DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF ST. JOHN, ARCHBISHOP OF SAN FRANCISCO

ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN WITNESS (USPS 412-260)
is published monthly by
St. Nectarios American Orthodox Church, 10300 Ashworth Avenue North, Seattle, Washington.
Presbyter Neketas S. Palassis, Editor
Telephone: 1-206-522-4471; 1-800-643-4233; Fax: 1-206-523-0550; e-mail: frneketas@stnectariospress.com

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January 2002, Vol. XXXVI, No. 5, (1512)

CONTENTS:

     From Wednesday, December 26th, Orthodox Christians from Maine, Massachusetts, Arizona, Northern California, Orange County, California, Oregon, Vancouver, B.C, and Calgary, Alberta came to be with us to participate in the installation of Metropolitan Moses, on Sunday, December 30th.

     Metropolitans Makarios of Toronto and  Ephraim of Boston led the services on Sunday, Dec 30th. Orthros began at 6:45 a.m., followed by the Divine Liturgy at 9 a.m. Over 200 individuals received Holy Communion from the two hierarchs. At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, the three metropolitans went to the Synthronon in the center of the nave. Here Metropolitan Makarios, president of the Holy Synod, addressed the new Metropolitan and spoke of his obligations. He then entrusted the Pastoral Staff to Metropolitan Moses proclaiming “AXIOS” (he is worthy) , while the congregation enthusiastically affirmed the episcopal proclamation with its responses of "AXIOS."

    Metropolitan Ephraim remarked on how moved he was by the congregational antiphonal chanting. Indeed, someone observed that the entire Divine Liturgy reminded them of what the Kievan pagans experienced when they visited the Church of the Holy Wisdom in Constantinople for the first time: heaven on earth. At least, it seemed as though our small church had indeed been converted to a heaven on earth.

    The new Cathedral-parish was indeed deeply moved by the presence of our Metropolitans Makarios and Ephraim who found the time in their busy schedules to be with us. May our Lord ever protect and guide them. We thank them for their decision to elevate Bishop Moses to the Metropolinate rank and to place him in Seattle. Many years to all our bishops.

Metropolitan Moses listening to the admonition of Metropolitan Makarios.

Metropolitans with grouping of parishioners and visitors.

Metropolitans with local clergy, visiting clergy, as well as nuns from Convent of the Meeting of the Lord in Stanwood, Washington. (Also present Very Rev. Issac, Abbot of Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, Mass., Very Rev. Sergius, Abbot of the Monastery of St. Gregory of Sinai, Kellseyville, CA.)

Metropolitans with altar boys and some St. Nectarios parishioners.
 
 

Metropolitan Moses blessing congregation.

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2. ADDRESS OF METROPOLITAN MOSES ON THE OCCASION OF HIS ELEVATION TO THE METROPOLITANATE OF SEATTLE ON DECEMBER 17/30, 2001

    Respected and beloved Metropolitans, clergy and faithful,

    When I stop to consider that I, a man of mere clay, am being entrusted with the greatest of responsibilities, I feel overwhelmed. My hope and prayer is that through your prayers and the prayers of the saints God will make up for that which is lacking in me.

    Certainly, I am heartened by the love and support that you all have already shown me and I look forward to our working together and growing together in Christ.

    On this occasion it seems important to look back and recall the beginnings of this parish.

    During the mid 1960s the Patriarch of Constantinople performed a historically un-precedented act by lifting the anathemas of 1054 against the Filioque and condoning various other grave errors of the Papacy. All of the monasteries of Mount Athos ceased to commemorate the Patriarch. The Orthodox Church was in turmoil.

    It was at this time that Saint Philaret, Metropolitan of New York of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, accepted Father Neketas without a canonical release from the Greek Archdiocese. This enabling of Father Neketas to become your priest came at the expense of the Metropolitan’s good relations both with the Greek Archdiocese and with the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Saint Philaret, moreover, was the only leading hierarch of a major Church, one with an international organization and standing, to stand up to the heresy of Ecumenism. And thereby our Saint Philaret rose to the stature of a great confessing hierarch and universal teacher of the Church. His open letters to Patriarch Athenagoras, Archbishop Iakovos, and his Sorrowful Epistles -- all of them sounding vital warnings against the ecumenical heresy — inspired lovers of Orthodoxy throughout the world. These documents are a vital part of our history and should be read by all. (Happily they will appear in an upcoming issue of The True Vine.)

