Nativity Hymn

An Arabic Byzantine chant of the Hymn of the Nativity. I didn't realize until I listened to this that it is exactly the same melody as Today He who hanged the Earth upon the Waters (from Holy week). And the words are almost the same as well. Gave me goosebumps.




Blessed Nativity. Christ is born! Glorify Him!

Memory Eternal

I also wanted to post a few links about His Eminence Archbishop JOB, Bishop of Chicago and Diocese of the Midwest, who reposed yesterday morning. From what I've read of him, he was a wonderful man who was loved by many.

May his memory be eternal.

Wonderful write up about Archbishop JOB
Biography of his life
Tribute to Archbishop JOB

Sts. Boniface and Aglaida

I found the story of these saints from a Bishop I am friends with on facebook. I thought I'd share it here, as they are some of the saints commemorated today (the 19th) as well as because their story is just very interesting.

Saint Aglaida (Aglae) was a rich Roman woman and carried on an immoral relationship with her slave St Boniface. But they both felt the sting of conscience and they wanted somehow to be cleansed of their sin. And the Lord granted them the possibility to wash away their sin with their blood and to finish their life in repentance.

Aglaida learned that whoever keeps relics of the holy martyrs in the home and venerates them receives great help in gaining salvation. Under their influence, sin is diminished and virtue prevails. She arranged for Boniface to go to the East, where there was a fierce persecution against Christians, and she asked him to bring back the relics of some martyr, who would become a guide and protector for them.

As he was leaving, Boniface laughed and asked, "My lady, if I do not find any relics, and if I myself suffer for Christ, will you accept my body with reverence?" Aglaida scolded him, saying that he was setting off on a sacred mission, but he was not taking it seriously. Boniface pondered her words, and during the whole journey he thought that he was unworthy of touching the bodies of the martyrs.

Arriving in Tarsus, Boniface witnessed the sufferings of the martyrs and his heart was changed. He cried out, "I am also a Christian." He was arrested, tortured, and put to death, then slaves took his body back to Aglaida in Rome.

On the eve of their arrival an angel appeared to Aglaida in her sleep and told her to prepare herself to receive her former slave, now the brother and fellow-servant of the angels. Aglaida summoned the clergy, and she received the holy relics with great reverence. Then she built a church on the site of his grave and dedicated it to the holy martyr. There she enshrined his relics, glorified by numerous miracles. After distributing all her wealth to the poor, she withdrew to a monastery, where she spent fifteen years in repentance, then fell asleep in the Lord. She was buried beside St Boniface. The sins of the one were washed away by his blood, the other was purified by her tears and asceticism. Both were found worthy to appear unsullied before our Lord Jesus Christ, Who desires not the death of a sinner, but that he should turn from his wickedness and live (Ezek. 33:11).
(From http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=103584)

Sts. Boniface and Aglaida pray for us!

Saying from Elder Epiphanios of Athens

Speak more to God about your children than to your children about God….The soul of the teenager is in a state of an explosion of freedom. This is why it is hard for them to accept counsel. Rather than counseling them continuously and reproaching them again and again, leave the situation to Christ, to the Panagia [Mother of God], and to the Saints, asking that they bring them to reason. (Elder Epiphanios of Athens 1930-1989)

Memory Eternal

It was in the news recently that a Russian Orthodox priest was murdered in Russia. I came across this today, and thought I'd post it. Very few things make me emotional, but this hits somewhat close to home, being married to an orthodox priest. It's copied and pasted from THIS blog.

New Hieromartyr Daniel Sysoyev of Moscow

This is a letter written by the wife of the newly martyred priest, gunned down by a Muslim in his own church, in Moscow, Russia. Let us contemplate the great sacrifice made by this priest, for the Christ he so loved, and the Muslim people, he so dearly cared about, and whom he wanted to personally know this very Christ.

Holy New Martyr Daniel, pray to God for us.

Love and blessings,
Abbot Tryphon

Dear brothers and sisters, thank you for your support and prayers. This is the pain which cannot be expressed in words. This is the pain experienced by those who stood at the Cross of the Saviour. This is the joy which cannot be expressed in words, this is the joy experienced by those who came to the empty Tomb.

O death, where is thy sting?

Fr Daniel had already foreseen his death several years before it happened. He had always wanted to be worthy of a martyr’s crown. Those who shot him wanted, as usual, to spit in the face of the Church, as once before they spat in the face of Christ. They have not achieved their goal, because it is impossible to spit in the face of the Church. Fr Daniel went up to his Golgotha in the very church which he had built, the church to which he gave up all his time and all his strength. They killed him like the prophet of old – between the temple and the altar and he was indeed found worthy of a martyr’s calling. He died for Christ, Whom he served with all his strength.

Very often he would say to me that he was frightened of not having enough time, time to do everything. He was in a hurry. Sometimes, as a human-being he exaggerated, he got things wrong, he tripped up and made mistakes, but he made no mistake about the main thing, his life was entirely dedicated to HIM.

