On Idleness and the Apostolic Love for Labor

by St. Nikolai Velimirovich

REFLECTION

The devil quickly finds work for idle hands and an angel quickly finds work for diligent hands. In this world of constant movement and constant change, whether he wants to or not, man must always be busy, be it either with good works or evil works. The idle man, actually is not lazy. He is a diligent worker of the devil. An idle body and an idle soul is the most suitable field for the devil's plowing and sowing. St. Anthony the Great said: "The body needs to be subdued and immersed in prolonged labors." St. Ephraim the Syrian teaches: "Teach yourself to work, so that you will not have to learn to beg." All of the other Holy Fathers, without exception, speak about the necessity of work for the salvation of the soul of man. The apostles and all the saints give to us an example of continuous and concentrated spiritual and physical labor. That the idle man, by his idleness, does not extend his life on earth but shortens it, is clearly shown by the longevity of many saints, the greatest laborers among the laborers in the world.

HOMILY: About the Apostles' Love for Labors

"Nor did we eat food received free from everyone. On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day we worked so as not to burden any of you" (2 Thessalonians 3:8).

First fulfill then teach. All the apostles and all of the saints of God adhered to this rule. Thus, the Apostle Paul, even before he spoke the command: "If anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat" (2 Thessalonians 3:10), declares for himself and for his assistants in preaching that they did not eat anyone's bread for free, rather by effort and labor earned their bread. "Night and day we worked!" Behold the true laborers! Behold the honey-bearing bees of Christ! Daily and nightly toil: where is their time for sin? Daily and nightly toil: where is their room for sin? Daily and nightly toil: where can the devil weave his nest of passions? Daily and nightly toil: where is their cause for scandal?

In certain Egyptian and Palestinian monasteries, there lived about ten thousand monks. They all lived off the labor of their hands: from weaving beehives, baskets, door mats and from other types of handiwork. Daily and nightly toil and daily and nightly prayer. When a monk sold his beehives in town for a higher price than the price which the abbot designated, for that, the monk experienced punishment. For the ascetics it was not a matter of enrichment but only for the most essential nourishment and the simplest clothing. In this, the ascetics were and are the true followers of the great apostle.

O, my brethren, let us flee from slothfulness [idleness] as from a cave of wild beasts. If by some chance we fall into a cave of wild beasts, let us quickly flee from it, before the wild beasts totally seal off the entrance. The cave is the dwelling place where the slothful man seeks rest. The wild beasts are evil spirits who, in such a dwelling place, feel more at home there than near their king in Hades.

O Lord, Who are wonderful in all the works of Your creation, awaken us from slothfulness and encourage us to nightly and daily labor by Your encouraging Holy Spirit. Amen.

See more here.

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Interview About Elder Ephraim's Book on Elder Joseph the Hesychast

The video above is an excellent interview with the renowned homilist and author Fr. Stephanos Anagnostopoulos in which he speaks about the book he published titled My Elder Joseph the Hesychast and Cave-Dweller. He also has some things to say about Elder Ephraim of Philotheou and Arizona, whose experiences and memories this book recalls and who is the compiler's spiritual father.

He has known Elder Ephraim of Philotheou since 1962, which was after the falling asleep of Elder Joseph the Hesychast in 1959. Fr. Anagnostopoulos emphasizes the fact that since the falling asleep of Elder Joseph the Hesychast, Elder Ephraim has transmitted faithfully the teachings of his elder to all the monasteries he oversaw on Mount Athos and established in Greece and North America. Elder Ephraim entrusted all his memories of Elder Joseph to Fr. Anagnostopoulos to put them in a book in a proper arrangement and with proper editing. He worked on this book for two and a half years before publishing it. Originally the manuscript of Elder Ephraim was over 1,000 pages, but Fr. Stephanos was able to condense it to about 450 pages. It took two and a half years because there were many repeated stories of Elder Joseph that needed editing and they needed to be arranged in chronological order. He also wrote the Prologue. In his Prologue his aim was to reveal to the reader what authentic Orthodox monasticism is.

When asked what people living in the world would get from reading this book, he responded in short that they will receive an understanding of true spiritual life, of what it is to love prayer and self-control, of what Christ accomplished on the Cross by pouring out such grace upon His Saints who are even our contemporaries. It is basically a small taste of heavenly realities. When those in the world reflect on the life of Elder Joseph, it will inspire everyone to do the small things, compared to his great things, to receive the same grace of the Holy Spirit.

Most of the over one hour interview recounts the life and teachings of Elder Joseph. Many questions are also asked to clarify his life and teachings. At the 23, 28, 33, 35, 38, 46, 52, and 59 minute mark in the video there is also some beautiful video footage of life on Mount Athos.

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Old Calendarism and the Monastery of Esphigmenou

by Elder Theoklitos Dionysiatis

The Resurrection of Christ was considered and continues to be considered by many as a fable, due to a lie that was said by a small number of Jews. When the soldiers of the guard brought the incredible news of the Resurrection to the archpriests, they in turn gave them large sums of money and instructed them to say that “while we were asleep, His disciples came and stole His Body”. And the Evangelist Matthew adds: “And this claim has been perpetuated by the Jews to this day”. One major lie passed on into history. We encounter many such lies in world history.

It was also a lie that gave birth to Old Calendarism, which, to this day, continues to undermine the work of Orthodoxy, through the influence that these schismatics exert on naïve Christians. And what is this lie? The lie is that two Local Synods, under Patriarch Jeremiah II, in 1583 and 1593, which had been convened in order to condemn the audacious invalidation of the Oros (term) of the First Ecumenical Synod regarding the celebration of Holy Pascha, an invalidation which had been adopted by the Papacy, and also supposedly condemned the Calendar change. And how was this lie concocted?

Thanks to a forgery by an early zealot, Jacob of New Skete (Neasketiotes), to the manuscript of the code of the Holy Monastery of Saint Panteleimon, No. 772!

By using these supposed anathemas as scare tactics, the cunning zealots of the Holy Mountain were supposed to intimidate the naïve Christians. And the schism was based on this lie, in the same way that all schisms stem from absurdities, forgeries and frauds that are used to deceive those who are gullible or ignorant.

In brief, we can say that the history of the Old Calendarist schism is straightforward. After the end of World War I, ca. 1919, the Orthodox nations of the East had, for economic reasons (wishing to promote commerce), desired to adjust the Julian Calendar to the so-called Gregorian one, which preceded it by 13 days. In Greece also, we encountered such “fermentations” that were prepared by the governments of that era, which were aimed at convincing the Church accordingly. The Church however refused to abandon the Julian Calendar. But the rebellious government of Plastiras, despite the objections of the Church, proceeded by Royal Decree to establish the Julian calendar, adjusted by 13 days. Thus, the presence of two calendars caused problems. For this reason the State Church of Greece, in agreement with the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the other Orthodox Churches, accepted this Revised Julian Calendar. And thus the 10th of March 1924 was renamed as the 23rd, while the Pascha celebration dates remained unchanged.

This is the whole story. It was natural that this change would cause a disorder and confusion in the people’s conscience. Those however who had some common sense accepted the explanation that had been given and calmed down, since Orthodoxy had not become de-natured, either in its dogma or in its traditions. Those however who were overcome by a spirit of distrust and in their latent egotism suffered from the syndrome of: “even if you convince me, you will not convince me”, would kick up a fuss, claiming that the Church had supposedly fallen into heresy. Thus the phenomenon of “Old Calendarism” was created. This was nothing new for the Church; after all, we encounter plenty of other such schisms in Her history, which had been caused for trivial reasons, such as that of the “Old Paschites” (a paschal schism of the early Church), for example.

