American Orthodox Unity

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Much has been written and said in the past few months about the unity of the Orthodox Church in the United States. Fr. Ted has written some thoughts on his blog and there are a few others as well. Like Fr. Ted I have not yet read or digested all of the materials but I hope too soon.

Here are some other links as well:

Chalcedon Canon 28: Yesterday and Today
V. Rev. John Erickson

Chalcedon Canon 28: Historic Truth or Greek Mythology?
Nick Katich

Patriarch Daniel to visit Constantinople

Posted on by Fr. Peter
(BASILICA) – In the spirit of tradition and current practice, His Beatitude Daniel, as the new Patriarch of Romania, accompanied by a delegation of the Romanian Orthodox Church, will visit the Ecumenical Patriarchate between May 27 – June 2, 2009.

The visit is part of the events dedicated to the year 2009, proclaimed by the Holy Synod as ‘Memorial Year of St Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea Cappadocia († 379) and of the other Cappadocian Saints.’

In the first day of the visit, after the official welcoming at the St. George Cathedral, His Beatitude Daniel will participate at the Vespers celebrated in the St. Paraskeve Church in Istanbul, a worship place given by the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the Romanian Orthodox community in Turkey. On this occasion, in the presence of the Romanian Orthodox faithful in Istanbul and other areas in Turkey, the new library of this Romanian community will be consecrated.

Thursday, May 28, 2009, on the feast of the Ascension of the Lord, His Holiness Bartholomew, the Ecumenical Patriarch, and His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, will celebrate together the Holy Liturgy at the St. George Cathedral, surrounded by Greek and Romanian hierarchs, priests and deacons. Subsequently, the two Primates, joined by hierarchs, priests, deacons and faithful, will go on a pilgrimage in Cappadocia, the birthplace of Saints Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, Gregory of Nyssa and many others from the first Christian millennium. Christian relics of profound theological, cultural and spiritual importance will be visited.

Saturday, May 30, 2009, the two Patriarchs will celebrate in Cappadocia the Vespers at the Holy Emperors Constantine and Helen Church in Sinassos, and the next day, Sunday, May 31, in the same area, the Holy Liturgy at the St. Theodor Church in Malakopis.

On schedule there are several official visits of the Romanian Patriarch at the Romanian Embassy in Ankara, at the General Consulate of Romania in Istanbul, as well as meetings with central and local authorities in Turkey.

Free Father Mattaos – Unjustly imprisoned in Egypt

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Father Mattaos Wahba is the priest of Archangel Michael Church at Kerdasa, Geza, Egypt. He is a pious man of God who encourages his congregation with Jesus’ message of loving one’s enemy, blessing those who curse you, doing good to those who hate you, and praying for those who despitefully use and persecute you. (Mathew 5:44) Fr. Mattaos is a model Egyptian citizen that has not ever committed a crime or seen the inside of a prison other than in the context of ministering to inmates.

Recently Father Mattaos’ life abruptly changed overnight. He was arrested, charged and tried for aiding a young Muslim woman in getting an ID card that had falsified data indicating her religion as Christian rather than Muslim. The ID card was said to enable her to marry a Christian man and to flee the country. On October, 2008, the court found him guilty and sentenced him to 5 years of hard labor.

However, the facts dictate entirely a different story. The young woman, named Reham Abdel Aziz Rady, was born to a Muslim family. She converted to Christianity and underwent unbearable degrees of torturous harassments from her family and Egypt’s Secret Police. She was subsequently released from custody without an ID card. Such prevents her rightful privileges of citizenship. She cannot get employment, rent living quarters, apply for a passport, much less apply for a marriage license. Even if she still possessed her old Muslim ID, it would prevent her from marrying a Christian. There is no legal way to change the religion of a Muslim on an ID card.

In 2004, a well-intentioned person attempted to help her. They allowed Reham to use an ID card belonging to a recently deceased young Christian woman of approximately the same age, named Mariam Nabil. Two years later, Reham, now called Mariam, and a Christian man fell in love and decided to marry. The couple contacted Fr. Mattaos to conduct the marriage ceremonies. The priest knew nothing of the false ID and Mariam’s former Muslim background. In good faith he conducted the ceremony and the newly wed couple fled the country.