I did not understand why he was in a hurry. The last three years he was busy serving, never taking days off or taking holidays. I moaned, just now and again I wanted simple happiness, that my husband and my children’s father would be with my children and me. But another path had been prepared for him.

He used to say that they would kill him. I would ask him who would look after us. Me and the three children. He would answer that he would put us in safe hands. ‘I’ll give you to the Mother of God. She’ll take care of you’.

These words were forgotten too soon. He told us which vestments to bury him in. Then I joked that there was no need to speak about that, we still did not know who would bury who. He said that I would bury him. Once our conversation turned to funerals, I don’t remember the details but I did say that I had never been to a priest’s funeral. And he answered that it did not matter because I would be at his funeral.

Now I remember many words which have gained a meaning. Now my doubts have dissolved, the misunderstandings have gone.

We did not say goodbye in this life, we did not ask each other forgiveness, we did not embrace one another. It was just another day: in the morning he went to the liturgy and I did not see him again. Why didn’t I go to the church that day to meet him? I had thought of it, but I decided I had better get the evening meal ready and put the children to bed. It was because of the children that I did not go there. There was a hand that did not let me go. But the evening before I had gone to the church and met him. I had felt as if dark clouds were gathering over us. And in the last few days I had tried to spend more time with him. Over the last week I had thought only about death and about life after death. I couldn’t get my head around either the first or the second. That day my head was spinning with the words: ‘Death is standing right behind you’. The last week everything was so hard, as if a huge load had been emptied out on top of me. I am not broken. He is supporting me, I feel as if he is standing by me. Then we said so many affectionate words, which we had never said to each other in our whole life before. Only now do I understand how much we loved each other.

The memorial service for the forty days of Fr Daniel takes place on the eve of his namesday and the patronal feast of the future church, 29 December, and 30 December is the feast of the holy prophet Daniel. According to the prophecy of an elder, the church would be built but Fr Daniel would not serve in it. The second part of the prophecy has already been fulfilled.

Matushka Julia Sysoieva

And another quote....

(yes, I know two in one day!!!)

No man of himself can know what God’s love is unless he be taught of the Holy Spirit; but God’s love is known in our Church through the Holy Spirit, and so we speak of this love.

The sinful soul which does not know the Lord fears death, thinking that the Lord will not forgive her sins. But this is because the soul does not know the Lord and how greatly He loves us. But if people knew this, then no man would despair, for the Lord not only forgives but rejoices exceedingly at the return of a sinner. Though you be at death’s door, believe firmly that the moment you ask, you will receive forgiveness.

The Lord is not like us. He is passing meek, and merciful, and good; and when the soul knows Him she marvels greatly, and exclaims: ‘O what a Lord is ours!’

The Holy Spirit gave our Church to know how great is God’s mercy.

Excerpt taken from the book: St. Silouan the Athonite, By: Archimandrite Sophrony

(taken from http://theinnerkingdom.wordpress.com/2009/11/21/on-how-great-is-gods-mercy-by-st-silvanus-the-athonite/)

A quote from St. Silouan...

The heart-stirrings of a good man are good; those of a wicked person are wicked; but everyone must learn how to combat intrusive thoughts, and turn the bad into good. This is the mark of the soul that is well versed.

How does this come about, you will ask?

Here is the way of it: just as a man knows when he is cold or when he feels hot, so does the man who has experienced the Holy Spirit know when grace is in his soul, or when evil spirits approach.

The Lord gives the soul understanding to recognize His coming, and love Him and do His will. In the same way the soul recognizes thoughts which proceed from the enemy, not by their outward form but by their effect on her [the soul].

This is knowledge born of experience; and the man with no experience is easily duped by the enemy.

'Once we had chalices of clay, and hearts of gold, and now we have chalices of gold and hearts of clay.' - St. John Chrysostom

"The more I dove into Scripture, the more I realized I had been deluded.
I had grown up drinking a dangerous cocktail
— a mix of the Gospel, the Protestant work ethic, and the American dream…
The Savior I was following seemed, in hindsight,
equal parts Jesus, Ben Franklin, and Henry Ford.
My eternal value was rooted in what I could accomplish."

— Phil Vischer in "The Divine Commodity" by Skye Jethani

(taken from http://poor-commonplace.blogspot.com/)

Quote

Stole this quote from a friend. Though it was really quite powerful.

"How can I make you realize the misery of the poor? How can I make you understand that your wealth comes from their weeping?"
St. Basil the Great

Homily from a friend

Got this homily from a priest friend on the mainland. Thought it was bang on.

To all my Greek Orthodox Brethren,

Before I start, I want to convey to everyone that when I preach, I do not do it because I think I am better, more spiritual or holier than others. In fact, I hate preaching to people. However, I preach because I can see the same flaws and weaknesses I have in others. I am the same as everyone else who struggles to live a life in God. I preach because I want my fellow travellers on the Way of God to learn from me and not repeat my mistakes. I don’t want anyone to think I am talking down to them or judging them. I am simply warning them of spiritual pitfalls they may be unknowingly facing, as I faced them at one point in my life. Some pitfalls I still face. I still fall flat on my face sometimes.

