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The church and social problems

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By Prof. George Mantzaridis, Prof. Emeritus, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

Christians have a general awareness of the need for the Church’s participation in examining and solving social problems. This is natural, because the goal of the Church is not to remain on the periphery, but to turn to man in all aspects and manifestations of his life. Only in this way does the Church serve people according to the example of Christ, who did not come to be served, but to serve and to offer His life “a ransom for many” (cf. Matt. 20:28; Mark. 10:45).

The position of the Orthodox Church. At the same time, however, there are significant differences between the Orthodox Church and the Christian denominations in the West in the consideration of social problems. The Orthodox Church does not approve of the creation of a special attitude to social life, as it is in Roman Catholicism and to some extent in Protestantism. On the other hand, this is in complete agreement with the New Testament teaching and with the Tradition of the Council Church. Protestant social ethics, as well as Roman Catholic social teaching, have no analogue in the Orthodox theological tradition. This is not due to any external reasons, but to the very nature of the Church. The Orthodox Church does not consider the moral or social life of man by means of a special attitude, because this inevitably leads to his relative or absolute alienation and autonomization. It uses a system of relating only to God, Who is the absolute truth. This system is symbolic in nature and is maintained by denying itself and reconstituting itself in the experience of the saints.

Denial and acceptance. Approaching the truth of things is possible not through concepts and theories, but through killing and destroying the delusion that the senses and reflections create: “Everything that appears to the senses needs the Cross (…) and everything that can be achieved by the mind wants the Grave” [1]. Total renunciation and total acceptance of the world are summed up here. Social problems are also considered in a similar way. The position of the Church towards them can be defined as both cataphatic and apophatic. It is cataphatic, because the Church examines social problems in the spirit of service to people, but at the same time it is also apophatic, because it does not stop believing that only “one thing is needed”. Even the pursuit of some ultimate goal does not justify indifference to the everyday, just as caring about the everyday does not justify the neglect of some ultimate goal. Delineating the golden mean in each individual case is a prudent work that must be done “through knowledge and understanding of all things” (Phil. 1:9).

Transforming the world. Christ does not give the world new ways of organizing social life, but gives His renewing grace. The church is not a social organization, but a place for the manifestation of God’s grace. The purpose of the Church is not to perfect the world, but to offer God’s renewing grace, but by offering this grace, it does not improve the world externally, but transforms its very essence. Finally, this transformation must be found above all in the communities of believers themselves, i.e. in the local churches. When these communities are not transformed, when the problems that plague the world do not find their solution in them – at least partially, or even more so when the problems manifest themselves more strongly in them than in the world, then naturally they cannot have a positive impact on the world. At the same time, however, it must not be forgotten that the goal of the Church as a God-human community is not to restore paradise to the world. The search for paradise in a fallen world speaks of an affirmation of original sin and always leads to defeat.

Personalities and Structures. The evil that afflicts people and causes social problems is created not by things but by persons. Persons create evil not only when they directly commit it, but also when they are indifferent to good. Therefore, evil can only be truly overcome on a personal, i.e., spiritual level. Moreover, social problems are always related to the moral and spiritual problems of man.

In the New Testament and in the Orthodox Tradition, the priority of the person in relation to things and impersonal institutions dominates. The main social principle of the Church – charity, also has a strongly personal character and is based on the love of humanity that God shows to man [2]. At the same time, however, evil, as well as good, is objectified in the structures of social life, which help to confirm and perpetuate it. The initiators of social reforms emphasized the importance of these structures, coming to identify evil with them. Thus the notion that the problem of social evil was a problem of structures was confirmed. Through this understanding, movements were created that had as their exclusive goal the reversal and change of social structures.

The cause of evil. However, experience proves that the structures and systems of social life cannot be approached and opposed to the cause of evil, which has metaphysical dimensions. On the other hand, evil can be perpetrated in the most just structures, just as good can be manifested in the most unjust structures. Finally, evil is not infrequently committed under the pretext of enforcing justice or restoring just situations. In politics, social justice is often maintained at the cost of human freedom, or human freedom is upheld at the cost of social injustice and arbitrariness. The intervention of the impersonal institutional factor is unable to eliminate evil. Evil springs from the abuse of freedom and appears in the body of good. Therefore, evil is not limited to specific states of the present reality, nor does it maintain stable forms, but constantly creates new situations and often presents itself as an “angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14). At the level of the present world, however, good also can never acquire a complete character. At the level of the present world, good appears sporadically, and therefore the search for it, as well as the attempt to realize it at this level, is associated with oppositions and conflicts.

The importance of structures. However, the importance of the structures of social life in promoting good and restraining evil should not be overlooked. The structures that manifest and dominate injustice oppress man and erode social life. Especially in our age, when pressure is exerted on the primary social bonds and they give way to impersonal social structures that seek to cover the whole spectrum of social relationships, the interest in these structures becomes obvious. This creates an additional problem that requires a special approach and a special attitude. Therefore, the believers’ indifference to the horizon of social structures with their constantly increasing importance testifies to a lack of “knowledge” and “understanding” (cf. Phil. 1:9). Christian love cannot be indifferent to the unjust structures and projects of social life that create and reproduce social problems. Of course, these problems are solved through politics, but in turn, it cannot function properly if it is devoid of spirit and ethos. Today, this truth is becoming clearer. On the other hand, the unitization of man and the mechanization of social life and social relationships lead to a strong need to revitalize impersonal institutions and ordinary relationships through respect for the individual and the feeling of love.

The priority of the individual. The Church does not personify institutions, nor does it turn individuals into machines, but seeks to affirm individuals within institutions and beyond them. However, the concern for changing unjust structures cannot leave the Christian, as a living member of society, indifferent. After all, the struggle against unjust structures is a spiritual struggle and is directed “against the principalities, against the powers, against the worldly rulers of the darkness of this age” (Eph. 6:12). Behind unjust institutions is the spirit of the wicked. Therefore, Christians are also obliged to take care of solving the problems created by the way of organization of social, economic and political life. Social injustice, tyranny, exploitation, war, etc., are important issues that believers naturally care about. However, the interest in them cannot be fully justified if it does not help the person to improve as a person “in the image of God”. When man limits himself to the social level without going to the level of ontology, he inevitably fails.

