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Winter Storm Warning

Posted on by Fr. Peter

snow totals

Thirty-five years ago today, New England was hit with one of the largest winter storm I can remember.  The Blizzard of 1978 will go down in my memory as a wild few days.  Growing up on the coast of Massachusetts as I did, winter storms can take on a whole new meaning.  Not only did we get the snow, but we got the wind and the water.  We were lucky, our house is way above the water line, but many families were not.  I also like to keep in mind that back in the days of Don Kent and the stick on sun on the map, we did not have days of warning like we do now.

As I write this, we stand in the door looking out at another winter storm.  Yes, we get snow here in New England in February, but it is not just the snow that ones needs to be concerned about.  I serve as part of a team for Emergency Management, and yesterday we were on a conference call with the State Emergency Management folks.  The big concern is prolong power outages.  If the power goes out, and I am sure it will, the repair crews will not start working until the storm has passed.  The power companies are not going to send their crews out in the storm to fix the power.  So be smart and be prepared.

I always find it rather amusing the number of people who get all upset when the storm turns and goes out to sea.  “They got us all worked up for nothing” some like to say.  Well, if we did not get you “all worked up” and the storm did hit, you would complain about that.  Nothing wrong with getting ready for a storm.  I was a Boy Scout and I believe in being prepared in all situations.

With this in mind, I have posted a few tips for winter storm preparation, remember it is better to be prepared than not.  We have time now to make the proper arrangements, and I am not talking about rushing to the store to buy milk and bread, but real preparation.  The experts say you should be able to be on your own for up to four days after any kind of storm.

Before a Winter Storm threatens

  • Know the terms used by weather forecasters:
    • Winter Storm Watch – Be alert, a storm is likely.
    • Winter storm Warning – Take action, the storm is in or entering the area.
    • Blizzard Warning – Snow and strong winds combined will produce blinding snow, near zero visibility, deep drifts, and life-threatening wind chill. Seek refuge immediately.
    • Winter Weather Advisory – Winter weather conditions are expected to cause significant inconveniences and may be hazardous, especially to motorists.
    • Frost/Freeze Warning – Below freezing temperatures are expected and may cause damage to plants, crops or fruit trees.
  • Everyone should have supplies which would prepared them to survive on their own for at least three days. There should be some non-perishable food, bottled water, flashlights and extra batteries around the house, along with a portable radio or NOAA Weather Radio in case of power outages or other emergencies caused by a winter storm.
  • Additional items that should be included on your Winter Weather Supply List are a freshly-stocked first-aid kit, essential prescription medicines, non-perishable foods (those that require no refrigeration such as canned goods, dried fruits and nuts), a non-electric can opener, water (one gallon per person, per day), baby-care items, extra blankets, sleeping bags and a fire extinguisher.
  • Have sufficient heating fuel, as regular sources may be cut off. Have emergency heating equipment and fuel (a gas fireplace, wood burning stove or fireplace) so you can keep at least one room livable. Be sure the room is well ventilated.
  • Make sure your home is properly insulated. Caulk and weather-strip doors and windows to keep cold air out.
  • Install storm windows or cover windows with plastic from the inside to provide insulation.
  • To keep pipes from freezing, wrap them in insulation or layers of newspapers, covering the newspapers with plastic to keep out moisture.
  • Let faucets drip a little to avoid freezing.
  • Know how to shut off water valves.
  • If pipes freeze, remove insulation, completely open all faucets and pour hot water over the pipes, starting where they are most exposed to the cold. A hand-held hair dryer, used with caution, also works well.
  • Suggested items for a Winter Emergency Car Kit include a flashlight with extra batteries, a basic first-aid kit, necessary medications, a pocket knife, booster cables, a blanket or a sleeping bag, extra clothes (including rain gear, mittens and socks), non-perishable foods, a non-electric can opener, sand for generating vehicle traction, tire chains or traction mats, a basic tool kit (pliers, wrench, screwdriver), a tow rope, a container of water and a brightly colored cloth to serve as a flag, if necessary.
  • Ensure that your tires have adequate tread and keep your gas tank at least half-full. Plan long trips carefully, listening to the latest weather reports and road conditions.
  • Travel during the day, and if possible, try to take someone along with you.

