Mary, The New Eve

Dear Parish Faithful,

During such a hectic week, with the Nativity only a few days away, I believe that we need to turn whatever extra attention we have to something of substance. That would have to be Christ Himself and His mother, the Theotokos, who is so bound to her Son in the mystery of the Incarnation - God becoming flesh. By the second century, the early Church Fathers, such as St. Justin the Martyr, began to refer to the Virgin Mary as the "new Eve," based on the fact that Christ was the "new Adam," according the the Apostle Paul. The teaching that the Virgin Mary is the new Eve was further developed and deepened by St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 202 A.D.). This allowed St. Irenaeus, perhaps the Church's first true biblical theologian, to teach how the Virgin Mary was an integral part of the process known as "recapitulation" - the reversal and "re-heading" of humanity through the incarnation of the Son of God. There is a "new creation" in Christ who is Himself a "new beginning" that returns us to the Father. St. Irenaeus understands the role of the Virgin Mary as reversing the role of the first virgin Eve, in the following manner:

Even though Eve had Adam for a husband, she was still a virgin... By disobeying, she became the cause of death for herself and for the whole human race. In the same way, Mary, though she also had a husband, was still a virgin, and by obeying, she became the cause of salvation for herself and the whole human race... The knot of Eve's disobedience was untied by Mary's obedience. What Eve bound through her unbelief, Mary loosed by her faith. (Against Heresies 3, 22).

This is that type of passage from the Church Fathers that provides us with some truly meaningful thought for further mediation. As you are perhaps losing your mind in these final days before Christmas, turn your inward attentiveness to Mary as the "new Eve." We will follow St. Irenaeus as he develops the fascinating parallelism and contrast between Eve-Mary with another passage tomorrow.

Fr. Steven

Can the Grinch Save Christmas?

Dear Parish Faithful & Friends in Christ,

My granddaughter Nadia has read and/or seen the famous "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," because she began talking about it with me the other day. That brought back memories of having read the book by Dr. Seuss and watched the TV version when I was a young boy. This further led to some fantasizing on my part ... Perhaps it would have been a good thing if the Grinch actually did steal "Christmas!" (Apparently, I too have my "dark side" occasionally). The "Christmas" I am referring to, however, is the commercial pageant of excessive consumerism and endless activity that leaves one on the brink of total exhaustion by December 25. If the Grinch had stolen that Christmas, then perhaps the Nativity of Christ could become more central - even to Christians! In my fantasizing, I created an ideal world with an ideal celebration of the Nativity of Christ. Here is what I envisioned, at least for Orthodox Christians:

• The faithful would actually be able to come to more of the liturgical services - other than Sunday - during the forty-day Nativity Fast, instead of playing bumper cars in shopping mall parking lots, and then spending hours inside of the malls listening to drearily piped in "holiday season" music as they endlessly shopped and spent money (or jacked-up the credit cards). Or, perhaps not spend endless hours shopping online. Then, we could take something home of the peace and prayerfulness of the church. The music that would fill our minds would be the singing and chanting of the sacred hymnography of the Church that invites us to the mystery of the Incarnation. In short, the church and not the mall would be the focus of our seasonal endeavors.
  
• The faithful would be free of the consumerism that "obliges" everyone to shop and spend an extraordinary amount of money on a pile of gifts. This would free our minds and hearts to think of the poor and needy who could become more of our focus of attention and the recipients of our generosity, in the spirit of the real St. Nicholas; and ultimately, in the spirit of the Gospel. We would then only have to worry about "offending" God about forgetting to provide gifts for His neediest children and not only our family members, friends and co-workers.
  
• The faithful would make a point of coming to Confession before the Feast in a timely fashion rather than desperately trying to "squeeze" an extra fifteen minutes into those over-extended planner books that are filled with a myriad of "winter activities/vacations," social commitments and the like. This would also allow for greater time for self-examination in order to confess those sins with true repentance and compunction.
• The faithful would be able to concentrate more time on the Holy Scriptures - and less on shopping catalogs - or a good book that leads us deeper into the mystery of the "Orthodox Way" that is centered on the Incarnate Christ. Parishioners would be able to come to the church for any educational/catechetical programs that are scheduled during this same time, so as to communally penetrate that same mystery in a spirit of intense interest in Christ and fellowship as a group.
• The faithful, basically, would be free of the temptation to marginalize the Nativity of Christ because of the demands of the secularized "Christmas" that devours our time and energy and resources. This would allow for the practice of the "stewardship of time, talents and treasure" in a Christ-directed manner that is consistent with the Gospel.

