The Pastor, the Pulpit and "the Word"

Risque? O yes!
To the point? You bet!
Orthodox message? I believe so, actually....

Assorted Stories on the Net

On this third day of the Great Fast (or "Ash Wednesday" for all our Roman readers), a few interesting finds across the Internet presented in no particular order.

Unborn babies played music in the womb 'remember the melodies when they are born'

A New Tool for Creative Thinking: Mind-Body Dissonance

'Six shot dead' in Egyptian religious clashes

'In God We Trust' suit rejected by Supreme Court

Marriage 101

What harm does it do?

Is “Yuck!” a good enough reason?

Fasting from Technology

Hmm! Maybe that last entry gives pause for thought....

From the Sayings of the Desert Fathers

Abba Macarius the Great was asked, 'How should one pray?' The old man said, 'There is no need at all to make long discourses; it is enough to stretch out one's hands and say, "Lord, as you will, and as you know, have mercy." And if the conflict grows fiercer say, "Lord, help!" He knows very well what we need and he shows us his mercy.'

Abba Macarius said, 'If slander has become to you the same as praise, poverty as riches, deprivation as abundance, you will not die. Indeed it is impossible for anyone who firmly believes, who labours with devotion, to fall into the impurity of the passions and be led astray by the demons.'

Abba Serapion said, 'When the soldiers of the emperor are standing at attention, they cannot look to the right or left; it is the same for the man who stands before God and looks towards him in fear at all times; he cannot then fear anything from the enemy.'

Wisdom of the Church Fathers

There is a breaking of the heart which is gentle and makes it deeply penitent, and there is a breaking of the heart which is violent and harmful, shattering it completely.

Mark the Ascetic
The Philokalia

From the Sayings of the Desert Fathers

Abba John the Dwarf said, 'He who gorges himself and talks with a boy has already in his thought committed fornication with him.'

Abba John the Dwarf said, 'If a king wanted to take possession of his enemy's city, he would begin by cutting off the water and the food and so his enemies, dying of hunger, would submit to him. It is the same with the passions of the flesh: if a man goes about fasting and hungry the enemies of his soul grow weak.'

Abba Isidore the Priest said that for forty years he had been tempted to sin in thought but that he had never consented either to covetousness or to anger.

Wisdom from the Fathers

Envy is a food of the mind corrupting it with poisonous juices, and ceasing not to torment it miserably with the thought of a neighbor’s happy success.

St. John Cassian

Wisdom of the Fathers

10. Do not cast off brotherly love lightly, for there remains no other way of salvation for human beings. Observe yourself with care, and see if the evil which separates you from your brother has its cause, not in him, but in you, and make haste to be reconciled with him, let you transgress the commandment of love. Do not despise the commandment of love, because through it you will become a son of God, whereas, when you transgress it, you will become a son of Gehenna.

11. Do not seek to please yourself, and you will not hate your brother; do not indulge in self-love, and you will love God. If you have chosen to live with spiritual brothers, renounce your will from the moment you pass through the doors of the monastery; for in no other way will you be able to live in peace, either with God or with those with whom you dwell.

St Maximos the Confessor, The Evergetinos: A Complete Text, Volume I, p. 351

Wisdom from the Church Fathers

As there is not a single superfluous word in the Church's Divine Services, it is especially necessary at the time of the singing of the Litany of Fervent Supplication (the "Ecumenic Petitions") to pray to God most fervently, from the very depths of a most contrite heart, as we are reminded at the very beginning of the litany by the words: "Let us all say with our whole souls and with our whole mind, let us all say...."

St. John of Kronstadt

We would do well to have St John's phronema when preparing liturgical texts or celebrating the Divine Services, especially when tempted to view "economy" in terms of brevity, 'simplification', and removal of the "unnecessary". If we are truthful in claiming we desire to stand on the right hand on the Day of Resurrection, spending a few extra minutes in Church should not be a burden. Father Paul Tarazi recalled that once when he was asked why we chant "Lord, have mercy" forty times, that he replied, "Forty? Why not Four hundred times?!" When I find myself bored in church, I should ask myself why does it seem so to me, not why is it taking so long.

Wisdom from the Church Fathers

Do not be surprised if you fall back into your old ways every day. Do not be disheartened, but resolve to do something positive about it; and, without question, the angel who stands guard over you will honour your perseverance.

St John Klimakos, The Ladder of Divine Ascent

Wisdom from the Church Fathers

Fire makes iron impossible to touch, and likewise frequent prayer renders the intellect more forceful in its warfare against the enemy. That is why the demons strive with all their strength to make us slothful in attentiveness to prayer, for they know that prayer is the intellect's invincible weapon against them.

