A Few Thoughts on Prayer

"You remember how you were taught to write.  Your mother put a pencil in your hand, took your hand in hers, and began to move it.  Since you did not know at all what she meant to do, you left your hand completely free in hers.  This is like the power of God in our lives."  (Metropolitan Anthony Bloom)

There are times in our lives (each of us) when we find ourselves confused, or lost, or sorrowful, or in despair, or any of a thousand other human conditions that would not exist if we didn't live in a fallen world and amongst our own sins.

When we are in such states, too often we turn to prayer is a manner that is not consistent with our Lord's teaching.  Perhaps we fall short of issuing demands to God (the ever-poignant "Give me patience and give it to me now!"), but we nonetheless pray with a singular focus that is self-centered.  Our words in some fashion lead us to a place of first-personness in our prayer.  "I need (this)."  "Lord, grant that I may receive (that)."  "Father, help ME by providing (something)."

The I/ME/MY portions of prayers are not totally what's at fault here.  It's true that The Lord's Prayer gives us direction to consider the first-person plural ("Give US this day our daily bread..." , or "forgive US OUR trespasses as WE forgive THOSE...").  Rather, it's the lack of focus on, "Lord, teach me to do Your will," and "Open my heart to receive and accept the path You would have me take."

When our prayers are offered, we need to know that they are always heard and always answered.  God's answers are not always aligned with our pleas, but He DOES answer.  In turn, WE need to listen and to find His answers in what results from our prayer.

For all who offer your prayers hoping for answers consistent with your pleas, do not stop!  Redouble your efforts to pray.  Continue to ask for what you, in your heart guided by the Holy Spirit, believe to be in your best interests (SPIRITUALLY, that is).  And then, live as though you know (not just believe) that your prayer is being answered.

Metropolitan Anthony again teaches, "A prayer makes sense only if it is lived."

Patron Saints

Today, 09 August, is a day on which we commemorate the "glorification" of our parish's patron saint, Saint Herman of Alaska.  It is an auspicious day in that we remember this glorification, or "canonization" in some uses, on this date in 1970, now 47 years ago.

Over a year earlier (on 13 March 1969), the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America issued an address concerning Father Herman, speaking to his holy life, his labors for the Church, and of the intention to canonize him on the following year's 09 August.

For us, who call ourselves his spiritual children, we are familiar with his life.  We know of his incredible journey from Valaam to Alaska.  We know of his life spent defending the native Americans, of working to heal them during times of epidemic, of establishing schools and orphanages to care for the children, of working miraculous deeds in defending them from tsunami and fire.  We know of his shortness of stature, and of his incredible physical strength.  We know of his humility (for some sought to ordain him to the Holy Priesthood, which he rejected as being unworthy).  And we know how he welcomed all who came in any need.

Today, as we celebrate this feast of his glorification, we offer prayers to God in praise of him, simultaneous with our prayers to St. Herman to intercede for us before God for our own needs.

As we offer these prayers, let us never forget the root of what it is that makes St. Herman, and indeed all of our Lord's Saints, "special", makes them "friends of God."

It is Love!

When one's life is guided by an unbridled love for all of God's children, and indeed for all of His Creation, this love cannot be contained.  It overflows the vessel of our being, and those who are near to us benefit from the overflow for they receive, not from us, but from the Source of all Love, that Divine Love of which we can only offer a dim reflection.  And yet, in reflecting that love, we follow where our Lord commands us to go.  We love neighbors as ourselves.  We love enemies.  We love without restraint or reservation.

Our Lord demonstrates to me the unlimited nature of His love if I find myself accepting of the fact that He indeed loves me, even in my sinfulness and unworthiness.  If God in His perfection can love me, how can I deny love toward any of my fellow beings, for we are all created in His image, are we not?  And if we are, then we MUST find the way to see our Lord within every other human being we encounter.

Our country and our world are torn apart by division, distrust, hatred.  These cannot be cured by resorting to human solutions.  It is only love that can repair the torn fabric of humanity.  You will say, "But Father, there are those who simply will not accept our love - what then?"  The answer is simple.  Love anyway!  Will others have their hatred converted to love by showing them hatred in return?  In how many instances in the Prologue do we find those persecuting the Church converted into Christians, not by cunning argument, not by well crafted sermons, not by intellectual engagement, but by showing love to them as they demonstrate their hatred and fury against us?

And so, on this day, we pray to our blessed Patron and ask him to intercede before our Lord so that we may engrave upon our hearts the words that he, Saint Herman, gave to us.  "For our good, for our happiness at least let us make a vow that from this day, from this hour, from this minute we will strive to love God above all else, and to fulfill His Holy Will."

Amen!

Entering the Great Fast

My brothers and sisters in Christ:

Glory to Jesus Christ!

We find ourselves at the threshold of the Great Fast.  It is a time for spiritual housekeeping and renewal.  It is a time for us to find (dare I say coerce) every possible way to extricate ourselves from the world and reconnect ourselves to the Church, and through Her, to our Lord.

The Great Fast is certainly a time for fasting!  Saint Seraphim of Sarov taught, "One should not think about the doings of God when one's stomach is full; on a full stomach there can be no vision of the Divine mysteries."  Thus, fasting from foods is clearly a spiritual benefit and requirement for this season, and indeed for every fasting day called for by the Church.

But I ask all to remember that fasting applies to more than just food.  Fasting as a regimen must also include reading scripture, reading the Holy Fathers, almsgiving, care for the poor and needy, increased prayer for self and for others, especially those hardest to love.  Guard the tongue as well.  Saint John Chrysostom teaches, "The evil speaker eats the flesh of his brother, and bites the body of his neighbor."  

Saint Herman's will enter the Fast in our normal fashion - by celebrating Divine Liturgy on the Sunday of Cheesefare, followed immediately by the Vespers of Forgiveness, in which we enter the Fast by requesting and freely giving forgiveness from one another of our sins.

Inside the first week of the Fast, there will be services every evening at 6PM.

Mon/Tue/Thu we will pray the Canon of Saint Andrew.
Wed/Fri we will celebrate the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
Saturday we'll celebrate Vespers at 6PM, before returning again on Sunday for 10AM Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great (Mar 05)

We pray that this Fast will bring great blessings and spiritual growth and healing to all, and that through this, our Lord will grant us to pray together, sharing His Body and Blood in the Eucharist many times during this Great Fast!

In anticipation of the services of this coming Sunday, let me in all humility ask of all of you to forgive me of my many sins, faults, and shortcomings.  Know in your hearts that I forgive all without reservation or constraint!

In Christ,
Father Basil

As We Enter the Advent Fast

The following words of wisdom come from Saint Ephraim the Syrian.  They are important for us to consider as we begin today to ponder our Lord's love for us in His condescending to take on our flesh, His Incarnation, the reason for God becoming man.

The facts themselves bear witness and His divine acts of power teach those who doubt that He is true God, and His sufferings show that He is true man. And if those who are feeble in understanding are not fully assured, they will pay the penalty on His dread day.

If He was not flesh, why was Mary introduced at all? And if He was not God, whom was Gabriel calling Lord?

If He was not flesh, who was lying in the manger? And if He was not God, whom did the Angels come down and glorify?

If He was not flesh, who was wrapped in swaddling clothes? And if He was not God, whom did the shepherds worship?

