Redemption

Posted on by Fr. Peter
This past Tuesday, April 8th was the first baseball game of the season at Fenway Park in Boston. There were many activities that day, including a baseball game. As is the current trend someone of note is called up to throw out the first pitch of the game. Out from under the new banner hanging on the Green Monster, strode none other than Bill Buckner. Now if you don’t now anything about his read his wikipedia entry here, I will wait.
Welcome back! I will draw your attention to the part about the 1986 world series and the ball rolling between his legs. Most people believe that this is why we lost the series that year. So Bill Buckner was booed and hated for years after that. Well, as he walked across the outfield to the pitchers mound everyone in the park got to their feet and cheered him on. The local news cut to a guy that said, “we forgive you Bill.” Ahhhhh the ultimate redemption.

If a Red Sox fan can forgive Bill Buckner for loosing the world series why do we find it so hard to forgive those who have wronged us. For us Orthodox we are still in the season of Great Lent. We begin this season with the Sunday of Forgiveness so that we start the time off in the right state of mind. At the beginning of the liturgy the deacon prays in Peace let us Pray to the Lord. We must be at peace with one another, we must forgive one another, before we can approach God for forgiveness.

If there is someone who has hurt you or wronged you in some way reach out and forgive them and pray for them. If they are gone then ask for their forgiveness or write them a letter and tell them that you forgive them and then burn the letter and as the smoke rises pray with the psalmist let my prayer arise like incense before thee.

If I may have offended anyone please forgive me!

Pope Benedict on St. Benedict

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Recently Pope Benedict gave a talk on St. Benedict of Nursia the patron of his papacy. As a former Benedictine I have a special place in my heart for St. Benedict who both churches call the father of Western Monasticism. It was during my time in the monastery when I was introduced to the eastern church and read the Way of the Pilgrim for the first time. Click the link below to read the speech.

“The Great Monk Is Still a True Teacher”

Love…

Posted on by Fr. Peter
I will admit at the start of this post that I am watching the Red Sox opener at Fenway while writing so I might be a little distracted.
The last word in the phrase before communion is Love. Fr. Greg has a post on the Greek meaning of the word on his blog. What is the love that the author of the Liturgy is referring too? Is it simply love for God or is it more than that?

My gut tells me that it is love of God and love of neighbor. Just as Jesus tells us in the Gospel. So how can we be unreconciled with our neighbor (is that a word?) and still approach the cup? The rubrics for the Liturgy say that the priest must be reconciled to all men before serving the Liturgy. In the Old Testament we read that if you bring your sacrifice to the altar and you are not reconciled with your neighbor, then leave it, go see your neighbor and then return and make your sacrifice. So it would seem that this word has a double meaning.

My friend and fellow pilgrim Huw has a much better grasp on the OT then I do perhaps he will weigh in on this topic from an OT perspective.

Okay top of the eighth inning and the Sox are in the lead 5-0 that’s a good thing!

Update: Huw on Love!

Condition of our Soul

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Maybe not the best title for this post but I did not know what else to use.

In the Liturgy of St. Basil, right before the Our Father we hear this prayer read by the priest, or maybe we do not:

Our God, the God who saves, You teach us justly to thank You for the good things which You have done and still do for us. You are our God who has accepted these Gifts. Cleanse us from every defilement of flesh and spirit, and teach us how to live in holiness by Your fear, so that receiving the portion of Your holy Gifts with a clear conscience we may be united with the holy Body and Blood of Your Christ. Having received them worthily, may we have Christ dwelling in our hearts, and may we become the temple of Your Holy Spirit. Yes, our God, let none of us be guilty before these, Your awesome and heavenly Mysteries, nor be infirm in body and soul by partaking of them unworthily. But enable us, even up to our last breath, to receive a portion of Your holy Gifts worthily, as provision for eternal life and as an acceptable defense at the awesome judgment seat of Your Christ. So that we also, together with all the saints who through the ages have pleased You, may become partakers of Your eternal good things, which You, Lord, have prepared for those who love You.

I am struck by a couple of the lines. Cleanse us from every defilement of flesh and spirit… This seems confessional to me and maybe even an absolution of sin. Let none of us be guilty before these… Let none of us? It would seem that we are asking to be made worthy of reception. Now perhaps it assumes a sacramental confession has taken place I don’t know we could argue that I guess. It continues, nor be inform in body and souls by partaking of them unworthily. In a previous discussion one of the commenter’s said that I as priest should protect the faithful from receiving the gifts unworthily. It would seem that is taken care of here as well.

So it would seem that the onus is on the one who is receiving the gifts to receive them in a spirit of worthiness whatever that may be. I also find it interesting that in no place in the Liturgy are the requirements, other than the ones discussed, are spelled out. Like I said before maybe it is assumed that everyone knows the rules already.

Now a clarification for Bob on my April 6th comment on coming to Communion in my church. I will never refuse anyone who approaches the cup communion as I think that causes scandal and embarrassment. I will however speak with the persona after the fact and advise them of the situation, as I see it. As I have mentioned before I am not advocating a wholesale openness of Communion but Baptized, belief in the creed, and the real presence, by all means. But I will ask you this question Bob, how am I supposed to test this? I ask this in all seriousness. I have people in and out of this church all the time that I do not know. It is hard enough keeping up with my parishioners let alone guests. And very rarely does some come who is not Orthodox to begin with. So Bob, help me out here how can I gauge this?

