New Year Resolutions

An Orthodox-Catholic Spiritual Father/Mother’s Exhortation to a Penitent before Confession:

“Behold, my child, Christ stands here invisibly and receives your confession. Wherefore be not ashamed or afraid and conceal nothing from me, but tell without hesitation all things which you have done, and so you shall have pardon from our Lord Jesus Christ. Lo, His holy image is before us, and I am but a witness, bearing testimony before Him of the things which you have to say. But if you shall conceal anything you shall have the greater sin. Take heed, therefore, lest having come to the physician, you depart unhealed” – Traditional Orthodox Exhortation of a Spiritual Father/Mother to a Penitent.

Although not specifically a tradition of our Faith, at this time of year it’s customary to make new year resolutions. The closest tradition to a new year resolution in the Orthodox-Catholic Church is the Holy Mystery of Confession, which is one of the most powerful and healing aspects of the Orthodox Faith that one encounters.

Confession is not simply an obligation or a legal admission of guilt, but rather it is a turning away (metanoia) from the path of selfishness. It is by way of confession that we admit our failures and ask for forgiveness. We acknowledge our sins so that we might both put them behind us and that we night be healed of them. This is not easy, and many times, our pride, shame, guilt, anger or other passions prevent us from dealing with sin in our lives. Confession is not an instant panacea, but rather it is a consistent and repeated remedy for us who are seeking the Light of Christ.

In his spiritual diary, Fr. Alexander Elchaninov writes that confession “springs from an awareness of what is holy, it means dying to sin and coming alive again to sanctity.” It begins with “a searching of the heart.” It moves to a sincere “contrition of the heart.” It is fulfilled in the resolution never to sin again, although realizing that we will fall because our humanity. It is sealed by our subsequent sufferings to remain steadfast in our struggle against sin. Such confession is at the heart of our spiritual efforts.

Confession, like a new year resolution, rarely lasts forever, as the intent is often wishful thinking and unrealistic at times; nevertheless every day is a new day and every minute is a new minute. Saint Herman, Wonderworker of Alaska, instructs: “For our good, for our happiness, at least let us give a vow to ourselves, that from this day, from this hour, from this minute, we shall strive above all else to love God and to do His Holy Will!”

If you really want change and it’s your calling, start this second. Think about all the people that you know that have made a resolution (confession) and consider what percentage of those people actually stick to it. If your friends (and you?) are anything like mine or me, it’s a very low percentage. Why or what do you think is the problem?

A primary problem is that the resolution is NOT inspiring. Yes, it would be great if one could do all this stuff, but if you look closely, resolutions are typically about deprevation… about giving something up. How can one possibly expect to succeed, if one’s focus is entirely on what one is giving up or missing out on? Why should anyone achieve such a goal? I humbly suggest that one make resolutions that are positive (active) rather than negative (restrictive). Research suggests that committing to positive “goals” rather than “resolutions” is 1000% more likely to be achieved. So go ahead, sit down for the new year and set for yourself some awesome positive goals. Love and peace to all!

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The New Year

The holiday season is not universally a joyous time for everyone, as many families are fractured, memories of loss are triggered and hopeful expectations often end in disappointment. Like myself and many of those I know and love, this has been an exceptionally difficult year filled with liberal doses of stress, sadness, and disappointment for a myriad of varied reasons. Perhaps you or your loved ones also experienced 2014 as that kind of year.

When feeling exceptionally alone or lost in life, it’s helpful to remind ourselves that struggle is an inevitable part of human existence and to care for our own and each other’s tender hearts as much as we are able. To be sure, there are greater and lesser struggles, but nobody is exempt from struggle. True peace and joy are often born out of life’s inevitable messiness, not in isolation from it. Confusion, frustration, and suffering are often the seeds for new opportunity and growth.

2014 is almost over and the new year is rapidly approaching. Rather than despairing over the disappointments of 2014, let us positively focus on what we can do to make 2015 better for ourselves and for others. At this time of the year, how much better to contemplate the Christ Child who came into this very broken world and changed it forever! And, while this year’s holiday celebrations may include elements of sadness for many of us, we are amazingly blessed by the incredible gift of God’s love. My new year prayer is for each and every one to personally experience this awesome blessing!

Happy New Year!

Съ Новымъ Годомъ!

