| 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 Navigation Of Boasting and Modesty Source: The Word of the Day Archpriest Basil Ross Aden 30 September 2022 Stock photo credit Ben White The word of the day is “boast.” Our society sees achievement as a sufficient reason be proud of ourselves. It sees nothing wrong with football players who do a dance of exaltation when they score or sack the quarterback. But today in our reading of 2 Corinthians 10:7-18, Paul joins the Lord who criticized the Pharisee who congratulated himself in the “Parable of the Pharisee and Publican” (Luke 18:11). It’s Easy to Boast When One Measures Oneself Like the Pharisee, Paul’s opponents in Corinth are boast ing of their superior powers and gifts. Moreover, they are criticizing Paul’s supposed weakness and lack of talent. But Paul answers with the observation that it is easy to boast when one measures oneself by one’s own standards. The braggart looks at himself through the mirror of his own opinion. He claims all the credit even for what others have contributed and done. Looking Outward or Inward But the apostle notes that those who puff themselves up in this way are “not wise” (vs. 12). The arrogant look at their outward appearance and see what they want to see. But St. Paul says that they should look inward and consider whether they are “Christ’s”—and whether they are thinking and acting as if they were Christ’s. Or are they just serving themselves? Note how St. Paul demonstrates the virtue of modesty. He will not boast “of things beyond measure” or take credit for the accomplishments of others. He does not want to reap where others have planted. But he is resolved to take the Gospel where others have not yet preached it. For Reflection St. Anatoly of Optina said, “Where God is—there is peace… wherever the devil is—everything is ruinous, proud, and hostile” (Schaefer 2009, Kindle Loc 885). If boast ing is an expression of pride, then wherever there is boast ing, we can be sure that Satan is active. He takes over the heart, mind, and mouth of the arrogant. |
| 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 Navigation More than 1 million believers venerate St. Andrew’s Cross in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus admin 05 August 2013 August 5, 2013 Moscow, August 5, Interfax – The Cross of the Apostle St. Andrew the First Called, a relic revered by Christians throughout the world, has been seen by more than a million people in Russia, a spokesman for the Foundation of St. Andrew the First Called, the organizer of the event, told Interfax-Religion on Monday. “People had to stand in lines for 30 minutes to nine hours, depending on where the relic was displayed and whether it was day or night. Some churches remained opened for visitors round the clock,” the spokesman said. The cross on which the apostle was crucified arrived from the Greek city of Patras with the blessing of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, and Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and all Greece. The organizers thanked the local governments for the measures taken to avoid crowding, disorder and accidents. The Cross arrived in St. Petersburg, Russia’s naval stronghold, on July 11. Since the city was founded on the banks of the Neva River St. Andrew has been one of its patron saints. St. Andrew was Apostle Peter’s brother and the city bears St. Peter’s name. A legend goes that Tsar Peter the Great laid a golden shrine with the apostle’s relics in the foundation of the Peter and Paul Fortress. St. Andrew’s Cross arrived in St. Petersburg the year the 310th anniversary of the Russian Fleet and of St. Petersburg is observed. “The Cross was then moved to Moscow, Kiev and Minsk, the capital cities of the three states where most worshipers of the Russian Orthodox Church live, whose spiritual and cultural life carries and develops the legacy of Holy Rus in its numerous manifestations,” the spokesman said. The display of the St. Andrew’s Cross “demonstrates our compatriots’ genuine attitude toward the Orthodox religion and to our multiethnic traditions,” the organizers said. |
| What pilgrims will see in Byzantium. This land is filled with New Testament and patristic recollections, because the life and history of the Church is bound up with them. In a particular sense, it could be considered the second birthplace of the Church, after Palestine. In antiquity there were several provinces occupying this territory: Thrace on the western shore of the Bosphorus, and on the eastern shore, Bithynia, Pontus, Lycia, Pamphylia, Cilicia, Cappadocia, Galatia, Phrygia, and Pisidia, comprising the area of Asia Minor, or Anatolia. A part of ancient Syria was also on the territory of modern Turkey. Here the Apostles Peter, John, Phillip, and Andrew lived and preached. The Apostle Paul was born here, and he and his co-laborers the Apostles Barnabus and Luke made a large part of their missionary journeys in this area. The beloved disciple of Christ, Apostle John the Theologian, and the Apostle Phillip finished here their earthly life. Through the efforts of the Apostles and their co-strugglers in Antioch, Ephesus, Smyrna, and other cities we read about in the Book of Revelations, great Christian communities grew here. This all happened on an unprecedented scale: half of the fifty places that received the Gospel of Christ in the first century were located in modern Turkey. Here the following martyrs suffered for Christ: Hieromartyr Polycarp of Smyrna and Ignatius of Antioch; Great Martyr Euthemia the All-Praised, who suffered in Chalcedon; Martyrs Cyprian and Justina, whose birthplace was Antioch; Cyriacus and Julitta, who were born in Iconium and suffered in Tarsus; Martyrs Evod and Babylas, who suffered in Antioch of Syria; Martyr Margarita, who suffered in Antioch of Pisidia; Martyrs Jacynth, Gorgius, and Mamantas, who suffered in Cesarea of Cappodocia; Hieromartyr Antipas, the first of the martyrs from Asia Minor, and Carpus and Papilas, who suffered in Pergamos; Great Martyr George and a hundred martyrs who suffered in Nicomedia; an entire Christian community of Eumenia in Phrygia, and the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste. |
