Manhattan Declaration Executive Summary

Religious Leaders Call for Civil Disobedience if Laws Don’t Respect Faith

Saturday, November 21, 2009 2:52 PM

A formidable coalition of 150 Catholic, Orthodox and evangelical leaders are calling on Christians in a new manifesto to reject secular authority – and even engage in civil disobedience – if laws force them to accept abortion, same-sex marriage and other ideas that betray their religious beliefs.

On Friday (Nov 20, 2009), these leaders released a 4,700-word document – called the “The Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience.”

Christians, when they have lived up to the highest ideals of their faith, have defended the weak and vulnerable and worked tirelessly to protect and strengthen vital institutions of civil society, beginning with the family.

We are Orthodox, Catholic, and evangelical Christians who have united at this hour to reaffirm fundamental truths about justice and the common good, and to call upon our fellow citizens, believers and non-believers alike, to join us in defending them.  These truths are (1) the sanctity of human life, (2) the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife, and (3) the rights of conscience and religious liberty.  Inasmuch as these truths are foundational to human dignity and the well-being of society, they are inviolable and non-negotiable.  Because they are increasingly under assault from powerful forces in our culture, we are compelled today to speak out forcefully in their defense, and to commit ourselves to honoring them fully no matter what pressures are brought upon us and our institutions to abandon or compromise them.  We make this commitment not as partisans of any political group but as followers of Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Lord, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Human Life

The lives of the unborn, the disabled, and the elderly are ever more threatened.  While public opinion has moved in a pro-life direction, powerful and determined forces are working to expand abortion, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide, and euthanasia.  Although the protection of the weak and vulnerable is the first obligation of government, the power of government is today often enlisted in the cause of promoting what Pope John Paul II called “the culture of death.”  We pledge to work unceasingly for the equal protection of every innocent human being at every stage of development and in every condition.  We will refuse to permit ourselves or our institutions to be implicated in the taking of human life and we will support in every possible way those who, in conscience, take the same stand.

Marriage

The institution of marriage, already wounded by promiscuity, infidelity and divorce, is at risk of being redefined and thus subverted.  Marriage is the original and most important institution for sustaining the health, education, and welfare of all. Where marriage erodes, social pathologies rise. The impulse to redefine marriage is a symptom, rather than the cause, of the erosion of the marriage culture.  It reflects a loss of understanding of the meaning of marriage as embodied in our civil law as well as our religious traditions. Yet it is critical that the impulse be resisted, for yielding to it would mean abandoning the possibility of restoring a sound understanding of marriage and, with it, the hope of rebuilding a healthy marriage culture.  It would lock into place the false and destructive belief that marriage is all about romance and other adult satisfactions, and not, in any intrinsic way, about the unique character and value of acts and relationships whose meaning is shaped by their aptness for the generation, promotion and protection of life. Marriage is not a “social construction,” but is rather an objective reality – the covenantal union of husband and wife – that it is the duty of the law to recognize, honor, and protect.

Religious Liberty

Freedom of religion and the rights of conscience are gravely jeopardized.  The threat to these fundamental principles of justice is evident in efforts to weaken or eliminate conscience protections for healthcare institutions and professionals, and in anti-discrimination statutes that are used as weapons to force religious institutions, charities, businesses, and service providers either to accept (and even facilitate) activities and relationships they judge to be immoral, or go out of business.  Attacks on religious liberty are dire threats not only to individuals, but also to the institutions of civil society including families, charities, and religious communities.  The health and well-being of such institutions provide an indispensable buffer against the overweening power of government and is essential to the flourishing of every other institution – including government itself – on which society depends.

Unjust Laws

As Christians, we believe in law and we respect the authority of earthly rulers.  We count it as a special privilege to live in a democratic society where the moral claims of the law on us are even stronger in virtue of the rights of all citizens to participate in the political process.  Yet even in a democratic regime, laws can be unjust.  And from the beginning, our faith has taught that civil disobedience is required in the face of gravely unjust laws or laws that purport to require us to do what is unjust or otherwise immoral.  Such laws lack the power to bind in conscience because they can claim no authority beyond that of sheer human will.

Therefore, let it be known that we will not comply with any edict that compels us or the institutions we lead to participate in or facilitate abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide, euthanasia, or any other act that violates the principle of the profound, inherent, and equal dignity of every member of the human family.

Further, let it be known that we will not bend to any rule forcing us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality, marriage, and the family.

Further, let it be known that we will not be intimidated into silence or acquiescence or the violation of our consciences by any power on earth, be it cultural or political, regardless of the consequences to ourselves.

We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar’s. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God’s.

Saint Silouan on Love

Saint Silouan on Love

St. Silouan

The soul cannot know peace unless she prays for her enemies. The soul that has learned of God’s grace to pray, feels love and compassion for every created thing, and in particular for mankind, for whom the Lord suffered on the Cross, and His soul was heavy for every one of us.

The Lord taught me to love my enemies. Without the grace of God we cannot love our enemies. Only the Holy Spirit teaches love, and then even devils arouse our pity because they have fallen from good, and lost humility in God.

I beseech you, put this to the test. When a man affronts you or brings dishonor on your head, or takes what is yours, or persecutes the Church, pray to the Lord, saying: “O Lord, we are all Thy creatures. Have pity on Thy servants and turn their hearts to repentance,” and you will be aware of grace in your soul. To begin with, constrain your heart to love enemies, and the Lord, seeing your good will, will help you in all things, and experience itself will show you the way. But the man who thinks with malice of his enemies has not God’s love within him, and does not know God.

