Holy Day?

A recent conversation I had involving the topic of whether "Happy Holidays" is an appropriate or tolerable phrase for Christians inspired me to do a little research yesterday.

During the conversation, I had wondered aloud whether the people who complain the loudest about the use of the phrase "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas," and who every year object to the "secularization" of Christmas in the "public square" and in the "marketplace," and who demand that we "keep Christ in Christmas," even bother to attend church on Christmas day. That in turn got me wondering whether most churches (except Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and other liturgical churches) are even open on Christmas.

I don't remember ever—even once—during my upbringing as an Evangelical Christian attending church on Christmas day. Christmas Eve, yes, but never on Christmas day.

So I decided to makes some calls. I contacted fifty local (and two out-of-state) Evengelical churches to find out who was holding services on Christmas day and who was not. Out of fifty-two Evengelical churches, a total of ...zero... were planning to celebrate Christmas on Christmas. In fact fifteen of them (that's 30%) weren't even having services on Christmas Eve! One of the churches that was planning four Christmas Eve services, not only wasn't planning to be open on Christmas day, but wasn't even having services on the 26th...that's a Sunday! Another church was planning a New Years party, and yet another was planning a "burning bowl" ceremony on the 31st (according to the receptionist, that's where you write down all your problems and concerns for the coming year and toss them into a flaming bowl for "god" to receive). Some churches were scheduled to have "candlelight" servies only on the 24th, others on the 23rd and 24th; five churches were planning three or more pre-Christmas services. But not one, I repeat: not a single one was planning to come together as a community on the feast of God's Incarnation in the flesh to celebrate His birth of a Virgin as foretold by the Prophets. Not one.

So, what's my point in all this? My point is that anyone who can't be bothered to get dressed and go to church on Christmas morning might do well to rethink whether or not they have a leg to stand on when demanding that people say "Merry Christmas" rather than "Happy Holidays." I have heard people say of politics that if you don't vote, you have no right to complain about the government. I believe the same principle applies here: if you don't make a practice of attending church on Christmas day, you forfeit your right to complain when someone else says "Happy Holidays."

Furthermore, I would suggest that anyone who attends a church that doesn't even bother to open its doors on Christmas (even if it happens to fall on a Sunday!) is not to be taken seriously when they complain about the secularization of Christmas in the "public square" or when they boycott retailers and other businesses for not giving Christmas its proper respect. (see also here, here, here, here, etc...) My guess (and I welcome your correction if I am wrong) is that these churches have also done away with any observance whatsoever of any other event in the life of Christ (like His baptism, or His presentation in the Temple, or His Transfiguration, or His Ascension), or of the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost; and heaven forbid they should ever commemorate Mary or the Saints!*

I think it's pretty safe to say (and, again, please correct me if I'm wrong) that a lot of these churches that choose to lock their doors on Christmas, and that have decided to eliminate altogether the many other beautiful holy days throughout the year are the same ones that use theater seating, laserlight shows, rock bands, multimedia, and dramatic performance to entertain communicate their message. And these are probably the same ones that have removed from their building any visual cues that would identify the place as a house of worship (except maybe a cross above the rock band).

The "worship space" looks like a high school auditorium hosting a battle-of-the-bands contest, the "praise and worship" music sounds like something you would (and sometimes do) hear on any secular radio station, the feasts of the church are gone, any sense of majesty: gone; any sense of spirituality: gone; any sense of beauty, wonder, humilty, dignity, or awe: gone; any motivation to humble oneself before their Creator: gone. In other words, these places are about as secular as a "Christian" community can possibly be and yet there are people who attend them that actually have the temerity to complain, not about the secularization of their own churches, but about the secularization of the secular world. Hey folks; I undersand you want to put Christ "back into Christmas," but how about first putting Him back into Christianity!

If there is, in fact, a "war on Christmas," it is being LOST in American Evangelical "churches." Please pray for these people, that the scales may fall from their eyes and that they will allow the Lord to lead them into His Church.


*And yet, curiously, some modern churches have adopted the practice of observing Jewish holidays! That's right: they have eliminated all the ancient Christian Holy Days (except for one, Easter. Although I wonder: would these churches even celebrate Easter if it didn't happen to fall on a Sunday every year?) and have replaced them with non-Christian festivals! The old Jewish observances were given for the purpose of foretelling the coming of the Messiah. Now that the Messaiah has come, there is no need to celebrate them. Modern Evangelical Christians would know this if they had not completely lost touch with historic Christianity.

And please don't tell me that merely holding a candlelight Christmas Eve service is equivalent to celebrating Christmas, especially if you're unwilling to allow that "Happy Holidays" is as acceptible a greeting as "Merry Christmas." Christmas is, after all, one of the holiest days of the Christian calendar. At least to some of us...

St Nicholas: He Who Punches Heretics in the Face (and Gives Gifts to Children)

source
When President Teddy Roosevelt was a college student, he taught a Sunday School class for elementary school children. During this time, Roosevelt awarded a dollar to a boy in his Sunday School class for beating the snot out of a bully who tormented little girls. "You did exactly right," said Roosevelt with pride. However, the congregation disagreed. They immediately dismissed Roosevelt for teaching the "un-Christian" principle of laying the smack down on those who have it coming to them.
Well, if tradition is true, that little boy was also richly rewarded by Jolly Old Saint Nicholas since the good Saint Nick allegedly "h-slapped" ("heretic slapped") the heresiarch Arius. You see, Arius wrongly taught that Christ was not fully divine. Rather, Arius taught that Christ had been created by God the Father.
During the First Ecumenical Council of Nicea (AD 325), Arius was called upon to defend his position on the inferiority of Christ. Saint Nicholas just couldn't listen to all of Arius' nonsense and so he stood up and laid in to Arius with his fist.
The Emperor Constantine and the bishops present at the Council were alarmed by Nicholas' act of violence against Arius. They immediately stripped Nicholas of his office as a bishop by confiscating the two items that marked out a man as a Christian bishop: Nicholas' personal copy of the Gospels and his pallium (the vestment worn by all bishops in the East).
Now if that were the end of the story, we probably wouldn't know about Saint Nicholas, and our children wouldn't be asking him for presents. However, after Nicholas was deposed, the Lord Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary visited Nicholas who was being held in a prison cell for his fist-fight with the heretic.
Our Lord Jesus Christ asked Saint Nicholas, "Why are you here?" Nicholas responded, "Because I love you, my Lord and my God."

Christ then presented Nicholas with his copy of the Gospels. Next, the Blessed Virgin vested Nicholas with his episcopal pallium, thus restoring him to his rank as a bishop.

In Defense of the Christmas Tree

From Mystagogy:

By Father Daniel Daly

Several years ago during the Christmas season, a religious program on television caught my attention. The program featured a discussion on the dangers of cults, especially to young people. I found myself agreeing with the panelists as they warned young people about the hazards of involvement in occult or “new age” spirituality.

During the interview, however, one participant made a statement that shocked me. “…and the Christmas tree is pagan too…,” he asserted. The Christmas Tree? Pagan? Could it be that something most of us enjoy so much might be actually pagan in origin? Despite its growing commercialization, the Christmas tree is still associated with the fondest memories of our early childhood. Who does not remember approaching the tree on Christmas morning? Today people are so captivated by it that some even put it up in November! It finds a place in the homes of believers and unbelievers alike.

Most people are aware that the Christmas tree came to America with immigrants from Germany, but just where did the Christmas tree originate? Are its origins to be found in paganism, as the speaker suggested?

