Glorfication of Matushka Olga

Source: uncutmountainsupply.com

Please read the following letter and directives from our Midwest Diocese carefully. We intend on following these directives here in the parish, beginning with the Memorial Service on Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m.

__________

 Very Reverend and Reverend Fathers,

Christ is in our midst! As many of you will be aware, the first services for the glorification of St Olga of Alaska will be taking place this coming week, and the faithful of the Orthodox Church in America have been encouraged to join in the celebration "with their prayers and by attending any local commemorations in their parishes." To provide for this, His Eminence, Archbishop Daniel has blessed the following services to be offered in parishes, missions, chapels, and institutions of the Diocese of the Midwest: 

1) On the evening of Thursday, June 19: the last panikhida for Matushka Olga. In the Church's received practice, the last act before the glorification of a saint is the celebration of a last panikhida prior to the Vigil. This highlights the humility and sobriety with which the Church approaches glorification, not daring to accord formal veneration prior to it. Our parishes are encouraged to offer the last panikhida for Matushka Olga in the early evening of Thursday, June 19, which due to our time zones will be several hours earlier than the services in Kwethluk. At this panikhida, no other names for the departed should be commemorated.

2) On Sunday, June 22, the Feast of All Saints of North America: the moleben to our holy and righteous mother Olga of Alaska at the end of the Divine Liturgy. A document is attached here with an abbreviated form of the moleben as it is sung after the Prayer Behind the Ambon and prior to the Dismissal. It utilizes the texts just released on the OCA website, where musical settings may also be found. (Note: The fuller form of the moleben, following the Dismissal of the Divine Liturgy, may also be used if so desired.)

Any questions or clarifications regarding these services should be addressed to the undersigned at the Department of Liturgical Practice:liturgy@domoca.org. May we have the prayers of the soon-to-be glorified Matushka Olga as we seek to honor her holy memory! 

Yours in Christ, Priest Esteban Vázquez

Vice-Chancellor &Director, Department of Liturgical Practice--

Diocese of the Midwest
Orthodox Church In America

917 N Wood St

Chicago, IL 60622

Sister Vassa: 'Why Pray to the Saints?'

 

COFFEE WITH SISTER VASSA

WHY PRAY TO THE “SAINTS”?

 

“…Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects. Elijah was a man of like nature with ourselves and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth its fruit. My brethren, if any one among you wanders from the truth and some one brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” (James 5: 16-20)

This passage explains not only why we should pray to the (canonized) “saints,” but also why we should ask one another for prayers, and why we should, ourselves, pray for others. The Prophet Elijah is indeed one of the greatest saints of Salvation History, but he was, nonetheless, “a man of like nature with ourselves.” On occasion Elijah demonstrated small-heartedness, and even prayed that he might die (1 Kings 19: 4), – in which case God did not “harken” to his prayer. But God did hear the “fervent” prayers of His prophet.

Thus we ask for the prayers of the “saints,” not because they were perfect, but because they were “sanctified,” that is to say, “dedicated” to God. This is also why we ask for the prayers of, and pray for, other faithful in our church-community, because we have all been “sanctified” in Holy Baptism. The extent of our or their “saint-hood” is not something we are given to judge or evaluate. But even those of us who are well aware of our own falling short in the area of “saint-hood” need not hesitate to pray fervently for others in need of prayers, because this “labor of love” for others can also “save” our own “soul from death,” and “cover a multitude of sins” of our own. Prayer for others is a “sacri-fice,” from the words “sacra” (holy) and “facere” (to make or do), or “holy making.” That is to say, we become more sanctified by praying for others, not only because this takes time and energy, but because we become more invested in the well-being of these others, when we’re investing our precious prayer-time and energy in them. Being invested in another’s well-being in this way brings us really to love them.

So, let us pray for one another, and love one another, because it’s good for all of us, both ourselves and our others! “Remembering our most holy, pure, blessed, and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.”

 

Fruits of the Spiritual Life: Two Video Accounts

 

St Paisios the Athonite

Dear Parish Faithful,

"Disorder is the result of sin, and it continues to reflect our inability to be as good as we were designed to be. Among its many deleterious effect, sin has made us low-functioning creatures, and the paltry order that we manage to bring is a caricature of what God has intended for us. All of creation groans (Rom. 8:19-22) in this state of delayed order and rampant disorder, the latter being the result of sin. That sin is most basically manifested in the idea that we thought we could do better than God - a delusion that still plagues all of us."

