(Pravoslavie.ru) - Near the Bulgarian resort of Primorsko an Orthodox underwater Chapel will appear in the coming days, reports Sedmitza.ru.
A local clergyman has already blessed the foundation of the construction, stone plinths, the cross, the candle stand, an Icon of St. Nicolas with a bronze frame, and a plate with engraving: "Za Raven Broi" (“May you make the same number of dives as surfaces" ).
Construction will begin on June 1, just south of Cape Borun at a depth of 12 meters. Parts of the chapel will be delivered by boat and immersed by parachute.
The local diving center has initiated the project. It hopes to help build the church for several days. Divers will be able to light special candles in the Church, which can burn in the water.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Interested in following the peregrinations of seminarians around Russia? There is no better place to go than Reader John's Jordanville Journal. It reads like a delightful travelogue with pictures you actually want to see and entertaining (often self-deprecating) vignettes you want to hear.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
(EOCS) - As everyone knows last week the Boy Scouts of America passed it’s new membership standards (see here). The EOCS is an agency of the former SCOBA and current Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North & Central America. As an agency of the Assembly we must take our direction from them.
We have requested guidance from the Assembly and are still waiting to hear from them.
We ask that everyone wait until the Assembly addresses the situation until you make a decision on your scouting units.
The BSA policy does not take effect until January 1 2014.
A EOCS National Board Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday June 12th at St. Demetrios Cathedral in Astoria NY.
We will be discussing the membership standards and it’s ramifications then.
A official statement will be made after the meeting and posted to this site and our Facebook page.
May 28, 2013 (Bound4Life) - Lee Jong-rak is a Korean pastor in South Korea. A simple man with a huge purpose, Pastor Jong-rak saw a devastating problem. He thought of a way he could change it, and he became a prophetic voice to his society. His story is a story of faith. A story of hope. A story of love. And when you hear this heroic tale, you just may never be the same.
Lee Jong-rak is the creator of the Baby Box. His Baby Box is the first and only box in Korea that is for collecting abandoned babies who are physically or mentally handicapped or are just unwanted by their mothers.
Hundreds of unwanted babies are abandoned on the side of the street in South Korea every year. Jong-rak knew he needed to set up a way to save the lives of these precious babies. He built a drop box on the side of his home with a humble sign reading, “Place to leave babies.”
The inside of the box contains a thick towel covering the bottom, and lights and heating to keep the baby comfortable. A bell rings when someone puts a baby in the box, then Jong-rak, his wife, or staff associates come to immediately move the baby inside. His aim was to provide a life-giving alternative for desperate mothers in his city of Seoul. He even admits that he didn’t really expect that babies would come in– He was mistaken. The babies came. In the middle of the night, in the middle of the day, some with notes, some without a word, and only a very few mothers actually spoke to him face-to-face.
Pastor Jong-rak stated that one of the mothers said she “had poison to kill both herself and her baby.” He responded, “Don’t do that. Come here with your baby.” One single mother left this heart-wrenching note with her baby. The english translation follows.
“My baby! Mom is so sorry.
I am so sorry to make this decision.
My son! I hope you to meet great parents, and I am very, very sorry .
I don’t deserve to say a word.
Sorry, sorry, and I love you my son.
Mom loves you more than anything else.
I leave you here because I don’t know who your father is.
I used to think about something bad, but I guess this box is safer for you.
That’s why I decided to leave you here. My son, Please forgive me.”
My breath was pulled from me as I read, “I used to think about something bad but I guess this box is safer for you.” Yes, this little box is a safer place than the plans that once haunted this single mother’s mind. Because this box was an alternative, she chose life. Thus, this box would be the beginning of an previously undreamed ministry in Korea, the ministry of the Baby Box.
The story of this man and his baby box is reaching the entire world with it’s own 72-minute documentary called “The Drop Box” by a young 22 year old, Brian Ivie. The documentary just won the “Best of Festival” Jubilee Award & “The Best Sanctity of Life” film award at the 8th annual San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival this past February.
Ivie was stirred to do the film after reading an article in the LA Times about Pastor Jong-rak’s mission, and he decided to go to Korea to make the documentary. After seeing the testimonies of this orphanage up close, Brian Ivie’s life was changed. In his acceptance speech, Ivie said, “These kids are not mistakes. They are important.” He went on saying, “I became a Christian while making this movie. When I started to make it and I saw all these kids come through the drop box – it was like a flash from heaven, just like these kids with disabilities had crooked bodies, I have a crooked soul. And God loves me still. When it comes to this sanctity of life issue, we must realize that that faith in God is the only refuge for people who are deemed unnecessary. This world is so much about self-reliance, self-worth, and self-esteem. It’s a total illusion that we can be self-sufficient. Christ is the only thing that enables us.”
The documentary that changed Brian Ivie’s life is bound to change the lives of the film’s audience. They are currently in the middle of negotiations with a major studio to release the film all over the world this fall. For now, they are asking people to join their mailing list (dropboxmovement@gmail.com) and join their page on Facebook from the link on their website www.dropbox-movie.com.
As I scrolled through the stories on Facebook, I was overwhelmed to see a post dated as April 17th where one of the staff members of the Baby Box orphanage stated that they had received 5 babies in one week and to pray for them. There beside her request was a picture of five beautifully bundled babies. In my head, all I could think was, “This is the real thing. This ministry is the real thing.”
Korea is not the only place that deals with child abandonment. Globally, millions of children die from abandonment. It takes different forms from country to country. In the United States, abortion serves our abandonment purposes and they call it a “woman’s choice.” Our nation is still struggling to see that these babies are human beings, too. They deserve to live just like any other human being. With incredible men and women like Pastor Lee Jong-rak, this world is seeing how life can be for these babies when we take them in; when we become a voice for the ones that cannot speak up for themselves. They are loved, they are cherished, and they are worthy just the way they are.
“They’re not the unnecessary ones in the world. God sent them to the earth to use them.”
-Pastor Lee Jong-rak, The Drop Box documentary
Watch the documentary trailer for The Drop Box here but grab some tissues first.
We are dedicated to making the COMPLETE Ethiopian Orthodox Bible available in the English language. Although unknown to most of the world the Bible of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church contains books that are not to be found in any other Bible canon (with the exception of the Eritrean Orthodox Church which itself split off from the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and with the exception in the case of some of the books of the EOTC Old Testament accepted by Ethiopian Jews known as Beta Israel who preserve an ancient pre-rabbinic form of Judaism.
Already some of these books have been translated into English. Enoch and Jubilees are well known among serious bible scholars. The book of Enoch is quoted in Jude and is also alluded to several times in the New Testament accepted by all Christian churches. Enoch is also quoted approvingly by the early Church Fathers who recognized the Book of Enoch as canonical. Among the Dead Sea Scrolls partial copies of Enoch along with Jubilees, Tobit and Sirach which are also in the EOTC canon were found. The Dead Sea Scrolls are the oldest surviving scrolls of the Bible! The EOTC has 45 million members making it one of the largest churches in the entire world, thus a great number of people follow its Bible Canon.
Ideally we would prefer to translate the remaining as of yet untranslated books of the Bible from the oldest Ge’ez copies however we are also willing to translate from the somewhat later Amharic texts as well. We are currently looking for individuals who can read Ge’ez and Amharic fluently as well as English. We welcome priests, monks and scholars to contact us and volunteer their time and assistance. Full credit will be given and the individuals name and title and portion of Scripture translated will be included with the translations along with a dedication if they wish. The Translator may also choose to remain anonymous
We will assign books or portions of books to different individuals or accept translations of different books or portions by individuals who working in coordination will facilitate the completion of the entire project as quickly as possible. Given the monumental nature of this undertaking it may take many years, we therefore hope to release portions of the project incrementally.
If you are in a position to volunteer your time and assistance and you meet the above criteria please contact us using the form on this site. Our progress depends entirely upon the level of assistance and support that we receive.
Thank you,
Ethiopian Orthodox Bible Project Committee
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
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(Romania Insider) - The Romanian Orthodox Church sent Varsanufie Prahoveanul (in picture), bishop of the Bucharest Archbishopy, to hold the mass at the Rahova Church on Sunday, May 26, where Romanian businessman Gigi Becali, who is a well known financier of the church and is outspoken in his religious views, was imprisoned a week ago. The event was much debated by the Romanian media, with many being outraged that the church had sent its second most important official because of Becali’s large donations. It is as yet uncertain whether Becali actually attended the mass, as some local sources suggest that in the end, he did not show up.
