Know Thyself

By St. Nazarius of Valaam

Self-knowledge is needful; this is the knowledge of oneself and especially of the limitations of one’s talents, one’s failings, and lack of skill. From this it should result that we consider ourselves unworthy of any kind of position, and therefore that we do not desire any special positions, but rather accept what is placed upon us with fear and humility. He who knows himself pays no heed to the sins of others, but looks at his own and is always repenting over them; he reflects concerning himself, and condemns himself, and does not interfere in anything apart from his own position. He who is exercising himself in self-knowledge and has faith, does not trust his faith, does not cease to test it, in order to acquire a great and more perfect one, heeding the word of the Apostle: "Examine yourself, whether ye be in the faith" (II Cor. 13:5).

From Abbot Nazarius by Fr. Seraphim Rose, p. 88

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

The Old Calendarist Lie of Codex 772

Concerning Codex 772 [1]

by Elder Theoklitos Dionysiatis

One lie constituted the generative origins of the Old Calendarists which, to this day, weakens the mission of Orthodoxy with the influence of these schismatics towards simple Christians.

And which lie is this?

That during 1583 and 1593, two Local Synods under Patriarch Jeremiah II - which convened in order to condemn the all-daring overthrow of the First Ecumenical Synod’s ruling concerning the Feast of Holy Pascha under Papism - also condemned the calendar change.

And how was this lie created?

From a forgery which a premature zealot, Iakovos of New Skete, made in the handwritten codex of St. Panteleimon's Monastery (Mt. Athos), contained in number 772!

The sneaky zealots applied these so-called anathemas to intimidate and frighten the simple Christians and to support their schism upon this lie - just as all schisms are born from absurdities, forgeries, and frauds which trick the simple and unlearned.

The history of the Old Calendar schism is simple.

In short: After the end of World War I, in 1919, the Orthodox Empire of the East, for secular reasons, wanted to adapt the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian, which is thirteen days ahead. And in Greece, the government of that time started fermentations with respect to the Church, which declined to part from the Julian Calendar.

But the revolutionary government "rolling pin", despite the objection of the Church, proposed through Royal Edict, the consecration of a Revised Julian Calendar by thirteen days.

Thus, with the use of the two calendars, problems were created.

When the Church, in consultation with the Patriarchate and the Orthodox Churches, accepted the Revised Julian, March 10 of 1924 was called the 23rd; Pascha remaining untouched.

This is the entire history. The following year gave rise to disorder in the consciences. However, whoever had a mind remained calm with the explanation that was given, namely, Orthodoxy was not adulterated, neither in dogma nor in its traditions.

Again, whoever was dominated by mistrust and suspicions, along with their secret self-conceit, suffered from the "you don't persuade me even if you persuade me" mentality.

These people made an uproar that the Church fell into heresy. And thus the Old Calendarists were created. On the other hand, a multitude of schisms have existed before over nothing, just as the Old Calendarists.

On the Holy Mount Athos, after the torment of the problem, 5-6000 monastics came to the conclusion that the Orthodox Faith is not affected but, for various reasons, they would maintain the Old Calendar and they would not break off ecclesiastical relations with the Local Churches (that would have made the leap of 13 days), who were considered as equally Orthodox.

A sufficient number of monks became zealots outside of the monasteries and a few priest-monks went to the cities and proclaimed that the addition of thirteen days which the Church accepted is heresy. They did this without taking into consideration that the Church would not have accepted to innovate if the State did not previously innovate and thus provoke the confusion with the two calendars.

I write these things, in relation to the issue of the Holy Monastery of Esphigmenou, for those who ask me. I have already responded in a previous article. Here once again I repeat that the Holy Community respects the freedom of conscience of the zealots and tolerates them even though they are schismatic, and according to the Constitutional Charter it should banish them from Mount Athos. The case of the Monastery of Esphigmenou is different. The zealots of Esphigmenou could stay in Mount Athos, but not within the Institutions of the Holy Community. Either they agree with all the Holy Monasteries or they disagree, so since they are schismatic, they must leave by themselves.

Yesterday I received a letter from a friend of mine, who wrote to me that in an interview the "Spiritual Father" of the Monastery of Esphigmenou, on a state channel, said: "During the time of the Patriarch Athenagoras there were the fiery articles of the Venerable Father Theoklitos Dionysiatis. Now that these events happen, he remains silent."

I do not know him, I knew however his “predecessor” Efthymios, as I wrote in a previous article of mine in the newspaper Orthodoxos Typos. But in this case I am bound to answer to the question of the "Spiritual Father". Indeed, I used to write fiery articles which constituted a whole book about the papal statements of Athenagoras. Now what can I write? Now many ignorant people perceive the social type relationships and encounters with the papists as cooperation and co-prayers of the present Patriarch? Much has been said for Ravenna. If, despite the canons that only Orthodox should appear for Holy Communion, sometimes papists escaped attention and communed, does this mean that the Patriarch did that intentionally? We must be careful not to blame the leaders of the Church that they are Ecumenists because modern conditions lead to meetings and to some amenities and affability with the heterodox.

I would like them to see the very Orthodox Archbishop of Athens Chrysostomos II, who raised a true “war” against Athenagoras, address in the Metropolitan Church the Anglican Archbishop or to receive at the Church of the Armenians an honorable address from the Armenian clergyman. What would those people, who complain and blame Patriarch Bartholomew as an ecumenist, say? I read in Orthodoxos Typos and I also received the protest for the Monastery of Esphigmenou from five Christian unions, who are not followers of the Julian Calendar. Well, are they touched by the eventuality of being prosecuted by the Sacred Constitution (the zealots) and aren't they worried and sorry for the deception, that they are schismatic and that they expose the splendor of Orthodoxy? They want to believe that they are guardians of Orthodoxy, but then why don't they attend to the preservation of the truth from counterfeits, either deficiencies or excesses? Either the “Esphigmenites” are seduced and they must be helped so as to repent, or they are Orthodox, so those of the five unions should follow them in their morale. Would St. Mark Evgenikos and Palamas really protect them since they lacerate the Church? Do they know that Gregory Palamas recommended to the Venerable Fathers of the Monastery of Lavra not to have a common cenobitic life with Akindynos, because it showed some signs of deception? They should read, the ones of the five unions, my book "St. Gregory Palamas" and the offprint of the Archbishop of Athens Chrysostomos I "Control of Calendar Accusations”. And they should also read the doctorate dissertation of the present Archbishop of Athens [Christodoulos], in order to see that above the initial lie there were built a series of false and fraudulent ones, as Elder Gervasios Paraskevopoulos wrote to me.

I wrote it elsewhere, and I will repeat it. The predecessor of the current "Spiritual Father" Efthimios came to our Monastery, when there were the “Athenagorians” (people who agree with Athenagoras' point of view), which Kontoglou, Archbishop Chrystostomos and myself fought in 1965, and he was ordained Deacon and Priest renouncing his zealotism. Why? After five years he was once again a zealot. Why? When did he read that Athenagoras made papal statements? When he was ordained from an “Athenagorian” bishop didn't he know? And for five years he never commemorated him? This is what zealotism is all about!

The Russian Nikita Strouve, in his book Russia Today writes: “Something that Russia has nothing to feel jealous of America about is the approximately fifty sects which exist in Russian as O.O.C.!" Well, is this our sensitivity towards Orthodoxy? Instead of protesting in favor of the delusional ones, who as schismatics lose their soul, since the blood of martyrdom will not rinse the schism, it is wise to enlighten them to return to the Church of Christ abandoning their conventicles. And all this I adduced, because they ask me as being one of the elders of Mount Athos, who has seen many things.

