At the Gate of the Year

At the Gate of the Year
by Metropolitan Anthony Bloom

In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.

Before we pray, I should like to introduce our prayers so that when we pray, we do it more effectively, with one mind and with one heart. Year after year I have spoken of the New Year that was coming, in terms of a plain covered with snow, unspoiled, pure, and called our attention to the fact that we must tread responsibly on this expanse of whiteness still unspoiled, because according to the way in which we tread it, there will be a road cutting through the plain following the will of God, or wandering steps that will only soil the whiteness of the snow. But a thing that we cannot, must not forget, this year perhaps more than on many previous occasions, is that, surrounding, covering this whiteness and this unknown as with a dome, there is darkness, a darkness with few or many stars, but a darkness, dense, opaque, dangerous and frightening. We come out of a year when darkness has been perceived by all of us, when violence and cruelty are still rife.

For the Journey

"When preparing for a journey, we try to learn as much as we can about our destination...

...Exactly the same can be said about our life’s journey to the Kingdom...

...We are already on our journey, and should be continually preparing for it. How? Is this the right question? There are as many ways to prepare for this journey as there are people living on this earth.

The Church is here for those of us who are blessed with belonging to Christ. The Lord knows the ways of many who haven’t found nor encountered Him. It is not for us to decide. But we know Christ, we partake of His Body and His Blood, we stand at the foot of His Cross, we know His Love...Love Him back! Always and forever, this is the answer: love Him back!

The Church provides all the tools that this journey requires...."

+ Matushka Juliana Schmemann, The Joy to Serve (Montreal: Alexander Press, 2009) 86-88.

"The early Church knew that, in all creation, there is no one who is worthy through his own spiritual effort, through his own “worthiness,” to partake of the body and blood of Christ, and that therefore preparation consists not in a calculation and analysis of one’s “preparedness” or “unpreparedness,” but in the answer of love to love..."

+ Fr Alexander Schmemann, "The Sacrament of Communion" in "The Eucharist." Trans. by Paul Kachur (New York: St Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1987) 241.

A Mission of Presence

"We introduce men and women not to a story, even a religious story, but rather to a presence: the presence of the saints, men and women who have suffered, many in the same way as our people."

+ Fr Roberto Ubertino

With Regard to the Fathers

"We are not called not simply to preserve Patristic tradition. We are called to pursue it and to participate in it ourselves. From out of the well-spring of Holy Tradition and through our participation in the liturgical life of the Church; by attempting to acquire some share in the Fathers' spirit of humility and life of prayer; by pursuing their path toward purification, illumination and theosis, students of Orthodox Theology are called, and must be committed to, acquiring this same 'mind of the Fathers' which is nothing less than the mind of Christ Himself.

This not only keeps outside influences from infiltrating our inheritance; it also inspires and emboldens us as we confront, address, and reach out to the non-Orthodox around us. Only then can we speak with the same voice as our Fathers -- from out of the depths of their same experience, utilizing their same categories of thought, and rightly applying their same method and manner of approach."

+ Dr. Harry Boosalis, St Tikhon Orthodox Theological Seminary

Thanks to Nicholas S. for this quote!

On Holy Communion

On Holy Communion
By Metropolitan Anthony Bloom

In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.

Through living the whole life of the church, and pre-eminently by Communion in the Holy Mysteries, we seek participation in the common life with Christ the Saviour. Living in the church, being the body of Christ in the midst of the world, being the presence of the living Christ incarnate through us, being the lodging place of the Holy Spirit, His Temple, being children of the heavenly Father in the most literal and unconditional sense, this is precisely what we seek, to make our life one with Christ.

Orthodox Perspectives Concerning Marital Sex

Very interesting article from: http://orthodoxchurchlife.wordpress.com/2014/02/05/orthodox-perspectives-concerning-marital-sex/

THERE IS NO SEX IN THE CHURCH

by Fr. Sergei Sveshnikov 1

Source: Fr. Sergei Sveshnikov, “There is no sex in the Church” in “American Theological Inquiry, Volume Four, Issue One: A Biannual Journal of Theology, Culture, and History”, Wipf & Stock (Feb. 4 2011) 61-84.http://atijournal.org/ATI_Vol4_No1.pdf

[PLEASE NOTE: This article deals with adult subject matter and is intended for adult readers. If you are offended by the discussion of human sexuality, this article is not for you. Some sections of this article contain very graphic language and reader discretion is strongly advised.]

Beauty of the Heart

Time washes away physical beauty, and sickness eats it up, but beauty of the heart is beyond all changes. The former arouses anger and produces jealousy, but the latter is not susceptible to similar passions and knows no vainglory. 

+ Saint John Chrysostom

"I always liked to be elegant, later I found out that being elegant comes from the inside...Elegance is to love , To give and forgive" 

+ Mama Maggie Gobran

Sister Vassa Larin: Orthodoxy Is Not a Religion of Fear

Sister Vassa Larin: Orthodoxy Is Not a Religion of Fear
Vienna. May 4, 2009

http://www.rocorstudies.org/interviews/2009/05/04/vienna-may-4-2009-sister-vassa-larin-orthodoxy-is-not-a-religion-of-fear/

Please tell us about your background and explain why you decided to study theology.

I was born and raised in the ROCOR, more specifically in the family of a ROCOR priest in Nyack, NY. When I was a novice living in a small monastic community in Munich, it was Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany who sent me, along with several other monastics of his diocese, to study theology at the Institute for Orthodox Theology of the University of Munich. His reason for doing this was simple: our diocese needed certified teachers of Orthodox Theology for our parish schools, and we happened to have an Orthodox Institute in Munich. Since higher education in Germany was then free, Vladyka decided to take advantage of this. His decision shocked me at the time, because it never entered my mind that I as an American could study at a German university.

A Father John Romanides Quote

“.. in order for our dogmatic theology to be real it must be pastoral; it has to give life!” + Fr. John Romanides
Reminder to live out our theology, that theology is a part of the life of the Church and is to be used in concert with her to bring and facilitate union with God.

What Is Left of Beauty

"Unless we look at a person and see the beauty there is in this person, we can contribute nothing to him. One does not help a person by discerning what is wrong, what is ugly, what is distorted. Christ looked at everyone he met, at the prostitute, at the thief, and saw the beauty hidden there. Perhaps it was distorted, perhaps damaged, but it was beauty none the less, and what he did was to call out this beauty."

+ Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh

"Every one of us is in the image of God, and every one of us is like a damaged icon. But if we were given an icon damaged by time, damaged by circumstances, or desecrated by human hatred, we would treat it with reverence, with tenderness, with broken-heartedness. We would not pay attention primarily to the fact that it is damaged, but to the tragedy of its being damaged. We would concentrate on what is left of its beauty, and not on what is lost of its beauty. And this is what we must learn to do with regard to each person as an individual, but also - and this is not always as easy - with regard to groups of people, whether it be a parish or a denomination, or a nation. We must learn to look, and look until we have seen the underlying beauty of this group of people. Only then can we even begin to do something to call out all the beauty that is there. Listen to other people, and whenever you discern something which sounds true, which is a revelation of harmony and beauty, emphasize it and help it to flower. Strengthen it and encourage it to live."

+ Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh

Holiness is Wholeness

Holiness is Wholeness
by FrDn Pawel Mucha


In a way that it is difficult for an outsider to imagine, the Mission and the parish are truly interdependent. They are ideally one piece of one woven fabric. To appreciate this, fully, one has to be involved in both the Mission and the parish. To know one without the other is to be unable to see the wholeness that actually exists, the one with the other. The Mission is the foundation upon which the parish is built. The "spirit" of the Mission permeates the "spirit" of the parish. However, it is perhaps no accident that the Mission preceded the parish. Or did it? Worship has been the key to the life of the Mission from its very beginnings. As Fr. Roberto wrote in "The Poor Our Masters", describing the development of the life of St John's:

Orthodox faith, theology and worship should colour and shape Orthodox diaconia. Gradually a pattern of life developed centered around the Divine Services, all-night vigils and vespers services in the chapel that, although only the size of a small room, was in constant use. (http://stsilouan.org/article/poor.html)

In the Mission, and in the parish, the teaching of St. John Chrysostom that the Church should have two tables, one for the Lord and one for the poor, is  realized as a way of life. This is one of the most important lessons that those who come to the Lived Theology School (to learn what Orthodox mission is) have to grow into. It is one of the reasons why Lay Missionaries (formerly interns) have always been fully involved in the life of both the Mission and the Mission parish: and contributed greatly to, and benefited greatly from, both.

As Metropolitan Kallistos so eloquently put it in a retreat talk on the words of the Liturgy, “Let us go forth in peace”:

Let us reflect on what happened at the Last Supper. First there was the Eucharistic meal, where Christ blessed bread and gave it to the disciples, ‘This is my body,’ and he blessed the cup, ‘This is my blood.’ Then, after the Eucharistic meal, Christ kneels and washes the feet of his disciples. The Eucharistic meal and the foot washing are a single mystery. So, we have to apply that to ourselves. We go out from the Liturgy to wash the feet of our fellow humans, literally and symbolically. That is how I understand the words at the end of the Liturgy, ‘Let us go forth in peace.’ Peace is to be something dynamic within this broken world. It’s not just a quality that we experience within the church walls.  

Let’s remind ourselves of the way in which St. John Chrysostom envisages this liturgy after the Liturgy. There are, he says, two altars. There is, in the first place, the altar in church, and towards this altar we show deep reverence. We bow in front of it. We decorate it with silver and gold. We cover it with precious hangings. But, continues St. John, there is another altar, an altar that we encounter every day, on which we can offer sacrifice at any moment. And yet towards this second altar, an altar which God himself has made, we show no reverence at all. We treat it with contempt. We ignore it. And what is this second altar? It is, says St. John Chrysostom, the poor, the suffering, those in need, the homeless, all who are in distress. At any moment, he says, when you go out from the church, there you will see an altar on which you can offer sacrifice, a living altar made by Christ. 

Whilst this quote may appear to be directly relevant to the service of the Mission it actually makes no difference what your situation in life is. The “liturgy after the Liturgy” is to be lived wherever you are and whatever your life consists of. It is equally valid for families, the home, the workplace, social life – for all aspects of your life.

The great blessing of this place is in being able to live a whole Christian life. One would hope that if St. Basil, or St. John Chrysostom, walked in the door of the Mission they would recognize this place as something familiar to them and somewhere where they would find everyone striving to live both the Liturgy (and the other services of the Church) and the liturgy after the Liturgy. As some ancient liturgies have it, “Let us go forth in peace to love and serve the Lord.” There are no limits on either the love or the service. Holiness is realized in a life wholly lived.




From St Silouan Mission Parish, Toronto. Quarterly Newsletter – SPRING 2014 http://stsilouan.org/

Prayers Reconciliation from Liturgy of St Cyril

"O Creator of the whole creation, of that which is seen and of that which is not seen, who cares for all things; for Yours they are. O Lover of Souls; I seek Your compassion O Lord Almighty. I, poor, despised, and unprofitable as I am among Thy servants, now drawing near to Your Holy of Holies, and about to touch this holy and mysterious sacrament give me, O Lord, Thy Holy Spirit: that fire immaterial and incomprehensible that devours all infirmity and consumes wicked inventions. Let it kill the earthly senses of the flesh; let it restrain the wanderings of the mind that lead it to imaginations full of aches and passion: And as it is proper for priests, let it make me rise above all mortal thoughts, and grant me the sanctifying words in order to fulfill this offering now laid on the altar which is the mystery of mysteries; in the fellowship and communion of Your Christ. To whom with You and the Holy Spirit, the Giver-of-Life, and of one essence with You, belongs glory now and unto the of ages, Amen."

+ Prayer of Reconciliation, Divine Liturgy of St Cyril, Coptic Rite.

"O Prince of Life and King of Ages, God unto whom every knee bows, of those in heaven, of those on earth, and of those under the earth; to whom everything is subject and in the bond of servitude, bowing their heads to the scepter of Thy kingdom: Unto whom the armies of angels give glory together with the heavenly hosts, and all logical natures, with an unsilenced voice that utters Your divinity. And as You have taken pleasure in us, the poor inhabitants of the earth, that we should service to You, not because of the purity of our hands, for we have not done good upon the earth; but You are willing to grant us, the unfortunate and unworthy, of Your purity: accept us unto You O Good [God] and Lover of Mankind, as we approach Your holy altar according to the multitude of Your mercies. And make us worthy of the heavenly peace that suits Your divinity and is full of salvation that we may give it to one another in perfect love and that we may greet one another with a holy kiss."

+ Prayer before the Deacon Entreats Congregation to Exchange the Holy Kiss, Divine Liturgy of St Cyril, Coptic Rite.

The Church's Life

The importance of Lex Orandi in the Orthodox Church...

"...as long as they are free to participate in the worship of their local church, the Eastern Christians can survive...As long as the mysteries can be celebrated the Church lives, held together not by organization nor authority nor education, but by communion year after year in the regular cycle of feast and fast."

+ Fr Robert F. Taft, "Beyond East and West: Problems in Liturgical Understanding." 2nd Rev. Ed. (Rome: Pontifical Oriental Institute Press, 2001) 146

What we can learn from Orthodoxy in India?

