3rd Sunday of Great Lent

Posted on by Fr. Peter
On the 3rd Sunday of Great Lent we commemorate the Precious and Life-Giving Cross.

The Reading is from Mark 8:34-38; 9:1

The Lord said: “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? For what can a man give in return for his life? For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of man also be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.”

Sermon Audio

Archbishop Nicolae’s Meditation on the Sunday of the Holy Cross

Posted on by Fr. Peter
In the middle of Lent, we receive the strength to continue and benefit from our spiritual journey toward Pascha, hearing our Savior’s call to be His disciples: “Whoever wishes to follow Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me” (Mark 8:34). Halfway through Lent it is fitting that we should search our hearts and ask ourselves just where we are “along the way”. We cannot find an answer to this question apart from the Cross—our Savior’s and ours.

The symbol of Christianity is the Cross, yet this symbol is understood very differently among those who call themselves Christians. First of all, Roman Catholicism puts more accent on the sufferings Christ endured on the Cross, while Orthodoxy emphasizes His victory over death through the Cross. Then there is the fact that to become a Christian requires that we pass through the mystery of the Cross. We cannot have victory without suffering, for we cannot partake of the fruits of the salvation provided by Christ unless we crucify our own passions and weaknesses. Through the sin of Adam the sting of death is imprinted on our very being, but Christ conquered it in His own Body and gives us also the power to be victorious over it. To this end we must take up the “cross” of this life, admit our weaknesses, and assume our responsibilities.

It isn’t easy in these times in which we are encouraged on every hand to take the broad road. To be a Christian has always meant to be challenged moment by moment. We must have the desire and the courage to see ourselves as we really are. This means humility and the self-denial which is so foreign to our nature. We must also seek the grace of God; we must ask for it and allow it to work in us. It is grace that heals our weaknesses and increases our gifts. This means taking up our cross. And if we have started on the road, “let us not look back” but continually press on, having faith that with the help of the One who conquered temptation and death, we too shall be victors.

To all the priests and faithful of our Archdiocese I address the following challenge and blessing: a challenge to press on in prayer and fasting, and a blessing to come through this time with spiritual growth. And may the Lord make us worthy of His glorious resurrection.

Help for Monastery of the Archangel Michael in Cañones, NM

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Reposted from Adventures of an Orthodox Mom:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I entreat you to please prayerfully read the appeal below, and offer both your prayers and assistance to this precious Monastic community. If you can only send a few dollars, that is fine. There are over 1200 of you beautiful souls on my general list, so even an average of $2 per person would raise more than enough to cover the utility bill; and a $5 average would give them some very needed “breathing room!” Thanks so much, and God bless the remainder of your Great Lenten Journey to the awesome Passion and glorious Resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Please help and please spread the word!

Received tonight from Fr. Martin at St. John’s Monastery in Manton, CA:

The Monastery of the Archangel Michael in Cañones, NM is in dire straits. With their superior having been ill (ulcerative colitis) so long and now out of commission, they are in a financial crisis.

I learned tonight that they need $1400 in the next two days or they will lose power. No power means no ability to make candles, which is their major source of income (like us).

Please if you can help, write to Fr. Silouan at frsilouan@juno.com. Or call the monastery there in New Mexico (575) 638-5690. You can also send checks to PO Box 38 Canones NM 87516-0038.

May God reward your Lenten charity.

St. Tikhon’s Seminary receives EU recognition

Posted on by Fr. Peter
SOUTH CANAAN, PA (STOTS) – With thanks to Almighty God, the administration and faculty of St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary are pleased to announce the recent decision by the Ministry of Education of the Hellenic Republic to recognize St. Tikhon’s Seminary (STS) as an accredited institution of Higher Education, equal in standing to the schools of theology in the universities of Greece.

This unexpected and unsolicited honor comes in large part thanks to the efforts of STS alumnus Richard Joseph Bussard (M.Div. ’04). Mr. Bussard has been in Greece pursuing Doctoral studies at the Aristotle University of Thessalonica. It was his tireless efforts, over the past five years, to gain recognition for STS that elicited the momentous decision by the Greek Ministry of Education (GME).

The GME has also affirmed that the Master of Divinity degree conferred by STS is equivalent to the first degree in Theology conferred by the Faculties of Theology in the Universities of Athens and Thessalonica, and therefore renders the holder eligible to pursue the graduate studies programs or the doctoral programs (Th.D.) in those universities.

Indeed, such is the comprehensiveness of the GME’s recognition of STS that graduates of STS also have the option of teaching Religion in the Greek High School system, conditional upon satisfying certain basic requirements, namely, by either taking at STS or testing out of, at Thessalonica or Athens, the following subjects: Byzantine Archeology and Art, History of the Church of Greece, History of Christian Doctrine, Sociology of Christianity, and the Ecumenical Movement.