The Christmas tree does not date from early Germanic times. Its origins are to be found in a tradition that has virtually disappeared from Christianity, the Liturgical Drama. In the Middle Ages liturgical plays or dramas were presented during or sometimes immediately after the services in the churches of Western Europe. The earliest of these plays were associated with the Mysteries of Holy Week and Easter. Initially they were dramatizations of the liturgical texts. The earliest recorded is the Quem quaeritis (“Whom do you seek?”) play of the Easter season. These plays later developed into the Miracle and Morality plays. Some were associated with events in the lives of well-known saints. The plays were presented on the porches of large churches. Although these liturgical dramas have now virtually disappeared, the Passion Play of Oberammergau, Germany is a recent revival of this dramatic form.

One mystery play was presented on Christmas Eve, the day which also commemorated the feast of Adam and Eve in the Western Church. The “Paradise Play” told the well-known story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Paradise. The central “prop” in the play was the Paradise Tree, or Tree of Knowledge. During the play this tree was brought in laden with apples.

The Paradise Tree became very popular with the German people. They soon began the practice of setting up a fir tree in their homes. Originally, the trees were decorated with bread wafers commemorating the Eucharist. Later, these were replaced with various kinds of sweets. Our Christmas tree is derived, not from the pagan yule tree, but from the paradise tree adorned with apples on December 24 in honor of Adam and Eve. The Christmas tree is completely biblical in origin.

The first Christmas tree dates from 1605 in Strasbourg. By the 1700s the custom of the Christmas tree was widespread among the German people. It was brought to America by early German immigrants, and it became popular in England through the influence of Prince Albert, the German husband of Queen Victoria.

The use of evergreens at Christmas may date from St. Boniface of the eighth century, who dedicated the fir tree to the Holy Child in order to replace the sacred oak tree of Odin; but the Christmas tree as we know it today does not appear to be so ancient a custom. It appears first in the Christian Mystery play commemorating the biblical story of Adam and Eve.

How legitimate is it to use a fir tree in the celebration of Christmas? From the very earliest days of the Church, Christians brought many things of God’s material creation into their life of faith and worship, e.g., water, bread, wine, oil, candles and incense. All these things are part of God’s creation. They are part of the world that Christ came to save. Man cannot reject the material creation without rejecting his own humanity. In Genesis man was given dominion over the material world.

Christmas celebrates the great mystery of the Incarnation. In that mystery God the Word became man. In order to redeem us, God became one of us. He became part of His own creation. The Incarnation affirms the importance of both man and the whole of creation. “For God so loved the world…”

A faith which would seek to divorce itself from all elements of the material world in search for an absolutely spiritual religion overlooks this most central mystery of Christmas, the mystery of God becoming man, the Incarnation. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Enjoy your Christmas tree.

Originally published in “The Word” magazine, December 2002. The Very Rev. Daniel Daly is pastor of St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, Grand Rapids, MI.

St Quentin (d. 278)

Quintin was of noble lineage of the city of Rome, and came into the city of Amiens, showing many miracles. And was taken there of the provost of the city by commandment of Maximian, and was beaten until they that beat him were weary, and after was put in prison, but he was unbound of an angel, and he went into the city and there preached to the people. Then he was taken again, and was strained on the eculee, an instrument to torment saints on, unto the breaking of his veins, and beaten with raw sinews right long, and afterwards he was boiled in burning pitch and oil, and yet for all that he mocked the judge. Then the judge did do put into his mouth quicklime, vinegar, and mustard, and yet always he abode constant and unmovable. And then he was brought into Vermandos, and fixed in him two nails from his head unto his knees, and ten nails between his nails and the flesh of his nails and the flesh on his hands. And at the last the provost made him to be beheaded, and threw the body into the water.


Which body was hid there fifty-five years, and then founden there by a noble woman of Rome. For as she was continually in prayer, she was in a night warned by an angel that she should go hastily unto the castle of Vermandos, and it was commanded to her that she should fetch the body of Saint Quintin in such a place and bury it honourably. And when she came to the said place with a great company, and as she made her prayers, the body of Saint Quintin appeared above the water, sweetly smelling and without corruption, which body she took and buried it worshipfully. And for the sepulture that she made honourably, she that tofore was blind, received her sight again for a reward. And then there she edified a fair church, and returned home to her own place again. In which church now is a fair monastery of monks and a good town called Saint Quintins in Vermandos, where daily be showed many great miracles, especially for the dropsy, etc., and swelling of great bellies for over great superfluity of water. For this sickness in especial he is sought, and many men have been cured and made whole by the merits of this blessed saint and martyr Saint Quintin. To whom pray we that we may be delivered from all infirmities, as far as it shall please God, and necessary for us. Amen
 
source

Things You'll Never See in an Orthodox Church, Part 26

I must admit, I have always enjoyed listening to Rage Against the Machine, even if I cannot completely agree with their message. Below is a video of a band performing a Rage song called "Bulls on Parade," which was written to denounce the American military-industrial complex. To tell the truth, It's actually a pretty decent performance (although the guitarist is no Tom Morello). The problem is that the performance takes place in what claims to be a church (a place where the pastor likes to deliver sermons like one entitled "You Don't Suck Anymore" and where is the music is so loud that they "offer earplugs to anyone who wants them."). I have said before that I have no problem with the use of contemporary music in church, as long as it's appropriate, decent music (not a re-worded version of a secular pop song, like this one where the F-word has to be removed) and as long as it's not on Sunday. That's the Lord's Day, not yours!!!

As you watch this, keep in mind that this performance is taking place at a Sunday morning worship service; compare it to the dignified, holy, Christ-centered worship of the Orthodox Church and see if you can guess which is more pleasing to God.

Things You'll Never See in an Orthodox Church, Part 25

Every year, the Cathedral of St John the Divine in New York City hosts what it calls their Halloween Extravaganza when performers dressed as ghouls and goblins parade right down the center aisle. That's right: a "church" hosts an annual Halloween parade in the church building!

And to which Christian tradition does St John the Divine Cathedral belong?

You guessed it: Episcopal.

This is a church that claims to live "in the spirit of Christ" but doesn't seem to have a problem ignoring St Paul's warning not to have "fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness" (Eph 5.11).

Here is the promotional webpage for this year's event.

And here is a video from two years ago.



Note: At around the seven-minute mark you'll hear a familiar tune that in this context is sinister and chilling.

Read more about the event here, and here.
See photos here, here, and here.

Texas Pastor: Worship is About Christ, Not Impressing Crowds

Here is a Baptist minister who might just be on his way to getting it...
It's very easy for music to become the point during worship in the church, said a Southern Baptist.

But LifeWay Worship Director Mike Harland told pastors that it's not about better bands, advanced technology, newer copyright dates or newer models. Rather, it's about revealing the person of Jesus Christ and giving Him the adoration that is due.
"We don't want to gather trying to impress crowds with our technology, our innovation or creativity, but to passionately worship the God who saves," he said Tuesday at a one-day conference on "Transformational Small Churches."

Harland cited research from the recently released book Transformational Church, which was based on a survey of more than 7,000 Protestant churches and interviews with more than 250 of the church pastors.

The book, written by LifeWay's Ed Stetzer and Thom S. Rainer, identified transformational church principles and among them was a worship that actively embraces Jesus.

"God didn't call us to lead music or to perform worship services for the people's enjoyment," Harland said. "God called us to engage people in the experience of expressing their worship and praise to God."
...