The 5,000 – 6,000 monastics of the Holy Mountain, after examining the issue in extreme detail, were led to the conclusion that the Orthodox Faith had not been hurt by the Calendar change, although for various other reasons they decided to continue to observe the Old Calendar, without however severing ecclesiastical relations with the Local Churches which had taken the leap of 13 days, acknowledging them as being equally Orthodox. A large enough number of monks, outside the environment of the monasteries, became “zealots”, while a few hieromonks left for the cities where they were to preach that the addition of 13 days that the Church had accepted was heresy; without taking into consideration the fact that the Church would not have agreed to innovate, had the State not acted in haste without consulting the Church and proceeded to innovate, with the resulting confusion of having two calendars.


I write these things in relation to the issue of the Holy Monastery of Esphigmenou, for those who ask. Already in a previous article, I have replied to these points. Here, I will repeat that the Holy Athonite Community respects the zealots’ freedom of conscience and tolerates them, even though they are schismatics and, according to the Holy Mountain’s Charter, should be expelled from the Holy Mountain.

The case of the Esphigmenou Monastery however is different. The Esphigmenite zealots may stay in the Holy Mountain. However, they are not allowed to stay inside an Establishment of the Holy Community. They must: either agree with all Holy Monasteries or disagree, in which case, as schismatics, they must leave of their own accord.

Yesterday I received a letter from a friend of mine who wrote that the Prior of the Monastery of Esphigmenou, in an interview given to a state TV station, had said: “When Athenagoras was Patriarch, we had the fiery articles of the Elder Theokletos Dionysiates. Now that these things are happening, he remains silent”.

I do not know the present Prior. I did know, however his predecessor Euthemios, as I also wrote in a previous article in the newspaper “Orthodox Press”. In this case, however, it is my duty to reply to the Prior’s puzzlement. It is true that I used to write fiery articles (all of them together being the size of a large book) against the Pro-Papist statements of Athenagoras. Today what can I write about? That many people out of ignorance interpret the various social relations and meetings of the current Patriarch with the Papists as co-officiating and common prayer? There was a lot of talk about Ravenna. If, despite the explicit warning that had been given that only Orthodox should come forward for Holy Communion, certain Papists did not take heed and despite this warning, proceeded to receive Communion, does this mean that the Patriarch did this on purpose? We must be very careful before we accuse our ecclesiastical leaders that they are supposedly ecumenists just because present-day conditions may lead them to meet with, be amiable towards, or courteous to the heterodox.

I wish they had been there to see the extremely Orthodox Archbishop Chrysostom II, who had truly waged a war against Athenagoras, address the Anglican Archbishop inside the Metropolitan Temple or accept an honourable salutation by an Armenian cleric. What would those who protest and condemn Patriarch Bartholomew as an ecumenist say then? I also read in the “Orthodox Press”, but also received this statement in person, of a protest regarding Esphigmenou, signed by five Christian associations who are not Old Calendarist. So, are these people moved by the possibility that the Esphigmenite zealots might be removed from the Holy Establishment, but are not concerned with or feel sad about their fallacy, with the fact that they are schismatics or with the fact that they are exposing Orthodoxy’s radiance? They want to believe that they are guardians of Orthodoxy; but in that case, why don’t they take care to preserve its truth from alterations which stem from irresponsibility or exaggeration? Either the Esphigmenites are deceived and must be helped, so that they can come to their senses, or they are Orthodox, in which case the members of these five associations should follow them in their beliefs. Do they believe that St. Mark of Ephesus or Gregory Palamas would protect them, now that the Esphigmenites are cutting asunder (schism) the Church? Do they know that Gregory Palamas had suggested to the Elders of the Holy Monastery of Lavra not to coenobise Akindynus, simply because he showed some indications of holding on to some fallacious beliefs? Let those of the five associations read my book “St. Gregory Palamas” and the reprint of the Archbishop of Athens Chrysostom I, entitled “Examination of the Calendarist Accusations”. Let them also read the doctorate thesis of the present Archbishop of Athens, in order to see in what way a series of lies and frauds had been built from that original lie, as the devout Gervasios Paraskevopoulos had written to me.

I wrote this elsewhere and I will repeat it here as well. Back in 1965, when Kontoglou, Archbishop Chrysostom and I, were all of us fighting Athenagorism, the Prior who preceded the present one, called Euthemios, came to our Monastery and was ordained a Deacon and then a Priest, acquiring his zealotist mindset. Why? Five years later, he turned once again into a zealot. Why? Perhaps because he read that Athenagoras had made Pro-Papist statements in public? When he was being ordained by the hands of a pro-Athenagoras bishop, did he not know this? Had he not commemorated Athenagoras for five whole years? This is what zealotry is!

The Russian Nicetas Struve, in his book, “Russia Today” writes: “Something for which Russia has no reason to be jealous of America, is the presence of approximately fifty heresies in Russia going under the name of G.O.C. [Genuine Orthodox Christians]!” So, is this our sensitivity towards Orthodoxy? Instead of protesting in favour of the deceived ones who, as schismatics, are losing their soul, since not even the blood of martyrdom can wash out schism, the correct action would be for us to enlighten them so they can return to the Church of Christ, abandoning their para-churches. I say these things, because many people ask for my opinion, being one of the older Hagiorites who has seen many things.

With the love of Christ,
Theokletos Dionysiates, monk
Holy Mountain

Source: Newspaper “Orthodox Press”, 28 February 2003

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Saint Mark the Apostle and Evangelist

Saint Mark the Apostle and Evangelist (Feast Day - April 25)

St Mark is recognized by all Christians world-wide as one of the four Evangelists who wrote a Holy Gospel. Through St Mark, the prophecy spoken of in the Holy Book of Isaiah the Prophet has been fulfilled, “…there will be an altar for the Lord in Egypt and a pillar at its boundaries…”

St Mark was also one of the seventy apostles. Although the disciples and the apostles are considered ecumenical or universal bishops for the Church in general, every church refers to her initial preacher as her first bishop and as such, St Mark is the first bishop of the See of Alexandria.

St Mark attended the Apostolic Synod held in Jerusalem in 51 AD to discuss the topic of the relevance of circumcision prior to baptism. The holy apostles agreed at this synod to accept the Gentiles into the Church without circumcision before baptism (Acts 15:23-30).

Following the synod held in Jerusalem, St Mark and St Barnabus journeyed to Cyprus (Acts 15:36-40) and there the Holy Spirit led St Mark to preach in the Five Western Cities in North Africa. Following St Mark’s ministry in North Africa he then journeyed to Egypt. The date of this founding saints’ arrival into Egypt was 55 AD.

Egypt during the Period of St Mark’s Ministry:

When St Mark came to Egypt, many pagan gods were being worshipped by the Egyptians. Some of the gods were considered to be national gods and other idols originated from Greece, Rome, Persia, Syria, and Babylonia. These gods included:

- Rua: The god of the sun. Rua was considered by the pagans to be the source of light and warmth. Heliopolis “Ainshams” was the center of its worship and from this center gradually its false teachings were spread throughout all of Egypt.

- Amon: The invisible god. Tibha was the center of worship for this particular god. Later during the Egyptian state, Amon was combined with Rua and the combined worship came to be termed Amon Rua.

- Osiris: The messenger god of love and peace among the people. This god of peace and love originated from Syria.

- Diana or Artamis: The god of hunting.

- Khnoum: The creator god. Tibha was also the center of worship for Khnoum.

- Anhita: A popular god which came from Persia.

Also when St Mark journeyed to Egypt, Egypt was considered the second greatest city in the world. Second only to Rome, was Egypt. Egypt was widely accepted though as first in the world for science, art, philosophy, and architecture. Its school was recognized world-wide as well as the professors who taught within it. For all those seeking knowledge and philosophy, Egypt was the place to come.

In Alexandria there were Greek philosophers and scholars, Jewish scholars and teachers of Scriptures, and Persian wise men. In addition to all this were the priests. In Alexandria, there was the famous Alexandrian Library considered as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. This famed library contained millions of volumes of books of the greatest philosophers and scholars in the world for that time frame.

