From within the Church

 

Dear Parish Faithful,

"Contemporary America simply isn't set up to promote mutuality, care, or common life. Rather, it is designed to maximize individual accomplishment as defined by professional and financial success. Such a system leaves precious little time or energy for forms of community that don't contribute to one professional life or, as one ages, the professional prospects of one's children. Workism reigns in America, and because of it, community in America, religious community included, is a math problem that doesn't add up."

— Jake Meador

The author of the above is an Evangelical Christian writer, but he may be pointing out a challenge that threatens the Orthodox also, as we, as Orthodox, are fully in the mainstream of contemporary American culture. The Church is not only that elusive community mentioned above, but a unique communion in and through Jesus Christ. It is grace-filled and thus unites believers: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you." (Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, based on II For. 13:14) 

This is what we have to offer to a lonely and thirsty person adrift far from community and perhaps pursuing the "American dream" with the result that it is not nearly as satisfying as promised - even for those considered "successful." What, after all, is "success" without God? From within the Church we offer the love of God and hopefully love from the Body of believers that can convince others that the Church is the "place" that fulfills all meaningful desires.

 

Encountering 'The Orthodox Christmas'

 

Dear Parish Faithful,

"I behold a strange and most glorious Mystery!" 

(Canon of the Nativity of Christ, Ode Nine)

 Even though at this moment I am not sure what we will be able to "salvage" of our Nativity liturgical services due to the impending snowstorm and frigid temperatures, I would still like to make a few comments about "The Orthodox Christmas." It is simply ... "different" than what is encountered - or so I am led to believe - in other non-Orthodox churches. That difference, in turn, can evoke a wide spectrum of responses: refreshing, intriguing, odd or disappointing. Over the years, I have heard all of these responses from folks who celebrated their first Christmas in the Orthodox Church. Hence, my brief comments offered here.

One major difference is that there is no special Christmas Eve service in the Orthodox Church: no processions or unique candlelight vigils accompanied by traditional Christmas carols (many of which are both beautiful and theologically sound - "Hail the incarnate Diety" from "Hark the Herald Angels Sing"). In the Church, the traditional cycle of liturgical services remain in their basic structures - Vespers, Compline, Matins and the Liturgy - and into that structure is inserted all of the rich hymnography and scriptural readings that are appointed for the Nativity. The services are imbued with a real festal expression, but again, the basic structures remain. Older Orthodox cultures all have a "folk" element, for lack of a better term, and there you will find a different set of carols and traditions; but these are enjoyed outside of the Church's liturgical cycle of services.

In the parish this year, we have been serving the Prefestal Nativity Vespers, the Royal Hours (now cancelled due to the weather) and Matins and Liturgy. And even Matins is tentative at the moment. Therefore, I would highly recommend that you click on the link provided here, and scroll down to December 24, and read the texts for the various Nativity services that are provided. You will encounter the endlessly rich hymnography praising Christ - the "incarnate Diety" - together with the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Joseph the Betrothed, the shepherds and wise men, etc.

So, it may prove refreshing, intriguing, odd or disappointing depending upon one's perspective as a first-time or new participant in the "Orthodox Christmas." Best to be prepared I would think. The approach is different, but it would be hard to walk away unaware of the "strange and most glorious Mystery" of the Incarnation of the Word of God. 

Hoping we can gather for worship as a parish community and family!

In Christ,

Fr. Steven

Three Key Events on December 13

Dear Parish Faithful& Friends in Christ,

 

Today's date of December 13 has a great deal of significance for Orthodox Christians in North America, especially for those of us within the Orthodox Church in America, and even for our local parish of Christ the Savior/Holy Spirit. 

On this date we commemorate the repose in the Lord of Blessed Fr. Herman of Alaska (+1837). We had a wonderful Liturgy this morning in order to commemorate St. Herman's rebirth into the Kingdom of God. 

