Conversi ad Dominum

Changing Churches - A Recap

2011-12-05T20:07:00.002-05:00

The announcement of the publication of Changing Churches has caused me to reflect, once more, on my move from Lutheranism into the Orthodox Church.

As I recapitulate this move, I realize that my answer to the differences between Lutheranism and Orthodoxy has crystallized over the years.

Early on, when I was a Lutheran minister trying to diagnose how to remain faithful to the Lutheran Confessions and yet remain in an heterodox church body, I wrote (with some help from Rev Dr Charles Robb Hogg and Rev William Weedon) and delivered an essay entitled, "What Options do the Confessions Give Lutherans." In that paper, I argued for what I called the "catholic principle" in the Lutheran Confessions which, in terms of ecclesiology, led the early Lutherans to see themselves not as a denomination but as the continuation of the Catholic Church in the West. I still maintain that, although I now think that the attempt by Luther and Chemnitz was doomed from the beginning due to the inheritance of systemic flaws in medieval theological constructs. (Louis Bouyer exposes one of these in his book "Eucharist.")

In a statement written for laymen, I pointed to some of these systemic flaws in the Statement of Resignation that Rev David Stecholz (President & Bishop of the English District) graciously permitted me to read to my beloved parishioners when I left Zion Ev. Lutheran Church in Detroit. What I wrote then I still maintain, although I would now sharpen, with more careful nuance, some of the phrases.

Over the years, I've also made other attempts at explaining the differences; most notably, a presentation on "Creeds and Confessions" at the "Faith of Our Fathers" colloquium for Lutherans. (I highly recommend all the presentations at this colloquium.)

In the final analysis, however, I would boil all the differences down to these main points:

The Church is not a Platonic Republic (i.e., intrinsically or primarily invisible); i.e., an assembly of believers. Rather, it is and must be a visible entity, traceable through an unbroken link to the time of the Apostles. (The Lutheran Confessions, in my view, speak with two minds about this doctrine.)

The end or purpose of salvation is not merely to be safe or make it to heaven, but to be in an undying union with God through Christ and the Spirit. That end or purpose is never fully achieved, just as a relationship is never exhausted. (This is a summary of theosis or, what "Lutheran Orthodoxy" called unio mystica.) This leads me to resonate with St Maximus the Confessor's speculation that sin and death did not necessitate the incarnation of the Son of God; rather, the original design, from eternity, was that the Son of God would become incarnate so that man could be in union with God.

Tradition is not a custom nor merely a lens through which the church reads the Scriptures; rather, Tradition is the ongoing life of the Church (the Spirit in and of the Church) which, of course, cannot contradict Scripture but which also amplifies Scripture. (The Lutheran Confessions state that some of Tradition - e.g., liturgy - is indifferent; and insist, for those who take a quia subscription, that it is a lens.)

Sin is certainly serious and is inherited; but it is not part of man's nature nor is it the primary problem. Rather, death is the primary problem, as seen by the fact that Christ purposefully took on passable flesh in order to suffer, die and rise. (The article on Free Will [FC SD II], when read understanding the philosophical underpinnings of the language, agrees that man is not by nature sinful.)

There are, of course, other differences. But these are the ones that I would identify; at least, these are the ones that were uppermost for me.

In the final analysis, however, with my understanding that liturgy is what drives the everyday experience of every Christian, what tipped the scale for me was this question: "What gave Luther (or whomever) the right to change the Mass, Office and Ritual which he had received ultimately from the Holy Spirit."

Homily for Easter Sunday

2011-04-26T14:32:00.001-04:00

“By being killed, Christ killed what was killing everyone.”

Let us linger a while on these words from our holy father, Saint Peter Chrysologus. And as we linger, let us ponder these questions: What is killing everyone? Is it cancer or heart disease; is it wanton murder or senseless accidents; is it unhealthy eating or lifestyle choices; is it lack of food or lack of medicine? Those are not things that kill, but things that may cause or contribute to our death. So what is killing everyone? Is it not death? Is it not death that kills all men?

If that is true—and you know it is—then today we celebrate the death of death, and the resurrection of Life. We celebrate that death has been killed, and that Life Himself has risen triumphantly. We celebrate that in that combat stupendous between death and life, the Prince of Life, who died, overcame death and the grave, and killed death, and so reigns immortal.

Let us hear more fully, then, what our holy father among the saints declares:

“Christ accepted death so that death would die. Christ, by being killed, killed what was killing everyone. Christ entered the tomb in order to open up hell. So, having abolished the authority of death, having destroyed the prison of hell, and having annihilated the very power of death, Christ now should not be anointed as a dead man, but should be adored as Victor.”

And yet the women, in their pious devotion, bring ointment and spices to care for the body of one who has died. They keep vigil, they stay awake all night, they make costly and time-consuming preparations, and they perform the godly duties of mourning—yet not for death, but for Christ Jesus. And so they hasten to the grave in the early morning, not in faith in order to celebrate the death of death, but in sorrow in order to honor another one of death’s victims.

Yet the victim they intend to honor is no victim. And the shrine they intend to erect refuses to be enshrined. For a shrine honors the dead. But when the women entered into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed with a white robe: and they were astonished. He saith to them: Be not affrighted; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified: he is risen, he is not here, behold the place where they laid him.

And in beholding, did they believe? When they saw the empty tomb, did faith arise in their hearts? When they heard the joyous words from the young man, were those words too incredible and unbelievable?

Initially, Our Lord’s resurrection was hard to believe. And despite our annual celebration, Our Lord’s conquering of death is still hard to believe. For the stone was very great; the stone of fear, the stone of unbelief, the stone of death and the grave.

And that stone is still very great. For who could ever think that death had died—especially when we still see death taking its toll? And who would now believe that the victory still remains with Life—especially when we hear how sickness and disease, how murder and recklessness, still destroys so many lives. Has the reign of death truly ended?

When we believe that death still has the upper hand, that death still reigns, then in fear we run ourselves to death and toward death. And so we feed death with our life-destroying sins of pride and despair and lust and greed. We feed death, hoping to get the most out of life. We feed death, believing deep down that he will have the final say. We feed death, and so we gorge our passions and indulge our appetites and let anger and hopelessness and misery get the upper hand.

Notice, however, how the angels gently call us to faith; how they urge us to believe against what we feel, what we experience, what we see, what we hear. Notice how the angels plead with us to look beyond the evidence; how they exhort us to overrule our fears. But most of all, notice how those angels proclaim that we should no longer run from death, that we should no longer cower at the grave. Yet listen not first to what they say. Instead, observe what they have done.

The women wondered aloud, “Who shall roll us back the stone from the door of the sepulchre? For the stone was very great. Which stone? The stone of the tomb, or the stone of the heart? The stone that announced that death had claimed another? Yet now the stone announces that death has been defeated; that the grave had not swallowed a dead man, but death itself; and that the house of death had become a life-giving home. For looking, they saw the stone rolled back. By whom? By the angels.

Now when a stone is rolled forward, it declares that the grave is sealed, that death has done its worst. But this stone is rolled back. And so it announces that death has died, that Life lives, and that Life Himself can both call the dead out of the graves, and restore to us the hope of life, even as we live surrounded by death.

Yet the stone, and the angels, declare even more astounding things. They preach that the death we see, the death we fear, the death we feel deep down in our bones—this death is not only dead, but also converted; that death itself has become the highway for Life, and the road we get to trod so that may reach our heavenly home. “Blessed, then, is the stone which could both conceal Christ and reveal Him! Blessed is the stone which opens hearts no less than graves! Blessed is the stone which produces faith in the Resurrection, and a resurrection of faith!” (St Peter Chrysologus) And blessed is the stone which no longer entices us to give in, but now draws us to revel in the Lord’s death-defying mercy!

Christ indeed from death is risen. And in rising, He has both killed our enemy, and at the same time raised us in Baptism from death to life. Let us not, then, prefer defeated death, by returning to our old ways and indulging our sinful passions. So let no death, through sin, reign in your mortal body, so as to obey its passions. Neither yield your members as instruments of iniquity unto sin; but present yourselves to God, as those that are alive from the dead. For Christ Our Lord has overcome death. By being killed, Christ has killed what is killing you.

To this Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only-begotten Son of the Father, together with His all-holy and life-giving Spirit, belongs all glory, honor and worship, now and ever and unto the ages of ages.

The Hidden Jesus - A Homily

2011-04-11T17:56:00.004-04:00

NB The following homily was preached last evening at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church (OCA) at the Vespers sponsored by the Council of Orthodox Christian Churches of Metropolitan Detroit.

After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, the Jews began plotting in earnest to put Jesus to death. The high priest Caiaphas announced that “it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.”

The holy evangelist St John tells us that when the Jewish leaders plotted to kill Him, “Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews.” What does this mean? First, it means that he actually hid Himself; for John tells us that Jesus left Jerusalem and “went into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples” until he entered triumphantly on Palm Sunday.

Yet there is also a spiritual meaning. That “Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews” means that He also hid deeply His divinity. No more feeding of multitudes, no more healing the sick, no more resurrections—in fact, no more miracles did He do, except healing the ear of Malchus on the night of His betrayal. It is not that He could not do miracles. Rather, Jesus hid His divinity—hid His power, His glory, His majesty—until it would be revealed in a most profound way, until His coronation on the cross. Then He would be crowned with thorns; then He would ascend His throne; for then He would be glorified by the Father.

As you may know, I serve a parish that follows not the Greek or Russian tradition, but the Western tradition. In the Western tradition, today begins that part of Lent that we call “Passiontide.” Last evening, as Passiontide began, we hid all our crosses and icons and other images with opaque violet veils. For us, the fast of the mouth now also becomes a fast of the eyes.

Like all liturgical traditions, Eastern and Western, the veiling of the crosses is not done for no reason. It is directly linked to the final weeks of Our Lord’s life, and particularly to this time when Our Blessed Lord no longer walks openly, when He hides His divinity.

This simple custom urges us to look beyond what Our Lord looks like on the cross, to look beyond His gentleness and vulnerability, and even to look beyond our notions of strength and power. For the Jesus we see in these last few weeks will not conform to our standard of maniless and strength.

These days, we are impressed with a show of force. We are impressed when men and women stand up for their rights; when they vigorously defend themselves against false accusations; when they defiantly argue that they have been maligned. And we are impressed with hitting someone strong and hard; with striking back with overwhelming power.

Yet that is not the picture we will see with our Jesus. That is not how He will resist the devil, or overcome the chief priests, or defeat all powers of darkness. His power will be veiled in defenselessness. His strength will be hidden in weakness. He will not defend Himself, or speak up for Himself. Instead, He will let them do what they wish to Him.

Yet it will be on His terms; in the way the prophets have predicted; at the hour He chooses. And that is true power. Our holy father among the saints Peter Chrysologus says it with these words:

“Jesus willed to suffer since of His own accord He went up to the place where He would suffer. Death has sway over the unwilling, but is the servant of those who are willing. Therefore, since He is willing to die, it is not a mishap but an act of power. He Himself says, ‘I have power to lay down my life, and I have power to take it up. No one take [my life] from Me.’ Where there is the power to lay down life and to take it up again, dying in this case is not something inevitable, but something that is willed.

“So death was not able to take His life away, nor was the underworld able to hold onto Him, since it trembled at His bidding, and lost even those souls it was holding in captivity. For St Matthew says [that when Jesus died], ‘The tombs were split open and many of the bodies of the saints rose up.’”

Now that is true power—the power to raise the dead even as He dies; the power to command heaven and earth to do His bidding as He passes away; and the power to kill death by being swallowed up by death.

Jesus tells us that when this happens—when He is lifted up on the cross, when His true power and glory are revealed—then He will draw all men to Himself.

Be impressed, then, with the Lord Jesus who does not walk openly. Be impressed with the One who wills to be weak and to suffer for your salvation. And, most of all, be impressed with Him who will hide His divinity so deeply during the last days of His life that He will trick the devil into believing that death has defeated life—when, in fact, Life Himself, by dying, will destroy death.

Let this power—this power that is looks so weak—let it draw you close to Him. For this is the power of the martyrs. By urging the lions to crush his bones like wheat, St Ignatius overpowered his captors. It is also this power that the non-martyred saints tapped into. For by putting to death her desires, by weakening her body with fasting, St Mary of Egypt became strong and power—not only in her day, but also now as our advocate and intercessor before God the Father.

By the prayers St Mary of Egypt and of the saints, may we be attracted, then, not by a show of force, not by those who stand up for themselves, but by Him who willingly, humbly and gladly takes up His cross, and suffers our weakness to death, so that He might overcome. Let the Jesus who is hidden in these next few weeks draw us closer to Him so that when His glory is fully revealed on Pascha, we may rejoice with exceeding joy!

To this Lord Jesus, whose strength is in weakness, be all glory, honor and worship, now and ever and unto the ages of ages.

Metropolitan Jonah's visit to a Lutheran congregation

2011-01-15T12:18:00.002-05:00

As a former Lutheran minister in The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, I find intriguing and heartening the visit of His Beatitude Metropolitan Jonah to Grace Lutheran Church (LCMS) in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

This event raises many thoughts and questions in my mind; but for now, I simply wish to share this video contain His Beatitude's address to the Lutheran congregation.

An Advent Homily

2010-12-21T20:18:00.002-05:00

Those who earnestly sought the salvation of God earnestly sought St John the Baptist. They came quite a distance into a desolate wilderness, seeking an eccentric who was not easy to find, whose words sounded brusque, and whose manner seemed as rough as his clothes. They came with heavy hearts, filled with trepidation, knowing the sins they had tried so hard to hide from others that they nearly succeeded at hiding them from themselves. Yet they came to confess. And in that way, they came to smooth their rough places, and to straighten their crooked ways. So greater than their trepidation was their faith; and greater than their dread at what they knew they must admit aloud was their hope of pardon from God's mercy.

What gave these people the hope, the faith, the energy to seek our St John? No doubt, it was the words of the holy prophet Isaiah; most especially these words:

The land that was desolate and impassable shall be glad, and the wilderness shall rejoice, and shall flourish like the lily. It shall bud forth and blossom, and shall rejoice with joy and praise: ... [T]hey shall see the glory of the Lord, and the beauty of our God. Strengthen ye the feeble hands, and confirm the weak knees. Say to the fainthearted: Take courage, and fear not: behold your God will bring the revenge of recompense: God himself will come and will save you. (Is 35.1-4)

"God Himself will come and save you." Those are the words that drove these people into the wilderness seeking John. For those words promised what they yearned for -- salvation from God's own man. Not a salvation that would magically wipe away all suffering and make life easy; but the salvation that would help them to see beyond today's turmoils and heartaches; the salvation that would help them see and believe that there is more to life than the petty games and machinations, the fading experiences and unquenchable lusts, the flavorless events and the weary monotony of unending routine.

So these folks -- people like you and me, people seeking what you and I also seek, people longing for comfort and assuagement -- these folks clambered forward into the wilderness pursuing John, striving for the relief God's salvation brings. And when they arrived, they encountered not a reed shaken by the wind, nor a preacher dressed in fine apparel. They encountered a prophet--and more than a prophet. For they encountered a voice -- the voice of the One; the voice in the wilderness who spoke deeply into their being. He is the voice foreseen by Isaiah. And this voice said:

Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled; and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight; and the rough ways plain; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. (Lk 3.4-6)

Yet what the voice declared was not merely more words. He declaimed and proclaimed the Word of God Himself. The same Word through whom all things were made. The same Word which had spoken through the mouth of the prophets. The same Word who took flesh from the womb of the pure, glorious, holy and blessed virgin Mary. This Word who is not about peace, but truly is the peace and mercy and consolation of God in His very being -- this is the Word that the voice voiced, and that the people strain to hear.

