MYSTAGOGY: January 2011

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Concerning An Icon of the Last Judgment

By Archbishop Andrei Rymarenko

On the western wall of the Kiev Cathedral of St. Vladimir, remarkable for its murals, right over the entrance to the church is a wonderful representation of the Last Judgment. First of all, we are struck by the mass of people, their faces, eyes. and you have the vivid awareness that you are among them. Involuntarily, you try to find yourself, to determine your place according to your spiritual state. And within you occurs,as it were, a private judgment upon yourself. There are faces expressing terrible sorrow, a totally perished life trembles in them. There are others, full of malice, hatred, murmuring, envy, insatiable desires. Life passed on, but something is gnawing at them and will eternally gnaw at them.

But here, rays of light start to break their way through the enormous clouds, and they show us other faces: quiet, calm, joyful, happy. This is life! And the closer they are to the Throne, the more clear these faces are. And over the Throne shines the Cross. On the Throne is seated the Lord Savior of the world Himself, and around Him, John the Baptist, the Apostles, all the Saints are praying, triumphing. Here is harmonious rejoicing. Only one cry, one wail disturbs it. The Mother of God has fallen on the shoulder of Christ, and she alone is pleading for the salvation of sinners , for mercy for all those without hope. She alone has been given the power to intercede to the end before the mercy of God.

Dear brothers and sisters! Wherever you may be in this terrible picture, do not despair. You have not yet perished! There is our Mother. She is whispering for you, and it is doubtful that even the Almighty God can refuse her. She is the 'finder of all those who are lost'. Just believe in this, and warmth will begin to fill your heart; and a new hope will light up in it. Then love of the Wisdom of God will begin to reveal itself to you!

Will There Be Salvation For All?

Letter 148: To A blacksmith, Radosav I

By Saint Nikolai Velimirovich

You would like for God to pardon all sinners of His Terrible Judgement. Are you again tempting Christ just like that enemy of God tempted Him on the mountain? "If you are the all-merciful Son of God, have mercy on Judas and Cain and all serious sinners, and I will worship you!" This is how you could phrase your tempting of Christ. And the Lord Himself could respond to you and say, "Was I not merciful enough when I descended from my eternal glory into human darkness and gave my whole self as a sacrifice for mankind? How shall I pardon those who never asked me for it; who despised my offered mercy to their last breath; who spilled the blood of my faithful disciples like water; who remained servants of Satan to the end?"

And how is it now that mortal men compare their mercifulness to God's and even think themselves to be more merciful than God? Examine yourself thoroughly and see how limited and vain human mercy is. See if you would easily forgive a friend who swore three times that he does not know you. Would you forgive a man who was persecuting your relatives with the sword to the point of extinction? Would you forgive a man who would mock everything that is most sacred to you? The Lord Jesus forgave Peter who renounced Him three times. He forgave Saul who was persecuting His followers, His relatives. He forgave Augustine who mocked the sacred things of Christianity. He forgave all those who repented wholeheartedly and turned their rebellion into zeal for God and God's sacred things. He will forgive at His terrible judgement even those who repented only on their deathbed, confessed Christ as the Son of God and cried out to Him for salvation. He will also forgive those who showed even as much mercy in His name as to give a glass of cold water to the least of His followers.

But all this is not enough for God's tempters! It is not enough for those who neither know what it is to forgive nor to repent. They do not know how God's mercy overcomes our way of thinking. Nor do they know how deep are the wounds of Christ for mankind. They would like for God to mingle the Kingdom of eternal light with darkness and for there to be a mixture of good and evil on heaven as on earth. They would like for Cain and Judas and all the fratricides, all the godless, all the bloodthirsty, debauchers, lascivious, mockers of sanctity, ridiculers of God - everybody, all the unrepentant evildoers to stand at the right hand of Christ at the last Judgement, together with the Saints, martyrs and the righteous, and for no one to be on the left side! Is that justice? Is it just to give the same wages to those who worked all day? Is it mercy to mix light with darkness, truth with lies, wheat with chaff?

Who are you, O man, to teach justice to the One who founded justice? Or to remind of mercy the One who out of mercy gave Himself to be crucified for mankind? Bow down to the sanctity of His justice and to the unsearchable depth of His mercy, cry out, "O Most-Merciful One, have mercy one me a sinner and save me!"

The Genesis "Problem"

Fr. Robert Barron
February 26, 2011
The Integrated Catholic Life

I’m continually amazed how often the “problem” of Genesis comes up in my work of evangelization and apologetics. What I mean is the way people struggle with the seemingly bad science that is on display in the opening chapters of the first book of the Bible. How can anyone believe that God made the visible universe in six days, that all the species were created at the same time, that light existed before the sun and moon, etc., etc? How can believers possibly square the naïve cosmology of Genesis with the textured and sophisticated theories of Newton, Darwin, Einstein, and Stephen Hawking?

One of the most important principles of Catholic Biblical interpretation is that the reader of the Scriptural texts must be sensitive to the genre or literary type of the text with which he is dealing. Just as it would be counter-indicated to read Moby Dick as history or “The Wasteland” as social science, so it is silly to interpret, say, “The Song of Songs” as journalism or the Gospel of Matthew as a spy novel. By the same token, it is deeply problematic to read the opening chapters of Genesis as a scientific treatise. If I can borrow an insight from Fr. George Coyne, a Jesuit priest and astrophysicist, no Biblical text can possibly be “scientific” in nature, since “science,” as we understand it, first emerged some fourteen centuries after the composition of the last Biblical book. The author of Genesis simply wasn’t doing what Newton, Darwin, Einstein, and Hawking were doing; he wasn’t attempting to explain the origins of things in the characteristically modern manner, which is to say, on the basis of empirical observation, testing of hypotheses, marshalling of evidence, and experimentation. Therefore, to maintain that the opening chapters of Genesis are “bad science” is a bit like saying “The Iliad” is bad history or “The Chicago Tribune” is not very compelling poetry.