1) Taken from Orthodox Typos, February 28, 2003.

Translated by John Sanidopoulos

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

The Translation of the Head of John the Baptist to Constantinople

By Sozomen (Ecclesiastical History, Bk. 7, Ch. 21)

About this time the head of John the Baptist, which Herodias had asked of Herod the tetrarch, was removed to Constantinople. It is said that it was discovered by some monks of the Macedonian heresy, who originally dwelt at Constantinople, and afterwards fixed their abode in Cilicia. Mardonius, the first eunuch of the palace, made known this discovery at court, during the preceding reign; and Valens commanded that the relic should be removed to Constantinople. The officers appointed to carry it there, placed it in a public chariot, and proceeded with it as far as Pantichium, a district in the territory of Chalcedon. Here the mules of the chariot suddenly stopped; and neither the application of the lash, nor the threats of the hostlers, could induce them to advance further. So extraordinary an event was considered by all, and even by the emperor himself, to be of God; and the holy head was therefore deposited at Cosilaos, a village in the neighborhood, which belonged to Mardonius.

Soon after, the Emperor Theodosius, impelled by an impulse from God, or from the prophet, repaired to the village. He determined upon removing the remains of the Baptist, and it is said met with no opposition, except from a holy virgin, Matrona, who had been the servant and guardian of the relic. He laid aside all authority and force, and after many entreaties, extorted a reluctant consent from her to remove the head; for she bore in mind what had occurred at the period when Valens commanded its removal. The emperor placed it, with the box in which it was encased, in his purple robe, and conveyed it to a place called Hebdomos, in the suburbs of Constantinople, where he erected a spacious and magnificent temple. The woman who had been appointed to the charge of the relic could not be persuaded by the emperor to renounce her religious sentiments, although he had recourse to entreaty and promises; for she was, it appears, of the Macedonian heresy.

A presbyter of the same tendency, named Vincent, who also took charge of the coffin of the prophet, and performed the sacerdotal functions over it, followed the religious opinions of the emperor, and entered into communion with the Catholic Church. He had taken an oath, as the Macedonians affirm, never to swerve from their doctrines; but he afterwards openly declared that, if the Baptist would follow the emperor, he also would enter into communion with him and be separated. He was a Persian, and had left his country in company with a relative named Addas, during the reign of Constantius, in order to avoid the persecution which the Christians were then suffering in Persia. On his arrival in the Roman territories, he was placed in the ranks of the clergy, and advanced to the office of presbyter. Addas married and rendered great service to the Church. He left a son named Auxentius, who was noted for his very faithful piety, his zeal for his friends, the moderation of his life, his love of letters, and the greatness of his attainments in pagan and ecclesiastical literature. He was modest and retiring in deportment, although admitted to familiarity with the emperor and the courtiers, and possessed of a very illustrious appointment. His memory is still revered by the monks and zealous men, who were all acquainted with him.

The woman who had been entrusted with the relic remained during the rest of her life at Cosilaos. She was greatly distinguished by her piety and wisdom, and instructed many holy virgins; and I have been assured that many still survive who reflect the honorable character which was the result of training under Matrona.

Source

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

Fire At Church of St. John the Forerunner in Argos

This morning at 6:30 AM a fire broke out within the Church of St. John the Forerunner on Gounari Road in Argos. It has been determined that the fire ignited from an air heater.

22 firefighters with 9 trucks were on the scene, even as far as Nafplion.

Much of the interior church has been consumed and the wooden roof has collapsed. The damage is irreversible and it is at risk of complete collapse.

The church is Byzantine and one of its precious relics, a deacon's outfit given by Catherine the Great of Russia, is also destroyed. It was built with the funds of the first ruler of Greece, John Kapodistrias, and it was the first Metropolitan church of Argos.

Metropolitan Iakovos of Argos says the church will be rebuilt.

Source

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

There Is Nothing Hidden Which Will Not Be Revealed

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

"For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed" (Mark 4:22).

All secret works of man will be revealed one day. None of man's works can be hidden. The Jews thought they could hide the slaying of so many prophets from God and that their bloody, nefarious deed against Christ would be able to be hidden from God and man. However, that which they thought to hide became a daily and nightly tale both in the heavens and on earth for thousands of years.

Judas thought to hide his traitorous agreement against his Lord, but the Lord discerned this agreement and declared it to his face. "Jesus said to him, 'Judas are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?'" (Luke 22:48).

The Lord also discerned the hearts of the Pharisees and read their evil thoughts. "Why do you think evil in your hearts?" (Matthew 9:4). What kind of works, what kind of things, what kind of events in this world can be hidden from Him Who sees and reveals even the most secret thoughts of the hearts of men?

"For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed." Because of this we need to be fearful; because of this we need to be rejoiceful. To be fearful - for all of our secret evil deeds, evil desires and evil thoughts will be brought out in the open. To be rejoiceful - for all the good, which we have committed, or desired or thought in secret, will be brought out in the open. If it is not brought out before men in the open, it will be brought out before the heavenly angels. The greater the fear for sinners, so much greater the joy for the righteous.

O Lord, Lover of mankind, forgive us our sins and do not make them known to our destruction and to the sorrow of Your holy angels. Amen.

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

Tsiknopempti - "Barbecue Thursday"

During Meatfare Week, which culminates on Meatfare Sunday, the goal of the Orthodox Christian household is to consume all the meat in their home in preparation for Cheesefare Week, during which we eat all the dairy products in our household to prepare for the strict forty day fast of Great Lent. Tsiknopempti is celebrated on Thursday because in the second week of the Triodion we fast on Wednesday and Friday, as opposed to the first week of the Triodion where it is a non-fasting week. It is the last day we can really eat whatever we want for nearly two months.

Tsikna is the smell of charred meat, and the word pempti means "Thursday" so the whole word Tsiknopempti loosely translates to "Barbecue Thursday," and is similar to Fat Thursday in other countries. This year, Tsiknopempti falls on Thursday, February 24th.

In the Greek tradition, Tsiknopempti (say: tseek-no-PEMP-tee) is a day celebrated with great gusto. City and town governments set up grills in central squares, musicians stroll around playing traditional instruments, and great quantities of roasted meats are consumed in the midst of the Carnival atmosphere. And it isn't only central squares in cities and towns that will be filled with the smell of fabulous meats cooking over hot coals - but backyard grills and fireplaces are fired up as well and the countryside fills with wonderful aromas. It is said that you cannot go anywhere in Athens today without smelling the aroma of meat.

To get a glimpse of a typical Tsiknopempti celebration, check out this brief YouTube video of Tsiknopempti in Kozani - a delightful city in northern Greece - here and here.

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

Elder Petroniu Tanase Has Reposed (1914 - 02/22/2011)

Elder Petroniu, hieromonk and spiritual father of the Skete of St. John the Forerunner on Mount Athos, passed away on 22 February 2011 at 3:30 PM. He was born on 23 May 1914 to his parents John and Anna. He was tonsured a monk in 1940. On two different occasions he was asked to be the Patriarch of Romania, but he rejected the office both times.

Fr. Petroniu was born in 1914 in Farcasa of Neamt county in Romania. His desire from a young age was to become a monk which led him to Neamt Monastery where he became a monk. Then he went to the Monastery Antim in Bucharest while he studied at the Theological School of Bucharest.

In 1978 he went to Mount Athos. Fr. Petroniu went there with second generation monks, sent by the Romanian Orthodox Patriarchate for the spiritual rebirth of the Skete of St. John the Forerunner.


Since 1984 he was the spiritual father and librarian of the Skete.

When Placide Desseille asked Father Makarios Simonopetritis to take him to an elder to hear a spiritual word, he along with Abbot Elissaio (Elisha) and other monks of the brotherhood took him to Father Petroniu.

