Update

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

I'm a few days overdue for my promised update and yes, the soundtrack to my leave of absence continues to play. Life is still very busy and overwhelming, so I'm not quite ready to return to posting, but will get back to it either for the beginning of Great Lent or shortly thereafter. As I said, my break from posting isn't necessarily to relax, but to attend to more pressing personal matters and to catch up on things I've let pile up so I can return to a more normal routine. Posting here on Mystagogy is only one of a few things I've had to temporarily set aside to do this. I'd say I'm about 30% into where I'd like to be.

I had alluded to the fact that during this time I wanted to get back to reading, since it had been a few months since I had completed a book. Below is a list of the books I have either read over the past few weeks or am currently reading:

Handbook: The Correspondence Between Fr. J. S. Romanides and Prof. P. N. Trembelas (Greek)

Greece's Dostoevsky: The Theological Vision of Alexandros Papadiamandis by Anestis Keselopoulos

Counsels On The Spiritual Life (vol. 1 and 2) by Mark the Monk

The End of Christianity: Finding a Good God in an Evil World by William A. Dembski

Is God a Moral Monster?: Making Sense of the Old Testament God by Paul Copan

Against Happiness by Eric G. Wilson

Warrant for Genocide: The Myth of the Jewish World Conspiracy and the Protocols of the Elders of Zion by Norman Rufus Colin Cohn

Readings in Propaganda and Persuasion: New and Classic Essays edited by Garth S. Jowett and Victoria J. O'Donnell

Voodoo Histories: The Role of the Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History by David Aaronovitch

The Diary of a Madman and Other Stories by Nikolai Gogol

Melmoth the Wanderer by Rev. Charles Robert Maturin

Best Ghost Stories of Algernon Blackwood

Best Ghost Stories of J. S. LeFanu

Ghost and Horror Stories of Ambrose Bierce

I had also mentioned in an earlier post that I wasn't able to fully catch up on various TV shows and music from 2011. I'm still in the process for these, but did get to complete the second season of Boardwalk Empire and got caught up with The Walking Dead, which are two of the best shows in this our golden age of television. As for music in 2011, I have mentioned in the past a few albums worth mentioning in an otherwise soulless year in music, but over the past week I have come across two very good albums to add to my list. The first is the self-titled album Anna Calvi by Anna Calvi, which interested me initially because it was endorsed by Nick Cave and Brian Eno and was produced by PJ Harvey's producer. Second is the debut album Light Me Up by The Pretty Reckless fronted by Gossip Girl star Taylor Momsen, who will be opening for Marilyn Manson's "Cruel World" tour this spring. I've also had the opportunity to purchase my tickets to see Roger Waters perform The Wall this summer at Fenway Park.

Personal errands are still getting done, book orders are getting fulfilled, and updates to this website are far from complete. I should mention that I will be removing certain posts I have made in the past that have either became outdated or misapplied by my readers to promote agendas I do not necessarily endorse. I will also update posts in many ways, for example videos that do not play anymore or links that do not work anymore. Categories will also be made clearer, updated and easier to access. One thing I also wish to emphasize in the future more and more is that this website is a personal website and is not necessarily an "Orthodox" website. This is why I keep it in blog-style and why my web address bears my name and not that of Mystagogy. When I get emails from people telling me what I should and should not be posting I typically ignore them, and this is why. Just because I primarily identify myself as an Orthodox Christian and tend to post on these topics doesn't mean that I will only stick to those topics just to satisfy some of my readers. This website is by an Orthodox Christian and I am inviting everyone to a few aspects of my world, and so far this website has reflected only a few of my many many interests which some would like while others would despise, and both are cool with me. Below are a few randomly chosen topics I will tackle when I get back, and keep in mind that I have about 500 posts set aside waiting to be posted which I will do slowly over time, God willing:

A Miracle of the Three Hierarchs

A Romanian Villager Who Saw the Uncreated Light

The Origins of Anti-Semitism and Conspiracy Hysteria in Modern Greece

How Henry Ford Fueled the Fire of the Jewish Holocaust

Elder Porphyrios' Censure of Elder Paisios

The Disciplines of Singing in the Ancient Greek World

The Nazi Origin of Modern UFO Phenomena

The Greek Diaspora of Venice

The Funeral of an Athonite Monk

The Avaton of Mount Athos

The Errors of Post-Patristic Theology

The 1919 Divine Liturgy in Hagia Sophia

Was Nietzsche An Atheist?

