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High Priestly Prayer of Jesus Christ While celebrating the last Easter with his disciples, the Lord Jesus Christ prayed like this at the end of the Easter supper: Father! The hour has come, glorify Your Son, that Your Son also will glorify You (John 17:1–13). This Gospel, in which the doctrine of His consubstantiality as the Son of God with God the Father and, thus, His Divinity, is so clearly set forth in the own words of Jesus Christ, is to be read on the Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, who unanimously approved the restoration of the true doctrine of the consubstantiality of the Son of God with God the Father against the heretic Arius. On the Seventh Sunday after Easter, the Orthodox Church annually remembers and glorifies the saints and God-bearing fathers who were at the First Ecumenical Council, also in Nicaea. An Ecumenical Council is a meeting of pastors and teachers of the Church of Christ, if possible from the entire universe, for the establishment of true teaching and decency among Christians. The great power and importance of conciliar meetings and decisions is based on the words of Jesus Christ Himself, who said: where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20). As for the entire Universal Church, its Founder and Head gave it the importance of infallibility in matters of faith. Tell the Church, and if he does not listen to the Church, then let him be for you on a par with the pagan and the publican (cf. Matthew 18:17). The Savior gave the church (the community of believers) a great promise to be with her all the days until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). The beginning of Church Councils was laid by the holy apostles; For a common decision on the issue of accepting pagans into the Church, they themselves once gathered in Jerusalem from different ends of the universe. Since that time, the Holy Church has always, in conciliar prayers, asked itself for the strength to resist violators of the true teaching. As soon as she needed to know the immutable will of God about something, she convened representatives of local Churches, and accepted the unanimous decision of the Councils as the voice of God Himself. It has pleased the Holy Spirit and us (cf. Acts 15:28) - this is how the apostles expressed themselves, and this is how the fathers of all Councils later expressed themselves about their decrees. The councils were convened due to the appearance among Christians of false teachers (heretics), who, with their sometimes cunning and always perverse teachings about faith, distorted the truly Christian teaching about our salvation, confused those who were not firm in the faith, and thereby brought discord and disagreement into the community of Christians. There were seven Ecumenical Councils; the first of them is called Nicene, for it took place in the city of Nicaea. It was convened to refute the false teaching about Jesus Christ of the wicked heretic Arius. Arius was first a presbyter in the Alexandrian Church; being a learned man, he was very proud of his intelligence and soon fell into destructive false thinking. From time immemorial, the Christian Church confessed that our Savior Jesus Christ is the second person of the Most Holy Trinity, the Only Begotten Son of God the Father, and Arius falsely thought that Jesus Christ is not God, but only a man endowed by God with the highest grace. Such unthinking, of course, could not be tolerated, and Arius was excommunicated from the Church, but he continued to spread his heresy and drag the ignorant into his network. Soon unprecedented confusion arose in Christian society; this evil had to be put to an end. Then, by order of Emperor Constantine the Great, an Ecumenical Council was convened in Nicaea in 325 after the Nativity of Christ, to which more than three hundred Church Fathers appeared. The heretic Arius also appeared at the Council. No matter how hard the Orthodox tried to reason with the lost man, he stuck to his guns. Arius was condemned and, as a disobedient Church, deprived of communication with her, and as a model and guide for believers in the confession of faith, the Symbol of Faith was compiled, which briefly sets out everything that Christians should believe in and how. This Symbol is still professed by the entire Orthodox Church of Christ. Thus, at the Council, Arius was deposed. Despised by everyone, he did not know what to decide on, and used cunning. Knowing the condescension of Emperor Constantine, he began to ask him to order him to be accepted into the Church again. The compassionate emperor agreed to fulfill his request, especially since Arius, when asked by the emperor: “Do you believe so, as the fathers affirmed at the Council of Nicea?”, feignedly replied: “I believe so.” Saying this, the heretic struck himself on the chest, on which, under his clothes, hung a charter containing his superstitious teaching. Not suspecting such a deception, the emperor ordered Saint Alexander, Bishop of Alexandria, to accept Arius into communion with the Church. Knowing well the stubbornness of his former presbyter, Saint Alexander did not believe