Translation from the article:

Στεργίου Ν. Σάκκου, Τί σημαίνει Ὀρθοδοξία, περιοδ. "Ἀπολύτρωσις" 50 (1996) 56-57.

(Stergios N. Sakkos, University Professor [Read CV])

   Many people talk about Orthodoxy these days. We hear them on TV channels, we read them in newspaper columns, we see them as authors of various publications and books. According to their words, Orthodoxy is a type of culture or a type of folklore, depending on the guiding preference of each relevant thinker. It is a form of civilization - always exceptional and unique - or a characteristic of the people of Romiosini (Helenism)- in any case special and worthy of attention. This makes Orthodoxy seem more like an ideology, a philosophy or a worldview, a popular religion, than the revelation of God that it really is.
   The Orthodox Church of Christ also speaks of Orthodoxy. And it speaks not only now, when it is fashionable to speak about Orthodoxy and to be in the light of publicity, but it has been speaking  for at least twenty centuries, from the moment it was born and it speaks in the low tones of humble speech in the devout atmosphere of the meek spirit. For those of us who are genuinely interested in Orthodoxy, I think it is worth paying attention to it, because it is the only one that deserves our attention, because the Orthodox Church is the only expert on the subject.
   We could say - with a very general simplification, of course, for practical reasons - that Orthodoxy is identified with the Church, the one, holy, Eastern Church. Its characteristics are the characteristics of the Church and they are none other than the characteristics of the God-man person of Jesus Christ, since the Church is the mystical Christ, which extends throughout the ages, according to the expression of Saint Augustine. This is revealed by the teachings of the Fathers, who have been the pillars of the Church, it is demonstrated by the lives of the saints who martyred for Orthodoxy, it is testified by the common conscience of the Orthodox faithful. Thus, we have immediately and surely a specific and clear view of Orthodoxy, which the history of the Church irrefutably testifies to.  
   First of all and above all, Orthodoxy is a way of life based on divine truth. It certainly creates culture, shapes ethos, but these are results, not its essence. Orthodoxy is the path of God, which requires that it be walked in obedience to the revealed truth and with discipline in the divine commandment. The combination of the right faith (orthodoxy) with the holy living (orthopraxis) is a characteristic of Orthodoxy “of those things which are not without.” The apostle Paul formulates this verbatim for the umpteenth time when, at the end of his life he confesses to his disciple Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7).
   The Church delivers the doctrine and the commandment, holding in one hand the inspired Scripture and in the other the sacred Tradition. Doctrines are the revealed truths of the divine word as formulated by enlightened saints after the Church’s struggles and battles with evil and deceitful spirits. Commandments are the ethical exhortations of the divine word, as lived by the saints of every age, who were not conformed to any scheme of their time, but were transformed into vessels of the Holy Spirit. But all this could never be accepted by human beings if they tried to follow it on their own - individually or in groups, but autonomously - by their own reason and personal efforts.
   Those who have tried have either given up or erred and have not remained Orthodox. One must hear the doctrine- in order to be able to interpret it - and obey the command to be able to carry it out - united in one body and tuned to one frequency in the body whose head is Christ and whose members are the saints of all ages, and to the frequency that the Holy Spirit emits within this divine-human community.
   The means of participation in the Church of Christ are the Holy Mysteries and spiritual worship. Through the grace of the mysteries, the Orthodox person is united with the Triune God, receives the forgiveness of sins and, in spite of all his finitude and imperfection, lives the infinity and perfection of eternity. In divine worship, moreover, through prayer and hymnody, he has the blessing of expressing himself before the Lord, praising His greatness, thanking him for His love and praying with contrition of his weakness. Together with the angels and the simple saints of Orthodoxy, who signify their presence with the holy icons all around, all the faithful “with one accord and in the same spirit” invoke and receive divine grace in the Church. Everything there is a sacred symbol, expressing in its own language, so evocative and profound, the doctrine and ethos of the Church, which teaches in silence. For this reason, all the elements of worship are considered genuine expressions of Orthodoxy: the icons, the hymns and the ritual.
   But Orthodox life is not limited to the temple, nor does it stop at worship. It spreads out and covers every moment of the Christian’s life, continuing and permeating his every movement. In the temple of the believer’s body, there is a constant logical worship and a constant mystical communion with all the faithful of the Church. This is achieved through the Holy Spirit and is expressed by the sign of the cross, which literally marks every Orthodox. The shape of the Holy Cross is not only mentally traced on occasions with the three fingers of the right hand united in the name of the Holy Trinity, but it also constantly traces the life of the Christian who, for love of God, constantly contrasts his will with the will of the world and of his former unredeemed self, patiently endures pain and voluntarily suffers for the good, denies himself and gives himself to others, in a word, practises asceticism. Indeed, the ascetic element is a trademark of Orthodoxy. It takes many forms in Orthodox life: fasting, vigil, poverty, purity, sacrifice; but it is always a cross that imitates the Cross of Christ, and therefore bears His glory.
   How many of the Orthodox speakers of our time can really identify themselves with these qualities? Every year the Church dedicates a Sunday to the name of Orthodoxy. On this Sunday, it emphasizes above all the mission of evangelization that it has towards the world, the task of proclaiming the Orthodox faith and life throughout the world. Perhaps it is time to let its voice to be heard louder and clearer today, amidst the clamor of so many, so that we may finally learn what Orthodoxy means.

