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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March 2002, Vol. XXXVI, No. 7, (1514)
CONTENTS:
1. PASTORAL LETTER FOR GREAT LENT 2002 FROM METROPOLITAN MOSESE
2. THE LENTEN ENCYCLICAL OF
HIS EMINENCE, METROPOLITAN EPHRAIM OF BOSTON
3. ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM
EXTRACTED FROM HIS HOMILY “ON FASTING"
4.  ANGLICAN PRIEST BELIEVES WEST
IS UNDERESTIMATING ZEAL OF ISLAM
(WASHINGTON TIMES, JANUARY 16, 2002)
5. A CESSPOOL FILLED WITH BARBED WIRE ? II
6. FRENCH DOCTORS TO STRIKE OVER ABORTION REQUIREMENT
7. ON THE VALUE OF READING LIVES OF SAINTS*
8. A NEW VIDEO OF THE CHURCH OF UGANDA IS AVAILABLE
9. BOOK REVIEWS
10. MOVIE REVIEW | 'YUGOSLAVIA, THE AVOIDABLE WAR'
The Horrors of the Balkan Wars as Shrewdly Staged
Illusions. New York Times, March 15, 2002
11. FOR LENTEN READING
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1. PASTORAL LETTER FOR GREAT LENT 2002 FROM METROPOLITAN MOSESE

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…
(Ecclesiastes 3:1)

Beloved Faithful,

    We all yearn to find our place in life, this being a component of our universal need for spiritual well-being. The only True Physician recognized this and said unto all, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light (Matt 11:28-30). Our “place of rest” is found only in God and the yoke of the Holy Tradition of the Church established by His Apostles and their successors. Holy Tradition provides for us this season of Great Lent to allow us to leave off the distractions of the world, to reflect on our spiritual state, to repent, to prepare to worship the voluntary Passion, Crucifixion, and life giving Resurrection of our Christ.

    The fast is a great gift for those who labor and offer this sacrifice with discretion. “Sacrifice unto God a sacrifice of praise, and pay unto the Most High thy vows,” declared the Prophet King David. Praise is indeed a sacrifice. When we exert ourselves in prayer and praise we are no longer amusing ourselves. When we offer praise, we follow the narrow way of concentration on the things of God and abandon the broad way of distraction and dissipation. Yet, the act of offering this praise has a sweetness and consolation that has no rival. This is what makes the yoke of prayer easy and the burden of fasting light, i.e., when we redeem the time with Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Not all of us can chant, but we all can praise God through prayer. The Prophet King David, a man of many cares and distractions, praised God saying, “Seven times a day have I praised Thee for the judgments of Thy righteousness.” If we truly desire to imitate him, we can find time throughout the day to pray. Our prayers do not have to be long. One can find short intervals throughout the day to recite the Jesus Prayer. Or one can try to recite the basic introductory prayers found in the Prayer Book and add to it a prayer that one is moved by. It is spiritually profitable to try and memorize a favorite by repeating it at selected times throughout the day.

    The early Christian monastics set aside time to pray throughout the day at the first, third, sixth, and ninth hours (this corresponds to 6 a.m., 9 a.m., 12 noon, and 3 p.m.). I exhort you to strive to imitate these Christian monastics and recite a short prayer at these times. If you find this impossible, try to say a few short prayers every time you get into your car. This is the time of year to mechanize, that is, try and devise ways of consoling yourself with prayer. Put away the television or cover it up with a tablecloth or blanket. Plan to read spiritual books or articles, play recordings of liturgical chant, and above all, spend time in prayer.
Below are prayers that are well worth memorizing. Console yourselves throughout the fast and prepare for the sacred and awesome Holy Week and Pascha, wherein we pass over from darkness unto light, from death unto life.

Your fervent supplicant unto Christ,
+Metropolitan Moses

Prayer of Saint Ionnikius the Great

My hope is the Father, my refuge the Son, my shelter the Holy Spirit. O Holy Trinity, glory be to thee.

