The Legendary Athonite Monk Who Never Saw a Woman

This newspaper clipping comes from the Edinburg Daily Courier, and is dated October 29, 1938. It describes what seems to be a Serbian or Romanian monk on Mount Athos born around 1856, whom some have cited as being the only man to have ever lived a full life without ever seeing a woman. This is due to the fact that he lived at Mount Athos since infancy till his death without interruption, and because Mount Athos holds to the strict avaton rule, that does not allow women on the monastic republic, he never had an opportunity to see a woman, at least not in person.

Greeting With "Christ is Risen" 20 Days After Easter

By Demetrios Panagopoulos (1916-1982), Preacher

I once picked up the phone twenty days after Easter and said "Christ is Risen" instead of "Hello".* The person on the other line responded:

"What are you talking about, my child? What is this place?"

"It is a house."

"What are you?"

"What am I? I'm a man."

A Marvelous and Humorous Miracle of Saint Matrona of Chios

 

 

The following marvelous and humorous miracle of Venerable Matrona of Chios involves a blind man, a crippled man and a mute woman.

On the eve of the feast day of the Saint, the 19th of October in the year 1701, all three sufferers separately experienced a vision that united them in a paradoxical manner.

The mute woman beheld in a dream that the crippled man was pursuing her, which due to her fright caused her to scream.

The Ecclesiastical Character of Humor

From the Prologue to the book by Fr. Dionysios Tambakis titled When the Saints Have Humor: Strange Stories of the Saints (Greek).

Recently I visited the holy Elder Nektarios in Kamariza of Lavrio, and I have met other sanctified figures in my life (St. Paisios, Fr. Ephraim Katounakiotis, Fr. Haralambos Dionysiatis, Fr. Ambrose Lazaris, Fr. Eumenios Lampakis, Fr. Kyrillos Gerantonis and others) and have made the following discovery: "Ultimately all the Saints smile and above all have humor." And indeed it is of such a humor that produces both love and benefit.

How is it then possible for a prostrated man who is 85 years old with a thousand and two illness on him, to be so clever and beneficial and for his face to smile and glow like young carefree children?

I asked him:

"Elder Nektarios, will we go to Paradise?"

And he answered me negatively and hopelessly:

"Not even the outside of it will we pass."

"What are you saying, Father?" I yelled frustrated. "We will not eventually enter?"

"Well, if we put on a strike God will let us in!"

Another time a visitor of the Holy Mountain, indifferent to spiritual matters, asked Saint Paisios:

"Father, what are you doing here, in such a remote cell?"

And the Saint responded:

"I'm watching so the ants won't quarrel."

In almost all cases, laughter is social, and therefore it has an ecclesiastical character, since the Church in society is realized in people. We laugh when we are in gatherings, not when we are isolated....

Therefore the biggest humorists and playful people, who serve God as cheerful swallows, are the Saints. They are those who proclaim freedom and holy madness and at the same time rebuke enslaved humanity for their hypocrisy and pseudo-seriousness.

The playfulness of the Saints is needed and necessary for our world. It is a way to ridicule the world that thinks it can mock God and His truth.

Because the only thing Christ longs for is to see His creatures happy and free like birds who endlessly fly in new heavens, beyond hypocritical and false virtues, which are legislated in a "good" society.

Fr. Dionysios Tambakis (2016)

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

Dog Turns Up to Dead Owner's Church Every Day

Two months after his owner died, a dog in Italy keeps turning up each day at the church she used to attend.

Nick Squires

January 16, 2013

The Telegraph

Ciccio, a 12-year-old German shepherd, waits in vain in front of the altar of the Santa Maria Assunta church in the village of San Donaci in the southern region of Puglia.

He heads to the church as soon as the bells begin to ring each afternoon, just as he did for years when his owner was alive.

The woman, who was known in local dialect as "Maria tu lu campu" - "Maria of the fields" – died suddenly in November.

Ciccio attended the funeral, following his mistress's coffin as it was carried into the church.

