St. Gregory of Sinai: Two Forms and Three Sources of Delusion

By St. Gregory of Sinai

Here something must be said about delusion, so far as this is possible; for, because of its deviousness and the number of ways in which it can ensnare us, few recognize it clearly and for most it is almost inscrutable. Delusion manifests itself or, rather, attacks and invades us in two ways - in the form of mental images and fantasies or in the form of diabolic influence - though its sole cause and origin is always arrogance. The first form is the origin of the second and the second is the origin of a third form - mental derangement. The first form, illusory visions, is caused by self-conceit; for this leads us to invest the divine with some illusory shape, thus deceiving us through mental images and fantasies. This deception in its turn produces blasphemy as well as the fear induced by monstrous apparitions, occurring both when awake and when asleep - a state described as the terror and perturbation of the soul. Thus arrogance is followed by delusion, delusion by blasphemy, blasphemy by fear, fear by terror, and terror by a derangement of the natural state of the mind. This is the first form of delusion, that induced by mental images and fantasies. The second form, induced by diabolic influence, is as follows. It has its origin in self-indulgence, which in its turn results from so-called natural desire. Self-indulgence begets licentiousness in all its forms of indescribable impurity. By inflaming man's whole nature and clouding his intelligence as a result of its intercourse with spurious images, licentiousness deranges the intellect, searing it into a state of delirium and impelling its victim to utter false prophecies, interpreting the visions and discourses of certain supposed saints, which he claims arc revealed to him when he is intoxicated and befuddled with passion, his whole character perverted and corrupted by demons. Those ignorant of spiritual matters, beguiled by delusion, call such men 'little souls'. These 'little souls' are to be found sitting near the shrines of saints, by whose spirit they claim to be inspired and tested, and whose purported message they proclaim to others. But in truth they should be called possessed by the demons, deceived and enslaved by delusion, and not prophets foretelling what is to happen now and in the future. For the demon of licentiousness himself darkens and deranges their minds, inflaming them with the fire of spiritual lust, conjuring up before them the illusory appearance of saints, and making them hear conversations and see visions. Sometimes the demons themselves appear to them and convulse them with fear. For having harnessed them to the yoke of Belial, the demon of licentiousness drives them on to practice their deceits, so that he may keep them captive and enslaved until death, when he will consign them to hell.

Delusion arises in us from three principal sources: arrogance, the envy of demons, and the divine will that allows us to be tried and corrected. Arrogance arises from superficiality, demonic envy is provoked by our spiritual progress, and the need for correction is the consequence of our sinful way of life. The delusion arising solely from envy and self-conceit is swiftly healed, especially when we humble ourselves. On the other hand, the delusion allowed by God for our correction, when we are handed over to Satan because of our sinfulness, God often permits to continue until our death, if this is needed to efface our sins. Sometimes God hands over even the guiltless to the torment of demons for the sake of their salvation. One should also know that the demon of self-conceit himself prophesies in those who are not scrupulously attentive to their hearts.

Question: What should we do when the devil transforms himself into an angel of light (cf. 2 Cor. 11:14) and tries to seduce us?

Answer: You need great discrimination in order to distinguish between good and evil. So do not readily or lightly put your trust in appearances, but weigh things well, and after testing everything carefully cleave to what is good and reject what is evil (cf. 1 Thess. 5:21-2). You must test and discriminate before you give credence to anything.

You must also be aware that the effects of grace are self-evident, and that even if the devil does transform himself he cannot produce these effects: he cannot induce you to be gentle, or forbearing, or humble, or joyful, or serene, or stable in your thoughts; he cannot make you hate what is worldly, or cut off sensual indulgence and the working of the passions, as grace does. He produces vanity, haughtiness, cowardice and every kind of evil. Thus you can tell from its effects whether the light shining in your soul is from God or from Satan. The lettuce is similar in appearance to the endive, and vinegar, to wine; but when you taste them the palate discerns and recognizes the differences between each. In the same way the soul, if it possesses the power of discrimination, can distinguish with its noetic sense between the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the illusions of Satan.

Source: "One Hundred and Thirty-Seven Texts", Philokalia, vol. 4.

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Video: Footage From the Glorification of St. Nektarios (11/05/1961)

The video above is actual footage from the glorification service of St. Nektarios on the island of Aegina on November 5, 1961.

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Video: The Influence of the Orthodox Church in Russia

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The Missionary Patriarchate of Alexandria

Andrei Zolotov, Jr.
January 26, 2012
Ria Novosti

The Thirteenth Apostle was in town earlier this week. The Judge of the Whole Universe. I am not kidding. His name is Theodoros II, and he is the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa.

