Mount Athos to be Featured In Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol"

Dan Brown's new book, The Lost Symbol, is being released tomorrow. And it looks like the Holy Mountain is gonna be in demand to get a bunch of tourism because of it.

According to Telegraph.co.uk:

"Fans worldwide have been speculating on Facebook and Twitter while Brown has also been dropping hints through strategic “tweets” including a photograph of a Mount Athos monastery in Greece, the American presidential seal and a bar of music marked 'allegretto'."

The mysterious monastery is none other than Simonopetra which is situated on Mount Athos. Here is a photo of the tweet:


But why?

This is pretty easy to figure out for those familiar with Brown's The Davinci Code, and if one keeps in mind that this latest release is a sequel to The Davinci Code. I won't rehash the entire story which everyone knows, but Mary Magdalene plays an important role. In fact, in the book she is the wife of Jesus who gives him a bloodline that runs throughout the generations to our very day, and is regarded as the guarded holy grail.

So what is the connection between Simonopetra and Mary Magdalene?

Simonopetra contains one of the most treasured relics in Orthodoxy and one of its most miraculous as well - the incorrupt left hand of Mary Magdalene, who is considered the co-founder of Simonopetra.

I personally don't foresee anything Orthodox have to worry about. It was bound to happen. I wondered when reading his first book why he did not go to Athos, so now with a little internet research he found another location to use to justify his lies.

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

The Miraculous Prozimi

OrthodoxHistory.org discovered an interesting news article a few weeks ago, which was circulated in newspapers around America in 1927, about an Orthodox priest named Fr. John Gerotheou who used a "religious ceremony of the Church" to make bread "rise without yeast through the use of holy water". Details are described below:

WATERBURY, Conn., Nov. 15, 1927 — (By The Associated Press) – Asserting that the church already has been held up to enough public ridicule through the “absurd challenge” of George Invalis of New Britain, George Pistolas, president of the Hellenic Orthodox congregation here, announced Monday night that the Rev. John Gerotheou would ignore all challenges directed at his claimed powers of causing bread to rise without yeast through the use of holy water. Mr. Gerotheou’s powers were disputed also by the American Association for the Advancement of Atheism.

Invalis, a soda clerk, announced that he would post $200 in a Waterbury bank today to back up his challenge, but the posting of the money will go unheeded as the challenge has, according to Pistolas.

The church official said the congregation would continue to worship as it saw fit regardless of challenges launched at it. On days when the ritual of the Orthodox Greek church permits it, however Mr. Gerotheou would continue to raise bread without yeast, Pistolas said, but only as part of the religious ceremonies of the church.

Those at OrthodoxHistory.org were unaware however that this was indeed a ceremony performed, especially among the pious laity and in some monasteries, within the Greek Orthodox Church. I made them aware of it and they expressed that they never heard of this tradition before and posted some information I gave them, but since some important information is in Greek I decided to make my own posting and hopefully spread this pious tradition among the faithful who speak English.

This pious tradition is usually looked upon as a manifestation of the grace within the holy water and blessed basil which is blessed within the Orthodox Church. It can be done any time with blessed basil and holy water either blessed within one's local parish or acquired at some holy shrine that has holy water. Among the Greek pious, this is done usually twice a year and is associated with feasts of the Holy Cross, which is what sanctifies the holy water with the blessed basil. The two feasts are September 14 for the Feast of the Elevation of the Precious Cross and the Third Sunday of Great Lent which is dedicated to the Veneration of the Holy Cross.

There are apparently a few ways to do this. According to the website for Vatopaidi Monastery of Mount Athos, the following is done according to this Athonite style:

First acquire some basil leaves from the priest. Put some lukewarm water in a pot. In the water only put some flour and mix it until it becomes a thick paste. When this is done take the blessed basil leaves and form a Cross on top of it. You place a clean towel over the pot, and wait a few hours until its ready.


(Note: Some boil the basil leaves and with this lukewarm water they prepare the paste.)

One witness happened to be at the Monastery of Vatopaidi for this miracle on the Third Sunday of Great Lent, and this is what he saw:

"Behind the icon of the Annunciation which was on display for veneration in the katholikon (central church) of the Monastery are found two shelves. The fathers who serve to bake the prosphora and the breads brought a pot with the paste and placed it on the bottom shelf. On the top shelf they place the basil leaves with the Precious Cross. They put nothing on top of the paste itself. By the Power of the Precious Cross it becomes prozimi. Great and wondrous are your ways O Lord!"

According to another Greek website who quotes Archimandrite Dositheos, it is important that the basil leaves come directly from the priest and that it should not be taken from an altar boy or grabbed from a tray. He recommends that after the lukewarm water is placed in an unused pot, to take the basil leaves and make a sign of the Cross three times with it in the water. He recommends this be done with basil leaves that have not dried. When blessing the water with the blessed leaves, chant or say the hymns of the Holy Cross such as "Save O Lord Your people" and "You Who were lifted up on the Cross" ("Σώσον Κύριε, τον λαόν Σου" και το "Ο υψωθείς εν τω Σταυρώ"). The basil leaves are taken away and a little flour is put in. After mixing it to make a thick paste and placing a towel over it, he recommends you put it in a warm area of the home. If you do it before bed, when you wake up add a little more water and flour and let it sit till night. At night do the same. After the third time its ready. He recommends three days for it be ready. Though not difficult, it may take a few trials before you get it right.

Over at the Adventures of an Orthodox Mom site, there are instructions on how to do it another way that you may find useful as well.

Is this a miracle? Not necessarily in the traditional sense of what a miracle is according to modern day rationalists. It is looked upon as miraculous in the sense that it is blessed bread made with ingredients that is blessed by the Church; the manner of the bread rising by a method that is unusual; and the fact that it is done on a holy feast. Though it is all a natural process which can be explained scientifically, still because of it unusualness and its association with blessed ingredients and ecclesiastical feast days, the pious call it a miracle to preserve its sacred nature transformed through everything that has become associated with it. Rationalists, as in the article above from 1927, will probably find this answer unsatisfying and contradictory to call something natural "miraculous", but this can only be understood by those pious who sanctify on these feast days the natural world and make it sacred through an invisible transformation, much like the waters of baptism were sanctified at the baptism of Jesus on Epiphany. Perhaps this is why Fr. Gerotheou remained silent in the face of opposition; it is not meant to be rationally explained.

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

The Cross – The Preserver of the Universe

A Homily by Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco

In the prophet Ezekiel (9:6) it is said that when the Angel of the Lord was sent to punish and destroy the sinning people, it was told him not to strike those on whom the “mark” had been made. In the original text this mark is called “tau,” the Hebrew letter corresponding to the letter “T.”, which is how in ancient times the Cross was made, which then was an instrument of punishment.

And so, even then was foretold the power of the Cross, which preserves those who venerate it. Likewise by many other events in the Old Testament the power of the Cross was indicated. Moses, who held his arms raised in the form of a Cross during the battle, gave victory to the Israelites over the Amalekites. He also, dividing the Red Sea by a blow of his rod and by a transverse blow uniting the waters again, saved Israel from Pharaoh, who drowned in the water, while Israel crossed over on the dry bottom (Exodus chs. 14, 17).

Through the laying on of his hands in the form of a Cross on his grandsons, Jacob gave a blessing to his descendants, foretelling at the same time their future until the coming of the “expectation of the nations” (Gen. 48).

By the Cross, the Son of God having become man, accomplished our salvation. He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross (Phil. 2:8). Having stretched out His hands upon the Cross, the Saviour with them, as it were, embraced the world, and by His blood shed on it, like a king with red ink, He signed the forgiveness of the human race.

The Cross of the Lord was the instrument by which He saved the world after the fall into sin. Through the Cross, He descended with His soul into hades so as to raise up from it the souls who were awaiting Him. By the Cross, Christ opened the doors of paradise which had been closed after our first ancestors had been banished from it. The Cross was sanctified by the Body of Christ which was nailed to it when He gave Himself over to torments and death for the salvation of the world, and it itself was then filled with life-giving power. By the Cross on Golgotha, the prince of this world was cast out (John 12:31) and an end was put to his authority. The weapon by which he was crushed became the sign of Christ’s victory.

The demonic hosts tremble when they see the Cross, for by the Cross the kingdom of hell was destroyed. They do not dare to draw near to anyone who is guarded by the Cross.

The whole human race, by the death of Christ on the Cross, received deliverance from the authority of the devil, and everyone who makes use of this saving weapon is inaccessible to the demons.

When legions of demons appeared to St. Anthony the Great and other desert-dwellers, they guarded themselves with the Sign of the Cross, and the demons vanished.

When they appeared to St. Symeon the Stylite, who was standing on his pillar, what seemed to be a chariot to carry him to heaven, the Saint, before mounting it, crossed himself; it disappeared and the enemy, who had hoped to cast down the ascetic from the height of his pillar, was put to shame.

