One Year Ago Today

Posted on by Fr. Peter

Wednesday, June 1, 2011 started just like any other day in Central Massachusetts.  People woke up and readied themselves for the day that was about to unfold in front of them.  People went about their lives as normal not knowing that latter on that day lives would change forever.
Returning to Dudley from Sturbridge a bone chilling announcement was made over the Worcester County fire radio system.  The voice said that Central Massachusetts was under a tornado watch until later that day.  Now we have had such watches before but there was something in the voice that told me this time it was serious.
As the afternoon continued, and we watched the news for any sign of what was to come, the sky continued to darken.  Perhaps it would just be a thunder storm and all would be well.  Then, right there on the television news, one of the most horrifying sites I had even seen before, a tornado forming right on the Connecticut River in Springfield.  I am somewhat of a weather geek so I was fascinated by what I saw as the river actually changed direction as the tornado passed over and slammed into the bridge ten continued east out of the frame of the camera.
Town after town between Springfield and Charlton started to report “Tornado on the ground.”  This was becoming real.
Members of the fire department started to arrive at the station some out of curiosity and some out of the desire to be ready when whatever was going to happen, happens.  Then the words I never thought I would hear were broadcast over the radio, the tornado had hit Southbridge and there was significant damage.  I felt helpless as my first duty was to the town where I was working as the Chief Fire Administrator.
We were glued to the radio and television and then the alarm bell rang out and an engine company was requested to head to Southbridge.  More fire fighters arrived at the station as the sky darkened, it was not over.
Eventually I ended up in Southbridge, first stopping by the Church to make sure all was well and saying a little prayer for those who would have been affected by this storm.  The neighbors were out on the street as the power was out and everyone was looking toward the sky.  Would there be another one?  What was going to happen next?
I arrived on Worcester Street, what would become known as ground zero, and I could not believe my eyes.  I have never seen this kind of destruction up close.  Sure I watched video on television of town out west but this is Massachusetts, we have snow storms and hurricanes but tornadoes?  Then over the radio came the words that another one was on the ground and heading our way.  We sought shelter wherever we could find it until the danger passed.
It’s hard to put into words the feelings that you experience when watching your neighbors climb out of their homes that have just been destroyed.  The feeling of happiness for every life that emerged from the rubble that was once their home and the feeling of sadness for lives lost and those that will be changed forever.
I was there not in my role as chief administrator in the Town of Dudley but as a fire chaplain and a member of the local clergy.  On the front of my helmet, on the shield that is adorned with symbols of the fire service stands the cross of Jesus Christ.  They symbol of my Christian faith and for many a symbol of hope.  As I helped people climb out, they would ask me why this happened and I had no answer for them.  I felt helpless that I could not answer this basic question for them as their lives were crumbling around them.  All any of us can do is be there for our neighbors when they are in need.
As the night continued word came that four people had lost their lives.  The story of the young mother who lost her life protecting her child, and the other stories touched us all but we were also thankful that the death toll was not higher.  Survivors told their stories of how they were able to get to the basement just seconds before the twister hit their house and others who rode it out in their cars.  No one expected this.
So here we are one year later.  Today memorial services will take place in many of the affected towns as the victims try and put their lives back together.  It is important to remember those who lost their lives, those whose lives have changed, those who came to help, and the ability of humans to recover and reclaim their lives.  I am always amazed by the ability of people to come back from some of the worst experiences, and although changed, continue on.
The effects of June 1, 2011 directly and indirectly affected many people and the memory of that day will continue for years to come.  The landscape of our area and of our lives has changed and will continue to be a reminder of that day. 
My prayer today is for all of those who endured that dark day.  For the people who lost their lives, the people who lost their homes, the people who responded and who helped in anyway and for those who continue to help their neighbors rebuild their lives and their homes.  God bless all of you.

8 Reasons Your Church is Stuck

Posted on by Fr. Peter

  1. You lack a leadership empowerment plan. We have failed as leaders in the church if we do not embrace the unique gift-mix that God designed. And we won’t fully know the power and impact of the local church until people are empowered to be the people God wired them up to be. 
  2. You are unclear about your vision and mission. There are lots of churches with vision statements, but I don’t think there are very many churches that really have a vision statement that clarifies who they are as an organization. A clear vision that is properly communicated will both rally and repel people. 
  3. You blame outsiders and external factors. Victim-thinking will only lead to bitterness and competition. Leaders who blame outsiders and external factors actually are confessing their own failure to think creatively and inspire their team. 
  4. Your structure inhibits growth. One of the attributes of a church in decline is a complex structure. The natural tendency of organizations is to add complexity to their structure and systems. The longer an organization exists, the more complex it typically gets. 
  5. You worship your past success. Our past successes can be one of the greatest contributing factors to our future demise. When organizations stick to “the way we do it,” the safe approach of avoiding innovation and change becomes the riskiest approach. 
  6. You focus on activities instead of outcomes. While many church leaders are full of vision and passion, they lack an effective strategy to accomplish their mission. That leads to a feeling of disorganization, and ultimately they become stuck. 
  7. You fail to equip God’s people. For whatever reason, smaller churches I work with have a tendency to rely on the pastors and paid staff to carry the ministry load rather than equipping lay people. 
  8. Your ministries ignore people outside the church. When churches become inward-focused and start making decisions about ministry to keep people rather than reach people, they also start to die. 