His full title is a bit of a going joke among the knowing: His Most Divine Beatitude the Pope and Patriarch of the Great City of Alexandria, Libya, Pentapolis, Ethiopia, all the land of Egypt, and all Africa, Father of Fathers, Shepherd of Shepherds, Prelate of Prelates, thirteenth of the Apostles, and Judge of the Œcumene (inhabited Greco-RomanUniverse). A bit too much for the head of the ever dwindling Hellenic community of Egypt and neighboring countries, not to be confused with the Coptic Pope, who bears a similar title but leads Egypt’s much greater indigenous Christian community, which broke away from the Greek Orthodox Church in the 5th century over Christological and political differences.

That could well be just one of those anachronistic tributes to the Golden Age, whenever one can find it, that people in the Orthodox Church are so fond of – after all Alexandria was indeed the second most important city in the Roman Empire. If it wasn’t for the remarkable missionary outreach into the black, sub-Saharan Africa that turned the Patriarchate of Alexandria into one of the fastest growing and most actively evangelizing churches in the world! And if the Western Christian mission in Africa has been vividly described, vastly romanticized on the one hand, and criticized as a part of the European colonialism on the other, the Eastern Christian mission, both by the Greeks and by the Copts, both taking place largely in the late colonial and post-colonial era and to a large extent based on indigenous quest by native Africans, remains tremendously underresearched and underreported.

Patriarch Theodoros was in Moscow to receive the prestigious award from the Patriarch of Moscow, Kirill, and the Foundation for the Unity of the Orthodox Peoples, which he shared with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and the world’s number one tennis player – and apparently a church benefactor, Serbia’s Novak Djokovic. He also presided over a glorious service last Sunday at the Christ the Savior Cathedral.

Russian Patriarch Kirill made clear that he honors his “senior brother” in the unruly family of Orthodox patriarchs not only for his missionary efforts, but also as a token of solidarity with Christians in Egypt and elsewhere, who are suffering attacks from radical Muslims. “We are praying today for the Christians of Africa, especially Northern Africa, where Christian blood is being spilled now, but not only for them,” said Patriarch Kirill addressing Patriarch Theodoros. “We know that in the countries of Central Africa, Christians are being killed, sometimes whole villages are being annihilated because the very fact of a Christian preaching appears to someone untimely, superfluous and even dangerous… After visiting Moscow, you will go on a missionary trip to 14 countries, including those where Christians are being killed. We will be praying for you.”

The pomposity of the hierarchical liturgy somehow makes it hard to imagine Patriarch Theodoros playing the drum in a Madagascar village or surrounded by ritual dancers in Cameroon. But in his acceptance speech in Moscow, he made it all clear: “When I leave this world, I would like to be remembered as a missionary Patriarch,” he said.

It was only in the 20th century, and particularly since the 1950s, that the mission to Black Africa began in earnest. Both the first President of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios, and the present Archbishop of Albania Anastasios spent time as missionaries in Kenya and Uganda – the countries with the largest Orthodox presence in sub-Saharan Africa. Another towering figure in this effort was Patriarch Petros VII (1996-2004) who increased the number of dioceses and spearheaded a major missionary campaign in areas previously untouched until his dramatic death, together with three bishops and his brother, in a helicopter crash en route to Mount Athos.

I remember interviewing Patriarch Petros in Zimbabwe’s capital of Harare in 1998. When asked about the pompous ancient title, he appeared to have some weary embarrassment, as if he is often asked about it. “It is a tribute to an old tradition, and we only use it rarely in a liturgical context,” he said.

The numbers of Orthodox Christians in Africa is a big unknown. It is known that there are presently 21 archdioceses and 4 dioceses in the Church. Only two out of 27 active bishops are black. But the majority of clergy are native and locally trained in African seminaries. The total number of Orthodox Christians in Africa is estimated to have grown in the past 20 years from 200,000 to 1.5 million. Some sources speak of several million members, but it is impossible to verify any figures. What is important is that the growth is out there.

What is also remarkable is how this church combines in its worship the Greek, Russian and local cultural forms such as instruments and dance unheard of, if not to say an anathema in more traditional Orthodox cultures. The video of an Easter celebration in Ghana went viral last year among the world’s Orthodox Christians precisely for that reason – the dynamism and enthusiasm so long lost in our crystallized ritual. In a sign of a growing interest in Russia, a popular Russian Orthodox magazine Foma (Thomas) published a report about the life of a parish in Kenya which generated a large response from readers.