"...The church must stress the need to go back to a simple, frugal life as against the flamboyant exhibitionism wealth tempts. The church’s mission should include propaganda against consumerism. Jesus Christ went in search of the oppressed and marginalized, and the church’s mission should also include the empowerment of the powerless and the marginalized. Tribals, women and children all need the special attention of the church, and mission today has a calling to concentrate on programmes for the benefit of these groups.

The churches while pursuing mission work had, on many occasions, gone away from God’s mission. The conquest, colonizing and destroying of other cultures were all done with a view to do mission in a militant manner. But God’s mission must achieved by respecting each individual’s intrinsic worth, the right to freedom and independence, and respecting differences among peoples. Seeing the divine in the midst of a plurality of experiences is the need of the hour. God’s mission has to be sought in new and varied ways by the churches in the rapidly changing life situations we see in our own time. Rather than the militant missions of yester years, it will be the peace-building, soothing, sustaining activities of Christian mission that will be welcomed as the work of God in the present communally torn Indian situation, and indeed throughout the world."

+ Fr. Thomas Varghese Chavadyel, On Orthodox Mission in India, http://malankaraorthodoxchurch.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14&Itemid=234

On the Education of our Children

HG Bishop Thomas of Charleston, Oakland and the Mid-Atlantic of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese has written a wonderful article on various education options. 

"Whatever teaching method you choose, Christ must be at the head of the classroom. The icon of Christ is what your children must view in you, in their teachers, on the screens of their computers, and in the faces of their peers." + HG Bishop Thomas of Mid-Atlantic Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese.

"You may, being teachers, be interested to know how we teach our faith. Well, I could put it in a nut-shell by saying, badly, because if what I have said in the beginning makes any sense to you, it is not by making children to learn doctrinal formularies or formal prayers or any such thing that you make a person into a Christian or an Orthodox. He must be introduced into an experience. And an experience can be caught as one catches the flu, it is an infection, it’s not something which can be conveyed in a sterile manner. So that what we expect is that in the family people should have a sense of worship. I do not mean, do special things. It’s not by praying before a meal or not praying before a meal that one conveys a sense of a sacredness of the event, but I remember one of our young theologians saying, “Everything in life is an act of love divine even the food, which we eat, is divine love that has become edible.” And if the food is prepared with love, if it is served with beauty, if it is shared with reverence, if it is treated as a gift of God, a miracle, and for people of my generation and that of my parents this attitude is easy because we have gone so often without any food and in hunger, that really a peace of bread or any form of food is an act of God or an act of human love. So that is an example. The same could be applied to everything which is the life of the home — the way parents treat children and children treat parents."

+ Metropolitan Anthony Bloom, http://masarchive.org/Sites/texts/1900-00-00-0-E-E-T-EN05-023Othodoxy.html

Also available is the Catechesis of the Good Sheppherd which has also been adapted to Orthodox Theology  (http://www.stathanasius.org/ministries/youth-education/catechesis/ ) and can be implemented as part of a child's liturgical life and their experience of the Holy Trinity.

Here's the letter by HG Bishop Thomas...

Training Up a Child: Educational Options for Orthodox Christians

by His Grace Bishop THOMAS

http://www.antiochian.org/christianeducation/TrainingUpAChild

http://byztex.blogspot.ae/2013/06/survey-on-orthodox-homeschooling.html

What can keep us together?

"What is the tremendous power which can keep people together under those circumstances? I think certainly not in a minimum of faith or a minimum of anything, but in a maximum of experience. An experience which is at the very heart and the root of everything that is. A personal knowledge and commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the only thing that can keep us together and this must be a commitment to Him personally, to Him in His uniqueness, to Him who is committed in a way that no one of us is committed. The image that fits here is that of the story of the storm in the Gospel. The Lord is at the heart of the storm and the disciples edging towards the shore, but Christ caused Peter to walk and come to where he is in the eye of the cyclone. That is where we should be for it is where Christ is. Only then can we be committed to one another.

I wonder whether this question of culture, polarisation and so on is not, like everything human, equivocal. The early disciples had nothing in common except the Lord Jesus Christ and the knowledge of Him crucified and risen. Now we have got too much in common, and the more we have in common according to nature the less we perceive we have according to grace. The more we insist on the cultural aspect the more we risk to lose the only one who is the Lord Jesus Christ and our God."

+ Metropolitan Anthony Bloom, http://masarchive.org/Sites/texts/1972-10-00-1-E-E-T-EM02-039IsFellowshipPossible(Ecumenism).html

What is Orthodox?

"Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

Almost daily, at least once, I get this question: what is Orthodox? what is Orthodoxy? What is the difference between Orthodox and Catholic? Or Orthodox and you name it? What is the Orthodox faith? What is the difference?

Occasionally some person will engage me, whether it's some person with a Ph.D who is working on some thesis, or someone who is writing an article in the newspaper, or someone who is often literally is living on the street, will ask, what is Orthodox? What's the difference? What's it about?

What is the difference between Orthodoxy and buddhism? What is the liturgy? What is prayer? Why do people have icons? Why do you have candles? Why fasting?

There are many answers of course one can give to this question. I'm sure many if not all of you at some point in your life have been asked this question by neighbours, friends and family. Certainly as I said it's almost a daily question here.

On Antinomy

"Now, this term antinomy seems first to have been used in classical Roman law to describe the circumstance of every jury trial: one side completely prosecutes while the other side entirely defends. According to all legal assumption, the truth can arise only through such jarring antinomical interaction. The philosophic use of the term begins with Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason (1781); and from Kant's work forward, the word exhibits a powerful and complex life.

Antinomicalness is, above everything else, an experience. It is the experience of disjunction, the experience wherein human discursive rationality breaks helplessly apart in the face of - better, in the teeth of - dissonant, often harsh realities. Such realities are the very ground of all biblical (indeed, all human) experience. The agony of forced exile is, at the same moment the way of redemptive joy; the created world is simultaneously completely good, completely fallen, and completely redeemed; Christ is at once fully divine and fully human. There is no direct way wherein human reason alone can reconcile the disjunctive elements in these expereinces; equally, there is no way whereby any element can be eliminated without radically falsifying the experience. Our fallen rationality simply breaks down when it directly confronts such antinomies as these."

