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in the future - u will be able to do some more stuff here,,,!! like pat catgirl- i mean um yeah... for now u can only see others's posts :c
DEVELOPING A SACRIFICIAL MINDSET
by Fr. Sergei Sveshnikov
There are passages in the Scripture that we read, and remember, and even mention in various contexts without truly comprehending their significance. (I rather suspect that this phenomenon can be observed not exclusively with respect to the Scripture but somewhat in general with respect to much of what we read or say.) It is in this particular way that a passage from Exodus recently caught my attention.
"And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof: But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard." â Exodus 23:10-11
To be sure, the meaning seems clear: that the poor may eat, and that the beasts shall eat. (Apparently, the loss of wildlife habitat was already a topic even then.) But this is not what struck me. I tried to imagine what it would take for me to work six years and then take a year off. The answer is straight forward: I would have to save one-sixth of all I earn.
In this context, to set aside 16.5% of everything is not a savings plan, not a retirement plan, not a way to save up for a large purchase, but a sacrificeâyou cannot expect to get the lost profit back. The agricultural particulars of soil management aside, it is possible to be one-sixth better offâto rotate fields, to continue harvesting grapes and olives, to build a fence against the beasts, and to let someone else worry about the poorâthere are ways to be one-sixth better off. But this is not the ethic of the Scripture. The Scripture teaches us to sacrifice. It is a commandment of the Lord; so, the sacrifice is to God: thou shalt let it rest and lie still.
And what is most fascinating is that this ethic permeates all of daily life: not only must one be ever-mindful of the Sabbatical Year and act accordingly year after year, but the commandment of the weekly Sabbath makes it immediately-relevant every single week. One could choose to work extra hours, get a second job, leave a few minutes early from the synagogue and make a few extra shekels. But God asks His people to sacrifice all of that.
In addition to potentially making one 16.5% poorer, the commandments of the weekly Sabbath and of the Sabbatical Year teach a practical ethic of daily sacrifice to God, a sacrificial mindset, a sacrificial worldviewââthis portion belongs to God no matter what!â
It seems quite unfortunate that we are losing this ethic in the Christian Church. Perhaps, we have become too âunderstanding.â We âunderstandâ if one has to work on Sunday; we âunderstandâ if one is trying to make ends meet and takes on a second or a third job, misses Sunday Liturgy or the Great Feasts of the Church. This âunderstandingâ comes from the idea of our freedom in Christ: âAll things are lawful unto me..â (1Cor 6:12) We no longer have to obey the commandments of the Old Law. While the Sabbatical Year is still observed in traditional Judaism, it is unheard of in the Christian Church.
But have we taken our freedom in Christ and traded it for slavery to the circumstances of this world? Should we not mingle the water of our âunderstandingâ with some wine of discipline or, at least, self-discipline? Should we not make sure that Sunday is not a day to get ahead on laundry, dishes, or yard work? What does it mean to dedicate the day to God? Participate in the Divine Liturgyâsure; spend proper (not more!) time in prayer without the excuse that we are in too much of a hurry and are late for workâsure. But of equal importance may be to develop a sacrificial mindset and to refuse to get ahead in any secular endeavor on the one day that is to be dedicated to God.
Is it easy? Of course, not! That is why it is a sacrifice! But it can be a little easier if we act like a family; if we support each other; if we help and uplift each other; if we do not shoot scornful glances at the one who cannot make it to the service (or, even worse, ignore the plight of our brother or sister altogether!), but instead offer to reimburse whatever money may be lost by taking the day off to go to church. Of course, we are free in Christ. This means that we are free to do this as well.
***
Source: catalog.obitel-minsk.com/blog/2020/08/developing-aâŚ
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You know that all the powers are from God, so why do you grieve and complain about your offender for doing none other than that which God has authorized him to do to you. If it were not the case, he could not have insulted you without Godâs permission.
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St. John of Tobolsk (Maximovich)
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âBEWARE WHEN PRAYING TO GOD!â
A story of Eulogius the Stone-Cutter, narrated by Saint Daniel.