Perhaps Dr. Seuss was onto something in realizing that the Grinch just may represent the "dark side" of our personality. But again - and I may be pushing it - perhaps the Grinch could represent our conscience that tells us that our focus and attention during Christmas is not quite "on target." That we need to eliminate some of the "distractions" of life that are superficially attractive, but which somehow prevent us from discovering that "something" that would really bring us an everlasting contentment. Of course, we want our children to enjoy themselves at Christmas, as we did as children. We would not want it to be "always winter, but never Christmas," as C. S. Lewis described Narnia when still under the control of the bad witch. So, in the end, the Grinch - like Ebeneezer Scrooge before him - was "converted" and discovered his "good side." Our conversion could entail a turning back to Christ so as to satisfy the deepest longings our minds and hearts. Perhaps this could happen if we were less concerned with conforming ourselves to the world, but more concerned with conforming ourselves to Christ.

_____

Another note: It will be quite a challenge, especially for families with small children, to come to church on Sunday morning, December 26 - The Second Day of the Nativity Feast. However, that Sunday, like all Sundays, is the "Lord's Day," and that is how the liturgical cycle works itself out this year around the date of December 25. I am hopeful that we will have a full gathering as we continue to celebrate the Nativity of Christ.

_____

Fr. Steven

A Blessed Event ~ The Tonsure of Mother Paula

Dear Parish Faithful and Friends in Christ,

Our beloved former parishioner and friend in Christ, Sister Vicki Bellas, is now Mother Paula. This was the new name, signifying a "second baptism," conferred on her, and revealed for the first time to the assembled body of the faithful, in the rite of monastic tonsure. (Only Mother Christophora and Sister Vicki knew of this name before the tonsuring). This blessed event occurred this last Monday on the Feast Day of St. Herman of Alaska, December 13, at the Monastery of the Holy Transfiguration in Ellwood City, PA. Despite the very real threat of severe winter weather, there were still ten persons - or pilgrims - from our parish who were there to participate. Besides Presvytera Deborah and myself, we were joined by Dan and Cristiana Georgescu; Mickey, Alexis and Analisa Calender; Roberta Robedeau; Jeannie Markvan; and Elena Drach. With the exception of some turbulence on the return trip along the more northerly route, the weather remained stable and the roads were clear. As Presvytera Deborah said: The Lord opened up the road for us! Perhaps through the prayers of Blessed Herman of Alaska ...

 This was a truly remarkable event in which the grace of God was palpably present. The depth of commitment on the part of a monastic - a monk or nun - is not only deeply impressive; it is almost "frightening" in its implications. For a worldly-minded person, it can only seem to be insane. The monastic is an ascetic and a cross-bearer in the spirit of the Gospel. She or he must fulfill the words of the Apostle Paul, that "those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." And the monastic will further say with the Apostle: "the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." (GAL. 5:24; 6:14) This is no escape from the pressures and disappointments of "real life" in the world; but rather a conscious decision to move as deeply as humanly possible into the mystery of Christ crucified and risen within the "real life" of the Church. The monastic recognizes his or her sinfulness and the depth of separation from God caused by sin. Therefore, the heart of the monastic life is continual repentance and return to God in the spirit of humility. All self-justification, rationalization and denial must be abandoned and replaced by the simple and heartfelt words from the parable of the prodigal son: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son." (LK. 15:21) However, this is not the gloom and doom of the perpetual penitent, but the "joy-creating sorrow" (St. John Klimakos) of a child of God whose infirmities have been healed by the grace of God, and who has received that grace "unto the remission of sins." This is the gift of the "laughter of the soul" that St. John also refers to. Ultimately, it is the conscious acceptance of the gift of salvation in Christ.