The space of the Church. Man becomes whole when he is perfected in the image of the triune God. This perfection is not postponed for the future life, but is already achieved in the present one, because entering the Kingdom of God does not take place in the future, but begins in the present. The church is the space in which man is mysteriously introduced into the Kingdom of God, but at the same time it is also the space in which his perfection is cultivated. The church is not some system, but a God-human community that mysteriously brings salvation and renewal to the world. But since church life in our age has acquired a too conventional character, it is necessary to form living church nuclei that function according to the evangelical spirit as “light of the world” and “salt of the earth” (cf. Matt. 5:13- 14) and to be centers for wider evangelization.

The problem of fair distribution. One-time-but with this the Church is called to deal with social problems. This cannot be done if it does not start from specific individuals who experience these problems as their own and feel their personal co-responsibility. The unfair distribution of material goods and development funds, which undermines normal coexistence and causes social contradictions, is a vital problem for the Church as well. However, the burden falls mainly on awakening a sense of social justice. When one knows that an insignificant minority of people have the largest part of the means of development and economic goods, while the majority are deprived of the basic benefits of civilization and suffer from malnutrition or die of hunger, one cannot remain indifferent. Thus, the richest 1/5 of the world’s population has 86% of the world’s gross product, while the poorest 1/5 has only 1% [3]. Awareness of this injustice is also the first step to overcoming it. The second step is taking measures to restore social justice. Of course, this cannot be done by individual efforts alone. More large-scale measures and institutional changes are needed, in which the Church is called to play a primary role.

The other problems. Apart from the problem related to the fair distribution of wealth, there are other serious or even more serious problems in modern society. As such, one can mention the problems related to wars, refugees, drug trade, unemployment, nationalism, philetism, minorities, violence, organized crime, mass disorientation, disinformation, political destabilization, etc. These problems are not always and not everywhere they have the same shape, nor do they appear with the same intensity. However, their timely identification and resolution by the Church is of great importance.

The latest theological currents. The new theological currents are particularly well-intentioned towards pointing out and addressing contemporary life problems of the so-called Third World. Western Christianity’s excessive focus on cataphatic theology and unstoppable secularization led to the theology of the death of God and dialectically challenged the theology of revolution and other contemporary theologies. Characteristically, the theology of revolution succeeded both chronologically and logically the theology of the death of God. After all, the theology of the revolution tries to resurrect the dead or impotent God in its view through the dynamic political mobilization of man. In other words, since man does not feel God’s presence in the world as he himself understands it, and since he does not see justice reigning, again as he understands it, he considers it his duty to intervene. This theology evolved into liberation theology as well as other modern secularized theological currents.

The founders of these theological currents tried to present the Christian faith in a way that corresponded to the mentality and expectations of modern people, as they were developed by the spirit of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. It is obvious that all these theological currents, which together can be defined as the theology of the general fall (theology of the death of God, of hope, of revolution, of liberation…), are categorically determined by the conceptions and aspirations of their founders. In almost the same perspective, the so-called contextual theology enters.

As much as these theological currents are a response to some specific needs, by removing rigid understandings of the past and by emphasizing Christian vital truths, they continue to have an eclectic character and a secular orientation. They do not consider the horizontal relationship based on the vertical relationship, but rather the vertical relationship based on the horizontal relationship. Moreover, they do not present the New Testament in its entirety, but selectively. Their common element is the neglect of the meaning of the Cross and the Resurrection and the absolutization of immediate social givens.

Consequences of globalization. Globalization favors the penetration of religious syncretism and the creation of new forms of social problems. The globalization of the economy in modern society is directly related to the globalization of the exploitation of the weak by the economically strong. In turn, the globalization of this exploitation leads to the globalization of the resistance of the weak. In this context, there is also the globalization of terrorism, which in turn causes the globalization of security measures and rules. In this way, the globalization of political power, which the world superpower is mastering and pushing, is confirmed. On the other hand, this superpower has already taken care to globalize political power and dictate directly or indirectly to other countries the policies they should follow.

Notes

1. St. Maxim the Confessor. Theological and homemaking chapters, 1, 67. – PG 90, 1108B.

2. For more details, see: Γιούλτση, Β. Θεολογία καὶ διαπροσόποσεικής κατα τὸν Μέγαν Φώτιον. Thessaloniki, 1974, σ. 122; Μαντζαρίδη, Γ. Κοινωνιολογία τοῦ Χριστιανισμοῦ, σ. 339.

3. For a more detailed presentation of the global economy in our era, see in: Human Development Report 1999, 2000. United Nations Development Programme, New York, Oxford.

Italy: 50 Muslim and Scientologists joined to clean up the main Street of the Great Mosque of Rome

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Italy: 50 Muslim and Scientologists joined to clean up the main Street of the Great Mosche of Rome

Rome – On Saturday 23 July 2022, more than 50 volunteers from the Islamic Cultural Centre of Italy and Volunteer Ministers of the Church of Scientology cleaned up the stretch of Viale della Grande Moschea from the bus station “Campi sportivi” to the station “Monte Antenne” on the Rome-Viterbo regional line.

The Great Mosque of Rome (Italian: Moschea di Roma), is the largest mosque in the western world in terms of land area. It has an area of 30,000 m2 and can accommodate more than 12,000 people. The building is located in the Acqua Acetosa area, at the foot of the Monti Parioli, north of the city. It is also the seat of the Italian Islamic Cultural Centre (Italian: Centro Culturale Islamico d’Italia).

In addition to being a meeting place for religious activities, it provides cultural and social services variously connecting Muslims together, while also holding teachings, wedding ceremonies, funeral services, exegesis, exhibitions, conventions, and other events.

The mosque was jointly founded by the exiled Prince Muhammad Hasan of Afghanistan and his wife, Princess Razia[3] and was financed by Faisal of Saudi Arabia, head of the Saudi royal family and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques as well as by some other states of the Muslim world. The opening ceremony was led by Pope John Paul II.

Its planning took more than ten years: the Roman City Council donated the land in 1974, but the first stone was laid only in 1984, in the presence of the then President of the Italian Republic Sandro Pertini, with its inauguration on 21 June 1995.

On July 23rd 2022, the day of the joint operation between followers of Islam as well as followers of Scientology, over 12 cubic meters of all kinds of trash were collected.

Brambles and shrubs that impeded pedestrian transit on the pedestrian walkway were removed, as well as weeds, brushwood and trash of various kinds. The material was collected and closed in plastic bags, which were collected at the end of the intervention by the operators of the Municipal Environment Agency (AMA).

The success of the project was made possible thanks to the support of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Waste Cycle of Roma Capitale and the cooperation of the AMA.

