The symbolism of the Church of Christ as a floating "Ark", which rescues humanity - like Noah's Ark - from the stormy and deadly waters of a Biblical Flood... is a familiar 'representation' in our Roman culture. The Orthodox Church, as the only saving Truth, sails the Archipelago of space/time... receiving from every 'port' Christ-worshippers who want to travel safely to the 'other shore', but also collecting shipwrecked people from the sea of life! It travels ceaselessly in the wild space/time 'sea' of the world... until it sails (with the passengers safe!) to the supramundane port, towards eternal 'hell-making' in the leeward 'cove' of the Kingdom of God...
As the "Ark of the Church" [1], the "Ark of the Church" began its timeless "voyage" on the turbulent sea of history, immediately after the "epidemic" of the Holy Spirit in the world, on the day of the First Pentecost (Spring of 33 AD), in order to carry out its saving mission to humanity. The only purpose that the "Ark of the Church" serves in the present world is to "cross" (to transport as a "ferry" from one shore to the other) safely to the "opposite shore" of existence, every soul that wants to travel safely, until it reaches the port of the Heavenly Kingdom.
With the solid, experienced and safe governance of the Chief Captain, the God-Man our Lord Jesus Christ, the Orthodox Church is the only navigable and trustworthy spiritual 'oceanic ship' that can safely 'cross' humanity from worldly life to the supramundane life! A God-built and unsinkable 'Titanic' with unlimited passenger capacity, and specifications of completely unsinkable shipbuilding! And this is confirmed by the countless multitudes of Saints and Righteous (named and anonymous) who have crossed safely from earth to Heaven! This "Ark of Salvation", 20 centuries after its construction, continues a 'cross-country' lifeguard mission!
During the sailing of the Missionary Ark on the worldly sea, the Church of Christ had as its unique (but all-powerful!) 'business capital' the Most Holy Blood of the Sacrifice of the Cross of its God-Man Founder! Only with the strength it drew from This, it set sail... hoping that, by the Grace of God, a broader 'property' trust would be added 'on board'! A hectomb of sacrifices-struggles-efforts-sweats-blood... of countless Christ-worshippers -over time- were consumed psychosomatically in the 'field' of the Gospel preaching! Thus, the Faith was transmitted to the ends of the world and all the tribes of the earth were drawn to Salvation.
This precious 'Holy Light' of the Salvation Gospel Truth... has spread and continues to spread unceasingly to the ends of the world, the true Church of Christ! Until, however, it became so easily accessible and attainable, by every nation and tribe of the world, this Flame of Faith... it took painstaking efforts and painful sacrifices by a huge "cloud of martyrs" (Heb. 12:1-2) with first the Holy Apostles, and then the later Saints of our Church. Their sweat and blood watered and still water the 'field' of the Orthodox Faith... so that as many fragrant 'flowers' as possible might sprout and flourish in the 'flower garden' of the Kingdom of God.
Among the Saints who labored for the world-saving spread of the Gospel Truth to the ends of the earth, the dominant position is held by the "Pioneers of the Gospel preaching" Holy Apostles, whose indescribable labors, sufferings and sacrifices... brought the Light of Christ to the farthest reaches of Universal humanity. But, it was not only the labors and sweat that were offered lavishly to the Gospel preaching, by the Holy Apostles of Christ. Because, most of them, when it was necessary (and it was necessary many times), crowned their arduous Missionary activity with their venerable martyr's death!
Consequently, many others before us, tired: “Others have labored… and you have entered into their labor…” (John 4:38), so that today we may enjoy the ‘ready’ spiritual goods that their labors and sacrifices have accumulated, on our behalf! Because, for us to participate unhindered in the precious goods of the Knowledge of God and the Communion of God (having been baptized and anointed in the saving name of the Most Holy Trinity, and immersing ourselves in the supernatural Charisms of the Paraclete Spirit…), is not at all self-evident and negligible! Let us, therefore, express unceasingly - in Eucharistic and Doxological - to the Good God, our eternal gratitude for what we enjoy freely... and without deserving it in the least! [ 2 ]
Although relying exclusively on 'help from above', the Church of Christ, at its beginning, could not help but invest (humanly) on the efforts and sacrifices that the Holy Apostles made for the Christianization of people. First of all, of the Jews, and then of all the peoples of the earth. The Holy Apostles became, with obedient joy, the 'members' of the theandric body: His 'feet', which traveled the whole earth to preach the Truth! His 'hands', which crucified the sick and miraculously healed them of mental and physical passions! His 'mouth', which called all people to Repentance and Salvation!
