Marital Advice from Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi

Do Not Complain About Your Spouse

Now then, today I am forced to speak about this matter also; it is a somewhat daring endeavour, but necessity has caused me to bring up the subject, when every day I hear men say "my wife is like this, my wife is like that, all women are devils...".

So, I ask: "Excuse me dear fellow, but this woman you are referring to - weren't you the one that married her?"

"Yes."

"Well then, when you married her, didn't you find every love, tenderness and happiness in her person?"

"Yes."

"So, why have you changed now? She is the same person. Both when you married her, and now. Can you see that you are to blame?"

Looking at Marriage From an Eternal Perspective

I met an elderly couple some years ago, approximately in their eighties, who had so much bitterness between them that, if it were possible, they would kill each other. I felt sorry for them; I sat down next to them and began to search deeper and discovered that they had reached that point out of ignorance. They had no idea what Christianity was, or anything about ethics - nothing whatsoever. When I sat down to talk to them, I saw that they were quite receptive and they would pay attention to whatever I told them. Well, after trying to briefly show them that mankind has origins from God and has eternity, and that we will not be in this world forever, and that the conjugal relationship is not dissolved here but continues into eternity, they were both moved and they accepted all that they heard. I left them, and after some time, they sent me a letter in which they said: "Elder, it is as though we are reliving the first month of our marriage." This from those who were ready to kill and to slaughter each other. Can you see the evidence now?

The Faithful Husband That Did Not Abandon His Adulteress Wife

I will tell you of another characteristic of a proper spouse, which is extremely difficult to find in our day. But we did encounter one such person. He was in every way a perfect character, a Christian, and completely social. He married late, around thirty years old, not because he was averse to marriage, but because he thought that was how it should be. So he said his prayers with faith, and found himself a young girl and married her. The girl was young, ten years younger than him. Soon after he married her, she began her mischief. He pretended not to notice; he regarded her as his daughter and himself as her father. However, they had important business interests overseas and they had to go there, even if only temporarily. So he took her and they went abroad. When they arrived, she became very obstinate, and would say to herself: "He did this on purpose, to estrange me from my environment. I will desert him." So she abandoned and left him. She came back to Greece, and where do you think she went? To one of those "casino" places, and began to live the life of a free woman - one who is paid.

The husband however, from the day that she left him, never stopped praying with tears and insisting - in fact exhorting God: "All Good One, I will not retreat, I will not leave you alone; You were the One who gave me my wife. 'By the Lord is a man and woman harmonized' (according to the Bible). I want my wife. If the young girl has been deceived, must she be lost? Why did You come down to earth? Didn't You come to find the lost ones, to heal the sick, to resurrect the dead? I will not retreat. I will not let You rest. I want my wife; bring her back to me." He wept for two whole years.

His prayer was eventually heard and the young woman came to her senses. "Oh my," she confessed, "God will have to create another Hell, because this one is too small for me!"

So she sat down and wrote him a letter, saying: "I dare not address your name; I have no such right. If I return, will you accept me as your servant?"

He replied: "My love, why did you mention that word and hurt my feelings? Wasn't it me who sent you on a vacation and I was longing for my love to return to my open arms?"

So, he went and waited for her at the airport, as they had arranged. When she arrived, she fell down and began to beat herself and cry. He took her in his arms.

"My love, why are you like this and hurt my feelings? I was longing to see you again. Let's go home now; we never parted - I was always with you."

And this young girl proved herself to be a faithful wife from then on.

And that is the stance that a man - a husband - should take. If spouses are like these, then show me what woman is bad?

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Documentary on Constantinople (Video)

Konstantinoupoli (ZDF)
This is a German documentary on Constantinople subtitled in Greek. I'm not sure if its available in English however.

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The Holy Synod of Bulgaria Objects, But the Madonna Show Will Go On

The Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church this past Tuesday officially issued a statement aimed at preventing Madonna's much anticipated Sticky and Sweet tour from taking place in Sophia on August 29, saying that it collides with the strict day of fasting in honor of the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist.

The purpose of the Holy Synod is to present the ideal response to matters like these from an ecclesiastical perspective, and in this regards they did what they were supposed to do. However, is this a case of being better off late than never? I don't think so.

What comes off with bad taste is that the statement comes out a bit late and seems very detached. 50,000 people are expected to attend tomorrows much anticipated concert, but the Holy Synod decided to give their counsel just four days prior to the event after the tickets had been sold for weeks and the city made its very expensive arrangements. And in a country where over 65% of the population lives in poverty, it seems unfair that the attendees would have to give up their expensive seats to this event just because of a fasting day in which they would probably stay home and watch TV anyway.

I believe the Holy Synod made a serious error here that could tarnish their reputation. I respect the fact that they stand for their Orthodox Christian values, but such a detached papal-inspired statement (which has become all too common in the Orthodox world these days) will probably do little more than make a few people guilty for attending an event they planned on attending anyway. To be honest, if I were put in the same situation as the Bulgarians planning to attend the concert, I would probably proceed in attending the concert while keeping the strict fast according to my own pious conscience.

It would have served the interest of the Holy Synod much better if they made their proclamation when it was officially announced months ago that Madonna was going to be coming to Sophia and prior to ticket sales officially opening. Also, since the Holy Synod has close ties with the government, they could have quite easily arranged for Madonna to show up on a different date than August 29. But they failed to notice these things until a few priests started making their protests. Now in less than a week before the concert and after all the preparations have been made the Holy Synod makes an unwise decision that only makes them look foolish in the eyes of the people for not taking notice any sooner. Now the only thing the Holy Synod has done is put a burden on the conscience of the faithful who may be attending this event.

It would have been wiser if the Holy Synod, even though it was made aware of this concert late in the game, to express their error in not addressing this issue sooner. Acknowledging their error they should have allowed the show to go on with their and maybe just offered some advice regarding the spectacle they were about to witness. Having done this, they should have ended their statement with the encouragement to keep the strict fast nonetheless and to make sure to be in their respective local churches the following morning for the Divine Liturgy. As an added bonus, if they really wanted the concert goers to give up their seats, they could have offered a reimbursement for what they paid for their tickets. In this way they would have showed their humble error and in return made right something that is wrong.

Ideals aside, now the show will go on and the people are left without shepherds and to the voice of their own conscience. What's worse is that Madonna comes off as the winner in this match and the media has a heyday with the controversy. They would have been better off leaving the matter alone and allowing Madonna to disappoint the overly-eager crowd like she did in Romania or allowing fate to take its course.

But at the end of the day, I think we can all agree that it is a shame a concert of this magnitude will be occuring in an Orthodox country on a day in which all celebrations ought to be avoided in memorial of that vile feast that brought about the death of the Holy Forerunner.

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The Holy Myrrh-Streaming Hawaiian Iveron Icon Visits Greek Church in San Jose, CA

Famous Icon Visits San Jose church

Aug 19, 2009
By Chuck Flagg
The Gilroy Dispatch

St. Basil the Great Greek Orthodox Church in San Jose, California (1630 Bose Lane) was visited by a famous icon from Hawaii on Aug. 16. This small picture (7 inches by 9 inches) of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus has a short but interesting history.

Myrrh is a fragrant gum resin that comes from certain trees in the Mideast. There seems to be a tradition of icons that begin to miraculously exude this substance, often in the form of teardrops that possess the fragrance of roses. The icon visiting St. Basil is an exact replica of a famous myrrh-streaming icon in Montreal of the Theotokos ("Mother of God") of Iveron. It is a paper print mounted on wood, manufactured in Russia and purchased in Toronto by a priest who gave it to a Russian Orthodox believer in Honolulu in 2007.

In October of that year, the owner, Nectarios, noticed the sweet smell of roses in his study. An investigation caused him to discover this icon was exuding small drops of myrrh, coming from the Virgin's eyes and dripping down the panel.

He later took it to his parish church where it continued to emit this sweet-smelling substance. It became quite famous in Hawaii, and a large number of visitors from all Christian traditions have come to visit the icon, "feeling the grace of God" in its presence. Some days the icon is dry and others it is completely covered in myrrh. Yet it continuously gives off the scent of roses.