If you will pray for your enemies, peace will come to you; but when you can love your enemies – know that a great measure of the grace of God dwells in you, though I do not say perfect grace as yet, but sufficient for salvation. Whereas if you revile your enemies, it means there is an evil spirit living in you and bringing evil thoughts into your heart, for, in the words of the Lord, out of the heart proceed evil thoughts – or good thoughts.

The good man thinks to himself in this wise: Every one who has strayed from the truth brings destruction on himself and is therefore to be pitied. But of course the man who has not learned the love of the Holy Spirit will not pray for his enemies. The man who has learned love from the Holy Spirit sorrows all his life over those who are not saved, and sheds abundant tears for the people, and the grace of God gives him strength to love his enemies.

Understand me. It is so simple. People who do not know God, or who go against Him, are to be pitied; the heart sorrows for them and the eye weeps. Both paradise and torment are clearly visible to us: We know this through the Holy Spirit. And did not the Lord Himself say, “The kingdom of God is within you”? Thus eternal life has its beginning here in this life; and it is here that we sow the seeds of eternal torment. Where there is pride there cannot be grace, and if we lose grace we also lose both love of God and assurance in prayer. The soul is then tormented by evil thoughts and does not understand that she must humble herself and love her enemies, for there is no other way to please God.

What shall I render unto Thee, O Lord,
for that Thou hast poured such great mercy on my soul?
Grant, I beg Thee, that I may see my iniquities,
and ever weep before Thee,
for Thou art filled with love for humble souls,
and dost give them the grace of the Holy Spirit.

O merciful God, forgive me.
Thou seest how my soul is drawn to Thee, her Creator.
Thou hast wounded my soul with Thy love,
and she thirsts for Thee, and wearies without end,
and day and night, insatiable, reaches toward Thee,
and has no wish to look upon this world, though I do love it,
but above all I love Thee, my Creator,
and my soul longs after Thee.

O my Creator, why have I, Thy little creature,
grieved Thee so often? Yet Thou hast not remembered my sins.

Glory be to the Lord God that He gave us His Only-begotten
Son for the sake of our salvation.
Glory be to the Only-begotten Son that He deigned to be
born of the Most Holy Virgin, and suffered for our salvation,
and gave us His Most Pure Body and Blood to eternal life,
and sent His Holy Spirit on the earth.

O Lord, grant me tears to shed for myself,
and for the whole universe,
that the nations may know Thee and live eternally with Thee,
O Lord, vouchsafe us the gift of Thy humble Holy Spirit,
that we may apprehend Thy glory.

http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/Holy_Fathers/St._Silouan_the_Athonite/

Fall Down Get Up x3

The Orthodox among us will recognize the title. There is general acknowledgment that in our spiritual lives we tend to fall down and get up many times. We commit the same old transgressions again and again and again. We are genuinely sorry, and do try to repent, but we recognize that we probably will fail and have to try yet again. Fall down, get up; fall down, get up.

So I try to say my prayers, but sometimes I forget. I repent and start over with new resolve. Fall down, get up.

I want to attend the Divine Services regularly, but I can’t. I repent and start over with new resolve. Fall down, get up.

I want to give alms, but I can’t get to where the poor are. I repent and start over with new resolve. Fall down, get up.

People ask me for words of advice and for help. All too frequently I miss their missives, and end up responding to them inappropriately late. I repent and start over with new resolve. Fall down, get up.

Our lives are like that. We allow the physical and mundane things of life interfere with the things that are truly real and of utmost importance. When we stand before the awesome God and account for our lives, will we be able to say that we attended to the things of God, or will we have to admit to allowing our life to get in the way of our Life?

I will have to admit that. The good I would do, I do not, and the evil I would not do, I do. (Romans 7:19). In the words of the Anglican General Confession, “there is no help in me.” I have only myself to blame for my shortcomings – which are so many. In the words of St. Paul: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” (Romans 18-25).

Pray for me, my friends, that I may get up and remain standing!

If I had my life to live over

1. I would go to Church more often
2. I would pray more and complain less
3. I would go to an engineering school and then to medical school – becoming a biomedical engineer
4. I would study more and play less
5. I would have more children
6. I would love more people and dislike fewer
7. I would work on being more organized
8. I would bake more bread and fewer cakes
9. I would still marry the Ol’ Curmudgeon
10. I would still become Orthodox

Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus in Syria (290-303).

Today the Church remembers the Martyrs Sergius (Sergios) and Bacchus (Bakkos) in Syria (290-303).

The Holy Martyrs Sergios and Bakkhos were appointed to high positions in the army by the emperor Maximian (284-305), who did not know that they were Christians. Malevolent persons made a denunciation to Maximian, that his two military-commanders did not honour the pagan gods, and this was considered a crime against the state.

The emperor, wanting to convince himself of the veracity of the denunciation, ordered Sergios and Bakkhos to offer sacrifice to the idols, but they answered, that they honoured but the One God and Him only did they worship.

