My First Children’s Sermon

Children's Sermon

You may think this odd that I have been a priest for 10 years and never preached a Children’s sermon before this, but it is true.  My parish really never had children, well in the time I have been here anyway, until now and we are very thankful for that.

So this past Sunday, December 7th, I preached the first, of what I hope to be a monthly tradition, my first Children’s Sermon.  I focused on the story of St. Nicholas helping the three maids with their dowry and in the end gave them all coins.  I think it went well.

I will be honest and tell you I was a little nervous but in the end it was a fun experience for me and I hope the kids.

#Giving Tuesday: Help Us Continue The Mission

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On Tuesday, December 2, 2014, you can help my parish launch a new tradition by joining a movement that celebrates human generosity called #GivingTuesday. We’re excited to participate in #GivingTuesday.  Following up on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday is a chance for us to give back to those who give so much.

If you have been following these pages for any length of time you know that my parish, St. Michael Orthodox Christian Church, in Southbridge provides a free meal to the community twice each month.  We are entering our 5th year of this ministry in which we serve an average of 130 meals per month.

We need your help to continue, and maybe, expand this ministry.

Follow this link and donate to help us to continue this vital ministry in our community.

Giving Thanks

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I truly love this time of year – it is in fact “the most wonderful time of the year.”  Wait, wait it is not time for Christmas songs just yet!  Anyway, I do love this time of giving thanks for all the blessings in our lives and yes, we all have blessings to be thankful for.

In the 12th chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke there is a story of a rich man whose land “brought forth plentifully” and he ran out of space to store all that he had.  So he thought about it and decided he needed to build a larger barn to store all that he had.  When he completed its construction he stepped back and said to his soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.”

Now at first glance this sounds like a good story and the man is wise for storing things that he might need in the future. However, the story does not end there. That night God came to him and said, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”  In other words that night the man died and all of his stores went to waste.

Now a clarification.  I am not insinuating that we should not be prepared, we should – we should always be prepared and there is nothing wrong with living a life that is comfortable, but this man went overboard.

Thanksgiving is a time for being thankful for what we have and the very next day, Black Friday, most Americans will be standing in line for the latest gadget that someone has convinced you that you need and will be the best way to express your love to someone.  We have bought into the notion that we need a bigger barn to store up all of our stuff in.

But what about the ones who have nothing?  You have read my words before about taking care of our neighbor and how important that is to our spiritual lives; in fact it is a command that we have to follow.  We do not know for sure, but we can infer from the story, that the man was not generous with his things and was not helping those in need.  He kept all that he had for himself and did not share his good fortune with others.  We also do not hear him giving thanks to God for the many blessings he received in his life.

The 4th century bishop and theologian Basil the Great worked in around the city he lived in trying to ease the pain of the less fortunate.  He created what was called a Basilum, a small monastic village with doctors and other tradesmen who would help those around them.  I guess you could say this was the first homeless shelter although by design it was to break the cycle of poverty rather than just provide a place to lay one’s head.  Basil was very hard on those around him who had much but did not share.

Basil said many things but the quote I remember most is this one, “When someone steals another’s clothes, we call them a thief. Should we not give the same name to one who could clothe the naked and does not? The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry; the coat unused in your closet belongs to the one who needs it; the shoes rotting in your closet belong to the one who has no shoes; the money which you hoard up belongs to the poor.”

This is what we need to think about and ponder in our own lives; I know I am going to ponder it.  Be thankful for what we have, live a comfortable life, but remember those around us who are less fortunate.

This essay originally appeared in the The Quaboag Current and The Tantasqua Town Common

Text of Joint Declaration Signed by Pope and Ecumenical Patriarch

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Vatican City, November 30, 2014 (Zenit.org) |

Here below is the Vatican-provided text of the joint declaration signed by Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew this morning in Istanbul:

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COMMON DECLARATION

We, Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, express our profound gratitude to God for the gift of this new encounter enabling us, in the presence of the members of the Holy Synod, the clergy and the faithful of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, to celebrate together the feast of Saint Andrew, the first–called and brother of the Apostle Peter. Our remembrance of the Apostles, who proclaimed the good news of the Gospel to the world through their preaching and their witness of martyrdom, strengthens in us the aspiration to continue to walk together in order to overcome, in love and in truth, the obstacles that divide us.

On the occasion of our meeting in Jerusalem last May, in which we remembered the historical embrace of our venerable predecessors Pope Paul VI and the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras, we signed a joint declaration. Today on the happy occasion of this further fraternal encounter, we wish to re–affirm together our shared intentions and concerns.