Winter Emergency Supply Kit

  • Flashlight and extra batteries
  • Portable radio or NOAA Weather Radio with extra batteries
  • First-aid kit
  • Essential prescription medicines
  • Non-perishable Food
  • Non-electric can opener
  • Water (one gallon per person/per day)
  • Baby items
  • Extra blankets and sleeping bags
  • Fire extinguisher

Family Emergency Communications Plan

Develop a ‘Family Emergency Communication Plan’ in case family members are separated from one another during a winter storm (a real possibility during the day when adults are at work and children are at school), and have a plan for getting back together. Ask an out-of-state relative or friend to serve as the ‘family contact’. After a disaster, it is often easier to call long distance. Make sure everyone knows the name, address and telephone number of the contact person.

Winter Emergency Car Kit

  • Flashlight with extra batteries
  • Charged cell phone
  • Basic first-aid kit
  • Necessary medications
  • Pocket knife
  • Blankets or sleeping bags
  • Extra clothes (include rain gear, mittens, socks)
  • High-calorie, non-perishable foods (dried fruits, nuts, canned food)
  • Non-electric can opener
  • Container of water
  • Shovel
  • Sand for generating traction
  • Tire chains or traction mats
  • Basic tool kit (pliers, wrench, screwdriver)
  • Tow rope
  • Brightly colored cloth to utilize as a flag

Auto Safety Steps

  • About 70% of winter deaths related to snow and ice occur in automobiles.
  • Keep your gas tank full.
  • Install good winter tires with adequate tread.
  • Keep a windshield scraper and small broom for ice and snow removal.
  • Check your windshield wiper fluid and keep your gas tank at least half-full.
  • Plan long trips carefully, listening to the radio or NOAA Weather Radio for the latest weather forecasts and road conditions.
  • Travel during daylight hours, and if possible, take another person with you.
  • If a blizzard traps you in your car, pull off the highway. Turn on hazard lights and hang a distress flag from your radio antenna or window.
  • Remain in your vehicle where rescuers are more likely to find you. Do not set out on foot, unless you can see a building close by where you know you can take shelter.
  • Run the engine and heater about 10 minutes each hour to keep warm. When the engine is running, open the window slightly for ventilation. Periodically clear snow from the exhaust pipe.
  • Exercise to maintain body heat, but avoid overexertion. In extreme cold, use road maps, seat covers and floor mats for insulation. Huddle with passengers.
  • Take turns sleeping. One person should be awake at all times to look for rescue crews.
  • Drink fluids to avoid dehydration.
  • Be careful not to waste battery power. Balance electricity energy needs: the use of lights, heat and radio.
  • At night, turn on the inside light so work crews and rescuers can see you.

During a Winter Storm

  • Dress for the season, wearing several layers of loose fitting, lightweight, warm clothing, rather than one layer of heavy clothing. The outer garments should be tightly woven and water repellent.
  • Mittens are better than gloves.
  • Wear a hat; most body heat is lost through the top of the head.
  • Cover your mouth with a scarf to protect your lungs.
  • Be careful when shoveling snow. Over-exertion can bring on a heart attack – a major cause of death in the winter.
  • Watch for signs of frostbite: loss of feeling and white or pale appearance in the extremities such as fingers, toes, ear lobes or the tip of the nose. If symptoms are detected, seek medical help immediately.
  • Watch for signs of hypothermia: uncontrollable shivering, memory loss, disorientation, incoherence, slurred speech, drowsiness and apparent exhaustion. If symptoms are detected, get the victim to a warm location, remove any wet clothing, warm the center of the body first and give warm, non-alcoholic beverages, if the victim is conscious. Get medical help, as soon as possible.

After the Winter Storm

  • Roads to allow plowing operations to proceed smoothly.
  • Help dig out fire hydrants and storm drains in your neighborhood.
  • Avoid parking too close to corners, allowing Public Safety vehicles and plows to maneuver safely.
  • Be aware of children playing in the streets, particularly climbing on or running out from behind large snowdrifts. Parents should remind their children to be aware of plowing operations and traffic.
  • Clear exhaust vents from Direct Vent Gas Furnace Systems to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.
  • Never run automobile until exhaust pipe has been cleared of snow.
  • Make sure backup generators are well ventilated.
  • Take your time shoveling. Avoid overexertion.
  • Use care around downed power lines. Assume a down wire is a live wire.
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The Super Bowl and Morality

Posted on by Fr. Peter

beyonce

In my last post, I wrote about my favorite commercial from the Super Bowl, And God Made a Farmer.  However, there were some pretty disturbing commercials as well as the entire half time show that I think needs to be addressed.

Now I realize that each generation moves along a spectrum, and the previous generation does not always agree.  I was reminded on Facebook that Elvis raised some eyebrows in his day with his gyrating hips and what not.  But, as I remarked, Elvis kept his clothes on.

