Tag Archives: orthodox

The New Year: The Mystery of Time

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  On New Year’s Eve we feel the mystery of time more powerfully than at any other time. We feel, in other words, that its flow – in which we live and in which everything constantly vanishes as the “past” and constantly places us face to face with the unknown future – essentially contains within itself the main question that everyone is called to answer with their lives.

“Vain gift, chance gift – life, why have you been given me?” asks the poet [Pushkin] in his immortal line. Indeed, it is enough for one moment to turn away from the cares that absorb us, enough mentally to stop the ceaseless waterfall of time, disappearing into the abyss, in order for the question “Why is life given and what is its meaning?” to rise from the depths of the subconscious, where we normally hide it from ourselves, and stand before us in all its implacability.

I was not, now I am, and I will not be; thousands of years passed before me, and thousands will come after… On the surface of this unimaginably infinite ocean I am but a fleeting bubble, into which a ray of life flashes for a split second, just to be extinguished and disappear then and there.

“Vain gift, chance gift – life, why have you been given me?” What, in comparison with this only honest, rueful question do all the loud theories mean that seek to answer this with tiresome theoretics of a “bright future”? “We will build our new world. He who was nothing will become everything” [from The Internationale]… The most naïve, gullible, and dull-witted person cannot but know that all this is a lie. For both the very one “who was nothing” and the one who “will become everything” will disappear from the face of the earth, from this hopeless mortal world.

Therefore, regardless of whatever we were taught by pathetic prophets of a pathetic happiness, only one real question stands eternally before man: does this ever-so-brief life have any meaning? What does it mean, when compared with the boundless abyss of time, that this flash of consciousness, this ability to think, rejoice, and suffer, this extraordinary life that, however seemingly futile and random, is still looked upon by us as a gift?

Now the clock strikes twelve on New Year’s. And as long as it strikes life for twelve short seconds stops and pauses, and everything as it were focuses on what is now to begin, posing and responding to the same torturous question: what is this – another step towards a meaningless end and disappearance, or the unexpected flashing of a ray of renewal and new beginnings? In response come words from an infinite loftiness and an infinite profundity: That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name… And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth… And of His fulness have we
received, and grace for grace (John 1:9-12, 14, 16).

These are the words of the Evangelist John the Theologian in the very beginning of his Gospel. They are thoroughly imbued with the joy, confidence, and love of a man who has seen the light of true life, about which it is said that it shines in darkness and was not overcome by the darkness (John 1:5). Listening attentively to them, the very same joy, the very same confidence, and the very same love begin to be kindled in our own souls. Time is powerless if this light shines above us. Life is not vain, life is not chance, but is a gift from on high, from God, about Whom the same John the Theologian said that in Him was life, and this life was the light of man (John 1:4). And every man that comes into this world is once again set alight, is once again gifted this life, and the love of God is addressed to each one of them, and to each one of them is addressed God’s commandment: “Live!” Live, in order to love! Live, so that your life will be filled
with love, light, wisdom, and knowledge! Live, so that in your life darkness, meaninglessness, and eventually death itself will be overcome! For eternity already shines through this world and through this earthly life. This gift of life in the world and with the world is given us that eternal life with God and in God may become part of us.

Yes, suffering, doubt, trials, the bitterness of separation – all these have fully become part of our lot. How often we are weakened in this battle, and give up, and fall, and change! How often we are scared and lonely, how often we lose heart when we see how evil and hatred are triumphing in the world! But the One Who gave us this life and granted us freedom taught us to discern good and evil; He gave us the loftiest of all gifts: love. For He said, and continues to say: In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world (John 16:33). We, too, can overcome in this very world, and in it our lives can shine with that same light that once flashed forth and continues to shine – that light that the darkness has not overcome.

The clock strikes… Let this mysterious future come to us; for, whatever it might bring with it, we know and believe that God is with us, that Christ has not orphaned us, that He is faithful that promised (Hebrews 10:23). Here are the marvelous words of Vladimir Soloviev:

Death and time reign on earth,

Do not call them your masters;

Everything, whirling about, disappears in the haze

The only thing fixed is the sun of love.

Yes, this is our calling, our freedom as children of God: not to call “masters” those things whose dominions have been destroyed, and not to close ourselves from access to the Sun of love, faith, and hope.