One cannot enumerate all the separate examples of the manifestation of the power of the Cross in various incidents. Invisibly and unceasingly there gushes from it the Divine grace that saves the world.

The Sign of the Cross is made at all the Mysteries and prayers of the Church. With the making of the Sign of the Cross over the bread and wine, they become the Body and Blood of Christ. With the immersion of the Cross, the waters are sanctified. The Sign of the Cross looses us from sins. “When we are guarded by the Cross, we oppose the enemy, not fearing his nets and barking.” Just as the flaming sword in the hands of the Cherubim barred the entrance into paradise of old, so the Cross now acts invisibly in the world, guarding it from perdition.

The Cross is the unconquerable weapon of pious kings in the battle with enemies. Through the apparition of the Cross in the sky, the dominion of Emperor Constantine was confirmed and an end was put to the persecution against the Church. The apparition of the Cross in the sky in Jerusalem in the days of Constantius the Arian proclaimed the victory of Orthodoxy. By the power of the Cross of the Lord, Christian kings reign and will reign until Antichrist, barring his path to power and restraining lawlessness (St. John Chrysostom, Commentary on 11 Thes. 2:6-7).

The “sign of the Son of Man” (Matt. 24:30), that is, the Cross, will appear in the sky in order to proclaim the end of the present world and the coming of the eternal Kingdom of the Son of God. Then all the tribes of the earth shall weep, because they loved the present age and its lusts, but all who have endured persecution for righteousness and called on the name of the Lord shall rejoice and be glad. The Cross then will save from eternal perdition all who conquered temptations by the Cross, who crucified their flesh with its passions and lusts, and took up their cross and followed their Christ.

But those who hated the Cross of the Lord and did not engrave the Cross in their soul will perish forever. For “the Cross is the preserver of the whole universe, the Cross is the beauty of the Church, the Cross is the might of kings, the Cross is the confirmation of the faithful, the Cross is the glory of angels and the scourge of demons” (Octoechos: Exapostilarion, Monday Matins).

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

The Orthodox Celebration of the Power of the Cross

The Exaltation of the Cross celebrated on September 14 is one of the twelve great feasts in the yearly Church cycle. It commemorates two historical events: first, the finding of the Life-giving Cross in the year 326, and second, its recovery from Persia in 628.

History of the Feast

In the first centuries of Christianity, during the years of persecution, the pagans wished to destroy all evidence of the life of Jesus Christ, and the Cross on which He was crucified disappeared. With the conversion of Emperor Constantine the Great, Christians were at liberty to worship openly and build churches. The emperor’s mother, St. Helen, longed to find the True Cross of Christ. She traveled to Jerusalem and was told by a very old Jew that the Cross was buried beneath the temple of the pagan goddess Venus, built in 119 AD by the Roman Emperor Hadrian.

The temple was torn down, and digging in the earth below uncovered three wooden crosses. The small board which had hung over Christ with the inscription "Jesus King of the Jews," had long since fallen off, and there was no way of telling which was the True Cross and which were the crosses of the two thieves crucified on either side of Christ. A sick woman was brought and likewise a dead man who was being carried to burial. The three crosses were laid in turn one by one upon the sick woman and upon the dead man. Two of the crosses had no effect, but through contact with the third cross, the sick woman was healed of her infirmity and the dead man came to life. These miracles clearly indicated which of the three was Christ’s Cross.

Hearing of this discovery, all the faithful desired to see the Cross of the Lord and to venerate it. The Patriarch of Jerusalem, Makarios, took the Cross onto a raised platform and lifted it on high, "exalting" it, for all to see. The people fell to their knees, bowing down before the Cross and crying out repeatedly: “Lord, have mercy!”

To house the relic of the True Cross, St. Helen had s church built over the Holy Sepulchre. The church was consecrated on Sept. 13, 335, an event also commemorated in the service hymns of the Feast. The finding and exaltation of the Cross was appointed to be celebrated annually on the following day.

The Life-giving Cross was kept in Jerusalem until the year 614 when the Holy City fell to the Persians who looted the Church of the Resurrection and took the True Cross back with them to Persia. Fourteen years later Emperor Heraclius concluded a peace with the Persians, and the Holy Cross was brought to the imperial capital of Constantinople. The Emperor, taking off his shoes and his imperial robes, carried the Cross into the Church of Holy Wisdom (Agia Sophia) where it was once again triumphantly exalted. It was then resolved that the Feast be celebrated by the Church in all parts of the world, for which reason it is called the Universal Exaltation.

The Service

The Vigil for the Feast, one of the most moving and impressive services of the year, contains several distinguishing features. After Vespers the Cross, decorated with flowers and sweet-smelling herbs, is placed upon the altar. Following the Gospel reading in Matins, the faithful sing “Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ…” usually sung only during Saturday night vigils. At the end of the Great Doxology, to the slow singing of the Trisagion –”Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us”– the priest, carrying the Cross on his head, brings it out from the altar and places it on an analogion in the center of the church. He censes the Cross on all four sides, and everyone prostrates before it to the singing of the hymn: “Before Thy Cross, we bow down, O Master, and Thy holy Resurrection we glorify.” Then the faithful, following the celebrants, venerate the Cross in turn, making three full prostrations, and receive anointing. The Cross remains in the center of the church until the Apodosis or “leave-taking” of the Feast on September 21.

In cathedrals and monasteries the adoration is preceded by the ceremony of exalting the Cross. After the Cross is brought out from the altar, the bishop or archimandrite takes it up in his hands and raises it on high. Then, as the people chant “Lord have mercy” a hundred times, he slowly lowers the Cross nearly to the ground and just as slowly raises it. This is done five times as the celebrant faces first east, then west, south, north and east again, signifying that “the Cross is the guardian of the whole world” and through it “the world is sanctified.” In some churches the Cross has rose water poured over it during these exaltations. The rose water is caught in a basin of flowers held by the acolytes, and the flowers are distributed to the faithful at the end of the service.

Although it is one of the major Church Feasts, the Exaltation is always kept as a fast day, because together with the joy of the finding of the Cross, this great “weapon of peace and sign of victory,” we are also reminded of the sufferings which our Lord endured in being crucified.

On the Sign of the Cross

The Orthodox Christian ends his evening prayers with a prayer to the Venerable Cross:

"As wax melts from the presence of fire, so let the demons perish from the presence of those who love God and who sign themselves with the Sign of the Cross….”

When properly applied, the sign of the Cross is a most formidable weapon in a Christian’s armor.

The power of the Cross in the unseen warfare with the demons is illustrated in countless lives of Saints. One of the most strtking examples is found in the life of the holy martyrs, Sts. Cyprian and Justina (Oct. 2). An expert sorcerer before his conversion, St. Cyprian was asked by a pagan youth to use his magic in order to seduce the Christian maid Justina. But even with the help of the prince of demons, the sorcerer was powerless before the maiden who “fled to the defense of the Cross of the Lord and placed its honorable sign on her forehead,” causing the demons to depart in shame. This brought Cyprian to his senses, and he railed at the evil one whom he had served for so long: “O destroyer and deceiver of all…. Now I have discovered your infirmity. For if you fear even the shadow of the Cross and tremble at the name of Christ, then what will you do when Christ Himself comes to you?” Furious at Cyprian’s rebuke, the devil began to beat and strangle him. Already scarcely alive, Cyprian “remembered the sign of the Cross, by the power of which Justina had opposed all the demons’ power, and he cried out: "O God of Justina, help me!" Then, raising his hand, he made the sign of the Cross, and the devil immediately leaped away from him like an arrow shot from a bow.

The power of the Cross is given to each and every Christian. But just as a soldier must learn to properly wield his weapons in battle, so a warrior of Christ must learn how correctly to make the sign of the Cross. A shield has no effect if carelessly waved about in the air. Likewise, there are many who receive no benefit from the sign of the Cross because they make it mechanically or haphazardly.

Some time ago we were justly taken to task by one of our readers for an all too common inaccuracy in describing the making of the sign of the Cross: “We touch the forehead, the breast…” Our reader pointed out that the first edition of the widely used Orthodox catechism, Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy’s Law of God, contained the same error which was corrected in the second edition with the following explanation: in making the sign of the Cross from forehead to breast and then shoulder to shoulder, “the lower end of the Cross turns out to be shorter than the upper one; i.e., the Cross comes out upside-down.” Man thereby inverts the Cross of Christ “to which only the demons rejoice.” The Holy Fathers taught that the sign of the Cross should be made by touching first the brow (the forehead), marking the upper part of the cross, secondly the womb (the stomach), marking the lower part of the cross, thirdly the right frame (shoulder) and fourthly the left frame, representing from end to end the horizontal bar of the cross.

This is not to say that the correct external formation of the sign of the Cross of itself carries the power to wound demons, it must be made with faith. St. John of Kronstadt cautions: “In order that the unbelieving heart should not think that the sign of the Cross and the name of Christ act miraculously by themselves, apart from, and independently of Christ Himself, this same Cross and name perform no miracles until I see Jesus Christ with the eyes of my heart…and believe with my whole heart all that it has has accomplished for our salvation.”

