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On Clerical Involvement in Politics

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agios Vasilios

July 11, 2012
BriefingNews

“It’s a sin when some Clergy divide people according to their parties criteria and identify with one party faction. This is the reason why the canon laws of the Church forbid to Clergy involvement in politics”, said Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agios Vasilios to BriefingNews.
When asked about clergy who involve themselves with political issues, and generally politics, and whether there are limits to this, the Hierarch stressed that the Church is the Body of Christ, the spiritual mother of all Christians, and should remain open to all people, regardless of color, race, class, or political order.
He further said:
“This is the greatness of the Church, that it is not enclosed in small intimate groups that are distinguished by particular political parties and ideologies. And like every mother, She shows Her love for all children, who may belong to different parties, and so much more should this be done by the Church.
It is within this framework that the Clergy should move, as Spiritual Fathers and spiritual mothers of people who are looking for affection, love, freedom, meaning of life.
So it’s a sin when some Clergy divide people according to their parties criteria and identify with one party faction. This is the reason why the canon laws of the Church forbid to Clergy involvement in politics.
Of course, we must make a distinction. Politics is one thing when it is an adjective and involves the life of the city, and it is another thing when politics is a noun and is involved in party practices.
With the first a Clergyman is doing politics, after damage has been done to a society and he participates in events, dealing with social and charitable works. Not so with the second meaning, when he becomes a party member and openly supports one political party formation.
When there are elections the Cleric is free to vote for the party he thinks will better address the social and economic problems, but cannot propagate to the Parishioners the party he has chosen.
Some parties try to get backed up by the Clergy and people of the Church, but Clerics should not succumb to this temptation.
On this occasion I want to emphasize my view that the Church should be disentangled from the tight embrace of the state in order to gain Its freedom, to manage Its house, according to canon law.
I cannot understand why we need a Charter which is the law of the State, to determine the many details about the inner life of the Church. One law would suffice to define the personality of the Church to be authorized according to the sacred canons.
Also, I cannot understand why there is a law of the State on Ecclesiastical Courts, which regulates many details, even as to what a Clegyman-judge should wear.
It would suffice for one law and a few articles that would set out some basic principles and leave the Church to judge their Clergy in accordance with the sacred canons, without interfering in secular law.
Unfortunately, the current situation in some areas is the prevalence of a conducive political-state spirit. We must put forward an order in these matters, so that the inner life of the Church will not to be considered and understood as a prisoner of state-civil law.
However, if we Clergy see things through the ecclesiastical perspective, we will not be possessed by insecurities and will not divide the parties into hostile or friendly, and will not engage in electoral dilemmas.
One is the work of the Church and another is the work of the State and party.
When a State seeks and is able to address poverty and unemployment, then it must be welcomed, because it cares for the interests of the people.”
Translated by John Sanidopoulos
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First Things ~ How Do Churches Grow?

Posted on by Fr. Peter

By Leroy Huizenga

The Episcopal Church is in the news again for the usual reasons. First, a few days ago it was reported that the Episcopal Church suffered a 23 percent decline in attendance from 2000 to 2010. Second, on Tuesday the Episcopal Church approved rites for blessing same-sex unions. Many commentators made what seems to be an obvious connection supposedly supported by sociology: liberalism in religion leads to the decline and death of denominations. “Conservative churches are growing,” we heard yet again.

I bring up these recent developments not to pick on Episcopalians or Anglicans, especially as I used to worship in a wonderful Anglican congregation, but rather to raise questions about assumptions concerning theological ideology and denominational decline. It may be true, roughly speaking, that more conservative churches do better holding on to members and attenders than more liberal churches, but what does “liberal” and “conservative” mean? Does it have to do only with doctrine (or even simple politics) or also with other matters? We need to go deeper.

Read the Rest Here

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July 12 ~ St. Veronica

Posted on by Fr. Peter
St. Veronica

Saint Veronica (also Berenice) is known as the woman who wiped Christ’s face as He carried His cross towards Golgotha and as the woman who Christ cured of the issue of blood, who is also traditionally identified as Herod the Great’s niece. The Church celebrates her feast day on July 12.

Few concrete details are known of the life of Saint Veronica, though much folklore has arisen, especially in Western Christendom, concerning her miraculous cloth, or veil, which touched the face of Christ.