We express our sincere and firm resolution, in obedience to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, to intensify our efforts to promote the full unity of all Christians, and above all between Catholics and Orthodox. As well, we intend to support the theological dialogue promoted by the Joint International Commission, instituted exactly thirty–five years ago by the Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios and Pope John Paul II here at the Phanar, and which is currently dealing with the most difficult questions that have marked the history of our division and that require careful and detailed study. To this end, we offer the assurance of our fervent prayer as Pastors of the Church, asking our faithful to join us in praying “that all may be one, that the world may believe” (Jn17:21).

We express our common concern for the current situation in Iraq, Syria and the whole Middle East. We are united in the desire for peace and stability and in the will to promote the resolution of conflicts through dialogue and reconciliation. While recognizing the efforts already being made to offer assistance to the region, at the same time, we call on all those who bear responsibility for the destiny of peoples to deepen their commitment to suffering communities, and to enable them, including the Christian ones, to remain in their native land. We cannot resign ourselves to a Middle East without Christians, who have professed the name of Jesus there for two thousand years. Many of our brothers and sisters are being persecuted and have been forced violently from their homes. It even seems that the value of human life has been lost, that the human person no longer matters and may be sacrificed to other interests. And, tragically, all this is met by the indifference of many. As Saint Paul reminds us, “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together” (1 Cor 12:26). This is the law of the Christian life, and in this sense we can say that there is also an ecumenism of suffering. Just as the blood of the martyrs was a seed of strength and fertility for the Church, so too the sharing of daily sufferings can become an effective instrument of unity. The terrible situation of Christians and all those who are suffering in the Middle East calls not only for our constant prayer, but also for an appropriate response on the part of the international community.

The grave challenges facing the world in the present situation require the solidarity of all people of good will, and so we also recognize the importance of promoting a constructive dialogue with Islam based on mutual respect and friendship. Inspired by common values and strengthened by genuine fraternal sentiments, Muslims and Christians are called to work together for the sake of justice, peace and respect for the dignity and rights of every person, especially in those regions where they once lived for centuries in peaceful coexistence and now tragically suffer together the horrors of war. Moreover, as Christian leaders, we call on all religious leaders to pursue and to strengthen interreligious dialogue and to make every effort to build a culture of peace and solidarity between persons and between peoples. We also remember all the people who experience the sufferings of war. In particular, we pray for peace in Ukraine, a country of ancient Christian tradition, while we call upon all parties involved to pursue the path of dialogue and of respect for international law in order to bring an end to the conflict and allow all Ukrainians to live in harmony.

Our thoughts turn to all the faithful of our Churches throughout the world, whom we greet, entrusting them to Christ our Saviour, that they may be untiring witnesses to the love of God. We raise our fervent prayer that the Lord may grant the gift of peace in love and unity to the entire human family.

“May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you” (2 Thess 3:16).

From the Phanar, 30 November 2014

© Copyright – Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Less is More

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For the last few weeks I have been participating in the 40 Days of Pastoral Blogging exercise established by my friend Fr. John Peck.  He has been giving us ideas on what to blog about but this is the first topic that I am using and I think it is a good one following on Thanksgiving.

Today is Black Friday, a day that many Americans will head to the malls and other places to buy worthless items that they believe will show their loved one just how much they are loved.  They will camp out, stand in line, push, shove, and call people names and a whole variety of things we see on the news.  In fact it will look like a riot but this one will be okay because it is all about money!

I am not sure why we equate love with material possessions?  What is wrong with giving someone a gift that you made with your own hands?  Why not give money to charity in the name of someone so that it might help someone less fortunate.  Sure it is nice to get gifts and it is nice to witness the joy on a person’s face when they open a gift you purchased for them, but why does it have to be so crazy?

As a culture we are obsessed with things.  We need to have the latest iPhone or tablet or video game or whatever.  In some ways we act like sheep and we allow others to dictate what we need and what we want.  Simplicity is what we should be moving towards and this is something that I need to adopt in my own life.

I often laugh when I think of the days when I first moved into the rectory at the church.  I believe it took two trips with my small puck up truck to move me in and now if I was to move I think I would need a large van to move everything I have accumulated.  Perhaps it is time to thin down and go through some of what I have and perhaps donate it to charity or just get rid of it.  In other words, practice what I preach.

The best gift that we can give to one another is ourselves, to be really present to one another and to care for one another this is not something we can purchase in a store but requires us to move outside of ourselves and just be there for another person.