Furthermore, as most of Mr. Bussard’s studies at STS were completed before the Seminary received its full accreditation from the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), the GME’s recognition of STS is retroactive. Moreover, by virtue of Greece’s membership in the European Union (EU), the recognition of STS as an institution of higher theological learning, equal in status with the schools of theology in Greece, also extends to all schools and religious faculties of the universities within the EU’s member states. Hence, M.Div. graduates of STS are now entitled to the same privileges accorded to the graduates in theology of Greece and the EU.

“This is truly a great event in the history of St. Tikhon’s Seminary,” said Dr. Christopher Veniamin, Professor of Patristics, “and the culmination of tremendous work and effort by everyone associated with STS, especially our dearly beloved and deeply respected Dean, Bishop-Elect Fr. Michael Dahulich, as well as our beloved alumnus Joseph Bussard, whose academic achievements and tireless labors have borne such fruit for the benefit of our Seminary.”

The community of St. Tikhon’s is grateful to God for bestowing this great blessing upon our humble efforts to academically prepare and spiritually form pastors and leaders for His Holy Orthodox Church.

For more information about St. Tikhon’s Seminary, please email info@stots.edu.

h/t Byzantine Texas

4 March ~ St. Adrian

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Adrian was a later missionary of the Celtic Church, martyred on the Isle of May in the Firth of Forth near the end of the ninth century. Perhaps Adrian, said to have been a young disciple of Acca of Hexham, was involved in the fighting which accompanied the final downfall of Pictish power. The historian Skene has attempted to disentangle the strands of this obscure story which ends with the invasion of the Danes, their descent on the Isle of May and the martyrdom of Adrian and his followers in 875.

Adrian has been credited with some of the remarkable cave carvings found along the mainland shore opposite the island. At the opposite end of Fife, in the corner where Perthshire and Fife meet, we find a group of place-names reminding us of this unfortunate missionary. In dron parish is Exmagirdle (ecclesia Magirdle) with a ruined chapel. At Abernathy stand two large crosses, one of which is known as Mugdrum Cross, probably named after Adrian, and along the estuary of the Tay at Flisk a group of stones is called St. Muggin’s Seat. So if his traditions have any historical substance it is to north Fife as well as to the Isle of May that we should look for traces of his work.

G.A.F. Knight, Archaeological Light on the Early Christianising of Scotland, 1933

Ancestral Sin

Posted on by Fr. Peter
On the Second Sunday of Great Lent in the Orthodox Church we remember Our Father among the Saints, St. Gregory Palamas. St. Gregory (1296-1359) was a monk and a proponent of the Hesychastic Theology. He was a monk of Mount Athos and later Archbishop of Thessalonica.

The Gospel passage for that day is drawn from St. Mark’s Gospel and is the story of the healing of the paralytic. In preparing my sermon for this day I chose to preach on the topic of healing and the Sacrament of the Anointing. I feel this Sacrament has fallen into disuse save for the Wednesday of Holy Week. Well that is a discussion is for another day.

The sermon brought up many questions regarding the nature of sin and suffering. Actually I had more questions after this sermon than I have had on any other sermon I have preached thus far. The nature of sin and suffering seem to be in the fore front of everyone’s mind because of the earthquake in Haiti and the most recent earthquake in Chile.

When one thinks of a Theologian I am not the first person that would come to mind. I try to see things from a pastoral perspective and so that is the perspective that these comments will come from. I welcome your comments as we work through this together.

We have to back to “In the beginning” to find the answer to this question. In the book of Genesis we are told that humanity was created to live in harmony with God. We were created to live in paradise and “walk with God.” Genesis goes on to say that God walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden and we were to dwell with Him there forever. Well I am sure we all know the rest of the story.Next we need to turn to St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans 5:12, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men…” The first sin of our parents brought physical death to all of humanity. The sin of pride and disobedience brought on the fall of humanity. The difficulty lies in what in the nature of that sin and how does it affect us all these generations later.

All of humanity has inherited this sin from our first parents. All of us are marked with the “stain” of this sin from our first parents. We use the term stain as a way to remind us that sin makes us unclean and reminds us that we need to be cleansed from this sin. In the Orthodox understanding we do not use the term “original sin” as is done in the West, but more appropriately we use the term “ancestral sin.” Because of this “ancestral sin” we have an inclination towards sin as part of the fallen nature of all of humanity. St. Gregory Palamas, whose memory we remember on this 2nd Sunday of Great Lent, taught that man’s image was tarnished, disfigured as a consequence of Adam’s disobedience.

So then if this is the sin of Adam how can this affect us?