The holiday will soon be over, and routine, labor, fatigue, and depression will begin. But let us not permit the daily routine to overpower ours souls! Just as sunlight penetrates through closed shutters, so too let the light of Christ, through this mysterious holiday, become present in our daily lives, rendering our entire lives an ascent, a communion with God – a difficult but joyful path to eternal life. For the Apostle John said: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

By Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann

Let love be without dissimulation. A reason for all the rules. Romans 12:6-14. 6th Sunday after Pentecost

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St Paul can be hard to read because his theology is so dense. There is a common pattern to his writings however; he presents his theological arguments, and then proceeds to tell us the “rules”. We are in a non-dogmatic age, where there is only one rule – one cannot believe, much less proclaim that there are rules! the Christian life is not this way! Our rules are based on our theology, and are summarized by love. In this selection, St Paul gives a lot of rules, and they are summed up by his admonition: “Let love be without dissimulation.” He gives us a reason for following moral rules just preceding this selection: ” I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”.

You may view the latest post at
http://orthodox.net/redeemingthetime/2012/07/15/let-love-be-without-dissimulation-a-reason-for-all-the-rules-romans-126-14-6th-sunday-after-pentecost-2012/

Priest Seraphim Holland
seraphim@orthodox.net Cell: 972 658-5433 Home: 972 529-2754
ST NICHOLAS ORTHODOX CHURCH => http://www.orthodox.net
*** 708 S Chestnut, MCKINNEY, TEXAS 75070 ***
EMAIL:http://groups.google.com/group/saint-nicholas-orthodox-church
BLOG:http://www.orthodox.net/redeemingthetime

A Word From The Desert, July 13, 2012

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AD 987 (6495): Vladimir (Prince of the Rus at Kiev) summoned together his vassals and the city elders, and said to them: “Behold, the Bulgars came before me urging me to accept their religion. Then came the Germans and praised their own faith; and after them came the Jews. Finally the Greeks appeared, criticizing all other faiths but commanding their own, and they spoke at length, telling the history of the whole world from its beginning. Their words were artful, and it was wondrous to listen and pleasant to hear them. They preach the existence of another world. ‘Whoever adopts our religion and then dies shall arise and live forever. But whosoever embraces another faith, shall be consumed with fire in the next world.’ What is your opinion on this subject, and what do you answer?” The vassals and the elders replied: “You know, O Prince, that no man condemns his own possessions, but praises them instead. If you desire to make certain, you have servants at your disposal. Send them to inquire about the ritual of each and how he worships God.” Their counsel pleased the prince and all the people, so that they chose good and wise men to the number of ten, and directed them to go first among the Bulgars and inspect their faith. The emissaries went their way, and when they arrived at their destination they beheld the disgraceful actions of the Bulgars and their worship in the mosque; then they returned to their own country. Vladimir then instructed them to go likewise among the Germans, and examine their faith, and finally to visit the Greeks. They thus went into Germany, and after viewing the German ceremonial, they proceeded to Constantinople where they appeared before the emperor. He inquired on what mission they had come, and they reported to him all that had occurred.. When the emperor heard their words, he rejoiced, and did them great honor on that very day.

On the morrow, the emperor sent a message to the patriarch to inform him that a Russian delegation had arrived to examine the Greek faith, and directed him to prepare the church and the clergy, and to array himself in his sacerdotal robes, so that the Russians might behold the glory of the God of the Greeks. When the patriarch received these commands, he bade the clergy assemble, and they performed the customary rites. They burned incense, and the choirs sang hymns. The emperor accompanied the Russians to the church, and placed them in a wide space, calling their attention to the beauty of the edifice, the chanting, and the offices of the archpriest and the ministry of the deacons, while he explained to them the worship of his God. The Russians were astonished, and in their wonder praised the Greek ceremonial. Then the Emperors Basil and Constantine invited the envoys to their presence, and said, “Go hence to your native country,” and thus dismissed them with valuable presents and great honor. Thus they returned to their own country, and the prince called together his vassals and the elders. Vladimir then announced the return of the envoys who had been sent out, and suggested that their
report be heard. He thus commanded them to speak out before his vassals. The envoys reported: “When we journeyed among the Bulgars, we beheld how they worship in their temple, called a mosque, while they stand ungirt. The Bulgarian bows, sits down, looks hither and thither like one possessed, and there is no happiness among them, but instead only sorrow and a dreadful stench. Their religion is not good. Then we went among the Germans, and saw them performing many ceremonies in their temples; but we beheld no glory there. Then we went on to Greece, and the Greeks led us to the edifices where they worship their God, and we knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth. For on earth there is no such splendor or such beauty, and we are at a loss how to describe it. We know only that God dwells there among men, and their service is fairer than the ceremonies of other nations. For we cannot forget that beauty. Every man, after tasting something sweet, is afterward unwilling to accept that which is bitter, and therefore we cannot dwell longer here.” Then the vassals spoke and said, “If the Greek faith were evil, it would not have been adopted by your grandmother Olga, who was wiser than all other men.” Vladimir then inquired when they should all accept baptism, and they replied that the decision rested with him.

