Read and shared-Freedom from Our Past

"I am surprised by Jesus’ choice of disciples. They formed a rather motley crew, and Peter, called by Jesus from his career as a fisherman, was not always a team player. He was a dedicated but often arrogant disciple. He had a hot temper, was presumptuous, was both fearful and bold, passive and aggressive — and he betrayed the One to whom he vowed absolute devotion. Jesus knew Peter’s defects, but he picked him anyway. And he forgave him for his multiple offenses...

[Peter] could be comically impulsive — twice jumping out of a boat fully clothed! He sometimes challenged Jesus, and he had a habit of speaking out of turn. But he also demonstrated fervent commitment and faith...

[His] personal failure did not put an end to Peter’s relationship with and usefulness to Jesus. In fact, Mark says that the angels guarding Jesus’ tomb after the resurrection told Mary Magdalene to inform Peter first about the miracle of life after death. (I love to imagine that scene, when Peter got the report!) The very One he had sinned against so horrifically extended a merciful invitation to restoration, freeing Peter to leave his guilt and broken sense of self behind. From there, Peter went forward to become a “fisher of men” and a “rock” in the foundation of the church. What a glorious surprise for this far-from-perfect man! ...

For those who love Christ, personal sin and failure need not spell “The End” of our story… Perhaps no freedom is more meaningful than that of being liberated from shame and guilt and set back on a path toward serving Christ.

-Between a Rock and a Grace Place: Divine Surprises in the Tight Spots of Life by Carol Kent

Q: Are you holding on to failures which Christ has already forgiven?"

Read today at

An exercise in Faith: Pre-Bolshevism Christianity in Russia

Hello dear friends,
I thought I'd start this week with a lesson in faith and piety. I found these lovely photos from the beginning of last century, and I'd like to share them with you.

Photographer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii (1863-1944) undertook a photographic survey of the Russian Empire with the support of Tsar Nicholas II. He used a specialized camera to capture three black and white images in fairly quick succession, using red, green and blue filters, allowing them to later be recombined and projected with filtered lanterns to show near true color images. The high quality of the images, combined with the bright colors, make it difficult for viewers to believe that they are looking 100 years back in time - when these photographs were taken, neither the Russian Revolution nor World War I had yet begun. The Library of Congress purchased the original glass plates back in 1948.

Children near a church, White Lake, Russia, 1909

Church on the wharf at Mezhevaya Utka, 1912

Nikolaevskii Cathedral from southwest in Mozhaisk in 1911
Photos, via here

Decades of the strictest oppression, when hateful leaders declared that "God does not exist" and that "Religion is the opium of the masses", have done nothing to stop the Russian people from being pious. As soon as the restrictions fell, the people returned to their faith in Jesus Christ.

But isn't it a pitty that so many had to lose their way?

And isn't it a pitty that although we are not persecuted (yet...) as they were, we lose our Faith in less oppressive circumstances?

Sweet God's blessings to you, my friends, and a beautiful week to all,

'Take heart, it is I!"

"At that time, Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw him, and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; have no fear." And he entered the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret".

Today's reading, 15th Friday after Pentecost from Mark 6:45-53.

May God's love lift each and everyone of us through life's tirbulations and waves. 

The persecuted church

Dear friends,

Very often I see pages of Christian sisters supporting the cause of Christians around the world who are being discriminated upon because of their faith. Today I bring to you one such case that you may or may not be aware of.

(CNN)- Patriarch Bartholomew is the living embodiment of one of the world's oldest institutions -- the Greek Orthodox Church in Constantinople.

But he could be the last to hold the title in what is modern-day Istanbul, in secular but Muslim majority Turkey.

CNN's "World's Untold Stories" examines the dwindling Greek Orthodox community in Turkey and how they are faring.

There has been a patriarch in Constantinople for 14 centuries, ever since it was the capital of Byzantium and the Eastern Roman Empire, ruling over the Eastern Mediterranean and much of the Middle East.

To this day, Orthodox Christians around the world recite prayers to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the "first among equals." Some describe him as the equivalent of the "pope" for the world's Orthodox Christians. But Bartholomew, who is now 70, may become the last in a line of some 270 bishops in Constantinople.

The Turkish government refuses to recognize Bartholomew's title as "Ecumenical Patriarch."