From The Lost World of Adam and Eve by John H. Walton

 

A good deal of the spiritual life - or even of "spiritual warfare" - is the human attempt to bring order into our personal lives and into the lives of others around us, and even into the world, by the pursuit of the virtues which are ultimately a gift from God. It is the grace of God, freely given in Christ and the Holy Spirit that brings those human efforts to a fruitful fulfillment. By way of "illustration" I thought to include a couple of links to sources that demonstrate the hoped for fruits of the spiritual life as put into effect by flesh and blood human beings.

This first link is to a relatively short documentary of a "latter day" Orthodox saint - Paisios the Athonite. He lived a life of great hardship, when the Greek Orthodox of "Asia Minor" — present day Turkey — were oppressed by the remnants of the Ottoman Empire in that country. The documentary is pretty well done, as it captures both the wider social/political aspects of St. Paisios' life together with his personal struggle for the gifts of humility and love. He became a much beloved elder and spiritual guide, and was ultimately glorified/canonized by the Greek Orthodox Church in 2015.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVX1HOxrDcw

This second link is to a really excellent documentary of the oldest monastery in the world - St. Katherine's on Mt. Sinai. It is an older documentary that I discovered still circulating on - yes! - YouTube. The text, narrated by Michael Hordern, is excellent, as one hears of the monastic ideal of pursuing theosis and the struggle to pray with stillness of mind and body. It is also a wonderful documentary about the monastery itself - its history and artwork - and the close relationship between the Orthodox monks and the Arab Bedouins, who are Moslems. A microcosm of the potential for people of different beliefs living in harmony and mutual respect. A real "lesson" for our deeply fractured contemporary world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oht6t_pnGts

If you do watch one or the other - or both - and would like to share your comments with me about them, please feel free to do so.

Fr. Steven

 

St Isaac of Syria on Human Nature, Death, and the Resurrection

 

Dear Parish Faithful, In a recent meditation, I referenced the Apostle Paul's tripartite understanding of human nature as consisting of spirit (pneuma), soul (psyche) and body (soma), as found in I Thess. 5:23. Many of the Church Fathers would echo this terminology of the Apostle Paul; while others would speak of only soul and body as encompassing human nature, with the spirit as the highest aspect of the soul. And, often, the later spiritual tradition would use the term nous to refer to the spirit, translating nous as "mind," but much more successfully as "spiritual intellect." When these levels of our human nature are harmoniously directed to the pursuit of virtue and the Kingdom of God, then the fulness of our nature is realized, so that our creation "in the image and likeness of God" shines forth to the glory of God. Be that as it may, there is a real fulness to our human nature, but also a certain complexity! But, again, this reveals that a human being is "more than meets the eye."  With this in mind, I recently came across a passage from the writings of St. Isaac the Syrian, the great ascetic and spiritual teacher from the Syriac tradition. His terms in describing human nature are derived from his native Syriac language, but they are closely related to the Greek language terms that he knew from reading such exponents of the ascetical/spiritual tradition as Evagrius of Pontus (+399), for example. Here, then, is a short but revealing passage from St. Isaac as he "prioritizes" the harmonious working of the spirit in directing our entire being toward God. Of great interest, is how St. Isaac relates this to faith in the resurrection: "The person who in his understanding is on the level of the body cannot be above fear of death in his thoughts; rather, he is continually terrified at the recollection of it. Because he is on the level of the body he thinks of the things of the body. Therefore there is always in him some doubt about the resurrection. "In the person who is on the level of the soul there vibrates a fear of soul. He does not think of the things belonging to the body - its death, affliction, or its welfare and misfortunes. Rather, he readily accepts these for the sake of what is to come, seeing that he is in truth endowed with reason. But he only possesses the level of the soul, which consists in continual reflection of what pertains to the resurrection from the dead. "As for the person who is on the level of the spirit, neither of these other descriptions is applicable: rather he stands in the knowledge and joy which is in God, seeing that he has become a child and sharer in the mystery of God." More than a little bit to mediate on!