If He was not flesh, whom did Joseph circumcise? And if He was not God, in whose honor did the star speed through the heavens?

If He was not flesh, whom did Mary suckle? And if He was not God, to whom did the Magi offer gifts?

If He was not flesh, whom did Symeon carry in his arms? And if He was not God, to whom did he say, “Let me depart in peace”?

If He was not flesh, whom did Joseph take and flee into Egypt? And if He was not God, in whom were words “Out of Egypt I have called My Son” fulfilled?

If He was not flesh, whom did John baptize? And if He was not God, to whom did the Father from heaven say, “This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well-pleased”?

If He was not flesh, who fasted and hungered in the desert? And if He was not God, whom did the Angels come down and serve?

If He was not flesh, who was invited to the wedding in Cana of Galilee? And if He was not God, who turned the water into wine?

If He was not flesh, in whose hands were the loaves? And if He was not God, who satisfied crowds and thousands in the desert, not counting women and children, from five loaves and two fishes?

If He was not flesh, who fell asleep in the boat? And if He was not God, who rebuked the winds and the sea?

If He was not flesh, with whom did Simon the Pharisee eat? And if He was not God, who pardoned the offences of the sinful woman?

If He was not flesh, who sat by the well, worn out by the journey? And if He was not God, who gave living water to the woman of Samaria and reprimanded her because she had had five husbands?

If He was not flesh, who wore human garments? And if He was not God, who did acts of power and wonders?

If He was not flesh, who spat on the ground and made clay? And if He was not God, who through the clay compelled the blind eyes to see?

If He was not flesh, who wept at Lazarus’ grave? And if He was not God, who by His command brought out one four days dead?

If He was not flesh, who sat on the foal? And if He was not God, whom did the crowds go out to meet with glory?

If He was not flesh, whom did the Jews arrest? And if He was not God, who gave an order to the earth and threw them onto their faces.

If He was not flesh, who was struck with a blow? And if He was not God, who cured the ear that had been cut off by Peter and restored it to its place?

If He was not flesh, who received spittings on his face? And if He was not God, who breathed the Holy Spirit into the faces of his Apostles?

If He was not flesh, who stood before Pilate at the judgement seat? And if He was not God, who made Pilate’s wife afraid by a dream?

If He was not flesh, whose garments did the soldiers strip off and divide? And if He was not God, how was the sun darkened at the cross?

If He was not flesh, who was hung on the cross? And if He was not God, who shook the earth from its foundations?

If He was not flesh, whose hands and feet were transfixed by nails? And if He was not God, how was the veil of the temple rent, the rocks broken and the graves opened?

If He was not flesh, who cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me”? And if He was not God, who said “Father, forgive them”?

If He was not flesh, who was hung on a cross with the thieves? And if He was not God, how did He say to the thief, “Today you will be with Me in Paradise”?

If He was not flesh, to whom did they offer vinegar and gall? And if He was not God, on hearing whose voice did Hades tremble?

If He was not flesh, whose side did the lance pierce, and blood and water came out?And if He was not God, who smashed the gates of Hades to tear apart it bonds? And at whose command did the imprisoned dead come out?

If He was not flesh, whom did the Apostles see in the upper room? And if He was not God, how did He enter when the doors were shut?

If He was not flesh, the marks of the nails and the lance in whose hands and side did Thomas handle? And if He was not God, to whom did He cry out, “My Lord and my God”?

If He was not flesh, who ate by the sea of Tiberias? And if He was not God, at whose command was the net filled?

If He was not flesh, whom did the Apostles and Angels see being taken up into heaven? And if He was not God, to whom was heaven opened, whom did the Powers worship in fear and whom did the Father invite to “Sit at My right hand”. As David said, “The Lord said to my Lord, sit at My right hand, etc.”

If He was not God and man, our salvation is a lie, and the words of the Prophets are lies.  But the Prophets spoke the truth, and their testimonies were not lies. The Holy Spirit spoke through them what they had been commanded.

Choose Wisely

There's a scene in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" in which the movie's characters enter a chamber guarded by a knight (the Knights Templar, who else?) where there are myriads of "grails" (for us, "chalices"), only one of which is the true cup used by Christ at the Last Supper.  The true cup (in the movie) was to bring eternal life to the one who selected it and drank from it.  As the movie's villain enters the room, he's confronted with a choice, and he asks the knight, "Which one is it?"  The knight replies, "You must choose, but choose wisely, for the true cup brings life, but any false one brings death."

We're confronted with a choice in a short month (roughly) from now.  And there are many tempting alternatives.  Here in Ohio, our ballot will include five names of candidates.  And we will have the freedom to choose from any of the five.

But we all recognize that there are only one of two who can be or will be elected.  And so, we must hear the words of the knight echo in our heads - "Choose wisely."

We write this not to influence anyone's personal decisions per se.  Rather, we write to encourage all to ponder carefully their votes.

This is important!  This can and will determine your lives for the next four years minimally, and with ramifications on the judicial fronts, it will determine much about the lives of our children and even grandchildren.

Using a vote on one of the non-mainstream candidates may make us feel really good that we've not simply acquiesced to the poor choices that the two political parties have offered us.  And yet, in feeling good about such a choice, we will have abdicated our weightier moral responsibility of voting for a candidate to whom we've been led not by peer pressure, not by what we're told by any media (right or left), but by PRAYERFUL consideration of the histories, the moralities, and the evidences we can find that lead us to our selection, however unpalatable that choice may be for us.

This isn't easy!  But it's a choice that we MUST make - PRAYERFULLY - if we are to be able to look back at this year and say, "I tried, Lord."  Let's not find ourselves in the position of the movie's villain, who after picking the shiniest cup and drinking from it, dies in a pile of dust in a corner, only to hear the knight say wistfully, "He chose poorly...."

Practical Tips for Orthodox Living

I was going through "old archive files" from my PC from decades ago (literally), and came upon the article below.  The "original" was attributed to Mother Pelagia of Lesna Convent, who allegedly prefaced them with the remark:

"Orthodox families train their children from a very early age to acquire religious habits, in some of which I was myself, as a Protestant, brought up."

The following is her list, augmented periodically with references to her suggestions (in RED Italics):

1) Prayers are said morning and evening, either together as a family or individually.
2) A blessing is said by the head of the family before a meal, and a prayer of thanks afterwards.
3) On entering a room where there is an icon, cross yourself before it and say a brief prayer.

Every room should have an icon!

4) When leaving one's home, make the sign of the cross over the door and pray for its protection.
5) On seeing a priest, abbot or abbess, or even when phoning them or writing to them, always ask their blessing.
6) Before going to bed, make the sign of the cross over your bed and pray for protection during sleep.
7) When you hear of anyone's death, immediately say a prayer for their eternal memory.
8) If discussing or planning the future, say, "As God wills."
9) If you offend or hurt anyone, say as soon as possible, "Forgive me!", always trying to take the blame yourself.
10) If something turns out well, say, "Thanks be to God!"

11) If something turns out badly, if there is pain, sickness or any kind of trouble, say, "Glory to God in all things," since God is all good and, though we might not understand the purpose of these things, undoubtedly they have been permitted by God for good.