Arius, but he also did not want to disobey the king. Not knowing what to do, the bishop then turned with earnest prayer to the Lord God, so that He, the Just One, would not allow the worst enemy to invade the Church, but in time would reveal to everyone the wickedness of the heretic. The Lord heard the saint’s prayer and clearly showed everyone that Arius was unworthy of communion with the Church. The day came on which it was necessary to accept the heretic into the Church. Surrounded by his like-minded people, Arius triumphantly intended to enter the church and, with the kiss of Judas, begin holy communion. But on the way to the church, he suddenly felt a terrible internal illness, from which his entire womb disintegrated and his insides fell out, so that he immediately ended his life. This is how the Lord severely punishes heretics and all unbelievers in this life, but even more severe punishments await such in the future life. There, without a doubt, they will suffer as much torment as they sowed evil here on earth with their false wisdom, as much as they destroyed simple-minded hearts with their cunning. How instructive for all of us, Orthodox Christians, is this formidable manifestation of God’s judgment on heretics and unbelievers! It teaches us to firmly adhere to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, to sacredly observe the faith of Christ, and to inviolably preserve the statutes and rules of Christian piety established by the Ecumenical unanimity. The Orthodox faith is revealed to us in the Word of God, its truths are defined and approved by the Ecumenical Councils, the definitions of which, as the voice of God, remain unchanged for all times, binding on every Christian. No one has the right to change anything at will in the confession of the Orthodox Christian faith. The Faith of Christ must be one, just as Christ is One. Therefore, everyone must believe as the holy apostles, and God-bearing shepherds, and teachers of the Church taught us. The Apostle Paul, protecting the Galatian Christians from being carried away by the wind of the teachings of self-proclaimed teachers, wrote: Even if we or an angel from heaven were to preach to you a gospel other than what we preached to you, let him be accursed. ...I say: if anyone preaches any gospel to you other than what you have received, let him be accursed (Gal. 1:8–9). This is how the teachings of the Orthodox Church, to which all the words of God are entrusted, must be sacredly observed, into which, as into a treasury, the apostles placed everything that is necessary for salvation. Treasure, Christian, the precious heritage of Orthodoxy, unshakably established at seven Ecumenical Councils, remember that outside the Orthodox Church it is impossible to find salvation. Keep yourself from communicating with various vain teachers who want to change the gospel of Christ and tear away the faithful sons of the Church from obedience to its teachings and statutes. Shield your ears from their disastrous speeches; all of them, as enemies of the faith of Christ, are already deprived of communion with the Church by the invisible judgment of God. All of them are dry branches cut off from the tree, lost sheep, separated from the flock of Christ, having lost their shepherd and falling into an impassable abyss. Examples of love for true knowledge of God 1. When Abba Silouan lived in Mount Sinai, his disciple Zechariah one day, leaving for work, said to the elder: “Abba, go get some water and water the garden.” The elder left the cell, covered his face with a hood and looked only at his feet. At this time his brother was walking towards him and, seeing him from afar, watched what he was doing. Then he approached him and asked: “Abba! tell me why, when you went to water the garden, you covered your face with a cupola?” “For this, my son,” answered the elder, “so that my eyes do not see the trees and my mind is not entertained by them in its activities.” The mind of the ascetic was occupied with the thought of God. 2. During the reign of Maximian, in the city of Iliopolis there lived a noble and wealthy citizen Dioscorus, a pagan by faith. He had an only daughter, Varvara, whom he cherished like the apple of his eye. Beautiful in face, and even more beautiful in heart, she, as she grew older, surpassed all her peers in beauty. So that none of the ordinary people could see the beauty of Varvara, he built a high pillar with a richly decorated dwelling on it and shut his daughter there. Hidden from human gaze, removed from all external entertainment, the young woman delved into the contemplation of the beautiful world of God. One day, looking at the heavenly bodies and admiring the beauty of the earth, she asked the slaves assigned to her: “Who created all this so wisely, so beautifully?” “All this,” answered the pagans, “was created and arranged by the very gods whom your parent worships and who stand in his chambers.” But the wise maiden was not satisfied with such an answer and thought: “The gods revered by my father were themselves created by human hands and soulless, made of gold, or silver, or wood: how could they, being themselves unable to walk with their