When they asked Elder Adrian Fageteanu to say something about Elder Petroniu, he said: "Petroniu the Prodromiti? The most humble, most humble, most humble!"

Stepping foot on the Athonite land of the Skete of the Forerunner, Nikolai Baltsiout wrote: "Father Petroniu is so loved that he advises both the Greek and Romanian monks."

Fr. Ioannikios from the Monastery of Simonos Petra would say: "Father Petroniu Prodromitis combines perfect love with asceticism and gentleness. Until a few years ago the elder was standing in vigil through the whole night. To sit for a little while kneeling was a blessing."

Looking to find something else to write I remembered what was written two years ago in the Orthodox magazine Lumea Monahilor by George Crasnean: "I showed my wife 3217 pictures of Athonite monks and asked who she thought was a 'good man'. Of all she chose Fr. Petroniu perhaps because his eyes 'betrayed' his unique soul."

None of those who crossed the threshold of the Skete of St. John the Forerunner can forget the light which beamed from his face and the spiritual words which he offered seated on a bench under the light of sunrise or sunset.

"I like to walk, this is my joy, because many Holy Fathers sanctified these stones with their sweat", said the Elder. Walking in the footsteps of these fathers, you feel the joy of community and unceasing prayer.

May God grant him rest.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos

See also:

Video: A Conversation With Romanian Elder Petroniu Tanase

Părintele Petroniu Tănase

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

Latin America: Peoples in Search of Orthodoxy

by His Eminence Metropolitan Athenagoras of Mexico

Thirteen years ago, when I undertook the (then newly-established) Holy Metropolis of Mexico with only three priests and three mainly Greek-speaking communities, in Mexico, Panama and Venezuela, I would never have expected, let alone conceive the miracle that is unfolding today for our Orthodox Church in Latin America.

We all lived the miracle of Cuba, when Fidel Castro's government undertook the construction of the Sacred Temple of Saint Nicholas in Havana and officially received Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who officiated the inauguration of that Holy shrine in January of 2004. In the decade that passed, we experienced the propagating of our faith in the states of Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, etc... just as we experienced - and continue to experience - the continuing drama of the people of Haiti, after the catastrophic earthquake of last January. A drama which unfortunately will heal, only after several years have passed.


Greece became acquainted with Christianity and lived its own Pentecost around two thousand years ago, through the Apostle Paul and the other Apostles. Greece is the most blessed country in the world. And this is because - as I point out to our priests - whichever stone you lift, underneath it you will find the relics of a Saint, a Martyr, a holy man, a fighter for the Orthodox faith... We, however, in Latin America are living our Pentecost today. For us - with the exception of the few Greek Orthodox Communities - Orthodoxy has only just arrived in Latin America.

I recall six years ago, when our Ecumenical Patriarch visited Cuba to officiate in the inauguration of the Holy Temple of Saint Nicholas, there were only four Orthodox Cubans, whereas now, more than one thousand Cuban families have been baptized and have embraced Orthodoxy. And every day, there are more - many more - who seek to acquaint themselves with the Faith of our Fathers. Six years ago, with the inauguration of Saint Nicholas' church, the first Orthodox Community in the land began to function. Now, with the grace of God and the untiring labours of our five priests (one Colombian and four Cuban), some very significant and impressive missionary work is under way in three other cities of this Land. And this, in spite of unfavourable and financially difficult conditions. At this very moment that I am writing, the Hierarchal Commissioner of Cuba, fr. Athenagoras, is in Greece trying to secure vestments and cassocks and chalices for our needs there. Even though the Cubans have given us the exceptional privilege of acquiring our own property (something that is not permitted by their Constitution), unfortunately, there are no funds for us to purchase a suitable building with the necessary thirty-five thousand Euros, to convert it into a Temple for the worshipping needs of the neophytes. We are hoping for God's grace and are praying for a donor to be found.


When I visited President Fidel Castro seven years ago, to obtain the official invitation with which he was inviting the Ecumenical Patriarch to visit Cuba, I thanked him for that courteous and hospitable gesture of his. I will never forget his response: "No, Your Eminence, the people of Cuba thank you and the Ecumenical Patriarch, for bringing Orthodoxy to our country."

Cuba, indeed, is "ours". Haiti is "ours", Mexico, Costa Rica, Santo Domingo and Colombia, where now, thanks to a lady donor of the Missionary Association "Saint Kosmas the Aetolian", the first Holy Temple is being erected in the city of Cúcuta of Colombia, in honour of the Supreme Archangels. And now, another miracle: Guatemala....


As in the eras of persecutions, when Christians used to live in catacombs in anticipation of the day they could freely worship the Triadic God, so it is with us here, in all of the countries of Central and South America; for entire decades, innumerable groups of people - who had abandoned the Roman Catholic church - were waiting for the embrace of Orthodoxy. One such large group in Guatemala knocked on the door of our Metropolis several months ago, asking us to accept them in the bosom of the true Church. I didn't know them. I didn't even know they existed. And indeed, in this vast region of the twenty states under the jurisdiction of the Holy Metropolis of Mexico it is impossible to know everyone. However, twenty years ago, they had established their own (anti-canonical) Orthodox Church, naturally without knowing full well what they had done, and had endeavoured to survive. They lived incorrectly, in their own particular manner, an "orthodox" worshipping life. They knew and they desired Orthodoxy. They knew that our Church has the true faith - that they had a right to Orthodox teaching and its way of life. They believed that only there would they find the Saviour and Redeemer Christ. So, for twenty years. they walked along a path with the hope that they would eventually reach the truth. Knowing also that it was imperative to commemorate a Bishop in all of their liturgies, during the last ten years they would commemorate our Ecumenical Patriarch.


Twenty years later came the "fullness of time". After searching, they learnt a few months ago that in Mexico there is a canonical Metropolitan and a Metropolis of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. They found me, and they knocked on my door, asking me to receive them. I sent two priests to go and meet them so that we could determine who they are and if their request is serious and valid. I was stunned. It was a "group" of more than 500.000 people, with 338 churches and chapels, most of whom were natives of Guatemala - and in fact of the ancient race of Mayans! They live in the mountains and the vast plains of the land and even in the southern cities of Mexico. I crossed myself and gave thanks to the Holy Mother for that miracle. I fully understood now what the great byzantinologist and historian of the previous century - Steven Runciman - meant, when he wrote that "the third millennium belongs to Orthodoxy". Now I also understand the words of a noble Mexican, a University Professor and a faithful member of our Church, when he said to me: "Your Eminence, Orthodoxy is like a shoe that fits us Latin Americans, provided you know how to put it on us."

So I accepted that group and as a first step, I ordained the two leaders of the group. Now begins the long road of catechism for the hundreds of thousands of those people. It will require several years and a lot of hard work - but a blessed work - to teach those new faithful of ours what the Orthodox way of life involves, and how each of us experiences his own path towards Calgary, which leads to one's personal Resurrection. By training suitable indigenous clergymen, they will learn to live the worshipful life of the Orthodox Church and, after being baptized and receiving Holy Chrismation, to receive the Immaculate and Sacred Mysteries (Sacraments) - the Body and Blood of our Lord and Redeemer Christ.

You must realize however, that for all this project that is now unfolding before us, we need your help. We need the necessary financial means to send our own priests to Guatemala, to instruct the catechist teachers there how to catechize the faithful. The financial means are necessary, in order to print hundreds of thousands of catechist texts, for children and for adults. In the meantime, many of those people are illiterate. Money is also needed, to prepare videotapes in Spanish, and even in the local dialect of the Mayans, so that they might familiarize themselves with the Divine Liturgy, the Baptism, the Chrismation and all the Services of our Church.