In June 2008, the Holy Myrrh-Streaming Hawaiian Iveron Icon was "officially recognized by Archbishop Kyrill of the Russian Orthodox Church as miraculous and genuine and given the blessing to travel to churches of Holy Orthodoxy." At St. Basil's on Sunday, the icon was introduced to the parish with a procession at the 9:30 a.m. Divine Liturgy. Surrounded by priests and robed assistants, it was ushered with clouds of incense down the center aisle and placed on a special stand before the iconostasis (screen in front of the altar).

The morning's sermon explained that the point of the icon's streaming was to show the love of Mary, Mother of God. The myrrh from the icon has reportedly caused great miracles in Hawaii and elsewhere.

Following the worship service, Nectarios, the original owner of the icon, spoke briefly about it. He assured everyone that the streaming was no trick, but a genuine miracle and told of some miraculous cures attributed to the icon, suggesting the tears are "a reaction to our sinful ways."

Afterward, members of the congregation lined up to reverently kiss the icon and receive a blessing from priests who anointed them with myrrh collected from the painting. Parishioners took the Q-tips used for this procedure home in sealed small plastic bags.

For more information about the icon, call St. Basil's Church at (408) 268-3214.

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Another Sign of Extremism: Jimmy Carter Leaves Church

[Former President Jimmy Carter is yet another Protestant abandoning the conservative Southern Baptists for a more liberal version of his own interpretation of Christianity. Essentially he is going from one extreme to another, but this extremism is exactly the type of spiritual confusion that is going on in America these days. It seems we have gone from Modernism to Postmodernism and now into Extremism. - J.S.]

Jimmy Carter Leaves Church

by Tommi Avicolli
Aug. 24‚ 2009
Beyond Chron

Former President Jimmy Carter has left the Southern Baptist Convention, a religion he belonged to for 60 years. Carter’s departure came as a result of his growing frustration over the Protestant denomination’s unbending sexism towards women and girls, according to an op-ed the former deacon and Bible teacher recently penned.

“It was, however, an unavoidable decision,” Carter wrote, “when the convention's leaders, quoting a few carefully selected Bible verses and claiming that Eve was created second to Adam and was responsible for original sin, ordained that women must be "subservient" to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors or chaplains in the military service.”

It’s not the first time Carter has spoken out against the Christian right and its idiocy. In an interview with the gay publication, The Advocate, in 2006, Carter said: “The fundamentalists in religious circles believe that they have a unique relationship with God; therefore their beliefs are absolutely right, and anyone who disagrees with any aspect of their beliefs is wrong and inherently inferior.”

A couple weeks after resigning from Southern Baptist Convention, Carter gave a half-hour speech before the New Baptist Covenant, a more moderate religious group he helped found. At the gathering in Norman, Oklahoma recently, Carter posed a series of questions for the 1,000 people who came to hear him speak.

“How many of you believe women should serve as deacons, pastors and military chaplains or do you believe women are supposed to be submissive to their husbands and not allowed to be leaders and teachers of men?” he asked. “How many of you believe homosexual Christians should be treated with respect and accepted into our congregations or that the sin of homosexuality is paramount above all other sins and warrants their complete exclusion?”

Carter complained that the fighting within Christian denominations over such hot-button issues as homosexuality, abortion and the equality of women is “like a cancer that is metastasizing in the body of Christ.” He says he wants to unite Christians of all races and ideologies.

It’s no easy task.

Especially if Carter wants to unite them around a social and economic justice agenda. Christianity does not have a history of promoting human rights or economic justice for all. The Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. with over 16 million members nationwide, actually broke off from the northern group in 1845 because of its (the southern convention’s) support for slavery and white supremacy.

It wasn’t until 1995 that the denomination officially repented for its racist history. Imagine how long it will take for the church to denounce its sexist and homophobic actions and beliefs? Not to mention its current opposition to single-payer healthcare.

Carter and his supporters have their work cut out for them.

Tommi Avicolli Mecca is co-editor of "Avanti Popolo: Italians Sailing Beyond Columbus", and editor of "Smash the Church, Smash the State: The Early Years of Gay Liberation", which has just been nominated for an American Library Association award. His website is www.avicollimecca.com.

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Marilyn Manson Discusses His Reputation as a Nihilist

[I've long considered Manson among the most intelligent and creative minds in rock and roll history and certainly the most entertaining, but he is also its most misunderstood and rumor-filled figure. Since misunderstanding alienates people, it has always been my goal to seek the truth in all things and listen to what everyone has to say. In the September 2009 issue of Metal Hammer, Marilyn Manson was interviewed while on his US tour for Rockstar Mayhem (which I had the opportunity to attend). In the interview he discusses his reputation of being a Nihilist, and I thought he gave an interesting answer that others may be interested in as well. - J.S.]

"I think I've started to understand, in the midst of essentially having an identity crisis over the past year or two, not knowing or understanding who I'm supposed to be, that there's a part of me that has to go on stage and be in front of strangers, sharing my most intimate thoughts and there's part of me that does the same thing, but with people I know. So it's not two different people, it's more trying to come to terms with exposing your deepest secrets in front of people I don't know, which is kind of fucked.

“It’s a weird thing because I’ve thought about this concept of when someone says, 'I don’t care what anyone thinks, I’ll do whatever I do!' To me that’s a misnomer because I do care what people think in different ways: I care about the people I know and love the most, but I also care about what the people I don’t know think in the sense that I want them to think and understand me in a certain way. I don’t base my life around either one and I don’t change the way I live to please either set of people, but I do care.

“If I didn’t care I wouldn’t be an artist, I’d be a nihilist and nihilism seems very exhausting. There’s no point in being any sort of artist or writer or painter or mime or whatever the fuck you want to be if you don’t care. You have to care in order to be able to put something into the world otherwise there’d be no point. It doesn’t mean that I’m positive all the time or that I’m a humanitarian or democrat or republican or any specific thing, except I can’t possibly be a nihilist because it contradicts art. You can be completely reckless and hate the world, you can be agnostic or many things, but nihilism, if you want to talk about what people define or misdefine me as, is not really possible. Yes, I’m reckless and sometime express no concern for my own well being and I express a misanthropic view of the world, but to have an opinion you can’t be a nihilist.”

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Archbishop Chrysostomos of Cyprus Declares He Is Taking Turkey to Court

Archbishop Chrysostomos of Cyprus visited Poland last week to celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration of Christ, since the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Poland follows the Old Calendar. The Archbishop of Poland had visited Cyprus in May.

He celebrated the Feast of the Transfiguration at the famous shrine of the Holy Mountain of Grabarka. About 100,000 pilgrims from all over Europe attended this festal celebration, and the Archbishop was especially impressed to see the young people outnumbered the older and possessed a great amount of zeal for their Orthodox Faith.

"The Church of Poland is also a martyric church, as is ours, which is why they understand us more than the other Orthodox churches, as we also understand the troubles and problems which they endured and continue to endure", said the Archbishop.

When Archbishop Chrysostomos arrived in Larnaka, Cyprus following his successful and edifying visit to Poland, he had some strong words to say concerning the Turkish occupiers of Cypriot lands, saying: "The colonists have no right to be in Cyprus, they are intruders". He further declared, "The colonists must leave and go back to their own homeland and their own houses".

In explaining why the Turkish colonists are indeed intruders into Cyprus, the Archbishop said, "Ankyra brought them here to overturn the demographic composition of our island".

He further emphasized that "the church waited 35 whole years and I think that is a lot. Next month we will depart to the European Courts for a three-fold lawsuit against Turkey." Laying out what this three-fold lawsuit consisted of, the Archbishop explained, "First, that they do not allow us to go back to our places of worship to pray and to conduct the services of our Orthodox Church, they do not allow us to maintain our churches, and they do not allow us to make use of our property to upkeep and take care of it."

"This is a three-fold lawsuit and already our lawyers are more than ready, and I think with the help of God next month we will lay down a lawsuit", he said.

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Significant Bulgarian Medieval Archeological Discoveries

Bulgarian Archaeologists Discover Unique Medieval Byzantine Seal

August 21, 2009

Bulgarian archaeologist, Prof. Kazimir Popkonstantinov, has discovered a unique medieval seal at the site of the Knyazhevski (i.e. "Princely") Monastery near the Eastern city of Varna.