Twenty-five years ago, the Turkish government shut the seminary where Greek Orthodox clergy traditionally trained. Greeks who do not hold Turkish passports are barred from becoming clerics.

Instead of being the spiritual leader of his faith, Bartholomew has become a symbol of the dwindling community of ethnic Greeks still living in modern-day Istanbul. There are only around 2,000 ethnic Greeks left in Istanbul. The last members of this community are gradually dying out, but they cling tenaciously to the churches and schools their ancestors built in what was once the capital of a Greek empire.

 Watch and listen to part 1, part 2 and part 3. Persecution is much closer that you can imagine...

September 1st: The Ecclesiastical New Year

" Creator of the universe, setting times 

and seasons by Your sole authority, 

bless the cycle of the year of Your 

grace, O Lord, guarding our rulers and 

Your nation in peace, at the intercession 

of the Theotokos, and save us".

A little bit of history:

For the maintenance of their armed forces, the Roman emperors decreed that their subjects in every district should be taxed every year. This same decree was reissued every fifteen years, since the Roman soldiers were obliged to serve for fifteen years. At the end of each fifteen-year period, an assessment was made of what economic changes had taken place, and a new tax was decreed, which was to be paid over the span of the fifteen years. This imperial decree, which was issued before the season of winter, was named Indictio, that is, Definiton, or Order. This name was adopted by the emperors in Constantinople also. At other times, the latter also used the term Epinemisis, that is, Distribution (Dianome). It is commonly held that Saint Constantine the Great introduced the Indiction decrees in A.D. 312, after he beheld the sign of the Cross in heaven and vanquished Maxentius and was proclaimed Emperor in the West. Some, however (and this seems more likely), ascribe the institution of the Indiction to Augustus Caesar, three years before the birth of Christ. Those who hold this view offer as proof the papal bull issued in A.D. 781 which is dated thus: Anno IV, Indictionis LIII -that is, the fourth year of the fifty-third Indiction. From this, we can deduce the aforementioned year (3 B.C.) by multiplying the fifty-two complete Indictions by the number of years in each (15), and adding the three years of the fifty-third Indiction. There are three types of Indictions: 1) That which was introduced in the West, and which is called Imperial, or Caesarean, or Constantinian, and which begins on the 24th of September; 2) The so-called Papal Indiction, which begins on the 1st of January; and 3) The Constantinopolitan, which was adopted by the Patriarchs of that city after the fall of the Eastern Empire in 1453. This Indiction is indicated in their own hand on the decrees they issue, without the numeration of the fifteen years.


This Indiction begins on the 1st of September and is observed with special ceremony in the Church. 


Since the completion of each year takes place, as it were, with the harvest and gathering of the crops into storehouses, and we begin anew from henceforth the sowing of seed in the earth for the production of future crops, September is considered the beginning of the New Year. The Church also keeps festival this day, beseeching God for fair weather, seasonable rains, and an abundance of the fruits of the earth. 

The Holy Scriptures (Lev. 23:24-5 and Num. 29:1-2) also testify that the people of Israel celebrated the feast of the Blowing of the Trumpets on this day, offering hymns of thanksgiving. In addition to all the aforesaid, on this feast we also commemorate our Saviour's entry into the synagogue in Nazareth, where He was given the book of the Prophet Esaias to read, and He opened it and found the place where it is written, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, for which cause He hath anointed Me..." (Luke 4:16-30).

It should be noted that to the present day, the Church has always celebrated the beginning of the New Year on September 1. This was the custom in Constantinople until its fall in 1453 and in Russia until the reign of Peter I. September 1 is still festively celebrated as the New Year at the Patriarchate of Constantinople; among the Jews also the New Year, although reckoned according to a moveable calendar, usually falls in September. The service of the Menaion for January 1 is for our Lord's Circumcision and for the memorial of Saint Basil the Great, without any mention of its being the beginning of a new year.

(source)

Kontakion

You who created all things in Your

infinite wisdom, and set the times by

Your own authority, grant Your Christian

people victories. Blessing our comings

and goings throughout this year, guide

our works according to Your divine will.

Amen.

What about St. Nicholas?

On the morning of September 11, 2001, someone raised the American flag above

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church.