The Alexandrian population was approximately 600,000. The most famous temple in Alexandria among the School and Library was Serabium. In this temple the idol Serabis was worshipped by most of the population.

The Holy Book of Acts 6:9 tells that St Stephen went in dialogue with a Jerusalem Council and that some of the council members were from the City of Alexandria. Also, Apollos, one of the greatest preachers in the early Church was from the City of Alexandria as denoted by the Holy Book of Acts 18:24.

Not only was Alexandria the center of civilization for the world, it was also the center for moral corruption.

Politically, Egypt was a Roman state under the direct control of the Roman emperor. Alexandrians revolted against the Roman authority of Augustus Caesar. Caesar sent a Roman military army of 20,000 to Alexandria to put a halt to the revolution. The emperor was in dire need of Egypt’s wheat. Putting an end to the revolution would not be the only act of Augustus Caesar. He also gave social and religious freedom to the Jews residing in Alexandria. This inequality gave rise to many disputes and fights among the Jews and Alexandrians.

This is the state of the wonderful City of Alexandria, founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, when St Mark arrived to preach and teach the message of salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Upon the first day of his arrival, St Mark wandered about the streets of Alexandria until his worn shoes fell apart. St Mark stopped at the first shoemaker shop he approached to have his shoes repaired. The shoemaker’s name was Anianos and this shoemaker would later become the second bishop of Alexandria. While Anianos was working to repair St Marks’ worn shoes, the needle in which he was using to repair the soles of St Mark’s shoes injured his hand and Anianos cried out, “Oh God, the only One!” At this exclamation, St Mark spit upon the ground, made mud, and placed the mixture upon Anianos' finger and healed it immediately. Discussion ensued between St Mark and Anianos related to his One God. Anianos confessed to St Mark that he had only heard of such a God but did not actually know of this One God.

St Mark began to preach to Anianos about the One God, the Lord Jesus Christ. The message of salvation through the Holy Cross was taught and welcomed by Anianos and his family. Anianos' home is considered the first Church in the land of Egypt.

Within a few short years Christianity had spread throughout the land of Egypt. Christianity not only spread and was accepted, through its teachings the behavior and morals of the Egyptian people would also change for the better.

Philo, the Jewish scholar, stated, “St Mark and his disciples did not care about worldly matters, but cared about God’s Glory and His salvation to all people.” The Egyptians became united in true “Agape” love and a heavenly peace. There was no rich or poor classification among the people. Everyone lived an economical life; the rich gave unto the poor so everyone could be considered rich with God. The people ate only one time per day after sunset. Some would fast for three to five days without food.

There is disagreement among scholars about the possible visit of St Peter the Apostle to St Mark in Babylon’s fort where there was a great Jewish colony and from which St Peter wrote his first Holy Epistle which concludes with this verse, "The chosen one at Babylon sends you his greeting as does Mark, my son" (I Peter 5:13). Some scholars believe this means Rome. Regardless, there is nothing to contraindicate the possibility of St Peter’s visit to Babylon. Further, some scholars suggest St Simeon the Canaanite visited Egypt as well.

To establish the newly growing Church, St Mark, ordained Anianos as a bishop and along with this ordained twelve priests and seven deacons. St Mark at this particular time also wrote his Divine Liturgy, now referred to as the “Divine Liturgy of St Cyril.” St Mark first wrote the Divine Liturgy in Greek then it was translated to the language of Behari Coptic. Three of Anianos assistants were Malchos, Sabinos, and Kerdinos.

St Mark founded the School of Alexandria to counteract the idolatrous school in Alexandria which had become world famous for its philosophy, science, medicine, mathematics, and astronomy. St Mark wrote the Apostles Teachings, Rituals, and Traditions that were specific for the See of Alexandria. Following all of this, St Mark departed Alexandria in 65 AD to further his ministry in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Five Western Cities in Northern Africa.

After continuing to strengthen the churches in North Africa, St Mark at St Paul’s request joined the apostle in Rome to help in preaching and teaching those there. St Paul stated in the two Holy Books, II Timothy 4:11 and Philemon 1:24, that St Mark was indeed useful for the ministry.

Bishop Anianos, his priests and deacons were known for their honesty, for their ministry, and taught throughout Egypt. They established the first church in Bokalia now known as “St Mark's Church in Alexandria.” St Mark returned to Alexandria around 67 AD, where he wrote his Holy Gospel in Greek for the believers in Alexandria.

The great success of St Mark’s evangelism led to the persecution and torture of Christians in Alexandria by the idolatrous governors and people of the city. St Mark was one of the ones who would ultimately be put to death because of his ardent belief in the Lord Jesus Christ.

On 29 Baramoudah (April 16) 68 AD, St Mark celebrated the Glorious Resurrection Feast with the believers which coincided with the Feast of Serabis, as previously mentioned, the most famous of idols worshipped in the City of Alexandria. The idolaters angrily broke into the church and attacked St Mark while the saint was praying the Divine Liturgy of the Glorious Feast of the Resurrection at the
altar. The crowds of idolaters tied up St Mark with a band around his neck and dragged him into the streets of Alexandria. From one street to another they inhumanely dragged the saint crying and screaming “Drag him to the bulls’ house.”

The “bulls’ house” refers to the Bokalia area where the Coptic Church was later built in his honor, known as “St Mark’s Church in Alexandria.” They continued to torture the bleeding St Mark until finally he was thrown into prison. The Lord Jesus Christ through a great Heavenly light appeared to St Mark and healed him saying, “Be strong My beloved apostle, your heart will be filled with joy. Be in peace as tomorrow you will have the crown of martyrdom and be with Me in the Heavenly Jerusalem.”

The following day, the idolaters tied up the apostle once again with a neck bond and dragged his body through the streets as they had done before. This time they dragged his body until his head separated from his body. Upon this day, St Mark received three crowns, the crown of apostolicity, the crown of evangelism, and the crown of martyrdom. All the while during his torture, St Mark prayed, “Thank you Lord because you have allowed me to suffer persecution and torture for Your Holy Name.” St Mark, near his death, requested that the Lord forgive those who brought about his death, and then departed from his earthly existence.

After St Mark’s martyrdom, the idolaters hurriedly brought firewood to burn his body. A great wind suddenly blew, and a great rain fell and the idolaters in fear scattered. St Mark’s disciples came and affectionately carried his holy body and buried him in the Church which carries his name in Bokalia. St Mark’s blood became the first shed in Egypt and millions of martyrs would follow his example and chose earthly death rather than deny their Lord Jesus Christ.

In the year 310, Saint Mark's Church was built over the relics of St Mark. In 820, when the Muslim Arabs had established their rule in Egypt and oppressed the Christian Church, the relics of St Mark were transferred to Venice and placed in the church named for him. This occurred in 828. There is a mosaic in this Venetian basilica showing how the sailors covered the relics with a layer of pork. Since Muslims are not allowed to touch pork, this action was done to prevent Muslim intervention in the relics removal. Saint Theodore of Amasea had previously been the patron saint of Venice, but he was soon replaced by Saint Mark.

Copts believe that the head of the saint remained in Alexandria. Every year, on the 30th day of the month of Paopi, the Coptic Church celebrates the commemoration of the consecration of the church of St. Mark, and the appearance of the head of the saint in the city of Alexandria. This takes place inside St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria, where the saint's head is preserved.

In June 1968, Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria sent an official delegation to Rome to receive a relic of St. Mark from Pope Paul VI. The delegation consisted of ten metropolitans and bishops, seven of whom were Coptic and three Ethiopian, and three prominent Coptic lay leaders.

The relic was said to be a small piece of bone that had been given to the Roman pope by Giovanni Cardinal Urbani, Patriarch of Venice. Pope Paul, in an address to the delegation, said that the rest of the relics of the saint remained in Venice.