Prayer of Saint Mardarios

O Sovereign God, the Father Almighty, O Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and thou, O Holy Spirit, one Godhead, one Power: Have mercy on me a sinner, and by the judgements which thou knowest, save me, thine unworthy servant; for blessed art thou unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O Christ the true Light, Who enlightenest and sanctifiest every man that cometh into the world: Let the light of Thy countenance be signed upon us, that in it we may behold the unapproachable Light, and guide our steps in the performance of Thy commandments, by the intercessions of Thine all-immaculate Mother, and of all thy saints. Amen.

Thou who at all times and at every hour, in heaven and on earth, art worshipped and glorified, O Christ God, Who art long-suffering, plenteous in mercy, most compassionate, Who lovest the righteous and hast mercy on sinners, Who callest all to salvation through the promise of good things to come: receive, O Lord, our prayers at this hour, and guide our life toward Thy commandments. Sanctify our souls, make chaste our bodies, correct our thoughts, purify our intentions, and deliver us from every sorrow, evil, and pain. Compass us about with Thy holy angels, that, guided and guarded by their array, we may attain to the unity of the faith, and the knowledge of Thine unapproachable glory: for blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Prayer of Saint Basil the Great

O God and Lord of hosts, and Maker of all creation, who by Thy tender compassion which transcendeth comprehension, didst send down Thine only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, for the salvation of our race, and by His precious Cross didst tear asunder the handwriting of our sins, and thereby didst triumph over the principalities and powers of darkness: Do thou Thyself, O man-befriending Master, accept also from us sinners these prayers of thanksgiving and entreaty, and deliver us from every destructive and dark transgression, and from all enemies, both visible and invisible, that seek to do us evil. Nail down our flesh with the fear of Thee, and incline not our hearts unto words or thoughts of evil, but pierce our souls with longing for thee, so that being guided by Thy light as we behold Thee, the unapproachable and everlasting Light, we may send up unceasing praise and thanksgiving unto Thee, the Father which is without beginning, with Thine only-begotten Son, and Thine all-holy and good and life-creating Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The translation of the above prayers is © Holy Transfiguration Monastery.
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2. THE LENTEN ENCYCLICAL
OF
His Eminence, Metropolitan Ephraim of Boston

    Just as a man whose head is submerged in the water cannot breathe the subtle air which is poured forth in the atmosphere's vast gulf, so he that immerses his mind in the cares of this present life cannot take in the breath that is the perception of the new world.

                        (St. Isaac the Syrian, Homily 74)

     Like any good athlete, a good swimmer must watch his diet. As one expert trainer ? Saint John Chrysostom ? observes, when the course of contest becomes difficult,
 

    Corpulence that comes from gluttony is a great hindrance… "For an athlete," it is said, "is not crowned unless he strive lawfully" (II Timothy 2:5). To the end, then, that when we have gone through the labor of fasting, we forfeit not the crown of fasting, we should understand how, and in what manner, it is necessary to conduct this business; since that Pharisee also fasted (Luke 18:12), but afterwards went down empty, and destitute of the fruit of fasting. The Publican fasted not; and yet he was accepted in preference to him who had fasted ? this, in order that you should learn that fasting is unprofitable unless all the other duties follow with it. The Ninevites fasted, and won the favor of God (Jonas 3:10). The Jews also fasted, and profited nothing; nay, they departed with blame (Esaias 58:3, 7; I Corinthians 9:26).

    Since then, the dangers in fasting are so great to those who do not know how they ought to fast, we should learn the laws of this exercise, in order that we may not "run uncertainly," nor "beat the air," nor while we are fighting contend with a shadow.

