Joint Missions as means of Orthodox Unity

Met Boulos Yazigi & Met Yohanna Ibrahim
(Kidnapped doing humanitarian work in Syria on 22 April, 2013)

I wonder if cooperation in our missions and service can also be a way of actualizing the agreements between the Orthodox families that were worked out in the Orthodox Joint Commission? A similar suggestion was discussed in this post http://orthodoxyisorthodoxy.blogspot.ca/2012/12/practical-steps-to-implement-joint.html :

EPISCOPAL COLLABORATION in such areas as parish visitation, publishing, and social service programs. As soon as Chalcedonians see their bishops alongside non-Chalcedonian bishops, and vice versa, working for a common cause, bonds of fraternity will be quick to form. Bishops of the two communities could make plans for joint visitation of certain parishes, especially in cities where both Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonian parishes are found (e.g., Boston, New York, Los Angeles). Publication projects, especially those relevant to the common roots and shared faith of the Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonian traditions, could be undertaken jointly. When responding to the human needs created by natural disasters and political strife, why could our churches not pool their resources, thereby manifesting a united Orthodox witness in the secular world? Why, for example, should the non-Chalcedonian churches not be asked to join with their Chalcedonian counterparts in the work of the International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC)? Such common effort produces common vision.

+ Fr Theodore Pulcini, "Eastern Orthodox-Oriental Orthodox Relations: Practical Steps Toward Unity." St. Nersess Theological Review 1. no.1 (New York: St. Nersess Armenian Seminary Press, 2006) 63-65.

Perhaps such unity can be worked out on a lay level even as they are being worked on on the level of our hierarchs. 

Rather than setting up competing jurisdictions in the mission field...

"... in every area there should exist one Orthodox Bishop, with his simple or rather combined flock, who as the true spiritual father and pastor will labour to meet the needs and sensitivities of his flock demonstrating reverence and understanding in regards to the language, particular customs and traditions, etc.

United Orthodoxy will progress and will triumph. The hope of the world today is Orthodoxy and all of us Orthodox need to understand this, putting aside every minor difference and to respond in unity to the will of the Lord, who “desires that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of truth” (1 Tim 2:4)."

+ Metropolitan of New Zealand, Amfilochios, http://modeoflife.org/2013/01/30/the-greatness-of-pan-orthodoxy/

On the Dread and Holy Mysteries of Christ
Delivered four days before Christmas.
by St Gregory Palamas, Translated by Fr Christopher Veniamin.


THE WORD which brings about the salvation of our souls is analogous to seed. Just as farmers first cultivate the earth with the plough, then sow seed, so must we prepare ourselves beforehand to accept the heavenly seed, by which I mean the word of spiritual teaching. But we are not inanimate, unfeeling earth which is cultivated and sown by others, but living, breathing, rational ground. For that reason we must make ourselves ready by means of repentance. To give you an indication of the starting point of repentance and the cultivation of the soul, it is what those who approached John’s baptism did on their own initiative: “They went out”, it says, “and were baptized in Jordan, confessing their sins” (cf Matt. 3:5—6, Mark 1:5).

Ecclesia: More than just community

"I remember attending a Protestant service a few years after we became orthodox, and listening to how earnestly the pastor urged the people to be a community. The church was using so much energy to create programs and groups to create a sense or perhaps reality of oneness. It seemed exhausting and also ineffective considering how passionately the pastor was asking people to get involved.

I remember thinking how strange it seemed in light of the gentle community that we had entered into at our new Orthodox parish. The parish is full of people from various cities, ethnicities, ages, financial backgrounds, and job situations. And yet somehow there I truly feel as though I share something deeply common with these people. I don’t know how to describe the connection and closeness I feel to them, many of whom I still haven’t had a chance to know well at all. But they seem joined to my life and my suffering so deeply. And all I’ve done with them is shown up at church together and shared a common cup."

+ Anna, comment on Fr Stephen Freeman's blog

http://glory2godforallthings.com/2013/02/11/america-and-the-perversion-of-christianity/

On Interpretation

"I have often inquired earnestly and attentively of very many men, eminent for their sanctity and learning, how and by what sure and, so to speak, universal rule I may be able to distinguish the truth of the Catholic faith from the falsehood of heretical depravity; and I have always, and in almost every instance, received an answer to this effect: That whether I or anyone else should wish to detect the frauds and avoid the snares of heretics as they rise, and to continue sound and complete  in the Catholic faith, we must, the Lord helping, fortify our own belief in two ways; first, by the authority of the Divine Law, and then, by the Tradition of the Catholic Church.