Κυκλοφόρησε καί ὁ τελευταῖος τόμος στήν Ἑρμηνεία στίς Πράξεις τῶν Ἀποστόλων τοῦ Στεργίου Σάκκου.

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Saint John Chrysostom
(Speech on 1 Corinthians 26,11, ΕΠΕ 18 Α,176 - ΜG 61,223-224 η’)

   If your wife makes a mistake, console her and do not add to her grief. For even if you remove all her faults that cause trouble in the house, you will gain nothing by your abrupt behaviour, for the saddest thing of all will remain that you do not have good relations with the woman who lives with you. Whatever fault of hers you claim as justification, none should be considered more painful than to be at war with her. So let your love for her be more precious than anything else. For if you must bear one another’s burdens, how much more must you bear your wife’s burdens. And even if she is poor, do not blame her; and if she is foolish, do not despise and criticise her, but rather guide her, for she is a member of your body and you have become one flesh.
   But what if she is talkative and drunk and angry? Well, you must not be angry with her, but take care of her and pray to God and exhort her and counsel her and do everything to break her passion. But if you beat her, you make her situation worse. For insolence is not cured by insolence, but by forbearance and yielding. Besides the above, think of the reward God has in store for your patience. For though you have the power to send her away, and do not do so because you fear God, but put up with so many faults because you fear the law, which prevents you from expelling the woman whatever her fault may be, you shall receive a very great reward.
   But even before the reward that God will give you, you will have a very great benefit, because you will also make her more disciplined, and because of her you will become more lenient. It is even said that one of the pagan philosophers, who had a wife who was vicious and talkative and drunk, when asked why he tolerated the behaviour of such a woman, he replied: I tolerate her so that I may have a gymnasium and a fighting ring in my house, so that they may train me in the patient life. For in this way, he said, I shall also be gentler to others, for I shall practise meekness daily in the house.

Saint John Chrysostom
(Speech on Genesis 55, 3, ΕΠΕ 4, 134 – MG 54, 416-417)

   This is a true marriage, when there is a great deal of agreement between the two spouses, when there is a close connection, when they are very tightly bound in love. That is, just as the body can never rebel against itself, nor the soul against itself, so the man and the woman must not be separated and in conflict, but must be united. For only then it is possible for them to accumulate innumerable goods.

Saint John Chrysostom
(Speech on Genesis 55, 2, ΕΠΕ 4, 388 – MG 54, 481)

   Jacob worked for Rachel for seven years, and it felt like a few days because he loved her. The seven years seemed like a few days to him because of the excessive love he had for the girl. When one is wounded by the craving of love, they see none of the difficulties, but they bear easily all dangers and many sufferings because they aim at one thing only: satisfying their desires.

Translation from the book:

Στεργίου Ν. Σάκκου, Ὁ Σταυρός στό φῶς τῆς Ἀνάστασης, ἐκδ. «ΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΙΚΗ ΕΛΠΙΣ» ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΗ ΑΔΕΛΦΟΤΗΤΑ, Θεσ/νίκη 2019, σσ. 43-49.

