Fragments for Friday

Source: uncutmountainsupply.com

 Dear Parish Faithful,

Great Lent will begin on Monday, March 3; but actually for the parish it will begin as we serve the Forgiveness Vespers on Sunday following the Liturgy. This is a very "special" service that inaugurates the lenten fast. The theme, together with the beginning of Great Lent, is that of forgiveness. And that is clearly at the heart of the service, which is the Rite of Forgiveness, which actually comes at the very end. 

What happens is this: Everyone comes and stands before everyone else at the service - beginning with me as the parish priest and our other clergy. We make a full bow at the waist before each other, accompanied by the words: "Forgive me." The response is then: "God forgives," and then we move on to the next person. We will not exchange the "kiss of peace," and it not the place to chat with each other. We continue to move along in this fashion to the next person, who has taken a position in the line after his/her exchange with the last person in the line, until we have gone through to the very last person. The point is to fulfill the Gospel command to forgive one another, as God has forgiven us. The Gospel reading for Sunday's Liturgy will be Matt. 6:14-21. 

Everyone who is there - from members of the Church to catechumens and inquirers - is invited to stay. And that, of course, is a matter of choice. It is a free decision.

On Monday - Thursday of the First Week of Lent, there will be a unique lenten service, described in the following manner by Fr. Thomas Hopko:

"At the Compline services of the first week of lent the Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete is read. This is a long series of penitential verses based on Biblical themes, to each of which the people respond: Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me (with a bow at the waist). This canon is repeated at Matins on Thursday of the fifth week."

A Word about Great Lent

Source: legacyicons.com

 A Word About the Great Fast

St. Theodore the Studite

What is this struggle? Not to walk according to one’s own will. This is better than the other works of zeal and is a crown of martyrdom; expect that for you there is also a change of diet, multiplication of prostrations and increase of psalmody all in accord with the established tradition from of old. And so I ask, let us welcome gladly the gift of the fast, not making ourselves miserable, as we are taught, but let us advance with cheerfulness of heart, innocent, not slandering, not angry, not evil, not envying; rather peaceable toward each other, and loving, fair, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits; breathing in seasonable stillness, since hubbub is damaging in a community; speaking suitable words, since too unreasonable stillness is profitless; yet above all vigilantly keeping watch over our thoughts, not opening the door to the passions, not giving place to the devil. We are lords of ourselves; let us not open our door to the devil; rather let us keep guard over our soul as a bride of Christ, unwounded by the arrows of the thoughts; for thus we are able to become a dwelling of God in Spirit. 

Thus we may be made worthy to hear, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Quite simply, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is just, whatever pure, whatever lovely, whatever of good report, if there is anything virtuous, if there is anything praiseworthy, to speak like the Apostle, do it; and the God of peace will be with you all.

_____

A wonderful text from St. Theodore. If we recall that he was a rather severe and austere ascetic, his words are refreshing, as he captures a very holistic understanding to Great Lent which will bring meaning and depth to our fasting and prostrations. Ultimately, if we can learn to love God and neighbor during this season, then it will truly be a "lenten springtime."

One Small Gesture

Source: uocofusa.org

 Dear Parish Faithful & Friends in Christ,

Knowing the commandments of the Lord, let this be our way of life: let us feed the hungry, let us give the thirsty drink, let us clothe the naked, let us welcome strangers, let us visit in prison and the sick. Then the Judge of all the earth will say even to us: 'Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you.'

Vespers of the Sunday of the Last Judgment

One of the classics of children's literature is the wonderful novel A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. (She also wrote another classic, The Secret Garden). The young heroine of this novel is an English girl named Sara Crewe, who is initially treated as a "little princess" because her father has acquired some wealth through mining speculation, and was able to establish her as one of the more prosperous girls in a boarding school in London. Yet, when the father loses his fortune and unexpectedly dies, Sara finds herself alone and penniless and now at the mercy of the cold-hearted headmistress at the boarding school. Though now treated as a menial servant, and living in abject poverty up in the unheated attic, Sara maintains a graceful spirit that does not succumb to the physical hardships and psychological abuse of her unwanted poverty.