But here someone perhaps will ask, Since the canon of Scripture is complete, and sufficient of itself for everything, and more than sufficient, what need is there to join with it the authority of the Church's interpretation? For this reason; because, owing to the depth of Holy Scripture, all do not accept it in one and the same sense, but one understands its words in one way, another in another way, so that it seems to be capable of as many interpretations as there are interpreters. For Novatian expounds it one way, Sabellius another, Donatus another, Arius, Eunomius, Macedonius, another, Photinus, Apollinaris, Priscillian, another, Iovinian, Pelagius, Celestius, another, lastly, Nestorius another. Therefore, it is very necessary, on account of so great intricacies of such various error, that the rule for the right understanding of the prophets and apostles should be framed in accordance with the standard of Ecclesiastical and Catholic interpretation.

Moreover, in the Catholic Church itself, all possible care must be taken that we hold that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, by all. For that is truly and in the strictest sense "Catholic," which, as the name itself and the reason of the thing declare, comprehends all universally. This rule we shall observe if we follow universality, antiquity, consent. We shall follow universality if we confess that one faith to be true, which the whole Church throughout the world confesses; antiquity, if we in no wise depart from those interpretations which it is manifest were notoriously held by our holy ancestors and fathers; consent, in like manner, if in antiquity itself we adhere to the unanimous definitions and determinations of all, or at the least of almost all priests and doctors."

+ St. Vincent of Lérins (+445), Commonitory

The Mission of Being

"one must LIVE the life of a Christian before others—this does more than all preaching, teaching and evangelization.  Pray for them and live the true Christian life before them, then let God affect them, if He wills."

+ Mother Theoliptie amma Demiana, Egypt

Love Between Spouses

Love Between Spouses

What is it that makes a marriage endure? It's not that both are the same character.  For we compliment each other through our differences as we face the tasks of life.

Elder Paisios uses the following common sense example, "A car needs the gas pedal to move but it also needs the brakes to stop." It is through our differences that we find harmony. Elder Paisios said think what would happen if you were both the same character. "For example, if both of you had a short fuse you would tear the house down."  Our compatibility in difference is the harmony of God.

What is essential for a good marriage is respect for each other's uniquness. Respect is what leads to pure love.

Elder Paisios puts it this way:
Couples should have a purified love for one another... To live harmoniously couples need from the very start to set their love as the foundation of their life, a true genuine love, one that is found in spiritual nobility, in sacrifice, not in fake, worldly and carnal love.  If there is love there is sacrifice, one will always arrive at the standpoint of the other, understand the other, have compassion for the other. And when we take our neighbor into our suffering heart, then we take Christ Himself into our heart, and He fills us with His ineffable exultation.
Too often we think of love in terms of carnal or sexual encounters.  Such physical love is not evil in a marriage relationship but such love only unites people externally. When the worldly attributes of such encounters are gone such love separates them and there is the feeling of loss. But the Elder says, "When there is spiritual true love between a couple, and if one spouse losses his or her worldly attributes, not only will this not separate them, but it will unite them all the more."

The Elder shares a story of a Greek-American doctor who told him about what was clearly an encounter with the uncreated light of God. Elder Paisios then seeks to find out the condition for this encounter. The story follows:
I marveled realizing that this man had been made worthy to see the Uncreated Light, and I asked him to tell what had preceded this. "Father", he went on, "I'm married and have three children. We had a good family in the beginning. But later on my wife didn't want to stay home with the children; she wanted us to go out with friends. I went along with her wishes. After some tme she said that she wanted to go out with her freinds alone, without me. I accepted this too, and stayed home with the children. Later, she didn't want us to go on vacation to gather and asked for money to go by herself. Finally, she asked for a separate apartment to live alone. This, too, I did for her; but she had her friends over all the time. During this entire time, I tried to help her through various means, by caring for her, loving her and giving her advice; I tried to make her think of the children who missed her, but she remained unmoved. In the end she took a great deal of money from me and disappeared. I searched and asked for her everywhere, but it was in vain.  I had completely lost track of her. One day, I learned that she had come to Greece and was living in a house of ill repute. I just can't describe how upset I was by her sorry state. In my utter grief, I knelt down to pray. 'My Lord,' I said, 'please help me find her and do whatever I can to help her not lose her soul. I can no longer bear to think of her utterly fallen state of being.' It was thn that the light flooded my room and my heart was filled with peace." "My brother," I told him, "God took notice of your patience, your forgiving spirit and your love, and brought you consolation in this manner."
The central idea behind lasting love is respect and sacrifice.  This is how God loves us.  He shows us how we are to love each other.  Harmony in marriage only comes from this pure love that is beyond all physical aspects of a sexual relationship. With pure love we will see God. Marriage can be a powerful path to union with God.