This Word is what John says He is. And so He is the lasting and unfading comfort these people -- all people, you people -- long to hear. The voice says, "Comfort, comfort ye My people; cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD's hand double [mercy] for all her sins." (Is 40.1-2)

This comfort that St John declares is the Word of life to be heard, seen, looked upon, handled and tasted. The dew of the Holy Spirit has dropped down this Word from the heavens so that, in our hearts, His undying succor may bud and flower and grow within us as He first did within the Blessed Virgin's womb. And then Emmanuel comes, and we shall rejoice. For He shall graciously and mercifully relieve all those sins and hardships, all those self-made stresses, all those unkept promises and feeble excuses that have haunted our souls and weighed down our bodies, and so hindered us from basking in the glow of His exhilarating warmth.

By the prayers of St John, of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of all the saints, may we, in heart and mind, join this timid yet hope-filled throng by spending these last few days straining with all we are to heed the voice of the One who announces the advent of this consoling Word, our Lord Jesus Christ; to whom with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, belongs all glory, honor and worship, now and ever and throughout all ages of ages.

Preached Advent IV 2010
Based on Luke 3.1-6 (the Gospel at the Rorate Mass)

Vox Secreta - Revisiting the Silent Canon

2010-12-20T22:40:00.002-05:00

The changes of Vatican II included replacing the centuries old practice of saying the Canon Missae or Prex Eucharistica silently or in a quiet whisper (vox secreta). The arguments favoring this change to an audible declaimed canon (i.e., not vox mediocris but vox clara) were several relying on historical data as well as pastoral, personal or (in some cases) protestant inclinations.

This debate, largely dismissively disregarded in protestant communions, has continued amongst Western Rite Orthodox priests due, no doubt, to their greater or lesser regard for later 20th century liturgical scholarship. (It would not surprise if this debate resumes in Roman Catholic circles, particularly between those who strongly prefer and those who vehemently oppose the anachronistically and ironically named "Extraordinary Form.")

In considering the various premises of this debate, both historically and pastorally, chiefly so I could continue to defend the traditional rubric, I recently came across the following from Louis Boyer's Eucharist (1968):

We must admit that this question [what Bouyer terms "the silence of the canon" or "the silence of the mysteries"] is the most obscure mystery of perhaps the whole of the history of the liturgy. Yet we hardly get this impression when we read most of the studies on the subject that have been piled up since the seventeenth century. Whatever position the authors take--whether they believe the practice to be original and essential, or condemn it as late and unfortunate--one would think, in reading them, that the matter is clear and can be plainly settled by a few irreproachable texts. But when we go to the sources without any preconceived ideas, it is hard to share this optimism. Yet we do not deny that we can reach certain firm conclusions from examining them. But...they are neither so easily accessible, nor of a nature as to dispel all the obscurities of one of the most complex problems of the history of the liturgy. (366f)

Advantages of Celebrating Ad Orientem

2010-12-17T09:49:00.003-05:00

Often I am asked about why I face the "wrong way" (ad orientem) when I celebrate Mass. These questions come mostly from visitors and the Catholic students I teach; however, sometimes parishioners also ask out of curiosity or because they have been asked by others. Since I've never (even as a Lutheran) celebrated Mass versus populum, I can't fathom celebrating Mass any other way.

When asked, I give a variety of answers--some better than others. Recently I came across an apologia for facing the Lord (tabernacle) when celebrating Mass written by Dom Mark Kirby, a monastic priest in the Catholic Church in Tulsa OK. Reading through them, I agree with all of the advantages that Fr Mark lists. Perhaps others can add to the list.

What are the advantages of standing at the altar ad orientem, as I have experienced them over the past two years? I can think of ten straight off:

1. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is experienced as having a theocentric direction and focus.

2. The faithful are spared the tiresome clerocentrism that has so overtaken the celebration of Holy Mass in the past forty years.

3. It has once again become evident that the Canon of the Mass (Prex Eucharistica) is addressed to the Father, by the priest, in the name of all.

4. The sacrificial character of the Mass is wonderfully expressed and affirmed.

5. Almost imperceptibly one discovers the rightness of praying silently at certain moments, of reciting certain parts of the Mass softly, and of cantillating others.

6. It affords the priest celebrant the boon of a holy modesty.

7. I find myself more and more identified with Christ, Eternal High Priest and Hostia perpetua, in the liturgy of the heavenly sanctuary, beyond the veil, before the Face of the Father.

8. During the Canon of the Mass I am graced with a profound recollection.

9. The people have become more reverent in their demeanour.

10. The entire celebration of Holy Mass has gained in reverence, attention, and devotion.

Polish Orthodox Archbishop killed in plane crash

2010-04-14T10:30:00.002-04:00

It is not widely reported that the plane which crashed in Russia carrying the President and other leaders of the Polish government also had a religious delegation. Among those killed was Archbishop Miron, Bishop of Hajnówka of the Polish Orthodox Church.

May his memory be eternal!

HT: Grace and Peace

The Pomp of the Devil

2010-04-07T12:46:00.002-04:00

Most regrettably, modern translations of the ancient Western baptismal liturgy have danced around or re-translated or ignored the key word in the third renunciation. After asking the candidate if he renounces Satan (abrenuntias Satanae) and all his works (et omnibus operibus eius), the candidate is then asked if he likewise renounces all of Satan's pomp (et omnibus pompis eius).

It is that little word pomp (pompis) over which many stumble or fumble, no doubt because it is an uncommon English word. Some would, I'm assure, assign it to the trash heap of "archaic," even while insisting that "Pomp and Circumstance" remain in the graduation tradition. (As an aside, isn't it curious that what no longer is acceptable in liturgy because it is out of date and doesn't speak to us, is perfectly acceptable in other contexts?) Others would argue, a little more persuasively to my mind, that "pomp" does not translate, but transliterates, pompis. Or does it? Perhaps such a "cold" Latinate word is "warmer" and communicates better than an Anglo-based equivalent (if there truly is such a thing). But I digress.

As you can tell, I am all for keeping the older translations while, at the same time, insisting that helpful explanations be provided. That is, after all, the role of catechesis--not to instruct by means of a translation, but to teach what a translated word means.

As an aid toward such in regard to the little word "pomp," I offer the following which is unhesitatingly copied from Pope Benedict XVI's Easter Vigil Homily 2010. I hope you find it as helpful as I do.

The strange word “pomp”, that is to say the devil’s glamour, referred to the splendour of the ancient cult of the gods and of the ancient theatre, in which it was considered entertaining to watch people being torn limb from limb by wild beasts. What was being renounced by this “no” was a type of culture that ensnared man in the adoration of power, in the world of greed, in lies, in cruelty. It was an act of liberation from the imposition of a form of life that was presented as pleasure and yet hastened the destruction of all that was best in man. This renunciation – albeit in less dramatic form – remains an essential part of baptism today. We remove the “old garments”, which we cannot wear in God’s presence. Or better put: we begin to remove them. This renunciation is actually a promise in which we hold out our hand to Christ, so that he may guide us and reclothe us. What these “garments” are that we take off, what the promise is that we make, becomes clear when we see in the fifth chapter of the Letter to the Galatians what Paul calls “works of the flesh” – a term that refers precisely to the old garments that we remove. Paul designates them thus: “fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing and the like” (Gal 5:19ff.). These are the garments that we remove: the garments of death.

Favorite Quote of the Year

2009-12-30T14:38:00.006-05:00

"St Augustine was a saint in the Orthodox Church until the 1960s."

Now, I'm aware that this statement was most likely not first uttered in 2009; however, that's when I first heard it. I'm equally aware that it may not be original with the person from whom I heard it; hence, no attribution.

Given those caveats, the truth contained within it captivates my imagination.

What a Joy!

2009-12-20T20:15:00.002-05:00

Yesterday (Saturday), I had the joy of administering the Sacrament of Holy Chrismation to four of my spiritual children. It is always a joy to welcome into the fullness of the Church those who have struggled and sacrificed to buy the field and acquire the pearl of great price. As Fr Anthony said, their faith confirms, encourages and strengthens the faith of all.

After the Chrismation, I also had the joy of serving the Divine Liturgy with two brother priests: Fr Anthony Michaels and Fr Gregory Hogg. It is always good to live Psalm 132. For that is how, I think, that Psalm must be read; namely, that brothers dwell together in unity most clearly when they stand in God's presence offering Him thanks by participating in the Holy Sacrifice.

Yet a third joy was meeting two dear women who have encouraged me more than they can imagine. I have known these two for several years, but only "pixelly." Yet now I can put an endearing and enduring smile to Anastasia and Rose.

As an added bonus, I was blessed to see the new temple (still in progress) for St John Chrysostom parish in Fort Wayne. I remember well the old temple, and am pleased that the parish will have a gorgeous place for gathering both to pray and to fellowship. I hope to be able to attend once again when the temple is finished and consecrated.

Why Children Don't Get Their Father

2009-12-12T20:21:00.002-05:00

This week I had more than one occasion to give the following pastoral counsel.

Children don't always get why their father does what he does; why he disciplines them now but not then; why his discipline is this kind rather than that kind; why he seems so hard and mean and angry when he says he loves them.

To be sure, with human families fathers are often capricious and act out of frustration or anger rather than true love. But that is not always the case. Often a father's discipline or strictness is based on a genuine love for the children. Yet even then, children don't get their father and the direction he is leading them to. And that's because children are children. They don't see (and don't want to see) how the father's discipline, words, etc are for a greater, long-term good--or a good that won't kick in until much later.

Now, if this is how it is with earthly children and earthly fathers, how much more do we, the children of God, not get our heavenly Father, whose "thoughts are not ours thoughts, nor His was our ways."

Certainly, we cannot and do not want to see the big picture. And certainly, we see discipline as punishment; and we see bad things happening as God's anger.

There is a clear distinction between discipline and punishment. And one of the simplest ways to see this distinction is to remember this:

God doesn't punish. He disciplines. In other words, what He does (that we don't like, get, understand or that seems harsh and mean) is His way of training and leading us in the way of salvation. It is one facet of His love.

Let me clarify: punishment happens. But God doesn't do it actively.

Instead, we are punished when God lets us have our way; when He steps back and say, "Okay, do it yourself, for you think you know best." And then we tend to blame God for what we, really, are doing to ourselves. (This is what St Paul means when he writes that "God gave them over to a debased mind." Rom 1.28)

Why We Worship

2009-11-10T22:52:00.002-05:00

A preview of Saturday's presentation in St. Louis.

The goal and ultimate purpose of all human life is communion in God. It is toward this end (telos), then, we were created: so that we might live in God, and participate fully in the love which He bestows from His inmost being. In other words, we were designed by God for relationship with God—a relationship which, like all love, is never satiated but forever grows and deepens and matures. Redemption is necessary chiefly because the death of all, brought by the sin of one, ruined the “forever” quality of true love, and thereby ruined eternal communion in God. So redemption in Christ and by Him is necessary not in itself; that is, not simply to redeem us. Rather, redemption in Christ is necessary in order to restore in us our final cause, our true purpose. It is this realization that allows St Maximos the Confessor to suggest that God becomes human in Christ not ultimately to redeem us; redemption is only a step along the way. Rather, God becomes human in Christ in order grant us fuller access to communion in God. Or, to be blunt, if man had not fallen, Christ Jesus would still have assumed human flesh. For our death did not necessitate or compel the Son of God to become one of us; neither did God’s pity for us or His desire to right what we had wronged. Instead, we were made in God’s image—that is, in the likeness of the incarnate Son of God—so that we might become one in God.

That we were made to be in communion in God, that communion in God is the aim before sin and after death, that redemption is a step toward restoring communion in God, that (from Christ and Mary to you and me) communion in God is what all human life is all about—that one profound truth governs the Orthodox understanding of worship. So worship is not chiefly an expression of gratitude for the reversal of death, but primarily gratitude for our creation, our life (which our subsequent mortality destroyed, thereby requiring redemption). And worship is not chiefly the reception of forgiveness for sin or sins, but primarily the reception of the love of God in Christ Jesus, which deepens and grows true love in God. Again, to be blunt: we worship God because that is how we live in God; that is what communion in God looks like, how it acts. So worship is moving within the “forever” quality of true love—a “forever” quality which we must never forget was revived, resuscitated, resurrection, reconstituted and restored when Christ sacrificed Himself for us men and for our salvation.

Who Needs a Reformation?

2009-11-01T20:47:00.003-05:00

Fr Gregory Hogg, a brother Orthodox priest and a good friend, recently wrote what I've been thinking:

I don't commemorate the Reformation any more because I have come to see that I, not the Church, am the one in need of reformation.

I've been thinking this in light of some comments I've read by some concerning the Pope's recent Apostolic Constitution. It seems that some believe that this announcement is a way for certain Episcopalians to retain their Episcopalianism while coming into communion with the Pope. As David Schütz points out, such is not the case. Those Anglo-Catholics who have applied, and to whom the Constitution will be applied, have already accepted all the tenants of the Catholic faith. And those Episcopalians who take advantage of the Vatican's offer will, in the final analysis, no longer be Anglicans or Episcopalians practicing Anglicans in communion with the Pope; rather, they will be Roman Catholics who are permitted (for a time, or perhaps in perpetuity) to keep Anglo-Catholic (note, not necessarily BCP) customs or traditions (e.g., the KJV language) that conform to Catholic doctrine.

The Orthodox Church expects and offers nothing less; namely, that Orthodoxy is not what makes a Lutheran a better Lutheran, or enables a Lutheran to live his Lutheranism more fully while in communion with the Church. Rather, Orthodoxy requires that a Lutheran embrace fully the Orthodox faith.

An Item That May Interest

2009-10-27T18:42:00.002-04:00

All Saints Orthodox Church near St Louis is hosting a conference entitled "Living the Christian Faith in the Orthodox Western Tradition."

This conference is designed for those who are interested in Orthodoxy, yet within its western liturgical expression. Those who are already Orthodox are also welcome to attend.

Could He Have Nothing to Say??

2009-10-27T18:32:00.005-04:00

This blog has been silent for some time. It is not because I've had nothing to say. My wife, children, parishioners and students will dispute that I'm ever at a loss for words.

Several factors have led to this "season of silence"; most especially my circumstances, which have left me busier than usual. Hopefully, I've become more adept at managing these circumstances (in other words, I've finally stumbled upon a routine) that may allow me to continue to share my thoughts.

Therefore, I shall attempt to do so beginning with my next post which, alas, is crass advertisement. Perhaps it may interest some.

Visit by Bishop MARK

2009-05-30T21:22:00.004-04:00

On May 16-17, His Grace Bishop MARK made his canonical visit to Holy Incarnation Orthodox Church. Here are photos from that visit.

For more visit, click here.

Blessing the Incense

At the Canon

Ready to Depart

Incensing the Faithful

Preaching the Homily

Bishop MARK with "bishop James."

Surety -- How can I know?

2009-04-23T21:35:00.005-04:00

Recently a Lutheran acquaintance wondered about the Orthodox understanding of the certainty of salvation. Like many looking into Orthodoxy, this person did not find much of an answer to the question, "How can I be sure that I am saved."

Too often I've heard such a well-meaning question dismissed with the words like these: "That's not the right question." Such a frustratingly typical answer which is often taken to belittle both the questioner and a well-meaning, searching question!