“It was a day that required great commitment from all the volunteers, also due to the overwhelming heat, but the final result richly rewards us in terms of the environment returned to the citizens,” said Elena Martini, spokesperson for the Church of Scientology in Rome.

Dr. Nader Akkad, Imam of the Grand Mosque of Rome, highlighted the importance of the initiative of the two faiths involved: “It is a collaboration that carries forward a common project, both of fraternity and friendship and with a common goal, that of caring for the environment.”

“Religions have a very important task, to create fraternity, to create a common space of friendship,” continued Dr. Akkad; “Nowadays, it is very important for religious faiths to cooperate together for the collective good, and certainly one of the best ways to do this is to take care of the environment, the people and the relationships of those people who co-inhabit this environment.”

Satisfaction with the result achieved with the project on Saturday 23rd in the area of the Great Mosque of Rome has further motivated the leaders of the Islamic Cultural Centre of Italy and the Church of Scientology to follow up the project with future initiatives to be decided also together with public authorities for a better service to the community.

“While religion, in general, puts the main focus on what could be called the ‘beyond’”, said Ivan Arjona, President of the European Office of the Church of Scientology for Public Affairs and Human Rights, “it is clear to all of us that is a good thing make Earth seem more like a paradise, while we work to achieve salvation, and the Italian Muslims and Scientologists, together, have done a good move setting an example”.

In accord with a precept in The Way to Happiness, the moral code written by L. Ron Hubbard and that Scientologists subscribe to, says the official site of Scientology, the churches and their parishioners are very active in local environmental campaigns. Chief amongst their activities are “recycling projects, public park cleanups, graffiti removal, mural projects to beautify inner-city streets and highways, Earth Day educational campaigns and community clean-up campaigns … Care for the environment further extends to the use of environmentally friendly materials in the construction of new Scientology Churches”.

As to Islam, Prof. Al-Jayyousi, says the website of the UN Environment Program, elaborated that the Islamic worldview defines a good life (Hayat Tayebah) living lightly on Earth (Zohd) and caring for both people and nature. Islamic discourse offers a sense of hope and optimism about the possibility of attaining harmony between humans and nature. Earth will find a balance if humans rethink their lifestyles and mindsets as stated in the Quran.

Scientologists around the world participate not only in forums to protect freedom of religion for all, always and everywhere, but also in many interfaith initiatives in which all diversity of religions cooperate for a common good.

Source: EINPresswire

ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw== Italy: 50 Muslim and Scientologists joined to clean up the main Street of the Great Mosque of Rome
Italy: 50 Muslim and Scientologists joined to clean up the main Street of the Great Mosque of Rome 4
ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw== Italy: 50 Muslim and Scientologists joined to clean up the main Street of the Great Mosque of Rome
Italy: 50 Muslim and Scientologists joined to clean up the main Street of the Great Mosque of Rome 5
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Italy: 50 Muslim and Scientologists joined to clean up the main Street of the Great Mosque of Rome 6

Ukraine: the EU imposes restrictive measures on Viktor and Oleksandr Yanukovych

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Council of the EU and European Council
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Viktor Yanukovych (left) and his son Oleksandr (file photo)

The Council today decided to impose restrictive measures on two additional individuals in response to the ongoing unjustified and unprovoked Russian military aggression against Ukraine.

The Council added the pro-Russian former President of Ukraine Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych and his son Oleksandr Viktorovych Yanukovych to the list of persons, entities and bodies subject to restrictive measures set out in the Annex to Decision 2014/145/CFSP for their role in undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine and the state’s stability and security, as well as – in the case of Oleksandr Viktorovych Yanukovych – for conducting transactions with the separatist groups in the Donbas region of Ukraine.

The relevant legal acts have been published in the Official Journal of the EU.

The EU firmly stands with Ukraine

The EU will continue to provide strong support for Ukraine’s overall economic, military, social and financial resilience, including humanitarian aid.

The EU resolutely condemns Russia’s indiscriminate attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, and urges Russia to immediately and unconditionally withdraw all its troops and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders. International humanitarian law, including on the treatment of prisoners of war, must be respected. Ukrainians, notably children, who have been forcibly removed to Russia must be immediately allowed to return safely. Russia, Belarus and all those responsible for war crimes and the other most serious crimes will be held to account for their actions, in accordance with international law.

In its conclusions of 23-24 June 2022, the European Council stressed that the EU remained strongly committed to providing further military support to help Ukraine exercise its inherent right of self-defence against the Russian aggression and defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty.

WHO calls for optimizing brain health to benefit people and society

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WHO calls for optimizing brain health to benefit people and society
At some point in their life, one in three people will develop some type of neurological disorder – the leading cause of disability and the second leading cause of death, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday, launching its first-ever position paper on optimizing brain health across the entire life span.
Roughly nine million people die each year from neurological disorders, which include stroke, migraines, dementia and meningitis.

Our most complex organ 

Brain health is an evolving concept that is increasingly being discussed not only in health settings but in society at large, WHO said. 

It is defined as the state of brain functioning across cognitive, sensory, social-emotional, behavioral and motor domains, allowing a person to realize their full potential over the course of their life. 

“The brain is by far the most complex organ of the human body, allowing us to sense, feel, think, move and interact with the world around us,” said WHO’s Dr. Ren Minghui in the forward to the position paper.  

“The brain also helps regulate and influence many of our body’s core functions including those of the cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrine and immune systems.” 

Missed potential, future losses 

A multitude of factors can affect brain health from as early as pre-conception, said Dr. Ren, who is WHO’s Assistant Director General for Universal Health Coverage/Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases.  

“These factors can pose great threats to the brain, leading to immense missed developmental potential, global disease burden and disability,” he warned. 

For example, WHO reported that 43 per cent of children under five in low- and middle-income countries – nearly 250 million boys and girls – are believed to miss their developmental potential due to extreme poverty and growth stunting, leading to financial losses and projected 26 per cent lower annual earnings in adulthood. 

Five major factors 

The position paper presents a framework for understanding brain health and is a complement to a global action plan on epilepsy and other neurological disorders, which was adopted in April. 

The paper provides insight into the five major groups of determinants that impact brain health, namely physical health, healthy environments, safety and security, learning and social connection, as well as access to quality services. 

WHO said addressing these determinants will result in multiple benefits, including lower rates of many chronic health conditions such as neurological, mental, and substance use issues. 

It will also lead to improved quality of life, as well as multiple social and economic benefits, all of which contribute to greater well-being and help advance society. 