Can you imagine what this means for Orthodoxy? And this is just the beginning. The struggle has only just begun. We truly "own" Latin America. The third millennium truly belongs to Orthodoxy. With the meagre means at our disposal, but with the wide-open, vast and endless Grace and presence of the Holy Spirit, we will continue with our endeavours.

We do however ask for your support. As I outlined above, we need a donation of thirty-five thousand Euros for the purchase of the property in Cuba, where we will establish a Temple and areas for the congregating and the catechizing of the faithful. We will also need another donation of twenty-five thousand Euros, in order to begin catechizing the new faithful of Guatemala: to print catechism texts, prepare videotapes of Divine Services and to send suitable priests of ours to that Land, in order to undertake this very important work.

It is our belief that the Missionary Association "Saint Kosmas of Aetolia", which has been the main support of our labours and our endeavours all these years, as well as all you pious donors and the members of the Association, will support us in this new venture that God has placed before us.

The Lord God lives, for all eternity!

With wishes and infinite thanks
† Athenagoras of Mexico

Source

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

Egyptian Armed Forces Demolish Fences Guarding Coptic Monasteries

Mary Abdelmassih
February 23, 2011
AINA

Egyptian armed forces this week demolished fences surrounding ancient Coptic monasteries, leaving them vulnerable to attacks by armed Arabs, robbers and escaped prisoners, who have seized the opportunity of the state of diminished protection by the authorities in Egypt to carry out assaults and thefts.

"Three monasteries have been attacked by outlaws and have asked for protection from the armed forces, but were told to defend themselves." said activist Mark Ebeid. "When the terrified monks built fences to protect themselves, armed forces appeared only then with bulldozers to demolish the fences. It is worth noting that these monasteries are among the most ancient in Egypt, with valuable Coptic icons and manuscripts among others, which are of tremendous value to collectors."

On Sunday February 20, armed forced stormed the 4th century old monastery of St. Boula in the Red Sea area, assaulted three monks and then demolished a small fence supporting a gate leading to the fenceless monastery. "The idea of the erection of the gate was prompted after being attacked at midnight on February 13 by five prisoners who broke out from their prisons," said Father Botros Anba Boula, "and were armed with a pistol and batons. The monks ran after them but they fled to the surrounding mountains except for one who stumbled and was apprehended and held by the monks until the police picked him up three days later."

Father Botros said after this incident they thought the best solution to secure the monastery was to erect a gate with a small fence of 40 meters long at the entrance of a long wiry road leading to the monastery, which would be guarded day and night by the monks, and advised the army of their plan. According to Father Boulos, the army came with armored vehicles to demolish the gate, but it was agreed the monastery itself would undertake the demolition of the gate in stages as army protection is reinstated. "We told the Colonel it would look ugly to the outside world if Egyptian army is demolishing a gate erected for the protection of the unarmed monks under the present absence of security forces. We gave them full hospitality but we had a feeling that they wanted to demolish the gate in a 'devious' way."

On Saturday morning, seeing that only three old monks were guarding the gate, the army returned. "When the army found that very few monks were present the soldiers, who were hiding in military vans, came out," said Father Botros, "bound the three monks, threw them to the ground and confiscated their mobile phones so as not to photograph the incident."

The monks were set free after the gate and the 40 meter fence were demolished." Only four soldiers were left to guard the huge monastery.

"The army was here not to protect the monastery as they claimed, but to carry out their agenda of demolishing the gate" said Father Botros to activist Ramy Kamel of 'Theban Legion' Coptic advocacy. "By removing the gate and the supporting small fence, the army is giving a message of encouragement to any thief or thug to break into the monastery."

On February 21, armed forces demolished the fence surrounding the 5th century old Monastery of St. Bishoy in Wadi al-Natroun in the western desert.

Father Bemwa Anba Bishoy said that after the January 25th Uprising, all the government security forces that were guarding the monastery fled and left the monastery unguarded. He said they were attacked by prisoners who were at large after escaping from prisons during that period.

"We contacted state security and they said there was no police available for protection," Said Father Bemwa,"So we called the Egyptian TV dozens of times to appeal for help and then we were put in touch with the military personnel who told us to protect ourselves until they reach us." He added that the monks have built a low fence on the borders of one side of the monastery which is vulnerable to attacks, on land which belongs to the monastery, with the monks and monastery laborers keeping watch over it 24 hours a day.

Although security officials welcomed this step., a fanatical Muslim officer at the district police headquarters named Abdo Ibrahim incited the Muslims in the neighborhood, but when the circumstances were explained to them and that the fence also secures the nearby mosque, they agreed. "Ibrahim then incited the army against us, so they came with heavy equipment and armored vehicles, insulted the monks, demolished the fence and left," said Father Bemwa. "Now the monks are left in the open, vulnerable to attacks from prisoners who are still at large or Muslim fanatics" (video demolished fence).

In a related incident, Father Boulos, a monk at the Monastery of Abu Magar, also called St. Makarios of Alexandria in Wady el-Rayan, Fayoum, said that on February 21 armed forces stormed the monastery and wanted to demolish its fence and gate. He explained that after the security vacuum during the January uprising, the Monastery was attacked by thugs and Arabs armed with automatic weapons, leading to the injury of six monks, including one monk in critical condition who is still hospitalized.

"The perpetrators took advantage of the fact that the monastery is a nature reserve and has no fence for protection. After the incident we have built a fence around the monastery to protect it, but the environmental agency rejected it and sent for the security forces and the army to remove the fence." He added that they were given 48 hours by the authorities to demolish the one-meter high fence, otherwise the army would be back to destroy it.

"If no authority is in a position to protect us," said Father Boulos, "then let us do it ourselves, the way we see fit."

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

Hieromartyr Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna

St. Polycarp of Smyrna (Feast Day - February 23)

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

Polycarp, this great apostolic man, was born a pagan. St. John the Theologian converted him to the Faith of Christ and baptized him. In his childhood, Polycarp became an orphan and according to a vision in a dream Callista, a noble widow, took him as her own son, raised and educated him.

From his childhood Polycarp was devout and compassionate. He strove to emulate the life of St. Bucolus, then the Bishop of Smyrna, as well as the Holy Apostles John and Paul, whom he knew and heard. St. Bucolus ordained him a presbyter and before his death, Bucolus designated him as his successor in Smyrna. The apostolic bishops, who gathered at the funeral of Bucolus, consecrated Polycarp as bishop.

From the very beginning, Polycarp was gifted with the power of working miracles. He expelled an evil spirit from the servant of a prince and through prayer stopped a terrible fire in Smyrna. Upon seeing this, many pagans regarded Polycarp as one of the gods. He brought down rain in times of drought, healed illnesses, discerned, prophesied and so forth. He suffered during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius.

Three days before his death, St. Polycarp prophesized: "In three days, I will be burned in fire for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ!" And on the third day when the soldiers arrested him and brought him to trial, he cried out: "Let this be the will of the Lord my God." When the judge counseled him to deny Christ and to acknowledge the Roman gods, Polycarp said: "I cannot exchange the better for the worse!" The Jews especially hated Polycarp and endeavored to have Polycarp burned alive. When they placed him bound at the stake, he prayed to God for a long while. He was very old, grey and radiant as an angel. The people witnessed how the flame encircled him but did not touch him. Frightened by such a phenomenon, the pagan judges ordered the executioner to pierce him with a lance through the fire. When he was pierced, so much blood flowed from him that the entire fire was extinguished, and his body remained whole and unburned. At the persuasion of the Jews, the judge ordered Polycarp's lifeless body be incinerated according to the custom of the Hellenes. So the evil ones burned the dead body of the lifeless one whom they could not burn while alive.