So what precisely was that ancient author trying to communicate? Once we get past the “bad science” confusion, the opening of the Bible gives itself to us in all of its theological and spiritual power. Let me explore just a few dimensions of this lyrical and evocative text. We hear that Yahweh brought forth the whole of created reality through great acts of speech: “Let there be light,’ and there was light; ‘Let the dry land appear’ and so it was.” In almost every mythological cosmology in the ancient world, God or the gods establish order through some act of violence. They conquer rival powers or they impose their will on some recalcitrant matter. (How fascinating, by the way, that we still largely subscribe to this manner of explanation, convinced that order can be maintained only through violence or the threat of violence). But there is none of this in the Biblical account. God doesn’t subdue some rival or express his will through violence. Rather, through a sheerly generous and peaceful act of speech, he gives rise to the whole of the universe. This means that the most fundamental truth of things—the metaphysics that governs reality at the deepest level—is peace and non-violence. Can you see how congruent this is with Jesus’ great teachings on non-violence and enemy love in the Sermon on the Mount? The Lord is instructing his followers how to live in accord with the elemental grain of the universe.

Secondly, we are meant to notice the elements of creation that are explicitly mentioned in this account: the heavens, the stars, the sun, the moon, the earth itself, the sea, the wide variety of animals that roam the earth. Each one of these was proposed by various cultures in the ancient world as objects of worship. Many of the peoples that surrounded Israel held sky, stars, sun, moon, the earth, and various animals to be gods. By insisting that these were, in fact, created by the true God, the author of Genesis was, not so subtly, de-throning false claimants to divinity and disallowing all forms of idolatry. Mind you, the author of Genesis never tires of reminding us that everything that God made is good (thus holding off all forms of dualism, Manichaeism and Gnosticism), but none of these good things is the ultimate good.

A third feature that we should notice is the position and role of Adam, the primal human, in the context of God’s creation. He is given the responsibility of naming the animals , “all the birds of heaven and all the wild beasts” (Gen. 2:20). The Church fathers read this as follows: naming God’s creatures in accord with the intelligibility placed in them by the Creator, Adam is the first scientist and philosopher, for he is, quite literally, “cataloguing” the world he sees around him. (Kata Logon means “according to the word”). From the beginning, the author is telling us, God accords to his rational creatures the privilege of participating, through their own acts of intelligence, in God’s intelligent ordering of the world. This is why, too, Adam is told, not to dominate the world, but precisely to “cultivate and care for it” (Gen. 2: 16), perpetuating thereby the non-violence of the creative act.

These are, obviously, just a handful of insights among the dozens that can be culled from this great text. My hope is that those who are tripped up by the beginning of the book of Genesis can make a small but essential interpretive adjustment and see these writings as they were meant to be seen: not as primitive science, but as exquisite theology.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Synaxarion For Meatfare Sunday

By Nikephoros Kallistos Xanthopoulos

SUNDAY of MEATFARE

On the same day, we commemorate the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and His impartial Judgment.

Verses

When Thou, O Judge of all, shalt sit to judge the earth,
Mayest Thou judge me, too, worthy to hear Thee say, “Come hither.”

Synaxarion

The most Divine Fathers placed this parable after the first two [those of the Publican and Pharisee and of the Prodigal Son], lest anyone, learning about God’s love for mankind in those parables, should live carelessly, saying: "God loves mankind, and when I cease from sinning, I shall be ready to accomplish everything." They set this fearful day here, in order to instill fear, through death and the expectation of future torments, in those who are heedless, and to bring them back to virtue, not trusting in God’s loving-kindness alone, but taking into account that He is a just Judge, Who will render unto each man according to his deeds. Moreover, since the souls of those who have died stood in our midst yesterday, it was fitting that the Judge should come today. In a certain way, the present Feast is, as it were, the consummation of all the Feasts, just as it will be the final day for all of us. We should reflect that the Fathers will assign the beginning of the world and Adam’s fall from Paradise to the following Sunday, and that the present Feast is the end of all our lives and of this world. The Fathers assigned it to the Sunday of Meatfare, so as to curb greed and gluttony through the fear aroused by this Feast, and to summon us to show compassion to our neighbors. Furthermore, since, after reaping delight, we were exiled from Eden, and came under judgment and the curse, the present Feast is placed here, and also because, on the next Sunday, on which we commemorate the fall of Adam, we are going to be figuratively cast out of Eden, until Christ comes and brings us back to Paradise.

Christ’s coming is called the Second Coming, because whereas He first came to us in bodily form, quietly and without glory, He will now come from Heaven with wonders that transcend nature, with conspicuous radiance, and corporeally, so that He may be recognized by all as being He Who first came and delivered the human race, and Who is going to judge it, to see whether it has preserved what was given to it. When His Coming will take place, no one knows; for the Lord kept this hidden even from the Apostles. But until then, at any rate, He indicated that it will be preceded by certain signs, which some of the Saints explained in greater detail. It is said that the Second Coming will occur after seven millennia have passed. Before Christ comes, the Antichrist will come. He will be born, as Saint Hippolytos of Rome says, from a harlot, who will appear to be a virgin, but will be of the Hebrew race, of the tribe of Dan, the son of Jacob; and he will supposedly live as Christ did, and will perform as many miracles as Christ, and will raise the dead. But all of these things—his birth, his flesh, and everything else—will be an illusion, as the Apostle says; and he will then be revealed as the son of perdition, with all power, with signs and deceitful wonders. However, as Saint John of Damascus says, the Devil himself will not be transformed into flesh, but a man who is the offspring of fornication will receive all the energy of Satan, and will suddenly rise up. He will appear good and gentle to all, and then there will be a mighty famine. He will supposedly satisfy the people, will study the Holy Scriptures, will practice fasting, and, compelled by men, will be proclaimed king; he will show especial love to the Hebrew race, restoring them to Jerusalem and rebuilding their temple. Before seven years have passed, as Daniel says, Enoch and Elias will come, preaching to the people that they should not accept him. He will arrest and torment them, and will then behead them. Those who choose to remain pious will flee far away into the mountains; when he finds them, through the agency of demons, he will make trial of them. Those seven years will be cut short for the sake of the elect, and there will be a mighty famine, and all the elements will be transformed, so that everyone will all but disappear.

After this, the Lord will suddenly come from Heaven like lightning, preceded by His precious Cross, and a river of boiling fire will go before Him, cleansing the entire earth of pollution. The Antichrist will immediately be seized, and he and his minions will be handed over to the eternal fire. As the Angels sound their trumpets, the entire human race will be gathered together from the ends of the earth, and from all the elements, in Jerusalem, because this is the center of the world, and there are set thrones for judgment, but with their souls and bodies all transformed into incorruption and having a single form, the elements themselves having been transformed into a superior state, and by a single word the Lord will separate the righteous from the sinners; those who have done good will depart, gaining eternal life, whereas the sinners will go to eternal punishment, and never will there be an end to their torments.