So what has me so worked up that I can’t sleep at three in the morning?

I have been to enough Greek concerts in my life to get a fair idea of what happens at those events. The main theme is the artists perform and the fans listen and celebrate. I feel compelled to write this after a concert I attended just a few hours ago. The concert itself was good, and the singer’s voice was superb. The promoter did a great job. It wasn’t the quality of the show or the artist that bothered me. What bothered me was the attitude of the fans, myself included.

What I noticed first as I was sitting in my chair at the beginning of the night were all the faces I recognized from church. However, most of the people I recognized I hadn’t seen in church in almost a year. It was good seeing those people. One gentleman even said to me, “Father, I haven’t seen you in a long time, I’ve missed you.” I replied, “Well, you know where I am each Sunday.” I’ll spare you the excuses I heard.

I wasn’t trying to be rude. However, as a human being, a priest, and someone who cares about others, I do sometimes feel insulted when I am told I’ve been missed by people who haven’t stepped foot in church in a year. I miss them too, and nothing pains me more than seeing empty seats on Sundays. Now, I don’t measure my success as a priest from how many chairs I can fill. I measure my success by how many people know the faith and walk on the right path. However, if I know that all the seats at church can be filled and are empty, I am bothered. Moving along....

When the concert started, the crowd went wild. Half-way through the night, people were dancing on tables, in aisles and on the stage. Flowers were being thrown at the stage, along with dinner napkins. People were trying to get past security to be of the lucky few that were allowed on the stage. People were going crazy trying to snap fuzzy pictures of the band. Most people knew the words to all the songs by heart. The adoration on the people’s faces was clear. I truly believe that for many of the people there, it was almost, if not totally, a spiritual event.

Anyone who has seen the movie “The Ten Commandments” knows about the scene where Moses is given the Ten Commandments as the people at the foot of the mountain lose their faith and start to worship idols and give themselves over to lust. I don’t know exactly when I started thinking of that scene, but as the night progressed, that image became more vivid in my mind, to the point where I became angry. I was angry with myself, with the people there and with the whole world in general.

The person singing on the stage was just a man with an admittedly amazing voice and talent. Nevertheless, he was still just a man. However, we were showering him with flowers. People were reaching out to him trying to touch him. Others were singing along with him as they were dancing on tables. Everyone’s love, adoration and lust were focused on this man. Of the lust, all I can say is that I get upset when people feel they need to dress a certain way in order to impress or be successful. The question I have for everyone is this: Where is Christ in all of this?

If we are throwing flowers at a regular human being, what do we offer to God? Do we offer Him anything at all? We don’t throw flowers at Him, even though He is our Lord. Wait, we threw flowers at his feet once, when He entered Jerusalem (Palm Sunday). We nailed Him to a cross a week later. Instead of offering Christ flowers, we rip flowers off his Tomb on Holy Friday when we greedily attack the Epitaphio for the flowers, like those soldiers who gambled for Christ’s clothing at His crucifixion. Do we try to reach out to Christ through our prayers and a Christian life? Do we try to make him real in our lives through Holy Communion and the rest of the Sacraments? We know the words to every song that comes out, but we still don’t know the Lord’s Prayer or our Creed of Faith! We don’t even know what happens in the Divine Liturgy! Where is the love and adoration for God? When does He get his? People spent significant amounts of money to attend this concert, and yet, churches which are open every week and have no entrance fees are half empty. When the concert finishes, it will be just a memory and some pictures in people’s cameras, or maybe a signature on a picture or a CD. What Christ gives us is something more real than this world, and yet we ignore it and even refuse it. People I had never seen before came out to see this man sing. When Christ calls us to His heavenly banquet every Sunday, do we run, or do we make excuses, like that man that told me he missed me, but couldn’t come to church because he’s busy. Obviously not busy enough to stay away from a concert. But then again, that’s the issue, isn’t it? We care more about our selves and our pleasure now, than for our salvation after death.

When will we stop making excuses for ourselves? We demand Christ help us when we are in trouble, and if we don’t get the answer we want in our prayers, we say God has abandoned us and does not listen. Is our faith that weak? If yes, it is our responsibility to make it stronger. We demand of our priests to bend over backwards for us when we need them, but when it’s time to show some support to these men who are spending their days and nights worrying about us, about our problems, we forget them. We use God and our priests when we need them and throw them away the rest of the time. God calls us to His Heavenly Banquet each Sunday, but we’re “busy.” The priest calls us to church and to participate in the life of the church, but we’re “busy.” Yet, if the priest was ever “busy” and couldn’t run to us when we called him, we would call for his head to roll and we would drag his name through the mud by gossiping and condemning him.