    Fasting is a medicine; but a medicine, though it be profitable, becomes frequently useless owing to the lack of skill of him who employs it. For it is necessary to know ? for one thing ? the time when it should be employed, and how much of it should be used; and the temperament of the body that consumes it; and the nature of the country, and the season of the year; and the corresponding diet, as well as various other particulars; any of which, if one overlooks, he will mar all the rest that we have named.
                                 (St. John Chrysostom, On the Statues, III, 8)

    As anyone who has trained in any sport knows, the right type of preparation is essential if one expects to win a contest. The contest in which we Orthodox Christians strive is, to be sure, a special one. In the secular Olympics of this world, only a few will win the prizes. In the contest that our Saviour sets before us, it is possible for all to win crowns. It is necessary only that we contest lawfully.

    One of the most beautiful and inspiring hymns of the Triodion ? one which I never tire of hearing and quoting ? is a sticheron of the Matins of Cheese-Fare Sunday, which succinctly sums up the significance of this holy season:

    The stadium of the virtues is opened; enter in, ye that desire to contest, and gird yourselves for the good contest of the Fast. For they that contest lawfully are justly crowned. And taking up the full weaponry of the Cross, we shall fight against the enemy, having the Faith as an unshakeable battlement, and prayer as a breastplate, and almsgiving as a helmet, and in the stead of a sword, fasting, which cutteth every evil away from our hearts. He that doeth these things doth receive the true crown from Christ, the King of all, in the day of judgment.

       Your fervent supplicant unto Christ,

      +Metropolitan Ephraim

Protocol Number 2116
Great Lent, 2002
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    Fasting is a medicine. But medicine, as beneficial as it is, becomes useless because of the inexperience of the user. He has to know the appropriate time that the medicine should be taken and the right amount of medicine and the condition of the body which is to take it, the weather conditions and the season of the year and the appropriate diet of the sick and many other things. If any of these things are overlooked the medicine will do more harm than good. So, if one who is going to heal the body needs so much accuracy, when we care for the soul and are concerned about healing it from bad thoughts, it is necessary to examine and observe everything with every possible detail.

    Fasting is the change of every part of our life. Because the sacrifice of the fast is not the abstinence but the distancing from sins. Therefore, whoever limits the fast to the deprivation of food, he is the one who, in reality, abhors and ridicules the fast. Are you fasting? Show me your fast with your works. Which works? If you see someone who is poor, show him mercy. If you see an enemy, reconcile with him. If you see a ftiend who is becoming successful, do not be jealous of him! If you see a beautiful woman on the street, pass her by.

    In other words, not only should the mouth fast, but the eyes and the legs and the arms and all the other parts of the body should fast as well. Let the hands fast, remaining clean from stealing and greediness. Let the legs fast, avoiding roads which lead to sinful sights. Let the eyes fast by notfixing themselves on beautiful faces and by not observing the beauty of others. You are not eating meat, are you? You should not eat debauchery with you r eyes as well. Let you r hearing also fast. The fast of hearing is not to accept bad talk against others and sly defamations.

    Let the mouth fast from disgraceful and abusive words. Because, what gain is there when, on the one hand we avoid eating chicken and fish and, on the other, we chew-up and consume our brothers? He who condemns and blasphemes is as if he has eaten brotherly meat, as if he has bitten into the flesh of his fellow man. It is because of this that Paul frightened us, saying: 'If you chew up and consume one another be careful that you do not annihilate yourselves.'

    You did not thrust your teeth into the flesh (of your neighbour) but you thrusted bad talk in his soul; you wounded it by spreading disfame, causing unestimatable damage both to your- self, to him, and to many others... (On the Statutes, Hom. 111).

    If you cannot go without eating all day because of an ailment of the body, beloved one, no logical man will be able to criticize you for that. Besides, we have a Lord who is meek and loving (philanthropic) and who does not ask for anything beyond our power. Because he neither requires the abstinence from foods, neither that the fast take place for the simple sake of fasting, neither is its aim that we remain with empty stomachs, but that we fast to offer our entire selves to the dedication of spiritual things, having distanced ourselves from secular things. If we regulated our life with a sober mind and directed all of our interest toward spiritual things, and if we ate as much as we needed to satisfy our necessary needs and offered our entire lives to good works, we would not have any need of the help rendered by the fast. But because human nature is indifferent and gives itself over mostly to comforts and gratifications, for this reason the philanthropic Lord, like a loving and caring father, devised the therapy of the fast for us, so that our gratifications would be completely stopped and that our worldly cares be transferred to spiritual works. So if there are some who have gathered here and who are hindered by somatic ailments and cannot remain without food, I advise them to nullify the somatic ailment and not to deprive themselves from this spiritual teaching, but to care for it even more.

