- 1 minute ago
Gal 3:27-2927 For as many [of you] as were baptized into Christ [into a spiritual union and communion with Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah] have put on (clothed yourselves with) Christ. 28 There is [now no distinction] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ [are in Him Who is Abraham's Seed], then you are Abraham's offspring and [spiritual] heirs according to promise.
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:14The
00:28The title of this message is called A Brief History of How the West Changed the Sacraments
00:35and Why It is Important to Know. In our last reflection called The Mystery of the Ancient
00:43Faith discovered in the Sacrament of Holy Communion, I had mentioned that a part two will follow
00:50because we will continue tracing how the Great Schism of 1054 opened the path for the West to
00:58develop new doctrines and introduced additional practices surrounding the Eucharist. These shifts
01:06gradually produce a wide range of interpretations, customs, and theological positions that continue
01:14to shape Western Christianity today. If you had not the opportunity to hear that reflection,
01:21I sincerely encourage you to do so because I believe it is one of the most important of all
01:29since Holy Communion was instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ at the Last Supper as told in the
01:37four Gospels as well as by St. Paul. In this brief reflection of the mystery of the ancient faith
01:46discovered in the Sacrament of Holy Communion, we course through what I call in a nutshell
01:53of what leads up to partaking of the nature of God, which is ultimately found in the mystery of the
02:02Sacrament of the Eucharist or Holy Communion. We discussed how the grace of God and how partaking
02:10of the divine nature of God and also to silence our minds, which is called hesychasm, and how important
02:19above all repentance is highly regarded as most vital and crucial. All of these are integral factors
02:28in partaking of the privileged cup of Holy Communion. We learned that St. Ignatius of Antioch was an
02:37apostolic father who lived in 082140 AD. His major contribution was his letter to the Ephesians where he
02:48calls the Eucharist the medicine of immortality. St. John of Damascus lived in 675 to 749 AD and he was
03:00the
03:00last of the Greek fathers. His major work was called the exact exposition of the Orthodox faith, which
03:09includes a full dogmatic treatment of the Eucharist as the true body and blood of Jesus Christ.
03:17And today also, there is a modern prolific writer whose name is Metropolitan Al-Aviv, whom I often refer to
03:26and whose books and contributions I highly respect and glean from. And he tells us, quote,
03:33The Sacrament of Holy Communion is the sacrament of sacraments, the mystery of mysteries. It is the
03:41perfection of every sacrament and seal of every mystery. The Eucharist has a central significance in
03:49the life of the church and of every Christian. It is not merely one of a number of sacred actions
03:56or
03:56means of receiving grace. It is the very heart of the church, her foundation, without which the church
04:04cannot be imagined. And he goes on to explain that the sacrament of the Eucharist was instituted by Christ
04:13at the Last Supper, as related by all four evangelists, as well as by St. Paul, who says in 1
04:20Corinthians
04:21chapter 11, verse 23 through 26. For I received from the Lord that which I delivered to you, that the
04:30Lord Jesus
04:31Christ, on the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread. And when he had given thanks, he broke
04:38it and said,
04:39Take, eat, this is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same
04:47manner, he also took the
04:49cup after supper, saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. This do as often as you drink
04:58it in
04:58remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death
05:06until
05:07he comes. What we have just read is a command and not a suggestion for our spiritual edification, and the
05:17most
05:17most important is the actuality of actually taking part or partaking of the divine nature of God.
05:26What our precious Savior did and gave us is to be carried out from that time he instituted this command
05:35up until our present day. St. Paul was speaking forth a holy tradition.
05:43The institution of the Eucharist took place during the Last Supper on the night before Christ's
05:52crucifixion, which occurred in the first century, specifically around 30 to 33 A.D. on the night
06:00before Christ's crucifixion. The Holy Eucharist is given before the Church is born around 29 A.D.
06:09when the Holy Spirit descends upon all in the upper room. The two events are inseparably connected,
06:17but not simultaneous. Dear listener and followers, throughout all of my struggles and questions and
06:25doubts, at first regarding the Orthodox doctrines, her faith, and life in the Church, these have slowly
06:33been answered and satisfied in my journey towards my new life in Orthodoxy. And I can honestly say that my
06:42search for the truth has been slowly discovered. And I too, I caution myself, I realize not only myself,
06:52but for others too, in that we can have a lot of knowledge about all these discoveries. And I emphasize
06:59that all these are important, of course, but as St. Paul says in his epistle in 1 Corinthians chapter 13
07:07verses 1 through 2, though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but I have not loved.
