| On the first Sunday of Lent, our Holy Church celebrates the Triumph of Orthodoxy, of true faith, which trampled down all heresies and was established. For this reason this Sunday is called the Sunday of Orthodoxy. Heresies showed up even at the very beginning of Christianity. The Apostles of Christ themselves warned their contemporaries, and with them us too, about the danger of false teachers. The Holy Apostle Peter writes the following in his Second General Epistle: “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed”(II Pet. 2:1-2). St. Paul, returning to Palestine from Greece, made a stop in Ephesus. To the the Christian inhabitants of the town there he said: “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves” (Acts 20:29-30). Many such false teachers and schismatics existed in the first centuries of Christianity. Some heresies troubled the Church for centuries, such as the heresies of Arius, of Macedonius, Eutyches, Dioscorus, of Nestorius and also the heresy of Iconoclasm. These heresies caused much disturbance in the Church and afflicted the Church greatly. There were many confessors and martyrs who shed their blood defending the true faith in the fight against false teachers and heretics. There were also many great prelates, who also suffered under persecution and were often exiled. Saint Flavian, Patriarch of Constantinople, for example, in a council chaired by Dioscorus, called the Robber Synod and was “beaten so savagely that he died three days later.” The last in the line-up of heresies, the heresy of Iconoclasm, was the one that tormented our Orthodox Church the most. This heresy first appeared during the reign of Emperor Leo the Isaurian, who came to the throne in 717. He ascended the throne with the help of the army, which had many opponents of those who venerate holy icons, within its ranks. Because he wanted to please the army he started a harsh persecution against Iconophiles. |
| Beware of the Orthodox Bobos Photo: Shutterstock Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. – Matthew 15-16 In his 2001 book Bobos in Paradise, author David Brooks coins a new word, Bobo (pronounced to rhyme with “go-go”), to describe the new elites of the modern age. This group combine the Bourgeois worldview of capitalist enterprise with the hippie values of Bohemian counterculture on social and moral issues – thus Bourgeois-Bohemian, or Bobo. In the two decades since the book was published, the world has changed a great deal. No longer does the West simply fight wars to secure democracy around the world, but the governments of “enlightened” secular societies team up with corporations and big tech to promote new “progressive” values worldwide – sexual promiscuity, gender confusion, racial politicization, and family destabilization. It should be no surprise that in the decades since its debut, the Bobo has found its way into all areas of life, including places as foreign to its spirit as the Orthodox Church. Since the nature of the Church is hopeful, this should provide opportunities for the transformation of the soul of the Orthodox Bobo. Yet the transformation which is at the centre of the Christian life is unthinkable to the Orthodox Bobo: he does not come to be transformed, but to transform everything around him. And herein lies the beginning of the problem with the Orthodox Bobo. The secular Bourgeois seeks status, often linked with wealth. For the Orthodox Bobo, this search for status can take different forms, seeking personal prominence through a cultural community, a Church jurisdiction, or representing either one to those outside the Orthodox Church. For converts to the Orthodox Faith, this will sometimes take the form of a living roleplay within the Orthodox Church, of some cultural or religious nostalgia. While this roleplaying will enjoy all the costumes, rituals, and titles that go along with it, the essence of Orthodox Christianity – the faith, life, beliefs, and moral values – won’t be present. These contradict the individualism of the Orthodox Bobo. |
| Epistle of Patriarch Kirill and the Holy Synod on the Occasion of the 1,030th Anniversary of the Baptism of Rus’ Source: Official Website of the Moscow Patriarchate Epistle of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church to the archpastors, clergy, monastics, and laity on the occasion of the 1,030th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus’ This document was adopted at the July 14, 2018 session of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. Baptism of Rus’ Blessed is the Lord Jesus Christ Who came to love new people, the Russian land and enlightened it with holy baptism (Tale of Bygone Years) Beloved in the Lord eminent archpastors, all-honourable presbyters and deacons, God-loving monks and nuns, dear brothers and sisters: Today the plenitude of our Church is commemorating the Holy Grand Prince Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles, and recalling with gratitude how 1030 years ago, thanks to this chosen man, mighty in spirit, a watershed event in the history of the Slavic peoples took place. By the action of the Omnibenevolent Holy Spirit, the Prince freed himself from pagan delusions, embraced in faith the Only-Begotten Son of God Jesus Christ and, having received the holy Baptism with his brothers-in-arms, brought the salvific light of the Gospel to Rus’. Why do we call the Baptism of Russia the watershed in the history of our peoples? We do so because it changed forever the entire Slavic civilization and predestined the further course of its development. It was indeed the decisive turn from darkness to light, from wandering in the dark of false ideas to finding the divinely revealed truth and salvation. The Generous Lord the Lover of mankind granted us the unrivalled mercy and great happiness – the possibility to belong to the Orthodox Church, to make up One Body of Christ and to partake of the inexhaustible “spring of water welling up to eternal life” (Jn 4:14). Thus, we “are no longer strangers and sojourners, but… are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone” (Eph 2:19-20). |