The Cross, once a tool of death, has become a means to life, an instrument of our salvation; it gives strength to resist temptation, to refrain from gossip or harsh words; it dispels fear. If we learn to use the Cross effectively, we shall come through experience to understand the Apostle’s words:

"But God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Source

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

On the Two Accounts of the Discovery of the True Cross

Regarding the two accounts handed down to us describing the discovery of the Holy Cross by St. Helen, St. Dimitri of Rostov writes:

The various authorities do not agree concerning the details of the miracle whereby the true Cross of Christ was discovered. Some say that it was a dead maiden being brought to burial who was raised by the power of the Cross; others claim that a widow lay ill in her house and was close to death and that the Patriarch [Macarius] and the Empress [Helen] came to her bearing the [three] crosses [to see which was the true Cross]. They laid them on the ailing woman and when the Cross of the Lord was placed upon her, she immediately arose whole. Others say that a dead man was being carried to the grave and was resurrected at the touch of the Cross of the Lord. Nicephorus Callistus, surnamed Xanthopoulos, in the twenty-ninth chapter of his eighth book, says that both those marvels were worked at that time and that the widow who lay ill and dying in her home was delivered from the gates of death and granted life and health and that the dead man who was being carried to the grave was resurrected.

Reading from the Synaxarion:

Saint Helen, the mother of Saint Constantine the Great, when she was already advanced in years, undertook, in her great piety, the hardships of a journey to Jerusalem in search of the cross, about the year 325. A temple to Aphrodite had been raised up by the Emperor Hadrian upon Golgotha, to defile and cover with oblivion the place where the saving Passion had been suffered. The venerable Helen had the statue of Aphrodite destroyed, and the earth removed, revealing the Tomb of our Lord, and three crosses. Of these, it was believed that one must be that of our Lord, the other two of the thieves crucified with Him; but Saint Helen was at a loss which one might be the Wood of our salvation. At the inspiration of Saint Macarius, Archbishop of Jerusalem, a lady of Jerusalem, who was already at the point of death from a certain disease, was brought to touch the crosses, and as soon as she came near to the Cross of our Lord, she was made perfectly whole. Consequently, the precious Cross was lifted on high by Archbishop Macarius of Jerusalem; as he stood on the ambo, and when the people beheld it, they cried out, "Lord have mercy." It should be noted that after its discovery, a portion of the venerable Cross was taken to Constantinople as a blessing. The rest was left in Jerusalem in the magnificent church built by Saint Helen, until the year 614. At that time, the Persians plundered Palestine and took the Cross to their own country (see Jan. 22, Saint Anastasius the Persian). Late, in the year 628, Emperor Heraclius set out on a military campaign, retrieved the Cross, and after bringing it to Constantinople, himself escorted it back to Jerusalem, where he restored it to its place.

Rest from labour. A strict Fast is observed today, whatever day of the week it may be.

Apolytikion in the First Tone
Lord, save Your people and bless Your inheritance, granting our rulers to prevail over adversaries, and protecting Your commonwealth by Your Cross.

Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
Lifted up on the Cross by Your free will, Christ God, grant mercies to the new commonwealth that bears Your name. Gladden our faithful rulers by Your power, giving them victories over their adversaries. May Your alliance be for them a weapon for peace, an invincible standard.

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

The Missionary Efforts of Metropolitan Nektarios of Hong Kong

Interview by http://www.anaplastiki.gr/

1. What do missions mean for the Orthodox Church?

Our Lord after his Resurrection gave to his disciples the command, “As you go, teach all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to keep everything which I commanded you.”

This command of the Master constituted for the Church a continuous obligation. The Church must give its own witness here in this world and it should proclaim with words and deeds the saving message of the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. The goal of the Church is that it should bring the world into the Church and make Christians of all mankind. The Church, and I am speaking for the Orthodox Church, never made use of worldly methods in the application of its teachings and in the formation of converts. We do not try to use force or psychologically compulsory methods to spread the Gospel of Christ.

Certainly it is true, unfortunately, that the Orthodox Church does not have an organized mission. Every local Orthodox Chruch is making an effort with their own criteria and with their own power to do a missions. If we should take into account the contemptable phenomenon of paralleled Orthodox jurisdictions which is observed in recent decades in America, Europe, Australia and recently Southeast Asia, then we are able to understand why non-christians see us as something similar to Protestants, divided into many groups, who competitively try to prove their missionary effort by their "successes". The things of which I speak are not an exaggeration and do not misunderstand my words. In the area of missions it is necessary to see things from the perspective of others. For they who are not Christians naturally have a different view and opinion about Christianity from us, who have had the blessing of being born and raised in a christian environment and a christian land. If we do not do this, then we will not be able to give others understanding of our missionary message and naturally our missionary labour, despite the hard work, will turn out fruitless.

2. How were you lead into missions, and at such a far away place?

It is necessary to point out that when we talk about missions we do not understand it as being sent to those who are non-christian only, but also to those who have already been baptized as Christians. God lead the first young steps of my life to a monastic vocation and more generally to the service of the Gospel. When you live daily at a monastery the ascetic tradition of the Church and you live the Christian way of life found in the daily Services and in the contemplation of the Holy Scriptures and Holy Fathers, then you desire to preach the same realities of life to the armchair Christians and those Christians who are indifferent. The idea of what is known as foreign missions never had crossed my mind. Then I was seeing how many of our brothers and sisters in Greece who have been baptized Orthodox are completely uncatechized. And even today this is a reality. We boast that Greece is a Christian nation and that the Christians are 95% Orthodox. We rejoice during Holy Week when the sacred churches are full. Forgive me, but the rest of the year where are all those people? Are we not living in an imaginary world of our fantasies? Look around you and search to see how many there are who live the Christian life? Our Greece needs much work in the area of Orthodox catechism for adults. Also they need workers devoted with zeal. In Southeast Asia many times indigenous Christians ask me: “Why don't the Greeks not come every Sunday to Church”? They consider Greece a model and they are sorry when they see Greek Christians that are completely uncatechized.

That I am found far away from Greece, I attribute it to the will of God. I did not flee from it. God called me and established me at this new bastion. Humbly I received this new calling and so I am found in far away Hong Kong.

3. How difficult is the work of a missionary in Asia?

Orthodoxy in Asia is completely unknown. The people here know the Christian traditions which the Roman Catholics and Protestants carried here. These christian confessions also have organized missions. Of course these older missionary attempts combined their actions with the political colonization of the Great Powers and this combinination made the indigenous peoples to become very cautious with everything that is christian. The Orthodox missionary is coming to work within lands which have a different outlook and a different culture from which he is accustomed. There are no infrastructures to possibly support the work and there is certainly not the economic support. I say this because some who have created a dream-like image of missionaries. But the reality is different. How will a missionary in Southeast Asia live? Does they not have necessities like shelter and food? How will they conduct their mission? A mission also has practical necessities. How will they build a church? Who will pay for the translations, the publication of tracts and books, and thousands of other things?

Also some think that the missionary is able to live like a beggar. Let them visit Hong Kong, Singapore or Taiwan and after they can review their same theories concerning missionaries.

Besides these practical things there are also other difficulties for anyone who desires to engage in missionary work in Asia. There is the issue of language, the different mentality and culture, and the reality of religious fanaticism. And certainly the mistrust which stems from what these people suffered from the colonialists.

I think that the presence of the Orthodox Church in Southeast Asia despite these weaknesses is a great miracle.

4. How do you begin a mission and in what sectors do you move around in?

The same phenomena they saw in the initial apostolic years we are encountering today. I am referring to the work of the mission. In a certain regions of Southeast Asia, Orthodoxy reached people by those who went there to work. In another region some Orthodox clergyman determined to initiate a missionary effort. There is also the matter of those locals who learned of Orthodoxy via the Internet who then inquired for Orthodox clergy to visit them and catechize them.

At this point in time, by God’s grace, we have in the Holy Metropolis of Hong Kong and the Far East 47 operating Orthodox communities of which 25 have a church building. The communities are worshiping in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Pakistan and Malaysia. In Thailand, Shanghai, Peking and others there are not regular places of worship but we are making an effort to serve the Orthodox there on the Great Feasts.

In the Metropolis there serves 32 clergy: 4 Greek, 1 British, 11 Indian, 9 Indonesian, 6 Philippino and 1 Pakastani. In the are of Masbate in the Philippines there is a female holy monastery with four nuns, and we plan to establish a new female holy monastery in Medan of Indonesia.

The Orthodox believers in Southeast Asia are about 17,000 and we are not including the Catechumens who daily seek us in order to become Orthodox, and those who are Orthodox Christians yet conceal their religious faith because of their local [religious and/or political] situations.

The Metropolis of Hong Kong and the Far East is coordinating, overseeing and supporting the following philanthropic programs which serves the regions in its jurisdiction:

- 8 medical clinics in West Bengal in India (each clinic is staffed by a doctor, a nurse, a janitor and allotted supplies so as to have a pharmacy).