Reference: Elder Paisios of Mount Athos: Spiritual counsels IV: Family Life, pp 41-48

Posted by FrDn Charles Joiner: http://orthodoxwayoflife.blogspot.ca/2013/05/love-between-spouses.html

Mission and Salvation in Orthodoxy

"Perhaps no single doctrine is more classically expressive of the Orthodox faith than the doctrine of the Divine exchange (divinization or theosis)." + Fr Stephen Freeman

Theosis is salvation in the Orthodox Church (all Orthodox Churches share this teaching. It has been preserved and continues to be witnessed through Patristic Teaching, the Liturgical ethos and the Lives of the Saints).

A Church that doesn't encounter, teach or embrace deification in her lived theology and witness of her saints, cannot in essence be understood as Orthodox.

At the risk of appealing to moralism, one can say that an Orthodox Church cannot remain Orthodox while rejecting deification, because deification is the process of salvation in the Orthodox understanding and a mystery of participation in the Divine Life of Christ by the Love and Power of the Holy Spirit.

A local Church or Orthodox rite that rejects the Orthodox witness of deification will soon begin to appeal to reductionism and misplaced presuppositions to dialogue with the world. She will begin to forget her priestly calling, the offering of all things back to God for the life of the World. She will acquire the language of secularism and feed into the secular machine because she will have forgotten the grammar that the world so desperately needs but has suppressed.

She will look incessantly for contemporary messages of relevance in order to fulfill the very experience her worship and her traditions record, actualize and are evidence of: the divine life of Christ, the life in communion with the Living God.

This has even more significance for a Church that proclaims the evangelical light of the Cross and Resurrection.

Suppress the theology of Theosis and mission becomes a triumphalist colonial outpost, a nationalist endeavor, a marketing strategy, or a means of "getting as many people to a place." Remove or obscure the theology of Theosis and a Church's missionary activity will either be shaped by suffocating rigorism, 'world-changing' handouts, theoretical faith, or sugar-coated sentimentality. Remove the theology of Theosis and she will no longer be an Orthodox mission but will lapse into a missiology of utility and crusade, a reduction of life to ideological certainties instead of a maximalist encounter of apophatic Holiness that manifests and lives in the Light of the Kingdom.


Of the centrality of theosis and of theosis in Orthodox missiology, His Eminence Metropolitan Geevarghese Mar Osthathiose (Indian Orthodox Rite) writes:

“Salvation is more than liberation of humanity or humanization, but divinization of the humanity and the cosmos. Finite salvation of the created is not infinite liberation, that is the infinite divinization as humanity is not created for one another alone, but for the Creator as well.

The aim of salvation is not restitution of the unfallen state and Adam and Eve, but elevation to the status and fulness of the Second Adam, which is called Christification or Trinitification.

The first Adam fell when tempted, but the Second Adam did not fall. Therefore our aim is not just humanization, but theosis. It is for this theosis that the Incarnation took place as "good news of a great joy which will come to all the people" (Lk 2:10)...

Ulltimately all the differences and separations between human beings will be dissolved in a mutual sharing of beingness (perichoresis) where 'thine and 'mine' are different in the case of property, purpose or will, but different only in different personal and group identities with full openness to penetrate each other...

The aim of mission can't be anything less than the deification, unification and reconciliation of all churches and the whole world into the unity of the measure and the stature of the fullness of Christ. It is not humanization or socialization but divinization, which is social transformation in the model of Holy Trinity, which may be called Trinification. The aim of mission is not only Theosis but along with it the establishment of the Kingdom of God.” 

+ Metropolitan Geevarghese Mar Osthathiose . “Sharing God and a Sharing World” (India: ISPCK & CSS, 1995), 150-152.

Awareness of the Orthodox Identity

This past weekend one of our bishops in the Coptic Orthodox Rite graduated from Holy Cross Orthodox School of Theology. We congratulate His Grace Bishop David for this milestone and ask for his prayers as his sons and daughters in Christ follow his step in Orthodox Education. Many years Sayedna!

During the graduation ceremony His Beatitude Ieronymos of the Greek Orthodox Rite gave a beautiful address to all the graduates and by extension to the clergy and lay of the North America. The entire address is worth reading as His Beatitude emphasizes Lex Orandi Est Lex Credendi, living a liturgical life (ie.this implies living parishes who live Orthodox theology...theologia prima) and the need for Orthodox to encounter the world with truth and love, to preach with an Orthodox theology and also participate and advocate in letourgia with the poor, oppressed and confused. 

