Fragments for Friday -- Toward Recovering a Genuine Christian Vocabulary

Source: uncutmountainsupply.com

 

“He, the Mighty One, the Artificer of all, Himself prepared this body in the virgin as a temple for Himself, and took it for His very own, as the instrument through which He was known and in which He dwelt.” ~ Saint Athanasius the Great

Within the Church we have a biblical/theological vocabulary that is very expressive of what we believe as Christians. These words are drawn primarily from the Bible, the Ecumenical Councils, and the theological writings of the great Church Fathers, such as Saint Athanasius the Great, quoted above. As responsible, believing and practicing Christians, we need to know this vocabulary at least in its most basic forms. As we continually learn a new technology-driven vocabulary derived from computers to smart phones, so too we need to be alert to the traditional vocabulary of the Church as it has been sanctified over centuries of use. And this vocabulary should be natural to us – not something foreign, exotic and “only for theologians.” It does not take a great deal of effort to be theologically literate, and there is no excuse not to be. 

As we prepare to celebrate the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, a key term that must be part of the vocabulary of all Orthodox Christians is Incarnation. The Nativity of Christ is the incarnation of the Son of God as Jesus of Nazareth. Or, we simply speak of The Incarnation, immediately knowing what that word is referring to. 

If we turn to the Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, we find the term defined somewhat blandly, in that kind of clipped, compact and objective style found in most dictionaries:

• in•car•na•tion \in-kär-`nā-shǝn\ n (14c) 1 a (1): the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form (2) cap: the union of the divinity with humanity in Jesus Christ.

In the Westminster Handbook to Patristic Theology, the Orthodox theologian, Father John McGuckin, begins his definition under a fairly long entry of this term as follows:

• Incarnation — Incarnation is the concept of the eternal Word of God (the Logos) “becoming flesh” within history for the salvation of the human race. Incarnation does not simply refer to the act itself (such as the conception of Jesus in the womb of the Virgin, or the event of Christmas); it stands more generally for the whole nexus of events in the life, teachings, sufferings, and glorification of the Lord, considered as the earthly, embodied activity of the Word [p. 180].

Speaking of expanding our theological vocabulary, we need to further know that we translate the key Greek term Logos as Word, referring of course to the Word of God Who was “with God” and Who “was God,” according to Saint John’s Gospel “in the beginning.” We also refer to the Word of God as the “Son,” “Wisdom,” and “Power” of God. It is this Logos/Word of God Who becomes incarnate as Jesus of Nazareth. The key verse that is the classical expression of the Incarnation in the New Testament is found in the Gospel according to Saint John 1:14: “And the Word (Logos) became flesh.” 

This profound paradox of the Word-become-flesh is found in the well-known Kontakion of the Nativity, written by St. Romanos the Melode. He begins his wonderful hymn with that paradox captured in the following manner: 

"Today the Virgin gives birth to the Transcendent One; and the earth offers a cave to the unapproachable One ..."

Incarnation is derived from the Latin word “in the flesh.” The Greek word for Incarnation would be sarkothenta, meaning “made flesh.” So the Incarnation of the Word of God is the “enfleshment” of the Word, and here “flesh” means the totality of our human nature. The Word has assumed our human nature and united it to Himself in an indissoluble union that restores the fellowship of God and humankind. The sacramental life of the Church is based on the Incarnation, and the potential for created reality to become a vehicle for spiritual reality. The ultimate manifestation of this is the Eucharist, and the bread and wine “becoming” the Body and Blood of Christ.

Christmas is the time of the year to recall all of this profound reality and recover a genuine Christian vocabulary that expresses our Faith about as well as that is humanly possible. This further means that theological words are not dry and abstract concepts when approached with not only respect, but with awe and wonder. This makes our reading and studying of our theological Tradition exciting – as well as humbling. The words reveal life-transforming truths that if received with prayer and thanksgiving enhance and expand our minds and hearts, so that we might have the “mind of Christ.”

Nativity Meditation from SVOTS

There are many purposes for presenting the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospels, chief among them which is the affirmation that Jesus, being in truth the Son of God, as all Gospels testify, has come “in the flesh” as a real human being.

…One other important point is made in listing the human generations which led to the birth of Jesus. This is the fact that God is faithful to his promises even though his chosen people are often not faithful.

Among the people from whom Jesus came are both sinners and heathens. In a word, Jesus comes not only from the righteous and holy, but from the wicked and sinful. And he comes not only from Jews, but from Gentiles.

+ Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko, The Winter Pascha

On the Veneration of the Theotokos -- Learning to Love the Mother of God

Source: legacyicons.com

As a follow-up to our zoom class on Monday evening, "The Orthodox Veneration of the Theotokos;" I asked two our parishioner who have been Orthodox long enough to absorb the Church's veneration of the Virgin Mary for at least a few years now, to respond with a reflection of their own about how they now perceive, acknowledge and venerate her. Here is the first one, written by Kevin Rains:

Learning to Love the Mother of God

I did not come to love Mary, the Theotokos (God-bearer) all at once.