Most media comments came as it is the first time after a long while when the Orthodox Church sent one of its top representatives to organize a mass in jail. Becali donated some USD 2 million to the Patriarchy, mainly to build the new cathedral.
Gigi Becali owns the football Club Steaua, and is known for his businesses involving the sale of land plots in the Northern area of Bucharest. Romania’s Supreme Court sentenced Becali to three years imprisonment for the MApN (Defense Ministry) land exchange case. Former minister Babiuc and former Chief of Staff General Dumitru Cioflină also received two-year jail sentences.
According to the bill of indictment, between 1996 and 1999, the Defense Ministry, which managed the state owned land in Voluntari, near capital Bucharest, exchanged some land plots – 28.8 hectares with Gigi Becali. This land exchange cost the Romanian state a total amount of over USD 890,000.
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(Orthodoxy in China) - On May 23, 2013 in Khabarovsk's Nativity Cathedral, on completion of the prayer before the start of the Conference on the work of the Russian-English and English-Chinese dictionary of Orthodox vocabulary, the icons of Hieromartyr Mitrophan of Beijing and 221 Chinese martyrs were consecrated. Fr. Dionisy Pozdnyaev, rector of the SS Peter and Paul parish in Hong Kong (China) led the prayer service and the blessing of the icons. It is noteworthy that during the prayer service one of the conference guests read the prayers beginning with the "Trisagion" to "Our Father" in Chinese.The icon of the 222 Chinese martyrs and the separate image of the martyr Mitrophan (Ji) were painted by the nun Irina (Moroz), a Khabarovsk iconographer now living in Vyatka. The icons for the Khabarovsk seminary chapel arrived in Khabarovsk on the eve of the "Days of China " as part of the III-local Cyril and Methodius conference.
Information: The 222 Chinese martyrs - suffered during the Yihetuan rebellion ("Boxer Rebellion") in Beijing. Honored as Orthodox saints, their memory is kept on June 24. At the beginning of the XX century, as a result of activity of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Beijing there were a few hundred Orthodox Christians. In the summer of 1900 participants in the "Boxer Rebellion" in China declared their goal was to fight against foreign influence in the country, and one of their slogans was to fight against Christianity and those Chinese who converted to Christianity. During the street fighting, subsequently called "Bartholomew's night in Beijing", despite the torture and abuse by Yihetuan, these people did not renounce Orthodoxy. Heading the host of Saints is the Martyr Mitrophan Ji, the first Chinese priest, ordained by St. Nicholas of Japan. 222 persons among the dead were identified; their remains were gathered and buried in the crypt of the newly built All Holy Martyrs Church in Beijing; but, during the "cultural revolution" this temple was destroyed and its crypt flooded. In 1902, the Chinese martyrs were canonized by Church of Russia as locally venerated saints. A special service was prepared for Chinese New Martyrs even before 1917 and a special icon was prepared.
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| (mospat.ru) - 25 May 2013 marked the centenary of canonization of the holy martyr Hermogen, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Assumption in the Moscow Kremlin. |
Monday, May 27, 2013
(OCA) - A brief statement with regard to the retirement of His Eminence, Metropolitan Jonah was issued by the Office of Archpriest John Jillions, Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America, on Monday, May 27, 2013.
The text of the statement reads as follows.
“At the invitation of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, His Eminence, Metropolitan Jonah met with a number of members of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America at Saint Tikhon’s Monastery, South Canaan, PA and reached an understanding with the Holy Synod concerning his retirement. Following their meeting, Metropolitans Tikhon and Jonah, together with hierarchs of the Holy Synod and guest hierarchs, including His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, concelebrated the Divine Liturgy marking the 109th annual Pilgrimage to the monastery.”
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Tbilisi, May 23 (Interfax) - Constantinople recognizes the jurisdiction of the Georgian Orthodox Church in Abkhazia, Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia said on Thursday.
"We had a meeting with the Ecumenical Patriarch. We considered various issues and accord emerged on everything. I am grateful to His Holiness for this support. He said repeatedly that Constantinople recognized the jurisdiction of the Georgian Orthodox Church in Abkhazia and, with God's help, everything will end peacefully," the Georgian Patriarch said.
Patriarch Ilia II said that it was planned to organize his visit to Abkhazia in the company of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. The Georgian patriarch will also introduce during his visit to Sukhum his personal representative among clerics, natives of Abkhazia.
"All local Orthodox Churches and the entire world recognize Abkhazia as a part of the Georgian Church, a canonical part. Everyone admits this and so all issues existing in Abkhazia are to be definitely considered by the Georgian Orthodox Church and its Synod. We have agreed that the Georgian Church would do everything so priests came there. I am Metropolitan of Tskhum-Abkhazia and Bichvinta and I have to go there as well to calm down the situation there," Patriarch Ilia II said.
"We have agreed with the Ecumenical patriarch that he would help us with this and everything would be fine. The Russian Church recognized Abkhazia as part of the Georgian Church. The church problems of Abkhazia are the result of political issues. And we have to do everything so that political fights and disagreements do not reflect on church life. On the contrary, Church should do everything so that peace comes to our country," the Georgian Patriarch said.
Georgian Minister for Reintegration, Paata Zakareishvili, commented on the patriarch's statements on Thursday.
"The state should not interfere with the issue of Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia's visit to Abkhazia. His Holiness is in Constantinople, where he has met with the Ecumenical Patriarch. Naturally, it would come to Abkhazia and he probably reached an agreement. The visit of the Patriarch to Abkhazia will take place upon a certain agreement. This is not a political structure. They have their own relations. If this happens, I will welcome this and state channels should not be involved to interfere with the church activities," the minister said.
"They probably want to implement this with the Russian Church's accord because information emerged that the Russian Church is also involved in this process, this is also to happen in Abkhazia with the permission of the de-facto authorities," Zakareishvili said.
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(Pravoslavie.ru) - His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilus of Jerusalem has arrived in Moscow for his official visit. The program of the visit of the head of the Church of Jerusalem includes: celebrations of the Day of Slavic Writing and Culture, visits to the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra, and holy places of St. Petersburg and Valaam Monastery. His Beatitude Patriarch of the holy city of Jerusalem and all Palestine was ceremoniously met at Vnukovo airport. In the evening the delegations of the Jerusalem and the Russian Orthodox Churches will hold discussions in the throne room of the Patriarchal residence, reports Sinfo.
On May 24, in the morning, in the Patriarchal Dormition Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin, his Beatitude Patriarch Theophilus of Jerusalem and his Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia will serve a Divine Liturgy after which the Cross procession will proceed from the Church of the Theophany to Slavyanskaya square, where the heads of the Russian and the Jerusalem Orthodox Churches will hold a solemn prayer service at the monument of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, Equals-to-the-Apostles.
Patriarch Theophilus’s participation in celebrations of the Day of the Slavic Writing and Culture is a continuation of the tradition of inviting heads of local Orthodox Churches to this holiday. His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople took part in the celebrations of 2010. A delegation of the Patriarchate of Constantinople takes part in these celebrations annually, and this year it is headed by Bishop Kyrillos of Abydos. On the same day, Patriarch Theophilus will visit the holiday concert, "Our Favorite Songs", in the evening on Red Square in Moscow, which open to all.
On May 25, 2013, on the 100th-year anniversary of canonization of Holy Patriarch Hermogenes, his Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia and his Beatitude Patriarch Theophilus of Jerusalem will bless a newly-erected monument to St. Hermogenes in the Alexandеr Garden near the Kremlin walls. St. Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia from 1606–1612, inspired the popular uprising that put an end to the Time of Troubles in Russia. The Polish Catholic rulers who martyred St. Hermoges for his steadfastness in the Orthodox faith were finally expelled.
On May 27, the head of the Church of Jerusalem will come to St. Petersburg where he will take part in blessing of the St Nicholas naval Cathedral in the town of Kronstadt; during the following days he will be visiting Churches of St. Petersburg, the St. Alexander Nevsky Lavra, and will also make a pilgrimage to the Valaam Monastery.
