The Holy Apostle Philip

Posted on November 14, 2014 by Fr. Peter

It is fitting that we begin the season of Advent on the Feast of the Holy Apostle Philip. According to the Gospel of St. John, Philip was one of the first called of the Apostles. The day after Andrew was called we see the event of the calling of Philip and like Andrew, who went and told his brother Peter about Jesus, Philip went and called his friend Nathaniel to tell him of what he had found.

The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”

According to Scripture, Philip was from the Bethsaida and was known to Andrew and Peter. Like the brothers, he was a fisherman and was also a follower of St. John the Forerunner and was one of the people that the Forerunner pointed towards Jesus. Alban Butler, writing in The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and other Principle Saints writes that Philip was present at the Wedding of Cana showing that Philip was with Jesus, and a witness to, all of His works from the start of his earthly ministry.

That Philip was with Jesus from the start of His ministry comes to bear in the answer that Jesus gives to Philip when he asks Jesus to show him the Father. At the Last Supper, Jesus is teaching His apostles for the last time. Jesus is preaching about what is to come and there is confusion among the apostles about what this means. Philip turns to Jesus and asks to be show the father and this dialogue begins:

Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father ‘? “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. (John 14:8-10)

In this passage Jesus describes the unity of the Trinity. All of humanity is created in the image and likeness of God but Jesus is the exact image of the Father. Notice that Jesus did not say that He is the Father Jesus declares that He and the Father are of one essence with an undivided nature but are different in the Godhead. Philip opens the door for this explanation of how we are to see Jesus and the Father. We if we reject Jesus, and His teachings, we reject the Father. Jesus clearly states that He is not speaking on His own authority but by “the Father who dwells in Him” and this is the way we who teach the faith should speak, not on our own authority but by the father who dwells in each of us.

Again, according to tradition, Philip spoke Greek and was the link with the Greek speaking community. He would latter preach in Greece, Syria, and Phrygia. He was sent out to those who sat in darkness. He died by being hung on a cross by his feet.

In the Orthros Hymns of his feast on November 14^th we sing

Disciple of the Word, preacher of the truth, you were sent as a ray to enlighten those who sat in the shadow of evil, and to dispel from the earth the mist of godlessness, in order to make all believers son of light and of the day. O holy apostle Philip, we have seen Christ.

And again

Turned upside down on the Cross by your feet which had announced the good news, you joyfully ascend the road to Heaven. Forever in the presence of the Holy Trinity, you see the Son and the Holy Spirit in the Father. Thus we celebrate your sacred memory with love on this feast, O Philip.

Jesus called Philip to follow Him with the words, “Come and see.” Philip called his friend Nathaniel with the same words, “Come and see.” The season that we are about to begin is all about coming and seeing coming and seeing what He has in store for us. We come with the shepherds to see the newborn babe in the manger. We come with the Wise Men, bringing the gifts that we have to offer Him, the gifts that have been given us by God to be used to build up the kingdom of God.

We are now the hands and feet of Christ, we are His apostles and it is up to us to bring the light into the darkened world. As we begin this season of preparation let us prepare ourselves to be that light so that they that sit in darkness will be able to see clearly the love of Christ.

Icon compliments of St. Isaac of Syria Skete

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Death is Nothing at All

Posted on November 13, 2014 by Fr. Peter

I held my first memorial service for hospice at one of the nursing homes. Twice a year we hold a simple memorial service for those who have passed since the last service. It is a mixture of Scripture, prayers, and poetry. I read the poem the poem below and would like to share it with all of you.

Death is Nothing at All

Canon Henry Scott-Holland, Canon of St Paul’s Cathedral (1847 – 1918)

Death is nothing at all
I have only slipped away into the next room
I am I and you are you
Whatever we were to each other
That we are still
Call me by my own familiar name
Speak to me in the easy way you always used
Put no difference into your tone
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow
Laugh as we always laughed
At the little jokes we always enjoyed together
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was
Let it be spoken without effort
Without the ghost of a shadow in it
Life means all that it ever was
There is absolute unbroken continuity
What is death but a negligible accident?
Why should I be out of mind
Because I am out of sight?
I am waiting for you for an interval
Somewhere very near
Just around the corner
All is well.
Nothing is past; nothing is lost
One brief moment and all will be as it was before
How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!