I hope that his words resonate with you, that as Orthodox the imperative for cooperation and collaboration among each other is as important as our agreed theological statements. That when we hear about kidnapped Orthodox metropolitans in Syria we can advocate for freedom and order in the same way as we would if the same were to befall one of our own bishops. That we speak truth and proclaim Resurrection in the midst of the cultures of death that distract us from the sanctity of life by appealing to secularized versions of choice and freedom. That we proclaim the end of the separation of sacred and profane, and address the distortions of the diabolic categorizations of the world into 'religious' and 'secular'. 

That we witness what we partake of, beholding the beauty of the Lord and becoming Christ.

Glory to the Holy Trinity. Je Nai Nan. May God have mercy on the Church. 

Christ is Risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and those in the tombs bestowing life!

"This means that we, clergy and laity together, should live the developments of the Church. However, the people’s essential participation in the life of the Church presupposes living parishes. Amidst the confusion of our times what needs to be made clear is that parishes are not like branches for delivering religious services but the centres and the points of reference of our lives. This is where life begins. This is where it finds its meaning, is sanctified, brightened and distinguished. This is where life finds its way to eternity. 

The parish is the place, and parish life is the way where, through Holy Communion, worship and partaking of the mystical Body of Christ, survival is transformed into life and death is defeated. 

Wherever each faithful lives, the parish is his or her greater family and the priest is the father. And what parent who wishes a holy and virtuous life for his or her child will ever remain indifferent if he or she sees that child sick or starving or taking the wrong way? 

Similarly, in our ministration too we should never lose the balance between the sanctifying work and charity. Personally, I do not know of a single saint of our Church who was not charitable or who remained indifferent to human suffering. 

Worship is the driving force which cultivates and nourishes love; which makes us turn to our fellow human being and generates charity. It is therefore of vital importance that the life of worship, our charitable and, more widely, cultural and social works should exude an ecclesiastical ethos and Orthodox spirituality. Let me insist on this point, because some of you have been born and grown up within environments of other religious traditions and must now, as Orthodox clergymen and theologians, constantly cultivate the awareness of the Orthodox identity and self-consciousness and of the uniqueness of the Orthodox theological tradition."

+ His Beatitude Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece at the Graduation Ceremony of Hellenic College and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology on 18 May 2013. http://www.goarch.org/news/ieronymosaddress20130518 (Also included in the rest of the post)

Address of His Beatitude Ieronymos at the Graduation Ceremony of Hellenic College and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology

Source: http://www.goarch.org/news/ieronymosaddress20130518 

Moralism and Pietism

Of late, I've been pondering on two aspects of 'pop' Christianity that might be contrary to the authentic Christian witness and which feed into the 'Second Storey Universe' and the packaging of God. 

One could say that moralism and pietism are two temptations that the Church faces.  In past posts we've discussed 'ethos' and it becomes difficult to positively list what this Orthodox 'ethos' is, because to do so could be a reduction itself. However perhaps we can point out that looking at the presuppositions of moralism and pietism, both definitely tempt the Church away from her calling.

If Packaged

 "The great tragedy, of course, is that contemporary Christianity has been so “gutted” by those who claim to be its reformers, that a central doctrine of the faith can now be used by non-believers in an effort to undermine a modernized Christianity that was only invented a few years ago."

+ Fr Stephen Freeman, http://glory2godforallthings.com/2009/04/23/a-faith-that-cannot-be-defended/

An interesting statement which I think suggests the dangers of reducing lived theology to moralism (codes and moral do's and don't's) and pietism (second storey, personal salvation and spiritualism). 

There is also an subtle suggestion concerning the presuppositions when one deals with moralism, pietism or question about the Orthodox faith. One would hope that Orthodox presuppositions and Orthodox encounters with the world are not based on reductionism and the tendency to package. 

Of course Fr Stephen is pointing out the issue of the "packages" created by the Reformation. Such packages are eventually threatened whenever someone challenges the materials or the methods of that "easy to access pacakge" or "box." 

Another Orthodox priest once said a rather profound statement in a talk introducing Orthodoxy: "we don't start discussions of Orthodoxy with proving the existence of God." 

Likewise in another blog post Fr Stephen points out:

I was challenged on the question of “proving God’s existence.” I understand the question but I do not think the question understands God.

http://glory2godforallthings.com/2010/06/20/reasons-god/

I think our theology, our social responsibility and our worship, if packaged, if reduced, truly runs the risk of misunderstanding God and distracting us from union with Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Perhaps this is why the appeal for non-Orthodox, or popular evangelical mega-Church materials and methods run contrary to the Life of the Church, because at the level of their presuppositions these popular consumer products branded as Christian only perpetuate the packaging and reduction of God and His people, His Bride, His Holy Church.