"It's not enough just to put the word of adoration in the mouths of God's people. We've got to tell the story about who Jesus is," Harland underscored.
...

"What do transformational churches do?" Harland posed to pastors at the conference. "They don't get a rock band, they don't get a projection system, they don't get a fog machine. They show people who Jesus is and then give people the opportunity to respond to Him in worship and adoration."
source.

Okay, but instead of reinventing the wheel with "transformational churches," why not save yourself a lot of hassle and do it the way the Church has been doing it for two thousand years? There simply is no worship that better shows who Jesus is.

Orthodox Chapel in Afghanistan

I had heard (and may have mentioned here) that there was one--and only one--freestanding Christian church of any kind in the country of Afghanistan and this is it.

It is an Orthodox chapel at Kandahar Air Base and was built by Romanian troops fairly recently (at least since I was there six years ago). Here is a link to a slideshow:

link

The Falling-Asleep ("Dormition") of our Most Holy Lady Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary

Troparion (Tone I): In giving birth thou didst preserve thy virginity,/ and in thy falling asleep thou hast not forsaken the world, O Theotokos./ Thou hast been, translated to life, as thou art the Mother of Life.// And by thy supplications thou dost deliver our souls from death.

Kontakion (Tone II): The tomb and mortality could not hold the Theotokos,/ who is untiring in her supplications/ and our certain hope in her intercessions./ For, as the Mother of Life, she hath passed over to the Life// Who dwelt within her ever-virgin womb.

 
The following is from a sermon by St Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonika (emphases added):
My present talk for your appreciation is occasioned both by love, and by necessity. I speak not only by reason of my love for you, and whereof I desire that the word of salvation should gain way to your God-loving hearing, and in such manner, be imbibed of by your souls; but also, wherein it be very needful for me, in conjunction with the churchly laudations, to expound on the majesty of the ever-Virgin Mother of God. And howso this wish, being twofold against the customary wont, doth impel and incline, and thus also inevitably need compel; though word canst not comprehend, that which is higher than any word, like as the sight canst not fix its gaze upon the sun. And insofar as it be not proper to speak about that which is beyond all words, therein ought primarily the love for the Mother of God to be consecrated in psalmody. If "venerable in the eyes of the Lord be the death of His holy ones" (Ps. 115 [116]: 15), and "the memory of the righteous one is with praises" (Prob. 10:7), then how much moreso – is the memory of the Holiest of the holy ones, through Whom – hath become all sanctification for the holy ones, – is the memory of the Ever-Virgin Mother of God, She Whose memory it now becometh us to celebrate with most exalted praises? We now make celebration of the holy Dormition, or Repose, through which was She brought low before the Angels, and yet did She excel beyond compare the Angels and the Archangels, and being over them by the consequent Power of Her closeness to God and by the fore-ordained over the ages wondrous deeds wrought over Her. It was on Her account that the God-inspired prophets did prophesy, and the miracles that beforehand did point out this great and universal wonder – the ever-Virgin Mother of God; manifest of the Spirit; in various ways being the foretype of the future actuality; manifesting the promise to beget without seed He born of God the Father in eternity... The King of all greatly desired the mysteried beauty of the ever-Virgin, and within Her did transpire the incarnating of the Power of the MostHigh, not through darkness and fire as it was for the God-inspired Moses, and not through means of storm and clouds as was manifest His Presence to the Prophet Elias (Elijah), nor by means of some pretext did the Power from on High overshadow the all-pure and virginal womb. What inexpressibly transpired within Her and of Her was that the Word of God came forth incarnated in the flesh, "to appear upon earth and live amongst mankind" (Baruch 3: 38), deifying our nature and granting us, according to the Divine Apostle, that "which the Angels have desire to look forward to" (1 Pet. 1: 12) – and in this is the wondrous glorification and the all-pure glory of the ever-Virgin Mary.

And what words are there, appropriate to explain what transpired after the inexplicable birth? Whereof, the Word of God issuing from on high and begotten through Her in Her co-operating and co-willing, She also is glorified together with Him in the dignity with which He is exalted, conjoined in His great and wondrous majesty. But with the going up to Heaven of He Incarnate of Her, She in turn through what came to Her of Him, – the excelling majesty of mind and word, as it were emulating Him with manifold deeds and prayers, and likewise solicitude for all the world, and the inspiring of preachers to all the ends of the earth. And all and everywhere She was the sole support and consoler, and in every way co-operating in the proclamation of the Gospel good-news, and clearly proving Herself in it with a life filled with struggle and mastery over mind and word. Whereof, certainly, Her life and death hath carried over into Heavenly and immortal life; and the remembrance of it is a joyous feast and universal solemnity. Into the hands of Her Son was taken the God-bearing spirit of the Ever-Virgin Mary; and indeed a short while afterwards, Her kindred body was translated by Him into the eternal Heavenly habitations. And all this was fully just and proper. In actual fact, many were vouchsafed over the ages the Divine condescension, glory and might, as David likewise sayeth: "For me exceedingly be esteemed Thine company, O God, and exceedingly assured be their dominion. I do look over them, and more than the sands be they numbered" (Ps. 138 [139]: 17-18). "Many a daughter, – according to Solomon, – hath acquired riches, and many have wrought power" (Prov. 31: 29-30). And here is She – the All-Pure Virgin Mary, and She is most exceedingly exalted over all and for all: She alone hath come betwixt God and the human race, She alone of all surpassing all nature is manifest the Mother of God by nature, and through the mysteried Birth-giving She hath become the Queen of everything both in the world and of transcendent creation. And in such manner being exalted over all subject to Her through Her Herself, and having Herself been made participant of utmost choosing through the Divine Spirit, She is become the highest of any of the most exalted and most-blest Queen of blessed lineage.

And now indeed She hath celestial proper habitation, as it were a palace most becoming Her, into which today She be translated from earth, to stand at the right side of the Almighty "adorned in golden robes, aglitter" (Ps. 44 [45]: 9-10), as expressed of Her by the psalmodist prophet. Beneathe the gilded garb Her God-worthy body is aglitter with manifold virtues – wherefore She alone with the Son in God-glorified body hath celestial habitation: for the earth, the grave and death have not power to hold on ultimately to the life-originative and God-receiving body more radiant than the heavens and of heaven the habitation of the heavens. And actually, if a soul having habitation (within it) of the grace of God, forsaking the mundane, it is borne up to heaven, as becometh clear from many an example, and we do believe this: therefore, how could there not be carried up from earth to heaven that body, not only having accepted within itself the Only-Begotten and Praeternal Son of God, the inexhaustible well-spring of grace, but moreover having begotten and manifest Him? How didst Thou, though dust subject to decay, Who being yet three years of age, and not yet having in Thyself the Prae-Celestial Indwelling, not yet having begotten the Incarnated One, – how didst Thou come to take up habitation in the Holy of Holies? [Vide 21 November account of feast of Entry of the Virgin into the Temple.] Wherefore, it is in that the body, having by nature begotten, is co-glorified with the God-becoming glory (together) with He-Begotten, and it is co-resuscitated, as expressed in prophetic song, together with the three-day first-resurrected Christ, in being His "Ark of Holiness" (Ps. 131 [132]: 8). There was, moreover, the evidence of Her [assumption into heaven] for the Apostles – the plaschanitsa and burial cloths, which alone remained in the grave and which alone were found in it by those having come to look things over: just precisely the way formerly it had transpired with Her Son and Lord. But here it was unnecessary that She should tarry a certain while upon the earth, as formerly had Her Son and God; and therefore, She was straightaway taken up from the grave into celestial habitation, from whence to shine with a resplendid radiance, illumining from thence all the earthly realm. And for all the faithful this is something worthy of veneration, worthy of praise and of song. Moreover, with what was said at the start, – that She was diminished for a short time before the Angels (in the sense of tasting of death), – this also should serve to the increase in everything in the majesty of the Mother of God. Wherefore also it be entirely proper that everything be united together and considered for the presentday solemnity.