What needs to be understood is that the question is driven by Luther's question ("How do I know that I have a gracious God"). The prominence of this individual quest by Luther has prompted Lutherans and Protestants to place a great deal of stock in the surety of faith. As one who has was schooled by the question and so understands the angst behind it, permit me to suggest that it reveals a need to be convinced that God is merciful, that He loves men as they are, and that regardless of what they've done or their past He accepts, welcomes and forgives them.

There is nothing in those words that the Orthodox dispute. The Orthodox agree that God is merciful, forgiving, kind, and loving, and that we need constantly to be reminded of this since we are prone to forget it or live as if it doesn't matter.

However, we would question why one needs to know for certain that which is a given; namely, that God is gracious, merciful, loving, etc. We would wonder how God could be otherwise since God is (i.e., both essentially and energetically; or metaphysically, epistemologically and experientially) love.

We would also wonder at the hubris of such a question. In other words, the focus of the question is on me (the individual) and my surety rather than on God and His grace. Notice the grammar: How can *I* be certain that God is who He is. Deep down, it seems to suggest that God is gracious only if I find Him to be so. Such a Cartesian method plays well in a post-Renaissance mindset but it, at base, quite prideful and not within the "mind of Christ" (Philippians 2).

Above all, however, we would question what is not said; namely, that this emphasis on the surety of faith quickly leads either to an antinomianism or to an abstraction (or both), and away from the primary narrative in Scripture--that the love God is calls us not to nearness or friendship but to an intimate participation and union; that God invites us to be "wrapped up" in Him (i.e., in the love His gives and does but, of course, not the love that he metaphysically is).

To the first (antinomianism), Luther of course emphasized "faith alone, but faith is never alone." This emphasis of faith and love is seen most clearly in Luther's sermons. However, the most unLutheran notion of total depravity (if not in so many words) has captivated Lutherans and Lutheranism to the point that they apologize for or downplay the necessity for works of love. Furthermore, when these works of love are emphasized, the key works of repentance and humility are not seen as works of love, and are not often seen as the key works.

To the second (faith as abstraction), we would wonder why justification (which is, as Lutherans properly teach, the work of Christ) becomes greater than Christ; to the extent that some would vociferously maintain that not Christ but Christ's justifying work is the chief article (Hauptartikel). The two, we would say, cannot and ought never be separated since the person (hypostasis; essence) cannot be understood apart from His work (energon; deeds), and vice versa. We would maintain that the loss, in late medieval Western theology, of the distinction in one person/nature of essence and energy has led to this abstract understanding of faith in grace. (Note the grammar of the formula: justified by grace through faith--where is God or Christ except as an understood modifier, and all the other words are abstract concepts!) We would further point out that this loss is the result of a de-emphasizing (or, to be precise, a de-personalizing) of the Spirit.

It is precisely the person of the Holy Spirit that Orthodoxy points to as the necessity for the binding together of individuals in love to God and one another. And what is key, then, is not personal surety of one's standing before God, but the relationship that the Spirit calls us to--a relationship of the fullness of love in the God who is love which then, of necessity, binds us to all whom (persons) and which (creation) God loves. Or, to ask it juridically: After one is declared not guilty or righteous (or "made righteous" as the Lutherans sometimes affirm), then what? Does that not evoke a relationship between judge and judged? And if so, what is the nature of this relationship, and what keeps is growing, maturing, deepening? The Orthodox answer, which is only partially (and therefore incompletely, that is, unsacramentally) found amongst the pietists or those oddly accused of Osianderism (often the accusers don't understand the teaching of and charges against Osiander), we would see as an attempt to answer this very necessary relational question. And why is the relational question necessary? Because that is what God made us for--to live in union with Him. But now we are talking of theosis.

The Courage to Confess

2009-04-05T21:08:00.003-04:00

The following is an except of a sermon preached at the pan Orthodox Vespers hosted by St Thomas Albanian Orthodox Church in Farmington Hills MI.

What keeps us from going to confession? What causes us to put off going to our spiritual father? Is it the belief that we have nothing to confess? Or is it rather our fear that Our Lord God does not understand, that He can’t identify, that He doesn’t really know what it’s like? In other words, we’ll confess—but to someone who really doesn’t know us, and what we face, and how hard it is. Now if we could just find someone like that—someone who truly understands, and has been there, and can sympathize with us.

Yet that is precisely who St Mary of Egypt found—a sympathetic ear; and more than a sympathetic ear. She found the Lord and God who had been there and back; who knew her sin not intellectually but also experientially. And St Mary found the Son of Man who had endured her temptations, and so was able to help her—all all men—who are tempted. And when she found Him, she received courage—the courage to confess.

Now isn’t that what confession is? Isn’t confession the courage to name our sins aloud, and also the courage to live against our ungodly desires? For it certainly takes courage to confess. And it certainly takes courage to live for others and against we selfishly pleases us. Yet where does such courage come from? Certainly not from the commandments. The commandments are good, but ultimately they show us that we’ve missed the mark; that we don’t measure up. And they show us how we should live. The commandments encourage us to do what is right, but they don’t give us courage.

Where then do we get the courage to confess? It comes from Our Lord Himself, who gives us His Spirit so that we might begin to know and believe that He will not turn us away—because He’s suffered our temptations.

Remember St Gregory’s words: “What Christ did not take into Himself He did not heal, but what is united with God is also being saved.”

These words mean that Our Lord has truly and really assumed and taken into Himself—into His life-giving flesh and blood—our temptations: our desire to control, our desire to satisfy our urges, our desire to accumulate, our desire to lash out, our desire to want what others have, our desire to feed our appetites, and our desire to lose heart and give up and give in to our fears.

All of these deadly sins, all of these ungodly passions and desires, Our Lord has both assumed and consumed. He has made them His own and swallowed them up in His person. He doesn’t just know about them. He took them in and suffered their sting, and then put them to death in His flesh. And He has done this for only one reason: so that He might transform and convert these ungodly passions, so that He might change them into godly desires—the godly desires which transform us.

Read the full sermon.

Thoughts on Striving Against Temptation

2009-04-01T16:43:00.002-04:00

During Lent, especially as we struggle to keep the fast physically (in foods) and spiritually (in prayer) and relationally (in acts of love toward others), the devil often besets us with our foulest deeds and imaginations. He does so to detract us, to discourage us and to steal our joy. Yet these temptations, for which we often fall prey, are nothing. They are, literally, bundles of no-things. They are thoughts and images (often, very vivid, too vivid), but they have no sustainable reality apart from our will to entertain them, toy with them and (God forbid) act upon them.

Because these maddening temptations are “no-things” does not mean that their pull is not strong, or even seemingly impossible to resist. Black holes and vacuums, both of which contain nothing, are very powerful forces in nature. But by God’s grace through prayer and fasting—in other words, by staying the Lenten course—we can overcome. Perhaps not immediately; in fact, usually only after years of striving do we obtain the victory. For the devil is persistent in his goal of dragging us to hell; and our flesh is equally stubborn in its ungodly desire to be gratified. Nevertheless, these “strong men” have been undone by the stronger man (Lk 11). Therefore, we need simply to remain close to him in prayer and deed, and flee to him when we stumble and when we fall for the devilish lies that the “no-things” are real.

More Photos of the New Sanctuary

2009-03-26T19:59:00.006-04:00

More (and much better) photos of the newly completed sanctuary at Holy Incarnation.

Photos of the New Sanctuary

2009-03-17T20:08:00.003-04:00

Photos of the newly designed and built sanctuary at Holy Incarnation Orthodox Church have now been posted.

Be sure to check out other photos of Holy Incarnation here.

Invitation to an Open House

2009-03-13T11:39:00.006-04:00

Holy Incarnation Orthodox Church will host an open house on Sunday, March 29 from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. The open house will showcase the church’s newly redecorated sanctuary.

This event will celebrate another significant milestone for our little parish, which held its initial Mass in February 2007, purchased its own facility in February 2008, and now has redesigned the interior so that it looks like a traditional church.

We would be honored if the local readers of this blog would join us sometime during the day. If your schedule permits, please feel free to join us also for Mass at 9:30 a.m. or for Vespers at 4:00 p.m.

Read more about the open house.

Read more about Holy Incarnation.

Thoughts about the Parable of the Seed

2009-03-02T09:28:00.003-05:00

The Lord's parable of the seed (Lk 8.4-15) is chiefly about the Father's reckless spreading of His Word (Logos) which is carried aloft by the pneumatic wind. However, one cannot discount the metaphor of the four soils which Our Lord also employs in telling the story. When one considers the soils, it is not uncommon for the heart to be pricked and to ask, "How do I keep myself from becoming thorny, rocky or hard ground"?

According to the fathers, the making of good soil and the bearing of fruit is a cooperative effort intiated by the Holy Spirit, who both carries the seed/word to all soils and also begins the work of preparing the soil.

Yet we also have a part; namely, the life of repentance. Should we depart from constant repentance, we can quickly revert to thorny soil (being caught up with this world's false promises), rocky soil (consenting to faith intellectually but not in spirit) and finally to hard ground (where God's word matters little to us, and we matter most).

The life of repentance, which is our part, is aided by prayer, fasting and almsgiving--as the season of Lent teaches us. St Augustine says it another way in the form of a prayer: "Teach me, Lord, to see You so that I might love you truly, and to see myself so that I might cease loving myself."

To strengthen us in this life of self-denial, God's grace is necessary as He proffers it and pours it upon us generously by the Spirit in the sacred mysteries, most particularly Private Confession and Holy Communion.

Once a Lutheran pastor, now an Orthodox priest

2009-03-02T08:52:00.002-05:00

On Sunday, 15 February, Deacon Daniel Hackney, a former pastor in The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, was ordained an Orthodox priest. Bishop MARK, the Bishop of Toledo in the Antiochian Archdiocese, ordained Fr. Hackney at St Elias in Sylvania, Ohio.

Fr Hackney continues his studies at St Tikhon's seminary in Pennsylvania and hopes to be accepted as a chaplain in the U.S. military.

Click here to read a fuller article about Fr Hackney.

What do you do with leftover Pączki?

2009-02-24T08:56:00.005-05:00

For those who live where the Polish heritage is strong or dominant, such as Detroit or Chicago, today is Pączki Day (pronounded "punch-key"). Simply put, a pączki is very much like a high cholesterol, high calorie (and therefore, much tastier) filled doughnut. It's traditionally served on "Fat Tuesday"--the day before Ash Wednesday--as a way of both cleanining out the cupboard of foods forbidden during Lent (according to the older Catholic rules), and gorging oneself one last time before Lent.

So you shouldn't save the leftovers for another day. If you don't eat them today, you should throw them out.

However, I have a better solution. Take your leftover pączki to your local Orthodox church, or give them to your Orthodox neighbor. Why? Because our Lent doesn't begin until next week.

Photos from the Consecration

2009-02-18T21:41:00.008-05:00

Last Saturday (14 February 2009), His Grace Bishop MARK, Bishop of Toledo and the Midwest, consecrated the new altar at Holy Incarnation Orthodox Church.

The ceremony included sprinkling the altar with holy water while processing around it; sealing the relics of St Sebastian, martyr, and St Peter, Bishop & Confessor, in the altar stone; anointing the altar stone with Sacred Chrism and the Oil of Catechumens; and burning incense within each of the five incised crosses on the altar stone.

Included here are a few samples of the full array of photographic scenes of the consecration which may be viewed at the Holy Incarnation website.

A story about James and St James

2009-02-18T21:08:00.003-05:00

On Sunday after Mass, I went to Denver for a two day meeting with several priests from the Vicariate. As I was leaving the meeting Tuesday afternoon, Fr John Connely presented me with a wonderful gift for my 3 year-old son James--an icon of St James, the Brother of the Lord.

This morning I gave the gift to little James. He, of course, recognized it as an icon, and wanted to know who it was. I said, "It's St James." He was very pleased--so pleased, in fact, that he ran to his mother with the icon and said, "Look, an icon of St. Me!!"

Then James looked at the icon more carefully. He noticed that St James was holding something in his hand. So little James said, "What am I holding?" His mother explained that it was a bishop's staff. I expected (and really wanted) him to say, "Oh, am I a bishop?" Thankfully, he did not since we'd been through that phase already when our diocesan bishop had visited last summer.

Anyway, James continued to admire the icon. Finally, he announced to his mother, "I like me!"

Consecration of New Altar

2009-02-09T15:38:00.009-05:00

On Saturday, February 14, The Right Reverend Mark (Maymon) will consecrate the new altar at Holy Incarnation Orthodox Church in Lincoln Park. The ceremony will begin at 9:00 a.m. and will be followed immediately with Mass. The consecration will include sealing the relics of St Sebastian into the altar.

To the left is a photo of a portion of the new sanctuary. To the right is a photo detailing the newly built altar. To view more photos of the Sanctuary Project, click here.

"And they worshipped him..."

2009-01-08T16:41:00.002-05:00

The Feast of Our Lord's Epiphany is always, in my mind, an occasion for reflection on worship generally and the Holy Liturgy in particular. After all, the Gospel for Epiphany, both in word and ceremony, highlights the worship of the Christ Child ("...and falling down they adored him [the rubrics direct that, at these words, the celebrant and servers genuflect]...")

My personal reflection this year is aided by this excerpt from a longer essay by one of my brother priests, Fr Stephen Freeman. I share it here with the hope that it will be of benefit to you.

Worship is not:
- a service of outreach by which we seek the lost…
- a hymn-sing in which we lift our voices with our favorite hymns…
- primarily for the benefit of those who attend…
- designed to make me feel closer to God…

I could make this list much longer, but to little good effect. The point, I think, is sufficiently made. But if worship is none of these things, then what is it? A small quote from Archimandrite Zacharias’ Hidden Man of the Heart:

The Divine Liturgy is worship; there is prayer and a whole life there, the life of Christ. In the Holy Eucharist, we accomplish the exchange of our limited and temporal life for the unlimited and infinite life of God. We offer to God a piece of bread and a little wine, but in that bread and wine, we place all our faith, love, humility, expectation of Him, all our life. And we say to God, ‘Thine own of thine own, we offer unto Thee in all and for all.’ We offer to God all our life, having prepared ourselves to come and stand before Him and do this act. And God does the same: He accepts man’s offering and He puts His life - the Holy Spirit - in the gifts, transmaking them into His Body and Blood, in which all the fullness of Divinity is present, and He says to man, ‘The Holy things unto the holy.’ God accepts our gifts and fills them with His life, and He renders them back to us.

His small definition of worship as exchange says far more about what is essential in worship than any possible outward description. The exchange which takes place within worship is a communion, a participation, the engrafting within us of the life of God and the engrafting of our life within Him.

It is perhaps possible to give an objective description of the service of worship - but to do so will have missed the point. To reduce the liturgy purely to the act of the consecration of bread and wine, the transmaking of bread and wine into the Divine Body and Blood - is an impossibility. Nothing can be reduced into the Body and Blood of Christ. The reduction of worship to a thirty minute collection of certain “necessary” elements, towards the end of which believers are given the sacrament not only misses the point of liturgy but threatens to misrepresent worship in the extreme. “Worship” that has no intention of exchange may be many things - but it fails to rise to the level of true worship.

Prayers for Fr Richard John Neuhaus

2009-01-08T09:46:00.005-05:00

UPDATE: Fr Richard John Neuhaus passed away this morning (8 Jan) shortly before 10:00 a.m.

Requiescat in pace. + May his memory be eternal.