    For there exist, there really exist, ways which are even more important than abstinence from food which can open the gates which lead to God with boldness. He, therefore, who eats and cannot fast, let him display richer almsgiving, let him pray more, let him have a more intense desire to hear divine words. In this, our somatic illness is not a hinderance. Let him become reconciled with his enemies. Let him distance from his soul every resentment. If he wants to accomplish these things, then he has done the true fast, which is what the Lord asks of us more than anything else. It is for this reason that he asks us to abstain from food, in order to place the flesh in subjection to the fulfilment of his commandments, whereby curbing its impetuousness. But if we are not about to offer to ourselves the help rendered by the fast because of bodily illness and at the same time display greater indifference, we will see ourselves in an unusual exaggerated way. For if the fast does not help us when all the forementioned accomplishments are missing so much is the case when we display greater indifference because we cannot even use-the medicine of fasting. Since you have learned these things from us, I pardon you, those who can, fast and you yourselves increase your acuteness and praise-worthy desire as much as possible.

    To the brothers, though, who cannot fast because of bodily illness, encourage them not to abandon this spiritual word, teaching them and passing on to them all the things we say here, showing them that he who eats and drinks with moderation is not unworthy to hear these things but he who is indifferent and slack. You should tell them the bold and daring saying that 'he who eats for the glory of the Lord eats and he who does not eat for the glory of the Lord does not eat and pleases God'. For he who fasts pleases God because he has the strength to endure the fatigue of the fast and he that eats also pleases God because nothing of this sort can harm the salvation of his soul, as long as he does not want it to. Because the Philanthropic God showed us so many ways by which we can, if we desire, take part in God's power that it is impossible to mention them.

    We have said enough about those who are missing, being that we want to eliminate them from the excuse of shame. For they should not be ashamed because food does not bring on shame but the act of some wrong-doing. Sin is a great shame. If we commit it not only should we feel ashamed but we should cover ourselves exactly the same way those who are wounded do. Even then we should not forsake ourselves but rush to confession and thanksgiving. We have such a Lord who asks nothing of us but to confess our sins, after the commitment of a sin which was due to our indifference, and to stop at that point and not to fall into the same one again. If we eat with moderation we should never be ashamed, because the Creator gave us such a body which cannot be supported in any other way except by receiving food. Let us only stop excessive food because that attributes a great deal to the health and well-being of the body (On Genesis, Hom. X.).

    Let us therefore in every way cast off every destructive madness so that we may gain the goods which have been promised to us in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
                                                (On Hebrews Hom. XXIX).
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    The Rev. Patrick Sookhdoe, an, expert on Islamic history and politics, directs the Institute for the Study of Islam and Christianity in London and the Barnabas Fund, a charity. Of Pakistani descent, he grew up as a Muslim in Guyana, then converted to Christianity, eventually becoming an Anglican priest. In November, he was awarded the Coventry International Prize for Peace and Reconciliation. The following are excerpts from a talk he gave Sunday in Fairfax County.

    I think we have a greater problem in Islam than we realize. Much as I understand why politicians in the U.S. and U.K. have made the kinds of affirmatory statements they have made, I think time will show they have made a mistake. In dealing with Islam, you have to tell the truth. And you have to meet it head on. It understands power and only power. And so you have to know how to exercise power.