Fortunately, brothers, there are enough God-loving souls even nowadays. In spite of the fact that they are poor, they never cease to build their salvation through acts of mercy and share everything they have with the needy. As you might guess, those merciful people may sometimes think, âIf only we were rich, we could do so much more for the destitute! If only the Lord would have blessed us with wealth, we could nurture so many widows and orphans!â We sometimes also say, âAh, if only that person were rich, then he could do so much good and make so many other people rich!â Sadly, we are mistaken.
There was an elderly monk who went into a certain village to sell his produce. He met a commoner who was going home surrounded by the poor and the miserable. The elder followed them into the manâs house. He washed the feet of all those people, fed them, and comforted them. The elder learned that the man who cared for the poor was Eulogius â a stone-cutter who shared his daily wages with the poor every day. He thought to himself, âWhat if that man were rich? Heâd do so much good!â He began praying to God to make Eulogius rich. The elderâs prayer went through to the Lord, and the Lord said to the elder, âItâs better for Eulogius to remain where he currently is; but if you insist, I can make him rich, if you are willing to vouch for him.â âYeah, Lord,â the elder responded. âI vouch for the salvation of his soul!â The following day, Eulogius went to his workplace as usual and started cutting the rock. He cut out a hole and saw a cave filled with gold. Eulogius hesitated for a moment but then decided to take all gold to his house in secret. He forgot all his poor friends and spent several nights moving the gold from the cave into his house. Then he went to Constantinople, bought a huge palace, and became an aristocrat. Two years passed, when the elder saw in a dream that Eulogius was being cast away from the Lordâs face. The hermit was terrified and went to the village where he had met Eulogius for the first time.
It took him a long time to search for the man until he realized that the man was nowhere to be found. He saw an old woman in the street and asked her, âIs there a man who cares for the poor in your village?â The old lady replied, âAlas, we used to have such a man, who was a stone-cutter but he is now a lord and heâs left our village.â The elder exclaimed, âWoe to me! Iâm a murderer!â He boarded a ship and sailed to Constantinople. He found Eulogiusâ home, and sat at the gate waiting for the house owner. Finally, he saw Eulogius, surrounded by his slaves â a proud and arrogant man. The elder prostrated in front of Eulogius and exclaimed, âMercy, I want to tell you something!â Instead, Eulogius ordered his servants to beat the elder up. He went to meet Eulogius for the second time, and they beat him up again. And again, when he met him for the third time. Desperate, he wanted to return home. He embarked a ship and fell unconscious. He saw another dream, in which the Lord was surrounded with Angels and looked very angry. The Lord ordered his Angels to cast the elder away because the elder was guilty of Eulogiusâ spiritual death. However, the Mother of God appeared and pled with the Lord to forgive the elder. The Lord told the elder, âNow beware: donât ask me for something you donât know anything about. Iâll send Eulogius back to where he was from.â The elder got up happy and thanked the Lord and his most pure Mother with tears. What happened next? Emperor Justin, who had liked Eulogius, died in Constantinople. The new emperor ordered to divest Eulogius of all his possessions and kill him. Eulogius had to escape. He fled until he reached his native village. At first, he ran to the rock hoping to find some more gold. But there wasnât any. He came to his senses and started caring for the poor again. When the elder learned about it, he praised God.
Now you see, brothers, how misguided our assumptions may be sometimes and how dangerous our dreams about changing our environment are. Aside from everything else, those dreams take away the time for doing good and distract us from good deeds, and therefore impede the very roadmap of our salvation. Let us work for the glory of God, even if not where we want and not wishing anything other than what we already have: instead, let us work where God has put us and using the means that we have got. Amen.