Bahá’í homes destroyed and land confiscated by Iranian government agents

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Update: 6 Bahá’í homes destroyed and 20 hectares of land confiscated by Iranian government agents | BWNS

BIC GENEVA — Some 200 Iranian government agents destroyed six homes and confiscated over 20 hectares of land belonging to Bahá’ís in the village of Roushankouh, in Mazandaran province, the News Service has learned.

The government agents used pepper spray to disperse people and gunshots were heard during the operation.

This latest move follows weeks of intensifying persecution of the Baháʼís: over 100 have been either raided or arrested in recent days and dozens others have been targeted since June.

“Given the Iranian government policy documents about persecuting Bahá’ís, the international community must act immediately before it is too late,” said Diane Ala’i, representative of the Bahá’í International Community (BIC) to the United Nations in Geneva.

ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw== Bahá’í homes destroyed and land confiscated by Iranian government agents
View of the destruction of some of the Bahá’í homes in the village of Roushankouh, in Mazandaran province, by Iranian government agents.

Background

The Bahá’í Faith was born in 19th century Persia with the appearance of two prophetic figures—the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh.  The Báb’s mission was to prepare the way for the coming of a Promised One foretold in all the world’s religions.

 Among those teachings are the oneness of the entire human race; the independent search after truth; the abolition of all forms of prejudice; the harmony which must exist between religion and science; and the equality of men and women.  For more information about the Bahá’í Faith visit the official website. 

The Early Period

The teachings of the Báb — and their popular appeal — were seen by Iran’s religious establishment and the Qajar Kings as a threat to their power and authority. Thousands of early followers of the Báb were killed at the urging of religious leaders, and the Báb was executed by the government in 1850.

The Iranian religious orthodoxy subsequently responded to the message of Bahá’u’lláh, as it spread within and outside of Iran, with a renewed determination to extinguish the new religion and force its followers back to Islam. Bahá’u’lláh was exiled, sent to the prison city of Akka in what was then Ottoman Palestine, while His followers in Iran continued to face successive outbreaks of persecution. In 1903, for example, 101 Bahá’ís were killed in the city of Yazd after the populace was incited by hostile mullahs.

During the early years of the Pahlavi dynasty (1925 to 1979), the government formalized a policy of discrimination against the Bahá’ís as a concession to the clergy. Beginning in 1933, Bahá’í literature was banned, Bahá’í marriages were not recognized, and Bahá’ís in public service were demoted or fired. Bahá’í schools – of which there were some 50 in the country and which were open to all irrespective of background – were forced to close.

The persecution of the Bahá’ís intensified significantly since the 1979 Islamic revolution, as a result of official government policy.  When the new Republic’s constitution was drawn up in April 1979, certain rights of the Christian, Jewish and Zoroastrian minorities in Iran were specifically mentioned and protected.  However, no mention whatsoever was made of the rights of the Bahá’í community, Iran’s largest religious minority.

Under Iran’s Islamic government, this exclusion has come to mean that Bahá’ís enjoy no rights of any sort and that they can be attacked and persecuted with impunity.  Courts in the Republic have denied Bahá’ís the right of redress or protection against assault, killings or other forms of persecution — and have ruled that Iranian citizens who kill or injure Bahá’ís are not liable for damages because their victims are “unprotected infidels.”

In this last decade, the persecution of Iranian Bahá’ís is marked by a sustained and concealed effort on all fronts — despite the promises of the new president, Hassan Rouhani, to end religious discrimination. Bahá’ís continue to be regularly arrested, detained, and imprisoned. Young Bahá’ís continue to be denied access to higher education through a variety of ploys. And economic policies target small shops and businesses — one of the few remaining sources of subsistence for Bahá’ís and their families.

More breathing devices needed for premature babies born in Ukraine 

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officialinstitutions
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More breathing devices needed for premature babies born in Ukraine 
The war in Ukraine is increasing the risks of premature births and causing babies to need more oxygen, the spokesperson for a UN-backed global health initiative told the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday in Geneva. 
“The war increases levels of stress in pregnant women, which leads to an increase in the number of premature births reported,” Herve Verhoosel, Spokesperson for global health agency Unitaid, told journalists at a regular WHO press briefing.   

“Babies born prematurely are more likely to develop respiratory, neurological or digestive complications, conditions that often require oxygen for treatment”.  

Delivering oxygen 

Along with partner, Vayu Global Health, Unitaid has provided 220 ultra-low cost, portable, electricity-free devices (bCPAP) and 125 oxygen blender systems. 

The bCPAP device is a non-invasive way of ventilating newborns who are struggling to breathe. It allows for precise delivery of oxygen concentration, flow, and pressure, which can dramatically improve the chances of survival of newborns and infants. 

Along with oxygen blender systems they prevent eye, lung and brain damages associated with giving babies pure oxygen provision. 

“Together they supply infants with the breathing support and oxygen therapy they need,” Mr. Verhoosel explained.  

The device was granted FDA emergency use authorization to help in the fight against COVID-19.  

While the devices can be used globally, they are particularly well suited for humanitarian crises or low-resource settings. 

Life-saving electricity-free devices  

Unitaid funding enabled FDA approval of the Vayu bCPAP system, its engineering and manufacturing in Kenya as well as specific support for Ukraine.  

According to Mr. Verhoosel, to date 25 referral facilities across Ukraine have received the life-saving devices, 17 of which are perinatal centres.  

The global health agency also organized initial in-person intensive training in Krakow, Poland, to support Ukrainian neonatologists and pediatricians who came from Lviv and provided 40 Vayu bCPAP systems for training and support in seven other hospitals throughout that region. 

Building on the work in pediatric oxygen delivery that Vayu Global Health has carried out since September 2020, access has been widened in poor-resource settings.  

The system is also used in several African countries as well as Belgium and the United States.  

UNITAID/Vayu Global Health

Funding needed 

The ongoing work complements Unitaid’s initial $43 million investment to enhance access to pulse oximetry in primary care centres across nine low and middle-income countries.  

The devices are a vital diagnostic tool in helping identify children in need of lifesaving care, including oxygen therapy. 

However, Mr.Verhoosel informed the press that more funding is needed to scale up its manufacturing to the largest degree.  

WHO epidemiologist Margaret Harris backed Unitaid’s call for more investments in these critical health innovations.  

“Every time there is an attack, one of the things that happens is the electricity doesn’t work,” she said.  

The WHO official described a recent visit to a pediatric hospital very close to the active fighting line in Zaporizhzhia.  