Maximian commanded that the martyrs be stripped of the insignia of military rank, and then having dressed them in feminine clothing to lead them through the city with an iron chain on the neck, for the mockery by the people. Then he again summoned Sergios and Bakkhos to him and in a friendly approach advised them not to be swayed by Christian fables and instead return to the Roman gods. But the saints remained steadfast. Then the emperor commanded that they be dispatched to the governor of the eastern part of Syria, Antiochus, a fierce hater of Christians. Antiochus had received his position with the help of Sergios and Bakkhos. “My fathers and benefactors! — he addressed the saints, — have pity not only upon yourself, but also on me: I want not to condemn ye to martyrdom”. The holy martyrs replied, that for them life — is Christ, and death for Him — its acquisition. In a rage Antiochus ordered Bakkhos to be mercilessly beaten, and the holy martyr expired to the Lord. They shod Sergios with iron shoes inset with nails and sent him off to another city, where he was beheaded with the sword (c. year 300).

©  2001  by translator Fr. S. Janos.

Troparion of Ss Sergius and Bacchus Tone 1

In contest you were victorious warriors of the Trinity / and an illustrious pair of martyrs, / Sergius godly champion, and Bacchus noble athlete. / In the radiancy of your glory you shelter those who cry: / Glory to Him Who has strengthened you; glory to Him Who has crowned you; // glory to Him Who through you works healings for all.

Kontakion of Ss Sergius and Bacchus Tone 3

Let us gather and crown with praises / the noble martyrs and brothers in the Faith, / Sergius the warrior of the Trinity / and Bacchus who with him in tortures persevered in praising Christ // the Prizegiver and Creator of all.

Real Profile of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy has a series of blogposts profiling real people with RA and how they cope. I thought I’d post my profile here.

Name?
Elizabeth (Windy) Riggs

Age?
67

Location?
Near Atlanta GA

How long have you lived with RA?

Probably 30 years with mild, atypical flares, but not “officially” diagnosed until 5 years ago.

What advice would you give to someone who has just been diagnosed with RA?

First and Foremost: find a great Rheumatologist who is up on the latest treatments and who believes in aggressive treatment of RA.

Second: get referrals for PT and hand therapy early on – a home exercise program designed for you will help you keep mobile longer, and early hand therapy and, even, splints, will help you keep your hands mobile longer.

Do you use any mobility aids?

Yes – a cane at the moment, but coming up on a walker and possibly a scooter. I also use hand/wrist splints, and foot/ankle splints.

Most importantly, I have a wonderful mobility service dog, Emmy, who picks things up for me, does the laundry with me, turns wall switches on and off for me, and generally keeps me from over-working my hips and lower back.

How has living with RA helped to improve your life?

I am more grateful, daily, for all the truly important things in life – my husband, our children, our grandchildren, our priest who brings Holy Communion to us when we can’t get to Church.

Do you have any visible signs of RA?

Yes, my MCPs are sometimes swollen as are my PIPs. I have misshapen knees and very swollen toes and MTPs.

Can you please describe some of your favorite coping strategies for living with RA?

Meditation, prayer, stretching, and distraction. Unfavorite coping involves taking Lortabs when it’s really bad, but I try to avoid that. I HATE taking yet another pill, and I don’t like the way they make me feel – dizzy and sleepy, and brain-foggy.

In particular, the Prayer of the Heart (The Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me, a sinner.”) is wonderful for taking my mind off myself and sending it Heavenward. Listening to Russian Orthodox chant is guaranteed to remove nearly all my pain.

Staying active through working with my little Emmy (service dog) helps a lot, too.

Can you please describe your current medical (traditional and alternative) treatments?

Methotrexate 2.5 mg tabs 4 in AM and 4 in PM one day a week, Leucovorin 25mg x2 one day a week, Folic Acid 5mg every day, Plaquenil 200mg twice a day, home exercise program twice a day; chiropractic twice a month and the occasional massage.

Is there anything else about yourself that you would like to share?

The only thing I don’t love about my life is that I can no longer dance with my husband (who used to teach at an Astaire Dance Studio). There is nothing like a lovely waltz to make a woman feel pretty and princess-like. I also just loved doing the Swing. So I frequently just close my eyes and remember “those days.” It brings a smile to my face.

I’m a devout Russian Orthodox Christian, as is my husband. Sharing our faith is most important to us.

My greatest life experiences so far have been: converting to Orthodox Christianity, caving in Idaho, and attending Russian Orthodox Choir Conferences – Oh! that music!

Favorite Bible Verses:
Pss.104
Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.
Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:
Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:
Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:
Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.

I will sing unto the Lord throughout my life, I will chant to my God for as long as I have my being. May my words be sweet unto Him, and I will rejoice in the Lord.

Favorite Authors: Robert Heinlein; Mercedes Lackey; Anne MacCaffrey, Fr. Steven Ritter, Sarah Elizabeth Cowrie, St. Nikolai Velimirovic – among many others

I have several blogs:

Morningside Drive
(wherein I post Ladys Daybook pages and archived pages from my past):
http://morningsidedrive.wordpress.com
Turtlerock
(wherein I post mainly the daily integration of the Church Calendar into my life):
http://turtlemom3.wordpress.com
The Painted Turtle
(wherein, like a painted turtle, I post a montage of this and that):
http://turtlemom.wordpress.com
Living With the Woof
(wherein I detail my life with my mobility service dog, Emmy):
http://livingwiththewoof.wordpress.com
The Funnies Etc
(wherein I post those silly or inspirational or humorous e-mail posts received from various friends)
http://thefunniesetc.wordpress.com

And my husband has one:
Rumblings of an Ol’ Curmudgeon
(wherein he posts his recipes and assorted rants on various subjects)
http://mtriggs.wordpress.com

Condemned to Immortality

Descent into Hades

Condemned to Immortality
A meditation on the Resurrection
from Philosophical Gifts
by Archimandrite Justin Popovich

People condemned God to death; with His Resurrection He condemned them to immortality. For striking Him, God returned embraces; for insults, blessings; for death, immortality. Never did men show more hate towards God than when they crucified Him; and God never showed His love towards people more than when He was resurrected. Mankind wanted to make God dead, but God, with His Resurrection, made people alive, the crucified God resurrected on the third day and thereby killed death! There is no more death. Immortality is surrounding man and his entire world.