The delegation received the relic on June 22, 1968. The next day, the delegation celebrated a pontifical liturgy in the Church of Saint Athanasius the Apostolic in Rome. The metropolitans, bishops, and priests of the delegation all served in the liturgy. Members of the Roman papal delegation, Copts who lived in Rome, newspaper and news agency reporters, and many foreign dignitaries attended the liturgy. These relics were taken to the newly constructed Cathedral in Cairo, where they were placed in a specially built shrine brightly decorated with Coptic icons. They still remain there today. The Coptic Cathedral of St. Mark is by far the largest Cathedral in Africa and the Middle East.

In the book The Lost Tomb of Alexander, historian Andrew Chugg argues that the relics of St. Mark in Venice are actually those of Alexander the Great. Few historians, however, accept this claim.

In the ancient iconographic tradition, which adopted symbols for the holy Evangelists borrowed from the vision of St John the Theologian (Rev 4:7) and the prophecy of Ezekiel (Ez. 1:10), the holy Evangelist Mark is represented by a lion, symbolizing the might and royal dignity of Christ (Rev 5:5).

St Mark wrote his Gospel for Gentile Christians, emphasizing the words and deeds of the Savior which reveal His divine Power. Many aspects of his account can be explained by his closeness to St Peter. The ancient writers say that the Gospel of Mark is a concise record of St Peter's preaching.

Apolytikion in the Third Tone
O Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark, intercede to our merciful God, that He may grant our souls forgiveness of sins.

Kontakion in the Second Tone
When thou hadst received the Spirit's grace from Heaven's heights, thou rentest apart the webs of the philosophers; and on catching all of the nations in thy net, O all-lauded Mark, thou didst offer them to thy Lord, by preaching the Gospel of divine renown.

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Homily for the Sunday of the Paralytic

Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov)

Today is a feast day for all of us paralytics. Today, brothers and sisters, we to a certain degree are meeting our name-day, our feast day. Who among us can boast that he is strong, courageous, bearing all the misfortunes of this age, fulfilling all of Christ’s commandments? Deliver us, O Lord, if such a person stands in our midst — one cannot imagine a worse righteous or strong man! The Apostle Paul says: "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong" (2 Cor 12:10). But the Apostle did not deprive himself of one thing: strong faith and undoubting hope in the Savior. “The power of God is made perfect in weakness!”

How can the world, which does not believe in God and preaches the illusory omnipotence of mankind, understand this?

Paralytic bothers and sisters! Let us rejoice that we at least understand ourselves as we are! The Lord came into the world to save paralytic sinners, and us among them. The strong crucified Jesus Christ, and the Lord allowed them this terrible, mindless power to crucify God. When we become proud and sure of ourselves, then we repeat this terrible crime of the God-killers: the crucifixion of the Savior.

Let us recognize ourselves for who we are in fact. The Apostle James writes: "For what is your life? It is a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away" (James 4:14). No matter how strongly our pride rebels agains this, let us look dispassionately at the universe: the myriads of planets, the thousands of generations, endlessly following one another, the billions of people who are erased from the memory of their descendants and their neighbors.

I had a friend to whom I owe very much, and my faith in the first place. He died twelve years ago, and I thought that I would never forget him, that I would always remember him, and certainly at the Liturgy. And I suddenly realized with horror that one Liturgy had gone by, and another, and I did not remember him, one of the dearest people to me. And my spiritual paralysis, my ingratitude to a man who did so much for me, became terrible to me. Do we every day remember with the necessary zeal our parents — both alive and departed? Do we every day remember our own salvation — the most important thing for which we live?

Yet something within us tells us unmistakably that man is something more than vapor. Our life, yes, is transient and withering, like the grass under the hot summer son. Recall in the Psalter: "As the flower of the field, so hath he blossomed forth" (Ps. 103:15). But the soul – a unique human personality created by God – its story in time and eternity is altogether different. If the soul is united with its Creator and God, then it becomes the most beautiful, the most precious of everything that is on earth. In the memory of God, in God such a soul receives not simply life, but life “more abundantly,” as the Apostle Paul writes. He can not with human words express in any other way the mystery revealed to him of the future age. And the same Apostle writes: "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him" (1 Cor 2:9).

In the lives of each one of us there will still be moments of weakness and failures, of what we call paralysis. They can last for many years, just as with the paralytic at the Sheep Pool, of which the Gospel speaks. This paralytic lay for many years awaiting healing. But he believed that a messenger of God would come and heal him.

Let us not recognize ourselves as strong, because out strength is Christ alone. Let us never recognize ourselves as indestructible and not prone to sin, because we are fallen people. And let us strive not to lose faith in Christ, because the Lord Jesus Christ is eternally powerful and has the power to save us not only from temporal passions and misfortunes.

The Lord, “trampling down death by death,” can give eternal life to us, who one day will be in the grave, and will free us from this eternal and final paralysis.

Let us not think highly of ourselves, let us not be surprised by our infirmities, let us not, because of them, fall into despair and despondency. Let us sincerely, with all our strength, strive towards correction, struggling against the evil and sin living within us. Let us firmly believe that our Lord Jesus Christ will help us in this. He loves us, because we are His children. We, who recognize ourselves as paralytics and asking help from our Heavenly Father, will not be left behind, for He gives us His invincible power. Only by this are we strong – just as only by this were the Apostles, Confessors, Venerable Ones, and Martyrs strong.

Kontakion in the Third Tone
I am grievously paralyzed in a multitude of sins and wrongful deeds. As You raised up the paralytic of old, also raise up my soul by Your divine guidance, that I may cry out, "Glory to Your Power O Compassionate Christ."

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Pascha in Kolwezi, Congo

This Paschal celebration took place at the Cathedral of Saint George.

Kolwezi is in the Holy Diocese of Katanga under the Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa. It is served by monks from the Holy Monastery of Gregoriou on Mount Athos.

This is a very active Orthodox diocese, with 105 parishes, 40 priests and over 2000 youth attending its ecclesiastical schools, and its own ecclesiastical radio station among other things. It baptizes an average of 1200-1500 people a year. Read more here.

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Chomsky Warns of Rise of the Far Right in the U.S.

April 23, 2010
Pravda.ru

The right feeds on frustration and so ultra-conservatives advance such as the Tea Party. Latinos and blacks are persecuted, like fascist Germany did to the Jews, suggests the intellectual.

By David Brooks, for La Jornada

Disenchantment with the government and politicians has grown to unprecedented levels in recent times according to research. There is growing anger, uncertainty, pessimism and distrust in Washington, and the fruit of popular frustration is being harvested by rightists.

"Never seen anything like this in my life," said Noam Chomsky. Interviewed by Chris Hedges for the website Truthdig. He added that the mood of the country is terrifying. The level of anger, frustration and hatred of institutions is not organized in a constructive manner. Is diverted into self-destructive fantasies in reference to expressions of the populist ultra-right.

Anti-government sentiment has increased in society and only 22% trust the government, according to research by the Pew Research Center, one of the lowest points in half a century. For almost any conceivable measure, today's Americans are less positive and more critical of their government. There's a perfect storm of conditions associated with mistrust of the government: an abysmal economy, an epic pessimistic and public discontent with Congress and elected officials, said Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center, in summarizing the findings of a series of surveys.

The Pew report noted that only 25% have a favorable opinion of Congress - the lowest point in 50 years - and 65% expressed a negative opinion. Increasingly, Americans felt that the government has misplaced its priorities and that it has a negative impact on their daily lives. About 62% say the government's policies only benefit some groups and 56% believe that the government is not doing enough to help the average American.

In addition, it confirms the increase of anti government sentiment among a segment of society, doubling are those who say they are upset with the federal government: 10% in 2000 to 21% today. And 30% perceive that government is a threat to their personal freedom.

Pew also reported, in a setback compared to a survey of months ago, that most are suspicious of a greater state role in the economy, with the exception of the financial sector, where a large majority want the government to strictly regulate financial companies.