Where is the adoration of God? Where is the excitement at the service of the Resurrection? When I left the concert at 1:30 in the morning, people were still there, having a great time and not even thinking about going home. How many nights have we spent partying and dancing? Yet, one day out of the year, when we get the chance to celebrate the Feast of Feasts, the Resurrection of Christ which is the basis of our faith, we show up at the church, stay for ten minutes to receive the Light, and take off like we are being chased. Do we know how discouraging it is for a priest to see his flock receive the light and walk away while he is reading the Gospel of the Resurrection? Imagine how Christ feels. He is, after all, fully man as well as fully God. The celebration in Heaven continues and we walk away from it. We should be ashamed of ourselves. I know I am.

We should not even call ourselves Orthodox. We carry this title like it’s a birthright, when in fact, it’s a privilege. We think because we are baptized Orthodox we are better than everyone else. We don’t realize that with baptism we are granted membership into the Body of Christ, but if we don’t maintain a proper Christian life, we cut ourselves off from the tree of life. We have the true Faith and yet others are leaps and bounds ahead of us in their spirituality and their commitment to God, but that doesn’t bother us. When the Greek soccer team wins though, watch out. We parade in the streets like it was well, Pascha. We confuse being Orthodox with being Greek, and we think that just because we speak Greek, have a Greek flag on our jacket or our car, joke around with the priest, receive Holy Communion once a year and went to Sunday School when we were children, Heaven is owed to us. Don’t we realize that God owes us absolutely nothing? I tell you, many of us will be shocked with what we will realize on our death beds and on the Last Day, the day of Judgement.

I know it’s scary to turn your back to the world and follow God. I’ve had to do it many times in my life, and I still do it, because I am imperfect and I need to repent each day. However, there comes a point in every Orthodox person’s life where he or she must realize that God is calling us, and if we don’t answer the call, if we don’t care about Him, in the end there will be nothing He will be able to do for us. God cannot save us if we reject Him.

I’m not condemning those who go to movies, concerts and different shows. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. All those things become a sin when we care more about bands, singers or actors more than we do about God. That is when we start veering away from the Way.

It’s time to set our priorities straight. I am not calling for all of us to be monks and nuns. That is a calling reserved for few. However, just because we are not monks does not mean we should not be living ascetic lives. An ascetic life is a life that fights against sin and corruption and walks in the Way of the Lord. This is a call to everyone, lay people and priests. This is a call to me. We make idols of cars, actors, musicians and the media itself, and we offer nothing to God but our indifference for Him and the occasional “Amen.” We don’t even know how to do our Cross right! What excuse will we give Him when it’s time to face Him?

If you think this does not apply to you, then I’m definitely speaking to you.

If I’m wrong in any of this, I patiently await to be proven wrong.

Prayers by the Lake

Prayers by the Lake is a book written by St Nikolai Velimirovich. While I haven't read the book, a friend referred me to a website that has the prayers on it. Thought I would post a couple of them. They are so beautifully written.

V

Just a little longer and my journey will end. Keep me on the steep path to You just a little longer, O Conqueror of death; because the higher I climb towards You, the more people try to drag me down—into their abyss. The fuller their abyss becomes, the greater their hope is of defeating You. In truth, the fuller the abyss becomes, the further away from the abyss You are.

How stupid the servants of the tree of knowledge are! They do not measure their strength in You, but in their num­bers. They do not adopt a law of justice in Your name, but by their numbers. Whichever way the majority of them choose is the way of truth and justice. The tree of knowledge has become the tree of crime, stupidity, and icy darkness.

Truly, the knowledgeable men of this world know every­thing except that they are servants of Satan. When the last day dawns, Satan will rejoice in the number of people in his harvest. All the meager ears of grain! But in his stupidity, even Satan counts on quantity rather than quality. One of Your ears of grain will be worth more than the entire harvest of Satan. For You, O Conqueror of death, rely on the fullness of the bread of life, and not on numbers.

In vain I tell the godless: "Head for the Tree of Life and you will know more than you could possibly wish to know. From the tree of knowledge Satan fashions a ladder for you to descend into the nether world."

The godless ridicule me and say: "Through the Tree of Life you want to convert us to your God, whom we do not see."

In truth, you will never see Him. The Light that even blinds the eyes of the seraphim will bum your pupils forever.

Of all that thrives in the putrescence of the earth, those who believe in God are the rarest. O lake and mountain, help me to be glad that I, too, am journeying with these most rare, most unlearned, and most despised believers.

Just a little longer, brethren, and our journey will end.

Sustain us just a little longer, O Conqueror of death.

XXVII

Your birds awaken me in the morning, and the murmur of the lake lulls me to sleep in the evening. But it is not the birds that awaken me, nor the lake that lulls me to sleep, but You, O Lord, Master of the voice.

You lend Your voice to the birds and the midnight murmur to the lake. You have lent a voice to every throat, and have put a story into every creature. I am surrounded by Your heralds, as a student by many teachers, and I listen to them tirelessly from dawn until dusk.

O Lord, Master of the voice, speak more clearly through Your heralds!