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A Review of 2014: Thanks for Reading

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 5,700 times in 2014. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 5 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

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Saint Herman of Alaska and First Orthodox Martyrs of the American Land

Commemorated on December 13 / 26

Saint Herman, for many the Patron of North America, was born near Moscow around 1756 to a pious merchant family and entered monastic life at the age of sixteen, at the Trinity – St Sergius Lavra near St Petersburg. While there he was attacked by a cancer of the face, but the Mother of God appeared to him and healed him completely. He was tonsured a monk in 1783 with the name of Herman (a form of Germano) and was received into Valaam Monastery on Lake Ladoga. After some time, he was blessed to withdraw to the life of a hermit in the forest, and only came to the monastery for feast days

In 1793, in response to a request by the Russian-American Commercial Company for missionaries to Alaska, Valaam Monastery was asked to select a group of its best monks to travel to America. Eight were chosen, of whom the hermit Herman was one. The company crossed all of Siberia; and, almost a year later, first saw Kodiak Island in September 1794. The missionaries set about their work and found the native Aleut people so receptive to the Gospel of Christ that in the first year about 7,000 were baptized and 1,500 marriages performed

Despite severe hardships, the missionaries covered huge distances, on foot and in small boats, to reach the scattered fishing settlements of the Aleuts. In general they found a warm reception, but many of the local shamans opposed their message and incited the people against them. It was thus that the Priest-monk Juvenaly was killed in 1796, becoming the First Martyr of North America.

Despite such opposition, the missionaries’ major difficulty was with the Russian traders and settlers, who were in the habit of exploiting the Aleuts as they wished and who had oppressed and disgusted the native people with their immoral behavior. When the missionaries came to the defense of the natives, they were repaid with the opposition of the Russian-American company, whose leadership put countless obstacles in the path of their work. In time, several of the monks died at sea and several more abandoned the mission in discouragement, leaving the monk Herman alone

He settled on Spruce Island near Kodiak, and once again took up the hermit’s life, dwelling in a small cabin in the forest. He spent his days in prayer and mission work, and denied himself every fleshly comfort. He fasted often and lived on a diet of blackberries, mushrooms and vegetables (in Alaska!). Despite these privations, he founded an orphanage and a school for the natives of the island, cared for the sick in epidemics, and built a chapel where he conducted divine services attended by many. Since he had not been ordained to the priesthood, Saint Herman lacked the faculties to administer the Sacraments. God made up the lack in miraculous ways: at Theophany, Angels descended to bless the waters of the bay, and the Saint would use the holy water to heal the sick. Asked if he was ever lonely or dejected in his solitude, Saint Herman replied: “I am not alone; God is here as everywhere, and the Angels too. There is no better company.”

Saint Herman reposed in peace on Spruce island at the age of eighty-one in 1836. At the moment of his departure, his face was radiant with light, and the inhabitants nearby saw a pillar of light rising above his hermitage. His last wish was to be buried on Spruce Island. When some of his well-intended disciples attempted to take his relics back to Kodiak to be buried from the church there, a storm rose up and continued unabated until they abandoned the plan and buried him as he desired. He was officially glorified in 1970, the first canonized Orthodox Saint of America

Saint Peter was a young Aleut convert to the Orthodox faith. In 1812 the Russian- American Company set up a post in California, where Russians and Aleuts farmed and traded to supply the needs of the Alaskans; Peter was one of these. The Spanish, who at the time ruled California, suspected the Russians of territorial ambitions, and in 1815 captured about twenty Orthodox Aleuts and took them to San Francisco. Fourteen of these were put to torture in an effort to convert them to the Roman Catholic faith. All refused to compromise their faith, and Peter and a companion were singled out for especially vicious treatment. Peter’s fingers, then hands and feet, were severed, and he died from loss of blood, still firm in his confession. The Latins were preparing the same fate for the others when word came that they were to be returned to Alaska. When he heard a first-hand account of Peter’s martyrdom, Saint Herman crossed himself and said “Holy New Martyr Peter, pray to God for us!” Saint Peter the Aleut is the first recognized Saint of American birth.

