Georgios Koios

 

For Christians there are two paths which lead to union with God, deification.

One is monasticism. This is the difficult path. That of virginity, a pure life, perfect submission to His will. A life of humility, fasting, prayer and love for all the world, unlimited trust in the Lord, obedience to a spiritual father or mother. Monasticism is difficult. It’s a gift. This is why the Lord Himself says: ‘Let those who can accept this, do so’. (Matth. 19, 12). In this case, the attraction of this love is expressed through absolute dedication to God and exhausting love for every other person. In no way does it make Christians loveless, but rather reveals the extent of the supreme love, that of God.

As we’ve said, for the majority the path to God passes through the Church and is associated with marriage. Christ says in the Gospel: ‘He who from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh, so they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate’. (Matth. 19, 4-6).

In 1 Cor. (7, 1), Saint Paul says: ‘it is good for a man not to touch a woman’, but later (7, 7) declares: ‘I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has their own special gift from God, one of one kind and one of another’. In this way he discreetly indicates the two ways.

Since he’s enlightened and knows the particular difficulties of the monastic way of life, he recommends that a man should have a wife, in order to avoid fornication.

Saint Paul continues with his advice. ‘Every man should have a wife and every woman a husband. They should show particular concern for each other. The woman’s body belongs to the man and the man’s to the woman’. These are radical positions which leave no room for selfishness or destructive egotism in the relationship between the couple. Each belongs to the other unconditionally. It is only in this way that they can become one flesh but remain as persons, each respecting the wishes of the other, the different personality.

Saint Paul goes on to say that conjugal duties should not be spurned unless both spouses agree, by common consent and on a temporary basis, so that they can pray without distraction (and, obviously, partake in the sacrament of the Divine Eucharist). The couple should then come together again, so that Satan can’t trouble them with temptations of the flesh. Could he be clearer? It’s not possible, it’s not permissible, for one of the couple to decide on their own to practice chastity and refuse the other. This would diminish the latter and perhaps force them into sin, fornication or adultery, and might even result in the dissolution of the marriage. Only by common consent and on a temporary basis. Chastity or restraint isn’t forbidden, but it must be undertaken with discernment, in a humble spirit and with respect for the other spouse, to whom you belong. There should be simplicity and discussion, but also obedience to the particular wishes of the other, who may not be able to manage such a disposition. Better to discuss it openly and thus avoid worse outcomes and serious sins.

In his homilies on marriage in 1999, the later elder, Symeon Krayopoulos commented on verses 1-7 of Saint Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians. He did so with paternal and pastoral love, delving with enlightened discernment into the exhortations of Saint Paul. He was able to formulate comments and thoughts which could be viewed as a guide to the relations between men and women in general, especially within marriage.

The same subject is mentioned in much the same terms by Saint Païsios in the texts in his book Family Life, vol. 4. Writing in one of his letters, he says: ‘Regarding the matter of conjugal relations and married priests, or also lay people, which you asked about, the Holy Fathers don’t define them, which means that they’re indefinable, since you can’t put everybody into the same mold. The Fathers leave it to the discretion, the efforts and the spiritual sensitivity and strength of each person… You must remember that the matter of relations doesn’t concern only yourself, that it isn’t something that you have the right to decide on your own, but, it’s ‘by consent’, as Saint Paul says. And even when it’s approached ‘with consent’, it still needs care. The person who’s strong should put themselves in the place of the one who’s weak’. So Saint Païsios speaks in the same spirit and notes the dangers to the couple’s relationship when celibacy occurs other than with discretion and by consent. When the weaknesses of each person aren’t taken into consideration and the humble expression of our weakness is ignored. This can lead to mortal sins.

Source: pemptousia.com

 

 

ABOUT THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN NETWORK

Orthodox Christian Network (OCN) is a 501(c)3 and an official agency of the Assembly of Canonical Bishops of the United States of America . It is a recognized leader in the Orthodox Media field and has sustained consistent growth over twenty-two years. We have worked to create a community for both believers and non believers alike by sharing the timeless faith of Orthodoxy with the contemporary world through modern media. We are on a mission to inspire Orthodox Christians Worldwide. Click to signup to receive weekly newsletter. 

Join us in our Media Ministry Missions! Help us bring the Orthodox Faith to the fingertips of Orthodox Christians worldwide! Your gift today will helps us produce and provide unlimited access to Orthodox faith-inspiring programming, services and community. Don’t wait. Share the Love of Orthodoxy Today!

OCN has partnered with Pemptousia. A Contemporary post-modern man does not understand what man is.  Through its presence in the internet world, Pemptousia, with its spirit of respect for beauty that characterizes it, wishes to contribute to the presentation of a better meaning of life for man, to the search for the ontological dimension of man, and to the awareness of the unfathomable mystery of man who is always in Christ in the process of becoming, of man who is in the image of divine beauty. And the beauty of man springs from the beauty of the Triune God. In the end, “beauty will save the world”.


avatar

Pemptousia Partnership

Pemptousia and OCN have entered a strategic partnership to bring Orthodoxy Worldwide. Greek philosophers from Ionia considered held that there were four elements or essences (ousies) in nature: earth, water, fire and air. Aristotle added ether to this foursome, which would make it the fifth (pempto) essence, pemptousia, or quintessence. The incarnation of God the Word found fertile ground in man’s proclivity to beauty, to goodness, to truth and to the eternal. Orthodoxy has not functioned as some religion or sect. It was not the movement of the human spirit towards God but the revelation of the true God, Jesus Christ, to man. A basic precept of Orthodoxy is that of the person ­– the personhood of God and of man. Orthodoxy is not a religious philosophy or way of thinking but revelation and life standing on the foundations of divine experience; it is the transcendence of the created and the intimacy of the Uncreated. Orthodox theology is drawn to genuine beauty; it is the theology of the One “fairer than the sons of men”. So in "Pemptousia", we just want to declare this "fifth essence", the divine beaut in our life. Please note, not all Pemptousia articles have bylines. If the author is known, he or she is listed in the article above.

0 Comments

Leave a Reply

Avatar placeholder