Assume for a moment that your father committed some crime and was sent to jail for this crime. You would perhaps have some shame because your father is in jail. We may even suffer some social consequences of this transgression but you are not guilty of this transgression of your father. We do not share any part of the guilt, and therefore we do not go to jail for the crime that our father has committed. We do however share in the stigma or the stain of the transgression in a very real way.

In the Orthodox understanding we are not guilty for the actual sin of our first parents but we have inherited the consequences of this sin, and those consequences are physical and spiritual death. This “stain” if you will, is transferred to us by means of natural heredity and not the sex act of our parents as the West teaches, to the entire human race. St. Augustine of Hippo taught that we inherit this first sin and the guilt associated with it through the procreative act of our parents. It is passed on to us through our very DNA. This is reason that the West teaches the Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception.

The Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception teaches that the Theotokos was conceived in her mother’s womb without this guilt of original sin. She had to be conceived in such a way so she would not transmit this sin to Jesus who would share in her DNA because she carried him in her womb. In the Orthodox Church this doctrine is not necessary because there is no guilt associated with the sin of our first parents.

We are all descendants of Adam so “no one is free from the implications of that sin.” We are not free from the implications of this sin, death, but we are free of the guilt associated with this sin. We do not need to feel guilty because Adam and Eve were disobedient.

In our Orthodox Christological reading of this we understand the fall of humanity in light of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Christ is the “new” Adam and frees us from this death and brings eternal life. In the Icon of the Resurrection we see Christ depicted holding the hand of Adam and Eve and bringing them out of hell. Christ is standing on the doors of Hell that he has broken down forever as a symbol of freeing us from this sin.St. Augustine of Hippo used the term “concupiscence” and described it as the “evil impulse.” In Orthodoxy we do not have that same understanding. The impulse toward sin is not evil, although sin could be described as evil, we would prefer to call this is our “disordered passion.” We are not only born with a distance between us and God but we are born with a disordered passion within us. And it is this disordered passion that causes us to sin.

Sickness, suffering and death are not a normal state for humanity they are a direct result of the fall of humanity. Humanity was created for eternal life and communion with God. Because of ancestral sin, communion with God has been broken. In the Orthodox understanding of this brokenness, sickness and sin then are the inevitable consequences of this separation from God.

We Orthodox look at healing from a holistic perspective. We cannot just heal the physical we have to heal the spiritual as well for if we do not heal the spiritual then the physical healing makes no sense. In order to be whole we need both the physical and the spiritual to work together in harmony.

Let us take time to look at what makes us sick both in the physical sense and in the spiritual sense. The Orthodox Church is a hospital for those who are sick and need healing. Through her sacramental life the church aims at restoring us to that for which we were created, eternal life with God the Creator.

Communion and Sickness

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Last week I posted about a priest, who has taken it upon himself, to use plastic spoons in the distribution of Holy Communion. This post brought many comments, some on the nature of the spoon and others on communion and sickness namely Celiac disease.

First the spoon. In the Orthodox tradition we receive communion from a common cup with a common spoon. The sacred Body and Blood of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ are mixed together in the chalice and distributed to the people by the priest or bishop of he is present, and the priest only, unless there is a reason like too many people although I would argue that there is never a reason for anyone except the priest or the bishop to distribute communion. But that is for another day.

We do this as a communal act, or we do this as a community from the common cup as a witness to our unity. Hence the term communion.

Okay now the sickness part.

In the Orthodox Church we believe that the bread and wine become the body and blood of Jesus Christ. From the Orthodox Wiki article:

The Eucharist is both symbolic and mystical. Also, the Eucharist in the Orthodox Church is understood to be the genuine Body and Blood of Christ, precisely because bread and wine are the mysteries and symbols of God’s true and genuine presence and his manifestation to us in Christ.

The mystery of the Holy Eucharist defies analysis and explanation in purely rational and logical terms. For the Eucharist, as Christ himself, is a mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven which, as Jesus has told us, is “not of this world.” The Eucharist, because it belongs to God’s Kingdom, is truly free from the earth-born “logic” of fallen humanity.

From John of Damascus: “If you enquire how this happens, it is enough for you to learn that it is through the Holy Spirit … we know nothing more than this, that the word of God is true, active, and omnipotent, but in its manner of operation unsearchable”.

We do not know how it happens or when it happens just that is does happen. So the bread and wine become the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus commanded us at the last supper to receive this sacrament, so the question is would this make you sick.

My belief is, if you truly believe it is what we say it is, the actual body and blood of the Life giving One, then it will not make you sick regardless of the sickness you might have. These are the life giving mysteries of the church and I cannot believe they would make a person sick. Yes the properties of bread and wine remain but the essence of them changes and they become holy. Truly holy.

