“Every moment of our lives is an opportunity to turn our thoughts to God and to transform our earthly time from wasted time into the time of eternity,” Archbishop Atanasie, head of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, noted in his message for the New Church Year.
In a statement published on the archdiocese’s website, the hierarch explained the historical and prophetic significance of September 1, the beginning of the ecclesiastical year, and offered spiritual guidance on renewal of both life and soul.
Fruits of the Spirit
“Just as Moses brought the Law of the Lord before the chosen people, so Christ Himself fulfils all law and prophecy, the One who restores man’s covenant with God, bringing back living teaching and grace incarnate in the mystery of love—which will never fail,” Archbishop Atanasie wrote.
“The ancient Tabernacle of Testimony that marked a new beginning prefigures the body of Christ (John 2:21–22) and the Church as His dwelling place in the world. That is why this month and this beginning call us not only to celebrate the old harvest fruits enjoyed by the Israelites, but the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith (Galatians 6:22), and the living presence of Christ within us, in the tabernacle of the heart, as testimony for the whole world.”
He added: “If at the start of the civil year we usually reflect on worldly matters, at the beginning of the church year we should reflect on spiritual matters—a moment of thought and of reordering our priorities toward what is truly important: the spiritual life, not care for the body.”
Sanctifying time
The archbishop went on to explain how Christians can overcome worldly desires and sanctify time by dedicating it to the pursuit of salvation.
“If we daily lift the eyes of our mind and the longing of our hearts to God and to eternal things, little by little we shall see that what is of death in our souls and bodies will be swallowed up by Life (2 Corinthians 5:4),” he underlined.
We have the possibility of transforming time—which naturally counts down toward death—either into sanctified time or wasted time.
“When we weave God’s commandments into everything we do, think, or plan, then every moment of life is transformed from a time of death into a blessed and sanctified time, a time that meets eternity—the ‘time’ of God,” Archbishop Atanasie said.
“Everything we think, plan, or work together with God is transformed from a human idea or act into shared thought and shared work with God. They receive the seal of holiness and eternity proper to Him.”
How to sanctify time
“Our lifelong task must be to let God speak within our hearts and work within us everything pleasing to Him and beneficial to ourselves and to our neighbour for salvation,” he added.
He concluded with a profound spiritual counsel from Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia:
“Do not become saints by chasing away evil. Leave evil aside. Look to Christ, and He will save you. Instead of standing outside the door to drive evil away, it is better to despise it and ignore it. Does evil rush upon you? Dedicate all your inner strength to good—that is, to Christ. Pray: ‘Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.’ He knows how to have mercy on you, in what way. And when you are filled with good, do not turn back to evil. By the grace of God, you become good. Where, then, can evil find a place? It disappears.”
Photo: roarch.org.uk