It should be known that Christ will not be looking at that time for fasting, bodily hardships, or miracles, good though these things are, but for things that are far superior, namely, almsgiving and compassion. To the righteous and the sinners He will speak of six virtues: “For I was an hungred, and ye gave Me food; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took Me in; naked, and ye clothed Me; I was sick, and ye visited Me; I was in prison, and ye came unto Me; for inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.” Everyone can do these things according to his own ability. Then every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. The torments which the Holy Gospel recounts are these: “there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched; and cast him into the outer darkness.” Clearly accepting all these things, the Church of God believes that the abiding of the Saints with God and the perpetual effulgence of His light and their ascent to Him are the delight of Paradise and the Kingdom of Heaven, and that alienation from God and the consumption of souls by the awareness that, through carelessness and temporal pleasure, they have been deprived of Divine illumination are the torment, the darkness, and the like.

In Thine ineffable love for mankind, O Christ God, count us worthy to hear Thy desired voice, number us with those on Thy right hand, and have mercy on us. Amen.

Source

Kontakion in the First Tone
O God, when You come upon the earth in glory, the whole world will tremble. A river of fire will bring all before Your Judgment Seat and the books will be opened, and everything in secret will become public. At that time, deliver me from the fire which never dies, and enable me to stand by Your right hand, O Judge most just.

Doxastikon of Matins in the First

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Let us go before, O brethren, and cleanse ourselves for the Queen of virtues; for behold she hath come bringing to us fortune of good deeds, quenching the uprisings of passion and reconciling the wicked to the Master. Let us welcome her, therefore, shouting to Christ God, O thou who arose from the dead, keep us uncondemned, who glorify Thee, O Thou who alone art sinless.

St. Theodore the Studite: Friday of Meatfare

By St. Theodore the Studite

CATECHESIS 49: On Self-Mastery and Our Present Confession

Delivered On Friday of Meat Week

Brethren and fathers, most people call the present days ‘feasts’, because they get drunk and debauched during them, not understanding that these days demand abstinence from meat, not indulgence in drunkenness and intoxication. That is proper to a pagan feast; it is the business of Christians to exercise self-control ‘and not to satisfy the desires of the flesh’,[2] as the Apostle teaches. Nevertheless evil has progressed into law and leads the world as it wishes. But let us, brethren, flee intemperance even in partaking of things that are permitted, for we know that intemperance is the mother of sin. For our forefather Adam, as long as he abstained from the forbidden food in Paradise, rejoiced and was made glad by divine visions and filled with divine revelations; but when he acted intemperately and partook of the tree of disobedience, he was at once exiled from the delight of Paradise and intemperance for him became the begetter of death. So too the inhabitants of Sodom behaved wantonly ‘with food in abundance’,[3] and drew down upon themselves the anger of God and were overwhelmed with fire and brimstone. So too Esau the hated, entrapped by gluttonous eyes, exchanged his birth right for a meal.[4] ‘But the people of God sat down to eat and drink, and arose to play’.[5] These are the sort of things that are going on during these days; for revels and inebriation, shouting and demonic leapings require not only the day but most of the night as well. So intemperance is an evil, and through it death entered the world. But we should give thanks to God, brethren loved by the Lord, because he has rescued us from such empty behaviour and transferred us to this blessed life, in which there is not intemperance, but moderation; not drunkenness, but vigilance; not disturbance, but peace; not hubbub, but tranquillity; not abuse, but thanksgiving; not wantonness, but purity, holiness and temperance. From this it was that our inspired fathers sprang up,[6] who with God trampled down the passions, expelled demons, rivalled angels, performed signs from God, attained heavenly glory, were a cause of wonder in the world. One of them was the blessed Antony, whose life we have been reading; and we have learnt how God magnified him in this world under heaven, so that the kings of the earth thought it important to write to him and to hear from him a written voice.

And so we too, humble wretches, follow their way of life; and that we imitate it our monastic profession bears witness, our denial of the world, estrangement from fatherland, race, friends and intimates, our subjection, our obedience, this present confession, for which we have also been persecuted. Accordingly, let us rejoice and congratulate one another that we have been given these gifts of grace by God, and that we are leading a spiritual life, in which it is always open to us to keep festival every day, should we so wish, and to rejoice with unlimited[7] joy. Therefore I beg you, let us hold mightily to our ascetic practice and this confession, for a word has gone out that the Mighty[8] is keeping an eye on our affairs and doubtless a royal official will suddenly arrive.[9] But don’t be scared at what has been said. ‘If God is on our side, who is against us?’[10] And if he helped us in the past, how would he not help in the future? Only let us stand nobly, only let us attend[11] without faltering, and he himself will give power to all who lead to the end a life that is well-pleasing to him to gain the kingdom of heaven in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory and the power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

[1] This Instruction is suggested for the Sunday of the Prodigal Son by the current Slavonic Triodion from Moscow, which only gives Catecheses for the Sundays of these weeks.

[2] Rom. 13:14.

[3] Ezekiel 16.49.

[4] Cf. Genesis 25:29-34 and Mal. 1: Esau I hate.

[5] Exod. 32:6.

[6] The verb anatello means to ‘rise up’, sometimes of the sun, at others of plants, and is used metaphorically of people with either image understood. In this passage the idea of plants is the one of which St Theodore is thinking.

[7] This adjective, amuretos, is not in the lexica. The Greek editor suggests, ‘incorruptible’, ‘unending’, though he gives no reasons.

[8] That is to say the Emperor. St Theodore plays on the words ‘mightily’, krataios, and ‘mighty’, kraton.

[9] This echoes the troparion from the Midnight Office, ‘The Judge will come suddenly and the deeds of each will be laid bare’. St Theodore implies that it is not only the just Judge who arrives suddenly.

[10] Romans 8:31.

[11] St Theodore in these two clauses deliberately echoes the deacon’s invitation at the beginning of the anaphora. Hence my somewhat unidiomatic translation of prosechomen. The present subjunctive of continuous action here contrasts neatly with the aorist of immediate action in the Liturgy.

Source

What Does It Mean To Worship God "In Spirit And Truth"?