In conclusion, I offer a conversation between St. Herman and some officers of a Russian ship, recorded by his disciple Yanovsky. This conversation includes perhaps the most familiar quotation from St Herman:

“But do you love God?” asked St. Herman. And all answered: “Of course we love God. How can we not love God?” “And I, a sinner, have tried to love God for more than forty years, and I cannot say that I perfectly love Him,” answered Father Herman, and he then began to explain how one must love God. “If we love someone,” he said, “then we always think of that one, we strive to please that one; day and night our heart is preoccupied with that object. Is it in this way, gentlemen, that you love God? Do you often turn to Him, do you always remember Him, do you always pray to Him and fulfill His Holy commandments?” We had to admit that we did not. “For our good, for our happiness,” concluded the Elder, “at least let us give a vow to ourselves, that from this day, from this hour, from this minute, we shall strive above all else to love God and to do His Holy Will! “

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Nativity Epistle from Metropolitan Archbishop Peter

Good day, everyone,

From December 17 through today, the church sings the “Oh Antiphons,” a series of titles for Christ drawn from Isaiah. Today’s antiphon is “O Emmanuel,” which translates as “O with us is God.” These antiphons are sung in many of the households of faith, and are known to many, many Christians. They have a very long legacy in the great Church.

With all of the antiphons in mind — O, Wisdom, O Lord, O Root of Jesse, O Key of David, O Dayspring, O King of the nations, and today of course, Oh with us is God — I send you my profound greetings for the feasts of Christmas and Epiphany.

For all of us, this year has been remarkable, memorable, tragic.

For me, to see the pathway to ecclesial unity among the churches advanced by the two meetings of Bartholomew and Francis is the highlight of my year. An odd one, perhaps you will say, but knowing the mistrust and judgment which exists (existed?) between east and west, these events seemed to be the work of the Holy Spirit. The recent decision of the administration to declare an end to the fifty-year isolation of Cuba seems also to be inspired–the suffering of the Cuban people is enormous, and if bridges of communication can be opened that weary country might recover. And whether homeless folk or immigrants, the least and most vulnerable are getting attention, though much to slow and much too little.

At the same time, Americans have suffered and witnessed the suffering born from continued racial divide. Recent revelations on torture shake one’s faith in the integrity of the American ideal. The extent of poverty in America and the divide of the poor (including the working poor) and the super rich is an international scandal. Homelessness and the impact of homelessness calls out for response and redress.

I could go on forever with both positive and negative examples. But I want to point your attention to events more important to us, as faithful women and men. Events which should guide us into the new year of faith and of being active, responsible citizens.

In two days we celebrate the incarnation–Emmanuel, God with us. The choice by an omnipotent, transcendent, mysterious God to choose to become a frail and fragile human being, and to be so not through an alien-like appearance from a space ship, but through birth to a young unmarried woman.

What I wish to draw from the scriptures of this season is that one of the gifts of the Annunciation and the Incarnation is that the shame of being human is abolished in what happened when God entered humanity as one with us.

In Exodus, the consequence of sin is shame for what we are. With the Dayspring, the new dawn, the second Adam and Eve, we are capable of ridding ourselves of shame. Why? Because God does not address us from a heavenly throne, but from a body like yours and mine. Because God’s mother so trusted in God’s love that she took upon herself the shame of being an unmarried mother.

My prayer and hope–hope has been one of the great themes of this past year and the two years before–is that we immerse ourselves in the great Mystery of God, and ask God to help us surrender our shame. Our shame takes many forms, of course, and it will be special to each of us. It isn’t unique of course for humanity shares so much person to person to person.

Do not give in. Do not give up hope. Do not stop believing that God loves each and every one of us and that includes YOU. Even when absolutely everything seems catastrophic, please speak to the God who not just Lord, but Wisdom, Dayspring, With Us. And just as importantly, do not give up on people–those near to you and those far away, your support system. Speak to God but speak also to those of your circle of friends.

For myself, I cherish the words and actions of those who have sought to create a better world, civil and ecclesial, and remember them in grateful prayer. But frankly, I’m going to consign 2014 to history with a sigh of relief: it has been a year I hope not to repeat ever again.

But I try to embrace hope–symbolized by the anchor. There is a reason, it is said, that hope is in the middle of the three cardinal virtues of faith, hope, and charity. It is because hope is the anchor for our faith and our loving.

I pray for you and for me, and for all those we encounter each day that the new year brought be one of hope. God bless you all.