feet or act with their hands, be the creators of such wise things?” She thought for a long time in this way, and finally, the grace of God touched her heart, which was looking for God the Creator, and announced to her heart and mind that there is one God who created heaven and earth with all their beauty. Such a thought about God, which constantly occupied the soul of the young woman, awakened in her an irresistible desire to know more closely and more clearly the One True God, the Creator of everything. But since under Varvara there was no one who could teach her and guide her on the path of salvation, the Lord God Himself appeared as her mentor and teacher, always close to those who seek Him and pouring grace into the hearts, making babies wise and showing the path to salvation. Varvara’s father left home for a long time and gave orders that in his absence his daughter’s freedom should not be hampered, but that he would allow her to go out wherever she wanted and do whatever she wanted. Taking advantage of the freedom given by her father, Varvara met Christian girls. Hearing from them about the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, she rejoiced in spirit, recognizing in Him the One whom her soul had long longed to know. At this time, by the special providence of God, a Christian priest arrived here. Varvara immediately called him to her and, having learned from him all the truths of faith necessary for salvation, she was baptized. Thus Saint Barbara came to know the One God - in the three Persons of the worshiped and glorified Father and Son and Holy Spirit, and sealed her faith with the crown of martyrdom. She was not afraid of torment, but, in hope of God’s help, in the midst of the most severe suffering she cried out loudly: “I honor the Trinity - One Divinity.” The wonderful world of God is open to each of us: know the Creator, Christian, and above all try to please the Lord. From an early age, learn the knowledge of God and do not weaken until old age to succeed in it. Are we improving in the knowledge of the Holy Faith? Every Christian must grow in the knowledge of faith. The Holy Apostle Paul, having taught those who believed in Christ the most essential and necessary truths of the faith (see: 1 Cor. 2:2), did not cease to take care that Christians improved in the knowledge of the teaching taught to them. In concern for this, he does not cease to pray to God for the Christians whom he has converted, so that they may grow in the knowledge of God (see: Col. 1:10), so that He may fill them with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding (Col. 1:9), so that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him (cf.: Eph. 1:17 ). Praying to the Lord, the Apostle Paul never ceases to convince believers: grow in the knowledge of God and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Col. 1:10; cf. 2 Pet. 3:18). But can anyone ask, can this instruction also apply to Christians? Do they really need reminders and instructions regarding improvement in the knowledge of God and Christ the Savior, which was naturally necessary for Christians of the first century? Indeed, it would seem that people over the course of many Christian centuries should firmly and sufficiently grasp the truths of the Orthodox Christian faith and life. This is not what we actually see. Let's not even talk about simpletons - people with secondary and even higher education know less about faith than about any other science. And such ignorance of faith is especially amazing and downright terrifying if we take into account the level of education and knowledge in the field of applied sciences, in the field of mechanics, physics and others. Meanwhile, if in anything, it is precisely in the matter of faith that ignorance cannot serve as an excuse. Our age has become completely futile; the majority have lost their taste for everything spiritual... The soul is sick, the will is sick. Life has strayed from the path indicated by God, and obstacles are placed in returning to the straight path. People seem to be deliberately avoiding that Light that could illuminate the dark path of life. Faith has weakened everywhere, the negligence towards faith is amazing. Children in many families rarely hear anything about God, faith, or the Church before they go to school. It is becoming increasingly rare to find pious mothers who themselves prepare their children for entering schools, teaching them the rudiments of faith, talking with them about the Merciful God, about Christ the Savior, about the Guardian Angel, etc. Nowadays, children enter schools often completely ignorant in religious terms. They know a lot of worldly songs, various poems and so few prayers; they know so much that is sinful and so little that is divine! And aren’t the sad consequences of such religious impoverishment understandable? “What you don’t know, you don’t appreciate,” they usually say. He who does not have sufficient knowledge in the subjects of faith, in the teachings of the Holy Orthodox Church, will not highly value his faith, his Church; he easily becomes indifferent to it and, finally, can leave it without regret. This is especially dangerous