=============

(Rdr) Christopher Orr alerts us that last rites have been administered to Fr Richard John Neuhaus.

The writings of Fr Neuhaus have informed and strengthened a good deal of my thinking on moral philosophy and theology, and he has made several shorter comments on ecclesiology which have been quite helpful. When he spoke at a symposium at Concordia Theological Semianry in Forty Wayne, I had the pleasure of meeting Fr Neuhaus and speaking with him briefly, reminding him of his days at Zion Lutheran in Detroit.

His passing, coupled with the recent repose of Avery Cardinal Dulles, would extinguish two of the leading lights for American Catholics.

May the Lord grant him a peaceful repose.

Scenes from Christ Mass Eve

2008-12-31T10:53:00.008-05:00

The sanctuary project at Holy Incarnation is not yet complete, but enough has been completed so that the altar could be repositioned for Christ Mass Eve. Below are scenes from Christ Mass at Holy Incarnation.

Sister Parish in Oklahoma City

2008-12-29T14:00:00.004-05:00

Fr Mark Wallace, the priest of St Andrew Orthodox Church (a Western Rite mission), reports that they celebrated their inaugural Mass in their new location on Christ Mass Eve. What a joy for that parish!

Photographs of the new location and liturgical space may be viewed here.

Thank You

2008-12-25T20:39:00.001-05:00

to the anonymous donor who, once again, generously gave a gift certificate to one of my favorite sites. Your kindness toward me and my family is very much appreciated.

Christ Mass Greetings

2008-12-24T17:05:00.003-05:00

The painting “Adoration of the Kings” by Benedetto Bonfigli (right) depicts the worship of Our Incarnate Lord.

Notice how Our Lord is adored: certainly with gifts and by some on bended knee; but also by the poor as well as the rich, by animals as well as by humans. Notice also how the serene Holy Virgin, who accepts no accolades for herself nor is giddy at what she has done, casts her gaze on her Son. Her joy is contained in Him; and so to Him she looks. And with her dispassionate gaze, she urges us to see and believe that her Son is our joy as well.

Most striking of all, however, is that Bonfigli deigns to include the crucified Lord. As you see Our Lord on the cross, your eye once more has little choice but to follow the lifeless peaceful gaze of the Crucified One to the Holy Child who is blessing all who approach. It is as if the crucified Lord is saying, “For this reason I was born, and for this cause I took human flesh from the pure Virgin—so that I might bless both rich and poor, both pure and sinful, both man and beast.”

Such words should put our heart at ease, and should chase away whatever fear and sadness we presently endure. For the Incarnate Lord is born to put an end to death and misery, and to unite us to His salvation by uniting us firmly to Himself.

May our hearts and minds, in all joy and confidence, ever be reminded, especially this Christ Mass tide, that Our Lord Jesus came into our flesh to unite Himself to our mortality and afflictions and to bear our sin, so that we might share in the blessing of His life, peace and mercy.

And may the richest blessings of this Holy Nativity be with you and yours.

The Icon of the Nativity

2008-12-24T16:58:00.003-05:00

A message from our Bishop alerted me to this explanation of the Icon of Our Lord's Nativity. On the Eve of the Holy Nativity, I share it with you. (Note: the numbers on the icon refer to the numbers in the article below.)

What is the meaning of the icon of the Lord’s Nativity?

In this icon, the whole Gospel message of the incarnation of our Savior from the Virgin Mary is depicted, along with details added from the Holy Tradition. In many Nativity icons there are a multitude of details, in others less. In the diagram above, taken from a drawing for an icon, we can identify at least nine major elements.

The focus of the icon, of course, is on the birth of our Lord from His most pure virgin mother Mary (1). The Blessed Virgin is shown larger than any of the other figures, reclining on a mat or blankets, and looking not at her new-born Son, but rather with love and compassion towards her spouse, St. Joseph the Betrothed (8), and seeing his affliction and bewilderment over this most strange and divine birth. He is shown in the left bottom corner, conversing with Satan (7), disguised as an elderly, hunchback shepherd. The posture of St Joseph is one of doubt and inner trouble, for he wondered if it might be possible that the conception and birth were not by some secret human union. How blessed he was to serve the Mother of God and her divine Son, in spite of these thoughts and temptations, and to protect her from the evil gossip of the people who could not yet possibly understand so great a mystery. Tradition relates that Joseph was an elderly widower, thus having white hair and beard. Our Lord is shown in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger, “for there was no room for them in the inn” (cf. Luke 2). The back-drop for the manger is a dark cave (3), which immediately reminds us of the cave in which our Lord was buried 33 years later, wrapped in a shroud. In the cave are an ox and ass, details not mentioned by the Gospels, but which are an invariable feature of every icon of the Nativity. The scene is included to show the fulfillment of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “the ox knows his Owner, and the ass his Master’s crib, but Israel does not know Me, and the people has not regarded Me” (Isaiah 1:3). Above this central composition, in the very center of the icon is the wondrous star (2) coming from heaven, which led the Magi (6) to the place where our Savior lay. Tradition speaks of the Magi being representative of all mankind: one being young (beardless), one being middle-aged (in the center of the group, and one being elderly (closest to the cave). The star reminds us of the heavenly orb we see on icons of the Theophany, or Pentecost, wherever divine intervention is indicated. The cow (animals) and star illustrate that all creation rejoices at the birth of the Messiah: the lowly and the great, the earthly and the heavenly.

The holy angels (4) are seen both glorifying God and bringing the good tidings of the Lord’s birth to the shepherds (5) who look in awe at the angles. The fact that Jewish shepherds and heathen magi were among the first to worship our Lord shows us the universality of this great event, meant for the salvation of all mankind.

The final detail of this icon, the scene of the washing of the Lord (9) is an element that has caused some controversy over the ages. In some churches of the holy monasteries of Mount Athos, the scene in the frescoes has been deliberately obliterated and replaced with bushes or shepherds. There was a prevailing opinion that this scene was degrading to Christ, who had no need of washing, being born in a miraculous manner from a pure virgin. But we retain this image on our icons, being part of the holy tradition passed on to us; truly it does not degrade the Lord, but magnifies Him, as is evident in the prayer that is appointed to be read at the time of Baptism for the midwife of a child: (from the Old-rite Potrebnik, 2nd Prayer for the midwife) “O Master, Lord our God… Who didst lie in a manger and didst bless the midwife Salome who came to believe in an honorable virginity…” (According to Tradition, Salome was a daughter of St Joseph by his previous marriage.) Who, more effectively than a midwife, could testify to the divine and virginal birth? Therefore we do well to understand the importance of this blessed scene.

Finally, as we look at the icon as one united composition, we can only be filled with joy, not only because of the bright colors and the festive activity depicted thereon, but for the joyous news of our salvation so clearly proclaimed by it. In it, all creation rejoices at the birth of our Lord: the heavens (a star and angels); the earth (the mountains, plants and animals), and especially mankind, represented most perfectly in the figure of the new Eve, the most pure Mother of God.

Christ is Born! Let Us Glorify Him!

Avery Cardinal Dulles, RIP

2008-12-12T12:07:00.002-05:00

The Jesuit America Magazine reports that Avery Cardinal Dulles, son of the late John Foster Dulles and one of America's foremost Catholic theologians, passed away this morning.

Dr Dulles is famous for his writings, particularly his popular book on the church. He also wrote several articles for FIRST THINGS.

May he, and all the souls of the faithful departed, rest in peace.

Understanding St John & His Question

2008-12-11T12:27:00.003-05:00

At issue is the question the disciples of St John the Baptizer bring to Jesus; namely, "Are you the Coming One or should we look for another?" (cf Mt 11.2ff) The question is whose question this is? Is St John sending his disciples to Jesus to voice his own internal doubts and fears as he sits in prison with execution hanging over his head? Or is St John answering their doubts and fears as they wrestle with the mercy of God hidden within St John's impending decolation?

The church fathers teach that St John is not raising his own doubts, but is gently guiding his disciples to seek an answer to their doubts. For what it's worth, Martin Luther agrees. However, an existentialist reading (i.e., projecting what we would do, seeing ourselves as St John, making ourselves the subject of the inquiry), which became common after the Reformation (see Kierkegaard, et al.), suggests that St John is not so pious as to be above doubts and fears; in fact, to deny the possible doubts and fears to St John is to deny his "humanity" and, perhaps, call into question his need to be "saved from original sin" (assuming, of course, that original sin is the primary thing from which one needs to be saved).

In his characteristic manner, a friend offers a clear view of the "question behind the question" (i.e., which tradition is running one's hermeneutics).

As in so many other questions, it’s hard to separate an honest and open exegesis of the text from what we have theologically at stake in the answer. What is at stake here is: “Is John the baptist freed from original sin on this side of glory?”

You can see that the traditional answer to that question is Yes by looking at the Calendar. Only three people have liturgical celebrations of their physical birth: Jesus (Dec. 25), Mary (Sept. 8), John the Baptist (June 24). Normal saints are celebrated on their death days - their heavenly birthday... As explained in Weiser’s Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs, that John and Mary get additional days for their physical births reflects the church’s ancient belief that Mary and John were cleansed of original sin before birth: thus John can leap in the womb and be full of the Spirit even there, and in Mary’s case, many believed that she was preserved from original sin altogether. ...

So, that’s what is lying behind this argument for many people. If you are invested in John being cleansed of original sin in the womb, you simply cannot understand him to be wavering in doubt. If you are invested in John being “just another sinner” then you will really want to jump on this verse as “proving” your point.

But I do not think that this verse can profitably act as a fulcrum to pry an opponent into one’s own camp. One’s opponent reads this verse (as oneself does) in light of a prior commitment: is John cleansed from original sin in this life ahead of the Consummation?

Understanding the "simul doctrine"

2008-12-11T11:24:00.004-05:00

A good friend has made the claim that "Luther's simul [justus et peccator] doctrine...is [not] at home in the East." (Simul justus et peccator means "righteous and sinner simultaneously.") I offer the following points for consideration:

The Orthodox rejection of the medieval notions distorting the patristic understanding of sin does not necessarily negate the understanding that the man of faith is simultaneously righteous and sinner.
The Orthodox principle of theosis (that the Christian is in communion with and participates in God by faith) does not necessarily negate the understanding that the man of faith is simultaneously righteous and sinner.
The Orthodox teaching that man, by God's grace, "works out his salvation with fear and trembling" (synergy) does not necessarily negate the understanding that the man of faith is simultaneously righteous and sinner.
The clearest evidence for the three points above is found in the pre-communion prayers (both Byzantine and Western rites) which acknolwledge both man's unworthiness to approach God while, simultaneously, acknowledge the faithful man's participation in the Eucharist due to God's mercy. Such prayers (as well as other prayers and the teachings of the fathers on these points) are incomprehensible without a lively understanding that the man of faith is simultaneously righteous and sinner.

The Conception of the BVM - Some Thoughts

2008-12-10T14:17:00.005-05:00

My dear friend, Rev Dr Burnell (Fritz) Eckardt, a Lutheran minister, ponders and debates within his mind (for all to see) whether he should institute in his parish the formerly Lutheran custom of celebrating the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In no particular order, I've suggested the following points for his consideration:

1. The Feast of the Conception of the BVM (as it is known in Orthodox churches, and was previously known to Lutherans) is not tied up in notions of (original) sin or guilt (which, popularly amongst Rome, seems to mathematical), but is yet another opportunity to exalt the human nature in Christ.

2. Three (and only three) nativities are celebrated by the Church: Christ, Mary and St John the Baptizer. In the same way, three conceptions are also celebrated (25 March, 8 Dec, 25 Sept). Asking why only these nativities are celebrated might lead one to consider why celebrating the conceptions is important.

3. The Marian feasts, generally, not only exalt the human nature in Christ, but also God's magnificent mercy; namely, that He deigns to save man. ("What is man, that thou art mindful of him?")

4. That the Gospel reading for the Feast in the historic Western tradition is Mt 1.1-16 (exalting the ancestry of the Christ) should be instructive.

5. The icon "The Conception of the Theotokos" (above) teaches a story told five previous times; namely, that in the ancestry of Jesus, God intervenes with a miraculous conception and birth for a barren woman. (Sarah-Isaac, Rebecca-Jacob/Esau, Rachel-Joseph, Samon's mother-Samon, Hannah-Samuel, Anna-Mary, Elizabeth-John -- all leading to the ultimate conception; namely, the conception and birth for a woman who "knows not a man").

Scenes from Last Night's Mass

2008-12-09T19:08:00.012-05:00

The Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary was celebrated last evening (8 Dec) at Holy Incarnation Orthodox Church. Bishop MARK, our diocesan Bishop, presided at both Vespers and Mass. He then spoke encouraging words to the parishioners concerning the progress of the Sanctuary Project.

Photographs of the evening candlelight Mass can be viewed here.

Condolences from a Metropolitan

2008-12-06T22:06:00.002-05:00

Metropolitan PHILIP, of the Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, has penned a letter of condolence at the repose of Patriarch ALEXY II. You may read the Metropolitan's letter here.

Patient Preparation (the Advent fast)

2008-12-06T21:36:00.002-05:00

Like little children impatiently staring at the presents under a Christmass tree we eagerly await the celebration of Our Lord’s Nativity. Yet our kind and loving Mother Church gently but firmly urges us not to celebrate too soon but to remain patient. For those who begin the celebration too soon do not celebrate with the fulsome joy of those who have patiently waited with fasting and prayer. And those who know no patience have set their hearts and stomachs on the worldly distraction which threaten to overtake the true spiritual benefits of Christ Mass. Therefore, patient preparation is the Church’s exhortation: “Not yet, but soon!” So let us force our fleshly desires and our impatience to submit to the Church’s wise counsel.

Bishop to Visit Holy Incarnation

2008-12-02T20:07:00.004-05:00

His Grace Bishop MARK will preside at Holy Incarnation as the parish joints the Church in celebrating the Feast of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary next Monday (8 December).

Vespers begins at 5:30 p.m., and Mass will be celebrated at 6:00 p.m.

During His Grace's visit, Bishop MARK will inspect the work on the Sanctuary project.

Note: In the Western tradition, the Conception of the BVM is commemorated on 8 December, while in the Byzantine tradition this feast is commemorated on 9 December.

Holy Incarnation Featured

2008-12-02T19:29:00.005-05:00

Holy Incarnation Orthodox Church is featured on the Diocese of Toledo website. Read about the history of Holy Incarnation, and view various pictures.

This is not the world we ought to desire

2008-11-30T21:01:00.005-05:00

Advent Sunday was commemorated today at Holy Incarnation Orthodox Church. Below is a portion of the sermon. The full sermon can be accessed at the Holy Incarnation blog.

Our Blessed Lord Jesus has often instructed us in the true delights of the heart. He has told us how great His love is for us, how He has mercy on us, how intimately He unites us to Himself by His Spirit, how He has stored up riches for us, and how earnestly He longs us for us join His saints and angels in His heavenly kingdom. And when we hear these things, how our hearts burn within us! And how our desire fades for this world and this world’s good!

Yet now, with that same deep compassion and undying love, Our Lord today warns us that we may lose these riches and His kingdom. For while Our Lord God will never quit His love for us, and will never leave us nor forsake us, He knows that we can become so enwrapped in the cares and occupations of our life, in our pursuit for fleeting honors, and in satisfying our present appetite, that we lose our focus and so may miss out on the things that truly make for our peace. Our Lord knows that we can become so preoccupied with ourselves and our own anxieties that we forget all that He has given us and promised to us; and live unmindful that this is not the world we ought to desire.

