Most Holy Theotokos intercede for us!

Saturday, December 25, 2004

Missionary Journal: St. Jacob's Christmas

December 25, 1847

On the Feast Day of the Nativity of Christ, I, sinful and unworthy one, performed the Divine service in my home, insofar as I was able to serve. I was hoping to celebrate the service in the field church and for this purpose the tent had been erected just in case the cold should become bearable. But this did not happen, the cold is ferocious, it was impossible to undertake the service there, especially as my state of health is so poor that even at home I am barely able to keep on my feet and I am unable to stand for any length of time at all. For this reason I joined in the Holy Mysteries those who had prepared themselves for communion, 11 persons total, by means of pre-sanctified gifts [reserved Communion--EJ]. Performed the Hours and the appropriate Te Deum. The Faithful in attendance were very numerous both at the midnight service and at the later services, so many were there that there was no room to stand and many turned away.

--St. Jacob Netsvetov of Alaska, Missionary Priest on the Yukon Delta

Saturday, December 18, 2004

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse,
Free Thine own from Satan's tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory over the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!

(Magnificat Antiphon for December 18)

Friday, December 17, 2004

O come, Adonai, Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai's height,
In ancient times didst give the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!

(Magnificat Antiphon for December 17)

Thursday, December 16, 2004

And it came to pass that Mary
was enrolled with Joseph the old man,
in Bethlehem, since she was of the seed of David,
and was great with the Lamb, without seed.
And when the time for delivery drew near,
and they had no place in the village,
the cave did appear to the queen as a delightful palace.
Verily, Christ shall be born,
raising the likeness that fell of old.

(Another Troparion hymn for the Sunday before Christmas)
Make ready, O Bethlehem;
for Eden hath been opened for all.
Prepare, O Ephratha;
for the Tree of life hath blossomed forth in the cave
from the Virgin;
for her belly did appear as a supersensual paradise
in which is planted the divine Plant,
whereof eating we shall live and not die as Adam.
Verily, Christ shall be born,
raising the likeness that fell of old.

(Troparion hymn for the Sunday before Christmas, Tone 4)
O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuael shall come to thee, O Israel!

(Magnificat Antiphon for December 16)

A Saying from a Desert Father

"What can sin do where there is penitence? And of what use is love where there is pride?"
--Abba Elias the Priest

Wednesday, December 15, 2004

Lifting up our minds to Bethlehem

Let us go before, O nations, and celebrate the Nativity of Christ. And lifting our minds to Bethlehem, let us ascend with our consciences, beholding with the thoughts of our hearts, the Virgin approaching, giving birth in the cave to the Lord of all, our God, Whose stupendous wonders Joseph did behold, while at the time he thought he was beholding a man wrapped in swaddling clothes, but was assured from His works that He was the true God, granting our souls the Great Mercy.

Let us go before, O nations, and celebrate the Nativity of Christ; and lifting our minds to Bethlehem, let us ascend with our consciences to behold the great Mystery that is in the cave; for Eden hath verily been opened by the coming forth of God from the spotless Virgin, perfect in Divinity and perfect in Humanity. Wherefore, let us shout forth, Holy God, Eternal Father, Holy Mighty, the Incarnate Son, Holy Immortal One, the Comforting Spirit, O Holy Trinity, glory to Thee!

Listen, O heaven, and give ear, O earth; for behold, the Son, the Word of the Father, cometh to be born of a Maiden that hath not known man. Wherefore, by the pleasure of Him Who gave Him birth without passion, and by the assistance of the Holy Spirit, O Bethlehem, make ready, and, O Eden, open thou thy gates; for He Who Is shall be that which hath not been; and the Maker of the entire creation shall become the Grantor of Great Mercy to the world.

--Idiomelons in Tone 1 for the Preparation, the Sunday before Christmas, also known as the Sunday of the Geneology (on which the Gospel reading is from the first chapter of Matthew)

Tuesday, December 14, 2004

St. Hilarion, Metropolitan of Suzdal and Yuriev

Once, when St. Hilarion was serving Vespers together with a hierodeacon, robbers burst into the church. They killed the deacon and started to set St. Hilarion on fire, asking him where the monastery treasure was hid. They did not believe that there was no gold in the monastery. Overcome by the pain, St. Hilarion turned to the wonderworking icon and said, "O All-Pure Virgin Mary, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ! If they injure me with the fire, I shall no longer have the ability to glorify Thy Son and Thee." Suddenly the robbers heard the shouts of people searching for them, and they fled.

Saint Hilarion was known for his unceasing concern for the poor. After his death they found only three coins in his possession. He died peacefully on December 14, 1707, and was buried in the Suzdal cathedral in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Monday, December 13, 2004

A Prayer for Compline

O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, Who at the hour of Compline didst rest in the sepulchre, and didst thereby sanctify the grave to be a bed of hope to Thy people: Make us so to abound in sorrow for our sins, which were the cause of Thy Passion, that when our bodies lie in the dust, our souls may live with Thee; Who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

--Domine Jesu Christe, Filii Vivi Dei.

(Note: "Saint Dunstan's Plainsong Psalter," published by Lancelot Andrewes Press put the ending "world without end. Amen." on the end of the prayer. It would be worth an investigation to find out where this ending came from. A direct translation of the Latin "et nunc et semper et in saecula saeculorum" would be rendered "now and ever and unto ages of ages.")

Advent Sequence Hymn

Thou forever our salvation,
Thou the life of all creation,
Thou our hope of restoration,
Thou the never failing light;

Grieving for man's loss impending,
By the tempter's wiles pretending,
Camest down Thine aid extending,
Leaving not the starry height.

In our flesh Thy glory veiling,
All on earth, in ruin failing,
Thou didst save by might prevailing,
Bringing joy to all our race.

Grant, O Christ, Thine expiation,
Unto us Thine own creation,
Take us for an habitation,
Cleansed for Thyself to grace.

By Thy first humiliation,
Grant us, Lord, justification;
When again in exaltation
Thou shalt come, O set us free.

When in glory manifested,
Thou the secret heart has tested,
In unsullied robes invested
May we closely follow Thee!