And thus it is proper, that She containing the Fulfillment of all and the Existant before all should Herself achieve all and become foremost of all by Her virtues and utmost worthiness. And thus it is, that over all the ages it helped matters that all the best individual figures were the best, but that they possessed only the beneficences of God (each individually) whether angelic or human, – but all this She doth combine within Herself, and She alone inexpressibly and supra-abundantly: finding immortality through mortality, and in the flesh finding heaven together with Her Son and God, and from that time thereof there is the abundant outpouring of supra-abundant grace for all those honouring Her. She moreover doth bestow the boldness to hasten unto Her, the vessel of so many a beneficence: generously doth She distribute blessings and for us doth never cease this useful bestowing and gracious help.

Seeing in Her the source and treasury of every blessing, whosoever declares, that the Virgin is made perfect by virtue and by living virtuously, is as one for whom there is the sensory light for the creatures living beneathe it – which is the sun. But if he transfer his mental gaze to the Sun, eternally shining forth to mankind from This Virgin, – if gazing towards this Sun, Which by nature and supra-abundance hath everything, which be granted Her by grace, then the Virgin therewith doth stand forth amidst the heavens. And this be so because of the deigning of God through all blessedness, that She hath attained to an inheritance, by far the most precious, moreso than any beneficence beneathe or beyond the skies, – just as the sky is more vast than the sun, but the sun doth shine brighter than the sky.

What word is there to describe Thine God-seemly beauty, O Virgin Mother? It is impossible indeed to explain all about Thee in reasonings and words: so much doth it exceed both mind and word. But I mustneed sing Thine praises, if Thou permit out of love for mankind. For in as Thou – art the fount of all gracious gifts and the fullness of all righteousness, the chosen and inspired image of every blessing and every good, as only alone worthy of the gifts of the Spirit, and particularly alone as having held in Thine womb He its treasure, and having co-wrought miraculous habitation for Him; and wherefore now, having passed through mortality into immortality, and rightly gone forth from earth to Heaven, into the Praeternal habitation, Thou art become co-residing in eternal time, and there (dwellest Thou), not forsaking care for Thine inheritance, but with incessant supplications to Him moving Him to mercy for all. How much closer to God of all those closest to God is the Mother of God, and how much the greatest hath She been vouchsafed, in comparison with all (meaning not only the earth-born, but all even of the Angelic holy ranks).

It was about the angelic chief-ranks that Isaiah earlier once wrote: "and the Seraphim do stand round about Him" (Is. 6: 2). But concerning Her [the Mother of God] on the other hand is David: "the Queen stood at Thy right side" (Ps. 44 [45]: 9-10). Do you not see the variance of standing? And from this variance it is possible to discern also the variance of rank according to worthiness: since the Seraphim – are but around God, while next right beside Him – the One-Only Queen, Which be praised of and glorified by God Himself, announcing as it were concerning Her to His (Angelic) Powers that are round about and saying, as was said in the Song of Songs: "Thou art fair, My Dear" (Song 6: 4), a light most sparkling, a Divine paradise most sweet and of all the world both visible and invisible the most beautiful. And She in all due justice doth stand not only nearby, but at the right side: since that, where Christ is enthroned in the Heavens, She also there now doth stand, having gone up from earth to Heaven, – not only that She did desire this, nor mutually most of all it was wanted thus in accord with some most essential laws, but rather, it was because She is His true Throne. This Throne saw also Isaiah amidst the choir of the Seraphim and he called it high and exalted (Is. 6: 1), thus indicating (by this) the exalting of the Mother of God over the Heavenly Powers. Wherefore the prophet also did present these angels as glorifying God of Her and proclaiming: the blessing of the Glory of the Lord from His place (Ezek. 3: 12). The Patriarch Jacob, contemplatively surmising this, cried out: "for awesome be this place: this be naught other than the house of God, and this the Heavenly gate" (Gen. 28: 17). And David again, in gathering together with the multitude of the saved, as though it were to avail himself of certain tonal strings or the consonant varied notes about Her the Ever-Virgin into one harmony from over the various generations, expresses it in psalmody concerning Her, saying: "I wilt remember Thy name from every generation unto generation: whereof people shalt confess Thee unto ages of ages forever" (Ps. 44 [45]: 17-18).

Do ye not see, that the whole of creation doth glorify This the Virgin Mother, and not only over the course of some prescribed interval, but rather unto ages of ages forever? It is possible hence to deduce, moreover, that She ceaseth not through all the ages to be of benefit to all creatures. Isaiah pointed this out clearly: he saw, that the Seraphim did not directly take hold the offertory coal, but took hold of it by means of a tong, by which he touched it to the mouth of the prophet, bestowing cleansing (Is. 6: 6). This vision of the tongs was identical with that great sight which Moses did contemplate – the bush amidst the flame not consumed (Ex. 3: 2). Who knows, is not this bush and these tongs the Virgin Mother, without burn receiving the Fire of Divinity, such that there was the Archangel present at the Conception [during the Annunciation], by which through Her was adjoined to the human race the Burier of the sin of the world cleansing us through this inexplicable conjoining?

If recompense be in measure of love towards God, and the loving Son be beloved of by His Father, and there be manifest the abode of Both, mysteriedly abiding and dwelling in such as conform to the promise of the Lord (Jn. 14: 21), – then who would love Him more than His Mother, for Whom be He the Only-Begotten, but also begotten virginally, so that for Her there be a twofold cause of love of Him co-united and conjoined (with Her)? And who more than His Mother would be beloved by the Only-Begotten, – and moreover Begotten of Her inexplicably in the fullness of time while yet having been Begotten of the One Only Father in eternity, – how could there not be increase in conformity in mete propriety and honour befitting Her under the law, from Him Who was come to fulfill the law?

And thus, since through Her alone was come unto us He that did "appear upon earth and live amongst mankind" (Baruch 3: 38), and before Her being unseen, such that in the time following He manifest Himself to all as the fount of Divine illumination, and the fulfilled revelation of the Divine mysteries, and the full embodiment of spiritual gifts, being moreover uncontained of all, save Her. She Herself, foremost amongst all the repository of the most exceedingly excellent plenitude of He That filleth all in all, Herself doth furnish to all of Him That containeth all, bestowing to each as is possible in accord and in proportion to the purity of each, since that She is both the repository and the Mediatrix of the riches of God.

If such be the eternal law in the heavens, that through the less there enter into communion those having great power amidst the great, then certainly the Virgin Mother doth possess farmost exceedingly incomparable influence. It is through Her that there be conjoined to God all, who otherwise would not be conjoined. And Her they do recognise as the repository of He That containeth all, which but know God, and would praise Her together with God all who but praise God. She Herself is the pardoner of all that went before Her, and intercessor of all that came after Her, and Mediatrix of eternal blessings. She – is the reason of the prophesies of the prophets, the principal of the Apostles, the affirmation of the martyrs, the foundation of the teachers. She – is the glory of the earth-born, the joy of the Heavens, and the praise of all creatures. She – is the source, the fount and tap-root of inexpressible blessings; She – is the supreme perfecting of all the holy.