From the blog Eclectic Orthodoxy, "What is Orthodox hell?"
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What is the Orthodox doctrine of hell? I honestly do not know. I do know what many Orthodox have taught about hell during the past seventy-five years or so, and I know something about what the Church Fathers taught about it during the first millenium of the Church’s history; but I cannot tell you what the Orthodox Church authoritatively and irreformably teaches about hell. My ignorance on this question is partly determined by the fact that a huge portion of the Eastern theological patrimony has never been translated into English. I read neither Greek (modern or patristic), Russian, Romanian, Serbian, or Syriac. I suspect that my position is not that different from most other English-speaking Orthodox believers, including the clergy. The fact that so much theological reflection is inaccessible to us puts us at significant disadvantage.
This doesn’t mean that the ordinary American parish priest does not believe that he knows what the authoritative Orthodox understanding of hell is. Quite the contrary. At least within English-speaking Orthodoxy a particular understanding of hell and perdition has established itself as the Orthodox position; and this understanding, we are told, is dramatically different from what is taught in Catholicism and Protestantism. Patristic scholar Archimandrite Irenei (Matthew) Steenberg has described this view as “hell is heaven experienced differently”: God does not retributively punish the damned; the damned experience God as torment because they have rejected, and eternally reject, the divine mercy and love. They cannot tolerate his inescapable presence. God does not actively inflict pain at the Last Judgment; he simply allows the damned to experience the suffering they have freely chosen, and he allows this for all eternity. This view can be found in the writings of John Romanides, George Metallinos, and Hierotheos Vlachos. For popular presentations see A Study of Hell by Nick Aiello, “Heaven and Hell in the Afterlife” by Peter Chopelas, “Hell and God’s Love” by Eric Simpson, and “Why We Need Hell” by Frederica Mathewes-Green. Yet as Steenberg notes, serious questions can be raised whether this understanding of hell as “heaven experienced differently” in fact represents the consensual teaching of the Church Fathers: “this view has little to no grounding in either the Scriptural or patristic heritage of the Church,” Steenberg argues, “and in fact that heritage very regularly makes assertions that wholly deny the possibility of this view.”
Unfortunately, it is not an easy matter for an English-speaking non-scholar to assess patristically the “hell is heaven experienced differently” thesis. Look high and low, but you will not find a comprehensive, detailed, and in-depth scholarly discussion of the eschatology of the Church Fathers, much less of the two thousand year old Eastern tradition. Perhaps such surveys are available in French, German, Russian or Greek, but alas not in English. I find this surprising—especially given how popular eschatology has been in theological circles over the past fifty years. One can find extensive discussion of what the New Testament teaches about hell, especially by Protestant scholars. And one can find extensive discussion about what the Catholic Church dogmatically teaches (or “should” dogmatically teach) about hell by Catholic theologians. But when one turns to the Church Fathers, one immediately hits a wall. In fact, it’s hard to find in-depth scholarly treatment of individual Church Fathers on this subject, with the exceptions of Origen, Gregory Nyssen, and Augustine. J. N. D. Kelly devotes a couple of pages to hell and judgment in his book Early Christian Doctrines. Jaroslav Pelikan’s first volume of The Christian Tradition is even less helpful...
This doesn’t mean that the ordinary American parish priest does not believe that he knows what the authoritative Orthodox understanding of hell is. Quite the contrary. At least within English-speaking Orthodoxy a particular understanding of hell and perdition has established itself as the Orthodox position; and this understanding, we are told, is dramatically different from what is taught in Catholicism and Protestantism. Patristic scholar Archimandrite Irenei (Matthew) Steenberg has described this view as “hell is heaven experienced differently”: God does not retributively punish the damned; the damned experience God as torment because they have rejected, and eternally reject, the divine mercy and love. They cannot tolerate his inescapable presence. God does not actively inflict pain at the Last Judgment; he simply allows the damned to experience the suffering they have freely chosen, and he allows this for all eternity. This view can be found in the writings of John Romanides, George Metallinos, and Hierotheos Vlachos. For popular presentations see A Study of Hell by Nick Aiello, “Heaven and Hell in the Afterlife” by Peter Chopelas, “Hell and God’s Love” by Eric Simpson, and “Why We Need Hell” by Frederica Mathewes-Green. Yet as Steenberg notes, serious questions can be raised whether this understanding of hell as “heaven experienced differently” in fact represents the consensual teaching of the Church Fathers: “this view has little to no grounding in either the Scriptural or patristic heritage of the Church,” Steenberg argues, “and in fact that heritage very regularly makes assertions that wholly deny the possibility of this view.”
Unfortunately, it is not an easy matter for an English-speaking non-scholar to assess patristically the “hell is heaven experienced differently” thesis. Look high and low, but you will not find a comprehensive, detailed, and in-depth scholarly discussion of the eschatology of the Church Fathers, much less of the two thousand year old Eastern tradition. Perhaps such surveys are available in French, German, Russian or Greek, but alas not in English. I find this surprising—especially given how popular eschatology has been in theological circles over the past fifty years. One can find extensive discussion of what the New Testament teaches about hell, especially by Protestant scholars. And one can find extensive discussion about what the Catholic Church dogmatically teaches (or “should” dogmatically teach) about hell by Catholic theologians. But when one turns to the Church Fathers, one immediately hits a wall. In fact, it’s hard to find in-depth scholarly treatment of individual Church Fathers on this subject, with the exceptions of Origen, Gregory Nyssen, and Augustine. J. N. D. Kelly devotes a couple of pages to hell and judgment in his book Early Christian Doctrines. Jaroslav Pelikan’s first volume of The Christian Tradition is even less helpful...
Complete article here.
When time and money allow, I think I'll pick this up. A reasonable $20 on Amazon.
(Wipf and Stock) - Harbor for the Poor: A Missiological Analysis of Almsgiving in the View and Practice of John Chrysostom by Eric Costanzo.
Urban poverty in the developed world is an ever-present problem, and Christian approaches to poverty throughout history have much to teach us. The practice of almsgiving, which is the consistent practice of giving and sharing resources to meet the needs of the poor, is a sadly neglected part of this Christian heritage. This book explores the Christian lifestyle of almsgiving through the study of John Chrysostom.
The sermons and writings of John Chrysostom (c.347-407 CE), pastor in Antioch and archbishop of Constantinople, contain perhaps the greatest concentration of teaching on almsgiving in all of Christian literature. John's teaching on almsgiving was both biblical and practical, and his ministry helped strengthen care for the poor throughout the Roman Empire of late antiquity. John preached his sermons to congregations filled with people who lived very comfortable lives. From his perspective, the churches of Antioch and Constantinople had grown complacent regarding poverty, when in fact God had called them to become a harbor for the poor.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
I'll be there!
(OCA) - Final preparations for the 109th Annual Pilgrimage to Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk Monastery here over Memorial Day weekend, May 24-27, 2013, are underway.
“It is always a joy to welcome hierarchs, clergy and faithful from the Orthodox Church in America, other Orthodox jurisdictions and guests from near and far,” said Igumen Sergius, the Monastery’s Abbot.
A detailed schedule of the weekend’s divine services and other events is available here (PDF).
In related news, Saint Tikhon’s Seminary will hold its 71st annual Commencement on Saturday, May 25. The day will open with the celebration of the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at 9:00 a.m. and continue with graduation ceremonies at the Monastery Bell Tower at 1:00 p.m.
Saint Tikhon’s Monastery is the oldest Orthodox Christian monastic community in North America. Saint Tikhon’s Seminary, established in 1938, is celebrating its 75th Anniversary in 2013.
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(Zenit.org) - Over two thousand people marched through the streets of in a candlelit procession praying for the release of two Syrian bishops who were abducted a month ago in Aleppo in Syria.
On April 22, Syrian Orthodox Metropolitan Mar Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim and Greek-Orthodox Bishop Boulos al-Yazigi were kidnapped by unknown abductors during a humanitarian mission. There has been no news on the whereabouts of the two prelates since their abduction.
According to Fides News Agency, the March was attended by various leaders and representatives of Churches and ecclesial communities in Jordan. The procession began at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple and ended at the Syrian Orthodox Church of St. Ephrem.