    Saint Philaret drew a line in the sand and, come what may, was always ready to fight for Orthodoxy and confess the Truth. He accepted under his omophorion all those who hungered and thirsted for the Truth. There are those today in the renovationist group that still calls itself the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad who absurdly allege that Father George Grabbe (later Bishop Gregory Grabbe) controlled Metropolitan Philaret or that Archimandrite Panteleimon controlled both. All we need to ask is, who received whom? Who was it that accepted clergy from whatever innovating jurisdiction they fled? We all gathered under the omophorion of Saint Philaret and he was our spiritual mentor and father. The same misguided souls who are attempting to falsify this key period of Church history are also attempting to distract us from the recent miracle of the discovery of the incorruption of Saint Philaret’s sacred relics.

    It was during those heady days of the 1960s, those inspiring days of struggle for Orthodoxy, that this parish of Saint Nectarios was formed. And it was through the cooperation of this fledgling parish and the then-tiny brotherhood of Holy Transfiguration Monastery that a poor little mouse of a newsletter called the Orthodox Christian Witness stood its ground and roared against the wayward betraying hierarchs and clergy of “World Orthodoxy” who sought to mislead the people of God and march them into the ecumenical swamp.

    We have a spiritual legacy to preserve. This legacy consists of the teachings of the marvelous spirit-bearing fathers of the last decades of the twentieth century. This legacy consists not only of the teachings of that sacred Elder Joseph and of the Elder Arsenios his fellow ascetic, but also includes the pure confessions of faith of the Elder Ieronymos, Saint John the Romanian of the desert of Palestine, and all of the fathers who, through God’s providence, became Archimandrite Panteleimon’s mentors in the faith. Later Archbishop Andrew of Spring Valley — still another man of blessed memory —  provided spiritual guidance for the monastery in Boston.

    There was a harmony and agreement with the Kollyvades Fathers in Greece, the Elder Ieronymos who originally came from Asia Minor, Saint John the Romanian of the Palestinian desert, and Metropolitan Anthony Khrapovitsky, the first Metropolitan of the Russian Church Abroad. What was that harmony and agreement? They all had a love for the teachings of the God-bearing Fathers, a love for genuine Orthodox Holy Tradition. We received spiritual provisions from these elders and protection and guidance in the true faith under the omophorion of Saint Philaret. In other words, as we advanced toward the True Light,  our way has been illumined by luminaries and successors of the God-bearing Fathers of the Church.

    Time has passed, and alas, few in this confused, secularized age have understood the word of Truth. But our Saviour predicted that this would be so when He said, “Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall He find the faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8) Yet, He also encouraged us with the words, “Fear not, little flock, it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).

    But I should note, too, that some obviously did respond and from that time of the mid-1960s there gathered a steadily increasing flock of those who wished to worship our God in spirit and in truth. If we but look around us, we will see that, though still small, we are the Church of all nations. Our clergy — and, for that matter, our laity — are comprised of those who fled heresy from the many and diverse heretical jurisdictions and are themselves from many different ethnic backgrounds, yet we are one in Christ.

    We need to appreciate the labors of the clergy and their wives who confessed Christ in that generation, they who, “esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt ,  looking to the recompense of reward in the future age” (Heb. 11:26). In my travels I have heard poignant stories from presbyteras who recounted how, when they first left the Greek Archdiocese, they received phone calls from Archdiocese members expressing a false sympathy for the family’s economic hardships, promising Father and Presbytera a better income if only they would return to heresy.

    Anyone who would attempt to trivialize their struggle, should consider this fact: during the years that have passed since the initial indignation arose against the heresy of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, of the monasteries of Mount Athos that originally broke communion with the Patriarchate all but one have returned, either through intrigue or capitulation, to communion with innovators. The single exception to this is the monastery of Esphigmenou, which has kept the faith.

    Time has indeed passed, people have chosen sides, and we still need to confess the faith; but we are now at a critical stage in our Church. The great question is, will the next generation of Orthodox Christians rise to the occasion and in its turn labor to preserve the faith once delivered to the Saints?

    And how can individuals help to assure this happens? We, each and every one of us, need to understand that we all have to do our part to insure succession in the Church. The mystery of our Saviour’s economy works through His servants and handmaids. We have to cooperate with the Holy Spirit for anything  positive to happen in our lives individually and collectively. Our Saviour said unto His disciples, “The harvest indeed is plenteous, but the laborers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest” (Matt. 9:37-38).

    From the day of Pentecost our God ordered things in the new dispensation in such a way that He works through his priests who dispense His Gifts. If we are to continue, we need men who are willing to sacrifice and labor for the Church and we need actively to support those who carry out this sacred work of consecrating and dispensing the Holy Mysteries.