from Povest’ vremennykh let (The Russian Primary Chronicle)
St. Vladimir of Kiev, commemorated 15 July
icon and troparion at: http://www.comeandseeicons.com/v/drz08.htm

A Word From The Desert, June 22, 2012

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Hear and be comforted, beloved, how merciful is God! To the sinful woman He forgave her offences; yea, He upheld her when she was afflicted. With clay He opened the eyes of the blind, so that the eyeballs beheld the light. To the palsied He granted healing, who arose and walked and carried his bed. And to us He has given the pearls; His holy Body and Blood. He brought His medicines secretly; and with them He heals openly. And He wandered round in the land of Judea, like a physician, bearing his medicines. Simon invited Him to the feast, to eat bread in his house. The sinful woman rejoiced when she heard that He sat and was feasting in Simon’s house; her thoughts gathered together like the sea, and like the billowing waves her love surged. She beheld the Sea of Grace, how it had forced itself into one place; and she resolved to go and drown all her wickedness in its billows.

St. Ephraim the Syrian, Hymn on the Sinful Woman, 1.1
4th century

The Reflections of Fr. Alexander Schmemann on Meeting His Holiness Pope Shenouda III of Blessed Memory

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Fr. Alexander Schmemann is one of the most praised Eastern Orthodox theologians. He passed away in 1983, but he had made visits with other important thinkers and leaders in Christendom before dying. One of the people he met was His Holiness, the Coptic Pope Shenouda III, who fell asleep in the Lord this year.

An article on that meeting can be read here.

Religious Consultations took place in the Russian-Chinese group in Beijing

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Thanks to Nelson Mitrofan Chin for posting this article showing the growing interest Russians have in promoting Christianity inside of China.

Originally published in Russian by DECR Communication Service
June 19, 2012

English translation by Katherine Ilachinski

Consultations took place in the Russian-Chinese group of contacts and cooperation in the religious sphere

On June 19, 2012 in the State Administration for Religious Affairs of the P.R.C. in Beijing were held the second consultation of the Russian-Chinese group of contacts and cooperation in the religious sphere.

Russian-Chinese group of contacts and cooperation in the of religious sphere established in accordance with the memorandum of understanding in the development of Sino-Russian contacts and cooperation in the religious sphere between the Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations under the President of the Russian Federation and China’s State Administration for Religious Affairs. The Group operates in the mode of consultations. The first consultation took place on June 8, 2011 in Moscow.

On the Russian side the meeting was attended by the head of the working group on contacts and cooperation with China in the religious sphere, the Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations under the Russian President, Board Member, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, the members of the Working Group, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Muftis Council, Rushan hazrat Abbyasov, representative of the Buddhist Traditional Sangha of Russia in Moscow Gelong Sanger Lama and the member of Department for External Church Relations of Moscow Patriarchate, D.I. Petrovsky. At the negotiating table were Minister-Counsellor of the Embassy of Russia in China, E.J. Tomihin and other Russian diplomats.

Chinese participants were represented by the Deputy Head of the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA) of the PRC Zhang Lebin, director of the Department of International Relations of SARA Mrs. Guo Wei, director of the Fourth Department of SARA, Mrs. Liu Jinguang and other staff members of SARA, as well as representatives of the European and Central Asia department, of China’s Foreign Ministry. Invited to participate in the meeting were the chairman of the Episcopal Conference of Catholic Bishops of China, deputy chairman of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, the rector of the Beijing Catholic Seminary, Bishop Joseph Ma Yinglin, deputy chairman of the Islamic Association of China Mustafa Yang Zhibo, Deputy Buddhist Association of China, Vice Chancellor of Buddhist Academy of China’s Zong Xin.