St. Polycarp suffered on Great and Holy Saturday in the year 167 A.D.

St. Polycarp On the Avaricious Priest Valentine

St. Polycarp writes the following to the Philippians about a priest Valentine who fell into the sin of avarice and secretly hid money belonging to the church: "I was deeply saddened because of Valentine who, at one time, was a presbyter among us, who had forgotten the rank [the priesthood] bestowed upon him. That is why I beg you, beware of greed and remain pure and just. Restrain yourself from every vice. He who cannot restrain himself, how will he be able to teach others restraint. He who submits to avarice pollutes himself with idolatry and numbers himself among the ranks of pagans. Who is not aware of God's judgement? As Paul teaches: 'Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?' (1 Corinthians 6:2). In other words, I have not noticed anything similar among you neither have I heard anything among you; among those whom Blessed Paul lived a life of asceticism and about whom he speaks with praise at the beginning of his Epistle to the Philippians. He boasts of you throughout the churches, which, at that time, knew God, and we did not yet know him, [i.e., Polycarp and the inhabitants of Smyrna]. Brethren, that is why I am very saddened because of Valentine and his wife. May God grant them true repentance. 'And you, be prudent in that and `not count him as an enemy' (2 Thessalonians 3:15), but endeavor to correct them as suffering and prodigal members, that your entire body be sound. Acting thusly, you build yourselves up." Thus, the saints dealt with sinners: cautiously and compassionately; cautiously to prevent others from a similar sin and compassionately in order to correct and save sinners.


Read also:

St. Irenaeus of Lyons: On St. Polycarp of Smyrna

Saint Polycarp, the Friend of the Apostles

The Right Hand of Saint Polycarp of Smyrna


HYMN OF PRAISE: SAINT POLYCARP

His holy ones, God preserves
That until their appointed time, they do not perish,
Until they complete their task, they perish not.
The Elder Polycarp and saint of God
With his deacon, journeyed,
In a road inn, spent the night.
The Elder prays while the deacon sleeps.
Until an angel of God appeared to the Elder
And commanded that they immediately arise,
And from this road inn to depart,
For the inn is soon to be destroyed.
The young deacon, the Elder awakes,
But the deacon fatigued, slept on.
In that, the angel appeared again,
And again, the same warning gave,
Again, the Elder, his deacon awakes,
But, a heavy sleep, the deacon, overpowered
One moment he awakes, the next moment he is drowned in sleep.
And a third time, the angel appeared,
And a warning he issues for the third time.
That this was not a deceit, the Elder perceived,
But a warning from God, verily.
The saint jumped and the deacon he lifted,
And from the road inn, walked out.
And as soon as they walked out from the inn,
To the foundation, the entire house was destroyed,
All who were in it perished
Because of certain kinds of secret transgressions.
With fright, the young deacon was filled,
But in prayer, the saint was silent.
To the Most High God, they offered thanks,
They continued their way, under the stars.

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
As a sharer of the ways and a successor to the throne of the Apostles, O inspired of God, thou foundest discipline to be a means of ascent to divine vision. Wherefore, having rightly divided the word of truth, thou didst also contest for the Faith even unto blood, O Hieromartyr Polycarp. Intercede with Christ our God that our souls be saved.

Kontakion in the First Tone
Through godly virtues, thou broughtest forth for the Lord God much spiritual fruit, O thou most blessed Hierarch, and so didst prove worthy of God thy Lord, O wise Polycarp. Wherefore, on this day we who have all been enlightened through thy holy words extol thy praiseworthy mem'ry and glorify Christ the Lord.

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

St. Irenaeus of Lyons: On St. Polycarp of Smyrna

The first extract is from an epistle of St. Irenaeus to his friend Florinus, a presbyter who had lapsed into the heresy of Valentianism. Florinus had held that God was the author of evil, which sentiment Irenaius opposed. He helps Florinus recall St. Polycarp's teachings, whom they both knew and were taught by.

These opinions, Florinus, that I may speak in mild terms, are not of sound doctrine; these opinions are not consonant to the Church, and involve their votaries in the utmost impiety; these opinions, even the heretics beyond the Church's pale have never ventured to broach; these opinions, those presbyters who preceded us, and who were conversant with the apostles, did not hand down to you. For, while I was yet a boy, I saw you in Lower Asia with Polycarp, distinguishing yourself in the royal court, and endeavouring to gain his approbation. For I have a more vivid recollection of what occurred at that time than of recent events (inasmuch as the experiences of childhood, keeping pace with the growth of the soul, become incorporated with it); so that I can even describe the place where the blessed Polycarp used to sit and discourse— his going out, too, and his coming in— his general mode of life and personal appearance, together with the discourses which he delivered to the people; also how he would speak of his familiar intercourse with John, and with the rest of those who had seen the Lord; and how he would call their words to remembrance. Whatsoever things he had heard from them respecting the Lord, both with regard to His miracles and His teaching, Polycarp having thus received [information] from the eye-witnesses of the Word of life, would recount them all in harmony with the Scriptures. These things, through, God's mercy which was upon me, I then listened to attentively, and treasured them up not on paper, but in my heart; and I am continually, by God's grace, revolving these things accurately in my mind. And I can bear witness before God, that if that blessed and presbyter had heard any such thing, he would have cried out, and stopped his ears, exclaiming as he was wont to do: “O good God, for what times have You reserved me, that I should endure these things?” And he would have fled from the very spot where, sitting or standing, he had heard such words. This fact, too, can be made clear, from his Epistles which he dispatched, whether to the neighbouring Churches to confirm them, or to certain of the brethren, admonishing and exhorting them.

Source

St. Irenaeus also brings up St. Polycarp as a preacher of ecclesiastical unity who showed by his example that the various customs of the churches throughout the world should not be divisive and provoke controversies, but should be a way of expressing a unity in diversity.

The Asiatic Christians differed from the rest of the Church in their manner of observing Easter. While the other Churches kept the feast on a Sunday, the Asiatics celebrated it on the 14th of Nisan, whatever day of the week this might fall on. Pope Victor tried to establish uniformity, and when the Asiatic Churches refused to comply, excommunicated them. St. Irenaeus remonstrated with Pope Victor in a letter, in which he particularly contrasted the moderation displayed in regard to Polycarp by Pope Anicetus with the conduct of Victor.

For the controversy is not merely as regards the day, but also as regards the form itself of the fast. For some consider themselves bound to fast one day, others two days, others still more, while others [do so during] forty: the diurnal and the nocturnal hours they measure out together as their [fasting] day. And this variety among the observers [of the fasts] had not its origin in our time, but long before in that of our predecessors, some of whom probably, being not very accurate in their observance of it, handed down to posterity the custom as it had, through simplicity or private fancy, been [introduced among them]. And yet nevertheless all these lived in peace one with another, and we also keep peace together. Thus, in fact, the difference [in observing] the fast establishes the harmony of [our common] faith. And the presbyters preceding Soter in the government of the Church which you now rule— I mean, Anicetus and Pius, Hyginus and Telesphorus, and Sixtus— did neither themselves observe it [after that fashion], nor permit those with them to do so. Notwithstanding this, those who did not keep [the feast in this way] were peacefully disposed towards those who came to them from other dioceses in which it was [so] observed although such observance was [felt] in more decided contrariety [as presented] to those who did not fall in with it; and none were ever cast out [of the Church] for this matter. On the contrary, those presbyters who preceded you, and who did not observe [this custom], sent the Eucharist to those of other dioceses who did observe it. And when the blessed Polycarp was sojourning in Rome in the time of Anicetus, although a slight controversy had arisen among them as to certain other points, they were at once well inclined towards each other [with regard to the matter in hand], not willing that any quarrel should arise between them upon this head. For neither could Anicetus persuade Polycarp to forego the observance [in his own way], inasmuch as these things had been always [so] observed by John the disciple of our Lord, and by other apostles with whom he had been conversant; nor, on the other hand, could Polycarp succeed in persuading Anicetus to keep [the observance in his way], for he maintained that he was bound to adhere to the usage of the presbyters who preceded him. And in this state of affairs they held fellowship with each other; and Anicetus conceded to Polycarp in the Church the celebration of the Eucharist, by way of showing him respect; so that they parted in peace one from the other, maintaining peace with the whole Church, both those who did observe [this custom] and those who did not.