+ Dr Donald Sheehan, Excerpt from the Introduction of "The Psalms of David: Translated from the Septuagint Greek." (Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2013)

"Christianity is, in fact, a complexio oppositorum, which asserts in one breath two truths that at first might seem very difficult to reconcile: on the one hand, all Christian confessions grant that God truly gives Himself to man, and that He alone can do this, because His creature is in this respect utterly powerless; on the other hand, this gift would be a sham if God did not in reality make man live by His own divine life. There is a paradox here: in one sense, everything comes from God, and in another, everything comes from man, because no one is saved or damned who has not willed it. St. John’s phrase expresses this two-sided aspect of grace—that we should be called and should be the sons of God [1 John 3:1]. In other words, any theology of grace must insist both on the primacy of God who justifies and sanctifies man, and at the same time on the reality of regeneration."

+ From article "Grace Oecumenical" posted by Fr Aidan Kimel, http://afkimel.wordpress.com/2014/06/10/grace-oecumenical/

A Word to Married Couples

A Word to Married Couples
by Father Matthew the Poor
Source: "Words for our Time" (Chesterton: Concilliar Press 2013) 99-105.

Marriage: Partaking In The Mystery of the Infinite

"When we fall in love, even in a broken and sinful world, we sense a deep truth. Contrary to popular opinion, love is not blind. When we love another person, we see the other as they truly are. We see the dizzying depths that lie within this other person. Intuitively – not often articulated, but intuitively – we are drawn to the potential infinity that is within this other person. That is why we have a belief that the one we fall in love with is enough for us. "You are all I need," says the lover to the beloved, and that is true.

The experience of love reveals how, in each person, there lies within them – and I will submit you now a word, dense with meaning, from a  theologian… from the words of St. Simeon the new theologian… there is within each person the reason of things and the nature and the knowledge of beings within themselves, but this experience of the reason of things, that the other is infinitely great and there is depth in them that summarizes all that is created by God.

The unfathomable depth of this mystery that the other is, and that love opens us up to see in another, can also become the place of the greatest suffering in our life. The other – for the other, like us, is greater than heaven, yet, as the fathers remind us, it is even easier to understand heaven than ourselves. When love in this world is not lived in God, then sin will distort it. For rather than receiving the loved one as the image of God, we will force the other to become in our own image, to possess, to control, and to use.

Eucharist and Marriage

"In order that we might be one with Him not just in spirit but in body, flesh of His flesh and bone of His bones (cf Gen. 2:23), He granted us union with Himself through this bread. Every love finds fulfilment through unity and starts from likeness. The popular adage “Like attracts like” is an ancient one. The love associated with the married state seems somehow superior to other forms of love. “For this cause”, it says, “shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh” (Matt. 19:5). “This is a great mystery”, says the divine Paul, “but I speak concerning Christ and the church” (Eph. 5:32). It says in that same passage that a man shall cleave and become one flesh, but not one spirit. We, by contrast, shall not only be joined to Christ’s body but mingled with it through partaking in this divine bread, and we shall not just become one body, but also one spirit. Do you see that the surpassing greatness of God’s love towards us comes about, and is manifested, through sharing this bread and this cup? For this reason “Burnt offering and sin offering hath he not required”, according to the Psalms, “But he hath prepared a body for us” (cf Ps. 40:6 Lxx)."

+ St Gregory Palamas

Metropolitan Joseph’s Inaugural Address

Metropolitan Joseph’s Inaugural Address
Reblogged from http://outofegyptblog.wordpress.com/2014/07/13/metropolitan-josephs-inaugural-address/

“In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: one God. AMEN.

Beloved in Christ, glory be to God.

Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy

Here's a repost of Abouna Mark Aziz speaking about Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy at St Mark Coptic Orthodox Parish in Washington, DC.

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

Transcript:

St Nersess on the Horos of Chalcedon

“I find nothing in the horos [of Chalcedon] against the Orthodox faith, and I am astonished that those before us opposed it so strenously.”

+ St Nersess

Source: Theoriani Disputationes cum Armeniorum Catholico I, PG 133:204B, cited by A. Papadakis, The Christian East and the Rise of the Papacy (Crestwood NY:  St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1994) 116.

* Horos Piestos = Definition of Faith

Sebastian Brock on the Syriac tradition in Christianity

Dr Sebastian Brock on the Syriac tradition in Christianity

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

Transcript:

Orthodoxy Versus Christian Materialism

Reblogged from http://glory2godforallthings.com/2014/07/02/orthodoxy-versus-christian-materialism/

Orthodoxy Versus Christian Materialism

http://glory2godforallthings.com/2014/07/02/orthodoxy-versus-christian-materialism/

Over the years I find myself coming back to a number of ideas within the modern world that differ markedly from Orthodox thought. These are ideas that are imbedded so deep within our culture that they seem self-evident to most people. Many Orthodox believers hold to one or more of them, distorting their understanding of the faith. This article is an effort to create a list and address each one. If it succeeds I will use it as a touchstone in future work. I have left off the specific issues of the Modern Project, which forms a subset of these ideas. Perhaps they will be added in a later version. 

The ideas:

1. Things are self-existent. They require nothing outside of themselves to exist. 

2. Relationships are psychological. 

3. Meaning is only a thought.

4. Time is a chain of cause-and-effect. The Cause cannot come after its effect.

5. Good and bad only describe behavior.

WHAT is the “WAY” of St. John’s?

The following post was posted on July 1, 2011 on the Lord of the Powers blog (the blog for St John the Compassionate Mission):

What is the Way here at St. John’s Mission?
by Fr Roberto Ubertino (St John the Compassionate Newsletter Christmas 2002)

WHAT is the “WAY” of St. John’s?

I have often read and reflected on goals, visions, ideas, ideals, issues, morality, radical stuff, stuff we want to implement…all the necessary questions of a committed Christian life. But, once in a while, something hits me totally by surprise, something unexpected, unplanned for – GRACE!

Dwarves are for the Dwarves

"They began eating and drinking greedily enough, but it was clear that they couldn’t taste it properly."

"They will not let us help them. They have chosen cunning instead of belief. Their prison is only in their own minds, yet they are in that prison; and so afraid of being taken in that they cannot be taken out."

+ The Last Battle

"O Master, Lord Jesus Christ our God, who said to his saintly, honoured disciples and holy apostles, Many prophets and righteous men have desired to see the things which you see, and have not seen them, and to hear the things which you hear and have not heard them. But blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear. May we be worthy to hear and to act according to your holy gospels through the prayers of your saints." 