I have provided the link to his Life from the OCA website. It is very detailed and thus quite lengthy and may take more than one sitting to read through it all. But St. Herman is one of our few North American saints and we should get to know of his wonderful and holy life as well as possible:

Life of St Herman of Alaska (OCA)

In addition, I would like to include a paragraph from Fr. Thomas Hopko's reflection on Fr. Herman as found in his popular book The Winter Pascha. The entire chapter was read at an appropriate point in the Liturgy:

"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 had 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 that 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." (p. 47-48)

 

It was on December 13, 1983, that Fr. Alexander Schmemann also reposed in the Lord. Fr. Alexander is one of the greatest figures in the emergence of an autocephalous Orthodox Church here in North America. It is Fr. Alexander who initiated the liturgical revival in our parishes that make us now strong eucharistic communities.

I studied under him and served with him as an acolyte and briefly as a deacon in my three years at St. Vladimir's seminary in New York. When our daughter Sophia was born, he visited our humble apartment in Yonkers, NY to see her, congratulate us and spend some time with us. And believe me, Fr. Schmemann visiting your apartment was a big thing!

Again, to quote Fr. Hopko from The Winter Pascha:

"For those who knew him, and those who will yet come to know him, the day of Fr. Alexander's death will always be a precious part of the Church's celebration of the Christmas-Epiphany season." (p. 49)

When Fr. Schmemann died in 1983, a brief tribute to him was filmed by CBS News. Reminding me of this, Mother Paula (Vicki Bellas) sent me the following link to this. I would like to share it with anyone who may be interested:

CBS Documentary on Fr. Alexander Schmemann (OCN)

Fr. Alexander appears briefly at the beginning, so there is a brief glimpse of him and his style. The rest is a series of tributes to him from various bishops, scholars, friends, etc. including the words of Fr. Thomas Hopko, who was his son-in-law. The video ends with Fr. Alexander's funeral, an extraordinary event that I returned to New York for. 

I recall approaching Matushka Anne Hopko (Fr. Alexander's daughter) and making a comment about the unique atmosphere of the funeral. She smiled, and then replied: "Yes, just like Pascha!" That response caught the essence of Fr. Schmemann's life - and his death.

Interestingly enough there is an entry on Fr. Alexander at Wikipedia with a listing of all of his publications. Here is the link:

Fr. Alexander Schmemann (Wikipedia)

And it was also on December 13, that our former parishioner Mother Paula was tonsured as a nun at the Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Ellwood City, PA. I believe this was in 2010. Mother Paula was known in the parish before her tonsuring by her name "in the world" of Vicki Bellas. She transferred to our parish in the early 90's and stayed with us until 2003 when she left for the monastery to "test" her vocation. I was the one who drove her to the monastery in the Fall of that year. 

When the time for her tonsuring came, a sizeable group from our parish made the trip for the service. That group consisted of: Presvytera Deborah and myself, Roberta Robedeau and our former parishioners Dan and Cristina Georgescu, together with the Callender family and Jeannie Markvan and Elena Drach. We somehow managed to stay just ahead of a snowstorm blowing through the region at that time. 

The hieromonk Fr. Alexander Cutler [formerly the Igumen at St. John the Theologian Skete in Hiram, OH] served as the celebrant of the tonsuring, and Fr. Thomas Hopko and I served together with him. It was an emotional event for all of us who were there. 

Many people journey through life, never quite finding a true "vocation," so Mother Paula was blessed in discovering hers through faithfulness to Christ and a life of prayer and service. It is not a parish footnote that a monastic has come out of our parish community. Rather, it is a true blessing. We can only say "well done" and wish her Many Years!

