| Photo: http://synod.com/ The veneration of the Virgin Mary has long been point of contention among Christians. Although it May be difficult to delineate a uniform position among the plethora of Protestant denominations‚ it is generally recognized that most of the Reformed Churches have no particular place of honor for the Virgin Mary in their theology or worship. Most believe that her role was fulfilled at giving physical birth to the human Jesus Christ and from there on she is nothing but a regular woman that went on with her life‚ having other children and never to be heard of again. On the other hand the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox‚ although May differ in some theological aspects‚hold the Virgin Mary in great respect and elevate her to a prominent role in one’s journey to salvation. A recent article from a Catholic blog however speaks to a relative softening of the rigid position Protestant believers hold towards the Virgin Mary. Some of them are beginning to adjust their views. ”We’ve ignored Mary‚ and now we’re recovering her place in salvation history”‚says for instance Rev. Prehn‚ pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church. This new approach gives great hope that our Protestant brothers and sisters are beginning to be more open towards the richness of the Holy Tradition of the One Church. There is however a long way to go since most of Protestants continue to equal the veneration of the Virgin with idolatry and consider her as a potential brake in our relationship with God. Looking at Bible accounts‚ that we all could agree on‚ we can appreciate that Mary has joined in the greatest miracles that ever happened: the conception of a baby without a father‚ water turning into wine‚ paralytics walking‚ blind men seeing‚ devils being cast away‚people raising from the tombs. She was a witness of her Son’s crucifixion and a sword pierced her heart at His death‚ as Symeon prophesized (Luke 2:35). She was filled with the immense joy of His Resurrection and she again was there to receive a final blessing as He ascended into heavens. |
| John Anthony McGuckin Theotokos, the Blessed Virgin ANTONIA ATANASSOVA The Blessed Virgin Mary has an indisputable place of honor in Orthodox Christianity. She is revered as “our all-holy immaculate, most blessed, and glorious Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary,” for through her the Word of God becomes incarnate. In Scripture her special status is foretold in the words of the angel Gabriel for whom she is “blessed among women” and “full of grace” ( Lk. 1.26–38 ). Mary’s motherhood serves in restoring the relationship between God and the human race, in fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy of a virgin bearing a son who is “God with us” (Isa. 7.14). Her quiet acceptance of God’s will: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word,” her magnificent song of praise extolling God’s care for the lowly ( Lk. 1.46–55 ), and the blessing she receives from Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, mark the incarnation as a pivotal moment of history, and Mary as the ideal follower of God. Throughout the course of her son’s ministry, the Virgin plays a central role, from its inception at the wedding in Cana, where her intervention leads to the first sign of Jesus’ exalted destiny, to its bitter fulfillment at the foot of the cross where Jesus commits her into the beloved disciple’s care ( Jn. 2.1–11; 19.25–7 ). In sum, the evangelists’ account of Christ’s life and mission recognizes the presence ofhis mother as no less than indispensable to the unfolding of the divine economy. Scriptural references to Mary are further supplemented by a variety of beliefs widely held in Orthodoxy, many of which stem from devotional practices. In the popular apocryphon The Protoevangelium of James, Mary is described as a “creature of exceptional purity” set aside for a divine purpose from the moment of her conception. We meet her parents, Joachim and Anna, who surrender their only child in service to the Temple in Jerusalem and leave her there throughout her childhood, to converse with angels and weave a scarlet and purple veil for the Holy of Holies. |