h/t Ministry Best Practices

Lead Like Jesus

Posted on by Fr. Peter
In the past, on this blog, I have written about different leadership styles and what it takes to be a leader.  There is no better leadership example for one who leads a Christian community then Jesus himself.  I think we often over look the leadership qualities that Jesus showed.  I recently came across a blog article on this topic and there were listed the 5 Leadership Secrets of Jesus.  Take a look and see what you think.
1- Jesus prayed and fasted all night asking God who He should bring on His team.
2- Jesus chose the “uneducated and untrained.” He didn’t choose leaders, He built His own.
3- Jesus trained His followers by example, and then empowered them to do the same.
4- Jesus expected those that were with Him, would do greater things than He did.
5- Jesus gave His life to and for those that were with Him.
As the author of the essay reminds us, Jesus lead with love and humility.  That’s how every authentic Christian leader should lead, with love and humility.  Thanks for the reminder.

Memorial Day

Posted on by Fr. Peter


In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.


We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.


Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Letter of condolences for Metropolitan Constantine of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA

Posted on by Fr. Peter

His Eminence Archbishop Antony,
His Grace Bishop Daniel,
Beloved clergy and faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA          
Christ is risen!
It is with deep sadness that we have heard about the falling asleep in the Lord of His Eminence Metropolitan Constantine of Irinoupolis, First Hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA. We were aware of his illness and struggle. The Almighty God called His servant Metropolitan Constantine to eternal repose in the kingdom of heaven just 2 days after his 40th anniversary of Archpastoral Ministry.
Many of our Romanian people have met His Eminence Metropolitan Constantine and appreciate his kindness, fatherly love for the priests and laymen, pastoral care for every person in need. As a member of the Assembly of Bishops and brother concelebrant of the Holy Mysteries, I have always valued his wisdom and leadership.
We share with all the priests and faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA the feelings of regret and sorrow. On behalf of the priests and faithful of our Archdiocese, please accept our sincere condolences. We pray our Risen Lord Jesus Christ to establish his soul where the righteous repose. We assure you of our prayers for the soul of His departed servant Metropolitan Constantine.
May God rest his soul in peace!
† Archbishop NICOLAE
The Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in the Americas

Listening to the Heartbeat of God

Posted on by Fr. Peter
On September 26, the Orthodox Church commemorates the repose of St. John the Apostle, Evangelist, and Theologian. St. John was the son of Salome the Myrrh-bearer and Zebedee, a fisherman.  He was also the brother of the Apostle James, and together they were known as “the Sons of Thunder.”

He was the youngest of the apostles and was the closest to Jesus during His earthly ministry.  St. John was called “the one whom Jesus loved.” He was present at the healing of Jarius’s daughter and at the Transfiguration. St. John followed Jesus after His arrest, was in the courtyard of the high priest, and was the only apostle to stand with the Jesus’ mother Mary (as we call her in Orthodoxy the Theotokos) at the foot of the Cross.  And after the Crucifixion, St. John took the Theotokos into his home to care for her as Jesus had asked.

St. John wrote his Gospel in AD 96, and it’s considered to be the last of the Gospels written.  He also wrote three pastoral letters as well as the book of Revelation. 

St. John was the disciple who reclined against Jesus’ chest during the Last Supper.  He was able to listen to the heartbeat of God. 

He listened to the very center of creation and the center of life. The ancients believed that the heart was the center of our being—our very essence resided there they thought—so in this sense St. John was listening to the very essence of the Creator of all.

St. John’s action shows us that we all need to listen for God in each other. We are all created in the image and likeness of God, and all carry the divine spark of that creation. We are, in a very real way, living icons of God the Creator, so when we see another person, we see God. 

St. Benedict, writing in his “Rule for Monasteries,” told his monks that they were to receive all as Christ in this way:  “All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for he himself will say, ‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me’ Matt 25:35.” (Rule of St. Benedict 53).
 
We need to see the image of God in every person we meet, because God is present in each and every created human, regardless of what they do.  So listening is an important part of our prayer life because as we listen to God and to other human beings we welcome them as we’d welcome Christ. Thus prayer is a conversation with God and through God with our fellow human beings as God empowers us to welcome them.

