| On the other hand, there are those who, with an open mind and without psychological hang-ups or ‘baggage’, have naturally evolved through repentance from some sort of Protestantism or Catholicism (it is much the same thing) and become Orthodox, ever deepening their Faith. They realize that Orthodoxy is simply Christianity and that, before, they were simply not Christians in the fullness of the word, they both had too much of something (phariseeism, moralism, guilt etc) or lacked something (sacramental life, spiritual understanding, simplicity etc). They understand that previously they had been conditioned by deformations of Christianity and that now, at last, they understand what the Church is. Although this group are a minority amongst converts, they are the positive ones because they not only join the Church, but with time actually become Orthodox, ridding themselves of the deformed cultural reflexes of their past. There may be 2-3,000 such Orthodox Western Europeans. Fantasy Thirdly, there have been those who have been brought into the Church under false pretences by fantasist proselytists, false ‘elders’, people who love giving themselves titles (‘spiritual fathers’) and exude the desire to be admired. For example we well remember one bishop who, desperate to fill his tiny parish, which most serious Orthodox did not attend once they had discovered what it was about, probably brought in 2,000 people over his lifetime; they mainly lapsed very swiftly. His technique was to attract people, mainly wealthy people from the upper-class Establishment, through his undoubted personal charm and, under the influence of almost semi-hypnosis, he would receive them within a few days or weeks at most. Few lasted more than six months; some only lasted days. I have come across many of his victims (I use the word with reason). Some have never been back to Church since the day he received them; many have returned to various cliques of Anglicanism, where he found them, or invented their own. Since he died, all his fantasies have come to grief and a new generation is growing up, never having heard of him. |
| This was the final period of his life, the most difficult one, but also the most fruitful. The number of brethren gathering around him was now over 700. Word of the monastery's lofty spiritual life and of its Elder spread throughout the Orthodox East. With the help of the Prince, the Elder set up a hospital and almshouse at the monastery, and significantly increased the number of monastic cells. The Elder established the intensive practice of transcribing and translating the works of the Holy Fathers. He gathered a large number of assistants and prepared them especially for his publishing work. He taught them Greek, and sent them to Bucharest Academy to complete their education. Thanks to the hard work of this group of trained monks, a great number of correct translations of the Holy Fathers appeared, along with a great many transcriptions. According to Prof. A.I. Yatsimirsky, of the thousands of manuscripts kept in the monastery library at Niametz, written in different periods in different languages including Moldavian, Greek, Latin, Italian, German, Hebrew, Arabic, Turkish, Syrian, Bulgarian, Polish, French and Slavonic, two hundred seventy-six of them are from the period of Elder Paisius, and over 40 of them were written by his hand. Elder Paisius' growing fame as a teacher of spiritual life inspired many to correspond with him. The Elder responded to these letters, sometimes voluminously. In them, the Elder touches upon various questions of monastic and religious life in general, giving instructions and offering advice. This correspondence took up a great deal of his time. In these tasks and cares, many years passed unnoticed, and gradually he approached the final days of his life. His last days were overshadowed by dangerous troubles caused by the war between Russia, Austria and Turkey. Niametz was occupied by the Turks, but the Austrians gathered all their forces and emancipated Niametz, and soon Russian troops approached. The Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army, Prince Potemkin, came to Jassy along with Archbishop Ambrose of Slovenia and Poltava. |