The sun speaks to me about the radiance of Your countenance, and the stars about the harmony of Your being. The sun speaks in one language, and the stars speak in a different language, but all the languages flow out of the same vocal cords. The vocal cords belong to You, and You uttered the first sound that began to tremble in the deafness and formlessness of nothingness, and it broke into countless sounds and heralds, as a thundercloud breaks into rain drops.

O Lord, Master of the voice, speak more clearly through Your heralds!

One exclamation escaped the breast of the Bride of God when She saw Your Son--a voice filled with a love that could not be contained in silence. And that exclamation echoed in the heart of Her Son, and this echo--this response to the love of His Mother--the Holy Spirit has spread with His powerful arms throughout the entire universe. Therefore, all the universe is filled with Your heralds, O my Song and my love.

O Lord, Master of the voice, speak more clearly through Your heralds!

For this reason You also spoke in parables, O Son of God, and You would explain things and events as stories about the Most High God. You cured the sick with words and raised the dead with words, for You recognized the mystery of love. And the mystery of love is a mystery of words. Through all creatures, as through piercing and blaring trumpets, words pour forth--and through words, the love of Heaven.

O Lord, Master of the voice, teach me Your love through all Your heralds.

With God's Help...

From Fr. Stephens blog (which I highly recommend) With Gods Help

With God's Help
October 2, 2009 by fatherstephen

A brother became tired of his community and the behavior of others often annoyed him. He decided, “I will go off somewhere by myself. Then I will neither talk nor listen and shall be at peace. This anger I feel will depart.” He went out into the desert and made his home in a cave.

One day he placed a water jug he had filled on the ground. It rolled over, spilling its content. He filled it again and it fell over again. When this happened the third time, he became enraged, took hold of the jug and smashed it against the rocks.

Calming down, he realized that anger had mocked him. “Here I am by myself and anger has beaten me. I will return to the community. Wherever we live, we need to work at being patient with God’s help.

+++

This story is not unlike the desert saying: “Stay in your cell and your cell will teach you everything.”

+++

Our faith is meant to be lived out in community. The calling to be a hermit is extremely rare, and only for those who so carry the life of the community within themselves that their absence only allows them greater time to pray for the community.

The community is also the most common object of our sin and the most common excuse or occasion for our sin. Love, forgiveness, kindness, sincerity – all of the virtues of community are easily the most difficult. It is common to refer to the parish Church as a “hospital.” It is, of course. This common saying can also lead to the mistaken notion that the priest is therefore the doctor and that he has some responsibility to heal us. This is a prescription for a dysfunctional parish.

The priest is a patient as much as any other parishioner. As a patient he has certain responsibilities. He extends medicine and bears witness to our confessions. He prays for our healing and counsels us as best he can. But Christ is the Great Physician. He alone heals. The cause of our disease is the broken state of our communion with Christ. In such a broken state our communion with those around us carries multiple symptoms of our illness.

Thus, we are constantly cautioned in Scripture to be patient with one another; to forgive one another; to bear one another’s burdens; to recognize the true nature of our communion with the body of Christ.

But it is the only hospital God has given us and our healing is there to be found.

His All Holiness' visit

Our Patriarch Bartholomew will be visiting North America this month. Sadly, he won't be coming to Canada, just the United States, and only four states there; New Orleans, Atlanta, New York, and Washington DC. So, if you happen to be anywhere in those states, you should check out his itinerary, and see if it coincides, because it is a rare treat to have him on our continent.

Psalm 46:10

Be still and know that I am God.

Something I've noticed through the years is that there is an absolute stillness in icons. Most art, your imagination wanders, and you start to fill in the sounds of the image, but not so with iconography. With iconography, there is a reverent stillness in the image, allowing for prayer and inner reflection.

Some announcements, and Orthodoxy in Antarctica

Some announcements:
-Our Iconostasis has arrived (finally) along with the chandaliers, chanting podium, bishops throne, and other goodies. Can hardly wait to see it when it's all put together. I'll post pics when I can.

-Sunday school (Bless group) has started. This Sunday (Sept 27th) will be the second class.

-Want to learn byzantine chant? Classes twice a month starting Sept 30 (I believe).

-We're working on getting a monthly newsletter going. I'm not talking about the schedule that goes out every few months, I'm talking about yes, a schedule, but with more, like the sunday gospel readings, articles (some that get posted here), and maybe a section for Father to write in. Nothing big to start off with, as we'll see how it goes, and if there is interest.

-Coming soon, a study group for anyone interested in learning more about their faith through a bible study. Don't know the exact date for that to start, but I'll keep you posted. It's going to be a once a month type of thing.

+ + +

Found out recently that there was an orthodox church in Antarctica. You you can truly say that there are orthodox churches in every continent! It's located on King George Island, near the Russian Research station. And apparently, the russian patriarch thought it was so important for there to be a church for the orthodox there, they sent it in pieces for them to build! As far as I know, there are two orthdox churches in Antarctica, the Russian one that I just mentioned, Trinity Church, as well as St. Ivan Rilski Chapel, which is Bulgarian Orthodox.