+ The Prayer for the Gospel, Coptic Orthodox Rite

Orthodox Missiology: Kenotic Love in All Places

"Our love in Christ must reach all places, even to the hippies in Matala [in Crete]. I very much wanted to go there, not to preach to them or to condemn them, but to live with them, without sin of course, and leave the love of Christ to speak of itself, which transfigures life" 

+ Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia (Precious Vessels of the Holy Spirit,
Protecting Veil Press, Thessalonica, Greece)

Archbishop Leo of Finland: Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches form fullness of Orthodoxy

From: http://web.archive.org/web/20140624122312/http://theorthodoxchurch.info/blog/news/2014/06/archbishop-leo-of-finland-eastern-and-oriental-orthodox-churches-form-fullness-of-orthodoxy/

and

http://web.archive.org/web/20140624122607/http://theorthodoxchurch.info/blog/news/2014/06/historic-meeting-of-patriarchs-of-alexandria-and-archbishop-of-finland-in-helsinki/

In his speech during the reception provided to the Patriarchs of Alexandria on 23rd June 2014, Archbishop Leo of Karelia and All Finland stated that Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches form the fullness of Orthodoxy. He also recalled that late lamented Patriarch Athenagoras, always stressed on the true essence and fullness of Orthodoxy in Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches.

Archbishop Leo stressed that the relationship between the Church of Finland and Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate is very deep. There are large numbers of Coptic communities living in different parts of Finland. He recalled meeting with the predecessors of Coptic (Pope Shenouda III) and Alexandrian Patriarchates (Parthenius III & Peter VII).

The Primate of Finnish Church thanked Pope Tawadros II and Pope Theodore II for their historical visit to Finland and blessed presence in the country.

Several Orthodox Prelates, faithful and high level delegations from different organizations attended the events.

Oecumenical Grace Series

Here's a wonderful series on Grace over at Fr Aidan's blog:

http://afkimel.wordpress.com/2014/06/10/grace-oecumenical/
http://afkimel.wordpress.com/2014/06/12/oecumenical-grace-eastern-orthodoxy-on-theosis/
http://afkimel.wordpress.com/2014/06/16/oecumenical-grace-roman-catholicism-and-created-grace/
http://afkimel.wordpress.com/2014/06/18/oecumenical-grace-catholicism-and-the-divine-life/
http://afkimel.wordpress.com/2014/06/19/oecumenical-grace-the-protestant-gospel/
http://afkimel.wordpress.com/2014/06/22/oecumenical-grace-comparisons/


Also reblogged in its entirety below:

Aim of Orthodox Mission

"Orthodox mission consists in giving the treasure we have, and leaving the other to decide whether he will take it or not. If the other wants to join the Orthodox Church, you will never say "No." Our aim is to transmit the tradition of the Gospel in all its fullness, remaining free from any anxiety to convert anyone. You cannot impose on anyone's freedom. You are there, you give your witness; you are a candle, lighted by paschal joy, and if the other wishes to take from your flame, then of course, you will not refuse him."

+ Archbishop Anastasios of Albania. From Understanding Orthodoxy: How to distinguish true mission from proselytism.

Trisagion in East Syriac (in the Georgian Orthodox Church)

Here is an amazingly beautiful setting of the Trisagion in East Syriac sung Georgian-style. It seems that part of the Assyrian population of the Republic of Georgia who belong to the Georgian Orthodox Church still use some Syriac liturgically. ( http://araborthodoxy.blogspot.com/2014/04/syriac-in-georgian-chant.html )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArO4CGG6EFY

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkZza4YeAJ4

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

Taking the Fathers Back

Just read "Taking the Father Back" which discusses the challenges of reading the Fathers today and breaking out of the "Anti-East" or "Anti-West" rhetoric that can plague parishes today. Dr Adam also identifies how the Fathers are often misread in the same way that the Holy Scriptures are. 

What does this mean for readings of the Scriptures and the Fathers (and Liturgical Life) which use a reductionist, sentimentalist or Evangelical Protestant hermeneutic? What does it mean for Orthodox Parishes which embrace and perpetuate reductionism, emotionalism, pietism or pop-Christian methodologies?

Taking the Fathers Back

Reblogged from http://easternchristianbooks.blogspot.com/2014/06/taking-fathers-back.html

Liturgical Life of the Church

"In a very real sense the whole life of the Church in the patristic period was “liturgical.” There were no Christian schools or catechism classes, no popular missions or retreats. But there were the daily assemblies for morning and evening prayer, in which the Scriptures were abundantly read and commented. On the Lord’s Day there was the vigil and eucharistic synaxis, with lessons and homilies. And there was Lent, when the bishop prepared the community’s candidates for Easter baptism with long catechetical homilies such as have come down to us from John Chrysostom, Cyril of Jerusalem, and Theodore of Mopsuestia. Even the more mundane ministries were part and parcel of the liturgical assembly. Offerings for the sick and poor were brought there and given to the deacons who saw to their distribution; it was there that catechumens were instructed and baptized, penitents reconciled, the wayward corrected.

So to say that the whole life of the Church was liturgical does not mean the Church did nothing but “say mass.” Contemporary compartmentalization of life into clearly defined and mutually exclusive categories, and the even more recent limitation of parish liturgical life to the Eucharist, were foreign to the early Church, whose life was liturgical in that it was a community whose every activity was leitourgia', a public service of the one Body of Christ."

+ Fr Robert F. Taft, "Beyond East and West: Problems in Liturgical Understanding." 2nd Rev. Ed. (Rome: Pontifical Oriental Institute Press, 2001) 145.

A Proposition for Evangelism

A Proposition for Evangelism
By Fr. Jonathan Tobias
http://web.archive.org/web/20140619202025/http://janotec.typepad.com/terrace/2014/06/a-proposition-for-evangelism.html

Suffering and Christianity

Reblogged from Fr Ernesto's blog:

Suffering and Christianity
http://www.orthocuban.com/2014/06/suffering-and-christianity/

Mother Maria Gysi on the Saints

Mother Maria Gysi on the Saints

Although written primarily for monastic communities, Mother Maria Gysi's book 'The Hidden Treasure' has some beautiful observations concerning the saints that can be an example and of benefit to non-monastics and married couples.

Peace in our souls

"Peace in our souls is impossible unless we beg the Lord with all our hearts to give us love for all men. The Lord knew that if we did not love our enemies, we should have no peace of soul, and so He gave us the commandment, "Love your enemies." Unless we love our enemies, we shall only now and then be easy, as it were, in our souls; but if we love our enemies, peace will dwell in us day and night."

+ St Silouan

David Dancing Before The Ark: The Liturgical Theology Implicit In 2 Samuel 6:14

David Dancing Before The Ark:
The Liturgical Theology Implicit In 2 Samuel 6:14
by Fr Robert Barron

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


Transcript

Fr Tadros Malaty on Lived Theology

The decisions of the Church councils and the writings of the Church Fathers are insufficient in preserving the Church tradition.

The Laymen have an essential role in preserving tradition alive, by practising it in their daily life and their worship.