| Natural philosophy thus receives its justification – and, in a sense, sanctification – through its special function with respect to theology: it is its handmaiden. Augustine develops this thesis through his exegetical work in which he uses the natural sciences to interpret Scripture. In his Literal Meaning of Genesis, Augustine tries to make a consistent interpretation of Scripture using the cosmology and physics of the Classical tradition. 100 As noted earlier, the status of science as the handmaiden of theology played an extremely important role in the Western church’s support of scientific research and education in Europe after the twelfth Century. 101 One might also argue that this attitude toward science was, in the end, responsible for the development of scientific thought in the direction of Cartesian dualism, and ultimately to the separation of science and theology. Seminal Reasons and Natural Law in St. Augustine From the simple observation that nature, especially in all its leaving forms, is still in a state of unfolding variety and development, Augustine faced a serious problem: how to reconcile this natural fact with the scriptural affirmation of the completion of God’s creative activity “in the beginning.” Augustine distinguishes two kinds of creatures: those that were fixed in their form in the work of God during six days (for example, angels, the days themselves, earth, water, air, fire, stars, and the human soul) and those that were created in their “seeds” and still had to develop. The latter were only preformed at the “time” of creation; for Augustine, these include all living things, be they plants, animals, or even humans. At the time of creation, they all existed invisibly and potentially as things whose reality was caused by their future. Augustine uses the term rationales seminales (usually translated as “seminal reasons”), a Latinized form of the Stoic expression spermatikoi logoi. 102 These hidden seeds in the world created by God are compared sometimes with the causes, which contain everything that is to be unfolded in the future. 103 Augustine writes: “For the Creator of these invisible seeds is the Creator of all things Himself: since whatever comes forth to our sight by being born, receives the first beginnings of its course from hidden seeds, and takes the successive increments of its proper size and its distinctive forms from these, as it were, original rules.” 104 |
| 14 Quoted by Eusebios, in his Ecclesiastical History, 5, 24, 12-17. According to ancient custom and practice, the faithful consumed only one frugal meal in the afternoon during fast days. The Great Week fast was observed by all with great solemnity. The length and the severity of the fast depended on local usage. In time, fasting practices would be influenced greatly by the monastic experience. For a discussion on the practice of fasting, see The Lenten Triodion, trans. Mother Mary and Kallistos Ware (London, 1978), pp. 28-37. C. Enisleides, Θεσμς τς Νηστεας (Athens, 1969). J. F. Wimmer, Fasting in the New Testament (New York, 1982). 15 See Dionysios of Alexandria, Letter to Basileiades, PG 10.1273-76. 16 The Great Fast with its rich liturgical material developed over a long period of time. Two practices in the early Church were especially significant in its development. The one pertained to the preparation of catechumens for baptism and the other to the reconcilliation of lapsed Christians to the Church Both practices were related to the Paschal feast. 17 The forty day fast developed along different lines in the East and the West. For most of the East the two fast periods, though related, were separate and distinct. In the Western tradition, however, the forty days include the six day fast of Holy Week. The Great Fast seeks to make the Christian mindful of his/her dependence on God. It prepares each person for the worthy celebration of Pascha by calling all to repentance and to a deeper conversion of the heart. The Great Fast finds its completion in the solemn celebrations of the Great Week. For an excellent study on the formation and development of the Great Fast see Evangelos Theodorou, H Μορφωτικ ξα το σχοντος Τριωδου (Athens, 1958). See also A. Schmemann, Great Lent (Crestwood, 1974); and Archimandrite Kallistos, “στορικ πισχπησις το Τριωδου,” Να Σιν 24 (1934). 18 Adolf Adam, The Liturgical Year (New York, 1981), English translation by M. J. O " Connell, p. 63. 19 The daily cycle of worship contains the following services: Midnight (Mesonyktikon), Orthros, Hours (First, Third, Sixth, Ninth), Vespers, and Compline (Apodeipnon). For a brief explanation of these services see A. Calivas, Come Before God (Brookline, 1986). For a comprehensive study on the development of the daily office, see Robert Taft, The Liturgy of the Hours in East and West (Collegeville, Paul F. Bradshaw, Daily Prayer in the Early Church (New York, 1982). Also see Ioannis Fountoules, Ketyeva AMoveytxk (Thessalonike, 1977). |