--Text: Salus aeterna, Advent Sequence Hymn, before 1000. Translated by C. B. Pearson, 1871 and F. E. Warren, 1911.
--Tune: Jesus Christus Nostra Salus, Walter, 1524, 88.87

A word from St. Herman of Alaska

"A true Christian is made by faith and love toward Christ. Our sins do not in the least hinder our Christianity, according to the word of the Savior Himself. He deigned to say: not the righteous have I come to call, but sinners to salvation; there is more joy in heaven over one who repents than over ninety righteous ones. Likewise concerning the sinful woman who touched His feet, He deigned to say to the Parisee Simon: to one who has love, a great debt is forgiven, but from one who has no love, even a small debt will be demanded. From these judgements a Christian should bring himself to hope and joy, and not in the least accept an inflicted despair. Here one needs the shield of faith.

Sin, to one who loves God, is nothing other than an arrow from the enemy in battle. The true Christian is a warrior fighting his way through the regiments of the unseen enemy to his heavenly homeland. According to the word of the Apostle, our homeland is in heaven; and about the warrior he says: our warfare is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, [against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spirits of wickedness under heaven (Ephesians 6:12)].

The vain desires of this world separate us from our homeland; love of them and habit clothe our soul as if in a hideous garment. This is called by the Apostles the outward man. We, travelling on the journey of this life and calling on God to help us, ought to be divesting ourselves of this hideous garment and clothing ourselves in new desires, in a new love of the age to come, and thereby to receive knowledge of how near or how far we are from our heavenly homeland. But it is not possible to do this quickly; rather one must follow the example of sick people, who, wishing the desired health, do not leave off seeking means to cure themselves. I am not speaking very clearly for I am hurrying, for time does not otherwise permit. But I hope that you, with your sharpness of intellect, and your ardent desrie of striving toward the heavenly homeland, may discover the path to Holy Truth, not only for yourself but for others also."

(From a letter to Simeon Yanovsky, 20 June 1820. Excerpted from: "Little Russian Philokalia, Vol. III: St. Herman.")

Pascha on Spruce Island

"One Tuesday of the third week of holy Great Lent I returned to my beloved desert from Ouzinkie. I spent Pascha here all alone at the grave of Elder Herman. I cleaned and decorated the whole church beforehand, and everything was beautiful. Many candles and lamps were burning. I served Matins, singing in the middle of the church at the coffin of the Elder, and my soul was overjoyed. I finished serving Liturgy and returned home to my cell at 4 a.m. I also sang the Paschal hymn in my chapel. In my cell everything is so clean, cozy; the lampadas were burning, kulichi (Paschal breads) were on the table, and there were deep red eggs on the green moss. A bouquet of flowers stood on the table as well. They were live flowers, Alaskan flowers! Earlier, I had broken some branches of berry bushes and had put them into a jar of water, and they had blossomed out right in time for Pascha. The little blossoms are just like little pearls and they are covering all the branches. Beautiful!--all the more so because our nature is still fast asleep--there is absolutely no greenness around.

But as for Pascha cheese, I have not seen any for all of the last 27 years. It is impossible to obtain cottage cheese here at this time of the year. Creoles and Aleuts do not even have the sligtest idea about it. But I remember it every year. With tears did I send my Paschal greeting to my native Russian people during that wondrous Paschal night...

For me this feast day, this holy night alone clearly speaks of Christ's Resurrection and tells us that the time will come when we will all resurrect and will be eternally singing of the Pascha of Christ. Never is Christ so close to us sinners as during the Great Light-Bearing Paschal Night. But nowhere do people so joyfully, so triumphantly celebrate this feast as in our Russia.

Thus the Lord allowed me to serve Pascha at the grave of the righteous Elder Herman, which I had been wishfully thinking about all the time. Glory be to God!

On Pascha day, a skylark played
And on the airy pathways rode.
To azure heights he was conveyed;
He sang a Resurrection ode.

That pristine song was then repeated
By fields and hills--the woods did sing.
'Awake, O earth!' they thus entreated,
'Awake and greet your risen King!'

'Awake, O mountain, stream and dale,
And praise Him with the Seraph bands,
For death He's made of no avail!--
Rejoice, you verdant timberlands!'

'O silver lily, columbine
And violet, blossom out with awe
And waft your fragrances divine
To Him Who's made of love a Law!'

It's midnight now, twelve o'clock! The sea is roaring, although it is quiet, for I cannot hear any wind.

I have no news, because I live alone in the forest."

--Father Gerasim of Alaska (+1969). Written in 1943. Excerpted from "Father Gerasim of New Valaam," by Gerasim Eliel, 1989.)

Sunday, December 12, 2004

Another Anecdote

St. Ignatius of Antioch was martyred when he was an old man and had already been serving the Church for many years, first as a disciple of the Apostles, and later as Bishop of Antioch. After his arrest, he turned his mind to martyrdom. On the road from Antioch to Rome, where he was to be fed to the wild beasts, he wrote to the Christian Romans that they should by no means try to prevent his martyrdom. He reiterated his point, saying, "If the lions are lazy, poke them."

His letters are preserved in the collection, "The Apostolic Fathers."

The Orthodox Way of Life

"Orthodoxy is not merely a ritual, or belief, or pattern of behavior, or anything else that a man may possess, thinking that he is thereby a Christian, and still be spiritually dead; it is rather an ELEMENTAL REALITY OR POWER which transforms a man and gives him the strength to live in the most difficult and tormenting condition, and prepares him to depart with peace into eternal life. The essence of the true Orthodox life is GODLINESS or piety, which is, in definition of St. Nectarius of Optina, based on the etymology of the word, "holding what is God's in honor." This is deeper than mere right doctrine; it is the entrance of God into every aspect of life, life lived in trembling and fear of God. Such an attitude produces the Orthodox WAY OF LIFE which is not merely the outward customs or behavior that characterizes Orthodox Christians, but the whole of the conscious spiritual struggle of the man for whom the Church and its laws are the center of everything he does and thinks. The shared, conscious experience of this way of life, centered on the daily Divine services, produces the genuine Orthodox community, with its feeling of lightness, joy and inward quietness." by: Archbishop Andrew of New Diveyevo, Jordanville, New York

Evening Office Hymn for Advent

Creator of the stars of night,
Thy people's everlasting light,
O Jesus, Savior of us all,
Regard Thy servants when they call.

