| If we are to be a friend of God, we must keep the laws of God. An unborn child has been given the gift of life, even if under circumstances that are the result of our sin. That the child should forfeit her life for the convenience of selfish parents is unconscionable. The sin of sexual intercourse outside the marriage bed is compounded ten thousand times by the sin of abortion. The woman who would abort her child to avoid poverty will have placed her soul in a state of absolute poverty. In an age when many question the morality of state sanctioned executions of criminals, or question the justification of war, it is beyond the pale that we would think we have the right to kill an unborn child. We must ask ourselves, as did Saint John Chrysostom , Why do you sow where the field is eager to destroy the fruit? Where there are medicines of sterility? Where there is murder before birth? You do not even let a harlot remain only a harlot, but you make her a murderess as well. Indeed, it is something worse than murder and I do not know what to call it; for she does not kill what is formed but prevents its formation. What then? Do you condemn the gifts of God, and fight with His laws? What is a curse you seek as though it were a blessing. Do you make the anteroom of slaughter? Do you teach the women who are given to you for a procreation of offspring to perpetuate killing? Let us stand firm for the rights of all people, especially for the most vulnerable, defenseless of them all, the unborn children. The Sixth Commandment tells us that we must not kill, and makes no distinction between the killing of another person, the killing of oneself (suicide), or the killing of the unborn. The Church has confessed from the beginning that each life is created by God, that human life is the supreme gift of the Creator. Human life is not given unconditionally, but is given under the condition that we will be responsible for preserving it. In so far as God’s perfection is beyond our understanding, by His grace and mercy we are called to theosis, the process of becoming like God. Theosis (deification) begins from the moment of our conception and continues until the very hour of our death. No one has the right to interfere in this process that was begun when God created us. |
| In the early Church, the whole world was astonished at how Christians witnessed to the peace of Christ, not only refusing to shed the blood of their enemies but trying in every possible way to save their enemies. May we do all in our power to renew such faithful witness in our time. How desperately we need such people! We need them not only in places where wars are being fought or might be fought, but we need them in each household and we need them within the Church and within each parish. Even the best and most vital parishes often suffer from deep divisions. And who is the peacemaker who is needed? It is each of us. Often it is harder to forgive and understand someone in our own parish than an abstract enemy we see mainly in propaganda images on television. Even within our Orthodox Church that we do not simply disagree with each other of many topics but often we despise those who hold opposing views. In the name of Christ, who commanded us to love one another, we engage in a war of words in which, far from loving our opponent we do not even respect him. But without mercy and forgiveness, without love, I am no longer in communion either with my neighbor or with Christ. At the deepest level, the peacemaker is a person being used by God to help heal our relationship with God – for we get no closer to God than we get to our neighbor, that is any person regarded as ‘different’ and a ‘threat.’ St. Silouan of the Holy Mountain taught that love of enemies is not simply an aspect of Christian life but is “the central criterion of true faith and of real communion with God, the lover of souls, the lover of humankind.” Let us recall those challenging words of Mother Maria Skobtsova of Paris, a martyr who died in 1945 in a German concentration camp: The bodies of fellow human beings must be treated with greater care than our own. Christian love teaches us to give our brethren not only spiritual gifts, but material gifts as well. Even our last shirt, our last piece of bread must be given to them. Personal almsgiving and the most wide-ranging social work are equally justifiable and necessary. The way to God lies through love of other people and there is no other way. At the Last Judgment, I shall not be asked if I was successful in my ascetic exercises or how many prostrations I made in the course of my prayers. I shall be asked, did I feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and the prisoners: that is all I shall be asked. |