O Virgin Divine and now Heavenly! How can I relate everything about Thee? How might I glorify Thee, Thou the Treasury of Glory? Through Thee is illumined the gaze of reason, through Thee is enlightened the spirit discerned of the Holy Spirit, in as Thou art rendered repository and vessel of Its gifts; yet not such which Thou wouldst affirm unto Thyself, but such as Thou wouldst fulfill all with the gifts of grace. For the Master of inexhaustible treasures foreordaineth them unto Thee for the bestowing; else why would He have wrought the blessings, and otherwise remain hidden and unbegotten? Wherefore, O Lady, grant abundantly to all Thy people and this Thine inheritance both Thy mercy and Thine gifts. Grant deliverance from the misfortunes afflicting us; behold, how much and how greatly we are oppressed from both without and within. By Thy might transform all for the best; bestow for our sufferings Thine help and healing, granting unto our souls and our bodies abundant grace for every need. And if we be not, make us worthy receptacles and as such vouchsafe that we, saved and strengthened by Thy grace, might glorify Him Incarnated of Thee for our sakes – the Praeternal Word, together with His Father Without-Beginning and Life-Creating Spirit, both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
 
(source)

Fall of Rome

On this date 1600 years ago, the Visigoths sacked Orthodox Rome.

It all started when the Huns charged into eastern Europe near the end of the fourth century, sending terrified tribes running for their lives and in search of new homes. The Roman emperor Valens granted the Visigoths permission to settle a parcel of land along the south bank of the Danube river, but when famine broke out, the Romans chose not to supply the refugees with food. The Goths revolted and the Romans struck back, with the emperor himself leading the Roman army into battle against the barbarians. The defeat of the Roman army and the death of the emperor at the battle of Adrianople boosted the confidence of the Visigoths who petitioned Rome for better treatment and for a homeland to call their own. Alaric, king of the Visigoths, began a series of sieges on Rome, broken periodically by sessions of attempted negotiation. After four years, his forces entered the city, by which time the citizens of Rome were diseased and starving.

"By a skilful disposition of his numer forces, who impatiently watched the moment of an assault, Alaric encompassed the walls, commanded the twelve principal gates, intercepted all communication with the adjacent country, and vigilantly guarded the navigation of the Tyber, from which the Romans derived the surest and most plentiful supply of provisions. The first emotions of the nobles, and of the people, were those of surprise and indignation, that a vile Barbarian should dare to insult the capital of the world: but their arrogance was soon humbled by misfortune; and their unmanly rage, instead of being directed against an enemy in arms, was meanly exercised on a defenceless and innocent victim.

"The senate, who in this emergency assumed the supreme powers of government, appointed two ambassadors to negotiate with the enemy. When they were introduced into [Alaric's] presence, they declared, perhaps in a more lofty style than became their abject condition, that the Romans were resolved to maintain their dignity, either in peace or war; and that, if Alaric refused them a fair and honorable capitulation, he might sound his trumpets, and prepare to give battle to an innumerable people, exercised in arms, and animated by despair. “The thicker the hay, the easier it is mowed,” was the concise reply of the Barbarian; and this rustic metaphor was accompanied by a loud and insulting laugh, expressive of his contempt for the menaces of an unwarlike populace, enervated by luxury before they were emaciated by famine.

"At the hour of midnight, the Salarian gate was silently opened, and the inhabitants were awakened by the tremendous sound of the Gothic trumpet. Eleven hundred and sixty-three years after the foundation of Rome, the Imperial city, which had subdued and civilized so considerable a part of mankind, was delivered to the licentious fury of the tribes of Germany and Scythia."
(Edward Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Chapter 31)

Below is a dramatization by the BBC of the events surrounding the sack of Rome. What the video fails to mention, however, is that the Roman Empire continued for another thousand years in the East after Rome fell.



After the Visigoths conquered Rome, they didn't stay put, but continued south looking for ships to transport them to Africa. When Alaric died en route, his second-in-command Athaulf took over as king and led his people north, where they eventually settled in the Aquitaine region of what is not southwestern France. Their territory grew into what is now Spain and in the late sixth century, the Visigoths, who had been Arians, adopted the Nicene Faith.

Transfiguration of our Lord

Hymn: Quicumque Christum
All who seek for Jesus, raise
Your eyes above, and upward gaze:
There may ye see the wondrous sign
Of never ending glory shine.

Behold Him in celestial rays
Who never knoweth end of days;
Exalted, infinite, sublime;
Older than heaven or hell or time.

This is the Gentiles' King and Lord;
The Prince by Judah's race adored,
Promised to Abraham of yore
And to his seed forevermore.

To Him the prophets testify;
And that same witness, from on high,
The Father seals by His decree:
Hear and believe my Son, saith He.

All glory, Lord, to Thee we pay,
Transfigured on the mount today;
All glory as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete. Amen.

Antiphon on Magnificat
Christ Jesus, † the brightness of the Father and the express image of His person, Who upholdeth all things by the word of His power, while He was by Himself purging away our sins, vouchsafed on this day to shew Himself in glory uppon an high mountain.

Collect
O God, who in the glorious Transfiguration of Thine only-begotten Son didst confirm the mysteries of the faith by the testimony of the fathers, and in the voice which came down from the bright cloud didst marvellously foreshew the perfect adoption of sons: vouchsafe in Thy mercy to make us coheirs with this glorious King, and grant that we may be partakers of His glory. Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, liveth and reigneth God, world without end. Amen

(from the Monastic Diurnal, pg. 581, Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ. Lancelot Andrewes Press)

St Oswald of Northumbria, King and Martyr

Oswald’s great devotion and faith in God was made evident by the miracles that took place after his death. For at the place where he was killed fighting for his country against the heathen [Aug. 5, 642], sick men and beasts are healed to this day. Many people took away the very dust from the place where his body fell, and put it in water, from which sick folk who drank it received great benefit. This practice became so popular that, as the earth was gradually removed, a pit was left in which a man could stand. But it is not to be wondered at that the sick received healing at the place of his death; for during his lifetime he never failed to provide for the sick and needy and to give them alms and aid. Many miracles are reported as having occurred at this spot, or by means of the earth taken from it; but I will content myself with two, which I have heard from my elders.


Not long after Oswald’s death, a man happened to be riding near the place when his horse suddenly showed signs of distress. It stopped and hung its head, foaming at the mouth, and as its pains increased it collapsed on the ground. The rider dismounted, removed the saddle, and waited to see whether the beast was going to recover or die. At length, having tossed this way and that in great pain for a considerable time, it rolled on to the spot where the great king had died. Immediately the pain ceased, and the horse stopped its wild struggles, then having rolled on its other side, as tired beasts do, it got up fully recovered and began to graze. The traveller, an observant man, concluded that the place where his horse was cured must possess special sancitity, and when he had marked it, he mounted and rode on to the inn where he intended to lodge. On his arrival he found a girl, the niece of the landlord, who had long suffered from paralysis; and when members of the household in his presence were deploring the girl’s diease, he began to tell them about the place where his horse had been cured. So they put the girl in to a cart, took her to the place, and laid her down. Once there she fell asleep for a short while; and, on awaking, she found herself restored to health. She asked for water and washed her face; then she tidied her hair, adjusted her linen headgear, and returned home on foot in perfect health with those who had brought her.”