The first exhibition of how low America has sunk into the moral gutter was the GoDaddy dot com commercial.  GoDaddy spokesperson, and race car driver Danica Patrick talks about the merging of the sexy with the technical.  The camera moves to a scantily clad woman and, what I would describe, as a geek.  The two them start to kiss and the sounds are just stomach turning, and this goes on for what seemed like hours.

Next we come to the half time show.  I will set aside the fact that I just do not understand modern music, I will address, or rather ask a question, why do we believe it necessary for women to take off their clothes and prance around a stage?  I just don’t get it, and maybe I am showing my age, but to it bordered on the pornographic!  A few years ago the world went crazy with the “wardrobe malfunction” but we seem to be okay with everything just short of nudity, but I am sure that is not too far behind.

We were then subjected to a display by the two actresses from the show “Two Broke Girls.”  Now, I have never watched the program, but I have seen enough of the ads to understand this program is one step above the gutter itself.  The show glorifies fornication and other such things, and in the commercial the girls removed their waitress uniforms and began a pole dance.  Again I just don’t get it.  Things like this used to be only available wrapped in a plain brown wrapper behind the counter at the corner store.

Now maybe I am a prude, but I don’t care.  As an Orthodox Christian,  I find this downturn of our morals to be disturbing.  We have sexualized everything in this country now to include internet website domain names.  I do appreciate the creativity it takes to do that, but when are we going to be outraged?

Women in America have made significant strides in the movement for equality, and I do not understand why there is not more outrage from women when advertisers reduce them to nothing but objects.  The human body is a beautiful thing, and all of humanity is created in the image a likeness of God, but when it is reduced to an object, that is an abuse of that creation.  Women prancing around the stage, or swinging from a pole denigrates women.  I asked the question on Facebook last night, Is this what you want your daughters doing?  Pornography is on the rise, and this does nothing but feed directly into that dark world.

Beyonce is an exceptionally talented young lady, why she felt the need to prance around the stage last night in her underwear I will never understand.  What would have been wrong with just coming out on the stage and singing your music?  As much as I disagreed with the rendition of the National Anthem by Alicia Keys, at least she dressed appropriately for the occasion.  Beyonce was dressed more for the beach than she was for the International Stage.

America, when are we going to wake up?  When are we going to realize that we are on a slippery slope into the gutter and try to turn the tide and return to a sense of decency.  As I stated before in the essay, the human body is a beautiful creation and should be celebrated, not reduced to an object for entertainment.  When we sexualize young girls and women on television it reduces them to objects, and it takes the wind out of the sails of anything women are trying to do.  Modesty has been stricken from the lexicon of the day, or at least it has been redefined and not in a good way.

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And God Made a Farmer

Posted on by Fr. Peter

god-made-a-farmer-dodge-ram-super-bowl

I like football.  I like football better when my beloved New England Patriots are playing, but I do love a good football game.  Last night, like millions of Americans, I tuned in to watch the match between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens.  The game promised to be a good one, and in the final analysis, I think it will be the best Super Bowl game played thus far.

I also, like millions of Americans, tune in to watch the commercials.  I imagine this is  one time when television viewers do not mind the commercials.  We watch to see how clever the ads can be and if they got their reported $4 million dollars for thirty seconds.  There were some good ones, and there were some downright disgusting ones.  I am going to keep my moral outrage for another post, but I was most impressed with the commercial by Dodge called, “God Made a Farmer.”  In our over sexualized world,  it is gratifying to see an ad that champions good wholesome family values and as a bonus, mentioned God in every sentence.

I consider myself as part of the food chain.  I keep and raise chickens that provide several families in my community with eggs on a weekly basis.  I have a small garden where, last year, I was blessed to be able to produce a substantial amount of veggies that will keep me through the winter.  I do not consider myself a farmer, in the sense that the ones in the video are farmers, but I understand how difficult it is to farm the land.

The small family farm is under attack in America from the large corporate farms.  These are the guys that create, and I mean create, the food that we eat, and we put it in our mouth without any sense of what is in it.  Genetically Modified food is all the rage, and if it is not that then we are radiating our food to make it safe.  We are abusing creation, and we don’t seem to care much about it.

So we turn to the immortal words of Paul Harvey.  So God Made a Famer, is poem delivered in 1978 to a meeting of the Future Famers of America and speaks of the values of the farmer and the difficulty of the job.  Dodge Ram Trucks used parts of the poem in their ad last night, and from my perspective, won the prize for the best commercial.

