| Скачать epub pdf Follow Christ ‘BE FOLLOWERS OF ME AS I AM OF CHRIST’ 11th August 1985 In the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. In today's Epistle we hear words which at first may shock us, Saint Paul telling us, ‘Be followers of me as I am of Christ’. How could he say, ‘Be followers of me’ rather than say, ‘Follow Christ whom I try to follow but not always succeed’? I think, we must remember his life in order to understand these words. He stood probably (on the day?) of the Crucifixion, approving of the murder of the Son of God become the son of man. He is, according to Tradition, the young man who stood watching (over the clothes?) of those who stoned Stephen. He went from Jerusalem, out, with powers to persecute, to seize, to bring to death and judgment the Christians (?). And of a sudden, having met Christ, he changed his life and did that at all risks. And this is, I think, what he means when he says, ‘Be followers of me as I am of Christ’: I was a stranger to Him, I have become one of His people. I was a persecutor, I am now standing side by side with Him, carrying not only the shame but the terror of it. Because if nowadays some feel shy, timid, cowardly ashamed of professing their faith, in those days, proclaiming oneself a Christian was tantamount to offering oneself unto martyrdom. And he gives us a picture of what his life had been, in the same passage of the Epistle which we have read: all he has suffered because he choose Christ. Elsewhere he says, ‘For me life is Christ – that means that all that was Christ's is his, and all that was alien to Christ, all that brought Him to Passion week and to the crucifixion, he rejects. Nothing was left of life for him except what was in harmony with the Lord Jesus Christ. He accomplished what Christ had said to James and John: Are you prepared to drink My cup? Are you prepared to be merged into the ordeal which shall be Mine? – t h a t was for Paul life with Christ: to share His earthly destiny in all things, including martyrdom and death, if necessary. |
| Love’s Teacher Prayerful compassion works miracles. Modern man lacks love, for which he is forever searching. Feeling sorry for himself, he calls to mind the words of Scripture: And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold (Matthew 24:12). But the believing soul knows that it alone is responsible for love; it knows, moreover, that love’s natural and constant teacher is nothing other than prayer. When one heart touches another in prayerful compassion, the grace of God descends into both hearts and works miracles. Prayer is an index of love. If someone never prays for anyone else, this means that he loves no one. It will therefore be difficult for him to understand the profound works of St. Silouan the Athonite: “Praying for people is to shed blood.” We must learn to love in prayer. Therefore we should ask ourselves: Do we often pray for people? If so, do we pray for them fervently? Do our hearts ache for anyone besides ourselves and our loved ones? We are usually repelled from praying for our neighbors by their apparent sins and the hurt they have caused us, which have wounded our self-love. But why? After all, someone who has fallen into sin requires compassion; hurt requires prayerful healing. No apparent evil of this world should frighten or put us to flight. On the contrary, a Christian should be prayerfully vigilant, as the Apostle Paul says: Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him (Hebrews 10:38). When implored for His mercy, God counts the tears shed in compassionate prayer with greater care than a diver counts the pearls he has raised from the bottom of the sea. Thus, the Blessed Xenia so loved her husband that after his sudden death she transformed her entire life into prayer for him. And this prayer in turn transformed Xenia from a petitioner for one beloved person into an intercessor for thousands upon thousands of people. Faith – if it is living, and not mechanical, magical, or egoistical – will compel one to take a prayerful stand. And, at times, to do so more for others than for oneself. |
| Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich) speaks on main words in silence. Photo: pravlife.org Less Words There are moments in life when silence is much better than any words. The blessed silence. God is waiting for our silence. It speaks louder than words. When we are silent, we begin to hear God. God does not speak just to anyone, but to us, our soul, and that inner person, whom the Creator has honored with the eternal life. Only in God can we find peace, only He can comfort us. Only He is able to find the right and key words. God speaks to us in the language of love. Every day. We see its glimpses in the knowing look of a neighbor, in kind words, in tender care, in help that has come in time. We hear its sound in the beauty of the nature surrounding us, in the sudden silence, that unexpectedly pierced the space, when, as if by a wave of someone’s hand, all the noise disappears giving the solo part to our soul. Then one’s soul starts crying. God reveals to us the depth of His love through the unfathomable power of our humility. God speaks to us in the language of sorrow, when we do not understand or hear another language. He runs after our groaning soul trying to save it. Wh ile listening to ourselves, we do not hear God. It is the greatest human tragedy. A person deprives themselves of the parting voice of God, His godly-wise guidance, His fatherly unceasing help and care. His love. There is no life without Him. There is only a kingdom of death and darkness. Let us be quiet. Thus, we would not say unnecessary rude words, repay evil for evil, judge, lie, or slander. Patience is born in silence, without which it is impossible to achieve any virtue and fathom the truth. Silence helps to reflect, while driving off useless thoughts and setting one’s mind and heart for spiritual contemplation. Do not neglect the inner silence, it yields peace and tranquility. It reveals the innermost. One generation follows another. Words flow into each other. Only human personality does not die. |
