Did you know

that in the Tradition of the Church, both in the teachings of the saints and the Scriptures, it always been taught that man is essentially good? We have never believed that man is utterly depraved, but rather that his goodness is held captive to fallenness.

Become a servant
Do not come to church to be served, but come each Sunday in hope that you can serve others. Be the welcoming presence that the tired and lonely souls of this world yearn to meet. If you would serve God, then serve those people whom the world has forgotten. There are millions of people out there who do not know what the love of God is at all. They have never seen it. When they come to the Divine Liturgy, it is overwhelming for them. They may not understand it all. But, they will understand your love. So, love those whom God sends you. To do that, you must be cleansed of the sins and wounds in your life which drives out Gods love. Dont hold on to anger and resentment, but repent and be washed through Baptism and Confession. Then, receive the Body and Blood of Christ, so that you can be united to Him and be the pipeline of Divine love that you are meant to be. Service is the ultimate manifestation of human life.

Listen to christ!
And He said, What comes out of a man is what defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man. (Mark 7:20) The Fall of Man essentially caused mans separation from God. But, being separated from God does not mean that man stops desiring to be loved and cared for by God. When man sins, it is not because man is evil by nature, but rather because man is in an unnatural state of separation, and so he turns to sin as a replacement for Gods love. The heart of man is where God is supposed to be. If God is not there, then man suffers from passions which drive him into sin. Christ says they come from within, but they are not who man is. Man is not meant to be evil.

We are created good

When God created the world, He said it was very good. The world is a good place. Man is made in the Image and Likeness of God, and therefore man is also very good, because God Himself is good. Yet man falls into sin and brings harm to himself. The Church brings healing to man so that he can wash away those things he has added to himself that are not good, and put on the Humanity of the Resurrected Christ. We are called to bear witness to the goodness of God, and the inherent goodness of man.

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2013 Fr. George Aquaro - for free distribution only Version 1.0

What is evil?
Evil is anything that is not the will of God. Evil is not created by God, but rather evil is what angels or men do with their free will that twists what is good in an unnatural way. Only God can create, so we must ask: did God create evil? No! Since evil is has not been created by God, then it is only an adjective. It is a description rather than a thing.

What about all my sins?

God has forgiven us, but the wounds of sin remain within us until we agree to allow God to heal us. How does He do this? He heals us by killing us in Baptism. Thats right! Baptism is death, but a death that leads to Resurrection the resurrection of Christ! We become partakers in His Resurrection, and begin to live life in His humanity through His divinity. To be Baptized and come to receive the Body and Blood of the Resurrected Christ, we must first repent. That is to say, we must acknowledge the truth about our sins and ask God to work within us.

What does this mean for me?

This means all evil is temporary, and all that is evil can be returned to its inherent goodness. This also means that no matter how much you sin and harm yourself, you cannot shape yourself into something other than who you really are. No matter how greatly you are fouled with sin, it does not undo what God has created. We now see clearly the truth, that Gods love for us from the very moment of our creation is what ultimately protects us from undoing ourselves. He has given us something of Himself, and so our sin cannot overcome that which is holy within us. After all, Gods Image is indeed holy.

What about others?

God desires that all men should be saved, and so we are called to preach the Gospel to all people especially those who are lost in sins. We should have mercy on people who come to Church and invite them to experience Gods love as we do. Sure, people will come to us who are homeless, and felons, and beggars, and addicts will you turn them away because perhaps they smell bad or dont dress in nice clothes like you? They clean up just like everyone else, because they are made in the Image and Likeness of God, just like you! Their sins are obvious and easy to spot. Some of us look well, but really are not. Looks can be deceiving. Welcome all people who come earnestly looking for God and maybe your love will inspire them to repent and be cleansed!

There is a catch!
There is always a catch with any promise that seems too good to be true, isnt there? This is no exception. The catch is this: you must also be willing to forgive other people their sins against you: Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us If you do not, then you cannot receive what you yourself are unwilling to give. In this way, you cannot be a hypocrite. If you can forgive and ask for forgiveness, then all the evil things you have done can be turned into something good. You become dead to sin, and alive in Christ!