| His Lives are of great importance for all of Orthodoxy. By God’s dispensation, Fr. Justin studied in England, where he came into contact with the non-Orthodox world and its way of thinking; as well as in Russia, where he grasped the depth of Russian Orthodox spirituality; and in Athens, where – as he himself said – he fell in love with the patristic tradition. In Athens he met the outstanding Greek theologians of his time, Professors Balan and Diovuniotis, and studied with John Karmiris, the famous professor of dogmatics and future academician. Here he received the opportunity to study the Byzantine manuscripts that later became part of his Synaxarion. This knowledge of many Orthodox peoples and traditions allowed Fr. Justin to create a work that can be truly considered the shared property of all Orthodox people due to its scale and importance. With the passage of time, this work by Fr. Justin will play an increasingly important role in introducing Orthodoxy and its spiritual values to the non-Orthodox and non-Christians. This original ecclesio-academic work is a model Orthodox Synaxarion. Henceforward it will be impossible to compile a Synaxarion without knowledge of Archimandrite Justin’s work. Among the published works of Archimandrite Justin, apart from those already mentioned, we will note the following: The Epistemology of St. Isaac the Syrian, Man and the God-Man: Studies in Orthodox Theology, Foundational Theology, The Theology of St. Sava as Philosophy of Life, The Life of St. Sava and St. Simeon, The Orthodox Church and Ecumenism, and On the Forthcoming Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church. Father Justin’s theological works, in the words of academician John Karmiris, represent the Serbian Church’s pinnacle of spiritual self-expression (preface to the Greek edition of the book Man and the God-Man. Athens, 1st ed. 1969. 2nd ed. 1974. p. 7). Archimandrite Justin also left behind some unpublished works: Through Life With the Apostle Paul (a multi-volume commentary on the Apostle Paul’s epistles); Commentary on the Catholic Epistles of the Holy Apostle John the Theologian; Commentary on the Gospels according to Matthew and John; the thirteenth volume of The Lives of Saints (on The Lenten Triodion and Pentecostarion; akathists to many saints; and numerous other theological and liturgical texts. Archimandrite Justin, humble clergyman and prominent theologian, belongs not only to the Serbian Church, but to the entire Orthodox world. |
| The Apostle Peter writes: «For Christ also hath once suffered for sins…By which also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water» ( 1Pet. 3:18–20 ). Thus, fulfilling the commandment of same Apostle Peter, according to his word «be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.» The Ancient Mesopotamian Notes and Narrations of the Holy Bible In 1872, the famous English Asyrriologist George Smith, who earned the title of founder of the British Assyriology, reported that among the cuneiform tablets, which were brought to the British Museum from the library of the Assyrian king, Ashurbanipal, he discovered an ancient Babylonian legend about the Universal Flood, which greatly corresponded to the Biblical narration of it. The enemies of our faith, which even then were numerous, and which had significant influence over social and scientific circles, readily snatched up this news and interpreted it as a testimony of the non-independence of the Biblical Scriptures and their full dependence on the ancient Mesopotamian legends. Most of the Christian apologetics, defending the irreproachable truth and the originality of the Holy Scripture, tried to disparage the new discovery by calling it unreliable. But new discoveries in Mesopotamia only proved the authenticity of G. Smith’s discovery. New versions of the legend about the Flood appeared not only in the Babylonian (Akkadian) language, but in the most ancient one – Sumerian (in the town of Nippur), then ancient translations of this legend (before 1700 BC) appeared in the Hittite and Horite (Hurrian) languages, so that the authenticity of the legend about the Flood in the Mesopotamian cuneiform was confirmed. The Holy Scripture does not say how it was written. The holy fathers spoke differently concerning this question, but they all unanimously agreed, as the Apostle Paul said, " All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,» ( 2Tim. 3:16 ) i.e. was compiled with the participation of the Holy Spirit. But some of the holy fathers think that the holy words of the Bible were not written before the Holy Spirit directly dictated them to holy prophet Moses, who conveyed them in this form in our holy books. But then, with this notion, everything in the Holy Scripture, including punctuation and division into verses, is God-inspired and holy. Any translation of the holy books can then easily upset the Divine inspiration. Then it becomes clear, why only three languages were considered legitimate for translating the Holy Scriptures in the Middle Ages. |