The dog's devotion has so impressed villagers that they have adopted him as their own, giving him food and water and letting him sleep in a covered area outside the church.

The local priest, Donato Panna, allows him to sit in front of the altar during Masses, baptisms and other services.

He is now hoping to find a new home for the faithful hound.

His behaviour is reminiscent of Greyfriars Bobby, a Skye Terrier who became famous in Edinburgh for spending years guarding the grave of his owner.

If You Want Authentic Byzantine Coins, Buy Them Here

http://www.TrustedCoins.com

Personally I own only one Byzantine coin, which I have framed and hanging on my wall, but if you want to own one, visit the website above and purchase your very own Byzantine coins.

The reality is, I find the videos this guy puts out very entertaining and wanted to share. But he obviously shows a genuine passion for his collection, which is why I do recommend him.

Muslim Group Offended By 'Christian' Tomatoes

Alex Murashko

June 20, 2012

Christian Post

A Salafist group from Egypt appears to be trying to retract a post on Facebook that warned that eating tomatoes are "forbidden because they are Christian."

However, the Muslim traditionalist group, calling themselves the Popular Egyptian Islamic Association, apparently still finds tomatoes offensive if they are cut in such a way that reveals the shape of a cross, according to the Now Lebanon website.

Along with a photo of a tomato cut in half to reveal what could be viewed as a cross, the group originally posted on Facebook: "Eating tomatoes is forbidden because they are Christian. [The tomato] praises the cross instead of Allah and says that Allah is three (a reference to the Trinity).

"[God help us]. I implore you to spread this photo because there is a sister from Palestine who saw the prophet of Allah [Mohammad] in a vision and he was crying, warning his nation against eating them [tomatoes]. If you don't spread this [message], know that it is the devil who stopped you," according to a translation by Now Lebanon.

More than 2,700 comments were left under the warning posted 10 days ago, perhaps prompting the association to give this response:

"We didn't say you can't eat tomatoes. We said don't cut it in [such a way that reveals] the cross shape."

Although many of the comments made on the Facebook post were not suitable for re-publishing, one blogger posting on his blog joked, "Warning! Your salad could be making you into an Infidel!"

There is an estimated 5-6 million Salafis in Egypt. The Salafis are generally considered to be more traditional than other Muslim sects. Last year, a group of hardline Muslims, including Salafis, were responsible for the burning of several Christian churches and businesses in Egypt that later resulted in hundreds of deaths during demonstrations against the destruction.

According to a German domestic intelligence report done in 2010, Salafism is the fastest growing Islamic movement in the world.

A writer for The Blaze categorized most news coming out of the Middle East as "intriguing, bizarre and unceasingly concerning," but said the forbidden tomatoes story "actually crosses into a comical sphere."

Video: Ali Wentworth's Orthodox Baptism Nightmare

In the video above, actress Ali Wentworth details the events of her daughter's Orthodox baptism in a somewhat humorous way on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and guest Bill Maher. Historically Great Lent has always been a period of catechesis for catechumens approaching Holy Baptism. Without a proper education, an Orthodox baptism could indeed look like something out of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, yet those a bit educated understand it is more like something out of It's A Wonderful Life.

The 19 Types of Christians

I'm not posting this infographic by Online Christian Colleges because its necessarily true, though in many ways it is, but to show the stereotypical images Christians often are known for to those outside the Church. It's also more Protestant focused, which means there are many more "types" of Christians out there.


From: TopWebDesignSchools.org

The Revisionist History Channel

Ah, the History Channel. Once a bastion of "factual" presentation, the channel's historical commitment to illuminating history now seems, itself, to be history. But enough blather. Someone summed all this up much more astutely by means of this handy, straightforward infographic:

Truth be told however. The History Channel always did present history in a revisionist sort of way all too often, so what it has become today more seems like a natural evolution. Two thumbs up for Swamp People though; great show but its not history. Brad Meltzer's Decoded has some interesting investigations. And Ancient Aliens, though it often reaches the pinnacle of revisionism, is in fact presenting evidence that more fits in line with the devolution of man and/or the history of demonology and angelology.