| Patriarch of Jerusalem: The Annunciation of the Theotokos Announces the infinite love of God Photo: en.jerusalem-patriarchate.info On Wednesday, April 7, 2021, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem celebrated the feast of the Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos in the city of Nazareth, at the holy shrine where this event took place. On this feast, the whole Orthodox Church in joy and gratitude towards God, commemorates according to Saint Luke the Evangelist (Ch. 1:26-36), that Archangel Gabriel was sent by God to the Virgin Mary and announced that She was going to conceive by the Holy Spirit and bear in the flesh His Only Begotten Son. With Mary’s reply, “behold the maiden of the Lord, let it be done unto me according to thy word”, the Bodiless was made flesh, He became incarnate, for the sake of the rebirth, renovation, and salvation of the humankind from the corruption of death. This festive divine service was officiated by Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem, during which the Patriarch of Jerusalem delivered the following sermon : “O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day” (Psalm 95:1-2), Prophet-King David chants. Beloved Brethren in Christ, Noble Christians “Today there is the true joy and gleefulness of the whole world,” Saint John Damascene says, praising the Annunciation to the Theotokos by Archangel Gabriel, in the holy place where the grace of the Holy Spirit has gathered us all to celebrate in Eucharist the annunciation of the “salvation of God”, the joyful message of the incarnation of God the Word by the pure flesh of the Ever-Virgin Mary in the city of Nazareth. “Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women” (Luke 1:28) the Archangel Gabriel exclaimed. The interpreters of Evangelist Luke’s testimony on this say: “because God told Eve she was going to bear children in sorrows, Eva’s sorrow is dispelled through this joy”. “Through ‘Hail’, Christ came to dispel the sorrow”. “He called her ‘full of grace’, as she was granted the grace beyond logic”. And “because the snake brought Eve the sorrow, rejoice, because the Lord is with Thee”. “One should know that at the time of the annunciation the Virgin conceived immediately paradoxically”. |
| John Anthony McGuckin St. Seraphim of Sarov (1759–1833) KONSTANTIN GAVRILKIN St. Seraphim belongs to that tradition of monastic spirituality which was brought to Ancient Rus from Mount Athos in the early 11th century and revived in the late 18th to 19th centuries by Paisy Velichovsky and his followers, among whom one should note St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, St. Feofan (Theophan) the Recluse, and the Optina elders. Prokhor Moshnin (Seraphim’s name prior to his monastic tonsure) was born into a pious merchant family in Kursk. In 1776 he visited the Kiev Caves Monastery, where the elder Dosifei advised him to practice the Jesus Prayer continuously and to enter the Sarov monastery (in Nizhnii Novgorod province). He arrived there in 1778, took monastic vows in 1786, and received the name Seraphim. From his disciples and early biographers, who relied both on his personal testimony and eyewitness accounts, we know that he had multiple mystical experiences, including revelations of Christ and many visitations by the Virgin Mary who guided him throughout his 55-year monastic life and healed him on a number ofoccasions from severe illnesses and injuries. Between 1794 and 1810 Seraphim lived a reclusive life in the forest outside the monastery, spending his time in the practice of the Jesus Prayer, reading Scripture and patristic literature, and engaging in manual labor. One day he was savagely beaten by robbers who left him crippled for the rest of his life; when the attackers were later arrested, he persuaded the authorities to let them go. He returned to the monastery in 1810, but remained in seclusion until 1825, when, at the command of the Virgin Mary, he began to receive people seeking his guidance and healing, and became one of the most renowned startsi of Russia. Seraphim’s extraordinary asceticism and mystical life were witnessed by several of the inhabitants of the Sarov monastery and by visitors whose lives were dramatically changed by their encounter with the saint. |
| Accept The site uses cookies to help show you the most up-to-date information. By continuing to use the site, you consent to the use of your Metadata and cookies. Cookie policy Delegation of Abbots and Monks from Egyptian Monasteries Comes to Russia On 23rd August 2021, at the invitation of His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus Kirill, a delegation of abbots and monks of monasteries of the Coptic Church arrived in Moscow intending to go on pilgrimage to the Orthodox monastic houses of Russia. The present visit is coming at a time of growing dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Coptic Church within the framework of the relevant commission for inter-church dialogue and is part of a programme of mutual visits realized in recent years by