His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America 

Vespers of Contrition 

Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church 

Corona, New York 

March 13, 2022 

Beloved sisters and brothers in the Lord, 

 As we chanted tonight in the Great Prokeimenon of this Vespers of Contrition: 

Ἔδωκας κληρονομίαν τοῖς φοβουμένοις τὸ Ὄνομά σου Κύριε. 

You have given an inheritance to them that fear Your Name, O Lord. 

Indeed, God has given an inheritance to us – a legacy of faith and worship that we cherish as Orthodox Christians. Having been born anew through the waters of Baptism, it is our birthright. And not only for us, but for all those who fear the name of the Lord as well. 

This is what I would like to address with you this evening, my dear friends. What is this fear of the Lord of which we speak, and of which we hear, in the prayers and praise of our Church? 

Is it cowardice? Or maybe a trembling panic that terrifies us to the very core of our being? 

If we were not the children of God, but only creatures of an Almighty Creative Force, perhaps then such a terror would grip us. But this is not the meaning of the Greek, φόβος, in the context of the presence of the Divine. 

Instead, a word like “awe” or “reverence” is more apt to the meaning of the original Greek. The awe that a child would have for a father or grandfather. The reverence that a little child would have for a mother or grandmother. God never wants us to be afraid of Him. But God knows that we should be afraid of our sins, of the things that tempt us and lead us astray, and of losing our relationship of love and dynamism with Him. 

Therefore, my beloved Christians, 

God has revealed unto us His Name, that we should be able to identify Him and know Him. And His Name is Jesus … Jesus the Christ, Jesus the Messiah, Jesus the Anointed One. 

If you render Jesus, which derives from the Greek version of His Holy Name, another way – from the Hebrew – you have “Joshua.” Either way, His name means “God is our salvation.” 

This is nothing of which to be afraid. Rather, this is a cause of great hope and unspeakable joy. God wishes us all to be saved. As it says in the Prophet Ezekiel: 

As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.1 

But the very Name of the Lord is more than the declaration of His love for us. His Name is that which we can call upon in times of trouble, in times of sadness, and in times of difficulty and anxiety. In every circumstance and condition, we can call upon the Lord, because we know His Name. 

If you were terrified of someone, you would hesitate to reach out to them. You would be worried how they would react to your cry for help. You would be anxious that they might see you as vulnerable, and even take advantage of you. Such is the nature of fear. But this is not the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom – Ἀρχὴ σοφία φόβος Κυρίου – as it says in Proverbs. 2 

Our reverence for the Lord and His Holy Name connects us to Him. It binds us to Him, just as the Monks of the Holy Mountain do when they invoke Him ceaselessly by the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner.” And this invocation of His Holy Name is available to every Christian. It is the most simple of prayers, with the most profound results. 

For through His Holy Name, we enter into a relationship with God. We enter into His Presence within our hearts, where He dwells deep within our being. And there, the inheritance is granted unto us by grace and adoption.3 An inheritance of love. A birthright of mercy. A legacy of compassion. 

With such a bequest in the New Covenant, then – written in the Holy Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ – we shall always have the resources and gifts to live our lives in ways well-pleasing unto the Lord, and purposeful for ourselves, as well as for our fellow human beings. 

May it always be so. Amen.