among a mixed population of Orthodox Christians with people of other faiths and foreigners, when living together with them. If an ignoramus hears an objection against his confession, against this or that truth of Orthodox teaching, against the decrees and rituals of his Church, even if he wants to defend himself, he remains defenseless, as unarmed and not knowing the grounds that every truth of Orthodox teaching and all the decrees of the Holy Church have. Unable to defend himself, since defense requires the clearest, most accurate and detailed knowledge of the revealed teachings, and, feeling overwhelmed by an often completely absurd objection, he, in thought, will begin to doubt this or that truth of the holy faith and, finally, falls into complete unbelief. Is it not from ignorance of our faith that we have that indifference to our faith and the Church when they say: “In all faith you can be saved; Everyone has the same God; differences in Christian denominations are not an important matter.” And is it not because of ignorance of the truth of the teachings of their faith that some themselves begin to invent “their own faith”, while others so easily adhere to this fictitious faith? Is this where the fascination with fashionable prophets comes from? Is it not because of ignorance of the teachings of the Orthodox Church that there is now so much wavering in the faith, doubts, and deviations into sectarianism, heresy, and schism? The harm from ignorance of faith is so great that it cannot be depicted in a small picture!.. Isn’t it due to ignorance or a misunderstanding of the rules and laws of faith that there are many sins that are not even considered sins? The Prophet Hosea complains: there is no knowledge of God on earth and then explains: oaths and deception, murder, theft, and adultery have become extremely widespread on earth (Hos. 4:1–2). Isn’t it so now? More and more violations of God's law are seen; The most shameful passions cannot be restrained in their satisfaction. Where does all this come from? There is no knowledge of God on earth - these words answer the question. Darkened in mind, alienated from the life of God, because of their ignorance, people reach insensibility, indulge in debauchery so that they commit all uncleanness with gluttony, says the Apostle Paul (cf. Eph 4:18-19). Are there any means to enhance religious knowledge? In order for the people to have the necessary knowledge in religion, in the teachings of their faith, shepherds are obliged to strictly pay attention to themselves and their flock. As good servants of Jesus Christ, feeding ourselves on the words of faith and good teaching (cf. 1 Tim. 4:6), let us pay attention to the reading, the teaching, and, like a trumpet, we will raise the voice of our preaching. The people want to know their faith: there is hunger and thirst on earth for hearing the word of God. The lips of the priests must keep knowledge, and they shall seek the law from your mouth (Mal. 2:7). Let us use every care to ensure that each of our flock is able to give an answer to those who ask about their hope. Fathers and mothers, take every possible care that children from infancy know the most important things about the science of salvation. Especially, mothers, do not give anyone your precious right to be the first mentors for their children, teaching them the rudiments of their faith: the influence of a mother is precious and irreplaceable; The history of the science of youth education loudly and clearly confirms this great truth. Let all those who have accepted the precious faith in the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 1:1), who have received great and precious promises (2 Pet. 1:4) in the grace of the Sacraments of the Holy Church, grow in the knowledge of God and His will, in the study of the law of Christ, the teachings and commandments of the Holy Church. The Teachings of Christ will enlighten our minds with the light of true knowledge; it will fill our hearts with joy and gladness; we will clearly see the will of God and be moved to willingly fulfill His commandments. Grow so that our entire earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord and so that it, like water, will cover our entire earth and open a free entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 1:11). All things work together for good to those who love God Happy are we Christians that we profess the true Orthodox faith! For salvation comes by grace through faith: and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God (Eph. 2:8), says the Apostle Paul. Yes, truly our faith is a gift of God, a gift brought from heaven by our Savior Jesus Christ! Before the coming of Jesus Christ, people did not know the true God and walked in darkness and error. Most people after the flood forgot God so much that they began to worship many gods and instead of the one true God they began to worship various creations of God; for example, they worshiped the heavenly bodies: the sun, moon and stars; they idolized people, revered domestic animals, all kinds of animals, even reptiles, as gods, and finally prayed to all sorts of images of objects - idols. The religion of