12) If you begin a task, say, "God help me,"  If someone else is working, say, "May God help you!"
13) Cross yourself and say a brief prayer before even the shortest journey.
14) For longer and more difficult journeys, ask a priest to say a special prayer.  If this is not possible, before departing say a prayer for your trip.
Example:  Lord Jesus Christ our God, the True and Living Way, be my Companion, my Guide, and my Guardian during my journey.  Deliver and protect me from danger, misfortune, and temptation, that being so defended by Your divine power I may have a peaceful and successful journey and arrive safely to my destination.  For in You I put my trust and hope, and to You, together with Your Eternal Father and Your all-Holy and Life Creating Spirit, I ascribe all praise, honor and glory, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.  Amen!
15) If there is a possibility of future trouble of any kind, either for yourself or for someone you care for, say an Akathist to the Theotokos, or to a Saint.
http://www.antiochian.org/sites/default/files/Akathist_Softener_of_Evil_Hearts.pdf
16) When you receive a blessing after a prayer, always remember to thank God.  If it is a small thing, add a prayer of thanksgiving to your daily prayers or make an offering.  For greater matters, as a priest to serve a Moleben.  But NEVER neglect to give thanks.

How Many Times?

A prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian:

How many times have I promised, yet every time I failed to keep my word.  But disregard this, according to Your grace.

Grant forgiveness, O Lord, and send strength.  Convert me, that I might live in sanctity, according to Your holy will.  Sanctify my heart that has become a den and dwelling place of demons.

I am unworthy to ask forgiveness for myself, O Lord, for many times have I promised to repent and proved myself a liar by not fulfilling my promise.  You have picked me up many times already, but every time I freely choose to fall again.

Therefore I condemn myself and admit that I deserve all manner of punishment and torture.  How many times have You enlightened my darkened mind?  Yet every time, I return again to base thoughts!  My whole body trembles when I contemplate this; yet every time sinful sensuality reconquers me.

How shall I recount all the gifts of Your grace, O Lord, that I, the pitiful one, have received?  Yet I have reduced them all to nothing by my apathy - and I continue in this manner.  You have bestowed on me thousands of gifts, yet miserable me, I offer in return things repulsive to You.

Yet You, O Lord, contain a sea of long suffering and an abyss of kindness.  Do not allow me to be felled like a fruitless fig tree, and do not let me be burned without having ripened on the field of life.  Do not snatch me away unprepared, do not seize me, who has not yet lit his lamp.  Do not take me away as I have no wedding garment.  But because You are good and You love us, have mercy on me.  Give me time to repent, and do not place my soul stripped naked before Your terrible and unwavering throne as a pitiful spectacle of infamy.

If a righteous man can barely be saved, then where will I end up, I who am lawless and sinful?  If the path that leads to life is straight and narrow, then how can I be granted such good things, I who have lived a life of luxury, indulging in my own pleasures and dissipation?  But You, O Lord, my Savior, Son of the true God, as You know and desire by Your grace alone, freely turn me away from the sin that abides in me and save me from ruin.

Hatred

This is such a bitter subject to deal with, for when we deal with it, it is usually for all the wrong reasons.

Hatred has been responsible for the currently 5 dead officers in Dallas.  But it has also been responsible for the deaths of 49 in the Orlando nightclub, and the nine murdered in the church in Charleston, and the 13 at Ft. Hood, and the 2996 dead on 9/11, and....  What of Syria, Ukraine, Kosovo, or if you're older (like some of us), what of Northern Ireland, or Watts, or Kent State?

You see, there is never an 'end' to destruction when hatred is involved.  Those who hate cannot be satisfied until only their perspective remains.  And the number dead, the atrocities committed in maiming and mauling innocents - these things do not matter to those filled with hate.

As followers of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we are called to something greater than this.  We are called to love, not only those whom we know and trust, but also those who hate us.  We are to return love for hatred.

You will ask, "But Father, isn't there a righteous place for hatred?"  And the answer is, "Certainly there is!"  But if we follow where our Lord leads, we come to the understanding that righteous hatred is directed at evil, and not at people.  "You who love the Lord, hate evil." (Ps 97:10)  Before every Divine Liturgy, the priest performs a ritual cleansing of himself, washing his hands, and he offers a prayer from Psalm 26.  But in the text that immediately precedes this prayer, there is wisdom again about hatred, as the Psalmist teaches, "I have hated the assembly of evildoers, and will not sit with the wicked."  And then the aforementioned prayer.  "I will wash my hands in innocence, so that I will go about Your altar, O Lord, that I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all Your wondrous works.  Lord, I love the beauty of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells.  Do not gather my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men, men whose right hands are full of bribes, whose mouths are full of blood and treachery.  As for me, I shall walk in my integrity.  Deliver me and save me.  My foot stands on level ground.  In the churches, I will bless the Lord." (Ps 26:2-12)

We are indeed to hate evil.  And for this, there is much at which we must direct righteous hatred and indignation within our world.  This is not, however, to translate into our hating others.  St. John the Theologian taught us exactly because of our Lord's example, "Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you.  We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren.  He who does not love his brother abides in death.  Whoever hates his brother is a murderer..." (1John 3:13-15)

When hatred is allowed to change the human heart to bring that passion to bear upon another person, any other person, then we have left the path laid out for us by the Savior.  Consider His own path walked to gain our salvation.  Those whom He created, His own servants, spat in His face, beat Him with reeds and lashes, mocked Him, scourged Him, nailed His emaciated Body to the Cross, pierced His head with thorns, His hands and feet with nails, His side with a spear.  And what response did He give (in order to teach us, at times like this)?  "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34)

There is but one path for us to follow.  We cannot teach others the Love of Christ by returning hate for hate.  And take note that there is no room in any of these words, either from Scripture or from a sinful priest, for separation of interpretation based on something as insignificant as pigments in the skin or country of origin.

We pray for the souls of those departed, yesterday, and for all the yesterday's past.  And we pray that our Lord will bless us to receive the Spirit of Love for brother and sister from His Holy Spirit, that we might in our lifetime see the abolition, not of racial tension, not of terrorism, or of nationalism, but of their mutual root - the hatred of one person for any other!

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love each other, even as I have loved you." (John 13:34)

Election Season

If you're not watching the political scene in our country, you're disconnected.

As an Orthodox priest, I am not permitted to share with you anything other than that which the Church holds as relating to what is present before us - not to attempt to bias opinion one way or the other.  And so, it is with great care and much prayer that I structure this message.

We've heard from many that they are ever more disappointed in our political system, that the choices presented to us in each election cycle seem ever more unpalatable.  There have been comments to the effect (and I'm sure you've heard them), "I can't vote for either of these two," or, "I guess I'll have to vote third party" (whatever that may mean), or, "I'm just not going to go and vote."

And so, we enter this cycle already with a perspective of defeat.  We have taken the information available to us into our own hands, decided the options given us to be wanting, and chosen to not choose, to remove ourselves from the process because "the process is corrupt."  In short, we've placed ourselves into the judgment seat, and are washing our hands of the process....

Please look at what we've just said to ourselves, and to our Lord.  "I give up!"  Where in this is our turning to Him for guidance?  Where in this is our trust that He has a plan, that we are part of that plan, and that we have a responsibility (indeed, a divine one) to seek His will - even  in choices we cannot ourselves resolve.  Where is our understanding that our Lord does things like change defeat into victory?