Traditionally, Veronica came to believe in Christ when He healed her of an ailment that had afflicted her for twelve years:

And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and
touched the hem of his garment:
For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.
But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.
And the woman was made whole from that hour. (Matthew 9)

The next episode that we hear of in her life is the famous cloth incident during Christ’s crucifixion. When Christ paused in exhaustion, Veronica was able to give the Lord her handkerchief. When she looked at the cloth again, she realized that an image of Christ’s face had appeared on it; this is often called the first icon. Veronica’s name itself is said to be derived from the Latin words meaning true (verus) image/icon .

No one is certain of what happened to Veronica in her later years, though one story has it that she cured the Roman Emperor Tiberius of some kind of sickness using her iconic cloth. Some sources say that she and her husband, named Zacchaeus, travelled all the way to Southern France confessing the Gospel.

Troparion (Tone 8)

The image of God was truly preserved in you, O Mother,
For you took up the Cross and followed Christ.
By so doing, you taught us to disregard the flesh, for it passes away,
But to care instead for the soul, since it is immortal.
Therefore your spirit, O Holy Mother Veronica, rejoices with the Angels! 

Source

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Retention of Church Membership

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life

Thanks to Facebook, I saw the graphic that is located at the top of this page.

The research comes from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate and it looks at how well religious groups in the United States are performing with retention of members who were born into that faith.  The footnote on the graphic says that this information come from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and is from data collected in 2008.

I find this very interesting.  Greek Orthodox ranks fourth in over all religious groups in retention of Members with 73% but is the first of all of the Christian denominations.  I am not sure if this is just the Greek Orthodox or if it is in fact all orthodox in the US of A. Roman Catholics are listed after Mormons with 68%.

The Protestants ranks in the middle with Episcopalians and their now Transgendered priests and same sex marriage with 45% retention rate.  I guess what people are saying is true, folks are leaving Churches that do not hold to the historic faith in large numbers.  Another liberal group the Congregationalists rank third from the bottom with 37%.

What would seem to be the fastest growing religious body in the US of A, Atheists ranks at the bottom of the pile with a 30% retention rate.  I guess once people hear the Good News they leave!

As the data shows, churches that hold to traditional beliefs and morals; Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Orthodox, Mormon, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Lutheran and Pentecostal are retaining 50% or better of their born into the faith members whilst the churches that change their theology based on the latest fad; Presbyterian and Congregational rank near or at the bottom of the list.

We must be doing something right!

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Send Your Holy Spirit on Us

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Image courtesy of Sts. Peter & Paul Romanian Orthodox Church, Dearborn Heights

I have mentioned in a previous essay that the Romanian Archdiocese here in America, of which I belong, is working on a new Romanian/English translation of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.  I have been part of this as one of the editors of the text and it has been a fascinating exercise in Liturgical theology.

The words we use are extremely important as they convey the Holiest of meanings.  The Liturgy is a mix of Scripture and the tradition of the Church and lays out the entire theology of our holy church.  So the selection of words is important.  I recall one meeting when we were discussing using the word house rather than church in reference to the building or the community.  Some thought that house was not dignified enough.  This is what I mean by choosing the correct words.

I wish to draw attention to one particular part of the Divine Liturgy.  This part takes place after the Great Entrance with the gifts of bread and wine.  The priest calls on the Holy Spirit on the gifts that are offered with these words:

Again we offer you this spiritual and bloodless sacrifice, and we call on you, we pray you and humbly supplicate you: Send your Holy Spirit on us and on these gifts here offered…

The priest calls upon the Holy Spirit not only upon the gifts to transform them but upon all those who have assembles thus making us a Eucharistic people.  We are, in fact transformed by the Holy Spirit to ready us for the intimate reception of these Holy Mysteries.

After the blessing is pronounced upon the bread and wine the priest prays this prayer that illustrates the fact that we have been transformed:

So that for those who partake of them they may be for awakening of the soul, for forgiveness of sins, for communion with your Holy Spirit, for fulfillment of the kingdom of heaven, for confidence towards you but neither to judgment no to condemnation.

We are asking that by partaking in this Holy Mystery our souls are stirred as the waters were stirred at the creation of the world.  That we are awakened with a yearning for knowledge of not only these mysteries, but of the one who created them.  We ask that our sins be forgiven, so that we are made a little bit more worthy of these gifts.  By reception of this Mystery we come into a greater union with the Holy Trinity and thus the fulfillment of the task that Christ came to perform on earth, and finally for confidence toward God and what He teaches us, but not for our judgment or condemnation.

We must receive the gifts being offered in the proper way and ready ourselves through confession, prayer, and fasting.

What an awesome gift that Christ Himself has given us!