***
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NEW JERUSALEM: WHAT EXACTLY IS MEANT BY THIS?
by Fr. John Whiteford
Question: âIs the Church the new Israel? I heard this idea disparaged as âReplacement Theology.â Also, how are we to understand the term âNew Jerusalemâ? Is it Heaven? The Church? A literal city? All three?â
The answer by Fr. John Whiteford: St. Paulâs teaching in Romans 11 is clear that those Jews who rejected Christ are like branches cut off from the olive tree, which represents the people of God â and that gentile converts are like wild olive branches that have been grafted on to that same tree. The Church is the Israel of God (Galatians 6:16), the Israelites formed the Church of the Old Testament, but the New Testament Church is in continuity with the old. However, Romans 11 is equally clear that there is still a future in Godâs providence for those who are the physical descendants of the Old Testament Israel, who rejected Christ and so have been cut off from the Church, but who will one day be saved. And so we do speak of the Church as the new Israel, but this does not mean there is no sense in which we can still speak of the Israel according to the flesh.
We do not accept the notion of some Protestants that teach that there is still a separate covenant for the Jews, and that they may be saved by the Old Covenant, while Christians are saved by the New. Nor do we believe that the descendants of those who rejected Christ have some special claim on the Holy Land that entitles them to steal land from Arab speaking Christians, many of whom are no doubt descended from those Jews that embraced Christ. Christians are children of Abraham in the truest sense, and as such are the true heirs of Godâs promise to him:
âKnow ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abrahamâ (Galatians 3:7-9).
Because we do not equate the modern state of Israel with the Israel of the Old Testament, some Protestants attempt to argue that this constitutes antisemitism, but we reject this claim. Furthermore, I would argue that this abuse of the label of antisemitism in an attempt to defend even the most indefensible actions of the state of Israel only cheapens the term, and has the effect of providing greater credibility for real antisemitic voices.
As for the term âNew Jerusalem,â we find this phrase in Revelation 21:2:
Here are examples of what the Fathers say this phrase means:
âThe heavenly Jerusalem is the multitude of the saints who will come with the Lord, even as Zechariah said: âBehold my Lord God will come, and all his saints with him [Zechariah 14:5 LXX]â (Apringius of Beja, Tractate on the Apocalypse21:2, quoted in Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: New Testament, Vol. XII, William C Weinrich, ed. (Downers Grove, IL: Intervasity Press, 2005) p. 355).
âBy Jerusalem he symbolized the blessed destiny and dwelling of the saints, which he figurately calls Jerusalem both here and in the following passages (Oecumenius, Commentary on the Apocalypse, 20:13-21:2, quoted in Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: New Testament, Vol. XII, William C Weinrich, ed. (Downers Grove, IL: Intervasity Press, 2005) p. 355).
âThe city is constructed of the saints concerning whom it is written, âHoly stones are rolled upon the land, [Zechariah 9:16 LXX]â and it has Christ as it cornerstone. It is called a âcity,â since it is the dwelling place of the kingly Trinity â for [the Trinity] dwells in it and walks in it, as he promised â and it is called âbride,â since it is joined to the Lord and is united with him in the highest, inseparable conjunctionâ (St. Andrew of Caesarea, Commentary on the Apocalypse, 21:2, quoted in Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: New Testament, Vol. XII, William C Weinrich, ed. (Downers Grove, IL: Intervasity Press, 2005) p. 356).
We find something similar in Hebrews 12:22 (âBut you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalemâ), as well as Galatians 4:26 (âBut Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us allâ). In context, both of these passages are contrasting the heavenly Jerusalem with the Old Covenant and those refusing to embrace the New Covenant.
And so, from these passages, and from what the Fathers say about them, I think we can say that the New Jerusalem refers to the Church, to all the saints in heaven, and to heaven itself.
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OBEDIENCE TO THE CHURCH: IS IT NECESSARY?
by Fr. John Whiteford
Question: âIs an Orthodox Christian obliged to follow all that the Church teaches, or is there some leeway that is left to individual choice?â
If the Church clearly teaches something, then an Orthodox Christian that wishes to go to heaven should endeavor to embrace that teaching and obey it with all their heart and soul.
Christ taught us:
âHe that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent meâ (Luke 10:16).
And so obedience to the Church is the equivalent of obedience to Christ. And so, for example, when the Scriptures, as understood and explained by the Church, teach us us that something is either forbidden or obligatory, that should settle the matter.
