Pentecost: The Descent of the Holy Spirit

Fifty days after the Resurrection…

“when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4).

And what were the results of this wondrous outpouring?  Listen to the words of Holy Scripture:

“And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because they were each one hearing them speak in his own language. And they began to be amazed, and to marvel, saying, ‘Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? — we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.’ And they continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’” (Acts 2:6-8,11,12).

Moreover, Peter, who just fifty days ago had denied Christ, now hails Him publicly as Savior and Lord:

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ … Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 2:36, 4:12).

The Holy Spirit renews and regenerates humanity. The Holy Spirit brings new feelings, new senses, in order that a person might see and hear all the more clearly the wonderful and pleasant tidings of the Gospel — God’s good news for fallen humanity. The Holy Spirit enables a person to continue to live in the world, yet without being part of this world. The grace of the Holy Spirit led the Apostles, confessors, fathers, mothers, preachers, righteous, and the cloud of martyrs to disregard suffering and affliction and persecution, and even the loss of their own lives, for the glory of Christ.

May the Holy Spirit of God direct and enlighten our lives as those of the Apostles and martyrs over the centuries.  Amen!

Pentecost: The Descent of the Holy Spirit

Fifty days after the Resurrection…

“when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4).

And what were the results of this wondrous outpouring?  Listen to the words of Holy Scripture:

“And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because they were each one hearing them speak in his own language. And they began to be amazed, and to marvel, saying, ‘Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? — we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.’ And they continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’” (Acts 2:6-8,11,12).

Moreover, Peter, who just fifty days ago had denied Christ, now hails Him publicly as Savior and Lord:

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ … Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 2:36, 4:12).

The Holy Spirit renews and regenerates humanity. The Holy Spirit brings new feelings, new senses, in order that a person might see and hear all the more clearly the wonderful and pleasant tidings of the Gospel — God’s good news for fallen humanity. The Holy Spirit enables a person to continue to live in the world, yet without being part of this world. The grace of the Holy Spirit led the Apostles, confessors, fathers, mothers, preachers, righteous, and the cloud of martyrs to disregard suffering and affliction and persecution, and even the loss of their own lives, for the glory of Christ.

May the Holy Spirit of God direct and enlighten our lives as those of the Apostles and martyrs over the centuries.  Amen!

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The Bishop in History and Tradition

“The received Tradition of the Church includes the ability to change practices to meet current needs.” – Fr. Ted Bobosh

“The saying is sure: If any one aspires to the office of bishop, he desires a noble task. Now a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, dignified, hospitable, an apt teacher, no drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and no lover of money. He must manage his own […]

via The Bishop in History and Tradition — Fr. Ted’s Blog

The Bishop in History and Tradition

“The received Tradition of the Church includes the ability to change practices to meet current needs.” – Fr. Ted Bobosh

“The saying is sure: If any one aspires to the office of bishop, he desires a noble task. Now a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, dignified, hospitable, an apt teacher, no drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and no lover of money. He must manage his own […]

via The Bishop in History and Tradition — Fr. Ted’s Blog

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Life-Bearing Love: A Too Risky Vision

by Maria McDowell The upcoming Great Council, decades in the making, is an opportunity for Orthodoxy to present to the world a vision of the fruitfulness of love ripened through relationships in wh…

Source: Life-Bearing Love: A Too Risky Vision

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Statement of Religious Institute

June 12, 2016—Our hearts break for the victims of the shooting at “Latin Night” at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida on the morning of June 12, 2016, and for their families and friends. We stand in solidarity with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community in Orlando and with all who are affected by this horrific act of violence. Sadly, this act is part of a larger culture of hostility toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people whose lives are under attack every day in this country and throughout the world.

Our religious traditions teach us to love one another. It is a testament to the best of humanity that there is already an outpouring of support for the wounded and the dead. It is a testament to the brokenness of humanity that these deaths happened at all. Let us not contribute to that brokenness by scapegoating the religious tradition of Islam.

Our religious traditions also teach us to work for justice. We must not accept violence as an unchangeable fact of life. We must not accept homophobia as an unchangeable fact of life. We must not accept the persecution of LGBTQ people as an unchangeable fact of life. As people of faith, we must continue to work to change our culture of fear and hate to one of love and understanding.

During this month of LGBTQ Pride, let us remember that our movement was forever transformed when transgender, gay, lesbian, and bisexual people at a nightclub chose to resist the violence directed at them. Let us celebrate the resilience and strength of God’s queer children. Let us hold the dead in our hearts and in our prayers. And let us continue to actively work for a world where all people can live authentically in safety.

Reflecting on the shooting, Marie Alford-Harkey, president and CEO of the Religious Institute said, “I still remember what it felt like the first time I went to a “gay” bar. All my life, I had struggled to fit in. After I came out in the mid-90’s, friends took me to Railroad in Detroit, which mostly catered to the lesbian community. The feeling of sanctuary I had walking into that place was nothing short of holy. I felt safe, empowered, and free. The fact that my queer siblings were murdered in just such a place on Sunday makes me weep.

“In this time of tragedy it is imperative for people of faith to assure the LGBTQ community, the Latinx community, and the Muslim community that we stand with them in solidarity. May our faith unite us in care for one another.”

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Statement by the National Council of Churches

Statement by the National Council of Churches in the wake of the worst mass shooting in US History

The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA was shocked and saddened by news of the largest mass shooting in our country’s history. We deplore gun violence, hate crimes, and terrorism in all their manifestations.

All of these forms of violence insidiously came together in this incident — a lone shooter using an assault weapon and professing his affinity with ISIS targeted the LGBTQ community — which resulted in the death of 49 people and the injury of 53 more. We mourn the dead, stand with the survivors, and grieve with the victims’ families. We also pray for a speedy recovery of the wounded, for the healing of the Orlando community, and for the well being of our country after this assault on our cherished values.

It is not lost on us that the shooter was a Muslim, and some may wrongly seek to label Muslims as violent people generally. Apparently known not to be particularly religious, reports indicate that he was both mentally unstable and swayed by the kind of hate that is antithetical to genuine faith. Indeed, no person of faith can carry out such an act of violence and claim authentically to do so in the name of their faith. Our Muslim friends share this same conviction.

We are grateful for the heroic efforts of police and other first responders that saved lives. And we reiterate our call for sensible gun control laws that, among other limitations, will keep military-grade weapons out of the hands of private citizens.

While this shooting specifically targeted the LGBTQ community, it also targeted our entire society, which boldly affirms that people with different beliefs, perspectives, and backgrounds can come together to build a strong and vibrant nation. When the inability to deal with difference yields to violence, it is not only a step backward in terms of civilized social engagement, it reveals the difference between the values we promote and the ideology promoted by those who seek to destroy. We therefore join together with our neighbors across the country to affirm and reaffirm yet again all that we hold dear.

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