This is going to sound harsh but I would submit if communion makes you sick it is not the bread and wine but your lack of faith that has made you sick.

Parenthood

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Last night I watched the premier episode of a new series on NBC called Parenthood. I was a little sceptical going into watching this episode as now a days TV programs seem to be all about sex and drugs and disobeying ones parents. Well I am happy to report I was wrong!

This is a wonderful family show that I think ranks right up there with some of the great programs about families to include “Eight is Enough” and “The Waltons.” However the show was a little hard to follow as there are a lot of people in the show and you really need to pay attention to who belongs to who, so it takes some work on your part to watch.

The premise of the story is it follows one family. The parents Craig T Nelson and Bonnie Bedelia have 4 grown children with a combined five children between them. It has the typical one child is the lawyer that works way too much and the daughter who moved away and married the rock star and now is moving home. Hey every family has those right?

Well the story follows all of them and how they interact with each other. Very well done I would say. This is not “Leave it to Beaver” but it is a great show and I plan to watch more.

2nd Sunday of Great Lent

Posted on by Fr. Peter
The 2nd Sunday of Great Lent is dedicated to St. Gregory Palamas and the gospel passages focuses on the healing of the paralytic from St. Mark’s Gospel. Below is the Gospel and some of my notes from my sermon. I have also included a link to the audio of the sermon.

The Reading is from Mark 2:1-12

At that time, Jesus entered Capernaum and it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “My son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak thus? It is a blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question thus in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your pallet and walk? But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins”-he said to the paralytic-“I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home.” And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

Sickness, suffering and death are not normal for humans, they are the result of the fall of man. Humanity was created for eternal life in communion with God but because of our sin that communion was broken and the result of that break is suffering, sin, and death for without God there can be no life.

In the Orthodox context, sickness and suffering are the inevitable consequences of the sinful state of the whole world, which followed from the first sin of Adam and Eve. Because of this fall and infection has spread to all of humanity and through humanity to the entire world.

Sickness is a complex reality and healing is even more complex. Two parts of healing must take place, the physical and the spiritual.

In the Anointing Service on Holy Wednesday we look to heal both the physical and the spiritual. If the spiritual is not healed then the physical healing makes no sense. This is why Jesus first forgave the sins of the person, although our personal sin has nothing to do with our sickness. The ultimate aim of healing is the restoration of communion with God and the Church.

God works through medicine and works through the skill of the doctors and other scientists to help heal the body. However we must never loose sight of the fact that it is God who heals and not the doctor! The physical healing is not an end in itself, the body is healed to be used for the purpose of creation, to glorify God, to hasten the coming of the kingdom, and to witness to the truth of Christ in the Gospels.

Healing and forgiveness are intimately connected and cannot be separated. Forgiveness is mediated through the prayers and anointing with oil in the rite of the Anointing of the Sick. Through the Anointing we hearken back to the grace we received at baptism not for the forgiveness of sin but for new birth, enlightenment, liberation from the slavery of sin, and adoptions as sons and daughters.

This is more than just the healing of the body this is a cosmic event all things are set back in proper perspective. Sin, sickness and death are conquered and made powerless through Christ. Our defeat is transformed into victory as out sufferings are joined to the sufferings and victory of Christ on the cross. The way we suffer and die says more about our Christian faith than any other words or deeds.

All things ultimately die. Even the people that Jesus healed in the Gospels and Lazarus who rose from the dead died again. The goal is the restoration of fallen, sickly and mortal humanity into communion with Christ and with the Church.

Olympic Hockey

Posted on by Fr. Peter
I am not what one would call a hockey fan. I like to watch hockey but I don’t really follow it and not sure who plays for what team. Does Bobby Or still play?

However I rely got into the Olympic Hockey these past two weeks. Maybe it was the level of play that drew me in but I even watched the women play and they were great. I am not sure how I feel about professionals playing in what is supposed to be armature sports, but yesterday’s game was one for the books. With less than one minute left in regulation play the USA scored a goal and sent the game into overtime. What a better way to end the Olympics. Okay would have been better if the USA won but hey it was a great series.

Now I will also admit I did have a tear in my eye when the entire place started to sing O Canada. Maybe it is because I am only 2 generations removed from my own Canadian heritage or maybe it is because I like the tune either way it is something when the flag is raised and the anthem is played. Team USA has nothing to be ashamed of and they should hold their heads high. As far as I remember they were not expected to get this far!

So we had some great TV the last few weeks and now we need to wait 2 years for the summer Olympics in London. Not that big of a fan of the Summer Olympics but I am sure I will watch.

The big question is this, will all of you who watched the Hockey game yesterday tune in now to watch the NHL?

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