Shortly after that happened, the twin towers were attacked. An hour after the attack, as the towers collapsed and destroyed little St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, the stars and stripes still flew above that American church.

 Nine years later, the liberal elites are falling all over themselves to make certain that the 9/11 victory mosque is built as close to ground zero as possible.  Meanwhile, thanks to government roadblocks, little St. Nicholas has still not been rebuilt.
Please take a moment to click on the link and read the full article


What about St. Nicholas?

Let us put some things straight...

Renounce your Christian beliefs to get a degree

A graduate student in Georgia is suing her university after she was told she must undergo a remediation program due to her beliefs on homosexuality and transgendered persons (She has expressed her view that homosexuality is a 'lifestyle,' not a 'state of being.').

I wonder if a Muslim or a Jew or a homosexual would ever be asked to renounce their beliefs and go through a remediation program. It is a shocking story, revieling much about world staus quo.

Watch this:


Then read on here.

Sunday of the Pentecost

"On this day, the seventh Sunday of Pascha, the tenth day after the Ascension and the fiftieth day after Pascha, at the third hour of the day from the rising of the sun, there suddenly came a sound from Heaven, as when a mighty wind blows, and it filled the whole house where the Apostles and the rest with them were gathered. Immediately after the sound, there appeared tongues of fire that divided and rested upon the head of each one. Filled with the Spirit, all those present began speaking not in their native tongue, but in other tongues and dialects, as the Holy Spirit instructed them".


Apolytikion


Blessed are You, O Christ our God, who made fishermen all-wise, sending upon them the Holy Spirit and, through them, netting the world. O Loving One, glory to You.


Kontakion


When the Most High came down and confounded tongues of men (Babel), He divided the Nations. When He dispensed the Tongues of Fire, He called all to unity, and with one voice we glorify the Most Holy Spirit.

May 5th-St.Irene

Irene the Great Martyr of Thessaloniki
 
Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
O Lord Jesus, unto Thee Thy lamb doth cry with a great voice:  O my
Bridegroom, Thee I love; and seeking Thee, I now contest, and with Thy
baptism am crucified and buried.  I suffer for Thy sake, that I may reign
with Thee; for Thy sake I die, that I may live in Thee:  accept me
offered out of longing to Thee as a spotless sacrifice.  Lord, save our
souls through her intercessions, since Thou art great in mercy.
 
Kontakion in the Third Tone
Being fair adorned before with pure and virginal beauty, thou becamest
fairer still in thy brave contest, O virgin; for when thou, in thine own
spilt blood, wast stained and reddened, O Irene, thou overthrewest
ungodly error.  Hence, thou hast received the prizes of thy good vict'ry
from thy Creator's right hand.

St. Irene lived during the reign of Constantine the Great (306-337). The only child of her parents, she was given the name Penelope at birth. She was most fair and her father feared for her so at the age of six he confined her to a tower along with thirteen other young maidens, amid whom she lived in luxury and wealth. One day a dove entered the tower bearing an olive branch in its beak and placed it on the golden table. Then an eagle flew in carrying a wreath of woven flowers in its beak and placed it on the table. Finally a raven flew in carrying a snake which it also dropped on the table. Perplexed by the meaning of these signs she turned to her tutor, Apellian, who interpreted these signs for her. "The dove makes known thy superior education; the olive branch signifies many wondrous events, and is a symbol of Baptism. The eagle, being the king of birds, foretells, by the royal crown, future success in notable endeavors. The raven and serpent disclose thy future sufferings and anguish." The elderly teacher revealed the hidden meanings of these signs and by doing so foretold the great struggle of martyrdom which the saint was to undergo for the sake of her love for God. It is said that an angel of God renamed her Irene, instructed her in the Faith of Christ, and predicted that myriads of people would be saved through her. Furthermore, Apostle Timothy, the disciple of St. Paul, would visit her in a paradoxical manner and baptize her. When this latter prophecy was fulfilled, the blessed Irene cast her father's idols to the ground, shattering them.

Her father questioned her and after seeing that she persisted in the Faith, ordered her to be bound and cast between horses so that they might trample her. However, one of the horses, instead of harming the saint, turned on Licinius and slayed him. The martyr was released from her bonds and at the request of the bystanders she prayed and resurrected her father. He came to believe in God, as did his wife, abandoned his dominion and lived the rest of his life in repentance in the tower he had built for her. Three thousand other people were also baptized.