The seal is dated back to the 10th century and belonged to the Byzantine dignitary Antonius, who was an imperial protospatario in Constantinople. Antonius had correspondence with a representative of the Knyazhevski Monastery, who is believed to have been the Bulgarian Knyaz (i.e. king) Boris I (r. 852-889 AD) himself.

The team of archaeologist Popkonstantinov from the University of Veliko Tarnovo has also discovered fragments of Byzantine ceramics and a book lock near the seal, which is seen as a proof that the Knyazhevski Monastery was a scriptorium of the Bulgarian royal family in the 9th and 10th century when the Slavic literature was developed in the First Bulgarian Empire.

During their excavations in the summer of 2009 so far, the archaeologists have discovered very well preserved monastery vaults from the 9th century. They have stated that those vaults were the only ones preserved in Bulgaria from the medieval monasteries, and that the scriptorium of what once was the Knyazhevski Monastery was the only one in the lands of the Byzantine Empire that was preserved so well.

The Knyazhevski Monastery, located in the Karaach Teke area, is believed to have been the largest literary and cultural center in Northeast Bulgaria in the 9th-12th century. The archaeologists have discovered there over 40 book locks, pieces of parchment, lead seals. They believe that some of the disciples of St. Cyril and St. Methodius most likely worked there.

Bulgaria's first formally Christian ruler, St. Knyaz Boris I Mihail, is believed to have been the sponsor of the Monastery in question.

The First Bulgarian Empire (681-1018 AD) formally converted to Christianity in 863-864 AD even though large parts of the Bulgarian population are believed to have converted earlier. In 886 AD, Bulgaria welcomed three of the five disciples of St. Cyril and St. Methodius - St. Naum of Preslav, St. Kliment (Clement) of Ohrid, and St. Angelarius, who fled from Great Moravia, and brought the recently created Slavic script to Bulgaria.

Under the auspices of St. Knyaz Boris I (852-889) and his son, Tsar Simeon I The Great (893-927), the Slavic literature in Old Bulgarian, also known as Church Slavonic, flourished and was later used when other Slavic states such as Russia and Serbia converted to Christianity.


Bulgaria Archaeologists Find 14th Century Medallion with Christ

August 27, 2009

Bulgarian archaeologists have discovered a unique glass medallion with Christ Pantocrator at the excavated fortress of Kastritsi near Varna.

The archaeological team is led by Valentin Pletnyov, head of the Varna Regional History Museum.

The medallion, which is dated back to the 14th century, the later period of the Second Bulgarian State (1186-1396), is an extremely rare find. It was discovered in the wooden floor of one of the large buildings in the fortress Kastritsi, which is close to the Euxinograd palace on the Black Sea coast.

Pletnyov said the medallion was made of copper enamel, i.e. a type of glass produced in Byzantium after the 13th century. The medallion has a diameter of 4 cm, and shows Christ Pantocrator holding the Gospel, and giving a blessing with his other hand. Nothing of this kind has ever been discovered in Bulgaria so far.

The archaeologists believe that the medallion was made in the Byzantine Empire, and was then imported to Bulgaria. They also found nearby a medieval scale for coins dated to the second part of the 14th century.

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Diving Under Hagia Sophia and Discovering Its Rich History

More Discoveries at Hagia Sophia

August 6, 2009
Medieval News

In its nearly 1,700 years, the Byzantine church Hagia Sophia in Istanbul has been harbouring many exciting mysteries, which today are brought to light one by one.

According to the Bulgarian News Agency, a team of Turkish divers and speleologists uncovered some of the underground secrets, kept by the church during the ages. The team's findings, which are featured in a 50-minute documentary, throw light on some of the mysteries buried beneath, while at the same time dispel some of the myths.

The team went down 283 metres and filmed two underground stone-tiled passages. According to one theory, the Byzantine emperor Theodosius II used one of the passages when he wanted to sneak unnoticed to the Hippodrome. The Hippodrome was an arena where races and gladiator fights were held, which is why some call it Istanbul's Colosseum.

In the floor right under the magnificent dome of Hagia Sophia lies the cover of the main water reservoir, which is 12 m deep. The team has found two rooms of 5 sq m each, containing bones and fragments from drinking vessels. The remains are believed to be of Saint Antigenos, a child saint, who is the only human being buried in Hagia Sophia up until the 13th century and of Patriarch Athanasius, who died in the 15th century and was buried in the church. The two rooms are most likely burial chambers.

Meanwhile, Turkish media report that three more mosaics of angels will soon be uncovered. Turkey's Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Güna was commenting on the recent discovery of a mosaic depicting an angel in the church. “For the first time in my life, I am a part of an endeavor this exciting,” Günay said at a press conference he held at Hagia Sophia, where he added that three more similar mosaics will be uncovered in the future.

“This endeavor made at the northeast quarter of the dome is a very important one for Hagia Sophia and, I believe, for Christian theology,” Günay added. The angel mosaic’s true age will be assessed after an analysis by the Hagia Sofia Science Board compares it to similar mosaics. Its six-winged figure depicts the seraphim, an angel described in the biblical book of Isaiah.

“The last ones to see those [the mosaics] were Sultan Abdülmecid and Fossati the architect. Today, after 160 years, we will announce them to the world. We will let people who visit Istanbul, the 2010 European Capital of Culture, witness them too.”

The minister said he hopes to learn all about Hagia Sophia, preserve the important building and promote it to the world.

Present day Hagia Sophia was built by Byzantine Emperor Justinian in 532-537. But even earlier, during the time of Emperor Constanine the Great a church stood on the site. For over 900 years Hagia Sophia was the main church of the Christian world and Turkey's principal mosque for over four centuries. Today, the church, which features on the UNESCO World Heritage List, attracts over 2 million visitors every year.


Diving Into the Secrets of Hagia Sophia

Friday, August 7, 2009
Serhan Yedig
Hürriyet - Istanbul

With unprecedented access to underground tunnels and reservoirs that permeate the earth around Hagia Sophia, filmmaker Göksel Gülensoy sets out to discover their histories in his new documentary. In the film he explores spaces untouched by man for centuries. ‘I believe what is beneath Hagia Sophia is much more exciting than what is above the surface,’ Gülensoy says.

Chasing 1,700-year-old secrets hidden beneath Hagia Sophia is no easy feat, but documentary filmmaker Göksel Gülensoy has navigated the labyrinths, ancient and bureaucratic, and will soon release his cinematic chronicle of the subterranean adventure.

Gülensoy’s team of two divers and four spelunkers searched the reservoirs connecting the famous Byzantine building to Topkapı Palace and the Yerebatan Cisterns. The spelunkers tried to find the secret passages said to extend from Tekfur Palace, next to the old city walls, to the islands of the Marmara Sea.

Although Gülensoy started shooting his documentary back in 1998, he finished work on it only recently due to obstacles with the budget, official permissions and restoration work on the Hagia Sophia museum. His 50-minute documentary, “Ayasofya’nın Derinliklerinde” (In the Depths of Hagia Sophia), will compete at international festivals starting in the fall.

Beneath the Hagia Sophia

On the floor of the main hall under the gigantic dome, the reservoir door close to the entrance was opened first. Judging by the concrete around it, it had not been used for a long time. According to records about the building, it had been decided in 1945 to empty the water under the floor for research purposes, but that attempt failed when the water level did not go down. The idea was given up all together after the pump’s motor burned out.

Thus, the doors were opened for the first time in 64 years, and for the first time in history, a diver was going underneath Hagia Sophia. It was 9:30 on a December morning and the water temperature was 6 degrees Celsius. Cameraman Engin Aydın and photographer Ozan Çokdeğer were the first to go down into the reservoir. During the exploratory work done the week before, they had lowered a camera down and saw passages below the building. As the entrance was too narrow to accommodate the oxygen tanks of the divers, a 50-meter-long hose was prepared so they could breathe in case the passages extended to the depth of the building.