    Where will we get such men if we fail actively to encourage each other in the Faith, to teach our families, and especially the youth, the Faith? We also need to be aware of the many and various dangers in the culture war that surrounds us. If parents do not themselves teach their children to know and love and piously embrace the Faith, to savor the things of God with eagerness, who else will teach them?

    Our labor in the diocese begins at the level of the family. Our work is to provide guidance for our Christian flock on how they should live as intact, functional Orthodox families in this secularized, spiritually dysfunctional society. It is only from the base of strong Christian families that we will have strong parishes and a strong diocese. The answer for the future of the Church lies in your own home, not in someone else’s. If each family understands that its own contributions to the preservation of the parish, and the diocese, and the Faith are vital and essential, then together we will provide for the future, for under those conditions God will surely help us.

    At this point I address the clergy to remind them of the words Saint Paul’s words to Saint Timothy: “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (II Tim. 2:1-2).

    Our Saviour requires that those who are given the charge to rule over His household should be wise and faithful stewards. Again, I repeat, and again and again I emphasize that one of our key responsibilities is to provide for succession in the Church. We need to consciously train our upcoming generation to be Christian leaders. We need to develop a common vision for providing leadership training in each of our parishes.

    Not all will be teachers in the Church, the Church has a hierarchy and each member of the body of Christ has his or her own particular function. Yet, all of the members of our flock should know well the Gospels and tenets and history of the Faith and should know them in an active way so that they can apply them both to understanding the daily temptations that secular society may send their way and to avail themselves of the daily opportunities we are all given to gain crowns. We need to train strong and confident followers of Christ. Every family is of course a “gathering of the faithful” with the husband and wife as its leaders. Unfortunately today, parents cannot assume that the family can run on automatic pilot, as it were, and hope that they and their children will emerge intact from the corrosive effects of our post-Christian society.

    I once read in a secular book that one learns good leadership by practicing good followership. In other words, one can be a good leader only if he has been a good follower. This is consistent with the teachings of the Church Fathers. A monk long ago asked, why are there no great elders nowadays? And the answer was: because there are no great disciples. How can I as a bishop ask obedience of you the flock if I do not obey the rules of the Church? Or how can parents expect their children to be obedient if the parents are not themselves obedient to the rules of the Church? Obedience begets obedience.

    In his first letter to the Corinthians Saint Paul gave us an insight regarding Pastorship and Leadership: “Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God who giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour” (I Cor. 3:5-9).

    There always has been and always will be a hierarchical structure in the Church, but if one examines this model expounded by Saint Paul, it is also clear that a true Christian leader must see himself as one of many ministers in the vineyard of Christ and does not attempt to arrange things in such a way that he will seem indispensable. After all, the vineyard belongs to Christ, not to him. Therefore, the mark of a true leader is demonstrated when the diocese or parish organization is capable of carrying on effectively after their leader retires or reposes. We as pastors must ask ourselves, “Am I seeking to provide for the future of the Church?” We must all plan for succession; we must all do our utmost to prepare someone to whom we can pass the torch.

    The world lies in error and sin. So-called “World Orthodoxy” has been dragged into heresy by false shepherds. There is no land remaining where genuine Orthodoxy comprises the state Church. We have returned to conditions similar to those experienced by the early Christians. Let us then seek to recapture the ardent fervor of those early Christians. They saw their conversion as a turning from darkness unto light. The Cross was truly for them the symbol of immortality and victory over death. Let us ourselves celebrate constantly in our hearts as we do in church this great immortal victory and let us ever remember that our immortality was achieved by the self-sacrificing, co-suffering love of the God-Man.

    Our Saviour could have saved us by some other way than the Cross, but He chose the Cross and death in order to become an example to us of the ultimate self-sacrificing, co-suffering love. I repeat, Our Saviour could have saved us by some other way, but He chose the Cross and death to show us the way we are to follow, this is the way of self sacrificing, co-suffering love. It was for this reason that our Saviour said, “By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one for another” (John 13: 35). So we demonstrate that we are His disciples when we imitate Him. And it was the example of this Christian spirit of self-sacrificing love that converted the pagan world to Him.

    Without an identical spirit of self-sacrificing love, we will never experience the mystery of ecclesia, which is that gathering of the multitude of the faithful into one heart and one soul, as described in the Acts of the Apostles. Our Cross  is not comprised of the nails and the spear, but the labors of long-suffering love.