Je Nai Nan. Lord have mercy on us Your people.

Our Neighbours

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. On the day we remember the Cross, we must pay particular attention to what Divine Love is. God so loved the world that He gave His Only-Begotten Son unto death, so that no-one, no-one should be forgotten and left aside. But if that is true, how should we look at one another and treat one another? If each of us is so meaningful to God, if He loves him to such an extent that His life is given, His death is accepted - how should we treat our neighbour?! There are people whom we love in a natural way, who are akin to us in mind, in emotion, in so many ways - but is that love? Does that mean that we love this person as the most precious person in the eyes of God and the most precious person in my eyes, because I want to be with God, share His thoughts, His attitude to life.

And how many there are whom we treat with indifference: we wish them no evil - they don’t exist for us! Let us look around, here, in this congregation, now and week after week, and ask ourselves, ‘What does this person mean to me?” - Nothing; just someone who attends the same church, who believes in the same God, who receives the same communion - and we forget that those who have received this same communion have become part of the body of Christ, that God Himself lives in them, and that we should turn to them, look at them and see in them the temples of the Holy Spirit, an extension of the Incarnation.

Let us ask ourselves severe, pertinent questions about the way in which we treat our neighbour and we see our neighbour. Let us devote a whole week perhaps to thinking of one person after the other and ask ourselves, ‘Is there any love in me for this person?’ Not a sentimental love, but the kind of love which in the light of God makes this person precious, - precious to the point that I should be prepared, ultimately, yes, to give my life for this person. This is not asked day after day, but what is asked is that we should give some warmth, some compassion, some understanding, some recognition to the existence of this person. And when we come to confession next week, let us bring that, among other things, to God: does my neighbour exist for me? Who is he to me? To God he is everything; if he is nothing to me, where do I stand before God? Amen.

+ Metropolitan Anthony Bloom, Sunday after the Exaltation of the Cross, from http://www.mitras.ru/eng/ 

Social Media and the Church

“The Church’s role in social media is the same as the Church’s role anywhere...That role is to preach the Gospel and share the liturgical life. This project will be a unique way to inject our journey to Pascha into the social media landscape and to showcase the value of making that journey within the context of a Eucharist community.” 

+ Matthew Andrews, a parishioner of Holy Assumption Church, Philadelphia, PA,
http://oca.org/news/headline-news/youth-department-completes-journey-to-pascha-video-series

Keeping our Faces in a Facebook World

Keeping our Faces in a Facebook World
http://oca.org/reflections/fr.-lawrence-farley/keeping-our-faces-in-a-facebook-world


We live in a Facebook world—that is, in a world characterized by the presence of what has come to be called “social media.”  Much ink has been spilled describing this revolutionary new phenomenon, some people lauding it, and some lamenting it.  But whether it is laudable or lamentable or some combination of both, it seems to be here to stay.  For good or ill, much of our communication is now done through Facebook, Twitter, texting, e-mail, and other forms of social media.  My purpose in discussing this is not to denounce it.  I am not suggesting that the baptismal renunciations should be amended so that the candidate is asked to “renounce Satan, and all his works, and all his angels, and all his service, and all his pride, and Facebook.”  Social media has its advantages and uses.  It allows us to exchange words with people far distant, and to do so with greater frequency than we would probably do if writing and posting letters were our only medium of communication with them.  I have a Facebook account, and enjoy reading what others far distant have to say and share.  But there are losses in a Facebook world as well as gains.

Preaching the Astonishing Love of God

Preaching the Astonishing Love of God 

by Fr. Aidan Kimel

http://afkimel.wordpress.com/2013/03/16/st-isaac-the-syrian-preaching-the-astonishing-love-of-god/

Prayer and Holiness

By Metropolitan Anthony Bloom. From the MASArchive http://masarchive.org/Sites/texts/1968-00-00-1-E-F-C-EW02-001PrayerHolinessInContemprryWorld.html

PRAYER AND HOLINESS IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD

Louvain, November, 1968

A. HOLINESS

Before speaking about prayer and holiness in the contemporary world, I want to point out something that we always forget, namely, that the world is contemporary, new and unexpected only for us: God is contemporary with all ages of the world that he created, and this contemporary world is not a problem for Him: it is a reality in the making, he participates in it, He sets it in motion, and it has a profound meaning for Him. I think that if we want to look at this contemporary world of ours, we must know how to look at it with our own human concern, because we ourselves are in process of becoming – “in via”, and not only “in patria” – and at the same time, from God’s point of view.

