| The Church Triumphant is above all the worshipping Church, her existence is a living participation in Christ " s office of intercession and his redeeming love. Incorporation into Christ, which is the essence of the Church and of the whole Christian existence, is first of all an incorporation into his sacrificial love for mankind. And here there is a special place for her who is united with the Redeemer in the unique intimacy of motherly affection and devotion. The Mother of God is truly the common mother of all living, of the whole Christian race, born or reborn in the Spirit and truth. An affectionate identification with the child, which is the spiritual essence of motherhood, is here consummated in its ultimate perfection. The Church does not dogmatize much about these mysteries of her own existence. For the mystery of Mary is precisely the mystery of the Church. Mater Ecclesia and Virgo Alater, both are birthgivers of the New Life. And both are orantes. The Church invites the faithful and helps them to grow spiritually into these mysteries of faith which are as well the mysteries of their own existence and spiritual destiny. In the Church they learn to contemplate and to adore the living Christ together with the whole assembly and Church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven (Heb. 12:23). And in this glorious assembly they discern the eminent person of the Virgin Mother of the Lord and Redeemer, full of grace and love, of charity and compassion – «More honorable than the cherubim, more glorious than the seraphim, who without spot didst bear the Eternal Word.» In the light of this contemplation and in the spirit of faith the theologian must fulfill his office of interpreting to believers and to those who seek the truth the overwhelming mystery of the Incarnation. This mystery is still symbolized, as it was in the age of the Fathers, by a single and glorious name: Mary Theotokos, the Mother of God Incarnate. Читать далее Источник: George Florovsky, Archpriest . The Ever-Virgin. Mother of God. (Editor: Bishop Alexander (Mileant))//Missionary Leaflet. E95h Holy Protection Russian Orthodox Church. Los Angeles, California. Вам может быть интересно: Поделиться ссылкой на выделенное |
| Tweet Нравится Yaroslavl region prohibits abortion for one day in honor of 14,000 Holy Innocents January 11, 2017 Photo: At the initiative of the local diocese and the regional Department of Health, abortion is being prohibited for one day in the Yaroslavl region, reports Interfax-Religion . The temporary prohibition was taken in honor of the 14,000 Holy Infants slain by Herod, who was trying to kill the Christ-Child, whom the Orthodox Church commemorates on December 29/January 11. “On this day, in all state medical institutions of the Yaroslavl region, abortions are banned, and an event opposing the killing of children in the mother’s womb and for the protection of the values of motherhood is planned,” the press service of the Yaroslavl Diocese reported. The organizers of the event also call upon private clinics to join in the ban. There will also be a “Candlelit Memorial” in honor of the Holy Innocents murdered by Herod and those slain by abortion. 11 января 2017 г. Подпишитесь на рассылку Православие.Ru Рассылка выходит два раза в неделю: Предыдущий Следующий Смотри также Moleben of repentance for sin of abortion approved by Russian Orthodox Church Moleben of repentance for sin of abortion approved by Russian Orthodox Church The “Moleben of Repentance for Forgivenes for the Sin of Killing a Child in the Womb” has been sent to the Moscow Patriarchate’s publishing house for inclusion in prayer books. Archpriest Dmitry Smirnov: If we don’t stop committing abortions, the Lord will wipe us from face of earth Archpriest Dmitry Smirnov: If we don’t stop committing abortions, the Lord will wipe us from face of earth “To expect some prosperous marriage or some kind of joyous life after infanticide is simply ridiculous. A person can find no kind of happiness if he is a murderer of his own children. Such cannibals, as our people, need to be wiped off the face of the earth, and only the great grace of God towards us (for we are all His children) will save us from the wrath of God. |