    In imitation of the Holy Apostles and the first Christians, let us with all lowliness entreat God the Holy Spirit to overshadow us and grant us to be of one heart and of one soul. Let us seek from the Holy Spirit gifts according to His will to help us live up to the particular calling He has assigned to each of us, whatever that may be, so that as members of the Body we may fulfill the function to which we are called. Let us follow our Christ and imitate Him,  that we may be leaders in Christ — that so doing we will establish a genuine Christian Community in each parish and will thereby provide for Succession and Perpetuation in the One Church of Christ. Amen.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

    Many of us become excited by the plentitude of secular entertainment and sporting events available during this time of year. I ask you to observe closely the enthusiasm over, for example, the college football bowl games: the anticipation and conversation about the players, the loyalty expressed for the "University of Whatever," and so forth.

    How much more should we as Christians anticipate and savor the things of God and celebrate with shouts of joy the victory for mankind occasioned by the awesome feast of the incarnation of the One Who existed as God from before the ages. When the fullness of time came God revealed His great Mysteries, revealed His unfathomable love for us, made manifest the incomprehensible depth of His co-suffering love. It was these marvels that the angels learned along with us.

    The Prophet King David wrote, "Thy statutes were my songs in the place of my sojourning." Should not we too spend our time in "psalms, hymns and spiritual songs" to celebrate and savor the Nativity feast? This year, I ask parents to nurture in their children, from tots to teens, an appreciation, an excitement and anticipation for the feast. In a recent book on child raising the author states, "Love for your child is spelled T-I-M-E." Spend the time and savor the feast together.

    And find an appropriate hymn or song that you can share. Below is a beautiful, traditional Appalachian carol, adapted by John Jacob Niles (1892-1980). You can use this song or some other, but spend the time.

    In the love of Christ,

    +Metropolitan Moses
 

            I  Wonder As I Wander

    I wonder as I wander out under the sky,
    How Jesus, the Saviour, did come for to die.
    For poor, ordinary people like you and like I
    I wonder as I wander
    Out under the sky.

    When Mary birthed Jesus, 'twas in a cows' stall,
    With wise men and farmers and shepherds and all.
    But high from God's heaven a star's light did fall,
    And the promise of ages
    It did then recall.

    If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing:
    A star in the sky, or a bird on the wing;
    Or all of God's angels in heaven for to sing,
    He surely could have had it,
    'Cause He was the King!

    I wonder as I wander out under the sky,
    How Jesus, the Saviour, did come for to die.
    For poor, ordinary people like you and like I
    I wonder as I wander
    Out under the sky.

    (One source for this song, among others, is Katina Patitsas’ release "The Christmas Story."  Those interested in    purchasing a tape or CD, can contact Katina@katinamusic.com or Saint Nectarios Press at http://www.stnectariospress.com)

Christ is born!  Glorify Him!

    In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

    Some years ago, my beloved Orthodox Christians, I recall reading an article in an Israeli periodical, The Jerusalem Report. The article was entitled, "A Vessel to Hold the Infinite," and concerned itself with the building of the Tabernacle, the portable sanctuary that the tribes of Israel used during their decades-long sojourn in the desert.

    The article cites the book of Exodus, Chapter 25, where God tells Moses, "Let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them." Why was this sanctuary necessary in the first place? The whole universe cannot hold the presence of God ? how, then, could a tent made of cloth, leather and wooden posts contain the glory of God? What reason, what necessity, could there be for this limited physical space for God?

    The necessity arose, writes the author, from the sin of idolatry committed by the people of Israel, when they offered adoration to the golden calf. By worshipping the golden calf, the Jews betrayed the one true God Who had been revealed to them. Therefore, since they could no longer rise to their former spiritual level because of the blasphemous sin they had committed, there was a need for them ? certainly not for God ? to give a material expression to God's presence in their midst. There was now a need, says the author, for "a vessel to hold the Infinite." Further, she writes, "the [Jewish people] had shown in their actions that they were incapable of living on a level of pure spirituality, without physical means or representations." An amazing admission, indeed ? especially considering the author's faith! With this astonishing confession, she continues, "in his renewed revelation to Moses, God had mercy on the children of Israel. He showed them a way to draw His presence down among them. . . ."

    By His own Incarnation and Nativity, God did indeed "draw His presence down among mankind." As the holy Prophet-King David proclaims in the Psalms, "God shall come visibly, yea, our God, and shall not keep silence" (Ps. 49:3). The Prophet Esaias writes, "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bring forth a son, and they shall call His Name, 'God with us' " (Es. 7:14). And the Prophet Michaias also foretells of the Ruler Who, on the one hand, is to come from Bethlehem, but Who, on the other hand, exists from eternity:

    And thou, Bethlehem, house of Ephratha, in the land of Juda, are not the least among the princes of Juda;  yet out of thee shall come a ruler, and His goings forth were from the beginning, even from eternity. (cf.Mic. 5:2; Matt. 2:6)

    The holy Gospel of Saint John the Theologian also speaks to us of God's presence in our midst:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only-begotten of the Father),  full of grace and truth.
(John 1:1, 14)

     The very term "Theotokos" ? "Birthgiver of God" ? is indicative of mankind's need for a "material expression of God's presence in its midst." The Theotokos herself, by her willing submission and obedience to God, and by the Incarnation, provided her body as a material "vessel to hold the Infinite," to use the words of our Jewish author.