America and the Perversion of Christianity

A very thoughtful piece by Fr. Stephen Freeman. Many of the presuppositions that Fr Stephen points out have indeed even been taken up by Orthodox. One of the more profound and challenging aspects of the post is his critique of certain methods of 'evangelism' and 'mission' that have a specific revivalist presupposition and a set of questions and expectations contrary to the Christian message.

True Christianity was increasingly identified with a describable experience, marked by strong emotion, a deep sense of personal sin, and a confidence in God’s forgiveness. Sacramental theology was devalued in the extreme (hence the rapid growth in Churches practicing adults-only Baptism)...The proclamation of the gospel now meant the proclamation of a message geared towards a specific experience with a specific result. The audience included both the churched and the unchurched. The social movements associated with these revivals were interpreted as manifestations of the Spirit. Revivalism, in a wide variety of forms became the hallmark of modern Christianity. The variety of “renewal” programs across Protestant denominations is almost legion. The mega-church is specifically designed by modern revival technology and media-savvy. 

For many of us already in the 'North American' milleu, this will sound almost blasphemous and suggest that Fr. Stephen is suggesting that we do not mission or evangelize. Rest assured, a rejection of the Church's missionary call is NOT what he or the Orthodox Church is stating.

However, it is apparent that his tracing of history is to show how the affectations and approaches of many Protestant-mega-church influenced 'popularist' and 'reductionist' organizations, trends and ideologies become packages suited to consumerism, instead of embracing the lived reality of the Church and her kerygmatic witness.

Perhaps this suggests that we might need to re-evaluate our understanding of mission and evangelism and find the answers from within the Liturgical life and movements of our rites and the rites of all the Orthodox Church.

Christ is Risen from the dead, trampling down death by death....

America and the Perversion of Christianity
by Fr. Stephen Freeman http://glory2godforallthings.com/2013/02/11/america-and-the-perversion-of-christianity/


Many people in our modern cultures have only a vague or non-existent knowledge of history. This is especially true of Americans. The downside of such ignorance should seem obvious. Most modern Christians have very little acquaintance with Christian history – and strangely – even less with modern Christian history. Though some might be aware of the Seven Ecumenical Councils, or even the Great Schism, they know almost nothing about American Church history over the past two-centuries, much less the utter dominance that history has in much of present-day Christianity. I offer three examples coming from that history – with the general point that many things people take for granted (within Protestant, Catholic and even Orthodox circles), have a very questionable origin, and in some cases represent a hi-jacking of the Christian gospel.

The Meaning of Sex

The Meaning of Sex
by Khouria Frederica Mathewes-Green, at UC-Santa Barbara (sponsored by The Veritas Forum)
http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/frederica/the_meaning_of_sex

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW64sGQypjk

Transcript

Frederica: This is Frederica. Here and Now.

Speaker 1: Welcome to the Veritas Forum. Engaging university students and faculty in discussions about life’s hardest questions and the relevance of Jesus Christ to all of life.

The Joy of Resurrection

As we hold to the Holy 50, I pray the following story reminds you to live and abide in joy. Do not let the Enemy take this grace from you. Glorify the Holy Trinity in all things. Christ is Risen from the Dead, trampling down death by death, and those in the tombs bestowing Life.

Elder Porphyrios and the Joy of the Resurrection
http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2013/05/elder-porphyrios-and-joy-of-resurrection.html

The following story was told by the cardiologist of Elder Porphyrios, Dr. George Papazahos, when he visited the Elder in his cell one Bright Tuesday following Pascha.

I went to see him as a doctor. After the cardiological examination and the usual cardiogram, he asked that I not leave.

I sat on the stool near his bed. His face was shining with joy. He asked me:

"Do you know the hymn which says, "Let us celebrate the death of death...?"

"Yes Elder, I know it."

"Say it."

I began to say it quickly. "Let us celebrate the death of death, the destruction of hades, the beginning of eternal life. And leaping for joy, we celebrate the Cause, the only blessed and most glorious God of our fathers."

"Did you understand it?"

"Of course I understood." I thought he was asking me about its interpretation.

He made a sudden movement with his hand and told me:

"You understood nothing, George my man! You said it like a hurried chanter. Listen to what fearful things this hymn says: Christ by His Resurrection did not cross us over a lake, over a crack in the earth, over a canal, over a river like the Red Sea. He brought us over an abyss, of which it was impossible for man to cross alone. For centuries we awaited this Pascha, for this passage. Christ brought us from death to life. This is why today we 'celebrate the death of death, the destruction of hades'. Death is lost. Do you understand? Today we celebrate 'the beginning of eternal life', a life near Him."

