| The importance of fasting and its observance today: Draft document of the Pan-Orthodox Council Source: DECR Draft document of the Pan-Orthodox Council, adopted by the 5th Pan-Orthodox Pre-Council Conference in Chambésy on October 10-17, 2015. Photo: http://www.patriarchia.ru/ Published in compliance with the decision of the Synaxis of Primates of the Local Orthodox Churches, Chambésy, January 21-28, 2016. 1. Fast is God’s commandment (Gen 2:16-17). According to St Basil the Great, fasting is as old as humanity itself; it was prescribed in Paradise (On Fasting, 1,3). It is a great spiritual endeavour and the foremost expression of the Orthodox ascetic ideal. The Orthodox Church, in strict conformity with the precepts of the holy apostles, the rules of the Councils and the patristic tradition as a whole, has always proclaimed a great significance of fasting for people’s spiritual life and salvation. The annual cycle of liturgical celebrations fully reflects the patristic teaching on fasting, as well as the teaching on the necessity of constant unrelaxing watchfulness and on how to succeed in spiritual endeavours. The Triodion praises fasting as bringing the light of grace , as the invincible arms , the beginning of spiritual warfare , the perfect path of virtues , the nourishment for the soul , the source of wisdom , the life imperishable and imitation the angelic life , the mother of all blessings and virtues , and as the image of the life to come . 2. As an ancient institution, fasting was mentioned already in the Old Testament (Deut 9:18; Is 58:4-10; Joel 2:15; Jonah 3:5-7) and affirmed in the New Testament. The Lord Himself fasted for forty days before entering upon His public ministry (Lk 4:1-2) and gave to people instructions on how to practice fasting (Mt 6:16-18). Fasting as a means of abstinence, repentance and spiritual growth is presented in the New Testament (Mk 1:6; Acts 13:3; 14:23; Rom 14:21). Since the apostolic times, the Church has being proclaiming a profound importance of fasting, having established Wednesday and Friday as fast days (Didache, 8,1) and the fast before Easter (St Irenaeus of Lyons in Eusebius, Historia Ecclesiastica 5, 24). |
| Photo: freepik.com One sometimes hears the assertion that the Orthodox Church has what has been called “a woman problem”. Usually the assertion comes from people (most often women) from other churches who cannot understand Orthodoxy’s refusal to ordain women as pastors and bishops, and attributes this refusal solely to an ingrained and irrational misogyny. Or, as one woman with whom I worked once said, “Your church is very retro!” She said it without venom, as a simple observation, but it was not intended as a compliment. It was based entirely on her outside observation that we were not like the Anglicans, the United Church, or the Presbyterians in that we had no women clergy and did not fly a rainbow flag or march in the Gay Pride parades. If she had looked a little more closely, though, she might have found even more ammo. In many parts of the Orthodox world, women may not receive Holy Communion while menstruating. Furthermore, the prayers welcoming them back to the Eucharistic assembly after they have given birth make reference to their “uncleanness” contracted through the act of childbirth and persisting through forty days. Also, the prayers said for them after a miscarriage seem unable to differentiate between a miscarriage and a deliberate abortion (part of one prayer reads, “forgive this Your servant who is in sin, having been involved in the loss of a life”). Furthermore, women are told they may never enter the altar area for any reason. Accordingly, male infants, brought to church for the first time, are brought into the altar, but female infants are brought only to the altar doors. For many people these things constitute prima facie evidence of Orthodoxy’s misogynistic attitude and indeed constitutes “a woman problem”. In response I would like to keep on digging a little deeper, and suggest that this is a misdiagnosis, and that our situation is even worse. One is tempted to counter-suggest that the Church as a humanity problem, in that it is populated solely by human beings and that human beings get stuff wrong. |
| Tweet Нравится St. Petersburg Diocese will pray for metro victims for forty days Moscow, April 4, 2017 Photo: foma.ru With the blessing of Metropolitan Barsanuphius of St. Petersburg and Ladoga, all churches and monasteries of the diocese will offer up prayers for the repose of the souls of those who perished in yesterday’s explosion in the St. Petersburg metro, and for the speedy recovery of the wounded, reports the diocesan site . According to the order of the bishop, all churches will add to litanies the petition, “Again we pray for the repose of all the souls of the departed servants of God, and of the innocent victims of the terrorist act, for the remission of all their every transgression, whether voluntary or involuntary.” In his condolences, the metropolitan noted that such tragedies remind us “of the presence of evil in our world, whose source is in man’s heart, deceived by the devil.” Only goodness, love, and solidarity can overcome this evil, in the prelate’s words. “All our loved ones who have departed into eternity remain with us in prayer. We are separated from them only by a time defined by God,” the metropolitan noted, calling upon the Church’s faith in eternal life. He also called upon all those who are concerned and sorrowful over the recent attack should come to church and pray. The city has declared three days of mourning in connection with yesterday’s tragedy. 4 апреля 2017 г. Оценка: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Квитанция Реквизиты для юридических лиц Оплата с банковской карты Visa, MasterCard и Maestro Оплата наличными через кассы и терминалы Пожертвование через Сбербанк Онл@йн Яндекс.Деньги Альфа-клик MasterPass Интернет-банк Промсвязьбанка Квитанция Реквизиты для юридических лиц Оплата с банковской карты Visa, MasterCard и Maestro Оплата наличными через кассы и терминалы Пожертвование через Сбербанк Онл@йн Яндекс.Деньги Альфа-клик MasterPass Интернет-банк Промсвязьбанка скрыть способы оплаты Предыдущий Следующий Смотри также Death toll rises to fourteen in Syrian-connected suicide bomber’s St. |