Thou, grieving at the bitter cry,
Of all creation doomed to die,
Didst come to save a ruined race
With healing gifts of heavenly grace.

Thou camest, Bridegroom of the bride,
As drew the world to eveningtide,
Proceeding from a virgin shrine,
The Son of Man, yet Lord divine.

At Thy great Name, exalted now,
All knees must bend, all hearts must bow,
And things in heaven and earth shall own
That Thou art Lord and King alone.

To Thee, O Holy One, we pray,
Our judge in that tremendous day,
Preserve us while we dwell below,
From every onslaught of the foe.

All praise, Eternal Son to Thee,
Whose advent sets Thy people free,
Whom with the Father we adore,
And Spirit blest, for evermore. Amen.

(Text: Conditor alme siderum, 9th century, translated by John Mason Neale and others. Tune: Conditor Alme, Sarum plainsong, LM.)

A Prayer to St. Spyridon

Today is the feast of St. Spyridon. He was a 4th century bishop of the city of Tremithus on the island of Cyprus. He was married and had a family. Also, he was a shepherd and continued to work in flock and field just as he tended the flock of Christ and sowed the seeds of faith. In his icons, he wears his shepherd's hat, a kind of basket. His relics now rest on the island of Corfu in the northwest of Greece and are a source of constant miracles. In fact, at certain times his shoes are replaced because they keep wearing out, while his body never decays. His shoes wear out because is always visiting and helping those who pray to him.

The following prayer is usually prayed after an akathist to the saint.

"O great and all-marvellous Spyridon, holy hierarch of Christ and wonderworker, boast of Kerkyra [Corfu], most radiant beacon of the whole world, fervent intercessor before God and speedy helper for all who have recourse to you and entreat you with faith! Amid the Fathers at the Council of Nicea you expounded the Orthodox faith most gloriously; you showed the unity of the Holy Trinity with wondrous power, and utterly put the heretics to shame. Hearken, therefore, unto us sinners who entreat you, O holy hierarch of Christ, and by your mighty intercession before the Lord deliver us from every evil circumstance...To many living in dire poverty and want you rendered assistance; you abundantly sustained the poor during famine and performed many other signs through the power of the Spirit of God living within you. Werefore, forsake us not, O holy hierarch of Christ. Remember us, your children, at the throne of the Ruler of all, and beseech the Lord that He grant us remission of our manifold sins, that He bestow upon us a peaceful life unbeset by misfortunes, that He vouchsafe unto us a tranquil and unashamed end and everlasting blessedness in the age to come, that we may unceasingly send up glory and thanksgiving to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to ages of ages. Amen."

A Reminder

For all ye few, but faithful who visit this blog, please be aware that more links are added to the sidebar each day. Some of them are new and interesting, and most of them are even in English. Also, anyone is free to comment on posts; you shouldn't have to log in. If you have problems commenting, you can e-mail me. My e-mail is listed in my profile. To view my profile, go over to the icon of St. John of San Francisco and look under it for the link, "View my complete profile."

Also, if anyone knows of ways to make this blog more accessible, let me know. I'd like for people to type "Orthodox Tidings" in Google and come up with this blog as one of the top choices. Maybe this isn't possible, but maybe it can be done. Your input is most appreciated.

Thanks.

Saturday, December 11, 2004

Guard the Pearl of Faith

"Remember that God has given us freedom and that he will not take anyone to himself by force. You must display effort in your will in order to receive the grace of the Holy Spirit in your heart.

If God had not given us freedom, he would have destroyed the way of faith and drawn everyone to himself by way of enforced knowledge. Do not say, as some ignorant people do: 'Prove the existence of God to us and then we will believe.' There would be no faith if there was proof; there would be enforced knowledge, and then there would be no way to salvation.

However, when an act of faith is performed in a free heart, then God gives such proofs of the truth of faith as are incomparably higher than scientific proofs.

Always remember: you must make a freewill effort in life for acquiring virtue and for communion with God in prayer. The Lord will not take a soul to himself by force.

Guard the pearl of faith, which is the way to bliss for us and for the people close to your hearts."

--Elder Zachariah of St. Sergius Lavra (+1936)

Blessed Nicholas Ivansen

'Elder Zosima [in schema, Zachariah] had a dear friend in the St. Sergius monastery, the blessed Nicholas. He was a wonderful person. His full name was Nicholas Alexandrovich Ivansen. His father's name was Oscar. He had changed his name and adopted Orthodoxy. His mother's name was Natalya. The blessed Nicholas was a soldier by profession, but he did not keep his health for long. He bore a heavy cross of illness; once he had fallen ill he did not rise from his bed for forty years. At first he lay in a private flat, but afterwards he was moved into the monastery almshouse. His parents had died and there was no one to look after him, he was a stranger to everyone. With courage he endured and prayed.

For his exceptional endurance and humility, the Lord endowed him with clairvoyance. Father Zosima began to go to see him often and the blessed man became very fond of him. . .

Several times in succession angels brought him Communion, coming to him in the guise of monks, with the abbot at their head, who confessed him. The monks sang wonderfully. They came to him by night. The blessed Nicholas did not realize that this was a heavenly favor shown to him, but took the angels for monks and thought: "This is how well the abbot and the brothers behave to me; they have no time during the day, so they come by night on holy days and comfort me in my great suffering."

Father Zosima did not know about this, and when he learnt from the brothers that Nicholas was lying seriously ill in the monastery almshouse and that for more than thirty years no one had administered Christ's Holy Sacrament to him, he went to give him Communion and confess him. The blessed Nicholas thanked him and said: "I am so glad that on all the great feastdays the abbot and the brothers give me Communion," and he told him everything.

Father Zosima stored up the blessed man's words in his heart, but he did not say anything to him, and only after his death did he learn of the wonderful miracle shown to this suffering soul, which had borne its cross with great endurance.'

(Edited. Excerpted from "An Early Soviet Saint: The Life of Father Zachariah," by one of his spiritual daughters. Pages 47-49)

Friday, December 10, 2004

How we should see Christ

'This is the way we should see Christ. He is our friend, our brother; He is whatever is good and beautiful. He is everything. Yet, He is still a friend and He shouts it out, "You're my friends, don't you understand that? We're brothers. I'm not...I don't hold hell in my hands. I am not threatening you. I love you. I want you to enjoy life together with me."