Further, the Seventh Ecumenical Council declared:
âIf anyone breaks any ecclesiastical tradition, written or unwritten, let him be anathema.â
But of course this applies to what the Church actually does teach. When it comes to matters that are debatable, to the extent that the debate has any real merit, there could be room for reasonable disagreement. So if there is a question about what the Church teaches, it needs to be examined on its own merits. However, often people try to raise questions about matters that there really is no question about, and so if you catch yourself grasping at straws in attempt to find a justification to ignore something that you know the Church really does teach, you should know that we ultimately will have to give an account to the God who knows whether or not we are just making excuses because we donât what to hear the Church.
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PATIENCE: KEY TO HARMONY IN FAMILY LIFE
by Fr. Deacon Charles Joiner
What are we to do when faced by an angry family member? Elder Paisios advises us to keep quiet and say the Jesus prayer.
He says, "Look, when someone is steaming with anger, no matter what you say, it will come to nothing. It is better to keep quiet and say the Jesus prayer. With prayer, heâll calm down, and you can then communicate with him. You see, even fishermen donât go fishing unless the sea is calm; they wait patiently for the storm to pass."
So, why are we so impatient with others? Where does patience come from? The Elder tells it it come from love.
He says, "Patience stems from love. In order to endure the other person, you must feel deep compassion and pain for him⌠I have seen beasts turn into lambs. With trust in God, everything evolves normally and spiritually."
Most of the difficulties we face in family life stem from insignificant things. When we look back on them, even those that lead to a divorce, we often see the causes are do to little things. What is required of us to not let these little things overwhelm us.
The Elder says, "The greatest scandals, not only in families but also in the state authority, stem from the most insignificant things. In the family one person must be humble before the other; one must imitate the otherâs virtues and also be patient and endure the otherâs peculiar idiosyncrasies."
How can this be possible? He continues: "To make this possible, it helps to think of how Christ sacrificed Himself for our sins and that he bears with us all â billions of people â even though He is without sin. However, when we suffer from the idiosyncrasies of the others, we are paying off the debt of our own sins. God in His goodness has arranged things perfectly, so that with our gifts, we can help each other, and with our faults, we can be humbled by each other. For every person has some gifts; but everyone also has some faults which one must struggle to over come."
For harmony in a family or in a community, we need to constantly be aware that we are all sinners including ourselves. We have to develop patience and not let the failings of others overcome us. We must remember the sacrifice that Christ made for us and how he endured immense pain for our salvation. This is our path as well. Through our patience that comes our of true love, others will also feel this love and become encourage to also learn to love. We need to help each other overcome our limitations. When we are aroused to anger by someoneâs behavior we are only adding to the difficulty. When we are humble and recognize our own errors and develop patience we will find a way to endure and overcome all obstacles to harmony in life. In the end for those with patience, this harmony is found in heaven with Christ. Follow His example and we will always be right.
Keep these words of Elder Paisios in mind: "A spiritual person must face all things with divine justice by looking to see what will benefit the other person. For when one is weak and makes a mistake, then he is somewhat entitled to a little leniency, because there are extenuating circumstances. But when one who is in a better spiritual condition doesnât display any understanding, then he will be at greater fault."
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IS RAISING HANDS ALLOWED DURING THE DIVINE LITURGY?
by Fr. John Whiteford
Question: Is it proper for laymen to raise their hands in prayer during the consecration of the Eucharist and the Lordâs Prayer?
Answer: No.
Raising hands in prayer is a very ancient practice, and following this practice in private prayer is certainly acceptable. However, even among the clergy, only the presiding clergyman raises his hands at various points in the Liturgy. The other priests do not. The deacons raise only one hand at these points, but never both.
Why is this? I donât recall ever reading an explanation, but I would give one answer I am certain of, and another that I think is probably true:
1. This is not the practice we have received.
2. The liturgical logic at work seems to me to be that the person who is leading the people in prayer raises his hands on behalf of all the people, and so the people, deferring to that priest or bishop, do not attempt to usurp his role, but allow him to do this alone. On the other hand, in private prayers, you are the one presiding, so to speak, and so in this case you can raise your own hands in prayer.