As a Protestant, I was taught—sometimes subtly, sometimes directly—to keep my distance from Mary. She was honored as faithful and obedient, but always at arm’s length. The concern was understandable: guard the uniqueness of Christ, avoid anything that smelled like excess, keep devotion tethered tightly to Scripture. When I first encountered Orthodox Christianity, I brought that posture with me. I listened carefully. I watched for imbalance. I told myself I would follow the logic of the faith, but I would do so cautiously.

Mary was the slowest piece to fall into place.

At first, I encountered her primarily through liturgy and hymnography. She was everywhere—named, invoked, praised. That made me uneasy. Yet what surprised me was not what the Church said about her, but what it did not say. Christ was never displaced. The Gospel was never softened. Instead, Mary seemed to stand consistently in one place: pointing beyond herself, receiving rather than grasping, magnifying rather than competing.

The first real turning point for me came through a passage I thought I already understood.

In the Gospels, Jesus is told that His mother and brothers are standing outside, seeking Him. His response is startling:

“Who is My mother, or My brothers?”

And looking about at those who sat around Him, He said,

“Here are My mother and My brothers!

For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.”

(Mark 3:33–35; see also Matthew 12:46–50; Luke 8:19–21)

For most of my Protestant life, I heard this as a corrective - almost a rebuke. Jesus, I assumed, was relativizing Mary’s importance, moving the focus away from biology and toward spiritual obedience. And that is partly true. But what I had never considered is that this saying does not diminish Mary - it defines her.

Jesus is not saying, “Mary does not matter.”

He is saying, “This is why she matters.”

Of course, we honor Mary as the Theotokos because she bore the Word of God in her womb. Yet, she is equally honored 
because she embodies the very thing Jesus describes: the one who hears the word of God and does it. In Luke’s Gospel, this connection is made even more explicit. After the same episode, Jesus says:

“My mother and My brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”

(Luke 8:21)

That verse became impossible for me to read in isolation from the Annunciation.

When the angel Gabriel announces God’s invitation to Mary, her response is neither passive nor coerced:

“Behold, the handmaid of the Lord;

let it be to me according to your word.”

(Luke 1:38)

Here is the fulfillment of Christ’s later teaching—spoken decades before He ever preached it. Mary hears the word of God, and she submits to it freely. She does not fully understand the cost. She does not control the outcome. But she consents. Voluntarily. Faithfully.

In that moment, Mary becomes both the Theotokos ("God-bearer") and the first disciple.

This realization changed everything for me. The question was no longer whether honoring Mary distracted from Christ. The question became whether my resistance to Mary was actually blinding me to something essential about discipleship itself. Mary is not an exception to Jesus’ teaching; she is its first and fullest example.

And this is where affection began to grow.

Orthodox devotion to the Theotokos is not about elevating Mary beyond humanity, but about showing what humanity looks like when it fully receives God’s grace. She does not seize authority. She receives a calling. She does not speak often in the Gospels, but when she does, her words are saturated with Scripture and trust (Luke 1:46–55). She stands at the foot of the Cross (John 19:25), not as a theological concept, but as a mother who remains faithful when everything appears lost.

As a Protestant, I was formed to think clearly, argue carefully, and guard doctrine faithfully. Orthodoxy did not take those things away. But devotion to the Theotokos revealed something I had not been trained to see as clearly: that obedience, humility, and love are not secondary virtues—they are the soil in which Christ is received.

I did not lose Christ by learning to love His mother.

I encountered Him more fully—incarnate, vulnerable, and real.

I came to the Theotokos cautiously.

I stay because Scripture, read patiently and lived deeply, led me there.

Kevin Rains

Nativity Meditation from SVOTS

Where there is abundance of tears, brethren, accompanied by true knowledge, there also shines the divine light. Where the light shines, there also all good gifts are bestowed and the seal of the Holy Spirit, from whom spring all the fruits of life, is implanted in the heart.

Here also the fruit of gentleness is borne for Christ, as well as “peace, mercy, compassion, kindness, goodness, faith, and self-control.” It is the source of the virtue of loving one’s enemies and praying for them (Mt. 5.44), of rejoicing in trials, of glorifying in tribulations (Rom. 5.3), of looking on the faults of others as if they were one’s own and lamenting them, and of laying down one’s life for the brethren with eagerness even unto death.

+ St. Symeon the New Theologian: The Discourses

Coffee with Sister Vassa -- SUNDAY of the FOREFATHERS / 3. ADVENT

 