The Remarkable Mothers of the Three Holy Hierarchs

 

 Dear Parish Faithful,

Yesterday, January 30, we commemorated the Three Hierarchs and Universal Teachers: St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian, and St; John Chrysostom. They were the focus of the homily, and of my Monday Morning Meditation posted earlier today.

However, a good part of the homily was focused on three female saints whose lives are intimately connected to that of the three holy bishops - their mothers: St. Aemelia (St. Basil); St. Nonna (St. Gregory); St. Anthousa (St. John). 

These are three remarkable women who profoundly shaped the lives of their illustrious sons. They are all saints with their own days of commemoration. I am providing a link to a wonderful webpage presentation of the three mothers. This parish is in Australia. I would urge you to read about these women and view the many remarkable icons of them and their sons. You will notice further links embedded there that will take you to a Life of each woman.

https://www.stparaskevi.org.au/saint-anthousa-mother-of-saint-john-chrysostom/

 

The Three Great Torchbearers of the Triune Godhead

 

Dear Parish Faithful and Friends in Christ,

Yesterday, January 30, we commemorated the Three holy Hierarchs and Universal Teachers – Sts. Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom – in order to honor and glorify these three great pastors and theologians as they stand before the undivided and consubstantial Trinity and thus enjoy the glory of God in equal measure. 

A pious tradition relates that there had been a dispute as to who was the “greatest” of the three, with each of these saints being championed by his respective followers: Basilians, Gregorians, and Johanites. However, a certain 11th c. bishop in a city of Asia Minor – John Mauropos - was granted a vision of the three hierarchs who made it clear to him that the glory that they experienced in the presence of God was equal. A feast day in honor of all three hierarchs was meant to make this clear, as well as provide the opportunity to glorify them with equal honor. In the wonderful service composed in honor of the Three Hierarchs, we extol their collective virtue in the following manner:

Let us who love their words come together with hymns
and honor the three great torch-bearers of the triune Godhead:
Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom.
These men have enlightened the world with the rays of their divine doctrines.
They are flowing rivers of wisdom
and they have filled all creation with springs of heavenly knowledge.
They ceaselessly intercede for us before the Holy Trinity.

Perhaps a good way to begin our Monday morning and its routines, would be to read and meditate on a “gem” of wisdom from each of these great universal teachers.

St. Basil defended the divinity of the Holy Spirit in his now classical work, On the Holy Spirit. Since it is our goal as Christians to acquire the grace of the Holy Spirit, and to walk in the newness of life granted by the Holy Spirit, this eloquent passage from St, Basil may further awaken our minds to the divine activity of the Spirit in our lives:

“He is simple in being; His powers are manifold: they are wholly present everywhere and in everything. He is distributed but does not change. He is shared yet remains whole. Consider the analogy of the sunbeam: each person upon whom its kindly light falls rejoices as if the sun existed for him alone, yet it illumines land and sea, and is master of the atmosphere. In the same way, the Spirit is given to each one who receives Him as if He were the possession of that person alone, yet He sends forth sufficient grace to fill all the universe. Everything that partakes of His grace is filled with joy according to its capacity – the capacity of its nature, not of His power…” 

“When a sunbeam falls on a transparent substance, the substance itself becomes brilliant, and radiates light from itself. So too Spirit-bearing souls, illumined by Him, finally become spiritual themselves, and their grace is sent forth to others.” 

On the Holy Spirit, ch. 22 & 23

In a famous passage from his great Theological Orations, (the composition and deliverance of which attained for St. Gregory his title “the Theologian”), he reminds us that we should not casually speak about God in a light-minded and frivolous manner. To speak about God is a serious matter and only helpful at appropriate times:

“Not to everyone, my friends, does it belong to philosophize about God; not to everyone – the subject is not so cheap and low – and, I will add, not before every audience, not at all times, nor on all points; but on certain occasions, and before certain persons, and within certain limits. 

