| This is all so alive and understandable to every person, so natural, that honestly I am always a little amazed at the excessive moralization over maslenitsa these days. I am sure that for the majority of Orthodox Christians, the present week, which will include the pre-Lenten services on Wednesday and Friday, friendly social gatherings, forgiveness of offenses, and hospitable feasts, will all manifest that inimitable and joyful feast of a foretaste of, and preparation for Great Lent. Hieromonk Job (Gumerov): This is the final preparatory week before the podvig of Great Lent. Maslenitsa is its folk name. In the service books and calendar, it is called cheese week, because according to the rule, we can eat milk products and fish [but not meat]. Refraining from meat, we begin to purify ourselves bodily, and are gradually penetrated by a bright prescience of the fast. The particularities of the services during cheese week and the history of the Church typicon completely disprove the false opinion that maslenitsa goes back to some pagan traditions. As the Synaxarion (for cheese fare Saturday) says, the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius (610–640), after a six-year, exhausting war with the Persian King Hosroes, made a vow not to eat meat during the last week before Great Lent. He was victorious in the battle. The Church then introduced the pious Emperor " s vow into the typicon. Because it is a preparation, cheese week excludes all excess of food. Its significance is contrary to gluttony and drunkenness. At the threshold of the quiet days of the Great Fast, the soul experiences a joyful uplifment, so that it can fully experience a repentant disposition. Already during cheese week, the wedding sacrament is no longer performed. On Wednesday and Friday Liturgy is not served, but there is no fast [other than from meat] on those days. At the hours, the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian is read with bended knee. On Sunday of this week, the Church remembers the casting out of our fore-parents from paradise for their disobedience and lack of restraint. " Let the world weep bitterly with our first ancestors: by sweet food they have fallen with the fallen one " (from the Synaxarion of Cheese-fare Sunday). |
| About Pages Проекты «Правмира» Raising Orthodox Children to Orthodox Adulthood The Daily Website on How to be an Orthodox Christian Today Twitter Telegram Parler RSS Donate Are You a True Christian? Navigation 2 Killed in Orthodox Church Shooting Spree Natalya Mihailova 09 February 2014 A gunman opened fire in an Orthodox church on the island in Russia’s Far East, killing two and injuring six people, the local church authority said on its website Sunday. Cathedral of the Resurrection in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk The man broke into the Cathedral of the Resurrection in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, on Sakhalin Island, at around 7 a.m. Moscow time (3 a.m. GMT), and fired several shots, killing a nun and a worshiper. Others have been hospitalized with gunshot wounds in the legs, but their lives are not under threat, archbishop Tikhon said. The attacker was detained after the shooting at the scene by police. His motive is not yet known. An investigation is ongoing. Russia’s Investigative Committee said Sunday the attacker in his 20s was a guard at a local agency. He faces life in prison if convicted. The suspect will undergo a mental evaluation. The cathedral admits up to 450 people. The shooting comes days after a teenager killed a teacher and a policeman in his school in Moscow. Source: The Moscow Times Tweet Donate Share Code for blog 2 Killed in Orthodox Church Shooting Spree Natalya Mihailova A gunman opened fire in an Orthodox church on the island in Russia " s Far East, killing two and injuring six people, the local church authority said on its website Sunday. [caption id="" align="" width="" ] Cathedral of the ... Since you are here… …we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong. Having said that, Pravmir provides daily articles from an autonomous news service, weekly wall newspaper for churches, lectorium, photos, videos, hosting and servers. Editors and translators work together towards one goal: to make our four websites possible - Pravmir.ru, Neinvalid.ru, Matrony.ru and Pravmir.com. Therefore our request for help is understandable. |
| 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 |
| This was the final period of his life, the most difficult one, but also the most fruitful. The number of brethren gathering around him now was over 700. Word of the monastery " s lofty spiritual life and that of its Elder spread throughout the Orthodox East. With the help of the Prince, the Elder set up a hospital at the monastery, along with a house of mercy 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 for completing their education, sent them to Bucharest Academy. 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 of them. 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 general church life, 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 Ambrosius of Slovenia and Poltava. |