“In my view, this is probably the most interesting phenomenon within the 'Orthodox world' in the twenty-first century, and one that is very little known and even less understood,” Irina Papkova, the associate professor of political science at Central European University in Budapest said in an email interview. Papkova is also launching a research project on African Orthodox Christianity. “I think that it is important because of the ways in which Africans are adopting Orthodoxy. They are accepting the content of Orthodoxy, but they are transforming the form, which shows to us really that common images of Orthodoxy as a completely rigid, traditionalist religion are not accurate. There is plenty of space within the faith for creative transformation, at least as far as the form of outward worship is concerned. This is really important for us to remember, as Orthodox populations in Europe and Russia in particular are struggling with the question of how Orthodoxy fits with (post)modernity and whether it is heretical or not to adapt certain non-dogmatic aspects of worship (such as language) to contemporary cultural conditions.”

When one sees what is happening in Africa, it is impossible not to be inspired by the absolute purity of faith with which the people of Ghana, Kenya, etc. are accepting Orthodox Christianity. The joy that one sees in their liturgical celebrations is something quite different from the solemnity that tends to overwhelm congregations in other Orthodox contexts. You get the sense that the Africans are experiencing communion with Christ immediately, here and now, and that's a powerful experience we more ‘hereditary’ Orthodox should perhaps learn from."

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Documentary: Saint John Chrysostom (Greek)

This short film is a beautiful presentation of the life of St. John Chrysostom, produced by the Sacred Metropolis of Beroia, Naousa and Kampania.

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Priest Builds Smallest Operating Church In Britain

Gavin Allen
January 26, 2012
Dailymail.co.uk

Perhaps Father Stephen Weston took inspiration from the fact that Jesus was the son of a carpenter when he built Britain's smallest church in his back garden.

Father Weston, 63, constructed St Fursey's Orthodox Church in Norfolk with just an A-level in woodwork, earned 14 years ago, to his name.

The byzantine arches of the wooden shed, which is 18ft by 13ft wide, has become a local landmark in the middle of Father Weston's housing estate.

St Fursey's is so small the holy processions carried out during each service only take worshippers ten steps along and two steps across.

There is no room to sit and after services the congregation step through a door into the priest's living room for a cup of coffee.

But the Antiochian Orthodox church - very similar to the Greek Orthodox but English speaking - is an official place of worship after it was blessed by a bishop.

The regular congregation at the church has now grown to seven, including two pensioners and their walking frames, which means Father Weston now needs to upsize.

The clergyman said: 'When we do a Saturday liturgy we've had 18 people in the church and it really is a bit of a crush.

'We would like to see our congregation grow, a large part of orthodox services are sung not said and in bigger orthodox churches that is led by a choir and the congregation join in.

'At St Fursey's it not an option, everybody is in the choir and everybody is in the congregation.'

Father Weston served as an Anglican priest with the Church of England for 20 years before he became disillusioned with its ideals at the age of 50.

He says he was upset with the direction the Anglican Church was heading and admitted the ordination of women to the priesthood was 'the straw that broke the camel's back'.

Stephen switched to the Orthodox Church and short of an English-speaking venue, decided to build his own in the village of Sutton, Norfolk, in 1998.

A team of volunteers took just over six months to complete the structure complete at a cost of just £5,000 and started worshipping there while it was still a building site.

The church does not need to be consecrated because it is legally considered a private chapel.

However, it has been blessed by a bishop from the Orthodox church, making it an official place of worship.

Father Weston was ordained by the Orthodox church in May last year, in a ceremony in Paris.

He has already said he will be happy to pick up his tools and build another shed if that is the only option for getting hold of a bigger church in the neighbouring village of Stalham.

Father Weston said: 'Very likely people thought I was mad when I was building St Fursey's.

'I remember my next door neighbour sticking his head out of his window and asking what I was doing in the garden.

'I told him and he said "Oh great you can build a whole cathedral back there if you like".

'Although we love our little church it is very tucked away, we need another place of worship that is more public so that people can find us.'

St Fursey's is understood to be the smallest working church in Britain.
Both the Church of England and Catholic church, in Britain, were unable to name a smaller church.

Bremilhan church in Wiltshire is known to be the smallest church in the country, at 13ft by 11ft, however services are only held there once a year.

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Hieromonk Andrew the New Martyr of Comana and Protector of the Tomb of St. John Chrysostom (+ 1993)

Read details of his ascetic life and martyric death at the following links:

Saint New Martyr Andrew from Georgia and Abkhazia

A Quiet Hymn, Full of Light: The Ascetic Life and Martyric Death of Hieromonk Andrew (Kurashvili) of Comana, Republic of Georgia

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Video: The Funeral of Fr. Basilios Nassar

The video below is Fr. Basilios leading his choir:



For background information on the current violence in Syria, read here.