He has a plan.  His plan includes us.  He has given us a great privilege to live in a country in which we still have the ability to select a candidate, imperfect though he or she may be.  

I can hear you ask, "Father, how do we make such a choice?  It's impossible!"

First, with God, all things are possible.  Next, we approach the choice with great fear and trembling, knowing that in our own sinfulness and with our own God-given talents, we are not capable of seeing what our Lord sees, of knowing what He knows.

But we are capable of turning to Him in prayer, seeking His guidance, asking that by His intervention we will be enabled to make the choice acceptable to Him.  There is a wonderful prayer from the Great Compline service in which we pray, "O Lord of Hosts, be with us, for we have no other help in times of adversity but You.  O Lord of Hosts, have mercy on us!"  

Our beloved country has turned our collective backs on our Lord for far too long.  We have eliminated Him from our schools, our courts, our public gathering places.  We have too long tolerated sin as choice, error as a lifestyle.  And while we love all humanity (recognizing our own sins, and our place as 'greatest among sinners'), we accept evil in our midst, because we've been told (not by the Church) that this is what a civilized society does.

If we can find it within our hearts to turn to the Lord for His guidance, to ask in humble and sincere prayer that He guide us and our country to conform to His divine will, our insecurities over something like an election will melt away.  And perhaps in the process we'll find ourselves changing the minds of the people around us to also seek and conform to God's will in our lives!  Can you imagine that day when our Lord blesses our faithfulness and multiplies His work by growing His Church in this country?

What is the point of this discussion?  As citizens of a country that once held the highest of standards in terms of living godly lives, in seeking His will throughout times of adversity and need, those of us who find ourselves in the society surrounding us today owe it not only to our parents and grandparents, but to our children and our grandchildren, to take up the responsibility given us, to pray intently to our Lord to reveal to us His will, to "do our homework," to study all we can about the virtues and liabilities of the candidates presented to us, and then, believing that our prayers will be answered, do our civic duty and vote for the most godly choice we find.  If you call it, "the lesser of two evils," you automatically accept defeat.  Rather, call it "the better of two alternatives," and then turn the one elected over into His hands, for ultimately that is where all civil authority lay, blessed by our Lord to serve His people.  

No one said this would be easy.  It may be disheartening and discouraging at times.  Will the one elected conform her or him self to the will of God in their service to this country?  God knows!  You know that the answer to that question is not always edifying.  But as those who follow the will of God, who call ourselves by His name, we have a responsibility to seek and to do His will.  Saint Peter taught it this way:

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:13).

Don't "not vote"!  Don't waste your vote!  Seek His will, and then trust the rest to His divine care - for us, His people!

The Water Is Important!

Christ is Risen!

Today is the eve of the Feast of Mid-Pentecost, the Feast of the Holy Church which calls to our attention the fact that one half of the time between Pascha and Pentecost has now passed.  The Holy Spirit will come soon to establish the Church, to make it "firm" and secure for all time!

This past Sunday we commemorated our Lord's healing of the paralytic at the Sheep's Pool - at Bethesda (which in Hebrew means 'house of kindness').  It was there that divine healing could be found for those in need if they entered the waters "when they became troubled," or when by tradition an angel was sent to stir those waters.

In the Gospel reading for this current day (John 7:14-30) we find our Lord having moved from Bethesda to the Temple, "in the middle of the Feast."  This was the Feast of Tabernacles, which which the Jews celebrate each year to remember God's provision for them as they wandered in the desert for forty years, but also to look ahead to the day when God would restore the nation to Israel, and all would gather at Jerusalem to worship God in truth.

It is with this backdrop that we find our Lord ''teaching" the teachers of Israel, to such a great extent does Jesus teach them that they are astonished.  "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  Our Lord engages His detractors, accusing them of seeking to kill Him, and they in turn accusing Him of "having a demon."  

The One who fed them in the desert stands before them, and they refuse to recognize or acknowledge Him.  The One who promised to return them to Jerusalem speaks with them, and they deny Him and make accusations against Him - even as they celebrate a feast to 'honor' Him.

Several verses after the end of today's Gospel, but still in Chapter 7 of the Gospel of Saint John, our Lord says these words:  "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink."

This coming Sunday will be the commemoration of the Samaritan woman, where our Lord meets St. Photini at Jacob's well.  There He asks her for water, and then promises to her (and delivers to her) "living water."

On the following Sunday we will remember the blind man (Bartameus), who receives his sight by washing "in the pool of Siloam."

We have incidents of water, and water, and water, and water.  Why?

Because we, like the Apostles in these days who were waiting (and being prepared by our Lord) for the Holy Spirit, will come to our "baptisms", will come to receiving the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit, which comes to us by water and prayer and anointing, which came to the Apostles by the descent of tongues of fire, and which fills the Church with LIFE.

One thing is constant for all that we know of life.  Life cannot exist without water.  That is physical life.  That is temporal life.

But eternal life also must be filled with the water of the Spirit of God, must be founded in that which is the creative force of God, His eternal Spirit, linking us to Him so that we share in His eternal nature.

Water is important! At this 'feast' of Mid-Pentecost, the Church (in Her love for us and in Her wisdom) gives us the repeated gift of focusing us on that 'living water' that our Lord promised - not only to St. Photini (the Samaritan Woman), but to His Bride, the Church, for all time!

Christ is Risen!

Fear

Pascha, the Lord's Resurrection, is now more than a week behind us.  The Great and Holy Fast set aside for us a time in which we might live "in Christ," a time in which our fasting brought us near to Him (by bringing us OUT of the world), but also a time when, through the rigorous ecclesiastical schedule, we were literally "with Him" more frequently.  It was and is a time for us to develop a sense of connectedness to Him as something necessary, as something normal, as part of our daily routine.

Now we are out of that season.  But does that mean that we must return to "things as usual"?  Perhaps the church isn't open for services today, but does that mean that we cannot or should not remain (by prayer, by reading scripture, by reading from the Fathers) connected with our Lord?

Here we sit, on the Tuesday after Bright Week.  The Apostles have seen the risen Lord.  Even Thomas no longer has doubt in the fact of Christ's Resurrection.  As the Lord came to the Apostles this past Sunday, Saint John records that He greeted them by saying, "Peace be with you," that He "breathed upon them," and instructed them to "receive the Holy Spirit."  Clearly as our Lord did this, the Spirit did not at once enter the eleven.  That is yet to come, on the day of Pentecost, weeks from now.

And so to a certain extent, the eleven still live in fear of the Jews and the Romans.  They remain "off the grid" so to speak.  There are no public gatherings in which they speak to other followers of our Lord.  There remains a certain level of fear.

So, what is it that changes in them on that 50th day after the Resurrection?  Yes, of course, they received the Holy Spirit.  But they themselves had to change.  They had to recognize God's plan for them.  They had to come to expect what lay ahead for them, and for the Church - a life lived no less sacrificially than was our Lord's life.

Imagine, twelve men sent into the world to change it fundamentally forever!  The world has spears and swords, by the legions.  The twelve have words, and love.  In the wisdom of the world, the later could never overcome the former.  And yet, "the wisdom of the world is foolishness with God." (1Cor 3:19)

After receiving the Holy Spirit, the eleven (who became twelve again) indeed set out and conquered the whole world.  And the faithful whom they taught continued their conquests, even up to this very day, so that all throughout the world might hear the Gospel of our Lord.