Humanity owes immense gratitude to all the Holy Apostles - Twelve and Seventy - for their sacrifices and efforts in spreading the Gospel throughout the world. Above all and especially, however, it owes grace... and bows with gratitude before the two Chief Apostles, Peter and Paul! Because they were the ones... who, with the enlightenment of God, contributed decisively and helped substantially in the "turning to the nations" of the Gospel preaching of salvation. Because, at the beginning of its Missionary activity, the first Church had a strictly 'Jewish-centric' character, which excluded any 'deviation' of evangelization towards the (outside Israel) pagan ethnicities of the world.
The words of Christ (spoken in a phase of obvious 'immaturity' of the Apostles) to His Disciples are characteristic: "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles... but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. 10:5-6)! A harsh 'sailing line'... which expresses, however, the reasonable priority - initially, at least - of the Jewish nation over other nations, in terms of the Gospel preaching. This exclusion of the Gentiles from evangelism... was a reasonable consequence of their association - within the Jewish consciousness - with the idol (demon) worship that existed everywhere, except for Israel. And this stigmatized as 'abomination' all the peoples of the polytheistic nations...
The last, however, of Christ's commandments to the Apostles -before His Ascension into Heaven-, when they had now 'matured' enough, was another: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 28:19). A clear inclusion, apart from the Jewish people, of all other (errant) nations in the eternal plan of Salvation! However, there was still 'floating' in their minds a reservation and doubt about this 'necessity', although the Despotic command was very clear! Little by little, all the theoretical obstacles (mainly, the non-negotiable Jewish nationalism...) that obstructed the 'exit' of the Gospel to other nations began to be removed.
Finally, once upon a time - after Pentecost and the descent of the Holy Spirit - the Holy Apostles were scattered throughout the then-Oikoumene, searching among the universal multitudes for those who were searching with longing and desire for the... "unknown God" (Acts 17:23)! Their unerring testimony, as eyewitnesses of the Resurrection of the God-Man, and their fiery preaching about the fulfillment (in the person of Christ) of all the Messianic Prophecies of the Old Testament, had a response! The word about the "approaching Kingdom of God" resonated with countless souls, who became "good soil" for the sowing of the divine word... so that, with the Grace of God, repentance may sprout and bear fruit... and, through repentance, purification... enlightenment... and the sanctification of people!
The all-good God, Who “wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 4:XNUMX), did not leave the pagan world outside the Hope of Salvation. By sending “into all the earth” His chosen ‘spokesmen’, the Holy Apostles, He invited every person/of every tribe/of every nation of the earth to eternal life. And Divine Providence reserved for Greece a very special blessing: to become a beloved destination and field of frequent preaching activity of the Apostles, so much so… that all the holy Gospels as well as the holy Epistles of the Holy Apostles, were recorded in the Greek language of that time!
By God's grace, as described in the "Acts of the Apostles", the appearance in a vision to the "Apostle to the Gentiles" Saint Paul (chief, along with the Apostle Peter, among the Apostles) of an unknown man who implored him to his homeland of Greece-Macedonia [ 3 ] to preach the Gospel Truth to the Greeks… changed all the plans and schedules of the Apostles for their missionary expeditions! Thus, the sealed 'gate' for the entrance of the Gospel Truth into Greece, which at that time was still pagan… and therefore forbidden as a Gospel destination, was opened wide!
Truly! If these two Holy "First Apostles" had not, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, pushed the remaining Apostles -at that time- in this direction (of the nations), and had not convinced the entire remaining body of the strongly reacting first (Jewish) Church, all the 'nations', and especially we Greeks, would still be living in the darkness of ancient Greek idolatry and paganism... or -even- of Philosophical contemplation "about God"... which, however, neither quenches the soul's thirst for the Truth and Light of Christ in vain... nor redeems from the corruption and darkness of death...!
REFERENCES-FOOTNOTES
[ 1 ] “Rejoice, O God… of those who wish to be saved, Rejoice, O harbor… of those who are sailing for life” (17th House, from the Salutations of the Most Holy Theotokos).
Although this poetic verse refers to the Mother of God, as "Olkada" who 'tows' to salvation those who want to be saved, this role is more generally attributed to the Church of Christ itself.
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[ 2 ] A 'detail' that we Greeks approach casually, because we have inherited this 'property' uncut and untroubled, so that we arrogantly consider it 'self-evident' to 'possess' it solely because God's Providence reserved for us to be born in a traditionally Orthodox Christian country... to be nurtured by Orthodox Christian parents... and to learn letters from Orthodox Christian teachers!
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[ 3 ] “A vision appeared to Paul during the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, pleading with him and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ And when he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them…” (Acts 16:9-10)!
INTERPRETATION: The Apostle Paul saw a vision during the night, where a Macedonian man stood before him and pleaded with him, saying: Come over to Macedonia and help us. And immediately after seeing the vision, we sought - notes the historian of Acts - to go out into Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel of salvation to them...