| – Is the mass influx of Muslims to Germany having any effect on church life? – There is no mass immigration today. But the situation is such that Berlin is justifiably called the biggest Turkish city after Ankara. Understandably, this has an effect on life in Germany. What can I say, things happen: a priest in his cassock is walking on a Turkish block and old women spit at him. In England, as you know, they banned a mosaic of the Mother of God from being hung above a church doorway. This is because a Muslim lives across the street, and he fought for that decision. This is one side of it. On the other side, the daily life of those who profess Islam is an eloquent criticism of us. Muslims, for instance, observe their fasting strictly, while our believers don’t like to fast before confession. Muslims adhere to their laws no matter what, and they have obtained the right for their children to be let off from school on certain days, for example. Muslim influence in Germany, and in fact throughout Europe, is growing; Turks have already become members of Parliament, and, naturally, they will protect their own interests. That is why we Christians must always be vigilant to tend to our own future, not submit to provocations which might flare up into religious conflicts. – What are the main challenges facing the Church today? – I think that one of the biggest problems, if not the biggest, is the serious break in tradition. There is no longer a living tradition, unfortunately. The parents of many of our contemporaries were either unbelievers, or only adhered to the ritualistic aspects of religion. That is why the lack of a churchly culture is so keenly felt. There is no normal development, which was natural in Russia before 1917: a child grew up in a family, where he was immersed at least in the external forms of Christian life. The fact that this tradition is gone is very strongly felt, even abroad. Our parishioners, until recent times, or at least until the 1990’s, were people educated in the old traditions, even if they came to the West during the period of the Second World War. Their churchly piety was apparent, they observed fasting periods, they knew the prayers, etc. This was all natural for them. Now it is different. People who come to the West now were raised, as a rule, in un-churched families, and they don’t know Orthodox traditions: how to fast, how to celebrate the holidays, how to pray, etc. |
| It has been commonplace in American military chaplaincies (at least as I’ve come to understand them) to use Just War Theory as a means of supporting soldiers in the spiritual problems that surround their actions. “If you had not killed him, he would have killed you.” “You’re protecting the lives of our citizens,” etc. Such legal justifications are revealed as ineffective against the “moral injury” that Meagher describes. The same could be said of the whole of the moral world when conceived in legal terms. I will suggest a primary text for considering our true, ontological transformation: But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Cor. 3:18) St. Paul does not equate beholding the glory of the Lord as a reward for a life well-lived, or as an imputed righteousness at the end of our journey. He is describing something that is taking place at this present moment. When we are properly directed towards God, we behold the face of Christ. We see two things: Christ’s face (the truth of Who He Is), and our own selves (the truth of who we are). That encounter often provokes something like shame within us. The emptiness, brokenness, and sinfulness of our lives, when seen for what they are, make us want to hide in His presence. But as we turn our eyes back to Him, there is a slow cleansing, healing, forgiveness, and filling that take place. This occurs because, standing before His face, we are in communion with Him. Who He is begins to heal who we are . Two passages from St. John’s first epistle come to mind: But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have communion with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin (1 Jn 4:7). And Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. (1 Jn. 3:2) |
| I will conclude by evoking the words of the late Patriarch Pavle of Serbia who reposed in 2009, a saint of our time, who in his time as patriarch during the conflicts in Bosnia and Kosovo, had to face the terrible trials of war and the irrational and murderous passions that it unleashes. His teaching to his own flock was always imbued with the spiritual tension that the Christian must keep within himself in order to “remain human even amidst those who are not.” “It is our responsibility,” he said,”to do everything in order to be really prepared, even among wolves, to be Christ’s sheep. God sends us so that through our life and our faith we may lead the wolves to become, if they so desire, Christ’s sheep. But, in any case, the most important thing is that we do not become wolves. This principle will allow us to subsist both biologically and morally. And if we must disappear, we accept to disappear, all while remaining human to the end.” In the Fall of 1992, he had to intervene with the Serbian population of Eastern Bosnia so that they would let through a humanitarian convoy bound for the Muslims of Sebrenica. It was in these eloquent terms that speak for themselves that he addressed them: “It is as a father that I beg the Serbs of the Drina region to clear the way for the international humanitarian aid convoy bound for Sebrenica. Even if you think that this aid is more necessary for yourselves and your suffering families, it is better to suffer injustice for the moment than to inflict it yourselves on others, on your brothers of a different religion who are just as miserable as you. Let us all be human beings, children of God, and let us have more trust in His justice than in our own anger, however justified it may seem. In the name of the evangelical love of God and of our Holy Church who teaches it, I send you my blessing with faith that aid will also arrive to relieve your suffering, insofar as crime does not respond to crime, and that before the most terrible trials we may behave as a Christian people, the heirs of Saint Sava.” |
