time service.
It is necessary for our free will to pave the way, for this is demanded by the conditions under which the Savior calls everyone who desires to follow Him (Lk. 14:16). Without man’s resolution, the fulfillment of the recommended conditions would be impossible, and, subsequently, salvation would also be unattainable. Grace is bestowed, but man’s decision and consent are needed in order for him to accept the grace. As a matter of fact, self-denial, self-sacrifice, and an unwavering mindset inclined toward nothing other than the
voice of the Savior, the voice of grace and truth, are also required.
If the revealed grace of God (Tit. 2:11) alone, on it’s own, saved people, then the invitation, the conditions, and the covenant would be totally
unnecessary and redundant. However, even though
God’s grace is infinite, it does not save man on its own because it does not want to violate man’s free will. If man’s consent was not a factor of paramount importance for his salvation, then certainly God in his infinite love for man would save everyone [indiscriminately] and there would be no need for Him to invite anyone.
However, He has invited man—even under conditions that seem difficult for sensual people who are enslaved to sin—, and He offers salvation
but also demands that people follow [Him], on
account of a great and most-significant reason: man’s rebirth and regeneration in Jesus Christ our Savior.
Because it was not possible for the “old man”
(Rom. 6:6), who had been corrupted by sin, to enter into the Kingdom of God.
Thus, it was necessary to “put off the old man”
(Col. 3:9)“along with his passions and desires”
(Gal. 5:24), and to “put on the new man, who is
renewed in knowledge according to the image of
the One Who created him” (Col. 3:10).
In order, however, for man to put off his old self, it was first necessary for him to desire to do so.
Man's collaboration is absolutely necessary in order for him to be perfected. The Savior made known to us that there are many mansions in the
home of His Father:
“In My Father’s house are many mansions” (Jn. 14:2).
People who have lived upon the earth in a befitting manner come to dwell within [these
mansions]. Hence, our life upon the earth appoints the position we will have in Paradise. This is why St. Gregory of Nanzianzus says, "
Just as there are different ways of life, similarly there are many mansions in God’s Kingdom, which are distributed according to the merit of each person. Some people carry out one specific virtue; others accomplish all the virtues. As long
as someone walks and follows in the footsteps of Him Who guides and leads well, and Who steers us through the narrow path and gate to the spaciousness of the future bliss.”
Accordingly, man is obligated to concern himself with and work toward his salvation; otherwise, he runs the risk of ultimately perishing. For there is
nothing in common between light and darkness, between good and evil:
“For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” (2 Cor. 6:14). Sin, which corrupted
man, is darkness and a most-terrible evil since it wages war against the will of God. Ethical freedom is an exceptional good; however, it carries with it exceptional responsibilities. He who is endowed with ethical liberty is obligated to become ethically free [from sin] in order to become holy. This is why God commands the following in both the Old and New Testament:
"Become holy, for I am holy" (Lev. 11:44-45; 1Pet
. 1:16). Otherwise, how is it possible for an ethical slave who is subjugated to sin to communicate with God? The Savior similarly commands,
"You shall be perfect, just as your Father in the Heavens is perfect" (Mt. 5:48), for it is necessary for the children to resemble the Father, Whom they call upon. Hence, God desires us to be holy
and perfect, because only they who are holy and perfect, as sons of the Heavenly Father, are capable of petitioning for His blessings with filial
boldness, and only they inherit the Heavenly Kingdom.
This is why the Apostle Paul wrote the following to the Corinthians:
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?
Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor
drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the Kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 6:9-10). This is why the Savior invites us to deny ourselves and to carry the cross upon our shoulders and to follow Him:“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me”(Mt. 16:24). He acknowledges our ethical freedom of choice, but He simultaneously leaves our salvation to be determined by our free will. Hence, he who desires to be saved is obligated to
make an effort in order to acquire salvation; otherwise, he will be deprived of it and, instead, will be preparing to forfeit eternal life through his indifference and negligence, and he will inherit
eternal Hell.
I pray for God to deliver us all from this . Amen.
http://www.stnektariosmonastery.org/
