Swiss Invade Liechtenstein (Oops!)

This amuses me to no end! No doubt, it's just my strange sense of humor again.

[A] company of Swiss soldiers got lost at night and marched into neighboring Liechtenstein.

A spokesman for the Swiss army confirmed the story but said that there were unlikely to be any serious repercussions for the mistaken invasion.

[Liechtenstein] Interior ministry spokesman Markus Amman said nobody in Liechtenstein had even noticed the soldiers, who were carrying assault rifles but no ammunition. "It's not like they stormed over here with attack helicopters or something," he said.

Pertinent facts:

• Liechtenstein (population 34,000) does not have an army
• Switzerland is officially neutral.
  

What a Fine Gift!

Recently, one of my parishioners gave me a copy of A Commentary on the Psalms by J. M. Neale & R. F. Littledale. He gave it because we are currently studying the Penitential Psalms, and I lamented how the translation of St John Chrysostom's commentary on the Psalms does not contain comments on each of the 7 Psalms.

The Neale set is four volumes and is by no means not a new production. And it's a set I've desired for some time. It's packed with patristic commentaries on each Psalm as well as the liturgical use of the Psalms according to a number of usages (Gregorian, Ambrosian, Byzantine, etc.)

For those who are looking to buy their priest a great gift, or for those who are interested in an excellent resource for the Psalms, I highly recommend this set. It's not cheap, but it's worth every penny. You can purchase your copy here.

Striving Together, Not in Isolation

After Great Vespers on Saturday, 10 February, St George Orthodox Church in Troy hosted a banquet celebrating the formation of Holy Incarnation Orthodox Church. His Grace, Bishop MARK, was the guest of honor and Fr Joseph Antypas, Dean of the Michigan Deanery and priest at St George, was the master of ceremonies. Several speeches were given. As the one assigned to serve Holy Incarnation, I was also asked to address those who attended. The following is an excerpt of my address.


The Lord’s abundant and undeserved mercy is the context in which we live. It is the setting in which we strive to live soberly, and justly, and godly in this world. As such, our Christian striving is part of the mercy of God, even as it is blessed by God.

During this striving, we are supported and encouraged by the prayers of the saints, the blessed dead and all the faithful. For the man who strives alone quickly falls prey to either pride or despair. But the man who strives with the help of others; the man who is cheered on by those who have finished the race, and who runs with those who work as a team to reach the same prize—this man perseveres. He may stumble, but the others will help him up. He may get discouraged, but the others will urge him to stay the course. And so he will persevere precisely because he strives not alone, not by himself, but in a supportive community—a community that prays for him even as it strives with him.

Permit me to suggest that what is true of each Christian is also true of each parish. Each parish as a whole strives to be a godly Christian community. Each parish faces struggles, heartaches, set-backs, fears, and hard times. Yet each parish perseveres in order to obtain the prize—not the prize of being the biggest or most active, but the prize of entering the kingdom of heaven.

The parish which strives on its own, the parish which strains and endeavors by itself to be what it should be—that parish quickly falls prey to pride or despair; and it runs the risk of devolving into a social club. To avoid the risk of running the race but losing the prize, a parish must not run alone. Instead, each parish must seek the prayers of the saints—and especially its patron. And each parish must also see that it strives together with other parishes.

For the parish that runs alone dies.

In the same way, the parish that is left alone and not supported by fellow parishes also dies.

So parishes must support another. Each parish must be supported by the prayers, the encouragement, and the kindness of other parishes. And when the parishes support each other, they must do so not only in word but also in deed and in truth. They must do so because they love one another. They must do so because they race not against each other, but run together toward a common goal. And they must do so because each parish is straining to obtain the goal that the same prize.

With the blessing of Metropolitan PHILIP and Bishop MARK, Holy Incarnation will strive to run the good race as a fledgling parish. And because of the blessing of His Eminence and His Grace, I am absolutely confident that this new little mission will continue to have the support of our good Father Dean, and the gracious members of St George, and the priests and parishioners of many other churches, and our local monastic communities.

And you can be just as confident that Holy Incarnation will not run alone. We will not strive in isolation. It is our earnest desire also to run together with all the parishes and monasteries of all Orthodox jurisdictions.

For despite our different homelands, despite our varieties in rites and ceremonies, despite our different strengths, and even in spite of our different jurisdictions, all Orthodox parishes of whatever kind have the greatest thing in common: “We have seen the true light. We have received the heavenly Spirit. We have found the True Faith, worshipping the undivided Trinity, for He hath saved us.”

My Kind of Humor

I'm sure it's just me, but I thought this was funny.

Thanks.

Ordination Pictures II

Bishop MARK vests Fr. John with the phelonion (chasuble)

Fr Dean Joseph Antypas (pastor of St George in Troy),
Bishop MARK, and Fr. John.

His Grace, Bishop MARK, presents Fr. John to the Church after the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy.

At the end of the liturgy, Bishop MARK kisses the cross held by Fr John.

Khouria Julie kissing the cross held by Fr John.

Ordination Pictures I

Below are pictures from my ordination as an Orthodox priest. Although I serve a Western Rite parish, I was ordained according to the Byzantine rite.