| Michael Prokurat, Alexander Golitzin, Michael D. Peterson Скачать epub pdf SAINTS SAINTS. “Saint,” from the Latin sanctus (Greek, hagios; Church Slavic, sviatii), refers to a person recognized by the Church as having partaken during his or her lifetime of the quality of God’s holiness (q.v.), a “holy man” or “holy woman.” The expression, “the saints,” is used of Christians in general by Paul, and Orthodoxy (q.v.) maintains that all believers, by virtue of their having put on Christ in Baptism (q.v.), are at least potentially “holy ones,” temples and manifestations of God’s action in the world. The popular veneration of certain believers who had clearly manifested God’s holiness appears very early in the history of the Church. The veneration of the saints is at least as old as the cult of the martyr (q.v.), and was extended in the 4th c. to the monks, the “ascetics” in the current Orthodox categorization of saints, and to the great teaching bishops, who are called “illuminators” or “luminaries.” Other categories of saints were added later, among them: fools in Christ (q.v.) (saloi, iurodev’i), unmercenary physicians, equals to the apostles (meaning great missionaries), military saints (usually martyrs from the Roman army), and, uniquely in Russia, the “passion-bearers” (innocent sufferers). The saints are believed to be active members of the family of the Church, intercessors and protectors, though all of them derive their ministry in and through-and as witnesses to-the Risen Christ. They are omnipresent in Orthodox Church life. No child is baptized without receiving the name of a patron saint, and in most Orthodox cultures it is the child’s saint’s day that is celebrated as in the West one celebrates birthdays. The Synaxarion, or collection of saints’ lives for every day of the year, is read from at morning services in monasteries. The relics (q.v.) of the saints are venerated, the subject of pilgrimage (q.v.), and transferred or “translated,” when such occurs, with great pomp and ceremony. Читать далее Источник: The A to Z of the Orthodox Church/Michael Prokurat, Alexander Golitzin, Michael D. Peterson - Scarecrow Press, 2010. - 462 p. ISBN 1461664039 Поделиться ссылкой на выделенное |
| Surrogate Motherhood incompatible with Church family values—Russian Church official Moscow, March 27, 2017 Photo: thoughtsonliberty.com A bill, which the Russian Orthodox Church supports, has been introduced in the State Duma to ban surrogate motherhood in Russia, as TASS reports. Deputy Chairman of the Synodal Department for Church and Society and the Media Vakhtang Kipshidze stated that the Church sees the practice as degrading to the dignity of women and undermining family values. “We believe that the practice of surrogate motherhood demeans the dignity of women. Such an approach to the birth of children does not correspond to our views on marriage and family. This situation can be viewed as a mother selling her child, which is morally questionable,” he stated. The deputy chairman stressed that the desire to bear and raise children is perfectly normal, “but it’s not necessary to resort to surrogate motherhood for it. “It’s absolutely unnecessary to resort to technology that undermines our views on family and the relationship of children and mothers. You can turn to the practice of adopting children, who are also in need of parental love,” Kipshidze said. He noted that surrogacy is prohibited in many countries, but in addition to legislative barriers, there should also be a “moral rejection and education in the spirit of respect for the dignity of women, which cannot be considered incubators for other people’s children.” According to Senator Anton Belyakov, who authored the draft bill, “Surrogacy is child trafficking. In my opinion, it’s not just immoral, but violates the rights of women and children. Therefore such deals should be banned in Russia, as in most civilized countries.” He stressed that there have been many scandals in Russia in recent years connected with the failure of surrogate mothers to give up the child, the transfer of children to homosexual families, the separation of twins, and other conflict situations. 27 марта 2017 г. Подпишитесь на рассылку Православие.Ru Рассылка выходит два раза в неделю: Смотри также Комментарии Мы в соцсетях Подпишитесь на нашу рассылку |
| Tweet Нравится Moleben of repentance for sin of abortion approved by Russian Orthodox Church January 2, 2017 Photo: RIA-Novosti/Igor Palkin At its December 27 meeting in Danilov Monastery, under the chairmanship of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church approved the text of a prayer service for forgiveness for the sin of abortion, reports life.ru . The “Moleben of Repentance for Forgivenes for the Sin of Killing a Child in the Womb” has been sent to the Moscow Patriarchate’s publishing house for inclusion in prayer books. The new service is “very important,” in the words of Vladimir Legoida, the head of the Patriarchate’s Department for Relations Between Church and Society and the Media. Abortion is unequivocally a sin in the eyes of the Orthodox Church. Although post-Soviet numbers have dropped considerably, Russia still has an alarmingly high number of abortions every year. Hierarchs, clergy, and activists routinely speak out against abortion and organize petitions and demonstrations against this terrible sin and its current legal status. In November Patriarch Kirill proposed to remove the abortion procedure from the medical insurance system, noting that the Church is “of course against abortion.” 