Rev. Peter M Preble – Page 86 – Open-Minded, Open-Hearted Minister & Soul Friend

Summer Challenge: Springfield Armory

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Fr. Peter

From the Brochure:

From its position at the crest of a hill overlooking the Connecticut River, Springfield Armory exerted a profound influence over the City of Springfield and the nation. It carried out the manufacturing, storage, repair, testing and development functions assigned by the United States Army. In doing so it stimulated technological innovation, encouraged improved manufacturing processes, and fostered increased use of laborsaving machines. All of this had an impact on American industry.

So the Local Summer Challenge continues with a visit to the Springfield Armory in Springfield Massachusetts.

Located in the heart of the City of Springfield this National Park Service Historic Site is a gem that needs to be discovered by more people. This place has more to offer than just looking at the various weapons that the armory produced during its years of operation, the technology used to produce those weapons is just as amazing. The site sites on 55 acres and some of the historic buildings remain although most are not available for tour however the landscape as well as the wrought iron fence and original guard house still remain.

As the Armory was a Federal Army installation it was commanded by an Army officer. One of the most striking buildings on the grounds in Quarters #1 the house of the Commanding Officer built in 1847. This building served as the home of the commanding officer and his family until the Army closed in 1967. Also located on the grounds is a duplex that was built to house junior officers that served at the Armory. Not sure of the condition of the inside of these buildings but the outside could use a bit of paint and maintenance.

I started with a short video presentation, about 18 minutes that describes the history of the Armory and how it got started. But for me, the most fascinating part, was the discussion of the technology and mechanism that was developed right here in Springfield. Moving from handmade weapons to a system of machines powered by water is well worth the trip.

After the video one can take a self-guided tour of the Armory and see the machines that were used as well as displays of various weapons that were developed right there in Springfield.

Not much of the original Armory physical plant is available for touring, most of the property is now used by Springfield Technical College, but the square is available for walking and there are several spots with signs that describe the area available.

The staff is very knowledgeable and helpful with questions you might have, and I did hear that there are Ranger guided tours of the Armory although I did not take one.

If you find yourself in Western Massachusetts do take the time to stop by the Springfield Armory National Historic Site and take the tour. You will not be disappointed.

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Healing of the Spirit

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Fr. Peter

“If anyone among you is sick? Let him call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him.” James 5:14

There seems to be a fear amongst Orthodox for the Anointing of the sick. Perhaps this is a throwback to the days when this Sacrament was, mistakenly, called “last rites.” Because of this fear many of us will not call the priest when we are sick but rather I get the call to let me know that so and so was in hospital but is now home. I think do for some they think I am the grim reaper coming to them rather than the one that brings the healing power of the Church. The Sacraments of the Church are there for us and for our salvation but we have to use them when we need them.

The Church teaches that humanity is combination of body and soul and that the anointing by the priest aids in the healing process. There have been a number of studies recently that show a correlation between prayer and health especially when one is sick. Now this is nothing new to the Church for we have always known this, but medical science seems to be catching on.

On the other hand some believe that all we need is the anointing by the priest and we can throw off medical science as some sort of voodoo, but the way I look it is God gave the doctors the skills they have to heal and we need to use that. So call the doctor, but also call the priest!

When the priest comes to anoint you, and by the way, it can be done in church as well, there are some prayers that are said and then the Holy Oil, blessed on Great and Holy Wednesday, is applied. Olive oil not only is an ancient form of medicine, but it is a symbol of the Holy Spirit so the Sacrament really works on the healing of the body as well as the spirit.

Combined with the anointing, actually taking place prior to the anointing is confession. I think people are as afraid of confession as they are with the anointing. In his letter, St. James speaks of forgiveness of sins as well as healing of the body. Again, there is a relationship between the health of the body and the health of the soul, if one is out of whack, that is a technical medical term by the way, and then the other one will suffer.

Confession of sin is an important part of our spiritual walk and it is something that should be done more than one time a year. If you had the need to take some kind of medication would you only take it once a year? I don’t think so. Confession is medicine for the soul and is an important part of our spiritual, and therefore, physical wellbeing. Confession of our sins before God with the priest as witness, frees our souls from the burdens that we carry and help to keep our spiritual life on track.