There is an Old Rite practice of people raising both hands when they are censed during the services, but this is a different practice. This is not done at the times when the presiding priest or bishop raises his hands.
It is important that we conduct ourselves in the services in a way that does not draw attention to ourselves, and so adhering to the practice we have received is very important. It helps everyone focus on God in prayer. The services are where we serve God in prayer and worship â not where we are served, and get to do whatever pleases us.
St. Paul admonished the Corinthians by saying: âLet all things be done decently and in orderâ (1 Corinthians 14:40), Commenting on this verse, St. John Chrysostom says:
âNothing builds up as much as good order, peace and love, just as nothing is more destructive than their opposites. It is not only in spiritual affairs but in everything that one may observe thisâ (Homily 37:4 on 1 Corinthians).
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WORK HARD â PRAY HARD â CHANGING THE PARADIGM
The slogan âWork hardâ play hardâ has been in iconic standard for corporate culture for years. It initially meant to be as involved in your daily work as you are in your extra-curricular activitiesâ but was rapidly transformed into a great excuse for irrational and destructive behavior in the after hours like alcohol abuseâ recreational drugsâ heavy partying etc. More so the idea has infiltrated from the initial corporate environment to our homes rendering even our everyday life into a two dimensional universe of work and play; everything we do falls into one of these two buckets.
The Holy Grail of a happy life becomes therefore finding the balance between carrier and leisure. A plethora of self-help books exploit this philosophy trying to attain the magic formula that will ensure the perfect harmony of our work and play habits.
A consequence this modus vivendi is that the complex experience of life is virtually reduced to a lot of work hours with as much entertainment one can fit in between. Career and social life become the only important things in life.
A father from Mount Athos told me once that people have no time for God because they are too busy with playing frivolous games. This is a very uncomfortable truth today in a society where entertainers of any kind represent one of the highest paid segments of the population. It comes to reiterate a very superficial attitude toward the real purpose of our limited time on earth.
This comment however does not indicate that the Church refuses the right of relaxation to her faithfulâ on the contrary. The following story from the life of St. Anthony the Great reflects the very wise and moderate attitude that Church has on this matter:
"A hunter in the desert saw Abba Anthony enjoying himself with the brethren and he was shocked. Wanting to show him that it was necessary sometimes to meet the needs of the brethrenâ the old man said to himâ âPut an arrow in your bow and shoot it.â Soâ he did. The old man saidâ âShoot anotherââ and he did so. Then the old man saidâ âShoot yet againââ and the hunter replied âIf I bend my bow so much I will break it.â Then the old man said to himâ âIt is the same with the work of God. If we stretch the brethren beyond measure they will soon break. Sometimes it is necessary to come down to meet their needs.â When he heard these words the hunter was pierced by compunction andâ greatly edified by the old manâ he went away. As for the brethrenâ they went home strengthened."
Some May howeverâ interpret this story as a license to âwork hardâ play hardââ but the storyline should be read in context. The people involved in it are monksâ most probably hermitsâ living a very austere life of isolationâ self-restraintâ manual labor and prayer. The short relaxation moment that the hunter observed was just a brief break from a day of dedication to the most important goal of their lives: salvation of their souls.
What the âwork and playâ adopters are missing and the monks have got right is the fundamental truth that life goes beyond this world and therefore our focus should not be spent into living a perfectly enjoyable and comfortable earthly life but into assuring a worthy entrance into the Kingdom of Heavens. Without this goal in mind it all starts and ends here. Is this really how one should spend its life? In a short-lived cycle of obtaining the means of survival and spending them fast on ephemeral entertainment? Arenât we supposed to build something in our lives other than drowning in huge amounts of alcoholâ filling our bellies at the latest restaurantsâ memorizing the latest sport scores and watching the latest Hollywood movies?
But when to meditate about all this if we fill all our time with work or play?
Seems to me that we need to change this motto into something more in the lines of âwork and prayâ: work for our salvation and pray that God will fulfill with His grace our limited and incomplete works and finish what we started.
***
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There is no ministry that is as pleasing to God as mercy <âŚ>, and never does God reward us with His love more than when we love mankind.