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Fr. Vissarion Korkoliacos Still Showing Signs of Holiness

Vissarion Korkoliacos (1908–1991) was a Greek Orthodox monk of the Agathonos Monastery, close to Lamia, Central Greece. He became a monk in his teen years and was regarded by those who knew him as an especially good-hearted cleric with humanitarian spirit.

Vissarion (Bessarion) became famous after the opening of his tomb in March 2006, during which Monks and coroners found his body in pristine condition. The event caused sensation and amazement not only in the local Community of Fthiotida but also to the whole of Greece, especially after exposure of the event on Greek television. The relics of Vissarion were inspected for first time by the retired professor and famous Athens coroner Panayiotis Yamarelos, who spoke on television about an extraordinary and inexplicable event. More specifically, the phrases of Yamarelos about Vissarion's extremely well preserved body and his statement regarding the face being in such pristine condition that it "was ready to talk to you", caused a commotion.

The Bishop of Fthiotida, Nicholas, said that the Church should not be in a hurry to announce any kind of sanctity of the monk Vissarion, and that the issue should be discussed at the Iera Sinodhos (Holy Synod) of the Orthodox Church of Greece in Athens. However, after the publication of this extraordinary event by the Greek media, hundreds of believers from the area of Fthiotida and other parts of Greece, arrived at the Agathonos Monastery in order to venerate the body of Vissarion.

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On January 22, 2012 a Divine Liturgy with a Memorial Service was celebrated in honor of Fr. Vissarion at Agathonos Monastery. Metropolitan Nicholas of Fthiotida, who celebrated the Divine Liturgy, noted:

"21 years have passed since the day Elder Vissarion reposed and 6 years since the uncovering of his relics and the grace of God preserves the body of the saintly spiritual father incorrupt as a witness to his holiness and as an affirmation to the conscience of the people, who in the years of his life honored him as a saint and now, after the wondrous events of the uncovering of his relics proclaim his virtuous way of life and his plenteous almsgiving. Despite the falsehoods of some Fr. Vissarion maintains the signs of the presence of the Holy Spirit in his body and is for the faithful a witness of faith and divine blessing."

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“White Rose” Anti-fascist Alexander Schmorell to be Canonized

DIOCESE OF BERLIN AND GERMANY: January 23, 2012

In 2007, the Diocese of Berlin and Germany of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia decided to canonize Alexander Schmorell, a member of the anti-fascist student organization “White Rose,” who was executed on July 13, 1943, in Stadelheim Prison in Munich for anti-fascist activities and confessing the Orthodox Christian faith. The act of canonization will be formalized on February 4-5 in Munich, according to the official website of the Orenburg Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Alexander Schmorell was born in Orenburg, Russia, in 1917. His mother was Russian, his father from a German merchant family. Despite the fact that his family moved to Munich in 1921, Alexander retained a spiritual bond with his faraway homeland for the rest of his life, and was a parishioner in the local Russian church. In 1942, while studying medicine, Alexander and his friend Hans Scholl began to write and disseminate anti-Hitler brochures. The Resistance group “White Rose,” known to every European schoolchild, included Schmorell and his high-school friend Chrisoph Probst, and another student friend Willi Graf and Hans’ sister Sophie Scholl. The group was exposed in 1943, and they were all sentenced to the guillotine.

In 2008, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and the Moscow Patriarchate announced that Alexander Schmorell is the first New Martyr to be canonized after the reestablishment of canonical communion between the two Churches. On February 4-5, 2012, bishops from Russia and Ukraine, including His Eminence Metropolitan Valentin of Orenburg and Saraktash, as well as His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco and Western America will be present at divine services in Munich.

More on Alexander Schmorell can be found here, here and here. A video about The White Rose can be seen here.

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Orthodox Priest Killed In Syria While Giving Medical Aid

On January 25, 2012 Greek Orthodox Hieromonk Basilios Nassar was shot by an armed terrorist group in Hama, Syria on the second day of heavy fighting there. Fr. Basilios was at the Metropolis when he was informed by a phone call that a parishioner of his was shot and needed assistance. The Patriarchate of Antioch has reported that the 30-year-old priest was shot while giving medical aid to the wounded man who was previously shot. Fr. Basilios was shot in the chest and in the right armpit. Immediately another priest, Fr. Panteleimon Isa, who was with him dragged his bloody body to a nearby building to save him, but the martyr for Christ Father Basilios was dead within 30 minutes from hemorrhaging. His funeral took place today, January 26th, in the Church of Saint George in Hama. The blessed Father Basilios, known in the world as Mazin, was born in 1982 in the village of Kfarmpo in Hama and was a graduate of the Theological School of Balamand. He was also a teacher of Byzantine Music in the school Saint Kosmas the Melodist which he founded in the Metropolis.