    I believe we face a much greater threat from Muslim communities within our own countries than we realize. What we are dealing with is the increasing radicalization of groups within our societies that would have their own agenda. The Muslim world sees itself as under threat. Far from being unified, it is heavily fragmented. But there are certain challenges they will face [together]. And that is Western globalization, which they blame for everything. Western neo-colonialism arising out of old colonialism - that, too, they blame for everything. The massive corruption of their own leadership structures, their autocratic leadership ? all of this has tended to create new forces within the Islamic world.

    For a number of years, Christian communities have suffered excessive problems at the hands of Muslims. Generally, the Western nations have opted to deny the existence of such difficulties. They have oil interests, they have geopolitical interests and they are concerned with their bread-and -butter issues. Therefore, why take up issues relating to Christian minorities when there is nothing to be gained by it? We can rescue Kuwait because there is oil, but why should we want to rescue black Sudanese Christians? It is as simple as that.

     And the church opted for interreligious dialogue. They desperately wanted a relationship with the Muslims. So it meant the Christian minorities had to be sacrificed on the altar of community relations.

    With the advent of Islam in the West, the Western countries have to come to terms with a minority and they didn't know how to do it because of civil liberties. We have got societies that are strong liberal democracies. Our own legal framework stops us from dealing with extremist religion.

    Historically, Islam has never learned to live as a minority because its basis exists in power. Therefore, how does it reconstruct itself in Western societies? My own feeling is that what will happen in the British society ? I am waiting to see whether it will happen in the U.S. ? is Muslim societies will emerge within Western countries where they will develop their own patterns of social sharia [Islamic law].

    In Britain today, where Islam controls the inner cities, we have major social exclusion and the development of sharia. We have had churches burned, Christians attacked and a mission center destroyed. The media has deliberately kept everything off the air. This plays into the hands of Muslims ultimately.

    As for the church in the West, I see a real dilemma in that it works on the basis of pluralism. Difficulties arise in the three areas. The first is the uniqueness of the Christian faith. Can we hold onto uniqueness in the context of pluralism in society? And what if government and church leaders say, just for the sake of peace in our society, Christianity must sacrifice its unique role? That is an issue already in Britain.

    Secondly, there is the question of evangelism. Will we have the right to evangelize Muslims? The Samuel Zwemer Institute [an American missions organization] just said that since September 11, more than 34,000 North Americans have converted to Islam, In Britain, phenomenal numbers are moving towards Islam. It seems strange that a religion whose followers could propound such a heinous crime has actually come out on top, That is unanswerable. Why is it that the church is losing ground and not Islam?

    The third great question is conversion. Islam sees conversion as a fundamental attack against their religion, So will we have to deny that? Overall, I think we are going into very difficult waters. The question is what policies Western governments take vis-a-vis toward Islam? I think we must drive Islam to have a reformation, which is what Salman Rushdie is saying, that Islam unreformed will be brutal and barbaric. Its only future is in having a Martin Luther[!]. But the question is: Who is going to be that leader? And wilI he be allowed to survive?

    If all the West does is support conservative Islam, then they are actually simply putting off the evil day. The policy of the British government, the monarchy and the church has been to sell Islam. In fact, the most conservative, rightwing paper, the Daily Telegraph, did a 16-page supplement on how wonderful Islam is. And everyone accepted the article. No one was allowed to criticize. I was one of the few that did. I was simply massacred. The only line permitted is that Islam is peaceful, it is tolerant, it is a wonderful religion.

    If your president, your church, ? in our case the monarchy ? if everyone sings in tune for the media, what is the average person in the street going to say? We have sold a lie and people have bought it.

    [British] Muslims realized at a very early stage [after September 11] they would capitalize on this. They sent out a Koran, and Muslim holy books to every member of the House of Lords, to every member of the House of Commons. They swamped the country and they succeeded. They then sent out their speakers. Muslims have approached all churches and said, 'Why don't we instruct you on Islam?' Now our government is considering creating a booklet on Islam for all institutes and structures to study.

    Here I am highly critical of church leaders. I think they failed their own country because they did not have the courage to break with what was going on and they did not have the insight to see what needs to be done. The Muslims found a very vulnerable people who were open to their ideas.