A statement signed by the bishops and heads of Churches condemning the kidnappings was read by Archbishop Maroun Laham, Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
Calling the kidnappings of the two prelates “unacceptable”, the Heads of the Churches stated that the abduction raised concerns not only over their lives, but over the moral of the Syrian people in Aleppo.
“The bishops and Representatives of the Churches in Jordan hope that this silent candle march, prayers and calls will soften hearts and bring back the esteemed Bishops immediately,” the statement read.
“In this silent march, the bishops and representatives of the Churches in Jordan express solidarity with the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and all the East, represented by His Beatitude Patriarch Youhanna 10th Yaziji Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and the Syriac Orthodox Church represented by His Holiness Mar Ignatius Zakka IIwas, and call for prayer for the two sister churches and for all the churches in the world, whose leaderships never seized to call upon all people of conscience and good will in collaboration with all official, religious and civil authorities for the release of the esteemed Bishops.”
The representatives of the Churches of Jordan also called for restore peace in Syria as well as for respect for the Holy Sites in Palestine. They expressed their hope that renewed unity and solidarity would flourish between Christians and Muslims in the Middle East.
Renewing their call for the release of the two Bishop, the statement asked that they be “returned unharmed to their churches and society.”
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(ROCOR) - On Sunday, May 21, 2013, the Sunday of the Holy Myrrh-Bearing Women, His Grace Bishop Agapit of Stuttgart celebrated Divine Liturgy (and all-night vigil the evening before) at the Russian St Mary Magdalene, Equal-to-the-Apostles Convent in Gethsemane, Jerusalem. He was joined by Archimandrite Roman (Krassovsky) and other clergymen of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem of the Russian Church Abroad and a multitude of worshipers.
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(Malankara-NAD) - His Grace Zachariah Mar Nicholovos, Metropolitan hosted a luncheon in honor of the newly enthroned Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon at the Diocesan Chancery in Muttontown, New York.
Other honored guests in attendance included His Eminence, Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America; His Grace, Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Vicar, Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America; His Grace, Bishop David, General Bishop and Patriarchal Exarch, Coptic Archdiocese of North America, His Grace, Bishop Mark of Baltimore,Orthodox Church in America; Archpriest Leonid Kishkovky, OCA Director of External Affairs and Interchurch Relations; and Archpriests John Behr and Chad Hatfield, Dean and Chancellor of Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, Yonkers, NY.
During the luncheon guests discussed the problems facing Christians all around the world. The persecution of Coptic Christians in Egypt and the recent events in Middle East were brought up as concern. The group together decried the fundamentalist and militant religious forces in the world.
His Grace Mar Nicholovos spoke briefly acknowledging the love and care that the Indian Orthodox community in North America has received from the Orthodox Church in America. Mar Nicholovos wished His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, a fruitful ministry as the new Primate of the Orthodox Church in America. His Grace also conveyed deep gratitude to His Beatitude and the Seminaries of the Orthodox Church in America, for their service in training the priests of the Diocese.
His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon expressed his gratitude to Mar Nicholovos for the wishes and congratulated Mar Nicholovos on the second anniversary being enthroned as Metropolitan of Northeast American Diocese. His Beatitude also stated that it is important for the Christians in America to be aware of the problems that Christians face globally. His Grace Bishop Davi of the Coptic Orthodox Church called the luncheon an “agape meal” modeled on the love of the early Church and thanked Mar Nicholovos for the solidarity of the Indian Orthodox community with the present trials of the Coptic Church in Egypt. Bishop David also shared his belief that such meals express the common desire for greater unity among Orthodox communions.
Rev. Fr. M. K. Kuriakose, Diocesan Secretary, Rev. Fr. Paulose T. Peter, Director for Ecumenical Relations, and Rev. Fr. Sujit T. Thomas, Director of FOCUS & Family & Youth Conference Coordinator were also in attendance.
The guests offered their prayers and greetings to His Grace Zachariah Mar Nicholovos, on the second anniversary of the enthronement of His Grace as Metropolitan of the Northeast American Diocese.
(The Guardian) - One month after two Orthodox Christian bishops were kidnapped by gunmen in Syria, officials say they still have no idea what has happened to the missing prelates.
The clerics, the most senior church officials to be targeted since civil war engulfed the country, have not been heard of since their abduction at gunpoint in the northern city of Aleppo on 22 April.
"We are deeply worried for the lives of archbishop Mor Gregorius Yohanna Ibrahim of the Syriac Orthodox Church and bishop Boulos Yazigi of the Greek Orthodox Church," said Katrina Lantos Swett, who chairs the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (Uscirf).
"These two religious leaders put aside their own safety by travelling to one of the worst areas of fighting to help those Syrians left with few basic necessities after more than two years of war," she said in a statement released on Tuesday.
"The United States and the international community must leave no stone unturned to free the archbishops and halt sectarian violence."
The two men, who are based in Aleppo, were seized as they returned from a humanitarian mission in neighbouring Turkey. Their driver, a cleric with the rank of deacon, was shot and killed in the attack.
Although there have been an array of rumoured sightings since, authorities admit they have made little progress locating the bishops or establishing which group is holding them.
"We are in daily contact with officials across the region," said A Greek foreign ministry spokesman, Gregory Delavekouras. "Information is coming through all the time but absolutely nothing has been confirmed so far," he told the Guardian. "We remain completely in the dark."
Athens has set up a crisis management team, sent an emissary to the Middle East, contacted governments across the region and used its considerable contacts with the Syrian opposition in a bid to shed light on the clerics' whereabouts.
The Greek Orthodox Church, which has representatives across the Middle East, has also weighed in, and the Greece's prime minister, Antonis Samaras, has appealed for help to Istanbul-based ecumenical patriarch, Bartholomew, spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox faithful.
"All the stops have been pulled out," said one insider, saying that because of its geopolitical position at the east-west crossroads, Greece had "better contacts and better chances" of finding the bishops than other western allies.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
(ACN) - A leading Coptic Catholic bishop has expressed hopes that a historic meeting between two popes may lead to the Coptic Orthodox Church recognising Catholic baptism.
Bishop Kyrillos William of Assiut described the meeting between Catholic Pope Francis and Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II earlier this month as a “watershed” in ecumenical relations – and expressed optimism that the two Churches would grow closer.
One key contention between the churches is that the Coptic Orthodox Church does not recognise Catholic baptism.
Catholics converting to marry Coptic Orthodox Christians have to be rebaptised. Such conversions are not unusual, as anyone marrying outside the Coptic Orthodox Church, or one of its sister Oriental Orthodox Churches, is barred from the sacraments.
Rumours in February 2010 that Pope Shenouda III would allow marriage between Catholics and Orthodox, because of the two Churches’ theological and doctrinal closeness, were quickly quashed by Coptic Orthodox officials.
During an interview with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, Bishop William was asked if he expected movement on the issue of Catholic baptism being recognised. He replied: “Yes, Tawadros has said this himself”.
Describing the current difficulties, the bishop added: “Pope Shenouda demanded rebaptism because he was of the opinion that unity in faith was a condition for recognising Catholic baptism.
“He quoted the Epistle to the Ephesians, where there is talk of one Lord, one faith and one baptism.”
But, Bishop William said that any change in the position on baptism will be far from straightforward.
“The difficulty will be that there are still many of Shenouda’s adherents in the Coptic synod.
“But there are also bishops who have gone along with Shenouda’s line on rebaptism for reasons of obedience and not conviction.
“I cannot therefore risk a prediction that the line will change – but my impression is that [Pope Francis’s] cordial nature and the openness of Tawadros’s curia representatives and his companions, including also disciples of Shenouda, have made a positive impact.”
He added that improving relations between the two Churches were being driven by the common problems Catholic and Orthodox Christians were experiencing in Egypt.
“When the revolution broke out two years ago spontaneous consultations arose between us Catholics and the Orthodox Church as well as Protestants. We wanted to speak with one voice.”
And according to Bishop William, the new Coptic Orthodox Pope’s actions reveal a commitment to ecumenism.
He said: “Pope Tawadros has shown from the very beginning that he wishes to come closer to the other Churches.
“Just after the election of Pope Francis he pushed for a meeting on 10th May – that is the 40th anniversary of the meeting between Pope Paul VI and Pope Shenouda III.
“Now it isn’t easy to obtain an audience in the Vatican at short notice. But great efforts were made to meet Tawadros’ wishes.