Read also:

Syria Chaos Claims Priest and an Aid Group Official

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Holy New Martyr Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev (+ 1918)

St. Vladimir of Kiev (Feast Day - January 25)

The holy Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev was the first bishop to be tortured and slain by the Communists at the time of the Russian Revolution.

Basil Nikephorovich Bogoyavlensky was born in the province of Tambov of pious parents on January 1, 1848. His father, a priest, was later murdered. The young Basil graduated from the Theological Academy in Kiev in 1874, and taught in the Tambov seminary for seven years before he was ordained to the holy priesthood.

His wife died in 1886, and their only child died shortly thereafter. The bereaved widower entered the Kozlov Monastery in Tambov and was given the name Vladimir. In 1888 he was consecrated bishop of Staraya Rus, and served as a vicar bishop of the Novgorod diocese. In 1891 he was assigned to the diocese of Samara. In those days people of his diocese suffered from a cholera epidemic and a crop failure. Bishop Vladimir devoted himself to caring for the sick and suffering, inspiring others to follow his example.

In 1892 he became Archbishop of Kartalin and Kahetin, then in 1898 he was chosen as Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna. He served fifteen years in this position.

Metropolitan Vladimir was distinguished by his compassion for the poor, and for widows and orphans. He also tried to help alcoholics and those who had abandoned the Church. The Metropolitan was also interested in the education of children in school, especially those who were studying in the theological schools.

In 1912, after the death of Metropolitan Anthony, he was appointed Metropolitan of Petrograd, administering that diocese until 1915. Because he disapproved of Rasputin, Metropolitan Vladimir fell out of favor with the Tsar, and so he was transferred to Kiev. On November 5, 1917 he announced that St Tikhon (April 7) had been elected as Patriarch of Moscow.

The "Ukrainian Congress" was also calling for an autonomous Ukraine and for the creation of a Ukrainian Church independent from the Church of Russia. Metropolitan Vladimir suffered and grieved because of this question, warning that such a division in the Church would allow its enemies to be victorious. However, at the end of 1917, a Ukrainian Dominion was formed, and also a separate Ukrainian church administration ("rada") led by the retired Archbishop Alexis Dorodnitzin. This uncanonical group forbade the commemoration of Patriarch Tikhon during church services, and demanded that Metropolitan Vladimir leave Kiev.

In January 1918 the civil war came to Kiev, and the two forces vied for control of the city. Many churches and monasteries were damaged by the cannon fire. The Bolsheviks seized the Kiev Caves Lavra on January 23, and soldiers broke into the churches. Monks were taken out into the courtyard to be stripped and beaten. At six thirty on the night of January 25, five armed soldiers and a sailor came looking for Metropolitan Vladimir. The seventy-year-old hierarch was tortured and choked in his bedroom with the chain of his cross. The ruffians tortured the Metropolitan and demanded money.

When they emerged, the Metropolitan's cell attendant approached and asked for a blessing. The sailor pushed him aside and told him, "Enough bowing to these blood-drinkers. No more of it." After blessing and kissing him, the Metropolitan said, "Good-bye, Philip." Then he walked calmly with his executioners, just as if he were on his way to serve the Liturgy.

Metropolitan Vladimir was driven from the monastery to the place of execution. As they got out of the car, the holy martyr asked, "Do you intend to shoot me here?"

"Why not?" they replied.

After praying for a short time and asking forgiveness for his sins, Metropolitan Vladimir blessed the executioners, saying, "May God forgive you." Then several rifle shots were heard.

In the morning, some women came to the gates of the Lavra and told the monks where the Metropolitan's body could be found. He was lying on his back, with bullet wounds near his right eye and by his right collarbone. There were also several cuts and gashes on the body, including a very deep chest wound. The hieromartyr was carried into the Lavra church of St Michael, where he had spent his last days at prayer.

In Moscow, the All-Russian Church Council was in session when word came of Metropolitan Vladimir's death. Patriarch Tikhon and his clergy performed a Memorial Service for the New Martyr Vladimir. A commission was formed to investigate the circumstances of Metropolitan Vladimir's murder, but it was unable to carry out its duties because of the Revolution. The Council decided that January 25, the day of his death, would be set aside for the annual commemoration of all of Russia's martyrs and confessors killed by the Soviets.

The holy New Martyr Vladimir of Kiev was glorified by the Orthodox Church of Russia in 1992. On the Sunday closest to January 25 (the day of Metropolitan Vladimir's martyrdom) we also observe the Synaxis of Russia's New Martyrs and Confessors.

