8.4.23 ๐๐ณ. ๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ ๐๐ง๐ฐ๐ถ๐ง's Reflection
Have you ever wondered why we must attend church every week and partake in the Divine Liturgy? You may ask, "๐๐ ๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐๐ฉ ๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐๐จ๐จ, ๐๐จ ๐๐ฉ ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ก๐ก ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐จ๐จ๐๐ง๐ฎ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ข๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ช๐ง๐๐?"
In the beginning, God created Mankind with three distinct faculties: ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ, ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐, and ๐๐ถ๐น๐น, to enable us to live in perfect harmony and communion with God and the created world. But, unfortunately, we chose to use these faculties for the wrong purposes. Consequently, our '๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐,' which was originally intended to harbor love for God, became consumed with self-love; our '๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ,' which was meant to seek knowledge of God, became preoccupied with earthly wisdom, and our '๐๐ถ๐น๐น,' which was intended to desire communion with God, became fixated on harmful desires and passions. This event is called the "๐๐๐ก๐ก ๐ค๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐ข," signifying humanity's descent from the original state of communion with God.
So Man fell into a disorderly world where his soul turned away from God towards sin. As a result, his soul became ill and needed healing and restoration to the original relationship with God. ๐๐ค ๐๐๐๐ก ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐จ๐ค๐ช๐ก๐จ, ๐ฌ๐ ๐ข๐ช๐จ๐ฉ ๐ง๐๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ฉ ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐๐จ, ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ก, ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐ง๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ค๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ง ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ค๐ข๐ข๐ช๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ.
The Church, serving as the meeting place of heaven and earth, is where the soul finds healing. The Divine Liturgy, takes place in the Church, and every individual is expected to participate in it. ๐๐ ๐๐ค ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ "๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐" ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ง๐๐ฎ ๐๐ช๐ฉ ๐๐ช๐ก๐ก๐ฎ "๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฉ๐" ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ฉ, ๐ข๐๐๐ฃ๐ก๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ค๐ช๐๐ ๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ก๐ฎ ๐พ๐ค๐ข๐ข๐ช๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ฃ. Therefore, for Orthodox Christians, attending the Divine Liturgy is not a simple weekly obligation but an essential part of living in communion with God.
As Christians, we are required to carry the essence of the Divine Liturgy beyond the walls of the church building. Christians do not live one way in Church and another way outside. ๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ง๐๐ฎ ๐๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐, ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐ ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ง๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ฉ๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฅ๐ก๐๐จ ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ง๐๐ฎ ๐๐ฃ ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐๐๐๐ก๐ฎ ๐ก๐๐๐. How we live during the week is reflected in how we pray in church, and how we pray in the church indicates how we will live in our daily lives.
To fully live the Liturgy daily, we must cultivate virtues such as humility, meekness, love, and selflessness. By acquiring such virtues, we become more compassionate, loving, and mindful of others. We become mediators and bring God to the creation, offering ourselves and the entire creation back to God.
The Divine Liturgy has the power to transform us as Christians from within. It balances our souls and enables us to share its transformative power with society and the entire creation.
In conclusion, participating in the Divine Liturgy in the Church is integral to the Christian life and the first step in our journey to regain communion with God. It is a foretaste of the heavenly kingdom and a celebration of the "Liturgy of Paradise."
Returning to the question, "If I live a decent life and treat others with kindness, is it still necessary for me to attend church?" In the context of Orthodox Christianity, the answer to this question is an unequivocal "yes." This is because ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ช๐ก๐ฉ๐๐ข๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ค๐๐ก ๐ค๐ ๐๐ช๐ข๐๐ฃ ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐จ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ "๐ค๐ฃ๐ก๐ฎ" ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ค๐ง๐๐ก ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ก๐๐ฎ ๐๐ญ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฃ๐๐ก ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฉ๐ช๐๐จ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ง๐๐จ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐พ๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ฉ'๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ช๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐ค๐ข๐ข๐ช๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ค๐.
In the beginning, God created Mankind with three distinct faculties: ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ, ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐, and ๐๐ถ๐น๐น, to enable us to live in perfect harmony and communion with God and the created world. But, unfortunately, we chose to use these faculties for the wrong purposes. Consequently, our '๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐,' which was originally intended to harbor love for God, became consumed with self-love; our '๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ,' which was meant to seek knowledge of God, became preoccupied with earthly wisdom, and our '๐๐ถ๐น๐น,' which was intended to desire communion with God, became fixated on harmful desires and passions. This event is called the "๐๐๐ก๐ก ๐ค๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐ข," signifying humanity's descent from the original state of communion with God.
So Man fell into a disorderly world where his soul turned away from God towards sin. As a result, his soul became ill and needed healing and restoration to the original relationship with God. ๐๐ค ๐๐๐๐ก ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐จ๐ค๐ช๐ก๐จ, ๐ฌ๐ ๐ข๐ช๐จ๐ฉ ๐ง๐๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ฉ ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐๐จ, ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ก, ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐ง๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ค๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ง ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ค๐ข๐ข๐ช๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ.
The Church, serving as the meeting place of heaven and earth, is where the soul finds healing. The Divine Liturgy, takes place in the Church, and every individual is expected to participate in it. ๐๐ ๐๐ค ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ "๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐" ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ง๐๐ฎ ๐๐ช๐ฉ ๐๐ช๐ก๐ก๐ฎ "๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฉ๐" ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ฉ, ๐ข๐๐๐ฃ๐ก๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ค๐ช๐๐ ๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ก๐ฎ ๐พ๐ค๐ข๐ข๐ช๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ฃ. Therefore, for Orthodox Christians, attending the Divine Liturgy is not a simple weekly obligation but an essential part of living in communion with God.
As Christians, we are required to carry the essence of the Divine Liturgy beyond the walls of the church building. Christians do not live one way in Church and another way outside. ๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ง๐๐ฎ ๐๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐, ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐ ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ง๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ฉ๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฅ๐ก๐๐จ ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ง๐๐ฎ ๐๐ฃ ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐๐๐๐ก๐ฎ ๐ก๐๐๐. How we live during the week is reflected in how we pray in church, and how we pray in the church indicates how we will live in our daily lives.
To fully live the Liturgy daily, we must cultivate virtues such as humility, meekness, love, and selflessness. By acquiring such virtues, we become more compassionate, loving, and mindful of others. We become mediators and bring God to the creation, offering ourselves and the entire creation back to God.
The Divine Liturgy has the power to transform us as Christians from within. It balances our souls and enables us to share its transformative power with society and the entire creation.
In conclusion, participating in the Divine Liturgy in the Church is integral to the Christian life and the first step in our journey to regain communion with God. It is a foretaste of the heavenly kingdom and a celebration of the "Liturgy of Paradise."
Returning to the question, "If I live a decent life and treat others with kindness, is it still necessary for me to attend church?" In the context of Orthodox Christianity, the answer to this question is an unequivocal "yes." This is because ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ช๐ก๐ฉ๐๐ข๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ค๐๐ก ๐ค๐ ๐๐ช๐ข๐๐ฃ ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐จ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ "๐ค๐ฃ๐ก๐ฎ" ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ค๐ง๐๐ก ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ก๐๐ฎ ๐๐ญ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฃ๐๐ก ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฉ๐ช๐๐จ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ง๐๐จ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐พ๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ฉ'๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ช๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐ค๐ข๐ข๐ช๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ค๐.
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