Posted below are two videos, the first contains images that celebrate farmers and the farming way of life, and the second is the commercial from last night.  Please take a few moments to watch both videos and, please do take the time to thank a farmer.  Remember the slogan, “No Farms, No Food.”

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Candlemas

Posted on by Fr. Peter

orthodox-church-candles

On February 2nd,  the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches celebrate the Great Feast of the Presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple.

On this day, Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus to the Temple in fulfillment of the Law of Moses that every male child that opens the womb shall be dedicated to God. According to the Prolog of Ohrid by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich, the High-Priest Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist was on duty and placed Mary not in the courtyard with the other mothers, but in the courtyard with the other virgins, as Mary has remained a virgin.

As part of the tradition of presenting your child in the Temple, and offering of an unblemished lamb was to be made.  The law also makes provision for those who could not afford a lamb by being able to offer two turtle doves and two young pigeons.  The Gospel of St. Luke mentioned that Mary and Joseph chose to present the turtle doves, but they also offered Jesus, the unblemished Lamb of God, thus fulfilling the requirement of the Law of Moses.

Also celebrated on this day is Candlemas.  This celebration seems to have largely fallen out of use, but on this day candles are blessed.  These are the candles that will be used throughout the year in the Church and are also given to the faithful for use in the home.

Candles are an essential part of our worship, and we use candles for a variety of services.  Candles are given at Baptism to symbolize the movement from darkness into light, and we use candles at the Pascha service to show that we have moved from darkness into the light.  We take those candles into our homes to remind us that we are to be the light of the world.  That we are called at our Baptism to be that light that so desperately needs to shine in this darkened world.

When a man or women is tonsured into the monastic life, among the items that are presented to him, is a candle.  The candle is to remind the new monk that they are to strive, by purity of life, good deeds, and good demeanor to be the light of the world.  The following prayer is read by the abbot or bishop when the candle is presented:

Take, brother, this candle, and know that from henceforth you must, through a pure and virtuous life, and through a good character, be a light unto the world. For the Lord said, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father, who art in heaven.

The candle is placed in the new monks Icon corner and will be buried with him at the time of his death.

Growing up along the coast of Massachusetts as I did, you become very familiar with light houses.  These light houses are dotted all along the coast of New England and, although serve mainly as decoration now, were extremely vital in the life of sailors as they approached the coast.  It is said that the coal of a cigarette can be seen for more than 5 miles out to sea, so the light of the light house was used to guide the sailors into the safe harbor on the worst of nights.

As important as symbols are in worship, these candles cannot simply remain a symbol without meaning or application.  We do need to be, what the candle signifies, the light of the world.  We need to be the ones, who by our words and deeds, to be the light of the world and lead people to safety.  We need to be, like the light house, that bright shining light in the midst of the storm to lead people to the haven of safety, the Church.

But these candles also need to be a reminder to us that we need to chase away the darkness of our souls and of our hearts so our spiritual eyes might be made clear and that we will be able to see all that is good and necessary for our salvation.

When we bless the candles, we use five prayers.  One of those prayers speaks specifically to this idea of removing the darkness from our own lives:

O Lord Jesus Christ, the True Light that enlighteneth every man that comes into the world: Do Thou pour out Thy blessing upon these candles, and sanctify them with the light of Thy grace. And be pleased, O Merciful One, that as these lights, kindled with visible fire, drive away the darkness of night, so may our hearts, kindled with invisible fire, and illumined with the brightness of the Holy Spirit, banish the blindness of every sin, that, by the  cleansing of our spiritual eyes, we may be able to see that which is well-pleasing unto Thee and necessary for our salvation; and that having triumphed over the dark forces of this world, we may be counted worthy to attain to the everlasting Light. For Thou art our Savior, and unto Thee do we send up glory, together with Thy Father Who is without beginning, and Thy Most-holy, Good, and Lifegiving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

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1 February ~ St. Bridget of Kildare

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Also known as: Bride; Bride of the Isles; Bridget of Ireland; Bridget; Brigid of Kildare; Brigit; Ffraid; Mary of the Gael.Born in 453 at Faughart, County Louth, Ireland and died on 1 February 523 at Kildare, Ireland of natural causes; buried in Downpatrick, Ireland with Saint Patrick and Saint Columba; head removed to Jesuit church in Lisbon, Portugal…

Daughter of Dubtach, pagan Scottish king of Leinster, and Brocca, a Christian Pictish slave who had been baptized by Saint Patrick. Just before Brigid’s birth, her mother was sold to a Druid landowner. Brigid remained with her mother till she was old enough to serve her legal owner Dubtach, her father.