| St. Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople Commemorated on May 2 Saint Athanasius III Patelarios, Patriarch of Constantinople, Wonderworker of Lubensk, in the world Alexis, was born in 1560 on the island of Crete, into the pious Greek family Patelarios. Despite his education and position in society, Alexis was attracted by the life of Christian ascetics. After his father’s death, he became a novice in one of the monasteries of Thessalonica with the name Ananias. From there, he he later went to the monastery of Esphimenou on Mt. Athos, where he fulfilled his obedience in the trapeza (dining area). From Athos he journeyed to the Palestinian monasteries, and he was tonsured with the name Athanasius. Upon his return to Thessalonica he was ordained presbyter and spread the Gospel of Christ among the Vlachs and the Moldovians, for whom he translated the PSALTER from the Greek. Sometimes, the saint went to Mt. Athos for solitude, and to ask God’s blessing on his pastoral work. The holiness of his life attracted many Christians who wished to see a true preacher of the Orthodox Faith. By his remarkable abilities and spiritual gifts he attracted the attention of the Patriarch of Constantinople, Cyril I (Lukaris) (1621-1623). Summoning the ascetic, Patriarch Cyril appointed him a preacher of the Patriarchal throne. Soon Saint Athanasius was consecrated bishop and became Metropolitan of Thessalonica. At this time Patriarch Cyril was slandered before the sultan and imprisoned on the island of Tenedos. Saint Athanasius assumed the Patriarchal throne on March 25, 1634, on the day of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos. Patriarch Athanasius led an incessant struggle against heretics, Jesuits, and Moslems. After only forty days on the Patriarchal throne, he was deposed through the intrigues of the enemies of Orthodoxy, and Cyril I was returned. The saint went to Athos, where for a certain time he pursued asceticism in solitude. Then he became Patriarch again, but was deposed after a year. After this, he returned to Thessalonica and renewed his connections with the Holy Mountain. In view of the intolerable persecution of Christians by the Moslems, Saint Athanasius was repeatedly (from 1633 to 1643) obliged to send petitions to the Russian tsar Michael (1613-1645) seeking alms for the hapless Church of Constantinople. |
| Reflection on the US Supreme Court Reconsidering the Question of Abortion AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File Yesterday’s US Supreme Court hearing which revisited the issue of abortion (Dobbs vs. Women’s Health Org.), began with the words “God save the United States and this honorable court.” What ensued was a secular legalese debate based on science, constitutional interpretation of the law and judicial precedence with political overtones, without any consideration of God. For example, Justice Sotomayor posed the question of when life begins, but disallowed answering this question with reference to any “religious” consideration. Such an attitude is symptomatic of the secularization of America at the highest level of government, even among elected officials who personally describe themselves as religious and identify themselves as being pious members of established religious institutions. The founding fathers, in authoring the Constitution and other founding documents of the United States, did not operate with such a mindset. Justice Sotomayor cited the issue of too much diversity of opinion, yet the fact is that the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church and the Muslim religion all believe that life begins at conception. Judaism believes that life begins forty days after conception. Hindu Scripture prohibits abortion and believes that life begins at a very early stage. This basically common viewpoint held by diverse religions directly opposes the current secular law ratified by the Supreme Court. Children who are in-utero cannot speak for themselves, which puts them at a great disadvantage. My 13 month old granddaughter cannot verbalize language except for the word “mama” and cannot walk more than four or five steps, yet she is no less a human being than you or I or the human being whose life begins at conception. My granddaughter’s life is protected by the US Constitution, but the lives of children in-utero do not share this protection. Secular law considers them to be sub-human and not human beings at all. The supreme authority according to Justice Sotomayor is science, not God. She errs on this point as well. The question of a mother’s life vs. aborting a child is always brought up. I think that this is a misunderstood and misrepresented issue. While there is, unfortunately, a certain mortality rate among mothers at childbirth for various reasons, there are few if any actual medical incidents when the question arises to either save the mother’s life or abort the baby. It was also brought up about “watershed” decisions of the Supreme Court and the integrity of the the Supreme Court if prior court decisions are changed or reversed. |