The Position of the Laity in the Orthodox Church

Fasting: A Study

Elder Gabriel and His Incorrupt Relics

The Actor Who Became an Orthodox Monk

On Elder Epiphanios Theodoropoulos by Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos

An Old Calendarist Hoax

Five Ways of Repentance

Rock Throwing Demons

etc. etc.

With love in Christ,

J.S.

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Break Time

The time once again has come to take a short break from posting here. My life has become too busy and I'm more than overwhelmed, and every day something new seems to pop up leaving many things undone as new things pile up and nothing really gets done. Working a full time job in a fast paced environment doesn't help my situation or energy level either, but that is something I can't give up temporarily unless I took a vacation which I would rather save for an actual vacation since I have not taken one since 2003. My house needs cleaning and fixing, my personal library needs to be organized, I need to get back to reading at least six books at a time like I usually do and have not done in months, my DVR needs to get out of the perpetual 90+% full indicator, errands need to be done, appointments must be made, orders from my bookstore need to be fulfilled, books I'm writing which are past their deadline need to be updated, decisions about my future must be made, and the updates I've promised for this website must take place, among many other things. When all these things are done, I'll be back with maybe some peace of mind which I have feel like I have not had in many years to give this website and all my endeavors the energy and time and effort that they deserve. Hopefully this won't take more than a week or two, but my goal is to certainly be back to posting here by my birthday on February 15th if not sooner. I will continue to post past webposts, especially concerning feast days, on both Facebook and Twitter. When I come back, I'll let you know how everything went. A blessed Triodion to all!

As I was thinking of what to write here at 3:00 AM I was fooling around on MixPod.com listening to some music, so I thought I would share some songs and videos (all 15 of them can be browsed through below using the forward button and can be seen also at the link below the video that says "Get Tracks") I quickly and randomly compiled that will provide the soundtrack to my leave of absence.

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

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A Wondrous Event In The Life of Elder Paisios

The following story was told by Elder Ephraim, Abbot of Vatopaidi Monastery, in a talk he delivered in Bucharest in 2002, concerning a wondrous event in the life of Elder Paisios as it was related to him by the same:

One winter, just before sunset, I left the Stavronikita Monastery to go to my cell. At one hundred meters from the entrance of the Monastery, I met five students, who earlier were loking for me at my cell (it was close to the Monastery), and they had brought something to me from an archimandrite. Since they could not find me they left it at my cell and went to the Monastery.

When we met they asked me to talk with them for a bit. They showed great zeal for divine things. In this way, without realizing, the time passed. They would not unglue themselves from me. However it was getting dark and barely nothing could be seen, so I sent them to the Monastery before the doors closed on them. I hastened to go to my cell. It was very dark and I could not see the road. This is how I got lost. I had no flashlight.

Then I thought that with such cold and with one lung it was inevitable that I would die. Having no hope to live, I knelt and began to pray for my soul. As I was praying a light came out of me that was so strong that the sun of midday would appear to be dark. This light led me to my cell. As soon as I arrived at my cell the light was gone!


Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos

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Movie Reviews: The Grey; Albert Nobbs; The Iron Lady; Man On A Ledge

1. The Grey (2012)

Story: In Alaska, an oil drilling team struggle to survive after a plane crash strands them in the wild. Hunting the humans are a pack of wolves who see them as intruders.

Director: Joe Carnahan
Stars: Liam Neeson

Official Trailer
Official Website
IMDB

Review: The Grey is based on the short story "Ghost Walker" by Ian Mackenzie Jeffers. The film was clearly inspired by similar horror tales such as Hitchcocks' The Birds, Spielburgs' Jaws and Scotts' Alien. Yet it is also an exciting though horrifying tale of survival with a surprising philosophical agenda. Promotion for The Grey in part targeted Christian groups by issuing a "film companion," which highlighted the spiritual value of the film. John Ottway (Liam Neeson) is a man who battles with despair throughout the film and topics such as love, death and faith and how they relate to despair are explored. One of the most interesting scenes comes toward the end when Ottway curses God and asks for his help in his deepest moment of despair, but receives no response. Ottway responds to God's non-responsiveness with a statement of individualism that encourages him to take matters into his own hands.

The greatness of this film is not only the horrifying elements that will surely make the viewer cringe, but also its philosophical and theological elements. It tied in with the Gospel reading from the Divine Liturgy on the Sunday the movie was released, which was the Sunday of the Canaanite Woman (Matt. 15:21-28). Whereas in the film Ottway, in his despair, quickly gives up on God after he asks for His help and gets initial silence, the Canaanite woman persists in her hope, despite her despair and Jesus' silence, and gains God's mercy. I was also reminded of a few stories from the lives of the Saints, among which was a story of Elder Paisios that I translated in the post following this one.