the pagans was so abominable that they sacrificed people to their gods. This is the kind of spiritual blindness and ignorance people were in then. Faith in the true God was preserved only in the chosen people of God - the Jews. But even then, few, very few of this people were true admirers of Almighty God: these were patriarchs, prophets and some others who pleased God with their faith and life; the rest of the Jews either held to the true faith in God, or constantly deviated into idolatry, or placed all piety and pleasing God exclusively in the observance of the same rituals and customs, in one external holiness. In general, it must be said that before the Nativity of Christ, people, having forgotten God, indulged in dissolute passions and sensual, sinful pleasures. But from Bethlehem the Sun of Truth, Christ our God, shone, and the rays of this Sun penetrated to all ends of the world: the teaching of the Gospel was carried across the earth by the apostles of Christ, poor, unlearned, humble fishermen. And what did we see and what do we see now? Where the beneficial light of Christ penetrates, everything in people changes. Gross errors are dispelled, cruel morals are softened, pure and sublime concepts of God and humanity are established, legality is established, and prosperity is improved in human homes and societies. These, in general, are the fruits of the Christian faith proclaimed by Jesus Christ. Is it possible to describe the beneficialness of the Christian faith and calculate all the benefits that it brings to man? Take into account the person's privacy. Whether, for example, the loss of a home or property occurs, whether an illness or some other misfortune befalls, holy faith says that God will punish us for our sins and encourage us to repent and correct our lives. We have lost those dear and close to our hearts - a grave, unbearable sorrow! How can I make it easier? Let us turn to God in Whom we believe, let us shed tears of prayer with faith and hope that the Lord of life and death will reward them with a better life and will make us worthy to one day see them alive and immortal again. Finally, holy faith works miracles. What cannot true believers, strengthened by the power of God, do? All believers can be miracle workers, for faith is like a hand with which a person receives the power of God and performs such works that are inaccessible to natural human powers. Believe in Me, said the Savior, the works that I do will also be done by him (John 14:12); all things are possible to the believer (Mark 9:23). Indeed, the history of the Christian Church is filled with numerous and amazing examples of the miraculous power of faith. One of these examples is contained in the life of St. Sylvester, Pope of Rome. Saint Sylvester was a bishop in Rome at a time when the blessed reign of Constantine the Great had already begun, who gave peace to the Church of Christ and protected it from the attacks of Jews and pagans. But the centuries-old struggle of Christianity with its enemies, victoriously ended on the part of the external well-being of the Church, has not yet ceased within Christian societies. These enemies, who had previously acted with fire and sword, now tried to use a more subtle, sharp and deeply penetrating weapon - verbal, thinking with cunning reasoning and vain eloquence to shake the minds of believing Christians. To this end, the most learned Jews and pagans entered into public debates with Christian pastors and teachers. Thus, a similar debate was organized by the Jews in Rome under the holy Bishop Sylvester, in the presence of Tsar Constantine and his mother Helen, and the gracious power of the name of Christ was solemnly revealed. Rabbi Zamri, famous among the Jews and considered the wisest among them, argued for a long time with Saint Sylvester in the Old Testament Scripture, but, clearly defeated by the indisputable evidence of the same Scripture about Christ, he declared a desire to show in practice the strength and superiority of his Jewish faith. He said that the name of God was revealed to him, powerful and terrible, which no human nature can tolerate, and if he hears it, he will fall dead; therefore, Zamri suggested, bring any animal you like, even the most ferocious, and as soon as I pronounce the name of God in its ears, it will immediately die. They brought the most indomitable ox, and Zamri actually killed him instantly, uttering some words quietly over him. The Jews triumphed, but Saint Sylvester told them: “In the sacred books are the words of the Lord Himself: I will kill and I will create life: I will strike and I will heal (Deut. 32:39). If Zamri really killed him in the name of God, let him revive him in the same name: for God is essentially All-Good and turns even evil into good.” It was here that all the opposition and vanity of the Jewish faith compared to the Christian faith was revealed. Zamri could not demonstrate the gracious power of the name of God, because he did not act in this name, but received some power from the evil one for his sorcery. Saint Sylvester, on the contrary, was involved in the grace-filled power of God and did not hesitate to demonstrate this to