Christ is Everything. He is joy, He is life, He is light. He is the true light who makes man joyful, makes him soar with happiness; makes him see everything, everybody; makes him feel for everyone, to want everyone with him, everyone with Christ.

Love Christ and put nothing before His Love. Christ is Everything. He is the source of life, the ultimate desire,He is everything. Everything beautiful is in Christ.

Somebody who is Christ's must love Christ, and when he loves Christ he is delivered from the Devil, from hell and from death.'
--Elder Porphyrios Bairaktaris (+2 December 1991)

Thursday, December 09, 2004

Conception of the Mother of God

The following is an extract from "The Orthodox Veneration of Mary, the Birthgiver of God," by St. John Maximovitch of Shanghai and San Francisco. It comes from the chapter dealing with the Roman Catholic dogma of the Immaculate Conception. In the chapter, St. John gives the history of the development of this false teaching and clearly outlines how it dishonors the Mother of God.

In the extract, St. John quotes St. Epiphanius the Wonderworker of Cyprus and contemporary of St. John Chrysostom, Patriarch of Constantinople.

'But we can say with the words of St. Epiphanius of Cyprus: "There is an equal harm in both these heresies, both when men demean the Virgin and when, on the contrary, they glorify Her beyond what is proper" (Panarion, "Against the Collyridians"). This Holy Father accuses those who give Her an almost divine worship: "Let Mary be in honor, but let worship be given to the Lord" (same source). "Although Mary is a chosen vessel, still she was a woman by nature, not to be distinguished at all from others." (same source). "One should not revere the saints above what is proper, but should revere their Master. Mary is not God, and did not receive a body from heaven, but from the joining of man and woman; and according to the promise, like Isaac, She was prepared to take part in the Divine Economy. But, on the other hand, let none dare foolishly to offend the Holy Virgin" (St. Epiphanius, "Against the Antidikomarionites").'

To read the whole text of St. John's book, click on the link to the right: "The Orthodox Veneration of Mary, the Birthgiver of God".

Missionary Notes: From Blessed Father Cosmas Grigoriatis

"The missionary's beginning is significant, however it is not the sum of the matter...The outset might be blessed or might become blessed at the end. What's important is that the giving be true and total, without holding back, with a disposition to self-sacrifice and self-denial, and with the aim of leaving our bones among the natives."
--Blessed Father Cosmas Grigoriatis of Zaire (Congo)
from "Thoughts about Missionary Work from Experience"

Wednesday, December 08, 2004

St. Sophronius, Bishop of Cyprus

Our Venerable Father Sophronius, a native of the island of Cyprus, piously meditated on the Holy Scriptures for many years and, having applied himself to observe all the commandments of the Lord with exactness, he received from God the power of working miracles. On the death of Bishop Damian [Damian is venerated locally as a Saint. He and St. Sophronius appear to have lived in the 8th century.] of Cyprus, the virtues of Saint Sophronius led the Christians to choose him as their shepherd. From that moment he became the nourisher of the famine-stricken, the Providence of the poor, the helper of orphans and the deliverer of all who were afflicted. Adorned with this crown, he fell asleep in the peace of the Lord.

(From the Synaxarion, by Hieromonk Makarios of Simonos Petra)

An Innocent Anecdote

On February 23, 1858, an accidental fire broke out in Archbishop Innocent Veniaminov's cell in the Monastery of the Savior, located in the frozen Siberian city of Yakutsk. The fire burned up most of his papers which hadn't already been lost at sea on one of his many voyages to parts in Alaska and around the world. The holy hierarch, however, was unperturbed by this sudden tragedy, and remarked to his future biographer Ivan Barsukov, "They would have burned up at any rate with the earth in the apocalypse!"

(Information taken from Paul Garrett's biography, "St. Innocent: Apostle to America," page 14.)

St. Angelis of Chios, the New Martyr

Angelis was a devout Christian from Argos in the Peloponnese who was in practice as a physician at Kusadashi near Ephesus at the beginning of the 19th century. One day he entered into a discussion about the faith with a French traveller, whose insolent impiety made him so angry that he challenged him to a duel, in which he would show the blasphemer the strength that the true faith gives to Christians by confronting him armed with no more than a stick. When they met that night the Frank, seeing the holy daring of the servant of God, was seized with fear and took to his heals, leaving Angelis victorious. After this incident, Angelis decided to give up his profession and all worldly care, and to keep to his house in order to devote himself to the service of God.

But on Lazarus Saturday 1813, the very man who had decarled himself ready to shed his blood for the Name of Christ, denied the faith of his fathers for no clear reason and became a Muslim on his own initiative. He was driven out of the city of Nauplion soon after and exiled to Chios, where he came to his senses and decided to repent; and, weeping abundantly, he called to his aid all the Holy Martyrs and Confessors. From then on, his sole aim was to find an opportunity of making amends for his apostasy by shedding his blood. He rushed into a Turkish custom-house and loudly professed himself to be a Christian convert from Islam before all the soldiers and officials, who treated him with great brutality before handing him over at the fortress, where he was beheaded on December 3, 1813.

(From The Synaxarion, by Hieromonk Makarios of Simonos Petra)

Tuesday, December 07, 2004

Saints for December 7

Today, besides St. Ambrose and the other big saints, we commemorate:

The Orthodox Lady burnt at Rome
In the years when Western Europe, ravaged by barbarian invasions, was experiencing a revival of Arianism, Old Rome itself partially fell into the hands of the heretics, who sought to catch prominent Christians in their nets. One day they seized a Roman noblewoman and obliged her to receive Arian baptism. On emerging from the font, she contemptuously threw two coppers to the heretical bishop, as if she were paying the attendant at a public bath. The enraged Arians burnt her to death.

The Holy Martyr Neophytus, who was thrown into the sea and drowned

The Holy Martyr Dometius, who was slain by the sword

The Holy Martyrs Isidore, Acepsimas, and Leo, who were burnt to death

The Holy Martyrs Gaius and Gaianus, who were burnt to death

St. Ignatius, who died in peace and whose body was laid to rest near the Church of the Blachernae in Constantinople

The Holy Martyr Priscus, who was starved to death

The Holy Martyr Martin, who was slaughtered with an axe

The Holy Martyr Nicholas, who was burnt to death

The Venerable John the Faster of the Lavra of the Kiev Caves, disciple of St. Antony.

