New Beginnings

I am trying to re-vamp this site, so stay tuned for more posts!  Check out the different pages for information about our community, service times, and various upcoming events!

Wonderful quote from CS Lewis

I found this quote, and thought it tied in wonderfully into last nights gospel reading (at the second bridegroom service).

"And secondly, we might try to understand exactly what loving your neighbour as yourself means. I have to love him as I love myself. Well, how exactly do I love myself?

Now that I come to think of it, I have not exactly got a feeling of fondness or affection for myself, and I do not even always enjoy my own society. So apparently 'Love your neighbour' does not mean 'feel fond of him' or 'find him attractive'. I ought to have seen that before, because, of course, you cannot feel fond of a person by trying. Do I think well of myself, think myself a nice chap? Well, I am afraid I sometimes do (and those are, no doubt, my worst moments) but that is not why I love myself. In fact it is the other way round: my self-love makes me think myself nice, but thinking myself nice is not why I love myself. So loving my, enemies does not apparently mean thinking them nice either.

That is an enormous relief. For a good many people imagine that forgiving your enemies means making out that they are really not such bad fellows after all, when it is quite plain that they are. Go a step further. In my most clear-sighted moments not only do I not think myself a nice man, but I know that I am a very nasty one. I can look at some of the things I have done with horror and loathing. So apparently I am allowed to loathe and hate some of the things my enemies do. Now that I come to think of it, I remember Christian teachers telling me long ago that I must hate a bad man's actions, but not hate the bad man: or, as they would say, hate the sin but not the sinner.

For a long time I used to think this a silly, straw-splitting distinction: how could you hate what a man did and not hate the man? But years later it occurred to me that there was one man to whom I had been doing this all my life - namely myself. However much I might dislike my own cowardice or conceit or greed, I went on loving myself. There had never been the slightest difficulty about it. In fact the very reason why I hated the things was that I loved the man. Just because I loved myself, I was sorry to find that I was the sort of man who did those things.

Consequently, Christianity does not want us to reduce by one atom the hatred we feel for cruelty and treachery. We ought to hate them. Not one word of what we have said about them needs to be unsaid. But it does want us to hate them in the same way in which we hate things in ourselves: being sorry that the man should have done such things, and hoping, if it is anyway possible, that somehow, sometime, somewhere he can be cured and made human again."

-- CS Lewis

St. Patrick of Ireland

This prayer is called the Lorica of Saint Patrick, or the Breastplate of Saint Patrick (Lorica being latin for breastplate). Since today is St. Patrick's day, I thought it would be fitting to have something of his here, because it has been forgotten that he is an Orthodox saint, and not just a figurehead for Ireland and for drinking. He is best known for comparing the trinity to the three leaf clover.
The tradition of this prayer (the Lorica of St. Patrick) is that he and his followers used this prayer to protect them from those that wanted to kill them as they travelled across Ireland. It is also known as the Deer's Cry (or Fáed Fíada in irish gaelic) because it is said that Patrick and his followers appeared as deer to his enemies, so they did not see him.
(from http://orthodoxwiki.org/Patrick_of_Ireland)
Lorica of Saint Patrick
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth and His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection and His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In preachings of the apostles,
In faiths of confessors,
In innocence of virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;
Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of the wind,
Depth of the sea,
Stability of the earth,
Firmness of the rock.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me;
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's hosts to save me
From snares of the devil,
From temptations of vices,
From every one who desires me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a mulitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and evil,
Against every cruel merciless power that opposes my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of women and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.
Christ shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that reward may come to me in abundance.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through a confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation

St. Patrick (ca. 377)

Sunday of Orthodoxy

(This is rather a long post, but it is what Fr. Kosta read for his homily this past Sunday, the Sunday of Orthodoxy)

Prot. No. 213 Patriarchal and Synodal Encyclical On the Sunday of Orthodoxy (February 21, 2010) BARTHOLOMEW By God’s Grace Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch

To the Fullness of the Church, Grace and Peace From our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Our most holy Orthodox Church today commemorates its own feast day, and – from this historical and martyric See of the Ecumenical Patriarchate – the Mother Church of Constantinople directs its blessing, love and concern to all of its faithful and dedicated spiritual children throughout the world, inviting them to concelebrate in prayer. Blessed be the name of the Lord! Those who endeavored over the ages to suppress the Church through various visible and invisible persecutions; those who sought to falsify the Church with their heretical teachings; those who wanted to silence the Church, depriving it of its voice and witness; they all proved unsuccessful. The clouds of Martyrs, the tears of the Ascetics, and the prayers of the Saints protect the Church spiritually, while the Comforter and Spirit of Truth leads it to the fullness of truth. With a sense of duty and responsibility, despite its hurdles and problems, as the First- Throne Church of Orthodoxy, the Ecumenical Patriarchate cares about protecting and establishing the unity of the Orthodox Church, in order that with one voice and in one heart we may confess the Orthodox faith of our Fathers in every age and even in our times. For, Orthodoxy is not a museum treasure that must be preserved; it is a breath of life that must be transmitted and invigorate all people. Orthodoxy is always contemporary, so long as we promote it with humility and interpret it in light of the existential quests and needs of humanity in each historical period and cultural circumstance. To this purpose, Orthodoxy must be in constant dialogue with the world. The Orthodox Church does not fear dialogue because truth is not afraid of dialogue. On the contrary, if Or- thodoxy is enclosed within itself and not in dialogue with those outside, it will both fail in its mission and no longer be the “catholic” and “ecumenical” Church. Instead, it will become an introverted and self-contained group, a “ghetto” on the margins of history. This is why the great Fathers of the Church never feared dialogue with the spiritual culture of their age – indeed even with the pagan idolaters and philosophers of their world – thereby influencing and transforming the civilization of their time and offering us a truly ecumenical Church. Today, Orthodoxy is called to continue this dialogue with the outside world in order to provide a witness and the life-giving breath of its faith. However, this dialogue cannot reach the outside world unless it first passes through all those that bear the Christian name. Thus, we must first converse as Christians among ourselves in order to resolve our differences, in order that our witness to the outside world may be credible. Our endeavors for the union of all Christians is the will and command of our Lord, who before His Passion prayed to His Father “that all [namely,
His disciples] may be one, so that the world may believe that You sent me.” (John 17.21) It is not possible for the Lord to agonize over the unity of His disciples and for us to remain indifferent about the unity of all Christians. This would constitute criminal betrayal and transgression of His divine commandment. It is precisely for these reasons that, with the mutual agreement and participation of all local Orthodox Churches, the Ecumenical Patriarchate has for many decades conducted official Pan-orthodox theological dialogues with the larger Christian Churches and Confessions. The aim of these dialogues is, in a spirit of love, to discuss whatever divides Christians both in terms of faith as well as in terms of the organization and life of the Church. These dialogues, together with every effort for peaceful and fraternal relations of the Orthodox Church with other Christians, are unfortunately challenged today in an unacceptably fanatical way – at least by the standards of a genuinely Orthodox ethos – by certain circles that exclusively claim for themselves the title of zealot and defender of Orthodoxy. As if all the Patriarchs and Sacred Synods of the Orthodox Churches throughout the world, who unanimously decided on and continue to support these dialogues, were not Orthodox. Yet, these opponents of every effort for the restoration of unity among Christians raise themselves above Episcopal Synods of the Church to the dangerous point of creating schisms within the Church. In their polemical argumentation, these critics of the restoration of unity among Christians do not even hesitate to distort reality in order to deceive and arouse the faithful. Thus, they are silent about the fact that theological dialogues are conducted by unanimous decision of all Orthodox Churches, instead attacking the Ecumenical Patriarchate alone. They disseminate false rumors that union between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches is imminent, while they know well that the differences discussed in these theological dialogues remain numerous and require lengthy debate; moreover, union is not decided by theological commissions but by Church Synods. They assert that the Pope will supposedly subjugate the Orthodox, because they latter submit to dialogue with the Roman Catholics! They condemn those who conduct these dialogues as allegedly “heretics” and “traitors” of Orthodoxy, purely and simply because they converse with non-Orthodox, with whom they share the treasure and truth of our Orthodox faith. They speak condescendingly of every effort for reconciliation among divided Christians and restoration of their unity as purportedly being “the pan-heresy of ecumenism” without providing the slightest evidence that, in its contacts with non-Orthodox, the Orthodox Church has abandoned or denied the doctrines of the Ecumenical Councils and of the Church Fathers. Beloved children in the Lord, Orthodoxy has no need of either fanaticism or bigotry to protect itself. Whoever believes that Orthodoxy has the truth does not fear dialogue, because truth has never been endangered by dialogue. By contrast, when in our day all people strive to resolve their differences through dialogue, Orthodoxy cannot proceed with intolerance and extremism. You should have utmost confidence in your Mother Church. For the Mother Church has over the ages preserved and transmitted Orthodoxy even to other nations. And today, the Mother Church is struggling amid difficult circumstances to maintain Orthodoxy vibrant and venerable throughout the world. From the Ecumenical Patriarchate, this sacred Center of Orthodoxy, we embrace all of you lovingly and bless you paternally, praying that you may journey in health through the holy period of contrition and asceticism known as Holy and Great Lent in order that you may become worthy of celebrating the pure Passion and glorious Resurrection of our Savior Lord with all faithful Orthodox Christians throughout the world.