     In this chaste vessel, the Word of God, perfect God with the fullness of the divinity, condescended out of love to become incarnate, to take upon Himself flesh and to become a perfect man, Jesus the Christ. Herein is the solemn mystery of God's incarnation preserved and proclaimed to the world. No logical or philosophic categories can define the mystery of the inter-penetration, and yet mutual distinctness of the divine and human natures in Our Lord Jesus Christ. The Nativity of the God-man is an event of unprecedented significance for mankind: a vessel of human nature holds the Infinite!

     As Saint Ephraim the Syrian expresses this mystery so succinctly:

    Praise be to Thee Who didst set out from one haven and didst dwell in another, to come and make us a haven for Him that sent Thee. The Only-begotten journeyed from the Godhead and dwelt in a Virgin, so that through physical birth He might become a brother to many.  (A Homily on the Lord, 1-2)

    My beloved Orthodox Christians, with the voice of Church let us raise our voices and cry out to the Infinite One Who dwelt among us by means of the holy and choice vessel, the Virgin Theotokos. To the Son Who was begotten of the Father before the  ages without change, and in these last days was without seed made flesh of the Virgin, to Christ our  God let us cry aloud. .  Holy art Thou, O Lord! (Katavasia of Christ's Nativity, Ode Three)

Christ is born!  Let us glorify Him!
Your fervent suppliant unto God,

+Ephraim, Metropolitan of Boston
Nativity of Our Saviour, 2001
Protocol Number 2109

    The November 2001 issue of the Orthodox Christian Witness had an article dealing with the discovery of some newly discovered first century fragments of the Gospel of St. Matthew ("Studies Indicate St. Matthew's Gospel Written in A. D. 66]. What is remarkable about this video is that it presents not only the dating methods employed by biblical scholars, but also the prejudices and basic atheism of the liberal critics.

The video is $19.95, plus $5 shipping and handling, and can be purchased from:

    Ignatius Press
    P. O. Box 1339
    Fort Collins, CO  80522

Metropolitan Ephraim highly [very highly!] recommends the video "Eyewitness to Jesus".

[You can also log on to www.ignatius.com to see if there is a store in your location where you can purchase the video.]

    WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Census Bureau, on October 18 announced a decline in the numbers of working women with infant children. The rates fell from a record-high 59% in 1998 to 55% in 2000, the first significant decline since 1976 when the bureau developed the indicator. In 1976, only 31% of new mothers were in the workforce.

    "It's encouraging to see that more women today are choosing full-time motherhood," Family Research Council President Ken Connor said. "But regardless of their choice, women shouldn't be forced into the workforce and required to abandon their children because government insists on taking such a huge part of the family income.

    "As the White House and Congress prepares to look at more tax relief, they should look specifically at policies that would help families the most. They should accelerate the elimination of the marriage tax penalty and expedite an increase in the child tax credit."

    Polls consistently report working women's desire to be at home with their children. In 1996, the Independent Women's Forum asked women: "If you had enough money to live as comfortably as you'd like, would you prefer to work full-time, work part-time, do volunteer work, or work at home caring for your family?” Of the women responding, only 15% replied they wanted to work fulltime. Thirty-one percent said they wanted to be at home with their children.

    A 1997 Pew Research Center poll found that only one-third of mothers with children under age 18 said they prefer full-time over working part-time or not at all.

    "Policymakers should lend an attentive ear to what women want. Our society and government should no longer treat women who choose to be at home with their children as second-class citizens," Connor said. "Women realize that the first few developmental years of a child's life are crucial, and they recognize their importance as mothers during these early years. Government needs to understand this too and do all it can to ensure that families are strong.”

    Franky Schaeffer writes in Dancing Alone:

    “In 1517 the unity of Christians was further and perhaps irreparably eroded with Martin Luther’s effective declaration of independence from the corrupted Western Latin Roman Church. What began as an effort to reform the Roman Church in the West soon devolved into the most devastating schism the Church had ever suffered. The Reformation in the end reformed little in the Roman Church. It rather created a rival Augustinian religion of its own.