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Leadership and Listening

Posted on by Fr. Peter

I have been writing about skills needed for leadership over the last few months but one of the most over looked skills is the Art of Listening.

One of the ministry models that are used in the Gospels is Jesus sitting and listening to people, really listening to people.  When Jesus would come to town, he never just walked around greeting people and not listening.  He sat with the woman at the well and listened to her story, Jesus spent time with those he was ministering to just listening.

When I came to St. Michael eight years ago, I spent time listening to the story of this church.  How the people who founded the church would work all day in the mill and then walk up the hill and physically build the church.  Each stone that was placed here was placed by hands that truly loved their faith and their church.  I listened to the parishioners tell me their story about how they feel about their faith, their fears, desires and what they hope for the future.  Spend time just listening to their story because their story is important.  We are in the people business and the people are the most important part!  How can you lead people if you do not know where they have come from?

One of the first visits my bishop made to St. Michael was the year after I was ordained.  He came and spent three days here.  He met with people, regular folks not just the leaders of the Church and he listened as they told him their stories.  He will ask me how this one is and how that one is and how their children are.  He remembers those stories and is truly interested in their lives and what is going on with them.  How can you lead people if you do not know them?

Church leaders have limited time and many, many responsibilities but none of them are more important than the people that God has given us to care for.  Recently I was in a discussion about the qualities of a bishop and what I think should be the first thing a new bishop does upon assuming his role in his new diocese.  I responded by saying that he needs to take the time and visit each church in his diocese.  He needs to have conversations with the people, not just come and preach and sit at the head table at the banquet, the time for the imperial bishopric is over, and bishops are servants first.  Sitting at the head table can make the bishop seem aloof and unapproachable.  Step down off that platform and walk with the people, sit with them, and listen to them.  The bishop should visit each parish, large and small, rich and poor say little and listen a lot.

The modern church has lost the true vocation of the bishop.  He has been turned him into a CEO when he should be a shepherd.  He is the pastor of all of the parishes in his diocese.

But what about the Art of Listening?

Listening is an Art that needs to be taught and practiced just like the other pastoral skills that are so needed in the church today.  I had the honor this past year of supervising four seminarians at our nursing home for their field education placement.  One of the lessons that I tried to teach them is to listen, really listen to the person you are visiting.  Sometimes we feel we have to always drive the conversation and say something profound, well sometimes there is nothing profound to say.  Simply sit there and listen to the person tell their story.  If they stop talking, just wait.  Sit there until they speak again, let them drive the conversation.  Ask questions, but make sure you are not interrupting what they are saying and that the question is relevant to the situation.

The first words of the Rule of St. Benedict for Monasteries is “Listen”  Listening is an important ministry tool that will, hopefully, keep us from making mistakes in ministry.  Take the time to learn the skill of listening and take the time to listen, really listen to what people have to say.  We do not have all the answers but if we listen we just might learn something.

Are you listening?

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Patriarch Daniel ~ Man Has an Infinite Value for God

Posted on by Fr. Peter
His Beatitude Daniel
Archbishop of Bucharest, Metropolitan of Muntenia and Dobrudgea, Locum tenens of the throne of Caesarea of Cappadocia, Patriarch of all Romania

On 8 July 2012, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church delivered a sermon at the summer chapel of the Patriarchal Residence, in which he explained the significance of the evangelical pericope of the 5th Sunday after the Pentecost, Matthew 8:28-34 and 9:1, which refers to the healing of the demonised people in the land of Gadarene.

Estrangement from God dehumanises the human nature just like in the case of the two demonised men in the land of Gadarene, showed His Beatitude, as Trinitas Radio station informs us.

“The demons take hold of the man, use his mental and senses, will and all his physical force, so that the demonised ones are no longer themselves, but estranged, used by demons. Jesus Christ, our Lord, wants to bring man back, through His healing, merciful presence, to his state of free being who uses his own mental, senses, and will in order to achieve the communion with God and his fellow beings. This humble merciful love of Christ tortures, in a way, the wickedness, violence and pride of the demons, because demons are, in general, evil and proud”, also showed the Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

The Patriarch of Romania also emphasised that man has an infinite value for God.

“Why has Jesus allowed these demons to move from the two tortured men into the herd of swine? First of all in order to show that the human being is more precious than all the animal, vegetal and mineral wealth of this world, that a human has an infinite value for God and the greatest damage is not the loss of a herd of swine, but the loss of a human soul because the human soul is created in the image of the always living God. Secondly, we see that Jesus Christ, our Lord, wants to show that this evil violent power of the demons is limited, namely it cannot do anything unless God allows it to, and the very fact that these demons ask Jesus to allow them to get into the herd of swine shows us that they recognize Jesus Christ as the Master of the Universe, the Creator God, the source of life, and the One Who is the Judge of the world”.

