A Thanksgiving Prayer

"Thank You, O Lord!

Everyone capable of thanksgiving is capable of salvation and eternal joy.

Thank You, O Lord, for having accepted this Eucharist, which we offered to the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and which filled our hearts with the joy, peace and righteousness of the Holy Spirit.

Thank You, O Lord, for having revealed Yourself unto us and given us the foretaste of Your Kingdom.

Thank You, O Lord, for having united us to one another in serving You and Your Holy Church.

Thank You, O Lord, for having helped us to overcome all difficulties, tensions, passions, temptations and restored peace, mutual love and joy in sharing the communion of the Holy Spirit.

Thank You, O Lord, for the sufferings You bestowed upon us, for they are purifying us from selfishness and reminding us of the “one thing needed;” Your eternal Kingdom.

Thank You, O Lord, for having given us this country where we are free to Worship You.

Thank You, O Lord, for this school, where the name of God is proclaimed.

Thank You, O Lord, for our families: husbands, wives and, especially, children who teach us how to celebrate Your holy Name in joy, movement and holy noise.

Thank You, O Lord, for everyone and everything.

Great are You, O Lord, and marvelous are Your deeds, and no word is sufficient to celebrate Your miracles.

Lord, it is good to be here! Amen."

+ Sermon given by Fr Alexander Schmemann on Thanksgiving 1983, a few weeks before he fell asleep in the Lord. Memory Eternal.

On Orthodox Unity

The unity between the Non-Chalcedonian Orthodox Churches in this generation, gives a practical and accurate lesson concerning the concept of Unity, to the theologians who are interested in the Ecumenical Movement.

These churches have differences in some details of tradition, but have one Faith and one Tradition. In the last years the whole world had seen more than one time, the participation of the Patriarchs, Bishops, Presbyters, Deacons and Laymen from these churches in one service, giving one offer for all.

These churches must play an active role with their sisters, the Chalcedonian Orthodox churches, to put one expression for the one faith concerning the nature of Christ. Their views -in their essence- have come nearer. Having done this, the Orthodox Church should devote all her power for preaching to the whole world.

+ Fr. Tadros Malaty, Traditon and Orthodoxy, 56

Orthodoxy is...

"Orthodoxy is a spiritual path. Orthodoxy is a set of prescriptions that when we follow, we advance on the journey to theosis. That’s what Orthodoxy is...Orthodoxy is what lies within your own power to amend your own life and heal your own soul by the gift of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. As far as I’m concerned, that’s the only thing that I personally need to be concerned with."

+ Khoria Frederica Mathewes-Green, Ancient Faith Radio, http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/frederica/thats_not_orthodoxy

On the critique of effective leadership

Here's a rather humbling post by Fr Jonathan Tobias:

So, let's just say that the critique of effective leadership should fall not only on the bishop, but on all decision-makers in a diocese: the Consistories, the Commissions, the Committees, the Apostolates, the Vicariates (if those things still exist in the Orthodox world), the Directors/Coordinators/Deans/Presidents of various associations/organizations/para-church administrations.

On Ritual Impurity

Sister Vassa presents a compelling case and comes to some interesting conclusions that Orthodox Churches might need to consider. Her article points out the importance of understanding our theology and building on the legacy of the fathers to speak, address, encounter and heal contemporary discourse and those around us.

What is “Ritual Impurity” and Why?
by Sister Vassa Larin (St Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly 52:3-4 (2008) 275-92.)
Source: http://www.descentoftheholyspirit.org/articles/article9.html

1 What is “Ritual Impurity” and Why?[1]

When I entered a convent of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad in France, I was introduced to the restrictions imposed on a nun when she has her [monthly] period. Although she was allowed to go to church and pray, she was not to go to Communion; she could not kiss the icons or touch the Antidoron; she could not help bake prosphoras or handle them, nor could she help clean the church; she could not even light the lampada or iconlamp that hung before the icons in her own cell: this last rule was explained to me when I noticed an unlighted lampada in the icon-corner of another sister. I do not remember that anyone attempted either to question or justify these strictures; we simply presumed that menstruation was a form of “impurity,” and we had to stay away from things holy so as not to somehow defile them.

Today there are different regulations in the Russian Orthodox Church based on the concept of “ritual impurity,” varying from parish to parish, usually depending on the local priest. The popular Nastol’naja Kniga of S. Bulgakov instructs a priest not to allow menstruating women to come to church.[2] In Russia, however, women are generally allowed to come to church during menstruation, but cannot receive Holy Communion, kiss icons, relics, or crosses, touch prosphora or the Antidoron, or drink holy water. [3] In parishes outside Russia, as far as I know, women usually only abstain from going to Communion.