Archpriest David Lynch and Archimandrite Daniel Keller
(two Western rite priests) present Deacon John for ordination.

Bishop MARK blesses Deacon John so that he may be ordained.

Priest-elect John is led around the altar by his ordination sponors.

Bishop MARK ordains Priest-elect John Fenton while the Litany is sung.

Bishop MARK declares "Axios" ("He is worthy"), and the people respond by singing "Axios!"

Offering Nothing as if It's Everything

The following is an excerpt from the sermon preached last Sunday at Holy Incarnation Orthodox Church. For the full sermon, or to receive them regularly, subscribe to Holy Incarnation NEWS by sending an email to WestRiteDetroit-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. (NB: This is not a discussion list, but an announcement list.)


The devil’s great deception and lie is that he holds out nothing and calls it everything. He promises what he is incapable of giving, and offers what he can never bestow. We see as much in the three ways he tries to tempt Christ. First the one who can do nothing challenges the Son of God to do something. Then the one who has been cast down urges the One who has humbled Himself to deny His true Self. And finally, the one who owns nothing promises everything to the God who has all things.

By His answers and His refusal to succumb, Our Lord proves to us that the devil is capable of nothing, offers nothing, and has nothing. And by this, we see the way of salvation. The way of salvation is not making compromises between the Satan’s nothing and God’s everything. And the way of salvation is not choosing the Lord’s way when it is convenient or not a hassle. Rather, the way of salvation is recognizing that we are tempted to own, to have, to do and to be nothing; and in doing so, we forsake everything. And so the way of salvation is holding fast, by all means possible, to what we have received; and rejecting all that leads us away from the everything that Our Lord is and has and gives.

All that Our Lord is and has and gives the Father offers, and the Spirit opens our eyes to see and our mouths to receive, at this Holy Mass. Here the Lord takes not stones but the bread and wine we offer, and transforms them to be His own immaculate Body and His own precious Blood. Here the Lord does not cast us down, but lifts us up by entering our roof so that we may be healed. And here Our Lord offers not empty promise, but truly accepts us as communicants in His kingdom and partakers of His holy mysteries.

In short, Our Lord holds out everything to us, and gives us His all. And He does this so that, in Him, we might attain all that we were created to be. To this Lord Jesus Christ, then, together with His all-holy Father united with the Holy Spirit, belongs all glory, honor and worship.

Finally!!

After nearly three weeks, Blogger has deigned to grant me access to my blog. This has convinced me that it's time to post this forum elsewhere. Stay tuned.

On the Radio II

Last Friday Paul Edwards, a local religious talk show host and the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, had a conversation with David Crumm and me about David's article in the 21 January 2007 Detroit Free Press.

I was "in studio" with Paul, whom I found to be fair-minded, pleasant, knowledgeable and more than able to articulate and defend his beliefs. I think we struck up a good relationship and I hope that I can have many more honest and open conversations with Paul.

If you would like to hear the program, click here. David and I are on the second half hour (minutes 26-63), and near the end of the time I address phone calls from listeners.

Observations on the Byzantine Ordination Rite(s)

In 1999 I purchased and studied Ordination Rites of the Ancient Churches of East and West by Paul F. Bradshaw. Following that study, I then looked into medieval and post-medieval ordination rites. I was struck by the fact that, in nearly all pre-Reformation rites, the man ordained as deacon or priest took no vows. Bishop-candidates often did, but not priest-candidates. In fact, the candidates for deacon or priest rarely said a word during the ordination rite.

I was reminded of this while preparing myself for the ordinations the Church will graciously confer upon me through the agency of my Bishop. I'm reminded of these two facts, plus one more--how brief the rite truly is.

In Byzantine rites, the form for conveying any sacrament is not said in the first person (e.g., absolvo te). The same is true of the ordination rite. On Saturday and Sunday, the bishop will declare:

The Grace Divine, which always healeth, that which is infirm, and completeth that which is wanting, elevateth, through the laying-on of hands, (NAME), the most devout Subdeacon [Deacon] to be a Deacon [Priest]. Wherefore, let us pray for him, that the Grace of the All-Holy Spirit may come upon him.

After the usual ektina led by the Deacon, the bishop then says a prayer beseeching the grace of the Holy Spirit. That's it. That's the rite: a declaration of what Grace Divine does, and a prayer that Grace Divine Himself will accomplish in this man what He does.

In all of this, I take great comfort in these words: "which...completeth that which is wanting." Those words specifically do not call into question, nullify, or abbrogate the baptisms, absolutions or communions that, by the Holy Spirit, I was undeservedly graced to administer for 16 years. Rather, those words declare that the Holy Spirit will make up, no doubt with unspeakable groanings, whatever is lacking in this unworthy candidate. And then will come these words of even greater comfort:

Do thou, the same Lord, fill with the gift of thy Holy Spirit this man whom it hath pleased thee to advance to the degree of Priest, that he may be worthy to stand in innocence before Thine Altar, to proclaim the Gospel of thy Kingdom, to minister the word of thy truth, to offer unto thee spiritual gifts and sacrifices, to renew thy people through the laver of regeneration.

The ordination of a Deacon
The ordination of a Priest