Through the wonder made by Jesus Christ, our Lord, the signs of the Kingdom of God coming into the world are already seen, also said His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel.

“The Gospel emphasises the care of Jesus Christ, our Lord, for the humans, namely He knows the sufferance of every man. He knows the limit of sufferance, the power of the demons and He wants to show that the demons do not have more power than God and that they will be judged and punished for all the evil things they do when they grieve and divide people. Thus, the Gospel is both a Gospel of God’s mercy for the humans and a Gospel of the judgement of the evil demons, a judgement before the Last Judgement. Through the wonder made by Jesus Christ, our Lord, healing the demonised in Gadarene the signs of the Kingdom of God coming into the world are already seen as signs of healing the diseases and releasing the humans from under the domination of the devil”.

The Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church has also shown that what matters most in our life is our relationship with God.

“The Holy Fathers urge us to have always in mind the name of Jesus, to pray permanently, and as Saint John Chrysostom said, not to be afraid of demons if we always unite, through prayer, good deeds, the Holy Sacraments, with Christ, the Judge of the living and dead, the vanquisher of the hell, of all evil spirits. The people in Gadarene have been demonised because the spiritual life in the city had been diminished a lot. The people have become completely physical, material, haunted by material gain, so that the lack of their spiritual life made some of them demonized. We see how our relationship with God is the most urgent and important.”

Source:

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Greek Orthodox Church Stance on the “God Particle”

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Higgs Boson

By Areti Kotseli on July 7, 2012

The Metropolitan of Messinia Chrysostomos expressed his opinion over the discovery of the so-called “God particle” that astonished the whole world during the past days, clearly drawing a line between science and religion.

“I consider every comparison between the CERN experiment for the determination of the Higgs boson and the church’s approach in regard to the world’s creation by God incompatible since two disparate things are held up under comparison,” said Mr Chrysostomos during a TV show.

Metropolitan of Pireaus Serafim noted that “behind these scary and shameful expressions of human personality, the story of the human race, and human philosophy hides the hideous face of demonism because only demons or people possessed by one can talk such nonsense.”

The Greek Orthodox Church has not, however, proceeded to a formal announcement on the matter. It is probably waiting to see the results and rationally evaluate the outcome of the CERN experiment. Church leaders are well aware that whenever they rush to denounce any scientific progress, they then had to recall and apologize.

On the contrary, the Moscow Patriarchate has congratulated scientists on the possible discovery of the Higgs boson, or “God particle.”

“I am glad about this discovery and I would like to congratulate scientists on it. It probably again raises the question of whether matter has always been the way it is until now or initially developed according to a special scenario and is not eternal and unchanging, as some people believed several decades ago,” Protopope Vsevolod Chaplin, the head of the Synodal department and liaison between the church and society, told Interfax-Religion on Wednesday.

Source

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Metropolitan Jonah tenders resignation

Posted on by Fr. Peter

(OCA) In a letter addressed to the members of the Holy Synod of Bishops dated Friday, July 6, 2012, His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah tendered his resignation as Primate of the Orthodox Church in America. His Beatitude composed and signed the letter at his residence in Washington, DC, in the presence of Archpriest John Jillions, OCA Chancellor. On Saturday, July 7, the letter was presented to the Holy Synod in the course of a conference call in which all of the hierarchs participated, except His Eminence, Archbishop Alejo of Mexico City. The text of His Beatitude’s letter reads as follows.

“To the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America, “Brothers, “As per your unanimous request, as conveyed to me by Chancellor Fr. John Jillions, I hereby tender my resignation as Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, and humbly request another Episcopal assignment. “I had come to the realization long ago that that I have neither the personality nor the temperament for the position of Primate, a position I never sought nor desired. “It is my hope that due consideration will be made for my financial situation, both in any interim and in consideration for any future position. I am the main financial support for both my parents and my sister, beyond my own needs. “I will appreciate your consideration in this, and beg forgiveness for however I have offended you, and for whatever difficulties have arisen from my own inadequacies and mistakes in judgment. “Asking your prayers, I remain faithfully yours, “Metropolitan Jonah, Archbishop of Washington”

The hierarchs again will meet via conference call on Monday, July 9, after which additional information will be made available.

h/t Koinonia

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Sermon ~ Are You Saved?