(From "The Synaxarion: The Lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church, Vol. 2, by Hieromonk Makarios of Simonos Petra)

Missionary Notes: The Work of Laymen in Siberia and Alaska

The story begins with the Alaskan promyshlenik [adventurer, hunter, trader], taking after his Siberian promyshlenik ancestor, becoming acclimated to his new environment, the particular region in which he happens to be working at the time. He makes friends with his fellow hunters, the local Natives. A support network of hunting companions is very important in his dangerous line of work. They all begin to work together–trapping, hunting, and trading. They work the same job for employment and sustenance. Gradually, the Russian [Russian-speaker, not necessarily ethnic Russian] becomes integrated into the Native community, a regular village fixture. He listens to his hunting buddies tell their stories of some animal "that was THIS BIG," how the village was founded, what they did when they were lost once in the wilderness as children, and how the first people came to be–all the stories which were really meaningful to them, which they wanted to share with their new friend whom they had come to know and love.

The Russian, then, tells them the stories he knows–not just about hunting, either, but all those which are meaningful to him, which he has remembered from childhood. He tells them about Russia, Russians, what they do. How can he skip mention of all the churches which dot the landscape? He tells them how the churches make the city beautiful. He tells them about monasteries and saints. The Natives sincerely enjoy the Russian's story because he tells them things they have never heard before. The promyshlenik goes on to tell his friends about the biggest celebration in Orthodox Russia–Pascha (Easter). The way this holiday is celebrated by Russians–with feasting on special foods, gatherings, music and dancing–is very much like a Native Alaskan or Siberian festival. Yet, one thing is different. The Russian has told his Native friends how, during the Paschal season, everyone in his country greets one another with the words, "Christos voskresye!" and replies, "Voistinu Voskreskye!"

The Natives look confused. The Russian translates, as best he can. His friends are still puzzled. Then the Russian, realizing the situation, tells the story of "Christos" including the "voskresye" part. He tells his friends about the crucifixion and the resurrection of Christ, then he tells them as much as he can remember about Christ's miracles, but soon he realizes that, if his friends really want to know the whole story, he may as well start at the beginning. "In the beginning," he says, and continues from there. He is not a theologian, but he knows (and tells his friends in his story) that Christ is God and that He created the world. This takes the Natives completely by surprise. They have heard and told plenty of stories about great men and miracles, but a story about God becoming man or about the creation of the world is completely unfamiliar to them, for Native Alaskans have no creation myths, only myths about human origins. The Natives ask the Russian questions and he answers to the best of his ability, but by now it has already become quite late and they have a long day of hunting to do tomorrow, so they agree to stop telling stories for the night and think about the wonderful new stories they have just told each other.

Such a lively exchange of interesting stories binds the new friends even closer together. The Russian, after a time, meets a nice Native girl and they fall in love. It so happens that she has a brother who is one of the Russian's hunting buddies and he encourages the two to get married. Yet, there is one obstacle to marriage. The Russian's intended is not a Christian and so must be baptized. As a trusted and loved friend, the promyshlenik approaches the girl's brother, his old hunting partner, with this troubling matter. "I'll talk to her," the Native hunter says. Clearly, there is no coercion here. The future Mrs. Promyshlenik receives encouragement from her brother. He tells her to listen to the Russian's stories again. She and all the Russian's Native hunting buddies and the whole village are all together one evening. She asks her intended to tell everyone the stories of his faith one more time. All the Natives listen attentively as the Russian tells his stories. They all show interest in their plot and characters and themes. The young woman is convinced she would like to be baptized and marry the Russian. Then it happens, soon afterward, that he baptizes and marries her. The couple has children and the Russian (perhaps with his wife, or perhaps she does it by herself) baptizes them in the river or the sea. The baptism, being outdoors, draws a crowd of well-wishers and curious neighbors. Perhaps there are godparents there–Russians from the area. The whole event sparks more interest in the Russian's faith and finally, perhaps beginning with his old hunting buddies who know him and his stories the best, some Natives begin to ask the Russian to baptize them. Little by little, over the years, an Orthodox community forms which will become the seed of an Orthodox parish.

The promyshlenik would have been well-equipped for explaining his faith. Even though he had no formal theological education, he carried with him plenty of visual aids to explain his faith to the Natives. For example, every promyshlenik "carried with him a metal traveling icon which would accompany him to his grave, should he die." Also, he was never without a cross hanging on a chain around his neck. These and the other things he carried with him wherever he went had great meaning for him and are evidence of his personal piety. Indeed, anyone adopting his faith and being baptized by him–from his Native wife to his children to his Native friends–would have received the same piety in following his example. Our promyshlenik, then, came to be a missionary through the course of events, not through vocation. He had never planned to preach the word of God, but, as an exchange of stories was an obligatory part of life among his new people, he offered to the them the story of his faith–something which had sustained him through the hardship, danger, and suffering of promyshlenik life. Life's difficulties had, in fact, strengthened his faith, taught him to pray, and reminded him of all the things he had been taught growing up–the sacred and secular stories of Russians. Thus, he was fully qualified to teach his wife, children, and curious friends all that he had learned. He was the one who baptized those who wished to become Christians. He was the one who built the first chapel in the village. He was the one who led the small, but growing congregation in prayer on feast days and every day. When he died, there was always someone to take his place from among those whom he had baptized and taught. Thus, the cycle continued until the arrival of the first official missionaries.

When in Rome...

Today is the feast of St. Ambrose of Milan, a fourth century bishop and contemporary of St. Augustine and St. Basil the Great. He also baptized St. Augustine. To celebrate the feast, here's an anecdote about the saint:

Once a parishioner of St. Ambrose approached him and asked his prayers because he was going to visit Rome and stay there for a while. The parishioner also wanted advice. In Rome, the Christians fasted on Saturdays, but in Milan they did not. "What should I do?" he asked the saint. Ambrose replied, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." Such was the wisdom of this advice that it has since become a popular saying.

If you are ever in Milan, be sure to venerate his relics. You'll have to be creative in your veneration, since they're suspended above the altar in the Milan cathedral.