The reservoir under the first door was 12 meters deep. Near the bottom, Çokdeğer saw two thick pieces of wood, resembling shovel handles, in what looked like fine condition. They turned into dust when he touched them. Then he saw a bucket, which also broke to pieces when he touched it, and an animal’s skeleton. Çokdeğer studied the walls of the reservoir for 50 minutes, and then returned to the surface.

An exciting photograph

The research team had permission to work for only a day, so they rapidly moved to the second shutter, closer to the center of the dome. Years ago, Erdem Yücer, one of the former directors of the museum, had shown Gülensoy a photograph that was taken of the foundations of Hagia Sophia. The photo showed researchers in a boat in a place filled with water, resembling the Yerebatan Cisterns. Seismic research had also demonstrated that the area underneath the big hall was empty. The team, which had previously lowered a camera down from the second door during the first exploration, was thrilled to see two passages extending to the center of the building and to the exit door – passages that might extend to Yerebatan and Topkapı.

Holy water flasks

Diving supervisor Levent Karataş and diver Kenan Ergüç lowered the cameraman and the photographer with a rope down to the bottom of the second reservoir. The floor was covered with ooze up to their knees. The first things Çokdeğer noticed were around a dozen flasks dated 1917. British soldiers likely dropped them while trying to get some of the holy water during the invasion that year. Next they found glass from the giant chandeliers that used to light up Hagia Sophia. A further search led to a chain with two rings at the end. Perhaps a prisoner met his death there. Chilled by the thought, Çokdeğer next found what looked like pieces of stained glass in seven colors. He sent some of the pieces up for better examination; later, they were returned to the water.

The two divers were in the reservoir for 50 minutes and left after they finished recording the sealed passages inside the stone walls. They went straight to the mobile x-ray machine, where Ministry of Health personnel confirmed that the divers had no foreign objects on their bodies. Permission for exploration had been granted on the condition that everything found was to be left in its original place and that no changes to the structure of the building were to be made. That is why the sealed passages were left untouched.

283-meter underground tunnels

The research and recording work in the tunnels beneath Hagia Sophia’s main hall was undertaken by the International Speleological Society of Boğaziçi, or BUMAD. Four experienced spelunkers with professional cameras on their helmets had eight hours to explore as deeply as they could.

First, a team from the Istanbul Gas Distribution Industry and Trade Joint Stock Company, or IGDAS, checked the entrance of the passage for poisonous gases and decided there was no threat. Just in case, the team of four was still equipped with gas detectors. Assoc. Prof. Haluk Dursun, the director of the Hagia Sophia Museum, joined the spelunkers this time. The hall they first stepped into was long, like a corridor, and strengthened with pillars. Two stone tunnels of approximately 70 centimeters in height extended in the direction of Sultanahmet Square and Topkapı Palace – presumably the tunnels the mighty 5th-century Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II had used to go to Tekfur Palace and the hippodrome without being seen by the public.

The spelunkers split into two teams and entered the tunnels in opposite directions. Both of the tunnels were strengthened with brick arches and split into two after 50 meters. One branch of each tunnel led to a spot under the dome, but those passages were closed. Yaman Özakın and Emrah Çoraman took measurements with a laser and drew a sketch while Pelin Kurt and Aydın Menderes continued to move in the direction of Topkapı Palace.

After a while, Menderes resumed his journey, starting to crawl as the tunnel height decreased to 25 centimeters. When he saw daylight between the stones in front of him, he used his pen camera and saw he had reached the palace yard. Menderes returned the way he had come and entered another tunnel to discover two rooms approximately two meters high and five square meters in size. Bones and broken jugs were scattered around. This place, it seemed, was likely the gravesite of St. Antinegos, the first person to be buried in Hagia Sophia, in the 13th century, and Patriarch Athanasius, who was interred 200 years later. It was the most exciting discovery of the day.

Director Göksel Gülensoy: ‘What is underneath is more exciting than on the surface’

“My friend Assoc. Prof. İhsan Tunay, a student of Semavi Eyice, took me on a tour of Hagia Sophia in 1990 and told me legends about the structure. Thanks to him, I became passionately devoted to the building,” said Gülensoy.

In 1992, he shot a documentary on the building and its legends, “Hagia Sophia,” that won awards at the San Sebastian, Tampere and Ankara film festivals. Further motivated by this, he started work on a second film about the tunnels and reservoirs that hide the building’s secrets. “I searched for the mystery under the floor with the help of Assoc. Prof. Haluk Çetinkaya. I believe what is beneath Hagia Sophia is much more exciting than above the surface,” he said. “I want to follow the traces of the two rooms under the abscissa for my third film. The room believed to be the place where the first priest of Hagia Sophia was buried with his belongings has not been thoroughly searched before.”

Hagia Sophia Museum Director Haluk Dursun: ‘The museum should be closed for a while’

Though foreign and domestic researchers have been inspecting Hagia Sophia since 1935, many of the building’s characteristics are still unknown, says Dursun. “I believe Gülensoy’s team made important discoveries, including discovering the rooms mentioned in archives as priests’ graves.”

The director believes those findings should be examined from an archeological perspective and that Hagia Sophia should be closed for a while so the building can be extensively scanned. “All restorers in Turkey should gather and quickly restore the mosaics and other parts,” he said, adding that there should be a “Classical Istanbul” or “Eastern Roman Civilization” museum in the city where the findings could be displayed.

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Patriarch Kyrill Conducts Memorial Where Thousands Suffered and His Grandfather Was Imprisoned

Solovki, Russia
August 24, 2009

Patriarch Kyrill of Moscow and All Russia conducted a memorial service at the place where prisoners of the Solovki Camp were executed and a prayer service to new martyrs who suffered for faith from the Bolsheviks. The prison, once a monastery, opened in 1922.

8 Metropolitans, 20 Archbishops, 47 bishops and tens of thousands of laity died there. Approximately 95,000 were put to death by firing squad, among whom was Fr. Paul Florensky who was a noted neomartyr of the period.

He visited the Golgotha-Crucifixion Hermitage on the Anzer Island Saturday morning. Once there was a hospital for typhus and disabled prisoners there.

According to witnesses, instead of extending medical help, the sick people were turned out naked to the frost and left in the ice wind in bell towers to speed up their death. All the prisoners had little clothing to endure the cold and were forced to sleep on concrete floors in the prison.

Having prayerfully commemorated the Solovki victims near the worship cross not far from the communal grave, Patriarch Kirill walked to the top of the Golgotha Mountain and looked at the tombs of prisoners located at its slopes. The Patriarch also saw a cross-shaped birch that had grown there.

Addressing the hermits, the Patriarch said this place was marked “with great human sufferings and great spiritual heroism.” He called what happened here "a great sin".


Furthermore, the Patriarch revealed that he possesses records which show that his grandfather was imprisoned for 30 days in a cell here on The Mount of Axes (Sekirnaya). "My grandfather was tortured here, his hunger was fearsome. It was a miracle of God that my grandfather after all these tortures remained alive", said the Patriarch to reporters. "For me its very personal," he said. It should be noted that the Patriarch's grandfather, Basil Gundyayev, over a period of 30-40 years changed prisons 46 times and after his imprisonment was ordained to the priesthood.

“The Lord Himself chose this deserted island, so that His death and Resurrection were specially commemorated here, the Lord Himself chose this place for people to take incomparable sufferings and torments. We believe that these sufferings and torments have strengthened power of the Church as the Church grows with Divine power rather than with human one,” Patriarch Kyrill said.

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Russian Patriarch Brought Pan-Slavic Orthodoxy to Ukraine: An Interview with Viktor Yelenskyj

August 17, 2009
RISU

Interview with Viktor Yelenskyj, prof. of philosophy, religious studies, publicist, member of expert council of RISU

— How do you evaluate the visit of Patriarch Kirill in the context of social processes in Ukraine?