“I think that this really is a watershed. Tawadros is quite different from his predecessor Shenouda as far as the ecumenical movement is concerned.”
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| (Armenian-WD) - On Tuesday, May 14, 2013, Sourp Hovhaness Mgrditch (St. John the Baptist) Church was consecrated in the city of Abovyan, in Armenia’s Kotayk region, by His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. |
I have been asked no fewer than three times to post this article from the blog Ancient Christian Wisdom entitled "Divergent Interpretations of the Same Statistics: Differing Suggestions from Christianity and Sociology." I have acceded below. It is a fine post and well worth reading. Please do give the blog a read, too, as it is worth following.
Statistics often present a sobering mirror of our society and the problems that people face. A friend of mine recently sent me an interesting New York Times article by Ross Douthat entitled, “All the Lonely People.” Douthat notes that since 2000, the suicide rate among men aged 35-54 in the United States has increased 30% while the rate for men in their 50’s increased 50%. This is indeed a disturbing trend. Douthat cites University of Virginia sociologist Brad Wilcox who perceives a link between the rise in suicides and weakened social ties as well as economic difficulties.
While sociological interpretations about the environment have their place and certainly seem true, they cannot hope to provide the whole explanation. Yes, we all know that we have outwardly observable lives as social beings within financial limitations, but we also have inner lives as well. Looking at only the external, seemingly objective aspect of the problem, we can hardly expect to find more than a surface solution, especially when even that outward description of reality is incomplete, leaving out the most important person in human life and death, namely, the person of God. I suspect that the real root causes of suicide may be found not so much in a lack of quality relationships or the absence of a good economic situation, but in the health of the subjective, interior life, that is, the quality of our thoughts and how we view the relationships we already have. Suicide, like every other behavior, springs first from the most private world of our innermost thoughts. If one entertains and foments negative thoughts about self, which includes all the things and people attached or not attached to the self, then despair and hopelessness can certainly set in. If one views relationships as a quid pro quo contract, we become stuck in the rut of measuring the behavior of others rather than focusing on changing our own negative thoughts or actions. In an earlier post “The Blessing and Bane of Expectations” I wrote, “Sometimes, patients list aims over which they have little control, such as changing someone else’s behavior. In such cases, therapists encourage them to rework the goals that they set for others into behavioral goals for themselves. In dealing with this particular issue, the ancient fathers have a similar approach, alongside recalling Divine Providence, ancient monastics also advise the faithful to use self-reproach as a basic interpretive principle in order to avoid judging others who sin as well as to prevent agitation, anger, and pride. For example, when Saint Dorotheos would notice a brother failing in some way to lead a Christian life, he would say to himself, ‘Woe is me, him today and surely me tomorrow. Instead of expecting others to be different, we expect ourselves to be no better, but even worse, if we fail to repent. And so repent we do.” If our lives are focused on imitating Christ by loving others there is little room for self-centered thoughts about how much others love us in return. If Christ is our chief treasure, acquiring thirty pieces of silver for our own selfish desires is no longer a trade that interests us.
With all due respect to the interpretations of learned sociologists, I would like to point out that some of the most joyful people I have encountered are hermits and others who have very little human contact and certainly not much money. Yet, their lives are fabulously rich and exude a gentle tranquility that can only come from a vibrant interior life built on the ancient ascetical practices of prayer and self-sacrificial love that lead to communion with God. In another post on “Loneliness and Monasticism” I recalled the words of Saint Herman when he was asked if he ever became lonely. He replied, “No, I am not alone there. God is there, as God is everywhere.” His answer suggests not only a qualitative difference in sensitivity to God’s presence on the part of the old monk, but also the fulfillment of a deeper purpose in the Saint’s presence on a cold, lonely island off the Gulf of Alaska. Referring to Christ’s frequent retreats into the wilderness, Saint John Chrysostom wrote, “For what purpose does He go up into the mountain? To teach us, that loneliness and solitude are good, when we use them to pray to God.” (Commentary on Matthew, 50.1 PG 58.503, [translation mine]).
Loneliness, depression, and despair are not caused by life’s circumstances. Rather, it is the meaning to which we assign life’s events that may lead to these unfortunate states. This is the Good News of the Gospel. Even though the ups and downs of daily life are often quite beyond our control, the manner in which we view the turbulent seas of everyday life are in our control. If we are experiencing difficulty with loneliness and despair, we have spiritual tools by which these feelings may be overcome through God’s grace and our own effort. There may be circumstances when a trusted counselor may be helpful in reassigning meaning to the circumstances of life. In last week’s post on the Resurrection of Christ, I quoted Elder Porphyrios. Let us strive to make his words the context in which we give meaning to every circumstance in life. “Now there is no more chaos, no more death, no more slaying, no more Hell. Now everything is joy, thanks to the resurrection of our Christ. Human nature is resurrected with Him. Now we too can rise again that we might live with Him eternally … What bliss is contained in the Resurrection! In every sorrow, with every failure, in anything that causes you pain, collect yourself for half a minute and slowly say this hymn. Then, you will see that the most important thing in your life and in the life of the entire universe has already been accomplished with the resurrection of Christ. It is our salvation. And then, you realize that all our setbacks are so insignificant, that you don’t need to allow them to spoil your mood.”
The ultimate problem is not friends or money, but the presence or absence of a living connection with Christ through whom every Christian soul who genuinely follows Him is already victorious.
WASHINGTON (LA Times) — The Supreme Court has agreed to revisit the issue of church-state separation and decide whether a town council can begin most of its monthly meetings with a prayer from a Christian pastor.
Thirty years ago, the court upheld a state legislature's practice of beginning its session with a nondenominational prayer. The justices said that "to invoke divine guidance on a public body entrusted with making laws" did not violate the 1st Amendment's prohibition on an "establishment of religion."
But since then, several lower courts have said that a city council or county board may violate the 1st Amendment if its opening prayers favor one religion. What does this even mean? "Lord God, as you are present with us and only us at First Baptist Church on Mockingbird Lane I ask you, please convert dear Councilman Gupta from his vile cow worshipping. And, Lord, bless this city council meeting that it may outlaw dancing and the devil's brew, that it may bring everyone to the Wednesday Bible study at our good church after this meeting (light meal provided), and that Councilwoman LaRouche return to her dear husband and leave that boy toy she has taken up with. Ahhhmen!"
Last year, the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the town of Greece, N.Y., near Rochester, had crossed the line by inviting Christian pastors to deliver nearly every opening prayer. Though the town's policy does not favor one religion, the appeals court said its practice had been to favor Christianity to the exclusion of other faiths.
"In practice, Christian clergy members have delivered nearly all of the prayers relevant to this litigation and have done so at the town's invitation," the appeals court said.
Lawyers for the town appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that opening prayers are a standard practice at town councils and county boards across the nation.
Ken Klukowski, a lawyer with the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian group, predicted the court would "not only affirm prayer but significantly strengthen the religious liberty rights of Americans in public life and in the public square."
But the Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, urged the high court to "affirm government neutrality on religion. A town council meeting isn't a church service, and it shouldn't seem like one," he said. His group represented Susan Galloway and Linda Stephen, two local residents who objected to the monthly prayers. Christ isn't innocuous and impotent ("Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword."). Neither is Muhammad. Nor is Confucius even. If you are stripping benedictions to "Keep this thing peaceful and productive," you might as well have the clergyman solemnly intone selections from Robert's Rules of Order.
The court said it would hear the case in the fall. The justices took no action on another pending religion case, about whether a public high school could hold its graduation ceremony in a church.
The justices also agreed to hear a search case from Los Angeles and to decide whether disgruntled "frequent fliers" can sue an airline. This I fully support.
Walter Fernandez, who was sentenced to 14 years in prison for robbery and gun crimes, objected to the search of his apartment. A girlfriend had consented to the search after police arrested him and took him away. The court will decide whether such a search is legal.
Rabbi Binyomin Ginsberg was a frequent flier on Northwest Airlines who sued the airline in San Diego after he was dropped from its "World Perks" program in 2008. Northwest has urged the Supreme Court to throw out the suit on the grounds that the federal Airline Deregulation Act bars claims in a state court over a "rate, route or service" of an air carrier.