St. Moses the Ethiopian

Today is the feast day of Abba Moses. I'm not sure if he is really that well known, so I thought I'd put a short description of his life up here, with a link to a more in depth article if people are interested. This is from the goarch website.

Saint Moses, who is also called Moses the Black, was a slave, but because of his evil life, his master cast him out, and he became a ruthless thief, dissolute in all his ways. Later, however, coming to repentance, he converted, and took up the monastic life under Saint Isidore of Scete. He gave himself over to prayer and the mortification of the carnal mind with such diligence that he later became a priest of exemplary virtue. He was revered by all for his lofty ascetical life and for his great humility. Once the Fathers in Scete asked Moses to come to an assembly to judge the fault of a certain brother, but he refused. When they insisted, he took a basket which had a hole in it, filled it with sand, and carried it on his shoulders. When the Fathers saw him coming they asked him what the basket might mean. He answered, "My sins run out behind me, and I do not see them, and I am come this day to judge failings which are not mine." When a barbarian tribe was coming to Scete, Moses, conscious that he himself had slain other men when he was a thief, awaited them and was willingly slain by them with six other monks, at the end of the fourth century. He was a contemporary of Saint Arsenius the Great

Apolytikion in the First Tone

Thou didst prove to be a citizen of the desert, an angel in the flesh, and a wonderworker, O Moses, our God-bearing Father. By fasting, vigil, and prayer thou didst obtain heavenly gifts, and thou healest the sick and the souls of them that have recourse to thee with faith. Glory to Him that hath given thee strength. Glory to Him that hath crowned thee. Glory to Him that worketh healings for all through thee.

Kontakion in the Third Tone

O all-blest and righteous Father Moses, thou didst drive away the passions' darkness, being richly illumined with light divine; and with thy vigilant prayers, thou didst wither up the wanton pride of the flesh, and didst mount on high to the citadel above, where do thou continually entreat Christ God to grant great mercy unto us.

HERE is another article.

Part II of Fr Bohdan's article

High Heels or Hiking Boots - Part II
By Fr. Bohdan Hladio

Thank God, most clergy and faithful are good, humble, pious people trying to do their best in often difficult circumstances. Posturing, slander, backbiting, ego-centredness, self-absorption, self-exaltation and denigration of others are not part of their psychological and spiritual constitution. Such people know that they’re sinners, accept correction when they’re wrong, and know that there is always room for improvement. For them these articles have probably been helpful, though ultimately unnecessary.

If, on the other hand, you’ve read one or another of these articles and thought “This is crazy. Where does he get this stuff from? I’m fine the way I am! I don’t need this!”, then be assured that you are the person these articles have been written for.

Christ calls us to be perfect (Mt. 5:48). Regarding this commandment, C.S. Lewis writes: “The command ‘be ye perfect’ is not idealistic gas. Nor is it a command to do the impossible. He is going to make us into creatures that can obey that command. He said (in the Bible) that we were ‘gods’ and He is going to make good His words. If we let Him – for we can prevent Him, if we choose – He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a god or goddess, a dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly (though, of course, on a smaller scale) His own boundless power and delight and goodness. The process will be long and in parts very painful, but that is what we are in for. Nothing less. He meant what He said.” (Mere Christianity).

Though we won’t achieve this perfection here on earth, if we don’t start here we won’t achieve it at all. Our entire “podvih” (spiritual struggle) – our prayers, worship, fasting, deeds of mercy, spiritual reading, etc. – doesn’t so much draw us close to God as open the door so that God might draw close to us. They help us overcome the obstacles between ourselves and God, to “not prevent God from making good on His words”, as C.S. Lewis puts it. Our spiritual discipline and fulfilling of the commandments cleans and polishes the image of God within us, so that He can see Himself clearly in us, and find in our hearts a worthy dwelling place.

All our Christian actions – the “talk” we are called to walk – are ultimately rooted in two fundamental realities; Love for God, and a firm desire to do His will.

These realities are poignantly brought out in a beautiful story from the life of St. Herman of Alaska: “Once the elder was invited on board a frigate that had come from St. Petersburg. The captain of the frigate was a man quite learned, highly educated; he had been sent to America by imperial command to inspect all the colonies. With the captain were some 25 officers, likewise educated men. In this company there sat a desert dwelling monk of small stature, in an old garment, who by his wise conversation brought all his listeners to such a state that they did not know how to answer him. The captain himself related: ‘We were speechless, fools before him!’ Father Herman gave them all one common question: ‘What do you, gentlemen, love above all, and what would each of you wish for his happiness?’ Diverse answers came out. One desired wealth, one glory, one a beautiful wife, one a fine ship which he should command, and so on in this fashion. ‘Is it not true,’ said Father Herman at this, ‘that all your various desires can be reduced to one – that each of you desires that which, in his understanding, he considers best and most worthy of love?’ ‘Yes, it is so,’ they all replied. ‘Well, then, tell me’ he continued, ‘can there be anything better, higher above everything, more surpassing everything and in general more worthy of love, than our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, Who created us, adorned with such perfections, gave life to all, supports all, nourishes and loves all, Who Himself is love and more excellent than all men? Should one not therefore high above all love God, and more than all desire and seek Him?’ All began to say: ‘Well, yes! That is understood!’ ‘That speaks for itself!’