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Saint Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople

St. Gregory the Theologian (Feast Day - January 25)

This great Father and Teacher of the Church was born in 329 in Arianzus, a village of the second district of Cappadocia, not far from Nazianzus. His father, who later became Bishop of Nazianzus, was named Gregory (commemorated Jan. 1), and his mother was named Nonna (Aug. 5); both are among the Saints, and so are his brother Caesarius (Mar. 9) and his sister Gorgona (Feb. 23). At first he studied in Caesarea of Palestine, then in Alexandria, and finally in Athens. As he was sailing from Alexandria to Athens, a violent sea storm put in peril not only his life but also his salvation, since he had not yet been baptized. With tears and fervour he besought God to spare him, vowing to dedicate his whole self to Him, and the tempest gave way to calm. At Athens Saint Gregory was later joined by Saint Basil the Great, whom he already knew; but now their acquaintanceship grew into a lifelong brotherly love. Another fellow student of theirs in Athens was the young Prince Julian, who later as Emperor was called the Apostate because he denied Christ and did all in his power to restore paganism. Even in Athens, before Julian had thrown off the mask of piety; Saint Gregory saw what an unsettled mind he had, and said, "What an evil the Roman State is nourishing" (Orat. V, 24, PG 35:693).

After their studies at Athens, Gregory became Basil's fellow ascetic, living the monastic life together with him for a time in the hermitages of Pontus. His father ordained him presbyter of the Church of Nazianzus, and Saint Basil consecrated him Bishop of Sasima (or Zansima), which was in the archdiocese of Caesarea. This consecration was a source of great sorrow to Gregory, and a cause of misunderstanding between him and Basil; but his love for Basil remained unchanged, as can be plainly seen from his Funeral Oration on Saint Basil (Orat. XLIII).

About the Year 379, Saint Gregory came to the assistance of the Church of Constantinople, which had already been troubled for forty years by the Arians; by his supremely wise words and many labours he freed it from the corruption of heresy, and was elected Archbishop of that city by the Second Ecumenical Council, which assembled there in 381, and condemned Macedonius, Archbishop of Constantinople, the enemy of the Holy Spirit. When Saint Gregory came to Constantinople, the Arians had taken all the churches and he was forced to serve in a house chapel dedicated to Saint Anastasia the Martyr. From there he began to preach his famous five sermons on the Trinity, called the Triadica. When he left Constantinople two years later, the Arians did not have one church left to them in the city. Saint Meletius of Antioch (see Feb. 12), who was presiding over the Second Ecumenical Council, died in the course of it, and Saint Gregory was chosen in his stead; there he distinguished himself in his expositions of dogmatic theology.

Having governed the Church until 382, he delivered his farewell speech - the Syntacterion, in which he demonstrated the Divinity of the Son - before 150 bishops and the Emperor Theodosius the Great; in this speech he requested, and received from all, permission to retire from the see of Constantinople. He returned to Nazianzus, where he lived to the end of his life, and reposed in the Lord in 391, having lived some sixty-two years.

His extant writings, both prose and poems in every type of metre, demonstrate his lofty eloquence and his wondrous breadth of learning. In the beauty of his writings, he is considered to have surpassed the Greek writers of antiquity, and because of his God-inspired theological thought, he received the surname "Theologian." Although he is sometimes called Gregory of Nazianzus, this title belongs properly to his father; he himself is known by the Church only as Gregory the Theologian. He is especially called "Trinitarian Theologian," since in virtually every homily he refers to the Trinity and the one essence and nature of the Godhead. Hence, Alexius Anthorus dedicated the following verses to him:

Like an unwandering star beaming with splendour,
Thou bringest us by mystic teachings, O Father,
To the Trinity's sunlike illumination,
O mouth breathing with fire, Gregory most mighty.

Apolytikion in the First Tone
The shepherd's pipe of thy theology conquered the trumpets of the philosophers; for since thou didst search out the depths of the Spirit, beauty of speech was added to thee. But intercede with Christ God, O Father Gregory, that our souls be saved.

Kontakion in the Third Tone
O Glorious One, you dispelled the complexities of orators with the words of your theology. You have adorned the Church with the vesture of Orthodoxy woven from on high. Clothed in this, the Church now cries out to your children, with us, "Hail Father, the consummate theological mind."

Reading (c) Holy Transfiguration Monastery - Brookline, MA

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Professor Stylianos Papadopoulos Buried At Mount Athos

On the morning of January 15th the Emeritus Professor of Theology at the University of Athens Stylianos Papadopoulos reposed. His funeral was held that day at the University Church of Kapnikarea in Athens and afterwards transferred to Docheiareiou Monastery on Mount Athos, where his son and a nephew are monks, to be buried on January 16th. He also was tonsured a monk towards the end of his life and went by the name of Gerasimos.