"But there is coming an hour, and now is, when the true worshippers shall do reverence to the Father in spirit and truth" (John 4:23).

Saint Gregory Palamas explains:

"The supreme and revered Father is Father of Truth itself, namely, the Only-begotten Son; and the Holy Spirit has a Spirit of Truth, just as the Logos of Truth. Therefore, those who reverence the Father in spirit and truth and hold to this manner of belief also receive the energies through these. For the apostle says that the Spirit is the One through Whom we pray. And the Only-begotten of God says: 'No one cometh to the Father, except by Me' [Jn. 14:6]. Therefore, those who thus do reverence the supreme Father in spirit and truth are the true worshippers, by conceiving the incorporeal incorporeally. For thus will they truly see Him everywhere in His Spirit and Truth. Since God is spirit, He is incorporeal, but the incorporeal is not situated in place, nor circumscribed by spatial boundaries. Consequently, if someone says that God must be revered in some definite place among those in all the earth and heaven, he does not speak truly, nor does he worship truly. As incorporeal, God is nowhere; as God, He is everywhere...He is boundless...Because He sustains and encompasses the universe, He is in Himself both everywhere and also beyond the universe."

One Hundred and Fifty Chapters, Chaps. 59, 60.

Saint John Chrysostom explains:

"Christ here declares nothing else than His incorporeality. Now the service of what is incorporeal must needs be of the same character, and must be offered by that in us which is incorporeal, that is, the soul and purity of mind ... For both Jews and Samaritans were careless about the soul, but took great pains about the body, cleansing it in diverse ways ... Sacrifice then not sheep and calves, but dedicate thyself to the Lord. Make of thyself a holocaust; this is to offer a living sacrifice. You must worship 'in truth'; as former things were types, such as circumcision, and whole burnt offerings, and victims, and incense, they now no longer exist, but all is 'truth'."

Homily 33, P.G. 59:191.

Saint Porphyrios, Bishop of Gaza

St. Porphyrios of Gaza (Feast Day - February 26)

Saint Porphyrios, Bishop of Gaza, was born in about the year 346 at Thessalonika in Macedonia. His parents were people of substance, and this allowed Saint Porphyrios to receive a fine education. Having the inclination for monastic life, at twelve years of age he left his native region and set off to Egypt, where he was an ascetic in the Nitrian desert under the guidance of the monk Makarios the Great (19 January).

There also he met Blessed Jerome (15 June), who was then visiting the Egyptian monasteries; he set off with him to Jerusalem on pilgrimage to the holy places and to reverence the Life-Creating Cross of the Lord (14 September), after which he resettled into the Jordanian wilderness for prayer and ascetic deeds. There Saint Porphyrios fell under a serious malady of paralysis. Unable to walk, he would have to crawl to the divine services. For healing he decided to go to the holy places of Jerusalem.

One time, when fully paralysed, as he lay half-conscious at the foot of Golgotha, the Lord sent His servant into a salvific vision in his sleep. Saint Porphyrios beheld Jesus Christ, descending with the Cross and turning to him with the words: "Take this Wood and preserve it". Awakening, he sensed himself healthy. The words of the Savior were soon fulfilled: the Patriarch of Jerusalem ordained Saint Porphyrios to the priestly dignity and appointed him curator of the Venerable Wood of the Cross of the Lord. And it was during this time that Saint Porphyrios received his portion of an inheritance from his parents – four thousand gold coins. All this he gave away to the needy and for the embellishing of the churches of God.

In 395 the bishop of the city of Gaza (in Palestine) died. The local Christians set out to Caesarea to Metropolitan John with a request to provide them a new bishop, who would be able to contend against the pagans, which were predominant in their city and were harassing the Christians there. The Lord inspired the Metropolitan to summon the Jerusalem presbyter Porphyrios. With fear and trembling the ascetic accepted the dignity of bishop, and with tears he prostrated himself before the Life-Creating Wood and then set off to fulfill his new obedience.

In Gaza he found all of only three Christian churches, but of the pagan temples and idols there were a great many. During this time there had occurred a long spell without rain, causing a severe drought. The pagan priests brought offerings to their idols, but the woes did not cease. Saint Porphyrios imposed a fast for all the Christians; he then had the all-night vigil, followed by going around all the city in a church procession. Immediately the sky covered over with storm clouds, thunder boomed, and abundant rains poured down. Seeing this miracle, many a pagan cried out: "Christ is indeed the One True God!" As a result of this, there came to be united to the Church through Holy Baptism 127 men, 35 women and 14 children, and soon after this, another 110 men.

But the pagans just like before still harassed the Christians, passed them over for public office, and burdened them down with taxes. Saint Porphyrios and the Metropolitan of Caesarea John set off to Constantinople, to seek redress from the emperor. Saint John Chrysostom (14 November, 27 and 30 January) received them and rendered them active assistance.

Saints John and Porphyrios were presented to the empress Eudoxia who at that time was expecting a child. "Intercede for us," – said the bishops to the empress, – "and the Lord will send thee a son, who shalt reign during thine lifetime." Eudoxia very much wanted a son, since she had given birth only to daughters. And actually through the prayer of the saints an heir was born to the imperial family. In consequence of this, the emperor in the year 401 issued an edict directing the destruction of the pagan temples in Gaza and the restoration of privileges to Christians. Moreover, the emperor bestowed on the saints the means for the construction of a new church, which was to be built in Gaza on the locale of the chief pagan temple there.

Saint Porphyrios to the very end of his life upheld Christianity in Gaza and guarded well his flock from the vexatious pagans. Through the prayers of the saint there occurred numerous miracles and healings. Over the course of 25 years the archpastor guided his veritable flock and reposed at an advanced age, in the year 420.

Source

HYMN OF PRAISE: SAINT PORPHYRIOS THE PARALYTIC

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

The monk Mark asks Porphyrios:
"You were paralytic, holy father,
On your knees, to church you crawled,
My hand in yours, you held
Yesterday thus and today otherwise!
At night you were ill, behold healthy you dawned
So suddenly, who healed you?
Of the rare physician, tell me the name."