    “A spirit of revolution against historical Church authority (protest being, after all, the root of Protestantism) soon came to be seen as the accepted state of affairs in the new Protestant denominations. From the very beginning of the Reformation it became evident that its leaders, following the model of Martin Luther, were much more revolutionaries than reformers. They were prepared to cast away the most important elements of the Holy Tradition in favor of what soon developed into a new religion.

    “From the beginning the Reformers behaved in an authoritarian manner as harsh as that of the Popes they were attacking. Luther, Calvin and the other Reformers did not believe in free will. God had, according to them, predestined everything. They saw themselves as the instruments of God’s will and therefore needed to brook no dissent or opposition. Theirs, they believed, was a ‘manifest destiny.’ They were no less than the ‘instruments of the Lord.’ The fatalistic character of the Reformer’s theology soon colored the historical events that followed in the wake of their embrace of deterministic, Augustinian ideas.

    LUTHER’S FORGERIES

    “When Zwingli was killed, Martin Luther rejoiced and in a letter to a friend called Zwingli’s death’s ‘a triumph for us.’ The Eucharist whose celebration had been taken for granted for the whole life of the Church as manifesting the real presence of Christ in sacramental form had never before been questioned by any persons calling themselves Christian. It was no more questioned than the divinity of Christ. Yet now Western Christendom was so divided over the basic sacraments that one ‘Reformer’ rejoiced when one of his own number was killed!

    “Barely eighty years after the beginning of the so-called Reformation, the various Protestant sects had already split into more than 280 denominations. Even the most committed Protestant must have been grieved to see the one thousand five hundred years of essential sacramental Christian unity, destroyed in less than eighty.

    “Martin Luther’s boundless revolutionary zeal was clearly manifest in his willingness to put fellow Christians to death, for instance, in advocating death sentences for rebellious Anabaptists. He unleashed far more severe persecutions of his fellow Protestant believers than had been used by the corrupted Roman hierarchy against the original Reformation. But even more shocking from the point of view of those concerned with the continuity of the historical Church was Luther’s extraordinary radical suggestion that the first and second letters of John, James and the Book of Revelation be dropped from the New Testament Canon. Luther also wanted the books of the Old Testament to be revised as well. He discarded the writings that subsequently came to be known as the Apocrypha, and adopted the Hebrew Old Testament, instead of the Greek Septuagint, the Scriptures the authors of the New Testament had used and which they quoted.

    “Luther took the opportunity afforded him in his self-appointed role of translator of the Bible into German, to add and delete words, from the Bible to bolster his ideological-theological revolutionary agenda. For instance, he decided to strengthen some of his favorite passages, like Romans Chapter 3, and weaken others. He added the word ‘only’ to key Biblical passages in which he revised such sentences as: ‘You are saved only by faith,’ or ‘you are saved by faith alone.’ These essential forgeries provided Luther with the ‘proofs’ he needed to bolster his evolving and creatively innovative theology.

    “In 1529, Dr. Link, the preeminent German language scholar of the day, wrote to Luther asking him why he had been inserting words into the German Bible. Luther’s astonishing written answer nicely sums up the heart of the Protestant problem of individualistic subjectivity: ‘It is so because Dr. Martin Luther says it is so!”

     Editor’s Note: We do not agree with Mr. Shaeffer that the 16th century Roman Catholic denomination constituted a part of the Church. His other observations, however, are very much on the mark and tell us much about the true character of the Protestant “Reformation.”

Parents in Byron, California, are outraged that government schools are forcing their children to learn the tenets of Islam, adopt a Muslim name, wear a robe and even stage their own jihad (“holy war”).

Complaints to their taxpayer-supported principal were brushed off, ASSIST News Service reports.

“The public schools in California so stealthily slipped this course into the 7th grade curriculum that even another 7th grade teacher, Elizabeth Christina Lemings, was totally in the dark that this was being taught until her son, Joseph, who is a 7th grader in the same school where she teaches, brought home the handouts,” ANS reported.

“We could never teach Christianity like this,” Lemings told ANS. “We can’t even mention the name of Jesus in the public schools, but over there,” she pointed to the building next to hers, “they teach Islam as the true religion, and students are taught about Islam and how to pray to Allah.”

California’s government schools have adopted the textbook used for the Islamic course, “Across the Centuries,” published by Houghton Mifflin (Boston). Islam is shown in a totally positive manner, whereas everything Christian is depicted negatively, says ANS.

In contrast, “There is not one negative to be found about Islam in this one-sided account, such as the wars, massacres, cruelties against Christians and other non-Muslims that Islam has consistently perpetrated over the centuries.
“Nor is any mention made of the way Muslims treat their own people, cutting off hands, feet and heads for even the slightest violations of the Islamic tenets of faith, or the shocking way they treat their women.