| The Transfiguration of Christ In the Gospel we heard a moment ago, let us back up a little to note what preceded this account. Jesus has just told His disciples, “Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom” (Matt. 16:28). Then the Gospel passage which we read begins by saying, “And after six days…” Conclusion Though it is incredible to see how God has manifested Himself, as mentioned earlier, this was an exceptional circumstance and not the usual. The Fathers note that the Transfiguration happened forty days before Christ’s crucifixion and for the purpose of strengthening these disciples for this event: “that when they would see Thee crucified,” as we chant in the Kontakion for the feast, “they would comprehend that Thy suffering was voluntary, and proclaim to the world that Thou art in truth the Effulgence of the Father.” Yet may we not abandon this event as being irrelevant to us who are only at the beginning of the spiritual life not seeing it’s significance for us. For this we can see in the following four points: Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen. “The power of God shone out visibly as if through thin glass to people who had the eyes of their hearts purified.” St. Gregory Palamas, “Homily 34 – On the Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ” in The Homilies of Saint Gregory Palamas, Christopher Veniamin, ed. (South Canaan: Saint Tikhon’s Seminary Press, 2004) 2:137. Cf. St. Gregory Palamas, Homily 34 , 2:137. “Topics of Natural and Theological Science” G. E. H. Palmer, Philip Sherrard and Kallistos Ware trans. and ed. (Faber and Faber: London, 1995) 4:415. “Oration on the Transfiguration” in Light on the Mountain: Greek Patristic and Byzantine Homilies on the Transfiguration of the Lord , Brian J. Daley, S.J. trans. (Yonkers: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2013), 221. Philokalia , “The Declaration of the Holy Mountain”, G. E. H. Palmer, Philip Sherrard and Kallistos Ware trans. and ed. (Faber and Faber: London, 1995) 4:422; Cf. Topics of Natural and Theological Science , 4:414. Quoted by St. Gregory Palamas in Topics of Natural and Theological Science , 4:377. (Cf. Proclus, Patriarch of Constantinople, “Homily on the Transfiguration” in Light on the Mountain: Greek Patristic and Byzantine Homilies on the Transfiguration of the Lord , Brian J. Daley, S.J. trans. (Yonkers: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Pres, 2013), 93. “Ambigua to John” in On Difficulties in the Church Fathers: The Ambigua , Nicholas Constas, trans. and ed. (Cambridge: Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library, 2014) 1:191. The Kontakion , tone VII, of the Feast of the Transfiguration. Cf. St. Gregory Nazianzen, Oration XLV / The Second Oration on Easter , XI. Ascetical Homilies . (Boston: Holy Transfiguration Monastery, 2011), 148-149. |
| Anna was betrothed to Michael of Tver, while Vasilissa was betrothed to the “conqueror” himself, Grand Prince Andrei. Both sisters were the daughters of Rostov princes, and were considered “good matches.” These were diplomatic marriages The restless Dimitry Borisovich had twice invaded the borders of Tver. Thus, forming a family relationship with the Rostov reigning house meant for Prince Michael the establishment of good relations with his neighbor. Vasilissa’s marriage was an answer to Rostov’s traditional political tendency to live in peace with the Horde, and to maintain good relations with the princes whose power was upheld by the Tatars. This was the case with Grand Prince Andrei. We have very little record of the details of Anna’s wedding. There can be no thought of even a hint of romance between the bride and bridegroom. Pushkin’s lines in Eugene Onegin “…Tell me, Nanny, About your olden times, Were you in love then?” “Well enough, Tanya! In those days, We never heard of love… “Then how did you marry, Nanny?” “I suppose it was as God willed...” could reflect the experience which, up until the beginning of the nineteenth century, was preserved in the depths of the life of the people, and was the inheritance of all Russian girls. Her Life recalls that Michael’s mother, Princess Xenia, sent emissaries of betrothal to Rostov, having heard about the beauty and virtues of the bride, and that Anna was brought to Tver, where the wedding took place. There is a detailed description of the ancient Russian royal wedding of the daughter of Vsevolod “of the great nest” of Verkheslavy in 1189 with Rostislav Rurichevich of Belgorod. We can assume that the wedding ceremony, for the most part, was the same 100 years later. After the agreement between the emissaries of betrothal was concluded began the leave-taking of Verkhuslavy. The princely families and neighbors came together. The bride was bestowed with pearls, precious stones, and articles of gold and silver. The bridegroom’s emissaries, their wives, and accompanying boyars were generously