Perhaps the sector most unhappy with the government is called the Tea Party movement, ultra-conservatives who came a year ago in protest against the economic stimulus bill, which grew in visibility in the campaign against health reforms proposed by the government of Barack Obama. This movement is mostly composed of white men, aged 45 or so, who describe themselves as upset or angry with Washington.

They are considered as the most dynamic part of the conservative movement, with the purpose not only to stop Obama's proposals, but also to attack Republican politicians who are considered "not very" conservative.

Recent research from the New York Times / CBS News poll revealed that 18% of Americans identify themselves as supporters of the Tea Party, classify themselves "very conservative" and are very pessimistic about the direction of the country and severely critical of Washington and, of course, Obama. Over 90% of them believe that the country moves to a wrong path and the same percentage disapproves of the president and his administration policy. Already 92% of respondents estimated that Obama leads the country "toward socialism" (an opinion shared by more than half the population in general).

Moreover, the expressions of popular right-wing anger are registered when referencing more hate crimes, a rise of radical right-wing groups, as well as unofficial reports of a growing number of death threats against the president. Public safety agencies have raised the alert status for what is called "domestic terrorism."

Incidents were reported, several under investigation, of acts of intimidation against congressmen and other elected officials. Earlier this month, more than 30 governors received letters from an anti-government, ultra-conservative group who demanded their resignation in a period of three days (although there was no threat of violence), which meant that federal authorities have warned local police that the letters could lead to violent behavior. As such, there are more examples throughout the country.

The wave of disillusionment with the government and its rulers causes concern among some politicians who do not know what impact this might have on the elections of next November. But for others the issue is more alarming.

"It's very similar to Weimar Germany, the parallels are striking." Here, too, there is a tremendous disappointment with the parliamentary system, pointed Chomsky interviewing on Truthdig.

"The United States is very lucky that no honest and charismatic figure has appeared, and if this were to happen this country would be in real trouble for the frustration, disillusionment and the justified anger combined with the absence of a coherent response," he concludes.

In Germany, he recalls, an enemy was created to explain the crisis which was the Jew. "Here they are the illegal immigrants and blacks. We will say that white men are a persecuted minority. We will say that we must uphold and defend the honor of the nation. Military force will be exalted. There will be blows. This could be converted into an undeniable force. And if it takes place, it will be more dangerous than Nazi Germany. The United States is a world power ... I do not believe that this is far from happening," he says.

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Church of Scientology Responds to Russian Ban

Church of Scientology Blasts Russian Government for Ban on L. Ron Hubbard Writings

April 22, 2010
Yahoo News

The controversial Church of Scientology has been called many things, but it's a safe bet that no one had previously deemed it a threat to the Russian spirit.

No longer. Under a new law empowering the Russian government to ban written work categorized as "extremist materials," the Russian Prosecutor General's Office has declared that the work of L. Ron Hubbard, the American founder of Scientology, belongs on a list of materials "undermining the traditional spiritual values of the citizens of the Russian Federation."

The law lays out fines of 3,000 rubles ($100) for anyone in possession of such materials, or a jail term of up to 15 days — with harsher penalties imposed on repeat offenders and/or those with a criminal history.

According to the Moscow Times, 28 Hubbard-penned titles are now on that forbidden-readings list, including such works such as "The Factors, Admiration & the Renaissance of Beingness" and "The Unification Congress. Communication! Freedom and Ability." The writings were reportedly intercepted by Russian transport officials, who forwarded them to a panel of "psychiatrists, psychologists, and sociologists" for review. The panel determined that the Scientology works justified using "violence in general" against critics of the church — while also containing "hidden calls for social and religious hatred."

Not surprisingly, the church has blasted back with a statement denouncing the panel's decision. The ban — which Scientology spokeswoman Karin Pouw points out has yet to go into effect — constitutes "the latest action in an ongoing campaign by extremists in the Russian government to suppress religious freedom in Russia," the church announced in a statement furnished to Yahoo! News. The statement spells out plans to challenge the ruling before the European Court of Human Rights, which has condemned Russia for its past effort to refuse official registration of three Church of Scientology organizations to operate within its borders. Under that 2009 ruling, the court had the Russian government pay damages to the groups, in addition to making it pay for their legal expenses. In a phone interview with Yahoo! News, church spokesman Tommy Davis stressed that including Hubbard's work under the extremist-materials ban is tantamount to "Russia violating their own constitution." What's more, Davis charges that the Prosecutor General's Office tilts its religious policy calls in favor of the Russian Orthodox Church. "It's like putting someone who believes their religion is the only way in charge of determining if other people's faith should be recognized," he said.

This latest dustup is far from the only international battle that the 10-million-member church is waging. Germany has been fighting to ban Scientology outright for some time, and most European countries refuse to recognize the church as a charitable religious organization, even though they still permit the church to operate within their borders on a commercial basis.

— Brett Michael Dykes is a national correspondent for Yahoo! News.

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James Randi's Fiery Takedown of Psychic Fraud

Legendary skeptic James Randi takes a fatal dose of homeopathic sleeping pills onstage, kicking off a searing 18-minute indictment of irrational beliefs. He throws out a challenge to the world's psychics: Prove what you do is real, and I'll give you a million dollars. (No takers yet.)

Legendary skeptic James Randi has devoted his life to debunking frauds and investigating paranormal and pseudoscientific claims.

James Randi has an international reputation as a magician and escape artist, but he is perhaps best known as the world's most tireless investigator and demystifier of paranormal and pseudoscientific claims.

Randi has pursued "psychic" spoonbenders, exposed the dirty tricks of faith healers, investigated homeopathic water "with a memory," and generally been a thorn in the sides of those who try to pull the wool over the public's eyes in the name of the supernatural. He has received numerous awards and recognitions, including a MacArthur "genius" grant in 1986. He's the author of numerous books, including The Truth About Uri Geller, The Faith Healers, Flim-Flam!, and An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural.

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On the Translation of Liturgical Texts (Part 4 of 4)

...continued from Part Three

Fourth. It is possible for the Church, without rushing into things or simply following the ways of the world, but in Her own willingness and eagerness, to transform the world, using proper methods for every specific period, to spread the message of God to man. The Church has always done this. That is, She expresses Her experiences with the linguistic facts of every period. Let us not forget that the Church is not conservative, but traditional. And when we talk about Tradition, we always mean the continuous energy of the Holy Spirit in the Church. From this perspective must we understand the evolution of our worship. But the issue is not found there. Nor do we deny every good effort in order for the people to approach more correctly the area of the Church to feel the fullness of life, joy and holiness which exists in Her. But the issue is primarily found in who will express this Tradition, meaning who will bring it to the contemporary period, translating or correcting new texts. Of course, this question does not bother the Church, but the secularized Christians. For there are always people (saints) who can particularly speak to particular men. They are the carriers of Tradition, the saints of God. They live the "theology of the facts"; they were totally transformed by the uncreated energy of God; they purified themselves from their passions; they achieved the illumination of the nous and the vision of God; they experienced the mystical Theology and the divine Sabbath, becoming true Theologians. Such people really exist, and these are the ones who have every reason to speak and express the life of the Church. Such work was done by the holy Fathers (Basil the Great, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Theologian, etc.), and not by whomever.

The translation of the liturgical texts or the creation of new ones is not an invention of examination of simple words, but a revelation of the Holy Spirit. Those who are filled with passions and have not tasted at all the hesychastic life, have not become "mad" from the love of God, but on the contrary are involved in juridical struggle, in fights, and are possessed with the thirst of being a reformer (egoism); they can never express the life of the Church. This is why they fall into big mistakes. I ask myself, if the contemporary holy men are afraid of these sketchy changes, how then can little men attempt to undertake this big step? From where do they derive this boldness?