He spoke with enthusiasm and conviction. He was moved. He paused for a moment then continued more loudly:

"Now chaos, death, and hades do not exist. Now there is all joy, thanks to the Resurrection of our Christ. Together with Him human nature was resurrected. Now we can be resurrected and live eternally near Him. What happiness is in the Resurrection! 'And leaping for joy, we celebrate the Cause.' Have you ever seen the little goats now in the spring who jump on the grass? They eat a little from their mother and begin to jump again? This is what it means to leap - to jump. This is how we should also jump for unspeakable joy at the Resurrection of our Lord and our own."

He stopped speaking again. I breathed in a joyous atmosphere. He continued:

"Can I give you some advice? In your every sorrow, in your every failure, concentrate for a moment within yourself and say this hymn slowly-slowly. You will see that the greatest thing in your life - and in the life of the whole world - happened. The Resurrection of Christ, our salvation. And you will realize that everything that is upside down which is occurring will seem to you very small to spoil your mood."

He squeezed my hand saying:

"I pray that you leap for joy, looking at the chaos behind you from which the Risen Christ crossed you over, 'the only blessed of our fathers'. Chant now 'Christ is Risen!'"

My postscript: Truly, He is Risen!

+ George Papazahos, Professor of Cardiology

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YafboUoBLls

Paschal Matins in Byzantine Rite

Source: www.saintjonah.org/services/paschal_matins.doc‎

Listen to the Odes in Greek: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1D7C1417B826AFD6

Are you a theologian?

One day a young seminary graduate came up to Father John and without even bothering to introduce himself said: "I am a theologian."
   Father John was quite surprised by this and asked:  "Really?  The fourth one?"
   "What do you mean by 'the fourth one?'" asked the confused seminarian.
   Father John explained: "In our Church we know of three theologians.  The first was John the Theologian, the Apostle and beloved disciple of our Savior.  The second was Gregory the Theologian of Nanzianzus.  And the third was Simeon the New Theologian.  In its entire 2,000 year history the Holy Church has only granted these three men the title of theologian.  So are you the fourth?"

+ Archimandrite Tikhon, p.199 of Everyday Saints

Irony and Belief

Irony and Belief
by Fr Stephen Freeman
http://glory2godforallthings.com/2013/05/07/irony-and-belief/

Irony is probably too much to ask of youth. If I can remember myself in my college years, the most I could muster was sarcasm. Irony required more insight.

The Two Extremes

In an early section of For Life of the World there's mention of two extremes, two seemingly opposite forces that are consequences of the modern desire to "secularize" the world and the Evangelical/Protestant ethos (one that can quite easily tempt Orthodox Parishes too) to conquer the world for "religion". In other parts of the book, Fr Alexander points out that as Christians attempt to continue to split the world into categories of "secular and religious" or "sacred and profane" they actually feed into the the presuppositions and forces that created the 'secular' world in the first place.

Confusion and Clarity

"we need to be confused sometimes in order to be illumined. Better real confusion than false clarity."

+ Fr Thomas Hopko, The Names of Jesus Podcast on Ancient Faith Radio

Meeting Christ in the Stranger

On Pilgrimage: Meeting Christ in the Stranger

By Jim Forest (talk for the Orthodox Friends of Iona pilgrimage, August 2012)
http://www.jimandnancyforest.com/2012/07/23/stranger/

Here we are, pilgrims all, in a corner of the world that Saint Columba would still find familiar even though fifteen centuries have passed since his arrival. We’re just a pleasant walk and a short ferry ride from the isle of Iona, which has no physical relics of its most famous occupant, not one small bone to kiss or actual signature to peer at, but where every beach and cliff is a relic. If you haven’t done it in the past, you’ll probably take home a few ounces of Iona, most likely a piece of green-veined Iona marble and perhaps also a fragment of dull gray Lewisian Gneiss, the oldest exposed rock anywhere on Earth, roughly 2.7-billion years old, rock that carries one back to the early days of creation. We may put these souvenirs of pilgrimage on an icon shelf at home, a reminder of an Abraham-like saint who sailed off from his homeland to find the place that God would show him. It turned out to be Iona.

Christ is Risen!

Christ is Risen. Wishing you and your families a blessed and joyful Pascha (Feast of Resurrection)!!!

http://youtu.be/q3exhc29WpQ

Paschal Homily of St John Chrysostom

Christ is in our midst

"Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."

Hebrews 13:2

Andrei Rublev's Icon of the Holy Trinity

During the days of Pope Kyrillos, Dr. (...) was a man who loved the poor and the needy... he went to the church on Easter night to attend the Easter Mass by Pope Kyrillos. The man was surprised by the organizers at the doors, preventing a poor man with torn clothes and long beard and hair from entering. Dr. (...) intervened to end the problem but the organizers refused to let the poor man in because his looks were inappropriate since it was Easter night and the representative of the president will come with ministers and some political figures... that's in addition to the live TV broadcast. The doctor  promised that he would keep the poor man next to him in a place that was away from peoples' eyes...and indeed, the man entered with the doctor and stood next to him during the whole Mass without lifting up his head until the Mass ended.