In our times, we fear too many things.  We fear economic disaster, pandemics, super-volcanoes, earthquakes, nuclear disaster, nuclear war, terrorism, ....  The list seems endless.  But what is there truly to fear, except for our own being found to be faithless when our Lord returns?  If I perish in this life today or if I perish in this life 30 years from today, I will perish in this life.  What must concern me is not this life, but rather life eternal, and not being found "among the goats" on that day!

There is nothing in this life that we should fear except for living a life in which we reject our Lord.  For there is no threat in this life that can touch us in eternity, as long as we live a life according to His commandments, loving God above all, loving neighbor as self, laying up treasures in heaven which cannot be taken from us!

As we do this, His peace truly fills us.  There is no room for fear.  There is only Christ crucified and risen!  There is nothing more we need know or embrace than this!

By What Authority Are You Doing These Things?

He was baptized as man, but He remitted sins as God.  He was baptized not because He needed the rite of purification Himself, but that He might sanctify the element of water.

He was tempted as man, but He conquered as God; indeed, He bids us be of good cheer, for He has overcome the world.

He hungered, but He fed thousands;  indeed, He is the bread of life that gives life, and that is of heaven.

He thirsted, but He cried, "If any man thirsts, let him come to Me and drink."  Indeed, He promised that fountains should flow from those who believe.

He was wearied, but He is the rest of those who are weary and heavy laden.

He was heavy with sleep, but He walked lightly over the sea.  He rebuked the winds, He made Peter light as he began to sink.

He pays tribute, but it is out of a fish; indeed, He is the King of those who demanded it.

He weeps, but He causes tears to cease.

He asks where Lazarus was laid, for He is man; but He raises Lazarus, for He is God.

He is sold, and very cheap, for it is only for thirty pieces of silver, but He redeems the world, and that at a great price, for the price was His own blood.

As a sheep, He is led to the slaughter, but He is the shepherd of Israel, and now of the whole world also.  As a lamb He is silent, yet He is the Word, and is proclaimed by the voice of one crying in the wilderness.

He is bruised and wounded, but He heals every disease and every infirmity.

He is lifted up and nailed to the tree, but by the tree of life He restores us; indeed, He saves even the robber crucified with Him.

He is the Light of the world, but He wraps the visible world in darkness.

He is given vinegar to drink mingled with gall.  Who is He?  He is the One Who turned water into wine, Who is the destroyer of the bitter taste, Who is sweetness and altogether desired.

He lays down His life, but He has the power to take it again.  He dies, but He gives life, and by His death He destroys death.

He is buried, but He rises again.  He descends into hell, but He brings up the souls.

Saint Gregory Nazianzus, Third Theological Oration, 20.

The Young Rich Man

The Gospel reading for 04Feb16 was from Mark 10:17-27.  If it's not already one of your favorite readings, perhaps this post will help to elevate it on your list.

The young man who comes to the Lord is filled with energy and zeal.  Saint Mark records "he came running and knelt before the Lord."  His heart is filled with the strong desire to learn, to hear, to adapt to that which will elevate him to the Kingdom!  All of these are good things.

But then he speaks.

He asks Jesus, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"  In the Gospel of Saint Matthew, the man asks, "What good THING...", implying that there must be a solution to finding acceptance before God that is simple to follow and understand - just "one" thing!

ERROR #1:  Teacher?  You come to Christ as "just" a teacher?  It means that you do not (yet) recognize in Him His divinity, that He is the Son of God.

ERROR #2:  One thing?  You ask for simplicity?

The Lord, in His own way of "teaching" replies, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, and that is God!"  In His answer, Jesus indeed implies to the young man, "Yes, I am 'good' because I am God, but you do not yet know this!"

Jesus responds by speaking the Law of Moses, the Commandments.  Clearly, this is the 'recipe' for pleasing God, since these are the 'rules' given by God to His creatures as their 'rules for life'.

The young man responds to our Lord's teaching by saying, "All these things I have kept from my youth."

ERROR #3:  You've not violated a single point of the Commandments?  Then you are deluding yourself in the intent of the meaning of the Law!  You ascribe to yourself righteousness.  Look inside!  If righteousness is there, why do you come to seek from Jesus an answer to "what is needed"?

And here next is the line that, if this is not yet on your "favorites" list should put it there.  Saint Mark records, "Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him...."  In this expression is a summation of God's choosing to become incarnate, of His saving action on the Cross, in the tomb, of His Resurrection and His Ascension!

Jesus looked at him.  This is not a 'glance' that has the eyes of one seeing a blemish on the face, or a spot on clothes, or noticing the quality of shoes.  This is a look that peers deep into the heart, to the very core of the being of the young man.  This is the "look" that our Lord gives to the man.  And in looking that intensely and deeply into the heart of the man, Saint Mark says, "(He) loved him."

The young man just committed a pile of errors before the Lord.  He didn't recognize Him as God.  He wanted some simple answer to his questions.  He judged himself to be righteous, at least as the Law had been explained to him.  Through all these errors, God the Son still loved him!

What does this say about us?  We, too, have misconceptions about what God expects of us.  We, too, misunderstand how it is that God intends for us to live.  We, too, judge the things that we do that are counter to God's loving rules for life to be small, inconsequential.  We believe that our sins are not worth carrying before God because "they are so small."

Point is - we, too, have so very many "errors" in our coming before the Lord.  But through these, He has the ability and the heart to "look at us."  He knows us.  He created us.  If He can find within us that same heart that desires to seek His will in our lives, then His love for us is also present.

The "prescription" that our Lord gave to the young man was to go and sell all he had, to give to the poor, and then "take up the cross, and follow Me."  The "prescription" that our Lord would give to each of us would differ.  He would no doubt single out those things in each of our lives that are being used as an earthly substitute for our relationship with God.  But the final part of the "prescription" will remain for each and every one of us.  We all need to "take up the cross".  In our lives there are small crosses, there are huge crosses.  The small ones God has given us strength and grace to overcome and deal with as we encounter them.  The huge ones are crosses that we need His help to carry.  We must never be afraid nor ashamed to come to Him for that help.  Indeed, we must at times allow for His placing others into our lives to be such helpers.  Remember, on the way to Golgotha, even our Lord had Simon of Cyrene to help Him carry His Cross!

Let us all, then, follow the One who loves us through our errors!

A Prayer for France, and for the World

When we see carnage at the hands of demonically motivated murderers as we witnessed tonight, we certainly pray for the victims and their families.  We pray first for those who lost their lives.  We pray next for those whose lives will never be the same because they happened to be near, to be eyewitnesses, to the evil that occurred.  We don't often think of praying for the perpetrators, but as Christians, we are called to do even this.

Our Lord, after putting down yet another attempt by Pharisees ("the world") to trip Him in His own words, took His Apostles aside, and He taught them.

"I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!" (Luke 12:4-5)

Blessed Theophylact explains that those who kill the body do a small thing, for the body will die anyhow.  Men, he teaches, can direct their rage only against the perishable body.  The last step of their plotting against us is the death of our flesh.  But men have no power whatsoever against destroying the soul.  Only God has the power to cast the soul into hell.