For traditional Church life cannot be transmitted by canons or through books but through practice and life.

Every true believer represents a living stone of the spiritual temple of God.

He is laid on other previous living stones, i.e., he ‘receives the traditional life Church from the past generations, and at the same time he bears other living stones, i.e., he deposits this life into the life of the future generations. Thus, he becomes a living ‘member of the Church of Christ, who transmits its traditional life by practising it daily.

Now, we can define the “traditional believers” not as those who study accurately the Church canons and acknowledge the details of the rites or recite the church hymns etc... but rather who discover their unity with God in Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit through preserving and practising the Church canons, rites, hymns etc...

+ Fr. Tadros Malaty, Traditon and Orthodoxy, 51

The faith that sings

Reblogged from The Cost of Discipleship Blog ( http://cost-of-discipleship.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-faith-that-sings.html ):

It seems difficult to enter into discussion with someone who, by the very slips they display in their challenges, demonstrates at the outset an irrational prejudice against things that are patently undemonstrable or arguable on the basis of discussion at all. Orthodox simply do not 'adore' ikons. To even pose such an inquiry begs the question and supplies its own answer.

Archimandrite Vasileios says something to the effect that dogma cannot be understood outside of worship. The same thing, in my experience, can be asserted of holy and divine scripture. Sitting somewhere and studying the bible can lead us to one set of conclusions, experiencing it in worship leads us to sometimes a very different set, sometimes diametrically opposed.

On The Unity of Theory and Practice

A beautiful and important quote reminding us not to separate or isolate practice and theology:

“He who seeks the inner kingdom of God and a living communion with Him, will naturally seek to remain continually in the thought of God. Turning his mind towards Him with all his might, his one desire will be to read only of Him, to speak only of Him. But these occupations alone will not lead to what is sought, unless accompanied by other, more practical activities. A certain type of mystic talks only of these occupations: the reason is that such teachers are people of theory and not of practice. 

This practice of reading and speaking of God will, used on its own, create a facile habit for such things: it is easier to philosophize than to pray or pay attention to oneself. But since it is a work of the mind, which falls so easily into pride, it predisposes a man to self-esteem. It may altogether cool the desire for practical effort, and consequently hinder sound progress by a flattering successfulness in this mental activity. 

For this reason sound-minded teachers warn their pupils of the danger, and advise them not to concern themselves too much with such reading and talk to the detriment of other things.”

+ St Theophan the Recluse, 

http://wingslikeagle.com/2014/06/10/philosophy-or-prayer/

The consumer’s “heaven”

"It is difficult to accept that God has placed limits in our lives for our protection. Our dreams and visions of “what would be good,” often exclude our salvation. We treat our salvation as a disconnected reward for the good choices of our life (the consumer’s “heaven”). The process of salvation, including the woof and weave of tragedy and rescue that form the purification and illumination of our lives, are beyond our planning (we wouldn’t dare). But God dares. He smashes towers and raises them up bringing the whole world towards His Kingdom."

+ Fr Stephen Freeman, The Babel Syndrome, http://glory2godforallthings.com/2014/06/10/the-babel-syndrome/

On Pastoral Methods

"The Church’s worship—the Eucharist, sacraments, prayer services, blessings, and other rites—are the very foundation of pastoral ministry. If we follow the ancient saying of Prosper of Aquitaine, lex orandi, lex credendi, then we must return once again to worship to help us prepare the leaders of tomorrow. Future pastors will certainly encounter a variety of people, problems, and situations in their ministry, and they will turn to the liturgy for comfort and assistance. Their preaching will take place in the context of worship. Their teaching will be based on the Lectionary readings that follow the feasts and fasts of the Church; their bedside prayers in the hospital will come from the breviary. All of this points to the obvious: rather than looking to the “new and improved” methods of pastoral care, why not return to the timeless, ageless liturgical life of the Church?"

+ Fr William C. Mills

The Comforter

THE COMFORTER: OUR SUPPORT AND STRENGTH FOR MISSION

by Metropolitan Anthony Bloom, http://masarchive.org/Sites/texts/1999-05-29-1-E-E-T-EM04-027ConferenceTheComforter.html

I feel more than slightly apprehensive, giving this talk in the background of a very theological theme. And so, you will forgive me, if my theological statements are untheological and if the rest is very different from what you may expect.

The Church: The Body, Mission and Life of Orthodox Christians

The Church: The Body, Mission and Life of Orthodox Christians

"So we will prepare for the coming Sunday, for the Big Feast of Pentecost, which as you know is the second, is the second big feast of the year after Pascha. And so let us truly partake of it, not just a little bit, you know God says “open your mouth wide and I will fill it.” So often when I give communion it’s important that a mouth is open so that communion can be given. So open your mouth and receive all that God has given you. So come feast, partake richly of the grace that comes when we stand in feast together and in the liturgies.

Doxa Patri Ke Eyo Epnevmati.

Christ is Among us. (Congregation: He is and ever shall be!)

To See the Face of Christ

"Christ is risen. (Congregation Responds: Indeed He is risen.) Christ is risen. (Congregation: Indeed He is risen.) Christ is risen. (Congregation: Indeed He is risen.)

You will forgive me for saying this so many times, but you've got to take advantage.... You never know you won't be able to say it. Today is the last Sunday of Pascha. Christ is risen. (Congregation: Indeed He is risen.)

On Wednesday we celebrate the Leavetaking. Christ is risen. (Congregation: Indeed He is risen.)

And then on Thursday we will enter the feast of the Ascension. It's gone so fast. I'm sure you all must feel that. It just was the other day when we began the paschal vigil. I ask you, has it been a blessed time for you? Have you grown in faith? In hope? In love? Have you paid attention to the Resurrection? Have you seen the Resurrection?

Crowns of Love

"It's always a beautiful reality in our world when two people love each other.  It gives everyone joy and hope and is always a reason to celebrate.  It is truly beautiful.  Love in this world is always a miracle and it is always something that fills everyone with great joy since love always comes from God. Even sometimes in imperfect ways but still love is always from God.

HH Pope Shenouda III on Partaking in the Divine Life

"God is glorified in His Godhead attributes.

God is glorified in His eternity, in His omnipotence, in His limitlessness as He is not limited by time or place. He is glorified in His greatness, in His indescribable beauty, in His holiness, in His wisdom, in His unlimited knowledge, and in His power to create. In short, God's Glory lies in His Godhead....

...If we glorify God on the earth, God will glorify us in heaven and here as well. “ For whom He foreknew, He also predestined… these He also glorified” (Rom. 8:29,30); “ If indeed we suffer with Him… we may also be glorified together” (Rom. 8:17) God even called us to His eternal glory (1 Pet.5: 10), so that we may be partakers of the glory that will be revealed, and receive the crown of glory that does not fade away (1 Pet. 5: 1,4), “bringing many sons to glory” (Heb. 2: 10). Yea, indeed, much glory has been, and is still, given us by God."