With the Resurrection of the God-Man, the nature of man is irreversibly led toward the road of immortality and man’s nature becomes destructive to death itself. For until the Resurrection of Christ, death was destructive for man; from the Resurrection of Christ, man’s nature becomes destructive in death. If man lives in the faith of the Resurrected God Man, he lives above death, he is unreachable for her; death is under man’s feet. Death where is thy sting? Hell, where is thy victory? And when a man who believes in Christ dies, he only leaves his body as his clothes, in which he will be dressed again on the Day of Last Judgment.

Before the Resurrection of the God-Man, death was the second nature of man; life was first and death was second. Man became accustomed to death as something natural. But after His Resurrection the Lord changed everything: and it was only natural until Christ’s Resurrection, that the people became mortal, so after Christ’s Resurrection it was natural that the people became immortal.

Through sin, man becomes mortal and temporal; with the Resurrection of the God-Man, he becomes immortal and eternal. In this lies the strength, in this lies the power, in this lies the might of Christ’s Resurrection. Without the Resurrection there is no Christianity. Among the miracles, this is the greatest one; all other miracles begin and end with it. From it sprouted the faith and the love and the hope and the prayer and the love toward God.

Remembrance of Death

My husband’s brother died today. He was very sick, so it was no surprise, but it was still a jolt, and a reminder that death comes to us all. We never know when it will come, so we must work at all times to be prepared.

The saints call this, “remembrance of death.” St. Ignaty [Brianchaninov], speaking to monks (although all should take this to heart, whether monastic or lay), said it this way:

A monk should remember every day, and several times a day, that he is faced with inevitable death, and eventually he should even attain to the unceasing remembrance of death.

Our mind is so darkened by the fall that unless we force ourselves to remember death we can completely forget about it. When we forget about death, then we begin to live on earth as if we were immortal, and we sacrifice all our activity to the world without concerning ourselves in the least either about the fearful transition to eternity or about our fate in eternity. Then we boldly and peremptorily override the commandments of Christ; then we commit all the vilest sins; then we abandon not only unceasing prayer but even the prayers appointed for definite times—we begin to scorn this essential and indispensable occupation as if it were an activity of little importance and little needed. Forgetful of physical death, we die a spiritual death.

On the other hand, he who often remembers the death of the body rises from the dead in soul. He lives on earth like a stranger in an inn or like a prisoner in gaol, constantly expecting to be called out for trial or execution. Before his eyes the gates into eternity are always open. He continually looks in that direction with spiritual anxiety, with deep sorrow and reflection. He is constantly occupied with wondering what justify him at Christ’s terrible Judgment and what his sentence will be. This sentence decides a person’s fate for the whole of eternity. No earthly beauty, no earthly pleasure draws his attention or his love. He condemns no one, for he remembers that at the judgment of God such judgment will be passed on as he passed here on his neighbours. He forgives everyone everything, that he may himself obtain forgiveness and inherit salvation. He is indulgent with all, he is merciful in that indulgence and mercy may be shown to him. He welcomes and embraces with joy every trouble or trial that comes to him as a toll for his sins in time which frees him from toll in eternity. If the thought comes to him to be proud of virtue, at once the remembrance of death rushes against this thought, puts it to shame, exposes the nonsense and drives it away.

What significance can our virtue have in the judgment of God? What value can our virtue have in the eyes of God to Whom even Heaven is impure? Remind and remind yourself: “I shall die, I shall die for certain! My fathers and forefathers died; no human being has remained forever on earth. And the fate that has overtaken everyone awaits me too!” Do not fritter away the time given you for repentance. Do not rivet your eyes to the earth on which you are a momentary actor, on which you are an exile, on which by the mercy of God you are given a chance to change your mind and offer repentance for the avoidance of hell’s eternal prisons and the eternal torment in them. Use the short spell of your pilgrimage on earth to acquire a haven of peace, a blessed refuge in eternity. Plead for the eternal possession by renouncing every temporal possession, by renouncing everything carnal and natural in the realm of our fallen nature. Plead by the fulfillment of Christ’s commandments. Plead by sincere repentance for the sins you have committed. Plead by thanking and praising God for all the trials and troubles sent you. Plead by an abundance of prayer and psalmody. Plead by means of the Jesus Prayer and combine with it the remembrance of death.

These two activities—the Jesus Prayer and the remembrance of death—easily merge into one activity. From the prayer comes a vivid remembrance of death, as if it were a foretaste of it: and from this foretaste of death the prayer itself flares up more vigorously.