2 января 2017 г. Подпишитесь на рассылку Православие.Ru Рассылка выходит два раза в неделю: Предыдущий Следующий Смотри также Archpriest Dmitry Smirnov: If we don’t stop committing abortions, the Lord will wipe us from face of earth Archpriest Dmitry Smirnov: If we don’t stop committing abortions, the Lord will wipe us from face of earth “To expect some prosperous marriage or some kind of joyous life after infanticide is simply ridiculous. A person can find no kind of happiness if he is a murderer of his own children. Such cannibals, as our people, need to be wiped off the face of the earth, and only the great grace of God towards us (for we are all His children) will save us from the wrath of God. But if we don’t wake up, the wrath of God will fall upon us,” stated Fr. Dmitry. Well-known priest accuses Ministry of Health of unwillingness to dialogue on of abortion Well-known priest accuses Ministry of Health of unwillingness to dialogue on abortion The priest noted that already five years have passed from the patriarch " s first address to the authoroties with an anti-abortion proposal. Alexander Shchipkov: we will keep struggling for removal of abortions from the system of mandatory medical insurance Alexander Shchipkov: we will keep struggling for removal of abortions from the system of mandatory medical insurance Earlier, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, speaking in the State Duma and the Council of the Federation, more than once called for the removal of abortions from the system of mandatory medical insurance. Комментарии Leonard Eisenstein 31 марта 2017, 10:00 AMEN! © 1999-2016 Православие.Ru |
| 18-day car rally in support of the homeless starts in Russia Moscow, November 8, 2014 On November 10 the new “Nadezhda” (“Hope”) car rally was to start in Moscow, organized by the Synodal Department for Church Charity and Social Ministry as well as the “Helper and Protector” charitable foundation. In a span of 18 days the car rally participants are planning to visit 9 regions of the country on a specially equipped coach, reports Diaconia.ru . Homeless people of Tula, Bryansk, Orel, Kursk, Belgorod, Voronezh, Lipetsk, Tambov, Ryazan will receive new winter clothes, hot dinners as well as a doctor’s and social worker’s advice. “By means of the car rally we would like not only to prepare the homeless for the winter season, but also to support those who help the homeless in the regions, to share our experience with them, to attract more people to this ministry,” says Ilia Kuskov, the “Helper and Protector” foundation director, who is in charge of the homeless program at the Synodal Department for Charity. In the course of the car rally the guests from Moscow will visit state and church orphanages and social adaptation centers, will share their experiences at the workshops with regional volunteers and social workers. The car rally began with a supplicatory prayer service at the Synodal Charity Department building at 10.00 on November 10. Bishop Panteleimon of Orekhovo-Zuyevo, chairman of the Synodal Department, headed the prayer service. The “Nadezhda” car rally is named in honor of Nadezhda Monetova , a worker of “The Kursk Railway Station. Homeless Children” Orthodox movement for the homeless, who was tragically killed on March 20, 2012, at the Ryazan railway station aged only 28. Nadezhda Monetova knew life in the street by her own experience: workers of the Service for Homeless first met her at the doors of a church in Moscow, where she begged alms with a small child on her arms in order to make the ends meet. After the volunteers had helped her stand on her own feet, she herself began to help homeless people. In 2012 the Synodal Charity Department established the All-Russian Award of Nadezhda Monetova for assistance to homeless people, and in 2013 the first “Nadezhda” car rally was organized. During the previous car rally its participants rendered aid to the homeless in Vladimir, Cheboksary, Ulyanovsk, Saratov, Penza, Yoshkar-Ola, Samara. In Russia over 100 different church social services render regular assistance to the homeless; there are 61 church shelters for the homeless with 2047 places in various regions of the country. 11 ноября 2014 г. Смотри также Комментарии Мы в соцсетях Подпишитесь на нашу рассылку |