    Meanwhile, Christianity was painted in a particular light. Melanie Phillips, writing in Britain's Sunday Times, said that Christianity is the only religion that has extended itself through mission, colonialism and the Crusades. In other words, Christianity was conceived as a white man's religion ? brutal, barbarous and evil ? whereas Islam is a noble religion based on peace.

    If I say the history of the West has been infinitely superior to that of the Muslim world; that freedom, democracy, human rights and religious liberty have come out of Christianity and the West; that we have something to offer the Muslim world ? that is viewed critically. How are we now going to educate the average person out there that there is something very good about the West and Christianity?

    Editor's Comment: In response to the Rev. Patrick Sookhdoes' talk, we could suggest that the best way to begin "educating the average person out there" is to teach him that the Christianity that has been adopted in the West is, despite its record of human rights, both severely flawed and, presently, seriously enervated. Such a "Christianity" cannot possibly resist Islam. As history has shown, after some initial losses, only a strong Orthodox Christianity was able to beat back and subdue the fanatic Muslims, and even convert thousands of them to Orthodoxy.

    On the other hand, if "World Orthodoxy," so-called, insists on following faithfully in the footsteps of its "sister churches" in the West, it should not be surprised if it finds itself in the same predicament as they do today in the face of a vigorous and muscular Islam.
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    A few years ago, the Orthodox Christian Witness published an article with the above-title, concerning George Orwell's well-known novel, 1984. Although a few years late, the alarming and dismal world described in Orwell's classic continues to unfold before us as our society loses its Christian moorings. Some months ago, for example, we read with consternation of the French Supreme Court's decision to allow handicapped children to sue their parents for not aborting them! (Yes, you read that line correctly.) Now, that nation's Supreme Court has reached another new low: the parents of a handicapped child may sue the doctor for not forewarning the parents and suggesting that the child be aborted. As the article below reports, the French doctors, at least, seem to be reacting with some trace of sanity to this utter madness.

    PARIS (LSN) - Top prenatal doctors in France pledged to strike due to a decision by the country's top court, which held that when doctors fail to detect deformities in unborn disabled children and do not suggest abortion to their parents, the doctors are liable for compensation.

    In a letter to the daily Le Monde on December 5, eleven specialists at eight hospitals said that from January 1 they would refuse to carry out any ultrasounds and other tests that can show whether an unborn child has any abnormalities. Reuters reported the same day that the doctors hoped many others would join them and pledged to continue the strike until the law was altered.

    "[The ruling] encourages doctors to worry about their own protection rather than that of their patient," said the letter.

    "It is impossible for us now to perform our work, which moreover will become uninsurable very soon."

    The decision reaffirmed a court ruling made earlier this year. At the time, doctors said the fear of being sued for a misdiagnosis would encourage them to recommend abortions at the smallest hint of a disability.

    "The ruling means that the handicapped have no place in our society," said Yves Richard, a lawyer representing the medical profession. "There is a real risk of this starting a process that ends with the search for the perfect child."

    Reuters also reported that Jean Francois Mattei, a doctor and a Liberal member of parliament, has drawn up a bill to amend the law, making it impossible to seek compensation for having been born.
Disability groups and the national Ethics Committee have criticized the court's decision.
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 Cleave to the saints, for they who cleave to them shall be made holy.
       --St. Clement of Rome

 Just as painters in working from models constantly gaze at their exemplar and thus strive to transfer the expression of the original to their own artistry, so too he who is anxious to make himself perfect in all kinds of virtue must gaze upon the lives of the saints as upon statues, so to speak, that move and act, and must make their excellence his own by imitation.
       --St. Basil the Great

 Blessed is he who plants in his soul good plants, that is, the virtues and the li es of the saints.
       --St. Ephraim  the Syrian

 To admire the labors of saints is good, to emulate them wins salvation.

       --St. John Chrysostom

 A person is touched more profoundly and benefits more by reading one beautiful life of a saint than by discourses and philosophies.
       --Agapios Landos of Athens.