She grew up marked by her high spirits and tender heart, and as a child, she heard Saint Patrick preach, which she never forgot. She could not bear to see anyone hungry or cold, and to help them, often gave away things that were Dubtach’s. When Dubtach protested, she replied that “Christ dwelt in every creature”. Dubtach tried to sell her to the King of Leinster, and while they bargained, she gave a treasured sword of her father’s to a leper. Dubtach was about to strike her when Brigid explained she had given the sword to God through the leper, because of its great value. The King, a Christian, forbade Dubtach to strike her, saying “Her merit before God is greater than ours”. Dubtach solved this domestic problem by giving Brigid her freedom.

Brigid’s aged mother was in charge of her master’s dairy. Brigid took charge ,and often gave away the produce. But the dairy prospered under her (hence her patronage of milk maids, dairy workers, cattle, etc.), and the Druid freed Brigid’s mother.

Brigid returned to her father, who arranged a marriage for her with a young bard. Bride refused, and to keep her virginity, went to Bishop Mel, a pupil of Saint Patrick’s, and took her first vows. Legend says that she prayed that her beauty be taken from her so no one would seek her hand in marriage; her prayer was granted, and she regained her beauty only after making her vows. Another tale says that when Saint Patrick heard her final vows, he mistakenly used the form for ordaining priests. When told of it he replied, “So be it, my son, she is destined for great things.”

Her first convent started with seven nuns. At the invitation of bishops, she started convents all over Ireland. She was a great traveler, especially considering the conditions of the time, which led to her patronage of travelers, sailors, etc. Brigid invented the double monastery, the monastery of Kildare that she ran on the Liffey river being for both monks and nuns. Saint Conleth became its first bishop; this connection and the installation of a bell that lasted over 1000 years apparently led to her patronage of blacksmiths and those in related fields.

The Collect

O God, by whose grace your servant Brigid, kindled with the flame of your love, became a burning and a shining light in your Church: Grant that we also may be aflame with the spirit of love and discipline, and walk before you as children of light; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever. Amen.

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Difficult Day on the Farm

Posted on by Fr. Peter
The Monastery Garden at the End of the Season
The Monastery Garden at the End of the Season

If you have been following these pages for any length of time, you know that I have begun a small farm here at the monastery.  Last year I was able to plant several raised beds with tomatoes and peppers and other such magnificent veggies.  The significant change was the introduction of a small flock of Chickens.

The Chickens arrived here more than a year ago and have given us a steady flow of fresh eggs that we have been able to share with our friends and neighbors.  So far they are covering their own costs and that is important in any farming venture.  We also purchased a rooster that turned out to be more trouble than he was worth.  We had no desire to hatch our own eggs, so the poor guy was just for show.  The pen was too small and, well, the girls did not like all of the attention he was giving them.  So we removed him from the flock.  That’s right; you do not need a rooster for the chickens to lay eggs.

In the early fall, something got into the pen, and two of the chickens fell victim, so we replaced them and increased the size of the flock to 11.  Following all of the best practices we had the flock tested and 2 of them did not pass and today they had to be removed from the flock.  Everything you read about farming tells you not to get attached to your animals, they are not pets, and one day they will have to go.  Chickens have a laying life of about two and a half to three years, and then, well, they just start costing money, so they have to be removed from the flock.

As an Orthodox Christian, I have an obligation to care for God’s creation.  We are to use it to our benefit, but we are also the care takers of this creation.  This would include any animals that we would take into our care.  Our farming philosophy is that we will treat our animals in the most humane way possible.  We will feed them the best food and make sure they are cared for to include protection from predators.  When we lost the two in the fall, I took it quite hard.  Not because we lost the chickens, but because I did not protect them in the way I was supposed to.  This may seem strange to some, but if we are to live up to our farming philosophy then this is a critical step.

Removing the birds was not a difficult decision as it needed to be made for the health of the remaining flock as well as the people who would buy our eggs.  They will be taken to the lab where they will meet a humane end of their life, and hopefully we will learn something about what happened so it can be prevented in the future.

Farming is not easy and farming in a way that respects not only the plants and animals that we raise but the earth that we raise it on is even more difficult.  But we believe that this is what we are called to do as Orthodox Christians.

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March for Life

Posted on by Fr. Peter

marchforlifeii1

Today in Washington, DC people are gathering from all walks of life to support life.  I choose not to use the term to protest because that is not what they are doing.  The March for life is just that and not a protest against anything but a support for something.