07:15I have
07:16become a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all
07:24mysteries and all knowledge. And though I have all faith, so I could move mountains, but I have not
07:32love. I am nothing. You see, I am constantly reminded that love is our pursuit in what we are seeking
07:42in
07:42this most wonderful relationship and fellowship with our precious Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave all,
07:49He gave everything to have each and every one of us. And I want to point out and emphasize that
07:57in my 28 years of
07:59teaching and preaching the Word of God, I have discovered the most important principle or criterion that was
08:08missing in my unfulfilled life as a Protestant Christian were the sacraments and especially the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
08:19I have been learning and I must say I have been cherishing as well that the sacraments and the fullness
08:26of God's
08:26grace are in the Orthodox Church. Newcomers and converts are encouraged to see that their past is as preparation
08:37for receiving the truths of this most precious and important fulfillment of their salvation in Jesus Christ.
08:45Now, having a little in a nutshell, as I like to reflect or call it, but on a background, on
08:53part one, I did say it would be
08:55brief, so that at this point, we now need to look at the sacraments and traditions that were passed down
09:02or taught and
09:04changed in the West and why this is very important to understand. The following verse is very important,
09:13dear ones, that we do understand it. And it is found in 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 15, where Apostle Paul
09:24exhorts,
09:251 Thessalonians 2, verse 15, where Apostle Paul exhorts, 1 Thessalonians 3, verse 15, where Apostle Paul exhorts, 1 Thessalonians
09:353, verse 15,
09:36You see, what St. Paul is teaching here about the traditions of the Apostle or Holy Tradition, by contrast, is
09:45to be preserved by the Church,
09:47for God is its source, for God is its source. Holy Tradition is that which Jesus taught to the Apostles,
09:55which they in turn taught, the Church under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And it is important in this
10:04Reflection Part 2,
10:06that we frame a little history or background of this huge subject on how the West began to change
10:14what God had ordained in the beginning of the Church's early history. And we're only going to cover a few
10:22highlights to get some semblance of a background. For the first thousand years of her history, the Church was essentially
10:31one.
10:32Five historical patriarchal centers, which comprised of Jerusalem, Antioch, Rome, Alexandria, and Constantinople,
10:42formed a cohesive whole, which made up the Church, and they were in full communion with one another.
10:51You see, after the time of the Apostles, the Church remained united for many centuries.
10:59But beginning in the early medieval era, especially from the 8th to the 11th century,
11:05the Roman or Western Church began introducing new teachings and practices that slowly altered the original sacramental understanding that were
11:18preserved in the East.
11:20And just a side note here, when Orthodox writers or saints or councils speak of the West,
11:28they're using a very specific historical or theological abbreviated term.
11:34It doesn't mean all Western people or all Western Christians.
11:40It refers to a particular ecclesiastical and cultural reality that emerged after the Great Schism in 1054 AD.
11:50And this refers to the distinct post-schism Church structure and theological mindset that formed the Roman Catholic Church world
12:02after 1054 AD when they departed because of two major issues.
12:09These two major issues included Rome's claim to be a universal papal supremacy and her addition to the filioque cause
12:22to the Nicene Creed,
12:24which is a formal statement of doctrine of doctrine of the Christian faith adopted at the Council of Nicaea in
12:33AD 325 to defend Orthodoxy from Arianism,
12:38which is a belief that God created Jesus.
12:42You see, during the 8th and 9th century, which falls around 701 to 900 AD,
12:50it's usually important to note that these centuries fall squarely within the Middle Ages,
12:57sometimes called the early medieval period.
13:00And it was during this period of time that Western theologians began shifting the language of the Eucharist
13:08from the mystical and patristic understanding towards a more philosophical and legal categories.
13:15And this period marks the beginning of the West treating sacraments as things to be defined rather than mysteries to
13:24be lived.
13:26And by the Middle Ages, the 11th through the 15th century, the Western Church introduced several major changes.
13:34The most famous, I briefly just mentioned, in addition to the filioque, the creed in 589 AD,
13:48which affected the theology of the Holy Spirit and therefore the sacramental life of the Church.
13:56Doctrinally, it alters the creed's teaching on the eternal origin of the Holy Spirit,
14:04and canonically, it was added without involving all parties and without the agreement of the whole Church.
14:12It is very important that we understand this change, dear ones.
