Hearing

Posted on by Fr. Peter
For as long as I can remember my father has been hard of hearing.  Over the last few years it has progressively gotten worse.  Without his hearing aid he is completely deaf.  I cannot imagine how frustrating that must be.  I know how frustrating it is on this side, but on the other side it must be just out of control.
A few months ago he went to see a new hearing doctor who recommended a cochlear implant a little device implanted in your head that enables you to hear.  As I understand it, little wires are hooked up to the stuff in your ear that allows you to hear.  Sorry to get all technical on you.  There is a device that attached to your head by a magnet under your skin and a wire that is run to a small device that you wear either behind your ear like a hearing air, or on your belt.  The sound travels up the wire and to the implant.  Wa la, you hear.

So he had the device implanted a month ago and today he had it turned on.  For the first time in 30 years he was able to hear out of his right ear.  It is very low and dim at the moment but over the next few months is should get clearer and he will have some of his hearing back.  It is not perfect but any hearing is better than not hearing.

So I find technology an amazing thing.  Imagine being able to hear after 30 years!

Listening to the Heartbeat of God

Posted on by Fr. Peter
On September 26th 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. He was called the one whom Jesus loved and was present at the healing of Jarius Daughter, the transfiguration; he followed Jesus after His arrest, was in the courtyard of the High Priest, and stood with the Theotokos at the foot of the Cross.
He wrote the Gospel about 95 AD and also wrote 3 pastoral letters as well as the Book of Revelation. When he was over 100 years old, knowing the time of his death was near, he asked his disciples to dig a cross shaped grave for him. After it was dug he laid down in it and was buried alive. It is said each year on May 8th a very fine dust rises from the grave and this is used to heal the sick.
St. John was the Disciple the reclined against Jesus chest during the last supper. He therefore was able to listen to the heartbeat of God. He listened to God at the very center of creation and the center of life.
This action gave us the example 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. St. Benedict urged his monks in his Rule for Monasteries to receive all as Christ. We need to see the image of God in every person as God is present in each and every created human regardless of what they do. Each life is precious from the moment of conception until its natural death.
To listen to God is to listen deep within ourselves. St. John leaned on Christ and listened to His heartbeat. He listened deep within Christ to hear Him through His heart. For the Fathers and Mothers of the Church the heart was the very center of our being, the place where the soul resided, and the very place where God dwells in each of us. To listen to God is to listen to our very souls.
John writes from a very human perspective and His Gospel was written to supplement the other three. He writes about the nature of the Trinity and their relationships to one another. He writes about the glory of God working through the earthly ministry of Jesus, through His person, His works, and His words. There is a mystical, theological perspective that dominates his Gospel. He speaks of the revelation of the Divine Light that will be resisted by this age resulting in great spiritual warfare. He also writes about the strong sense of community in the early church and uses the term. True disciples are those who believe in Jesus as the incarnate Son of the Father, and are united with Him, and who express this life here and now. And he speaks of Love! The love of God and the love of neighbor.
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?

