О супружеской чистоте Митрополит Неофит Морфуский

[Fr. Nektarios]: Can I receive Communion even though I live with my spouse and we are not married (translator's note: He probably means that they have lived together for a long time and are not planning to get married)? [Morphou]: If you are a spiritual child of Morphou, no. Otherwise, what is the point of marriage? Why do we call it marriage? Because it allows the sexual act (translator's note: he uses the correct Greek language term for "sexual act", but this term has come to be considered inappropriate in public dialog). These [correct] words, my child, the Greek language of the sage is correct. The sexual act within marriage is consecrated. Have you heard this? Outside marriage, it is not a sanctified act. Unfortunately, you, today's Cypriot parents, are victims of your parents. As soon as they [the old Cypriot parents] engage them [their children], it is allowed. Excuse me, why do we use white wedding dresses, have you ever thought about that? Why do we say, "O Lord, our God, crown them with glory and honor" [from the Marriage Service]? What honor? Is there any honor left? This applies to both, men and women, not only to the woman. Do you know how many young people realize these things? Not by you, the parents. Unfortunately, parents don't talk about these things, only a few of you do. You will answer to God for not teaching your children purity. And then they ask, "Why are my children like this?" No matter how hidden your sexuality is, it defines your children. Desires are hereditary, they can be passed on. What does it mean that "marriage is honorable for everyone, and the bed is spotless"? [Hebrews 13:4]. You see some people who worry about the Antichrist and live like the Antichrist inside their homes. In the past, I have dared to say something about homosexuals, and a bishop came out, [one] in America and [one] in Cyprus, and said, "We don't go into the bedroom of the couple." I found the bishop and I said to him: "God enters not only the bedroom but even the bathroom because He is present everywhere." "God is with you whether you invite Him or not." He is in you, especially when you are baptized and confirmed as an Orthodox. He is in you, "in the depths of your heart". [Psalm 63] The Apostle Paul said: "the Spirit who lives in you" [Romans 8:11]. The Holy Spirit is our "roommate". However, if we do not make the effort to repent. Let's say I am used to this life, to this way of life. If you are used to it, struggle to reduce your bad habits. Isn't that so? Fight. No, the Church [instead] has to legalize everything. And there are some archbishops, I'll name him, [he must be the Metropolitan] of Nea Ionia in Greece. What did the poor man say? He said, "If there are a few who by nature have desires and inclinations of the same sex, it is a desire that God has put in them." A bishop to meet! A layman said, "These people became bishops to steal the Gospel." I told him, "These are not the bishops of Orthodoxy, they are the bishops of the Pope. The Pope's. With a special mission." Our bishop [from Cyprus] told me, "We should not go into the bedroom of couples." I asked, "Excuse me, why do we go into the kitchen?" He asked, "Where do we go?" Sometimes I also make jokes because I say very strong words, but they [strong words] are true. And with a little bit of joking, they become more digestible. They are more easily digested. I said to him, "Brother, does the church talk about fasting? Does it talk about food?" [Morphou asks a girl in the crowd]: Do you know that tomorrow is fasting? See, you don't know. It's okay, she's honest about it. Others don't know but pretend they do. The Church tells us to fast from All Saints' Day until All Holy Apostles' Day, not to eat meat, and to eat fish except on Wednesday and Friday. The Church does not force you [to fast], she recommends it for your good, for the purification of your soul and body. The Church cares for the whole person, both soul and body. So, just as we have an idea of what food to eat at each feast... ... the saints [themselves], not we, have an opinion about how we live before marriage and how we live after marriage. And if we fail to follow them, thank God, we repent. We repent, we confess. Do you think the people who come to me are saints? Alas! The only icon I have in the Metropolis was a gift from homosexuals. The holy icon of St. Mary of Egypt. Why did these guys [homosexuals] gift it to me? Because they found help not from me, but from what the saints of God I met told me. Some of them managed to eradicate this pathology [homosexuality], others to limit it. This [the last one] is also a success. How God will judge us, only God knows. It is not for us to judge. But we have to declare what is healthy, what is natural, what is religious... Today not everyone goes to church. This cannot go on like this. When we follow the anti-Christian life on every level, psychologically, physically, and spiritually, the Holy Spirit living in our hearts shrinks. He is humble because he is God. It constricts, it silences, it does not inform us, it does not enlighten us. Who then comes? Nature is afraid of emptiness. Evil spirits come and live in us. May God have mercy. Love the Blessed Sacrament, love fasting, and make sure you have a spiritual Father who guides you to find the Holy Spirit. That is why he is called a spiritual father, not because he acts as a guru. "Buy a car or buy a house?" [is what people often ask their spiritual father]. That is not our business. Our job, first of all, is to mobilize the Holy Spirit that we have received since our baptism. This is for the Holy Spirit to enlighten us. And in return, to help whoever comes to us. That they may experience what we have experienced. Yes, my child. [Fr. Nektarios]: Next question, Maria from Nicosia. Is it a sin for women to wear pants in church? [Morphou]: No. If you want to hear more [about this]. Wear a garment that does not provoke. One that doesn't shout "Look at me". Anything that shouts "look at me" and distracts from what's going on [in the church] is distracting from Christ, whether it's a big, long dress or a blouse with straps [both are inappropriate, as long as both can be distracting]. So we should have this tendency in us: "Let nobody look at me, nobody!" That is our criterion. This is not only for women. Nowadays men are also dressed or behaving in such a way that they are also provoking narcissism. Leave this concern to us. [Fr. Nektarios]: Can women sing hymns in church? [Morphou]: I have already answered this, my child, in the program "Illuminating the Light of the Saints" [video series on the Metropolis YouTube channel]. Yes, the Church of Cyprus has taken a decision. Men no longer approach the hymn stand because they are ashamed. They prefer to go hunting instead and they don't speak out about it. We have given women a blessing [to sing hymns], they just need to seriously learn [how to sing hymns] and get permission from the priest of the church. And the priest will inform his bishop. In the Metropolis of Güzelyurt, we have solved this issue and it is really helpful for the priests, especially on weekdays. [Fr. Nektarios]: A man from Larnaca asks: "Erdogan did not die a natural death. Should we wait for his impeachment before the events in the Aegean Sea start? Will there be incidents in Cyprus? [Morphou]: Only Larnaca. Look, the Cypriot man is cunning. He starts from Erdoğan, goes to the Aegean, then to Cyprus, then to Larnaca. The only place he didn't want to know was his neighborhood. Next question.