Warning: Do not watch this movie while on a plane flight.

Heads Up: Make sure you watch till the end of the credits, where there is an extra scene.

Rating:
2. Albert Nobbs (2011)

Story: Glenn Close plays a woman passing as a man in order to work and survive in 19th century Ireland. Some thirty years after donning men's clothing, she finds herself trapped in a prison of her own making.

Director: Rodrigo García
Stars: Glenn Close, Mia Wasikowska

Official Trailer
Official Website
IMDB

Review: The screenplay is based on a short story by Irish novelist George Moore. Glen Close does a remarkable job portraying Albert Nobbs, an introverted "man" with a simple little dream, but in order to achieve this dream "she" must become a "he". In the written story Nobbs is 30 years old, but in the movie the character looks about 60 which causes some awkward moments to look at in the film, particularly when Albert is seeking to marry Helen (Mia Wasikowska). Overall however this was a moving film that is superbly acted. It is not a "gay film" as some would suspect, but it more reminded me of a secular version of certain saints lives when women fled to male monasteries to become monks as men. Usually these saints encountered great tragedy for their identity change and were only discovered to be men upon death. Spoiler alert: something similar happens in this movie.

Rating:
3. The Iron Lady (2011)

Story: A look at the life of Margaret Thatcher, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, with a focus on the price she paid for power.

Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Stars: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent

Official Trailer
Official Website
IMDB

Review: The Iron Lady tells the story of a woman who smashed through the barriers of gender and class to be heard in a male-dominated world. The story concerns power and the price that is paid for power, and is a surprising and insightful portrait of an extraordinary and complex woman who refused to compromise. There is controversy about the film in how Margaret Thatcher's dementia is portrayed, and I would agree it goes a bit too far with this. The film should have focused more on her career, which it skims over like a news reel. But Meryl Streep seems to perfectly capture the voice and mannerisms of Thatcher in one of the best performances of 2011.

Rating:
4. Man On A Ledge (2012)

Story: As a police psychologist works to talk down an ex-con who is threatening to jump from a Manhattan hotel rooftop, the biggest diamond heist ever committed is in motion....

Director: Asger Leth
Stars: Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell, Ed Harris

Official Trailer
IMDB

Review: I am typically not a big fan of over-the-top heist films, yet this one I found mildly entertaining for its intriguing premise. Like Tower Heist of last year, it is a contemporary parable of the "99 percent", but it fails to deliver any powerful message, and often comes off as absurd. I have no problem with suspending my disbelief to a certain degree, but Man on a Ledge has one too many bizarre moments to count. You're not going to find anything profound with Man on a Ledge, just simple mindless entertainment.

Rating:

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Children Should Be Raised To Be Faithful To the End

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

In our day, you usually hear these words from parents: "We want to secure the life of our child." That is why they work very hard to amass wealth, often unjustly, to educate their child in the calling [vocation] which brings the greatest physical security and material benefit. This is done by so-called Christians! They do this because their concept of a real life and the real security of life is erroneous. See, how a true Christian mother prepares her son for a real life. At the time of her death, Blessed Euphrosyne spoke to her son Clement of Ancyra (Jan. 23):

"Do me the honor, O my son, and bravely stand up for Christ and confess Him strongly and without hesitation! I hope, in my heart, that the crown of martyrdom will blossom on you in my honor and for the salvation of many. Do not be afraid of threats, nor swords, nor pains, nor wounds, nor fire. Let nothing separate you from Christ, but look up to heaven and from there await your great, eternal and rich reward from God. Fear God's majesty; be afraid of His awesome judgment, tremble at His all-seeing Eye, for all those who deny Him will receive the punishment of unquenchable fire and eternally vigilant worm. Let this be my reward from you, my sweet son, for my pain in child-bearing and effort surrounding your education that I may be called a mother of a martyr. The blood that you received from me, do not spare but shed it that, from that, I can also receive honor. Submit your body to torture that I, too, may rejoice at that before our Lord as though I myself had suffered for Him."

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Mormonism is Not Christianity

Bethany Blankley
December 6, 2011
The Huffington Post

Reading the results of the Pew poll about Mormonism, reminds me of what Martin Luther King Jr. wrote in "Strength to Love": "Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."

The fact that two thirds of mainline Protestants and Catholics believe Mormonism is a Christian religion is an unfortunate example of both.

The Mormon faith is not the same as the Christian faith. Examples abound. Consider these few.