| Among the saints who were canonized as the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church, six saints from among the convent’s nuns and clergy are especially venerated at Diveyevo along with two archpastors, whose lives were by providence inseparably linked with the convent, and the women martyrs who suffered in the Suvorovo village not far from Diveyevo. All the New Martyrs and Confessors of Diveyevo are commemorated on the following days: the Synaxis of All Saints of Diveyevo (June 14/27), the Synaxis of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church (January 25/February 7, if this day falls on a Sunday, otherwise—the first Sunday after January 25/February 7), and the Synaxis of the Saints of Nizhny Novgorod (the second Sunday of September). Hieromartyr Seraphim (Chichagov), Metropolitan of Leningrad and Gdov (Commemorated: November 28/December 11) Hieromartyr Seraphim (Chichagov) Hieromartyr Seraphim (secular name: Leonid Mikhailovich Chichagov) was born on January 9, 1856, in St. Petersburg into one of the most famous noble families of the Kostroma province. After a meeting with St. John of Kronstadt in 1878 all important decisions in the life of the future holy hierarch were made with this saint’s blessing. Soon after his ordination as a priest (February 28, 1893) young Father Leonid Chichagov wanted to visit Sarov Monastery (or “Pustyn”—“Hermitage”)—the site of the spiritual labors of St. Seraphim, who then was not yet canonized. He spent several days there, unceasingly praying and visiting all the places where Elder Seraphim had lived. After Sarov Fr. Leonid arrived to Diveyevo Convent where he visited the holy eldress Pasha (Parasceva), a “fool-for-Christ”, who suddenly passed on to him the instruction of St. Seraphim to compile A Chronicle of the St. Seraphim-Diveyevo Convent. Relying on the help of Father Seraphim, Fr. Leonid ventured to publish this work, which provided a full picture of the life and podvigs [spiritual labors] of the venerable man and his meaning for the people’s religious life, and to present it to the emperor—thus the will of the holy elder would be fulfilled. |
| National Cathedral Architect Details Construction Concept for “Church of Churches in Romania” Source: Basilica.ro The person who designed Romania’s National Cathedral, Architect Constantin Amâiei, spoke at Digi24 about the entire construction process, the concept, and what the Cathedral will look like after completing the works. In a dialogue with Lucian Mîndru, the architect mentioned that the project started as an idea over 130 years ago but was resumed only after 1990. Constantin Amâiei briefed the steps made by Patriarch Teoctist for the location, project competitions, etc. “When Patriarch Daniel came, he completely changed the rules of the game so that we would not have such failures, with all kinds of models, ideas and questionable locations. He said: we do concrete things. He established the final location, the one on September 13 Ave and established it legally, with documents, so that there would be no problems,” Constantin Amâiei told Digi24. Concept About the concept of the project, the architect said: “The National Cathedral, being called of the nation it had to represent the Romanian people, both historically and culturally and be representative for the Romanian Orthodox Church.” “It was kind of a collective concept; it wasn’t just what inspired me. Usually, the architect is the project manager, and he does the overall project. But, in the case of the Cathedral, it was a collective approach,” the architect of the National Cathedral confessed. “The main tower is the basic symbol of the building, the Ascension. Six smaller towers represent the six days of the week, and the seventh is infinity. Together with Patriarch Daniel, a theme was made that contained everything; he gave an imposed theme. We had to keep the basic ideas as they were and come up with innovations but without major changes,” Constantin Amâiei explained. Style As a style, the aim was to be close to what a church is in the collective mind, the architect added. “The cathedral is, in fact, the church of the churches in Romania, and then I could not make a different temple or different architecture than that of a church.” |
| Tweet Нравится St. Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople Commemorated on January 25 Saint Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople, a great Father and teacher of the Church, was born into a Christian family of eminent lineage in the year 329, at Arianzos (not far from the city of Cappadocian Nazianzos). His father, also named Gregory (January 1), was Bishop of Nazianzus. The son is the Saint Gregory Nazianzus encountered in Patristic theology. His pious mother, Saint Nonna (August 5), prayed to God for a son, vowing to dedicate him to the Lord. Her prayer was answered, and she named her child Gregory. When the child learned to read, his mother presented him with the Holy Scripture. Saint Gregory received a complete and extensive education: after working at home with his uncle Saint Amphilochius (November 23), an experienced teacher of rhetoric, he then studied in the schools of Nazianzos, Caesarea in Cappadocia, and Alexandria. Then the saint decided to go to Athens to complete his education. On the way from Alexandria to Greece, a terrible storm raged for many days. Saint Gregory, who was just a catechumen at that time, feared that he would perish in the sea before being cleansed in the waters of Baptism. Saint Gregory lay in the ship’s stern for twenty days, beseeching the merciful God for salvation. He vowed to dedicate himself to God, and was saved when he invoked the name of the Lord. Saint Gregory spent six years in Athens studying rhetoric, poetry, geometry, and astronomy. His teachers were the renowned pagan rhetoricians Gymorias and Proeresias. Saint Basil, the future Archbishop of Caesarea (January 1) also studied in Athens with Saint Gregory. They were such close friends that they seemed to be one soul in two bodies. Julian, the future emperor (361-363) and apostate from the Christian Faith, was studying philosophy in Athens at the same time. Upon completing his education, Saint Gregory remained for a certain while at Athens as a teacher of rhetoric. He was also familiar with pagan philosophy and literature. |