As Orthodox Christians we support life all along the spectrum of that life.  Yes there is some disagreement between ethicists and theologians as to when life actually begins, but we all agree that it must be protected.  Those in the world will argue that the law states that a child in the womb is not a human until a certain point.  Well, I guess the law can define it that way, but God’s law says something different and choose to follow the law of God rather than the law of man.

But, with that said, we also need to be concerned about life once it is born.  We need to be concerned about poverty, education, economics, health care, housing, food, etc.  We need to be concerned with all of those things that are a threat to life today.  Yes, we need to protect the vulnerable and those that cannot protect themselves and by that I mean the unborn, but we also need to be concerned about the growing number of homeless and hungry in our country, many of who are under 18 or over 65.  If we are going to say we are prolife than we have to mean that and be concerned about all life.

At their most recent meeting, the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and South America took up this call for life to be respected all along its spectrum.  The statement released after the meeting included this position;

We must strive to eliminate the violence proliferated against innocents of every kind, particularly of women and the unborn. We call for responsibility by individuals, institutions and governments to ensure the welfare of every citizen.

Ensuring the welfare of all citizens is a tremendous responsibility but is one that needs to be actively worked on at all levels and the Church needs to be part of that solution.

In the bishops statement released prior to Sanctity of Life Sunday the bishops reiterated the long stand of the Orthodox Church regarding life;

The Church has consistently held that children developing in the womb should be afforded every protection given to those outside the womb. There is no moral, religious or scientific rationale which can justify making a distinction between the humanity of the newly-conceived and that of the newly-born.

They also called upon all Orthodox Christians to help support pregnant women, not just with our words but with our actions.  It is not enough to just use rhetoric in the fight to protect life, we have to be moved to action to protect life.  If we are going to call women to bring their children to term and deliver them, then we as a Church need to be willing to support these women and their children.  We need to be willing to do whatever is necessary to aid and support them, not only during the pregnancy, but after and through that child’s life.

The bishops had this to say;

The Orthodox Church calls on her children, and indeed all of society, to provide help to pregnant mothers who need assistance brining their children safely into the world and providing these children loving homes.

The hierarchs of our Holy Church are calling us to action, they are calling us to live the message of the Gospel in a very real way.  We are being challenged to let our “Orthopraxy attend our Orthodoxy.”  It is time we stepped up as a church and did just that!

On this day when so many will gather on the Mall in Washington, I pray for them and for the 54 million innocents that have been sacrifice these last 40 years to the sin of abortion.  I pray for the safety of those who will be traveling to DC and home.  I pray for those who are working to end this sinful behavior and those who work to change hearts and minds one at a time.  But I also pray for those who work with the homeless, the hungry, the immigrant, the prisoner, and those who need a voice.  I pray for all of those who are working to make life better for someone.

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Orthodox Assembly of Bishops Remembers the 54 Million Innocent Dead

Posted on by Fr. Peter

assembly logo

(AOB) – Forty years ago the Supreme Court of the United States handed down a decision, known as Roe v. Wade, granting a “right” for women of the United States to terminate the lives of their children in the womb. This decision has resulted in some 54 million children’s lives ending almost before they began.

The Holy Orthodox Christian Faith is unabashedly pro-life. The Lord Jesus Christ was recognized and worshipped in His mother’s womb while yet unborn by the Holy Forerunner who was also still in his mother’s womb (Luke 1:44); St. Basil the Great (4th Century), one of the universal teachers of the faith, dared to call murderers those who terminate the life of the fetus. The Church has consistently held that children developing in the womb should be afforded every protection given to those outside the womb. There is no moral, religious or scientific rationale which can justify making a distinction between the humanity of the newly-conceived and that of the newly-born.

Abortion on demand not only ends the life of a child, but also injures the mother of that child, often resulting in spiritual, psychological and physical harm. Christians should bring the comfort of the Gospel to women who have had abortions, that our loving God may heal them. The Orthodox Church calls on her children, and indeed all of society, to provide help to pregnant mothers who need assistance brining their children safely into the world and providing these children loving homes.

On the occasion of this sorrowful anniversary, and as we mourn the violence we all too often visit upon one another, as exemplified by the recent mass killings in Aurora, Colorado and Newtown, Connecticut, we pray for an end to the violence of abortion. Surely the many ways in which we as a people diminish the reverence and respect for human life underlie much of this violence. The disrespect for human life in the womb is no small part of this. Let us offer to Almighty God our repentance for the evil of abortion on demand and extend our hearts and hands to embrace life.