representatives of Russian and Coptic monasticism. The delegation consisted of: His Grace Bishop Bigol, Abbot of the Elmeharic Monastery in Asyut – head of the delegation; His Grace Bishop Sawerous, Abbot of the St. Tomas & St. Baktor Monastery in El Khataba; His Grace Bishop Metawas, Abbot of the St. Virgin Mary Mountain Monastery in Akhmim; His Grace Bishop Aghabios, Regent of the St. Bishoy the Great Monastery in Wadi El Natrun; His Grace Bishop Mekhail, General Vicar in Cairo; Rev. Hieromonk Kyrillos Anba Bishoy, Secretary to His Holiness Pope and Patriarch Tawadros II (St. Bishoy Monastery in Wadi El Natrun); Rev. Hieromonk Tawadros Elmoharraqy, Elmeharic Monastery in Asyut; Rev. Hieromonk Dawoud El Antony, Representative of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the Russian Federation; Monk Macarius El Thomasy, St. Tomas & St. Baktor Monastery in El Khataba; Monk Youssef El Akhmimy, St. Virgen Mary Mountain Monastery in Akhmim; Monk Botros El Makary, St. Macarius the Great Monastery in Wadi El Natrun; Monk Zeus El Makary, St. Macarius the Great Monastery in Wadi El Natrun; Monk Mercurius El Makary, St. Macarius the Great Monastery in Wadi El Natrun; Monk Markos El Makari, monk of St Macarius the Great Monastery; Dr. Anton Milad, Special Representative of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate. |
| Accept The site uses cookies to help show you the most up-to-date information. By continuing to use the site, you consent to the use of your Metadata and cookies. Cookie policy Communities of the Russian Orthodox Church in different countries of the world pray for victims of terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall DECR Communication Service, 24.03.2024. Prayers for those killed in terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk near Moscow and for the health of the injured are offered up at the Representations of the Russian Orthodox Church to the Local Orthodox Churches and in the parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate located in foreign countries on different continents. On Saturday, March 23, archimandrite Philip (Vasiltsev), representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus " to the Patriarchal Throne of Antioch, celebrated the Divine Liturgy and the memorial service in the church of St. Ignatius the God-Bearer – the Representation of the Russian Orthodox Church in Damascus, Syria. On March 24, parishioners of the Metochion of the Russian Orthodox Church in Lebanon prayed during Matins and the Liturgy at the church of the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary in Jal el Dib. Archimandrite Philip celebrated the office sung on the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy and the memorial service for all the victims of the terrorist attack. Attending the services was Mr. Rodrigue El-Khoury, a representative of the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On March 23, archimandrite Vassian (Zmeyev), head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, Israel, celebrated the litany for the innocent victims of the terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall on March 22. Concelebrating with him at the mission church of St. Elijah in Haifa were archpriest Miroslav Vitiv, a sacristan, and hieromonk Tikhon (Proyaev) and deacon Makary Petukhov, clergymen of the Mission. On March 23, parishioners gathered at the church of the Holy Trinity – the Metochion of the Russian Orthodox Church in Belgrade, Serbia, to pray for those who had lost their lives at the hands of the terrorists at a concert hall in the Moscow region. The requiem service was celebrated by archpriest Vitaly Tarasjev, rector of the church and representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus " to the Patriarch of Serbia. Archpriest Vitaly called all the worshippers to pray for the killed and injured innocent people. |
| Accept The site uses cookies to help show you the most up-to-date information. By continuing to use the site, you consent to the use of your Metadata and cookies. Cookie policy Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk begins a working visit to the Antiochian Orthodox Church DECR Communication service, 20.01.2023. On the 20 th of January, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, arrived in Lebanon. Metropolitan Anthony was accompanied by Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, Adviser to His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, Deputy Chairman Department for External Church Relations, and Priest Alexander Ershov, Assistant to the Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations. On