On April 24, 2009, Mariam appeared with Brother Rasheed on the popular Arabic Al Hayat TV program “A Daring Question”. She testified, “Father Mattaos did not have any role in getting my ID card. I did not know him then, as this took place in 2004 and I got married in 2006.” Mariam added, “I have the right to have an ID card that reflects my true religious affiliation. The Egyptian government does not give Muslims who convert to Christianity a legal alternative to get these papers. Had I been a Christian who wanted to convert to Islam, I would have had all the help I needed. But, because I am leaving Islam they put hurdles in my way.”

Father Mattaos did not commit a crime. He does not deserve to be imprisoned. He is paying a price of Egypt’s present-day policy of denying religious freedom. Ironically, their policy is against the Egyptian constitution and standard human rights laws to which Egypt is a signatory. Make no mistake about it. Father Mattaos’ imprisonment is designed to send a message to Coptic Egyptian priests and Protestant pastors: The Egyptian government will deal harshly with any clergyman who is suspected in aiding Muslims converting to Christianity.

We call upon officials in the US State Department; Human Rights organizations; the global community of Christian believers; and all freedom loving people to join us in our outcry. We urge you to contact the Egyptian Embassy demanding the immediate release of Father Mattaos. Insist in strong tones that every Egyptian citizen be granted the basic human right to follow the religion of his/her choice.

EMBASSY OF THE ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT
3521 International Ct. NW Washington DC 20008

TEL: 202.895.5400 FAX: 202.244.4319

E-mail: Embassy@egyptembassy.net

SOURCE Christian Copts of California

Year of the Bible?

Posted on by Fr. Peter
When the clock strikes midnight on Dec. 31, 2009, Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) hopes you’ll be ringing in “the Year of the Bible.”

It’s probably just wishful thinking.

Broun’s simple congressional resolution aimed at honoring the Good Book has produced a push-back of biblical proportion in the blogosphere, with critics dismissing it as either unconstitutional or a waste of time. Jews in Congress and atheist activists are dismissing the resolution, while none of the many Democrats in Congress who are Christian have bothered to sign on as co-sponsors.

According to GovTrak.us, the resolution is among the most-blogged-about pieces of legislation, with most posts less than complimentary in nature.

“Does that mean 2009 is not the year of the Bible?” mocked Rep. Barney Frank ­(D-Mass.), who is Jewish. “What is 2012 the year of? The Quran?”

“That’s an endorsement of religion by the federal government, and we shouldn’t be doing that,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), even though he has introduced his own legislation dealing with religion.

The Rest of the Story

Benedict XVI Promotes Internet Friendships

Posted on by Fr. Peter
VATICAN CITY, MAY 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is encouraging a “positive” use of communication technologies so that friendships created through them can help make the world a better place.

The Pope said this today at the end of the general audience when he spoke in English about this Sunday’s celebration of World Communications Day.

Referring to his message for this year, he noted his invitation to “all those who make use of the new technologies of communication, especially the young, to utilize them in a positive way and to realize the great potential of these means to build up bonds of friendship and solidarity that can contribute to a better world.”

The Holy Father recognized that “new technologies have brought about fundamental shifts in the ways in which news and information are disseminated and in how people communicate and relate to each other.”

Thus, he exhorted those who “access cyberspace” to take care to “maintain and promote a culture of respect, dialogue and authentic friendship where the values of truth, harmony and understanding can flourish.”

His final exhortation was for youth: “Young people in particular, I appeal to you: bear witness to your faith through the digital world! Employ these new technologies to make the Gospel known, so that the Good News of God’s infinite love for all people, will resound in new ways across our increasingly technological world!”