Of my daughter I shall boast...

2008-11-28T15:46:00.004-05:00

This past Sunday I stepped off the plane and was driven directly to Alexander Recital Hall on the Eastern Michigan University campus to hear my eldest daughter, Johannah, play her senior recital. After only seven semesters Johannah will graduate in a few weeks with a double major in Applied Music and Math. She intends to be an actuary by day, and a chamber or local symphony violist by night.

Johannah is pictured with her father (an Orthodox priest) and her grandfather (a retired Lutheran minister).

Why Seminarians attend Seminary

2008-11-27T17:57:00.002-05:00

I am increasingly impressed with the words Metropolitan Jonah speaks. The newly elected OCA primate recently visited St Vladimir's Seminary as its new president (by virtue of his election as Metropolitan). Most impressive, I find, is this description of why seminarians should attend the seminary:

Seminarians do not come to theological schools to become 'professionals' and to be 'respected,' but rather to be crucified and thereby shine forth the light of Christ.

This Year's Reflection on the Rubrics

2008-11-15T14:00:00.004-05:00

For the past 10-15 years, I’ve had the annual habit of carefully reading through the rubrics for the ordinary of the Mass. Well, it’s that time of year again, and so I’ve been reading through Fr John Mangels' well written manual "How to Celebrate Low Mass."

When I was a Lutheran and read the rubrics, without much thought or attention I would skip over or edit those rubrics which I determined did not apply to the Lutheran liturgy. Among other things, that means I skipped nearly everything having to do with the canon of the Mass, and all the “ostentatious” rubrics about tones of voice, types of bows, etc. Of course, I would do the same with the liturgy itself. If I lifted some particular feast or text from the Roman or Anglican Missal, I would edit these to fit what I determined was the “Lutheran ethos.” (Honestly, I also did the same when reading the church fathers, aloud or privately.) It was only after I determined that I was not smart enough to correct or edit the church’s liturgy and tradition that I truly began to become Orthodox. The same applies to the rubrics. I’m simply not smart enough to know what to omit or change; and, frankly, the more I follow the rubrics as received within the Western tradition, the more I see not only the practical but also theological wisdom which they contain.

That is what previous reflections on the rubrics have led me to. This year’s reading of the rubrics, however, has reminded me of one of the key principles in liturgy; namely, that since the tradition (i.e., the liturgy) is a living tradition, it is not learned from a book. Rather, the book merely reminds one of what one has seen or witnessed from other celebrants.

But what if, like me, one did not grow up witnessing the traditional Mass? All the bows, tones of voice, movements of the hands, etc seem so foreign and like so much unnecessary (and, at times, overly showy) “folderol.” They certainly don’t seem to fit our modern mindset. So one is tempted to jettison them.

Yet my three year old has taught me something else. All he knows liturgically is the Mass that he’s seen me celebrate. So, from time to time when he’s in the mood to “play church,” I’ll catch him speaking nonsense while conscientiously mimicking all the bows and gestures. He’s begun to learn the tradition—and simply by watching! I envy him that. At the same time, his mimickings are urging me to be ever much more careful in how I celebrate the Mass. For, like it or not, I’m passing on the tradition to him in a way that I never received; and I’d hate for him to have to relearn something because I was careless in my teaching when I was at the altar. Worse yet, I’m not sure I could stand the judgment in his tone when, later, he would either say, “Why didn’t you follow the tradition” or “If you can omit that gesture, why can’t we also omit this or that teaching”?

You see, that’s where “cafeteria Christianity” begins. Not in the philosophy of religion; that is, not when one is taught or determines that certain dogmas or morals don’t apply. Rather, the notion to adopt “cafeteria Christianity” (“which we used to call heresy”—Peter Kreeft) begins when three year olds mimic the priest celebrating Mass, and then later learn that the priest had the hubris to edit the traditional bows or gestures or tones of voice. And then these three year olds, when older, begin to ask themselves “Why didn’t the priest follow the tradition” and “If he can omit that gesture, why can’t we also omit this or that teaching”?

And if One Never Lives...?

2008-11-01T22:22:00.002-04:00

With the election looming, and a proposal favoring embryonic stem cell research on the Michigan ballot, discussions in the philosophy and theology classes I teach have become lively. Not heated, just lively.

Like all high schools, these Catholic school students seek to understand by pushing the limits. More often than not, I repeat the clear logic I heard Dr Peter Kreeft present at a local Catholic parish earlier in October. It goes like this:

Life, liberty and the pursuit of prosperity/happiness are set in a specific order. How can one pursue prosperity or happiness if one has not liberty? And how can one pursue liberty is one has no life? Therefore, of the three, life is the greatest moral good.

I believe that, amongst all the very important issues in this year's presidential campaign, that greatest moral good of life must always reign firm. Of course, one could argue (as many do) that the war in Iraq is a life-issue. So are, to greater or lesser degrees, the policies touching upon poverty, healthcare and the like. But these are to greater or lesser degrees. To the greatest degree is that one can live.

Again, Dr Kreeft offers clear logic when he asserts that the war in Iraq is a key life issue, but what good is saving a soldier's life if we allow the destruction of the life of one who never had a chance to be a soldier--or anything else?

Recently, the Most Reverend Joseph Martino, Catholic Bishop of Scranton, offered the same clarity in a Pastoral Letter:

Another argument goes like this: “As wrong as abortion is, I don't think it is the only relevant ‘life’ issue that should be considered when deciding for whom to vote.” This reasoning is sound only if other issues carry the same moral weight as abortion does, such as in the case of euthanasia and destruction of embryos for research purposes. Health care, education, economic security, immigration, and taxes are very important concerns. Neglect of any one of them has dire consequences as the recent financial crisis demonstrates. However, the solutions to problems in these areas do not usually involve a rejection of the sanctity of human life in the way that abortion does. Being “right” on taxes, education, health care, immigration, and the economy fails to make up for the error of disregarding the value of a human life. Consider this: the finest health and education systems, the fairest immigration laws, and the soundest economy do nothing for the child who never sees the light of day.

Which Saints on All Saints?

2008-11-01T20:35:00.002-04:00

On All Saints Day, the Church does not celebrate all those who were baptized, particularly the faithful who are still living. For the Church does not use the word “saint” lightly. Therefore, she does not refer to any or every Christian as a “saint.” Rather, the word “saint” is reserved for those who have led exemplary lives of holiness. And as a mark of their holiness, these men and women would not see themselves as saints. Rather, they would see themselves as unworthy of this honor.

It is not a mark of pride, then, but a recognition of godly humility when a person is canonized (officially recognized) as a “saint.” And it is a witness to all the faithful that we should strive not to be saints, but to live humbly, “soberly, and justly, and godly in this world, looking for the blessed hope and coming of the glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.” (Ti 2.12-13)

The greatest honor bestowed upon a saint, then, is to imitate that person’s life. And there are two things in particular that we should strive to imitate so that we might worthily commemorate the saints.

First, all saints—whether known or unknown—freely confessed Christ and His unending mercy by willingly sacrificing their life. Many of the saints made this confession by spilling their blood as martyrs. Others, however, did not receive the crown of martyrdom, but nevertheless made a great confession by sacrificing all that they had and all that they were for the love of God and the love of all men.

To commemorate the saints by imitation, then, means that we adopt this same attitude of self-sacrifice; that we become willing to give up all our possessions, all our ambitions, all our desires, even our own life if necessary, in order to attain the kingdom of heaven. That is how the saints lived and died; and we honor them by living as they did.

Secondly, all saints strove not for fame, but for humility. All of them desired to be known not for their deeds or writings. Rather, they desired simply to gain true life by losing their lives in a life dedicated to repentance. For they saw themselves as unworthy of even the least of Christ’s mercies, and so lived St. Paul’s creed: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” (1 Tim 1.15)

To commemorate the saints rightly, then, means that we adopt their spirit of repentance and humility; that we strive not to impress others, but instead strive to divest ourselves of all pride and self-serving desires. To live knowing that no one is worse than we are, that all are more deserving, and that the Lord should first save everyone else, even the worst sinner—that is the saints’ spirit of humility and repentance that we should strive to imitate. And whenever we do, we truly honor them.

Bishop to Ordain former Lutheran pastor

2008-10-30T11:54:00.003-04:00

On Sunday, 14 December, Bishop MARK of the Diocese of Toledo & the Midwest will ordain Daniel Hackney to the diaconate at St James Orthodox Church in Williamston MI. Subdeacon Hackney is a former Lutheran pastor who visited Holy Incarnation several times before becoming Orthodox. He has been studying at St Tikhon Seminary.

Website Updated

2008-10-27T18:17:00.001-04:00

The Holy Incarnation website has been updated.

Among the new sections are the following:

• A page of photos
• Information about the Sanctuary Renovation Project which is currently underway
• A wish list
• The ability to donate online using PayPal

You are encouraged to visit the website today!

Inaudible Canon

2008-09-29T16:48:00.001-04:00

Yesterday when celebrating Mass, the canon was, for the most part, inaudible. Not because I didn’t say the words aloud. As the rubrics direct, I always say the words aloud. Some days the canon is louder than other days, but it always loud enough for the altar servers to hear—which, in our small space, means that nearly everyone can hear the canon.

Yesterday, however, my voice was not as strong as usual. That, however, did not render the canon inaudible. Its inaudibility was the result of noisy little children. They were babbling, crying, screaming—you know, what little ones tend to do. Of course, leading the charge was my own. The mothers, bless their hearts, did not rush the children out of the nave when their children acted up. They’ve agreed that, as much as possible, children should remain during the Mass instead of being sequestered or unseen, particularly because they are communicants (i.e., full-fledged members of the community). On other occasions, the parents have whisked unruly children out for a time. However, they’ve heeded my encouragement that the holiest moment of the Mass should not be interrupted with unnecessary movement.

Therefore, the canon was difficult to hear—or was not heard at all. Nevertheless (as often happens), those in the habit of saying the “Amens” did so without hindrance because they knew what was being said, even if they did not hear every word. And, as never ceases to amaze me, the children were remarkably quiet during both the words of Christ and elevation. (Bells have a way of fascinating the youngest.)

Living with Mistakes

2008-09-07T20:53:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Ryan T. Anderson for directing me, and many others, to these words by Will Saletan:

Remember that before you judge or poke fun at Sarah Palin[, s]he’s not the candidate whose daughter messed up. She’s the candidate who didn’t get rid of the mess.

Merits: Part II

2008-08-18T17:01:00.003-04:00

In his comment on my previous post about the word merits, my friend Fr Gregory Hogg suggests that "any introduction of the concept will inevitably bring distortions in theology," and then states that, "We may recognize that at one time, the word could be used in a profitable way; but later developments have rendered the use of the word misleading at best."

In the first place, I think that if any introduction will bring distortions, then there was never a time when the word merit could be used profitably; OR, if there was a time when it could be used profitably, then it is not inevitable that any (or every) introduction of the concept or term will bring distortions in theology.

In the second place, Fr Gregory helpfully leads us to ask the following question:

When does a word become so helplessly distorted that the rehabilitation of its proper use must be abandoned?

Commemorating the Dormition & Assumption of the BVM

2008-08-17T07:07:00.004-04:00

On Friday, the Feast of the Dormition (falling asleep) and Assumption (ascension) of the Blessed Virgin Mary was celebrated in Orthodox and Catholic churches. Among the Orthodox, this feast was preceded by a fast (2 weeks of abstention in the Eastern Rite; one strict-fast day in the Western Rite). This fast will continue to be commemorated throughout the week until the commemoration climaxes with the Octave (Western) or Leave-Taking (Eastern).

An apt and comprehensive description of the importance and meaning of this feast is provided in the The Prologue from Ohrid by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich, which I reproduce below. A hymn of praise and other devotional material can be located here.

The Lord Who, on Mt. Sinai, commanded by His Fifth Commandment: "Honor your father and your mother" (Exodus 20:12), showed by His own example how one should respect one's parent. Hanging on the Cross in agony, He remembered His mother and indicating to the Apostle John, said to her: "Woman behold your son" (St. John 19:26). After that, He said to John: "Behold your mother" (St. John 19:27). And so providing for His mother, He breathed His last. John had a home on Zion in Jerusalem in which the Theotokos settled and remained there to live out the end of her days on earth. By her prayers, gentle counsels, meekness and patience, she greatly assisted the apostles of her Son.

Primarily, she spent her entire time in Jerusalem often visiting those places which reminded her of the great events and of the great works of her Son. She especially visited Golgotha, Bethlehem and the Mount of Olives. Of her distant journeys, her visit to St. Ignatius the Theophorus [God-bearer] in Antioch is mentioned, as well as her visit to Lazarus (whom our Lord resurrected on the fourth day), the Bishop of Cyprus, her visit to the Holy Mountain [Athos] which she blessed and her stay in Ephesus with St. John the Evangelist [The Theologian] during the time of the great persecution of Christians in Jerusalem.

In her old age, she often prayed to the Lord and her God on the Mount of Olives, the site of His Ascension, that He take her from this world as soon as possible. On one occasion, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her and revealed to her that within three days she will find repose. The angel gave her a palm-branch to be carried at the time of her funeral procession. She returned to her home with great joy, desiring in her heart once more to see in this life, all of the apostles of Christ. The Lord fulfilled her wish and all of the apostles, borne by angels in the clouds, gathered at the same time at the home of John on Zion. With great rejoicing, she saw the holy apostles, encouraged them, counseled them and comforted them. Following that, she peacefully gave up her soul to God without any pain or physical illness.

The apostles took the coffin with her body from which an aromatic fragrance emitted and, in the company of many Christians, bore it to the Garden of Gethsemane to the sepulchre of [her parents], Saints Joachim and Anna. By God's Providence, they were concealed from the evil Jews by a cloud. Anthony, a Jewish priest, grabbed the coffin with his hands with the intention of overturning it but, at that moment, an angel of God severed both his hands. He then cried out to the apostles for help and was healed since [he] declar[ed] his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Thomas was absent, again according to God's Providence, in order that a new and all-glorious mystery of the Holy Theotokos would again be revealed. On the third day, Thomas arrived and desired to venerate [kiss] the body of the Holy All-pure one. But when the apostles opened the sepulchre, they found only the winding sheet and the body was not in the tomb. That evening, the Theotokos appeared to the apostles surrounded by a myriad of angels and said to them: "Rejoice, I will be with you always". It is not exactly known how old the Theotokos was at the time of her Falling Asleep but the overwhelming opinion is that she was over sixty years of age.

Merits of the Saints?!

2008-08-10T21:48:00.003-04:00

St Peter Chrysologus concludes his sermon on the life of St Lawrence with this reference to the merits of the saints:

Therefore let us honor and esteem the merits of the martyrs as being the gifts of God. Let us beg for them, and add the inclination of our own will.

Most often, traditional Roman Catholics defend, and Orthodox and Protestants polemicists decry, the term "merits" within the medieval matrix of "supererogatory works" and "treasury of the saints." St Peter Chrysologus, however, is certainly not medieval, and does not, to my mind, evidence "pre-medieval" tendencies (whatever these may be). Hence, his use of the term "merits" suggests that, perhaps, there is a proper use of the term that neither reactively requires its deletion nor unthinkingly compels it to be understood in a scholastic context.