This conversation has to travel in both directions—“up” and “across” to others. So prayer isn’t simply sitting and rattling off a list of things that we hope for and desire, but a conversation with the One who created all things.

I always like to keep in mind that God knows what I’m going to pray for even before I form the words.  I also try to remember that God wants to speak to me as much as I wish to speak with Him.

Sometimes God speaks to us through another person. There is the old untrue (but nevertheless instructive!) story of a man who is trying to escape a flood.  The newscaster on the television tells him a flood is coming and to flee.  But the man says “God will take care of me.”  Then the flood comes and soon he is on his roof and a man in a boat comes by to rescue him, “No thanks,” the man says, “God will take care of me.”  Then a helicopter comes and the man makes the same response.  Finally he drowns and meets God and he asks God why He did not help him. God says, “I sent you a newscast, a man in a boat and a helicopter!” 

God does speak through others and we need to listen. Trying to figure out what is God’s voice and what is our own is called discernment. A spiritual guide can be very useful in the discernment process. But most important is listening to God’s heartbeat. And to get as close to God as St. John was requires practice. And that “practice” has – for millennia – been called “The Jesus Prayer.” And the history of the Christian Church proves that it has worked for countless of the faithful.

If a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it, does it make a noise?  This is an age-old question.  Our first instinct is to say that, yes, it does; but in reality it does not.  For something to make a “noise” it needs a receiver or something to interpret that sound.  If there’s nothing to receive and interpret that sound, there is no sound.  If God is speaking and we aren’t listening, we can’t hear. But unlike that tree, He continues to speak to us.

To listen to God is to listen deep within ourselves.  St. John laid his head on the chest of Christ and listened to His heartbeat.  He felt the warmth of the Savior on his cheek, and his head rose and fell with each breath Jesus breathed. 

St. John listened deep within Christ to hear Him through His heart. To listen to God is to listen with our very souls. To listen to God is to “place our heads on His chest” as St. John did and “feel” His warmth and really listen to what God is saying to us means that we need a way to do this without leaning on Jesus’ actual chest.
So how can we do this? The Celts believed that we could hear and see God in all of creation that God exists in every created thing. They were partly correct.

The Creator is part of the creation.  In the book of Genesis, we read the creation story, and we see that after God created all that we see, He looked at it and said it was good.  We are surrounded by God, and if we take the time—really take the time—to listen, we can hear Him speaking to us.  But for us to hear, we have to slow down and listen.

St. John teaches us that we need to pause and listen for the heartbeat of God in each person and in all of creation. What are you listening for?

From my new book “Listening to the Heartbeat of God” available from Regina Orthodox Press

Religion and Politics

Posted on by Fr. Peter

I have written before about the unprecedented attack from this White House on the religious freedom in America.  The Orthodox Bishops in America released a 225 word statement released on February 2, 2012, without signatures of any of the bishops, and that has been the end of it.  There have been many statements on the economic situation in Greece but not one word about the potential infringement of one of the most fundamental principles that the United States of America was founded on.
I serve on the Committee for Church and Society for the Assembly of Bishops, a Committee that, after 2 years in existence, has not met or had any type of communication regarding our work. I am honored to have been selected to work on this committee and I hope one day we will begin our work.  The description of the committee on the webpage of the Assembly of Bishops has the following charge:
“The Committee for Church and Society will develop a process to determine both the propriety and the priority of advocacy by the Assembly of issues concerning Church, government and society that are relevant to the lives of the faithful in the Region (e.g., same-sex marriage, abortion, war, etc.).”
Under the heading, Terms of Reference is found as the first item to be accomplished this:
“Develop an initial list of issues (moral, social, cultural, ecological and political) that are of pressing importance for American society, about which it is incumbent for the Orthodox to present their soteriological view, for the sake both of educating the faithful and contributing to national policy debate”
I would think that the infringement of Religious Liberty in America would top this list because of this is taken away the rest really do not matter.  I am not sure who wrote the statement released on February but a one of the Consultants to the Committee I had nothing to do with it.
We are 6 months away from what will probably be the most important presidential election in American history and the committee that is charged with how the Church and Society are to interact has not even been introduced to each other.  We have yet to develop a list of issue nor release one statement on an issue.
Since the religious liberty issue came to the front of the news back at the start of the year, the Roman Catholic Church has been carrying the bulk of the water on this issue.  The issue of religious freedom is not just a Roman Catholic issue but an issue that affects all faithful in America.  It’s time we joined in the fight.
Yesterday 42 Roman Catholic Diocese and other institutions filed law suits against the Obama administration on this issue.  A statement released recently by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops has called all faithful Catholics to 14 days of prayer,study, catechesis and public action.  We Orthodox need a similar call to action.  This is an issue that affects, or will affect, all of us in the United States so we all need to be involved in this fight.
Almost 4 months ago the Assembly of Bishops released a statement, and I appreciate their words.  They called the faithful to action.  They asked all of us to call our representatives to voice our concern over the issue, and then they went silent.  If we are going to exist in society then we need to engage that society with what we believe.  We need to engage society to change society.  The Orthodox Church has so much to offer society, we can bring the light to the dark world but in order to do that we need a voice and the bishops of our Church are that voice.  They have called us to action, so it is time to act!