Also, check out Milanese or Ambrosian chant. It's a bit different from Gregorian chant. You can purchase CDs at "liturgica.com" (see link on right).

Monday, December 06, 2004

Orthodox Poland

I tried putting this up as a link, but it didn't work. I thought it was a very moving and important story about the founding of a new Orthodox monastery in Poland. It comes from Father Andrew Phillips' site, Orthodox England (see link on the right), "http://www.orthodoxengland.org.uk." I HIGHLY recommend this site. It is absolutely packed with information about Orthodoxy, Church history, Lives of saints, and prayers.

ORTHODOX POLAND: A Polish Orthodox Monastery Established

"Twenty years ago the Polish Catholic monks, Fr. Nikodim and his brother monk Fr. Atanazy, were living in Krakow. They had been monks at the Czestochowa monastery in Poland, but in studying liturgics, they realized that the Roman Church had slipped away from ancient liturgical practice, which, they concluded, had been preserved in the Eastern Rite. For a year and a half, whatever the weather, they made the trip by tram to the grave of Saint Faustinia, located at the convent where she had lived. They prayed that she might help them to found an Eastern-rite monastery.

In 1985 Fr. Atanazy had a dream. 'I was asleep', he recalled, 'in my room in Krakow. The saint appeared and, although I recognized her, I asked, 'Who are you?' 'I'm a saint', she replied. 'If you are a saint,' I said, 'then help us to find a place to build a monastery'. She said that a monastery would indeed come into being. 'It is not dependent on my prayers or yours. 'The monastery is needed and it will be built, because', she added, 'it is the will of God.'

This gave the monks great encouragement, and they set out to find a suitable piece of land. Responding to ads in newspapers, they looked over several properties (some of the owners, on learning they were monks, increased the prices), but none of them struck the monks as being suitable. Then on 5 July, the feastday of St Athanasius of Mt Athos, they came to Ujkowice, three miles from Przermysl and not far from the Ukrainian border. They climbed a hill and could see forests, fields, villages - and an old Eastern-rite church in ruin. The monks nodded their heads: 'Tbis is the place!' A month after Fr. Atanazy's dream, they secured the property, eight and a half acres.

There was an old barn and cowshed on the property. Adjacent to the barn, the monks built a small, stone chapel and placed an icon of the Mother of God over the doorway.

One day in late autumn, two women passing by on the road stopped before the chapel and, making the sign of the cross, began to pray. They prayed and wept. When the monks made their acquaintance, one of the women explained:

"My father, Mikolaj Kania, died a long time ago, but as long as he lived here, he used to say, 'Here in this place, the Mother of God will appear. There will be a monastery here.' Here was another sign.

In establishing their monastery, the monks encountered all kinds of obstacles. Just a week after they purchased the land, the Roman Catholic Curia sent a letter to the court in Przemysl, claiming that it had been purchased illegally, since Uniats in Poland could not buy land in Poland without the permission of the Roman Catholic Church. Fortunately, the monks had bought the land not as clerics but as private individuals, for agricultural use. So the Roman Catholic claims were rejected.

Some people began to come to the monastery. Women and children would come regularly for evening devotions to the Mother of God. There was even talk about possibly renovating the derelict Eastern-rite church, which had been closed in 1946. In May 1988, however, the Roman Catholic priest forbade the children from going to the monastery. Rumours began circulating against the monks.

On 18 August, 1988, the eve of the Feast of Transfiguration, some boys from the village came to the monastery: 'Oh, fathers, tomorrow at noon there will be a lot of flags and protest signs, and people will come and destroy the monastery walls'. It.was already nearing eleven o'clock. The monks took seriously the threat and, in spite of the late hour, they drove to the police station for help. When they arrived, relates Fr. Nikodim, 'we saw a woman talking on the phone, explaining to someone that all the phones in front of the post office were out of order. As she was leaving she saw us, stopped, and greeted us in Ukranian: 'Glory to Jesus Christ'. We responded, 'Glory forever'. She then added, 'Who is with God, him will God help'. And she left.

After a police officer had taken down our report, we drove back, thinking about the woman. What was the meaning of her words? Was this God's way of telling us not to trust 'in princes and the sons of men', in physical force, but to trust in Him?'

The monks decided to increase their prayer and fasting. 'Because prayer', they said, 'is a force more powerful than any other - the mightiest. It is a spiritual rocket that always aims at the right target'.

The protest against the monks took place the next day. Black ribbons were placed on red and white Polish flags. And there were slogans: 'Do not destroy the legacy of generations', 'We don't want the people of our village to be at odds', and, 'Down with the monks!'

Not long after the monks had purchased their land, they were confronted with a slanderous declaration signed by a committee of thirteen. At this point, says Fr. Nikodim, 'we knew who it was we were fighting with. It was not these people, but someone else. We knew how to fight him - by prayer and fasting. We wrote these thirteen names on a sheet of paper and placed it on the altar, under the relics of the saints that we had gathered here: Saint Basil the Great, Saint John Chrysostom, the Great-Martyr Barbara, Saint Stanislav, Saint Paul the Hermit, Saint Anthony of Egypt, and a particle of the True Cross'.

Several days later, a policeman from Przemysl arrived at the monastery. 'I have heard that there is a sheet of paper fixed to the altar here, and that on it are names of those who will be punished by God', he said to Fr. Nikodim.

Fr. Nikodim was astonished. 'Only the two of us knew about the sheet of paper on the altar. We realized that if Satan told people things that could not have been known by anyone else, it meant that this place must be exceptional'.

The brothers continued to meet with obstacles. They had to go to trial for building the wall around the monastery. Fortunately, the court decided in their favour, stating that the wall had been built according to an approved design, so that no one could tear it down.

Before the wall was built, some people who harboured ill-will toward the monks would come at night and steal supplies. On one occasion, just before an impending storm, someone ripped open bags of cement the monks were using in building their wall. By God's mercy, the clouds scattered, and there was no rain to ruin the cement.

But along with the obstacles, the monks also received encouragement.

'We were in Kalnikow for the celebration of the one thousandth anniversary of the Baptism of Rus', recalls Fr Nikodim. 'Bishop Adam of the Polish Orthodox Church was there. We were in need of encouragement, and he gave it to us'.