In a deeply touching passage in the book, Sara, living on near-starvation rations, finds a coin in the street and rushes to the local bakery in order to purchase a few newly-baked rolls. The kind baker gives her a few extra because she knew Sara before her unfortunate "reversal of fortune." Yet, when Sara emerges from the bakery with her rolls, she encounters an unkempt and homeless little street waif who is clearly even more impoverished and hungry than she is. In a spontaneous gesture of compassion and kindness, Sara graciously gives the little girl all of the rolls save one. Unknown to Sara, the baker witnessed this act, and was so impressed by Sara's sharing, that she in turn was moved to compassion and eventually brought the little girl into her shop as a worker.

This profoundly Christian scene of "co-suffering love" embedded in an Edwardian novel meant for young readers, always reminds me of the Gospel passage that we just read this last Sunday, known as the pre-lenten Sunday of the Last Judgement. Then we heard the Parable/Teaching of the Last Judgement, found in MATT. 25:31-46. Jesus powerfully describes an active ministry of love as the way to, and characteristic of, the Kingdom of God. In theological language, this is called an eschatological orientation. (Eschatology is from the Gk. word for the "last things"). Christ enumerates the following deeds of an active love that render a human person worthy of entering into the joy of the Lord at the last judgement:

• feeding the hungry
• giving drink to the thirsty
• welcoming strangers
• visiting the sick
• visiting those in prison

The biblical scholar, John L. McKenzie summarized this teaching in the following manner:

Ministry to the basic needs of one's fellow man is the only canon of judgement mentioned here. One could paraphrase by saying that man is judged entirely on his behavior toward his fellow man. The evasion that this does not include man's duties toward to God is met in this passage; Jesus identifies himself with those to whom service is given or refused, and their behavior toward men is their behavior toward God.

The surprise of those who are condemned is easy to understand; they never accepted the fact that they encountered Jesus in other men and that they cannot distinguish between their duties to God and their duties to men. They are ranked with the devils, whose proper element is the fire of Gehenna. Eschatology means man is capable of a final decision that gives his life a permanent character. Both the righteous and the wicked here have made decisions that are irrevocable.

Like the last discourse in JN, the theme is love based on the identity of Jesus with men. In the last analysis, it is love that determines whether men are good or bad. If their love is active, failure to reach perfect morality in other ways will be rare, and it will be forgiven. But there is no substitute for active love.

Dostoevsky, the great Russian novelist, also stressed the importance of an "active love," especially in the character of the elder Zosima in his final masterpiece The Brothers Karamazov, and in his young hero of that novel, Alyosha Karamazov. Active love, for Dostoevsky, was seen by him to be the most convincing repsonse to all of the arguments of theoretical atheism. In the novel, the elder Zosima says the following to a woman racked by doubts concerning immortality - and God by extension:

Strive to love your neighbor actively and tirelessly. To the extent that you succeed in loving, you will become convinced both of the existence of God and of the immortality of your soul. If you attain complete selflessness in loving your neighbor, then will indubitably be persuaded, and no doubt will even be able to enter your soul. This has been tested, this is certain.

Though fictional, Sara Crewe's one small gesture is the embodiment of an active love manifested in a gesture of mercy and compassion for the neighbor. It had no theoretical or ideological component to it. It was deeply personal and devoid of any hidden motives or calculated gains. It transcended all such categorizations. This, I believe, is what most truly exemplifies this remarkable passage in the Gospel. The teaching about the Last Judgement by Christ transcends any political/social programs, policies or promises.  The Parable of the Last Judgement is a direct appeal, perhaps a "warning," to each person - and nation? - who encounters Christ and His teaching. What are you doing as part of a ministry of active love seems to be what Christ is asking? Or, at the Last Judgement, what have you actually done? Deeds of active love may just be the most potent signs that we took Christ and His teaching seriously.

The War in Ukraine - February 24, 2022 - February 24, 2025

Source: oca.org

 A Fair and Lasting Peace

For three years now, we have been consistently praying for peace in Ukraine in the Liturgy, in addition for praying for all of the soldiers and civilians - Ukrainians and Russians - who have been killed in this terrible war. The petitions that we use for this in the Liturgy came from the OCA Chancery, meaning that they are blessed by the Holy Synod of Bishops. This has been our parish practice for three years now, at every Lord's Day Liturgy. And we will continue to pray in this manner until the war is over and peace is achieved. And we hope and pray for a "fair and lasting peace" in which Ukraine maintains its status as an independent, democratic and sovereign country. Anything less would be greatly disappointing. The number of victims in this brutal war is in the hundreds of thousands, not including the wounded. Ukrainian civilian deaths are numbered in the thousands. And, of course, that includes innocent women and children, because schools and hospitals in Ukraine have been the targets of Russian bombs and drones. 