It is essential for the ascetic to remember death. This remembrance is essential for his spiritual life. It protects the spiritual life of the monk from harm and corruption by self-confidence, to which the ascetic and attentive life can lead unless it is guarded by the remembrance of death and God’s Judgment. It is a great disaster for the soul to set any value on one’s own effort or struggle, and to regard it as a merit in the sight of God. Admit that you deserve all earthly punishment as well as the eternal torments. Such an appraisal of yourself will be the truest, the most salutary for your soul, and the most pleasing to God.

Frequently enumerate the eternal woes that await sinners. By frequently docketing these miseries make them stand vividly before your eyes. Acquire a foretaste of the torments of hell so that at the graphic remembrance of them your soul may shudder, may tear itself away from sin, and may have recourse to God with humble prayer for mercy, putting all your hope in His infinite goodness and despairing of yourself. Recall and represent to yourself the terrible measureless subterranean gulf and prison which constitute hell. The gulf or pit is called bottomless. Precisely! That is just what it is in relation to men. The vast prison of hell has many sections and many different kinds of torment and torture by which every man is repaid according to the deeds he has done in the course of his earthly life. In all sections imprisonment is eternal, the torments eternal. There insufferable, impenetrable darkness reigns, and at the same time the unquenchable fire burns there, with an ever equal strength. There is no day there. There it is always eternal night. The stench there is insupportable, and it cannot be compared with the foulest earthly fetor. The terrible worm of hell never slumbers or sleeps. It gnaws and gnaws, and devours the prisoners of hell without impairing their wholeness or destroying their existence, and without ever being glutted itself. Such is the nature of all the torments of hell; they are worse than any death, but they do not produce death. Death is desired in hell much as life is desired on earth. Death would be a comfort all the prisoners of hell. It is not for them. Their fate is unending life for unending suffering. Lost souls in hell are tormented by the insufferable executions with which the eternal on of those rejected by God abounds; they are tormented by the unendurable grief; they are tormented there by most ghastly disease of the soul: despair.

Acknowledge that you are sentenced to hell for eternal torment, from that acknowledgment there will be born in your heart irresistible and mighty cries of prayer that they will incline God to have mercy on you, and He will lead into Paradise instead of hell.

You who consider yourselves deserving of earthly and heavenly rewards! For you hell is more dangerous than for flagrant sinners because the gravest sin among all the sins is self-opinion, self-confidence—a sin of the spirit invisible mortal eyes and which is often covered with a mask of humility.

The remembrance and consideration of death was practised the greatest of the holy Fathers. Of Pachomius the Great the author of his life says that he ‘maintained himself constantly in fear of God with the remembrance of the eternal torments pains which have no end—that is, with the remembrance of unquenchable fire and the undying worm. By this means Pachomius kept himself from evil and roused to the better.’

From The Arena: An Offering to Contemporary Monasticism, by Bishop Ignaty (Brianchaninov), translated from the Russian by Archimandrite Lazarus (Jordanville, NY: Holy Trinity Monastery, 1991), pp. 66-78.

May his memory be eternal! And may we all keep the remembrance of death in our minds and hearts.

Mid 60’s and Still Going-and going-and going

Last year I turned 66, and today I am 67. I’m on Medicare and Social Security. Guess I’m officially “old” by societal standards.

Now I have to try to be a “wise” resource for family and friends rather than a burden.

I’m partially disabled, so I could be considered a burden, but I’m still working (part-time from home), and I still have the same ADD mind I’ve always had. The kids always said they would never know if I developed dementia – because I’ve always been ADD and have always had memory problems for nouns – especially people’s names. I can’t help worrying about it, though. Seems like I’m having a few more problems than before. May have to do with my very sedentary life-style, however. Hard to be very active when you have AR and fibromyalgia, though.

I tend to be chronically cheerful, and optimistic, so I just think like that irritating Energizer Bunny and keep going-and going-and going…

May the Lord have mercy upon this sinner!

Love Without Limits – 12

Love Without Limits (12)
Written by Archimandrite Lev Gillet (A Monk of the Eastern Church)

This is a further translation of passages from Fr. Lev’s book of meditations on the mystery of divine and human Love. That book, unfortunately, has long been out of print, and the translation does little to reflect the poetic beauty of the original.

The Demands of Prevenient Grace

O Lord of Love, I beg you, don’t go so fast! I can’t keep up with you. You’re moving too quickly for me. Wait for me, let me catch up to you! Still, Lord, you have not stopped, you have not even slowed down.

Lord, I see you coming toward my house. Don’t trouble yourself to come to me; I’ll come as quickly as I can to you. We can talk along the way, and even stop for a while. That would be much less tiring for me (and I would feel much less bothered!). But there you are, already at my gate!

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September 9/22 – Sts Joachim and Anna

Saints Joachim and Anna

Righteous Saint Joachim, son of Barpathir, was a descendant of King David, to whom God had revealed that from the descendants of his line would be born the Saviour of the world. Righteous Saint Anna was the daughter of Matthan and through her father she was of the tribe of Levi, and through her mother — of the tribe of Judah. The spouses lived at Nazareth in Galilee. They were childless into their old age and all their life they grieved over this. They had to endure derision and scorn, since at that time childlessness was considered a disgrace. But they never grumbled and only but fervently prayed to God, humbly trusting on His will. Once during the time of a great feast, the gifts which Righteous Joachim took to Jerusalem for offering to God were not accepted by the priest Ruben, who considered that a childless man was not worthy to offer sacrifice to God. This pained the old man very much, and he, regarding himself the most sinful of people, decided not to return home, but to settle in solitude in a desolate place. His righteous spouse Anna, having learned, what sort of humiliation her husband had endured, in prayer and fasting began sorrowfully to pray to God for granting her a child. In his desolate solitude and with fasting Righteous Joachim also besought God for this. And the prayer of the saintly couple was heard: to both of them an Angel announced, that there would be born of them a Daughter, Who would bless all the race of mankind. By order of this Heavenly Messenger, Righteous Joakim and Anna met at Jerusalem, where through the promise of God was born to them the Daughter, named Mary.