Sunday of Orthodoxy 2010 + Bartholomew of Constantinople

Forgiveness Sunday

Forgiveness Sunday

In the Orthodox Church, the last Sunday before Great Lent – the day on which, at Vespers, Lent is liturgically announced and inaugurated – is called Forgiveness Sunday. On the morning of that Sunday, at the Divine Liturgy, we hear the words of Christ:

"If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses..." (Mark 6:14-15)

Then after Vespers – after hearing the announcement of Lent in the Great Prokeimenon: "Turn not away Thy face from Thy child for I am afflicted! Hear me speedily! Draw near unto my soul and deliver it!", after making our entrance into Lenten worship, with its special memories, with the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian, with its prostrations – we ask forgiveness from each other, we perform the rite of forgiveness and reconciliation. And as we approach each other with words of reconciliation, the choir intones the Paschal hymns, filling the church with the anticipation of Paschal joy.

What is the meaning of this rite? Why is it that the Church wants us to begin Lenten season with forgiveness and reconciliation? These questions are in order because for too many people Lent means primarily, and almost exclusively, a change of diet, the compliance with ecclesiastical regulations concerning fasting. They understand fasting as an end in itself, as a "good deed" required by God and carrying in itself its merit and its reward. But, the Church spares no effort in revealing to us that fasting is but a means, one among many, towards a higher goal: the spiritual renewal of man, his return to God, true repentance and, therefore, true reconciliation. The Church spares no effort in warning us against a hypocritical and pharisaic fasting, against the reduction of religion to mere external obligations. As a Lenten hymn says:

In vain do you rejoice in no eating, O soul!

For you abstain from food,

But from passions you are not purified.

If you persevere in sin, you will perform a useless fast.

Now, forgiveness stands at the very center of Christian faith and of Christian life because Christianity itself is, above all, the religion of forgiveness. God forgives us, and His forgiveness is in Christ, His Son, Whom He sends to us, so that by sharing in His humanity we may share in His love and be truly reconciled with God. Indeed, Christianity has no other content but love. And it is primarily the renewal of that love, a return to it, a growth in it, that we seek in Great Lent, in fasting and prayer, in the entire spirit and the entire effort of that season. Thus, truly forgiveness is both the beginning of, and the proper condition for the Lenten season.

One may ask, however: Why should I perform this rite when I have no "enemies"? Why should I ask forgiveness from people who have done nothing to me, and whom I hardly know? To ask these questions, is to misunderstand the Orthodox teaching concerning forgiveness. It is true, that open enmity, personal hatred, real animosity may be absent from our life, though if we experience them, it may be easier for us to repent, for these feelings openly contradict Divine commandments. But, the Church reveals to us that there are much subtler ways of offending Divine Love. These are indifference, selfishness, lack of interest in other people, of any real concern for them -- in short, that wall which we usually erect around ourselves, thinking that by being "polite" and "friendly" we fulfill God’s commandments. The rite of forgiveness is so important precisely because it makes us realize – be it only for one minute – that our entire relationship to other men is wrong, makes us experience that encounter of one child of God with another, of one person created by God with another, makes us feel that mutual "recognition" which is so terribly lacking in our cold and dehumanized world.