Monday, May 20, 2013
(AOB) - Monday, May 20, 2013 - 2013 Prison Ministry Awareness Sunday Encyclical
June 9, 2013
Be diligent to come to me quickly; for Demas has forsaken me...only Luke is with me.- 2 Timothy 4:9-11
To the Most Reverend Clergy, Venerable Monastics and Devout Laity of the Orthodox Churches in North and Central America:
Dearly Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Christ is Risen!
We greet you in the surpassing joy of the Risen Christ. By the grace of God, we are blessed to observe the Sixth Sunday of Pascha, which this year falls on June 9, as Prison Ministry Awareness Sunday. We embrace the diakonia of prison ministry in keeping with the example of our Risen Lord Jesus Christ, the Great Physician of our souls, who did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance; who ate in the houses of thieves and forgave the sins of harlots; and who said that, when we visit those in prison, we are in truth visiting Him, the Lord of Glory.
Rejection and isolation are experiences that are common to nearly everyone who is in prison. Even the Holy Apostle Paul was forsaken by his fellow ministers of the Gospel when he was imprisoned in Rome. The Lord has called us to take the part, not of Demas, but of the Beloved Physician Luke, and to stand by our brothers and sisters who are in prison, ensuring by our presence with them that they remain connected to the community of the Church.
We call on all Orthodox Christians--both clergy and laity-- to emulate the faithfulness of the Apostle Luke by participating in the Church's ministry to those who are in prison, and by offering support and encouragement to all those who bring the Gospel of hope and salvation to the incarcerated.
Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry (OCPM) is the official prison ministry of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops. OCPM provides books, bibles, icons and bible studies to people who are in prison, all free of charge. OCPM also provides support and training for Orthodox throughout the country who are participating in ministry to people who are in prison. On this Prison Ministry Awareness Sunday, we humbly ask each parish to take up a special collection for OCPM. We also ask all the faithful to pray fervently for all those who are visiting Christ in prison. With prayers and love in the Risen Christ,
+Bishop Mark of Baltimore, the Orthodox Church in America; Liaison to OCPM for the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America
Patrick Tutella, Chaplain, Executive Director, OCPM
Aside from the particular politics of those involved, it is flabbergasting that a government official would ask about someone's prayer life. To approach the relations of the person being prayed for and the person praying as a line of questioning is at once surreal and deplorable.
(Weekly Standard) - Perhaps no other IRS official is more intimately associated with the tax agency's growing scandal than Lois Lerner, director of the IRS’s Exempt Organizations Division. Since admitting the IRS harassed hundreds of conservative and Tea Party groups for over two years, Lerner has been criticized for a number of untruths—including the revelation that she apparently lied about planting a question at an American Bar Association conference where she first publicly acknowledged IRS misconduct.
Still, Lerner has her defenders in the government and the media. Shortly after the scandal broke, The Daily Beast published an article headlined "IRS Scandal’s Central Figure, Lois Lerner, Described as ‘Apolitical.’" Insisting Lerner, and the IRS more broadly, were not not politically motivated has been a central contention of those trying to minimize the impact of the scandal.
The trouble with this defense is that, prior to joining the IRS, Lerner's tenure as head of the Enforcement Office at the Federal Election Commisson (FEC) was marked by what appears to be politically motivated harassment of conservative groups.
Lerner was appointed head of the FEC's enforcement division in 1986 and stayed in that position until 2001. In the late 1990s, the FEC launched an onerous investigation of the Christian Coalition, ultimately costing the organization hundreds of thousands of dollars and countless hours in lost work. The investigation was notable because the FEC alleged that the Christian Coalition was coordinating issue advocacy expenditures with a number of candidates for office. Aside from lacking proof this was happening, it was an open question whether the FEC had the authority to bring these charges.
James Bopp Jr., who was lead counsel for the Christian Coalition at the time, tells THE WEEKLY STANDARD the Christian Coalition investigation was egregious and uncalled for. "We felt we were being singled out, because when you handle a case with 81 depositions you have a pretty good argument you're getting special treatment. Eighty-one depositions! Eighty-one! From Ralph Reed's former part-time secretary to George H.W. Bush. It was mind blowing," he said...
Complete article here.
When my firstborn was delivered a tornado was inbound. The sky turned green and we were quickly moved to a room without a window. My son's tempestuous personality is occasionally linked with this storm that flattened buildings, destroyed churches, tore the tops from everything that had one, and led to the deaths of a few and injuries of quite a number of others. People in Texas and Oklahoma know about sheets of rain that flood roads in moments, of hail the size of softballs, of lightning that shakes valuables off the walls, of winds that make a 30-year roof laughable.
I have huddled with my children in the family "safe spot" of our home. I have seen the funnel cloud form and turn towards me. I have outrun a tornado in my car. I know the fear.
May God protect these people in harm's way.
O Master, Lord our God, Who through Thy consubstantial Word, Who is without beginning, and Thy life-giving Spirit, Who is equal in honor, hast brought everything out of nothingness into being; Who hast set sandy barriers to the sea, and hast weighed the mountains and the valleys in a balance; Who hast measured the skies and holds the water in the palm of Thy hand; Who hast given to this visible world of the senses its law and rules, its harmony and order; Who hast appointed changes to the weather and variations in the orbit of the sun; Who, through the mingling of the elements, holds all things together by Thine inexpressible power and keeps them free from harm and intact: Do Thou Thyself, all-good King, extending to us Thine innate and customary love and goodness, visit the work of Thy hands. Do not deprive us of Thy mercies and Thy compassion, and do not destroy Thine inheritance, for Thou hast ineffably created us in Thine own image.
Thou hast given Thine only-begotten Son as a ransom for us, and through the mystical communion of Thy Spirit hast made us share in Thine own divinity; forgive, we pray, the multitude of our sins in the far greater multitude, of Thy mercies. Thou didst wash away the sins of humanity through the Cross and the Blood of Thy Son. Restore the world of nature, which has been grievously disturbed into an unnatural state, and restore it to its natural harmony and order. Make the great ocean return to its usual calmness, bring to end the tempest and the disturbance of the elements that threaten us, order the winds to blow once more with gentleness and moderation. Rebuke the raging of the sea and the unnatural violence of the gales; let the storm be stilled and the tempest return to tranquility, through the intercession of the most blessed Lady Theotokos, of all the Angels and Saints, and the good pleasure and love of Thine only-begotten Son, with Whom Thou are blessed, together with Thine all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
I have huddled with my children in the family "safe spot" of our home. I have seen the funnel cloud form and turn towards me. I have outrun a tornado in my car. I know the fear.
May God protect these people in harm's way.
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O Master, Lord our God, Who through Thy consubstantial Word, Who is without beginning, and Thy life-giving Spirit, Who is equal in honor, hast brought everything out of nothingness into being; Who hast set sandy barriers to the sea, and hast weighed the mountains and the valleys in a balance; Who hast measured the skies and holds the water in the palm of Thy hand; Who hast given to this visible world of the senses its law and rules, its harmony and order; Who hast appointed changes to the weather and variations in the orbit of the sun; Who, through the mingling of the elements, holds all things together by Thine inexpressible power and keeps them free from harm and intact: Do Thou Thyself, all-good King, extending to us Thine innate and customary love and goodness, visit the work of Thy hands. Do not deprive us of Thy mercies and Thy compassion, and do not destroy Thine inheritance, for Thou hast ineffably created us in Thine own image.
Thou hast given Thine only-begotten Son as a ransom for us, and through the mystical communion of Thy Spirit hast made us share in Thine own divinity; forgive, we pray, the multitude of our sins in the far greater multitude, of Thy mercies. Thou didst wash away the sins of humanity through the Cross and the Blood of Thy Son. Restore the world of nature, which has been grievously disturbed into an unnatural state, and restore it to its natural harmony and order. Make the great ocean return to its usual calmness, bring to end the tempest and the disturbance of the elements that threaten us, order the winds to blow once more with gentleness and moderation. Rebuke the raging of the sea and the unnatural violence of the gales; let the storm be stilled and the tempest return to tranquility, through the intercession of the most blessed Lady Theotokos, of all the Angels and Saints, and the good pleasure and love of Thine only-begotten Son, with Whom Thou are blessed, together with Thine all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
(TED) - How do you read a two-thousand-year-old manuscript that has been erased, cut up, written on and painted over? With a powerful particle accelerator, of course! Ancient books curator William Noel tells the fascinating story behind the Archimedes palimpsest, a Byzantine prayer book containing previously-unknown original writings from ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes and others.