See also: A Blessed Event ~ The Tonsure of Mother Paula

 

Closing Thoughts on our 2021 Fall Adult Education Class

 

Dear Parish Faithful,

 

We have concluded the six sessions of this year's Fall Adult Education Class. Participation was excellent (one of our parish "young adults" joined us as well as some non-Orthodox visitors) and the discussions quite lively. Our book of choice was For the Life of the World - Toward a Social Ethos of the Orthodox Church. The two main editors are David Bentley Hart and Archdeacon John Chryssavgis, both very prominent Orthodox theologians today. This title, in addition to echoing the words of Christ, is clearly a tribute to Fr. Alexander Schmemann's now classic study with the same title, written back in 1963. The centrality of the Eucharist, so much a part of our Church life today, but something that was like a new revelation when uncovered by Fr. Alexander more than half a century ago, permeates this new book and is at the heart of the Church's moral and ethical vision for a genuine Orthodox social ethos:

"The Eucharist, in being celebrated and shared by the faithful, ever and again constitutes the true Christian polity, and shines out as an icon of God's Kingdom as it will be realized in a redeemed, transfigured, and glorious creation. As such the Eucharist is a prophetic sign as well, at once a critique of all political regimes insofar as they fall short of divine love and an invitation to all peoples to seek first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness. [Matt. 6:33]" (p. 9)

This allows for a further key affirmation:

“The Kingdom of God alone is the Christian’s first and and last loyalty, and all other allegiances are at most provisional, transient, partial, and incidental.” (p. 11)

 

Although referring to For the Life of the World as a "book," it is actually better described as a "document," because there is a chosen group of distinguished Orthodox scholars who were behind the final text. They are all listed in the front of the book. This book/document was conceived and written in response to the directive of His All-holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, who blessed this theological commission to articulate a sustained and theologically-informed response to the pressing social issues of today's complex and, at times, chaotic world. But a world that is loved by God and saved by the advent of Christ, and which is still spiritually hungry for that gift of salvation, though tragically unaware of God's gift and desire "that all should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth." (I Tim. 2:4 )

The strength of the book is in its fidelity to the Tradition of the Church, expressed in the Preface as follows:

"No claim is advanced in these pages that was not arrived at through a scrupulous contemplation of the biblical, patristic, dogmatic, and theolgical sources of the tradition as a whole." (Preface, p. xviii)

 

Discussing the complexities of life in a (post)modern world will inevitably lead to a real difference of opinions as to how to approach and try to solve some of our more pressing social issues. The authors of the book were aware of this and humbly acknowledged it in the text itself, by writing of the document's purpose in the Conclusion:

"It is offered, therefore, with the caution and the humble acknowledgment that it is in many respects quite inadequate as a comprehensive statement of the social ethos of the Church. In that sense, it is at most an invitation to further and deeper reflection on the parts of the faithful." (p. 107)

 

Nevertheless, this document is so impressive precisely because it is so theologically literate, and its uncompromising adherence to the Gospel so imbues every position articulated in the document's content, that it is nearly impossible to dismiss out-of-hand any of the general principles that it elucidates as something taught, believed and promoted by the Orthodox Church. As the reader may challenge some of the claims of the document; so the document, in turn, will challenge even some of our most strongly-held positions on social issues. The document invites us to think theologically not politically. I am deeply thankful that through such a document as this one we, as Orthodox Christians, are fearlessly engaging in a meaningful dialogue with the twenty-first century world - the world we live in! Here are a few choice examples, somewhat randomly chosen, but passages that generated some of our more lively discussions in our class sessions:

“There is only one human race, to which all persons belong, and all are called as one to become a single people of God in the creator. … And yet, sadly, the rise of new forms of political and nationalist extremism has even resulted in the infiltration of various Orthodox communities by individuals committed to race-theory.” 

