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