A Vigil Light upon the Hill

Once you come to understand the authority that Christ gave to His apostles, and what they passed down to those in their time, you will eventually realise how lost many within the Protestant denominations are. This authority was not abstract or theoretical—it was tangible, hierarchical, and preserved within the visible structure of the Church.

Christ said to the apostles, “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” (Luke 10:16) He breathed the Holy Spirit upon them, gave them the power to forgive sins (John 20:22–23), and commissioned them to go forth not simply with a message but with real authority: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:18-19) That authority was never meant to vanish. The apostles laid hands upon bishops and presbyters, entrusting them with the same teaching, sacramental, and disciplinary authority. St. Paul told St. Timothy, “guard the truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.” (2 Timothy 1:14). Again, “what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2) This is not democratic interpretation—it is hierarchy and succession. The Protestant break rejected this apostolic succession. It cut itself off from the living continuity of the Church, replacing priesthood with opinion, sacraments with symbolism, and authority with private judgment. Luther and Calvin did not reform—they amputated. They severed themselves from the very Church that gave the world the Bible they claim to revere.
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From the dawn of creation, mankind has sought after truth. Philosophers have wrestled with it, scientists have attempted to quantify it, and rulers have sought to impose it. Yet, truth is not a construct of human reason, nor is it discovered through earthly wisdom. Truth is not an abstraction but a Person—our Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Apostle John said: “The Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) In the Incarnation, truth is no longer veiled. Christ has walked among us, spoken to us, and suffered for our redemption. He is not one among many teachers who speak of truth—He is Truth itself, the eternal Logos who upholds all things.

Long before His coming in the flesh, the prophets bore witness to this reality. The great Isaiah proclaims: “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation.” (Isaiah 12:2) The Psalmist echoes this unshakable certainty: “The sum of your word is truth; and every one of your righteous ordinances endures for ever.” (Psalm 119:160) The truth of God is eternal, unchanging, and unyielding to the shifting sands of human opinion. It is not constructed by man—it is revealed by God. Christ does not conceal Himself from those who seek Him in sincerity. To the Samaritan woman at the well, He reveals the nature of true worship: “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24) To the man born blind, He unveils His divinity: “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” (John 9:37) Those with humble hearts, untainted by pride, receive the light of truth.
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We will not remain upon this earth. This life is temporary, short, unstable. Every breath you take brings you closer to the grave. You are not guaranteed tomorrow. And if your soul is not prepared, then you will fall into the hands of the living God without defence. You will face your Judge, and all your excuses, comforts, and self-made justifications will be swept away like straw in the fire. A psalm attributed to St. Moses says: “The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” (Ps. 90:10^*) Do not live as though this world is your home. It is a place of exile. You were cast out of Paradise, and you dwell now in a land of corruption. Why do you pretend otherwise? Look at the cemeteries. Look at the bones of kings and paupers alike. No man escapes death. No one lives here forever. Yet many act as though their future is in this world. They build up their homes, their investments, their comforts, while their souls wither like plants that have not been watered.
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“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned— sin was indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there is no law. Yet death exercised dominion from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who is a type of the one who was to come. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the one man’s trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many.” (Rom. 5:12-15)

Today I wanted to briefly speak upon the words of the Apostle St. Paul in his letter to the Romans, a passage that reveals both the depth of human sin and the boundless grace of God. St. Paul speaks to us of two men—Adam and Christ—each representing two realities, two destinies. In Adam, we see the fall, the entrance of sin, and the consequence of death. In Christ, we see redemption, the outpouring of divine grace, and the promise of eternal life.
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In a world filled with turmoil, our Lord’s words resound with eternal truth: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) This is no passing comfort, no fleeting relief offered by the world, but a divine rest—a peace that flows from Christ Himself, the only true source of stillness for the soul. The peace that the world gives is shallow and quickly passing, built upon external circumstances, but the peace of Christ is unshakable, rooted in the depths of the heart, beyond the reach of worldly troubles. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” (John 14:27) This peace is the fruit of communion with God, a grace bestowed upon those who entrust their lives to Him.