In the attempted question WHERE are they and WHEN will these carriers of the Tradition appear to do this huge work, we can say that the Church is not pressured from the events. She is not in a hurry. She is not worried. She is not possessed with stress. She has Her life. When there is a demand for these changes, the Holy Spirit will illumine purified and holy men that will have high authority among the people and they will speak. From us there is no need to worry. Because with superficial and arbitrary acts we will also do what the other "Churches" did. They used contemporary methods of worship (organs and dances), in the hopes of bringing the youth into the Church, but they lost both the "Church" and the youth. They closed many churches and have sold them.

Maybe more views could be expressed on this crucial issue. We do not believe that it is fully covered with these thoughts. But what we want to emphasize is that it is very superficial to believe that with some external and spectacular acts we will attract people to the Church. The salvation and transformation of the world is achieved with illumined faithful that are constantly crucified. Internal transformation and pastoral care is necessary. Christ saved the world in the Garden of Gethsemane, in Golgotha, in His descent to Hades, with His Holy Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven. And the more the shepherds enter into their own Garden of Gethsemane, the more they ascend the Cross by love for their brother, meaning the more they give blood and tears, that much more will they offer salvation in Jesus Christ to their Flock. This can be seen on Mount Athos. They chant the same texts there, and especially in the all night vigils, because they are chanted slowly, the dianoia (intellect) often times cannot follow. But the presence of holy, crucified monks even helps the most unbelieving to feel devoutness.

"We ask for the easy things". "One translation and we are okay". "We're doing the right thing". "We are helping contemporary man". This mentality is placed in the context of modern society that demands "less effort" and a "quick buck".

Translation by John Sanidopoulos

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Traditional Greek Songs to Saint George

And the last is a Cypriot song to St. George by Alkinoos Ioannides with lyrics:


Το Τραούδιν τ’ Αη Γιωρκού

Δευτέρα ήτουν της Καθαράς που κάμνουν την νομάδαν

Μες το καράβιν έμπηκεν την πρώτην εβτομάδαν

Τζιαί τρεις ημέρες έκαμεν να ρέξει το Βερούτιν

Ψουμίν, νερόν εν εβρέθηκεν μεσά στην χώραν τούτην

Ψουμίν νερόν είσσεν πολλύν κάτω μακρά στο πλάτος

Τζειμέσα εκατώκησεν ένας μεάλος δράκος

Τζιαί εν τα’ αφήνει το νερόν στην χώραν τους να πάει

Ταΐνιν του εκάμνασιν πόναν παιδίν να φάε

Να ξαπολύσει το νερό, στην χώραν για να πάει

Άλλοι είχαν έξι τζαί οκτώ τζ’ επέμπαν του τον έναν

τζ’ ήρτεν γυρίν τ’ αφέντη μας, τ’ αφέντη βασιλέα

Είσσεν μιαν κόρην μοναχήν τζ’ είθεν να την παντρέψει

Θέλοντας τζιαί μη θέλοντας του δράκου να την πέψει

Παντές τζ’ η κόρη εν άγιος, Χριστός τζ’ απάκουσεν την

Τον Άη Γιώρκην να σου τον ‘που πάνω κατεβαίνει

τζιαί με την σέλλαν την γρουσήν τζιαί το γρουσόν αππάριν

Στέκεται συλλοΐζεται πώς να την σσαιρετήσει

-Για να την πω μουσκοκαρκιάν, μουσκοκαρκιά έσσει κλώνους

Για να την πω τρανταφυλλιάν, τρανταφυλλιά έσσει αγκάθια

Άτε ας τη σσαιρετήσουμε σαν σσαιρετούμεν πάντα

-Ώρα καλή σου λυερή, ώρα καλή τζιαί γειά σου

Μουσκούς τζιαί ροδοστέμματα στα καμαρόβρυα σου

Τζ’ είντα γυρεύκεις Λυερή στου δράκου το πηγάδιν

Του δράκοντα του πονηρού, να βκεί τζιαί να σε φάει

-Αφέντη μου τα πάθη μας να σου τα πω εν φτάννω

Άθθρωποι που την πείναν τους τρώσιν ένας τον άλλον

Έτσι έθελεν η τύχη μου, έτσι ήτουν το γραφτό μου

Μες στην τζοιλιάν του δράκοντα να κάμω το θαφκειόν μου

Να σου ποτζεί τον δράκοντα που κάτω τζ’ ανεβαίνει

Τζ’ όταν τους είδε τζ’ ήταν τρεις, κρυφές χαρές παθαίνει

-Μπούκκωμαν τρώω τον άδρωπον, το γιώμαν την κοπέλλαν

Τζιαί ως τα λιωβουττήματα άππαρον με την σέλλαν

Μιαν χατζιαρκάν του χάρισεν τζ’ η πόλις ούλλη εσείστην

Τζιαί το σκαμνίν του βασιλιά έππεσεν τζ’ ετσακκίστην

Βκάλλει που το δισσάκκιν του μεάλον αλυσίδιν

Τζ’ έπκιασεν τζ’ εχαλίνωσεν τζείν΄το μεάλον φίδιν

-Τράβα το κόρη λυερή στην χώραν να το πάρεις

Για να το δουν αβάφτιστοι να παν να βαφτιστούσιν

Για να το δουν απίστευτοι να παν να πιστευτούσιν

Άνταν τους βλέπει ο βασιλιάς κρυφές χαρές παθθαίνει

-Πκοιός ειν’ αυτός που μου ‘καμεν τούτην την καλοσύνην

Να δώκω το βασίλειον μου τζ’ ούλλον τον θησαυρόν μου

Να δώκω τζιαί την κόρην μου τζιαί να γενεί γαμπρός μου

Τζ’ επολοήθην Άγιος τζιαί λέει τζιαί λαλεί του

-Έν θέλω το βασίλειον σου μήτε τον θησαυρόν σου

Μιαν εκκλησσιάν να χτίσετε, μνήμην τ’ Άη Γιωργίου

Που έρκεται η μέρα του κοστρείς του Απριλλίου

Που έρκεται η μέρα του κοστρείς του Απριλλίου

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Eurovision Contestant Visits Ecumenical Patriarch

George Alkaios brought to reality his biggest dream this morning when he met with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in Constantinople. He met with the Patriarch to receive his blessing for representing Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010.

It should be noted that in the last few years it has become a tradition for Greek singers taking part in Eurovision to visit the Phanar to receive the blessing of the Orthodox Primate.

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Orthodoxy in Kenya

Orthodox Churches in Kenya are Dedicated to Russian Saints

Moscow, 21 April 2010, Interfax – The Orthodox community of Kenya is the most numerous on the African continent and consists of about a million parishioners out of the 35 million population of the country.

Today the Kenyan Diocese of the Alexandrian Patriarchate has about 200 churches, dozens of church parochial schools and even a seminary in Riruta, a suburb of the Kenyan capital, NG-Religii paper writes on Wednesday.

Some of the village communities are so poor that priests have to celebrate services bare-foot in robes with holes. At the same time, Kenyan churches are full of parishioners on Sundays and feasts.

People stay in the church long after the services, they chant Christian hymns with African motives, dance and play tomtoms and bongs that are essential at the divine service in every Kenyan church.

Acting head of the diocese, Metropolitan Makarios of Kenya and Irinoupolis often dances with his parishioners.

Churches in Kenyan villages are usually made of wattle and daub, but big stone churches are being built in many villages, many of them are dedicated to Russian saints. The Metropolitan speaks Russian fluently and sometimes say prayers in church Slavonic language.

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Fear Evil Like Fire

by Saint John of Kronstadt

Fear evil like fire. Don’t let it touch your heart even if it seems just or righteous. No matter what the circumstances, don’t let it come into you. Evil is always evil. Sometimes evil presents itself as an endeavor to God’s glory, or as something with good intentions towards your neighbor. Even in these cases, don’t trust this feeling. It’s a wrong labor and is not filled with wisdom. Instead, work on chasing evil from yourself.