Presidential Proclamation — Thanksgiving Day, 2014

THANKSGIVING DAY, 2014

– – – – – – –

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Thanksgiving Day invites us to reflect on the blessings we enjoy and the freedoms we cherish.  As we gather with family and friends to take part in this uniquely American celebration, we give thanks for the extraordinary opportunities we have in a Nation of limitless possibilities, and we pay tribute to all those who defend our Union as members of our Armed Forces.  This holiday reminds us to show compassion and concern for people we have never met and deep gratitude toward those who have sacrificed to help build the most prosperous Nation on earth.  These traditions honor the rich history of our country and hold us together as one American family, no matter who we are or where we come from.

Nearly 400 years ago, a group of Pilgrims left their homeland and sailed across an ocean in pursuit of liberty and prosperity.  With the friendship and kindness of the Wampanoag people, they learned to harvest the rich bounty of a new world.

Together, they shared a successful crop, celebrating bonds of community during a time of great hardship.  Through times of war and of peace, the example of a Native tribe who extended a hand to a new people has endured.  During the American Revolution and the Civil War, days of thanksgiving drew Americans together in prayer and in the spirit that guides us to better days, and in each year since, our Nation has paused to show our gratitude for our families, communities, and country.

With God’s grace, this holiday season we carry forward the legacy of our forebears.  In the company of our loved ones, we give thanks for the people we care about and the joy we share, and we remember those who are less fortunate.  At shelters and soup kitchens, Americans give meaning to the simple truth that binds us together:  we are our brother’s and our sister’s keepers.  We remember how a determined people set out for a better world — how through faith and the charity of others, they forged a new life built on freedom and opportunity.

The spirit of Thanksgiving is universal.  It is found in small moments between strangers, reunions shared with friends and loved ones, and in quiet prayers for others.  Within the heart of America’s promise burns the inextinguishable belief that together we can advance our common prosperity — that we can build a more hopeful, more just, and more unified Nation.  This Thanksgiving, let us recall the values that unite our diverse country, and let us resolve to strengthen these lasting ties.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 27, 2014, as a National Day of Thanksgiving.  I encourage the people of the United States to join together — whether in our homes, places of worship, community centers, or any place of fellowship for friends and neighbors — and give thanks for all we have received in the past year, express appreciation to those whose lives enrich our own, and share our bounty with others.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-sixth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-ninth.

BARACK OBAMA

Violence in America

Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man

I have not watched much of the coverage of the violence in Ferguson Missouri and other cities around the country.  On Tuesday I waited for the announcement of the Grand Juries decision, and no I don’t believe there was some conspiracy to the time it was announced.  I was not on the street on the night the events took place nor was I in the room with jurors who made the decision.  I do not understand all of the legal stuff nor do I want too, so I really do not have an opinion on the decision itself.  However, regardless of what side of the decision you are on violence is never the answer nor should it be accepted.

Protest is one of the fundamental aspects of the United States.  When colonists had had enough of the perceived shenanigans of the British Parliament, and after all legal means were exhausted, they took to the streets.  They protested, and yes sometimes those protests turned to violence, the civil war that the colonists waged against their government, as yes the British Parliament was our government, was an extreme act of violence.  But that does not make it right.

As a military veteran and an American I support anyone’s right to protest regardless of the issue as long as it is done within the confines of the law and done without destruction to personal or public property.  Again, protest is one of the fundamental rights we have as Americans, free speech and expression, but violence should not be part of that.

Peaceful protest is far more meaningful than a protest that turns violent and destructive and does nothing for the cause.  Looting and burning of hard working people’s businesses only fuels the fires that turn against the protesters.  Civil authority has the duty to protect life and property as well as seeing that other have the right of protest and when it turns violent or destructive civil authority will be called to quell the protest.

We live in a fallen world and we live in a country that has not come to grips with race relations. Part of the problem, as I see it, is that many have lost respect for human life at all levels.  This lack of respect for God’s creation has a long standing and is so ingrained in American culture as well as a lack of respect for authority.  All of this comes from our fallen nature and the fact that we need to turn back to God, not as a nation but as individuals.

Violence begets violence and love begets love!

In December of 1989 revolution broke out on the streets of the cities and towns of Romania.  It has been called one of Europe’s bloodiest revolutions.  The fighting raged on for days and I am not sure the real death toll is actually known.  The images of tanks rolling down the streets and of protesters being shot are burned into my memory and I saw them on television I was not there.  But along with those images of violence are images of love and peace.  Women placing flowers in the barrels of the guns of soldiers and asking for them not to shoot.

Another example of this are the images of the priests standing between the two sides in the recent uprisings in Ukraine.  They stood in the street, praying for an end to the violence, not with their own violence but with love and prayer.