Another aspect of this is regular spiritual direction. I have not really talked about this in the past but another tradition of the Church is that of the spiritual father. I don’t just mean this in the good times, but all the time. Regular spiritual direction, like confession, keeps us on track with our spiritual life. The tradition of the Church is that before we make any big, life changing, decisions we should speak with our spiritual father. If we have a medical reason why we cannot fast or we need to adjust our fasting, we should speak with our spiritual father about this. Questions of faith should be brought to our spiritual father. Just as we seek the counsel of a physician for matters relating to physical health, we need to consult with our spiritual doctor for matters of the spirit and the soul. Regular meeting with our spiritual father keeps us on track with our spiritual life.

You know as well as I that if we are sick it is hard to pray, sometimes it is hard to do anything, so that is why we call for the elders of the Church so they can pray for you. Each week in our bulletin I list names of people who have asked for our prayers. Many of those on our list are suffering from cancer in one form or another and we should be holding them in prayer each day. I also list clergy from our Archdiocese as well members of the Church to pray for. Prayer works.

The anointing of the sick is available for all anytime you feel you need it. If you are having surgery, if you are facing some sort of illness, any illness, call the priest and we will come and pray for you and anoint you. You should also go to confession and take communion prior to any surgery, the Sacraments of the church are not some magical hokus pokus but indwelling’s of the Holy Spirit that will give us the strength we need to get through what we are to face.

“If anyone among you is sick? Let him call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him.”

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The Confederate Flag at Washington and Lee

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Fr. Peter

For the past few months, students at Washington and Lee University have been petitioning the University Administration to remove the Confederate Flags that are hung next to a statue of Robert E. Lee and also in Lee Chapel on the grounds of the University. (After the Civil War, Robert E Lee became President of the University and after his tenure the name of the University was changed from Washington University to Washington and Lee.)

I fully understand the reason behind the petition to remove the flags but at the same time I feel that the flags should remain right where they are. Institutions of Higher Education are supposed to be places where the leaders and thinkers of tomorrow are taught how to debate difficult issues and I do not think there is a more difficult and complex issue than slavery to be discussed. Ignorance of our history can lead us down the same path. We cannot gloss over or whitewash the history of our country, good or bad.

I recently engaged in a discussion about the founding of our nation and whether or not America was founded as a Christian Nation. I hold to the premise that America was found on Judeo-Christian principles but that America was founded a place for people of all religions. For that I was called a revisionist and chastised by fellow Christians for that thinking. Well sometimes history needs to be revised as more information comes to light and sometimes that revision flies in the face of what we were taught and what we believe.

As I mentioned, universities need to be places were all sides of issues are debates and discussed not simply passed on information. We have lost the ability to debate in this country and that is a shame. The founding fathers debated the issues of Independence from Great Britain and some agreed and some did not, but they debated the issues with passion and listened to all sides of the issues.

I am not an African American nor do I come from a family that owned slaves but I believe that those flags need to stay right where they are as a constant reminder of what we, as a people, have gone through and what we still go through as a nation. We cannot be blind to the past, no matter how upsetting it may be for if we turn a blind eye to the past we will be ignorant of the future.

Race relations in America have been, and probably always will be, very complex and history can teach us a lot about where we need to go in the future. In order to chart a course forward was sometimes have to look back to see where we have come from. The flag is a symbol of a dark period of our history but it is our history and we can never forget it.

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Summer Challenge: Seminary Ridge Museum

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Fr. Peter

I have been vacationing in Florida the past few days for a family reunion but the Summer Challenge Continues. If you would like some background on the Summer Challenge, see this post. Although the challenge was for local sites I could not pass up the opportunity to see the new Seminary Ridge Museum at Gettysburg and it was worth the trip.

The Seminary Ridge Museum is located in the original building of the Lutheran Theological Seminary located on Seminary Ridge overlooking the Gettysburg battlefield. This was the location where General John Buford watched the first day’s battle from the cupola located on the roof of the building.

The Museum tells the story of the pivotal first days battle and the roll that the seminary had in that event. The Seminary quickly became a field hospital where the Union wounded were treated and housed for most of that summer. The top floor of the building tells the story of the first day of the battle with a variety of displays in the various rooms located on the 4^th floor.