If we serve our Lord and are faithful to live according to His commandments, to repent of our sins, to love our neighbor, and to love our enemy, then the death of our flesh is simply the event that brings our passage to eternal life.

The deranged murderers who plotted this evil against the people of Paris who, having killed others before killing themselves, are not the martyrs in this event.  The martyrs are the innocents whose bodies were slain, but whose souls were sent to their Creator.

May our Lord comfort those suffering tonight.  May He remember in His kingdom those whose bodies were slain, but whose souls now rest with Him.

"(Your Group Here)" Lives Matter!

We've been barraged with news items related to the movement whose motto is "Black Lives Matter," and to the efforts of this group, we offer a hearty, "Yes, they do!"  We pray that your efforts will make a difference!!

But are these the ONLY lives that matter?

We've also been inundated with stories - horror stories - of the atrocities worked by those who claim a medical title (we refuse to dignify such people by referring to them with the righteous title of 'doctor'), people who at times trick vulnerable young women into choosing abortion, who manipulate the unborn to murder them in ways that save precious body parts for resale, who place their abattoirs in locations where the more vulnerable of such people are located - in short, nearest to the poorest neighborhoods.  And we ask ourselves "How can a person sleep at night, having worked such atrocities upon the most helpless?"  In all honesty, as a priest, I've had people ask me exactly this question.  What is my own response?  Again, in all honesty, I tell them, "I have trouble sleeping at night knowing how little I've done to defend those who have and who continue to be slaughtered!"

At our little mission, we dwell upon the lessons taught us by our Lord in Matthew 25 - "Feed the hungry.  Give drink to the thirsty.  Take in those in need of shelter.  Clothe the naked.  Visit and heal the sick and the imprisoned."  These are simple-to-understand commandments from the lips of our Lord that teach us how we are to live our lives.  We are to live selflessly - even though we are in a selfish world.  We are to give from what He has given us, for it is His, not ours.

Why do we dwell on these things?  We do so because of the promise that our Lord makes in giving us these instructions.  What promise?  To those who in fact live according to them, He promises an invitation - "Come, you blessed of My Father, and inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."  But our Lord gives a corresponding promise to those who refuse to live according to His instructions.  What promise is this?  "Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels."  As in all instances, He gives to us the choice.

And it seems an easy one to make.

But let's dig just a bit deeper into the text of Matthew 25.  For in both the blessing and the curse, our Lord uses the same operative word in His granting grace to the first, and a curse to the second.  To those blessed, He says, "Inasmuch as you have done (or NOT done) this to the least of My brethren you have done (or not done) it to Me." 

So, we should ask, "What does Jesus mean by "the least of His brethren"?

NOW you've got the most important question of this little mini-homily!

The Greek word used for "least" is ἐλάχιστος (el-akh'-is-tos).  It translates to "least, very small, very little, short.  Strong's Greek Concordance lists μικρός (mik'-ros) as an 'equivalent'.

Now, return your thinking to where we started - to the unborn.  The depraved thought and 'instruction' given by those who slaughter the unborn to the young women seeking help from anyone who seems to 'care' is that the "fetus" is not "viable".  If it could not live on its own, it can be eliminated without guilt.  Can a 2 year old child live on its own?  Should it be capable of being terminated at the whim of anyone who "bears" (or bears with) him or her?

Our Lord's words in Matthew 25 focus on those who are the very smallest.  We can interpret these words in any number of very valid and important ways.  "The least" may be those who are the poorest, who have the least influence to gather and garner what they need to exist.  "The least" may be those who have the least physical strength and ability to go and do for themselves.  "The least" may be those who are mentally challenged and cannot function in society without having someone to care for them and provide for their basic needs.

But "the least", the mik'-ros, the "micro" in our world, could have also been 'covered' by our Lord's words, with Him instructing us to do for those who are being slaughtered - by the millions - while still in the womb.  These are ones who fill ALL of the above categories, and more!  They have no voice if we do not provide one for them.  They have no advocate.  There is no 'judge' who decides their fate in a court of law.  That one decision was made in our country once in 1973, and it will remain until such time as our citizenry and our courts awaken to the misery caused since that unrighteous decision and demand a return to preserving life - all life, both born and unborn!

So, what are we to do?  If we honor the words given us by our Lord in Matthew 25, we must become advocates for the unborn.

UNBORN LIVES MATTER!

Get out and stand in a protest line in front of a Planned Parenthood building.  Write your Congressperson or Senator.  Don't ask.  DEMAND that the status quo be changed, reversed.  Take a stand.

Be a follower of Christ.  Desire with your whole heart to be one who on that last day will hear His blessing, and not His curse!  Following our Lord is not always a place of comfort.  But it IS a place to which we are called, if we are going to claim His name and truly be a Christians!

To Those Who Deny That History Repeats Itself

Today, 05Mar on the New Calendar, is the Feast day of the Martyr John of Bulgaria.  For those following the happenings within the world around us now, the following should bring chills to the body, and strength to the spirit.

Pray for peace in the world!!  Pray for persecuted brother and sister Christians!!  Pray for their persecutors!!!

Fr. B

                                                        ------------  +  ------------

The holy New Martyr John was born in Bulgaria in 1775.  Since fanatical Muslims believed that they would be assured of an eternal 'paradise' where they would enjoy beautiful virgins and an abundance of food if they could force Christians to deny Christ and follow Mohammed, they spread no effort to convert Christians through flattery or by threats of death.

When John was still a boy, he fell with Muslim companions.  Through various ways, he was led to renounce Christ and to follow Islam.  He came to his senses when he was about sixteen, and was stricken with grief at his denial of Christ.  He fled to Mount Athos, to the Great Lavra.  There he spent his time in repentance under the guidance of an Elder.

He lived a monastic life of great strictness for three years, yet his conscience continued to trouble him.  With the blessing of his Elder, he decided to travel to Constantinople to wipe out his apostasy by confessing Christ in a public way and by shedding his blood.

The young monk dressed himself as a Turk, which a Christian was not permitted to do.  Arriving in Constantinople, he went directly to the Church of Hagia Sophia, which had been turned into a mosque.  Before the Muslims gathered there, he made the sign of the Cross and began to recite Christian prayers.  Then he said in a loud voice that he had been born a Christian, but had fallen into error and renounced Christ.  Now, he declared, he wished to renounce the false religion of Mohammed in order to follow Christ once more.

The Turks fell into a frenzied rage when they heard his words.  They seized him and began to torture him in various ways.  'Renounce Christ,' they said, 'and return to Islam, or you will be killed.'

Saint John replied, 'Without Christ, there is no salvation!'

The furious crown dragged the Saint out into the courtyard to behead him.  In this way, Saint John received the crown of martyrdom in 1784 at the age of nineteen.

The Expulsion From Paradise

We Liturgically celebrated this event two Sundays ago, on the Sunday of Forgiveness.  But here is the event inside of today's prescribed readings, from Genesis 3:

"Then the Lord God said, 'Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil.  And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the Tree of Life, and eat, and live forever' -- therefore the Lord God sent him out of the Garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken.  So He drove out the man; and He placed Cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the Tree of Life." (Gen 3:22-24)

For those who deny the Triune nature of God, take note of the first sentence.  To Whom is God speaking?  If He says, "the man has become like one of Us," Who then is part of "Us"?  Is it not God speaking to God in Trinity?