everyone. Having said aloud a prayer to the Lord Jesus, the holy bishop revived the ox and solemnly testified before everyone the beneficialness of the Christian faith. Let us learn from this example that we, Christians, now live in the days of God’s favor, that we are not under the law, but under grace (Rom. 6:14), and therefore must not feel under the yoke of slavish fear in our relationships with God, but must live as beloved children of God, in full confidence that all things will work out for good for those who love God (Rom. 8:28) and that it is unworthy for a Christian to feed in in his soul any kind of superstitious fear of created beings, having such a powerful protection in the great and adored name of Jesus. No matter what unexpected misfortune befalls us, no matter what evil situation weighs us down, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Rom. 10:13). There is only one thing we should be afraid of most of all: lest by our unbelief, our unrighteous life, we should be deprived of grace-filled help from the Lord. So, let everyone depart from unrighteousness, calling the name of the Lord (2 Tim. 2:19), “and let the name of God be hallowed” in our lives - then the irresistible power of the name of the Lord Jesus, which we pronounce with faith in our prayers, will not depart from us. The Holy Orthodox Church is the only true Blessed Ephraim, Patriarch of Antioch, having heard about one stylite in the vicinity of the city of Hierapolis, that he belonged to the number of followers of the North and acephalians, went to admonish him. Arriving at the stylite, he began to convince and pray him to resort to the Apostolic See and enter into communion with the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. “I will not enter into communication with the Council without a special reason,” answered the stylite. – What proof do you want from me to convince you that, by the grace of Jesus Christ, our Lord God, the Holy Church is free from every impure admixture of heretical teaching? – asked the wondrous Ephraim. “Mr. Patriarch,” said the pillar, “let’s light a fire and enter the flames together.” Whoever comes out unharmed will be Orthodox, and we will have to follow him. “You, child, should have listened to me as a father,” the patriarch objected, “and not demand anything more, but you demanded from me that which is beyond my weak strength.” However, I trust in the mercy of the Son of God and for the sake of saving your soul I will do this too. And immediately the wonderful Ephraim turns to those present with the words: “Blessed is the Lord! bring some wood." The firewood has been brought. The Patriarch lights them in front of the pillar and says to the pillar: “Come down from the pillar, and, according to your decision, we will both enter the flame.” The stylite was struck by the patriarch’s firm trust in God and did not agree to descend. “Didn’t you want this yourself?” – asked the patriarch. - Why don’t you want to fulfill it now? Having said this, the patriarch took off his omophorion and, coming close to the flame, offered a prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, our God, who deigned for our sake to truly be incarnate from our Lady, the Most Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, show us the truth yourself!” And, having finished the prayer, he threw his omophorion into the middle of the flame. The fire burned for about three hours. The wood was all burnt, but the omophorion turned out to be intact and unharmed, without even a sign of the flame. At the sight of this, the stylite, convinced of the truth, was moved, cursed Severus and his heresy and joined the Holy Church. Having received communion from the hands of blessed Ephraim, he glorified God. Miracle through the prayer of St. Basil the Great The Byzantine Emperor Valens, a heretic by faith, closed the Orthodox churches in his state, handed them over to the Arians and ordered the expulsion of all Orthodox bishops. They told the king: “Before you carry out your command regarding us, allow Basil the Great to enter into an interview about faith with the Arians. If they defeat Vasily, then we will unquestioningly submit to you.” Valens agreed and invited Basil the Great to Nicaea. Basil told Valens that God Himself would judge him and the Arians. He ordered the doors of one of the churches to be locked and called on the Arians: “Do you want to make sure whose faith is right? If, through your prayer, these doors open by themselves, we will know that the truth is on your side. If they open up through our prayer, then everyone will have to admit that we believe Orthodoxy, and not you.” The Arians agreed, from morning to evening they prayed for the opening of the doors, but “there was, as it was said, neither voice nor obedience.” It was the turn of the Orthodox. Saint Basil with the clergy and Orthodox people approached the church, knelt down and began to pray. “And suddenly there was great thunder, and the church doors were opened.” Everyone was horrified and glorified God. Valens ordered the churches to be returned to the Orthodox, awarded Vasily with great gifts and released him in peace. You might be interested in: