Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάδα. Ἡ Ἐκκλησία μᾶς καλεῖ νά ὑποδεχτοῦμε τόν Κύριο, πού ἔρχεται νά ὑπομείνει τό ἑκούσιο Πάθος του: «Δεῦτε οὖν φιλέορτοι, ὑπαντήσωμεν ᾄσμασιν, ὁ γὰρ Κτίστης ἔρχεται σταυρὸν καταδέξασθαι...». Μᾶς καλεῖ νά συμπορευ­θοῦμε μαζί του: «Δεῦτε οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς, κεκαθαρμέναις διανοίαις, συμπορευθῶμεν αὐτῷ...». Καί ἡ ψυχή μας εἶναι πόθους γεμάτη... Νά Τόν ἀκολουθήσουμε! Ἀνακόπτουν ὅμως τήν πορεία μας, στέκονται ἐμπόδια στίς ἐπιθυμίες μας τό φρόνημα τῆς σάρκας, πού κουβαλᾶμε μέσα μας, ὁ κόσμος, πού ἀσκεῖ καθημερινά ἰσχυρή ἐπιρροή ἐπάνω μας, οἱ μέριμνες τοῦ βίου.
  Ἀρωγός στήν ἀδυναμία μας ἔρχεται ἡ Ἐκκλησία. Προσφέρει τίς ἱερές Ἀκολουθί­ες της σάν ἕνα ὄχημα, πού μᾶς ἀνεβάζει στή σφαίρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, πού ὁδηγεῖ τήν ψυχή μας κοντά, πολύ κοντά στόν Κύριο... Κι ἐνῶ ἐμεῖς, νικημένοι ἀπό τά πάθη καί τήν ἕλξη τῆς γῆς, ἀδυνατοῦμε νά πλησιάσουμε τόν νυμφώνα του, ἡ Ἐκκλησία μέ τίς κατανυκτικές Ἀκολουθίες της μᾶς δίνει τή δυνατότητα νά πορευτοῦμε μαζί του· μέ τά Μυστήριά της μᾶς βοηθᾶ ν᾿ ἀποκτήσουμε ἔνδυμα ἄξιο τοῦ θείου νυμφῶ­νος.
  Δέν εἶναι, λοιπόν, ἀδύνατο γιά τήν ταλαίπωρη ψυχή μας νά ἱκανοποιήσει τή βα­θύ­τερη ἐπιθυμία της, νά πλησιάσει τόν πανάγιο Νυμφίο. Ἀρκεῖ ν᾿ ἀκούσει τή συμβουλή τῆς μάνας Ἐκκλησίας στό ξεκίνημα τῆς Μεγάλης Ἑβδομάδας: «Ρᾳθυμίαν ἄ­πωθεν ἡμῶν βαλώμεθα....».Ἄς διώξουμε μακριά μας τή ραθυμία! Αὐτή φράζει τόν δρόμο πρός τόν Θεό.
  «Ἰδοὺ ὁ Νυμφίος ἔρχεται ἐν τῷ μέσῳ τῆς νυκτός, καὶ μακάριος ὁ δοῦλος, ὃν εὑρήσει γρηγοροῦντα, ἀνάξιος δὲ πάλιν, ὃν εὑρήσει ῥᾳθυμοῦντα....», ὑπενθυμίζει ἡ Ἐκκλησία σέ κάθε Ἀκολουθία τοῦ Νυμφίου. Μᾶς παρακινεῖ νά κάνουμε διάλογο μέ τή ράθυμη ψυχή μας: «Τί ραθυμεῖς, ἄθλια ψυχή μου;... Γιατί ἀσχολεῖσαι μέ τά πρόσκαιρα;...». Βάζει στά χείλη μας καί μιά ἐναγώνια προσευχή: «Ἀπό τῆς ψυχῆς τή ραθυμία νύσταξα, νυμφίε Χριστέ, καί δέν ἔχω ἀναμμένη τή λαμπάδα τῶν ἀρε­τῶν... Ἀλλά, Δέσποτα, μήν κλείσεις γιά μένα τά σπλάχνα τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν σου...». Γιά νά μήν κλείσει καί γιά μᾶς ἡ πόρτα τῆς οὐράνιας βασιλείας, γιά νά μή βρεθοῦμε ἀνέτοιμοι στήν ὑποδοχή τοῦ Νυμφίου, χρειάζεται ἐπειγόντως ἀνάνηψη καί ἐγρήγορ­ση.
   Μέ τήν Ἐκκλησία του ὁ νυμφίος Χριστός ἁπλώνει τό χέρι του σέ μᾶς. Ἄς μή ρα­­θυμήσουμε νά τοῦ δώσουμε κι ἐμεῖς τό δικό μας. Μόνοι μας δέν τά καταφέρνου­­με, σκοντάφτουμε σέ τόσα ἐμπόδια... Μαζί του ὅμως μποροῦμε νά φτάσουμε ὥς τή χαρά τῆς Ἀνάστασης!

"Ἀπολύτρωσις", Ἀπρίλ. 2025

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.

 Translation from the book:

Στεργίου Ν. Σάκκου, Ὁ Σταυρός στό φῶς τῆς Ἀνάστασης, ἐκδ. «ΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΙΚΗ ΕΛΠΙΣ» ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΗ ΑΔΕΛΦΟΤΗΤΑ, Θεσ/νίκη 2019, σσ. 50-56.

 Whenever believers begin something new, they have the pious habit of making the sign of the cross. It is a sign of trust in God’s love and power, for in this way they entrust their cares to Him. In the same way, the whole Church makes the sign of the cross at the beginning of its annual work every September, celebrating the glorious Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Since the celebration takes place in the middle of the month, we are urged throughout the month, before and after the feast, to lift our hearts and minds to the raised Cross of our Lord and to implore the sanctification, mercy and grace that flow from it.
   It is a good opportunity that gives us something we need most now that the summer holidays are coming to an end, now that we are going back to our jobs, now that the daily hard work and the struggle to survive are pressing us from within. At this time we need the strong hand of the mighty crucified God to steady us. We need a warm embrace, the heart-warming embrace of the compassionate Jesus. His bleeding hands are wide open on the Cross, reaching out to us and assuring us of the power of His love. “Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Eph 5:2).
   The whole world is scented by this sacrifice. The angels praise, creation rejoices and the Church delights, but while all this is happening, selfish man is unaware of it because his spiritual senses are blocked by his “ego”. Nevertheless, the Cross is the most vivid evidence of the divine consent that can gladden the universe. “For behold, through the Cross joy has come to the whole world”, we proclaim in the Easter Prayer, and indeed we are joyful because our soul finds peace under the Cross. Our daily joys become deeper when we realise that they are secured by a sacrifice. And our frequent misfortunes become lighter when we feel that God sympathises with us.
   Life is like a sea, full of storms, but the pious can hold the cross in front of them. In this way, they can stop the waves and walk safely through it, just as Moses parted the Red Sea. When a loved one faces danger, temptation or sickness, in situations where no help can be offered, the pious can cross themselves. The Lord grants victory to His people, just as Moses was granted the victory of the Israelites over the Amalekites. Sometimes people are like troubled travellers in the world, wandering thirstily between ideological and philosophical currents, finally losing their love for life because they cannot find a single drop of water except bitterness and disgust. If they faithfully drop the cross in their anguish, their existence will become sweet like the water of the Merra spring in the desert.
   Our Lord has told us in many ways that He loves us, and He shows us His love at different times in our lives. But what uniquely and unquestionably guarantees His love is the height and breadth of His Cross. If we wanted to distinguish and measure the great revelations of God’s love for humanity, we would highlight five: the creation of the world, the history of Israel, the Holy Cross, the Holy Scriptures and the Church.
   The world is the precious heritage that the Creator has given to His creature, so that its beauty may delight us and its riches nourish us.
   Israel of the Old Testament is our special ancestor who has protected the truth of our descent and divine kinship through the centuries. The miraculous deliverances of the Israelites from their mighty enemies reassure us that we are safe in God’s hands.
   Christ’s revelation of Himself, His name, His glory and His plan for our eternal relationship is our great priceless treasure, deposited in the written Word of God and never to be spent. Our faith in it helps us to live and enjoy here and now, there and forever.
   The Church, the people of God, is our holy family which Christ has made for His children without distinction. His love fills our souls with joy and dispels all fear, for it is from the present to the end of time.
   All these great gifts are given to our lives with the embrace of God. But the Cross is God’s embrace, opened to us who are dirty, wounded or even dead, so that we can be cleansed, healed and resurrected. God hangs on the cross and suffers for us. He takes our wickedness and gives us virtue. He undergoes an adventure not because he owes us anything, but to save us from being lost. He loses His glory and spills His blood to give us glory and life. God becomes man because He wants to make man God, so that we can be with Him forever and have eternal joy. The love that our soul desires is embodied on the Cross. It assumes the dimension of God and is revealed in the face of the crucified Christ, who longs for us.
   In any case, the Cross exists in the depth and essence of all God’s gifts. The Cross holds the Church together, because the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross is the foundation and strength of the Church. God’s plan for our salvation, revealed in Scripture, is contained in the simple form of the Cross. The Cross justifies the purpose of the Church. The Cross sanctifies the universe and reconciles man with his outer and inner world. Creation and history, Revelation and the Church hang from the holy wood on which our Saviour was crucified.
   We too are called to hang from His Cross, however heavy and burdened we may be, so that we may feel light. To put at his root all that troubles us, to open our hearts to His love and our arms to His embrace. This is the love we need to live, as the Apostle Paul says: “And the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20). We cross ourselves, we embrace the risen Cross of the Lord and we are lifted up into His embrace. Let us be carried by His mercy.

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