Welcome to Saint Herman's, Hudson, Ohio

This blog is a partial compilation of the messages, texts, readings, and prayers from our small community. We pray that it will be used by our own people, to their edification. And if you happen by and are inclined to read, give the glory to God!

The blog title, "Will He Find Faith on the Earth?" is from Luke 18:8, the "Parable of the Persistent Widow." It overlays the icon of the Last Judgment, an historical event detailed in Matthew Chapter 25, for which we wait as we pray in the Nicean Creed.

We serve the Holy Orthodox cycle of services in contemporary English. Under the omophorion of His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph of the Bulgarian Patriarchal Diocese of the USA, Canada and Australia, we worship at 5107 Darrow Road in Hudson, Ohio (44236). If you are in the area, please join us for worship!

Regular services include:
Sunday Divine Liturgy 10AM (Sept 1 - May 31)
930AM (June 1 - Aug 31)
Vespers each Saturday 6PM

We pray that you might join us for as many of these services as possible! We are open, and we welcome inside the Church all visitors. See our Parish web page:

Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Jesus' "High Priestly Prayer"

 [Article from Sunday, 28May23]

Today we commemorate the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council.  As we do so, the Holy Church gifts to us today’s Gospel reading, which is the Lord’s “High Priestly Prayer” from the Gospel of St. John, Chapter 17.

There are a couple of “Why’s?” that you are likely to be asking.

Number one—Why is this passage referred to as the Lord’s High Priestly Prayer?  In John 14, Jesus begins to teach His beloved Apostles what is about to happen.  He tells them plainly about His departure, that they “know the way” to where He is going, and He blesses them, granting peace.  In Chapter 15 He teaches them to “remain in Him”, to love one another, and that the world would hate them, as it hated Him.  In Chapter 16 He promises them that the Holy Spirit will come to them, “to guide you in all truth.”

It is in Chapter 17 that the High Priestly Prayer takes place.  St. John makes it abundantly clear that this IS prayer by beginning the chapter with the words, “Jesus spoke these words, lifted His eyes to heaven, and said…”

Within the prayer, the Lord prays that the Father will glorify Him, that in so doing He may glorify the Father.  He prays for eternal life for those who have followed Him.  He attests to the Father that these men have in fact “believed that You sent Me.”  He says clearly, “I pray for them,” and then asks the Father to keep them, not in an earthly fashion, but a heavenly one, “that they may be one as We are one.”  This is a prayer for ultimate unity for mankind through the Holy Trinity!

Number two—Why is this passage selected on a day that commemorates the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council?

There are so many connections between our Lord’s High Priestly Prayer and the continuation, the eternal support of His Bride, the Church, that they cannot be ignored.

Perhaps some of these, not being stated with specificity, might be ignored in such a review, but when pondering the Lord’s more eternal meaning, they become obvious.

Verse 8:  “I have given them the words which You have given Me; and they received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You.”

Verse 11:  “Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You.  Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as we are one.”

Verse 15: “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.”

Verse 17: "Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your word is truth."

Verse 20: "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;”

Verse 21: “that they may all be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they may also be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”

The Holy Church was under attack by those who would pervert the faith, teaching heresy about the person of Jesus Christ.  His Body, His Bride, the Church, needed the unity and spiritual guidance that this prayer, prayed centuries before, would bring to preserve His Church—for all time.  The Apolytikion from Vespers says it this way:

Come you assemblies of Orthodoxy, celebrating with worship and faith the feast of the Holy Fathers.  They came to Nicea from throughout the world, and in their wisdom and piety they refuted Arius, dispelling the impious belief which he invented.  They banished him by decree of the Council of the Holy Catholic Church, teaching all to confess that Christ is the Son of God, consubstantial and coeternal with the Father before eternity, accurately defining the Canon of Faith.  Let us follow their divine doctrines and worship Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Trinity on in essence, and undivided!

Christ is Ascended!!!

Wednesday, May 24, 2023

Our Father

Christ is Risen!

We are blessed to have access to many very profitable Orthodox publications via the Internet.

For some time now, we've been a recipient of a daily e-mail service entitled "Orthodox Quote of the Day."  A young man named Adam publishes the service, and within it is a daily quote from one of the Holy Fathers, to boost us all spiritually.  His side purpose in publishing the information is to request donations for building a church at Holy Cross Monastery in West Virginia.  If you're moved to donate, you can do so here:

https://www.holycross.org/pages/new-church?ref=oqotd

In this day's mailing was a quote from Metropolitan Gregory (Postnikov) of St. Petersburg.  Please read carefully his instructive words to us:

[On the Lord's Prayer] if God is the Father of every human, then there is no doubt that every man, whoever he may be, is my brother, and every woman or girl is my sister; con­sequently I behaved very foolishly if I treated some people as strangers, and did not find them deserving of even a glance or word , or considered them the kind of people to whom I do not owe any love. I acted very foolishly, and I must correct myself, otherwise I must not dare to pray using this Lord's Prayer, and therefore, must not consider myself as belonging to the number of true children of the Father God.

Operative words for a sinful priest?

I acted very foolishly.

I must correct myself.

I dare not pray the Lord's Prayer until I correct myself.

Perhaps you're thinking the same thing.  It's fascinating that we have such words (the text of the Lord's Prayer) as part of the fabric of who we are as Christians, and yet we so very seldom pause to ponder exactly what we're saying, what we're praying, and the obvious implications (obvious - once pointed out to us by someone with such clear vision as Metropolitan Gregory) of how we're "mouthing" the words with our tongues, but not "meaning" the words with our hearts!  How many times in each day do we pray the Lord's Prayer, and still not have it change us???

Thank you, Adam, for your ministry.  Today is just one example of how your efforts impact those of us out here who read them daily!

In our Risen Lord,

FrB

Sermon - Sunday of the Blind Man


 

Monday, May 1, 2023

Sermon - Sunday of Myrrhbearing Women



Thought for the Day

I know that we just posted this piece on our Facebook page (01May23), but it is SO very important to our times that we MUST place it here as well, for those who do not see the above referenced posts.

For those on Facebook, forgive the "double view".

Sin has become fashionable today.... But the worst thing is that today's people are infatuated with sin, and when they see someone who does not follow the spirit of the time, does not sin, or has a little piety, they call him a retrograde. Such people are offended by the fact that someone does not sin. They consider sin a sign of progress. That is the wors thing of all. Had the contemporary sinful people at least recognized their sin, God would have pardoned them. But they exonerate the things that cannot be exonerated and sing praises to the sin. Sin being considered as progress and morality as obsolete is, among other things, the worst blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Therefore, if someone who lives in the world struggles to keep his life clean, it is of great value. Such people will receive great reward.

- St. Paisios of Mt. Athos