“You did not worship the graven image, O thrice-blessed youths, but shielded by the ineffable Essence, you were glorified in your trial by fire. In the midst of the unbearable fire you called upon God, crying: ‘Hasten, O compassionate One, and in Your mercy, come to our aid, for You can do so if You will (яко можеши хотяй).’”(Kontakion of the Forefathers) This past weekend in New Calendar Orthodox churches it was the Sunday of the Forefathers, or all the ancestors of the Savior who lived in faithful anticipation of His coming, with special attention paid to the 3 Holy Youths in the furnace. And Western Christianity celebrated Third Advent or “Gaudete/Rejoice Sunday,” dedicated to the Joyof the upcoming birth of Christ in the flesh. The pink candle of the Advent-wreath was lit, and pink liturgical vestments were worn in Western churches. At the risk of saying a really girly thing, - I love that. I’m thinking both about the ‘trial by fire’ of the 3 Holy Youths, and about the Joy (with a big ‘J’) to which we are always called, even in our own fiery furnaces, in the words of St. Paul: “ Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Let your forbearance be known to all, for the Lord is near at hand; have no anxiety about anything...” (Philippians 4) It's not primarily a feeling, this Joy. It is a choice, just like faith is a choice. It’s a choice to be ‘in the Lord,’ rather than on one’s own or in one’s own head. It’s a counter-cultural choice, to be in Him, rather than be swept away into the hopelessness, anger, fear and the resulting idol-worship that might be sweeping up many in the fiery furnace of our world. Our Lord’s undying willingness to come into our furnace and help us, time and again, is also His choice. “ You can do so if You will,” say the faithful 3 Holy Youths in the above-quoted Kontakion-hymn. Let us dare to rejoice also today, dear friends, even if we find ourselves in a fiery furnace. ‘Come to our aid, because You can do so if You want,’ we say to our Lord, Who is coming, again and again, to maintain us and our world, through all of it. Because He can. Glory be to Him.

Happy Tuesday and ongoing Nativity Fast, dear Email-Subscribers! Please watch my NEW YOUTUBE VIDEO, on ‘Reclaiming Freedom as a Common Christian Value’ (on why ‘freedom ‘ is important; what challenges we face with the rise of authoritarianism in bot state and church contexts; what ‘obedience’ has to do with it, and so on - you will find it interesting!) at: https://youtu.be/AyLp5YFUpr4?si=syZl8skWy2c1Fp6f

Source: saintherman.org

On Saturday, December 13, we commemorated Blessed Fr. Herman of Alaska ((+1837). He was glorified as a saint of the Church on August 9, 1970. In his book The Winter Pascha, Fr. Thomas Hopko dedicated a chapter by way of reflection on St. Herman's grace-filled life. However, as the paragraph below makes abundantly clear, this was a life lived out in obscurity, but now manifest to the world by the grace of God. In the words of Fr. Hopko:

_____

By American standards, St. Herman of Alaska, like the Lord Jesus Himself, was a miserable failure. He made no name for himself. He was not in the public eye. He wielded no power. He owned no property. He has few possessions, if any at all. He had no worldly prestige. He played no role in human affairs. He partook of no carnal pleasures. He made no money. He died in obscurity among outcast people. Yet, today, more than a hundred years after his death, his icon is venerated in thousands of churches and his name is honored by millions of people whom he is still trying to teach to seek the kingdom of God and its righteousness which has been brought to the world by the King who was born in a cavern and killed on a cross. The  example of this man is crucial to the celebration of Christmas - especially in America.

_____

I would assume that for many people reading this, St. Herman is not exactly - or not yet, at least - a well-known saint of the Church. You may just be hearing and reading about him. Many others are quite familiar with this humble saint after many years in the Church. Be that as it may, and allowing for the particular circumstances of his life (living a relatively hidden life in Alaska when that territory was still owned by the Russian Empire),  St. Herman can serve today as a living example - an Icon - of "true Christianity." By this I refer to a non-aggressive Christianity in conformity to Christ's earthly life, unburdened by being overly concerned with the sins of other people, and thus wonderfully free of both hypocrisy and judgementalism. 

Truly, an example to America during our celebration of Christmas.

For those who would like to read more of St. Herman's Life:

https://www.oca.org/saints/liv...

Nativity Meditation from SVOTS

That worldly gain is nothing is manifest, because it is left behind and does not attend us or go along with us at our departure. How is this plain? Because we had nothing when we came into this world, therefore, we will have nothing when we depart from it …Therefore, we want no superfluities.

+ St. John Chrysostom: Homilies XVI and XVII on I Timothy VI

Nativity Meditation from SVOTS

So “sinner” is not a trap but a surrender and therefore—paradoxically—a liberation. It admits brokenness and yields power to God. It signals membership in a community that is the Body of Christ even as it is also constantly becoming the Body through healing faults, mending brokenness, and restoring the divine image.

The community comprises broken persons who know that their wholeness rests entirely in Christ and depends entirely on God.

+ Dr. Peter Bouteneff: How to Be a Sinner

Nativity Meditation from SVOTS

 

Observe, the hospitality here spoken of is not merely a friendly reception, but one given with zeal and alacrity, with readiness, and going about it, as if one were receiving Christ himself …If you receive the stranger as Christ, do not be ashamed, but rather glory: but if you do not receive him as Christ, do not receive him at all. “He who receives you,” he says, “received me” (Mt. 10.40).

+ St. John Chrysostom: Homilies XIII and XIV on I Timothy V

Nativity Meditation from SVOTS

There is a great difference between existing and living. Many people exist. Very few really live. Only those who seek God have life. Only those who delight in his commandments and rejoice in accomplishing his will pass beyond mere existence and actually find life.

…The holy forefathers and mothers, together with all their descendants, have chosen life. They find it in God’s Messiah, Jesus Christ, who is Life itself, God’s incarnate Word. The celebration of the Winter Pascha is a celebration of Life in God’s Word.

+Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko: The Winter Pascha

Nativity Meditation from SVOTS

God’s foreknowledge is unfathomable. It is enough for us with our whole heart to believe that it never opposes God’s grace and truth, and that it does not infringe man’s freedom. Usually this resolves as follows: God foresees how a man will freely act and makes dispositions accordingly; divine determination depends on the life of a man, and not his life upon the determination.

+ St. Theophan the Recluse: An Explanation of Certain Texts of Holy Scripture

Nativity Meditation from SVOTS -- The Conception by Righteous Anna of the Most Holy Theotokos

Orthodox theology teaches that all human beings, including the Virgin Mary who is a “mere human” like the rest of us—unlike her Son Jesus who is a “real human” but not a “mere human” because he is the incarnate Son and Word of God—are born into a fallen, death-bound, demon-ridden world whose “form is passing away” (1 Cor. 7.31).

Mary is conceived by her parents as we are all conceived. But in her case it is a pure act of faith and love, in obedience to God’s will, as an answer to prayer. In this sense her conception is truly “immaculate.” And its fruit is the woman who remains forever the most pure Virgin and Mother of God.

+ Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko: The Winter Pascha

Monday Midday Meditation -- 'Let us give thanks unto the Lord!'

 

Source: uocofusa.org

"Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?" (LK. 17:17)

Dear Parish Faithful & Friends in Christ,

The cleansing of the ten lepers (LK. 17:11-19) is clearly a remarkable story that reveals the exousia, or authority, of Christ over sickness. Yet, in addition, it is a healing story that is just as much about the need to offer thanksgiving to God whenever we are a recipient of His abundant mercy.

As the story opens, we first hear the plaintive and pathetic cry from these lepers: "And as he entered the village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices and said, 'Jesus, Master, have pity on us'." (v.12-13) Did these lepers truly believe that Jesus could do something for them that no one else could possibly do?

In response to whatever level of faith they may have had, Jesus cleansed the ten lepers simply by His word:  "When he saw them he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to priests." And as they went they were cleansed." (v. 14).

Lepers, of course, were not allowed to be near the other members of their community, for they were declared to be unclean and therefore, ritually impure (LEV. 13:45-46; NUM. 5:2-3). Their cleansing not only freed them from a debilitating illness that left its victims visibly disfigured; but it also restored them to fellowship in their community. Their ostracism was now over. 

According to the Law, the priests that Jesus sent them to would declare their healing and make that restoration to society a possibility. Yet, considering the enormous generosity of Christ in being the source of both their cleansing and restoration, we read with great surprise that only one of them returned to Jesus in order to thank Him:

Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell at his feet, giving him thanks. (v. 15-16)

What adds to our surprise is that this newly-cleansed leper "was a Samaritan." (v. 16) We know that Jews and Samaritans were hostile to each other and that "Jews have no dealings with Samaritans."(JN. 4:9) In the light of that reality, it is all the more significant that there was a Samaritan among the ten lepers. Perhaps, as lepers, they were forced to keep company; but could it be possible that in their misery they understood that they shared a common humanity that transcended their ethnic/cultural/religious barriers? So, perhaps in their collective misery, these lepers overcame their mutual hostility as they remained together on the outskirts of the village. 

Be that as it may, Jesus wanted to point out the incongruity of a Samaritan returning to offer thanks to God, while His fellow Jews failed to do so. And then Jesus asks what is a very convicting question that goes to the very heart of the matter:  "Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner"?" (v. 17-18) Even Jesus calls the Samaritan a "foreigner!" (It is of note that it was a foreigner - Naaman - who returned to Elisha after being healed of leprosy (II KINGS 5:15, LK. 4:27). But the question "cuts deep," we can say. 

Christ does not "need" to be thanked. Jesus is not petulant; and He is not offended by the cleansed lepers who failed to return as did the Samaritan. It was the lepers who needed to offer thanksgiving or praise to God for what had been done for them. That was the point that Christ drew attention to through His publicly-stated question. Significantly, Jesus tells the Samaritan:  "Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well." (v. 17) Did the cleansed and thankful leper receive more than the others had done?

St. Athanasius the Great implies this in his comments on this passage:

"They thought more highly of their cure from leprosy than of him who who had healed them.... Actually, this one was given much more than the rest. Besides being healed of his leprosy, he was told by the Lord, "Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you." You see, those who give thanks and those who glorify have the same kind of feelings. They bless their helper for the benefits they have received. That is why Paul urged everybody to 'glorify God with your body.' Isaiah also commanded, 'Give glory to God'." — Festal Letter 6

The leprosy that was treated with fear and great caution in the Scriptures can serve as a vivid metaphor for human sin. In the Orthodox Tradition, we treat sin more as a sickness than as the breaking of a commandment. Sin is more of a "condition" than a "crime." It is, actually, the "human condition" into which we are born when we enter this world. Thus, "Since all are sinners and fall short of the glory of God" (ROM. 3:23), we all need to be healed by God. And we all have been: through the redemptive death of Christ on the Cross and His Resurrection from the dead. And then through our personal death to sin and resurrection to life with Christ through the mystery of Baptism. (ROM. 6:3-11) 

For this we give thanks to God from a heart overflowing with gratitude, thanksgiving and love because we are overwhelmed by what God has done for us in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. We may have been healed through Baptism, but without the response of thanksgiving, this healing remains incomplete, and it will not bear much fruit. 