“Every night they sleep in the basement. And the kids that they’ve got on ventilation, they have to try to move them. So having very portable devices that can function offline is absolutely critical”. 

The Keys to Fulfilling Kenya’s Great Promise

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Newsdesk
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A Kenyan post stamp with flag and elections box
Composition by The European Times

Not since Kenya’s forefathers gained the country’s independence out of colonial rule six decades ago has there been a more important event in the East African nation than the Kenyan presidential election on August 9. This is true for the nation’s citizenry, the Kenyan diaspora, and the international community.

By Duggan Flanakin*

The eyes of the world will watch with anticipation as voters cast ballots not just for president and deputy president, but also for members of the National Assembly and Senate, county governors, and the country’s 47 county assemblies.  

I will personally be watching with bated breath and with hope for a peaceful transition.

This moment of opportunity and of peaceful transition has not always been the case for Kenya. Yet, as Kenyans suffered through the COVID-19 pandemic, two-term president Uhuru Kenyatta and former longtime rival, Raila Odinga, decided it was time to unite politically in order to lead the country’s people toward a brighter tomorrow.

That tomorrow will require steadfast leaders willing to put the country first and before themselves. Post-election, the country’s future depends largely upon how it addresses the key interrelated problems that only experience can impart.

The promise of this election is the possibility that its outcome will set the stage for national stability and for lasting, positive change. Kenya’s economic forecast is one ripe for expansion as the new leadership navigates out of the current global economic crisis. The fledgling African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) further provides a strong framework for economic growth across the entire continent, and if managed wisely, Kenya can be stewards in its progress.

As evidence of AfCFTA’s potential, the World Bank has predicted that trade between African nations could expand by over 80 percent by 2035, boosting output by roughly US$450 billion and raising wages for men and women by up to 10 percent in the process. 

Thus, the country’s commitment to the development of Kenya’s infrastructure and manufacturing sectors for intra-African trade provides an opportunity to convert the continent’s gaps in these sectors into meaningful prospects for investment. Growth can come autonomously through “Made In Kenya” or at least “Made In Africa” as well as through public-private partnerships with institutional investors from abroad.

The country’s agricultural prowess and its textile strength, along with its potential to serve as a liquefied natural gas (LNG) resource, can also help Europe through the tragic consequences of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Kenya should be a conduit for continued export throughout Africa and the world. Fulfilling that promise has the potential to bring new prosperity across the nation.

Yes, perhaps Kenya’s time has finally come.

But for Kenya to maximize the benefits of this newfound environment, the nation needs leaders committed to lending continued focus on the creation of localized manufacturing centers that can produce desirable and sustainable and high-skills jobs.

Localized manufacturing has ultimately been proven to unlock sustainable, high-skills development that will hasten Kenya’s forward trajectory within an oft-destabilized global marketplace.

There is also, no question, an elephant in the room. One of the country’s chief goals has to be to end the systemic corruption that has interfered with infrastructure development in years prior, development that is just now bringing jobs and new business ventures to local communities.

New roads and expanding ports host the potential to pave the way for shipping more Kenya-made products to foreign markets, but only if an accountable infrastructure is in place to ensure no cracks are in the system where corruption has been proven to fester.

Kenya’s vast youth demographic, its emerging start-up and digital generation, understands the significance of 2022-era notions such as rooting out corruption and ensuring equitable market inclusion. Kenyan youth are perhaps the world’s most eager and creative entrepreneurs, but for them to succeed, there must be ready access to capital and the disruption of needless regulatory barriers that have allowed for misappropriation, frustrated entrepreneurship, devastated job creation potential, and created a tragic brain drain which must be lifted.

Kenya has to spread the word that all who seek to prosper in the country have the opportunity to do so. This means promoting good labor-management relations, emboldening worker protections, and also listening to those who protest and bringing them into dialogue. Only then will a “Made in Kenya” mentality produce palpable growth and foster diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in today’s globalizing economy.

During this electoral process and thereafter, it is important to recognize that campaign promises should not be viewed as static social contracts with the people. Seasoned veteran politicians, like the grandfatherly Raila Odinga, who have sacrificed their personal well-being and at times their careers for the common good, would understand that such contracts are organic, ever-changing, and evolutionary.

To reinforce his commitment to integrity, gender parity, and equality, I’m pleased to see that the venerable Odinga, whom polls say will win the presidency on his fifth try, has welcomed Martha Wangari Karua to be his running mate for deputy president. She serves well in reinforcing his campaign’s commitment to female empowerment, fighting corruption, and the preservation of national dignity. 

And critically, to keep youthful talent at home in Kenya.

After six decades of independence and through an arduous struggle to achieve the economic prosperity Kenyans see before them, at this moment, Kenya is emerging as a mature nation ready to take a leadership role in Africa’s – and the world’s – future. 

*Duggan Flanakin is the Director of Policy Research at the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow. A former Senior Fellow with the Texas Public Policy Foundation, Mr. Flanakin authored definitive works on the creation of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and on environmental education in Texas. A brief history of his multifaceted career appears in his book, “Infinite Galaxies: Poems from the Dugout.”

Boat Drivers and Smuggling Networks: New UNODC Research Questions Assumptions about Smuggling of Migrants by Sea 

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Senegalese Cayuco, Canary Islands (Spain), 2021. Source: © Spanish National Police

Canary Islands (Spain), 9 August 2022 – In the final months of 2020, when the world was still reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of smuggled people arrived on the Canary Islands of Spain, in numbers not seen on the islands for over a decade.

A crackdown on migrant smuggling on certain sea routes can lead to increased use of alternative routes, worsening the risks for people who are smuggled by sea. New research by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Observatory on Smuggling of Migrants shows that an increasing number of West and North African people are smuggled by sea from the Northwest African coast – Senegal, The Gambia, Mauritania, Morocco, and the Disputed Territories of Western Sahara – to the Canary Islands. The research links this increase to a decrease in smuggling from northern Morocco to mainland Spain on the Western Mediterranean Route.

Data and information on the routes, financial aspects, drivers, and impacts of migrant smuggling can equip states to better respond to prevent and combat migrant smuggling and protect the rights of smuggled people. The UNODC Observatory on Smuggling of Migrants is designed to provide such up-to-date evidence.

The Observatory research indicates that, while Spanish authorities subsume girls, boys, and women smuggled on this route under one category for data collection purposes, women and children generally do not travel together. Their experiences also differ significantly from those of adult men, as described in one instance by a West African man: “We had to lift ourselves up into the boat. It was really high, over my head. I managed to climb in, but it was hard. The two young women in our group couldn’t get on; it was too hard for them to climb in. We left them behind.”