St John of Karpathos

Wisdom from the Church Fathers

Not every person is able to achieve the highest state of transcendent soul; but it is certainly possible for everyone to find reconciliation with God, and it is this that will save them.

St John Klimakos

Wisdom from the Church Fathers

Loving one's enemies does not mean loving wickedness, ungodliness, adultery, or theft. Rather, it means loving the thief, the ungodly, and the adulterer.

Clement of Alexandria 195 A.D.

Wisdom from the Church Fathers

Just as it is only after labor that a pregnant woman gives birth to the fruit that gives joy, so it is with the soul: only after labours is knowledge of the mysteries of God given birth in it.

St Isaac of Syria

Wisdom from the Church Fathers

21. Some people living carelessly in the world have asked me: "We have wives and are beset with social cares, and how can we lead the solitary life?" I replied to them: "Do all the good you can; do not speak evil of anyone; do not steal from anyone; do not lie to anyone; do not be arrogant towards anyone do not hate anyone; do not be absent from the divine services; be compassionate to the needy; do not offend anyone, do not wreck another man's domestic happiness, and be content with what your own wives can give you. If you behave in this way, you will not be far from the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Ladder of Divine Ascent, St John Climacus, Holy Transfiguration Monatery Press, Boston, MA, 1991, page 9.

Serious (sic) Advice for Great Lent

Have a Miserable Lent!


What are you doing surfing the Web?! You should be PRAYING!

I don't hear your stomach rumbling! I'll bet you ATE TOO MUCH today!

You probably ATE TOO MUCH because your TEETH DON'T HURT ENOUGH -- because you haven't been GNASHING them enough!

You're not wearing STREET CLOTHES are you? Where's your SACKCLOTH? Say, that sackcloth looks UNTORN!

WHERE'S YOUR HAIRSHIRT?


WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!?!?!

Taken from an ancient edition of the Onion Dome.

"Is outrage!" exclaimed Father Vasiliy

Advices on spiritual experiences with temptations and sorrows

By Saint Isaac the Syrian.

Just as the eyebrows approach each other, so are the temptations close to men. It was the economy of God to be so, with wisdom that we may receive benefit: namely, through knocking persistently, because of the sorrows, on the door of God's mercy and to enter into your mind, due to the fear of grievous events, the seed of memory of God, so that you may approach Him with supplications and your heart be sanctified through the continuous remembrance of Him. And while you ask Him, He will listen.

• The person walking the road of God must thank Him for all the sorrows that he faces, and to accuse and dishonor his negligent self, and know that the Lord who loves and looks after him, would not have allowed the grievous things to happen to wake his mind up, if he had somehow not been negligent. God may have allowed some sorrow because man has become proud and consequently he should understand and let him not become disturbed but find the cause within himself, so that the affliction may not double up, namely suffer and not wish to be treated. "In God who is the source of justice there is no injustice". May we not think otherwise.
  
  
• Do not avoid the sorrows, because being helped by them you learn the truth and love of God well. And do not fear the temptations (negative experiences) for through them you discover treasures. Pray that you may not enter into spiritual temptations, while for the bodily ones, prepare to face them with all your strength, for without them you cannot approach God. Through them comes the divine rest. Whoever avoids the bodily temptations avoids virtue.
  

Advice on the Great Fast From the Church Fathers

It is better to eat meat and drink wine and not to eat the flesh of one's brethren through slander.

Abba Hyperechios

It is necessary most of all for one who is fasting to curb anger, to accustom himself to meekness and condescension, to have a contrite heart, to repulse impure thoughts and desires, to examine his conscience, to put his mind to the test and to verify what good has been done by us in this or any other week, and which deficiency we have corrected in ourselves in the present week. This is true fasting.

St. John Chrysostom

Ladder of Divine Ascent - Lenten Reading Schedule

Thanks to Archpriest Michael Hayduk and Father Deacon Paul J. Leonarczyk, for the schema to read through St John of Sinai's Ladder of Divine Ascent during the Great Fast. The Ladder (from which St John received the 'nickname" Klimakos - "ladder" in Greek) was written in response to another Abbot's advice on promoting health spirituality in his monastery. St John's reply proved such a thorough and clear exposition that it has become de rigueur Lenten reading in Eastern Christians monasteries all over the world. As St John's writings are also easily accessible to the average reader, it has also become a favorite among the Byzantine Catholic and Orthodox laity as well. It is easily found in several English editions, the two most widely available being John Climacus: The Ladder of Divine Ascent (The Classics of Western Spirituality) and as The Ladder of Divine Ascent, published by Holy Transfiguration Monastery. Both are highly readable, the Holy Transfiguration Monastery edition perhaps presenting a more erudite and nuanced translation.