What Blinds You?

Posted on by Fr. Peter

Sermon ~  Sunday of the Man Born Blind 
John 9:1-38
The story we hear from today’s Gospel of St. John, the story of the man born blind, is a story of healing, healing from many things not just the obvious.  In St. John’s Gospel, healing is the sixth sign of the Divinity of Christ and in this particular case it is the only one that has had the malady since birth.

But this is not just simply a story of this man.  None of the stories we hear and read about in Scripture are just about or for the person or persons being spoken to or about.  You see the blind man in this story is representative of all of humanity.  All of us, the whole world for that matter, need the illumination of Christ that come from hearing and understanding the word but also from Baptism.  By healing this man Christ is making the claim that He is in fact the illumination of the world.
Through this act the savior rejects the long held opinion by many that our sins cause our illness.  Now I have told you before that it is not our sin directly that causes our illness but our sin indirectly that can cause it.  Because of our sinful nature we may not always make the right choices in life and sometimes those choices have very bad consequences.  But Jesus clergy rejects the notion that it was this man’s sin or that of His parents that caused this man to be born blind.  It did, however, provide a back drop for the working of this miracle so that all could see and believe.
This passage also reminds us of the work that we are supposed to be about.  The work of the people or as Jesus calls it the work of the one who sent Me.  This work is that of faith.  Faith is the backbone of everything we do.  Good deeds, although our salvation is not based upon the deeds that we do, for we cannot earn our salvation, we are however called to put our faith in action. And repentance.  The often overlooked work that we are all called to do.  We need to be reconciled to God so we can regain that relationship I spoke of last week, that relationship where we are once again able to walk in the very presence of God.  As Jesus says, the day will come when we are no longer able to do these things, after we die, so why are we waiting?
St. Irenaeus, commenting on this passage, sees in the saliva and the clay a type of the creation of humanity from the earth.  Jesus reveals His divinity by restoring part of creation using the same material with which He created humanity in the first place. 
As the clay is symbolic so is the pool that the man was sent too.  The pool of Siloam, located on the outskirts of Jerusalem, was used for the purification rites.  The water drawn from this pool was used in the temple, the translation of Siloam simply means sent.  Jesus sent the man to wash in the pool and Christ was sent to free humanity from all that keeps us in captivity.  Just as He used the blind man to show that He is the illumination of the world, He is using the pool to show that He is the true purification of the temple and those who worship in it.
The Pharisees once again miss the healing to focus on the man’s sin and shows that they, like many of us, are blinded by our own prejudices towards things and towards people.  Jesus shows us that He came for all, not just those who follow the letter of the law.  We are called to minister to all without prejudice as we are told in the letter of St. James.
The man that was healed, and we do not know his name, become a model Christian witness.  Many of us do not wish to be witnesses of the faith because we are afraid of being asked questions that we do not have the answer for.  When questioned if the man who healed him was a sinner he says he does not know, then he tells them what he does know that he was blind and now he sees.  What we do know is far more important that what we do not know and like the blind man we should not be afraid to admit that we do not know.
Opening the man’s eyes was only part of the story.  Not only did Jesus heal his physical illness but by opening his eyes he also opened his heart and illumined his spirit.  We see that same thing happen to St. Paul on the road.  Paul, the ultimate persecutor of the Church, had his eyes opened as well as his heart so he could see the revelation of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  Paul, the ultimate sinner, became one of the greatest evangelists for the Church! 
Like Paul, the man in this story moves from knowing nothing about Christ, through the conclusion that he could not possibly be a sinner, through confessing that Jesus must be from God, to finally seeing Him as the divine Son of God and worshiping Him.
What blinds us?  What is it that keeps us from truly seeing that Jesus is the light of the world?  What blinds us to the glory that He came to reveal?  What blinds us and keeps us from the work that God has called us too, loving God, loving neighbor, and repentance?
We may not be physically blind as the man in the story but we are, sometimes, spiritually blind and we need the clay placed on the eyes of our heart and our spirit and we need to go and wash in the pool so we too can reach our full potential and live the life that god has called us.
What blinds you?
Christ is Risen!
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