Evil, however innocent it looks, offends God’s long-suffering love, which is His foremost glory. Judas betrayed his Lord for 30 silver pieces under the guise of helping the poor. Keep in mind that the enemy continuously seeks your death and attacks more fiercely when you’re not alert. His evil is endless. Don’t let self-esteem and the love of material goods win you over.

When you feel anger against someone, believe with your whole heart that it’s a result of the devil’s work in your heart. Try to hate him and his deeds and it will leave you. Don’t admit it as a part of yourself and don’t justify it. I know this from experience.

The devil hides himself behind our souls and we blindly think we’re acting by ourselves. Then we defend the devil’s work as something that is a part of us. Sometimes we think that anger is a fair reaction to something bad. But the idea that a passion could ever be fair is a total and deadly lie.

When someone is angry at you, remember that this evil feeling is not him. He’s just fooled by the devil and is a suffering instrument in his hand. Pray that the enemy leaves him and that God opens his spiritual eyes, which have been darkened by the evil spirit. Pray to God for all people enslaved by passions because the enemy is acting in their hearts. Perhaps you hate your neighbor, despise him, don’t want to talk to him peacefully and lovingly because he has been rude, arrogant, or disgusting in his speech or manners. You may despise him for being full of himself or proud or disrespectful. But you are to blame more than he is.

“Physician, heal yourself!” (Luke 4:23).

So, teacher, teach yourself. This kind of anger is worse than any other evil. How could evil be chased out by another evil? How can you take a needle from the eye of another person while having a log in your own? Evil defects must be fixed with love, kindness, resignation, and patience. Admit yourself as the worst of all sinners, and believe it. Consider yourself the worst one, chase away any boldness, anger, impatience and fury. Then you may start helping others. Be indulgent about defects of others, because if you see their faults all the time, there will be continuous enmity.

“The plowers plowed upon my back: they made long their furrows” (Psalm 129:3).

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:14).

We can feel from time to time the most perfect love for God without loving each other. This is a strange thing, and only few care about it. But love for our neighbor will never come without our own effort.

A real Christian doesn’t have any reason to be angry about anybody. Anger is the devil’s deed. A Christian should have only love inside and since love doesn’t boast, he shouldn’t boast or have any bad thoughts towards others. For example, I must not think about another person that he is evil, proud etc; and I must not think that if I forgive his offense he would laugh at me or upset me again. We must not let evil hide in us under any pretense. Evil and anger usually have many different veils.

Don’t yield to gloomy feelings in your heart but control and eradicate them with the power of faith and the light of the sane mind. These strengths will make you feel secure.

“Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you” (Psalm 25:20).

Gloomy feelings usually develop deep in the heart. Someone who didn’t learn how to control them will be gloomy, pensive most of the time, and it will be hard for him to deal with himself and other people. When he comes close to you, sustain yourself with inner strength, happiness and innocent jokes: and they will leave you soon. This is from experience.

Lord, give me strength to love everyone like myself and never to get angry or work for the devil. Give me strength to crucify my self-esteem, my pride, my greed, my skepticism and other passions. Let us have a name: a mutual love. Let us not worry about anything. Be the only God of our hearts, and let us desire nothing except You. Let us live always in unifying love and let us hate anything that separates us from each other and from love. So be it! So be it!

If God showed Himself to us and lives inside us as we in Him (according to His eternal word), wouldn’t He give us everything? Would He ever trick us or leave us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32). Now be comforted, my dear, and know nothing but love.

“This is my command: Love one another” (John 15:17).

Translated by Pravmir.com

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The Agnostic Professor and the Tribal Chief

The story is told of an agnostic professor who visited the Fiji Islands. The professor remarked to an elderly chief, “You are a great leader, but it is a pity you have been victimized by those Christian missionaries. No one believes the Bible anymore. People are tired of the story of Christ dying on cross for the sins of mankind. We know better now. I am sorry you were manipulated to accept their story.”

The old chief looked at the professor and answered, “See that great rock over there? On it we smashed the heads of our victims. Notice the furnace next to it? In that oven we used to roast the bodies of our victims. If it hadn't been for the love of those missionaries and the message of Christ they brought, you would be our supper.”

Read more here.

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On The Building Of Churches

by Saint John Maximovitch

Some people are saying: “The time is not come to build the Lord’s house.”

Among them are many who are buying houses for themselves, who live in their own houses in full satisfaction of their material needs, or who are selling their homes to move into better and better dwellings, increasing their assets. It is understandable when such words are heard from unbelievers…But how can they be repeated by believers who themselves go to church?

A church is a place that is consecrated, holy, in which there always dwells the grace of God. At the consecration of Solomon’s temple, the glory of the Lord in the appearance of a cloud filled the house of God. So it was in the Old Testament temple. How much more powerfully does the grace of God act in the temples of the New Testament where there is offered the true cleansing from sin, where we partake of the true Body and Blood of Christ, where during the Divine Liturgy the Holy Spirit continually descends upon the gifts being consecrated and upon the people present?

One can pray anywhere, and God hears prayers from everywhere. But it’s much easier to pray in a church where everything is conducive to prayer. From there our prayers ascend to God, and the mercies of God are sent down upon us.

The construction of a church is a sacrifice to God; to allocate a parcel of land for church services is to sacrifice unto God a part of your own property, but most of all it is a gift of your love, your zeal. Churches are not needed by God Whose throne is heaven and Whose footstool is the earth; it is we who need them.

It is we who benefit from donating toward the building of churches, although the Lord accepts not so much the substances of our alms as much as He does our zeal - the quality of our effort.

Christ approved the widow’s mite, saying that she had given more than anyone else, for the rich cast in a great deal from their abundance, but she gave all she had, all her livelihood. Those alms we give in the name of God are received by God Himself. Spiritually, our alms are laid up in the treasuries of heaven, God’s treasuries, from which no one can steal them away. If someone steals any church possession, he steals from God Himself.

At each Liturgy, those who contributed to the building of the church are commemorated. In building churches here on earth, we create for ourselves eternal habitations in heaven. Decades will pass, our bodies will decay, perhaps our very bones will turn to dust, but our souls will live eternally. Happy will he be who prepared for his soul a dwelling in the heavenly mansions. Even if the churches which are built should fall to ruin, the names of those who contributed to their construction will be written in God’s eternal books, and the prayers which arose from within these Churches will be sealed.

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Mount Athos: The Castle of Orthodoxy

"Mount Athos: Monastery, Large Dwellings, Garden, Dock"; Painting by Demetrios Tsianta

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Saint George: A Saint for the Desperate

In the Middle East, St George is regarded as a saint of asylum, a protector of the desperate.

Nesrine Malik
Guardian.co.uk
Friday 23 April 2010

The question: What do we want from St George?

Not only was St George not of white English, or even European, extraction, he is also claimed by more than one religion. There is a multifaith shrine in Beit Jala, Palestine, that is home to one saint, holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims. In this tomb allegedly lies St George, the martyred Christian warrior, the Jewish prophet Elijah, and al-Khader, a mystical bountiful character ubiquitous in Islamic mythology. Through the mists of time and due to the proximity of locations where accounts of the three played out, these figures, real or fictional, merged into one patron saint who heals the insane and makes the barren fertile. Indeed, in some parts of the Arab World, especially in the Coptic tradition, one is referred to as having "been sent to St George", if signs of insanity become apparent.

The world is littered with shrines of holy men and women even though there are strong currents within all the Abrahamic faiths that frown upon elevating humans to any holy status. Apparently, people choose to pray in the dilapidated shrine in Beit Jala rather than visit the larger, more traditional places of worship in Jerusalem or Bethlehem. The pilgrimage to this location is testament to the fact that there is a universal need, across faiths, to appoint intermediaries between mankind and God.