Clarification of Thought

Posted on by Fr. Peter
One of my favorite authors is Peter Maurin co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement. Maybe he is one of my favorites because my all time favorite actor Martin Sheen played him in the movie about Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker movement.

Maurin advocated round table discussion for the clarification of thought. He believed that we learned best through dialogue. When we are able to have a discussion we can learn from one another.

I am attempting to have a round table discussion here on the blog about some parts of the faith for a clarification of thought. I welcome your participation at whatever level you wish to participate. I have noticed a very large increase in hits since my original post on Communion.

Growth comes through learning and learning comes through discussion. There is nothing wrong with discussion.

Faith…

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Fr. Greg continues his look at the Greek translation of the phrase Approach in the fear of God with faith and with love.
What is this faith that we speak of? Do we mean the entire body of faith of the Orthodox or a portion of it?
Let us turn to the Liturgy to see f the answer is there. After communion the priest lifts the chalice and sings, “Save, O God, your people and bless your inheritance.” The people then respond, ” We have seen the true light; we have received the heavenly Spirit; we have found the true faith, worshiping the undivided Trinity, Who has saved us.”
So what is the true faith that we have found. A quick read of this phrase would suggest, I think, that it is the worship of the Undivided Trinity and nothing else. Now with a Trinitarian belief come a whole host of other beliefs as well. Perhaps the faith is the Creed that we say at the Liturgy, or maybe it is the whole body of faith. I am not sure that the writer of the Liturgy would have added that part unless it was important. can we sum up all of our belief in the Trinity. Father (creator) Son (redeemer) Holy Spirit (sanctifier)? can we talk about the Trinity in such a way that we can discuss the whole of the faith? Then can someone with a belief in the Trinity then approach?

Thoughts?

What a Day!

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Very busy today. The regular round of liturgical services and and off to the celebration of the Kirkin of the Tartans. Today, April 6th is Tartan Day in the US and we Scots celebrate our heritage with a church service. What a great turn out of people in kilts. About 150 people.

You know a few days ago I posted something about communion and this really has brought the nasty Christians out. Why is it that people cannot have a frank discussion about something. One person, whose comment I rejected by the way, actually asked what my bishop thought about my post I don’t know I don’t think he reads it. I was told that I am welcome to my opinions but I am not allowed to teach them. Hmmmm very interesting. I do not think it is wrong to ask questions and have a discussion. I am sure if you poled most priests they would say the same thing. I have not been called a heretic since my seminary days.

I for one would appreciate it if you have nothing constructive to add to the conversation just move on. Your nasty comments will not be posted. I reserve the right to delete any comment I feel is disrespectful!

From the Presanctified Liturgy

Posted on by Fr. Peter
In you are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, O God of mysteries beyond our sight and speech! You revealed the ministry of this liturgy to us, and then in your immense love for humanity, you called us, though we are sinners, to offer you gifts and sacrifices for our own sins and for the transgression of the people. Your works are without number, O invisible King! They are great and remarkable, escaping all our understanding! Look on us, you unworthy servants, as we stand here before this altar of sacrifice as if before your very cherub-throne! Here rests your only Son, beneath the awesome mysteries that lie here before us. Rescue us and all your faithful people from every impurity and, with a blessing that can never be lost, make us holy both in body and soul. With a clear conscious and enlightened heart, let us share in these divine mysteries. Let them fill us with life, so that we may become one with your Christ, our true God. For it was He who said: Whoever eats my body and drinks my blood shares my life and I share his. Thus, with your living word within us and present in our midst, we shall become the temples of your all-holy and adorable Spirit, safe from all the wiles of the evil one, whether in word or in deed or thought. Then we shall receive all the good things you promised us, together with all your saints who have pleased you from the very beginning.

Clarification

Posted on by Fr. Peter
I think I need to clarify my position a little more here. I have been taken to task around the blogosphere for advocating open communion. I guess I should have defined this term as I see it. First off I believe that one should be baptized in order to approach the cup. I also believe that there should be some fundamental belief in the real presence. But I will ask this question. Ask any of your fellow parishioners, not converts mind you, and see if they understand the real presence or not. This is another problem if they do not but someone said they should believe this and I agree but what if someone who has been orthodox from birth does not believe because they have never been taught? Trust me they are out there.

On another blog someone used the term heterodox. If you want to know what it means look it up. But they are making my point exactly. If a person is using terms like heterodox and heretic then they are not open to new people in the church and they need a long look at their own motives. Just my opinion.

So if we are to hols that the requirement to receive is to believe in the real presence, then why are we still using communion, of lack of communion, to stay separated from each other? If the Roman Church and dare I say the Anglican Church believes in the real presence and they are baptized, then why should they not come forward and receive? But how are we to check this out? In my small parish I know each person and they know me. But what of a priest in a parish with several hundred or even a thousand, there is no way he/she (ok I will get flamed for that as well) will be able to know what is in each persons heart. This is a problem.

The Eucharist is a balm for healing. A medicine if you will. I cannot withhold medication from someone that is in need. Jesus ate and drank with sinners because they were the ones that needed Him. Why should HIS church be more exclusive then HE was?

If you come to my church you are welcome to approach the cup!

error: Content is protected !!