“The miraculous events leading up to the Koran, the holy book of Islam, and other revelations are presented as factual. Any reference of the miraculous regarding Christianity is always set next to a disclaimer stating that; ‘It was (is) believed by Christians (or an individual such as Martin Luther)’, implying an absence of credibility about the stated event,” ANS reports.

As Lemings put it: “Can you imagine the barrage of lawsuits and problems we would have from the ACLU if Christianity were taught in the public schools, and if we tried to teach about the contributions of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and the Apostle Paul? But when it comes to furthering the Islamic religion in the public schools, there is not one word from the ACLU, People For The American Way, or anybody else. This is hypocrisy.” ANS reported, “Even more disturbing: students are to pretend that they are Muslims, wear Muslim clothing to school, stage their own jihad via a dice game, and pick out a Muslim name (to replace their own) from a list of thirty.”

Every pupil questioned by ANS thought the brainwashing course “was fun.” Some described Islam as “a pretty culture.”

Lemings told ANS: “This is not just a history class examining culture. This course is entirely too specific. It is more about indoctrination.”

And government educrats keep wondering why more and more parents want school choice.

During the reign of Alexis Comnenus, who succeeded Botaniatus (Emperor Nicephorus III) in 1081, there arose in Constantinople a dispute among the learned and virtuous men of that time concerning the Three Great Hierarchs of the Church, Basil, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom. Some preferred Basil the Great since he explained the nature of all created things in his writings, and emulated the angels by his virtues and was numbered among their ranks; furthermore, he did not forgive sinners lightly but was, in general, severe, and had no concern for earthly matters. These men, moreover, contended that St. John Chrysostom was inferior to St. Basil, since in disciplinary matters he apparently stood in opposition to Basil and readily forgave sinners.

Others, on the other hand, exalted the divine Chrysostom, saying that he was greater than both Basil and Gregory since he thought in a manner which condescended more to the understanding of all men. By the clarity and comprehensibility of his speech, he both guided all to salvation and brought sinners to repentance. In their opinion, he surpassed the other two fathers because of the great abundance of his mellifluous writings and the loftiness and breadth of his thoughts.

Still others preferred the writings of St. Gregory the Theologian, saying that he was superior to both St. Basil and St. John. For, said they, by the exactness and elegance of his expression and by the sublimity and eloquence of his words, Gregory surpassed all the ancients, famous for their pagan learning, and also the later writers who have become renown for their ecclesiastical works. Thus, the greater part of Orthodox Christians of that time were divided into "Basilians", "Johnites" and "Gregorians".

Seeing, however, that the Orthodox Christians had become divided, these Three Hierarchs began themselves to appear separately in visions to the holy bishop of Euchaita, John. Then, all three together appeared to him, visibly, and he beheld them with his bodily eyes. This John was a most learned man, both in the secular learning of the Greeks and in the inner wisdom of divine knowledge. Further, he was exceeding virtuous and thus, truly resembled the Saints themselves. The Hierarchs spoke to him with one voice, saying: "We have the same nearness to God, as you see, and have no opposition or conflict among ourselves; but according to the different times in which we were found, each of us were moved by the Spirit of God and thus wrote diverse teachings; such things as we were taught by the Holy Spirit, these did we proclaim for the salvation of men. No one is first or second among us, but if you speak of one, the two others follow. Therefore, command those who quarrel not to be divided among themselves on our account, for we have ever had the desire, both while we dwelt upon earth and after our translation, that we bring peace, unity and oneness of thought to men, and not division. Set aside one day, therefore, on which you can unite the feasts of our commemoration, and compose hymns for our feast as it seems fitting to you and in accordance with the sacred traditions of the Christians, for we have the same nearness to God. We desire most assuredly to grant help that is unto salvation to those who celebrate our common memory, since we possess the same boldness and might before God."

Having said these things, the Saints, calling one another by name, seemed to ascend into the Heavens, radiant with ineffable light. John arose then and did what the divine Hierarchs had commanded. Because of the fame of his virtue, he was able to bring peace among the multitudes of the common people and the quarrelling parties of the learned. Thus, the joint festival of the Three Hierarchs was established. With great discernment the holy John chose the 30th of January for the date of the feast, seeing that in the course of the same month, each of the Hierarchs celebrates his own feast (St. Basil on the 1st, St. Gregory on the 25th and St. John on the 27th). Moreover, he adorned the festival with hymns of surpassing beauty and spiritual wisdom, as befitted these great Fathers of the Church.