Archbishop Peter

–

το φιλί/ενώνει πιο πολύ/απ’ το κορμί

γι’ αυτό το αποφεύγουν/οι πιο πολλοί

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The Conception by Righteous Anna of the Most Holy Mother of God

Commemorated on December 9 / 22

Saint Anna, the mother of the Virgin Mary, was the youngest daughter of the priest Nathan from Bethlehem, descended from the tribe of Levi. She married St. Joachim, who was a native of Galilee. For a long time St. Anna was childless, but after twenty years, through the fervent prayer of both spouses, an angel of the Lord announced to them that they would be the parents of a daughter, Who would bring blessings to the whole human race. The Conception of the Virgin Mary by St. Anna took place at Jerusalem.

The Orthodox Church does not accept the teaching that the Mother of God was exempted from the consequences of ancestral sin (original sin) at the moment of her conception by virtue of the future merits of Her Son. Only Christ was born perfectly holy and sinless, as St Ambrose of Milan teaches in Chapter Two of his Commentary on Luke. The Holy Virgin was like everyone else in Her mortality and in being subject to temptation, although She committed no personal sins. She was not a deified creature removed from the rest of humanity. If this were the case, She would not have been truly human, and the nature that Christ took from Her would not have been truly human either. If Christ does not truly share our human nature, then the possibilty of our salvation is in doubt.

On May 9, 2004 – Mother’s Day in the U.S. – an Icon of St. Anna, the Mother of the Holy Virgin Mary, located in the Russian Orthodox Church of Our Lady of Joy of All Who Sorrow in Philadelphia began to stream myrrh. On that Sunday one of the parishioners mentioned to the parish rector, Archimandrite Athanasy that the Icon of St. Anna seemed to be “perspiring”. Upon further investigation, Fr. Athanasy noticed visible liquid streams and droplets. Accumulations of the liquid were seen on the cuff on St. Anna’s left hand and on her left shoulder veil. Droplets were also found elsewhere on the Icon. This fragrant, slightly oily liquid is commonly referred to as “myrrh”. Initially the myrrh looked like tear drops, as if St. Anna was crying. More recently small, slow-moving streams of myrrh have appeared in other parts of the Icon.

The Icon of St. Anna had been commissioned by Fr. Athanasy in 1998, in the Mount of Olives Convent in Jerusalem. He himself had served there in 1980-1981. In 1998, the Icon was completed, blessed at the Sepulcher of our Lord in the Jerusalem Church of the Resurrection, and brought to Philadelphia.

As of Fall 2012, the Icon resides at St. Tikhon’s Monastery and has a wonderful heavenly fragrace but is not currently weeping. Assistance and healings are still wrought by the miraculous Icon of St. Anna and She continues to work wonders for those who approach will faith. From ancient times this Feast was especially venerated by pregnant women in Russia.

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Crèche or Cave?

A quintessential Christmas tradition in the Western world is the crèche. The ubiquitous nativity scenes come in all shapes and forms, from the beautifully carved to the cheaply made, brightly colored, inflatable ones. Perhaps surprising to some, one would be hard pressed to find visual representations of the familiar Bethlehem crèche in the first one thousand years of the Church’s life. Art historians trace the roots of these crèches to Francis of Assisi, who, on Christmas Eve in 1223, organized a living nativity-scene in Greccio, Italy, to foster devotion among the faithful. The rest, as they say, is history.

The Gospels do not give specific details of the “manger”— other than being in or near the village of Bethlehem; however, early iconography of the Feast of the Nativity depicts the Christ Child and Mary in a cave on the side of a rocky hill. The oldest-functioning church structure in the world today—the Church of the Nativity—is at the site of this cave in Bethlehem. Under the joint oversight of both the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem and the Roman Catholic Church, this structure was constructed by the Emperor Saint Constantine the Great in 327 A.D., two years after the First Ecumenical Council. The cave below the surface is where the very spot of Christ’s birth is revered by the faithful, with the church structures on the ground above.

The tradition of Christ being born in a cave rather than in a wooden barn (crèche) is ancient. The early Christian philosopher Saint Justin Martyr (circa 150 A.D.) tells us in Dialogue with Trypho:

“Along with Mary he (Joseph) is ordered to proceed into Egypt, and remain there with the Child until another revelation warn them to return into Judea. But when the Child was born in Bethlehem, since Joseph could not find lodging in that village, he took up quarters in a certain cave near the village; and while they were there, Mary brought forth the Christ and placed Him in a manger, and here the Magi who came from Arabia found Him.”