Sow Bountifully, Reap Bountifully

Posted on by Fr. Peter

V. Rev. Fr. Nicholas Apostola
Pastor, St. Nicholas Orthodox Church
Shrewsbury, Massachusetts
Guest Blogger

Following the Feast of the Precious Cross, we begin a new cycle of Scriptural readings in our Sunday Worship. The Gospel lessons are taken from St. Luke and the Epistle readings from St. Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. The Ecclesiastical Year begins in September (as does the Jewish New Year), and in so many ways September is a more appropriate time for new beginnings than the icy days of January. Those with children start the new school year. The crisp days of fall invigorate us for hard work after the lazy days of summer. So, we begin anew studying God’s saving words for us.
Today’s reading is 2 Corinthians 9:6-11. St. Paul is writing to the Corinthians to inspire them to contribute to the fund he is raising from the newly formed Gentile Churches. The purpose is to offer a gift to the needy brothers and sisters in Jerusalem and all of Palestine. The Holy Land was never a very wealthy place. During the time of St. Paul’s missions a great famine had broken out over the whole region. Everyone there was in great need. St. Paul saw a gift from these newly formed communities to the brethren there as a way to tighten the bond between Christian believers, especially between Jewish and Gentile Christians. This is the background for today’s reading.
Even though his words were written with very specific intention, St. Paul has left generations of Christians a number of important guidelines to live by when considering giving and generosity. This section begins, “The point is this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” (v. 6) The first thing we should notice is that he uses an agricultural (organic) image, not a monetary one. He speaks of sowing and reaping, not of investing and return on investment, although this is implied. He wants us first to enter into the relationship of the farmer with the land, and then the farmer, his land, and God (that is, the rhythm of nature and weather). In many ways it is not unlike the calculation an investor makes in a start-up company or the market. But as anyone who has planted a crop (even a backyard garden) knows, the variables of nature are much harder to predict than those of the marketplace. One plants a crop with faith and many prayers, all the time hoping. It is the same whenever we give something to charity, perhaps to someone we know who is in need; it requires from us hope, faith and trust in God that what we give will bear fruit.
Also, sowing bountifully asks of us a certain amount of boldness and courage. The one who sows “sparingly,” even if she or he has faith, is expressing a reserve or reticence when asked to put that faith into practice. Sowing bountifully requires us to really put our complete faith in God. We’re giving up a part of our own resources.
At the same time, no one forces us. St. Paul tells us, “Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (v. 7) Most of the modern translations use the word “mind” as the place where this decision is made, but the Greek word St. Paul uses is “heart.” For St. Paul and the Church Fathers it is the heart that is the center of spiritual discernment. Today we think of the heart as the center of emotion and passion — the opposite of rational decision-making — so the translation makes sense in that way, but still something is lost. Our decision to sow bountifully and cheerfully is not just a rational calculation. It is a decision that is tempered and shaped by our trust in God.
We all have fears when we give away some portion of our possessions. So, St. Paul addresses these fears directly: “And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work. As it is written, ‘He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever.’ (Psalm 112:9)” (v. 8-9) If a person bases his decision to be generous simply in his or her intellect, the rational part will say, “the more you give, the less you will have for yourself.” St. Paul is telling them and us to trust in God’s generosity. He is saying that the rational calculus is not the whole story; that generosity, not selfishness, is the fundamental principle at work in creation. God’s rules are different than what might seem to be true on the surface. God’s rules require faith and trust in Him in order to become evident.
“He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your resources and increase the harvest of your righteousness.” (v. 10) God wants us to understand the correlation between material generosity and a spiritual harvest. He wants us to recognize how He sustains us in every way, and that the way to repay Him is by helping others who need our help. This is the real economic principle, a principle that rarely shows up on the nightly ‘Business Report.’
We take as our comfort and inspiration this blessing that St. Paul bestows on us: “You will be enriched in every way for great generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.” (v. 11) When we are generous we not only provide material relief to the person in need, we also strengthen their hope and faith in God. We are the instruments of God’s mercy. He gives to each of us the means and the power to act, comfort, and gladden those around us. Let us use this gift, not sparingly, but bountifully; not grudgingly, but cheerfully. So that together we might thank and glorify our Heavenly Father who loves us.

26 September ~ The Falling Asleep of St. John the Evangelist and Theologian

Posted on by Fr. Peter
This Apostle was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and the brother of James the elder. First a fisherman by trade, he became an Apostle and the beloved Disciple of Christ. Only he of all the Disciples followed Him even to the Cross, and was entrusted with the care of our Saviour’s Mother, as it were another son to her, and a brother of Christ the Teacher. After this, he preached throughout Asia Minor, especially in Ephesus. When the second persecution against the Christians began in the year 96 during the reign of Domitian, he was taken in bonds to Rome, and there was cast into a vat filled to the brim with boiling oil. Coming forth therefrom unharmed, he was exiled to the island of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation. Returning again to Ephesus after the death of the tyrant, he wrote his Gospel (after the other Evangelists had already written theirs) and his three Catholic Epistles. In all, he lived ninety-five years and fell asleep in the Lord during the reign of Trajan in the year 100. He was called Theologian because he loftily expounded in his Gospel the theology of the inexpressible and eternal birth of the Son and Word of God the Father. It is for this cause that an eagle-a symbol of the Holy Spirit, as Saint Irenaeus says-is depicted in his icon, for this was one of the four symbolic living creatures that the Prophet Ezekiel saw (Ezek. 1:10).