Source

In Against Heresies (Book V, Chapter 33) St. Irenaeus shows us that St. Polycarp with St. Papias were both disciples of the Apostle John.

And these things are borne witness to in writing by Papias, the hearer of John, and a companion of Polycarp, in his fourth book; for there were five books compiled (συντεταγμένα) by him.

Source

We now come to the passage in St. Irenaeus (Adv. Haer., III,3) which brings out in fullest relief St. Polycarp's position as a link with the past. Just as St. John's long life lengthened out the Apostolic Age, so did the four score and six years of Polycarp extend the sub-Apostolic Age, during which it was possible to learn by word of mouth what the Apostles taught from those who had been their hearers. In Rome the Apostolic Age ended about A.D. 67 with the martyrdom of St. Peter and St. Paul, and the sub-Apostolic Age about a quarter of a century later when St. Clement, "who had seen the blessed Apostles", died. In Asia the Apostolic Age lingered on till St. John died about A.D. 100; and the sub-Apostolic Age till 155, when St. Polycarp was martyred. In the third book of his treatise "Against Heresies", St. Irenæus makes his celebrated appeal to the "successions" of the bishops in all the Churches. He is arguing against heretics who professed to have a kind of esoteric tradition derived from the Apostles. To whom, demands St. Irenæus, would the Apostles be more likely to commit hidden mysteries than to the bishops to whom they entrusted their churches? In order then to know what the Apostles taught, we must have recourse to the "successions" of bishops throughout the world.

But Polycarp also was not only instructed by apostles, and conversed with many who had seen Christ, but was also, by apostles in Asia, appointed bishop of the Church in Smyrna, whom I also saw in my early youth, for he tarried [on earth] a very long time, and, when a very old man, gloriously and most nobly suffering martyrdom, departed this life, having always taught the things which he had learned from the apostles, and which the Church has handed down, and which alone are true. To these things all the Asiatic Churches testify, as do also those men who have succeeded Polycarp down to the present time, — a man who was of much greater weight, and a more steadfast witness of truth, than Valentinus, and Marcion, and the rest of the heretics. He it was who, coming to Rome in the time of Anicetus caused many to turn away from the aforesaid heretics to the Church of God, proclaiming that he had received this one and sole truth from the apostles—that, namely, which is handed down by the Church. There are also those who heard from him that John, the disciple of the Lord, going to bathe at Ephesus, and perceiving Cerinthus within, rushed out of the bath-house without bathing, exclaiming, “Let us fly, lest even the bath-house fall down, because Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is within.” And Polycarp himself replied to Marcion, who met him on one occasion, and said, “Do you know me?” “I do know you, the first-born of Satan.” Such was the horror which the apostles and their disciples had against holding even verbal communication with any corrupters of the truth; as Paul also says, “A man that is an heretic, after the first and second admonition, reject; knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sins, being condemned of himself” (Titus 3:10). There is also a very powerful Epistle of Polycarp written to the Philippians, from which those who choose to do so, and are anxious about their salvation, can learn the character of his faith, and the preaching of the truth. Then, again, the Church in Ephesus, founded by Paul, and having John remaining among them permanently until the times of Trajan, is a true witness of the tradition of the apostles.

Source

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

Is the World Really Running Out of Food, Water and Oil?

Michael Snyder
February 22, 2011
Pravda.ru

Everywhere you look today the mainstream news is talking about shortages. Authorities all over the globe are boldly proclaiming that the world is rapidly running out of food, water and oil. So are these doomsayers right? Well, it must be noted that some of the most famous "prophets of doom" of the past several decades have seen their predictions fail spectacularly. For example, in his infamous 1968 book entitled "The Population Bomb", Paul Ehrlich made the following statement: "I don't see how India could possibly feed two hundred million more people by 1980." Well, India is now feeding well over twice the number of people than they had when Ehrlich originally wrote his book. But that doesn't mean that major shortages won't happen in the future. It just means that we should be careful not to look incredibly ridiculous like Ehrlich did. The truth is that there are good reasons why we should be watching global supplies of food, water and oil very closely. Life as we know it would cease to exist if we had severe shortages of any of them.
So will we actually be facing serious shortages of food, water or oil in the coming years?

Well, let's take a look at oil first.

Oil Shortage?

Right now oil is absolutely essential to almost everything that we do. We require oil to drive our cars, we require oil to produce our food, a large percentage of our homes use energy that is derived from oil and most of what we buy at the stores comes in packaging that is made up at least partly of oil.

So if we run out of oil that is going to be a really huge deal.

So are we going to run out of oil?

Well, right now advocates of the "peak oil" hypothesis are getting a lot of attention in the mainstream media.

Basically the idea behind "peak oil" is that the world has reached (or almost reached) the maximum amount of oil that it can produce and that from here on out the amount of oil that will be produced will begin to decline. Meanwhile, the demand for oil is only going to continue to increase.

So is there evidence that this is actually happening?

Well, it depends on who you ask. But what is undeniable is that there are some very powerful interests that are doing their best to hype a coming oil shortage.

In recently released report entitled "Signals & Signposts", Shell Oil warns that global demand for energy is going to be three times as large in 2050 as it was in 2000.

So where will all of that extra energy come from?

Can the world possibly produce two or three times as much oil as it does today?

The Shell Oil report forecasts that the global supply of oil will continue to rise but that the rise in supply will not be fast enough to keep up with the rise in demand. According to Shell, this is going to cause rapidly rising oil prices which will cause the gross domestic products of all nations to fall.

So just how high could oil prices go?

Well, the truth is that the price of oil is very highly manipulated. The market for oil is not exactly what you would call a "free market".

However, it is alarming that almost everyone is forecasting much higher oil prices at this point.

For example, Weeden & Co. oil analyst Charles Maxwell recently stated that he believes that the price of oil will eventually hit $300 a barrel by the end of this decade.

If that were to happen, it would be absolutely disastrous for the global economy. Yeah, those in the oil industry would make a killing, but for the rest of the world it would be a complete and utter nightmare.

Unfortunately, what most Americans don't understand is that there are lots of alternative energy technologies out there that have been repressed by the big oil companies and by the big oil producing nations because they threaten hundreds of billions of dollars in profits.

For example, did you know that it is possible to run a car entirely on water? One Japanese company hopes to start mass marketing them....

But I wouldn't count on seeing water-powered cars sold on every street corner any time soon. Why? Because of greed.

Our entire system of energy is based on making as much money as possible for those who have all the oil.

So if the world has a shortage of energy in the coming years, it is not because that is how it inevitably had to be.

Rather, it will be all about pure, unadulterated greed.

There are plenty of alternative energy technologies out there that are incredibly promising, but those that are getting incredibly wealthy off of our oil-based society are not going to quietly step aside for the good of mankind.

Food Shortage?

So what about food?

Is the world running out of food?

Well, as we have seen so many times in the past, the earth can support far more people than most of the "experts" ever imagined.