From the blog Seeking the Kingdom, a post entitled Comparing Two Translations of a Kontakion on the interesting changes that take place when things get translated.
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Interesting to compare these two translations of a kontakion for Sts. Constantine and Helen (May 21). In strikingly military language, the kontakion connects St. Constantine and his mother to the precious Cross - fitting, since St. Helen discovered the precious Cross, and St. Constantine converted to Christianity (and made Christianity legal) after seeing a vision of the Cross promising victory through the sign of the Cross.
First, for the benefit of those who can read Greek, here's the original text:
My addition for additional reference:
Next, here's the translation from the Menaion published by St. John of Kronstadt Press, translated by Rdr. Isaac Lambertson. It's a fairly literal translation of the above.
Now, let's look at the translation presented on the website of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org):
Some interesting differences here. Since there are no longer any actively reigning Orthodox monarchs, it is understandable to consider a change in wording to refer instead to Orthodox Christians. But this makes a significant change to what's being referred to in the original, viz., the fact that Orthodox kings were fighting under the standard of the Holy Cross, just as St. Constantine did. Remember that that was a turning point in the life of St. Constantine - In hoc signo vinces! In this sign conquer! It seems reasonable for a kontakion in honor of St. Constantine to refer to this event, without having its meaning shifted for the benefit of us who live in the monarchy-deprived 21st century...
First, for the benefit of those who can read Greek, here's the original text:
Κοντακιον, Ηχος γ᾽. Η Παρθενος σημερον.
Κωνσταντινος σημερον συν τη μητρι τη Ελενη, τον Σταυρον εκφαινουσι, το πανσεβασμιον ξυλον, παντων μεν των Ιουδαιων αισχυνην οντα, οπλον δε πιστων Ανακτων κατ᾽εναντιων. Δι᾽ ημας γαρ ανεδειχθη, σημειον μεγα, και εν πολεμοις φρικτον.
Κωνσταντινος σημερον συν τη μητρι τη Ελενη, τον Σταυρον εκφαινουσι, το πανσεβασμιον ξυλον, παντων μεν των Ιουδαιων αισχυνην οντα, οπλον δε πιστων Ανακτων κατ᾽εναντιων. Δι᾽ ημας γαρ ανεδειχθη, σημειον μεγα, και εν πολεμοις φρικτον.
My addition for additional reference:
Кондак, глас 3.
Константи́н днесь с ма́терию Еле́ною/ Крест явля́ют, всечестно́е дре́во,/ всех у́бо иуде́ев посрамле́ние су́ще,/ ору́жие же на проти́вныя ве́рных люде́й:/ нас бо ра́ди яви́ся зна́мение ве́лие/ и во бране́х гро́зное.
Константи́н днесь с ма́терию Еле́ною/ Крест явля́ют, всечестно́е дре́во,/ всех у́бо иуде́ев посрамле́ние су́ще,/ ору́жие же на проти́вныя ве́рных люде́й:/ нас бо ра́ди яви́ся зна́мение ве́лие/ и во бране́х гро́зное.
Next, here's the translation from the Menaion published by St. John of Kronstadt Press, translated by Rdr. Isaac Lambertson. It's a fairly literal translation of the above.
Today Constantine and his mother Helena reveal the Cross, the most precious Tree, which putteth to shame all the Jews and is the weapon of faithful kings against the adversary. For our sake hath the great standard appeared, terrible in battle.
Now, let's look at the translation presented on the website of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org):
Today Constantine and his mother Helen reveal the precious Cross, the weapon of Orthodox Christians against their enemies, for it is manifest for us as a great and fearful sign in struggle!
Some interesting differences here. Since there are no longer any actively reigning Orthodox monarchs, it is understandable to consider a change in wording to refer instead to Orthodox Christians. But this makes a significant change to what's being referred to in the original, viz., the fact that Orthodox kings were fighting under the standard of the Holy Cross, just as St. Constantine did. Remember that that was a turning point in the life of St. Constantine - In hoc signo vinces! In this sign conquer! It seems reasonable for a kontakion in honor of St. Constantine to refer to this event, without having its meaning shifted for the benefit of us who live in the monarchy-deprived 21st century...
Complete article here.
O God of spirits and of all flesh, Who hast trampled down death and overthrown the Devil, and given life to Thy world, do Thou, the same Lord, give rest to the souls of Thy departed servants in a place of brightness, a place of refreshment, a place of repose, where all sickness, sighing, and sorrow have fled away. Pardon every transgression which they have committed, whether by word or deed or thought. For Thou art a good God and lovest mankind; because there is no man who lives yet does not sin, for Thou only art without sin, Thy righteousness is to all eternity, and Thy word is truth.
For Thou are the Resurrection, the Life, and the Repose of Thy servants who have fallen asleep, O Christ our God, and unto Thee we ascribe glory, together with Thy Father, who is from everlasting, and Thine all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever unto ages of ages. Amen.
For Thou are the Resurrection, the Life, and the Repose of Thy servants who have fallen asleep, O Christ our God, and unto Thee we ascribe glory, together with Thy Father, who is from everlasting, and Thine all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever unto ages of ages. Amen.
(NBC News-Photo Blog) - Sophia Phillips receives a flag from Brig. General James Parquarette as her mother and widow Christine Phillips watches during burial service for U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Francis G. Phillips IV at Arlington National Cemetery.
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Friday, May 17, 2013
Percentage of children in my Sunday school classes over the years that read the Bible at home ever... maybe 5%.
(YouTube) - Footage of the reaction of the Chinese Christians after seeing a Bible for the first time. Share this video to awaken the church and make them value the freedom that we take for granted.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
(ROEA) - The 10th annual Clergy Confertreat of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America was held at the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale, Arizona, February 11-14, 2013. The forty-eight participants included His Eminence Archbishop Nathaniel and His Grace Bishop Irineu, together with priests, deacons and preotese of our Episcopate.
On Monday, an opening supper and welcome by Fr. Ian G. Pac-Urar was followed by an evening of fellowship, as clergy renewed acquaintances with their brothers and shared their experiences over the previous year.
Tuesday’s sessions included seminars on Sexual Misconduct and Clergy Professional Ethics, Healthy Boundaries and Boundary Violations, Power and Vulnerability, and Mandatory Reporting. Fathers Ian G. Pac-Urar and James Barkett presented the sessions. By attending Tuesday’s sessions, participants fulfilled the new 5-hour Continuing Education requirement in Professional, Legal and Ethical Issues adopted by the Holy Synod of Bishops on January 28, 2013.
On Tuesday evening, Dr. Stephen Muse presented a very interesting and informative lecture on the most recent research about the Shroud of Turin. Dr. Muse continued his presentations on Wednesday morning and afternoon, exploring clergy wellness, self-care and the relationships between Orthodox Christianity and modern psychology.
Wednesday evening’s program included a video presentation about the life of the renowned Romanian confessor, Father Arsenie Boca.
Participants at the Clergy Confertreat received seven additional hours of credit toward the general, 20-hour Continuing Clergy Development requirement. For more information about this requirement, visit the Orthodox Church in America Continuing Education website here or the CCD FAQ page here.
Photos of the Confertreat may be viewed here.
(Vatican Radio) - Catholic and Orthodox leaders are meeting in the Turkish city of Istanbul this week for a seminar on religious freedom, 1,700 years after Emperor Constantine granted freedom of conscience and ended persecution against Christians in the Roman Empire.
The meeting, jointly organized by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Istanbul Bartholomew 1st, spiritual leader of the Orthodox world, and the Council of European Bishops Conferences or CCEE, will take place on May 17th and 18th, focusing on the historical, legal and political aspects of religious freedom in Europe and beyond.
The Ecumenical Patriarch will open the meeting, which will commemorate the Milan Edict of Toleration in 313 which had such a pivotal impact on the development of European society. Participants will examine current questions of religious freedom from three perspectives: that of the religious communities, including the Jewish, Muslim, Orthodox and Catholic communities; the reality of religious freedom in the world today, and the relationship between religion, politics and contemporary society.