Curiously, in a fractious political and religious environment, no group has attempted to claim exclusive ownership of the tomb or used it to discredit the other in the spirit, perhaps, of the sentiment that we all need all the help we can get. This lack of sectarianism is a manifestation of the shared socio-economic status of those who frequent the tomb, whatever their religion. In his study of "Georgic" cults, the Syrian historian Hassan Haddad described these believers as seeking a God "whom official religion has rendered too remote and abstract".

It is ironic then, that in England, St George has become associated with an exclusive kind of patriotism. Not only does he heal the mentally unwell and the infertile in the Levant, he is the patron saint of several other countries, among them Ethiopia and Palestine. And as one familiar with St George in many guises before I knew of him as patron saint of England, the cross of St George was merely something to distinguish England football players apart from the others. But it seems even here the radical nature of the saint is still potent as the flag is appropriated by people who see themselves as marginalised by the secular equivalent of organised religion, the organised state.

The flag has almost taken on a an anti-establishment flavour then. It is no coincidence that football is where you see the flag most often. The sport is a leveller, as are poverty and desperation. But we shouldn't conflate St George with his cross. A patron saint intercedes on behalf of an entire nation, a metaphysical ambassador in the heavens. What we can learn if we look for St George's legacy outside of England, is that he is a uniting figure, one who throughout the centuries may have helped in promoting sanity by inspiring people to transcend differences which pale into insignificance in times of need.

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Saint George Appears to Saint Arsenios of Paros

Elder Arsenios of Paros would confess the nuns at the Convent of the Transfiguration ("Christ of the Forest") about six miles south of Parikia, the main port. This was not an easy labor, however, as a spirit of contention and hardness of heart had disrupted the monastery for years. Although they sincerely loved their spiritual father, true repentance came slowly, and there were more than a few occasions when Fr. Arsenios was tempted to despair over the nuns. [Read here]

After years of counseling the sisters to stop their fighting and discord, he left the monastery one day in despair because they would not make peace. He decided to leave them to themselves, he would no longer be their spiritual father. On his way back to the Monastery of Saint George, he met the saint himself, who appeared to him as a radiantly handsome young man and demanded to know why he had abandoned the nuns. Not realizing that it was Saint George, Father Arsenios replied that he could not endure their misbehavior, whereupon the saint responded: "And why did you not reflect that our Lord endures the misbehavior of millions of men, even those who do not believe in Him, but insult Him, blaspheme Him, and despise him. He endured even those who crucified him, and while on the Cross He prayed for them saying, 'Father forgive them, for they know not what they do'. Why is it that you cannot endure the wrong acts of forty monastics, who are women, weak natures, and who did truly grieve you through their sins, but have now repented?"

Saint George then showed him both the light of heaven, and the stench and darkness of hell. and told him that if he did not return as the nuns' spiritual father, he would never see heaven. The young man's face flashed like lightning and he disappeared. At that very moment, Fr. Arsenios understood with whom he had been talking. Turning back to the monastery, he found the whole sisterhood on their knees in church, praying and crying to god that Elder Arsenios might return and forgive them.

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Loutro Traianoupolis: Where Christians and Muslims Venerate Saint George

The Church of Saint George on a hill in Loutro Traianoupolis is considered by locals to be the acropolis of Traianoupolis. Loutro Traianoupolis is a city in Thrace near Alexandroupolis. Many miracles are performed here through its holy water to both Christians and Muslims. Every year the water in the well is drained on the feast of Saint George, but miraculously it fills up again, despite it being in a rocky area where no water should normally be. The handkerchiefs left on the tree are given by Muslims, not Christians, as vows. There is also a local tradition that the hooves seen on the rock in the chapel are there from the horse of Saint George. The church used to be named after Saints Constantine and Helen, but more recently was named after Saint George. Every local has a story to share about the miracles of this tiny church of Saint George.

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The Cell of Saint George "The Revealed One"

The Cell of Saint George "The Revealed One" is a small monastic community on Mount Athos, which was home to the brotherhood of Hadji-Georgis and his spiritual children. The Cell of St George is located to the north of Karyes, towards Vatopaidi Monastery.

The name "the Revealed One" (του Φανερωμένου) dates back to the 14th century where it is mentioned in a sigillion of Emperor Manual Paleologos. A revelation of Saint George occurred again centuries later. One night around the year 1821 certain robbers came to the cell to rob the two older monks who lived there. A young man opened the door for them when they arrived and brought them in while he went to call the elder. Since they waited a long time they decided to begin their robbery. It was then that they realized that they were invisibly tied up and unable to move. The elders heard their screams and came to them. When they saw what was going on they went to the chapel and took the icon of Saint George back with them. When the robbers saw the young man in the icon, they recognized him as the man who opened the door for them. They immediately repented and venerated the holy icon. One ended up even becoming an ascetic at Karoulia, where he built a church dedicated to Saint George.

In 1982 the icon of Saint George the Revealed One was transferred over to Pantokratoros Monastery on Mount Athos and resides in the chapel of the Dormition of the Theotokos.

After the repose of Hadji-Georgis, six of his spiritual children lived there, with the oldest, Elder Evlogios, as their elder. Later, Frs Pachomios and George joined the brotherhood, therefore becoming spiritual grandchildren of Hadji-Georgis.

Elder Evlogios

Elder Evlogios was a great struggler, and would say the Jesus Prayer without ceasing. On one occasion, after Frs Pachomios and George went to pick olives as their handiwork, thirty demons attacked Elder Evlogios. The elder could not stand after this. After Frs Pachomios and George came back, they knocked on the door for their brotherhood, but as it was locked and Elder Evlogios could not hear or stand, Fr George had to go in through a window and then go to the elder's cell. To their surprise, they found the elder black and blue, and the elder told them what had happened.

On one occasion, Elder Evlogios couldn't find fish to celebrate St George. He left the matter in the care of St. George. On the eve of the feast, he heard an animal knocking against the door. Opening it, he saw a mule laden with ninety kilograms of good fish; glorifying God and thanking St. George, he took care of the mule, which had walked a long way. A man later came to the skete, and the full story was ascertained: this man from Hierissos had two mules of fish and was taking them to Zographou Monastery. One of these animals, taken by St. George, made its way to the Cell. The man was looking everywhere and asking everyone where the mule was, until he learnt that where the mule had gone. Recognising divine Providence, they praised God together.

Another time, Elder Evlogios was praying in his cell before a wooden cross. A devil got in through a window to torment the elder, but the elder saw the cross come off the wall and move closer to the devil. The devil disappeared, and the cross went back to where it was.

When the elder was 108, he knew that he was going to die, and predicted that Fr George would live until he was 80. Elder Evlogios, having received Communion, reposed On April 11, 1948.

Elder Pachomios

Elder Pachomios, disciple of Elder Evlogios and spiritual grandson of Hadji-Georgis, also struggled for many years. On the Thursday before his repose, he called Fr George and asked him to purchase a large quantity of fish, to celebrate both St George's feast and the repose of Elder Pachomios, stating that he wouldn't be celebrating St George's with them. Fr George got the fish; then the next day, Elder Pachomios asked him to tell the fathers to arrange their work around the two feasts (of the funeral and of St George). The next day, Elder Pachomios sent for Father Demetrios to administer Communion. Afterwards, having given glory to God, he embraced the fathers present and he reposed on that day - April 22, 1974. On Sunday they had his funeral and memorial service, then the next day they celebrated St. George's day.

Father George

When Father George reached his eightieth year, he said that he would soon die, in accordance with Elder Evlogios' prophecy. A doctor, examining him, told him that he would live for another thirty years, but as soon as he reached 80, Fr George reposed in 1982.

For twenty years the cell remained uninhabited. In recent years it was restored by certain Greeks and Cypriots. For the maintenance of the Cell, there are sold in the Cell books, incense and CD's.

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