The Ministry of Jesus

In the 2 Nephi 5:21, in the Book of Mormon, in 600 B.C., Lehi, a Jewish prophet from the tribe of Manassah, left Jerusalem with several others, sailed east and landed in South America. Two of Lehi's sons, Lamen and Lemuel, rebelled against God. God cursed them and gave them dark skin -- birthing the Native American race. In 2 Nephi 12:3-12, in A.D. 34, Jesus Christ descended from heaven, baptized the Native Americans, called and commissioned 12 disciples, instituted sacraments, and taught the message of the Sermon on the Mount.

According to the first four gospels of the Bible, Jesus Christ lived and ministered in the region of modern-day Israel. He never appeared in the Americas.

The Virgin Birth

The Mormon Church teaches that Mary, the mother of Jesus, conceived Jesus through sexual relations with God the father. Brigham Young wrote in the Journal of Discourses 8:115, "The birth of the Savior was as natural as are the births of our children; it was the result of natural action. He partook of flesh and blood -- was begotten of his Father, as we were of our fathers." Likewise, the Mormon Apostle Bruce McConkie wrote, "Christ was begotten by an Immortal Father in the same way mortal men are begotten by mortal fathers" (Mormon Doctrine, 1966, pg. 547; Read also, The Seer, by Orsen Pratt; Doctrines of Salvation Vol. 1; or The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson).

The Bible teaches that Mary, a virgin, "was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 1:18). It is a miracle that is difficult for many to understand, but not one that occurred as a result of Mary having intercourse with a human or a spiritual being.

The Spirit World

Mormons believe that God, angels and humans are the same. BYU religion professor Robert Millet clarifies this concept in "The Mormon Faith: A New Look at Christianity" (1998, pg. 39): "Latter-day Saints believe that angels are men and women, human beings, sons and daughters of God, personages of the same type as we are. Parley P. Pratt, an early apostle wrote, 'Gods, angels and men are all of one species, one race, one great family.'"

Additionally, angels are created through sexual relations, better known as "celestial exaltation" between God and his heavenly wife in the spirit world. In the LDS Church manual, Achieving a Celestial Marriage, celestial exaltation "includes the ability to procreate the family unit throughout eternity. This our Father in heaven has power to do. His marriage partner is our mother in heaven. We are their spirit children, born to them in the bonds of celestial marriage."

Spirits are gender specific, immortal and eternal: "Each [male and female] is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose" ("The Family: A Proclamation to the World," issued by the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles of the LDS Church, 1995).

Brigham Young stated:

"Mankind are organized of element designed to endure to all eternity; it never had a beginning and never can have an end. There never was a time when this matter, of which you and I are composed, was not in existence, and there never can be a time when it will pass out of existence; it cannot be annihilated. It is brought together, organized, and capacitated to receive knowledge and intelligence, to be enthroned in glory, to be made angels, Gods -- beings who will hold control over the elements, and have power by their word to command the creation and redemption of worlds, or to extinguish suns by their breath, and disorganize worlds, hurling them back into their chaotic state. This is what you and I are created for." (Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 48; see also Doctrines and Covenants 93:29-33)

The Bible teaches that angels (immortals) and humans (mortals) are to worship God (the sole eternal being) their creator (Hebrews 1). Angels have taken on anthropomorphic characteristics but they are not human. They bore messages to humans from God (Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:11, 26, 2:9; Acts 8:26) and assisted Jesus (Matthew 26:53; Luke 22:43) and his people (Psalm 91:11, 12; Acts 5:19; Hebrews 1:14).

Jesus and Satan

The Mormon church explicitly teaches in the Pearl of Great Price in both the books of Moses (chapter 4) and Abraham (chapter 3) that Jesus Christ and Satan are both sons of God and are not only spirit brothers to each other but are spirit brothers to humans and angels as well. Brigham Young referred to "the Devil, the mighty Lucifer, the great prince of the angels, and the brother of Jesus" in the Journal of Discourses 6:207. In an Ensign magazine (a publication of the Mormon church) answer to a question from a reader, "How can Jesus and Lucifer be spirit brothers when their characters and purposes are so utterly opposed?" the magazine stated, "On first hearing, the doctrine that Lucifer and our Lord, Jesus Christ, are brothers may seem surprising to some--especially to those unacquainted with latter-day revelations. But both the scriptures and the prophets affirm that Jesus Christ and Lucifer are indeed offspring of our Heavenly Father and, therefore, spirit brothers....But as the Firstborn of the Father, Jesus was Lucifer's older brother" (1986, pg. 25).

The Bible teaches that God has only one son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16, 17) who came to destroy the work of the devil (I John 3:8).

Both Mormonism and Christianity make very different truth claims.

Christians must know what they say they believe otherwise their claim to faith is meaningless.

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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.

Read more here.

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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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