The closed door meeting will conclude with a visit to the site of Constantine’s death in May 337.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
(YouTube) - Fr. Mark Hodges of St Stephen's Orthodox parish in Lima speaks at Baptist Palm Sunday service. As concerned as any Orthodox would be about the attendance of an Orthodox Christian clergyman to a Heterodox liturgical service and praying with the people present. He does raise some very important points as to what are the foundations for any sort of Christian unity, the practice and beliefs of the ancient Christians of Apostolic time, who were the ones that imparted to the world the salvific Faith in Christ. However his tone and stance is certainly not that which is characteristic of an Orthodox clergyman, but it is probably due to Fr Mark's intuition of his audience. Yet one cannot help feel that things come across a bit too touchy feely with its emotional sentimentality that the Orthodox phronema frowns at as a means of liturgical devotion. Nevertheless we place this clip as a means for reflection on the questions of ecumenism and Christian unity.
(SNAS) - In a natural progression of growth and expansion of mission, St. Nersess plans to move to a new campus in Armonk, NY, in mid-2014. However, we will always remember our roots when in 1961 we called Evanston, IL our home before relocating to New Rochelle, NY in 1978. This latest transition will allow the seminary to continue to grow and provide our Seminarians with improved learning and living facilities.
In the last two months, construction permits have been secured, the land has been cleared of trees and foliage, and digging has commenced where the new theological building will be constructed.
Fr. Mardiros Chevian, the Dean of St. Nersess, continues to carry out the vision of Archbishop Tiran Nersoyan, founder of St. Nersess, by overseeing the training of young men to become parish priests. He will reside on the new campus, just as he did when he directed St. Nersess throughout the 1980s. By living on campus, he will oversee and supervise the daily life of the St. Nersess Seminarians. The Dean’s residence is one of four existing structures that will be renovated on the new Armonk campus. A single students residence, a married students and faculty residence, and a recreation center will also be renovated.
Donations and naming opportunities exist in each of our renovated buildings. Consider making a commitment to St. Nersess Armenian Seminary in your name, or in honor of or in memory of a loved one. You will be remembered and recognized as one who values the training of clergy for service in the Armenian Church of America. It is an investment that will give for generations to come.
St. Nersess Seminary will have eight full time Seminarians in the Fall of 2013. We appreciate your continued support and interest in the only Armenian Seminary in the Western Hemisphere that trains, educates, and inspires future Armenian clergy, as well as lay people and the Armenian youth.
(mospat.ru) - Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relation, speaks about the visit of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia to China in his interview to Olga Samsonova, RIA Novosti news agency.
Your Eminence, what is the status of the Orthodox Church in China? Is it recognized by the state?
The Chinese Autonomous Orthodox Church was founded in 1956. At that time the situation in the country was already quite complicated and the Chinese Church did not manage to obtain registration as a religious association. However, later, in the years of ‘the Cultural Revolution’, almost all of its structure was destroyed; many churches were demolished; the clergy were deprived of the opportunity to celebrate. It was only in the 80s that the religious policy of the state changed. It was permitted, for instance, to resume divine services in the church of the protecting Veil in Harbin, where Father Gregory Ju had served until his death in 2000. But after his death there were no priests in the church and the services actually stopped. Though the church officially is considered acting, actually divine services are not celebrated in it.
What is the purpose of your negotiations with the Chinese side?
We set as the goal of our negotiation with the Chinese State Administration for Religious Affairs to normalise the status of the Chinese Autonomous Orthodox Church precisely as the National Orthodox Church of China. It means that eventually she should be registered as a religious association. It should have its own bishop, its own clergy and acting churches. The appointment of a bishop, however, is the ultimate rather than an intermediate goal, and the aims we would like to achieve in the coming years are, in the first place, the appointment of Chinese priests to acting parishes, such as the church of the protecting Veil in Harbin. It is with this aim that we have signed two memorandums with the State Administration for Religious Affairs. One of them concerns the training of Chinese students in the theological schools of the Russian Church, and now two students are already trained. We hope that soon they will be able to get ordained as priests and serve in the acting churches in the PRC.
The visit of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill is a project we have been in preparation for a long time in dialogue with the State Administration for Religious Affairs, and we are glad this preparatory work has been a success and that the visit takes place on a very high level, I would say, as high as possible. The Patriarch met with the state leaders of the PRC. It is an unprecedented event of a special kind and special significance. There has been no such thing in the history of the Russian church or the history of the People’s Republic of China because after 1949 the state leader of China has never met with the leader of any Christian Church. We hope this event will open up new opportunities for our dialogue and cooperation on religious issues. Just as other events of this visit, first of all divine services, of course, the Patriarch will celebrate, it will help to achieve an early normalization of the status of the Chinese Orthodox Church and Chinese Orthodox faithful.
The Russian Orthodox Church has been in dialogue with the PRC authorities throughout the recent years, and you have visited China on many occasions as head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations. Can you assess the dynamic of changes taking place in the attitude of the Chinese side to this dialogue and visits by the Russian Church’s representatives to the PRC?
The dynamic of our relations is absolutely positive. It has been such since 1993 when Metropolitan Kirill, now His Holiness the Patriarch, visited the country. It was then that the foundation was laid down for the relations to become now quite official and formalized. But we should also understand the specificity of China as a country with millennia-long history, a state for which twenty years is quite a short period of time. I think we should not expect any astronomic speed in our progress to the set goals. It will be an onward movement and these goals will be achieved step by step. It is very important that any decision made should be a joint one, ours and that of the PRC state leaders, so that this process of normalization of the status of the Orthodox Church in China may go with full respect for the Constitution and laws of the People’s Republic of China.
Does the way in which the PRC authorities understand the problems of the Church in China coincide with the vision of the Russian Orthodox Church?
At least the negotiation we have conducted in recent years have shown a very high degree of mutual understanding, but at the same time a certain degree of caution on the part of our Chinese partners, which is dictated, as we see it, by the wish to observe all the laws and norms existing in China and to conduct the dialogue progressively. As we are often told by our Chinese partners in dialogue, we should not forestall events and every event should take place at a moment when the conditions are ripe. We believe the conditions for Chinese priests to appear in Chinese Orthodox Churches have already ripened, and this is the immediate goal we seek to achieve at this stage.
My legs are quivering already. I was sore forever last year and this was not helped by my poor choice of footwear. That said, I fondly remember the experience and encourage others to come.
(OCA) - The community of Saint Tikhon’s Monastery and Seminary extends a most cordial invitation to all to attend the 109th Annual Pilgrimage over Memorial Day weekend, May 24-27, 2013.
“It is always a joy to welcome hierarchs, clergy and faithful from the Orthodox Church in America, other Orthodox jurisdictions and guests from near and far,” said Igumen Sergius, the Monastery’s abbot.
A detailed schedule of divine services for the weekend is available here (PDF). Updates will appear as they become available on the Monastery’s website.
Saint Tikhon’s Monastery is the oldest Orthodox Christian monastic community in North America.
In related news, Saint Tikhon’s Seminary will hold its 71st annual Commencement on Saturday, May 25. The day will open with the celebration of the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at 9:00 a.m. and continue with graduation ceremonies at the Bell Tower at 1:00 p.m.
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(OCA) - For the first time since his election as Primate of the Orthodox Church in America in November 2012, His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon was the guest of His Eminence, Metropolitan Philip at the offices of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America here on Tuesday, May 14, 2013. Metropolitan Tikhon was accompanied by Archpriest John Jillions, OCA Chancellor; Archpriest Leonid Kishkovsky, OCA Director of External Affairs and Interchurch Relations; and Subdeacon Roman Ostash.
Joining Metropolitan Philip in welcoming the OCA delegation was His Grace, Bishop Nicholas, Auxiliary-Brooklyn and Resident Assistant to Metropolitan Philip; Archpriest Thomas Zain, AOCA Vicar General; and Archpriest George Kevorkian, AOCA Assistant to the Metropolitan.
A warm atmosphere provided the context for substantive conversations about the current plight of Christians in the Middle East—and specifically the situation of the two Syrian hierarchs who remain in captivity—as well as the OCA’s recent history, the ongoing work of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America, and hope for a united autocephalous Orthodox Church in North America.
A gallery of photos may be found on the OCA website and OCA Facebook page.
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