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Blogging during Advent

Posted on November 13, 2014 by Fr. Peter

Each year, for the last five years, Fr. John Peck runs the 30/40 Days Pastoral Blogging Challenge from his blog The Preachers Institute.

The idea is simple, those who chose to sing up, both clergy and lay, blog each day during the preparation time prior to the great feast of the Nativity. In the West this time is called Advent but for us Orthodox it is called Christmas Lent. More on this tomorrow.

So look for daily blogging for the next 40 days, well I hope to be able to blog each day for 40 days. Some posts might be short and others longer but I hope to focus on the spirituality of the season as a way to keep us focused during this time.

A list of all the participants can be found here.

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USCIRF Helps Launch International Parliamentary Coalition to Advance Religious Freedom

Posted on November 10, 2014 by Fr. Peter

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In the face of escalating violations worldwide of religious freedom, an initiative that the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) promoted was launched on November 8 to create a global religious freedom coalition. At the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, 30 parliamentarians from around the world signed an unprecedented joint statement committing themselves to advance religious freedom for all. This statement, the Charter for Freedom of Religion or Belief, commits parliamentarians to promote religious freedom or belief for all persons through their work and respective institutions and enhance global cooperation.

“This historic event brought together individual parliamentarians from a wide range of nations and religious communities in a united effort to galvanize support at a time when religious freedom increasingly is under attack,” said USCIRF Chair Katrina Lantos Swett. “Despite great religious, political, and regional diversity, they were unified in agreeing to combat persecution and support the principles of religious freedom that are found in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

“Some of us came to this meeting from environments of safety, but we were moved by the presence of others who attended at great personal risk,” said USCIRF Commissioner Mary Ann Glendon. “We owe them our best effort to ensure that this new initiative gains strength and support, and we expect this network to grow.”

Countries represented included Argentina, Brazil, Burma, Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, Nepal, Norway, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey, United Kingdom, and Uruguay. In addition, from the United States two Commissioners from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom participated, as well as the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief. The parliamentarians sent co-signed letters to the heads of state of Pakistan and Burma expressing concern about religious freedom violations in each country, and wrote Pope Francis to apprise him of the initiative.

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Patriarch Daniel Send Greetings for 90th Anniversary

Posted on November 10, 2014 by Fr. Peter

No. 11.620/2014
Bucharest, November 5, 2014

His Eminence Archbishop Nicolae
Archbishop of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in the Americas,
Very Rev. Fr. Peter-Michael Preble
Parish Priest of St. Michael Church in Southbridge, MA, USA,
Beloved faithful,

By the will of God, on November 9^th, we celebrate the 90 years since the founding of St. Michael’s Church in Southbridge, MA USA, and important event for the spiritual life of all the Romanian faithful, who, for many generations, have settled in this part of the American continent.

It is a known fact that the wish of the members of this community to have a church of their own to worship in and pray to our Good Lord, became true 90 years ago when the cornerstone was laid. This work of creating a church is the soul, but also a building for worship, had an influence on several generations.

So, with love and contribution of many of your ancestors, as well as with the help of those of you who compose today the community of Orthodox Christian of this parish, during the past nine decades, other buildings have been constructed, near the parish church, such as “Casa Romana” where a diversity of social and cultural activities take place. On November 12, 1961, a new even more beautiful church was consecrated, that brought great joy to all the faithful. In 1971, besides all these achievements, the parochial museum was established under the name of Alexander Macedon, which offers to the new generation an important historical perspective on the origin and continuity of this community.

All these achievements are strengthening your faith, especially in these times of ours undergoing the fast process of globalization and when people want to find in the Church a landmark for hope, continuity, and where the spiritual, cultural, ethnic or national identity is preserved.

In this respect, through its missionary work in the home country and in the diaspora, the Romanian Orthodox Church is fostering the values and good deeds made in faith, as a testimony of the communion of man with God in this life and as hope and foretaste of eternal life in the Kingdom of the Most Holy Trinity.

The Romanian Orthodox Church fulfilled this sacred task for her faithful from Romania and outside Romania, especially through the liturgical services transmitted daily by the Romanian Patriarch’s Trinitas Radio and Trinitas Television, that are of great spiritual benefit. Also, the construction of the Salvation of the People Cathedral is indeed a necessity from a practical liturgical point of view and also represents a symbol of the faith and dignity of the Romanian nation.