(source)

The Rapture

I listen nearly every day to a local Evangelical radio personality who discusses news, politics, science and other topics from a "Christian perspective." I disagree with him around 85% of the time, but he's entertaining so I continue to listen. On Friday he interviewed a woman who had written a novel concerning the sorts of horrors that await those who are not spirited away in the "Rapture." They spoke--as Evangelicals do--as if the "Rapture" is a dogma of the Faith and is as certain to happen as the Second Coming itself.
Folks, I have news for you: the "Rapture" is not a dogma of the Faith. It is an idea that was invented less than two hundred years ago. You will find no mention of it in the Bible or in the writings of any of the Church Fathers.

The following is courtesy of Mystagogy (emphases and links are added):

By Fr. Anthony M. Coniaris

As I was driving one day I encountered a bumper sticker admonishing me:

“WARNING! In the event of Rapture, this car will be driverless.”

The strange belief in the Rapture teaches that some day (sooner rather than later), without warning, born-again Christians will begin to float up from the freeway, abandoned vehicles careening wildly. There will be airliners in the sky suddenly with no one at the controls! Presumably, God is removing these favored ones from earth to spare them the tribulation of the Anti-Christ which the rest of us will have to endure.
Unfortunately the Rapture has been promoted widely by the Left Behind series of books that have sold over 70 million copies.

The Rapture represents a radical misinterpretation of Scripture. I remember watching “Sixty Minutes” a year ago and was appalled to hear the announcer say that “the Rapture is an unmistakenly Christian doctrine”. It is not!

It is a serious distortion of Scripture.

It is astonishing that a belief so contrary to Scripture and the tradition of the Church could be propagated by so-called “Christians”.

According to the Bible and according to the belief not only of Orthodox Christians but also of the Roman Catholic and most Protestant mainline churches, the true Rapture will not be secret; it will be the great and very visible Second Coming of Jesus at the end of the world. That is the one and only “Rapture”. It will not be a separate, secret event but one that "every eye shall see" (1 Thess. 4:16-17).

The word rapture is not found in Scripture but hearkens to 1 Thess. 4:17 where St. Paul says that when the Lord comes again “we who are alive…shall be caught up…in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.”

This “being caught up…in the clouds” — arpagisometha in Greek - is translated by some as “raptured”. The word itself is not found in Orthodox theology.

The notion of a rapture in which Christ comes unseen to take believers away secretly, and only later comes back again for everyone else publicly—this whole teaching is quite novel. It was almost unheard of until John Nelson Darby formulated it in the 1800s as part of a new approach to the Bible, sometimes called “dispensationalism”.

The purpose of the “Rapture” is to protect the elect from the tribulations of the end times. Yet Jesus said nothing about sparing anyone from tribulation. In fact, He said, “In the world you have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.”

Nowhere did Jesus ever say that He would return secretly to rapture the elect. Rather, He promised to be with His elect in all tribulations.

“Lo, I am with you always.” “I will never leave you or forsake you.” He even had something good to say about being persecuted: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:10).

Those who espouse the Rapture claim that Matthew 24:40-41 refers clearly to the rapture of the just, “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.”

The entire passage, however, refers to Christ’s second coming where He will judge the living and the dead and separate the just from the unjust.

Darby taught as dogma that when the Scriptures reveal that the Lord will reign on earth for a thousand years (Rev. 20:4), this figure is to be taken literally, rather than as a symbol for eternity as we believe. The Council of Ephesus in A.D. 431 condemned as heresy this teaching which is called Chialiasmos (millenianism or 1000 years).

In fact, the Seven Ecumenical Councils (325-787 A.D.) in which the essential truths of the Christian faith were defined never mention a rapture. Yet Evangelical Christians and Pentecostals keep using obscure passages of the Book of Revelation which purport to give a detailed timetable of what will happen at the end of the world, despite the fact that Jesus Himself warned that no man knows either the day or the hour when the Son of Man shall return.

A major problem with the Rapture is that it ends up teaching not two but three comings of Jesus — first His birth in Bethlehem; second, His secret coming to snatch away (rapture) the “born-again”; and third, His coming at the end of the world to judge the living and the dead and to reign in glory. Yet only two not three comings of Christ are mentioned in the Bible. We have the clearest definition of this in the Nicene Creed when we confess that “the Lord Jesus Christ…will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. His Kingdom will have no end…. I expect the resurrection of the dead. And the life of the ages to come.”

There is no mention of a “Rapture”.

As already stated, most Christians, Orthodox, Roman Catholics and Protestants do not believe in the Rapture. In fact, one Protestant pastor, John L. Gray, summarized magnificently what we Orthodox and most other Christians believe about the Rapture when he wrote these remarkable words:

"Though many believe and teach this 'Pre-Tribulation Rapture' theory, they erroneously do so, because neither Jesus, Paul, Peter, John, nor any of the other writers of the Bible taught this. Nor did the early Church Fathers, nor any others for many hundreds of years…. Did you know that NONE of this was ever taught prior to 1812, and that all forms of Pre-Tribulation Rapture teaching were developed since that date? …. If I were to preach something, or believe something, supposedly from the Bible, but cannot find that ANYONE ELSE before 1812 ever believed it or taught it, I would seriously question that it is based on the Bible."

Thus the Rapture is foreign to the Bible and to the living tradition of the Church. It is what we call a heresy, a false teaching. False teachings, such as this, happen when people — like John Darby — believe that they have the right to interpret the Scriptures individually apart from the Living Body of Christ — the Church — where the Spirit of Truth abides and leads us to all truth.

I can think of no better words to conclude than those of Jesus when He speaks of the one and only “Rapture”, the Second Coming:

“Be on guard. Be alert! You do not know when that time will come…keep watch…if He comes suddenly, do not let Him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: Watch!” (Mark 13:32-37).

Things You'll Never See in an Orthodox Church, Part 24

"St Matthews Cathedral Superbowl"

Courtesy of the Episcopal Diocese of Wyoming

Q&A

Q: Why do Orthodox crosses often portray a skull and crossbones? Isn't that a sign of evil or a symbol of the Illuminati or other secret organizations?

A: That two organizations share a common symbol should not be understood to mean that those two organizations are the same, or similar...or have anything whatsoever in common. The Church used the skull and crossbones for centuries before the Illuminati, or the Bonesmen, or Richard Worley even existed.
That goes for other symbols as well. The inverted cross has been adopted by anti-Christians, but was originally known as the Cross of St Peter, because he is believed to have been crucified upside down.

The skull below the cross is there because the hill on which Christ was crucified was known as Golgotha, which is Aramaic for "Place of the Skull." (in Latin, this is Calvariae Locus, which is where we get "Calvary"). On a Russian Orthodox Cross (pictured), the letters next to the skull stand for "Глава Адамла," which is Slavonic for "the Skull of Adam."

According to Fr. John Shandra, "The skull that viewers can see in iconography of the Orthodox crucifixion symbolically represents the skull of Adam. Some believe (although this is not a dogma of the Orthodox Church, but rather a pious tradition) that Jesus was crucified on the same place where Adam was buried. Theologically, it does make sense because in the writings of St. Paul the Apostle Jesus is called second Adam. Just as through the first Adam we all become inheritors of the fallen human nature and therefore are subject to death, through the second Adam, Who is Jesus Christ, we become inheritors of the renewed, healed human nature and granted life eternal."

In other words, whether or not Golgotha was in fact the actual location of Adam's burial, the theological truth remains: by His crucifixion, Christ, the "Second Adam," conquered the sin and death brought about by Adam's first sin. The skull beneath the Cross reminds us of this fact.