This suggestion is strengthened by hearing St Peter's use within the larger context:

My brethren, let no one arrogate to his own ability that which no one save God gives. When the Apostle was addressing the martyrs, rightly did he say what you heard when his Epistle was read today: 'You have been given the favor on Christ's behalf--not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him.' Therefore let us honor and esteem the merits of the martyrs as being the gifts of God. Let us beg for them, and add the inclination of our own will. For, our will follows; it does not take the lead. Nevertheless, charity is not lacking if our will is not lacking, for the eager will itself is called charity. Who is there who willingly fears? Who is there who unwillingly loves? May prayer be fervent, and let the feast of this martyr be celebrated. But let everyone who celebrates also imitate him, that the celebrating may not be idle. (Source)

Caveat: I don't have access to the Latin, only Ganss' translation. Perhaps the translation is misleading.

Defining Faith

2008-07-14T10:33:00.003-04:00

The word "faith" is variously defined and is used poplularly in many different ways. In addition, in theological or religious studies, the word "faith" is narrowly or broadly defined, depending on how it is distinguished from "belief" or other synonyms. One helpful synonym that I often use is "trust." However, these definitions, while helpful, tend toward the abstract. In other words, they don't give an experiential picture of what it means to have faith.

Let me suggest, then, the following working definition:

Faith is living against the fears and doubts that arise from the flaws, imperfections, disappointments and afflictions brought on us by others or ourselves.

The devil plays on these turmoils to increase fear and doubt in our mind and soul. To live against these is to live as if they will not control either our life in God or our love for another. For to let them control us is to fall into pride and selfishness--which is the mother of fear since fear is fundamentally the child of the the lie that we matter most.

Morey & Orthodoxy

2008-07-10T13:26:00.002-04:00

A brother priest yesterday brought to my attention that Robert A. Morey's book "Is Eastern Orthodoxy Christian?" has recently received some laudatory "air-time" in a recently weekly publication distributed to various Lutherans (and others). I've not read this book, and know nothing of Morey except what he has written about himself and what I found here.

What I found interesting are the reviews or comments to his book as they appear near the bottom of the Amazon website.

The brother priest asked if a response to the publication would be helpful. Knowing the publication and its desire not to inform but to promote a certain view of Lutheranism, and its propensity of twisting words, I suggested that my brother priest leave it alone. Having now skimmed the outline and the reviews, my suggestion remains firmly entrenched.

Errors of Time

2008-07-10T12:04:00.002-04:00

So what do the Lutheran debates about the "moment" of consecration (or the endurability of the enduring Eucharistic presence) have in common with the current Anglican/Episcopalian angst that they are no longer--or are not--Church? I believe, with Fr Hogg, that there is a common thread and, with him, also connect that thread to other errors. In fact, I'll press the point a bit further--ultimately the errors that Fr Hogg identifies are rooted in a form of Nestorianism. (You see, in the end its all about Christology.)

Let me suggest that, at root, Nestorianism, as well as the other errors, are errors of time. That is, they are errors because they are attempts by man to bind eternal divine mysteries to a particular point of time. Time, of course, is a creature, and the passing (or winding down) of time is an indication of death. Hence, by binding eternal mysteries to a particular point of time, the divine is forced to be a creature, and life is forced to deal with death on death's terms.

"Forced to be" is a specifically chosen phrase in order to indicate that man is insisting that God and His mysteries answer to our way of thinking. But that is not the right order of things. The right order is that God assumes humanity, and life swallows up death. Hence, moments of time are transformed into eternal realities--rather than eternal realities being confined to time. Therefore, the mystery of Christ's incarnation, His mystical Supper, His mystical Body, etc. are divine mysteries which, by locating themselves within time, thereby transform time.

The clearest indication of this is the sacrifice of Christ which takes a particular moment (the crucifixion) and "crashes it down" at all times and in all places during the Mass/Divine Liturgy.

Much of this, as you'll notice, depends upon St Augustine's brilliant analysis of time, by which He shows that events in time can become, by God's mercy, the "eternal now."

Thoughts on Today's Blog Reading

2008-07-10T11:43:00.005-04:00

My busy summer schedule has not permitted me much time to attend to my blog. Yet today, for whatever reason, I took the time to read a few of my favorite blogs. My attention was first caught by an inter-Lutheran debate on how long the Body and Blood of Christ remain the Body and Blood of Christ. Having once entered into these debates, I read extensively various sources. In the end, I found--and still find--them to be rather tedious since the debate often boils down to "my Martin trumps your Martin." See here, here, here and here if you're interested.

That bit of reading led me elsewhere. I read the angst of Church of England bishops (see here, here and here) who are distraught both (a) that the latest final straw has been reached in discovering that the Church of England is not the Church, and (b) that Rome (no mention of Orthodoxy) does not accept them as the Church.

I sympathize with these bishops (as I do also with the above mentioned Lutherans) because I know from experience how hard it is, in the midst of debate or angst, to step back and see what seems clear to others.

Finally, I was led to Fr Gregory Hogg's blog. He seems to be commenting on these, and other, discussions when he suggests a similarity in the line of thought between the errors of "receptionism," the Protestant definition of visible/invisible (or hidden/revealed, if you prefer) Church, Nestorianism, Barthianism, etc. I think he's on to something, but he admits he is having difficulty classifing the similarities.

One commentator suggested that the common theme is reductionism. What I suggest is my next post. So "stay tuned." :)

Yesterday's Requiem

2008-07-04T12:38:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, our dear friend and mentor, the Very Reverend Fathers David (Charles) Lynch, was laid to rest.

Presiding from the throne was His Grace, Bishop MARK. The celebrant was the Rt. Rev. John Mangels, the predecessor and successor to Fr David at St Augustine of Hippo Orthodox Church in Denver. Assisting were Fr. Nicholas Alford of St Gregory the Great Orthodox Church in Washington DC and yours truly. Fr John Connely of St Mark Orthodox Church in Denver assisted at the interment and, with Subdeacon Benjamin Anderson, formed the Schola. Fr Patrick Reardon of All Saints Orthodox Church was the homilist. Several other Orthodox clergy from the Antiochian Archdiocese and the Orthodox Church in America were also in attendance.

The Repose of the V. Rev. Fr. David Lynch

2008-06-30T15:11:00.002-04:00

His Grace, Bishop MARK, has informed us that the Very Reverend Father David Lynch fell asleep in the Lord last evening (29 June).

Fr. David was a sometime member of the Church of the Incarnation before it was received into the Orthodox Church. He served as one of my ordination sponsors in February 2007. And in April 2007 he was celebrant at the first Easter Mass at Holy Incarnation.

Please remember Fr David, his wife Martha, and his children in your prayers today.

Requiescat in pace.

How Very Interesting

2008-06-14T22:18:00.002-04:00

It intrigues me that one of the most serious and kindly critics of “What Options” recently became Roman Catholic.

Read about it here.

Easter Photos from a Sister Parish

2008-05-18T19:04:00.001-04:00

Being the only Midwestern Orthodox parish in the Western tradition can sometimes produce feelings of loneliness. When that occurs, it is good to “connect” electronically with our sister Western Rite parishes.

As one means of making such a “connection,” this link is provided. It provides photos from this year’s Paschal celebration at St. Michael’s Orthodox Church in Whittier, California.

HT: Western Orthodoxy

Christ Killed What Was Killing Everyone

2008-04-26T18:58:00.011-04:00

In anticipation of Pascha, I offer the following from our Holy Father among the saints Peter Chrysologus:

Christ accepted death so that death would die. Christ, by being killed, killed what was killing everyone. Christ entered the tomb in order to open up hell. So, having abolished the authority of death, having destroyed the prison of hell, and having annihilated the very power of death, Christ now should not be anointed as a dead man, but should be adored as Victor.

Source

For Bill, Matthew, et al.

2008-04-13T13:29:00.003-04:00

Below are photographs of the interior of Holy Incarnation. These photos were taken during Lauds and Mass on Passion Sunday, 13 April 2008. They show our temporary arrangement of the liturgical space.

The altar was the “Lady Altar” (a side altar) at the former Incarnation Orthodox Church in Detroit.

We are currently considering bids which have been presented for permanent remodeling of the interior.

Orthodox Holy Week

2008-04-08T20:29:00.003-04:00

For those who might be interested, here is the Holy Week & Easter Week schedule for Holy Incarnation Orthodox Church.

Prayers

2008-04-06T18:00:00.003-04:00

"I will always have a place in my heart for the people of Zion. This is the parish, and you are the people, I will always love." (Oct 2006)

The good people of Zion, with their pastor, are in my prayers.

On the Reading of Parish Newsletters

2008-04-06T17:57:00.003-04:00

Parish Newsletter don't always make the most exciting reading. Nevertheless, for the interested or curious, Holy Incarnation now has a monthly parish newsletter. It's called The Chanticleer and can be accessed here.

Patronal or Titular Feast?

2008-03-25T10:08:00.003-04:00

Subdeacon Lucas asked if today, the Feast of the Annunciation, is the Patronal Feast for Holy Incarnation. Well, yes. Our Bishop has declared that the Feast of the Annunciation is the annual "Patronal Feast" for Holy Incarnation Orthodox Church.

But it seems more proper, both in the Western tradition and given the name of our parish, to call today our Titular Feast or Feast of Title. Why? A Patronal Feast is the Feast of the Saint who is the patron of the parish. For example, if a parish is named "St Boniface, Apostle to the Germans, Orthodox Church" (wouldn't that be nice!), then the Patronal Feast would be 5 June, the Commemoration of St Boniface. It would be not only the "name day" of the parish, but also understood that St Boniface prays for the parish and that the parish has a special devotion to St Boniface.

However, Holy Incarnation is named for a mystery, not a saint. And while our Patron Saint (as decreed by our Bishop) is the Blessed Virgin Mary, the particular mystery to which we are, by name, attached would be either the Feast of the Nativity or the Feast of the Annunciation. (Another possibility would be the Feast of the Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary, should this feast be observed in our Vicariate.)

Regardless of which Feast the Bishop would have chosen, it would have seemed odd to term that day "Patronal Feast," since neither Christ Mass nor Annunciation are patrons. Hence, we have taken to call it by the name common in the West; namely, the Titular Feast.

At Holy Incarnation, we celebrated our Titular Feast last evening with First Vespers of the Annunciation followed by the Mass. The celebration was rather low-key on purpose for a number of reasons. We look forward to a grander celebration in the years to come.

All Quiet on the Southeastern (Michigan) Front?

2008-03-25T10:03:00.005-04:00

Since I teach at a Catholic High School, I've been on Easter break. But I haven't written because I've been busy with contractors as well as doing inventory and moving items from storage, and then setting up our temporary liturgical space in the new building.

No pictures yet because (a) everything is not in place and (b) we're kind of slow about these things anyway.

"Let us Exult over the Crafty Reptile"

2008-03-15T20:18:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow, Orthodox Christians in the Western tradition will commemorate the First Sunday in Lent. As they do so, they will hear St Paul's exhortation: "That ye receive not the grace of God in vain." They will also hear the narrative of Our Lord fasting, and then being tempted by the devil in the wilderness.

The following words from St Cyril of Alexandria address the victory Our Lord achieved for mankind by His fasting and temptation.

[The Lord] arose and helped [us], having taken the form of a slave, and being made in the likeness of men: for so did He as one of us set Himself as an avenger in our stead, against that murderous and rebellious serpent, who had brought sin upon us, and thereby had caused corruption and death to reign over the dwellers upon earth, that we by His means, and in Him, might gain the victory, whereas of old we were vanquished, and fallen in Adam.

Come therefore and let us praise the Lord, and sing psalms unto God our Saviour: let us trample Satan under foot; let us raise the shout of victory over him now he is thrown and fallen: let us exult over the crafty reptile, caught in an inextricable snare: let us too say of him in the words of the prophet Jeremiah, “How is the hammer of all the earth broken and beaten small! Thou art found and hast been taken, because thou stoodest against the Lord.” For of old, that is before the time of the advent of Christ the Saviour of all, the universal enemy had somewhat grand and terrible notions about himself: for he boastfully exulted over the infirmity of the inhabitants of the earth, saying, “I will hold the world in my hand as a nest, and as eggs that are left I will take it up: and no one shall escape from me or speak against me.” And in very truth there was no one of those upon earth who could rise up against his power; but the Son rose up against him, and contended with him, having been made like unto us. And therefore, as I said, human nature, as victorious in Him, wins the crown. And this in old time the Son Himself proclaimed, where by one of the holy prophets He thus addresses Satan; “Behold, I am against thee, O corrupting mountain, that corruptest the whole earth.”

Source

For Those Who Want to See Pictures...

2008-03-09T15:45:00.003-04:00

While we don’t have any pictures of the inside of the new location for Holy Incarnation Orthodox Church, you can get a panoramic view of the outside by selecting this link. Be sure to select “Street View.”

You can also see a picture of the interior (before remodeling and set-up) by selecting this link.

Giving Up Something for Lent?

2008-03-09T15:27:00.004-04:00

For Orthodox Christians, the Lenten Fast begins Monday (3/10) or Wednesday (3/12). Monday begins the Fast for Orthodox in the Byzantine tradition, and Wednesday begins the Fast for Orthodox in the Western tradition. (Both traditions fast for 40 days, but different calculations of fasting days result in different starting times.)

In the Orthodox Church, the Lenten Fast does not ask or require Orthodox Christians to “give up something” for Lent. The Fast is not an individual choice or personal practice, but a community discipline. Therefore, the Fast is not simply abstaining from food or disciplining your appetite. Rather, it prescribes the common rule the faithful are to follow as they fast together. Individuals may certainly choose to “give up” additional items during Lent, but such choices should not replace the Church's fast, and should be made in consolation with individual’s spiritual father.

The church fathers assume that the fast is a communal exercise. They also teach, quite consistently and vigorously, that the fast is more than eating less or abstaining from certain foods. One disciplines the body, they teach, so that one may better discipline the soul. One fasts from food so that one may learn to fast from sin. In the Western tradition, this "true fast" or "spiritual fast" is emphasized not only in the excerpts from the church fathers that are read during Matins, but also in many of the daily collects.

Those interested in the Orthodox Lenten Fast as it is maintained in the Western tradition are directed to this resource and this resource.

What Fasting Does for the Soul

2008-02-26T18:07:00.000-05:00

As we are about to undertake the customary sacred fast of Quinquagesima, we must realize that what soap does for human bodies, this is what fasting supplies to Christian souls: it cleanses the filth off the senses, it washes away the offenses of the mind, it removes the crimes of the heart, it removes the blemishes from the heart, and with marvelous splendor it leads the entire human being to the luster of charity. And just as Spring curbs and reins in all the violent storms, clears up the sky’s complexion, gives peace to the earth, and calls forth and rouses to living vigor the whole body of the world, which had been buried in the death of winter; so too does fasting quiet every conflict, restore peace to one’s limbs, enkindle souls lulled to sleep and deadened by the chill of negligence, and bring virtue to life and thaw it out entirely. (St Peter Chrysologus)

Holy Incarnation Website Updated

2008-02-24T19:32:00.001-05:00

It's nothing snazzy, just a few necessary updates, changes, etc. But if you're of a mind to do so, wander over to the Holy Incarnation website and see what's new.

What Is This Race Which We Run?

2008-02-24T17:13:00.003-05:00

The following is an excerpt from the sermon preached today at Holy Incarnation Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church. Using the propers for Gregorian Use parishes in the Western Rite Vicariate, the sermon is based on the Gospel reading for Septuagesima Sunday.