- 2 medical clinics in Indonesia (staffed by two doctors and four nurses).

- 1 dentist in Calcutta, India.

- 1 dentist in Indonesia.

- 1 orphanage in Calcutta with 180 girls.

- 1 orphanage for destitute children in Medan, Indonesia.

- 1 orphanage for destitute children in Singaraja, Indonesia.

- 4 nursery schools (India, Indonesia, and the Philippines).

- 10 elementary schools (India and Indonesia).

- 1 high school (Indonesia).

- 2 technical schools (India, Indonesia).
- 1 advanced polytechnic academy with two departments in computer science and a business administration (Indonesia).
- 1 theological seminary is found in Medan, Indonesia (the Greek language is also taught).

Also the Sacred Metropolis is developing programs:

- economic aid for the destitute.

- weekly distribution of food, clothing and all manner of personal hygene products and medicine.

- distribution of all manner of scholastic books to destitute children (for in the region of Southeast Asia there is no free education. The students even in public schools are indebted to withhold a small amount for tuition fees and the purchase of books).

- visitations to hospitals and prisons.

- daily meals

- the manufacture of small homes for homeless families.

- psychological and physical support for abused women and stray children.

- the protection of refugees.

- humanitarian aide to regions where they are hurt by natural disasters.

- scholarships for destitute students.

- we provide educational support for illiterates (mainly in Pakistan).

- drilling for water in underdeveloped areas in order to provide them with drinkable water.

The Metropolis is responsible for the preservation, the equipment and the service of the institutions and programs as well as the wages for staff. The annual costs of all of the missionary and philanthropic programs comes near to 750,00 euros. So the Metropolis needs roughly 70,000 euros each month.

5. What difficulties and obstacles by any chance are you confronting?

The difficulties are many. First of all we need trained clergy who will decide to dedicate themselves to give some time to missions. The indigenous priests need guidance and education. Also another big problem is finding financial means. The Orthodox parishes have either few numbers or are comprised of mainly poor people, and they consequently are not able to cover the costs of building churches or running missions and philanthropic programs. At this moment all the revenues of the Holy Metropolis are derived from gifts of friends of the mission. Do you understand, therefore, the stress and also the anguish each month when we make an effort to obtain the wages for the priests and the personnel of the philanthropic institutions, as well as the essential money for its preservation of the missionary work. The financial problem has an impact also on other activities. For example, on many occasions we are cancelling our missionary visits to scale back because we do not have the money to pay for airfare, or we halt the philanthropic programs by reason of lack of financial support. At the office of the Metropolis of Hong Kong we do not have necessary personnel because we are not able to pay wages, so we pay a bookkeeper from a large accounting firm to come two days a week. The rest that needs to be done we try to cover it ourselves, myself and Fr Constantinos, Chancellor of the Holy Metropolis.

In these places it is not easy to find chanters. And certainly it is not easy to train someone. It will be necessary to send them to either America or to Australia where the English language is mainly used to perform the Services. But the cost is prohibitive for the Metropolis. I speak about these difficulties, but there is also the shortage of clergy, for most of the Sundays or Feasts I serve as the only priest.

Other significant difficulties are the religious fanaticism and antagonistic behavior of the various appointed regimes. Imagine that in various power countries if they see religious objects or vestments in your suitcase then they stop you, in which case they have the choice to either confiscate them or prohibit your entrance into the country. Certainly in these countries you are not able to disclose the that you are a clergyman because they simply they do not grant you licence for entry.

We also confront difficulties due to the different languages and culture. Imagine that the Holy Metropolis is called to missions in the 23 countries of Southeast Asia. And some of these countries like China and India have very ancient cultures and very ancient religious traditions. All these things mean that it is necessary to find the right manner to reach all the peoples and certainly to translate the liturgy and catechetical texts into the countless dialects.

6. The people that you have received to serve, what are their cultures, religion and traditions?

As I have mentioned the Holy Metropolis of Hong Kong and the Far East has brought into action missions in 23 countries, from Pakistan to the Philippines. This means many different nationalities, cultures and religions. In many of these countries the dominant religions are Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism and Islam. Christians of all confessions are a minority. And certainly Orthodoxy is unknown everywhere.

In countries such as China the greater percentage of people declare themselves without a religion. And it is a fact that for many of them money is their god.

I think however it is significant that they keep alive ancient traditions, customs and habits which resemble ours, such as the respect for those who have fallen asleep.

7. What is your vision for the Orthodox mission to Asia in the 21st century?

The Orthodox Church has much to offer Southeast Asia. When the indigenous people become acquainted with Orthodoxy they feel a familiarity. They are aware that they have found the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. But it is still necessary to know much more. The Orthodox mission is still in its infancy and unfortunately unorganized. I emphasize this, for it is from these wounds where it is necessary that the Orthodox Church in its entirety become healed. The Ecumenical Patriarch is making an effort, attempting with much energy to support the mission in different parts of the planet. It is a pity other Orthodox Churches think along ethnic lines and so the Orthodox do not appear united in the sphere of the mission.

So if we desire a living mission then it is necessary to inspire and to prepare new clergy so they will offer their lives to this very intention and naturally to support financially these efforts which are taking place.

I will mention one example. The Roman Catholics in Hong Kong have 180 priests! One hundred of them are missionaries, that is, they are from other countries and came to Hong Kong where they will work for a two year period. What are we Orthodox doing?

8. What are some ways to help the mission?

There are many ways to help. First and foremost is prayer. To pray for those engaged in missionary work. Prayer is a necessity for the whole Church.

Clergy are able to help by offering themselves to serve for three months as missionaries. Especially the unmarried clergy in Greece, are they not able to come for three months, not more, to visit some mission and offer their valuable help?

We need people to do translations into English, as there is shortage of suitable helpers.

Also we have need more practical items such as candles, charcoal, incense, water and wine for the Eucharist.

Finally, a significant way for anyone to help the mission is with a financial offering. Hearing something so prosaic may cause some to be scandalized, but it is necessary to be realistic. The mission has need of financial support.

I am heartily thank you for the zeal which made possible this opportunity to speak about the mission to Southeast Asia. May God bless you. May you remember us in your prayers.

Please send your financial support to the following address:

Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and South East Asia
#704 Universal Trade Center
3 Arbuthnot Road
Central, Hong Kong
Phone: + (852) 2573-8328
Fax: + (852) 2573-8379
E-mail: office@antispam.omhksea.org

For the official website of the Metropolis of Hong Kong and South East Asia, see here.

For more updated information, see here.

For this interview in Greek, see here and here.

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

Homily on the Dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem

by Saint Dimitri of Rostov

On this day we celebrate the dedication of the glorious and great new temple of Jerusalem - not the one which King Solomon built on Mount Moriah [2 Chron. 3] but rather the one which the pious Emperor Constantine and his praiseworthy mother Helen wonderously built on Mount Golgotha after cleansing and renewing that holy place which was once defiled by impious idolatry.

After the voluntary Passion of Christ and His Resurrection and Ascension into heaven, the holy passion where our salvation was wrought was scorned and profaned by the enemies of Christ, especially by the impious Emperor Hadrian, who defiled all the holy places with demonic idols and unclean sacrifices. He built a city named after himself called Aelia (his name being Aelius Hadrian) where the beautiful city of Jerusalem had once stood, and he commanded that the Lord's Sepulchre be covered with dirt and rubble. On the mount where Christ was crucified, he erected a temple to his vile goddess Venus, setting up her idol in it, and over the Grave of God he set an idol, the god Jupiter. And where the Lamb of God offered Himself in sacrifice to God the Father for our sins, defiled sacrifices were offered to the demons and filthy iniquities were committed. Likewise in Bethlehem, where the Most Pure One was born of a pure womb, an idol of Adonis was erected so that the holy place might be polluted by shameful deeds. Where the Temple of Solomon had stood, a temple of the idols was built, and it was decreed that no one was to call that city Jerusalem, but instead, Aelia.

All these things were done so that the remembrance of the name of Jesus Christ might vanish from the earth. For this reason, the City where Christ worked many signs was renamed, and the places where He was born, crucified, and buried were made to be the dwelling-places of demons so that every nation would forget Christ and so that the places where Christ had walked would never serve to remind anyone of Him. However, the wretches who did these things themselves perished with a resounding noise, and the King of Glory again glorified the holy places.

When He had elevated the Emperor Constantine and his mother Helen to the throne and had enlightened them with the light of the holy Orthodox Faith, the Lord placed in their hearts the desire to re-establish the holy city of Jerusalem, to found a beautiful temple of God at the place where the temple of Christ's body was destroyed and rebuilt after three days, and to cleanse all the holy places of the defilement of demons, consecrating them once more to God. To this end, the pious Emperor Constantine sent his mother Helen with much gold to Jerusalem to carry out his intention, and he wrote to the holy Patriarch Macarius, instructing him to speed the construction of churches at the holy places.