On the Lord's Day we come to the Eucharistic service of the Church - the Liturgy - which is the Service of Thanksgiving, we could say. Our presence signifies our own "return" to the Lord in response to His healing presence in our lives. (For the baptized who do not return to thus give thanks, we find a resemblance to the healed lepers who failed to return in order to praise God). And it is then that we offer thanksgiving to God as we offer ourselves up to God through the sacrifice of Christ actualized in the Liturgy. And then we receive the Eucharist - the "thanksgiving food" - to nourish us in this movement of growing love toward the most Holy Trinity:

"Eucharistisomen to Kyrio!" - "Let us give thanks unto the Lord!"

Nativity Meditation from SVOTS

 

True prayer to the true God is contact with the Divine Spirit which prays in us. The Spirit gives us to know God. The Spirit draws our spirit to contemplation of eternity. Like grace coming down from on High, the act of prayer is too much for our earthly nature and so our mortal body, incapable of rising into the spiritual sphere resists.

The intellect resists because it is incapable of containing infinity, is shaken by doubts, and rejects everything that exceeds its understanding. The social environment in which I live is antagonistic to prayer—it has organized life with other aims diametrically opposed to prayer.

Hostile spirits cannot endure prayer. But prayer alone can restore the created world from its fall, overcoming its stagnation and inertia, by means of a mighty effort of our spirit to follow Christ’s commandments.

+ St. Sophrony: On Prayer: Reflections of a Modern Saint

Fragments for Friday - The Image of Giving in St Nicholas

 

Source: uncutmountainsupply.com

There are nineteen days of charity, prayer and fasting left before Christmas... Redeem the time.

On Saturday we will commemorate St. Nicholas of Myra in Lycia, the Wonderworker (December 6). There is a certain unresolved tension that accompanies his person and memory: On the one hand, there are few "hard facts" about his life (to the point where many doubt his actual historical existence); and on the other hand, he is clearly one of the most beloved and universally venerated of saints within the Church. It is said that even many Muslims venerate St. Nicholas! A good example of an objective account of the few facts behind the saint's life can be found in a short introductory biographical note concerning St. Nicholas in the book,The Time of the Spirit:

Little is known for certain about the life of St. Nicholas, bishop of Myra in Lycia (Asia Minor). It is believed that he suffered imprisonment during the last major persecution of the Church under Diocletian in the early fourth century, and that he attended the first Ecumenical Council at Nicea in 325. Christian tradition has come to regard him, in the words of an Orthodox hymn, as "an example of faith and an icon of gentleness." (Time of the Spirit, p. 69)

For those interested in the historical background of St. Nicholas, the following note found in The Synaxarion, Vol. II, edited by Hieromonk Makarios of Simonas Petras, may prove to be of real interest:

Since the medieval period, St. Nicholas of Myra has been confused with St. Nicholas of Sion, who founded a monastery not far from Myra at the end of the 5th century. The Vita of the latter has come down to us but the incidents in it have been entirely ascribed to St. Nicholas of Myra, with the result that St. Nicholas of Sion has been forgotten n the hagiographical accounts.... (See The Life of Saint Nicholas of Sion, edited and translated by I. N. P. Sevcenko (Brookline, MA, 1984).

So, even if we are dealing with a "composite figure" when we venerate St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, we nevertheless are given a glimpse into the "mind of the Church" when it comes to an image of a true bishop/pastor. A powerful and enduring image of a genuine Christian shepherd has remained within the memory of the Church, regardless of the now unrecoverable "facts" behind the actual history of 4th - 5th c. Asia Minor. It is this "unerring" intuition of the People of God that the faithful respond to up to the present day that remains as a solid foundation upholding all of the wonderful stories that endear us to St. Nicholas. The Church today desperately needs bishops of the type embodied by St. Nicholas. A shepherd who is a "rule of faith and an image of humility" would mean a great deal more to the Christian flock, than legal-minded adherence to canon law. St. Nicholas both protected and interceded for his flock, according to the great Russian Orthodox iconographer, Leonid Uspensky. And he further writes:

"This 'life for others' is his characteristic feature and is manifested by the great variety of forms of his solicitude for men: his care for their preservation, their protection from the elements, from human injustice, from heresies and so forth. This solicitude was accompanied by numerous miracles both during his life and after his death. Indefatigable intercessor, steadfast, uncompromising fighter for Orthodoxy, he was meek and gentle in character and humble in spirit." (The Time of the Spirit, p. 69)

Well-known as St. Nicholas has been, he is perhaps less well-known in today's world. In fact, he may be slowly slipping away from Christian consciousness. Santa Claus, that rather unfortunate caricature of the saintly bishop, clearly has something to do with this. But perhaps the very virtues embodied by this saint are slowly fading from our consciousness. A few weeks back, I wrote a meditation that passed on the name our social and secular world has "earned" for itself through its rampant commercialization of Christmas - and that is Getmas. The author who coined this new term - I forget his name - claims it came to him based on a conversation he had had with a good friend about the "spirit of Christmas." The friend of our author said that Christmas was about "getting things." When the author countered by saying, "I thought Christmas was about giving," the friend quickly retorted: "Sure, people are supposed to give me things!" Out of this sad exchange came the unfortunate, but accurate, Getmas.