| Patriarch Kirill: “Changing Yourself for the Better Is the Goal of Fasting” Photo: Sergei Vlasov/foto.patriarchia.ru When a person spends Lent in a proper way, they can change their spiritual life for the better, which is the main goal of any church abstinence, Patriarch Kirill noted. “We are entering the blessed holy days, which, if spent correctly, can change our lives for the better. As a matter of fact, this is the purpose of fasting,” said His Holiness Patriarch Kirill on the eve of Great Lent, on March 1, during the Vespers at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church added that “through prayer, through abstinence from meat and dairy products, and through self-restraint,” a person can really create “favorable conditions for an important step in the course of fasting towards changing one’s life for the better.” “And in order for this time to be as useful as possible, in order for us to achieve our goals, we should try to fulfill what the Church teaches us about the Holy Forty Days,” said Patriarch Kirill. At the same time, the Patriarch noted that church instructions during Lent are “not some kind of exorbitant burden due to circumstances of ancient times”. “They incorporated the experience of countless Orthodox people who, following the instructions of Lent, achieved significant changes in their spiritual life, and an indicator of these changes most often becomes a special state of mind at the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ,” said His Holiness Patriarch Kirill. In other words, he explained, fasting is “a chance for all of us to do something that during normal everyday life is not possible, because our thoughts are focused on other things.” Patriarch Kirill paid special attention to the fight against our vices, passions, to strengthening ourselves with prayer, and to educating our will through abstinence in food. “The most important thing is to be determined to fast in such a way so that the restriction in food is accompanied with prayer and a special lifestyle,” concluded the Patriarch. |
| Tweet Нравится Ongoing 40 Days for Life Campaign Seeks to End Genocide of Abortion Jesse Dominick The latest campaign of “ 40 Days for Life ” is currently underway, having begun on September 23 and ending on November 1. 40 Days for Life is an international pro-life campaign aimed at “a determined, peaceful approach to showing local communities the consequences of abortion in their own neighborhoods, for their own friends and families.” The duration of forty days was taken from the many Scriptural witnesses to God transforming lives, communities, and the whole world following a forty-day endeavor. The mission of the 40 Days for Life campaigns is to bring Christians together “with the purpose of repentance, to seek God’s favor to turn hearts and minds from a culture of death to a culture of life, thus bringing an end to abortion,” utilizing the three-pronged peaceful “attack” of prayer and fasting , constant vigil, and community outreach. By the word of the Lord Himself some demons can only be overcome by prayer and fasting and so the campaign calls upon Christians and churches everywhere to offer a sacrifice of forty days of prayer and fasting to end the scourge of abortion. Every day specific prayer requests are given, including for women who are at risk of having an abortion, the innocent children at risk of perishing, those who already carry the pain of an abortion, Planned Parenthood and other abortion facility workers, governmental leaders, as well as for revival and repentance and healing throughout the nation. Participants are also encouraged to fast—from food, from entertainment, from “apathy and indifference,” etc., in an effort to concentrate more intently on spreading the Gospel of Christ and offering a contrite heart to God. As far as is possible, a forty-day, non-stop, around-the-clock vigil is to be kept outside a Planned Parenthood or other abortion facility in order to send a peaceful but powerful message about the reality of abortion to the workers and patrons of the facilities. Community outreach is accomplished through news stories, talk show appearances, opinion pieces, a door-to-door petition and education drive, and flyer distribution, among many other activities in an effort to proclaim the value of life and the peace of Christ to those who may never enter a church. |
| The Feast of the Holy Archangel Michael and the Bodiless Powers St. Sergius Orthodox Church in Sargodha, Pakistan Fr. Joseph Farooq With the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, on November 21, 2014, the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel Angel joyfully began with a moleben of thanksgiving, with festive Divine Liturgy on the following Sunday. It was a large gathering—almost 110 orthodox faithful and forty Catechumens joyfully participated in the celebration. This day is much blessed and honored by the orthodox faithful in Pakistan because the ROCOR Mission was named, “St. Michael the Archangel Orthodox Mission in Pakistan.” Procession The solemn celebration opened with the procession followed by the festive Divine Liturgy. The prayers were offered for the health and many good years of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia Shepherd of the Russian Orthodox Church, His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (Ruling Bishop of Pakistan), for the Orthodox clergy and faithful, peace, unity, brotherhood and solidarity throughout the world. The faithful entered the place of worship holding banners and icon of St. Michael the Archangel. During the procession the faithful chanted Psalms and hymns to the Archangel Michael and the other bodiless Hosts of Heaven. The faithful with great reverence and joy were holding the banners and flowers. The banners were displaying the following themes: 1. The prayer of Saint Michael the Archangel! 