‘And do you love God?’ the Elder then asked. All replied ‘Of course, we love God. How can one not love God?’ ‘And I, sinful one, for more than forty years have been striving to love God, and cannot say that I perfectly love Him,’ answered Father Herman; and he began to show how one should love God. ‘If we love someone,’ he said ‘we always think of him, strive to please him, day and night our heart is occupied with this subject. Is it thus that you, gentlemen, love God? Do you often turn to Him, do you always think of Him, do you always pray to Him and fulfill His holy commandments?’ It had to be acknowledged that they did not! ‘For our good, for our happiness’ concluded the Elder, ‘at least let us make a promise to ourselves, that from this day, from this hour, from this minute we shall strive to love God above all, and fulfill His holy will!” (St. Herman, St. Herman Press, 1989).

Amen!

Interesting Article (somewhat long...) part I

High Heels or Hiking Boots (Part I)
By Fr. Bohdan Hladio

People attend Church for many reasons—some because they love God; others because they truly believe in the teachings of the Bible, Fathers, and Saints; still others because they understand the need for worship, community, the sacraments,etc. Some "do the right thing for the wrong reason"—they affiliate themselves with a Church,but strictly for reasons of culture, ethnicity, identity, language, music, art, ideology, nostalgia, or even to "lord it over" others by serving on council, in the altar, or as clergymen.

We belong to a Church and confess a faith which can positively influence our world, our communities, and our earthly lives. Ultimately, however, the only truly meaningful reason to confess the Orthodox Christian faith is because through it we are given the opportunity to experience resurrection to eternal life and the unending delight of God’s presence.

This Faith has been passed down to us by devout forebears who for the most part weren’t theologians, or philosophers, or great saints, just simple, pious people who believed in God, trusted His word, said their prayers, went to Church, and tried to follow His commandments.

It’s no secret that nowadays many Churches are losing members. Some individuals and ecclesiastical bodies attempt to respond to this challenge in a "modern" or "progressive" way, by drafting "vision statements", "mission statements" and "strategic plans", all hammered out and approved by "the membership" with the expectation that the existence of such statements and documents will somehow solve the problems which led to the decline in the first place.

While certain aspects of corporate business administration can be successfully integrated into certain aspects of Church life, the most important thing necessary for the Church to prosper is simply that the Church be the Church. Our "vision statement" is the Gospel. Anyone can easily obtain a copy of the New Testament at their local book store. What do we find written therein?
"If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. . . for this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments" [I Jn. 4:20-21, 5:3].
"If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?" [James 2: 15-16]
"Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you" [Mt. 5:44].

If an atheist, or a communist, or a humanist were to read these words and then look objectively at my life, or the life of my parish or diocese, would s/he perceive congruence between the teaching of Christ and our conduct, or simply be struck by a feeling of cognitive dissonance?

The Church’s mission statement is found in the 28th chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…" [Mt. 28:19-20]. This three-fold mission—evangelizing, sanctifying, and educating—is impossible if we, the members of the Church, are not "walking the talk". We’ll certainly have no possibility whatsoever of convincing others (first and foremost our children!) to observe Christ’s commandments if we’re not observing them ourselves. Our strategic plan consists of nothing more than living a pious life—going to Church, saying our prayers, remembering God, and observing His commandments.

Orthodox Christians don’t believe in "religion" understood as a human construct consisting of rituals, doctrines, and practices intended to help us find meaning in our lives. We believe in Truth. We believe in God. We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the second person of the Holy Trinity, the Saviour of mankind, the "Lord’s Christ", the Messiah who took upon Himself the sins of the world—our sins. We unite ourselves to Him in His suffering for us in order that we might, having died with Him, be raised with Him. We believe that the Church is Christ’s body here on earth, the ark of salvation which nurtures us and leads us into the Heavenly Kingdom. Everything we do in our corporate and communal life should be rooted in and guided by these convictions. Now step back for a moment and consider everything which has been presented in this column over the past eleven months—prayer, fasting, almsgiving, morality, worship, participation in the Holy Mysteries, etc.—and consider how closely it approximates the reality of your life, your parish and your diocese. Common sense dictates that we should always try to do the right thing for the right reason. When we don’t, we always cause confusion, conflict, and chaos. This series of articles was motivated by experiences I and others have had with people who, while claiming to believe in Christ, act and speak ways which make you scratch your head and wonder how someone who does or says such things can claim to believe in God at all. After witnessing such conduct it would be easy to conclude that "if this is the result of Christian teaching I don’t want any part of it!”

Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.
(Hebrews 13:1-3 KJV)

Fasting, and the Dormition of the Theotokos

We are entering yet another fasting period, this time for the Dormition of the Theotokos (or what some Catholics call the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. If you are interested in reading about the fast period, and why we fast, HERE is a good article from good old OrthodoxWiki.