| John Anthony McGuckin World Religions, Orthodoxy and TIMOTHY J. BECKER The Orthodox Church understands itself as the full completion of the covenant with Israel. From the outset, Orthodoxy has claimed continuity with a Jewish past, and so has assumed its monotheism, Scriptures, and critique of idolatry. Yet it has also stood in significant discontinuity with that past heritage, orienting the Jewish dispensation according to Jesus Christ, whom it proclaims as the true goal of the Law and the Prophets, and who exceeds them all (cf. Mt. 12.6; 12.41–2 ). However, most who became Orthodox Christians came from the nations surrounding Israel and, while accepting the Jewish critique of their cults, progressively resisted Jewish culture. This differentiation between cult and ethnic culture saw the emergence of the new and distinctive category of “religion,” in which cult took precedence but no longer necessarily corresponded to a particular culture. Thus, Orthodoxy has encountered the world with a restricted cult but an unrestricted attachment to culture; in this sense every culture can house Orthodoxy, while Orthodoxy can house only one cult, which it offers to all nations as the fulfilment of their own cultures. Nearly all the fathers of the church saw Judaism in a closely relational mode to Christianity. Even those hostile to it were hostile likely because of local tensions rather than systematic theological reasons. The religions of other nations around them, however, were not seen positively. St. Athanasius (296–373) taught that the pagan cults were failures (at a basic logical and moral level) at assessing the innate Image of God properly, which was a live possibility. In a very influential early 4th-century treatise on the pagan cults, he said that rather than worshipping their uncreated Master, humans were swayed by evil to establish created things as God. Evil, which lacks existence, is thus the cause of false gods, which also lack existence (Contra Gentes 1.8). For Athanasius, the religions are not just errors in religious style, they are metaphysically the undoing of the world, the deification of ontologically diminishing forms of existence. Athanasius is also clear that this practice is widespread, implicating, among others, the Phoenicians, Egyptians, Persians, Syrians, Indians, Arabs, Ethiopians, and Armenians (Contra Gentes 1.23). |
| Let us continue our talk about dreams. Abba Evagrius writes: “Sometimes demons concoct dreams out of arrogance and throw one’s soul into a quagmire of thoughts. For example, somebody can often see himself in a dream… either healing bodily sicknesses or worthily wearing a pastor’s vestments and tending his small spiritual flock.” Demons are prone to predict the things that are not edifying or eternal. The aim of these false prophecies is to lead a Christian into temptation (see 1 Cor. 10:13). In this state it is easier to tempt us and occasion our fall. If demons fail in this, they begin to bear malice towards us. Trust in dreams intensifies the state of self-delusion, convinces us that we are right, and often makes our spiritual healing impossible. There is a close link between trusting dreams and spiritual deception. Here is one example, described by Holy Hierarch Ignatius (Brianchaninov) in his Ascetic Experiences: “There lived an elder at the Ploschansk Hermitage (in the Orel Diocese) who was in spiritual delusion. He cut off his hand (thinking that by this he was keeping a commandment from the Gospel) and told everybody that it had supposedly become holy relics and was kept at Moscow Simonov Monastery with honor. Living 500 versts [an old Russian measure of length, about 1.1 kilometers or 0.66 miles] from Simonov Monastery, this elder ‘felt’ when its archimandrite and the brethren venerated his hand. It made the elder shudder and hiss very loudly. He regarded that phenomenon as a fruit of prayer, while everybody saw only a regrettable and laughable perversion in it. Orphaned children who lived at the monastery were amused by this phenomenon: they imitated the elder and thus enraged him, so he attacked them and pulled their hair. None of the venerable monastery’s brethren were able to convince the miserable man that he was in a deplorable state.” St. John Climacus , continuing Abba Evagrius’ thought, says that, “The demons of vainglory prophesy in dreams.” 1 Then The Ladder of Divine Ascent explains to us the mechanism of the so-called “prophetic dreams”: “Being unscrupulous, they (demons) guess the future from the circumstances and foretell it to us… A demon is often a prophet to those who believe him, but he is always a liar to those who despise him.” 2 This is an important remark: there is a direct relationship between the fulfilment of “prophetic dreams” and trusting them. |