After her father's death, Sedekias became ruler and attempted to force her to sacrifice to idols. Since she refused he cast her into a pit filled with venomous snakes and reptiles. After fourteen days she remained unscathed. Following this they tried to cut off her feet with a saw; yet, by the aid of a holy angel, she was restored to health. Next, they bound her to a wheel, but the water which turned the wheel ceased flowing, and the holy one remained unharmed. As a result of this, eight thousand people believed in Christ.

Several other rulers attempted to quiet the saint and her teachings, however, each time she emerged unscathed. Well over one hundred thousand people beleived in Christ because of St. Irene. She was an expression of the Scriptures as displayed in every aspect of her life on earth. She not only turned the other cheek but went to the aid of the parent who would have destroyed her and except for her intervention would have thereby destroyed himself. While preaching the word of Christ she encountered the ever present dangers, yet managed to outlive three emperors. In the days when women were decidedly second class citizens, she commanded the respect of men and women alike, ultimately becoming a mother figure to Christian converts drawn from ranks of the worst enemies of Jesus Christ. She had been many times martyred for Christ and those who honor her name and commemorate her feast day are also blessed.

Today's Gospel Reading
John 6:5-14

At that time, Jesus, lifting up his eyes and seeing that a multitude
was coming to him, said to Philip, "How are we to buy bread, so that
these people may eat?" This he said to test him, for he himself knew
what he would do. Philip answered him, "Two hundred denarii would not
buy enough bread for each of them to get a little." One of his
disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, "There is a lad here
who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are they among so
many?" Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass
in the place; so the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he
distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they
wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples,
"Gather up the fragments left over, that nothing may be lost." So they
gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five
barley loaves, left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign
which he had done, they said, "This is indeed the prophet who is to
come into the world!"

May Lord, with St. Irene's intercessions save our souls.

Peace and quietness

If, for a moment, we stand in peace and quietness

And let our Saviour come near to us,

Will not the Holy Spirit like a wind,

Engulf us with the inspiration of His eternal word?

If, for a moment, we give our time to a personal friend

And allow the love of Christ to fill us,

Will we not feel the touch of His hand,

That ministers through our weakness to bless another?

If, for a moment, we stop to gaze at the Cross of Christ

And see the Father weep for the Son;

Will we weep too, and know the passion

Of His glorious victory over evil, suffering and death?

If, for a moment, we stand back from the distraction of life,

And wait for the voice of God to speak;

Might we hear a whisper in the world,

That tells us He is full of love, and never stops His caring?

Take the time, my soul; yes, take the time.

(Words by Denise; photo from a beach cottage)

I needed this. Thank you.

Happy Easter

I wish you all my dear friends a holy week and a blessed Easter.








Graphics by Irene

March 25th: The Announciation

Hymns of the Feast


Apolytikion (Fourth Tone)

Today marks the crowning of our salvation
and the revelation of the mystery before all ages.
For the Son of God becomes the son of the Virgin,
and Gabriel proclaims the grace.
Wherefore, we also cry out with him,
"Hail, O full of grace, the Lord is with you."

Kontakion (Plagal of the Fourth Tone)

To you, Theotokos, invincible Defender,
having been delivered from peril,
I, your city, dedicate the victory festival as a thank offering.
In your irresistible might, keep me safe from all trials,
 that I may call out to you: "Hail, unwedded bride!"

"Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!"

"Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word."

The Acathist-Oh Champion General

Hello dear friends,
As I cannot be at the service of the Acathist tonight, I am posting here the best known hymn of the service. It is a glorious hymn, used in times of strain but also of thankfulness.

O Champion General,
I your City now inscribe to you
Triumphant anthems as the tokens of my gratitude,
Being rescued from the terrors, O Theotokos.
 Inasmuch as you have power unassailable,
From all kinds of perils free me so that unto you I may cry aloud:
Rejoice, O unwedded Bride

Κοντάκιον τοῦ Ἀκαθίστου Ὕμνου. 

Ἦχος πλ. δ´. Αὐτόμελον.