When Saint Helen arrived in Jerusalem, she destroyed all the temples of the idols and smashed the idols themselves. She cleansed the holy city of all impious defilement, altogether renewing it. She found the precious Cross and Tomb of the Lord, from which she had removed the dirt and stones with which they had been covered, and she erected a great church there which enclosed both of those places within a single structure. For the spot where Christ was crucified is not far from the place where He was buried, as Saint John says, "Now in the place where He was crucifed, there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre. There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preperation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand" [Jn. 19]. A single church encompassed Golgotha and the Sepulchre of the Lord, and that church was named The Maryrium, that is, The Testimony, for it bore witness to the Resurrection of Christ, inasmuch as Christ died and arose at that place [Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lecture 14].

Saint Helen erected other churches: in Bethelehem, on the Mount of Olives, in Gethsemene, and at many other holy places, adorning them with every embellishment. Notwithstanding, the church which stood over the Grave of the Lord was the greatest and most beautiful of all. But the Empress Helen herself did not see its completion, for she returned to her son and reposed in the Lord before it was finished. It was not possible that such a wonderous and immense building should be completed within a short time: the church required almost ten years for its construction.

When it was completed, the pious Emperor summoned bishops from every land to consecrate it. Thus a multitude of hierarchs came from Bythinia and Thrace, from Cilicia and Cappadocia, Syria and Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, Arabia, and Palestine; from Egypt and Africa, and from the Thebaid; and a single bishop arrived from Persia. Moreover, an innumerable multitude of people from throughout the world gathered together, such as could not be accomodated within Jerusalem. Thus the Temple of the Resurrection was consecrated on the thirteenth day of this month [September], and all Jerusalem was renewed in that thirtieth year of Constantine's reign [335 AD].

The holy fathers who had assembled there ordained, as had Solomon, that the day of the consecration be kept as a feast. In the Old Testament, when he had completed the building of the Holy Holies of the most glorious temple, Solomon ordained that each September, the month in which it was consecrated, a feast should be kept (concerning which the Gospel says, "It was at Jerusalem the feast of the Dedication" [Jn. 10]). So, too, the holy Emperor and equal-to-the-apostles Constantine, having erected, as it were, a second Holy of Holies during this present era of the New Grace, ordained together with the holy fathers that the dedication of the great Church of Jerusalem, which is the mother of all churches, be celebrated in all the churches throughout the whole world.

Let us, therefore, celebrate this feast, rendering thanks to Christ God, Who by His Passion and Resurrection has renewed all creation and cleansed His holy Church from idolatrous defilement. Let us ourselves be renewed, and let us lay aside the sin which besets us. let us do good works, walking in newness of life, so that as men celebrate the feast of the dedication of the temple made by human hands, the angels may celebrate the renewal of the temple of our soul, not made by the hands of man. For there is joy in heaven among the angels over one sinner who is renewed by repentence.

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
Thou hast shown the earthly beauty of the holy tabernacle of Thy glory to be like unto the splendour of the heavenly firmament, O Lord. Strengthen it for ever and ever, and accept our prayers which we unceasingly offer therein unto Thee, through the Theotokos, O Thou Who art the Life and Resurrection of all.

Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
The Church is shown to be a many-lighted heaven that doth shine a guiding light upon all them that do believe; wherein while standing we cry aloud: Do Thou Thyself now establish this house, O Lord.

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

Testimony of an Orthodox Christian Who Became a Muslim

This is the testimony of a young Greek man who was raised a nominal Orthodox Christian, contemplated monasticism and came to love the simplicity of the Saints. Having turned into a worldly man in pursuit of gain, his sister converted to Islam in search of simplicity. Inspired by her he also turned to Islam. He left Christianity because of ignorance of his Orthodox Christian Faith and of who God is. He rejected the doctrine of the Holy Trinity because he could not "understand" it, and was attracted to the unity of Allah. I offer this to inspire the need for the proper education of the Faith for our youth. Because they will seek the truth somewhere, if not in Orthodoxy then somewhere else.

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

Papoulakis: Saint Joachim of Vatopaidi (11)

The holy relics of St. Joachim in Lefkada (August 2009 - more photos here)

...continued from Part 10

THE SAINT’S REPOSE

On March 1, 1868, blessed Papoulakis was resting on his hard mat at the home of a Christ-loving man named H. Paizi Lianou in Vathy. He peacefully and calmly foretold that he was preparing for his eternal journey. Lying on his scanty mat on the floor, and now completely exhausted, he refused all food. His friend Maratos the doctor visited him and asked if there was anything that he needed or that he could do for him. The Elder replied, “There is nothing that I need; I’m getting ready to depart.” He called for the devout and virtuous priest-monk Agapios to draw near him for the last time. Having confessed, he then became silent, waiting to give over his spirit to its Maker whom he so loved and to whom he had devoted his entire life.

As Friday night progressed toward Saturday - March 12 - Papoulakis’ condition became quite serious; at five o’clock on Saturday morning, he slept the blessed sleep of the righteous, in whose ranks he had shown himself to be numbered since childhood through a life of fasting, vigils, and ardent struggles. At the instruction of the Metropolitan, the Abbot of the Monastery of the Katharon (the Pure) undertook the Saint’s burial. Going through his clothing, they found not even the smallest amount of money. With his material poverty he set his seal on the meaning of poverty in its fullest sense, something he had practiced throughout his entire ascetical life.

They discovered that in his right hand, on a paper rolled up like a small cylinder, he was holding his final wish: to be buried outside behind the sanctuary of the church of Saint Barbara — for which he had toiled so much for its construction and completion — in the place where he had planted a myrtle tree with his own hands.

The Elder’s desire, of course, was carried out, but only after much agonizing effort and struggle on the part of the church officials, because of the great numbers of people that were gathered there. As soon as it became known to the people that their beloved Papoulakis had reposed and was going to be buried, such a multitude of people flowed in from all over the island that it became impossible to make the preparations for the burial. They first took his holy remains to the church of Saint Nicholas of the Strangers (ton Xenon) in Vathy, where they chanted the service for the dead. His body remained there throughout the night, and the veneration of the holy relic continued without a pause. In the morning, the Chancellor (Protosynkelos) of the Metropolitan See extolled the Elder’s virtues and righteous life. Afterwards, he ordered his remains to be taken to Stavros, in order to be buried there at the church of Saint Barbara, according to the Saint’s wish. The entire crowd followed behind the body in a drenching rain. In spite of the downpour, his holy remains stayed dry, and this moved the crowd to compunction all the more.

Arriving at the church of Saint Barbara, they placed the Saint’s casket in the middle of the church and, once again, the faithful began to draw near. With tears they expressed their unbearable grief; as they themselves said, they had lost their common father, benefactor, protector, and, in general, the one person who supported them. His remains were in danger of being cut up due to the devotion of the people, who had cut to pieces most of the shroud for holy keepsakes and for the blessing of water. When night was drawing near, the Abbot of the Katharon, being responsible for his burial and seeing that the congestion was great, announced to the people that the burial would supposedly take place the following day. The people believed the Abbot’s words and departed for the following day. Thus they found the opportunity to do the burial that same day - the evening of March 3, the Sunday of the Veneration of the Holy Cross - outside, behind the Holy Sanctuary, in accordance with the desire of holy Papoulakis.

MIRACLES AFTER THE SAINT'S REPOSE

Olympia Lekatsa from Kalyvia relates that there was a family — of N. Sykioti (Bouloumpasi) — that came from Ithaki but was living in Romania. They were very wealthy and had made many donations to the Church of Saint Barbara that Saint Joachim himself had built. They had an only child who suffered from an incurable disease. The doctors had thrown up their hands, saying, “It is up to God from here on.”

One evening, the boy’s parents saw Papoulakis in their sleep telling them, “Don’t be afraid; I will make your child well.” The parents vowed to make a votive offering of a bell to the Church of Saint Barbara. The child became well, and they brought the bell, which still exists today. Because the bell was big, however, they did not install it at Saint Barbara’s; instead they exchanged it with the bell at the parish church in the community of Stavros.

***

Olympia Megalogeni Lekatsa recounts that a relative of hers, Meropi Lekatsa, was a poverty-stricken orphan. One evening, she saw Saint Papoulakis in her sleep, and he told her, “Tomorrow, go out from the Panagia, where the rock is. Lift up a stone that is there; under it there are two pentares.” Meropi went to the place Papoulakis had indicated and indeed found the two pentares. Papoulakis spoke to her once again. “Every morning, go there and lift the stone, and you will find two pentares.” Thus the poor girl went every morning and received her “salary.” Out of her excessive joy she mentioned this to others, and from then on she no longer found anything there. From this we see that, even after death, the saints prefer to remain in obscurity and to do their almsgiving “in secret” (Matt. 6:4).