'You have already won', the bishop told them, 'just by persevering and staying on in that place. But remember, don't accuse the people; they are the least guilty. Someone entirely different is behind it'.

These were beautiful words', recalls Fr. Nikodim. 'To this day I bear no resentment towards the people who caused us so much harm. I can shake hands with each of them, because I know that my enemy is not material man, but immaterial spirit - the Evil One. He knows perfectly well what the role of this monastery is to be, and he wants to prevent it'. Indeed, he explains, 'a monastery is like a spring from which the grace of God and love flows, purifying people and changing them. That, in fact, has been our experience. The people here are different from what they were in 1986 when we first came'.

As the years passed, it became evident to the monks that the Eastern Rite was not the end of the journey to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. In December 1993 Fr. Nikodim wrote to the Metropolitan of the Orthodox Church in Poland, asking that the monastery be received into the Orthodox Church. So many thoughts filled his mind that the letter soon reached the proportions of a novel. This was not suitable, so Fr. Nikodim began again, very simply: 'Your Eminence, forgive us but we know the Polish Orthodox Church as if through a keyhole. We have not been in touch with any of the monasteries or monks, except for Fr. Basil from Kalnikow and a few others…'. And with this application the brothers went to Warsaw.

It was the feast of Saint Nicholas. They met the Metropolitan after the Liturgy.

'He came as the sun out of the clouds', the brothers related afterwards. 'Smiling, he embraced and kissed us. As we were talking, before we handed him our application, he said to us, 'My children, I know your monastery as if through a keyhole ...'

The monks looked at each other and nodded their heads. They knew they had made the right decision.

The Monastery of SS Cyril and Methodius was officially received into the Polish Orthodox Church on 7 June 1994, the very day the decision was made to glorify Saint Maxim Sandowicz who had struggled, as these monks were doing, to bring Orthodoxy back to his native land.

'Orthodox Christianity is indigenous to Poland', observed Fr. Nikodim. 'SS Cyril and Methodius arrived here before the Western Schism of 1054. There was only one Christendom, and it has survived down to our own day in the form of the Orthodox Church. Clearly, Orthodoxy is not alien to Poland, it was not brought by any tsar, it is our own. It has shaped the Polish state since its inception, for about twelve hundred years. Orthodoxy in this land is native, like the Vistula and San rivers, which flow through the country, watering the soil, and making it fertile. You can't ignore this river, and you can't dam it up because sooner or later the dam will break, such is the nature of the river'.

From behind the high wall can be seen the church. Fr. Nikodim opens the massive steel gates. On the right is a cemetery with several graves. Ahead is the chapel, and next to it an old barn. Further on is a refectory and a stable reconstructed to house monks' cells. Still further is another building, whose downstairs is reserved for cows, goats, and chickens; upstairs are Fr. Atanazy's quarters. In the summer, Fr. Atanazy lets the volunteer helpers use his room, while he rnakes his bed in the hay. The summer nights are short. Evening services are conducted after supper until midnight, Divine Liturgy begins about 5.30 am.

At the monastery, even the longest day can be too short. There is always much work to be done. Fr. Nikodim and Fr. Atanazy built the 650-metre long wall themselves, moving hundreds of cubic metres of concrete in a wheelbarrow. Now there are more monks, but the farm is also bigger. Mikolaj Kania's daughter, Maria, donated three acres of land when she learned that her father's prediction had come true. An additional thirtv acres were purchased and are now under cultivation. An orchard boasts thirty-two varieties of apples and pears, pollenated with the help of eighteen bee-hives. The monastery has electricity, but the monks have to go a quarter of a mile for water. The monastery need a large holding tank for water. And a road must be built. The old road to the village is negotiable only in summer.

Of course, there are those that are against it. When monks began work on a road, some people cursed them, seeing in the monks a threat to the existing Roman Catholic order (all six monks are former Roman Catholics, and the monastery it already attracting many Roman Catholic from Przemysl, Krakow, Ukraine, and twenty-eight children have been baptized). But the monks are imposing their faith on no-one. They are simply providing an opportunity for those who wish to return to the Faith of their ancestors. At one time the Przemysl diocese numbered some three million Orthodox faithful. Then came the tragic 'Brest Unia' of 1596, cleverly engineered to align the people with the interests of the Roman Catholic Austro-Hungarian Empire. Those who refused to accept the Unia were made to suffer economically and were otherwise persecuted. The last Orthodox monastery to hold out against the Union was the Maniawski Skete, which was destroyed in July 1786 by Austrian artillery. Precisely two hundred years later, in July 1986, Orthodox monasticism in the Przemysl diocese was reborn.

In spite of these difficulties, not to mention financial limitations, the monastery is thriving. In 1995, the diocesan celebration of the 1100th anniversary of the repose of Saint Methodius was held at the monastery, at which time Fr. Nikodim was elevated to the dignity of Archimandrite. The following year, Metropolitan Basil of Warsaw and All Poland, in the company of other bishops and clergy from Poland and Ukraine, blessed seven bells for the monastery, the largest weighing three-quarters of a ton.

The monastery is virtually self-sufficient. The monks bake their own bread; they grow their own food; they have done all the building themselves chapel, kitchen, refectory, monks' cells, two farm buildings. One of the monks is a skilled blacksmith. The superior, Fr. Nikodim, is a trained builder, with a specialty in woodworking. Another brother is a former Olympic gold medalist weight lifter! He now wheels barrows full of concrete.

In the spring of 1998, the monastery was given a copy of the wonderworking Vatopedi icon of the Mother of God. This icon had been in Russia for two hundred years before customs officials discovered it aboard a train bound for Germany (it was probably stolen as part of the lucrative icon smuggling business). It was sold at auction and was purchased by a wealthy, pious woman. One night the woman had a dream in which the Mother of God told her: 'Give me away'. The woman went to ask the advice of Metropolitan Basil in Warsaw. Without any hesitation, the Metropolitan replied, 'Give the icon to the monastery of Ujkowice'.

The icon is currently housed in the monastery chapel - where a lamp always burns before it. Several people have experienced miraculous healings after being anointed with the oil and after having an intercessory service celebrated before the icon. (At Metropolitan Basil's behest these cases are now being recorded.)