To Mark, Porphyrius replied:
"My Healer, my Creator is,
Last night on Golgotha, I fell asleep
By severe pain, completely overpowered,
As though in person, I saw clearly in a dream
On the Cross, my Lord hanging,
And on the other cross, the thief.
As I saw, so I cried out!
O God and Lord, remember me,
In Your kingdom, remember me!
The Good Lord, to the thief said:
'Go down and his body heal,
As your soul, I healed.'
Quickly the thief, the cross descended,
Embraced me, kissed me, and raised me up,
Saying: 'To our Savior, draw near!'

At that moment, the Lord also descended the Cross,
Lifted the Cross and, on me He placed it.
'Receive the holy wood,' He said,
'And for the sake of eternal salvation, carry it.'
As soon as I, with my hands, grabbed the Cross,
Immediately I stood and was immediately made whole.
To God my Creator, glory be,
To Christ my Savior, glory be!"

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
The truth of things hath revealed thee to thy flock as a rule of faith, an icon of meekness, and a teacher of temperance; for this cause, thou hast achieved the heights by humility, riches by poverty. O Father and Hierarch Porphyrios, intercede with Christ God that our souls be saved.

Kontakion in the Second Tone
Arrayed with a most sacred life, thou wast adorned with the priestly vestment, O all-blessed and godly-minded Porphyrius; and thou art conspicuous for miracles of healing, interceding unceasingly for us all.

Monk Joseph: Athonite Protector of the Greek Air Force

Monk Joseph, known in the world as Christos Bairaktaris, is 49 years old. He comes from the village of Agios Vasilios in Corinth, though is considered by the Greek air force to be a part of their own family. All pilots of the Phantom, Corsair and F-16 aircraft's know him, who daily embark in the dangerous struggle to preserve the dignity of Greece and preserve the Greek identity of the Aegean Sea.

Father Joseph has been a monk on Mount Athos since the early 1980's. Since 1989 he has withdrawn by himself to live as an ascetic on the rocks of Cape Akrathos, over a cliff 300 meters deep. Alone with God, he reads, does manual work and saves his soul.

"He is a saintly man, a biblical personality, who, that if anyone comes to meet him, opens a window to a world of goodness and love," says George Vazouras, a pilot who visits him often, to Press Time.

Father Joseph, a hermit on Mount Athos, monitors the air battles of the Aegean and blesses the fighter pilots.

Since 1990 nearly all Greek pilots after each engagement with the Turks fly over Mount Athos to get the blessing of the venerable elder.

"Every day, when I hear the sound of airplanes, I dash from my cell. I go out and wave the Greek flag. I weep with emotion, as these young kids always, following any mission in the Aegean, come to greet me that I may give them my blessing."

On one occasion, four Turkish F-16's pierced through the clouds and poured out over the Aegean. When they entered Greek air apace, they broke off into pairs. One pair turned to the right towards Thaso and Samothraki, while the other went straight towards the northern Cyclades (Andros, Tinos, Mykonos). The Tactical Air Force in Larissa issued an alarm signal. Four Greek fighter planes, with an experienced captain and a first lieutenant, went off to engage in their daily mission.

When the Turkish pilots saw they were being pursued, they united in the northern Aegean near Limnos, Mount Athos and Mytilene. It looked as if these Turkish pilots were not there to "play", since the airplanes with the crescent on the tail were heavily armed. A few minutes later, off the coast of southern Mount Athos, a virtual dogfight began. The Greek pilots, in a masterful way, took the advantage by getting behind them and leading them back to the Turkish coast. They did this at a low altitude right over the sea, with dangerous and tight maneuvers and engines at maximum power.

The four Greek F-16's, before returning to their base, then did what all Greek airmen have done in the last thirteen years. They went to get their blessing from their patron! Elder Joseph, from the cliffs of Mount Athos, had watched the dogfight with tears in his eyes.

"May you have my blessing! Return now in health and as victors always..." he said to them as he waived his Greek flag over the icy air of the Aegean until the planes were lost in the skyline.

"I love them all like my children. I have also met some up close", said the hermit Joseph in a conversation. "Every day, when I hear the sound of airplanes, I dash from my cell. I go out and wave the Greek flag. I weep with emotion, as these young kids always, following any mission in the Aegean, come to greet me that I may give them my blessing. I have watched too many battles. I felt fear and pride. But the feeling I get after each engagement when they pass over my hermitage to greet me is indescribable ... Some of the pilots came here and found me. We embraced, we talked, they opened their hearts. They revealed their problems. I feel that my words are words of God, and will make them even more courageous to defend everything in our Greece."

The leader of Aviation, Gen. George Avlonitis, is one of the officers who have met the monk Joseph. And like the others, is impressed by the peaceful nature and wisdom of his words. Pilots from all martial squadrons have sent to the hermit's hermitage prayers, gifts, but above all their love, because they know that after a difficult time in any flight over the Archipelago, their contemporary 'protector' is there on the rocks, in order to bless them and to animate them from the Hermitage of Saint Menas.

How did this all begin?

The Hermitage of Saint Menas is a dependency of the Holy Monastery of Great Lavra. One day the Abbot of Great Lavra, Philip, told Joseph to go to Skyros for the feast of Saint George. He did not want to go. He was too busy with his work and his prayers. His purpose in going to Skyros was to gather stones for the overhaul of the monastery. Fr. Joseph was obedient.

While in Skyros, after the feast, he visited the air base. One of the air force officers approached him and said that he had once seen him as he was flying over the Aegean near the cliffs of Athos as he was talking with two people. He said that he saw him with a man and a woman. Joseph began to laugh. The one whom the pilot thought was a woman was in fact a monk with long hair. He explained this, along with the fact that Mount Athos neither allows women to step in its land nor allows the monks to even think about women. This pilot then began the tradition that whenever he passed by the area of the Hermitage of Saint Menas, that he would fly by and send his greeting. From that time forward there was never a time when this pilot did not do so, but rather he would fly low near the hermitage and send his greeting. In turn, he would receive his blessing.

Since other pilots were also flying in the area, they learned of this beautiful relationship between the pilot and the monk, so they began doing the same thing. Monk Joseph, in order to make sure that he could be seen and in order to encourage them, decided to get a flag and from a steep and high part of the cliff he waved it as they would fly by doing their cross. Later he got two flags, one Greek and the other Byzantine with the two-headed eagle.

This is how the Greek air force established a spiritual relationship with Monk Joseph the Athonite, their patron.

See a video here.