On the occasion of this 40th Anniversary of “Roe v. Wade,” we republish the following “Agreed Statement” issued in 1974 by the Orthodox-Roman Catholic Bilateral Consultation in the United States (composed of representatives from the former SCOBA and the US Conference of Catholic Bishops) a statement as timely now as it was then:

AN AGREED STATEMENT ON RESPECT FOR LIFE

We, the members of the Orthodox-Roman Catholic Bilateral Consultation in the United States, after extensive discussions on the sanctity of marriage, feel compelled to make a statement concerning the inviolability of human life in all its forms.

We recognize that human life is a gift of God entrusted to mankind and so feel the necessity of expressing our shared conviction about its sacred character in concrete and active ways. It is true that the Christian community’s concern has recently seemed to be selective and disproportionate in this regard, e.g., in the anti-abortion campaign. Too often human life has been threatened or even destroyed, especially during times of war, internal strife, and violence, with little or no protestation from the Christian leadership. Unfortunately, the impression has frequently been given that churchmen are more concerned with establishing the legitimacy of war or capital punishment than with the preservation of human life. We know that this has been a scandal for many, both believers and unbelievers.

We feel constrained at this point in history to affirm that the “right to life” implies a right to a decent life and to full human development, not merely to a marginal existence.

We affirm that the furthering of this goal for the unborn, the mentally handicapped, the aging, and the underprivileged is our duty on a global as well as a domestic scale.

We deplore in particular the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision failing to recognize the rights of the unborn–a decision which has led to widespread indiscriminate early abortion.

We affirm our common Christian tradition with regard to the right of the unborn to life.

We acknowledge our responsibility to mediate the love of Christ, especially to the troubled expectant mother, and thus make possible the transmission and nurturing of new life and its fully human development.

We urge our churches and all believers to take a concrete stand on this matter at this time and to exemplify this evangelical imperative in their personal lives and professional decisions.

Source

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Bloom Where You’re Planted

Posted on by Fr. Peter

churchfront

When I first came to Southbridge, I listen to the stories that the parishioners told me about the founding and building of this church.  The history of a parish is more about the people and the mission than about buildings and grounds and it is good to listen to their stories.  I learned many things about this place that I have called home for almost nine years now, it started small, the first church was built almost by hand by the parishioners themselves, and they struggled to keep the doors open for almost 90 years.  But the story that sticks in my mind the most is the one that almost all of them told, they believe that God made it possible for them to purchase the land the Church now sits on.

In 1923, Macedonian/Romanian immigrants decided that they wanted their own Church.  They had been here in Southbridge for more than a decade and had been worshipping in people’s homes and other places and it was time to put down permanent roots.  They looked for property close to where they all lived and worked and this 5 acres of land became available.  They raised funds and purchased this land, made possible, they believe, by prayer.

This little Church has done some wonderful work all of these years not only for the parishioners but for the community at large.  Our newest ministry is the Community Meal program that we began almost 4 years ago.  Last year we served more than 1700 meals from our Parish Hall to our friends and neighbors.  We are striving to be the hands and feet of Christ in our Community.

But Southbridge has its problems and the Church is located in a neighborhood tucked behind houses on a dead end street.  We have no “drive by” appeal and for the most part, the people in this Town do not even know we exist.  Oh sure they have heard about us, but do they really know us.  Someone said that the way you know if you have had an impact on the Community would be if your doors were to close tomorrow, would any know you were gone?  These are all important issues to think about, or are they?

Orthodox Christians believe that we are the Church of Jesus Christ.  Our theology is the same as that that was handed on by the Apostles in an unbroken tradition or worship and prayer.  Our theology has been tested by the Communists and others who wished to exterminate the Church from the face of the earth and survived.  We are different than any other Church, we have a difficult time assimilating into new cultures, but there are not many places where the Orthodox Church is not.

We do not go out on the street and shout at the top of our lungs that the end is near, we do not hold tent meetings on the Town Common, not that these are wrong, they are just not what we do.  We evangelize the world by how we live, Orthodox is not a religion, a set of morals, or a denomination, Orthodoxy is a life style, we are Orthodox 24/7.  The light that comes from us is our Evangelical witness and simply say to people who inquire about Orthodoxy, come and see.