Saint Joachim died a few years later after the Entry into the Temple of his Blessed Daughter, at about age 80. Saint Anna died at age 70, two years after him, spending the time in the Temple alongside her Daughter.

The Icon of Sts Joachim and Anna is from the hand of Father Luke (Dingman), and may be obtained through Orthodox Images.

Jesus’ Powerpoint Presentation – The Beatitudes

I never thought of it this way before, and it struck me pretty funny at first – but this blogpost has a great many things to say in a small amount of space – like a Powerpoint Presentation, indeed! Check it out!

What Passes for Normal

Well, we are just about back to what passes for normal around here. The contractor starts today fixing the roof. The ceiling will be next week, but we are back in our BED – which is a great blessing. I’ve gotten wonderful sleep the last 2 nights – even with the hole in the ceiling!

The Ol’ Curmudgeon has slept better, too. But I’m getting really tired of the smell of damp-but-drying-out attic insulation. I’m sure there are some mold/mildew spores in there, so all that will have to be replaced. I’m about ready to “crip” my way up a ladder and tape a big black plastic yard trash bag over that hole just to improve the smell!

What passes for normal around here is rather dull – and we like it that way. We observe the seasons, fasts and feasts of the Church from our living room. I have the camera fired up, and will get some pics of some of our Icon “clusters” as well as our Icon Corner. We check the Orthodox Calendar for the day online:

Today is Wednesday, September 2, 2009 (August 20, 2009 by the Julian calendar)
13th Week after Pentecost, Tone three. Today we celebrate the Afterfeast of the Dormition. Prophet Samuel (6th c. B.C.). Hieromartyr Philip, bishop of Heraclea, and with him Martyrs Severus, Memnon, and 37 soldiers at Plovdiv in Thrace (304). Martyr Lucius the Senator of Cyprus (ca. 310). Martyrs Heliodorus and Dosa (Dausa) in Persia (380). Martyr Photina, at the Church of Blachernae (Greek). St. Philibert of Jumieges (685) (Gaul). St. Oswin, king and martyr of Northumbria (651) (Celtic & British).

We read the scriptures appointed for the day:

The Scripture Readings for today: 2 Corinthians 9:12-10:7; Mark 3:20-27.

We read the Troparia and Kontakia for the day:

The Troparia and Kontakia for today:

Prophet Samuel, Troparion in Tone II —
Celebrating the memory/ of Thy prophet Samuel O Lord,// through him do we entreat Thee, save Thou our souls.

Troparion of the feast, in Tone I —
In giving birth thou didst preserve thy virginity,/ and in thy falling asleep thou hast not forsaken the world, O Theotokos./ Thou hast been, translated to life, as thou art the Mother of Life.// And by thy supplications thou dost deliver our souls from death.

Kontakion of the Prophet, in Tone VIII —
As a gift of great worth given to God before thy conception,/ from thine infancy thou didst serve Him, O most blessed one;/ and thou wast vouchsafed to declare beforehand the things of the future.// Wherefore, we cry out to thee: Rejoice, O Samuel, prophet of God, thou great high priest!

Kontakion of the Dormition, in Tone II —
The grave and mortality could not hold the Theotokos,/ who is ever-vigilant in her supplications/ and a sure hope in her intercessions;/ for He Who made His abode in her ever-virgin womb/ hath translated her to life,// in that she is the Mother of Life.

If there are readings from the Synaxarion online, we read those. We don’t fast as strictly as we used to – our sick and aging bodies just can’t do it anymore. So, under the direction of our Confessor, we have relaxed the fasts. If it’s a “bad” day for us, we simply eat what is easily available – whatever it is. Father has pointed out that having sickness and pain IS fasting – all the time.

And so we go on from day to day. The Ol’ Curmudgeon continues to improve slo-o-o-o-o-o-owly from his angioplasty. He has a stress test coming up in December, and we’ll see how things are doing. If he needs a bypass, we want to get that done while he’s still under COBRA.

In the meantime, trying to find health insurance in this climate and for a 60+ year old male with a bad ticker is an exercise in futility. None of the AARP or ASA companies want to touch him for anything that approaches “reasonable.” I’m about ready to set up our own little health spending account – a savings account that we control. Can’t get the benefits of “pre-tax” savings, but we don’t get that, anyway at this point. At least we’d have a bit saved up for our medical expenses.

And at the root of it all, however, we try to remember that God is in control of all. And to give Glory to God in All Things!

Hole in Roof!

Lord Have Mercy – And Glory to God for All Things!

Yesterday a severe thunderstorm came through. Among other things, it left an 8″ diameter branch in a hole in our roof – right over our bedroom! We are most grateful no one was in the bedroom when it happened, and that we were not injured. But our poor ceiling!!