***

Magdalini Floka-Sykioti from Stavros tells us that from childhood she had asthma and had been praying continually to blessed Papoulakis to make her well. In her sleep, she saw herself going to Saint Papoulakis’ grave and venerating it. A monk (it was Papoulakis) was following her and spoke to her. “Magdalini, I will always be with you.” From that moment her asthma ceased. Because of this, she made a votive promise to make the platter of kollyva, the sweetened boiled wheat, every year at the Saint’s memorial service, for the rest of her life.

Where we should note that the inhabitants of Ithaki gather at Saint Barbara’s every year on the day of his repose and hold a memorial service for him at his grave, believing that this is the way to honor him as a Saint.

***

Gerasimos Kouvaras relates that, during World War II, he was on the front line. One evening in his sleep, he saw himself behind the Holy Sanctuary of Saint Barbara’s, where Papoulakis’ grave is. When he awoke, he wondered what this meant and called upon Saint Papoulakis with faith. Shortly thereafter, he was overcome by a high fever and vomiting. They notified the sergeant, who ordered that they take him down to the doctor, two hours by foot from the front. The doctor could find nothing wrong with him. In the meantime, the Italians had launched a mortar attack and demolished the front line. Returning healthy to his place, Kouvaras realized that, if he had been there, he would have shared the fate of the others. Thus from what took place, he saw that Saint Papoulakis had indeed protected him.

***

Ismini Kaladelphou from Stavros relates that when she was eleven years old, in 1936, her father was very ill. The girl had a great devotion to Saint Papoulakis and prayed ardently that he would make her father well, because he was in danger of dying. One morning, she was assisting at the archaeological excavations at the Pilikata site. While she was by herself and absorbed in her thoughts, she saw the Saint in a vision telling her, “Don’t cry, my daughter; your father will get well. But you must go and light the votive lamps before Saint Papoulakis and Saint George, because they have gone out; and don’t worry about your father.” The Saint then immediately vanished from before her. Her father miraculously became well, since she had gone on her knees to the Saint’s grave and lit the votive lamps.

***

Eleni Karagiorgou recounts that her grandmother, Anastasia Kallinikou, was so poor that she had no place to wash her children’s clothes. Thus she washed them at the stone trough where Papoulakis used to sit when visiting their home. One evening, however, she saw Papoulakis in her sleep. He poked her and said with a severe expression,

“Anastasia, I don’t like what you are doing, washing the children’s soiled clothing in my trough.” When the woman ceased using the Saint’s trough following his intervention, a large swarm of bees nested inside it that produced many kilos of honey.

***

Anna Megalogeni states that when she was a child, her brother Vasilis developed a seizure disorder. Their mother, Akrivi, went to the trustee of Saint Barbara’s Church, who told her, “Don’t be afraid; we have the Saint. Make a votive offering to the Saint.” “What should I offer?” asked the forlorn mother. “Offer an ihrami,” she replied (that is, a heavy woolen bedcover). As soon as she promised the ihrami to the Saint, her son became well. She sewed into this bedcover a hair from the Saint’s belt, which she had wrapped around her sick child as a blessing.

***

Anastasia Lekatsa from Kalyvia remembers that when she was fifteen years old, the shepherd S. Paizis would sleep on the mountain with his flock during the summer nights. The shepherd said with awe that one night he saw light ascending from the opposite mountain of Vigla. It went to the Church of Saint Barbara, and would drop from sight behind the church, where Saint Joachim’s grave is located.

To be continued...Part Twelve

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

To Avoid Greed and Lust Avoid Temptation, says New Study

August 5, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Whether it's highlighted in major news headlines about Argentinean affairs and Ponzi schemes, or in personal battles with obesity and drug addiction, individuals regularly succumb to greed, lust and self-destructive behaviors. New research from the Kellogg School of Management examines why this is the case, and demonstrates that individuals believe they have more restraint than they actually possess - ultimately leading to poor decision-making.

The study, led by Loran Nordgren, senior lecturer of management and organizations at the Kellogg School, examined how an individual's belief in his/her ability to control impulses such as greed, drug craving and sexual arousal influenced responses to temptation. The research found the sample, on average, displayed a "restraint bias," causing individuals to miscalculate the amount of temptation they could truly handle, in turn leading to a greater likelihood of indulging impulsive or addictive behavior.

"People are not good at anticipating the power of their urges, and those who are the most confident about their self-control are the most likely to give into temptation," said Nordgren. "The key is simply to avoid any situations where vices and other weaknesses thrive and, most importantly, for individuals to keep a humble view of their willpower."

In developing their case, the study's authors cited previous research demonstrating that people often have difficulty appreciating the power of impulsive states. People in a "cold state" (not experiencing hunger, anger, sexual arousal, etc.) tend to underestimate how a "hot," impulsive state will influence their behavior. To expand upon these findings, the study authors set out to test whether:

- People in a cold, non-impulsive state will overestimate their ability to control impulses
- People in a hot, impulsive state will have a more realistic view of their capacity for impulse control
- People who perceive they have a high capacity for impulse control will expose themselves to more temptation and will ultimately exhibit more impulsive behavior.

To test their hypotheses, the researchers conducted four experiments focusing on hunger, addiction and mental fatigue. Each experiment resulted in significant "restraint bias."

For example, one experiment focused on cigarette addiction found those who overestimated their capacity for self-control were much more likely to smoke a cigarette after simply watching a movie about smoking. Another experiment centered on hunger.

Results found a satiated group was significantly less likely to return snacks than a hungry group who limited their temptation by choosing less appealing snacks.

"A system which assumes people will control themselves is going to fall prey to this restraint bias; we expose ourselves to more temptation than is wise, and subsequently we have millions of people suffering with obesity, addictions and other unhealthy lifestyles," said Nordgren.

"And, while our study focused on personal behaviors like smoking and eating, it is easy to apply our findings to a broader context. Understanding the power of temptation, you might also ask about the extent to which we need oversight or regulatory guidelines for business and political leaders."

Furthermore, this research suggests observers should think twice before judging those who fall prey to temptation because most people overestimate their capacity to control their own impulses, Nordgren concluded.

The study will appear in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science. Nordgren co-authored the research with Joop van der Pligt and Frank van Harreveld of the University of Amsterdam.

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

An Orthodox Hymn For September 11th (9/11)?

Well, not really. It is actually an Orthodox hymn for Augustust 29th, which is the Feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist. However, according to the Old Calendar August 29th lands on the New Calendar September 11th. This makes the hymn all the more interesting, especially when you consider that at the hour Muslim terrorists struck America (Mid-morning), Old Calendar Orthodox were chanting the following hymn.

This is taken from the 9th Ode of the Canon for the Feast, written by St. John of Damascus, and drawing on Psalm 44:

Draw Your bow, march forward and reign, O Son of the Mother of God, subduing the Ishmaelite people that wars against us, granting victories to our Orthodox Sovereign over barbarian enemies at the prayers of the one who gave You birth, O Word of God.

St. John was the first Christian to write against the "new" Islamic heresy in his book Against Heresies. He lived among them and worked for them in the city of Damascus before being tonsured a monk at St. Savas Monastery in Israel. And the Muslims (Ishmaelites, as he called them) were a much greater force and threat than they are now.

From what I understand, contemporary Old Calendarists have reworded this prayer to fit our times. Here is what they sing:

Draw Thy bow, and prosper and reign, O Son of the Mother of God, subduing the Muslems who wage war against us and granting victory to our Orthodox Hierarchs over all heresies, through the entreaties of Her Who gave birth to Thee, O Word of God.

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

Swine Flu in the Chalice?

Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Alexios on the H1N1 Virus

September 10, 2009

As we look forward to the blessings of New Ecclesiastical Year, I greet you with joy and love in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, with prayers and good wishes for a healthy and joyous year. As I was traveling this summer, both in our Metropolis and Greece, I heard some talk from our brothers and sisters that we should question the way that we receive the Body and Blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, due to concerns about the H1N1 virus. They were concerned that this would transmit the virus to the Faithful and of course they have a point.

If we were receiving only bread and wine there would be some, though not a lot, of cause for concern. Aside from the scientific facts showing that there is no difference in rates of illness between people who receive Holy Communion and the general population, aside from the fact that there have always been infectious and communicable disease, aside from the fact that more people die in car wrecks every year than from any flu, in order to receive we must have faith. Indeed as human beings we are weak in faith.

Even the disciples, who lived with Christ on a daily basis were weak in faith. We see this in the Gospel of St. Matthew, after the feeding of the 5000 when the disciples were caught in a violent storm on the lake, and they see Jesus walking toward them: “And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

When Peter trusted in Christ, he was able to walk on water, but when he became afraid, he began to sink. And again in Matthew 17, a father brings his child who is possessed by a demon to Jesus to be cured, which the disciples were unable to do: “Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”

In order to receive, we must have faith, but unfortunately sometimes our brothers and sisters with little faith put up obstacles to freely approaching the chalice. Indeed when we are receiving the Body and Blood of our Lord, there is no fear, because “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18). On the other hand, when we are afraid of anything: disease, accidents, misfortune, who do we ask for help?