Source

The Best Memorial For the Deceased

By Elder Paisios the Athonite

The best of all memorials we can do for the deceased is to live careful lives, and undertake the struggle to do away with our shortcomings in order to brighten our souls. This is because our freedom from material things and the passions of the soul, besides bringing us relief, it brings also comfort to our departed ancestors of all our generations. The departed feel joy when one of their offspring is near to God. If we are not in good spiritual condition, then our parents, our grandparents, and our great-grandparents of all generations suffer. "See what offspring we have made!" say the sad ones. If we are in good spiritual condition, however, they rejoice, because they helped us to be born and God somehow is obligated to help them.

Therefore, that which will give joy to the deceased is for us to strive for us to please God with our lives, that we may meet with them in Paradise and live together in eternal life. Hence, it is worthwhile to beat upon our old self to become new, to neither harm ourselves or other people, but to help ourselves and others, either living or fallen asleep.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos

Friday, February 25, 2011

Saturday Before Meatfare: Saturday of Souls

By Nikephoros Kallistos Xanthopoulos

SATURDAY before MEATFARE

On the same day, the most Divine Fathers appointed a commemoration of all those who, from ages past, have piously fallen asleep, in the hope of resurrection unto life eternal.

Verses

Forgive the dead their transgressions, O Word,
And do not show Thy good compassion to be dead.

Synaxarion

Since it often happens that certain people suffer death prematurely, in a foreign land, at sea, on trackless mountains, on precipices, in chasms, in famines, wars, conflagrations, and cold weather, and all manner of other deaths; and perhaps, being poor and without resources, they have not been vouchsafed the customary psalter readings and memorial services, moved by love for mankind, the Divine Fathers ordained that the Orthodox Catholic Church make commemoration of all people, a tradition which they inherited from the Holy Apostles, in order that those who, due to some particular circumstance, did not receive the customary obsequies individually, might be included in the present general commemoration, indicating that whatever is done on their behalf confers great benefit on them.

This is one reason why the Church of God performs the commemoration of souls. A second reason is that, since the Fathers intended, as is fitting, to assign the observance of the Second Coming of Christ to the following day, they appointed a commemoration of all souls on this day, as if propitiating the dread and unerring Judge to show them His innate compassion and place them in the promised Paradise of delight. A third reason is that, since they intended to expound the banishment of Adam on the following Sunday, they devised the present commemoration, on this day of rest, as a respite from, and end of all human affairs, so that they might start from the beginning, that is, the banishment of Adam—for the final event that we will experience is the examination by the impartial Judge of all the deeds that we have committed in our life—and so that, putting fear into men thereby, they might make them ready for the contests of the Fast.

We always commemorate souls on Saturday, because Sabbaton (Sabbath) means “rest” in Hebrew; and since the dead have rested from worldly and all other cares, we offer supplications for them also on the day which means “rest.” It has become customary for us to do this every Saturday. On the present Saturday, we observe a universal commemoration, beseeching God for all the pious. The Fathers, knowing well that what is done on behalf of the reposed, that is, memorial services, almsgiving, and Liturgies, affords them great respite and benefit, allow the Church to do so on both an individual and a general basis, a tradition which they received from the Holy Apostles, as St. Dionysios the Areopagite tells us.

That what the Church does on behalf of souls benefits them, is clear from many sources, but especially from an incident in the life of St. Makarios, who was in the habit of praying for the departed and had besought God to reveal to him whether any benefit was conferred on them thereby. Finding the desiccated skull of an impious pagan on the road that he was traversing, he asked whether the souls in Hades experience any consolation. The skull replied: “We receive great respite, Father, when you pray to God for the departed.” St. Gregory the Dialogist even saved the Emperor Trajan through prayer, though he was told by God never again to make entreaty for one who was impious. In addition to this, through the prayers of the Saints and Confessors, the Empress Theodora snatched the God-hating Theophilos from torments and saved him, as we know from ecclesiastical history. St. Gregory the Theologian, in his funeral oration for his brother Cæsarios, states that supplications for the departed are beneficial for them. In one of his homilies on the Epistle to the Philippians, the great St. John Chrysostomos says: “Let us think of some way to benefit the departed; let us give them whatever assistance we can, by which I mean almsgiving and offerings to the Church on their behalf; for this affords them great profit, gain, and benefit. Indeed, not in vain or haphazardly have these practices been prescribed; it has been handed down to the Church of God by His all-wise Disciples, that the Priest should commemorate the faithful departed at the dread Mysteries.” Elsewhere, he says: “In your will, inscribe the Master as fellow-heir along with your children and kinsfolk; let your papyrus contain the name of the Judge, and let it not fail to mention the poor, and I will stand surety for you.” St. Athanasios the Great says: “Even if one who has died in the true Faith has vanished into thin air, call upon Christ God, and do not avoid lighting oil lamps and candles at his grave; for these things are acceptable to God and bring great recompense.” Observe these things, therefore, whether the deceased is a sinner, so that you might obtain for him forgiveness of his sins, or a righteous man, so that you might gain additional rewards. If perhaps he is a stranger and without means, and thus has no one to take care of him in this situation, yet God, in His righteousness and love for mankind, will provide for him on account of his penury in proportion to the mercy that He sees on our part. Besides, he who makes an offering on behalf of such individuals partakes of the reward, since he has shown concern for the salvation of his neighbor, just as someone who anoints another person with perfume makes himself fragrant first. In fact, those who do not fulfill what is commanded and enjoined in such situations will assuredly bring judgment upon themselves.

Until the Second Coming of Christ, whatever is done on behalf of the departed brings benefit to them, as the Divine Fathers affirm, and, in particular, to those who did even some small amount of good when they were numbered among the living. Although Holy Scripture says certain things—and rightly so—for the chastening of the many, yet God’s love for mankind prevails for the most part. We should know that in the next world all will recognize each other, both those whom they know and those whom they have never seen, as the Divine Chrysostomos says, proving this from the parable of the Rich man and Lazarus. They will not, however, be recognized in bodily form, for everyone will be the same age, and their physical characteristics will be absent, but only by the clairvoyant eye of the soul, as St. Gregory the Theologian says in his funeral oration for Cæsarios: “Then shall I see Cæsarios... brilliant, glorious,...such as in my dreams I have often beheld you, dearest of brothers.” St. Athanasios the Great, in his oration on the departed, says: “Even before the general Resurrection, it is given to the Saints to know each other and to make glad with one another, whereas sinners are deprived of this; and to the Holy Martyrs it is given to see what we do and to visit us in our needs. At the general Resurrection, all will recognize each other and the secrets of all will be made manifest.”