Assuring you of Our blessing, and filled with the joy of sending you this congratulatory message, at the 90^th anniversary since the founding of the first church belonging to St. Michael’s community in Southbridge, MA, USA, we pray to our Merciful God to give you good health and salvation, peace and happiness, as well as great strength to always keep and promote the Orthodox faith on the American continent.

With esteem and fatherly blessing,

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The things we choose to be concerned about

Posted on November 8, 2014 by Fr. Peter

Recently Fr. Robert Arida, Rector and Dean at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Boston, wrote an article for the Wonder blog that has since been taken down. I did not have a chance to read the article but I did read some of the dust up around it and it really got me thinking about what we choose to be concerned about and why the people got all upset about what he wrote, I gather it had something to do with homosexuality and marriage, but remain silent on other, more pressing, issues in our world today.

What is the most pressing issue facing the world today? I am not sure there is a simple answer to that question unless you read the posts that have popped up recently on Facebook. Once again homosexuality seems to be the pivotal issue that some of my Christian brothers and sisters are concerning themselves with.

Now let me say right from the start, so there is no confusion, I believe that ANY sex outside of marriage is sinful, we call it fornication if you are not married and adultery if you are having sex with someone who is not your spouse. This is what my Church teaches and has taught from the start. I also believe that same sex marriage goes against the will of God and therefore cannot be supported by my Church. With that said I will say, and make no mistake about this either, I do not think people with a same sex attraction, or whatever we are calling it now, are evil people in fact I believe that they are just like me, a sinner, trying to figure it all out. I love you and accept you no matter what, and I would expect that you do the same. We are all in this together.

I guess that fact that Childhood hunger in on the rise. According to Feeding America, 15.8 million children lived in food insecure households in 2012, not in Botswana but right here in America. 14.7 million or 20% of Children in the US lived in poverty in 2013, not in Ghana but right here in the US. But you keep worrying about Homosexuals and how they are destroying our culture! Your time might be better spent working to end hunger in America and writing about that.

According to the Veterans Administration 22 veterans commit suicide every day, 22! That is 22 of the young men and women that we sent to fight our war are coming home broken and have to wait an inhuman amount of time to access the care that they deserve, that’s right you go and fight a war to keep me safe you deserve to be taken care of when you return. For these 22 soldiers, sailors, and marines the only way out for them is to take their own lives! But you keep worrying about how homosexuality is killing the moral fiber of America! Your time might better be spent volunteering with the VA or using your pen to advocate for better Veterans health care.

According to the website Poverty in America, a program of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, 46 million Americans live in poverty (this is the highest rate in the 54 years that poverty facts have been recorded) and 1.6 million children had to stay in some sort of shelter in America. In America, the richest country on the face of the earth. But you continue to worry about how homosexuals are destroying the fabric of American moral culture. Your time might be better spent using your pen to advocate for a living wage or using your hands to work with Habitat for Humanity to help build houses for those less fortunate than you.

By the way, America has the 6th highest divorce rate in the world! If there is anything that destroys families it is divorce. But lets not focus on that!

My words may sound harsh but they do not come close to the words of some of my brothers and sister who could care less is a child goes without health insurance or food or adequate shelter but if a man has an attraction to another man they world is coming to an end!

I am ashamed of all of you!

You can continue to focus on homosexuals and I will chose to help the man in Fort Lauderdale who has been arrested and fined for daring to feed the homeless on the street. I will continue to be the voice for the voiceless and fight for equal pay, affordable health insurance, veterans care, affordable housing and the many other things that ACTUALLY destroy the moral fabric of American society. Oh yes, and I will love my neighbor, no matter what he or she does, because that is what Jesus COMMANDED us to do. Do I have to accept their behavior, no, but I will reach out may hand and help anyone who needs help and I will help them because I am a sinner as well and we all need each other.

In my opinion it is time to focus on what really matters.

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New Superintendent for the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home

Posted on November 7, 2014 by Fr. Peter

BOSTON – Friday, November 7, 2014 — Governor Deval Patrick swore in Cheryl Poppe as superintendent of the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home, making her the first woman to lead the home in its 132 year history. The swearing-in comes on the 10^th Annual Celebration of Women Veterans Appreciation Day, which also features an event in the State House.

“Cheryl has served the Commonwealth with honor, from her time as a colonel in the Massachusetts National Guard, to her work as a leader in our Department of Veterans Services,” said Governor Patrick. “From health care, to housing and treatment, she holds a deep understands of the needs of our veterans, and will be a strong leader of the Chelsea Soldiers Home.”