And, finally, the hymnography of the Church affirms that the Christ Child was born in a cave. The Kontakion of the Nativity, composed in the sixth century by Saint Romanos the Hymnographer, was sung every year at the imperial banquet on that feast by the joint choirs of Hagia Sophia and of the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople until the twelfth century:

Today the Virgin gives birth to the Transcendent One,

And the earth offers a cave to the Unapproachable One!

Angels with shepherds glorify Him!

The wise men journey with a star!

Since for our sake the Eternal God was born as a Little Child!

— Kontakion of the Nativity, Tone 3

May we all receive with joy the blessed Incarnation of our Lord, Who was born in a cave for our salvation!

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Judge Not

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37).

Saint Seraphim of Sarov instructs:

“You cannot be too gentle, too kind. Shun even to appear harsh in your treatment of each other. Joy, radiant joy, streams from the face of the person who gives and kindles joy in the heart of the one who receives. All condemnation is from the devil. Never condemn each other… Instead of condemning others, strive to reach inner peace. Keep silent, refrain from judgment. This will raise you above the deadly arrows of slander, insult, and outrage and will shield your glowing hearts against all evil.”

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The Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Mother of God

Commemorated on November 21 / December 4

“Today is the preview of the good will of God, of the preaching of the salvation of humanity. The Virgin appears in the temple of God, in anticipation proclaiming Christ to all. Let us rejoice and sing to her: ‘Rejoice, O Divine Fulfillment of the Creator’s dispensation.’”

The Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Mother of God happened, according to the preserved accounts of Holy Tradition, in the following manner…

The parents of the Virgin Mary, Righteous Joachim and Anna, in praying for a solution to their childlessness, gave a vow that if a child were born to them, they would dedicate the child to the service of God. When the Most Holy Virgin reached three years of age, her parents decided to fulfill their vow. Having gathered together their relatives and acquaintances, and having dressed the All-Pure Mary in her finest clothes; and, with the singing of sacred songs and with lighted candles in their hands, they carried her to the Temple of Jerusalem. There the high-priest with a throng of priests met the child. In the Temple, the stairway led up fifteen high steps. Mary, so it seemed, could not Herself make it up this stairway. But just as they placed Her on the first step, strengthened by the power of God, she quickly made it up over the remaining steps and ascended to the highest. Then the high-priest, through an inspiration from above, led the Most Holy Virgin into the Holy of Holies. It was only the high-priest that entered once a year with a purifying sacrifice of blood, therefore all those present in the Temple were astonished at this most unusual occurrence.

Righteous Joachim and Anna, having entrusted their child to the will of God, returned home. The Most Blessed Mary remained in the domicile for girls, situated near the Temple. Round about the Temple, through the testimony of Holy Scripture (Exodus 38; 1 Kings 1: 28; Lk. 2: 37), and also the historian Josephus Flavius, there were many living quarters, in which dwelt those dedicated to the service of God.

The Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple of the Lord, a solemn and joyous feast in the Orthodox Church, foreshadows our own redemption. It demonstrates, quite literally, how small and simple steps in the right direction can literally transform a human life and elevate it to a new level of holiness and participation in God. The Virgin Mary not only was sanctified by entering the temple, but also sanctified that Temple by a simple life of humble reverence and piety before God her Savior. In fact, she became the new temple by bearing within her womb God the Word

Through Holy Baptism, we are also called to be holy temples of God wherein the Triune God dwells and is present. However, if we are to become true temples of God, we must imitate our Lady Theotokos and dwell within the temple in stillness and prayer. In the Temple, the Most Pure Virgin grew increasingly humble and open to the will of God, becoming so like unto the Lord in goodness and virtue that she was able to bear the Holy of Holies, Christ the Lord. If Christ is to be born in us, we must imitate her actions. We must commit our hearts and seal that commitment with our actions; we must dedicate ourselves to Him just as the holy child Mary was dedicated to God by her parents.

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Patriarch Bartholomew I prays for Full Union between Catholic and Orthodox Churches

Patriarch Bartholomew I prays for full union between Catholic, Orthodox churches | Catholic World Report – Global Church news and views.

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