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Saint Gregory the Theologian
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PROPHECIES BY ST. KOSMAS AITOLOS
Father Kosmas Aitolos was born in 1714 in the Greek village Megalo Dendro (Big Tree) in the region of Aitolia. He studied in Mount Athos, in âAthonias Schoolâ, and later he became a monk in Philotheou Monastery. Because of the lack of education in most of the population, especially in the remote areas of Greece, Father Kosmas was âforcedâ to live Athos and begin missionary tours in the villages with the aim of educating the poor people. This way he would also be able to help people understand the Scriptures better. In a period of six years he managed to establish 250 schools as well as charities and rural churches.
On August 24, 1779 he was executed at Kolkondas, Fier District, near the mouth of the Seman river (in present day Albania) by the Ottoman authorities. There were no formal charges against him.
He was recognized as a saint by the Patriarchate of Constantinople Athenagoras in 1961.
St. Kosmas received from God the gift of prophecy. He seems to have foreseen everything. He predicted the future of the world, he warned of the great cataclysms which await us in our
In the following quotes several of his prophecies are presented.
PROPHECIES AND SAYINGS
You will see people flying in the sky like blackbirds and hurling fire on the earth. Those alive then will run to the graves and shout: âCome out, you who are dead, and let us who are living in.â
The cause of the general war will come from Dalmatia. Austria will be dismembered first and then Turkey.
That which is desired [i.e., freedom] will come in the third generation. Your grandchildren will see it.
France will liberate Greece, [while] Italy (will liberate) Epiros.
The villages of the plain will suffer destruction, while people at the foot of (Mount) Kissavo will go to sleep slaves and will awaken free.
The time will come when your enemies will take away from you even the ashes from your fires, but donât give up your faith as others will do.
The red hats [ie., the French] will come here [Kephallenia], and then the English for fifty-four years, and then this place will become Roman [i.e., Greek Orthodox].
The time will come when people will speak from one far place to another, for example, from Constantinople to Russia, as though they were in adjoining rooms.
A time will come when the harmony that exists now beÂtween clergy and laymen will not be.
The time will come when the devil will make his turns with his pumpkin.
They will put a tax on chickens and on windows.
Clergymen will become worse and more impious than everyone.
There will come a time when your enemies will even take away from you the ashes from your fire, but do not deny your faith, as others may do.
People will become impoverished because they will have no love for trees.
You will see in the plain a carriage without horses which will run faster than a rabbit.
The rich will become poor and the poor will die.
The time will come when the Romans [i.e., the Greek Orthodox] will fight among themselves. I recommend harmony and love.
A foreign army will come. It will believe in Christ, but it will not speak the (Greek) language.
After the general war, the wolf will live with the lamb.
People will become poor because they will become lazy.
They will seek to take you as soldiers, but they will not do so in time.
The Turks will learn the secret three days sooner than the Christians.
When you hear that the war has started from below (the south), then it will be near.
If the war starts from below (the south), you will suffer little. If it starts from above (the north), you will be destroyed.
The crags and the pits will be full of people.
It will come quickly. And either the ox will be in the field or the horse on the threshing floor.
It is sad for me to say it to you: today, tomorrow we will endure thirst and great hunger such that we would give thousands of gold coins but still will not find a little bread.
After the war, a man will have to run half an hour to find another human being to join him in fellowship.
They will ask for your rifles. Retain two. Give one and keep the other. A single rifle will save a hundred souls.
Out of schools will come things which your mind canât imagine.
Have a cross on your forehead so that they know that you are Christian.
There will come a time when your enemies will even take away from you the ashes from your fire, but do not deny your faith, as others may do.
The Turks will leave, but they shall return and will come as far as Hexamilia. In the end, they shall be driven away to Kokkina Milia. Of the Turks, one third will be killed, another third will be baptized, and the remaining third will go to Kokkina Milia.(Kokkina Milia was a region which the imagination of the enslaved Greeks placed in the depths of Asia Minor and beyond. It is there that they hoped to push back their oppressors, i.e., where they originally came from.)
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