 For the Christian, there is no teaching that is more efficacious than reading the life of a saint, especially one who has lived in his own time.
       --Photios Kontoglou

· Taken from Blessed Hermit Philaretos of the Holy Mountain, Vol. 12 in the series of Modern Orthodox Saints by Dr. Constantine Cavarnos
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    Recently a new video from Fr. Joachim (of Uganda) was received by the Missionary Society. It shows visits to the Church of St. Basil, the new church of Sts. Cyprian and Justina, the church of St. Luke, as well as “thank you” speeches and songs done by groups of our sponsored orphan children there. It is informative and inspirational.

 The video is available for $15.00 a copy from:
  The Benevolent Missionary Society
  1476 Centre St.
  Roslindale, MA 02131-1417
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    In the opening chapter of his book, Michael Whelton states “that the liturgical revolution within the Catholic Church was only the catalyst, certainly not the reason for moving to the Orthodox Church. Rather it was that the claims of the Papacy did not stand close historical analysis, which ultimately called into question the doctrine of Papal Infallibility” (p. 24). With this premise in mind, the author conducts a careful study of the Bishop of Rome and his place in the Church.

    Most Roman Catholics use the following verses from Scripture to support the Papacy. “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church; … And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: …” (Matt. 16:18-19). “In doing so they lapse into the practice of ‘Sola Scriptura’ (by scripture alone), that they accuse Protestants of committing - by ignoring the mind of the Early Church in favour of their own subjective judgment” (p. 37).

    Whelton shows “that the early church was conciliar in its government, that the ecumenical councils represented the highest juridical body of the church, that these councils were not called to advise the Bishop of Rome and that the Bishop of Rome did not enjoy veto power. … Furthermore, the idea that the Bishop of Rome was superior to a council of the church and that a council was only ecumenical because the Bishop of Rome alone confirmed its decrees was unknown. In fact all five Patriarchs, Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem had to confirm the decrees” (pp. 52-53).

    This book is especially good for Roman Catholics who want an Orthodox understanding of such issues as the Filioque and Papal Infallibility. “The insertion of Filioque the Orthodox assert, destroys the distinct personhood between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the Trinity, thus fusing the Father and Son into one and subordinating the Holy Spirit in this relationship” (p. 92). Regarding the opposition to Papal Infallibility, Whelton gives this humorous account.

    Joseph Georg Strossmayer, Bishop of Bosnia and Sirmium was a candid and unflinching witness for the minority. Amidst a storm of protest, Strossmayer complained against the decision to pass acts by majority vote. He reminded the Council that dogma can only be imposed by a moral unanimity: “In the recent Regulation it is laid down that questions are to be settled by a majority of votes. Against this some bishops have put in a statement, asking if the ancient rule of moral unanimity…”. His words were drowned out by the uproar and when he attempted to continue the bishops started to leave their seats: “He is Lucifer, anathema, anathema!…He is another Luther let him be cast out!” Following this uproarious meeting one of the American bishops said to Lord Acton; “There is certainly one assembly in the world rougher than the American Congress.” (pp. 171-72).

    The description of a papal mass at Randwick Racetrack in Sydney Australia demonstrates how radically the Roman Catholic liturgy has changed. Nuns attired in snappy business suits participated in the procession to the altar and then assisted Pope John Paul II, as acolytes and ministers. Dancing girls performed, “using rhythmical movements of hands, and feet and head, together with the swaying of the body.” In spite of the large numbers of priests available to distribute Holy Communion, laymen were given ciboria containing unconsecrated bread which were then elevated at the offertory: “Thus laymen and women were involved in the central mystery of the Eucharist more closely than they’ve ever been before.” That ancient proclamation of faith, the Nicene Creed, was replaced by an “interesting question and answer format.” (p. 191).