Monachos 2010 Appeal: St. John of San Francisco Orthodox Academy

From Monachos.net:

As we have done several times in the past, Monachos.net this summer is launching an on-line fundraising drive to raise money for a worthwhile Orthodox cause. Our aim this year is to raise as much as possible in support of the Saint John of San Francisco Orthodox Academy: one of the few complete Orthodox K-12 and College Preparatory schools in North America, providing, in a completely Orthodox context and environment, one of the finest accredited educations to Orthodox children from kindergarten through to their beginnings at College and University.

Read the rest here

ATTENTION TO ALL ISRAEL-LOVING AMERICAN EVANGELICALS

Your unconditional love and support for the secular, politcal state of Israel is not mutual and must stop. They don't give a damn for the rights of Christians. They hate our Faith; they hate our Christ. This is simply one more in a long list of abuses against the Church.

Pray for Israel, but please stop supporting them as if they are actually the fulfillment of an ancient prophesy.

From uruknet.info:

Israel razes Christian ancient site in O[ccupied]. Jerusalem
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Father Atallah Hanna, the Greek orthodox patriarchate of occupied Jerusalem, said the Israeli municipal council in the holy city demolished and obliterated Christian ancient monuments dating from the Byzantine era in Ein Kerem area.
"We strongly condemn this heinous crime committed against the Christian antiquities in Ein Kerem, which is the birthplace of Saint Youhanna Al-Meamedan (John the Baptist) and his family, and where Virgin Mary lived plenty of time," father Hanna stressed in a statement to Al-Jazeera net.

The Israeli municipal council in coordination with the authority of antiquities and the ministry of tourism is now building illegal stores on the ruins of the Christian monuments discovered in a piece of land adjacent to the spring of Virgin Mary (Mary's well).
Lawyer Qais Naser, a specialist in planning and building law, said that the Israeli ministry of tourism and the municipal council in Jerusalem refused to keep the Christian historical site and turn it into a shrine open to the public.
Naser affirmed that the Israeli excavations revealed an important Christian ancient site related to the spring of Virgin Mary, but the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) insisted on demolishing it and building stores in its place.

(pictured is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which was built on the very site of Christ's resurrection)

Palestinian Christians

Old Roman Chant

I recently purchased a beautiful CD called "Chants de l'Eglise de Rome: Période Byzantine." It is a recording of hymns from a period in history when the Eastern style of worship had a strong influence on the Church of Rome.

Historically, Rome was always kind of the oddball of the Christian world. They used a different language, had different liturgical practices, and the bishop of the Roman church was the only Orthodox patriarch in the west. These and other differences contributed to the slow drifting apart of the Eastern and Western halves of the Church, and eventually led to the tragic split that became formal in the middle of the eleventh century.

About four hundred years before that split, the Italian peninsula was heavily populated by Eastern Christians (Greek, Arab, etc) whose influence is apparent in the art, architecture, and music of that era.

The liner notes from the CD tell the story in more detail:

OLD ROMAN CHANT 7th-8th CENTURIES

Byzantine period

The repertory to which the works on this record belong is commonly called the "Old Roman." It is the early chant of the Church of Rome, anterior to that which is today called the "Gregorian," which came into existence in the Carolingian Empire, probably in the region of Metz, deriving its structure from the Roman chant, but completely modifying its ornamentation.

The early chant of the Church of Rome took shape during the 7th and 8th centuries. Its distinctly Oriental character, which gives it the aspect of an ornamented cantilation, is by no means surprising when one remembers that at this period Italy was dependent not only on the Byzantine Emperor, but was also a land of asylum for a large Greek colony which had sought refuge there.

In fact, after the invasion of Palestine by the Persians, the number of Syrian and Greek monasteries multiplied in Italy from the South as far as inside Rome itself. And the iconoclast quarrel was all the more reason for the monks to flee from the Orient and re-assemble in the Italian peninsula. Between 726 and 775 nearly fifty thousand monks took refuge in Southern Italy. Many popes of Syrian or Greek origin presided over the destinies of the Church of Rome at the period (fourteen out of twenty popes between 644 and 772 were Greek-speaking). The "Liber pontificalis" mentions, besides their Oriental origins, the musical competence of three of them: Leo II, Sergius I, and Gregory III. It was under the influence of these popes that the Roman liturgy became profoundly Eastern in character.

Introduced into Gaul by Pepin the Short and then under Charlemagne, the Old Roman chant gave birth to the Carolingian chant, similar in musical structure, but very different in ornamentation.

Paradoxically the Carolingian chant later became the official "Gregorian" chant, even to the point of supplanting in Rome itself the Old Roman, which finally disappeared in the 13th century.

Although a number of Roman popes were speakers of Greek, the lingua franca of the western Church at the time was Latin. So, while the hymns on this CD all sound very Byzantine, they are all in Latin rather than in Greek. That's just fine with me, as Latin, in my opinion, is a far prettier language than Greek.

Here is a sample from the CD. It is a hymn called "Terra Tremuit" ("the earth trembled") which is based on Psalm 76:



Terra tremuit et quievit
dum resurgeret in iudicio Deus, alleluia.
Notus in Iudea Deus in Israel magnum nomen eius, alleluia,
dum resurgeret in iudicio Deus, alleluia.
Et factus est in pace locus eius et habitatio eius in Sion, alleluia,
dum resurgeret in iudicio Deus, alleluia.
Ibi confregit cornua arcum, scutum, gladium et bellum,
iluminans tu mirabiliter a montibus aeternis, alleluia.
Terra tremuit et quievit, dum resurgeret in iudicio Deus, alleluia.

(The earth trembled and was still,
when God arose in judgment, alleluia.
In Judah is God known: His name is great in Israel, alleluia,
when God arose in judgment, alleluia.
His dwelling is in peace and in repose, and in Sion is His habitation, alleluia,
when God arose in judgment, alleluia.
There He broke bow arrows, shield, sword, and war weapons,
you are glorious, more wonderful than eternal mountains, alleluia.
The earth trembled and was still,
when God arose in judgment, alleluia)

Poll update

It has come to my attention that the polls I posted in the Polls page (see the link in the column on the right) were not working properly. So I have used a different polling widget. This one does seem to be working. Sorry, to those of you who already voted (or tried to vote), but please do so again when you can.
Thanks.

Things You'll Never See in an Orthodox Church, Part 23

What is the purpose of these Things You'll Never See posts? Is it to poke fun at Christians who don't do things the way we do them in the Orthodox Church? Sure, that's part of it. But there is more to it than that.
Sometimes, a thing is best described by identifying what it is not. With these posts, I am demonstrating that theOrthodox Church is not irreverent, flippant, disgraceful, unseemly, tactless, tacky, or driven by what is cool, relevant, sexy or politically correct. It is not interested in celebrating human achievement or in tailoring its understanding of God to match its wordlview. It is not casual, comfortable, or laid back. It is not interested in entertaining you or bolstering your self esteem. It is not interested simply in drawing a crowd (hell, Lady Gaga can do that!) or winning converts, but in making disciples and teaching them to observe everything Christ commanded (Mt 2819-20).
In short, the Orthodox Church is the opposite of what you find in these videos.


This clip comes from Heartland Christian Center in Valparaiso, IN. At the end of his performance, the pastor tells the audience "you never thought you'd come to church and see that."
Truth be told: you won't.