14:17The filioque is a short phrase that Rome added to the creed which said,
14:25and the Son.
14:26So instead of saying, the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father,
14:31Rome changed it to say, the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.
14:41And why it matters, dear listener, is that Jesus Christ said,
14:46the Spirit proceeds from the Father.
14:49Listen to this.
14:51And we read this in John chapter 15, verses 26 through 27, which declares,
14:58But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father,
15:03the Spirit of Truth who proceeds from the Father,
15:07He will testify of me, and you also will bear witness because you have been with me from the beginning.
15:16The Fathers of the Church taught that the Father is the only source in the Trinity,
15:23and adding, and the Son, changes how the Trinity works.
15:28And making this change was impossible, because no bishop, not even Rome, can change the creed.
15:38The filioque contradicts the apostolic teaching on the Holy Spirit unilateral addition itself
15:47was a break from the apostolic Church.
15:50At the same time, the West began to separate confirmation from baptism,
15:57delaying it until later childhood or adolescence,
16:01which broke the ancient unity of baptism,
16:05chrismation, and the Eucharist given together as one initiation into Christ.
16:11In the same era, the West changed the practice of communion by withholding the chalice from the laity,
16:21something unknown in the early Church.
16:24Confession also shifted from a therapeutic healing encounter
16:29to a more judicial system of penalties and satisfactions.
16:35Marriage became a view primarily as a legal contract,
16:40rather than a sacramental union blessed by a priest within the Eucharistic community.
16:47By the scholastic era, the 12th through the 14th century,
16:52Western theology increasingly relied on rational analysis,
16:58rather than mystical experiential approach of the Fathers.
17:02This led to new definitions of sacraments,
17:07including the idea that only seven existed in a strict legal sense.
17:13The Eastern Church has always lived the mysteries as a unified sacramental life,
17:20not as a numbered list.
17:23And after the Great Schism in 1054,
17:26when the Roman Pope justified its actions with claims
17:30that from the Orthodox view amounted to self-justification for change,
17:36and these differences only deepened.
17:40Some of the key patristic voices spoke out against these changes.
17:46One of them was St. Cyprian of Carthage,
17:50who lived in the 3rd century,
17:52and he taught that no bishop has the authority over others,
17:57and the unity of the church is preserved through mutual concord, not domination.
18:04St. Ignatius of Antioch, in the 1st and 2nd century,
18:09emphasized the unity of each local church around its bishop,
18:14never taught that one bishop, Rome, governs all others.
18:19And St. Arrhenius of Lyons, 2nd century,
18:24represented Rome's ancient role,
18:27but insisted that all apostolic sees or bishops share equal authority.
18:34And he rebuked Pope Victor for trying to excommunicate the East
18:39over Paschal controversy,
18:42showing that unilateral or one-sided papal action,
18:46as was previously mentioned when St. Arrhenius of Lyons,
18:51who sharply rebuked Pope Victor,
18:54he reminded him that no bishop had the authority to sever communion
18:59with other apostolic sees or bishops
19:01over a difference in legitimate apostolic custom.
19:05The early church rejected his one-sided papal action,
19:11saying that all bishops and apostolic sees share equal authority.
19:17Well, the West continued to develop new doctrines
19:21as purgatory and indulgences,
19:24which reshaped the meaning of confession and anoint the sick.
19:28The Eucharist became surrounded by new practices,
19:32such as elevation of the host high above his head for adoration,
19:39which reflected a shift in focus from participation to observation.
19:46This practice does not exist in the early church,
19:50and it is not a practice today.
19:53Now, finally, during the Reformation era in the 16th century,
19:59many Western groups rejected most of the sacraments altogether.
20:04Some of them only kept baptism and communion,
20:07while others reduced even these to symbolic acts.
20:11And this marks a complete departure
20:14from the sacramental worldview of the early church.
20:18Before the schism in 1054 AD,
20:23Catholic Church meant the undivided church.
20:27And in the first millennium,
20:29all local churches, which includes Rome,
20:32Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem,
20:37were all part of one holy, catholic, and apostolic church.
20:43Catholic simply meant
20:44universal, whole, complete, and faithful
20:49to the fullness of the apostolic faith.
20:52The Eastern Orthodox Church
20:55teaches that the Orthodox Church
20:58is the continuation of that same Catholic Church,
21:03which traces her birth and continuity
21:06from Pentecost to this present day.