St. Nicholas was about the proper understanding of "giving." Perhaps the most enduring quality of his image is that of giving to children in need. Our children learn that those who already "have" more are those who will yet "get" more. And that is because they are taught this by their parents who yield to their demands. So we persist in widening the gap of imbalance between the "haves and "have-nots" without too many pangs of (Christian) conscience. St. Nicholas wanted to restore a sense of balance, and so he looked first to those who were in need, so that they could also taste some childlike happiness from receiving an unexpected gift. In a simple manner, this imitates the giving of God Who gave us Christ at a time when everyone - rich and poor alike - were impoverished through sin and death. 

I sometimes fantasize that an ideal celebration of Christmas would find a relatively affluent family making sure that they spent more on those in need than on themselves. If Christianity is indeed the "imitation of the divine nature" as St. Gregory of Nyssa once said, then that need not necessarily be such an unrealistic idea. I do not believe that I have ever actually done that, so I convict myself through the very thought. Yet, I am convinced that our children would respond with an eager spirit of cooperation if properly prepared for some approximation of that ideal. Why should it be otherwise if, according to the Apostle Paul, Christ said that it is more blessed to give than to receive?

Once again, just a thought based upon the image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

A Response

Source: ancientfatih.com

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; make and female he created them." (Gen. 1:27)

It was jarring to hear the latest verbal assault upon a particular national/ethnic group living within our country. We are on uncharted and dangerous territory when hearing, from deep within our nation's halls of power, that a particular national/ethnic group - the Somali - has been called and dismissed as "garbage." This is unprecedented in our public discourse. And, really, there is only one thing that can be done with "garbage." Such rhetoric enflames and emboldens those who are prone to prejudice and unfair judgment of the "other" within our midst. A public apology might not be forthcoming, but we, as Christians, must "fight the good fight" on the interior level, so as not to allow such inappropriate language to undermine our respect for the integrity of other people, regardless of their national/ethnic or religious background.

This is not a "political" statement, but a moral and ethical stance that is, I believe, supported by the Gospel.

Fr. Steven

Liturgy and Life

Source: uncutmountainsupply.com

"Liturgical teaching consists, therefore, in explaining how everything in worship concerns us, as the Church of God, makes us the living body of Christ, and concerns me, as a living member of that body."

Fr. Alexander Schmemann

In our discussion yesterday evening about "Children in Church," we also spoke of parents learning more about the Divine Liturgy, so as to further enhance their living experience of the Liturgy, which in turn can be related to their children in an age-appropriate manner. So, I thought to open this up to the entire parish, so anyone interested in further studying the Divine Liturgy, can also find some helpful titles below.

A good starting place would be Vol. II of Fr. Thomas Hopko's series, The Orthodox Faith. This is actually a very detailed description of all of the components of the Divine Liturgy, including what is called the "Proskomedia/Prothesis," served by the priest and deacon in preparation of the bread and wine that will be offered during the Liturgy. Here is the link: 

https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/worship/the-divine-liturgy/the-divine-liturgy

Another excellent book, that I turned to yesterday evening is: Liturgy and Life - Christian Development Through Liturgical Experience by Fr. Alexander Schmemann:

https://svspress.com/liturgy-and-life/?searchid=0&search_query=Liturgy+and+Life

Then, there is Fr. Schmemann's magnum opus, The Eucharist: 

https://svspress.com/eucharist-the/?searchid=0&search_query=the+eucharist

The late Archbishop Paul of Finland, wrote a compact but very helpful book: 

https://svspress.com/search.php?page=2§ion=product&search_query=the+divine+liturgy+archbishop+paul+of+finland

If you are looking for a more detailed and somewhat scholarly book on how the Liturgy developed though the centuries, this particular book by Hugh Wybrew - and endorsed by Met. Kallistos Ware - is quite well done:

https://svspress.com/liturgy-and-life/?searchid=0&search_query=Liturgy+and+Life

Nothing can quite match the direct experience of the Divine Liturgy as it unfolds within the liturgical life of the church, but these books can build up our knowledge of the meaning of the Liturgy and that can further deepen our experience.

I am planning on organizing a class in the new year in which we will take a detailed look at the entire Liturgy. 

In Christ,

Fr. Steven

Nativity Meditation from SVOTS -- The Holy and All-praised Apostle Andrew the First-called

Come and see! You will witness the mystery of Christ’s birth from the Virgin, His manifestation at the Jordan in His Baptism by John, His victory over the devil in the desert, His proclamation of good news to the poor, His announcement of liberty to the oppressed, His declaration of the acceptable year of the Lord’s grace. …

You will see what “many prophets and righteous men longed to see … and did not see it, and to hear … and did not hear it” (Mt. 13.17). And ultimately you will see the Son of God Himself being lifted upon the Cross in order to give His broken Body as food for His people, and His shed Blood as their drink, that their hunger and thirst for peace and joy and righteousness, and indeed for life itself, might be forever satisfied.

+ Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko: The Winter Pascha

Nativity Meditation from SVOTS

The time had now come for the shadow to draw to an end, and for the truth, so to speak, to shine forth; even the lovely beauty of Christian conduct, and the glories of the blameless life, and the sweet rational savor of the worship in spirit and truth.

For this reason very justly did the Truth—Christ, as One who with His Father was honored in their temple—command that those things that were by the law should be carried away, such as the materials for sacrifices and burning on incense, and that the temple should manifestly be a house of prayer.

For His rebuking the dealers and driving them from the sacred courts when they were selling what was wanted for sacrifice, certainly means this, as I suppose, and this alone.

+ St. Cyril of Alexandria: Commentary on St. Luke

Nativity Meditation from SVOTS

Learn from a little child: when he is attacked by someone in the presence of his parents, he does not return the attack but runs to his parents and bursts into tears. He knows that his parents will protect him. How do you not know that which a little child knows? …

Therefore, do not be vengeful. Do not return evil for evil, but look to your Father and cry to Him. Only in this way will you guarantee victory for yourself in the clash with evil men.

+ Bishop Nikolai Velimirović: Prologue

Thursday's Theological Thoughts (on Black Friday) -- 'Metaphysically Unsettling' - A Brief Reflection on Black Friday

Source: pixabay.com

There is something almost "metaphysically unsettling" about "Black Friday." Not sure of the status of Black Friday this year, but I will assume that it has many a consumer excited and raring to go. Since there is "nothing new under the sun" in our fallen world, here is an older reflection on this cultural/social phenomenon.

The very name of this day has an ominous ring to it. It may just be the sheer "nakedness" of the open, unapologetic, unflinching - and idolatrous? - materialism that pervades the day. (The data reveals that a staggering multi-billion dollars are usually spent in less than twenty-four hours). 

Or, is it the sight of the steely determination of compulsive consumers camping out overnight before the store of their choice that offers that ever-enticing single word: Sale?

Perhaps it is the frantic mayhem of the rush to the doors once they swing open like insatiable jaws leading into a modern-day Moloch awaiting to swallow its victims.

Could it be the unneighborly pushing and shoving for a product on the shelves or a place in the check-out line? How about an uneasy sense of potential violence hovering in the atmosphere if competitive tempers and nerves begin to fray?

Perhaps it is more the rapid devolution, in a veritable "twinkling of an eye," from a day of peaceful thanksgiving, into a day of rampant consumerism that is nothing short of unnerving in its effect. (Once upon a time, this Friday after Thanksgiving was a day of rest and relaxation.) As if it is now that Thanksgiving Thursday has become a mere prelude to the Black Friday to follow. 

Or is it, finally, the disheartening havoc wrecked upon any vestigial remainder of "Christmas" that has miraculously continued to linger within our secular culture two millennia after our Savior's nativity in the flesh? We seem to be witnessing a juggernaut that continues to pick up speed and strength as it careens into an unrestricted future with no end in sight.

There is "Great and Holy Friday" and now there is ... "Black Friday." 

Am I exaggerating? Please let me know. Of course, one can show the virtue of patience and simply wait until "Cyber Monday" in the quiet of one's own domicile. Not very certain that it will be spiritually healthier ... but it will be far less chaotic and perhaps even safer!

If only we loved God with the type of fervor displayed by our neighbors and co-citizens on Black Friday and rushed to the Church with such energy for the peaceful and prayerful services of this sacred Season!

What a witness to a spiritually-starving world we could make! But, alas, just when will that happen? Then again, with God all things are possible!

Nativity Meditation from SVOTS

We are all made to be living temples of God. We are all created to be dwelling places of His glory. We are all fashioned in His image and likeness to be abodes of His presence.

The first Christian martyr, the protodeacon Stephen whose memory is celebrated on the third day of Christmas, was killed for proclaiming this marvel when he bore witness that “the Most High does not dwell in houses made with hands.”

For this, like Jesus Himself, he was accused of planning the destruction of the earthly temple at Jerusalem (Acts 7.48; 6.14). The apostle Paul proclaims this same doctrine clearly and without equivocation when he writes to the Corinthians and to us that “we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building” (1 Cor. 3.9).

+Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko: The Winter Pascha

An Update on an Avoidable Tragedy

Source: uncutmountainsupply.com

This last June, I wrote a reflection on the defunding of USAID (the work of DOGE), a program established by former President George Bush that provided life-saving medicine and food for literally millions of men, women and children, primarily in Africa: 

https://orthodoxmeditations.blogspot.com/search?q=Doge

As this tragedy continues to unfold, reliable sources have reported that up to 600,000 people have died because of this ruthless defunding, and of that total as many as 400,000 are children. Truly an avoidable tragedy of "biblical proportions." I recently heard Nicholas Kristof, a prominent journalist (and a Roman Catholic) who is "on the ground" in Africa, deliver this tragic news in an update on the human toll of this defunding, much of which is painful to listen to, partly because it was all so avoidable. 

He also shared a link to a site that he has established that will allow for donations that will go toward alleviating some of this suffering: kristofimpact.org. On a recent visit to the hospital, a woman from out-of-state gave me some money and directed me to use it for the poor. I will send it to this charity and believe that it will be well-directed.