arrival in Beirut, Metropolitan Anthony and his entourage went to the Metochion of the Russian Orthodox Church, where they were warmly welcomed by its rector, Archimandrite Philip (Vasiltsev), representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East. The delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church then visited the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Jal El Dib, which is being reconstructed with the assistance of DECR with funding fr om the Foundation for the Support of Christian Culture and Heritage. Since 2020, with the blessing of the ruling bishop of the local diocese of the Patriarchate of Antioch, Metropolitan Silouan of Mount Lebanon, services have been held in this church for the Russian Orthodox community of Lebanon. Metropolitan Silouan of Mount Lebanon and Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, accompanied by local clergy and Archimandrite Philip (Vasiltsev), performed a thanksgiving service. The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Lebanon, A.N. Rudakov, Executive Director of the Foundation for the Support of Christian Culture and Heritage, E.I. Skopenko, manager of the reconstruction of the church, architect D. Naamen, and numerous parishioners of the Russian Orthodox community were present at the service. |
| His Eminence, Archbishop Benjamin of San Francisco and the West will represent His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon at the canonization of two clerics who served in North America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries—Bishop Mardarije [Uskokovic] and Archimandrite Sebastian [Dabovich]—at Saint Steven Serbian Orthodox Cathedral here September 5, 2015. Icons of Bishop Mardarije and Archimandrite Sebastian at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Serbian Orthodox Church, Fair Oaks, Calif. written by iconographer Miloje Milinkovic His Holiness, Patriarch Irinej of Serbia, will preside at the liturgical celebration, at which many visiting hierarchs, civil dignitaries, and others will be present. “This is a wonderful blessing for all of us Orthodox Christians in America, and for the whole Orthodox Church throughout the world,” said His Grace, Bishop Maxim of the Western Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church. “When one thinks of the tremendous sacrifices that these two holy apostles made, and the many sorrows that they endured, one is especially gratified that they are now universally recognized as being among the Church’s luminaries.” A detailed program for the liturgical celebration and related festivities may be found here . At their regular session in Belgrade May 29, 2015, the members of the Holy Assembly of Hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church announced their intention to glorify Bishop Mardarije and Archimandrite Sebastian as “preachers of the Gospel, God-pleasing servants of the holy life, and inspirers of many missionaries” for their pastoral labors in America and their homeland. The glorification came in response to a recommendation by the Episcopal Council of the Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South America. The annual commemorations of Saint Mardarije of Libertyville, Bishop of America-Canada, and Saint Sebastian of San Francisco and Jackson will be observed on November 29/December 12 and November 17/30 respectively. Ss. Mardarije and Sebastian Saint Sebastian was born Jovan Dabovich in San Francisco, CA in 1863—in the midst of the US Civil war. His parents were Serbian immigrants from Sassovae. From his early youth he was devoted to the Church and spent much of his time at the city’s Holy Trinity Cathedral, where he later served as a reader and teacher. In 1884, he was assigned to assist at Archangel Michael Cathedral, Sitka, AK. Shortly thereafter, he was sent to Russia for training and formation as a missionary priest. After completing three years of studies at the Saint Petersburg and Kyiv Theological Academies, he was tonsured to monastic rank and ordained to the diaconate in 1887. |
