The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1877-06-07
THE GREEK CHURCH.

SersnOn by Rev Father Djerring, Of
New York, Explanatory OF the
Greek Faith-A Clear Exposition.
Rev. Father Bjerring, OF Greek chapel In
New York, gave an exposition Of the doc.
trines Of the Greek church last Sunday
lie did this, he said, chiefly to correct mir
understandings which the public have as to
the devotion OF the orthodox church to the
Virgin Mary and the saints. His church,
Ejerring said, while believing the blessed
Virgin no ordinary woman, but the elect
instrumen mt Of God ia the work In the re.
demption as the mother OF our Savior, do
not at the same time give to her the honor
due to the Redeemer alone. They believe
that when lie. the divine sufferer, commit
ted his beloved disciple to her, He with
him committed all OF US 10 her m0therly
love, and the church, there fore. believes
that she, in the kingdom Of her divine
son. holds sacred place high above all
others. The church also believes in her
interce sorry POWER before the throne Of
God, and that she is raised tn the dignity
as well by divine justice as by divine
grace. She Is 10 the church also the type
OF virginity crowned by divine matern-
ity, which made her the tabernacle of God
incarnate. In like manner, Father Bjerripg
remarked, the Greek church believes in
the intercession Of the saints and ordains
reverence towsrds::them He then showed
from the nature Of love and the devotion
Of the saints, that they cannot fail to be
interested 10 the progress Of the church on
earth. Hence prayer IL properly offered
to them, not from any feeling Of doubt Of
divine mercy or in the saving nearness OF
God, but rather that the communion OF
their prayers with ours may bring down
the blessings that we need and ask for.
And this feeling impairs no. In the least
the just and firm belief Of the church that
holy, in the absolute sense OF the word, 10
God alone, an the holiness Of the saints Is
but gift of his grace. Another natural
consequence Of the church's faith In. the
communion Of love and prayer between
the church upon earth and that OF heaven
is her hopeful prayer for the souls OF the
departed. The Greek church believes in
prayer for the souls Of those who have died
in the communion Of love with her. AS an
evidence Of this devotion of the church TO
the Virgin Mary and the saints, II has not
In any respect weakened or impaired the
bond " love that ought and does exist
between the church al her divine Lord.
Father Bjerring pointed to their liturgy,
which he considered the highest type Of
divine worship, and oil other acts Of devo.
ton are merely supplemental and compile.
mental ofthat. The order of the ritual Ia
y mystical Swallowing forth Of the princi.
pal events in the life and suffering and
/ death of our blessed lord. And in the holy
sactaments Of the EUCHARIST We eat the
mystical flesh and drink Of the mystical
blood Of our Savior, and show forth His
death Till his coming again. Father Bier.
ring thought that II all he canouical books
OF the Bible were suddenly blotted out the
liturgy OF the church would be sufficient
to show the fai,htulness Of the church and
the true spirit Of prayer. The Greek
church believes also In babtismsl regenera.
iton. The church believes also In tran.
substAntiation, and that in the sacrament
1.-THE eucharist tue orthodox Christian
partakss Of the true body and blood ol
Christ, au4ltt