A retired colonel in the Massachusetts National Guard, Poppe has more than 30 years of service, including five years as deputy secretary for programs at the Massachusetts Department of Veterans’ Services.

Since April, she has served as acting superintendent of the home, working with residents and employees to enhance the Administration’s already strong services to veterans. A resident of Salem, Poppe holds a Masters in Business Administration from Salem State University.

“This is great news for the home and especially timely, coming on the 10^th Annual Celebration of Women Veterans Appreciation Day,” said Health and Human Services Secretary John Polanowicz. “I congratulate Cheryl on her new role and thank all the staff at the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home the work they do caring for our veterans and their families.”

“As a one of the top leaders in the Massachusetts Army National Guard, Colonel (Ret.) Cheryl Poppe served the Commonwealth and nation with distinction and honor,” said Major General L. Scott Rice, adjutant general of the Massachusetts National Guard. “Poppe’s leadership, dedication and commitment to those that serve is inspirational.”

“In my short time as an elected official, I have had a wonderful working relationship with Cheryl Poppe,” said Representative RoseLee Vincent. “The Chelsea Soldiers’ Home is in great hands with Poppe at the helm. I have no doubt that she will continue her tireless work to advocate for the well-being of our veterans and the residents of the Soldiers’ Home. “

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Britain’s Prince Charles urges religious freedom, tolerance

Posted on November 7, 2014 by Fr. Peter

(CNN) — Britain’s Prince Charles has called on governments around the world to do more to ensure religious freedom and urged religious leaders to promote tolerance between people of different faiths.

In a video message recorded to accompany the release of a new report on religious freedom, Charles said current events in Iraq and Syria — where Sunni extremist group ISIS has been massacring people of other faiths and sectarian tensions have flared — were “horrendous and heartbreaking.”

“We’ve learned with mounting despair of the expulsion of Christians, Muslims and Yazidis from towns and cities that their ancestors have occupied for centuries,” he said.

“It is an indescribable tragedy that Christianity is now under such threat in the Middle East, an area where Christians have lived for 2,000 years and across which Islam spread in 700 A.D., with people of different faiths living together peaceably for centuries.”

The report, by Roman Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, highlights the plight of Christians in particular, saying they “remain the most persecuted faith in the world.”

It adds that “Muslims also face serious persecution; often from other Muslims who do not share their exact same beliefs,” while Jews in parts of Western Europe are increasingly feeling threatened, prompting many to move to Israel.

Prince Charles, who is heir to the British throne, pointed out that the issue of religious intolerance also affects some African nations and many countries across Asia.

But some hope can be found in the efforts of certain communities and faith leaders who work to overcome division and hatred, and seek instead to engage in interfaith dialogue, he said.

Faith leaders’ duty

Charles, who referred to his own Christian faith in the video, suggested positive action to help tackle intolerance.

“First and foremost, rather than remaining silent, faith leaders have — it seems to me — a responsibility to ensure that people within their own tradition respect people from other faith traditions,” he said.

He also called on governments to honor their duty to uphold the freedom of people to practice their faith, including converting to a different religion if they choose.

It’s a principle enshrined in Article 18 of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights. “Yet even in the West this right is often challenged sadly — and in many other countries, an absence of freedom to determine one’s own faith is woven into the laws and customs of the nation,” he said.

Charles reflected on the case of Mariam Yehya Ibrahim, a Sudanese Christian woman who faced a death sentence this year after refusing to renounce her faith. She was eventually released and, after meeting Pope Francis in Rome, arrived in the United States this summer to start a new life with her husband and children.

And he urged those facing persecution not to give up hope, while remaining strong in their faith.

“My heart goes out to all those around the world but especially at this time in the East, whether Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist or Hindu, who are so brutally persecuted solely for the faith they profess,” he said.

Deteriorating conditions

According to the report, which covers the period from October 2012 to June 2014, 81 of 196 countries in the world, or 41%, are identified as places where religious freedom is impaired or is in decline.

Another 35 countries were classified as having some religious freedom issues that are “of concern,” but with no deterioration in their status.

Change for the better is noted in only six countries, while conditions have deteriorated in 55 nations, the report’s authors found.

Overall, 20 countries are designated as having a high degree of religious persecution. The persecution is linked to extremist Islam in 14 of those countries, while in the remainder it is linked to an authoritarian regime.