"Τῇ ὑπερμάχῳ στρατηγῷ τὰ νικητήρια,

Ὡς λυτρωθεῖσα τῶν δεινῶν εὐχαριστήρια,

Ἀναγράφω σοι ἡ Πόλις σου Θεοτόκε.

Ἀλλ᾿ ὡς ἔχουσα τὸ κράτος ἀπροσμάχητον,

Ἐκ παντοίων με κινδύνων ἐλευθέρωσον,

Ἵνα κράζω σοι· Χαῖρε, Νύμφη ἀνύμφευτε."

The "Ti ypermaho" hymn (above) is part of the service of THE AKATHIST HYMN, one of the most well-loved services of devotion in the Orthodox Church. The hymn was first sung after the city of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire was saved from an attack by the Avars. While the Emperor and his army were away, the people, led by the Patriarch, carried the icon of Panagia of Blahernae around and then spent all night standing in the Church; the Emperial army arrived on time, and they were vistorious, and thus, the Akathist Hymn was named.
Actually the word "akathistos" literally means "not sitting," i.e., standing; normally all participants stand while it is being prayed. The hymn is comprised of 24 stanzas, alternating long and short. Each short stanza (kontakion) ends with the singing of "Alleluia." Each longer stanza (ikos) ends with the refrain: "Rejoice, O Bride Unwedded."

The majority of the hymn is made up of praises directed to the Mother of God, always beginning with the salutation of the Archangel Gabriel: "Rejoice." In each of them, one after the other, all the events related to our Lord's incarnation pass before us for our contemplation. The Archangel Gabriel ( in Ikos 1) marvels at the Divine self-emptying and the renewal of creation which will occur when Christ comes to dwell in the Virgin's womb. The unborn John the Baptist (Ikos 3) prophetically rejoices. The shepherds (Ikos 4) recognize Christ as a blameless Lamb, and rejoice that in the Virgin "the things of earth join chorus with the heavens." The pagan Magi, (Kontakion 5) following the light of the star, praise Her for revealing the light of the world.
As the hymn progresses, various individuals and groups encounter Christ and His Mother. Each has his own need; each his own desire or expectation, and each finds his or her own particular spiritual need satisfied and fulfilled in Our Lord and in the Mother of God. So too, each generation of Orthodox, and each particular person who has prayed the Akathist, has found in this hymn an inspired means of expressing gratitude and praise to the Mother of God for what she has accomplished for their salvation.

May God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit with the prayers of people's champion, Virgin Mary, send us all good health, an alert mind and a loving heart, and may we all rejoice in the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Jesus-Wanted

...and some interesting articles
On the role of so-called non-governmental organisations
http://www.traditionalvalues.org/inserts/ReligiousLeftSockPuppets.pdf

One abortion every 11 seconds:  A European Tragedy
http://www.vatican.va/news_services/or/or_eng/text.html#2

Some wierd yet interesting facts
http://www.beastobama.com/ and http://www.beastobama.com/obamanation/index.html

God bless us all.

IIIrd Sunday of Lent-Sunday of The Holy Cross

Before Thy Cross we bow down in worship, O Master, and Thy holy Resurrection we glorify.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

And Thy holy Resurrection we glorify.

Before Thy Cross we bow down in worship, O Master, and Thy holy Resurrection we glorify

The Third Sunday of Lent is that of the Veneration of the Cross. The cross stands in the midst of the church in the middle of the lenten season not merely to remind men of Christ's redemption and to keep before them the goal of their efforts, but also to be venerated as that reality by which man must live to be saved. "He who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me" (Mt.10:38). For in the Cross of Christ Crucified lies both "the power of God and the wisdom of God" for those being saved (1 Cor.1:24).

Gospel Reading

Mark 8:34-38; 9:1

The Lord said: "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? For what can a man give in return for his life? For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of man also be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power."

Apolytikion
"O Lord, save Your people, and bless Your inheritance.
Grant victories to the pious, over their adversaries.
And preserve Your habitation by the
virtue of Your Cross!"

Kontakion
"Now the flaming sword no longer guards the gates
of Eden; it has mysteriously been quenched by the
wood of the Cross! The sting of death and the victory
of hell have been vanquished; for You, O my Savior,
have come and cried to those in hell: "Enter again
into paradise."