| Some understand the words “daily bread” in a more elevated sense: as “super-essential.” In particular, the Greek Church Fathers wrote that “super-essential bread” is the Bread that comes down from heaven – in other words, Christ Himself, Whom Christians receive in the Mystery of Holy Communion. Such an understanding is also justifiable, because besides material bread, one also needs spiritual bread. Everyone can invest his own content into the concept of “daily bread.” During the war, a boy prayed: “Give us this day our daily bread,” because his main food was dried bread. The main thing necessary for the boy and his family for sustaining life was dried bread. This might seem funny or sad, but it shows that everyone – both old and young – asks God for what he needs most of all, for that without which he cannot live for a single day. Code for blog 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. For example, 5 euros a month is it a lot or little? A cup of coffee? It is not that much for a family budget, but it is a significant amount for Pravmir. If everyone reading Pravmir could donate 5 euros a month, they would contribute greatly to our ability to spread the word of Christ, Orthodoxy, life " s purpose, family and society. Related articles I read the bible through the first time when I was in high school. I was… A small but always persistent discipline is a great force; for a soft drop, falling persistently,… |
| So what does this Singhalese Dr. Doolittle have to do with anything?! Or that Cuban Januaria?! Just hold on a bit, just one more story and I think I myself might get it. Stoyan Rakich. A lanky Serb, very quiet, speaks slowly, drives fast. Bosnia, Sarajevo. Stoyan fought, Stoyan killed, Stoyan sees his only justification in the fact that he has long since forgiven the Moslems who killed his friends and family. Here in general the ethnic hatred belongs to those who never spilled any blood—not their own, nor anyone else’s. In the neighboring Serbian and Moslem villages, which were only very recently in flames, all have been great friends for while now. But in the big cities the hot coals of resentment are still hissing like snakes. “Stoyan, why?” “It’s all because of the peaceful civilians.” “Come again?” “All wars begin because of peaceful civilians. The majority of them are irresponsible people; they don’t understand that bullets fly in both directions, and they have no catch lock against bloodshed. But the military comes in order to stop the war. A soldier always understands a soldier. In the field of battle it is very hard to hate the enemy—people only sing about that hatred in songs. That’s because those songs are also written by peaceful civilians.” Nerri, you are a good person. Dilan, you are also a good person. Stoyan, you are a really good person. You can’t count all the good people there are in the world, and this is not only good. This is stunningly beautiful. Like a sunset, or a starry sky in the mountains. We are used to looking at good people as our co-strugglers in the battle against bad people. This really hinders us from perceiving them adequately—as something valuable in and of themselves, as the greatest treasure of this world, as a work of craftsmanship into which enormous labor was poured. If you are able to catch in your heart if only for a few seconds this pure perception of a good person, then you, like that Buratino , will open the forgotten door behind the painted hearth and find yourself in a world where there is, at the very least, one more dimension. You will learn a terrible secret. Well just a huge secret. |
| Such a ‘reading’ of the facts also determines the ‘reading’ of the other, and its inevitable consequence is his physical or moral elimination. His disappearance includes that of his history, which must have been an error. And if present efforts prove to be insufficient to eliminate him from among the living, at least by falsifying his history, one can eliminate him from among the dead. He will no longer belong to the collective memory of the country, even if one might eventually tolerate his physical existence. It is essential, however, that he should have no place in the procession of the true gods, that is, in history. In this situation, it is the wish for the other’s death which underpins the ideology. There is no fundamental difference between an international and a civil war. The enemy’s country, his religion or race are so many closed, impermeable societies destined to disappear. The death myth alone is changed. Both sides deny the identity of the other, and a new history must be created to accommodate the wish. History must be set aside to meet the demands of a truth which by its very nature is absolute. Truth is characteristic of a group, of its historical existence, and of the salvation it will bring once the hostilities are over. In civil wars, there is a subtle violence which deeply corrupts those who use it. They become travesties of themselves, at home with the worst of lies, those of the heart, for it is the heart that conceives and proclaims the anathemas. There is something worse still. It is to find justification for this lie in God, a God who deliberately chooses His lieutenants and makes them into murderers. We are then confronted with a doctrine which is unaware of that fathom of antiquity whereby gods and goddesses were subject to human passions. The death of the other becomes obligatory as soon as God is the all-mighty who drives out the devil and does not choose death as His portion, His inheritance. The only way for God to enter into dialogue with man is through renouncing His omnipotence out of infinite compassion and total respect for the freedom of His creature. God then comes forth from His voluntary death in a resurrection which gives an independent reality to man … |