We witnessed and in a sense participated in this movement of repentance and return to the compassionate Father in the rite of monastic tonsure. Sister Vicki actualized the return of the prodigal son to his father when she first entered the monastery chapel following the Little Entrance during the Liturgy. This is the point at which the monastic tonsure takes place. (The consecration of a bishop, and the ordination of a priest or deacon also takes place during the eucharistic Liturgy). Clothed in a simple white garment and with her long hair uncovered and flowing, she was led into the church by the other mothers and sisters of the monastic community. More specifically, she entered the church on her knees and "walked" the full distance toward the sanctuary on her knees, weeping for her sins - and accompanied by the weeping of many who were in the church at this highly emotional moment - while being covered by the protective monastic mantia (robe) of her spiritual mother, the abbess Mother Christophora. Mother Christophora explained this to be the "womb" from which Sister Vicki would emerge unto her new and "second birth" into the monastic life, again signified by her new name of Mother Paula. This movement toward the altar culminated in Sister Vicki fully prostrate on the ground in a cruciform position. When she arose before Hieromonk Alexander, the celebrant of the monastic tonsure, a dialogue took place between Fr. Alexander and Sister Vicki, initiated by a very pointedly formulated question: "Why have you come here, Sister, falling down before the Holy Altar and before this holy assembly?" And Sister Vicki responded: "I desire the life of asceticism, Reverend Father." The dialogue continued in this manner, and here I will record some key parts of it:

Father: Do you desire to be deserving of the Angelic Habit, and to be ranked in the choir of monastics?

Novice: Yes, with God's help, Reverend Father.

Father: Truly you have chosen a good and blessed work, but only if you live it to the very end, for good works are wrought in labor, and achieved in pain. ... Do you of your own free will and mind, come to the Lord?

Novice: Yes, with God's help, Reverend Father.

Father: Not by any necessity or constraint?

Novice: No, Reverend Father.

Father: Do you renounce the world, and all that is of the world, according to the command of God?

Novice: Yes, Reverend Father.

Father: Do you thus confess all these things with hope in the power of God, and do you agree to hold fast these promises to the end of your life, by the grace of Christ?

Novice: Yes, with God's help, Reverend Father.

Father: Will you endure all the difficulties and sorrows that the Monastic life will bring with it, for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven?

Novice: Yes, with God's help, Reverend Father.

After the appointed prayers, the monastic tonsure took place. Taking the special scissors that were placed upon the Gospel Book, Sister Vicki's hair was cut cross-wise by Father Alexander, with the words: "Our Sister, Paula, is shorn in the hair of her head as a sign of her renunciation of the world and all that is of the world, renouncing her self-will and all the desires of the flesh ..." (Her long hair will eventually be further cut, as I was informed).

This is followed by the "Giving of the Habit," which is the clothing of Mother Paula with her new monastic garments, lovingly sewed and prepared by the monastic community for this day. (We provided Mother Paula with her new monastic belt). Now clothed as a fully-tonsured monastic - the Angelic Habit - Mother Paula took her place in the front of the nave, participating in the remainder of the Divine Liturgy while holding a hand cross in one hand and a beautifully bound Gospel book in her other hand; for she must take up her cross and follow the precepts of the Lord as recorded in the Holy Gospel. I was graciously asked to be the head celebrant of the Liturgy on this memorable day - con-celebrating with Fr. Thomas Hopko - and I had the joyous blessing of being the first to administer Holy Communion to "the handmaiden of God, the nun Mother Paula ..."

All of us from our parish were profoundly moved during the entire service in which time, indeed, seemed to be suspended as we experienced the liturgical time - or perhaps timelessness - of the holy Liturgy. Knowing and loving Mother Paula as we do; rejoicing in her commitment to the monastic vocation; and sharing in this unforgettable experience with her; it could not possibly have been otherwise. I began my short homily following the Gospel by referring to the words of the Apostle Peter on Mt. Tabor in the presence of the transfigured Christ: "Lord, it is good to be here!" This moving experience was further deepened by a wonderful rite following the dismissal of the Liturgy. After venerating the Cross, each person present approached Mother Paula and asked her the question: "What is your name?" She responded by saying: "My name is Paula, a sinner." Each person then added: "Save yourself, and pray for me!" (This should also serve to help Mother Paula remember her new name!). We have some photographs from the Liturgy and tonsuring itself that we hope to eventually share with everyone in the parish

A wonderful meal followed the Liturgy in the trapeza, a meal "sponsored' by Mother Paula's deceased parents, Constantine and Akrevia, whose gift of inheritance to Mother Paula has been distributed as she now lives under the vow of personal poverty. We all had the opportunity to speak with Mother Paula a bit more in the relaxed and joyful atmosphere of this communal meal. The spirit of Blessed Fr. Herman of Alaska was present with us, as this was, again, the feast of his blessed repose in the Lord (Dec. 13). Following this festive meal, Mother Paula was to return and remain in the chapel for four full days, even sleeping there. That will surely test one's gift for stillness, self-examination and prayer! .