We should know that at present, that is, prior to the general Resurrection, the souls of the Righteous exist in certain specially designated places, and those of sinners in another region, the former rejoicing in their hope, but the latter grieving in expectation of the terrors that await them, since the Saints have not yet received the promise of good things, as the Divine Apostle says, “God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect” (Hebrews 11:40). It should also be known that not all who have fallen over precipices, or been burnt by fire, or drowned in the sea, or died from deadly poisons, cold, or hunger, suffer these things at God’s behest. These are the judgments of God, some of which happen by His good pleasure, but others by His permission, and yet others for the purpose of instructing, threatening, or chastising other people. In His foreknowledge, God sees and knows all things, and all things happen by His will, as the Holy Gospel says about sparrows (St. Matthew 10:29-31; St. Luke 12:6-7). However, He does not determine that things should happen in this or that way, for example, that one man should drown and another die by natural causes, or that one man should die in old age and another in infancy, but He decreed once and for all that there should be a general lifespan for humanity and so many different kinds of deaths. During this lifespan, various kinds of deaths are brought upon mankind, but God does not determine them from the very beginning, although He does have knowledge of them. In relation to the life of each human being, the will of God adumbrates both the time and the manner of his death. Although St. Basil the Great talks about a predetermination of life, he is alluding to the verse: “Earth art thou, and to earth shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:20). For the Apostle writes to the Corinthians: “[Because ye partake unworthily,] many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep” (I Corinthians 11:30); the Prophet-King David says: “Take me not away in the midst of my days” (Psalm 101:25), and: “Thou hast made my days as a handbreadth” (Psalm 38:5); the Prophet Moses says: “Honor thy father, that thou mayest have length of days” (Exodus 20:12); and the Prophet-King Solomon says: “lest thou shouldest die before thy time” (Ecclesiastes 7:18). In the Book of Job, God says to Eliphaz: “I would have destroyed you, were it not for My servant Job” (cf. Job 42:8).

Hence, it is evident that there is no predetermined limit of life. If someone says that there is such a limit, please understand that this limit is the will of God; for He adds years to one man’s life as He wills, but reduces them in the case of another, dispensing all things according to what is profitable for us; and, when God wills, He arranges both the manner and the time of death. Therefore, the limit of each man’s life is, as St. Athanasios the Great says, the will and counsel of God. St. Basil says that deaths are brought upon us when the limits of life are fulfilled, but by “limits of life” he means the will of God. For, if there is a limit to life, why do we beseech God and call upon physicians, and pray for our children, that they might live? We should also know that when baptized infants die, they enjoy the Paradise of delight, whereas those not illumined by Baptism and those born of pagans go neither to Paradise nor to Gehenna. When the soul departs from the body, it has no concern for the things of this world, but only for the things of the Heavenly realm.

We celebrate memorial services on the third day, because on that day a man changes his aspect, on the ninth day, because at that time his whole body decays, with only the heart remaining, and on the fortieth day, because on that day even his heart perishes.

Appoint a place in the tabernacles of Thy Righteous for the souls of those who have departed before us, O Christ our Master, and have mercy on us, for Thou alone art immortal. Amen.

Apolytikion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone
Only Creator who out of the depths of wisdom lovingly govern all things and upon all bestow what is accordingly best for them, give rest to the souls of Your servants, for they have placed their hope in You, our Author and Maker and God.

Kontakion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone
Give rest, O Christ, among the Saints to the souls of Your servants, where there is no pain, no sorrow, no grieving, but life everlasting.

Egyptian Armed Forces Fire At Christian Monasteries, 19 Injured

Mary Abdelmassih
February 24, 2011
AINA

For the second time in as many days, Egyptian armed force stormed the 5th century old St. Bishoy monastery in Wadi el-Natroun, 110 kilometers from Cairo. Live ammunition was fired, wounding two monks and six Coptic monastery workers. Several sources confirmed the army's use of RPG ammunition. Four people have been arrested including three monks and a Coptic lawyer who was at the monastery investigating yesterday's army attack.

Monk Aksios Ava Bishoy told activist Nader Shoukry of Freecopts the armed forces stormed the main entrance gate to the monastery in the morning using five tanks, armored vehicles and a bulldozer to demolish the fence built by the monastery last month to protect themselves and the monastery from the lawlessness which prevailed in Egypt during the January 25 Uprising.

"When we tried to address them, the army fired live bullets, wounding Father Feltaows in the leg and Father Barnabas in the abdomen," said Monk Ava Bishoy. "Six Coptic workers in the monastery were also injured, some with serious injuries to the chest."

The injured were rushed to the nearby Sadat Hospital, the ones in serious condition were transferred to the Anglo-Egyptian Hospital in Cairo.

Father Hemanot Ava Bishoy said the army fired live ammunition and RPGs continuously for 30 minutes, which hit part of the ancient fence inside the monastery. "The army was shocked to see the monks standing there praying 'Lord have mercy' without running away. This is what really upset them," he said. "As the soldiers were demolishing the gate and the fence they were chanting 'Allahu Akbar' and 'Victory, Victory'."

He also added that the army prevented the monastery's car from taking the injured to hospital.

The army also attacked the Monastery of St. Makarios of Alexandria in Wady el-Rayan, Fayoum, 100 km from Cairo. It stormed the monastery and fired live ammunition on the monks. Father Mina said that one monk was shot and more than ten have injuries caused by being beaten with batons. The army demolished the newly erected fence and one room from the actual monastery and confiscated building materials. The monastery had also built a fence to protect itself after January 25 and after being attacked by armed Arabs and robbers leading to the injury of six monks, including one monk in critical condition who is still hospitalized.

The army had given on February 21 an ultimatum to this monastery that if the fence was not demolished within 48 hours by the monks, the army would remove it themselves (AINA 2-23-2011).

The Egyptian Armed Forces issued a statement on their Facebook page denying that any attack took place on St. Bishoy Monastery in Wady el-Natroun, "Reflecting our belief in the freedom and chastity of places of worship of all Egyptians." The statement went on to say that the army just demolished some fences built on State property and that it has no intention of demolishing the monastery itself (video of army shooting at Monastery).