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My prayer today, and every day is for all of those involved, the protesters and those trying to keep the peace.  My prayer is for the families of all involved on all sides of the issues and my prayer is for all of us, that we will turn from our hatred and turn towards respect for human life, all human life, back, white, brown, red, whatever color we are, that we turn from that hatred and that we turn towards love.

The First Thanksgiving Proclamation

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June 20, 1676

“The Holy God having by a long and Continual Series of his Afflictive dispensations in and by the present Warr with the Heathen Natives of this land, written and brought to pass bitter things against his own Covenant people in this wilderness, yet so that we evidently discern that in the midst of his judgements he hath remembered mercy, having remembered his Footstool in the day of his sore displeasure against us for our sins, with many singular Intimations of his Fatherly Compassion, and regard; reserving many of our Towns from Desolation Threatened, and attempted by the Enemy, and giving us especially of late with many of our Confederates many signal Advantages against them, without such Disadvantage to ourselves as formerly we have been sensible of, if it be the Lord’s mercy that we are not consumed, It certainly bespeaks our positive Thankfulness, when our Enemies are in any measure disappointed or destroyed; and fearing the Lord should take notice under so many Intimations of his returning mercy, we should be found an Insensible people, as not standing before Him with Thanksgiving, as well as lading him with our Complaints in the time of pressing Afflictions:

The Council has thought meet to appoint and set apart the 29th day of this instant June, as a day of Solemn Thanksgiving and praise to God for such his Goodness and Favour, many Particulars of which mercy might be Instanced, but we doubt not those who are sensible of God’s Afflictions, have been as diligent to espy him returning to us; and that the Lord may behold us as a People offering Praise and thereby glorifying Him; the Council doth commend it to the Respective Ministers, Elders and people of this Jurisdiction; Solemnly and seriously to keep the same Beseeching that being perswaded by the mercies of God we may all, even this whole people offer up our bodies and soulds as a living and acceptable Service unto God by Jesus Christ.”

1783 Thanksgiving Proclamation

Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

By His EXCELLENCY
John Hancock, Esq.
GOVERNOR of the COMMONWEALTH
of Massachusetts.
A PROCLAMATION,
For a Day of Public Thanksgiving.

HancockIn consideration of the many undeserved Blessings conferred upon us by GOD, the Father of all Mercies; it becomes us no only in our private and usual devotion, to express our obligations to Him, as well as our dependence upon Him; but also specially to set a part a Day to be employed for this great and important Purpose:

I HAVE therefore thought fit to appoint, and by the advice and consent of the Council, do hereby accordingly appoint, THURSDAY, the seventeenth of November next, to be observed as a Day of Public THANKSGIVING and PRAISE, throughout this Commonwealth:—Hereby calling upon Ministers and People of every denomination, to assemble on the said Day—and in the name of the Great Mediator, devoutly and sincerely offer to Almighty God, the gratitude of our Hearts, for all his goodness towards us; more especially in that HE has been pleased to continue to us so a great a measure of Health—to cause the Earth plentifully to yield her increase, so that we are supplied with the Necessaries, and the Comforts of Life—to prosper our Merchandise and Fishery—And above all, not only to continue to us the enjoyment of our civil Rights and Liberties; but the great and most important Blessing, the Gospel of Jesus Christ: And together with our cordial acknowledgments, I do earnestly recommend, that we may join the penitent confession of our Sins, and implore the further continuance of the Divine Protection, and Blessings of Heaven upon this People; especially that He would be graciously pleased to direct, and prosper the Administration of the Federal Government, and of this, and the other States in the Union—to afford Him further Smiles on our Agriculture and Fisheries, Commerce and Manufactures—To prosper our University and all Seminaries of Learning—To bless the virtuously struggling for the Rights of Men—so that universal Happiness may be Allies of the United States, and to afford his Almighty Aid to all People, who are established in the World; that all may bow to the Scepter of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, and the whole Earth be filled with his Glory.

And I do also earnestly recommend to the good People of this Commonwealth, to abstain from all servile Labor and Recreation, inconsistent with the solemnity of the said day.

Given at the Council-Chamber, in Boston, the fifth Day of October, in the Year of our Lord, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Ninety-One, and in the sixteenth Year of the Independence of the United States of America.

JOHN HANCOCK.

By his Excellency’s Command,
JOHN AVERY, jun. Sec’y

GOD save the United States of America

Do Not Store Up in Barns

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“When someone steals another’s clothes, we call them a thief. Should we not give the same name to one who could clothe the naked and does not? The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry; the coat unused in your closet belongs to the one who needs it; the shoes rotting in your closet belong to the one who has no shoes; the money which you hoard up belongs to the poor.”

― Basil the Great

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