“Already in the womb each of us is a spiritual creature, a person formed in God’s image and created to rejoice in God’s presence. From the first generation of Christians, therefore, the Church has abhorred the practice of elective abortion." (p. 32)

"In the late capitalist world, old age - once recognized as something venerable - is often treated as something of an embarrassment, and the elderly as something of a burden and nuisance." (p. 39)

“The pursuit of social justice and civil equity – provision for the poor and shelter for the homeless, protection for the weak, welcome for the displaced, and assistance for the disabled – is not merely an ethos the Church recommends for the sake of a comfortable conscience, but is a necessary means of salvation, the indispensable path to union with God in Christ, and to fail in these responsibilities is to invite condemnation before the judgment seat of God.” (p. 43)

“Nothing is more contrary to God’s will for creatures fashioned in his image and likeness than violence one against another, and nothing more sacrilegious than the organized practice of mass killing.” (p. 58)

“Minucius Felix, St. Cyprian, and Tertullian all took it for granted that, for Christians, the innocent may never slay the guilty … The prevailing view among the Fathers was essentially that the Sermon on the Mount’s prohibition of retaliation sets the standard for Christians in both the private and the public spheres, for on the cross Christ at once perfected the refusal of violence and exhausted the law’s wrath.” (p. 67)

"Orthodox Christians, then, may and should happily adopt the language of human rights when seeking to promote justice and peace among peoples and nations, and when seeking to defend the weak against the powerful, the oppressed against their oppressors, and the indigent against those who seek to exploit them." (p. 80)

"A society that protects freedom of religion is one that recognizes that it is only through the preservation of a sphere of spiritual concern, transcendent even of the interest of the state, that a People,e can sustain the moral foundations of real civil and social unity." (p. 85)

"The invention of medicines, antibiotics, vaccines, therapies for even the gravest of illnesses, and so forth, are especially glorious achievements of human creativity, and are thus also particularly precious gifts from God." (p. 94)

"The disembodied, curiously impersonal, and abstracted quality of virtual communication seems to prompt the kind of amoral and self-absorbed behavior that the real, immediate presence of another person would discourage." (p. 96)

"The desire for scientific knowledge flows from the same wellspring as faith's longing to enter ever more deeply into the mystery of God." (p. 98)

"While a modest secular order that does not impose a religion on its citizens is a perfectly good and honorable ideal, a government that restricts even ordinary expressions of religious identity and belief all too easily becomes a soft tyranny that will, in the end, create more division than unity." (p. 119)

 

I have argued for the document's capacity to sustain a very high quality of moral, ethical and theological integrity from start to finish, but I would like to choose one particular passage that to me, at least, rises near to the level of "prophetic pathos." Biblical prophets will initially sound a voice of (righteous) indignation over against unrighteousness and injustice, before they provide the voice of insight and a positive call to a renewed vision. Although expressed in the same style as the rest of the document - a language fitting for the twenty-first century - I detect a certain element of that in this passage that denounces both the ideological and then the actual dehumanization of a particular group of people in today's world who are actually deserving of our compassion:

"We have seen nativist panic encouraged in Europe, in Australia, in the Americas. In the United States, the most powerful and wealthiest nation in history - one, in fact, born out of mighty floods of immigrants from around the world - we have seen political leaders not only encouraging fear and hatred of asylum-seekers and impoverished immigrants, but even employing terror against them: abducting children from their parents, shattering families, tormenting parents and children alike, interning all of them indefinitely; denying due process to asylum-seekers, slandering and lying about those seeking refuge, deploying the military at southern borders to terrify and threaten unarmed immigrants, employing racist and nativist rhetoric against asylum-seekers for the sake of political advantage, and so forth. All such actions are assaults upon the image of God in those who seek our mercy. They are offenses against the Holy Spirit. In the name of Christ, the Orthodox Church denounces these practices, and implores those who are guilty of them to repent and to seek instead to become servants of justice and charity." (p. 91)

 

For the Life of the World - Toward a Social Ethos of the Orthodox Church begins with the magnificent affirmation so dear to all Orthodox Christians, that:

"... the human person as having been created in the image and likeness of God. To be made in God's image is to be made for free and and conscious communion and union with God in Jesus Christ, inasmuch as we are formed in, through, and for him." (p. 1)

 

This document is one long affirmation of this truth as it applies to all human beings throughout the world - from the most ancient times and pressing forward to as yet an unknown future - and then implies that we must embrace this truth in order to best create and cultivate an Orthodox ethos for the world in which we live. 