For us at Christ the Savior/Holy Spirit, it is more than meaningful that Mother Paula came from our parish. It is a true blessing, something more qualitative than quantitative. Mother Paula came to our parish in about 1991 and stayed with us for more than ten years. For those who were here during those years, we know of her faithfulness, commitment and love of Christ. We admired her sobriety and steadfastness. We appreciated her constant work for the well-being of the parish. We also remember that it was Vicki Bellas/Sister Vicki/Mother Paula who introduced us to the Hogar in Guatemala City. We were part of the process of her monastic vocation slowly working itself out in her mind and heart over those years. We encouraged her when the time came for her to fulfill that vocation. We always looked forward to her periodic visits to Cincinnati. We anticipate her visits to us in the future. We anticipate, also, our visits to the Monastery of the Holy Transfiguration in the future. As Mother Paula will assuredly continue to pray for us we, in turn, must keep her in our prayers. May the Lord God bless and preserve her during her trials to come; and fill her with the joy and peace of the Kingdom of Heaven!

We praise and thank God for meeting good, wholesome Christian people in our lives; simple human beings who, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, make Christ present in a convincing manner. We believe this to be the case with Mother Paula, as we also strive to embody that same presence for others.

Fr. Steven

On Christian Stewardship VI

Dear Parish Faithful,

Here is the sixth meditation from Fr. Stanley Harakas on Christian Stewardship:

Give, trusting that God will multiply (II COR. 9:10). Among the practices which some of the excellent, contemporary, charitable organizations, such as the International Orthodox Christian Charities, follow is giving to build greater self-sufficiency, "getting the destitute on their feet." The Apostle speaks of Godly giving as having its source in God Who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food. There are some needs, however, brought about by overwhelming events such as drought, famine, and war, which require us to supply basic seed and food, knowing and trusting that God will "increase the fruits of [our] righteousness."

The first part of this commentary connects stewardship as giving with trust that God brings the giving to fruition. We do a small part, and God through his grace multiplies the small measure of our giving. As the Parable of the Sower puts it, "And other seeds fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold" (MK. 4:8). An ethical implication of this affirmation is that the Christian steward cannot assess his or her giving in a prideful manner. God gave the resources to begin with; our giving is only proportionate to what we have been given and it bears fruit not because of us but because of what others do with it, most of all, God. So givings should be a humbling experience, not a prideful one. Thus, the source of any righteousness that comes from giving is the grace of God; our righteousness is always contingent and always short of purity an fullness. Part of the increase is its association with the giving of others. The parish as an agent for the use of stewardship contributions, as well as church and other philanthropic organizations, do, indeed, multiply the effects of individual stewardship. Thus, stewardship is a corporate act, not individualistic.

Fr. Steven

On Christian Stewardship V

Dear Parish Faithful,

Here is the fifth meditation on Christian stewardship from Fr. Stanley Harakas. Once again, remember that he is building off of St. Paul in II COR. 9:6-11. Struggling with hesitancy or anxiety is difficult, but the meditation below offers some real insight into the "bigger picture" which can inform that struggle and our ultimate decisions to be stewards of God's abundant giving to us.

Give from the abundance received from God (II COR. 9:8). The Apostle promises to hearts that are united to God: "you always [will have] all sufficiency" (v. 8). Hesitation to give freely, which is driven by the desire to "guarantee" one's own needs, is tempered by knowing God's abounding grace. Even those of very simple means, but who truly know the Lord, understand that they have a real measure of "abundance for every good work." (v. 8)

The ethical aspect of this confidence in the abundance of God's giving is evident, pointing to the core Christian sense of dependency of the Christian on God for all of his or her needs. The words of the Lord's Prayer are a constant reminder of this reality: "Give us this day our daily bread" (MT. 6:11). Ethically, the confidence that God will provide for each of us is liberating. As Zechariah, the father of St. John the Baptist put it, praying "that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life." (LK. 1:74-75). Confidence in the "abundance of the Lord" in store for us in this life and in the next does not lead to a disregard for material needs, but to an inner peace that the Provident God cares for us. And in that confidence stewardship giving carries with it no anxiety or hesitancy. It is part of the genuine freedom, or eleutheria, of the Christian's life.

Fr. Steven