In fact, if weather patterns were perfectly stable and we removed human greed out of the picture, the earth could most likely support a whole lot more people.

Unfortunately, weather patterns are becoming increasingly bizarre and human greed is always a problem.

In particular, this year extreme weather all over the globe is causing many to be concerned that we may soon see some very serious foodshortages. In Australia and Brazil, flooding of Biblical proportions has absolutely devastated crops. Some of China's most important agricultural areas are experiencing the worst droughts that they have seen in 200 years. Authorities are warning that two-thirds of China's wheat crop could be in danger. A recent cold snap that hit northern Mexico wiped out entire harvests and has sent prices for many fresh produce items in the United States soaring.

But these bizarre weather patterns will hopefully settle down eventually.

What is of even greater concern is that we have been seeing a long-term trend of rapidly rising food prices over the last couple of years that is putting an extreme amount of strain on the 3 billion people in the world that are trying to survive on the equivalent of 2 dollars or less per day.

Most Americans can still handle rising food prices, but for millions upon millions of poor people all over the world a significant increase in the cost of food can mean the difference between life and death.

That is why the sudden rise in price of so many agricultural commodities is so disturbing. Just consider some of the shocking price increases that we have seen over the past year or two....

*The price of corn has doubled over the last six months and recently hit a new all-time high.

*The price of wheat has more than doubled over the past year and hit a 30-month high on Monday.

*The price of soybeans is up about 50% since last June.

*The price of cotton has more than doubled over the past year.

*The commodity price of orange juice has doubled since 2009.

*The price of sugar is the highest it has been in 30 years.

If prices continue to go up like this we are going to see a lot more food riots all over the globe.

But perhaps that is what those in positions of power actually want. The truth is that the global elite don't always have the best interests of the rest of us at heart.

Water Shortage?

So what about water?

Is the world running out of water?

Well, yes, many areas of the world are rapidly running out of fresh water and this is perhaps one of the biggest problems we are facing.

Without oil, most of us could survive for quite some time.

Without food, most of us could survive for a number of weeks.

Without water, most of us would die within a matter of days.

Fortunately North America still has a decent supply of fresh water, but as I have written about previously, in many areas of the globe the situation is quickly becoming absolutely dire....

*Worldwide demand for fresh water tripled during the last century, and is now doubling every 21 years.

*According to USAID, one-third of all humans will face severe or chronic water shortages by the year 2025.

*Of the 60 million people added to the world's cities every year, the vast majority of them live in impoverished slums and shanty-towns with no sanitation facilities whatsoever.

*It is estimated that 75 percent of India's surface water is now contaminated by human and agricultural waste.

*Not only that, but according to a UN study on sanitation, far more people in India have access to a mobile phone than to a toilet.

*In northern China, the water table is dropping one meter per year due to overpumping.

*But there are few places where the water shortage is as severe as it is in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia had been producing enough wheat to be self-sufficient for most of the past 30 years, but in 2008 authorities there realized that the non-replenishable aquifer they had been pumping for irrigation purposes was nearly depleted. So in response Saudi Arabia made the decision to reduce their wheat harvest by one-eighth every year thereafter. Wheat production in Saudi Arabia is scheduled to cease entirely in 2016.

In some of the most populated areas of the planet the water situation can only be described as catastrophic.

For example, did you know that a new desert the size of Rhode Island is created in China because of drought every single year?

Did you know that in China 80% of the major rivers are so polluted that they don't support aquatic life at all?

Did you know that the women of South Africa collectively walk the equivalent distance to the moon and back 16 times a day for water?

Thankfully the water situation in the United States has not gotten that bad yet, but the truth is that even we could be facing serious water shortages in the years ahead.

According to a recent report released by the Natural Resources Defense Council, more than one-third of all counties in the lower 48 states will likely be facing very serious water shortages by the year 2050.

So, yes, there are some really good reasons to be concerned about earth's dwindling resources.

If the global elite were not so incredibly greedy and if we managed our planet better we would not have problems to this degree.

But here we are.

So what is the solution?

Well, it would be really great if the global elite would just share some of their wealth. A study by the World Institute for Development Economics Research discovered that the bottom half of the world population owns approximately 1 percent of all global wealth.

But the global elite aren't about to change the rules of the global economy. After all, they spent a whole lot of time and effort rigging the game so that virtually all wealth eventually gets funneled into their hands.

Rather, most among the global elite seem to believe that radical population control is the answer.

After all, they argue, if there are half as many people around then we will only be using half as many resources, right?

Well, as alluring as that may sound, the truth is that the world has always had a huge problem with poverty. Even when the global population was down around 100 million people there was rampant poverty.

The number of people is not the problem.

The problem is the insatiable greed of the elite.

The global elite have systematically exploited the poor all over the planet, they have gobbled up the resources of the world wherever they have found them and now they are hoarding their wealth as millions upon millions suffer desperately.

Well, in the end the global elite will have to answer to a higher power. In the book of James it talks about those who hoard wealth on this earth....

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.

According to the most recent "Global Wealth Report" by Credit Suisse, the wealthiest 0.5% control over 35% of the wealth of the world.

That qualifies as hoarding wealth.

Other estimates put the concentration of wealth at the very top of the food chain much higher than that.

But sadly, the problem of greed is not going to be solved any time soon.

Global supplies of food and fresh water are going to continue to diminish.

The world economy is going to continue to become increasingly unstable.

If it was always your desire to live in "interesting times", then you are about to get your wish. Things are about to get extremely "interesting" on this planet.

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

A Sign At Agathonos Monastery in Ypati, Greece

It says: "Ζω τόσα χρόνια σ`αυτό τον κόσμο και δε γνώρισα ούτε ένα κακό άνθρωπο παρά μόνο τον εαυτό μου".

Translated it says: "I have lived so many years in this world, yet I have never met any evil person except for myself alone."

The source of this quote appears to be an anonymous "Ascetic".

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

The Afflicted Should Be Guided Slowly To Repentance

From the Gerontikon:

A brother fell to temptation; that is, to sin. So great was the sorrow that he suffered, that he abandoned his monastic rule. And though he wanted in principle to repent, he was impeded from so doing by his sorrow, saying within himself: "How can I restore myself to what I was before?" Being thus remiss and negligent, he did not have the power to take up his monastic work.

So, he visited an Elder and confessed all that had befallen him.

The Elder, on listening to the matters which were tormenting the monk, related the following example to him in the form of an instructive parable:

A man, he began by saying, had a field. On account of his neglect of it, it became fallow and was overrun by weeds and brambles. After some time, this man thought about attending to his field and cultivating it. So, he ordered his son to clean up the field; but as soon as he saw that it was full of thorns, he was discouraged and said to himself: "I would never be able to uproot all that and to clean this field." So he lay down and went to sleep.

After a bit, he awakened and, gazing again on the vast number of brambles, became depressed by it all and lay on the ground - sometimes sleeping and sometimes rolling over from one side, the way a door swings on its hinge, as in the proverb: "As the door turneth upon its hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed. The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth" (Proverbs 26:14-16). He spent several days thusly, without working and inactive.

In the meantime, his father came along to check what he had done to the field. Finding his son idle and indecisive, he said to him:

"Why have you done nothing up to now, my child?"

The son answered:

"Father, as soon as I started to work and saw this mass of wild weeds and brambles, I lost my desire to work, lay down, and fell asleep. And so right up to today I have still done nothing."

"Do not worry, my son," the father replied, "every day you can clear an area the width of your bed, and thus your work will progress without inactivity crushing you."

Indeed, the son followed his father's advice and in a short time had cleaned the field of brambles and weeds.