But the true beauty of this passage remains for us to uncover, for God then, in His discourse with Himself, reveals His plan for the eternal nature of man.  It was always His plan for man to be with Him eternally.  It was only Adam's (and Eve's) sin that brought physical death to them.  But sooner or later, God would have shared with them not only of the Tree of Knowledge, but also of the Tree of Life.

It is fascinating that in this passage it is Cherubim who guard the entrance to where the Tree of Life is to be found.  Why is this 'fascinating'?

Consider the Divine Liturgy.  It is the Cherubic Hymn that "guards" the entrance of the gifts we bring so that God can, through the Holy Spirit, effect their change into the Body and Blood of our Lord and Savior.  And it is us here on earth, you and me, who share in the guarding of this entrance to this very day.  For we sing, "Let us who mystically represent the Cherubim, and who sing the thrice-Holy hymn to the Life Creating Trinity now lay aside all earthly cares, that we may receive the King of all, Who comes invisibly upborne by the angelic hosts.  Alleluia!"

"Mystically" we represent these very angels, who have guarded the "Tree of Life" since mankind's expulsion from Paradise.  How God allows this is truly a mystery, beyond our human ability to understand.  And if only we can set aside all that ties us, binds us to the cares of this world, then we may be found worthy to receive the King of all, our Lord and Savior, His very Body and Blood.  For the Cross is the Tree of Life, and the fruit of the Cross is the Body and Blood of our Lord.  He came to share the Tree of Life with us, so that we might again receive the promise of dwelling with God in Paradise forever!

What is the 'price' of our entrance, to receive He Who is priceless?  Repentance for our own sins.  Forgiveness of those who have sinned against us.  Caring for the 'least of His brethren.'  Loving neighbor as ourselves.  The requirements are simple, easy.  Loving is so very much easier than hating.  Repentance is so much easier than carrying guilt.  The path may be narrow, but our Lord has made it obvious, not hard to find.

Our bodies are in the world, expelled from Paradise.  But through the Tree of Life, through the Eucharist, our spirits need not dwell there as well.  And where the spirit is, there is the heart.....

On the Sunday of Orthodoxy - 2015

The following was delivered as today's (01Mar15) homily in Hudson.  We pray that you will find it helpful.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Glory to Jesus Christ.

My brothers and sisters in Christ:

Together we’re going to go to a couple of places today that other faithful were taken by two who far exceed the humble abilities of your priest to preach on a topic.  In 1985, Fr. Schmemann gave a sermon on this day that is perhaps one of the most moving we’ve read.  So, in part we’ll go to school today at the lectern of Fr. Alexander.  In 1984, Metropolitan Philip gave a sermon on this day, and it charged the American people with a solemn duty to also carry Orthodoxy forward.  We’ll paraphrase from both of these sources as best the Spirit allows us.  It’s not unworth the investment to find the originals of both, and I’d encourage any to do so if you’re interested.

The Holy Orthodox Church celebrates this day on this Sunday of the Great Fast every year.  It was in 787 at the Seventh Ecumenical Council that the victory of the Church over the iconoclasts occurred.  But it wasn’t until a regional council of the Church was called in Constantinople in 843 that this particular celebration was instituted.  At that time, Empress Theodora, her son Michael III, Patriarch Methodius, and monks and clergy restored to the temple Hagia Sophia the iconography that had been removed.  From that day, on this first Sunday of the Great Fast, the Holy Church has celebrated this victory. 

So in a very special way, today is a feast of the past.  And certainly if we are celebrating it today, it is a feast of the present.  But we, as the faithful of the Church today, need to take our place in the life of the Church to assure that the feast will also be a feast of the future.

While the focus of the Triumph of Orthodoxy which we celebrate today is that of the use of icons, there are many “triumphs” in Holy Orthodoxy.  The first and foremost is the reversal of the ultimate defeat that became the most glorious victory.  This of course is the death of God the Son on the Cross, only to have that defeat become the most glorious victory in the history of the world – the triumphant Resurrection.  This is the foundation of all that we are as Orthodox Christians.

The next victory is not unlike the first.  For our Lord chose twelve simple men, uneducated, unskilled, and He gave to them the Holy Spirit, and the power to preach about that defeat turned into victory.  He sent them to the whole world to preach and baptize and build up this Church.  These men were hated, and all save one martyred.  But even their blood was another victory, for the Church grew, until it filled the universe with the True Faith.  Ultimately, the earthly kingdom that sought to snuff out the fledgling Church was converted to the Church.  It only took 300 years for the Roman Empire to become the Holy Roman Empire.

Throughout this whole time persecutions arose.  As did heresies.  As did enemies of the Church.  There were attempts to change this Faith, to change the truth.  But holy people, men, women, and even children defended the truth.  Martyrs all, the Church is washed in their blood.  All of this happened before the council and the events which instituted today’s celebration.  But since then, there have been more such trials. 

And so we ask ourselves today:  Do all the victories of Orthodoxy lie in the past?  Fr. Schmemann makes this observation:  “My dear friends, if the triumph of Orthodoxy belongs to the past only, if there is nothing else for us to do but commemorate, to repeat to ourselves how glorious was the past, then Orthodoxy is dead. But we are here now to witness to the fact that Orthodoxy not only is not dead but also that it is once more and forever celebrating its own triumph — the triumph of Orthodoxy. We don’t have to fight heresies among ourselves, but we have other things that once more challenge our Orthodox faith.”

The challenges that Fr. Alexander outlined are those from that era – a church united by a core faith and divine services and councils, but otherwise ‘divided’ by ethnicities.  We are now thirty years after this proclamation, and what has changed? 

One change is the movement associated with the Assemblies of Bishops throughout the world.  This is a precursor to a new council, scheduled for 2016 in Constantinople (Istanbul).  And that is a momentous and wonderful development for the Church.

Unfortunately, the challenges that face the Church today are more than those associated with ethnicity and the lack of a unified council for more than 12 centuries.  Christians, and many of them Orthodox Christians, are being slaughtered in the political and religious press of Islam throughout the Middle East.  This is perhaps an even greater issue for the Church than the issues intended to be discussed when the upcoming council was first considered years ago.

Still, a unified Orthodox presence worldwide is a stronger advocate for the faithful of all countries and jurisdictions, and therefore, the dream of Orthodox unity around the world is a dream that we need to bring to fruition.  Metropolitan Philip’s address in 1984 contained a passionate plea along these very lines.  Here are a few words from his address.