During the consultations held in two sessions, the parties discussed the current status of religious organizations in the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China, including the complex issues associated with the position of Orthodoxy in China. The participants noted the importance of the development of relations between religious communities in Russia and China and noted the contribution of religious confessions in the strengthening and expansion of cultural ties between the two countries.

Homily for 6/17/12 – All Saints of Rus and North America – We are One Body

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Heb 11:33-12:2

Last week we celebrated the feast of All Saints and today we repeat that
feast, but in a more personal manner by celebrating the feast of All
Saints of Russia and North America. Last week was a global celebration
of the saints while this week we focus more on our own spiritual
heritage – those saints who were shaped by, and in turn, shaped the life
of the Church which we share. One of the common aspects of these
celebrations is that we read the same scriptures for both feasts – an
indication of how they are linked together. In the epistle to the
Hebrews, the Apostle Paul paints a beautiful verbal picture of the choir
of the saints, reminding us of the lives and spiritual labors of those
who have gone before us. He then says a remarkable thing about the
relationship between the saints and ourselves: “And these all, having
obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God
having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should
not be made perfect ….Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with
so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the
sin which doth so easily beset us, …” (Heb 11:39 – 12:1). The saints,
having completed their own struggles in this life do not immediately
enter into their reward, but rather they are waiting for us so that we
might all obtain that reward together. This is only fitting for we are
not separated from one another, we are not just a mob of individuals all
trying to get to a common destination – but we are united to one another
in one body – the Body of Christ. We are linked together just as the
parts of the body are joined and where one part of the body goes, the
rest goes with it. Until the whole body is ready to enter into the
Kingdom of Heaven then the rest of the body waits. The saints are
waiting for us.

But the saints do not wait idly. They encourage us; they pray for us;
they strengthen us, they intercede for us with God in order to help us
toward this goal. They do not abandon us, nor do they ignore us, nor are
they idle spectators patiently waiting – but they are our friends, our
helpers, our co-strugglers in the Christian life, our elder brothers and
sisters. Consider how great is their love for us – the love of Christ
which burns in them and which they hope to nurture in us. Their love for
us is the example for us for how we should manifest the love of God in
our own lives. At the end of his life, St Seraphim, told his followers
that they should come to him and tell him, as though he were alive, all
about themselves. “And I, wretched Seraphim, shall hear you, and
intercede for you with God.” This exemplifies the relationship of the
saints to us – that we should come to them and speak with them as though
they were alive (for they are indeed alive in Christ) and by the grace
of God they will hear us and they will intercede for us before God.

Compare this to how we sometimes act towards our brothers. Sometimes we
are open to those among our friends and brethren who come to us and pour
out their sorrows and sins and we pray for them. However, sometimes,
when it is inconvenient for us or uncomfortable for us, we try to cut
them off. Sometimes we see someone who is in pain in their lives and
because it reminds us of our own sins, we shut them out rather than
reach out to them. How can we do this – we are of one body. Can the hand
say to the foot, “Don’t bother me, we have nothing to do with one
another,” or the arm say to the head, “Oh just keep your aches to
yourself and let me get along with my own business.” How can we who are
joined to one another and who are part of the same body of Christ turn
our backs on our brethren and cut them off?

I know this is indeed the natural inclination that we all have – I know
that I have this inclination to shut out people who are inconvenient or
whom I have judged to be fools and let them suffer the consequences of
their foolishness on their own. I know that I am tempted to shut out and
ignore people who by their own suffering remind me that I too am a
sinner and suffer from the effects of my own sins. I am indeed just such
a wretch myself. It is against this self-centeredness and selfishness
that the love of God works in me. My own love is tainted by these
selfish impulses – but God’s love transcends them and impels me, like
our Lord Himself, to not only forgive and pray for those who harm me,
with whom I disagree, who annoy me, who make my life miserable – but to
sacrifice myself for them, just as our Lord Jesus Christ sacrificed
Himself for the Jews who judged Him, the soldiers who tortured Him, the
people who jeered Him and for me as well.