In Christ,

Fr. Steven

Thanksgiving Day Meditation -- Indulging not in food, but in giving thanks to the Lord!

Source: pixabay.com

A few years ago I ran across an op-ed piece in our local newspaper titled "A Moveable Fast" by Elyssa East. Such a title in a well-known urban secular publication was a bit intriguing, especially since the article's concluding paragraph can be read in an "Orthodox manner" without a great deal of manipulation: 

In the nearly 400 years since the first Thanksgiving, the holiday has come to mirror our transformation into a nation of gross overconsumption, but the New England colonists never intended for Thanksgiving to be a day of gluttony. They dished up restraint along with gratitude as a shared main course. What mattered most was not the feast itself, but the gathering together in thanks and praise for life's most humble gifts. Perhaps this holiday season we could benefit from restoring a proper Thanksgiving balance between forbearance and indulgence.

In other words, the uneasy alliance that has formed over the years between Thanksgiving and indulgence does not properly capture the meaning of this national holiday. For Thanksgiving to be properly "observed," a "gathering together in thanks and praise" is the most appropriate response. 

This is a good, albeit brief, definition of what we do in the Divine Liturgy. The Eucharist is about our thanksgiving to God not only for what we may have, but for who we actually are: The People of God in the process of growing in His likeness, in our life in Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit. We celebrate that service of thanksgiving — the Eucharist — so that we may realize our vocation as "eucharistic beings," and not as mere "consumers." For those who like theological jargon, our anthropology is maximalist, not minimalist. So, just as we engage in the festal Thanksgiving Day table in our homes, we continually make the effort to receive the eucharistic food from the altar table in a spirit of praise and thanksgiving. And we do so joyfully and eagerly.

Elyssa East's op-ed article includes a fascinating historical sketch of the mind and practices of the early Puritans in 17th century New England. Fasting and feasting were part of their way of life. Admittedly, I would acknowledge that the "Orthodox ethos" and the "Puritan ethos" are as far apart as one could imagine. There is the saying that a Puritan is a person who is afraid that someone, somewhere, and for some reason is actually enjoying himself! The Calvinist conception of an angry God Who needs to be appeased before He acts swiftly through punishment does not resonate for Orthodox Christians. And we thank our merciful God for that!

Perhaps the harsh environment and struggle for survival experienced by these early Puritans further influenced some of their bleak theological conclusions. However, some of our practices may coincide. The author relates that the Puritans' fear of "excessive rains from the bottles of heaven," in addition to "epidemics, crop infestations, the Indian wars and other hardships," led them to call for community-wide days of fasting or a "day of public humiliation and prayer." She further writes:

According to the 19th-century historian William DeLove, the New England colonies celebrated as many as nine such 'special public days' a year from 1620-1700. And as the Puritans were masters of self-denial, days of abstention outnumbered thanksgivings two to one. Fasting, Cotton Mather wrote, 'kept the wheel of prayer in continual motion'.

Our fasting as Orthodox Christians, however, is not based on a fearful notion of appeasing God; rather, it is a freely-chosen ascetical effort of self-discipline so as to actualize the words of the Lord when He fasted in the desert: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" [Matthew 4:4]. The rhythm of fasting and feasting is directed by our liturgical calendar, as we are now fasting in preparation for the Feast of the Nativity. We are, however, granted a hierarchical "dispensation" on Thanksgiving Day to "break the fast" in order to celebrate this national holiday as Americans. 

Actually, the Orthodox can hold their own with any other religiously-based culture when it comes to feasting. We have a great deal to feast about when we reflect upon the "divine economy!" Yet even feasting is not about "gross overconsumption" and mere indulgence.

A few more of Elyssa East's paragraphs help us understand the historical, cultural and religious background of our Thanksgiving Day celebration. "It was in the late 1660s that the New England colonies began holding an 'Annual Provincial Thanksgiving,'" she writes.

The holiday we celebrate today is a remnant of this harvest feast, which was theologically counterbalanced by an annual spring fast around the time of planting to ask God's good favor for the year. Yet fasting and praying also immediately preceded the harvest Thanksgiving.

In 1690, in Massachusetts the feast itself was postponed, though not the fasting, out of extraordinary concern that the meal would inspire too much 'carnal confidence.' As life in the New World wilderness got easier, the New England colonies gradually began holding only their annual spring fast and fall harvest feast.

Even after Abraham Lincoln established Thanksgiving as a national holiday in 1863, Massachusetts continued to celebrate its spring day of abstention for 31 more years.

As "right believing" Christians, we know to Whom we offer our thanksgiving and why — not only on Thanksgiving Day, but at every Eucharistic Divine Liturgy. As the "royal priesthood" of believers, it is our responsibility to hold up the world in prayer before God — Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If this national holiday is now characterized by "gross overconsumption," that does not mean that we need to follow such a pattern when we have the opportunity to thank and praise God before we share our domestic meals together. Perhaps a properly understood "fear of God" can be spiritually healthy when we contemplate our choices.

We have a wonderful opportunity to begin our Day of Thanksgiving by first attending the Divine Liturgy on Thursday morning at 9:30 a.m.