An effective way to prevent smuggling of migrants would be to increase regular migration options, as recommended by the UN Working Group on the Smuggling of Migrants last year. Many people try and fail to migrate regularly before resorting to migrant smugglers. A West African woman smuggled to the Canaries described: “I applied for a visa four times, but it was refused each time. […] I even paid an intermediary […], because I was told that you need to know someone at the Embassy to be granted the visa, but it did not work. There is so much corruption. After these rejections, I decided the next-best option would be to go to Morocco and try to reach Europe from there.”

Criminal justice responses to smuggling on this route are not having the desired effect. Investigations and prosecutions on the Canaries are often aimed at boat drivers, who navigate the boat in return for a free or discounted passage. Last year, for instance, around 150 boat drivers were arrested and investigated for smuggling of migrants and related charges on Gran Canaria, Spain. Yet the members of crime groups on the Northwest African coast that organize smuggling of migrants along this route are rarely targeted by law enforcement activity.

Responding to the research, Mr. David Martínez Ibort, Chief of Section, Provincial Brigade for Immigration and Borders, Gran Canaria, Spain, commented: “Such research is always useful for our daily work fighting against migrant smuggling. It is a much harder task to prosecute organizers, because they are normally in a third country rather than in Spain. But sometimes we are successful. For instance, two organizers in Morocco are now being prosecuted in the Court of Las Palmas. Another point to debate in this research is regarding the skippers. It is true that some of them are not affiliated or fully engaged in a criminal network, especially concerning West Africans, but it is not always the case for North Africans.”

To avoid interception on the shorter journey from Morocco and Western Sahara, people are smuggled from Senegal, The Gambia, and Mauritania. Boats navigate southwards, outside of search and rescue zones and cell phone networks, and sometimes get caught in strong currents towards the Caribbean Sea. The true number of people who die during the journey is likely higher than recorded figures of between 1,176 (according to the International Organization for Migration) and 4,016 (according to the non-governmental organization Caminando Fronteras) people dead or missing on this route during 2021. Many deaths go unrecorded due to limited capacities to retrieve and identify the bodies of people who lose their lives off the Northwest African coast and the Canaries, in international waters and in the Caribbean.

The UNODC Observatory on Smuggling of Migrants regularly updates its analysis to provide real-time information and to allow for longitudinal assessment. The Observatory will launch more new research next month, focusing on migrant smuggling from Nigeria. UNODC hopes that this research will be used to prevent and combat migrant smuggling, while protecting the rights of people who are smuggled.

Further information on UNODC’s work related to combat smuggling of migrants

For additional details on smuggling demand; key routes and hubs; smugglers’ profiles; smugglers’ fees; and abuses suffered in the context of smuggling, visit the Observatory here.

Indigenous women’s work to preserve traditional knowledge celebrated on International Day

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Indigenous women’s work to preserve traditional knowledge celebrated on International Day
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for amplifying the voices of Indigenous women, which is critical to achieving a just future for all people.  
His appeal comes in a message to mark the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, observed annually on 9 August. 

This year the focus is on the role indigenous women have in preserving and passing on traditional knowledge. 

Cultural champions 

“Indigenous women are knowledge keepers of traditional food systems and medicines. They are champions of Indigenous languages and cultures. They defend the environment and Indigenous peoples’ human rights,” said Mr. Guterres. 

“To build an equitable and sustainable future that leaves no one behind, we must amplify the voices of Indigenous women”. 

Indigenous traditional knowledge can offer solutions to many common global challenges, said the UN chief, recalling his recent visit to Suriname, where he learned how communities are protecting the rainforest and its rich biodiversity. 

Mr. Guterres urged countries to implement the landmark UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and to promote Indigenous traditional knowledge for the benefit of all. 

WFP/Nelson Pacheco

Agronomist Deborah Suc, a member of the Poqomchi community, works for the World Food Programme (WFP) in Guatemala.

‘We are the same’ 

In connection with the International Day, the World Food Programme (WFP) has been highlighting the contributions of some of its staff who are from indigenous communities. 

Deborah Suc, an agronomist in Guatemala, is the first woman from the Poqomchi ethnic group to graduate from university.  

Ms. Suc works as a WFP field technician in the San Cristóbal municipality, which is located in Alta Verapaz department in north central Guatemala.   

She supports the implementation of resilience activities in Poqomchi and Q’eqchi’ indigenous communities towards reducing poverty and hunger. Her job involves hosting workshops, leading meetings, or visiting families in their homes. 

“When the women see me driving the car and I get out dressed in my suit, they are surprised and say, ‘We knew you spoke Poqomchí, but we didn’t know you were one of us.’ I tell them that we are the same and that we can all do different things”. 

The way Ms. Suc is treated in San Cristóbal is light years away from her experience at university, where some people would make crude jokes at her expense. 

Pride and prejudice 

Unfortunately, the discrimination did not end when she received her master’s degree. 

“When I get to some places in my suit, they stare at me with contemptuous expressions. On one occasion, while I was waiting to start a workshop at a government institution related to education, a person approached me to hand me the dirty dishes because he thought I was the cleaning person. He was very surprised when he found out that I was going to facilitate the workshop,” she recalled. 

“Before, I was very affected by the way they saw me, but now I don’t take the time to pay attention to it because I feel very proud of who I am, of the mum and dad I have, of the person I am now”. 

Guatemala. WFP Staff Deborah Suc International Day of the World's Indigenous People WFP/Nelson Pacheco

Guatemala. WFP Staff Deborah Suc International Day of the World’s Indigenous People

Respect for all 

Ms, Suc had always worked outside her municipality, but now that she has returned to San Cristóbal she said “it is a satisfaction to work for my people”.  She also is proud to be an inspiration to her community. 

“Nothing makes me happier than knowing that I can inspire other people and say, ‘Look, if we didn’t have a chance to study, now with these trainings you’re going to have other skills, you’re going to learn other things,” she said. 

WFP asked Ms. Suc what would she like her colleagues to learn on the International Day. 

She said she wanted them to know that indigenous peoples have principles and values, and that they have great respect for nature, which in turn means respect for people. 

“I would like them to learn that we have a lot of respect for the value of the word, we have many cultural values, and we are people who like to get ahead,” she responded. 

“In addition, many of the negative things that are said about indigenous peoples are not true. The thing is, we haven’t had the opportunities, but when we’ve had them, we were able to do a lot of things.” 