“In the period under review, global religious freedom entered a period of serious decline,” the report concludes.

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Wanted: Missionaries in Alaska

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Fr. Peter

His Grace Bishop David of Sitka and Alaska (center), with OCMC Executive Director Fr. Martin Ritsi (left) and OCMC Missionary Director Dcn. James Nicholas (right), commissions Vasiliki Fotinis for service on an OCMC Mission Team during a recent visit to the Mission Center

The Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) was honored by a visit from His Grace Bishop David of Sitka and Alaska during the week of October 27-31. The staff had an entire day with His Grace where they were given the opportunity to hear about the rich history of the Church in Alaska, the people that call it home, and the wonderful opportunities for ministry and fellowship that exist in the land where the seeds of Orthodoxy were first planted on the North American continent.

For Orthodox Christians, Alaska is truly a North American Holy Land. It has brought forth numerous saints who through their deep faith bore witness to many miracles. It is the destination for countless Orthodox pilgrims who travel from around the world to be renewed in their faith by the natural beauty of God’s creation and Alaska’s rich Orthodox Christian heritage – a heritage that has been preserved by its native peoples since the late 1700’s. These people, however, are facing some significant challenges.

While visiting the Mission Center, His Grace invited more short-term mission teams and long-term missionaries to serve in Alaska. The need for counseling on a variety of issues, clergy training, youth catechism, communications, and construction is great. To learn about OCMC Mission Teams serving in Alaska in 2015 visit http://www.ocmc.org/about/open_teams.aspx. To inquire about long-term missionary service visit http://www.ocmc.org/about/missionaries.aspx.

His Grace’s visit concluded with the commissioning of two mission teams preparing for deployment to Kenya and Uganda. Like the staff, team members were honored to have had the opportunity to pray with His Grace.

On the evening of October 29^th, His Grace also shared some of the many miracles that continue to happen in Alaska with staff members at a dinner that was hosted by OCMC Executive Director Fr. Martin Ritsi and Teams Associate Director Pres. Renee Ritsi.

Please keep our Alaskan brothers and sisters in your prayers, and consider serving there as part of a short-term mission team or as a long-term missionary.

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Southbridge in the Civil War – Andersonville Prison

Posted on October 30, 2014 by Fr. Peter

Andersonville Prison is synonymous with the horrors of the Civil War. Some 13,000 Union prisoners died while being held in some of the worst conditions of the American Civil War. Andersonville Prison was opened in February of 1864 on 16.5 acres of land near the town of Andersonville Georgia. By the time the prison was liberated in May of 1865 45,000 union soldiers would have been held there.

The prison was commanded by Major Henry Wirz who was tried and executed after the war due to the conditions of the prison he commanded. The most common cause of death was scurvy, diarrhea and dysentery caused by lack of clean water and overcrowding. In June of 1864 the prison was expanded to 26.5 acres in an attempt to lessen the burden but the damage had already been done.

As I have noted in other essays, the Town of Southbridge, located in Central Massachusetts, sent some 400 men to fight in the war two of those men were among the 13,000 who perished while being held at the prison at Andersonville Georgia.

David Brown was born in Ireland in 1839 and immigrated to the United States and settled in Southbridge where he was employed as a laborer. He married Margaret Maloney in 1858 in Southbridge and was the father of two sons David, born in 1858 and James, born in 1862.

David was 32 years old in July of 1863 when he answered the call of his new home and mustered into the 18^th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment’s Company K. He went missing on the 5^th of May 1864 after the Battle of the Wilderness and was sent to Andersonville Prison. He died there on August 18, 1864 of diarrhea. He is buried in grave number 6057.

James O’Brien was born in Ireland in 1825 and immigrated to Southbridge where he was employed as a spinner at a local mill. He married Mary Hogan and had 2 sons, William James and Daniel and 2 daughters, Elizabeth and Mary.

James was 38 years old when he enlisted in the 21^st Massachusetts Infantry Regiment’s Company C and was discharged on November 13, 1862. He returned home and a year later on November 13, 1863 he enlisted for a second time in the 2^nd Massachusetts Heavy Artillery and was taken prisoner on April 20, 1863 near Plymouth North Carolina. He was sent to Andersonville where he died on August 29, 1864. He is buried in grave 7193.

May we never forget the sacrifice of so many, especially those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, to ensure that America would be and continue to be free.