Pray for us!
One of the interesting if not disturbing points is that some bishops have come from Africa against the wishes of their, I guess the term is, provincial. They have come to join their brothers and sisters but may face retribution when they return. So bad is it that they have changed the way to procession on Sunday will be done. Usually the bishops process by province, but this year they will not so it is harder to identify who is there. How nice! They will know we are Christians by our love.
One of my regular readers remarked yesterday that she missed my blog posts. It’s not that I have nothing to say it’s just that things have been very crazy around here this week. Work continued on the windows and finished yesterday, thanks be to God. An work on the festival was in full swing yesterday. The big day is on the morrow so if you are in the area stop on by. If you do, and I don’t already know you, say hey and let me know you read the blog. I will be the one running around like a chicken with my head cut off.
I hope to take some snaps tomorrow and post them this week. I am also going to try and sneak away for a few days this week and go camping but the weather does not look good so I might just hide out here and get caught up on all that I have been neglecting for the last week.
Here is a picture of what goes on to get ready for the festival.
After church I rolled on over to St George Greek Orthodox Church here in the Village for their church picnic. This is the once a year blow out that all three Orthodox Churches here in town have. Ours in next week so this week will be full of activity around here. Small crowd but the food was good and the company was pleasant. Rest of the day was spent on just that, rest!
So today I have a sign to put up for the picnic and some other details to see to. Raining here right now but it is supposed to clear up.
I will attempt to post my homily from yesterday and also try and get a podcast done as well. Oh ya, doing laundry as well…
Anyway, why is it that we have to refer to people by a title? I don’t mean titles like bishop, pope, priest, etc. But rather, liberal, conservative, gay, etc. For example, yesterday Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire spoke at a church in England. All of the headlines were something like Gay Bishops Speaks in Church. However some 100’s of bishops spoke yesterday but I did not see anything like Heterosexual Bishops Speaks in Church! Why is that? Does the word Gay sell papers? The other thing I was thinking about today is why is it that if you do not agree with the person you have the right to make fun of them? I have notices that people who would lay down their life to defend their image of the church quickly throw it all out the window when someone who is canonically elected or appointed disagrees with them. If one of their own says something, no matter how stupid it is, they will refer to them as His High Mucky Muck Holiness kiss his hand and listen to every word that he has to say no matter how stupid it is bishop, but if someone like the Present Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the US, who happens to be a woman, says anything they refer to her simply as Kate or Katie? So you love the church and her traditions but only as you see them.
The same goes for titles like liberal and conservative. Someone asked me yesterday is Jesus was to be here right now would he be a liberal or a conservative. Well, I said, I think he would just be Jesus and his words would speak for themselves. Why do we have to refer to people this way. If they don’t agree with you then they are the opposite of you. I guess George Washington and John Adams were right when they said political parties would divide the nation. We are red and blue, liberal and conservative, gay and straight, etc. Let’s just try being, Oh I don’t know, friends, love one another, maybe Christian!
Today on the Roman calendar is the feast of St. Benedict. As some of you may know I spent several years in a Benedictine monastery as a professed member, hence the name of this blog by the way. The Orthodox Church celebrates this feast on March 14th. I wish all of my Benedictine friends a happy feast day.
This Saint, whose name means “blessed,” was born in 480 in Nursia, a small town about seventy miles northeast of Rome. He struggled in asceticism from his youth in deserted regions, where his example drew many who desired to emulate him. Hence, he ascended Mount Cassino in Campania and built a monastery there. The Rule that he gave his monks, which was inspired by the writings of Saint John Cassian, Saint Basil the Great, and other Fathers, became a pattern for monasticism in the West; because of this, he is often called the first teacher of monks in the West. He reposed in 547.
Apolytikion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone
The image of God, was faithfully preserved in you, O Father. For you took up the Cross and followed Christ. By Your actions you taught us to look beyond the flesh for it passes, rather to be concerned about the soul which is immortal. Wherefore, O Holy Benedict, your soul rejoices with the angels.
Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
O sun that shinest with the Mystic Dayspring’s radiance, who didst enlighten the monastics of the western lands, thou art worthily the namesake of benediction; do thou purge us of the filth of passions thoroughly by the sweat of thine illustrious accomplishments, for we cry to thee: Rejoice, O thrice-blessed Benedict.
Anyway a very good series and I would recommend it highly for your viewing pleasure.