Professor Stylianos was probably most well-known to English-speakers for his biography about Elder Iakovos Tsalikes, whom he knew personally, and for writing about his well-known uncle Bishop Gerasimos (Papadopoulos) of Abydos (+ June 12, 1995) who taught and resided at Hellenic College/Holy Cross School of Theology and for whom his nephew gave an eloquent sermon at his funeral at Holy Cross Chapel. Bishop Gerasimos also was an Athonite monk prior to his becoming bishop in the United States.


Biography

Stylianos G. Papadopoulos was born in ancient Cleones of Corinth in 1933 and studied Theology at the University of Athens, Patrology and Byzantine Studies at Sorbonne (Paris), and Byzantine theology and literature as well as the history of philosophy at Munich. He published a number of studies and monographs on Scholastic theology in Byzantium, as well as for the great Church Fathers Athanasius, Basil, Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom and Cyril of Alexandria.

He graduated with a Ph.D. from the Theological School of Athens (1967), and became lecturer and professor (1972) for the seat of Patrology and Patristic theology and taught at other higher institutions.

He published a systematic treatment on Patrology (2 volumes), published theological-philosophical studies on contemporary issues (such as theology and language), wrote narrative biographies, organized conferences (locally and abroad), took part in international conferences, represented the Patriarchate of Alexandria in inter-Orthodox, inter-Church and inter-Christian dialogues and conferences, was invited to lecture among university theological faculties in Italy, Russia, England, Czech Republic, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Lebanon, Slovakia, Poland and Egypt, and continued as professor emeritus until the end of his life teaching patristic theology and related research.


Some Writings

Gerasimos Papadopoulos: Bishop of Abydos, The Wise Abba of America

The Garden of the Holy Spirit: Elder Iakovos of Evia

The Holy Trinity and the Parousia of the Holy Spirit According to St. John Chrysostom

Η ενότητα της Εκκλησίας

Έννοια, σημασία και κύρος του Πατρός και Διδασκάλου

Thomas in Byzanz

Beitrag zur Theologie der Einheit

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Kazakh Official Depicted in Church Fresco

Alexey Eremenko
January 25, 2012
RIA Novosti

In a throwback to medieval times, a regional official in Kazakhstan was included in a fresco of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem that adorns a local Orthodox Christian church.

A striking likeness of Sergei Kulagin – former akim, or governor, of the Kostanai region – is found among the crowd of Jews welcoming Jesus in the freshly painted fresco above the church altar in city of Rudny, some 550 kilometers west of the capital, Astana.

Kulagin is the only one with a clean shave in the crowd, and faces the audience, not Jesus, according to photos of the fresco published by prominent priest Andrei Kurayev on his Livejournal blog.

Visages of patrons can be included in church decorations, but only near the exit and never above the altar, and also not in an icon that is based on an alleged historical event, Kurayev told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.

“It’s plain hubris to have yourself included in canonical Biblical iconography,” Kurayev said by telephone.

Kulagin, who is now a senator, did not comment on the story. Spokeswoman of the local diocese, Marina Korolyova, said the local bishop was on a trip to Moscow and would not be able to comment until February, local news web site Time.kz reported Wednesday.

Though the practice of depicting real people in frescoes was typical in the Middle Ages, it did not completely disappear in modern times. Among prominent figures commemorated that way in Orthodox churches were former Saratov Governor Dmitry Ayatskov and even current head of the Russian church, Partiarch Kirill, who was depicted with a saint’s halo in a Nizhny Novgorod region fresco by overzealous priests shortly after his enthronement in 2009.

Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev is a modest man, and will likely order Kulagin to have the fresco painted over at Kulagin’s own expense, Kurayev said.

The bill is likely to come to several thousand dollars, he added.

The artists, who came from the Russian town of Palekh, a traditional center of icon painting, might have also covertly satirized Kulagin in the fresco by situating him where Christ’s bane Pontius Pilate was supposed to stand, Kurayev wrote on his blog.

“This means we’ve a show of hypocrisy: the authorities who pretend to be benevolent to the Church are actually preparing the Crucifixion,” Kurayev wrote, adding that Palekh artists were “witty guys.”

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The Repetition of the Divine Liturgy Is Not Boring

By Hieromonk Tikhon, Abbot of Stavronikita Monastery

All that happens within the Divine Liturgy are not ideas, but they are a reality, an experience. Once we offer everything to God, He, humbly and philanthropically, sends us the Grace of His All-Holy Spirit and transforms the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of His Son, really and truly, which He in turn offers back to us to receive it and to be sanctified by it, to become sharers of His Body, to savor the Grace of the Resurrection, to begin to live from now eternal life, the enjoyment of heavenly things.