2. Thanksgiving words for the Russian Orthodox Church outside of Russia who has completed four years of dynamic presence in Pakistan. 3. The national flags of Pakistan and Russia to mark the spiritual unity with the Mother Church. Sermon After the Divine Liturgy, Fr. Joseph delivered a sermon about the work and sacred responsibilities of the Holy Archangel Michael and the other bodiless Hosts of Heaven. Fr. Joseph told faithful that the Holy Archangel Michael is the head of the entire heavenly host, and explained the icon. Fr. Joseph said that Holy Archangel Michael holding a sword in his right hand depicts that he crushed Lucifer, and the palm branch in his left hand signifies that he is the guardian of the Orthodox faith and a fighter against heresy. The Holy Archangel Michael, one of the highest angels, remains faithful to the Creator. Further, Fr. Joseph told the faithful that we must follow the true traditions of holy Orthodoxy in our daily lives and always remain faithful to the Russian Orthodox Church, because these days holy Orthodoxy is being attacked from all sides by schismatic and heretic forces. We must condemn the forces of the devil, and follow the example of the holy archangel of God Michael and his entire heavenly host, who battle against dark forces. |
| Tweet Нравится Christmastide: What is the Season and How are We Supposed to Spend it? Fr. Andrei Chizhenko Ukrainian " starring " and " kolyadki " -caroling during " Sviatki " Christmastide. Photo: pravlife.org The main thing is not to stain but to continue whitening the garments of our souls, Priest Andrei Chizhenko believes. In the Church liturgical cycle the Nativity of Christ is the second most important festival after Easter and that is why it is celebrated for whole twelve days. As always, the all-merciful Lord abundantly pours out His grace and light upon us. Hence the Russian name of this season: “Svyatki”, that is, “Holy Days”. In ancient times Christmastide was called “Holy Evenings” probably because it was in the evenings that Christians would leave their everyday work and celebrate the Nativity of Christ and the Theophany. The history of Christmastide is as follows… In the first centuries of Christianity the Church knew only one festival—the Theophany (another name for it is the Baptism of Christ ). Two events in the Savior’s life on Earth were commemorated on that day: the Nativity of Christ and His Baptism. Later, in the fourth century, these two feast days were separated from each other. The Nativity of the Lord was transferred to December 25 according to the old calendar (January 7 according to the new calendar), while the Theophany is celebrated on January 6 according to the old calendar (January 19 according to the new calendar) even to this day. But as in the Church consciousness these two feasts merge into one feast, the twelve days that now separate them are considered one continuous feast. Similarly, the forty days after the Resurrection of Christ until the Ascension of the Lord are celebrated as Easter because the Savior continued to appear to His disciples during this period. This is why the period between Nativity Day and the Baptism of the Lord is called Christmastide (Svyatki in Russian: derived from the Russian words “light”, “holiness”). |
| Palm Sunday marks the beginning of the Holy Week. On April 05, 2015, with the blessings of His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia, the parishioners of St. Sergius of Radonezh Orthodox Church Sargodha Pakistan started the Holy Week with the solemn celebrations of Palm Sunday. As the rest of the Christian denominations are celebrating Easter all over the world, we the orthodox faithful joyfully followed the holy traditions of the Universal and Undivided Church, founded by our Lord Jesus Christ and spread far and wide by His apostles and their successors. Procession: The parishioners gathered around in the circle, where palms were blessed by Fr. Joseph Farooq who led the procession. The assembled Orthodox worshipers joyfully chanted the Psalms holding the palm branches and proceeded towards the place of worship where Divine Liturgy was celebrated. To mark Jesus' triumphal entry to Jerusalem in the procession the Orthodox youth and children with full passion and enthusiasm chanted “ Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest”. Divine Liturgy: With the blessings of God we had a Palm Sunday Divine Liturgy; it is a true blessing and joy for the faithful as they receive the Holy Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ. Fr. Joseph Farooq preached the homily of St. John Chrysostom. During the Divine Liturgy special prayers were offered for peace in suffering land of Pakistan and Middle East and other parts of the world; we also offered prayers for the health and many good years of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia, His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, for the Orthodox clergy and faithful all over the world. Fr. Joseph Farooq said in his sermon to the faithful that it is the beauty of Orthodox traditions to begin the spiritual preparation for Holy Pascha with Great Lent and forty days of fasting, he further said that Russian Orthodox Church teaches us the practicality of forgiveness, repentance and our day to day spiritual journey with our Savior, the Risen Lord Jesus. Towards the end of the preaching Fr. Joseph Farooq humbly directed the faithful: “Prepare yourself and be strong in your faith as the evil forces of the world threatening the peace and bring huge damage to the humans. |
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