— I still do not know the results of the surveys regarding the patriarchal visit, but it is evident that the patriarch gave the Ukrainian society one of the strongest reintegration messages in all of the history of independent Ukraine. He persistently called on Ukrainians to reexamine their historical choice and implicitly proposed they think along the following logic: You are the historical center of the Eastern European Orthodox civilization, “Rus’an world,” you made a great contribution in the formation of the Russian imperial identity, the Great Empire (Russian and Soviet) is your empire. If you recall this and incorporate it into the recreation for a new, 21st century level, you will transform, in the exact words of the patriarch, from “known persons to the first.” Together we will stand against the West, which for you is foreign, personifies sins, consumerism (and, to add wits – Breguet watches). The right of a person, human dignity, democratic processes, and so on is empty talk, directed to drive us from the enlightened path of realizing our mission, which leads to the subjugation of the West.

In Ukraine there is a demand for these ideologies and the visit of the patriarch objectively caused the mobilization of their adherents.

— Prof. Yelenskij, these political slogans, for the Ukrainians, for some reason do not seem so, that is, political, for the representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate, who talk about these speeches as pastoral ideas or ideas that address real social problems? Why does there exist such a discrepancy in the interpretations?

— The fact is that the patriarch forcefully, yet pastorally, built the theme of the pan-Slavic Orthodox unity into the “order of the day.” At a great cost, he transformed Christianity into geopolitics and it is not always easy to distinguish this substitution “from talk.” This substitution became evident when Patriarch Kirill spoke before the audience of the Kyivan theological schools of the Kyiv Cave Monastery. There, I think, many of the scrupulous seminarians heard something substantially different from what they were taught until now.

— But how many faithful of the UOC-MP can really notice this difference or change? And if they notice, then is it worth expecting a reaction from them and what will it be?

— Evidently, a large number of Orthodox, faithful of the UOC-MP, did not notice this substitution. But those who have a theological or historical education could not have not noticed. This refers to the well-grounded revision of Orthodox understanding of the order of the visible church; by which the patriarch very freely operates by the church rights and historical facts. Why, he asks, should the authority of the Moscow Patriarch spread, in this case, over Ukraine? Because this authority is above the state. And this refers to the pentarchy – the principle of chairmanship of five ancient patriarchates of the undivided Church, which formed in the 5th century. But then why did Moscow, after 11 centuries violate this principle and leave the subordination of Tsargrad? Now the patriarch calls these events “not just a rejection of history but a rejection of Doctrine!” Does he believe that the question of the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate on this or another territory belongs to the heart of the Orthodox doctrine? And is this not geopolitics when he says that the Orthodox in Ukraine do not have the right for a self-headed Church because their capital is too rich of a symbol for Russians?

I think that a theologian could not have not noticed that the bishop opposes the Rus’an Church not only in the Orthodoxy of the Greek tradition, but also the Orthodoxy in Romania, Bulgaria, and Serbia. The patriarch makes it understood that patriarchates “joined with national states” are less valid than the Moscow Patriarchate, which its head imparts with a super-national status. The resolution at the Constantinople Synod of 1872, which condemned ethno-phelitism as heresy, is supposed to give the patriarch’s words definitive authority. However, the Synod condemned “tribal distinction and national discord in the Church of Christ,” and not the creation of autocephalous churches.

Opportunely I will mention two things. The Moscow Patriarchate still 20 years ago in its official organ stressed that “…the condemnation of the church organization as a national symbol, carried out at the Constantinople Synod of 1872, has local meaning. The Orthodox Community did not accept the resolution of this Synod.” And secondly, seven years after the Synod of 1872, the Constantinople Patriarch Joakim ІІІ wrote that to establish local, independent from one another divisions of the Church will not trouble the one soul of Christ or God’s Church on Earth. And thus, taking into consideration that Serbia gained political independence, he wrote, let the church of the Serbian principality be canonically independent. Patriarch Kirill must know this because this is what has been and still is taught in theological schools of his Church. The attempt to raise the Russian Church above others, to deny the churches of countries who gained their independence the right to have their own national church, “serfdom” of Ukraine as a primordial element of the patriarch’s dear geopolitical construct to self-realization of Orthodoxy has no relation whatsoever. This is politics.

As for less globalized politics, present-day politics, proto-deacon Kurayev was not late to explain to us, that, implying that the word of the patriarch, his status, name, were supposed to influence the community’s thought, and this community thought is supposed to influence the result of the next election. Again this is the question of a pastoral and political visit.

— But this is not what is being said in the environment of the ROC, or in a significant part of the UOC-MP. Instead, lately in this environment again was heard a completely not understood thought that autocephaly is almost heresy. And such anti-autocephalous propaganda has for many years been actively distributed in the dioceses of the UOC. It is enough to look at the eparchial or parish publications to be convinced of this.

— The rhetoric regarding autocephaly, which started in 1992, changed. And in 1996 the Bishop Synod of the UOC-MP dismissed the question about autocephaly with the order of the day, which until now consolidated the position of the UOC-MP. Autocephaly is possible, it can be proclaimed exclusively by canonical methods, serve the good of the Church; autocephaly needs to be unanimously supported by the laymen, the clergy, monks and nuns, and the episcopate. As long as serious conflicts still exist regarding autocephaly, it will only bring division – this time in the environment of the UOC-MP. Forming the question in such a way, though it does not please everyone of the UOC, was perceived as a compromise.

Now the situation is changing – the question of autocephaly does not draw aside from the perspective, though uncertain, and decisively and rigidly closes in. Ukraine is part of the common civilized space and as a part should not have an autocephalous church; even more, this space should further consolidate. This corresponds to the aspirations of some part of the faithful of UOC, but absolutely clashes with the aspirations of others. Thus, instead of reaching a compromise a profound division is truly forming – (among those who wanted to directly) those who wanted autocephaly directly announce: your preferences do not and will not be taken into consideration.

— And considering the fact that there was agitation practically only against autocephaly, then we can predict that for many in the UOC this is truly a negative phenomenon. Dr. Yelenskyj, if to judge by the number of participants and genuineness of the welcomes, then it felt that in Volyn, Patriarch Kirill was met by the largest number of people and there they waited only for his pastoral address without political implications. In your opinion, what explains the fact that these pro-Ukrainian territories of Volyn and Podillya were truly open to his address, which never sounded Ukrainian?

— “Anti-autocephalism” in the environment of the UOC-MP in the Right Bank is most often not a symbol of the pan-Rus’an identity, which discards Ukrainian identity, but an element of the competitive battle with the Kyivan Patriarchate. Often this “everyday anti-autocephalism,” produced not even in the successive church consciousness, which does not accept attempts to proclaim independence from Moscow from the side of the UOC-KP and UAOC, and “anti-autocephalism,” taken on the notion about the “inauthentic” character of these churches, and the shortcomings of this spiritual education.

Residents of Volyn and Podillya – faithful of the UOC-MP – of course, wanted to hear the pastoral word of Kirill and wanted to be sure that their head was most spiritual, more educated, and less politically engaged, than bishops of other Orthodox churches. It is known, that among those who came to listen to the patriarch there were also faithful of Ukrainian Orthodox churches independent from Moscow. Again, it is still hard to know how the former and the latter perceived the patriarch, and how the visit can make the inter-Orthodox relations in the country visible. The reality almost always is revealed more complicated and inventive, than the attempt to denounce us to the most fervent apologists and the severest critics.

— After the visit, a thought was heard that Patriarch Kirill is not against the idea of also becoming the Kyivan metropolitan, to show the close relation of Kyiv to Moscow and to show his right to the succession of the Kyivan legacy. Would this not mean that the UOC would lose its status as an ecclesiastical province and go back to the situation of the beginning of the 18th century when Tsar Peter liquidated signs of separation of the Ukrainian lands?

— The Statute of the ROS and the Statute about the administration of the UOC theoretically do not exclude such a possibility. Other than this, that the head of the UOC is chosen for life and Kyivan chair for now is not vacant. Observing the steps of Patriarch Kirill, that under certain circumstances he would be able to chose such an exotic method to liquidate the “freedom” of the UOC, as you presume, is not resolved. But in the end, like everything else, which concerns Orthodox in Ukraine, it decisively depends only on Ukrainians, and in this case on the bishops of the UOC, who themselves elect the Kyivan metropolitan.

— In your opinion, can the visit of the patriarch truly bring together representatives of various Orthodox churches in Ukraine? And will his geopolitical engagement not incite part of the Orthodox in Ukraine to again look to Phanar?