The Divine Liturgy is a work to restore God's will in our life, and this work is performed by the priest and the faithful. All the believers are actively involved in the Divine Liturgy by being involved in the acts and words of the Divine Liturgy, as represented by the priest and the sacred chanters, since practically it is not possible any other way. It is characteristic that the Orthodox priest never celebrates the Divine Liturgy alone, individually, but only in service to the Church, as a leader and representative of the congregation of believers. For this reason he proclaims: "Thine own of Thine own..." and "The Holy Things for the Holy Ones"; and we say: "We who mystically iconize the Cherubim...", that is, in the plural. We all iconize the Cherubim, offering everything while glorifying God, accepting the Holy Things which are foreseen for the Holy Ones. The Divine Liturgy is a creation of all of us. It is the greatest creation of man which allows for the eternal meaning and salvation of life. Whoever feels and participates even a little in this truth and lives it, then he loves the Divine Liturgy more than anything in the world. In this he finds himself, God, and his salvation. He encounters truly his fellow man, loves everybody, and learns what is the meaning of creation and what is creations true value. He is freed from the slavery and oppression of the passions and the devil and acquires the freedom of the children of God.

On Mount Athos the Divine Liturgy is celebrated every day in the Monasteries following Matins. And even though we follow the same Divine Liturgy every day, we do not feel burdened, nor are we bored, nor do we tire of it. When someone lives the Divine Liturgy, its sacred words become a door which open to a personal encounter with a personal God, personal Truth. All our life becomes a prepared offering to God, conscious of our participation in the Divine Liturgy. It is also a glorification to God, and an effort and a struggle to be aware and participate throughout our life our personal experience and participation in the Theanthropic Body of the Savior. We liturgize our life and our life becomes a perpetual Divine Liturgy, which begins with the sacred Mystery of the Divine Eucharist and ends and is completed again with this. With the Divine Liturgy we offer to God all our thoughts, our acts, our struggles and our agonies, our fears and our hopes, everything that is ours, in order for Him to transform them and save them. The Divine Liturgy leads us and introduces us to the Land of the Living, to communion with the Holy Spirit, to the blessed Kingdom of the Holy Trinity.

When we are bored with the Divine Liturgy and it seems monotonous and tiresome to go every Sunday to church, it is not the liturgical language or something else that is to blame, but rather it is our ignorance of this philanthropic Mystery. How different it would be if we consciously participated in the Divine Liturgy as if it were a personal event in our lives!

Source: «Ή χώρα των ζώντων» (Αγ. Ορος 1991). Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

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Movie Reviews: Red Tails; Underworld: Awakening

1. Red Tails (2012)

Story: A crew of African American pilots in the Tuskegee training program, having faced segregation while kept mostly on the ground during World War II, are called into duty under the guidance of Col. A.J. Bullard.

Director: Anthony Hemingway
Stars: Terrance Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Gerald McRaney

Official Trailer
Official Website
IMDB

Review: Red Tails is a watered-down account of the plight and racial injustices faced by African Americans during World War II. It's watered-down because it doesn't go too far in revealing the racism that existed, and to make it more palatable for audiences it is entertaining and somewhat educational. It is a labor of love by George Lucas who funded the film from his own expenses and defended it for years when Hollywood was hesitant to make it. This fact-based story about the Tuskegee Airmen is significant and inspirational, yet it lacks the complexity necessary to make it a great film which it deserves. I would have liked to have seen more about the real-life struggles and fierce heroics of the Tuskegee Airmen.

Rating:
2. Underworld: Awakening (2012)

Story: When human forces discover the existence of the Vampire and Lycan clans, a war to eradicate both species commences. The vampire warrioress Selene leads the battle against humankind.

Director: Måns Mårlind, Björn Stein
Stars: Kate Beckinsale, Michael Ealy and India Eisley

Official Trailer
Official Website
IMDB

Review: Underworld: Awakening is the fourth installment in the Underworld film series, which is one of my favorite and most anticipated film series in recent years. I consider the Underworld series an antidote to the watered-down Vampires and Lycans (and gothic imagery) of the Twilight series. This latest film is probably the best in the series, and probably the goriest and most action-packed. If the original was like this one, it probably would have had more acclaim. When it was over it left me wanting more, but this is why it is such a great series. I was even surprised to hear the audience cheering and clapping in the theater. The film lacks the depth necessary to make it a lasting and great film, but if you want to enjoy a supernatural action thriller with a convincing and beautiful heroine while your brain is on auto-pilot, then this is the perfect film.

Rating:

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