| Разделы портала «Азбука веры» Saint Patrick’s Breastplate Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ at my right, Christ at my left, Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me. The Lorica (St. Patricks Breastplate) I arise today Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, Through belief in the Threeness, Through confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation. I arise today Through the strength of Christ’s birth with His baptism, Through the strength of His crucifixion with His burial, Through the strength of His resurrection with His ascension, Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom. I arise today Through the strength of the love of cherubim, In the obedience of angels, In the service of archangels, In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward, In the prayers of patriarchs, In the predictions of prophets, In the preaching of apostles, In the faith of confessors, In the innocence of holy virgins, In the deeds of righteous men. I arise today, through The strength of heaven, The light of the sun, The radiance of the moon, The splendor of fire, The speed of lightning, The swiftness of wind, The depth of the sea, The stability of the earth, The firmness of rock. I arise today, through God’s strength to pilot me, God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me, God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me, God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me, God’s shield to protect me, God’s host to save me From snares of devils, From temptation of vices, From everyone who shall wish me ill, afar and near. I summon today All these powers between me and those evils, Against every cruel and merciless power that may oppose my body and soul, Against incantations of false prophets, Against black laws of pagandom, Against false laws of heretics, |
| More Than Half A Million People Sign Petition To Save Christian Mother Asia Bibi From Death Sentence Source: Christian Today More than 540,000 people have now signed a petition urging the Pakistani government not to execute the Christian mother of five sentenced to death for blasphemy. More Than Half A Million People Sign Petition To Save Christian Mother Asia Bibi From Death Sentence Asia Bibi’s final appeal was postponed earlier this month. In a post on its website updating the case, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), the advocacy group behind the petition, says: “Several weeks ago, we sent an emergency advocacy letter to Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States demanding Pakistan free Asia Bibi—the Christian mother of five currently on death row in Pakistan. “This week we sent a second letter to Ambassador Jilani. In this letter, we expressed our dismay with the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s decision to further delay justice for Asia by postponing her appeal hearing. Again, we urged the Ambassador to do everything in his power to advocate for Asia’s freedom.” More than half a million people have now signed the petition , titled: “Save Christian Mom Asia Bibi from Execution”. Bibi was falsely accused of blasphemy – speaking against the prophet Mohammad – and if she loses her appeal, will be executed by hanging. The petition says: “She would be the first woman executed under Pakistan’s Shariah blasphemy law. This is the ultimate human rights violation.” The ACLJ is mobilising its international affiliate – the European Centre for Law and Justice – and its partner in Pakistan to free Bibi. In its latest letter to Ambassador Jilani, the ACLJ says: “This further delay in Asia’s case is unacceptable. As we stated before, Asia’s arrest, imprisonment, and death sentence violate international agreements Pakistan has ratified without reservations.” Bibi has already spent seven years in prison waiting for the final outcome of her case. The majority of blasphemy cases in Pakistan are based on false accusations, followed by faulty investigations and trials full of errors – and it is accepted worldwide that this is what happened in Bibi’s case. |
| Archive 26th International Symposium on Orthodox Spirituality started at Bose 5 September 2018 year 15:33 On September 5, 2018, the 26 th International Symposium on Orthodox Spirituality was opened at the Monastery of the Holy Transfiguration in Bose under the theme ‘Discernment and the Christian Life’. It is attended by high-ranking representatives of Local Orthodox Churches, the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church and Protestant communities as well as outstanding theologians and church historians. With a blessing of His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, a delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church has been sent to the symposium. It is led by Bishop Mitrofan of Severemorsk and Umba. Bishop Irinej of Sacramento (Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia) will participate in the work of the conference as a speaker. Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate department for external church relations, sent the following message of greetings to the organizers and participants in the symposium: ‘To the organizers and participants of the 26th International Symposium on Orthodox Spirituality on Discernment and the Christian Life Bose, 5 – 8 September 2018 Very Reverend Father Enzo Bianchi, Esteemed Organizers and Participants in the Symposium: On behalf of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, I cordially greet all the participants in the 26th International Symposium on Orthodox Spirituality organized by the monastic community of Bose on the theme ‘Discernment and the Christian Life’. In the Christian ascetic tradition, a special attention has been given to the gift of discernment or spiritual discretion. In his letter, St. John the Theologian admonish, ‘do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world’ (1 Jn. 4:1). False prophets, ‘they are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them’ (1 Jn. 4:5). Christians, who live in the world and are liable to its influence, are called to seek the gift of the Holy Spirit Who helps them to distinguish truth from falsehood and to walk the right path of Christian perfection. |
| The Woman Jezebel: Thoughts on the False Christian Character of Fascism Source: In Communion / Winter 2013 Today, when fascism is making its appearance once again on the social map, threatening our fellow man, the leaders of the Church should not be silent. A repetition of the errors of the period between the two World Wars and pastoral indifference will lead to a crushing rejection of our ecclesiastical leaders and, perhaps, even Christianity itself. Miltiadis Konstantinou and Efstathios C. Lianos-Liantis 08 May 2014 But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jez’ebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and beguiling my servants to practice immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. (Rev. 2:20). We should begin with a persistent historical paradox: When fascism and Nazism became the dominant state ideologies in Europe, the great Christian confessions did not resist them. They did not put forward the crucified Christ as a counter to the armbands and swastikas, nor did they contrast the word of Gospel with the hate-filled speech of the fascists. They kept quiet, they went along, they blessed, but they did not oppose. And this stands—and will always stand—as a shameful chapter in the history of the dominant Christian groups of those times. The Church, however, is not (only) its hierarchical bodies and administration; the Church is, primarily, the saints and martyrs of every age. The Church was founded and will ever be founded on the blood of its martyrs; and those Christians who confessed the truth of Christ and were persecuted, imprisoned, and executed by the fascists are its modern boast. As has always happened throughout history, the Christian truth was reconfirmed by the bravery and martyrdom of a few. No Christian confession today wants to recall Nazi collaborators or accept the timid apology of members who supported them without the criteria of truthfulness. Everyone—almost everyone, if we take into account the unique case of Cardinal Stepinac—has been condemned to oblivion. And one would that after the disclosure of fascism’s hideous crimes against unarmed minorities and the Holocaust in its entirety, the Christian world would permanently delete any ideological reference to or sympathy for it. For some, however, this remains fascism’s “secret lure.” |
| Archive Пн Message of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church to the Archpastors, Clergy, Monastics and Laypeople on the 1030th Anniversary of the Baptism of Russia 14 July 2018 year 17:45 The document was adopted at the session of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on 14 July 2018 (Journal No 42). Blessed is the Lord Jesus Christ Who came to love new people, the Russian land and enlightened it with holy baptism (Tale of Bygone Years) Beloved in the Lord eminent archpastors, all-honourable presbyters and deacons, God-loving monks and nuns, dear brothers and sisters: Today the plenitude of our Church is commemorating the Holy Grand Prince Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles, and recalling with gratitude how 1030 years ago, thanks to this chosen man, mighty in spirit, a watershed event in the history of the Slavic peoples took place. By the action of the Omnibenevolent Holy Spirit, the Prince freed himself from pagan delusions, embraced in faith the Only-Begotten Son of God Jesus Christ and, having received the holy Baptism with his brothers-in-arms, brought the salvific light of the Gospel to Rus’. Why do we call the Baptism of Russia the watershed in the history of our peoples? We do so because it changed forever the entire Slavic civilization and predestined the further course of its development. It was indeed the decisive turn from darkness to light, from wandering in the dark of false ideas to finding the divinely revealed truth and salvation. The Generous Lord the Lover of mankind granted us the unrivalled mercy and great happiness – the possibility to belong to the Orthodox Church, to make up One Body of Christ and to partake of the inexhaustible “spring of water welling up to eternal life” (Jn 4:14). Thus, we “are no longer strangers and sojourners, but… are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone” (Eph 2:19-20). |
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