St. Paul plainly tells us that we are running a race. And he urges us not simply to run, but to run that you may obtain the prize. The holy Apostle sets the goal before us. We are running to win. The prize has been set before us; it is in clear view. Now we must attain that which has been promised. Now we may lay hold on the treasure that has been stored up for us. And with this goal in mind, we run not with uncertainty, not as someone just pounding the pavement and going through the motions. Rather, we should run so that, in the end, we stand with those who have fought a good fight, finished the course, and kept the faith.

But what is this race which we run? What is the course? And what is the point?

Fear propels most runners. They run to stay healthy, to prolong life, to avoid death. Pride propels a few. They run for the glory, for the accolades and fame. Still fewer run for the sheer joy of running. They run because they enjoy the atmosphere, and get caught up in the act. For all three—the afraid, the proud, and the lovers—for all three, the race is this world. They run the human race. That is to say, they run only with this life in mind: to get the most they can from the time they have, and to experience all that the world offers. They afraid fear missing out. The proud want to be remembered in the record books. And the lovers of this world get caught up in the act of living, in taking it all in, in living life to its fullest.

But that is not our race. For this world does not offer the prize that we seek. This world offers only disappointment and death. Its promises fade or are broken. And getting caught up in this world’s living means getting caught up in its march to death. For in the end, this world’s prize may be monuments for a few and satisfaction for some, but the grave for all.

Yet we run not because of fear or pride or love of this world.We run to obtain the prize. Which means that we run so that we might lay hold on eternal life, unto which we have been called.

The Spirit has sealed us as His own in Holy Chrismation so that we run our race not in vainly, not beating the air worthlessly, but so that we may obtain an incorruptible prize, undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. And His goal for us is not that we live life to the fullest, but so that we live life in His fullness.

Read the full sermon here.

A New Blog

2008-02-23T16:35:00.001-05:00

Recently a blog was begun on the Holy Incarnation website.

This blog contains news and items of interest for members and friends of Holy Incarnation Orthodox Church.

Check out the latest entry, on the Lenten Fast.

Holy Incarnation Church has a Home!

2008-02-17T08:41:00.002-05:00

Negotiations for the purchase of a church home for Holy Incarnation Orthodox Church were successfully concluded on Tuesday, 12 February 2008. The closing culminated a year-long search for Holy Incarnation's own building. The purchase was blessed by Metropolitan PHILIP and Bishop MARK. They also blessed the release of funds held in trust from the former Incarnation Orthodox Church in Detroit.

Holy Incarnation is a Western Rite Orthodox parish in metropolitan Detroit. Western Rite parishes are Orthodox parishes utilizing the liturgical tradition of European Christianity. In particular, the Sunday Mass follows the historic Latin or Roman rite. All of our services are in English but the order of worship, customs, and liturgical art follows a pattern familiar to most Christians in Europe and America.

From 1975-2001, Incarnation Orthodox Church in Detroit served the liturgical needs of Western Rite Orthodox Christians in and around Detroit, and was the cornerstone of the Western Orthodoxy in the Midwest. Holy Incarnation Orthodox Church builds on the legacy of the former Incarnation parish. The new building will further the permanent re-establishment of a Western Rite presence in Detroit. It also increases the Orthodox presence and mission in the downriver area. The newly purchased building is located in Lincoln Park, Michigan, a near suburb in the downriver area of Detroit.

The building is in good repair, but will require renovations so that the worship space is suitable for the Western Orthodox liturgy. For updates concerning the move, and to learn more about Holy Incarnation, readers are invited to visit the Holy Incarnation Orthodox Church.

The Mustard Seed

2008-02-17T08:38:00.002-05:00

In Matthew 13, we hear Our Lord compare the kingdom of heaven to a grain of mustard seed. Later, in Matthew 17, He compares faith to the grain of mustard. From these two comparisons, St Ambrose draws the following: “If the kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, and faith is like to a grain of mustard seed, faith is then truly the kingdom of heaven, and the kingdom of heaven is faith. He therefore that has faith possesses the kingdom of heaven.”

The Gospel, then, teaches us that faith and the kingdom of heaven are intimately related. Of course, one needs faith to enter the kingdom of heaven. But also, the kingdom of heaven is seen only with the eyes of faith. In other words, the kingdom we strive to attain promises security, riches and other ‘rewards’ which can be grasped and held dear only by faith. Faith, of course, is not readily apparent or visible, and in fact seems as insignificant as the mustard seed. In the same way, the kingdom of heaven is not readily apparent or visible, and seems insignificant.

Consider also this: the full power of the mustard seed is revealed only when it is crushed. When nature crushes the seed, a great tree takes root. When a man deliberately crushes the mustard seed, the seed produces a strong and rich spice. In the same way, crushing faith by persecution or martyrdom reveals both its strength and the ‘spice’ of overwhelming love for God. And ‘crushing’ or breaking open the kingdom of heaven reveals both the riches it contains, and the love it releases.

At root, then, what is truly the kingdom of heaven? Once again, St Ambrose urges us to believe that “The Lord Himself is the grain of mustard seed. He was without injury; but the people were unaware of Him. … [Yet] He chose to be crushed. … He chose to be planted in the earth [when He was buried]. … [Then] He sprung up in a garden, where He also rose from the dead, and became a tree;” namely, the Tree of Life.

Okay, My Turn

2008-02-01T16:49:00.000-05:00

Father Gregory Jensen has tagged me in a most intriguing meme.

Here are the rules:

Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more. (No cheating!)
Find Page 123.
Find the first 5 sentences.
Post the next 3 sentences.
Tag 5 people.

From the Orthodox Missal According to the Use of the Western Rite Vicariate of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. (Stanton NJ: St Luke's Priory Press, 1995). This portion is from the Maundy Thursday Gospel (Jn 13.2-6 in KJV).

And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him; Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?

(By the way, the Missal sits in front of me on a turning carousel . I'm glad the carousel wasn't turned to my Liber Usualis since typing neumes is a bit tricky!)

I tag the following (yes, I know it's only 3):

Pr David Petersen
Ad Orientem
Chris Orr

Pope Benedict XVI & Unity

2008-01-30T21:06:00.000-05:00

Last Wednesday (23 Jan 08), in a General Audience commemorating the "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity," His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, said the following near the end of his remarks.

In the liturgy of the ancient Church, after the homily the Bishop or the one who presided at the celebration, the principal celebrant, would say: "Conversi ad Dominum". Then he and everyone would rise and turn to the East. They all wanted to look towards Christ. Only if we are converted, only in this conversion to Christ, in this common gaze at Christ, will we be able to find the gift of unity.

HT: Rorate Cæli

Metropolitan Kallistos Ware to Visit Detroit

2008-01-27T08:20:00.000-05:00

Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, the author of several popular books on Orthodoxy, will present a lecture in metro Detroit on Tuesday, February 19. Metropolitan Kallistos is the author of The Orthodox Church and The Orthodox Way. His lecture is sponsored by the St. Andrew House.

Below are the details, which were originally posted here.

St. Andrew House presents…...

Renowned Orthodox Writer & Theologian

Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware)

The Future of Orthodoxy

in the United States

Eucharistic Community & Unity: Achieving Both

For more than 15 centuries, Orthodox Christians were defined by their faith and worship, following the Great Commission of Jesus Christ to "...go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..."

Yet in America, the Ancient Orthodox Church is seen as an “ethnic” church, defined more by the nationality of its members rather than the tenants of the One-True Faith.

Metropolitan Kallistos will explore the future of Orthodoxy in American and offer his thoughts on how a united Orthodox Church can prosper and effectively preach the Gospel in today's world.

Where: St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church

2160 E. Maple Rd

Troy, MI 48083-4483

Tel: 248-589-0480

When: Tuesday, Feb 19th 7:00 PM

Registration: $10.00

Books will be available for purchase and signing by His Excellency,
courtesy of Pascha Books.

For more information, contact Dean Calvert
at 248 624 1222 or email dcalvert@netscape.com

Visit St Andrew House online

Three Aspects of Our Lord's Incarnation

2008-01-20T16:17:00.000-05:00

The great and wondrous mystery of Our Lord’s incarnation, the mystery of God becoming man, the mystery of the divine nature putting on human flesh, the mystery of Our Lord God becoming all that we are so that we might live in Him and enjoy all that He gives—that great mystery is what we continue to celebrate, not only this Sunday but every Sunday and, in fact, every day. For this is why we were made by God—so that we might not only live with Him, but also live in Him; so that there might not be merely a union of God and man, but the union of man in God.

This mystery is magnified and heightened by the simple fact that our pride, which leads to rebellion from God and rejection of His will; our pride, which urges us to cling stubbornly to what we think is good and right; our pride, which finally drags us back to the earth instead of up to God; our pride, which pushes us to believe little about God and to think much of ourselves; our pride, which causes us to love ourselves, and worry about the inconsequential, and strive for riches that break or rust or decay—our pride neither causes Our Lord to reject us, nor prevents Him from carrying through with His original plan. That is what makes this grand mystery even greater—that Our Lord’s desire for union with us is not affected by our proud and selfish refusal to seek union in Him.

And so, despite our sin, Our Lord comes down. And mindful of our mortality, Our Lord puts on our flesh. And risking Himself so that He might love us back to Him, Our Lord enmeshes His divine nature with our human nature—all so that His original desire, His plan for uniting all creation, through man, to Himself, might be accomplished.

Since we celebrated the feast of the Nativity, we have seen that this great mystery of Our Lord’s holy incarnation has three aspects. The first aspect we saw when the Magi visited the newborn Christ Child. That visit made known to us that Our Lord desired union not only with His chosen people, but with all men. He was incarnate so that, in Him, all men might be united to God. The second aspect we saw when Our Lord willingly and determinedly was baptized by St John in the Jordan. That baptism made known to us that whatever we had done, whatever sin we had committed, would not prevent Our Lord from reasserting His love for us. He was incarnate so that, in Him, sin might be forgiven and death undone.

And now, today, Our Blessed Lord Jesus reveals to us the third aspect of this great mystery of His holy incarnation. What we hear and see in today’s Gospel is that this union of God in man is pictured in the marital union of man and woman. And we see that this union of God in man is consummated by water and blood. And so Our Lord reveals that He became incarnate so that, by water and blood, He might wed all men to Himself.

Christ, the Sin Offering

2008-01-13T17:02:00.000-05:00

The following is an excerpt from the sermon preached today at Holy Incarnation Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church. Using the propers for Gregorian Use parishes in the Western Rite Vicariate, the sermon is based on the Gospel reading for the Octave of the Epiphany, which is also the Commemoration of the Baptism of Our Lord.

When Our Blessed Lord assumed our flesh, He adhered Himself to our mortality. The unchangeable God was now capable of aging; the impassible was now capable of suffering; the divine was now capable of bleeding; and the eternal God was now capable of dying. Yet the flesh He carefully selected to knit to His divine nature was the pure and holy flesh of the Blessed Virgin Mary. With that flesh He bound Himself to our vulnerability, but He did not bind Himself to our sin. With that flesh, He became mortal but not sinful.

It was not until Our Lord was advanced in wisdom, and age, and grace with God and men that He chose to subject His flesh to temptation. It was not until He was ready to accomplish His mission for our sake that Our Lord determined to take up and bear the sin of the world. It was not until He was fully prepared that Our Blessed Lord, who knew no sin, freely determined to be made sin for us, that we might be made the [righteousness] of God in him. And by being “made sin,” we are not saying that Christ became the sinner, but rather that He, the Righteous One in whom all Righteousness abides—He was made by the Father the victim for the sins of the world. (St Cyril of Alexandria; cf. Ambrosiaster; ACC NT VII.252)

Christ Jesus, then, enters the Jordan River to declare that He is determined, He is willing, He is capable and He is ready to be the Lamb of God who is sacrificed so that all men, and all creation, might be freed from the death-curse that sin has brought.

Read more.

Octave Meditation

2008-01-12T20:45:00.000-05:00

What follows is a brief meditation, by Dom Prosper Guéranger, on Our Lord's baptism, which is commemorated tomorrow at the Octave of the Epiphany.

O Lamb of God! Thou didst enter into the stream to purify it, the Dove came down from heaven, for thy sweet meekness attracted the Spirit of love; and having sanctified the waters, the mystery of thy Baptism was over. But what tongue can express the prodigy of mercy effected by it! Men have gone down after thee into the stream made sacred by contact with thee; they return regenerated; they were wolves, and Baptism has transformed them into lambs. We were defiled by sin, and were unworthy to stand near thee, the spotless Lamb; but the waters of the holy Font have been poured upon us and we are made as the sheep of the Canticle, which come up from the washing fruitful, and none is barren among them (Cant 4.2); or as doves upon the brooks of water, white and spotless as though they had been washed with milk, sitting near the plentiful streams! (Cant 5.12)

Preserve us, O Jesus, in this white robe which thou hast put upon us. If, alas, we have tarnished its purity, cleanse us by that second Baptism, the Baptism of Penance. Permit us, too, dear Lord, to intercede for those countries to whom thy Gospel has not yet been preached; let this river of peace (Is 66.12), the waters of Baptism, flow out upon them, and inundate the whole earth.

We beseech thee, by the glory of thy manifestation at thy Baptism, forget the crimes of men, which have hitherto caused the Gospel to be kept from those unhappy countries. Thy heavenly Father bids every creature hear thee. Speak, dear Jesus, to every creature!

An Epiphany Sermon from the Fathers

2008-01-06T09:57:00.000-05:00

An except from a sermon for Epiphany Day by St Peter Chrysologus:

Although in the mystery of the Lord’s Incarnation itself there were clear signs of his eternal divinity, nevertheless today’s feast discloses and reveals in manifold ways that God came into a human body, so that mortality, always developed in darkness, may not lose through ignorance what it has been made worthy of holding and possessing through such great grace. For he who willed to be born for us did not want to remain unknown by us; and so he discloses himself in a way that the great mystery of his merciful kindness may not become a great occasion of error.

Today the Magus[1] finds crying in a cradle the One whom he was seeking as he shown among the stars. Today the Magus admires evident in his swaddling clothes the One whom he experienced as hidden for a long time within the constellations. Today the Magus ponders with deep amazement what he sees and where: heaven on earth, earth in heaven; man in God, God in man; and the One who is not able to be contained in the whole world, he sees confined in a tiny body.

Therefore, because the Magus is unable to figure this out and cannot grasp it, he immediately adores him. For he sees that the stars, the mood, and the sun do not shine as brightly in heaven as the flesh he gazes upon has shed light upon the earth. He sees that in one and the same Body divinity and humanity have merged together in unity. While he believes that the One her is God, recognizes that he is King, and understands that he will die out of love for the human race, his thoughts frighten him as he deliberates how God is able to die, how the Restorer of life can be put to death, and thus the Magus stops searching with ingenuity for what he cannot find with his own ingenuity.

And since he sees that he wandered astray for a ling time in the sky with the wandering stars, he rejoices that on earth he has reached God by the guidance of a single star, and the Magus perceives that everything in the sky that is seen clearly by human eyes lies veiled with profound mysteries, and now that he sees this he acknowledges, as evidenced by the mystical gifts that he offers, that he believes and no longer pries in to it: with incense for God, with gold for the King, and with myrrh for the One who is going to die. He professes his faith in God with incense, and in the King with gold, so that he may now appease with lavish homage the One whom he refused and offended by his prying and impertinent activity, and in order to fulfill what many suppose refers to the eunuch who is also from Ethiopia: “Ethiopia will reach out its hands.”

The Magus saw Christ; he reached ahead of the Jew with his own hands, because at the time when the Jew was betraying Christ by the wickedness of Herod, the Magus with his gifts was acknowledging that Christ was God. This is why the gentile, who was last, became first, since at that time the faith of the Magi consecrated the belief of the gentiles and denounced the cruelty of the Jews.