The doctor went out..... and the man behind him..... and at the outside doors, the doctor said to the man, "Kol sana we enta tayeb!!" (Happy Easter!!) ...and the man responded to the greeting. Then the doctor asked him, "where do you live?"

The man answered, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head." The doctor said to the poor man, "Come, let's take a blessing and eat dinner together !" And they both rode the doctor's car and went to his house. So, when the doctor's wife saw the poor man she murmured and became very displeased. She said to her husband with anger,
"What kind of people are you bringing in our house?? Can't we have dinner together alone, even on Easter night?!!!"

Her husband didn't want to upset her.

So, he opened his clinic, which was across from his apartment, and took the poor man in it to rest. He brought the food for both of them to eat together. The poor man lifted up his hands and said, "I thank your hospitality and your love to my poor brethern for which you will have a crown in my Kingdom... Tonight, everyone invited his family but you invited the Lord!" .... and a bright light like the sun shone and the doctor didn't see anyone in front of him....who was that?!!! where is He?!!!.... He disappeared!! but I noticed the marks of nails in His hands.......YES, IT'S HIM !!!!!!

+ + +

Christ is in our midst.

He is and ever shall be.

HH Pope Tawadros II's Paschal Message

The Papal Encyclical for the Glorious Feast of the Resurrection 2013
Khristos Anesti; Alithos Anesti!
Pi-Ekhrestos Aftonf; Khen O Methmi Aftonf!
Christ is Risen; Truly He is Risen!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0Ip8WIEajo

I congratulate you on the occasion of the Glorious Feast of the Resurrection, which is the Feast of all Feasts, the Joy of all Joys and the Delight of our lives. The Feast of the Resurrection comes after a long period of fasting; 55 days to be exact. This fast culminates in the Holy Week of Pascha, which is a period filled with prayer, fasting, and supplication. Subsequently, Great Friday arrives, during which we declare ‘I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me’ (Galatians 2:20). Finally, Sunday, the Day of Light arrives... the Day of the Sun of Righteousness and the Resurrection of the Lord Christ from the dead.

Beautiful References from the Feast of Resurrection Divine Liturgy (Coptic Rite)

Gospel Response 

Moreover He was placed in the tomb, according to the prophetic voices, on the third day, Christ rose from the dead.

Alleluia alleluia, alleluia alleluia, Jesus Christ the King of glory, has risen from the dead.

This is He who is worthy of glory, with His good Father, and the Holy Spirit, both now and forever.

For blessed be the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the perfect Trinity, we worship Him and glorify Him.

Fraction for Bright Saturday (Coptic Rite)

Fraction for Bright Saturday (Coptic Rite)
http://tasbeha.org/hymn_library/view/2499


O Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the name of salvation, who according to the multitude of His mercy descended into Hades and destroyed the power of death.

Blessed Great Friday

Discourse On the Passion of the Saviour

by St Ephrem the Syrian

I am afraid to speak
and touch with my tongue
this fearful narrative
concerning the Saviour.
For truly it is fearful
to narrate all this.

Our Lord
was given up today
into the hands of sinners!

The Victorious Cross

Although Prof. Vigen Guroian does reference some of the common misconceptions concerning Iconology that were mentioned by Dr. Leonid Ouspensky (ie. supposed "canonical" methods of painting, anti-naturalism in iconography, etc), the following chapter from his book "The Victorious Cross" gives a thought provoking critique of the movie "The Passion of Christ."

One wonders if the iconological arguments Guroian makes is dependent on Ouspensky's perspectives on the transcendental image. I admit that Ouspensky's mention that "a temporal portrait of a saint [or of Christ] cannot be an icon, precisely because it reflects not his transfigured but his ordinary, carnal state," does make a good argument, but one wonders what that implies for kenosis, pathos in icons, or when the carnal or material continually points towards the Archetype, the Resurrection and death transformed.

Nonetheless, I would agree with Guroian that there's a sort of overemphasis in the film on suffering and a bit of absence of the connection to Resurrection. I'd also agree that some of the images play into the desire for pietism. Lots to muse over.

Also related is http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2013/04/the-passion-of-christ-orthodox.html

The Victorious Cross

By Vigen Guroian, adapted from "Chapter 5: The Victorious Cross" in Melody of Faith (Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010) 93-114.

I confess the Cross, because I know of the Resurrection.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem, The Catechetical Lectures, 13:4