On that unique evening, listening to the joyful Paschal hymns we are called to make a spiritual discovery: to taste of another mode of life and relationship with people, of life whose essence is love. We can discover that always and everywhere Christ, the Divine Love Himself, stands in the midst of us, transforming our mutual alienation into brotherhood. As l advance towards the other, as the other comes to me – we begin to realize that it is Christ Who brings us together by His love for both of us.

And because we make this discovery – and because this discovery is that of the Kingdom of God itself: the Kingdom of Peace and Love, of reconciliation with God and, in Him, with all that exists – we hear the hymns of that Feast, which once a year, "opens to us the doors of Paradise." We know why we shall fast and pray, what we shall seek during the long Lenten pilgrimage. Forgiveness Sunday: the day on which we acquire the power to make our fasting – true fasting; our effort – true effort; our reconciliation with God – true reconciliation.

Father Alexander Schmemann

****************************************

Wishing everyone a blessed Lent!

St. Nikolai Velimirovic on the world economic crisis (this is from the 1929 letter to priest K.)

I found this on facebook of all places. I am "friends" with this wonderful bishop on facebook, and he posted this a few days ago. It is written by St. Nikolai Velimirovic (who wrote Prayers by the Lake), and I am amazed at how relevant it is today. Remember, it was written in 1929.

* * * * * * *

You are asking me, man of God, about the reason and meaning of the present crisis. Who am I that you ask me about this great mystery? "Speak if you have something greater than silence," said St. Gregory the Theologian. And although I find that presently silence is higher than any word, I will, out of love for you, write what I think about this question.

"Crisis" is a Greek word, and in translation it means "judgment". In the Holy Scripture the word "judgment" is used many times. We read in the Psalms, Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment (Ps. 1:5). Later again, I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing. (Ps. 101:1). The wise king Solomon writes that the judgment will come to everyone from the Lord (Proverbs 29:26). The Savior himself said, "For the Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment unto the Son." (John 5:22). Apostol Peter writes, "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God" (1 Pet. 4:17).

Replace the word "judgment" with the word "crisis" and read, "I will sing of mercy and crisis", "Crisis will come to everyone from the Lord", "The Father committed all crisis unto the Son", "For the time is come that crisis must begin at the house of God".

Previously the Europeans, when some trouble befell them, used the word "judgment" instead of the word "crisis". These days the word "judgment" is replaced with the word "crisis", a clear word with one less clear. The drought would come, people would say, "God's judgment!", flood - "God's judgment!". A war or epidemic would start, "God's judgment!", earthquakes, locust, other trials, always the same - "God's judgment!" Therefore, crisis is because of the drought, because of the flood, of the wars and epidemics. And people see the present financial, economic catastrophe as God's judgment, but they call it "crisis" rather than "judgment". So that the trouble would increase from lack of reason! Because when the clear word "judgment" was said, the reason that led to the trouble was clear, and the Judge who allowed the trouble was known, and so was the purpose for which the trouble was allowed. But after replacing the word "judgment" with the word "crisis", which is unclear for the most, no one can explain why it is, from whom, and for what. And this is the only thing in which this crisis differs from the crisis that happens from drought and flood, war or epidemic, locust or other tribulation.

You are asking about the reason of today's crisis, or God's judgment? The reason is always the same. The reason for all droughts, floods, epidemics and other troubles is the same as of today's crisis - the falling away from God. The sin of falling away from God has resulted in this crisis as well, and the Lord allowed it so as to wake people, sober them, so that they would repent and come back to him. The crisis is commensurate to sins. And truly, the Lord used modern means to teach modern people: he struck the banks, the stock exchanges, the entire financial system. He overturned the tables of money-lenders just as he once did in the temple in Jerusalem. He created an unprecedented panic between merchants and money-lenders. Stirred up, brought down, mixed up, confused, bestowed fear. And all that so that proud European and American wise men would wake up, repent, remember God. So that they who are anchored in the haven of material comfort would remember their souls, acknowledge their trespassings and bow down before God the Highest, the living God.

How long will the crisis last? Until the proud culprits acknowledge the victory of the All-Powerful. Until the people would realize that they have to translate the unclear word "crisis" into their native language and would exclaim with the repentant sigh, "God's judgment!"

Therefore you, honest Father, should also call "crisis" "God's judgment", and you will understand everything.

Greetings to you and Lord's peace!

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.

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

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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.