Friday, May 28, 2004
Germanos, Bishop of Paris
Kellia: Deuteronomy 13:1-4 Apostle: Acts 27:1-28:1 Gospel: St. John 17:18-26
Deuteronomy 13:1-4, especially vs. 4: "You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him,
and keep His commandments and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him and cleave to Him." The pledge of allegiance to
the flag of the United States, commonly used in schools and public assemblies throughout this country, speaks of "one
nation, under God." The present public debates, protests, and court trials concerning prayer in schools, the displaying of
the Ten Commandments in public buildings, the exhibiting of Nativity scenes in public parks, and the like, are symptoms
of a growing repudiation of what the phrase "under God" in the American pledge means to convey.
Beloved of the Lord, let us as Orthodox Christians be clear: the militant opponents of religious expression who are raising
the current dissent against the expression of faith in God are not a harmless, eccentric minority caught up in their own
ideologies and fantasies. They are the very "prophets and dreamers of dreams" who at this moment, in this land, and with
determined conviction are inviting us to "go after other gods...and [to] serve them" (Deut. 13:1,2). These voices are
themselves religious devotees who advocate faith in elemental powers within the natural order. They are prophets of belief
in the service of Nature as the true Source of all the present life forms that exist; and they acclaim "science" as the holy
Authority - higher than God. For the next three days, we shall reflect on three basic portions of the Mosaic teaching
concerned with society and culture, which, when they are subsumed "under God," contribute to a healthy and enduring
national life: 1) sanctified prophets, 2) rightly used wealth, and 3) God-fearing governors. Today's reading focuses our
attention on prophets. The passage largely is a warning against false prophets who produce signs and wonders, evince
clairvoyance, and thus are often able to lead men to "go after other gods" (vs. 2). What the present passage reveals is God's
standard for measuring what constitutes a sanctified prophet, one truly anointed of God. Moses discloses that men can
produce signs and wonders and even foretell the future, but he warns against taking such abilities as reliable criteria for
deciding whether a prophet is true or false (vss. 1-3). Given the complexity and the enormous powers and forces which the
Lord has built into His creation, it is not surprising that men and women through study and practice can learn to harness
and manipulate these to produce amazing results and speak clairvoyantly.
It is evident also that the Creator of the universe is quite capable of producing mighty signs and wonders, either Himself or
through His People. The historical evidence that God does this extends over centuries and centuries, even into this present
"scientific age." The Lord Jesus' own clairvoyance impressed Nathanael to call Jesus "the Son of God" and "King of
Israel" (Jn. 1:49). To this acclamation, the Lord simply replied, "You will see greater things than these" (Jn. 1:50). Every
one of the miracles of the Lord was performed either because of Divine compassion or to reveal to His chosen disciples the
full truth concerning Himself and Divine salvation.
Let us not be dazzled by men's capacities, but learn that those are sanctified who "love the Lord your God" with all their
heart and soul, "walk after the Lord your God," fear Him, "keep His commandments...obey His voice," serve and cleave to
Him (Deut. 13:3,4). In 1937, when Stalin purged the top leaders of the Communist Party, it was more than the loyal party
members could bear; but, as Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn observed, "that is the price a man pays for entrusting his God-given
soul to human dogma." Let us trust only in Christ and His Church.
O holy Prophets of God, as ye did bind the heavens by your pure words, and teach us to love and fear God, loosen our
iniquities by your intercessions before the Lord, to save our souls.