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our Lord is here to bless us and help us, not to make us sick. With this kind of understanding, we can give the answer to ourselves. When we think about receiving the Body and Blood, we realize that there have been many diseases over the past 2000 years, most of them more serious and deadly than the H1N1 virus. However I believe that we should explain to the Faithful what there are receiving and why. After all, we clergy consume all the elements left after Holy Communion is offered, and according to my knowledge, I have never heard of a priest, deacon or bishop falling ill afterwards.

As a matter of fact, I had the personal experience, when I was younger and an Archdeacon in Patras, and almost every Saturday after the Divine Liturgy, we visited the nearby TB hospital to offer Holy Communion to those who were too ill to come to church. These poor people, before modern treatments and antibiotics, were extremely infectious. Yet neither I nor my spiritual father, Father Artemios or Father Christopher developed tuberculosis after consuming the Holy Gifts. Not only that, we never even got sick. This happened not merely once or twice but repeatedly over the years. Father Christopher is still living (now in his 70’s) and so am I. Father Artemios died years ago of heart disease, not TB.

This is the situation, my brothers, which we must face and be honest with those who are weak in faith, so we can reassure them and help them to be strengthened in their faith. The only reason to approach the chalice in fear, is fear of God, if we receive unworthily. Truly I give glory to God that we have His Church, where we can pray for one another, pray for all people who are suffering from cancer or other diseases or misfortunes.

As we pray for them, we should also pray for those of little faith, and as St. Paul tells us in Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” As we begin a new Ecclesiastical Year, I give thanks and praise to Almighty God for all His abundant blessings, and to send you my prayers and best wishes for a peaceful, healthy and joyous New Year for you and your Parish family. I remain, Paternally yours with love in Christ,

+ALEXIOS
Metropolitan of Atlanta

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

Papoulakis: Saint Joachim of Vatopaidi (10)

Kioni, Ithaki

...continued from Part 9

Olga Sophianou of Kioni recounts that a fellow villager of hers, an older woman named Garoupho, lived alone without any human consolation. Papoulakis felt sorry for her and would go regularly to visit her. A neighbor, however, began slandering her out of envy, saying that she was having a sinful relationship with the Saint. The woman heard these tales and became very upset, but she continued to welcome Papoulakis, without telling him anything, and also offering him food as always. The Saint received information by the grace of God, and told the old lady Garoupho, “Do not be sad. Mitsalou, who falsely accused us, will get ‘the carboni’ (i.e., bad pimple) inside the nose, and no one will be able to greet her besause it will stink”. And indeed it came to pass just as the Saint had said.

***

Olga Sophianou tells us that a certain woman in Kioni violated the fast days of the Church. One Friday, as she was cooking meat, the Saint passed by her house and asked if she was cooking something. Out of shame before Papoulakis, she lied, saying that she was cooking only vegetables. The holy man instructed her, “Open the pot with the food.” She opened it and found the meat full of worms. Thus the Saint taught her in a practical way not to violate the fast.

There were also numerous other miraculous events associated with the fast. The Saint’s fervent desire was for his example to be a warning for Christians not to disdain the fasts.

***

The Elder also vigorously urged the people to observe Sunday as a day of rest. Mrs. Paraskevi Vlasopoulou relates that Yiannis Karampoulos’s mother-in-law, from Vathy, was gathering wild greens on a Sunday. Papoulakis requested that she save a little boiled greens for him as well, and he would drop by for a meal. The woman readily saved him a portion. The Saint came to her house and asked her to bring him the food. The lady opened the pot with the greens in order to serve him his portion, but rather than greens, she found it full of worms.

Occurrences similar to this were common throughout the island. In this way the Saint wished to set forth the lesson for the Ithacans not to disregard Sunday as a day of rest, since it is a rule of the Church.

***

Voula Vlasopoulou of Ithaki attests that there was a poverty-stricken mother, Balatsourena, with three little children. One evening, she had absolutely nothing to give them to eat. What did she do to try to get the children to sleep while still hungry? She lit a small clay oven, like a baking pan, and placed a brick tile underneath it, to look as if it were a loaf of bread — a pitouli, as the Ithacans call it, which is a small pita. “Go to bed,” she told the children, “until the pitouli is ready to eat.” The children got into bed, looking forward with anguish to satisfying their hunger. Their patience was wearing thin, and every so often they would call out, “Mama, is the pitouli ready yet?” “Not yet,” replied the hapless mother, with a rent heart. Suddenly, without having been invited, Papoulakis entered the house and greeted her as always with great kindness and joy. “Good evening. I see here you’ve lit the oven.” “Oh, my dear Papoulakis; if you only knew what a state I’m in,” replied the stricken mother in tears. “My children haven’t eaten, and they want some bread. This evening I don’t have anything to give them, so to trick them into going to sleep hungry, I told them that I’m making them a pitouli, putting a brick tile in the oven as if it were a loaf ready to be baked.” “Open up the pan,” the Saint told her. She opened the pan, and, O wonder of wonders, the tile that had been placed underneath had been transformed into warm bread! “Call the children,” he told her, “and give them some bread; I want part of it, too.” Papoulakis took a portion of the hot bread and went to the village of Kanellata. He left it at a house there, placing it through the chicken hole in the door. The Saint always did such things, whenever he knew that someone was in need.

***

Sophia Lombardou from Anogi relates that one evening, a woman from Anogi was worried because her husband was late coming home. Papoulakis was passing through the area and saw the woman very upset. When she told him about her problem, the Saint immediately consoled her. “Your husband will come;” he assured her, “don’t be so worried and upset. He saw something on the way and was frightened. When he arrives, tell him that he has a bad streak from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet, because he is a blasphemer and is very ill-tempered, and I’m trying to remove this from him.” Her husband finally returned home, explaining that he encountered a column of fire in front of him on the road that prevented him from continuing until he finally managed with great difficulty to get around it. His wife then told him, “Papoulakis told me that you had met some obstruction on the way; through his prayers you’ve arrive here unharmed. He instructed me to tell you that you must stop being blasphemous and ill-tempered; otherwise you can expect much evil to befall you.” Hearing these revelations of Papoulakis, he was overcome by fear and did not blaspheme again.

***

Ioanna Livani from Vathy tells us that one day Papoulakis went to the home of her step-daughter Spyraina, and gave her two oil lamps to keep in her trunk. After about fifteen days had passed, he went and asked her for them. Though she searched for them where she had put them, inexplicably she could not find them and became anxious and upset. Calming her down, Papoulakis asked if he could go and look for them himself. No sooner had he begun looking for the lamps in the trunk that he found them. As soon as Spyraina saw this miracle before her eyes, she began to cry out of awe for the Saint.

Mrs. Livani also relates that Spyraina went one morning to light the votive lamps in the Church of Saint Spyridon in Vrysi. On the way she met two military officers. They greeted her, but did not speak to her. Shortly thereafter, Papoulakis came by and, without her having mentioned anything to him, said, “The two officers that you met today while going to Saint Spyridon’s were the Archangels Michael and Gabriel.” Just a little beyond where Spyraina had seen the “officers”, were the ruins of a chapel dedicated to the Archangels.

***

Margarita Moraiti from Ithaki recounts that, one day, Papoulakis went to a home and found them cooking lentils. The holy man told the woman of the house, “Save some lentils for me as well, and I’ll come this evening to eat.” That evening, Papoulakis returned to her home, and they set out the lentils for him and gave him a spoon made of bone with which to eat them. Seeing the bone spoon, Papoulakis reacted. “I have never put a bone in my mouth; do you expect me to do so now?” With these words the Saint gave witness to his ascetic spirit, because of which he had never eaten meat. Abstaining from eating meat is a monastic tradition, and in particular is a part of the Athonite way of life.

***

The former local administrator of the Community of Stavros, Panos Papadopoulos, tells us of an occurrence that his grandmother described to him concerning his grandfather, Panos Papadopoulos. His grandfather had a boat with which he made a living as a merchant. Once, someone from Preveza gave him ten drachmas to give to Papoulakis. The old man decided it would be useful to take the ten drachmas and trade with them, and as soon as he collected the profit, he would give the money to Papoulakis. Arriving at Frikes (a harbor of northern Ithaki) on his return from Preveza, he encountered Papoulakis on the pier, who, by grace, had foreseen everything. Before the man had a chance to say anything, he told him, “Panos, don’t worry about not having the ten drachmas they gave you in Preveza to give me. As soon as you sell what you’ve brought, you can give them to me.”

***

Angeliki Kallinikou from Ithaki relates that her grandmother, Giorgoulla, had been married for six years without having children. One day she was sitting outside the door of her house, crying. At that moment, Papoulakis was passing by, and when he saw her crying, he asked her the reason for her tears. “My dear Papoulakis,” she replied, "I’ve been married for so many years and I’m not able to have children.” "You’ll have them, my Giorgoulla;” he responded, “you must simply open and tend to three chapels: one to Saint Constantine below Hani, one to Saint John over on the mountain at Spatharata, and one to the Life-Giving Spring over at Stellatata. Giorgoulla indeed tended these three chapels and soon bore children.