Sunday of the Samaritan Woman

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Sermon Audio

One of the most ancient cities of the Promised Land was Shechem, also called Sikima, located at the foot of Mount Gerazim. There the Israelites had heard the blessings in the days of Moses and Jesus of Navi. Near to this town, Jacob, who had come from Mesopotamia in the nineteenth century before Christ, bought a piece of land where there was a well. This well, preserved even until the time of Christ, was known as Jacob’s Well. Later, before he died in Egypt, he left that piece of land as a special inheritance to his son Joseph (Gen. 49:22). This town, before it was taken into possession by Samaria, was also the leading city of the kingdom of the ten tribes. In the time of the Romans it was called Neapolis, and at present Nablus. It was the first city in Canaan visited by the Patriarch Abraham. Here also, Jesus of Navi (Joshua) addressed the tribes of Israel for the last time. Almost three hundred years later, all Israel assembled there to make Roboam (Rehoboam) king.

When our Lord Jesus Christ, then, came at midday to this city, which is also called Sychar (John 4:5), He was wearied from the journey and the heat, and He sat down at this well. After a little while the Samaritan woman mentioned in today’s Gospel passage came to draw water. As she conversed at some length with the Lord and heard from Him secret things concerning herself, she believed in Him; through her many other Samaritans also believed.

Concerning the Samaritans we know the following: In the year 721 before Christ, Salmanasar (Shalmaneser), King of the Assyrians, took the ten tribes of the kingdom of Israel into captivity, and relocated all these people to Babylon and the land of the Medes. From there he gathered various nations and sent them to Samaria. These nations had been idolaters from before. Although they were later instructed in the Jewish faith and believed in the one God, they worshipped the idols also. Furthermore, they accepted only the Pentateuch of Moses, and rejected the other books of Holy Scripture. Nonetheless, they thought themselves to be descendants of Abraham and Jacob. Therefore, the pious Jews named these Judaizing and idolatrous peoples Samaritans, since they lived in Samaria, the former leading city of the Israelites, as well as in the other towns thereabout. The Jews rejected them as heathen and foreigners, and had no communion with them at all, as the Samaritan woman observed, “the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans” (John 4:9). Therefore, the name Samaritan is used derisively many times in the Gospel narrations. After the Ascension of the Lord, and the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the woman of Samaria was baptized by the holy Apostles and became a great preacher and Martyr of Christ; she was called Photine, and her feast is kept on February 26.

Respect

Posted on by Fr. Peter
I was not able to watch the President’s speech from Notre Dame today but I have been reading about it online. I was also following several people who were tweeting during the speech as well. Regardless of what he had to say, and this post is not about that, what amazes me is the total lack of respect for the President of the United States. Weather you agree with his policies or not he is still the President of the United States and he should be referred too as either President Obama or Mr. Obama. To simply refer to him as Obama is disrespectful to him and to the office of the President.

Now before you go off on me and leave nasty comments be warned I said the same thing about President Bush. I did not always agree with is policies but he was President and he deserves that respect. This goes to the larger topic of respect in general.

What I was growing up adults were Mr. or Mrs. Some of my friends would say Sir or Mam and I thought this was nice. My dad goes over to a friends house every morning for coffee. When I am home I usually go with him and we watch the stock market and chat about stuff going on. Even though I am 42 years old now I would not dream of calling him or his wife by their first names I still refer to them as Mr. or Mrs.

Another example would be there first year I was teaching and I was subbing at different schools. I ended up at the High School I graduated from. Some of the same teachers that I had when I was in school were still teaching there. We were in the teachers room having lunch one day and I was saying Mr. this and Mrs. that and they were chuckling and said I could call them by their first names. I said I did, you are Mr. Smith and you are Mrs. Jones. Another Chuckle.

So there it is common respect is what I am talking about. Not just for the President but for all. It cheapens all of us if we loose respect.

Upcoming Event

Posted on by Fr. Peter

Come see the famous Doo Wop band the Flamingos as seen on PBS.

Also, tributes for Roy Orbinson and Elvis.

12 Crane St. Southbridge Ma

Saturday May 23rd. 7:30 p.m.

Tickets still available. $25 a person.

All proceeds benefit the Southbridge Downtown Partnership

Contact Susan Pelletier508-248-6687or
yves-lynn@charter.net

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