On the life in Christ (2)

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Author: St. Nikolay Kavasilas

Word one: Life in Christ is realized through the sacraments of divine baptism, holy anointing and communion

36. Since before the Cross it was impossible to find forgiveness of sins and deliverance from punishment, what righteousness can be thought of at all? It is inconsistent, I think, that before they are reconciled, they should fall into the place of friends, and while still in fetters, should be proclaimed victors.[8] After all, if that lamb[9] had finished everything, what was the point of what happened next? Since those types and images [τῶν γὰρ τυπό καὶ τῶν εἰκόνων] were able to bring about the blessedness thus sought [εὐδαιμονίαν], therefore already truth and works are in vain. However, until the enmity is destroyed by Christ’s death and the middle ground is overthrown [τὸ μεσότοιχον], and until peace and righteousness dawn in the Savior’s times, and in general until all these things take place, what place will they have before that sacrifice, if not the place of God’s friends and righteous?

37. The proof of this is this: then we were united to God by the law, and now by faith and grace, and if there is anything else connected with them. It is clear from this that then it was slavery, but now adoption and devotion achieve the communion of men with God, because the law is for slaves, and for friends and sons – grace, faith and boldness.

38. From all this it became clear that the Savior is the firstborn from the dead [πρωτότοκος τῶν νεκρῶν] and none of the dead can live to immortal life until He rises. Likewise, the sanctification and justification of men depended on Him alone. This, therefore, was also pointed out by Paul, writing: the forerunner for us entered the holy [εἰς τὰ ἅγια] Christ[10] (Heb. 6:20).

39. For He entered into the holy place, offering Himself to the Father, and brought in those who wished, joining His tomb, not dying like Him, but at the holy table, anointed and fragrant, in an unspeakable way they announce Him Himself as having died and resurrected. And so, bringing them through these gates, He leads them to His Kingdom and to a coronation.

40. These gates are far more exalted and more perfect [λυσιτελέστεραι] than the heavenly gates. They would not open to anyone who had not previously entered through those doors, and these are open even when those are closed. Those can bring out those who are inside, but these only bring in, they don’t take anyone out. It is possible for them to be both locked and finally unlocked, and through these the curtain and the middle were completely destroyed and destroyed.

41. It is no longer possible to rebuild the fence and erect gates that would divide the worlds from each other by a wall. At this the door was not merely opened, but the heavens were also opened,[11] says the marvelous Mark, showing that there was no longer any door, nor walls, nor curtains of any kind left. For He Who reconciles, unites and reconciles the upper world with the lower [τὸν ἄνω κόσμον τοῖς ἐπάν], by destroying the middle of the fence, cannot deny Himself, says the blessed Paul.[12] Because those doors that were opened because of Adam, when he didn’t stay where he was supposed to stay, of course it was clear that they were going to close. They were precisely opened by Christ Himself, Who had not committed sin, nor could he sin, because His righteousness – it is said – abides forever. Whence it necessarily follows that they were to remain open and lead to life, and from life there should be no way out for anyone. For I have come, says the Savior, that they may have life (John 10:10).

42. This is precisely the life which the Lord brings: that those who come through these sacraments participate in His death and become partakers of His sufferings, and without this no one can escape death. For it is impossible for one who is not baptized with water and the Spirit to enter into life, neither can those who do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood have life in them. We will look at this further.

43. What is the reason why only the sacraments can put life in Christ in our souls. To live in God is impossible for those who have not died to their sins, and to kill sin they could only with God’s help. Men are bound to do this: after we have become righteous and voluntarily suffered defeat, it is utterly impossible and far from our ability to renew the struggle when we have become slaves to sin. How could we become stronger after being enslaved? Even if we become stronger, no slave is above his master. Since, therefore, he who was to reject this debt and retain this victory, being righteous, was a slave to those over whom he should have prevailed in the struggle, and God, who is mighty to do so, was under no obligation to anyone, therefore no one took up the fight, and sin lived, and the true life was impossible to shine upon us – the victorious reward on the one hand is for him who has to pay the debt, and on the other it is for him who has the power – therefore there had to be one, and the other to join together, so that they both have the same nature – of the one who goes to the battle and of the one who can conquer.

44. So it happened. God appropriated the struggle for men by becoming man. Man overcomes sin, being clean from all sin because he was God. Thus nature is freed from shame and crowned with a victorious crown, for sin is broken.

45. Although of the people none had conquered and none had fought, yet they were freed from the fetters. This was done by the Savior Himself for those to whom He made it available, giving each person the power to kill sin and become partakers of His feat.

46. ​​Since after that victory, instead of being crowned and triumphed, He suffered beatings, death, and the like to the end, as Paul says, for the joy that was set before Him He endured the cross, despising the shame (Heb. 12:2), what happened ?

47. He did no wrong, but received such a sentence. He committed no sin, and had nothing to call a slanderer too shameless. And wounds, suffering, and death were from the beginning designed for sin. How did the Bishop allow this, being philanthropic? It is not fitting, then, for goodness to console itself with ruin and death. Therefore, immediately after the fall, God allowed death and suffering not so much as a punishment for the sinner, but as a cure for the sick.

48. Since for what Christ had done no such punishment should have been awarded, and the Savior had not in Himself any trace of infirmity to be taken away in order to receive any medicine, the power of that cup is directed to us, for to put sin to death in us, and the wounds of the Innocent One become the punishment of those who have sinned in many things.

49. Since the punishment was wonderful and far greater than the equivalent of human evils, this punishment not only freed from the accusation, but provided such an abundance of goods that it led to an ascent to heaven itself and communion with the Kingdom of God there. It includes those of the earth, the hostile, the chained, the enslaved, the vanquished. That death was dear, therefore, and it is impossible for men to fathom how much, although, on the Saviour’s assumption, it was bought by the murderers for too little to cover His poverty and dishonor.

50. Suffering what belongs to slaves, to be sold, he earns dishonor, because the gain honored dishonor upon us [κέρδος γὰρ ἡγεῖτο τὴν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀτιμίαν], and that for so little means that he accepted to die gratuitously and for nothing. for the world; willingly died without committing any injustice, neither against life nor against any state, preparing for His murderers also gifts far greater than desires and hopes.

50. But why do I say this? God died. God’s blood was shed on the Cross. What could be dearer than this death? What’s more shocking? What did human nature so sin that it was awarded such a ransom? What could this wound be that needed the power of such a medicine to cure it?