Yet, I think we need some clarity, as fast-paced "peace talks" are now underway. To state the painfully obvious: This war was not started by Ukraine. And, indeed, one is caught in a "disinformation bubble" to think otherwise. This war was started by Russia, now a totalitarian country ruled over by a dictator with nothing resembling a moral and ethical conscience. As much as the Church opposes war, Ukraine had every moral right to defend itself against this illegitimate act of aggression. And whatever flaws and imperfections we can discover in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, he is not a "dictator." He is doing his utmost best to defend his beleaguered country as well as possible. What he has accomplished is admirable, as his country continues to support him, contrary to fabricated statements to the contrary. With no intention of "romanticizing" warfare, I would say that there is a real nobility in Ukraine's determination to defend its land and sovereignty. 

What further aggravates this unjustified act of aggression on the part of Russia is that it has the "blessing" of Kyril, the Patriarch of Moscow. As recently as this year's Nativity celebration (January 7, in Russia), he called the Russian war effort a "biblical battle" against the "decadent West." That is so absurd, that we could dismiss that phrase as so much rhetorical nonsense, but the consequences of such ill-conceived words are deadly serious - literally - and so we cannot simply brush these words aside. The Russian Orthodox Church has thus undermined its own moral and spiritual integrity, and it has lost the respect of the entire Christian world.

Ukraine and the Ukrainian people have suffered untold misery. Their land has been taken from them by an aggressive enemy, many of whom are fellow Orthodox Christians. After all of their suffering and sacrifice, an eleventh hour betrayal of Ukraine would have tragic consequences for that country and, simultaneously, serve as a betrayal of America's better instincts.

Building Up a Christian Community

Source: uncutmountainsupply.com

 Thursday's Theological Thoughts

Dear Parish Faithful & Friends in Christl,

I have been reading and studying First Peter, a magnificent but much-neglected epistle. The following passage is characteristic of the epistle's tone and the extent to which the epistle is so Gospel-oriented:

The end of all things is at hand.Therefore, be serious and sober for prayers. Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. As each one has received a gift, use is to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace. I Pet. 4:7-10)

If we "unpack" this densely-filled passage with its variety of Christian virtues, we find four practices that are meant to exemplify a genuine Christian community/parish:

• prayer in v. 7
• love in v. 8
• hospitality in v. 9
• service to one another in. v. 10

Through these practices, a Christian community will stand out from its immediate environment, and environment that often enough finds no interest or meaning in just such practices. Love in v. 8 "covers a multitude of sins." We find this thought already in the Old Testament (Prov. 10:12; Ps. 32:1); and elsewhere in the New Testament (Jm. 5:20). By love, the believer fulfills the Gospel's greatest imperative, and this in turn leads to receiving the great mercy and forgiveness of God. 

The teaching of the Lord and the apostles is meant to be practiced "in season and out of season" (II Tim. 4:5). However, I believe that we do have a tendency to either forget these deeper scriptural truths, or treat them with a certain formalism, not exactly aflame with a love for both God and neighbor! With that in mind, we can be inspired in the approaching "season" of Great Lent, to recover what we have lost through forgetfulness or indifference; or by the sheer overwhelming daily responsibilities and cares that can swamp the best of our intentions. 

Great Lent is after all, a "school for repentance," a genuine "turning" from one mode of existence to another. Could the Apostle's teaching then serve as what is called a podvig in our spiritual tradition - a conscious and exerted effort that we take up as a way of returning to the love and embrace of God? Could an intensification of prayer, love, hospitality and service to one another be that much-needed "lenten program" that will make any ascetical fasting meaningful and not simply a cultural or legalistic undertaking devoid of any lasting significance?

The Apostle closes this section of teaching with further exhortations and then a doxology in praise of God through Jesus Christ:

... whoever speaks, as one who utters oracles of God; whoever renders service, as one who renders it by the strength which God supplies; in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belongs glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (I Pet. 4:11).

In jus a few verses an entire "worldview" that combines theory and practice with Jesus Christ as the Cornerstone (Is. 28:16; I Pet. 2:6)!