bestowed with gifts. Gifts were sent with them to the future father-in-law. Not only relatives, but even fathers of the city gave gifts to the bride. Feasting and merriment went on in the future father-in-law’s house for two weeks prior to the wedding. Then came the solemn moment—the bride’s departure. Surrounded by all the guests and townspeople, the bride was placed upon a steed, and her mother and father, together with all the court, conducted her to the third stopping point. There the parents departed from her and she was accompanied further by her brother, with her father’s boyars and their wives. After six days the wedding train arrived in Belgorod. The bride and bridegroom were wed the same day, and the entire town held a three-day feast. |
| And: O Lord our God, who didst come for the redemption of the human race, come thou also upon thy servant, N., and grant unto her, through the prayers of thine honourable Priest, entrance into the temple of thy glory. Wash away her bodily uncleanness, and the stains of her soul, in the fulfilling of the forty days. Make her worthy of the communion of thy holy Body and of thy Blood. These prayers have roots in two biblical passages: Leviticus 12:2b-8 and Luke 2:22-24 . The Leviticus passage gives instructions about how long a woman is considered unclean after giving birth: 40 days for a male child and 80 days for a female child. She is to offer sacrifices and then she will be considered ritually clean. In Luke 2, the Theotokos brings the infant Christ to the temple and offers sacrifices. The first passage offers straightforward instructions and the other recalls an historical event. Neither however, says what childbirth impurity means, only what was done about it. No other biblical birth narrative mentions purification and so we are left with open questions about interpretation. Ontological View – Giving Birth Creates Ritual Impurity One of the primary ways this has been interpreted is ontologically, that as in the ritual tradition of Leviticus, giving birth creates a condition of ceremonial uncleanness in the woman’s body. This has nothing to do with bacteria or disease, which is what we often think of when we hear the word “unclean.” Instead, biblical laws about ritual uncleanness have to do with confusion of categories or crossing prescribed boundaries. Other examples of biblical uncleanness are eating unclean animals or touching dead bodies. Giving birth is a time of physical and spiritual border-crossing. Many traditional societies have similar types of taboos, created to preserve cultural or religious purity. Ritual impurity in the Old Testament law is also separate from sin; it did not always mean the person had done something wrong. Occasionally, however, the words “impure” or “unclean” are used as a metaphor for sin, as in Isaiah 64:6 . |
| 33:6 В стихе речь идет о мессианских временах. 33:7–12 В час, когда народ Иудеи уже утратит всякую надежду на спасение (ст. 7–9), Господь поднимется на его защиту (ст. 10) и погубит Ассирию (ст. 11,12). 33 сильные их. Евр.: «ариелим» жители Ариила или Иерусалима (см. ком. к 29,1). кричат... плачут. Отчаяние жителей Иерусалима. 33 Ливан... Сарон... Васан... Кармил. Местности, покоренные и опустошенные ассирийцами. 33 Ныне Я восстану. Теперь, когда жителям Иудеи уже не на кого надеяться и неоткуда ждать помощи, Сам Господь встает на их защиту. 33:11–12 Господь устами Исаии возвещает о том, что Он разрушит планы Ассирии. 33 Слушайте... познайте. Господь через пророка обращается ко всем народам, чтобы они извлекли урок из участи Ассирии, ибо это участь всех, противящихся воле Божией. дальние... ближние. Слово Божие обращено ко всем людям, как иудеям, так и язычникам (57,19). 33 грешники... нечестивыми. См. ком. к 1,27. на Сионе. См. ком. к 1,8. кто из нас может жить при огне пожирающем? По мысли Исаии, этот вопрос должен подтолкнуть грешников к покаянию и пробудить в них желание жить в согласии со святой волей Божией ( Пс. 15,1; 23,3 ). при огне пожирающем. Образ суда Божия. 33 обитать на высотах. Т.е. вместе с Самим Богом (ст. 5). неприступные скалы... вода. Господь хранит праведника (4,6 и ком.; ср. Пс. 17,1–3 ) и заботится о его хлебе насущном (49,10; 55,1.2.10; 62,9; 65,13; ср. 30,20). 33:17–24 Исаия провидит Царя Славы среди своего народа. 33 Царя. Пришествие Мессии и утверждение Царства Божиего превосходят в своем величии все прежние явления Славы Божией (ср. Пс. 44,3.4 ; см. ком. к 32,1). землю отдаленную. Точнее: «землю, далеко раскинувшуюся». Царство Мессии раскинется далеко и охватит практически всю землю. 33 свирепого... с языком... непонятным. Здесь имеются в виду не только ассирийцы, но любые другие враги народа израильского. 33 непоколебимую скинию. Символ вечного пребывания Господа с Его народом. 33:21 Господь станет оплотом и надеждой народа Божия и никто, никакая сила в мире не сможет отлучить народ от его Бога. |