Not to all persons, because it is permitted only to those who have been examined, and are past masters in meditation, and who have been previously purified in soul and body, or at the very least are being purified. For the impure to touch the pure is, we may safely say, not safe, just as it is unsafe to fix weak eyes upon the sun’s rays… And who are the permitted persons? They to whom the subject is of real concern, and not they who make it a matter of pleasant gossip, like any other thing, after the races, or the theatre, or a concert, or a dinner,o r still the lower employments.” 

Theological Oration 1,3.

St. John the “Golden-Mouthed” always exhorted his flock to the imitation of Christ; and always sought to lift up our minds to God in praise and thanksgiving. St. John’s theology was “practical” but also fiery and uplifting:

“Let us depart from the Divine Liturgy like lions who are producing fire, having become fearsome even to the devil, because the Holy Blood of the Lord that we commune waters our souls and gives us great strength. When we commune of it worthily, it chases the demons far away and brings the angels and the Lord near us…” 

“Teach whoever doesn’t attend church that you chanted with the Seraphim, that you belong to the heavenly lifestyle, that you met with Christ and spoke with Him. If we live the Divine Liturgy thus, we will not have to say anything to those who were absent. But seeing our benefit, they will feel their own harm and quickly run to church to enjoy the same goods, with the grace and philanthropy or our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, belong eternal glory. Amen.”

 

And we can add our own “Amen!” to the lives and teaching of the Three Hierarchs who to this day fill “all creation with springs of heavenly knowledge!”

 

Spreading Out Her Veil

 

 

Dear Parish Faithful,


On October 1, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. The Great Horologion describes the Feast in this manner:

The Feast of the Protection commemorates the appearance of the most holy Theotokos in the Church of Blachernae in Constantinople in the early sixth century, as recorded in the life of St. Andrew the Fool for Christ's sake. While the multitudes of the faithful were gathered in church, Epiphanius, the friend of St. Andrew, through the saint's prayers, beheld the Virgin Mary above the faithful and spreading out her veil over them, signifying her unceasing protection of all Christians. Because of this we keep a yearly feast of gratitude, imploring our Lady never to cease sheltering us in her mighty prayers.

As we chant in one of the hymns of the Feast:

Heaven and earth are sanctified, 
the Church shines and all people make glad. 
For behold, the Mother of God with the hosts of angels, 
with preachers and evangelists, prophets and apostles, 
has invisibly entered. 
She prays to Christ for Christians 
and entreats Him to have mercy on this city and people 
who glorify the Feast of her Protecting Veil. (Stichera at Great Vespers)

 

This evening (Thursday, September 30) is the Eve of the Feast, and we will celebrate the Protection at Great Vespers (7:00 pm). We also commemorate St. Romanos the Melode on October 1. I hope to have something prepared about him for Friday. As we all know, the icon of St. Romanos is on one of our deacon's doors.

The Saints: Examples of Holiness

Dear Parish Faithful & Friends in Christ,

Synaxis of All Saints

We recently celebrated the Great Feast of Pentecost on June 20. Therefore the following Sunday is called, simply enough, The First Sunday After Pentecost. All of the subsequent Sundays of the liturgical year, until the pre-lenten Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee sometime next year, will be so numbered, challenging us to keep our spiritual sight on the overwhelming significance of Pentecost in the divine economy. 

The New Testament era of the Church began its existence on the Day of Pentecost with the Spirit’s descent as a mighty rushing wind that took on the form of fiery tongues alighting upon the heads of the future apostles [Acts 2:1-13]. The Church has always existed, but the Church as a remnant of Israel that would flourish and grow with the addition of the Gentiles began its final phase of existence with the death, resurrection and ascension of God’s Messiah, Jesus Christ Who, seated at the right hand of the Father, would send the Holy Spirit into the world and upon “all flesh” on the day of Pentecost. 

As Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus wrote in the fourth century, “The Catholic Church, which exists from the ages, is revealed most clearly in the incarnate advent of Christ.”

The simple calendar rubric of numbering the Sundays after Pentecost is one way of reminding us of this essential truth of the Christian Faith. The Church is the Temple of the Holy Spirit, and in and through the sacramental life of the Church we experience something like a permanent pentecostal outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

The first two Sundays after Pentecost are dedicated to the saints -- the first, to All Saints, and the second, to local Saints, in our case, the Saints that have shown forth in North America. We commemorate all of the saints of the Church – men, women and children -- from her beginning to the present day, including "ancestors, fathers, mothers, patriarchs, matriarchs, prophets, apostles, preachers, evangelists, martyrs, confessors, ascetics and every righteous spirit made perfect in faith.” That is, the entire “cloud of witnesses” that surround us and pray for us while serving as models for our own faith. 