— Obviously, the visit will assist the polarization in the UOC-MP, the freezing of the official dialogue between it and independent churches (besides that, in Moscow they are not even interested in the engulfment of the UOC-KP and UAOC because such a “Ukrainian mass” can not be assimilated). But unofficial converging between certain environments can for sure occur. Besides that, not only by those who stand in the first place of Ukrainian patriotism, but also by those, who always remember that Orthodoxy is first and foremost Christianity, and not a philosophy of civilized resistance, where there is a taste for church history, byzantinology, and theology.

As for expectations from Constantinople, they disappeared. The conflict, which is not only with Constantinople, but also with other national Orthodox churches is inescapable. It is understood that the Ukrainian Church fell to build its place in the Orthodox Community through pan-Orthodox consensus, and not through conflict. And here, of course, inner-Ukrainian consensus – and Orthodox, and of the civilization – is the most important. Thus, to look in the direction of Tsargrad is good but it is more important to look at one another.

— Thank you for the interesting conversation!

Questioned by Taras ANTOSHEVSKYJ,
Kyiv-Lviv, August 7, 2009

Photograph from archive of weekly "Fokus"

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Preparations for the Rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem Underway

[Below are some links chronicling recent news reports about the aspirations and attempts of Jewish organizations trying to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. We know that talks and preparations for this event have been taking place for years now, but the reality will soon be coming to fruition. For Christians this event has eschatological significance regarding the coming of Antichrist and the return of our Lord in His second coming. See Matt. 24 and Rev. 11. - J.S.]

Wikipedia: Current Efforts To Rebuild Temple

Netanyahu Wants To Rebuild Temple

Netanyahu Will Try To Rebuild Temple

Second Temple Model Erected Opposite Temple Mount

Third Temple Plans For Rebuilding In Jerusalem

Israel's Temple Being Rebuilt

Palestinian Professor says "No Jewish Ties to Western Wall": Latest Islamic figure to deny documented archeological history

What? Muslim Leader Wants Temple Rebuilt: Jewish Sanhedrin rabbis unite with Turk on common cause

64% of Israelis Want Temple Rebuilt: Even half of secular Jews say time is right

Temple Altar Construction Begins on Day of Destruction

Official Website of The Temple Institute

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Nun Magdalena, Oldest Resident of Gethsemane Convent, Has Reposed

From the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia official website:

JERUSALEM: 22 August 2009

The life of each man is like a book that one can read in its entirety only after death. The final page ends, and before us lies the narrative of a single soul that has completed its sojourn in this earthly vale.

On 1/14 August, the oldest resident of the Gethsemane Convent, the Nun Magdalena, known and beloved of all, departed this life. On this important day, when the Church glorifies the Cross of Christ and bows down before it, this most praiseworthy mother reached her victorious end. She had spent her entire life in the convent, and was like a living history of our community.

Little Mariasha was brought to Abbess Maria (Robinson) at the Gethsemane Convent in December of 1946, at the age of eight. Mother Magdalena reposed several days shy of her 71st birthday, having spent 62 years in the convent, a rare occurrence, especially in our times. Much can be said and written of her. But we will confine ourselves to casting light on the principal events of her life's journey.

Having been a pupil at the Bethany School for a time, Mariasha was brought to the kleros of the Gethsemane Convent. The girl possessed a marvelous voice and quickly learned to sing and chant in Slavonic, though she was not Russian. Mariasha was born in Palestine, to the family of an Arab priest. Growing up under the wise direction of Abbess Maria and the Nun Barbara (Tsvetkova), and receiving, for all intents and purposes, an English education (for Abbess Maria was an English woman), Mariasha (for that is what they called her) very quickly displayed an aptitude for the monastic life, and her path was clear: she would become a nun. One day, Metropolitan Elias, who had once bestowed the miraculous Gethsemane Icon upon our convent, arrived at Gethsemane from Lebanon. When he had been greeted by the abbess and was offered hospitality in her quarters, he saw a little Arab girl dressed in a cassock. Calling her over, he set his hands on her head and said: "The spirit of monasticism is upon her." And this monastic spirit was clearly evident in the ensuing years. Mother Magdalena became a living exemplar of it. But in what does the spirit of monasticism consist? It is, first and foremost, the burning of the heart with a holy love for God. Having received from the Lord a gift—a beautiful voice—she became his singer, as the Prophet David puts it: "I will chant unto my God for as long as I have my being." Chanting is a labor, for it entails standing prayerfully before God in church. Through the chanters the whole Church prays: they are Her mouth. And the mouth of Mother Magdalena was ever open to glorify God. She was always the first in church, never skipping even the most ordinary of services. Providing an example of the zealous observance of the monastic rule, she set the tone not only for the kliros, but for the whole convent. Love for everything churchly, the ability to perceive in the divine services the profundity and beauty of Orthodoxy, a lively participation in the rhythm of the Church—all this was her life. How often she would exclaim: "How wisely the holy fathers have arranged everything!" She did not blindly follow what was prescribed, but delved into the meaning of it and responded to it all in a heartfelt manner. How she loved the Great Fast, Passion Week! We never saw her indifferent; she always breathed the life of the Church, its feast-days. Everything was vibrant, even in her spirit.

She was tonsured into monasticism at the age of 18, receiving the new name Nadezhda (Hope). Three sisters were tonsured together at the same service, and were named Faith Hope and Love. And in the homily addressed to the newly tonsured, it was said: "And you, Nadezhda, are the hope of our community." And it must be noted that she did indeed justify this hope.

In addition to the kliros, the Nun Nadezhda was the cell-attendant of Abbess Maria; and after the latter's death, to Abbess Barbara. She was a skillful seamstress, made candles, baked prosphoras, and was an excellent cook. She was obedient, well-mannered and loving—truly an ornament of the convent; and is remembered as such by countless pilgrims. They would into Jerusalem during the day, and when they returned to the Gethsemane Convent, they would go went of all to Sister Nadezhda. She was extraordinarily welcoming and open. And as the years passed, these traits grew into genuine Christian virtues—magnanimity, mercy, love.

Having spent 30 years as a nun, Sister Nadezhda made her monastic vows and was tonsured to the mantia. Having chosen her as His bride, the Lord gave her a beautiful name—Magdalena—wedding her forever to the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, in which her voice sounded forth every day. Having become Magdalena, she received another, greater gift of love for God and her fellow man. She told us herself how during the three nights she spent in church after her tonsure, she could not sleep, her spirit burned so within her. And since sleep was not possible, she chanted. Her tonsure to the mantia took place on the eve of the Transfiguration of the Lord, 5/18 August 1986, and was performed by the then Archbishop Laurus.

As choir conductor, Mother Magdalena prepared carefully for the services. She always chose the pieces ahead of time and held rehearsals. She was attuned to the typicon, which she greatly loved and always studied. She loved the canons to the Theotokos chanted at Compline and always knelt down to listen to them. In general, she would sit in church only when appropriate, despite exhaustion and pain in her legs. She preferred to stand and go to her cell to rest with a clean conscience than to rest during the divine services. She never permitted herself to sit during the reading of the epistle at Liturgy. She was very strict with herself. She prepared carefully for the Mystery of Communion, reading the appointed rule in good time and without haste.

Our relations with others are the most exact proof of our spiritual growth. Mother Magdalena never pushed anyone away; she tried to be reserved and patient with others' shortcomings, showing neither the displeasure nor dissatisfaction that might naturally manifest themselves in relations with certain people. The trait that most characterized her was gentleness. She found within herself the power to support you and encourage you, even when this was difficult for her own soul. By the end of her life this gentleness had become an inalienable part of her, as was good will. She had compassion for all. Sometimes you would come, complaining about someone and wanting her to support you in your condemnation, but instead you would find condescension toward others, refusal to condemn, sympathy and a desire to correct. And you would depart ashamed and corrected.