Water poured through the roof into the insulation and saturating the thin wall-board used for the ceiling. It soaked through and the wall-board sagged and fell in. The storm was so violent we didn’t realize what had happened. Thought the branch hitting and piercing the roof was just another crash of the thunder that was shaking the house. We were amazed that none of the neighborhood transformers were struck and knocked out.

But finding out you have no ceiling over 1/4 of your bedroom at 9:00pm isn’t exactly wonderful, thank-you-very-much! The Ol’ Curmudgeon started on some cleanup of the ceiling and the soaked fiberglass insulation from the bed and floor. I called our oldest son (lives next door at the moment), and he came over, got on the roof and extracted the branch. His lovely wife went to Walmart and picked up a huge roofing tarp to cover the hole (draped over the ridge to prevent water from running under it and back into the hole.

The roof, attic, and ceiling will need major repairs. Bed will need cleaning up (thank goodness we have a watermattress! doesn’t matter if it gets a bit wet!) and sheets, matress cover, and comforter washed. Rug will have to be cleaned.

So we wait – for claims agent and contractors to call, to come and look, to estimate. WHEW!!

One more hassle – one more hassle – one more hassle. Seems like there’s always something…

Lord, have mercy!

The Funeral of Blessed Elder Joseph of Vatipedi

Blessed Elder Joseph of Vatipedi reposed July 1, 2009. Videos of his funeral may be found HERE!

But the most important thing is that after his repose, and after being prepared for burial, he was found to be SMILING!

Why is the smile of Elder Joseph from Eternity?

A Modern Elder Reposes.

Prayer for the Prosperity of the Russian Orthodox Church

[Stolen from: Redeeming the Time {blog} Friday after Ascension, May 16/29 2009]

[Also found HERE in RTF format.]

O Lord Jesus Christ our God, accept from us, Thine unworthy servants, these words of thanksgiving:

For Thou hast given unity to the Church of Russia and transformed into joy the greatly painful cry of Thy servants.

Hearken now to our supplication:

Bring Thine own laborers unto the harvest, that the Church may not lack good pastors to enlighten so great a multitude of those who have not been taught the Faith or have fallen away therefrom.

Instill obedience to Thee in those who govern, and justice and mercy in their judgments; compassion in the rich, and long-suffering in the weak:

That in our land the kingdom of Christ may thus grow and increase, and that Thou, O God Who art wondrous in Thy saints, may be glorified therein.

Unto those who are led astray by heresies and schisms, who have fallen away from Thee or seek Thee not, show Thyself forth as almighty, that not one of them may perish, but that all of us may be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth:

That all, in harmonious oneness of mind and constant love, may glorify Thy most honored name, O kind and patient-hearted Lord, unto the ages of ages.

On May 13, 2008, the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia adopted the Prayer for the Prosperity of the Church of Russia, to be read during Divine Liturgy on the Ascension of the Lord; and, as desired, on the feast day of All Russian Saints; the feast days of St Vladimir, St Olga and especially-venerated Russian saints. This prayer replaces the Prayer for the Salvation of Russia.

The Ascension

Ascension of the Lord

On May 28th (Thursday of the 7th week following Pascha) we celebrated the Ascension of Christ into the Heavens.

“The Ascension is a sign and token of the Second Coming. “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). “
http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=42

There is a Liturgy served on Ascension. In the Russian tradition, the Vigil is celebrated the evening before.

Following Pascha, there has been much relaxed fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays with fish, wine, and oil permitted. Following Pentecost, there will be a fast-free week, and then, after the Sunday of All Saints we will enter the Apostles Fast.

We celebrate by attending the services, receiving the Holy Gifts, and hearing the priest’s instructional homily. We take the memory of the Feast home with us. We talk about Christ’s Ascension in our families, and talk about how grateful we are that our God came to be among us, to suffer and die for the life of the world, and Ascended to return to the Father.

Each season is celebrated with a special Feast. Each day is a feast for one or more saints. Each hour of the day has a prayer.

And so we Orthodox go through life constantly praising God – from hour to hour, from day to day, from season to season, from Feast to Feast, from year to year. Each hour, each day, each season, each Feast assures us that God is With Us!

May 11 / 24 – Sunday of the Blind Man

Tomorrow, Sunday May 24 (May 11, old style) is the 6th Sunday after Pascha on which we remember the healing of the Blind Man.

We also remember the special Saints of the days: Hieromartyr Mocius (Mucius), Presbyter of Amphipolis in Macedonia.
Saints Methodius and Cyril, Equals of the Apostles, first teachers of the Slavs.
Hieromartyr Joseph, Metropolitan of Astrakhan.
Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople. St. Nicodemus, Archbishop of Serbia. St. Sophronius, recluse of the Kiev Caves.
New-martyrs Dioscorus and Argyrus. St. Bessarion, Archbishop of Larissa. Martyr Acacius of Lower Moesia. St. Tudy, Abbot of Ile Tudy. St. Comgall, Bishop and founder of Bangor Monastery. St. Wiro. St. Bassus.

The healing of the Blind Man occurred 6 months prior to the passion of Christ, yet we celebrate it on the 6th Sunday following Pascha.

The V. Rev. Archimandrite Panteleimon P. Lampadarios, Patriarchal Vicar of Alexandria wrote a homily on this Sunday. It may be found on the Orthodox Research Institute website.