"And in this way, my brother, you can work little by little, without risking the danger of being negligent. And God, seeing your desire to work, will restore you to your former rank."

The monk carefully listened to these suggestions, persisted with patience, and applied the directions of the Elder.

And indeed, by the Grace of God, he attained to the peace which he had sought.

From The Evergetinos (Volume 1 of the First Book), Center for Traditionalist Orthodox Studies, pp. 57-58.

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

Ghost of a Child Caught On Video?

In 2008 17-year-old Jessie Grayhouse filmed something very strange at a cemetery in Savannah, Georgia.

He'd been filming the tombstones when he noticed a child running along in the distance, he turned the camera towards him only for the child to mysteriously jump up in to a tree in a very peculiar manner.

This is considered one of the best video images of a ghost caught on tape.

See news story and video here.

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

Greeks Increasingly Targeting Jews As Scapegoats

Greece, more than many European nations, continues to wrestle with strong anti-Jewish feelings. Such sentiments have been revived amid the angst and anger of the Greek economic crisis.

Anthee Carassava
February 21, 2011
Los Angeles Times

Nearly 70 years later, Athens, one of the last European capitals to commemorate those who perished at the hands of Nazi forces, finally has a Holocaust memorial.

But since its dedication in May, synagogues have been targeted, Jewish cemeteries desecrated, Holocaust monuments elsewhere in Greece vandalized and the Jewish Museum of Greece, in the capital, defaced with swastikas. What's more, an alarming chunk of Athenians in November supported the election of a neo-Nazi candidate to the capital's city council.

The ocher-colored marble sculpture in the shape of a broken-up Star of David, its triangular tips dismembered, points toward the 29 Greek cities from which at least 60,000 Jews were gathered and deported to the Auschwitz and Treblinka extermination camps between 1943 and 1944.

The deaths of these victims are memorialized amid striking serenity. Set within a patch of olive and almond trees, and its pieces embedded alongside an herb garden of lavender, marjoram and thyme, the sculpture symbolizes survival and healing. Or is supposed to.

Although anti-Semitism is an old and shameful part of Europe's history, Greece, more than many European nations, continues to wrestle with strong anti-Jewish feelings.

Such sentiments have been revived amid the angst and anger of the Greek economic crisis.

"We've always been under siege by fanatics and far-right political movements here," said David Saltiel, president of the Central Jewish Board of Greece, which represents the country's 6,000 Jews. "The fear now is that anti-Semitism will get worse with the financial crisis."

Well into the nation's worst recession in 17 years, the government in Athens was thrown a bailout lifeline of $146 billion by the European Union and International Monetary Fund last year in exchange for draconian reforms and cost-cutting measures designed to slash the country's yawning budget deficit, equal to 15.4% of gross domestic product.

The measures are thought to be responsible for a surge in hate crimes against minorities by Greeks venting rage over rising unemployment and immigration.

Strapped for cash, the Socialist government has been aggressively wooing rich sovereign investors, tapping into deep pockets in China, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and, now, Israel.

This month, scores of Jewish American leaders arrived in Athens to advance Israel's revived relations with Greece, but not all here were happy to see yarmulkes on Greek streets, much less in the offices of senior politicians, including the country's president.

"We're in danger!" warned renowned composer Mikis Theodorakis, who in the course of a television interview openly conceded that he was an anti-Semite. "Zionism and it leaders are here, meeting in our country!

"This is no laughing matter," he railed, berating Zionism and its "control over America and the banking system that Greece is now a victim of."

Such beliefs aren't new. Nor are they just Greek.

What's different in Greece is the level of tolerance for anti-Semitism.

"There is zip, zilch, zero reaction to any semblance of anti-Semitism," said human rights activist Panayotes Dimitras, "leaving the door wide-open for extremists to come in and exploit this phobic society, more so now, in this time of crisis."

Some critics fault the country's Jewish organizations for shunning quick public reaction to attacks; others point to the attitude of some church prelates and to Greece's failure to come to terms with its once-multicultural identity and harrowing past.

"Whatever the cause," said Anna Stai of the Anti-Nazi Initiative, "Greece can no longer sit in denial about its anti-Jewish feelings. It's dangerous."

Take the case of Konstantinos Plevris.

A self-avowed anti-Semite and Holocaust denier, the 70-year-old lawyer was sentenced to 14 months in prison in 2007 for inciting racial hatred with his book "Jews: The Whole Truth." In 2009, the decision was overturned, and a year later, the Supreme Court upheld Plevris' acquittal, arguing that his "scientific work" did not target the Jews as a race or religion but, rather, their "conspiratorial pursuit of global domination," according to a copy of the 2010 decision.

World Jewish organizations kicked up a storm in protest, but in Athens, mainstream news media offered scant coverage of the ruling and the government remained silent.

Two weeks ago, Stai and other members of the Anti-Nazi Initiative traveled to Brussels to lobby for support from European lawmakers.

"There is such a strong undercurrent of anti-Jewish feeling in Greece," said Dimitras, the human rights activist, "that any hope of drawing attention to the problem must now come from outside pressure."

Others say there is still hope within.

"We're at a turning point as a society today," said Zanet I. Battinou, standing before a scale model of the Holocaust memorial showcased at the Jewish Museum of Greece, which she directs. "If we found the courage to take on responsibility for the financial mess we find ourselves in today, then we can take responsibility in facing down one of our worst traits."

If anything, she quips, "we're running out of scapegoats."

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

"Mary Mother of Christ" To Start Production Next Month

Mary Mother of Christ is an upcoming historical movie set for theatrical release that will retrace the life of Mary (September 8, 20 BC?-January 1, 45 AD?), usually referred to by Christians as the Virgin Mary, a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee, identified in the New Testament as the mother of Jesus Christ.

Director James Foley will be helming the project, and Actress Camilla Belle got the lead role as Mary. The film is based on a script written by Benedict Fitzgerald and Barbara Nicolosi, both Catholics therefore it will probably approach the subject from this perspective. Benedict Fitzgerald co-wrote the script of Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ. Filming will be done in Morocco. The movie Mary Mother of Christ should be released sometime in 2012.

Cast of the movie Mary Mother of Christ includes:

- Camilla Belle as Mary
- Al Pacino as Herod
- Peter O'Toole as Symeon
- Diogo Morgado as Joseph the Carpenter

According to IMDb, filming starts March 14, 2011. The budget for the film $36,000,000 (estimated).

Tweet

Share on Tumblr

Papa Fotis the Fool Meets St. Silouan the Athonite

Papa Fotis had the blessing to know, at the Russian Saint Panteleimon Monastery of Mount Athos, the new Saint of our Church, Silouan the Athonite. He said about this acquaintance: "I also had the blessing on Mount Athos to minister to and meet Papa Tychon the Russian. But I also met Saint Silouan the Athonite whose holiness was wonderful. Great personalities."

Another time he said: "I went to the monastery of Saint Panteleimon to worship. After worship I headed to the monastery dining room. The dining room some time before had closed to visitors and the monk housekeepers had gone to the Oikonomeio to eat after their services to the visitors. A monk received news of my presence and came to me with love and asked me if I ate. I told him I was not on time for the dining room and it closed. The monk was Silouan and he took me by force almost to the Oikonomeio and he served me. We were given an opportunity to discuss many spiritual topics and the first time I spoke I realized that this is a spiritual man and his face shined with holiness. He explained that he took the obedience of serving in the Oikonomeio for the sake of obedience and thanked God for this obedience."

Papa Fotis remembers the advice he received from the Holy Man of God Silouan: "You must love your fellow men, to suffer with them, and pray for others not in a simple way, but to spill blood with your prayer!"

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos

Tweet

Share on Tumblr