51. It is clear, therefore, that sin is atoned for by some punishment, and that of those who have sinned against God, those who suffer a worthy punishment will be freed from condemnation. The subject of punishment, however, could not be called upon for that for which he deserves a sentence. There is no man who, being perfectly pure, would himself suffer for others, so that no one could bear the corresponding punishment either for himself or for the whole human race, even if it were possible for him to die a thousandfold. For what does this most shameless slave deserve to suffer, who has ruined the king’s countenance, and shown such audacity against his majesty?

52. That is why the sinless Lord, having suffered much, died. He bears the wound by taking upon Himself the protection of men, being human. He frees the human race from punishments and gives freedom to those who are chained, because He Himself does not need it, being God and Lord. And why true life enters us through the death of the Saviour, that is what we are about to say.

53. On the one hand, the way in which we draw him into our souls is this: initiation into the sacraments [τὸ τελεσθῆναι τὰ μυστήρια], washing, anointing, enjoying the holy table. In those who do this, Christ indwells and dwells, unites, joins [προσφύεται] and banishes sin from us, invests His life and nobility [ἀριστειαν] and makes us partakers of His victory. Goodness of goodness! Those who wash are girded and those who partake of the dinner glorify.

54. Why does Christ crown those who wash, those who are anointed with oil and those who participate in the supper. Why and for what reason are the victory and the crown at the font, the ointment and the table, which are the fruit of labor and sweat? For though we do not fight or toil, in doing these things we glorify that feat, admire the victory, and bow down before the trophy of victory, and for that decisive feat [τὸν ἀριστέα σφοδρόν] we show unspeakable gratitude [φίλτρον]. Those wounds and paint and death we appropriate for ourselves, and as far as possible we draw them to ourselves by tasting of the very flesh of the Dead and Risen One. Because of this, of course, we also enjoy those goods that correspond to death and exploits.

55. If anyone, surrounding a captured and awaiting punishment tyrant, praises and crowns him, honors tyranny and himself prefers to die after his fall, speaks against the laws and complains against justice, does this without shame and without hiding his malice, but speaks boldly, testifies and proves it, what judgment shall we pass on such a one? Shall we not render him the same as the tyrant? It is absolutely certain.

56. Contrary to all this, if one admires the noble, rejoices in the victor and weaves wreaths for him, raises shouts of victory and shakes the theater, faints with pleasure before the triumphant, gently embraces his head, kisses his right hand, and thus greatly exults from the general, and from the victory he has brought, that as if he himself should have crowned his head, will he not receive a share of the victor’s rewards, judged by prudent judges, as he – I think – will join in the punishment of the tyrant? If we reserve to the bad what is due, by exacting punishment for their intent and thoughts, it is not quite right to deprive the good of what they deserve.

57. If we add to this that he who won that victory does not himself need the gifts of victory, but rather prefers to see the splendor of the theater around his supporter, and considers it the reward of his struggle that his friend should be crowned, how is it not is it fair and not acceptable that he should adorn himself with a wreath, though he has not shed the sweat and endured the hardships of war?

58. This is exactly what the baptismal font, the supper, and the judicious enjoyment of the ointment can do for us. Consecrating ourselves [μυούμενοι], therefore, we punish the tyrant, despise him, and deny him, and the victor we praise, admire, worship him, and love him with all our souls, so that with the love that surrounds us like bread we are satisfied , like ointment – we anoint ourselves and like water – we pour ourselves over.

59. It is evident that if he entered into this war for our sake, and that we might conquer, Sam suffered death, so that there is nothing inconsistent and nothing disagreeable about the crowns of victory being reached by these sacraments. For we show the possible disposition [τὴν δυντὴν ἐπιδεικενμεθα προθυμίαν], and hearing of this water, that it has the power of Christ’s death and burial, we strongly believe, willingly come forward, and immerse ourselves. He – because he does not give little and what he honors us with is not little – welcomes those who come after death and burial, not giving a crown, not by giving glory, but with the Victor Himself, with Himself crowned.

60. Coming out of the water, we carry the Savior Himself in our souls, in the head, in the eyes, in the very entrails, in all the members, pure from transgression, freed from all corruption, as he rose, as he appeared to his disciples, and as he ascended , as he will come again, demanding this treasure back.

61. Thus, after we are born and sealed with Christ, He himself guards the entrances of life, lest we bring in any foreign species. By means of that by which, by taking in air and food, we maintain the life of the body, by this He penetrates into our souls and joins to Himself these two doors: the one as myrrh and fragrance, and the other as food. Because we inhale Him at the same time, but He also becomes food for us. And so, mixing and combining himself fully with us in every way, He makes us His body, and becomes to us what the head is to the other members. Therefore and through Him we participate in all good things, because He is the head, and from the head they necessarily go to the body.

62. This is precisely what we should admire, because we do not share with Him either in the wounds or in the death, but He Himself took them, but then, at the crowning, then He makes us His partakers.

63. This, therefore, is indeed a work of unspoken philanthropy, which is not far from reason and expediency [τῆς γινομένης ἀκολουθίας]. Because after the Cross we are united with Christ. Until He suffered, we had nothing to do with Him. Because He is Son and Beloved, and we are defiled, and slaves, and enemies in consciousness [τῇ διανοίᾳ]. After he died and the ransom was given to us, and the devil’s prison was destroyed, we entered into such liberty and adoption, and became members of that blessed Head. Hence, whatever belongs to the Head belongs to us.

64. Now, therefore, through this water we become sinless, we join His gifts through the ointment, and through this table we live one and the same life with Him. In the future we shall be gods with God [θεοὶ περὶ Θεόν], heirs of the same with Him, we shall reign with Him in the same kingdom, if only we do not voluntarily blind ourselves and tear the king’s tunic in this life. We must only strive for this in this life, so that we preserve the gifts [τὰς δωρεὰς ὑπομεῖναι], preserve the charisms [τῷν χαρίτων ἀνασχέσθαι] and not tear down the crown that God has woven for us with much sweat and labor.

65. This is the life in Christ which is contained in the sacraments. It seems to me that it is clear what human zeal can do for him. Therefore, he who wishes to speak about this should first consider each of the sacraments separately, and then it would be consistent to consider each action according to virtue [τῆς κατ’ ἀρετὴν ἐργασίας].

________________________________________

[8] Literally, “crowned” (note trans.).

[9] That is, the lamb from the Old Testament Passover (note trans.).

[10] Cited by the author (trans. note).

[11] Mark 1:10.

[12] 2 Tim. 2:13.

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