He concludes:

“The man who was born blind in today’s Gospel, met Christ and confessed Him as being the True God. Let us follow his example; let us approach Christ and ask Him to cure our spiritual blindness. Let us ask Him, to grant us the divine Light, so that we can see the virtuous path on which we must walk on. Let us ask Him, to lift up the heavy darkness of our sinful passions, which sinks us into a unsearchable darkness. The Lord said, if the darkness which is in you is dark, how much dark is the darkness? Let us ask Him to grant us His mercy, so that through the interventions of most blessed Lady and Ever Virgin Mary, the Theotokos, and all the Saints to achieve our salvation in Christ. Amen.”

Fifth Sunday of Pascha: The Samaritan Woman

Today we celebrate the Samaritan Woman. According to Church tradition, the Samaritan Woman was named Photini (Photina) (or in Slavonic, Svetlana). She was that Samaritan woman who had the rare fortune to speak with the Lord Christ Himself at Jacob’s Well in Sychar (John. 4). Coming to faith in the Lord, she then came to belief in His Gospel, together with her two sons, Victor and Josiah, and five sisters who were called Anatolia, Phota, Photida, Paraskeva and Kyriake. They went to Carthage in Africa. But they were arrested and taken to Rome in the time of the Emperor Nero, and thrown into prison. By the providence of God, Domnina, Nero’s daughter, came into contact with St. Photina and was brought by her to the Christian faith. After imprisonment, they all suffered for Christ. Photina, who first encountered the light of truth by a well, was thrown into a well, where she died and entered into the immortal Kingdom of Christ.”
(Bishop Nikolaj Velimirovic, The Prolog from Ochrid / Ohridski Prolog)

By the well of Jacob, O holy one, /
thou didst find the Water /
of eternal and blessed life; /
and having partaken /
thereof, O wise Photina, /
thou wentest forth proclaiming Christ, the Anointed One.
(Megalynarion for St. Photina, according to the Byzantine usage.)

When I say “we celebrate,” what do I mean? It means that we (the Orthodox Christians) chant a special set of verses in various parts of the Vigil and the Liturgy that are totally specific to the Saint we celebrate. During the Vigil, we chant the Canon for the Saint during the Matins. The Troparia (verses) of the Canon detail the life of the Saint and the lessons we learn from him. We also chant the Troparion (if there is one) and the Kontakion (if there is one) for that Saint. During the Liturgy, there is a reprise of some of the Troparia from the Canon as well as the Troparion and/or Kontakion. Some Saints do not have a Troparion or Kontakion. I’ve never figured out exactly why. Other times, there may be one, but it isn’t used. Again, I’ve never figured out exactly why. But I’m sure the Church has a good reason!

Finally, the Gospel lesson during Vigil OR during the Liturgy recounts the Gospel that tells of the Saint (if Biblical – New Testament). If it is a Saint who came earlier or later, there will be a Gospel related to the Sunday.

In the case of the Samaritan Woman, The Gospel of the Liturgy is John 4:5-42 which tells of the meeting of the Samaritan Woman with Christ.

For some celebrations, we eat special foods or have special kinds of flowers or fruits we bring to Church as offereings, then share (fruits) afterward.

The Venerable Theodore the Sanctified

Theodore was a disciple of St. Pachomius. He was born and raised as a pagan but as a young man came to the knowledge of the True Faith and was baptized. Learning about St. Pachomius, he secretly fled from his parent’s home to Pachomius’ monastery. St. Pachomius tonsured him a monk and admired him because of his unique zeal and obedience. When his mother arrived to ask him to come home, Theodore did not even want to appear before her but prayed that God would enlighten her with the truth. Indeed, not only did her son not return home, but she herself did not return home. Seeing a convent not far away which was under the spiritual direction of Pachomius’ sister, she entered the convent and was tonsured a nun. After a period of time Paphnutius, Theodore’s brother, also came to the monastery and was tonsured a monk. In time the bishop of Panopolis called St. Pachomius to establish a monastery for those who desired the monastic life. Pachomius took Theodore with him and entrusted him with the duty of establishing this new monastery. After the death of Pachomius, Theodore became the abbot of all Pachomius’ monasteries and lived to a ripe old age. Theodore lived a life pleasing to God, directing the many monks on the road to salvation. He died peacefully and took up habitation in the kingdom of Eternal Light in the year 368 A.D.

Reflection on St. Theodore the Sanctified: When Theodore the Sanctified was in Panopolis with St. Pachomius, his spiritual father, a philosopher came to him and offered to debate with him about the Faith. The philosopher then posed these three questions to Theodore: “Who was not born, but died?” “Who was born and did not die?” “Who died and did not decay?” To these questions, St. Theodore replied: “Adam was not born and died. Enoch was born and did not die. Lot’s wife died and did not decay.” And the saint added this advice to the philosopher: “Heed our sound advice; depart from these useless questions and scholastic syllogisms; draw near to Christ Whom we are serving and you will receive forgiveness of sins.” The philosopher became mute from such a pointed answer and being ashamed, he departed. From this, the enormous difference is clearly seen between a pagan philosopher and a Christian saint. The one [the philosopher] looses himself in abstractions, in cleverly twisted words, in logical provocations and in thoughtful sport while the other [the saint] directed his whole mind on the Living God and on the salvation of his soul. The one is abstract and dead, while the other is practical and alive.

We celebrate,today, the memory of St. Theodore the Sanctified, reminding ourselves of his example of simplicity of life and devotion to God.