God has revealed to the Church His innumerable saints, and we rejoice in their continuous presence, made possible by the ongoing presence of the Holy Spirit. The divine and co-eternal Spirit, holy by nature, makes human beings holy by grace. That is why these particular Sundays fall so naturally after the Sunday of Pentecost.

The word we use for "saint" is the Greek word for “holy” – agios. In a real sense, we are celebrating the presence of holiness in the world, incarnate in actual flesh and blood human beings. The descent of the Holy Spirit makes it possible for human beings to become and remain holy. Without the Holy Spirit, human beings can be nice, pleasant and even good – but not holy. And it is the holiness of the saints that is their one common characteristic, expressed in an endless diversity of vocations. 

Every baptized and chrismated member of the Church is already a saint – a person sanctified and set apart as a member of the People of God – and every such member has the vocation to become a saint. The phrase often used to capture this paradox of the Christian life is “become what you already are.” This phrase expresses an entire lifetime of striving and struggle to attain, by God’s grace, the highest of vocations – the holiness of a genuine child of God, “born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” [John 1:13]. 

Of this we are reminded in the Gospel reading for the Sunday of All Saints: 

 

“So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father Who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father Who is in heaven... "He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and he who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me” [Matthew 10:32-33, 37-38].

 

We probably have a difficult time relating to such a passage, since we expend an enormous amount of energy – time, talent and treasure -- in order to guarantee for ourselves a comfortable life and the closest of possible family relationships. God and Church may be a part of that choice, but perhaps only as one compartment of life among many. At times, the greatest of our goals may be to create a certain form of “domestic bliss,” to the extent that this is humanly attainable. Nothing else can seem greater or more desirable. 

Jesus, however, makes other claims on us. And the first of those radical claims is that we must love Him above all else – including father and mother, son and daughter. This is a “hard teaching.” 

Perhaps it is here that we discover the greatest “achievement” of the saints, and the reason behind the sanctity that they often so clearly manifest. They simply loved Christ before all else. And there is nothing that can deflect them from that love. '

But in no way does this diminish our love for our loved ones. I believe that if we love Christ before all else, then we would have a greater love for those around us, including our very family members. Of course, when a choice must be made between Christ and family, it must be Christ, whatever the "cost" of that choice may be. To love Christ above all else is to expand our very notion and experience of love. If we live “in Christ,” we can then love “in Christ.” Elsewhere, Jesus would claim that this would include our enemies! This is a love that will not disappoint. 

With any other deeper love, there is always the lurking temptation of succumbing to one form of idolatry or another. Jesus even says that if we love anyone else more than Him, we are not “worthy” of Him! Clearly, there is nothing easy about bearing the name of Christ and calling oneself a Christian. Is all of this impossible? Jesus teaches that “with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible”[Matthew 19:26].

We share the most difficult of vocations – to live up to our high calling in Christ Jesus. This is not something that we achieve on our own, but a process that includes the grace of God and our own self-determination, what we call our freedom of choice or “free will.” There are obstacles that begin with the genetic and the environmental. There are distractions and temptations too numerous to keep track of. There is the unbelief of the world around us. Yet, if we approach this “day by day,” we soon realize that we are simply trying to become genuine human beings, for the glory of God is a human being fully alive, to paraphrase Saint Irenaeus of Lyons. 

As disciples of Christ, we have the “inside track” to allow us to “run with perseverance the race that is before us” [Hebrews 12:1]. So, we thank God for the multitude of the saints who not only set an example for us, but who also pray for us unceasingly in the Kingdom of God.

 

A Saint for Leap Year Only?