   Among the banners, flags and symbols raised by the world to proclaim its slogans, our Church exalts the Holy Cross and invites us to accept its message. The history of God and man, in all its dimensions, is written on its simple shape. The greatest misery and the greatest joy meet in its heart: the despair of a dying world and the hope of a world being raised.
   Historically and theologically the Cross has in fact, two aspects: what it appears to be and what it is. It appears to be dipped in blood, tears and pain. But if we bend over its bloody stains, we will again discern two opposites: on the one hand, crime in its most terrible form, guilt in its most dreadful hour; and on the other, the greatest love and infinite tolerance. The cross of ancient times, was an instrument of torture, the most terrible means that Satan had discovered to torment man, after he had driven him to the lowest point of degradation. But since the Crucifixion of the sinless Christ, the Cross has also become the symbol of the highest love and devotion for those who love Christ and follow in His footsteps.
   There are three crosses on Golgotha which help us to understand historically the aspect of the cross represented in its two dimensions. On two of the crosses hang two criminals who are receiving “the due reward of their deeds”; on the other Cross hangs Jesus, who “has done nothing wrong” (Lk 23:41). At the same time, the first criminal cursed the Innocent, while the other repented and became a martyr; he bore his cross with patience, denied his shameful past and believed in a glorious future. And how? With the strength that he drew from the Cross of Jesus Christ. This is the second aspect of the Cross that all those who repent and believe can experience.   
   The Cross of our Lord has a rich inner content which can be infused into the cross of the thief and into every cross, if we so wish. This secret content, its indescribable richness, is the love of God, which becomes blood, and the blood becomes redemption and purification, but also a power of transformation and change. Here is the “essence” of the Cross, here is the hope of the world! A hope not like the “false hopes” of the poets, which lead to despair, nor like the fleeting hopes of our narrow horizons which leave behind them disappointment. It is the hope for which the soul of man thirsts, that he is not just a piece of earth and flesh, not a number or something destined to nothing but a being of eternal value and destiny. This hope which warms the heart and enlightens the mind, which steels the nerves and sustains the will, the hope which gives meaning to struggles, joyful endurance to sorrows, profound happiness to joys, is found only in the Cross. What honour man has when, for his sake, the precious blood of God is shed! What glory awaits him since the God-man, in a human body, fights and conquers death. What hope springs from Golgotha!
   Unfortunately, the world can only see the visible aspect of the cross and rejects it. Like the Jews who saw its weakness and were tempted, like the Gentiles who saw it as folly and mocked it. The world ignores the “essence” of the Cross and doesn’t even bother to learn it, so it can never understand it. That is why today the Church, the Gospel and christians are despised, mocked, hated and fought against. But it is also the reason why today the world has lost hope and is dying of despair. It is because man has cut himself off from the Cross and relies on his own strength. He cannot even think that what he wants might be hidden in the Cross. In no way do people admit that the Cross, which they consider trivial, can embrace those who are divided, give peace to the soul, make amends between man and his God.
   So man struggles all alone. He sends out rockets, literally throws his money into the air, without earning anything, not a breath of life, not a drop of relief from his stress. He raises his antennas, his science and his art, and channels mainly elements of corruption and decay into his own house, his mind and his blood. He hangs horseshoes on his door as a symbol of good luck, you see, this is neither foolish nor scandalous!  He reconciles fetishism with his culture because he suffocates without hope. But hope is nowhere to be found! Modern man stands disappointed before an empty Pandora’s box; his last hopes have flown away. He believes nothing, he hopes for nothing, he is lost. He puts “Hope Wanted” in the “Classifieds” in vain. He will only find hope in the Cross.
   Because hope is not in “bread and spectacle”, it is not in the refrigerator or in culture. Hope is not in shop windows, shops, chimneys, oil tanks and bombs. Hope is peace and life. A full stomach and a comfortable career are not hope, hope is a pure and light heart. The saturation of the senses and the deception of our secret desires with their substitutes are not hope. Hope is the power that guarantees joy up to eternity, the power that makes us see the other person not as a target for our vice or as an object to profit from, but as a brother, as a creature of the same Father.
   If we see the Cross as a simple symbol, we do injustice to the Cross and, fatally, to ourselves. If we recognise in the Cross the blood of an Innocent Man who shed His blood on it for our sake, we have taken an important step. But if we discover in the Cross, beyond the agony of death, the triumph of life that springs from the “empty tomb” of the Crucified and Risen One, then we have found our great, true, eternal hope.
   Our Church, through the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, invites us to rest under its wings. Tell me, dear faithful, if a person wants something different or something more!