| The latter has a far broader sense than interpersonal relations, social justice or legal and business ethics; it implies the whole life of the Christian community (κκλησα) which, initially, was equated only with local congregations and their bishops; and, later, when the Church and the Empire mated to form romanum imperium chrismiana, also equated with the Christian city. In both instances, the purpose of the community or city was the salvation of its members: to educate them in the life of wisdom or deifying virtue. Sometimes that involved the study of profane letters which, in the case of St Athanasius, as St Gregory the Theologian tells us, meant that he “was raised from the first in the divine practices and teachings (παιδεμασι), while briefly studying pagan literature and philosophy that he might not be completely unskilled in those subjects or unlearned in those matters he was prepared to despise” (Ora XXI, 6 PG 35 1088D) . At the heart of the Christian paideia were the divine Scriptures. “The door whereby the Saints enter into the knowledge of truth,” affirms St Isaac the Syrian, “is the teaching of the holy Scriptures” (Book of Grace, 2:2 HTM). In his Contra Eunomius, St Gregory of Nyssa confessed that the Scriptures are given by inspiration of God (θεπνευστος) and, as the Apostle Paul says, “is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (πρς παιδεαν ν δικαιoσνη).” Consequently, it is not ordinary literature; not everyone can read its meaning, especially not the Will of God hidden in the Scriptures, “as under a veil,” so to speak. For this reason, the Apostle says that not everyone can read the Scriptures, for some have ’a veil over their hearts,’ and, therefore, they cannot gaze upon the glory of the spiritual law; hence, the words of the Apostle, " the letter kills, the spirit gives life,’ meaning that even the literal sense, if not rightly understood, has an effect contrary to the life promised by the Spirit – the heavenly perfection of virtue in dispassion.” 33 |
| Moreover, not to be overlooked is the fact that all of the Apostle Paul’s Epistles, sent to the various Churches, were addressed to Christians who were married and had families. And it is within these Epistles that St. Paul speaks of cleansing of the heart, illumination of the soul, acquisition of noetic prayer, of the unceasing prayer of the heart, Sonship by grace, and of life in the Holy Spirit. These epistles disclose that the Christians of the first Apostolic Churches lived as the monks live today in the holy monasteries. When the persecutions ceased, however, and Christianity became the official state religion, secularization penetrated the Church and the ascetic way of living disappeared from the cities. It was precisely during this time that monasticism developed as an attempt to preserve the essence of the spiritual life. For this reason the holy Fathers emphasize that monasticism is the continuity of the Apostolic age and the life of the first Church; and that the monks are those who live the life of the Gospel, who experience repentance to its ultimate degree and who try to observe the commandments of Christ unyieldingly. Every Orthodox monk who lives within this atmosphere is an Apostle of Christ, a Martyr and a Prophet. Monasticism is apostolic, prophetic and martyrial life. Photo: http://www.makarovsky-monastery.ru/ To understand the essence of monastic life, one should read the beatitudes of Christ. The monk commences his life in profound repentance with tears of mourning and the cleansing of the heart. In the Gospel and the Apostle Paul’s Epistles all the elements which constitute the genuine monastic tradition, as proclaimed by the Fathers, can be found. These same elements are emphasized in the service of monastic tonsuring. It states there that during the noviciate period the prospective monk passes through the stage of the Catechumen, living in deep repentance and undergoing purification of the heart. This is the “first love” of which the Evangelist John speaks in the book of Revelation. When repentance is accomplished monastic tonsuring takes place, which is referred to as the “second baptism”. |
| 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 Navigation Metropolitan Anthony: To Have Such a Primate is Grace of God for Us Source: Union of Orthodox Journalists His Beatitude Onuphry is a folk shepherd. In fact, he fulfills the call commanded by the apostle Paul: “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn”. Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich) 17 August 2019 His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry. Photo: UOJ The election of His Beatitude Onuphry in such difficult times for the Church is not by chance, it is the grace of God, said Metropolitan Anthony to the Pravlife resource on the eve of the enthronement anniversary of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Primate. “I’m not afraid to overestimate the role of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry in the history of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church,” said His Eminence. “Over the five years of his ministry, the Church has passed and is going through the crucible of persecution, trials, slander, betrayal. More than once we all became convinced in practice that it was not by chance that His Beatitude leads our Church precisely at this time. This is the grace of God. His steadfastness in faith, allegiance to the Church and the commandments of God, equal treatment of all people regardless of their position and status serve as an example of high spirit, while the Metropolitan himself is a living authority for all people, even for the enemies of the Church.” Metropolitan Anthony believes that the unity of the UOC believers became possible precisely thanks to the personality of the UOC Primate: “His Beatitude is a good pastor of the people. In the most difficult times, believers who trust him, witnessing his calmness and firmness, were not afraid to defend their temples, their beliefs and faith. In fact, he fulfills the call commanded by the Apostle Paul: “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” (Rom. 12:15). |
| Metropolitan Stefanos of Kallioupolis and Madytos. Photo by N. Manginas, http://patriarchate.org This is why, as a contemporary theologian (Prof. Alexandros Stavropoulos) observes, the phrase “and the two shall become one flesh” (that is, the two spouses will become one flesh) means, before Christ, the physical union of the spouses; after Christ, however, “one flesh” is realized when man and woman participate in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, the Sacrament of the Church. It is only in this eucharistic context of the sacred institution of matrimony that the teaching of the Church about monogamy and the one, indissoluble marriage can be understood. In addition to this, I would like to mention briefly the attributes of the Christian family, which is characterized by the Apostle Paul as “κατ’ οκον κκλησα”, that is to say a church in the home, and by St. John Chrysostom as a “small church”. The comparison and symbolism indicate that the characteristics defining the Church must be present on a small scale in the family as well. The fundamental characteristics of the Church are unity, holiness, catholicity and apostolicity , just as we recite at the end of the Creed, the Symbol of Faith: “In one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.” So let us consider how these characteristics apply to the Christian family. 1. The Church is one, which is why the spouses are called to an indissoluble, lifelong, ontological union. This union is the great Sacrament of Matrimony, of which the Apostle Paul speaks to us. Two people come together undivided, without however being confused. They overcome all separation and division – biological, social, or individual – and compose their own personal community. All the problems and differences that exist in the family are immediately resolved once the spouses consider the consequences that arise from the theological dogma of the unity of the Christian family, which participates in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist and thereby acquires a unity that is real and sacramental, transcending rational conception and not merely carnal. |
| Matthew, also called Levi, apostle and aforetimes publican, composed a gospel of Christ at first published in Judea in Hebrew for the sake of those of the circumcision who believed, but this was afterwards translated into Greek, though by what author is uncertain. The Hebrew itself has been preserved until the present day in the library at Cæsarea which Pamphilus so diligently gathered. I have also had the opportunity of having the volume described to me by the Nazarenes of Berœa, a city of Syria, who use it. In this it is to be noted that wherever the Evangelist, whether on his own account or in the person of our Lord the Saviour quotes the testimony of the Old Testament he does not follow the authority of the translators of the Septuagint but the Hebrew. Wherefore these two forms exist Out of Egypt have I called my son, and for he shall be called a Nazarene. 4. Jude Jude the brother of James, left a short epistle which is reckoned among the seven catholic epistles, and because in it he quotes from the apocryphal Book of Enoch it is rejected by many. Nevertheless by age and use it has gained authority and is reckoned among the Holy Scriptures. 5. Paul Paul, formerly called Saul, an apostle outside the number of the twelve apostles, was of the tribe of Benjamin and the town of Giscalis in Judea. When this was taken by the Romans he removed with his parents to Tarsus in Cilicia. Sent by them to Jerusalem to study law he was educated by Gamaliel, a most learned man whom Luke mentions. But after he had been present at the death of the martyr Stephen and had received letters from the high priest of the temple for the persecutionof those who believed in Christ, he proceeded to Damascus, where constrained to faith by a revelation, as it is written in the Acts of the apostles, he was transformed from a persecutor into an elect vessel. As Sergius Paulus Proconsul of Cypruswas the first to believe in his preaching, he took his name from him because he had subdued him to faith in Christ, and having been joined by Barnabas, after traversing many cities, he returned to Jerusalem and was ordained apostle to the Gentiles by Peter, James and John. |
|
|