To be continued…Part 11

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

Papoulakis: Saint Joachim of Vatopaidi (9)

...continued from Part 8

K. Koutsouvelis from Kioni recounted that a certain man from Anogi had been nurturing a bitter hatred for a fellow villager of his, for reasons of honor. Unable to free himself from this passion, he was thinking about taking the mans life and was already planning in his mind how to carrying it out. No one suspected his intentions, and perhaps even the intended victim had no idea of his disposition. One day he was informed that his enemy was in Stavros, and that during the night he would be returning to Anogi. He saw this as a suitable opportunity to wait in ambush in a hidden place, and the moment the man passed by, he would shoot him with his gun.

While blessed Papoulakis was praying for the unfortunate state of all humanity, he was informed by Divine Grace about this mans plan and immediately set off to meet and restrain him. Walking quietly and carefully, the Elder silently and suddenly approached the would-be murderer, who was poised with his finger on the trigger. Having disarmed him, he gave him a severe reprimand, reminding him of the consequences of murder in both the present and the future life. As soon as he brought him to his senses, he told him they were going home. He did not take him, however, to his own home, but to the home of his enemy, whom he had narrowly missed killing. At this meeting, with fatherly concern and true affection, the blessed peacemaking Elder brought about their reconciliation; afterwards, he instructed that a meal be prepared. Thus, through the miraculous intervention of Papoulakis, a lasting peace was restored between enemies whose differences would have been resolved with death.

***

Katerina C. Paizi and L. Ventouras from Vathy related that during the year 1848 a great famine struck Ithaki, particularly in the outlying regions of the island. They milled whatever they could find: legumes, nuts, wild broad beans, and whatever else seemed suitable to alleviate their hunger. Then, against all hope, a vessel from Galaxeidi docked at Ithaki bearing a cargo of maize corn. Papoulakis was eager to pay for it himself in order to share it out among the people. This intervention of the holy Elder was primarily intended to block the traders craving to buy the produce in order to ruthlessly exploit the people, especially the poor, in the black market. He then notified the people that each person should bring a container in order to receive a portion of the corn; this process continued for about a week. As soon as the distribution finished, the captain asked for his money, but unfortunately Papoulakis had not yet managed to collect it. Consequently, the captain pressed charges against the Elder with the police, who berated him severely, considering his actions as fraud. With deep humility, the pious Elder asked for a slight deferment, which was granted him. He sent letters to various friends of his and, as an Athonite, to the monastery of his repentance, as well as to the other Athonite abbots, seeking their help. He soon gathered the required amount and gave proof of his fatherly care and providence at the appropriate moment when the poor people needed protection. When he received the money, the ships captain asked forgiveness for his petulance, and at that same moment a strong earth tremor occurred.

***

D. Raftopoulos from Kioni related that in 1867, on the 7th of February, Papoulakis was a guest at the home of D. Raftopoulos in Kioni. That night, he rose from his sleep in an alarmed state. He woke the woman of the house and informed her that a severe trial, some great misfortune, was on its way. He prompted her to light a fire and to incense the house, and instructed that all should begin to pray. Everyone immediately complied with Papoulakis instruction and prayed as he was able. Around dawn, a major earthquake occurred on Ithaki and Kefallonia (Cephalonia), which continued to recur until July with great damage and destruction in the area.

***

Efstathios Karatzis (Trakalos) from Kioni described how Papoulakis saved three shipwrecked men with his boldness before God. He prophesied their rescue to their relatives, who had given them up for dead and were already holding memorial services for them. The blessed Elder prophesied that they were alive and on Malta, and that the British newspapers would be writing about their rescue, which indeed happened. A few days later, they returned to Ithaki alive and unharmed.

***

Dedomenikos of Vathy recounted that a man from Anogi had a strange habit that he maintained scrupulously, to the detriment of his soul. He kept it secret, however, never letting anyone learn of this activity of his. Having a resentful character, he kept a detailed record in a notebook of anyone who had ever wronged him according to his judgment in order to take revenge when the opportunity would present itself. But this did not escape the clairvoyant Elder. One day Papoulakis visited him at his home, and the man welcomed him with joy. The discreet Elder began counseling him about love and depicting for him the destruction that results from resentment and revenge. At certain points during his admonition, he revealed the mans evil intentions and mentioned the notebook he was keeping. Hearing these revelations, the fellow was shaken, because no one had known about these things. The Elder thus persuaded him to destroy the notebook, replacing it instead with love.

***

Georgios Paizis, a public secretary of Kioni, related that one of the final things that the ever-memorable Papoulakis achieved, with the help of Divine Grace, was a reconciliation with his own bitter and lifelong enemy, a certain G. Tsapralis. Indifferent by character and caught up in the maze of his business ventures, the man did not like the blessed Elder and influenced the bishop of the area at that time, Gavriil (Gabriel), to exile Papoulakis to his monastery. His persecutors wife Eriphili, however, was a pious and faithful woman who esteemed the Elder. When the Elder was approaching his end, a multitude of people drew near him with tears to receive his blessing and to assist him with whatever they could. The Elder declined all their offers, saying that he was awaiting death and that there was nothing more that he needed. To everyone he was continuously bestowing blessing and prayers. As soon as Eriphili, the wife of the merchant Tsapralis, hastened with devotion to take his blessing, he spoke to her about kindness and, at the same time, asked what was happening with the boat of their nephew Kravaris. The woman responded, "The ship has been lost, Elder; moreover, we believe that he himself went down with it, which has left all of us in deep grief." "No, my daughter", Papoulakis told her, "the ship is safe and will soon arrive in the harbor, but I will then no longer be in this life. At that hour you will be taking me for my burial." Then the people asked him what they could bring him, and he replied with a winsome smile, "If I had an apple, I would eat it."

Everyone was wondering where an apple could be found at such a time of the year during February. Bear in mind that at that time they were not able to store fruit as they do today. Mrs. Eriphili remembered that, more than a year before, she had saved nine apples in a drawer, but doubted whether one of them would still be in good condition. She set off for home and told her husband about this and about the prediction regarding the ship. This callous and implacable detractor of Papoulakis then said to his wife, "If you find a good apple then I'll believe that he's a holy man, and Ill pay him homage." Mrs. Eriphili indeed opened her cabinet and found all the apples spoiled that she had saved except for one, which was as red and juicy as if it had just been picked from the tree. With great joy she showed it to her husband, and the two of them set off to see Papoulakis. With a trembling hand the Elder took the apple and said with compunction, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God" (Lk. 18:27). When he saw his lifelong persecutor appear in the doorway, he said with a joyful voice, "Welcome, Captain Georgis".

Filled with emotion, his former enemy was transformed into a devout admirer and contritely asked forgiveness for all his behavior. The clairvoyant Elder had prayed intently to this end; thus he received with fatherly affection his former detractor as a guileless sheep that had returned to the fold of repentance. He considered this accomplishment of Divine Grace to be the final triumph of his lifelong spiritual effort toward the salvation of his neighbor.

After farewells and devout reverences of many faithful who sensed the Elders impending passing, he bestowed his final admonitions and surrendered his spirit into the hands of God. During the funeral procession with his holy remains, the ship of Nicholas Kravaris arrived in the harbor, just as the Elder had predicted.

***

Margarita Moraiti related that once her aunts mother, Charikleias Priovolou, was traveling down by foot from Lefki, carrying her sick little child in a crib on her head, in order to take him to the doctor in Ithaki. On the way she met Papoulakis, who asked her where she was going. "I'm taking the child to the doctor, my dear Papoulakis, because hes very sick." Papoulakis made the sign of the Cross over him and said, "Your child doesn't have anything wrong with him", and indeed he became completely well.

She continued to welcome Papoulakis without mentioning anything about it to him, and as usual would always prepare a meal for him. The situation was revealed to Papoulakis, by the Grace of God, and he told Garoupho, "Dont let this bother you; and Mitsalou who is slandering us will find the karponi [a bad pimple] in her nose, and no one will be able to greet and kiss her because of the stench". And in fact it happened just as the Saint said it would.

***

Stamatoula Griva from Perahori relates that once when the elderly Mrs. Linardena was cooking greens, Papoulakis asked that she save some for him. The elderly woman readily agreed to fulfill the Elders wish, but she told him with embarrassment that she had no oil. "Take a look and see"; Papoulakis told her, "perhaps there is some left in the jar." Though she responded that she had emptied out the vessel and washed it, the holy man once again prompted her to go and take another look, trusting in God. When she did in fact take another look and found the vessel full of oil, she marveled at the mans boldness before God. Papoulakis instructed her not to reveal this to anyone until after his death.


To be continued…Part 10

Tweet

Share on Tumblr