Facebook and Prayer

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Since it’s founding on February 4, 2004 more than 500 million people have subscribed to Facebook. Certainly this is the new communications tool and one that the Church needs to harness for good.
I consider myself a Facebook Evangelist and use Facebook not only to stay in contact with friends and family in far distant places but I also use Facebook to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Each day I try and post either a Scripture passage or a saying from the Father’s and Mother’s of the Church. Most recently I have been on a St. Isaac of Syria kick. I spend most of the day checking and commenting on Facebook and consider it an extension of my ministry, and very important part of my ministry.
Recently, my mother was admitted to hospital for the 5th time since June. I turned to Facebook to ask for prayers for her and in a matter of minutes people I did not even know from all over the planet were commenting that they were praying for her. For some it was thinking happy thoughts and for others is was formal prayer. Whatever the prayer tradition I was pleased to see and feel the prayers literally of thousands of people.
I am truly a believer in the power of prayer. Pray is an important part of the Orthodox Christian Tradition and one that we use for just such occasions. Someone, not on Facebook by the way, criticized me for posting my mothers health status on such a public site. Well, I said, this is the fastest way to get the word out and to ask for prayer. And I am happy to say, it is working. She is getting much better both physically and spiritually. This has really taken a toll on my family and we are all grateful for the thousands of people, people that I will never know or meet, that have been praying.
That is the power of Facebook. Facebook has been used to get candidates elected to office and get some thrown out. It is used to notify people of parties and book signings and may, many other things. We have certainly put the social in social media.
Some 2,000 years ago, when Jesus walked on the earth, He used what was available for Him to spread the message, word of mouth. He used His voice and the voice of others to spread the “Good News” to all the ends of the earth. If Jesus was to come today, no doubt he would have a Facebook page and no doubt He would be posting all sorts of things about the “Good News.”
Yes Facebook and the other Social Media Sites have been used for not so good things and even murder, but I choose to use them for good. I choose to use them to spread the news that Jesus Christ is Lord and that He came and died for you and love you and wants to save all of His creation. What else could I possibly use it for?
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Orthodoxy and Capital Punishment

Posted on by Fr. Peter
At 9:13pm on Thursday, September 23rd the Commonwealth of Virginia executed 41 year old Teresa Lewis. She was convicted of plotting to kill her husband and step son and she became the first woman in 100 years to be executed in Virginia and the 12th woman in the United States to be executed since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976. Just for informational purposes, the United States ranks between Saudi Arabia and Yemen in the number of executions.  There are two countries we want to be between!Without dwelling on the facts of the case mentioned above, let us look at the view of the Orthodox Church towards Capital Punishment. Just a reminder that there is no single head that speaks for the Orthodox Church and each bishop is entitled to interpret church teaching and Scripture as he sees fit for his particular jurisdiction. However both the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in North and South America as well as the Orthodox Church in America have statements that condemn capital punishment. For this article I will be using the book, Contemporary Moral Issues Facing the Orthodox Christian written by Fr. Stanley Harakas. Fr. Harakas is a significant resource of Orthodox Ethics in the United States today.Leviticus tell us in chapter 24 “an eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth” also in Exodus 21 we read, “Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death.” That would be pretty clear evidence that Scripture allows the death penalty for certain crimes. I will also admit that the State has the right to do whatever it wants. We however as Christians can influence the State as these things are done in our name.

The entire theory of capital punishment is based on retribution. All systems of law as far back as one can be certain espouse this right of the state. However, Jesus teaches that retribution is not right in the love that we are to have toward our neighbor and in St. Matthew’s Gospel chapter 5 he addresses this directly with these words, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist one who is evil… love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Christians have always been opposed to capital punishment because it is the taking of a life, life that is created in the image and likeness of God. The clearest statement comes from the early Christian author Lactantius who lived between 240 and 320 AD.