The saints, as they await us and as they see our foolishness, do not
reject us, do not turn away from us, but they reach out to us and pray
for us and help us whenever we call out to them. Imagine how we offend
them and cause them sorrow. They are joined to us and waiting for us and
we do everything in our power to offend them and to hinder the work of
Christ in us. They know and experience the healing power of the love of
God – and then they see how we deny that power and reject the work of
that love in our own lives. How they must despair that we will ever join
them and be ready to enter with them into our common reward. But no
matter how inconvenient we are to them, no matter how much we sin, no
matter how foolish we are – they do not turn away from us, they do not
shut us out, but they continue to pray for us and intercede for us with God.

So many times we are tempted to cut off our brother, to judge him
because he is annoying or inconvenient or doesn’t live as we think he
should. We see him through the filter of our own selfishness. What we do
not see is his suffering, his pain, his despair, his need – because to
see these things in him is to admit that they also exist in ourselves.
But this is just what the saints demonstrate to us – to set aside our
own selfishness, to replace our self-centeredness with the self
sacrificing love of God and to reach out to our brother, to embrace him,
to help him, to pray for him, to encourage him. My brother is part of my
salvation – just as the saints are waiting for us to enter into their
reward, so I am waiting for my brother and he is waiting for me. How can
I cut off my own arm or my own foot? If I do this, then I cut off myself
from the Body of Christ. The barriers that I raise against my brother
also cut me off from the saints – they cut me off from Christ Himself.
How can I be saved without my brother, how can the love of God fill me
if I turn it away when it is inconvenient or contradicts my own
selfishness. We who are many – separated by our own selfishness – are
made one – united together in one Body by the love of God and we are
saved together.

Brothers and sisters – let us remember that we are part of the One Body
of Christ, that we are united to one another and to the saints. Let us
imitate them as they shine with the light of Christ and are filled with
the love of God. At the Paschal service, and indeed throughout the whole
of the Paschal season, we sing this hymn, “Let us embrace each other!
Let us call “Brothers” even those that hate us, and forgive all…” The
saints, by their own lives and by their love for us even now demonstrate
the fulfillment of this Paschal hymn. Let us imitate them as they have
imitated Christ and do the same. Let us embrace each other – Let us call
one another “brother” – Let forgive one another and be joined to one
another that we might enter into the Kingdom of God together.

Archpriest David Moser
St Seraphim of Sarov Orthodox Church (ROCOR)
Homilies: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/propoved/
Website: http://stseraphimboise.org

A Word From The Desert, June 18, 2012

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God’s grace always assists a struggler, but this does not mean that a struggler is always in the position of a victor; sometimes the beasts did not touch the righteous ones, but by no means did they not always touch them. What is important is not victory or the position of a victor, but rather the labor of striving towards God and devotion to Him. Though a man may be found in a weak state; that does not at all mean that he has been abandoned by God. The Lord Jesus Christ, according to the worldly view, was in trouble, but when the sinful world considered Him to be completely destroyed; in actuality He was victorious over death and Hades. The Lord did not promise us positions as victors as a reward for righteousness, but told us, “In the world we shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (Jn. 16:33). The power of God is effective when a person asks for the help of God, acknowledging the weakness and sinfulness of his nature. This is why humility and the striving towards God are the fundamental virtues of a Christian.

St. John Maximovitch, the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco (1896-1966)

A Word From The Desert, June 15, 2012

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The person who has come to know the weakness of human nature has gained experience of divine power. Such a man, having achieved some things and eager to achieve others through this divine power, never belittles anyone. For he knows that just as God has helped him and freed him from many passions and difficulties, so, when God wishes, He is able to help all men, especially those pursuing the spiritual way for His sake. And if in His providence He does not deliver all men together from their passions, yet like a good and loving physician, He heals with individual treatment each of those who are trying to make progress.

St. Maximos the Confessor (ca. 580-662), Four Hundred Texts on Love, 2.39

Today’s Daily Blessing from Saint Joseph the Hymnographer (810-886)

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I know not how to praise
Thy mercy and Thy love;
But deign my soul from earth to raise
And learn from Thee above.

Saint Joseph the Hymnographer (810-886), Feast Day June 14
Day June 13