+ HH Pope Shenouda III, Contemplation 1 on John 17 

*(Thanks to Mina S  for finding this)

How to Stand in Relationship to God

Want to deepen a relationship with God? 

"Truth, dogma and doctrine, are not just intellectual facts or a framework for understanding things.  They are intimately connected with the Christian way of life – they are expressed in our love for God and for one another.  They are helping us to enter into communion with the God who is love." 

+ Fr Theodore (Ted) Bobosh

Reblogged from Fr Ted's Blog http://frted.wordpress.com/2014/05/31/dogma-how-to-stand-in-relationship-to-god/ :

What is Faith?

What is Faith?

"Doxa Patri kai Yio ke Aghio Pnevmati. Christ is risen. Faith. Isn't it what it's all about on Thomas Sunday - faith? Now that's not the same thing ... Faith is not the same thing as believing in things, like "I believe in electricity; I don't necessarily understand it, but I believe in it," or "I believe in taxes; I don't particular understand it, but I believe," or "I believe that there was a man on the moon."

That's not what faith is about. It's not about believing things you can’t quite figure out, just close your eyes and "I believe." That's not what faith is.

Homily on the Sinful Woman

Homily on the Sinful Woman
by St Ephraim the Syrian
http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3708.htm

1. Hear and be comforted, beloved, how merciful is God. To the sinful woman He forgave her offenses; yea, He upheld her when she was afflicted. With clay He opened the eyes of the blind, so that the eyeballs beheld the light. To the palsied He granted healing, who arose and walked and carried his bed. And to us He has given the pearls; His holy Body and Blood. He brought His medicines secretly; and with them He heals openly. And He wandered round in the land of Judea, like a physician, bearing his medicines. Simon invited Him to the feast, to eat bread in his house. The sinful woman rejoiced when she heard that He sat and was feasting in Simon's house; her thoughts gathered together like the sea, and like the billows her love surged. She beheld the Sea of Grace, how it had forced itself into one place; and she resolved to go and drown all her wickedness in its billows.

The Clarity of Humility

"A lady who was a doctor and worked in a hospital came one day and said to me, "It is impossible to stay in my work...Because the director there of the clinic is very nasty to me and I cannot work there anymore and I'm thinking of abandoning my job completely." 

I said to her lets try to make an experiment, stay there where you are but try to change yourself.

She said, "how?"

"Start praying" I said to her like that, "Lord I thank Thee that through this man You're showing me how far is my heart from You and I cannot keep my peace."

She started praying like that, "Lord I thank Thee that through this man You're showing me how far is my heart from You..." and after two weeks the director of this clinic went to visit this young lady doctor and said to her, "Either you are no longer the same person or I made a mistake."

And the whole thing changed and there was a perfect harmony in their collaboration and working together.

...But she had to humble her self and not to have any bitterness at all and have complete confidence in God that He can speak to his heart good things, and put herself under that and within two weeks she won the victory.

It's a matter of faith...if we reason humanly and on a psychological level there is no way out, but if we manage to do what our fathers taught us...what did they say?

I'll give you an example from the Desert Fathers...One novice went to St Pimon the Great, and said to him , "father I think I have got the unceasing prayer."

He began to think he acquired the prayer of the heart... And the saint said to him "and you think that is a great thing? The great thing is to put yourself under ever creature"

That is the reasoning of our fathers. If we manage to humble our selves before the other..."

+ Father Zacharias of Essex, Human Relationships In the Light of Christ 3 of 5, http://youtu.be/e2HoJOYisQk

http://youtu.be/e2HoJOYisQk

The Words of a Heart

It seems that the great elder Apa Makarios was journeying in the blazing North African desert one day with a zealous young novice.

Urging the disciple to go on ahead of him, Apa Makarios found a shaded place to rest awhile. The novice went on ahead and soon encountered a priest of the Egyptian idols traveling on the same road. Filled with fundamental zeal, the novice verbally attacked the priest, piously proclaiming that God could not and would not have anything to do with his religion and its evil idols. So abusive was this young monk, that it is said the priest of idols struck him with a mighty blow, leaving him semiconscious at the side of the road.

As the priest proceeded on his way, he soon encountered Elder Makarios, sitting beneath the shade of a great rock. Seeing him, the old monk called out saying, ‘My brother, you must be weary with the burden of your travels. Why don’t you sit here with me in this cool place for a while and speak to me of your journey?’ ‘What?’ the priest responded, still enraged by the last encounter. ‘Are you, old monk, not also going to berate me and condemn my faith and my gods as did that young monk down the road?’ ‘Certainly not,’ replied Makarios, and again bade him to sit and speak with him as a brother and fellow-pilgrim.

There the two sat and spoke of things great and small for hours.

Seeing evening’s approach, the ancient Makarios finally arose to bid his new friend farewell and be on his way, but the priest of idols would not let him go. ‘I shall in no wise allow you to depart this place, unless you allow me to return with you.’ And so the two made their way back to the monastery, picking up and helping the young, confused—and very much humbled—novice on their way. When they arrived, Apa Makarios called together all the brethren to greet the new seeker, and treated him with the greatest of honors.

Now all of this was beyond the comprehension of the young monk, who was so certain of where God was and where God was not. So he went by night to ask the elder to explain all that had happened with the infidel priest of idols. And the ancient Makarios, who must have shined like the sun in the midst of that desert night, responded with words like these: ‘My child, the hostile words of a closed heart can turn a potentially good situation into a bad one, while the hospitable words of an open heart can turn a potentially bad situation into a good one.’

+ As retold by Fr. Elias Bouboutsis in his book "Singing in a Strange Land," (Massachusetts, Holy Cross Orthodox Press: 2010) 30-31.

The Effects of Reductionism

The early warning signs of an Orthodox Church in crisis...

*Adapted from Prickly City Comic Strip by Scott Stantis (http://www.gocomics.com/pricklycity/2014/05/17#.U4NWt_mSzVQ)

"Sound Orthodox theological teaching is a pressing matter in our Orthodox Church. Where there has been bad theology, no theology, simplified theology or shallow theology, we have seen our youth melting away..."

+ His Grace Anba Roufael (Raphael), General Secretary of 
the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Toronto 2014.

“It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out.”

+ C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge..."

+ Hosea 4:6

"Everything we do or learn has theological implications...attend a bible study and you're being exposed to a theology...sing a song and you're hearing theology...commit an act of mercy and your actions are based on a theological premise....say a prayer and you're actually theologizing...I even heard an Abouna say "all our Church's theology is expressed in the Divine Liturgy and the Church services"...