February 10-St.Charalambos

Apolytikion


O wise Charalambos,
you were proven an unshakable
pillar of the Church of Christ;
an ever-shining lamp of the universe.
You shone in the world by your martyrdom.
You delivered us from the moonless night of idolatry,O blessed one.
Wherefore, boldly intercede to Christ
that we may be saved.

Kontakion

O Priest-martyr, athlete, champion Charalambos,
your relics are a priceless treasure of the Church.
Wherefore she rejoices, glorifying the Creator.

May his blessings and the joy (chara) of Jesus Christ be with all of you. You may read more bout his life here.

January 30-The feast of The Three Holy Hierarchs

 

The Three Holy Hierarchs and Ecumenical Teachers are St. Basil the Great of Caesarea, St. Gregory of Nazianzus the Theologian and St. John the Chrysostom. All three were bishops who played pivotal role in shaping Christian theology. They are also honored as protectors of learning and Hellenic Christian litterature. Their feast is a school holiday.

The three greatest beacons of the Three-sunned Godhead, 
who lighted the whole inhabited world with the beams of their divine doctrines,
the rivers of wisdom flowing with honey, 
who watered all creation with streams of the knowledge of God, 
Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian with famous John whose tongue spoke golden words,
let all we lovers of their words now assembled honour them in hymns.
For they ever intercede with the Trinity on our behalf.

 May they bless us and inspire us all.

Did David meet Jesus?

David Backham's mew tattoo of Jesus' passion.

{source}

Thankful Thursday-Dear 2010

Oh welcome 2010!

I hope you have all good things for us. Good health. Making shaping up a reality. Enthusiasm for work. Love to and from our loved ones. Patience with the others. Blossoming creativity. Perseverence in making our earthy dreams come true. Growing in Christ. And some really good times, too.

Yesterday I finished Have a Little Faith: A True Story by Mitch Albom.

I didn't like it at times. The carricature of the virtuous, spiritual rabbi and the brutal Christian priest was too biased, I find. But I am thankful I read on because it was a good book, a book I stayed up late to read, such satisfaction it gave me, and it has a nice message and some passages to keep for my heart's reference. Like this one that I am sharing here:

It is summer and we are sitting in his office. I ask him why he thinks he became a rabbi. 
He counts on his fingers.
"Number one, I always liked people.
"Number two, I love gentleness.
Number three, I have patience.
Number four, I love teaching.
Number five, I am determined in my faith.
Number six, it connects me to my past.
Number seven-and lastly-it allows me to fulfill the message of our tradition: to live good, to do good, and to be blessed."
I didn't hear God in there.
He smiles.
"God was there before number one".

As I read on, I even related to the term rabbi. Whenever my grandfather and I were travelling outside the parish, English people who were not used to seeing Greek Orthodox priests, would call my grandfather "rabbi". With his long white beard and his traditional long black cloack he didn't look like the other westernized Greek Orthodox priests : dark suit, white colar, short beard.When the new Archbishop of Great Britain was ordained, he'd told him a couple of times to consider changing into a more modern attire. By that time my grandfather was in his 70s, and quite a fixture. He never changed into trousers. Even when working in the garden, he would wear an old cloack and lift it up to the sides to help with movement.

Reading the book re-ignited my dream of becoming of service. There is hardly a community spirit in modern Greek society as we understand it in the States. There is a lot of snooping, which cooker did you get so that I get the same, where did you get those shoes, that sort of thing. But there could be.

I was surprised yesterday when C and I went to church. We usually go to the church in our old neighborhood on the other side of the city. The children like it, it is smaller and quieter and I am attached to it, because that is where I cried and prayed for me and my husband and our family, and God listened and felt mercy for my tears and lead us back to Him.

But yesterday I woke up late, so we rushed to the church nearest to home. It is new, big and barren and we generally like more intimate places. However, as I waited in line for the antidoron, a piece of blessed bread that is not Holy Communion but is distributed to all attendants in return for the gift of bread and wine that one is supposed to bring to church (I haven't in a long time), I heard the priest addressing everyone by their name, asking about their troubles and so on. I was quite surprised and moved.