Mother Magdalena suffered for many years from diabetes. And in her later years this disease intensified, leaving its dread traces upon her body. Lesions that refused to heal appeared on her feet and legs. The pain increased, and in the final few months became constant and debilitating. She suffered especially at nighttime and sleep became fitful. This had a negative affect upon her heart, which developed arrhythmia. Congestive heart failure ensued. On the feast of the Myrrh-bearing Women she had her first heart attack. Having survived it, Mother Magdalena was forced to take strong medicines, which themselves had a deleterious affect upon her overall health. She grew weak in body yet continued strong in spirit. But she would weep more often than usual. She who had supported everyone for so many years found herself in need to support, of help and rest. There appeared several Simon of Cyrenes, to whom the Lord made it possible to bear the cross in her stead. First and foremost was her cell-attendant, Paula, who honored her as her mother (she had entered Bethany at the age of four and later the convent). She became the faithful, indispensable helper of Mother Magdalena in all her needs.

Several of the sisters tended Mother Magdalena, the wrappings of whose legs had to be changed every day. She suffered from diabetic foot problems—her toes began to develop gangrene, and she was fearful that they would have to be amputated. But by God's mercy the process was halted. The Lord does not permit trials beyond our ability to bear. Everything was given according to her strength, yet much was given. Her final six months were truly marked by suffering. Mother Magdalena could walk until the last day of her life, but they had to carry her into church on a stretcher, because she did not have the strength to climb so many stairs.

On July 29th, an appointment was made with the doctor for further examination. Mother Magdalena was brought to the hospital, and almost immediately had a heart attack there: her heart stopped. We marvel at the providence of God. Had this happened at the convent, we would have lost her earlier. But the merciful Lord worked a miracle like that of the resurrection of Lazarus. That day her heart stopped seven times before they managed to revive her. It seemed that there was no hope left. A stimulator was applied to the heart, but only externally; an operation was essential in order to regulate it within the body. Mother Magdalena was adamantly opposed to such an operation, but we persistently strove to persuade her, and eventually she consented. The operation was scheduled for August 2, the feast of the holy Prophet Elijah. We all prayed, but Mother Magdalena most of all, beseeching the holy Prophet Elijah to heal her. And a miracle took place: the surgeon postponed the operation, and the following day they sent her home from the hospital, , on the very eve of our patronal feast of St. Mary Magdalene. How great was our joy! We understood that if little time remained for Mother Magdalena to live, she should not die in a hospital bed, but in her own cell, surrounded by her own community. And this is what happened.

On the very day of the feast, August 4, they brought Mother Magdalena to church on a stretcher, and she took Communion on her nameday in her own church. On each of the following ten days, she received Communion in her cell. When she had been in the hospital, Mother Magdalena had had a dream, and told us about it: "Fr. Dimitri [who had been the Chief of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission, a great expert on the Typicon, and was well loved at the convent] came to me. This was the second time he had appeared to me during my illness. He handed me a large cross and said that he and I had to greet the bishop." When asked which one, Mother Magdalena replied: "Our Vladyka Mark. I told him that it is not appropriate for me to greet the bishop with the cross, but he instructed me to do so. And so, I went out to greet Vladyka Mark and gave him the cross; and he took it, kissed it and gave it back to me." This was a remarkable dream. In it the Lord clearly revealed the day of her death. On August 2, Vladyka Mark arrived in the Holy Land, heading a group of pilgrims from Germany. Vladyka served three times in Gethsemane: firstly, on the patronal feast; and secondly, on the feast of the Hodegitria, our miraculous icon, when we process around the whole convent with the icon. We brought the icon also to Mother Magdalena. To see how she wept, bidding farewell forever to the holy icon, was extremely moving. Thirdly, he celebrated the Liturgy on August 14, the feast of the Cross and the first day of the Dormition Fast. The group of pilgrims was to fly out that night. After the Liturgy, Vladyka Mark went to Mother Magdalena, and they managed to speak together for a time. Then followed the blessing of the cells, and the priest went to Mother Magdalena's cell and sprinkled it with holy water. Afterwards, they gave her a cup of holy water, and she drank a little. Several minutes later she quite unexpectedly gasped and fell into an unconscious state from which she never emerged. Two and a half hours later, her heart ceased to beat forever. All the sisters gathered around her, and two priests read the prayers at the departure of a soul. The canon to the Theotokos was sung, and other hymns. At 11:15 in the morning, the great bell tolled, announcing to all the death of our Mother Magdalena. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints!

Vladyka Mark stayed until the following day and presided over the funeral, for which a multitude of the faithful gathered. Bishop Agapit of Stuttgart arrived that night and served the first Liturgy for the departed. Two bishops from the Patriarchate of Jerusalem attended the funeral—Vladykas Timotheos and Amvrosios. Thus, four hierarchs sang Mother Magdalena to her rest.


Her hands, so beautiful during her life, remained soft and white until the end. Not the least hint of corruption emanated from her coffin, despite the August heat.

Those who had prayed remained behind for a long time, standing by her grave in the shadow of the olive-trees. The sense of loss continued to the following day. We understood that our bond with the old, historic Gethsemane, a most important link in which was Mother Magdalena, had vanished, never to return. We remain, those who lived next to her and with her; but can we continue this song that poured forth from her ardent heart? Eternal be your memory, our dear Mother Magdalena!

Nun Ambrosia
Hoy Gethsemane

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An Interview With Metropolitan Amphilochios of New Zealand

[Metropolitan Amphilochios of New Zealand is one of our more saintly Metropolitans who has utterly devoted his life to prayer and missionary work. In America he is also a founder and elder of Saint George Greek Orthodox Monastery in Denver, Colorado. I had the blessing of meeting him about 13 years ago when he visited Holy Cross Theological School and he made a big impression on the seminarians who had the opportunity to meet him. I had heard he was a close spiritual child of Elder Amphilochios Makris and when I met him I sensed similar spiritual gifts as his elder. When I read this interview in Greek it was my desire to have it translated so that this holy elder and spiritual father of hundreds could become more well known and supported in his important ministry in New Zealand and the surrounding islands. - J.S.]

The Metropolitan of New Zealand Amphilochios in Rhodes

by Peggy Dokou
August, 11, 2009
Romfea.org

The Metropolitan of New Zealand Amphilochios is found in Rhodes during his summer intermission for the occasion of the first ordination of an Orthodox priest from the Islands of Fiji, whose name is Bartholomew.

The ordination will be performed by the Metropolitan of New Zealand himself at the Monastery of Thari, which is expected to take place next month. Interestingly the new cleric will remain in Rhodes to train for his new office and then he will go to his future parish on the Island of Fiji.

Sacred Mission

The Sacred Metropolis of New Zealand has been characterized by the Ecumenical Patriarch as an office that is missionary in nature. It has under its oversight New Zealand and the Islands of the South Pacific, which includes Fiji, Tonga and Samoa and the nearby island groups. In 1970 it was established by the Archbishop of Australia - whom it was under at that time.

His Eminence the Metropolitan of New Zealand spoke about his visit to Rhodes which is his particular homeland.

“The goal of my visit to Rhodes is to come to my homeland every time leisure permits, which brings me joy, strength and courage towards the continuance of my work which I am accomplishing on the far side of the world. New Zealand is a country that is developing very slowly. The people there are good and we live harmoniously.”


What is your Orthodox flock there like?

We are 5,000 Greeks and approximately 10,000 of Slavic descent (Russians, Serbs, Bulgarians, etc.). And beyond that we have started to expand also toward the native element. The New Zealanders are either of Anglo-Saxon descent or the indigenous Maori.

Are there problems in New Zealand with the Diaspora?

The future of Orthodoxy looks auspicious. Many express a desire to embrace Orthodox Christianity which inspires in them respect and trust. Now we have baptized quite a few who are from the Island of Fiji, situated in the southeastern part of the Pacific Ocean and being at a distance of three hours from New Zealand by flight.


Do you have the support from the Ecumenical Patriarchate?

The Ecumenical Patriarchate supports us very much and oversees the Metropolis of New Zealand. The Patriarchate desires to be ubiquitous and be the first to step into these areas, for there are problems in the lands of the Diaspora along with the other Orthodox Patriarchates (Russian, Serbian, etc.).

We try to be organized and to offer what we can to Orthodox and whoever desires to embrace our religion.