Churches, like mine here, who have been given a place to minister by God should not simply abandon that place.  Yes the neighborhood around us has changed.  When the Church was first built on this spot, the houses around it were owned, for the most part, by parishioners.  They have moved and new people have moved in.  New immigrants looking for a new life, have purchased those homes and now call the “Holy Hill” home.  But this is where God placed this Church to minister.

I am familiar with all of literature on where you should build a church.  I know all about the “windshield survey” of the neighborhood when church planters come to town.  Every few months a new “storefront” church will open in Southbridge and within a few months they are gone, but Orthodoxy has been in this Town for more than 100 years!  Why, I believe, it is because we have not abandoned our mission.

Yes our church is located on a back street tucked away behind houses of a neighborhood that has long forgotten about us, but this is where God has placed us, this is our promised land and how can we simply walk away from it?  When is the last time someone came to a church because they were driving by and thought, “hmmmm let’s go there on Sunday?”  It has never happened since I have been here.

People come to Holy Orthodoxy not because they saw the Church, they come to Holy Orthodoxy because God has sent them, they were invited by someone they know, or they saw the work of the Church in the Community.  We are not a supermarket or strip mall, we do not need “drive by” appeal to bring people to the Church.  We need holiness and fidelity to the mission and spirituality of the Church.  We need to pray for those who God has already chosen to come here and we need to live our lives in a way that people will want to know more about this Church that we belong too.

I told my parishioners in my sermon at the Vigil Service on Great and Holy Pascha that we are the light that has come into the darkened world.  We are the ones that need to be that light in the midst of the storm, the light that is not fazed by this or that popular theology. We need to be like the lighthouse, standing tall in the storm guiding the way home.  If we do all of that, and we are faithful to our mission, then God will continue to send people to this place that God granted to us so many years ago.

Bloom where you are planted because it is where God placed you!

Blog

Where are the Nine?

Posted on by Fr. Peter

lepersThe Gospel of Luke 17:12-19

At that time, as Jesus entered a village, He was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices and said: “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When He saw them He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’s feet, giving Him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then said Jesus: “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him: “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

gizzmo

This is an interesting story that we are faced with.  We see the Ten Lepers standing at a distance and asking Jesus for Mercy upon them.  They obviously have heard about Jesus, or they see something in His that the recognize as holiness, either way they call out to him for mercy.

We do the same.  In each Liturgy that we celebrate we ask for mercy after each line of the litanies that we say.  More than 100 times we sing, Lord Have Mercy, as we are asking for the mercy of God in all situations.  When we pray, we pray that what is in God’s will is what is granted.  It may not always be what we want, but if we are walking in God’s will it should be.

Notice also, that they call to Him from a distance.  They have leprosy and because of that illness they are not allowed to mingle with people.  They have to stay away in order to keep the illness from spreading, they are cut off, just like we are when we sin.  We are cut off from God and from the community.

When they call to Him, He simply tells them to go and show themselves to the Priest.  This was how a person was to become ritually cleaned from their illness.  Notice, he does not heal them, touch them, or anything, just tells them to obey the law.  On the way they realize they have been healed.  Imagine, they have suffered with this illness for a long time, we guess anyway, and as they are walking to the priest, they are healed.  This amazing thing takes place that restores them, not only physically, but spiritually and returns them to the community.  Do they all go back to say thank you, no, only one returns, and Scripture tells us he is a Samaritan.

It is the same with us and our spiritual illness.  We all need the healing power that come from God through the Sacramental life of the His Church.  We come to confession, and ask God to have mercy on us.  The priest, acting on behalf of God and the community, pronounces the absolution and restores us to spiritual health and back to the community.  But are we thankful?

Christ has come to heal a fallen humanity.  He has come to restore us to our former glory but only a small portion will recognize Him and return to Him.  In our secular world we have lost sight of what is really important.  Are we like the nine who have been healed but do not turn back to worship the God that has healed us?

The man who returns “fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks” but he was the only one.  Jesus asks, “Were not ten cleansed?”  Then He says to the man, “arise, go your way, Your faith has made you well.”  It is at the point of the man’s worship that his healing actually takes place.  It is the same with us.

Worship, or thanksgiving, is a corporate activity and through the prayers that we say, and the Sacramental life of the Church we find the healing that need, the spiritual healing, and perhaps the physical healing as well.  The Church is the hospital for the soul and should be the first priority of the Orthodox Christian to come to worship and to give thanks to God for the many blessings that have been bestowed upon us.

We come to worship, and ask for God’s mercy, do we take them time each day to turn back, fall on our face, and thank Him for the mercy that He shows us?  Are we the one, or are we the nine?

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