Last night I wrote in my diary that I want to be of service, and that the thought of becoming a presbytera, litterally translated as an elder woman, which is the priest's wife, came back to my heart and mind. I don't know what God has in store for us. But I am so humbled by detecting a liking of C for the church. On Jan 5th, we went to church to get some agiasmos (Holy Water) that is traditionally blessed on the day before Epiphany and is kept for blessing the home all year round. That particular church apparently finishes later than usual, so C had to drive me to work and go back to church to wait for the end of the service and the Holy Water. He waited, and he even phoned me to let me hear a hymn that he liked.

So, there you are, dear 2010. I don't know what you will make of my heart's wish, or even if it is a good wish, or a lasting wish. But I hope that you will make the best of it! And I am very thankful for that and for you, and for my very first 2010 Thankful post.

Nativity Message

BARTHOLOMEW
By God’s Grace
Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome
and Ecumenical Patriarch

To the Plenitude of the Church Grace, peace and mercy from the Savior Christ Born in Bethlehem

Beloved concelebrants and blessed children in the Lord,
Heaven and earth have united
Through the birth of Christ.
Today, God has appeared on earth,
And man has ascended to heaven.
(Christmas Hymn)

The distance and separation between God and humanity resulting from sin has been abolished with the assumption of the entire human nature by the Only-Begotten Son and Pre-eternal Word of God. It was God’s good will – that is to say, His initiative and will – that the incarnation of His Son should abolish all such distance uniting heaven and earth, as well as creation with its Creator.

During the Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos, the Church chanted: “Today is the beginning of God’s good will and the proclamation of human salvation.” During that feast, through the dedication of the blessed Mary to the temple and her preparation there to become the bearer of the boundless God, the road was paved for the incarnate dispensation of God, which foretold our salvation.

During the feast of the Annunciation, when the divine conception of the Inconceivable occurred through the Holy Spirit within the womb of the Theotokos and divine nature began to coexist with human nature in order that – as St. Athanasius the Great articulated it – “we might become deified,” the Church again chanted: “Today is the beginning of our salvation and the revelation of the pre-eternal mystery; the Son of God becomes the son of the Virgin.” Thus, the “divine good will” welcomed at the Entrance, as well as the salvation commenced and revealed at the Annunciation, are today rendered a tangible reality, as we celebrate the great and holy day of Christmas. Today, “the Word assumes flesh and dwells among us” (John 1.14), while the Angels celebrate the event, chanting: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among humankind.” (Luke 2.14)

With the Incarnation of the Divine Word, the salvation of the human race has already potentially occurred. For those who believe in Jesus, live in accordance with this faith, fulfilling His commandments and practicing His teaching, are thereby elevated to become the friends and participants of God! They become “partakers of divine nature” (2 Peter 1.14), gods by grace! This takes place exclusively within the Church, where we are reborn in Christ and adopted by the Father through Holy Baptism and through the holy Sacraments, as well as by cultivation of virtue in order to be filled with divine grace and the Holy Spirit, growing “to maturity, to the measure o the full stature of Christ” (Eph. 4.13) until we reach the level of saying, like St. Paul: “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.” (Gal. 2.20) Those who acquire such perfection are not regarded by Christ simply as His friends or brothers, but are recognized by Him as members of His Body. This is why, from the height of the Cross, he would say to His Most Holy Mother about the Evangelist John: “Woman, here is your son,” and to John: “Here is your mother.” (John 19.26-27) Christmas, therefore, opens wide the door of human “christification” and deification by grace; and for this reason, “the entire creation rejoices in celebration and the heavens delight with us” on this day of significance and salvation.” (Hymn of December 28)

With these joyful and hopeful realities before us, from the sacred See of the Ecumenical Patriarchate at the Phanar, we extend to you our fervent festive congratulations and wholehearted Patriarch wishes on this central feast of the Christian calendar. We greet all of our beloved faithful throughout the world, the beloved children of the holy Mother Church – clergy of all levels, monastics and laity, pastors and parishioners, and especially those suffering, experiencing sorrow, need or trial. May the pre-eternal Son of God – who was born in a cave and lay in a manger – who for our sake became Son of Man, render all of us worthy of his self-emptying love and of His sacred, venerable incarnate dispensation.

At the Phanar, Christmas 2009
Bartholomew of Constantinople
Fervent supplicant for all before God