“When God prohibits killing, He not only forbids us to commit brigandage, which is not allowed even by the public laws, but He warns us not to do even those things which are regarded as legal among men… and so it will not be lawful for a just man… to accuse anyone of a capital offense, because it makes no difference whether thou kill with a sword or with a word, since killing itself is forbidden. And so, in this commandment of God, no exception at all ought to be made to the rule that it is always wrong to kill a man, who God has wished to be regarded as a sacrosanct creature.” (Institutes VI, XX, 15)

More recently, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese has this to say regarding capital punishment, “With more information available to us today about the consequences of capital punishment, many Christians are of the opinion that it no longer server as a deterrent to crime. Statistics of the United States show that the existence of capital punishment in some states and its absence in other states seems to have no measurable effect on the rate of various capital crimes. For a long time now, persons accused of capital crimes who can afford the legal expertise nearly always escape capital punishment. Generally speaking, only the weak, the poor, the friendless have been executed in most recent years.”

I have said before that the state has a right to do what the state wishes to do in this regard however from a Christian point of view if the state chooses to employ these methods then they ought to be consistently enforced. In the words of Fr. Harakas, “It is clear that in America we are not willing to do that.” We Christians have an enormous voice in American society and the way we can change things is by changing the society at large. I maintain that we should not be trying to influence legislation but we should be influencing the society at large by our teachings and our witness.

The bottom line in all of this is that each and every life is precious from conception until it’s natural death. Capital punishment not only plays into retribution but it eliminates the possibility for reconciliation another very important aspect of the life of a Christian. We now have the ability to keep a person incarcerated for the rest of their natural life so the need for capital punishment no longer applies.

Scripture empowers us, or should I say commands us, to visit those in prison. Therefore we have an obligation to be concerned about those in prison. Christians need to concern themselves not only with capital punishment but also prison reform. If the idea behind prisons are to reform and correct then we need to insure that this is being done.

Pray for the soul of Teresa Lewis and pray for the souls of those whose lives were lost because of her actions. May their memories be eternal.

Humility

Posted on by Fr. Peter
I am in the second week of an adult education program here at the church on prayer. We are using the book, Beginning to Pray by Archbishop Anthony Bloom. This is a great little book and I highly recommend it if you are looking for something on prayer. It is written for the beginner and not to heavy on the theology.
During the class the topic of humility came up in reference to prayer. I have always thought of humility as being the pile that everyone heaps stuff on and you just take it. You’re the guy who sits there and never says anything and walks around with their head down never looking anyone in the eye. Well I guess that is one aspect of humility but not one that I find helpful.
Just because I like facts, the word humility appears seven times in Scripture. Mostly in the Hebrew Scriptures but is does make an appearance or two in the Christian Scriptures as well. Humility is not a virtue that is taught these days, at least using the definition that I used above.
In the first chapter of beginning to pray, Archbishop Anthony gives us another view of humility and one that I find a bit more palatable. Humility comes from the Latin word Humus ~ fertile ground. He goes on to say that this is the condition of the earth. “The earth is humble, always there, always taken for granted, never remembered, always trodden on by everyone, it’s there silent and accepting everything.” He says that this is how we should be before God. If we are abandoned, surrendered, ready to receive anything then we are ready to stand before God and accept whatever His will is. After all that is what we are going for here, God’s will not ours.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, before the crucifixion, Jesus was just this before God. Yes He knew what was coming and He knew the price He was about to pay. But in His most human moment He was naked and empty before God and finally He was ready for God’s will. He knew what He had to do, but he needed to be empty and ready.
That’s what it means to be humble before God. That is the position that we all must seek and strive for to be naked and empty, fertile soil ready to receive what ever God wants to plant in us. If we are guarded and only a little ready to do His will maybe saying things like, “okay whatever you want but with these conditions.” No, that won’t work. We must be ready and will for anything that God will throw at us.
In the end this will only happen if we have faith and fear of God. We need to shed all of our selves before Him and be genuine as we stand in the presence. We need to acknowledge that God is God and Master of All including us. Once we are that open with God then we will truly be humble and we will truly be able to obtain that perfect love. Love of God and love of neighbor.