...sometimes we feel and think that we don't like this thing called theology but be aware we're almost always learning a theology...we just have to ask if we are learning and living good theology or bad theology...bad theology will not serve or save the Orthodox Church...bad theology will develop bad religion..."

+ Coptic Orthodox Student

"We need to humbly and without making excuses acknowledge to our children what is true in our failure to be the authentic witness of the true faith. We have failed miserably in many ways to live the Orthodox faith. Finally, what is most important is to understand that the response that must be given to “bad religion” is not secularism or atheism, but rather what St Paul calls a “beautiful witness of the hope that is within us.” How can we recognize authenticity when it concerns the Orthodox Church? What will convince our children to recognize where is the truth? In the same way we recognize beauty and goodness! They are self-evident! The same with the true faith! It declares itself! It attracts by itself. The reverse is also true: atheism is a parasite that feeds of the believers' betrayal of the truth." 

+ Fr Roberto Ubertino,  How atheists can help us

How can we recognize authenticity when it concerns the Orthodox Church?
What will convince our children to recognize where is the truth?

O Lord save Your people and bless Your inheritance; protect the whole body of Your Church; sanctify those who love the beauty of Your house; glorify them in return by Your divine power; and do not forsake us who hope in You....

Beloved readers, as the holy feast of Pentecost approaches, please remember your Coptic Orthodox brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers in your prayers. Please also remember all the Orthodox Churches in your prayers. Please pray for peace in the whole world, for the stability of the holy churches of God, and for the unity of all...

Lord have mercy. 

Don't dumb down the message

Sometimes we might feel that it would be beneficial to reduce or package the Christian message to make it more 'relevant', 'hip', or accessible. In this video, Father Robert Barron addresses some of the issues of embracing the feel-good banners and balloons presentation of the Faith which he experienced as a child. His observations are definitely food for thought for Orthodox Christians.

Fr Robert Barron Comments On Reductionist Faith 

at the 10 minute 15 seconds mark of this 

Keynote Speech on the "7 Keys to the New Evangelization":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRzDBro3FiE&feature=share&t=10m15s

Partial Transcript:

On Theological Illiteracy

Archimandrite Vassilios Papavassiliou mentions various concerns with imparting Orthodox Theology: from reductionism, poor catechesis, to resorting to books alone. Fr Vassilios' article also implies that there be a lived theology, a theology that is encountered in beauty as well as leading one from rationalism to a real encounter of the Living God. That one be led to repentance and union with the Holy Trinity, and behold the beauty of God, in all the paradox, all the mystery, all the depth and wisdom of His Body, the Church. Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Theological Illiteracy
http://www.pravmir.com/theological-illiteracy/

A talk given by Archimandrite Vassilios Papavassiliou on Clergy Laity Conference, November, 2010.

True Love

"True love is love that causes us pain, that hurts, and yet brings us joy. That is why we must pray and ask for the courage to love." + Mother Teresa

The effect of Christ’s Nature Becomes Manifest in Us

Reblogged from http://sayingsoftheorthodoxfathers.wordpress.com/2014/05/17/by-prayer-the-effect-of-christs-nature-becomes-manifest-in-us-fr-matta-el-meskeen/

The transcendent gifts of the Christian life are manifold. Some are general, like the second birth, redemption for the forgiveness of sins, justification by grace, sanctification by the blood of Christ. Others are personal, like the gift of love, humility, piety, the glowing of spirit in constant intimacy with the Lord, and so forth. The strength and efficacy of all these gifts, however, can never be manifested except through prayer. 

By prayer, the effect of Christ’s nature becomes manifest in us. By prayer, the power of his death and life appears in our works and behaviour. By prayer, the sweet savour of Christ is scented in our words and thoughts. It is even scented in our quietude and silence as well. 

The work of Christ to redeem from sin, to save from sin, and to bring victory over evil can never appear except through a life of prayer. Neither can the living testimony of the new birth be brought about without such life. Without a life of prayer, all attempts to declare these divine actions in man’s nature become false, theoretical, and a product of the ego or self-will. In such a case, the old Adam remains as he is with his inclinations, passions and earthly nature. 

We should then accept these facts about prayer and set our hearts to them. We should resolve firmly to apply them with all our strength, which will cost us much effort and sacrifice. But whatever the sacrifice or effort, we will surely attain to all the transcendent mysteries of Christ – such mysteries as were previously only a matter of hearing. 

This can be realised only when prayer becomes our supreme concern, our main preoccupation, which outweighs all other cares; our duty, which challenges all other duties; our pleasure, which surpasses every other pleasure. We would then pray at all times, in all circumstances, in all places, in all conditions. We would pray in an insatiable hunger for constant contact with Christ. In all this we would be urged by his words, deeds, actions, and character – as he said, “Learn from me” (Mt 11.29). 

[Fr. Matthew the Poor, Orthodox Prayer Life]

http://sayingsoftheorthodoxfathers.wordpress.com/2014/05/17/by-prayer-the-effect-of-christs-nature-becomes-manifest-in-us-fr-matta-el-meskeen/

Marriage as the Kingdom

"The marriage, which is called to be the beginning of the Kingdom of God when two are no longer two but one - but only a beginning, because, as I mentioned it last time, the Kingdom of God must be taken by storm, and only those who are prepared to storm it can enter it. Storming means conquest. It means conquering one's old self so that nothing of it is left which is alien to God’s purpose, which is not capable of integration into God's eternal Kingdom, of becoming one of the building stones of the New Jerusalem. This is a call to struggle throughout a whole life, with inspiration, with joy, with stern determination, against everything which is self-centredness or which is the natural, aggressive greed of fallen mankind. I have mentioned that at the root of the prayers which we offer we ask for mutual chastity, for integrity, for love - and all this in a relationship of true freedom and true humility, a humility which consists not in denigrating one's own self but in being open --humbly, reverently, worshipfully --to the other, ready to receive what will be given, never to grudge what is not offered, never to complain of what the other is not yet capable of giving."

+ Metropolitan Anthony Bloom

Resisting the Reductionist "Spirituality" of Secular Presuppositions

"I am an Orthodox Christian – which is not the same thing as saying that I have an interest in “organized religion.” There is much about organized religion that I dislike in the extreme, and I occasionally see its shadow seep into my experience within Orthodoxy. But I repeat unashamedly that I am an Orthodox Christian and admit that one clear reason is that I am not very “spiritual.” Without the life of the Church and its Tradition – I could easily drift into a shapeless secularism – living a mediocre existence, marking time until my time is done.