METROPOLITAN AMPHILOCHIOS:

His Eminence Archbishop of New Zealand and Exarch of Oceania Amphilochios (Adamantios Tsoukos in the world) was born in Rhodes in 1938. After completing his elementary studies at his birthplace in Rhodes, he joined the Ecclesiastical School of Patmos.

He later studied at the Theological School at Halki where he was ordained as a Deacon in 1962 and as a Priest in 1963 by the most memorable Metropolitan of Stavroupoleos Maximos. He was appointed a spiritual tutor at the above Theological School.

He was a resident priest of various monasteries and a preacher at Patmos near his spiritual father Elder Amphilochios Makris and lecturered at the Patmos School (1964-1972, 1978-1989). During his missionary time in Africa offering his services in Kenya, Tanzania and Zaire he was elevated by the then Patriarch of Alexandria Nikolaos to Archimandrite in 1974.

He was Abbot of the Archangel Michael Monastery of Thari in Rhodes and chief preacher of the Metropolis of Rhodes (1990- 2005).

On the 15th of June 2005 he was unanimously elected by the Holy Synod to become Bishop of Erythron and suffragan Bishop to the Metropolitan of Rhodes Kyrillos. On 13th of October of the same year he was unanimously elected to become Archbishop of New Zealand.

(For more information on the Holy Archdiocese of New Zealand and the missionary work of Metropolitan Amphilochios, please visit their website here.)

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Turkish Officials Insult Orthodox Pilgrims at Panagia Soumela in Trebizond

Over 3,000 pilgrims from Greece and Russia visited the ancient Monastery of Panagia Soumela in Trebizond, Turkey on the occasion of the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos. For years Greek natives of Trebizond that were exiled in the 20th century have requested an annual Divine Liturgy at the most sacred shrine of their homeland, now turned into a museum by the Turks. An outdoor prayer service was attempted but was soon interrupted by the Director of the Trebizond Museum, Nilgun Yilmazer, who tried to stop the prayer saying, "Soumela is not a place open to prayer." Disrespectfully she grabbed the candle lit before the sacred icon of Panagia Soumela and in Turkish cited Turkish law against such a service to be held saying, "“According to Turkish law, you are not allowed to perform a religious ceremony here”. In retaliation the Greeks chanted the Dismissal Hymn of the Feast of the Dormition as well as the hymn "Ti Ypermacho" (To You the Champion Leader), and then maybe went a bit too far in singing the Greek National Anthem. Yet it is a shame that both Greece and Russia allow Muslims to build their Mosques there while Orthodox cannot even say prayers at their ancient holy shrines in Turkey. It's an insult. The incident was captured on video and is shown above and in the news reports below.

More can be read at these links:

- Trabzon Official Takes Wind Out of Tourists' Rites
- Between Heaven and Earth: The Monastery of Panagia Soumela
- And four Greek news reports are here, here, here and here.

Below are various Greek TV news reports about the incident at Panagia Soumela:




And here is a Turkish news report:

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Megan Fox on Exorcizing the Demons of Her Pentecostal Upbringing

[Yet another celebrity reveals the perils of growing up in a false form of christianity and the psychological damage that comes with it. Because of its total reconstruction of the understanding of sin and the passions, every form of false christianity tends to usually have an extreme view of sex by either tarnishing it as bad or reactively exalting it as holy. The first often leads youth to rebellion and atheism while the latter leads to delusion. The more balanced Orthodox approach of treating sex as a blessing from God that ought to be respected and properly used and should not be over-indulged in even within the marriage context alone allows for proper psychological health in these issues. - J.S.]

Megan Fox Needed Help Getting Over Sex Demons

SplashNews
August 24, 2009

Transformers star Megan Fox has had therapy to help her get over the sex demons that have tormented her since she was young. Megan, 23, blames her insecurities and attitude to sex on her religious upbringing.

She told British newspaper the Daily Star Sunday: "I was raised Pentecostal, which is one of the most extreme denominations of Christianity that exists. Everything is evil and wrong and will send you to hell." She added: "So I had lots of talks about how sex was evil, sex was bad." Megan, who recently posed as a nun to promote her film How to Lose Friends & Alienate People, openly rebelled as she questioned the beliefs she was taught at her religious school in Florida. She said: "I fought against everything I was ever taught or told and that just created more of a monster when I was a teenager." She added: "I don't ever feel sexy in small clothes. I always feel really insecure. I don't like wearing make-up." Her role in the new film Jennifer's Body, which hits UK cinemas on November 6 [September 18th in the U.S.], has helped to increase her confidence. In the movie Megan plays a man-eating teenager who is possessed by a sex-mad spirit. She said: "I get to exercise my demons through her. She has really deep, unfriendly insecurities which I can relate to."

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Greece Rejects the Help of Skopia in it's Moment of Need

Today's news pretty much shows that no one can really accuse Greece of being two-faced and hypocritical. It has been reported that Greece rejected the help of Skopia in its battle against the wild fires which continue to rage uncontrollably in the Athens area among other small pockets. It is believed that Skopia does not really care to help the Greek people due to the controversies between the two nations, but only has political motivations. In essence, Greece does not want to support the cause of its rival by having them pose as more humanitarian. On the other hand, Greece has whole-heartedly accepted the help of every other nation, even that of Turkey.

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The "Sin" of Elder Augustine

Provata with Mount Athos in the foreground

A blessed hagiorite monk, Elder Augustine the Russian (1882-1965), was very much virtuous, very much humble and very much a combatant. Once the devil appeared in his cell as a frightening dog. With fire coming from his mouth he rushed upon the elder to choke him, because, as the devil told him, he was being burnt by his prayers. Elder Augustine seized him and threw him against the wall and shouted: “Wicked devil, why do you war against God’s creatures?" The devil, being frightened by the unexpected reception, became invisible. Afterwards however the most good and most simple elder had remorse because...he assaulted the devil!!

The elder agonizingly awaited until daylight to go to his confessor to confess his “sin”. Indeed once it was daylight he went to Provata (a one and half hour distance from his cell) where his confessor was located and he confessed. “My confessor was very acquiescent,” the elder recounted later, “and he did not assign me with any penance, but he said I may receive Communion. I, for my joy, prayed with my prayer rope the whole night, and afterwards went to the Divine Liturgy and communed. When the priest was putting the holy spoon in my mouth, I saw the parts of the Holy Communion as a piece of meat and blood! I chewed it so as to swallow. Above all I felt a great exaltation so that I was not able to bear it. Sweet tears ran from my eyes and my head shone as a lamp. I left quickly so that the fathers might not see me, and the prayers of thanksgiving for the Divine Communion I read alone in my cell...”

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Saint Kosmas Aitolos on the Need for Educated Orthodox Christians

Saint Kosmas Aitolos (Feast Day - August 24)

Blessed Christians, a large number of churches neither preserve nor strengthen our faith as much as they should if those who believe in God aren't enlightened by both the Old and New Testaments. Our faith wasn't established by ignorant saints, but by wise and educated saints who interpreted the holy Scriptures accurately and who enlightened us sufficiently by inspired teachings.

Today, however, because of the dreadful state in which we find ourselves due to our sins, such wise and virtuous men, who can preserve unaffected our Orthodox brethren, are absent or at least extremely rare. For how can our nation be preserved without harm in its religion and freedom when the sacred clergy is disastrously ignorant of the meaning of the holy Scriptures, which are the light and foundation of the faith? When a shepherd doesn't know which grass is nourishing for his flock, he can't cure it's possible passions; he can't guard them from the wild beasts and thieves. How can that flock be preserved for very long? So, my children of Parga, to safeguard your faith and the freedom of your homeland, take care to establish without fail a Greek School in which your children will learn all that you are ignorant of.

The Church of St. Kosmas Aitolos in Northern Epirus, where the New Martyr and Apostle of Greece was martyred.

My beloved children in Christ, bravely and fearlessly preserve our holy faith and the language of our Fathers, because both of these characterize our most beloved homeland, and without them our nation is destroyed. Don't be discouraged, my brethren; divine providence will one day send heavenly salvation to gladden your hearts and eliminate this dreadful state in which we find ourselves.

The signature of St. Kosmas a short time prior to his martyrdom.

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