The Three Hierarchs had the following characteristics: St. John Chrysostom was small in stature. He had a very large head and his body was extremely lean and slender; his eyes were deep set and very great. His forehead was high and broad, furrowed with wrinkles; his head was balding and his beard small; his jaw and cheek bones were very prominent due to his fasting. But what can be said of the words which flowed forth from this golden mouth?  The profundity and breadth of the divine torrent of his God-inspired words surpasses all description. At the age of sixty-three he gave up his holy soul as a confessor for our Saviour, being banished and persecuted by the unjust; he served as chief-shepherd of Christ's flock for six years.

St. Basil the Great was quite tall in stature, being very slender and lean from his ascetical manner of life. His complexion was dark and pale, his hair and beard were long and black, intermixed with gray. In all fields of study the Saint surpassed not only the wise and learned of his own time but even the ancients themselves, and by his practice of all the virtues he ascended to the inner knowledge of things created and of the energies of the Godhead. Hence, he was set upon the throne of the church of Caesaria (in Asia Minor) and was the shepherd of Christ's flock for eight years, reposing at the age of forty-nine, leaving many works behind for the edification of all Orthodox Christians.

The great Theologian, Gregory, was of middling stature, graceful in appearance and somewhat pale. His gaze was gentle and compassionate. His beard was thick but not long, and yellow around the end. He was balding and had white hair. This great Hierarch attained to the uttermost summit of divine vision and divine knowledge, and more than all others received from the Holy Spirit the gift of being able to express the ineffable mysteries of the Godhead. With his God-proclaiming tongue he silenced the vain babblings of various heretics and brought multitudes back to the Orthodox Faith. Thus he is most fittingly called the "Theologian". He is hardly ever known as "Nazianzus" among the Orthodox, since this title belongs to his father, the bishop of that city, who was also named Gregory and is celebrated by the Orthodox faithful on January 1st. The great Theologian reposed at the age of sixty-two.

This earthly trinity, equal in number to the Celestial, has taught us to worship the Triune God as is meet and to confess our Orthodox Faith in the same manner as they received it from the Most Holy Trinity Himself, saying: "The unbegotten Father is God, the begotten Son is God and the Holy Spirit which proceeds forth is God. These same are Three yet One, and what is most strange to all, except to the true worshippers of the Three, the nature of this unity is unfathomed and unknown. Three Persons, but not three Gods; for there is one God, since the Godhead is one and the same. Neither are the Hypostases unified by Its Unity, nor are They multiplied because of Their number, but They are like sunbeams which come forth, proceeding from the one Sun and maintaining the Sun as one, differing one from the other in nothing, save in Their attributes, with none of the Persons having either excess or lack in relation to the Others. In nature, glory, power and goodness the Three are equal, or rather, one and the same, and the Threefold Unity is and ever shall be united unto eternity." Thus did these most sacred luminaries and teachers of the Church teach us to confess the Holy Trinity, our God, and by their virtuous life and wise teaching, by undergoing persecutions, perils and conflicts for the True Faith even unto death, they strengthened true doctrine.

ST. NECTARIOS WALL CALENDAR FOR 2002 according to traditional Old Calendar. Color coded dates show fasting, oil and wine days and fast-free days. Calendar backs contain information about the Orthodox Faith. Included is booklet with daily scripture readings.  b$6.00  + shipping.

(DEP)  DEPRESSION: A Spiritual Guide
by Archimandrite Spyridon Logothetis. Translated from the Greek, this excellent volume brings the hope and therapy provided by Christ and His Church for the prevention, alleviation, and cure of the depression from which so many people suffer today. 170 pp. Paper e$14.00

GUIDE TO BYZANTINE ICONOGRAPHY, Vol. 2 by Constantine Cavarnos. The long awaited second (of three) volume. Detailed explanations of 10 major Festal icons, of iconography of God, the Theotokos, St. John the Baptist and Angels. Also has articles by St. Nectarios and Photios Kontoglou.  Illus. 160pp. Paper  d$23.00

A RUMOR OF WAR: Christ’s Millennial Reign and the Rapture of His Church by Dennis Engleman. The most comprehensive study available of the teachings of Christ, the Apostles and the Fathers of the Church on this controversial subject. An important book.  256pp.  Paper  d$23.00

SAINT JOHN AND GOOLYA by Tamara N. Zaharek and Lydia N. Ionin. A children’s life of St. John of San Francisco with full color illustrations and photographs. Goolya was the pet pigeon the saint had during the latter part of his life.  Large format. 32pp.  Paper  e$10.00