If you have yet to read through this inspiring document carefully, here is the link from our parish website of a free PDF copy of the full text, plus additional links for further study:

• Order the book from Holy Cross Orthodox Press
• Download the free PDF Study Guide for the book
• Read the book announcement from Holy Cross Orthodox Press

 

Reflections for the Feast of St Herman of Alaska

 

Dear Parish Faithful,

Icon by Archbishop Job, of beloved memory

 

As we commemorated the 50th anniversary of St. Herman of Alaska's glorification yesterday, August 9, I would like to share some more about this wonderful saint who labored for the sake of Christ in Alaska. For the moment, our webservant put together this fine collection of passages from St. Herman himself and some other very good material.

It should be of great interest to all of us just how non-judgmental St. Herman is toward sin and sinners. He has a deep insight that sin is always overcome by the great love of God. And that our struggle with sin is part of a greater spiritual struggle that is sustained by the grace of God and has "our homeland" in sight as a final goal.

- Fr Steven

_____

St Herman on 'The Way of a Christian'

"A true Christian is made by faith and love of Christ. Our sins do not in the least hinder our Christianity, according to the word of the Savior Himself. He said: I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance; there is more joy in heaven over one who repents than over ninety and nine just ones. Likewise concerning the sinful woman who touched His feet, He said to the Pharisee Simon: to one who has love, a great debt is forgiven, but from one who has no love, even a small debt will be demanded. From these judgements a Christian should bring himself to hope and joy, and not in the least accept the torment of despair. Here one needs the shield of faith.

"Sin, to one who loves God, is nothing other than an arrow from the enemy in battle. The true Christian is a warrior fighting his way through the regiments of the unseen enemy to his heavenly homeland. According to the word of the Apostle, our homeland is in heaven; and about the warrior he says: we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph.6: 12)].

"The vain desires of this world separate us from our homeland; love of them and habit clothe our soul as if in a hideous garment. This is called by the Apostles the outward man. We, traveling on the journey of this life and calling on God to help us, ought to be divesting ourselves of this hideous garment and clothing ourselves in new desires, in a new love of the age to come, and thereby to receive knowledge of how near or how far we are from our heavenly homeland. But it is not possible to do this quickly; rather one must follow the example of sick people, who, wishing the desired health, do not leave off seeking means to cure themselves."

(From a Letter of St Herman, dated June 20, 1820)

~ ~ ~

The Importance of St Herman for Orthodox Christians in America Today

"The first saints God raises up in a country contain a special message about what Orthodoxy must be like for that nation...

"So what is the lesson the Lord wants American Orthodox like us to learn from St. Herman? He was a meek and humble monk, not even a priest, but a strong witness against injustice and a confessor of the true Faith. These are the qualities, I believe, that Orthodoxy in America must emulate. But so far, we aren't. We are obsessed with jurisdictional administrative issues, while the inner life of the Church—which leads to repentance and deification through humility—is largely neglected at the official, organizational, level...

"We need a 'revival' inspired by St. Herman!”

- Schema-Hieromonk Ambrose (Young)

~ ~ ~

Archbishop Job’s connection to St Herman

The icon of St Herman of Alaska accompanying this post was painted/written by His Grace, Bishop Job of Chicago (formerly, Fr. John Osacky), and presented to Holy Resurrection Church (in Kodiak, Alaska, where the relics of St Herman are kept) by him at the time of the glorification of St. Herman on August 9, 1970. 

This depiction of St Herman, holding a blessing cross and standing on an outcropping with the inlet waters and Alaskan mountains behind him, became therefore one of the classic iconographic forms for the depiction of the saint, and many have been done in this style since 1970.

Learn more about St Herman on our extensive resource page om our parish website...