| The economic hardship of our parishes will increase, especially on our new established churches and missions. The cost of heat and electricity will continue to rise. The cost of healthcare will affect the parish specifically by the skyrocketing costs of clergy health insurance. As a result of the economic downturn, many of our young people will continue to leave their home communities for the sake of education and employment. Because of the society's rejection of the Divine origin of moral law, and presence of temptations for the arousal of passions are at a degree higher than ever before, including the decadents days of Rome. At the same time, the witness of Christianity has been erased from civil society, and has been demoted to the ranks of mere superstition in the public schools. As a result, immorality has permeated the fundamental levels of youth culture and psychology, as there is no little authority to check its growth. Young people are over-scheduled. There was a time when the church functioned as the center of our ethnic culture and society. Those were good days, to be sure, but those days are in the past. Presently, our young people are over-committed to homework, extra-curricular activities, and athletic affiliations. Priority conflicts have always been a challenge for our young people: but the frequency of these conflicts exceeded prior experience. Twenty years ago, school-sponsored activities scheduled for Sunday morning would have been unthinkable. Now it is almost routine. More of our children and youth have experienced the corrosion of the family than ever before. At least a quarter to a third of our young people have been directly affected by divorce. A majority of our youth and children have grown up with excessive amounts of television viewing and exposure to violence and sexuality through the media. This majority has also grown up with the absence of the regular family dinner... so while the exhausted, over-worked parents and children watch the flickering blue lights on the wide screen in the den, they graze on finger food, they do not dine on food that nourishes and makes the heart glad... they sit in spellbound silence; they do not converse with each other... they watch the idiotic plot lines of characters who are insane and shallow; but they do not tell each other the true and better stories of grandparents, heroes and saints. |
| The commemoration of the departed at the first opportunity after death is important and essential because it alleviates the passage of the soul of the departed through the so-called toll-booths. St. Cyril of Alexandria says: " At Our soul's separation from the body, there will stand before us on one side warriors and powers of Heaven, and on the other side the powers of darkness, the princes of this world, the aerial publicans, the torturers, the prosecutors of our deeds... Seeing them, the soul is dismayed, it shudders, and in consternation and horror will seek protection from the angels of God; but being received by the holy angels and passing through the aerial space, lifted on high under their protection, it encounters the toll-booths, as it were, certain gates or toll houses in which taxes are exacted which will bar its way into the Kingdom, will halt and hold back its progress towards it. At each of these toll-booths an account is demanded for particular sins. " The Venerable Theodora, as she passed through the toll-booths, was greatly aided by the intercession of her elder St. Basil the New, which served to outweigh the torments for those sins not covered by repentance. Thus does commemoration benefit departed sinners. A commemoration has been established by the Orthodox Church on the twentieth and fortieth days after death, and also on the halfyear and yearly anniversaries of the death. Grain (i.e., koliva or kutiya) is brought by the relatives for the commemoration, presenting an image of the Resurrection itself. In general, the custom of observing days for the commemoration of the dead has been continuously observed in the Orthodox Church from the beginning of its establishment until our own times, being handed down from generation to generation, from century to century. The Divine Liturgy has always been celebrated in memory of the dead, the great propitiatory sacrifice is offered up for them, psalms are read, and on these days many have increased and continue to increase their offerings in the church, assisting the poor and needy brethren out of love for their departed brethren. |
|
|