To rest in Christ is to surrender our burdens into His hands, with faith that He alone upholds us. The Apostle St. Peter exhorts us: “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) This is not a passive resignation but an active trust, a conscious placing of our cares before the Lord, knowing that He is our refuge. The Psalmist instructs us, “Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him.” (Psalm 37:7) In this stillness, the Orthodox Christian finds peace—not in escaping suffering, but in uniting suffering with Christ, who bore our sorrows upon the Cross. The world teaches that peace comes through the avoidance of hardship, through distractions, comforts, or fleeting pleasures. But the peace of Christ is found even in suffering. The Holy Fathers teach that suffering endured with Christ is transformed into the very means of sanctification. As St. Paul writes, “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7) This is a peace that does not waver in the face of trials, for it is not dependent upon the world, but upon the presence of Christ Himself within the soul.

The hesychasts of the Orthodox tradition teach that true peace is found in hesychia, sacred stillness before God. It is in this silence of the heart that we encounter the Lord. In prayer, in the Divine Liturgy, in the mystery of the Holy Eucharist, the soul is nourished by Christ’s peace. But to receive this peace, we must withdraw from the noise of the world. The world is restless, tossed about by passions, by anxieties, by the distractions of the enemy. But the Christian who abides in Christ stands upon the rock of faith, unmoved by the tempests of life.

Even death itself cannot shake the one who has found true peace in Christ, for nothing can separate us from His love: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:38-39) The saints and martyrs did not fear suffering or death, for their peace was not of this world—it was the peace of the Kingdom of God, already present in their souls.

May we flee to Christ, seeking the peace that only He can give. Let us reclaim the sacred silence where God speaks, the quiet of the heart where His grace abides. The words of St. Augustine ring true: “Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in Thee.” May we cease our restless striving after the illusions of peace offered by the world, and instead, enter into the stillness of Christ. For only in Him do we find a peace that is unshaken, eternal, and life-giving—the peace of the Kingdom that endures unto the ages of ages.

May God bless you +

Fr. Charles
30 March 2025

“O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in Him.” (Psalm 34:8)

Not only is the thirty-fourth Psalm a poetic expression of thanksgiving, it is also a song of deliverance, a testimony to the Lord’s unwavering providence, and a summons to place all trust in Him. It is a psalm that arises from personal tribulation, penned by David at a moment of grave peril. The historical setting is found in 1 Samuel 21, where David, fleeing from Saul’s relentless pursuit, sought refuge among the Philistines in the court of Abimelech, also known as Achish. Finding himself in imminent danger, he feigned madness to escape the threat, and he was delivered. Yet, David did not attribute his survival to his own ingenuity or deception. Rather, he recognised that it was by the hand of God that he had been spared. His response was not self-congratulation but praise; his experience of divine rescue became a lesson for all generations, a call to unwavering trust in the living God.
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The world is filled with confusion, despair, and spiritual weakness. Christians must stand firm and strengthen one another in faith. Encouragement is not optional; it is a command. The Apostle Paul instructs: “Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11) This is an obligation, not a suggestion. A Christian who purposely isolates himself from his brethren can become vulnerable to deception. The Church is a fortress, and its members must support each other in the battle for salvation.

The home is the first battleground because it is where the soul is first formed, where virtues are cultivated or neglected, and where faith either takes root or withers. The world is constantly waging war against holiness, thus parents must not only protect their children but arm them with spiritual strength. This begins with an unshakable commitment to the faith—an environment where Christ is not an afterthought but the very centre of daily life. Parents must train their children not through mere words but by example. Children learn to love the faith by witnessing their parents live it. If parents are indifferent, the child will be too. Regular Bible reading and study must be more than a formality; it must be a true encounter with God’s word. The lives of the saints should be studied, not as distant stories but as blueprints for Christian living. The divine services must not be optional or burdensome but the heart of the family’s life, where they meet Christ in the sacraments and unite with the Holy Church.
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Forgiveness is not only an ethical obligation or a personal virtue; it is a deeply significant reality at the heart of the Orthodox Christian life. It is through forgiveness that we participate in the very life of Christ, who “came to seek out and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10) In the prayer our Lord taught us, we beseech, “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Matt. 6:12) This is not a meagre request but a spiritual law: the measure of our own forgiveness by God is tied to our willingness to forgive others. If we refuse to forgive, we place ourselves outside of God’s mercy, as Christ warns: “If you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matt. 6:15)
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