Father Hedra Ava Bishoy said they are in possession of whole carton of empty bullet shells besides the people who are presently in hospital to prove otherwise.

The army attack came after the monks built a fence for their protection after the police guards left their posts and fled post the January 25th Uprising and after being attacked by prisoners who were at large, having escaped from their 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.

The monks of St. Bishoy are now holding a sit-in in front of monastery in protest against the abuse of the army by using live bullets against civilians

Nearly 7000 Copts staged a peaceful rally in front of the Coptic Cathedral in Cairo, where Pope Shenouda III was giving his weekly lecture (video), after which they marched towards Tahrir Square to protest the armed forces attacks on Coptic monasteries.

Patriarch of Alexandria Concerning the Orthodox Christians of Libya

Theodoros II, the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, has commented that he is following anxiously the events going on in Libya regarding the safety of his flock.

The Patriarch is in constant communication with Metropolitan Theophylaktos of Tripoli who is grounding and strengthening the Orthodox Christians in Libya.

In a television interview the Metropolitan said: "I must stay behind. This is the purpose of the bishop. I can't leave from being near neither 100 sheep nor if it is only one. I cannot abandon my flock. Today we did a Divine Liturgy and there were a few people, but the church still opened."

The Metropolitan further said that at night the people do not leave the house at all, but in the morning they carefully go to buy some bread and water and also visit the church.

Saint Tarasios and the Asylum Seeker at Hagia Sophia

An interesting event took place during the patriarchate of Saint Tarasios in the Church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople when a spatharios was accused of taking public revenues.

There was a certain official, girded with the imperial sword in honor of his rank, who prided himself on fame, prestige and wealth. He was accused of stealing a considerable amount of money, for which he suffered punishment, imprisonment, and harsh interrogations. He was confined to a dark cell where he was driven into despair.

One night he passed unnoticed by the guards and fled to the sanctuary of the Great Church, where he grasped tightly to the edges of the holy altar. The guards, fearing their own punishment for the prisoner's escape, hastened to the church. The guards encircled the wall of the sanctuary, not allowing the fugitive meals or the means to take care of his other needs. Thus, they watched and waited for the spatharios to exit out of necessity.

It was not long before the compassionate Tarasios heard of the incident and hastened to protect the sufferer. When he first heard the account, he was filled with distress on account of the contempt being shown to the holy places by the guards. What did the prudent Tarasios contrive? He entered the little doors on the right, and served the fugitive his dinner. Whenever the fugitive was required to relieve himself, Tarasios would descend straightway from above and take him away to the privy. He would then wait and return him to the sanctuary. This service was performed by Tarasios whenever the fugitive needed to visit the privy.

The military contingent marvelled at the holy man and recognized that they could not apprehend the prisoner as long as the hand of Tarasios was involved in the matter. They, therefore, placed an ambush of men at another entrance. On the occasion when the fugitive answered nature's call, the military seized him through another little gate and violently pushed him towards the palace. It was not long before Tarasios recognized what was taking place, and grieved. He then made his way to Eleutherios, where [Empress] Irene was dwelling at the time.

When the arrival of Tarasios was discovered, the men feared the hierarch's indignation. They chose to ignore him and left him outside of the palace. When he perceived that he could not achieve anything regarding the case, he bound them all with the bars of a common penance. He thereby deemed them unworthy of receiving the communion of Christ's Mysteries, should they cause any harm to Church's suppliant. After he uttered these words with apostolic authority, he departed for the patriarchate.

As for those men, they were bound fast. They ceased punishing the accused man with their instruments of torture. Through further interrogations, they uncovered what became of the missing moneys. Consequently, the spatharios was found innocent and released.

We have, therefore, by this singular account, demonstrated how Tarasios administered affairs and suffered personal risk on behalf of his flock. In like manner did he judge other cases. He compelled those who had disputes to come to mutual agreement. He showed no favoritism. All were equal before him, as he meted out justice. It should be said here that he equally preserved canon and other laws.

From The Great Synaxarion of the Orthodox Church, translated by Holy Apostles Convent, pp. 930-931.

Saint Tarasios and Women Who Suffered With Hemorrhaging

After the repose of Saint Tarasios, Patriarch of Constantinople, many visited his tomb and in his monastery resorting to his relics with faith for miraculous cures. A woman suffering from hemorrhaging imitated the woman who, as we read in the Gospel, was afflicted with a chronic issue of blood. Since the saint's monastery, from the time of the saint, had the rule of excluding female pilgrims, women with an issue of blood contrived other means to enter. Since they had grown weary of expending fortunes on physicians and ingesting all kinds of drugs to find relief, these women donned manly garb, disguised their faces, and set forth for the saint's tomb at the monastery. Many feigned that they were eunuchs that they might gain access. Then each would approach Saint Tarasios' tomb and fall prostrate in prayer before his relics. Each petitioner would draw oil from the lamp suspended over his relics and anoint herself. They all, without exception, speedily received a wondrous healing from the saint. They returned to their homes giving glory to God and thanking Saint Tarasios.

From The Great Synaxarion of the Orthodox Church, translated by Holy Apostles Convent, p. 944.

Russian Church Says It Remains Independent of State

February 25, 2011
Interfax

The Moscow Patriarchate has flatly denied information that the Church is merging with the state in Russia.

"The Russian Church has never in its history been so independent of the state as it is now. It treasures this independence. However, it also treasures the dialogue that it has with the modern state. No doubt, this dialogue cannot be called easy, but it can be called constructive," Vladimir Legoyda, the head of the Synodal Information Department of the Moscow Patriarchate, said on Friday.

Legoyda said the fact that the Patriarch regularly meets with top Russian officials does not mean that the Church does not have "difficult conversations and problems in its dialogue with the authorities."

Legoyda said attempts are being made to make the Church "an opposition force and there are some political and public figures who will always be negative about the Patriarch and the Church until they start speaking negatively about the authorities." These people "do not fully understand what the Church is and what its purpose is," he said.

"They expect the Church to follow the logic of a political party, which in their opinion has to be an opposition party. However, the Church will never become a force that is in opposition to the administration. The Church had relations with the state even under the Soviets. Why shouldn't it have relations with the state now? However, what the Church has always done and will continue to do is to give a moral evaluation to the state of society and the actions taken by the authorities and politicians," Legoyda said.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

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