The third floor explains field medicine in the 1800’s and what had to be done to keep the wounded alive. If a soldier had a wound to his head or a limb he had a better chance of survival than a wound to the torso. Amputations were large in number and infection control was the name of the game. Several of the rooms are set up to display soldiers recovering from their wounds but the most striking room is the operating room. This is not for the faint of heart.

The second floor tells the story of the religion in the area and moral and religious debates that were taking place during that time period. There were many ethical debates about the war that was supposed to be over quickly and would rage on for several more years. These debates are not always spoken about but there has been some new research in this area of the war and this is a particular area of interest for me.

The highlight of the tour for me was the trip up the stairs to the cupola to get the same view that General Buford had. Of course the area has changed in the last 150 years but if you set your mind to it you can see what he saw and why this was an important vantage point for him. Standing there, looking out over the battlefield, gives one an entirely different perspective on that first day of the battle.

If you find yourself in Gettysburg do take the time for the tour.

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The Mendi Bible

Posted on July 6, 2014 by Fr. Peter

In July of 1839 a group of Africans took control of a Spanish slave ship off the coast of Long Island New York. La Amistad (Spanish for friendship) was captured by the USS Washington and brought to port. The Africans, on their way to Cuba to be sold into slavery, were held in prison as no one was quite sure what to do with them.

Their case went to court in Connecticut where competing interests held that the Africans were property and thus should be given to the rightful owners, the Government of Spain. The Captain of the ship held that they belonged to him because he had not been paid for the voyage and wanted to seize the “cargo” as payment and the crew of the USS Washington believed they belong to them as bounty off of a salvaged ship.

In 1841 the case made its way to the United States Supreme Court and Former President John Quincy Adams, serving in Congress at the time, was asked to argue the case. The court agreed with Adams, a staunch abolitionist, and ruled that the Africans were indeed being held as slaves and were set free.

The Mendi, in honor of their being set free, gave Adams a Bible, now called the Mendi Bible that sits on the table in the Stone Library at the Old House at the Adams National Historic Park in Quincy.

Along with the Bible was a letter of thanks addressed to Adams:

We are about to go home to Africa. We go to Sierra Leone first, and then we reach Mendi very quick. When we get to Mendi we will tell the people of your great kindness. Good missionary will go with us. We shall take the Bible with us. It has been a precious book in prison, and we love to read it now we are free! Mr. Adams, we want to make you a present of a beautiful Bible! Will you please to accept it, and when you look at it or read it, remember your poor and grateful clients?…

For the Mendi people. CINQUE, KINNA, KALE.
Boston, Nov. 6, 1841

Since the Bible was placed in the Library it has only left three times. It was stolen in 1996 and recovered by the FBI in New Hampshire in 1997. And it was used twice by Governor Deval Patrick for his inauguration.

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Summer Challenge: Adams National Historic Park

Posted on July 5, 2014 by Fr. Peter

Early in June I posted an essay about visiting local sites and listed some of the sites that I was going to try and visit this summer. A couple of them were not so local but I am traveling this summer so I added some out of state sites to the list.

On Friday, July 4, 2014 I visited the Adams National Historic Site in Quincy Massachusetts. The Site comprises the Birth Places of John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams and the Old House, also known as Peacefield. Not part of the National Park Service property but well worth a visit is the United First Parish Church (The Church of the Presidents) in the center of Quincy Square that hold the final resting place of John and Abigail Adams as well and John Quincy and his wife Louisa Catherine Adams.

The tour beings at the Visitors Center on Hancock Street where tickets for the tour can be purchased and books and other mementoes of the visit can be purchased. There is a 30 minute movie, narrated by Laura Linney and Paul Giamati that is well worth the time to view it. It is best to view it prior to boarding the bus but if you have to leave right away, make sure to leave time at the end of the tour.

John Adams Birthplace (on right) and John Quincy Adams Birthplace (on left) NPS Photo — John Adams Birthplace (on right) and John Quincy Adams Birthplace (on left)
NPS Photo

The first stop is the birth places of both John Adams and John Quincy Adams. The houses were originally located in Braintree Massachusetts but the name of that section of Braintree was changed to Quincy (pronounced QuinZee). President John Adams was born in the house on the right in 1725. Both houses are constructed in the “salt box” style and are very simple. John Adams lived in the house until he married Abigail Smith of Weymouth. The newly married couple moved into the farm house next door that has been purchased by the former owner. The family would live in this home until John and Abigail retuned from Europe. The houses were operated by the Quincy Historical Society until the late 1970’ when they were turned over to the care of the National Park Service.