| Belgium " s parliament votes through child euthanasia/Православие.Ru Belgium " s parliament votes through child euthanasia Belgium, February 20, 2014 Parliament in Belgium has passed a bill allowing euthanasia for terminally ill children without any age limit, by 86 votes to 44, with 12 abstentions. When, as expected, the bill is signed by the king, Belgium will become the first country in the world to remove any age limit on the practice. It may be requested by terminally ill children who are in great pain and also have parental consent. Opponents argue children cannot make such a difficult decision. It is 12 years since Belgium legalised euthanasia for adults. In the Netherlands, Belgium " s northern neighbour, euthanasia is legal for children over the age of 12, if there is parental consent. Under the Dutch conditions, a patient " s request for euthanasia can be fulfilled by a doctor if the request is " voluntary and well-considered " and the patient is suffering unbearably, with no prospect of improvement. " Immoral " law One man in the public gallery of Belgium " s parliament shouted " murderers " in French when the vote was passed, Reuters news agency reports. Supporters of the legislation argue that in practice the law will affect an extremely small number of children, who would probably be in their teens, the BBC " s Duncan Crawford reports from Brussels. The law states a child would have to be terminally ill, face " unbearable physical suffering " and make repeated requests to die - before euthanasia is considered. Parents, doctors and psychiatrists would have to agree before a decision is made. Protesters have lobbied politicians against the changes. Church leaders argued the law is immoral. " The law says adolescents cannot make important decisions on economic or emotional issues, but suddenly they " ve become able to decide that someone should make them die, " Brussels Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard, head of the Catholic Church in Belgium, said at a prayer vigil last week. |
| St. Alexis, a Resolute Zealot for Orthodoxy/Православие.Ru St. Alexis, a Resolute Zealot for Orthodoxy Archimandrite Luke (Murianka) " On May 6, 2014 Archimandrite Luke delivered a lecture at St. Mary " s Cathedral (OCA) in Minneapolis, MN. The talk was part of an annual Saint Alexis (Toth) lecture series sponsored by the St. Mary " s Boriss-Hansen Committee. St. Mary " s plays a significant role in the history of Orthodoxy in America. The Cathedral altar was consecrated by St. Patriarch Tikhon and St. Alexis was the pastor of the church. The parish hall, next to the church, is located where the first Russian Orthodox seminary once stood. St. Alexis is one of the great missionary confessors of the Orthodox Church and is lauded as such in Father Luke " s talk. " Text of Archimandrite Luke " s Lecture: St/Alexis (Toth) St. Alexis, a Resolute Zealot for Orthodoxy In light of contemporary ecumenical exchanges, dialogues, theological commissions, and dramatic statements frequently confusing and scandalizing the Orthodox faithful, we need to pause a moment and refresh our memory with the image of a prophet zealous for the Lord " s truth found in the person of St Alexis, who not only resembles an Old Testament prophet but is equal in spirit to great luminaries such as Sts. Athanatious the Great, Cyril of Alexandria, Photios the Great, and Averky of Jordanville. Some might favor a different reading of his life, by excusing his words and actions as the result of a misunderstanding, an overreaction to circumstances, which we now might better understand through the prism of unfortunate historical events. What really inspired Fr. Alexis " actions and how would he would have reacted to the presentation of the facts of his life through our compromising contemporary attitudes, may be discerned from his life and writings. “St. Alexis was born in a Carpatho-Rusyn family of priests, both his father and brother were priests and his uncle was a bishop. Like most Carpatho-Rusyns of the time, the Toths were Eastern Rite-Uniate Catholics. After completing his seminary education, he married Rosalie Mihalich, the daughter of a priest in 1878, was ordained to the priesthood and assigned as the second priest in a Greek Catholic parish. While serving there, his wife and their only child died. The critical time of Father Toth " s life began with his arrival in America in November, 1889 to become the first pastor of the new Greek Catholic church in Minneapolis. Five weeks after his arrival, Father Toth met the local Roman Catholic bishop, Archbishop John Ireland. Learning that Father Toth had been married, the Archbishop refused to recognize him as a legitimate Catholic priest and forbade him to function as a priest anywhere in the Diocese. |