Below is the arrangement for those who keep the Horologion. For those unacquainted with "the Hours" Third=9:00 am; Sixth=Noon; ninth=3:00 pm (approximately). One could also easily consider a time-table dividing as "on rising", "after work" and "near bedtime"; or even combining selections of the individual daily readings as one chooses. In any event, the Ladder is, after the Scriptures and Divine Services of the Season, the par excellence choice for Lenten reading.

Another Option for Lenten Prayer Regime

The Icon of Our Lady the Softener of Evil Hearts is both a spiritually stunning and miraculous Icon from Russia, the Akathist to Our Lady the Softener of Evil Hearts is also a beautiful meditation that deserves consideration for those seeking a wholesome addition to their Lenten discipline. The Akathist is provide via H/T from Eirenikon.

Below is the text of the Akathist as taken from Eirenikon's Blog - which should be high on your list of bookmarks and favorites!

The Apolytikion in Tone 5

Soften our evil hearts, O Theotokos, * and quench the attacks of those who hate us * and loose all straitness of our soul. * For looking on thy holy icon * we are filled with compunction by thy suffering and loving-kindness for us * and we kiss thy wounds; * we are filled with horror for the darts with which we wound thee. * Let us not, O Mother of Compassion, * according to the cruelty of our hearts, perish from the cruelty of heart of those near us, ** For thou art in truth the Softener of Evil Hearts.

Kontakion I

We cry out with heartfelt emotion to the chosen Virgin Mary, far nobler than all the daughters of the earth, Mother of the Son of God, Who gave salvation to the world: Look at our life which is filled with every sorrow and remember the sorrow and pain which thou didst suffer as one born on earth with us, and do with us according to thy merciful heart, that we may cry unto thee: Rejoice, much-sorrowing Mother of God, turn our sorrows into joy and soften the hearts of evil men!

Oikos I

An angel announced the birth of the Saviour of the world to the shepherds in Bethlehem and with the multitude of the heavenly hosts praised God, singing: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will among men!” But thou, O Mother of God, having nowhere to lay thy head, since there was no room in the inn, gave birth to thy first-born Son in a cave and, wrapping Him in swaddling clothes, laid Him in a manger. Knowing the pain in thy heart, we cry out to thee:

Rejoice, for thou wast warmed by the breath of thine own beloved Son!
Rejoice, for thou didst wrap the eternal Child in swaddling clothes!
Rejoice, for thou didst nourish with thy milk the One who sustaineth the universe!
Rejoice, for thou didst turn a cave into a heaven!
Rejoice, for thou didst make thy throne upon the Cherubim!
Rejoice, for thou didst remain a virgin both in giving birth and after birth!
Rejoice, much-sorrowing Mother of God, turn our sorrows into joy and soften the hearts of evil men!

Reply to Question about Fasting and Abstinence

The below was written in response to a letter asking questions about Byzantine fasting practices. While I did not directly answer all of the questions put forth, I hope that my reply encompassed enough for prayerful consideration. At the end of my rejoinder I included (and reproduce here) Fr Athanasios Demos' How to Fast During Lent article - a most thorough and spiritually useful guide for all attempting to take the Holy Season seriously.

Dear N.;

May the All Holy Trinity bless you with peace, love and faith now and always!

Thank you for the note. Fasting in the Byzantine Tradition is a somewhat complex and diverse subject. First, a few basic notes. When one fasts, nothing passes the lips (water and medicines excluded) until Noon. Then one may have two meals that together do not equate with one regular non-fasting meal. It is true that different Churches have variations on the rules for abstinence. The main thing for the individual person would be to be consistent in whichever set of rules chosen for the particular fasting season.

The actual practice regarding abstinence is called Xerophagy – "dry eating". This implies that the foods consumed be natural with little fancy preparation. So, for example, spinach could be cooked, but with no additional condiments, etc..

Also the prohibition on meat includes most fish – a commonly misunderstood point. Only sea creatures that do not have scales, blood or a backbone may be eaten – i.e., creatures like shellfish or squid. Here we see the clear effect of location and culture in fasting practice as these creatures were very common and inexpensive in the Mediterranean world and considered peasants’ foods.