Little Known Yet Interesting Facts

1 in 8 Americans has worked in a McDonald’s restaurant.

An amendment to the US Constitution in 1893 was proposed to change the name of the nation to the “United States of Earth.”

All pilots speak English.

If you could fold a piece of paper in half 50 times, its thickness will be 3/4 the distance from the Earth to the Sun (71 million miles).

A group of geese on the ground is a gaggle, but a group of geese in flight is called a skein!

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dock Ellis hurled a no-hitter while under the influence of LSD.

The universe is beige-colored!

If you dig a straight hole down in the United States, you’ll come out the other side not in China, but in the Indian Ocean. Only in parts of Argentina or Chile would a straight hole emerge in China.

A small child could swim through the veins of a blue whale.

Cooling the brain can help treat insomnia!

The volcano in Iceland that erupted and ground planes last year is called Eyjafjallajökull.

The world's largest s'more ever made weighed 1,600 lbs.

The original story of Aladdin takes place in China.

Male seahorses are the ones who give birth.

A woman once tried smuggling snakes into sweden by carrying them in her bra.

A girl required surgery after swallowing a wire that had come loose from a barbeque grill cleaning brush and was cooked into a hamburger.

Even numbered primary interstates run east-west, and odd numbered primary interstates run north-south. (Primary = 1-2 digits)

Paul Winchell, famous for the voices of Gargamel on "The Smurfs" and Tigger on "Winnie the Pooh," also invented the artificial heart.

Fans traditionally throw octopuses onto the ice at Detroit Red Wings games!

Mark Twain was born in the month of the appearance of Halley's Comet in 1835, and died the day after its next appearance in 1910.

Weird Al Yankovic was the valedictorian of his high school class.

The longest bout of sneezing lasted 978 days!

Girls have a better sense of taste than boys do!

A married couple each won the lottery by playing numbers found inside a fortune cookie!

Starbucks offers a secret drink size that isn’t listed on its menu!

Uncle Phil (James Avery) from Fresh Prince of Bel Air, played Shredder's voice in the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon.

Hedy Lamarr, woman who did one of the first nude scenes in movies, also co-invented a technology for frequency hopping radio transmissions.

Kermit the Frog is left-handed.

Mosquitoes hibernate.

The first text message was sent on December 3rd, 1992. It said: "Merry Christmas"

Most active credit cards owned by one person: 1497

The ears of an African elephant can weigh up to 110 pounds each.

Finland has 179,584 islands.

Thomas Edison proposed to his second wife by Morse code.

The Statue of Liberty's waist size is 35...feet.

The Pentagon has 284 bathrooms.

The first Rolls-Royce sold for $600 in 1906.

The country of Tonga once issued a stamp shaped like a banana.

Jupiter is large enough to fit all the planets of the solar system inside of it.

In some areas of Oklahoma: People who make “ugly faces” at dogs may be fined and/or jailed.

General Electric's Schenectady, New York facilities are assigned the ZIP code 12345.

In 1898, all cheerleaders were male. Females started participating in 1923.

Evelyn Marie Adams won the New Jersey lottery twice in 4 months. That's about a 1 in 17 trillion chance.

In 1992, the governor of Hawaii received a 30,000 signature petition to change Maui's name to Gilligan's Island.

Three presidents have died on Independence Day. John Adams/Thomas Jefferson (1826) and James Monroe (1831).

With a properly shuffled deck of cards, the order of the cards has most likely never existed before ever in history.

Graffito is the singular for graffiti.

A winged penis was the city symbol of Pompeii, the ancient Roman resort town destroyed by Mt. Vesuvius' eruption.

Any speaker can in principle act as a microphone, and vice versa.

A mickey is the smallest movement of a mouse that your computer can detect.

A flock of crows is known as a "murder."

Saddam Hussein wrote romance novels. 4 of them.

A can of Diet Coke floats, while a can of regular Coke sinks.

The #1 invention by a woman is Kevlar, the strong fiber material used in body armor.

During 1518, in Strasbourg, about 400 people danced so hard that they died from it.