| The Apostle Paul instructs Timothy to present himself before God “a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (that is, rightly cutting with a chisel, from the Greek orthotomounta) the word of truth” ( 2Tim. 2:15 ). In early Christian literature there is constant mention of the keeping of “the rule of faith,” the “rule of truth” The very term “orthodoxy” was widely used even in the epoch before the Ecumenical Councils, then in the terminology of the Ecumenical Councils themselves, and in the Fathers of the Church both of the East and of the West. Side by side with the straight, or right, path of faith there have always been those who thought differently (heterodoxountes, or “heterodox,” in the expression of St. Ignatius the Godbearer), a world of greater or lesser errors among Christians, and sometimes even whole incorrect systems which attempted to burst into the midst of Orthodox Christians. As a result of the quest for truth there occurred divisions among Christians. Becoming acquainted with the history of the Church, and likewise observing the contemporary world, we see that the errors which war against Orthodox Truth have appeared and do appear a) under the influence of other religions, b) under the influence of philosophy, and c) through the weakness and inclinations of fallen human nature, which seeks the rights and justifications of these weaknesses and inclinations. Errors take root and become obstinate most frequently because of the pride of those who defend them, because of intellectual pride. Dogmas. So as to guard the right path of faith, the Church has had to forge strict forms for the expression of the truths of faith: it has had to build up the fortresses of truth for the repulsion of influences foreign to the Church. The definitions of truth declared by the Church have been called, since the days of the Apostles, dogmas. In the Acts of the Apostles we read of the Apostles Paul and Timothy that “as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees (dogmata) for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem” (Acts 16:4; here the reference is to the decrees of the Apostolic Council which is described in the fifteenth chapter of the Book of Acts). |
| The Protestant reaction to Rome’s reaction was predictable. Protestants soon abandoned the view of the earliest Reformers that Mary was a perpetual virgin, and sought to minimize her role as much as possible. She was viewed as no different than any other believer in Christ apart from the historical fact that she gave birth to Him. The “brothers” of Christ referred to in the Gospels were considered as a matter of course to be her other biological children, and any assertion that she might have a unique or special role in Christian devotion was condemned as idolatrous. The battles lines were starkly drawn. Mary the Catholic and Mary the Protestant had little in common with each other. Mary was now no longer simply an historical individual who once lived in Palestine. She had become the battlefield upon which a larger war was being fought. Protestants now read the Bible and the history of the church to find confirmation of their own minimalist views of Mary, while Catholics read the Bible and the history of the church to find confirmation of their own lately developed Marian dogmas such as the Immaculate Conception and her bodily Assumption. Those now committed to this polemical approach inevitably look less at the face of Mary and more at the faces of their opponents, and the historical Mary, the young Jew who gave birth to Christ, rapidly gets lost behind the smoke of battle. I suggest stepping back from this battlefield entirely and returning to the Scriptures and to church history with fresh and open eyes. It is only from that vantage point that we can hope to recover the real Mary, the young adolescent chosen by God to be the Mother of the eternal Word. I have therefore written a book in the hopes of recovering a true vision of Mary, the young woman who gave birth to Jesus and who continued to wrap her life around Him until the end. The book consists of three parts: the Biblical, the historical, and the doctrinal. The first section will examine what the Scriptures say about Mary in both the New and Old Testaments. The second section will review the history Marian devotion to discover how it grew and developed through the early centuries, from the second century to the fourth century, looking forward to the Council of Ephesus in 431. Finally, the third section will look again at the classic doctrines about Mary, such as her perpetual virginity, her holiness, and her dormition or falling asleep (i.e. her death) to see what justification can be found for them in Scripture and history. The book concludes by looking again at our relationship with Mary and how we can face up to Mary, the Mother of God. |
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