| Tweet Нравится Hieromartyr Simeon the Bishop in Persia, and those with him in Persia Commemorated on April 17 The Hieromartyr Simeon, Bishop of Persia, suffered during a persecution against Christians under the Persian emperor Sapor II (310-381). They accused the saint of collaborating with the Roman Empire and of subversive activities against the Persian emperor. In the year 344, the emperor issued an edict which imposed a heavy tax upon Christians. When some of them refused to pay it, this was regarded as an act of rebellion, so the emperor began a fierce persecution against Christians. Saint Simeon was brought to trial in iron fetters as a supposed enemy of the Persian realm, together with the two hieromartyrs Habdelai and Ananias. The holy bishop would not even bow to the emperor, who asked why he would not show him the proper respect. The saint answered, “Formerly, I bowed because of your rank, but now, when you ask me to renounce my God and abandon my faith, it is not proper for me to bow to you.” The emperor urged him to worship the sun, and he threatened to eradicate Christianity in his land if he refused. But neither urgings nor threats could shake the steadfast saint, and they led him off to prison. Along the way the eunuch Usphazanes, a counsellor of the emperor, saw the saint. He stood up and bowed to the bishop, but the saint turned away from him because he, a former Christian, out of fear of the emperor, now worshipped the sun. The eunuch repented with all his heart, he exchanged his fine attire for coarse garb, and sitting at the doors of the court, he cried out bitterly, “Woe to me, when I stand before my God, from Whom I am cut off. Here was Simeon, and he has turned his back on me!” The emperor Sapor learned about the grief of his beloved tutor and asked him what had happened. He told the emperor that he bitterly regretted his apostasy and would no more worship the sun, but only the one true God. The emperor was surprised at the old man’s sudden decision, and he urged him not to abjure the gods whom their fathers had reverenced. But Usphazanes was unyielding, and they condemned him to death. Saint Usphazanes asked that the city heralds report that he died not for crimes against the emperor, but for being a Christian. The emperor granted his request. |
| Tweet Нравится Seamus Heaney’s Beowulf SOURCE: Juicy Ecumenism By Brian Miller Photo: The Telegraph “O flower of warriors, beware of that trap. Choose, dear Beowulf, the better part, eternal rewards. Do not give way to pride. For a brief while your strength is in bloom but it fades quickly; and soon there will follow illness or the sword to lay you low, or a sudden fire or surge of water or jabbing blade or javelin from the air or repellant age. Your piercing eye will dim and darken; and death will arrive, dear warrior, to sweep you away.” When I learned that the Irish poet Seamus Heaney had passed away I made a long overdue trip to the local bookstore to purchase a copy of his Beowulf translation. I had little knowledge of the man or his works, and, I’m ashamed to say, had spent twenty-two years on this earth without reading the ancient English work. I am now profoundly grateful to have been introduced to both. Heaney was born in 1939 and became one of the 20 th century’s most important poets. A Catholic who was raised in staunchly Protestant Northern Ireland, he was also a deeply religious man. Since the trip to the bookstore, I have only had time to become faintly acquainted with his actual works, but I have managed to read his translation of Beowulf through twice. In creating this new translation, Heaney is said to have made Beowulf relevant for the next age. If that were his only life accomplishment we would still owe him an enormous debt of gratitude. Beowulf is a character caught in a pivotal moment in history. He arrives on the scene not long after the introduction of Christianity to the people of the North. The influences of the old Paganism, one we know comparatively little about, is still found throughout the work. Indeed, all the references to the Christian Bible are from the Old Testament. In a lecture, Heaney said this is because “The poet is more in sympathy with the tragic, waiting, unredeemed phase of things than with any transcendental promise.” |
| “It is Good For Us To Be Here”: On the Lord’s Transfiguration Sometimes we are on Thabor, and sometimes we find ourselves on Golgotha. Sometimes the presence of God is so palpable and clear that we would like these minutes never to end, to last forever. But sometimes God, as it were, withdraws from us, leaving us in darkness, alone with ourselves, with our problems and sins. Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) 19 August 2015 Fresco from the so-called “Dark Church” (Karanlik Kilise). Twelfth century. Goreme, Cappadocia, Turkey. During the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ, there were very few joyful, luminous moments. God was Incarnate and came into this world above all in order to plunge into our darkness and to share our sorrow and everyday human existence. It was for this reason that the Lord Jesus Christ spent so much time among sinful people who were in need of purification, enlightenment, and salvation. It was for this reason that the Lord chose for Himself the way of the Cross, suffered for people, was rejected by them, accepted spitting and disgrace, and died on the Cross and descended into Hades, so as to fill with His Divinity and light all the space where evil had reigned before His coming. In the Gospel there are recorded only a few cases in which Christ’s Divinity was visibly revealed to people. For example, this took place during the Baptism of Jesus, when the voice of God sounded forth from Heaven: “This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Another such moment – and this is what we commemorate today – was the Transfiguration, when the Lord, taking three of His closest disciples, ascended a high mountain with them and, when He prayed, “His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light.” And the voice of the Father again sounded forth: “This is My beloved Son… hear ye Him.” While the vision was still underway, one of his disciples, Peter, said: “Lord, it is good for us to be here: if Thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for Thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias” – for Moses and Elias appeared to Jesus and spoke with Him about His departure, that is, about His death on the Cross (Matthew 17:1-9). The Apostle Peter’s words were the natural human reaction to God’s presence, to His sudden appearance, to His unexpected, luminous visitation from above. “It is good for us to be here” – that is, it would be good if all this continued, if this moment of glory and light never ended. But after the ascent of Jesus upon the mount came his descent therefrom, when He was met by the possessed youth and many other people in need of healing. After descending from the mount, the Lord was once again plunged into our human darkness, in order to share it with us. And then came the Garden of Gethsemane and Golgotha. |
| Seven months ago, the Orthodox world was shaken when it heard the news of a young priest who was killed in a roadside accident. Fr. Matthew Baker was traveling with some of his children on an icy highway and slid off the road. He did not survive. His tragic story, and the concern for his widow and six children touched the hearts of thousands of people who responded by offering prayers, and financial support via GoFundMe, making it one of the “All-Time Most Successful GoFundMe Campaigns.” In a gesture of love, Benedict Sheehan , the artistic director of the Chamber Choir of St. Tikhon’s Monastery, is dedicating the world premiere performance of one of his original compositions to the memory of Fr. Matthew. The event will be held at the Church of St. John Nepomucene, 411 East 66th Street, New York, NY, on November 12, 2015, Tickets will be available at the door, but may be ordered in advance online at www.MonasteryChamberChoir.com. Fr. Matthew Baker was one of those rare, integrative, thinkers, who saw deep connections between seemingly disparate things, " Sheehan said. My father was also such a thinker, and perhaps this is why from the first, I felt an intuitive bond with Fr. Matthew. It is for this reason, as well as the fact that I somehow felt the pain of his recent death, so sudden and tragic, perhaps even more sharply than the loss of my own beloved father five years ago, that I am dedicating the world premiere performance of Triduum Paschale—a piece that explores both the agony and hope of loss, and attempts to connect a number of disparate realities along the way—to Fr. Matthew’s memory. His Eminence, the Most Reverend Michael, Archbishop of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey and Rector of St. Tikhon’s Seminary, observed that the upcoming concert is an example of the ongoing close cooperation between St. Tikhon’s Seminary and Monastery, which have existed in a symbiotic relationship for the past 77 years. " Benedict Sheehan (St. Tikhon’s Class of 2011) continues to manifest an active commitment to both the seminary and monastery by equipping our seminarians in the area of liturgical music as a faculty member, leading the Seminarian Mission Choir that travels to parishes across the country, while also training and directing the monastery choir in singing the responses in the daily cycle of services,” Fr. Steven said. “We celebrate his dedication to elevating and developing Orthodox liturgical music in North America. Click here for more information. http://www.stots.edu/news_151017_3.html For a sample of the music on the CD Let All Mortal Flesh or Till Morn Eternal Breaks 23 октября 2015 г. Смотри также Комментарии Deacon Nicholas 23 октября 2015, 15:00 In editing this piece, you seem to have dropped the last name for " Fr. Steven. " I " m sure you mean Fr. Steven Voytovich, dean of St. Tikhon " s Seminary. Мы в соцсетях Подпишитесь на нашу рассылку |
| Скачать epub pdf Sermon given by metropolitan Anthony on 31st October 1999 Confession: III In the Name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Continuing my short talks/sermons on Confession, I would like to say that in the first place Confession is an encounter and a reconciliation. It is our encounter with Christ Whose love to us has no limits, Who loves us with all His life and all His death, Who never turns away from us, but from Whom we sometimes, perhaps even often, walk away. It is an encounter that can be pure joy when during a lapse of time nothing separated us from Christ, when our friendship was pure, was whole, when our friendship wasn’t broken by any unfaithfulness. Then we can come to Christ joyfully, happily. We can come to Confession and say, ‘Lord! Thank you for your friendship. Thank you for your love, thank you for all that you are. Thank you that you allow me to come near you; thank you for everything. O, my Joy! O, my Happiness! Accept me and bless me to commune to your Holy Mysteries. That is: to unite to you even more perfectly, for my joy to be perfect.’ It may happen. Perhaps it doesn’t happen often. But sometimes such an encounter can fill all our life, be an inspiration for all our life, and give us the strength and power to live. But more often we come to Christ after some kind of separation. Sometimes the separation was not a cruel one; not inimical; sometimes the separation was because we have forgotten Him, life has submerged us, we didn’t have time to remember Him. There was so much in life. And all of a sudden we remember that apart from all that was our inspiration, our joy for some time, there is Christ – there is such a friend Who never forgets us, from Whom we walked away and Who is now alone. Then we must hurry to Him and say, ‘Lord, forgive – I was submerged by life, I was carried away by this, by that and something else. Accept me back. You know that this enthusiasm is superficial but that the true thing is our friendship.’ But before we can say that, we must ask ourselves a question: is it true that my friendship with Christ is deep enough so that my temporary forgetfulness cannot overshadow, even less destroy it? . . . Encounter and repentance. |
| Some Aspects of Today’s Experiences The subject of life after death, quite suddenly, has become one of widespread popular interest in the Western world. In particular, a number of books purporting to describe “after-death” experiences have been published in the past two years, and reputable scientists and physicians have either authored such books themselves or given them their wholehearted endorsement. One of these, the world-renowned physician and “expert” on problems of death and dying, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, finds that these researches into after-death experiences “will enlighten many and will confirm what we have been taught for two thousand years – that there is life after death.” All this, of course, is an abrupt departure from the hitherto-prevailing atmosphere in medical and scientific circles, which in general have viewed death as a “taboo” subject and relegated any idea of after-death survival as belonging to the realm of fantasy or superstition, or at best as a matter of private belief for which there is no objective evidence. The outward cause of this sudden change of opinion is a simple one: new techniques of resuscitating the “clinically dead” (in particular, by stimulation of the heart when it has stopped beating) have come into widespread use in recent years. Thus, people who have been technically “dead” (without pulse or heartbeat) have been restored to life in large numbers, and many of these people (once the “taboo” on this subject and the fear of being considered “crazy” had worn off) are now speaking about it openly. But it is the inward cause of this change, as well as its “ideology,” that are most interesting to us: why should this phenomenon have become suddenly so immensely popular, and in terms of what religious or philosophical view is it being generally understood? It has already become one of the “signs of the times,” a symptom of the religious interest of our day; what, then, is its significance? We shall return to these questions after a closer examination of the phenomenon itself. |
| By this wise, historic question, the Tsar forever removed from himself any responsibility for his decision and it fell upon those who first raised their sacrilegious hand against him. As they approached their final days, these noble sufferers, with genuine royal greatness, as we see from their last letters, rose higher and higher above this world, towards the strength of faith of holy confessors, with martyric benevolence and with utter forgiveness of their enemies. Death caught them fully prepared for eternity; yet the very surroundings of the sudden execution must have inflicted even more suffering upon them. For the young royal children, who were to fade in the very prime of life, the thought of a violent death was especially horrifying because they were facing it for the first time in their lives, and the very sight of those heartless executioners must have been shocking. The hearts of their parents were torn to pieces from the thought that—because of them—their absolutely innocent children were being led to slaughter, and these unfortunate royal parents, like the Holy Martyr Sophia, endured death time and time again, dying inside together with each of their children History will someday reveal the details of this terrible night which are yet hidden from us now, and the tears of loving joy will often spill over the podvigi of our new great Passion-Bearers, whom the Lord smelted like silver, seven times, in order to obtain them as worthy unto Himself (Wisdom of Solomon 3:5-7), and will crown them with even more glorious diadems than the crowns of kings. The world shook in horror at the sight of the atrocity at Ekaterinburg. Only the evil-doers themselves continued to spew unquenchable hatred, even after the execution, persecuting their victims, weaving a thorny network of bitter slander around them. Fortunately, time—the indifferent judge of human deeds—will every day continue to denounce the slander, revealing the image of the late Tsar and Tsarina in the light of truth. Now no one dares to say that they could have ever even thought of betraying Russia, or that the sanctity of their family hearth was darkened by even a fleeting shadow. No one could now dare lay the blame of all the sufferings and horrors crushing our Homeland at the feet of Emperor Nicholas II, for the guilt of this lies truly upon the entire Russian nation and upon each one of us in particular. |
|
|