Only female mosquitoes suck blood.

In Uganda, 50% of the population is under 15 years of age.

Source

Video: The Prayer of a Bird

Lawrence Krauss Finds Empirical Evidence For God

This one's just for fun! :-)

Video: 72 Year Old Greek Sexton Takes On Thief

February 7, 2011
Romfea.gr

Thieves will think again when they think to put their hands to the candle stand at the Church of Saint Demetrios in Tirnavos, especially after hearing that a 72 year old sexton is the watchdog of the church.

The incredible story took place on Friday (02/04/2011) when an aspiring robber invaded the church and destroyed the candle stand, grabbing all the money inside.

In a moments notice and without hesitation, when the sexton spotted him she grabbed the thief and began calling for help. In an inconclusive battle, the perpetrator bit the woman's hand in a desperate bid to escape. The pain from the bite and the shove was enough for the thief to break free of the grip of the sexton.

Immediately the thief ran to his escape vehicle - a neglected bicycle at the entrance of the church - and frantically pedalled away in an unknown direction.

The sexton was brought to the Tirnavos Health Center where her bite wound was treated.

See the video of the event below:


Νεοκόρος σταματα ληστή
Uploaded by fotnak. - Up-to-the minute news videos.

A Monk Musician Plays the Semantron

To read about the Semantron, se here.

Muslim Prayer Dominoes

Karagiozi Not Turkish, Greek Ministry Says

Karagöz Not Turkish, Greek Ministry Says

July 15, 2010
Hurriyet Daily News

A debate between Turkey and Greece is growing in the wake of a UNESCO decision to declare shadow puppet theater a part of Turkish cultural heritage.

Greece is against the decision and claims that the characters of Hacivat and Karagöz are not a Turkish tradition, the daily Radikal recently reported.

Even Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has become involved in the debate over the legendary characters.

After UNESCO’s decision became effective last September, it raised eyebrows in Greece, prompting Teti Hatzinikolaou, head of the Greek Cultural Ministry department, to write that “Karagöz is a Greek cultural figure.”

Greece is set to press its claim to the style of theater, the Foreign Ministry in Athens said Wednesday.

The developments drew the attention of the country’s Foreign Ministry and the Greek Culture Ministry, while Pavlos Gerulanos, Greece’s culture minister, sought to find more information regarding the UNESCO decision.

Several Greek newspapers have demanded a greater debate between Turkey and Greece on the matter.

When asked to comment on the incident, Papandreou smiled and said: “It is better for both countries to have their own Karagöz.”

"The UNESCO convention on intangible cultural heritage enables neighboring countries to access the same commodity," foreign ministry spokesman Grigoris Delavekouras told a news briefing.

"Greece has tabled a statement that the same practice exists in our country and discussion ... regarding this issue will take place in Nairobi in October," he said, adding that the “Karagiozis” shadow theater, named after the main character, is an "inseparable" part of Greek culture.

Karagöz – Turkish for the Greek Karagiozis, meaning "black-eyed" – was a hunchbacked trickster who tried to make a living by hoodwinking and generally avoided all manner of honest work.

The setting is loosely placed during the occupation of present-day Greece by the Ottoman Empire from the mid-15th century to the early 19th century.

UNESCO last year placed Karagöz on its list of intangible cultural elements, associating it with Turkey where the character was originally born.

“Karagiozis” is also a common byword for “fool” in Greek.

15 Things You Didn't Know About the Human Body

Sadly however, your body doesn't really make a loud BUZZ noise if someone sticks a pair of tweezers into any open orifice. That would be cool, though...

The Ridiculousness of Contemporary Evangelicalism

Walking On Water?

More like running. A funny video nonetheless.



From the Description on Youtube:

Liquid Mountaineering is a new sport which is attempting to achieve what man has tried to do for centuries: walk on water. Or to be more precise: running on water. We are developing the sport from scratch. By accident we found out that with the right water repellent equipment you can run across bodies of water, just like a stone skimming the surface.

http://www.liquidmountaineering.blogspot.com/