Polls

I am always very interested in the opinions and perspectives of other people. Even when I disagree with them (and I usually do). Last year I posted a poll on this blog asking viewers to identify their original religious affiliation. I received 94 responses (which is a pretty poor level of participation, considering it is less than 3% of the total number of unique visitors to the blog during the year that the poll was up) with the following results:

Evangelical: 28%
Roman Catholic: 25%
Orthodox: 23%
Other Protestant: 15%
Non-Christian: 6%

Now I have decided to dedicate an entire page to polling my readers. You will see a link to it on the right-hand column of the blog. I have started off with three poll questions and will add another one every month or so. I will announce when a new question has been added and will leave each question up for one year.

Please feel free to participate and leave questions, comments, or suggestions for future poll questions.

Church as Corporation; Pastor as CEO

Is this guy making disciples? This sort of thing is the exact opposite of what you find when you read the lives of the saints, which of course is something from which we all could benefit greatly.

Things You'll Never See in an Orthodox Church, Part 22

(Newser) – A Dutch priest is in hot water for praying—in vain—that the Netherlands would defeat Spain at a Mass celebrated the day of the World Cup final, reports the BBC. Paul Vlaar decorated his church in the team color, orange; wore orange and white vestments; and played along as a churchgoer kicked a soccer ball down the aisle. He's been suspended so he can observe "a period of reflection," says his bishop. "Everybody supports Pastor Paul and we don't see what was so bad," a parishioner tells the AP.

source

Church removes cross

This is not as outrageous as the reporter seems to think it is. (But then, Fox News does tend to sensationalize a bit..."Is it diversity or perversity?")
In fact I agree with the second interviewee and applaud this "inclusive spiritual community" for their integrity. They are clearly not a church, and they no longer believe in or profess the Gospel, so why pretend? Why claim to be something they are not by displaying a cross?

I wish more "churches" would show the integrity that this one has and not only take down their crosses, but quit calling themselves churches and drop the whole "christian" charade altogether.





Here is their website.

Things You'll Never See in an Orthodox Church, Part 21

From a Roman Catholic source:

Agia Sophia

This is a fascinating documentary that I recommend to anyone who--like me--is at all interested in history and architecture, especially the churchy kinds.

A couple things to pay attention to as you watch this: First of all, you will see several beautiful aerial shots of the cathedral as is today; remember that the minarets surrounding it and the huge gold crescent at the peak of its dome were not there when it was built. The dome, of course was topped by a cross.

Also, you may notice the images of seraphim on the pendentives in the interior of the church, just below the dome. These are mosaics that were very recently--like last year!--discovered and exposed. They had, like all the sacred imagery in the church, been plastered over when the Turks took over in 1453. You can read more about them here.

And one last thing. The cathedral is not named in honor of St Sophia.  The word "άγία," although it can be translated as "saint" (which comes from the Latin word "sanctus," meaning "holy"), in this case refers to the Holy Wisdom--or Aγία Σοφία--of God. (see 1Co 1.20, 2.7; James 3.17)

Enjoy.

Contemporvant

I just wanted to remind you of the sorts of cool, relevant things that you will me missing out on when you decide to start attending Orthodox Liturgy.
(from Byzantine, TX)

Mother and Child

Bach: Mass in B Minor

So there we were: Two Orthodox Christians, sitting in a Presbyterian church, listening to an Episcopalian choir performing the music of a Lutheran.

Two Saturdays ago, Kathryn and I saw the Oakland Choral Society (which is not an Episcopal choir, per se, but is populated by some of our Episcopalian friends) perform Bach's Mass in B Minor at Grosse Pointe Memorial Church, which is a lovely pseudo-Gothic behemoth next to the War Memorial. (if you were at our wedding reception you now where it is.) It was a beautiful performance of one of my very favorite choral works by my hands-down favorite composer of sacred music. Bach's Mass in B Minor was cobbled together using leftover bits from other discarded works, but, even so, it is so powerful and beautiful that I'm nearly brought to tears every time I hear it.

But for all the many hundreds of times that I have listened to this piece, it never really occured to me to pay much attention to the words. This performance was the first time I had heard it since becoming Orthodox, and as I followed along with the performance I was struck by how closely the words of the Latin Mass match those of portions of the Orthodox liturgical services. In some places it's nearly verbatim.

The words of Bach's Mass are the standard words used in every choral Mass and are, with the exception of the first three lines, in Latin. A choral Mass is typically divided into six sections: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Benedictus, and Angus Dei. Sometimes those are divided further. Here are the sections:

I. Kyrie
Kyrie eleison; Christe eleison; Kyrie eleison
(Lord have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy)

This is the only portion of the Latin Mass that is not in Latin. Rather, it is in Greek, and I have done some research to find out why that is and no one seems to know. But it is a very familiar phrase to anyone who has been to an Orthodox Divine Liturgy, where we say "Lord, Have Mercy" about fifty times throughout the service.

II. Gloria
Gloria in excelsis Deo et in terra pax hominibus bonæ voluntatis. Laudamus te, benedicimus te, adoramus te, glorificamus te, gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam, Domine Deus, Rex cœlestis, Deus Pater omnipotens.Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe, Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis; qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram. Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis. Quoniam tu solus Sanctus, tu solus Dominus, tu solus Altissimus, Iesu Christe, cum Sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.

(Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will. We praise You, we bless You, we adore You, we glorify You, we give thanks to You for Your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God the Father. Lord Jesus Christ, only begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, who taketh away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us; You who take away the sins of the world, hear our prayers. Who sits at the right hand of the Father, have mercy upon us. For You are the only Holy One, the only Lord, the only Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father, Amen.)

This section matches almost word-for-word The Great Doxology (from Matins):
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among men. We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we worship Thee, we glorify Thee, we give thanks to Thee for Thy great glory. O Lord, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty; O Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ; and O Holy Spirit. O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takest away the sin of the world; have mercy on us; Thou that takest away the sins of the world, receive our prayer; Thou that sittest at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For Thou only art holy; Thou only art the Lord, O Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

III. Credo
Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem... (I believe in one God, the Father Almighty...)

This is the Creed (a.k.a., the Nicene Creed, a.k.a., the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed) and I won't include the entire thing here. The version used in the Latin Mass is the same one used in all Western (i.e. Roman Catholic and Protestant) churches and matches that used in the East (Orthodox--both Eastern and Oriental--and Byzantine Catholic) except for two elements:

Where the original Creed says "And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages, Light of Light, true God of true God...," the Latin version adds "God from God" right before "Light of Light.": "Deum de Deo, lumen de lúmine, Deum verum de Deo vero..."

The other addition is that of the Filioque, which the Latin text adds to the line "And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father..." so that it reads "Et in Spíritum Sanctum, Dóminum et vivificántem: Qui ex Patre Filióque procédit."

IV. Sanctus
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth; pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua. Hosanna in excelsis

(Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts; Heaven and earth are full of Your glory. Hosanna in the highest.)

This section matches the Anaphora from the Divine Liturgy, which is directly following the Creed:
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Sabaoth; heaven and earth are full of Thy glory. Hosanna in the highest!

V. Benedictus
Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelsis

(Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.)

This is simply a continuation of the Anaphora:
Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!

VI. Agnus Dei
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.

(Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.)

This isn't an exact match, but it's pretty close to a repeat of the Great Doxology from Matins:
Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takest away the sin of the world; have mercy on us;
Thou that takest away the sins of the world, receive our prayer; Thou that sittest at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.

Much of this is simply quoting the Bible, so it shouldn't be too surprising that the services match so closely. Here is the final part of Bach's Mass, called Dona Nobis Pacem (Grant Us Peace), for your listening pleasure. Enjoy.