| UOC-U.S.A. Reaches Out to Refugees From Donetsk and Luhansk Kyiv, August 28, 2015 Refugee children at the LOGOS Center in Kyiv are drawn to Bishop Daniel, joined by the Very Rev. Mykola Ilnytsky, director of the LOGOS Center. “I raise my eyes to heaven, praying for peace; I stretch my hands towards heaven, begging for stability and peace…” These were the words of a 13-year-old Mariana, a refugee child from Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, as she greeted Bishop Daniel, ruling hierarch of the Western Eparchy and president of the Consistory of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A. (UOC-U.S.A) on May 7 at LOGOS Orthodox Christian Center outside of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv. Bishop Daniel was joined by the Very Rev. Bazyl Zawierucha, pastor of Holy Assumption Ukrainian Orthodox parish in Northampton, Pa., and academic dean of St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary in South Bound Brook, N.J. Bishop Daniel prays for a refugee resident of the LOGOS Center in Kyiv. Some 180 men, women and children became recipients of collected by the faithful of the UOC-U.S.A., as well the members of the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America (UNWLA) and the Ukrainian Heritage Club of Northern California that partnered with the UOC-U.S.A. in delivering financial assistance to those in need, especially to the dislocated population of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. In addition, while visiting the refugees, Bishop Daniel and the Rev. Zawierucha visited a cancer patient, who recently arrived from Donetsk and presently receives chemotherapy in the center. Considering the latest escalation of fighting on the eastern front of the armed conflict, the UOC-U.S.A. delegation followed the advice of the local authorities and postponed a visit to the immediate villages around areas such as Debaltsevo and Maryinka. However, the most recent refugees from these areas benefitted from the visit of the Church’s delegation. Each person and family received monetary support, while the children in residence were treated to ice cream. Bishop Daniel, escorted by the Rev. Zawierucha, also traveled to the Lviv Military Hospital in order to distribute the additional financial assistance to the wounded soldiers of Ukraine’s armed forces who are undergoing physical, moral and spiritual recovery. Over was gifted to the wounded soldiers and their family members. A refugee speaks with Bishop Daniel. 31 августа 2015 г. Смотри также Комментарии Мы в соцсетях Подпишитесь на нашу рассылку |
| Sermon by St. John (Maximovich, +1966) of Shanghai and San Francisco on the Holy Pentecost St. John (Maximovich) of Shanghai and San Francisco Trinity. Andrei Rublev The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit share one nature, one essence, one substance. That is why the Three Faces are the Trinity, one-in-substance. Humans also have one nature, one substance. But while God is the Indivisible Trinity, divisions occur in mankind constantly… The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit have common thought, common will, common actions. What the Father desires, the Son also desires, and the Holy Spirit also desires. Whatever the Son loves, so do the Father and the Holy Spirit also love. Whatever is pleasing to the Holy Spirit, is pleasing to the Father and Son. Their actions are also common among them, all act in conjunction and in accord. This is not so with man. We are in constant disagreement, we have differing desires. Even a small child expresses his own wishes, willfulness, disobedience to his loving parents. As he grows older, he separates from their more, and so often in our day becomes completely alienated from them. People simply don’t share identical opinions, on the contrary, there are perpetual divisions in all things, quarrels and conflicts between individuals, wars between nations. Adam and Eve, before their Fall, were in full accord and of common spirit with one another at all times. Having sinned, alienation was immediately sensed. Justifying himself before God, Adam blamed Eve. Their sin divided them and continues to divide all of mankind. Emancipated from sin, we approach God, and, filled with His grace, we sense our unity with the rest of mankind. Such unity is very imperfect and lacking, since in each person some portion of sin remains. The closer we approach God, the closer we approach each other, just as the closer rays of light are to each other, the closer they are to the Sun. In the coming Kingdom of God there will be unity, mutual love and concord. The Holy Trinity remains eternally unchanging, all-perfect, united in essence and indivisible. The One, Indivisible Trinity ever remains the Trinity. The Father always remains the Father, the Son remains the Son, the Holy Spirit remains the Holy Spirit. Besides Their personal Properties, They all share all in common and in unity. That is why the Holy Trinity is One God. St. John (Maximovich) of Shanghai and San Francisco 25 июня 2013 г. Подпишитесь на рассылку Православие.Ru Рассылка выходит два раза в неделю: Комментарии Мы в соцсетях Подпишитесь на нашу рассылку |
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