Copyright © 2021 by Orthodox Christian Association

«ΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΙΚΗ ΕΛΠΙΣ» ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΗ ΑΔΕΛΦΟΤΗΤΑ. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Translation from the book:

Στεργίου Ν. Σάκκου, Μηνύματα ζωῆς Β΄, ἐκδ. «ΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΙΚΗ ΕΛΠΙΣ» ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΗ ΑΔΕΛΦΟΤΗΤΑ, Θεσ/νίκη 2015, σσ. 192-194.

Sleep or Death

  August is the crown of summer and the jewel in this crown is the celebration of our Most Holy Theotokos. It is a little Easter in summer. It is celebrated as gloriously and triumphantly as the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection. This is not an arbitrary choice; in the minds of pious people, this feast associates the word “sleep” with the event of death. Could there be a more desirable message for the miserable man who longs to enjoy his life but he lives every day under the shadow of death?
  The power of death is, of course, defeated by our Lord Jesus Christ. This victory is experienced and celebrated by the Church when it is realised in the lives of the saints. Everyone who believes in Jesus Christ “has passed from death to life” (Jn 5:24) and has a first experience of the abolition of death. Death cannot hold them captive, nor can their Lord and God. For this reason, the commemoration of the day on which the saints died is not a mournful event, but a celebration. St. John Chrysostom notes that “because the saints loved their Lord, they were willing to suffer sorrows and torments in His name, which made them all the more joyful”.
  Christ’s victory over death is primarily declared by the Dormition of the woman who gave Lord her human flesh so that He could resurrect it and make it non-perishable. She is the saint above all saints and is therefore named “Panagia” in Greek (pano[above] – agia [saint]). There is a clear theological explanation for this. The Orthodox Church proclaims that the Virgin Mary is the symbol of the entire Church and of each pious soul. Every Christian sees themselves as a member of the Church and in the Assumption of God’s Mother, they see their own death as a dormition, a sleep in God’s hands. Therefore, a Christian is freed from the fear of death and renews the hope that their beloved people are sleeping and will resurrect one day. Every Christian can proclaim the confession of our faith, “I am looking forward to the resurrection of the dead” (Symbol of Faith).

Copyright © 2021 by Orthodox Christian Association

«ΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΙΚΗ ΕΛΠΙΣ» ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΗ ΑΔΕΛΦΟΤΗΤΑ. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Translation from the book:

Στεργίου Ν. Σάκκου, Μηνύματα ζωῆς Β΄, ἐκδ. «ΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΙΚΗ ΕΛΠΙΣ» ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΗ ΑΔΕΛΦΟΤΗΤΑ, Θεσ/νίκη 2015, σσ. 195-197.

The Spiritual Champion

  The saints of our faith, like a great cloud, watch from heaven and help us in our struggles here on earth. The first and most glorified among them is the Virgin Mary. Her venerable person is a unique and distinct criterion in Orthodoxy. She attracts our thoughts and inspires our lives. In particular, August, the month of the Virgin Mary, with the daily Parakleses in her honour, her Assumption and the celebration of her “Apodosis”, brings her closer to us. This month draws our attention to her in order to listen to her message.
  There has never been a more worthy athlete or a more glorious Olympic champion in the history of the world than the Virgin Mary. What achievement and what record can be compared to her high jump which united the earth with heaven? She is the one who opened the way for God to come down into the world and become her Son, the God-Man. He raised His Virgin Mother to His own glory and made her the christified person, the first man-God!
  The ancient Olympians were honoured for life in their cities, but even today’s winners enjoy some special privileges in their home countries. But the honour and glory of the Virgin Mary is universal and eternal. She is blessed throughout “all generations” (Lk 1:48), as she herself prophesied. And no one can praise her as she deserves, for she is “the praise and glory of the human race”, as St Basil of Seleucia writes.
  There may be people who have honoured an Olympic champion by naming their child after him or her. Others are proud to display a photograph of an athlete in their home. Not only countless people, but also towns and villages, churches and chapels, monasteries and associations, are named after the Virgin Mary. There are many honourable surnames that characterise her. And her miraculous icons make her presence alive among us.
  From the glory of heaven, as a woman “clothed with the sun” (Rev 12:1) and crowned with the twelve-starred crown, the Virgin Mary nods to us all. As a type of the Church and of every redeemed soul, she is presented as a model and prototype, but also as a counsellor and coach for all those who desire the great victory of life, the victory that will be rewarded with the conquest of heaven.

Copyright © 2021 by Orthodox Christian Association

«ΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΙΚΗ ΕΛΠΙΣ» ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΗ ΑΔΕΛΦΟΤΗΤΑ. Used by permission. All rights reserved.