21:09After Rome separated,
21:11it continued using the old name,
21:13and when Rome broke communion
21:16with the Orthodox Church
21:18through the events surrounding 1054 AD,
21:22it did not rename itself.
21:24It simply continued calling itself
21:27the Catholic Church,
21:29even though from the Orthodox perspective,
21:32it had departed from the Catholic fullness
21:35of the apostolic faith.
21:37The Orthodox Church remained
21:40the true Catholic Church.
21:42Rome kept the name,
21:44but not the reality.
21:47For the first thousand years of her history,
21:50the Church was essentially one,
21:52with five patriarchal centers,
21:55again, I say them,
21:57including Jerusalem, Antioch,
22:01Rome, Alexandria, and Constantinople,
22:04who all formed a cohesive whole
22:07and were in full communion with one another.
22:09And now today,
22:12nearly a thousand years later,
22:15the only four patriarchs remain intact,
22:19in full communion,
22:21maintaining that Orthodox apostolic faith
22:24inspired the New Testament record.
22:27This is truly astounding, dear listeners.
22:32Since this great schism occurred,
22:34with Rome breaking away,
22:37historians estimate that there are over 2,600 groups today
22:43who lay claim to the Church,
22:45or at least the direct descendants of the Church
22:48described in the New Testament.
22:50The Protestant Reformation occurred in the 1500s,
22:57a thousand years after the Apostles,
22:59and 500 years after Rome left Orthodoxy.
23:03Western Christians began protesting Rome
23:06and its doctrines and authority.
23:09And this all produced a second major family
23:12of Protestant churches,
23:14including Lutherans,
23:15Reformed Calvinists,
23:17who later split into many subgroups,
23:21Presbyterian, Methodists,
23:24Baptists, Anabaptists,
23:26Congregationalists.
23:27These groups rejected many Roman doctrines,
23:31but kept Rome's theological framework,
23:34especially the Filioche.
23:37and St. Augustine's view of grace
23:40and Western views of original sin.
23:44From these early Protestants
23:46came hundreds of later movements,
23:49which are too numerous to mention
23:51in this reflection today.
23:53For all of this,
23:55in learning the outstanding history
23:58of the Church,
23:59dear listener and followers,
24:01I am not willing to risk my salvation
24:05when there is more to living
24:07in the fullness of God's wondrous
24:10and generous grace,
24:12His power and energies,
24:14which are able to restore us back
24:16to the place where our first parents,
24:19Adam and Eve,
24:20enjoyed a pure peace and joy
24:23in the garden before they sinned.
24:25Yes, we must know
24:27this is a lifelong journey
24:30of personal salvation
24:32and transformation
24:33and ongoing repentance
24:35while living on this earth.
24:38But it is within orthodoxy
24:40that faith of the early Church
24:42is preserved,
24:44whole,
24:44and where the grace
24:45and worship and teaching
24:47of that same Church
24:49remains unchanged.
24:51Since I have chosen this path,
24:54I feel like I've really come back home
24:57to where I truly belong.
24:59The longing and knowing
25:01that I felt for a good part
25:03of my years teaching
25:04the Word of God
25:06and pursuing the One
25:07whom my heart loves
25:09has been found
25:10and is still growing
25:12into something
25:13I have never expected,
25:14nor can I truly explain.
25:17Dear listener and followers,
25:19I invite you to come along with me
25:22as I continue to share my journey
25:24in this most wonderful,
25:26ancient faith of orthodoxy,
25:28which is still alive
25:30and lives in the continuity
25:32of our beginning
25:32since Pentecost 29 AD
25:35and where you,
25:36along with me,
25:38can encounter
25:39the most beautiful fellowship
25:40and communion
25:42with our living God,
25:43our personal God,
25:45whose boundless love
25:46knows no end
25:47and who embraces
25:49all of mankind
25:50and calls each one of us
25:52into deep fellowship
25:54with himself.
25:56Please don't stay
25:57where you are.
25:58I invite you to come home
26:00and see and taste
26:02for yourself
26:03that the Triune God
26:04is inviting you,
26:06inviting me,
26:07to a banquet of life,
26:09of healing,
26:10and to share
26:11in his uncreated light
26:12where every longing
26:14of the heart
26:15is met
26:16and not with ideas
26:17or opinions,
26:18but with the very presence
26:20of God himself.
26:21in God's Shakespeare
26:24and his son
26:25of having
26:25and of how
26:27his home
26:27and the most
26:38of everything
26:39in the future
26:39of the Lord
26:40or is
26:40You