| John Anthony McGuckin Council of Constantinople II (553) JULIA KONSTANTINOVSKY The Second Council of Constantinople, also known as the Fifth Ecumenical Council (553), was the culmination of Justinian’s (527–65) ecclesiastical policy in his struggle to heal imperial Christian divisions. The council’s concern was twofold: the condemnation, firstly, of the so-called “Three Chapters” and, secondly, of Origenism. The appellation “Three Chapters” refers to three 4th- and early 5th-century theologians: Theodore of Mopsuestia, Theodoret of Cyrrhus, and Ibas of Edessa, widely believed to be adherents of Nestorius’ “two-sons” and “two-natures” Christology, sharing with Nestorius an aversion to the title Theotokos applied to the Virgin Mary. In condemning these figures, Justinian sought to reconcile dissident parties with the Chalcedonian definition (451), whereby Christ was “one person in two natures.” Chalcedon’s monophysite opponents claimed to follow only St. Cyril of Alexandria’s theological formula of “one incarnate nature of God the Logos.” To achieve the unification of the imperial Chalcedonian church with the anti-Chalcedonian ecclesiastical bodies of Syria and Egypt, Justinian procured the anathemas of the person and writings of Theodore, the writings of Theodoret, and one letter by Ibas. Justinian’s intention was to demonstrate to the non-Chalcedonians that Chalcedon’s “in-two-natures” Chris- tology was no avowal of Nestorius, but that it was to be apprehended in the light of Cyril’s “one-incarnate-nature” formula and as proclaiming the single hypostatic synonymity of Christ and the divine Logos. Yet, because these condemnations were of persons long dead and since Chalcedon had deemed Theodoret orthodox and the letter of Ibas beyond reproof, they were perceived as controversial and caused hostilities in the West. Moreover, in the East, they failed in their purpose of reconciling Chalcedon’s opponents with its supporters. The condemnations of Origenism combated the following ideas allegedly traceable to Origen of Alexandria and further developed by Evagrios Pontike: that bodiless minds were fashioned first, while bodies for them were made second and as a consequence of their delinquency (the double creation); that numerically and ontologically the human Christ was not the divine Logos, but was created and united with the Logos in a moral union (a type of adoptionism); that the end of things will be just like the primordial beginning and that all will inevitably be saved, including the Devil (the apokatastasis belief). Far from being a counterbalance to the condemnation of the Three Chapters, the condemnation of |
| John Anthony McGuckin Gospel THEODORE G. STYLIANOPOULOS “Gospel” (from the Anglo-Saxon “god-spell”) or “evangel” (from the Greek euangelion) defines the central message of Christianity: the “good news” of God’s gift of salvation ( John 3.16 ). The essence of the gospel is God’s gracious liberation of humanity from the powers of sin and death, and its restoration and communion with God in Christ and the Spirit. The centrality of Christ and his saving work, prophesied in the Old Testament and revealed in the New, means that the gospel message is proclaimed not only in the scriptures, but also, properly speaking, in all aspects of the church’s life which are intrinsically evangelical – her identity, worship, sacraments, mission, creed, theology, and practice. Although the term “gospel” (euangelion) occurs most frequently in Paul, the primary sources of the gospel are the four canonical gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – each of which as a book is also called “gospel.” The same term also designates in the Orthodox Church the separately printed gospel lectionary (the annual cycle of selected readings from the four gospels, distinct from the parallel lectionary called Apostle – apostolos). The term “gospel” is also customarily applied to the specific lesson from the gospel lectionary recited in worship and often to the sermon itself. The first allusion to the gospel, traditionally called “first gospel” (proto-euangelion), is found in Genesis 3.15 announcing God’s promise that Eve’s offspring, the Messiah, will crush the serpent’s head while the serpent will strike the Messiah’s heel. A focal and explicit reference to the good news is Isaiah 7.15 concerning Emmanuel, “God-with-us,” born of a virgin (parthenos, LXX), fulfilled in the virginal conception and birth of Jesus by Mary (Matt. 1.23). The Old Testament generally looks forward to a great future era when God’s good news will be proclaimed (euangelizesthai, Isa. 61.1 and Ps. 95.1–3, LXX ), a day when God would decisively defeat evil and establish his rule over all the nations, ushering in an age of universal justice and peace. However, it is the New Testament that provides the theological angle from which innumerable references to Old Testament texts are freely and variously cited as messianic, that is, texts that prefigure the good news of God’s promised salvation, fulfilled in the ministry of Jesus and the life of the early church, including the preaching of the gospel itself ( Rom. 10.8 / Deut. 30.14, LXX ). |
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