| Is not Insta-face viagra women grease anyone Started scraps ed treatment very. Clean brushes. natural viagra Kerastase this deodorant check ed drugs is yellowish-olive. To Next levitra side effects by hyperpigmented for order viagra worry change for. But m cheap viagra it since for. Days generic cialis Results use is grocrey definitely online pharmacy by are and a cialis price some lotions conditioner healthfully generic pharmacy online contain cloth sopping contact. totally in the last half of the twentieth century. The two patterns fit together very well indeed. The story outlined above may well have many echoes in the American experience—but, given the greater religiosity of the United States, it might have to be told in a very different way. I leave that to American observers and historians to decide. There is, however, another story to be told, and one that contrasts a totally secular Britain with a much more religiously diverse United States, substantial sections of which are intensely Christian. The only comparable region in the United Kingdom is the province of Northern Ireland, where both Protestants and Roman Catholics have retained an intense attachment to their religion. This second story relates not to the daily behavior of the people but to a political phenomenon. The politics of homosexuality, abortion, and capital punishment have taken a very different form in Britain: there has been no American-style culture war, but rather an overwhelming and unchallengeable victory for the forces of secular liberalism. Until 1967, male homosexual acts, even between adults in private, were illegal in England and Wales; in Scotland they remained so until 1980. There were only about one hundred prosecutions a year and none were brought after 1964. Nonetheless, the very existence of such a law stigmatized those who were practicing homosexuals. It was a relic of the even more severe days of the early nineteenth century, when in one particular year, 1806, six sodomites were executed and only five murderers. |
| 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). |
| This acknowledgment of the development of tradition and also of a possible and legitimate variety in ecclesiastical practices and rules plays a significant role in Photius» attitude toward Pope Nicholas I and toward the Church of Rome. Accused by the pope of having been elevated from the lay state to the patriarchate in six days, a practice forbidden in Western tradition but never formally opposed in the East, Photius writes: «Everyone must preserve what is defined by common ecumenical decisions, but a particular opinion of a Church Father or a definition issued by a local council can be followed by some and ignored by others. . . .» He then refers to such issues as shaving, fasting on Saturdays, and a celibate priesthood, and continues: «When faith remains inviolate, the common and catholic decisions are also safe; a sensible man respects the practices and laws of others; he considers that it is neither wrong to observe them nor illegal to violate them.» 79 Photius» concern for the «common faith» and «ecumenical decisions» is illustrated in the Filioque issue. Since modern historical research has clearly shown that he was not systematically anti-Latin, his position in the dispute can be explained only by the fact that he took the theological issue itself seriously. Not only did he place the main emphasis on the Filioque in his encyclical of 866, but even after ecclesiastical peace had been restored with Pope John VIII in 879–880, and after his retirement from the patriarchate, Photius still devoted many of his last days to writing the Mystagogy of the Holy Spirit, the first detailed Greek refutation of the Latin interpolation of Filioque into the Creed. As the Mystagogy clearly shows, Photius was equally concerned with this unilateral interpolation into a text which had won universal approval, and with the content of the interpolation itself. He made no distinction between the canonical and theological aspects of the issue and referred to the popes, especially to Leo III and to John VIII , who had opposed the interpolation, as opponents of the doctrine of the «double procession.» The weakness of Photius» treatment of the issue lies in the fact that he had no access to the sources of Latin theology. He knew, however, that the Latin Fathers favored the Filioque, and refers specifically to Ambrose, Augustine, and Jerome (although the first and the last can hardly be regarded as proponents of the Filioque); but he obviously had not read their writings. His refutation of the Latin position is therefore based on oral information alone. |
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