Broken and Spilled Out

Posted on by Fr. Peter

This time around on the One Word at a Time Blog Carnival the word is brokenness. This word has many meanings for many different people and for the most part it is negative. I would like to focus on this as a positive as it is my belief that we have to be broken open to minister to others. It is through our very brokenness as humans that we are able to serve others. Through our own brokenness that we are prepared to serve and to minister in His name who was broken for us.
In the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, served each week in Orthodox Churches, after the consecration of the bread and wine, comes a part known as the fracture. This is the time in the service where the lamb, the part of the bread that is actually consecrated, is broken into four parts. With this breaking comes these words by the priest, “The Lamb of God is broken and shared, broken but not divided, ever eaten but not consumed, sanctifying those who partake.”
“The Lamb of God is Broken and shared, broken but not divided…” Such powerful words that remind us of the crucifixion and all that Christ endured for our salvation. Christ was literally broken for us and through His brokenness He was able to redeem the world. This could not have been done if He had not been broken and by His example neither can we.
I am not suggesting that we need to be crucified to be able to minister, but we need to be broken so the part that is all about us is broken away and gone forever. We need to strip ourselves of our pride so we can get down and get dirty in ministry. We need to strip away all of our falseness in order to get to our real selves so we are able to become the ministers that He needs us to be.
Brokenness is not a bad thing. There is a song that I used to sing back in my Evangelical days. Broken and spilled out, just for live of you Jesus were the words of the song. That what we need to be. Just as the woman broke open the jar and spilled the contents out at the feet of Jesus, we need to do the same thing. We need to be broken and spilled out, broken so Jesus can fix us.

Media Bias

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Unless you live under a rock you know that we have an election in about six weeks time. Here in Massachusetts we have several seats up for grabs including the Governor’s office. For the last four years it has been held by a Democrat and for more than 12 years before that a Republican. There will be four names on the ballot in November but the media is making sure you will only hear from three.
Tonight, a debate will take place being sponsored by a group of media outlets in Massachusetts hosted by CNN’s John King. This debate will feature all four candidates but if the media has it’s way one of those voices will be silenced after tonight. It has already been silenced by several media outlets and I find this action outrageous.
In addition to the Democrat and Republican on the ballot this November will be an Independent candidate and a candidate from the Green Party. It is the Green Party candidate that the media hopes will go away. Dr. Jill Stein is on the ballot in Massachusetts, has met all of the requirements of her party and the Commonwealth yet the media thinks she is not worthy of a spot on the stage. They have decided that a candidate that has not raised more than $100,000 by October 1st is not viable and therefore will not allowed on the stage. I find this troubling on many levels.
First off this is censorship at its worst. I have heard it said that too many candidates will just confuse the voters. Well the media needs to understand that we are not stupid and we can decide who to vote for. Keeping one of the four voices off the stage will not make it any better. We have heard it all before. The two parties have been in power back in forth for all this time and things are not getting any better, so maybe it is time for another party to take power. But this will never happen if the media shuts it out!
Secondly, the air waves belong to “we the people” we own them and we allow them to use them. They have a responsibility to provide “we the people” with all of the information not just what they think is important. You report, we decide. That was one station’s motto a few years back. We deserve to have all of the information so we can make an informed decision.
The bottom line is if a candidate, of any party, qualifies to be on the ballot then that should be the only requirement to be included in a debate. This is too important a decision to be left to only the information the media provides us with.
Callie Crossley who hosts a program on WGBH radio had this to say about leaving Dr. Stein off of the ballot, “I am Pollyanna about this. I am a citizen vote. If they make the ballot, if they get the signatures, they ought to be in all the debates. I am more than creeped out by the consortium setting a set of criteria. They just came up with a set of criteria, and so it’s arbitrary, and I find that distasteful.”
I agree with Ms. Crossley! “We the people” can make up our minds if you the media do your job and just report the news and not comment on it. We deserve better than that from our airwaves.

16 September ~ Edith of Wilton

Posted on by Fr. Peter
She was the daughter of King Edgar of England and Wulfrida. She was born at Kensing, England, in 961, and was brought as a very young child to Wilton Abbey by her mother, who later became a nun there and Abbess…

Saint Edith became a nun when fifteen, declined her father’s offer of three abbacies, and refused to leave the convent to become queen when her half-brother, King Edward the Martyr was murdered, as many of the nobles requested.

She built St. Denis Church at Wilton. Saint Dunstan was invited to the dedication and wept much during mass. Being asked the reason, he said it was because Edith would die in three weeks, which actually happened, on 16 September AD 984.

From Here

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