[1] Singular for Magi.

The Gospel & the Torah

2008-01-05T12:23:00.000-05:00

One of my priest-brothers, Fr Patrick Henry Reardon, has recently written a provocative and insight piece concerning the relationship between the Gospel and the Torah. Perhaps you will agree as you read this except. (Regrettably the remainder of this essay, which I received by email, is not yet available online.)

Among the problems through which the apostolic congregations had to find their way, few were as difficult as the connection between the Gospel and the Torah. This question required not only a theological answer, but also practical guidance of a pastoral kind. That is to say, early Christians needed to know, not only how Jesus related to the Law, but also how, in practice, they themselves were related to Judaism. In considerable measure the Acts of the Apostles and the letters of St. Paul were devoted to this double question.

The same twofold problem was addressed in the Gospel of Matthew. For Matthew the question of how the Gospel and the Torah were related was inseparable from the problem of how the Christians were related to Jews. Matthew did not answer this question by simply distinguishing between the Gospel and the Law. He did not say that Christians have the Gospel, while Jews are stuck with the Law.

This rather simple answer, in Matthew's eyes, would have implied a radical discontinuity in the history of salvation. Instead of "fulfilling" the Law and the Prophets, Jesus would simply have abrogated them. There would be no necessary, theological connection between the New Testament and the Old, and Christians would be rootless with respect to history.

Beginning his treatment of this question, Matthew cited the saying of Jesus, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill" (5:17). And in what sense did Jesus "fulfill" the Law and the Prophets? According to Matthew this "fulfillment" had to do with the teaching of Jesus--the Gospel--as it related to the Torah. And how was the Gospel related to the Torah? By a kind of radical "excess": "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven" (5:20).

Epiphany - the Manifestation of God in the Flesh

2008-01-05T12:13:00.000-05:00

The Feast of the Epiphany, one of the four cardinal feasts of the Church, is the continuation of the mystery of Christ Mass since both feasts celebrate the mystery of God’s manifestation or appearance in the flesh to man. Therefore, this is a day to renew the joy caused by the Holy Incarnation of Our Lord and God.

Since the fourth century, in the Western Church the two feasts have focused first on the manifestation of God in the flesh to the children of Israel, and then on the manifestation of God in the flesh to Gentiles. The Gospel appointed for today indicates a second chief theme that differentiates Epiphany from Christ Mass. While on Christ Mass we heard the angels tell the shepherds to recognize the Word made flesh (“let us see this word”), today we hear of the Magi who come to worship the newborn King (“they adored Him”). Hence, today’s feast urges us both to acknowledge the Lord’s manifestation and to worship Him as He comes to us in the flesh.

To encourage our worship, the prophet Malachi invites us to “behold the Lord the Ruler [who] is come” (Introit); and the prophet Isaiah acclaims that “thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.” (Epistle) These prophetic words coax from our hearts and mouths the prayer that “we, who now know [God] by faith, may come at length to see the glory of [His] Majesty.” (Collect)

Finally, the chants in today’s liturgy beseech us to imitate the Magi by presenting gifts. What gift we present is indicated by St. Paul: “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing unto God, your reasonable service.” (Rom 12.1)

From the Sunday bulletin for Holy Incarnation Orthodox Church.

The Old Man's Strange Blessing

2007-12-30T14:57:00.000-05:00

The following is an excerpt from the sermon preached today at Holy Incarnation Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church. Using the propers for Gregorian Use parishes in the Western Rite Vicariate, the sermon is based on the Gospel reading for the Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity of Our Lord.

Now as this devout just man holds the child and blesses God, he then blesses the holy Child’s parents. This blessing is as unexpected as it is strange. For who blesses a foster father when he could bless the true Father? And who blesses a mother after he has called her child the Lord’s light and glory? Yet St Simeon blesses St Mary and St Joseph—but which such an unlikely blessing. For the old man’s blessing is that their child is not destined for greatness, as men count greatness. For His greatness will not consist in defying death, but in embracing it. And His notoriety will be achieved not by consolidating power, but by refusing to exercise His overwhelming strength. And His victory will be sealed not by conquering but by being conquered. But above all this, the saint’s blessing is that this holy Child will win over hearts by leading them not to pride, but to humiliation; not to earthly riches, but to poverty; not to great praise, but to ridicule; not to a life of ease, but to suffering; and not to length of days, but to certain death. Yet this leadership will attain more than anyone could ever imagine; and achieve greater riches than any man could ever hope for. Yet His way—both where He leads and how He leads—His way will be so paradoxical, so against the grain, so contrary to our survival instincts, that He will be the most despised and rejected of men. And so, says the pious old saint, this child is set for the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted.

Yet there is more to the old man’s blessing. To the mother he flatly declares, “Thy own soul a sword shall pierce.” And so she also shall not escape suffering, but will grieve as she sees these things come to pass. For which mother, even when she knows how it all ends, wishes to see her son, her only son, endure the ridicule, the spitting, the suffering, the shame? Yet this is her blessing. Not just because an old man said so. But because in his words she sees coming together the glory the angels proclaimed, the joy the Forerunner showed, the sacrifices the Magi offered, the blessings that her once mute and barren relatives declared. For the blessed Mother sees what old man means: that her Child will not go the way of famous men, by rising and then falling. Rather, in her Son’s fall, many shall rise; in His humiliation, many shall be exalted; in His suffering, many will achieve glory; and in His death, all men shall find life.

So in St. Simeon’s words, the Blessed Virgin Mary sees the death of martyrs, the endurance of confessors, and the willing sacrifice of virgins. In that blessing, she sees the Church arise. For she understands and perceives, she knows and believes, that in her Son is the salvation of all men. In Him, all the seeming contradictions become the way of Truth. In Him, all that we are prone to resist become the way of Life. And in Him, all that she suffers—and all that we suffer—become the way to glory. Yet Mary sees and knows that all these things come to be not simply in what her Son does or says, but in Him; that is, in His Body. For those incorporated into Him—in His flesh and in His bones—they shall never be wanting but shall receive what they have hoped for. For in Him all men shall both die and rise; die to self and rise to true life. For that is this holy Child’s destiny—to die all men’s death so that, in Him, all men might live life to the fullest.

Read more.

The Fall & Rise of Many

2007-12-30T07:42:00.000-05:00

What Christ born, destined to die? Or was He destined to live? In short, why was He born? That question sets the stage for today’s Mass. We shall hear St. Paul declare that “God sent his Son, made of a woman…that He might redeem them who were under the law.” (Epistle) Earlier in the same epistle, the holy Apostle had indicated how Christ would redeem those under the law: “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written: Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.” (Gal 3.13) No doubt, it is this self-chosen destiny to suffer death in our flesh that St Simeon had in mind when he flatly decreed that the holy Child in his arms was “set for the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted.” (Gospel)

But notice three things. First, the Lord’s destiny toward death is described in the softest terms. He is “set for the fall”—which indicates (as St Simeon goes on to say) that He also will rise. Furthermore, the words “fall” and “resurrection” evoke the opposite of what usually happens to famous men, who rise to greatness only to fall in shame or death. Second, Our Lord’s fall is merely His penultimate destiny. His ultimate destiny is the “resurrection of many in Israel.” In other words, His death is not the end but merely a means toward raising up those who have fallen, and restoring those who are downcast. Third, the Lord’s destiny is our destiny as well. For He is not simply destined for His own fall and resurrection, but for the fall and resurrection of many. In other words, those united to Him will both fall and rise with Him.

Our Lord’s fall, His resurrection, and our being caught up in His falling and rising—these three themes govern today’s Mass. That they may be faithfully appropriated by us so that we rise with Christ, we urge Our Father to regular our actions according to His divine will.

Why Does Jesus Flee from Herod?

2007-12-28T14:00:00.000-05:00

St Peter Chrysologus has a knack for tackling, with wonderful rhetorical flare, the tough textual questions in his homilies. The latest example I've found are from his series of sermons on the flight of Jesus into Egypt, and Herod's murder of the holy innocent boys. (Mt 2.13-18)

In sermon 151 (Fathers of the Church, 110.257-260), St Peter Chrysologus begins by declaring that the Gospel reading "has troubled our hearts, shaken us in the depths of our being, and has made us wonder if we were hearing correctly." Why? Because we heard that God fled when St Matthew records that the angel told Joseph, "Flee to Egypt!" "It would have been more reverent," says the sainted homilist, "to say: 'Make your way to Egypt,' so as to indicate a journey, not a flight..." However, flight is precisely what the text says, and what St Peter Chrysologus wants us to hear and consider. He urges us to ponder God running away from danger, God fleeing from the devil. And he wants us to consider how this matches with God's promise that He is our refuge and strength. "If the refuge flees, if the strength is afraid, if the protection goes away, what life, hope, security, or defense is there?"

St Peter designs his sermons to shake us. And having done so, how does he answer his own question? With the sweetest Gospel. St Peter Chrysologus boldly asserts the following: "Brothers, that Christ fled had to do with a mystery, not fear; it was the liberation of the creature, not a peril to the Creator; it was a matter of divine power, not human fraility; of concern was not the death of the Creator, but the life of the world." So what does Christ flee? For us men and for our salvation.

Yet how does Christ's flight prefigure our salvation, or preach comfort to us? In three ways. First, Christ flees so that willingly, deliberately, and on his own terms He may take up our fight against the Devil. So Christ flees so that He might fully and willingly suffer our sufferings, endure our death, and enter our grave. "Christ assumed us in himself in order to give himself to us; he endured our sufferings in order to remove our sufferings." So Christ's flees so that the Devil does not prematurely ruin His saving work.

Second, St Chrysologus states that Christ flees in order to have mercy on his persecutors--and, at the same time, to teach us how to have mercy. "When a martyr has been taken into custody he must hold steadfast, but when he has not been taken into custody he must flee the persecutor, in order to grant the persecutor an opportunity to come to his senses..." Oh, that many strong-willed Christians would learn this lesson! By defiantly throwing ourselves into the hands of those who seek to ridicule us, we are hastening their judgment and refusing them time for repentance and, in a sense, participating in their sin. Furthermore, we are giving the devil what he wants rather than loving others by helping them attain the kingdom of heaven. What we must rather consider is what Our Lord says ("If you are persecuted in one town, flee to another"; Mt 10.23) and the story of St Paul ("Brothers, if the martyrs had not fled from Saul, they would not have made Paul a martyr.") or the Innocent Martyrs ("If Christ had stood fast, the synagogues would have them as sons, and the Church would not have them as martyrs.")

As the excellent orator that he is, St Peter Chrysologus saves the best and "most gospelly" reason for last. "Christ fled...[so] that he who had made the human being fully equipped for life might refashion him for the fullness of life; and so that he might likewise hand over to heaven the one whom he had put on earth." In other words, Christ's flight is not ultimately about His fight against the devil, but about taking us--and all men--to Himself and with Himself.

Such sweeter Gospel can scarcely be preached!

Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

2007-12-25T17:59:00.000-05:00

To all readers of this blog:

A merry and blessed Christ Mass to you and yours!

May these Twelve Days of the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord find you rejoicing in the grace, kindness and love of God who has appeared to all men in His incarnate Word, Jesus Christ. May you rejoice not only in thought and mind, but also in word and deed as you celebrate Our Lord’s feast by attending Mass (or the Divine Liturgy) often in the next two weeks, and receive Him who came in our flesh to restore our flesh.

As you receive various Christ Mass greetings, I encourage you to listen to the Christ Mass greetings given by the bishops of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.

Christ is born! Glorify Him!

Love Freely Given, Freely Received

2007-12-25T12:50:00.000-05:00

The Angelic Hymn

2007-12-25T12:38:00.000-05:00

The Peace of the Lord Stands in our Midst!

2007-12-24T20:22:00.000-05:00

Now that First Vespers for the Nativity of Our Lord has been sung, it is fitting to rejoice the acclamation of St Peter Chrysologus.

Today, the Church is in peace, and the heretic is in anger.
Today, the ship of the Church is in port, and the fury of the heretics is tossed about on the waves.
Today, brethren, the pastors [and shepherds] of the Church are in security, and the heretics are in consternation.
Today, the sheep of the Lord are in a safe place, and the wolves rage in anger.
Today, the vineyard of the Lord has abundance, and the workers of iniquity are indigent.
Today, very dearly beloved, the people of Christ has been exalted, and the enemies of truth have been humbled.
Today, dearly beloved, Christ is in joy, and the Devil in grief.
Today, the angels are in exultation, and the demons in confusion.

Why should I say more? Today, Christ, who is the King of peace, has come forth with His peace and routed all discord, banished dissensions, and dissipated conflicts. As the brilliance of the sun lights up the sky, so He illumines the Church with the splendor of peace. 'For,' the text says, 'there has been born to you today a Savior of the world.' O how desirable is the very name of peace! How firm a foundation peace is for the Christian religion, and what a heavenly ornament for the altar of the Lord!

What can we utter worthy of peace? Peace is a name of Christ Himself, as even the Apostle says: "For Christ is our peace, He it is who has made both one." The two were at variance, not over conflicting opinions or faith, but because of the Devil's envy. But, just as the streets are cleansed when the king comes forth, and the whole city decked with myriad flowers and banners to keep out of sight anything less worthy of the king's countenance, so also now, when Christ the King of peace comes forth, let everything depressing be removed from our midst. While truth is shining, let falsehood be banished, and discord flee, and concord be resplendent. ... [For] at present, the Peace of the Lord standing in our midst, and with palpitating bosom joining both of us together, teaches separated persons to come to agreement in [the] Spirit by linking elbows. In all this is fulfilled, no doubt, the prophetical statement which says: "And the counsel of peace shall be between them both."

The Fathers of the Church: A New Translation. Saint Peter Chrysologus (Selected Sermons) and Saint Valerian (Homilies). Volume 17. (New York: The Fathers of the Church, Inc., 1953). pp. 252-253.

Images of the Antiochian Orthodox Church

2007-12-24T12:51:00.000-05:00

A friend alerted me to this video. Using images a only a few words, it offers a collage of the Antiochian Orthodox Church (i.e., those churches under the jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch).

The Voice Cries Out

2007-12-23T20:53:00.000-05:00

The following is an excerpt from the sermon preached today at Holy Incarnation Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church. Using the propers for Gregorian Use parishes in the Western Rite Vicariate, the sermon is based on the Gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday of Advent.

You would think that we should today hear something about the great Feast which we shall celebrate in two days. You would think that we should hear about the announcement by the archangel Gabriel or the Blessed Virgin Mary. And if we had been able, we would have heard of these things since they were the focus of Masses last Wednesday and Friday. And our Byzantine brothers and sisters are today hearing about the visit of St Gabriel to St Joseph, and the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy that a virgin shall be with child, and bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel.

We, however, get to hear another prophecy from Isaiah. We hear not about a virgin, but about a voice; not about a barren virgin with child, but about a voice crying out in the barren wilderness. And we hear not the news about the birth of Emmanuel, but rather the exhortation to prepare the way of the Lord by repentance; which means by fasting from sin and by restraining and suppressing the desires of the flesh.

As we hear such a stern exhortation, as we hear the voice seemingly dampen our mood, we must remember why the voice cries out, why the prophet prophesies, why the Forerunner urges us to set our hearts and minds straight. The voice cries out not to scold but to refocus our soul, to reset our heart’s desire—all so that we might take comfort. For what does the prophet Isaiah say?

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’s hand double [forgiveness] for all her sins.