“It is indeed astonishing that we have not had an ecumenical council since AD 787, despite the many changes which the Church has encountered during the past 1197 years. I shall mention but a few of these global events which affected the life of the Church directly or indirectly since the last Ecumenical Council: the 1054 schism between East and West; the fall of Constantinople; the European Renaissance with all its implications; the Protestant Reformation; the discovery of the New World; the French Revolution; the Industrial Revolution; the Communist Revolution and its impact on the Orthodox Church; the First and Second World Wars; the dawning of the nuclear age; the exploration of space and all the scientific and technological discoveries which baffle the mind….  You might ask, what is the reason behind this Orthodox stagnation? Did our history freeze after AD 787? There is no doubt that the rise of Islam, the collapse of the Byzantine Empire, and the fall of Tsarist Russia have contributed much to our past and present stagnation. The sad condition of our mother churches across the ocean is indicative of this reality….  Have we then lost all hope for an Orthodox renaissance? Is there not a place on this planet where we can dream of a better Orthodox future? I believe that there is a place, and this place is the North American continent. We have a tremendous opportunity in this land to dream dreams and see visions, only if we can put our house in order. Where in the whole world today can you find seven million free Orthodox except in North America?  We are no longer a church of immigrants; the first Orthodox liturgy was celebrated in this country before the American Revolution. Many of our Orthodox young people have died on the battlefields of various wars, defending American ideals and principles. We have contributed much to the success of this country in the fields of medicine, science, technology, government, education, art, entertainment, and business.  We consider ourselves Americans, and we are proud of it—except when we go to church, we suddenly become Greeks, Russians, Arabs, and Albanians.”

Here today, inside of St. Herman’s, we still suffer from this schizophrenia, in that we are the home of people with Greek, Slavic, Russian, Serbian, and speaking for my wife, even a little hillbilly background, and we worship under a Bulgarian omophorion by the grace of God.  And please, this is not a complaint – rather, it is simply a statement of fact.

This unity needs to be found so that the voice of Holy Orthodoxy becomes meaningful within our society.  You've all watched the news.  When moral issues arise, you'll find news reporters seeking clarification from Catholic and Protestant clergy.  But where are the Orthodox?  Why is the voice of the True Faith silent in these important discussions?  It is this way because we have marginalized ourselves by our ethnic divisions.

Metropolitan Philip ended his homily with his own reference to Fr. Schmemann, using these words.  “One can almost visualize the glorious and blessed day when forty Orthodox bishops of America will open their first synod in New York or Chicago or Pittsburgh with the hymn, ‘Today the grace of the Holy Spirit assembled us together,’ and will appear to us not as ‘representatives’ of Greek, Russian, or any other ‘jurisdictions’ and interests but as the very icon, the very ‘Epiphany’ of our unity within the body of Christ; when each of them and all together will think and deliberate only in terms of the whole, putting aside all particular and national problems, real and important as they may be. On that day, we shall ‘taste and see’ the oneness of the Orthodox Church in America.”

It is a vision not only for America, but for Orthodoxy in the entire world.  Pray that our hierarchs will be moved by the Holy Spirit to achieve this unity in Holy Orthodoxy in these coming years!  That would be the next in a great series of triumphs for the Church!

Glory to Jesus Christ!

How Do I Turn From Sin?

As we enter the fast, we begin to take our spiritual inventory, and we begin to seek out the places in our hearts and souls where we know we fail in our walk towards the Lord.  And so we ask the title's question:  "How do I turn from my sin?"

The following is from St. Theophan the Recluse, and the book "Thoughts for Each Day of the Year."  The answer to the question is contained in the ending phrase;  "Be sober, watch and pray."  In our sobriety, let us root out the secret places in our hearts where sin hides.  In our watchfulness, let us carry our finding to the place of repentance.  And in our prayer, let us ask the Lord to lead us not into temptation, so that we may not again fail as we have before.

The devil approached the God-man with temptations.  Who then among men is free of them?

He who goes according to the will of the evil one does not experience attacks, but is simply turned more and more toward evil. 

As soon as one begins to come to himself and intends to begin a new life according to God’s will, immediately the entire satanic realm enters into action: they hasten to scatter good thoughts and the intentions of the repentant one in any way they can.

If they do not manage to turn him aside, they attempt to hinder his good repentance and confession; if they do not manage to do that, they contrive to sow tares amidst the fruits of repentance and disrupt his labors of cleansing the heart.

If they do not succeed in suggesting evil they attempt to distort the truth; if they are repulsed inwardly they attack outwardly, and so on until the end of one’s life. They do not even let one die in peace; even after death they pursue the soul, until it escapes the aerial space where they hover and congregate.

You ask, “What then should we do? It seems hopeless and terrifying!”

For a believer there is nothing terrifying here, because near a God-fearing person demons only busy themselves, but they do not have any power over him. A sober person of prayer shoots arrows against them, and they stay far away, not daring to approach, and fearing the defeat which they have already experienced.

If they succeed in something, it is due to our blundering. We slacken our attention, or allow ourselves to be distracted by their phantoms, and they immediately come and disturb us more boldly.

If you do not come to your senses in time they will whirl you about; but if a soul does come to its senses they again recoil and spy from afar to see whether it is possible to approach again somehow.

So be sober, watch, and pray—and the enemies will do nothing to you.

Blessing My Enemies

In the world around us, there is always a worldly attempt to define friend and enemy.  The political machinations that surround us seem to try to make one from another with such great regularity that we can't keep track any longer.

The following is wisdom from St. Nikolai Velimirovich (from "Prayers by the Lake") on praying for ones enemies.  It is profound, and we share it with you hoping it will move you as it has us!

     Enemies have driven me into Your embrace more than friends have.

     Friends have bound me to earth; enemies have loosed me from the earth and have demolished all my aspirations of the world.

     Enemies have made me a stranger in worldly realms and an extraneous inhabitant of the world. Just as a hunted animal finds safer shelter than an unhunted animal does, so have I, persecuted by enemies, found the safest sanctuary, having ensconced myself beneath Your tabernacle, where neither friends nor enemies can slay my soul.

     Bless my enemies, O Lord.  Even I bless them and do not curse them.  

     

     They, rather than I, have confessed my sins before the world.

     They have punished me, whenever I have hesitated to punish myself.

     They have tormented me, whenever I have tried to flee torments.

     They have scolded me, whenever I have flattered myself.

     They have spat upon me, whenever I have filled myself with arrogance.

     Bless my enemies, O Lord.  Even I bless them, and do not curse them.

     Whenever I have made myself wise, they have called me foolish.

     Whenever I have made myself mighty, they have mocked me as though I were a dwarf.

     Whenever I have wanted to lead people, they have shoved me into the background.

     Whenever I have rushed to enrich myself, they have prevented me with an iron hand.

     Whenever I thought that I would sleep peacefully, they have wakened me from sleep.

    Whenever I have tried to build a home for a long and tranquil life, they have demolished it and driven me out.

    Truly, enemies have cut me loose from the world and have stretched out my hands to the hem of Your garment.

     Bless my enemies, O Lord.  Even I bless them and do not curse them.

     Bless them and multiply them; multiply them and make them even more bitterly set against me,

          so that my fleeing to You may have no return,

          so that all hope in men may be scattered like cobwebs,

          so that absolute serenity may begin to reign in my soul,

          so that my heart may become the grave of my two evil twins, arrogance and anger,

          so that I might amass all my treasure in heaven,

       and, ah, so that I may for once be freed from self-deception, which has entangled me in the dreadful web of illusory life.

     Enemies have taught me to know what hardly anyone knows - that a person has no enemies in the world except himself.

     One hates his enemies only when he fails to realize that they are not enemies, but cruel friends.

     It is truly difficult for me to say who has done me more good and who has done me more evil in the world: friends, or enemies.

     Therefore bless, O Lord, both my friends and my enemies.

     A slave curses enemies, for he does not understand.  But a son blesses them, for he understands.  For a son knows that his enemies cannot touch his life.  

     Therefore he freely steps among them and prays to God for them.