The Old House, or Peacefield to John Adams NPS Photo — The Old House, or Peacefield to John Adams
NPS Photo

The second stop is the “old house” or what John Adams called it, Peacefield. The Adams’ purchased the house while they were still living in England and planned to retire there but shortly after they moved in John Adams was elected Vice President and so they were on the move again. Adams named his new home Peacefield to remind him, and probably others, of the part the played in the Treaty of Ghent that ended the American Revolutionary War. The house changed with each generation of Adams’ that lived in the house, 4 generations, until the Adams foundation retained the home and cared for it until 1940 when the National Park Service took possession of the house.

Inside view of the Stone Library NPS Photo — Inside view of the Stone Library
NPS Photo

On the same ground of the “”Old House” is Stone Library holding more than 14,000 books. Built by the son of John Quincy Adams in 1870 it was considered a Presidential Library until the personal papers of both Adams’ were removed. They are now in the possession of the Massachusetts Historical Society. One of the treasures in the Stone Library is the Mendi Bible given to John Quincy Adams by members of the Mendi Tribe after his successful freeing them as slaves. I am going to write more about the Mendi Bible in another essay.

No Adams tour is complete without a visit to the United First Parish Church of Quincy located across from City Hall on Hancock Street. This is the Church, although not that particular building, that the Adams family attended and where both Presidents and their wives are buried. Located in a crypt in the church basement are four large Quincy Granite tombs that hold the remains of the Presidents and First Ladies. Originally they were buried across the street in the Hancock Cemetery but were moved after construction of the present church. Each year on the Birthdays of the two presidents, the White House sends flowers and a ceremony is held, open to the public, and the flowers are placed on their tombs. On the tombs are American flags as they would have looked during the time of their Presidency.

Although it was raining on the day of my visit I did take a trip across the street to the Hancock Cemetery and walked through. Many Revolutionary War veterans are buried there as well as the Adams children.

I want to that the National Park Service for the care and concern they show to these national treasures and their desire to keep them open to the general public. If you find yourself in Quincy do take time to visit the Adams National Historical Site you will be pleased.

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Colonial Terms Still in Use

Posted on July 4, 2014 by Fr. Peter

On July 4, 2014 I took the tour of the Adams National Historic Site in Quincy Massachusetts. During the tour the Rangers for the National Park service tell stories of the Adams Family and their descendants and perhaps some stories of colonial life. I noticed three terms that were common during the Colonial period that we still use today but for different reasons.

Gridiron – In the kitchens of colonial houses were large open hearths where cooking would take place all during the day. There were various pots and pans that would hang or rest on the floor of the hearth for cooking. In the hearth at the John Quincy Adams Birthplace was an iron grid with a handle and small legs on the bottom. This device is called a gridiron, for obvious reasons, and, as the Park Ranger demonstrated, if you hold it in front of your face it looks like the lines on the football field, hence the term gridiron.

Chairman of the Board – Chairs were very rare and expensive in the colonial period. Most of the time benches were provided in the home for sitting at table. The table in the John Adams Home was a simple board that was placed on a frame. Many Town meetings were held in the kitchen in the Adams home around that simple table and the person who was to lead the meeting would sit in a chair at the head of the table, hence the term Chairman of the Board.

Big Wig – Hanging on the wall in one of the rooms of the John Quincy Adams Birthplace is a painting of one of the brothers of Susana Boylston Adams, mother of President John Adams. In the painting he is wearing a rather fine suite and he has a long flowing white wig. In Colonial Days the longer the wig the more influential the man hence the term Big Wig.

It was a wonderful tour and I plan to write more about it in another essay.

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Encyclical of Archbishop Demetrios for Independence Day

Posted on July 4, 2014 by Fr. Peter

To the Most Reverend Hierarchs, the Reverend Priests and Deacons, the Monks and Nuns, the Presidents and Members of the Parish Councils of the Greek Orthodox Communities, the Distinguished Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Day, Afternoon, and Church Schools, the Philoptochos Sisterhoods, the Youth, the Hellenic Organizations, and the entire Greek Orthodox Family in America.

Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On this Independence Day we offer thanksgiving and praise to God for the freedom we have as human beings created in His divine image and as citizens of a nation that values, protects and promotes freedom as essential to human life, well-being, and potential. As Orthodox Christians we know and affirm that God is the source of our freedom because He is the absolutely Free and the Creator of genuine freedom.

In view of this basic truth we can understand the importance of our cherished religious freedom in the United States of America and our support for religious freedom around the world. Religious freedom affirms the fundamental human characteristic of freedom and creates the proper conditions for worshipping God.

The emphasis on religious freedom as a gift from God also relates to the fact that we have been created for relationship – relationship with God and with each other. We are social beings, and it follows that we have been created by God to give social expression to our beliefs through our worship. As communities of faith we gather freely without fear of reprisal or persecution. We live and serve together, inviting others to hear the truth of the Gospel. In freedom we follow the tenets of our Orthodox faith, sharing truth without prohibitions or restrictions so that others might receive the blessings of grace and an abundant life in Christ.

Finally, we know that freedom, religious freedom in particular, is founded on truth and is essential to our human and communal existence because God created us with a free will. We have the freedom to believe in Him or to reject this belief. We have the freedom to accept and live in His revealed truth or to deny it. Religious freedom provides the space to search, question and discuss. We are able to seek the truth without coercion. We are not threatened by force, burdened by the threat and pain of torture, or bound by intolerant and discriminatory laws. We are truly free as intended by God to ask, to seek, to find, and to choose.

On this day we join with many throughout this nation in celebration of freedom and in honor of those who have sacrificed their lives to protect it. As our faith guides us in understanding the vital significance of freedom, we affirm religious freedom as an essential value. We offer a witness of the blessings of this freedom. We continue our tireless efforts on behalf of our beloved Ecumenical Patriarchate for religious freedom. And we recognize that this freedom is an indispensable right for every human being on earth.

May we use our freedom responsibly and strengthen our witness of the source of freedom, offering to all the truth of the Gospel and the love of Christ.

With paternal love in Him,

†DEMETRIOS

Archbishop of America

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Rev. Joseph Henry Thayer, Chaplain 40th Massachusetts

Posted on July 2, 2014 by Fr. Peter

The Reverend Joseph Henry Thayer was born November 7, 1828 in Braintree Massachusetts to Joseph Thayer and Evelina Stetson Thayer. He studied at the Boston Latin School and graduated from Harvard in 1850. He went on to study theology at Harvard Divinity School and Andover Theological Seminary and was ordained a minister in the Congregational Church in 1859. That same year Rev Thayer married Martha Caldwell Davis in Boston and they had five children.

He served Churches in Quincy and Salem Massachusetts and on September 17, 1862 was commissioned chaplain with the 40^th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment and reported for duty on the 23^rd of September that same year. The 40^th Massachusetts was sent south to Fort Ethan Allen near what is now Arlington Virginia. They were involved in several skirmishes in that area during 1862 and 1863. Chaplain Thayer resigned his commission on May 15, 1863 and returned to Massachusetts.

It was not uncommon for Chaplains to serve for a short period of time the average length of service was 18 months. There are two main reasons for this one had to do with the average age of the chaplain which was 58 and the other reasons was time away from their church. Some Churches would only grant a short leave for their minister to go off to war and then they had to resign and return. It is unclear why Thayer resigned but it might have been to take the position at Andover.

From 1864-1882 he was professor of sacred literature at Andover Seminary and was also a member of the American Bible Revision Committee and was recording secretary of the New Testament Company working on the Revised Version of Scripture. His chief work was a Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament that he devoted 25 years of his life to complete. However, shortly after his Lexicon was published Gustav Adolf Deissmann published a work based on Egyptian papyri that would revolutionize New Testament Koine Greek and thus made Thayer’s work obsolete.

In 1884 he became the Bussey Professor of New Testament criticism at Harvard Divinity School where he served until shortly before his death on November 26, 1901.

The Reverend Thayer has come under some criticism of his works and has been called, in some Evangelical circles, a Unitarian and claim that he departed from traditional orthodox Christian beliefs. There seems to be much disagreement on this.