Posted on by Fr. Peter

5th Sunday after Pentecost
St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans 10:1-10

Are You Saved?

We hear in today’s reading the Letter of St. Paul to the Roman’s that it is Paul’s desire that his listeners be saved because they have the zeal for God, not just an obligation but a true zeal for God.

Those of us who come from, or have friends in, the Protestant Evangelical denominations often hear or have heard this question, are you saved?  The question is asked because in that belief system there is a point in time when it actually happens.

Maybe the person came forward during an altar call whilst the congregation was singing the hymn made so familiar by the Billy Graham crusade, “I surrender all” and knelt at the rail and gave their life to Jesus. Before becoming Orthodox I was a member of a holiness church where I was saved, sanctified and washed in the blood of the lamb!  Perhaps they were saved whilst at camp as a teenager and they gave their life to Christ after hearing a fire and brimstone sermon about how Jeee Sus gave all for you and how you will go to hell if you do not give your life to Jesus.

But what about we Orthodox?  We do not sing about surrendering all, we do however have an altar call each and every Sunday. When I stand here in the Royal Doors, holding the chalice that contains the uncontainable and sing, approach in the fear of God with faith and with love.  We are called to make a choice. We chose at that point to come forward and accept that which we believe or we make the choice to deny the healing power of the Eucharist and stay in our seats.

Metropolitan Kalistos Ware of Great Brittan tells a story of being on an air plane when the person he is sitting next to asks him if he is saved.  He goes on to say, in his great British accent, that he sat there for a moment and pondered that question and then he said, no, I am being saved!

That’s the answer to the question, we are being saved.

As Orthodox Christians, we believe, that we were saved more than 2,000 years ago when God the Son took on human flesh and offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice for all of humanity.  Not just those present at that moment but for all who came before and for all of us who would come after.  By this action He defeated the power of sin and by His suffering on the Cross and his miraculous resurrection He destroyed death.

We are in the process of being saved daily through our intentional decisions to follow the example of Jesus in each and every situation that we find ourselves in.  It is a daily task that we have to commit ourselves to each day in order to take on the discipline needed.

We do not view paradise as some far off some day destination but as the everyday experience of self-denial and of being filled through the Eucharist, obedience, and love for others with Christ.

And, Lord Have Mercy, we will be saved at the great and final judgment as we give an account of a lifetime of actions and in actions. What did we do when we saw the naked?  Did we offer him clothes? When we saw the hungry did we offer food? When we saw the sick did we not visit them and so on as Jesus commands us to do?  On that day, when it will become clear whether or not we cooperated with the grace that has been so generously poured upon us we will be held accountable.

Our individual salvation is being worked out in fear and trembling through the unique responsibility that God deems best to set before us.  Are we doing all we can to live to Gospel message of loving God by loving our neighbor?  Are we daily walking with God in our prayer? Can people tell that we are Christian, other worldly, by our actions, or like Judas do our actions betray Christ and all that has been done for us?

We should live our lives based upon that of the Publican from Scripture who beat his breast and begged for leniency. We should not judge another’s spiritual walk but we should focus on our own journey and on our own spiritual shortcomings, loving both friends and enemies, all of whom have been created in the image and likeness of God as living Icons of Christ Jesus.

Our ongoing testimony is presented through our actions of service in accord with Christ’s command to love God by showing true love for our neighbors and not just paying it lip service.  It is easy to write a check but it is harder to roll up your sleeves and truly help your neighbor.

And finally we need to pray ceaselessly for the courage to fight the good fight, to stand up for what we believe in that world that chastises us for our beliefs, in a world that wants to redefine what tradition is because it is not politically correct to believe that we have a system of morals and standards that are not based on the latest political poll and what is in fashion, but on the more than 2,000 year tradition of the Holy Church.  We need courage to stand up when we see our society going off the rails and shout with a loud voice that it is wrong.  And we have to have the courage when we are persecuted for that very faith, and courage that we do not shrink away as the apostles did after Jesus was arrested in the garden to be led away for trial and crucifixion.

Do we have that true zeal that St. Paul is talking about in today’s reading? Are we living a life that is worthy of what has been done for us?  Are we living our life in accord with the commandments of Jesus and the traditions of our Holy Church?  Do we truly love and serve others, who are created in the image and likeness of God as living icons, or do we just pay it lip service and move on?  These are the questions we need to ask ourselves each and every day.

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