More and more people have been coming to pray before the icon, and, with the growth of the monastery, the need for a larger church has became imperative. Orthodox brothers and sisters! The monks of Saints Cyril and Methodius Monastery appeal to your generosity. Please help them firmly establish themselves, in spite of their adverse circumstances, as a beacon to the countless souls who thirst for the true faith in this age of almost universal apostasy and materialism, faithful to the legacy of those; saints who brought Orthodoxy to that comer of the wor1d and those who later defended it, even to the shedding of their blood: Saints Cyril and Methodius, Saints Vladimir and Olga, Saint Job of Pochaev, Child Martyr Gabriel of Bialystok, the martyrs of Vilnius, and, in our own century, Priest Maxim Sandowicz of the Carpathians."

Correspondence may be addressed to:

Prawoslawny Monaster Sw. Cyryla i Metodego
Ujkowice 110
37-713 Mackowice
Woj. Przemysl
POLAND

Sunday, December 05, 2004

Traditional Slavic Carol for St. Nicholas Day

"O who loves Nicholas the saintly,
O who serves Nicholas the saintly,
Him will Nicholas receive,
And give help in time of need:
Holy Father Nicholas!

He who dwells in God's holy mansions,
Is our help on the land and oceans,
He will guard us from all ills,
Keep us pure and free from sins
Holy Father Nicholas!

Holy Saint, hearken to our prayer,
Let not life drive us to despair,
All our efforts shall not wane,
Singing praises to your name:
Holy Father Nicholas!"

Western Orthodox Hymn to St. Nicholas

December 6 is the universal commemoration of one of the greatest bishops of the Christian Church, St. Nicholas of Myra. This most blessed man was a true theologian and teacher, a man who did not write theology, but lived it--to such a degree that, nearly two thousand years later, he is venerated by millions of Christians as a model of Christian charity and love, not to mention a miracle worker.

The following is a Western Orthodox hymn to Saint Nicholas taken from the Orthodox Web site on St. Nicholas: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7175/stnich-page.html.
(If the address won't work, look up "St.Nicholas" on the Internet and go to "St. Nicholas the Wonderworker - Main Page.")

Take a moment to visit the Web site and read some biographical material on the saint. That will make the references to St. Nicholas' life and miracles in the following hymn more understandable.

"Together rejoicing, let us exult in harmony of the voice,
At the festive acclamations of the blessed Nicholas.
For he, lying still within the cradle, kept the fasts;
At the breast he was resolved to seize the highest joys.

As a youth he doth embrace the study of his letters,
A joyful confessor, bound by no kind of carnal pleasure, a stranger thereunto,
A voice from the heavens declareth of which rank he is found worthy;
Promoted to the episcopate by it, he is exalted to the highest peaks.

Great loving-kindness lay within his soul;
Gifts many and good did he lay upon the heavy-laden.
By him with gold the virgins' ill-repute was taken from them
And their father's penury relieved.

Men at sea aboard their ship, battling the fury of the waves,
Despairing already of their lives, the boat being nearly shattered,
They, being set amidst such fearsome danger,
All cry aloud, with one united voice:

'O blessed man, O Nicholas, pull us from the straits of death
To a haven of the sea.
Pull us to a haven of the sea, thou who hast helped so many
By reason of thy tenderheartedness.'

Whilst they were crying out aloud—for they cried not in vain—
Behold, a man who told them, 'I am here to help you.'
Straightway a favourable breeze was granted,
The storm was stilled, the sea was made serene.

From his sepulchre streameth an abundance of anointing oil,
Which healeth all the sick, at his interceding prayers.
Us who in this world have suffered shipwreck in the abyss of sins,
O glorious Nicholas, pull to salvation's harbour, where there is peace and glory.

Mayst thou obtain for us that very unction from the Lord
Which healed the wound of many sinful deeds upon the billows of the sea.
May those who celebrate thy feast be filled with joy throughout the ages,
And may Christ crown them, following the race-course of this life. Amen."

from The Old Sarum Rite Missal, (c) 1998 St. Hilarion Press.

St. Sabbas [Savvas] the Sanctified

Today, December 5, is the feast of St. Savvas the Sanctified, a 6th century monk from Palestine. He founded a monastery in the desert wilderness between the Dead Sea and Jerusalem. It stands to this day and is occupied by Greek Orthodox monks. St. Savvas' relics also rest within the monastery church.

Here is a bit from the Life of St. Savvas, titled "Characteristics of the Saint."

"The divine Savvas possessed such grace that whatever he requested of God he received without fail, and he performed miracles. His body was always subject to his will; when he fasted during the Great Fast, he never fell ill due to abstinence; and even though at Lent he ate but once a week, he performed all his duties. He was always healthy and strong, as a man of sturdy and sound nature. As courageous as he was in body, so was he also in soul. In his outlook on matters, he never went to extremes; in his manner he was discreet, in speech always pleasant, in his habits very simple, in his opinions certain, and he loved everyone sincerely and without partiality."

Excerpted from The Lives of the Saints of the Holy Land and the Sinai Desert, (page 497) published by Holy Apostles Convent. (If you would like your own copy, write to them at: P.O. Box 3118, Buena Vista, CO 81211) I highly recommend this book. It's over 500 pages of ancient saints' Lives, complete with footnotes and illustrations.

Hymn to St. Savvas (Troparion, Tone 1)
Sanctified from youth, O righteous Savvas, you were a summit of righteousness equal to the Apostles. You led a heavenly life, and guided your flock to godliness by word and deed. And they cry to you with faith: Glory to Him Who has strengthened you; glory to Him Who has crowned you; glory to Him Who through you works healings for all.

Another Hymn to St. Savvas (Kontakion, Tone 8)
You were offered to God from childhood as a blameless sacrifice, as one dedicated to Him before birth, O blessed Savvas, adornment of the righteous and blessed dweller in the desert. Therefore we cry to you: Rejoice!

Saturday, December 04, 2004

Getting Started

Hello. Welcome to "Orthodox Tidings."

This blog is named in honor of St. John Maximovitch of Shanghai and San Francisco. He was a 20th century Orthodox Christian bishop who is remembered for his love and miracles. He is also remembered for starting one of the first Orthodox Christian newsletters in the New World, "Orthodox Tidings."

Rejoice, O Virgin Mother of God, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, for thou hast born the Savior of our souls.