The Dance of Isaiah

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRW867zBKNA

Rejoice, O Isaiah! The Virgin is with child,

And shall bear a son Emmanuel,

Who is both God and Man,

And Orient is His Name,

Whom magnifying we call, the Virgin blessed.

O Holy Martyrs,

who fought the good fight and have received your crowns,

Entreat ye the Lord,

That He will have mercy on our souls.

Glory to Thee, O Christ God.

The Apostles boast,

The Martyrs Joy,

whose preaching was the Consubstantial Trinity.

A Response to the Contemporary Debate over Moral Education

On Moral Pedagogy: A Response to the Contemporary Debate over Moral Education
by Vigen Guroian

Years ago in a series of essays entitled, simply enough, “Education, or the Mistake About the Child,” G. K. Chesterton entered into a debate that then was no less important than it is today. That debate is about what counts for moral education. In conclusion, I want to review what Chesterton had to say, thus bringing this conversation around full circle to the claim I made at the start—that stories, especially fairy tales, are invaluable resources for the moral education of children.

The Challenge of the Christian Calling

"The Christian calling is a difficult one, and we fight for it in our daily lives. Our entire lives are is a battle between truth and falsehood, and between doing right and doing wrong. This battle begins at Baptism, and doesn’t end until our last breath"

+ Fr William C. Mills, "Church, World, and Kingdom: The Eucharistic Foundation  of Alexander Schmemann's  Pastoral Theology" (Chicago: Hillenbrand Books, 2012)

"The first act of the Christian life is renunciation, a challenge. No one can be Christs until he has, first, faced evil, and then become ready to fight it. How far is this spirit from the way in which we often proclaim, or to use a more modern term, “sell” Christianity today! Is it not usually presented as a comfort, help, release from tensions, a reasonable investment of time, energy and money? One has only to read—be it but once—the topics of the Sunday sermons announced in the Saturday newspapers, or the various syndicated “religious columns,” to get the impression that “religion” is almost invariably presented as salvation of man and the world. How could we then speak of “fight” when the very setup of our churches must, by definition, convey the idea of softness, comfort, and peace? How can the Church use again the military language, which was its own in the first days, when it still thought of itself as militia Christi? One does not see very well where and how “fight” would fit into the weekly bulletin of a suburban parish, among all kinds of counseling sessions, bake sales, and “young adult” get-togethers."

+  Fr Alexander Schmemann, For the Life of the World (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1979) 71.

Meaning, Beauty and Ugliness

Metropolitan Anthony Bloom discusses meaning, beauty and ugliness in these four transcripts available on the MAS Archive:

On Meaning http://masarchive.org/Sites/texts/1982-11-01-1-E-E-C-IK01-001TSLecture1-Meaning-EliotLectures.html

On Beauty Part 1 http://masarchive.org/Sites/texts/1982-11-02-1-E-C-IK01-001SLecture2-Beauty-EliotLectures.html

On Beauty Part 2 http://masarchive.org/Sites/texts/1982-11-03-1-E-C-IK01-001Lecture3-BeautyCont-EliotLectures.html

On Ugliness http://masarchive.org/Sites/texts/1982-11-04-E-E-C-IK01-001Lecture3-Ugliness-EliotLectures.html

Orthodox Tradition and Family Life

Orthodox Tradition and Family Life
by Sister Magadalen of Essex


‘Every step in our Christian life is inseparably related to the fundamental dogmas of our faith.’ How can this statement, made by Archimandrite Sophrony, be applied to family life? Christian life is lived in a community of one sort or another.¹ A monastic family, because of its greater degree of separation from the world, is freer to define its daily life in accordance with its aim of prayer and spiritual endeavour. Monasteries exist for this very reason. However, in the world, the situation may not be so straightforward.

Learning How to Live

LEARN TO LIVE

by Jean Vanier

    I nearly didn't make it. I was in Liberia last night and they said I couldn't get onto the plane. But anyway, I did and, since I've made it, I'm still a little bit filled with Africa which I love very deeply.

    I spent two weeks in a little city called Man in the Ivory Coast working with family couples in the villages, just little, little people. And when I say little people they are people who are sometimes illiterate, very simple in many ways and they have in them an extraordinary beauty. So, if I wanted to share something with you today, I think it would be under the title of "Learning How to Live". For I think this is what Africa has taught me so simply - how to take time to live, and to be still together.

Christ and Nothing by David Bently Hart

Christ and Nothing

David B. Hart

"If we turn from Christ today, we turn only towards the god of absolute will, and embrace him under either his most monstrous or his most vapid aspect."