And since I really love quotes, here is one about fasting, which I figured was appropriate, since we are in a fasting period;

There are both a physical and a spiritual fast. The body abstains from food and drink. Spiritually, the faster abstains from evil intentions, words, and deeds. One who truly fasts abstains from anger, rage, malice, and vengeance and from idle and foul talk, empty rhetoric, slander, condemnation, flattery, lying and all manner of spiteful talk. In a word, a real faster is one who withdraws from all evil.
-St. Basil the Great

The age of martyrs

It's really easy to think that the age of martyrs was something of the past, when really, there are people that martyr on a daily basis. I was reading something on facebook, and came across these three martyrs of Optyna; Hieromonk Vasily, Monk Ferapont, and Monk Trophim, who were martyred by a satanist on Pascha in 1993. Read these articles: New Martyrs of Optina Pustyn, and Optyna Martyrs. It's important to read and learn about the martyrs of our time, as well as those from the past.

May their memory be Eternal.

Quote I found lying around..

Do you wish to be great? Then begin by being. Do you desire to construct a vast and lofty fabric? Think first about the foundations of humanity. The higher your structure is to be, the deeper must be it's foundation.
St. Augustine

Martyr Evgeny Rodionov

So I was looking at some iconography online, and I came across this one saint (or rather, I don't think he's been canonized yet, as he is really recent). He is called Martyr Evgeny Rodionov, and he was a Russian soldier in Chechnya who was beheaded because he would not convert to Islam, and would not remove his cross. Had been captured by the Cheschnyan soldiers, and was executed on his 19th birthday. I'm more than likely not doing him justice with his story, so check this link out. Because he is quite recent (I believe he martyred in 1996) there are photo's of him, just like Mother Maria Skobtsoba. It's like getting a window into a saints life, to see what they actually looked like.

When we were at a monestary when Fr and I were at the Byzantine music workshop, we had the privlage to venerate some relics that they had there (and there were some really big saints, like St. John of Damascus, St. George, the 40 Martyrs of Sabaste to name a few) and it struck me, especially looking at the bones of some of they 40 Martyrs of Sabaste, that these were real people. We forget that the saints lived and breathed as we did, and we're alive like we are. It's really easy to forget their humanity and they were real people, not just characters of legends and stories.

Music

When, indeed, the Holy Spirit saw that the human race was guided only with difficulty toward virtue, and that, because of our inclination toward pleasure, we were neglectful of an upright life, what did He do? The delight of the melody He mingled with the doctrines so that by the pleasantness and softness of the sound heard, we might receive without perceiving it the benefits of the words, just as wise physicians who, with giving the fastidious rather bitter drugs to drink, frequently smear the cup with honey. Therefore, He devised for is these harmonious melodies of the psalms, that they who are children in age, or even those who are youthful in disposition, might to all appearances chant, but in reality, become trained in soul.
-St. Basil the Great

Mother Maria

Since I'm on such a Mother Maria kick, I thought I'd post more quotes from her. She really is fantastic. A true theologian.

If you didn't read about her life, she was martyred for helping the Jewish people.

“There is no such thing as a Christian problem.
Don’t you realize that the battle is being waged
against Christianity? If we were true Christians
we would all wear the Star. The age of confessors
has arrived.” - Mother Maria


It amazes me, this quote. Imagine what would have happened if people had actually done this.

And even when she knew that the Gestapo were having her under surveillance, this quote is from her diary when asked why she wouldn't give up;

"There is one moment when you start burning with love and you have the inner desire to throw yourself at the feet of some other human being. This one moment is enough. Immediately you know that instead of losing you life, it is being given back to you twofold."

New Location

So, I have re-done this blog a bit, changing the name, though I will keep the content (and try to import the old blog here) so that the content stays the same. Much of the content will be the same, though you might get more of my thoughts and feelings about various things, church fathers, etc. Hopefully it will still be interesting!

And since you must know that I just absolutely love quotes, here is one from Mother Maria Skobtsova (who if you don't know who she is, google her. Or better yet, read this. She is excellent. One of my favorite saints.

"We like it when the “churching” of life is discussed, but few people understand what it means. Indeed, must we attend all the church services in order to “church” our life? Or hang an icon in every room and burn an icon-lamp in front of it? No, the “churching of life” is the realization of the whole world as one great church, adorned with icons—persons who should be venerated, honored, and loved, because these icons are true images of God that have the holiness of the Living God within them.

We cannot see the Church as a sort of aesthetic perfection and limit ourselves to aesthetic swooning. Our God-given freedom calls us to activity and struggle. And it would be a great lie to tell searching souls: “Go to church, because there you will find peace.” The opposite is true. She tells those who are at peace and asleep: “Go to church, because there you will feel real anguish for your sins, for your perdition, for the world’s sins and perdition. There you will feel an unappeasable hunger for Christ’s truth. There, instead of becoming lukewarm, you will be set on fire; instead of pacified, you will become alarmed; instead of learning the wisdom of this world you will become fools for Christ.”