 

 

Dear Parish Faithful,

 

If the year 2021 was a leap year, then today would be February 29. As it is, it is actually March 1. With this in mind, I would like to share a wonderful legend from our spiritual tradition that recognizes the usual non-appearance of February 29:

A popular Russian legend tells us how St. Nicholas and St. Cassian were once sent from Paradise upon a visit to earth. On their journey they met a poor peasant who had got his wagon, with a loud of hay upon it, stuck deep in the mud and was making fruitless efforts to get his horses on. 

 

 'Let's go and give the good fellow a hand,' said St. Nicholas 

 'Not I; I am keeping out of it,' replied St. Cassian, 'I don't want to get my vestments dirty.'   

'Well, wait for me,' said St. Nicholas, 'or go on without me if you like,' and plunging without hesitation into the mud he vigorously assisted the peasant in dragging his wagon out of the rut.   

When he had finished the job and caught his companion up he was all covered in filth; his vestments were torn and soiled and looked like a beggar's rags. St. Peter was amazed to see him arrive at the gate of Paradise in this condition. 

 'I say! Who ever got you into that state?' he asked. 

 St. Nicholas told his story. 

 'And what about you? asked St. Peter, turning to St. Cassian. 'Weren't you with him in this encounter?' 

 'Yes, but I don't meddle in things that are no concern of mine, and I was especially anxious not to get my beautiful vestments dirty.' 

 'Very well,' said St. Peter, 'you, St. Nicholas, because you were not afraid of getting dirty in helping your neighbor out of a difficulty, shall for the future have two feasts a year, and you shall be reckoned the greatest of saints after me by all the peasants of Holy Russia. And you, St. Cassian, must be content with having  nice clean vestments; you shall have your feast day in the leap year only, once every four years.'   

 

An effective story! However, the Church has been more lenient with St. John Cassian, since his feast day is transferred to February 28, whenever it is not a leap year, as was the case yesterday.

Actually, St. John Cassian (c. 365-c. 435) is one of the greatest of the Church's teachers on what we call "the spiritual life." He was born in ancient Dacia (present day Romania) and eventually traveled extensively throughout the Holy Land, spending time especially in Bethlehem. He eventually made his way to Egypt, where he sat at the feet of some of the greatest of the Desert Fathers, absorbing their teaching. St. John is one of the founders of Western monasticism, for his final move was to ancient Gaul, where he established monastic communities in Marseilles and the region of Provence. Once settled there, he wrote two highly influential books in Latin - The Institutions and The Conferences. In this latter book, he interprets the words of the Syrian and Egyptian desert dwellers, in the process deeply enriching the monastic movements in the West. In the words of the historian Owen Chadwick: "Like the Rule of St. Benedict, his work was a protection against excess and a constant recall to that primitive simplicity where eastern spirituality met western."

In his First Conference, St. John passes on the words of the Abba Moses from the desert of Egypt (a place called Scete). Here is just a bit of his teaching as presented through the words of St. John Cassian as he spoke to and listened to Abba Moses:

 

"Every art and every discipline has a particular objective, that is to say, a target and an end peculiarly its own. Someone keenly engaged in any one art calmly and freely endures every toil, danger, and loss. ... So, tell me what is the end and the objective which inspires you to endure all these trials so gladly."

"As we have said, the aim of our profession is the kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven. But our point of reference, our objective, is a clean heart, without which it is impossible for anyone to reach our target. ... Our objective is purity of heart which he so justly describes as sanctification, for without this the goal cannot be reached. In other words it is as if he said that you have purity of heart for an objective and eternal life as the goal."

"Not to be jealous, not to be puffed up, not to act heedlessly, not to seek what does not belong to one, not to rejoice over some injustice, not to plan evil - what is this and its like if not the continuous offering to God of a heart that is perfect and truly pure, a heart kept free of all disturbance."

From CONFERENCE ONE.

 

Perhaps some things here to mediate upon as we approach Great Lent.

 

There is a wonderful version of this book in translation and with an excellent Introduction by Owen Chadwick, one of greatest Church historians of the 20th c:

 

https://www.amazon.com/John-Cassian-Conferences-Spirituality-Paperback/dp/080912694X/

And for our kindle users:
https://www.amazon.com/Conferences-Desert-Fathers-Illustrated-ebook/dp/B0143Y8C8K/

 

 

The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke

 

Dear Parish Faithful,

 

 

 

At yesterday's Divine Liturgy, we began to made the transition from the Gospel According to St. Matthew to the Gospel According to St. Luke. Here is a brief meditation on the significance of the third Gospel.

“Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things which have been accomplished among us, just as they were delivered to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Thoephilus, that you may know the truth concerning the things of which you have been informed.”  (LK. 1:1-4)

That, of course, is the well-known introduction by St. Luke the Evangelist to the third of the canonical Gospels that he compiled with great care and a determination to present the “truth” of the ministry and then the death and resurrection of Christ.  And it is the holy apostle and evangelist Luke whose Gospel we are now reading on Sunday morning at the Liturgy.  From The Menologion, or calendar of the year providing a brief account of the saints and feasts of the Church, we read this succinct entry about St. Luke:

 

This Apostle was an Antiochean, a physician by trade, and a disciple and companion of Paul.  He wrote his Gospel in Greek after Matthew and Mark, after which he wrote the Acts of the Apostles, and dedicated both works to Theophilus, who, according to some, was Governor of Achaia (i.e. Greece).  He lived some eighty-six years and died in Achaia, perhaps in Patras, the capital of this district.  His emblem is the calf, the third symbolic beast mentioned by Ezekiel (1:10), which is a symbol of Christ’s sacrificial and priestly office, as St. Irenaeus says.

 

On his feast day of October 18, the dismissal hymn in Tone 5 (troparion) to St. Luke praises him for his service to Christ and to the Church:

 

Let us praise with sacred songs the holy Apostle Luke,
the recorder of the joyous Gospel of Christ
and the scribe of the Acts of the Apostles;
for his writings are a testimony of the Church of Christ.
He is the physician of human weaknesses and infirmities.
he heals the wounds of our souls,
and constantly intercedes for our salvation.

And the kontakion in Tone 2:

Let us praise the godly Luke;
he is the true preacher of piety,
the orator of ineffable mysteries
and the star of the Church,
for the Word, Who alone knows the hearts of men,
chose him, with the wise Paul, to be a teacher of the Gentiles!

And one of the apostikha verses stands out as an excellent summary of the contents of St. Luke’s Gospel, outlining some of the unique features of this particular Gospel and then moving on to mention St. Luke’s role as the Apostle Paul’s traveling companion.  Although highly rhetorical as usual, this particular aposticha remains as a good teaching tool:

Rejoice, blameless writer of the Gospel of joy;
you have recorded for us the conception and preaching of the Baptist;
the wondrous Annunciation to the Mother of the Lord;
the ineffable Incarnation and Birth of the Word Who came forth from her womb;
His temptations, miracles, and parables,
His Passion, Cross and death,
the glory of His risen body recognized in the breaking of the bread,
His glorious Ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
As a faithful witness you compiled the Acts of the Apostles.
You were Paul’s companion in travel and his great consolation,
The beholder of divine mysteries and light of the Church.
Guard us all, O glorious healer!

Is everyone able to identify all of the references above?  Is everyone able to enumerate some of the miracles and parables that are unique to St. Luke, meaning that they cannot be found in any other of the remaining three Gospels?  Some of those unique passages are referred to above in the apostikha verse. Is everyone aware of some of the different details found only in St. Luke’s account of the death, resurrection and ascension of Christ?  Does everyone know the events compiled by the evangelist in the Acts of the Apostles?  

 

As the years go by and as we continue to read the Gospels over and over, I believe that we begin to distinguish between Sts. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – their style, their particular emphases and approach, and the material that is found in only one of the Gospels.  The point is not about “passing a test” concerning our knowledge of the “facts.” . (Though, periodically, the “Bible” as a category does shows up on Jeopardy!). The point is rather to have a scriptural mind that is very familiar with the Gospels precisely because we turn to them on a daily basis for our immersion into the “joy” that is found there because they make Christ alive to us.

I recall watching many years ago an interview of William F. Buckley.  Buckley was asked what books and writers have had the greatest influence on him, and he unhesitatingly responded:  "Matthew, Mark, Luke and John."  An awkward silence ensued, and the interviewer quickly changed the subject!  So, who are the writers and what are the books that have most deeply influenced your thinking, your worldview and your approach to life?