    Although the book is well documented and easy to read, one must question Whelton’s conclusions. On the one hand, he says that his years of searching led him “with absolute certitude to the Orthodox Church, which is truly the Christian heartland” (p. 202). On the other hand, the “divergent paths of the two great Churches of Christendom have widened since Vatican II, giving Christians a more clear cut choice, for while it is true that relations are more friendly, it is also true that on a spiritual level, with the new Mass and liturgical aberrations, they are moving further apart – the papal mass at Randwick being a more glaring example” (p. 201). Whelton seems to have forgotten the above quoted words of Christ from St. Matthew’s Gospel, “I will build My Church,” Church being in the singular. In the Gospel of St. John, Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life;…” (Jn. 14:6), also in the singular. And later, Christ prays, “Holy Father, keep through Thine own name those whom Thou hast given Me, that they may be one, as we are” (Jn. 17:11). Thus it is Christ’s will that the Church be one.

    The two paths, according to Mr. Whelton are papal monarchy and collegial tradition. The first, chosen very early by the Roman Church, is heretical. It is a path that departs from the way of the Church, the one and only path of the Faith.
                                            Holy Transfiguration Monastery

    Father Michael was requested to “author a small, useful and simple little volume which would refer to the elementary duties and obligations of not only every Christian Orthodox family, but also of every baptized Orthodox Christian” (p. 11). The emphasis here is on simple. This is an introductory work which is supposed to be a practical guide on how pious Christians should conduct themselves at home, at church and on the job. However, as will be demonstrated, it is not well researched or documented.

     In the first chapter, entitled “Marriage — Family — Home,” Fr. Michael has the following good counsel for mothers who have just given birth. “These are days of cleansing and spiritual preparation, continence and patience” (p. 25). But then he adds, “Our Panaghia for 40 days after Christmas remained enclosed in Her home.” This must be compared to the Gospel of St. Luke which tells us:

    And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn (Lk 2:4-7).

    The Gospel is not clear on enclosure. The Virgin might have remained in the cave for 40 days, but this was certainly not Her home.

    Aware that many newcomers to Orthodox worship do not know when to stand or sit during services, Fr. Michael attempts to establish some guidelines. For the most part they are accurate, but one needs clarification.
At the most delicate [sic] moment of the Divine Liturgy when the Holy Spirit descends to sanctify the Precious Gifts … it would be good for the congregation to kneel at this moment, except during the period of Bright Week through Pentecost and on Sundays since the Fathers in the 20th article of the 1st Ecumenical Council say that “we do not bend the knee on Sundays.” If however we cannot kneel for health reasons or the place where we are in the church does not allow us to, then we should be standing but with bowed head, piously praying, because at that moment of the Transubstantiation, as the Fathers say, our prayer is heard more readily while the LIVING Holy Spirit is among us (pp. 29-30).

    Perhaps Fr. Michael is unaware that the term “Transubstantiation” is of Roman Catholic origin, imported into Orthodox lands during the time of the “Latin Captivity”. It was not defined in the West until the Fourth Lateran Council of 1215, and is a scholastic attempt to explain how the substances of bread and wine change but the accidents (what the senses perceive) remain the same. The Orthodox, rather than trying to explain the mystery, are content to say that the change takes place through the Holy Spirit. Fr. Michael tells us that, according to the Fathers, our prayers are heard more readily at the moment of the Transubstantiation because then the LIVING Holy Spirit is among us. If this is indeed true, he has failed to support this particular belief with documentation. Is not the LIVING [the author does not explain why this word is emphasized in this manner] Holy Spirit always among us, and are not our prayers always heard? Christ Himself says, “where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20). And if the place where we are in church does not allow us to kneel, it is because in Orthodox churches standing is proper not only on Sundays, but also on weekdays. Seating should, of course, be available for those with health problems.

    Women “should not enter into the church with short, tight-fitting and offensive dresses or pants, pants-dresses and the like” (p. 70). Unfortunately, in addressing the matter of dress, Fr. Michael skirts (no pun intended) the issue of head coverings.

     The chapter on fasting states: On all Saturdays of the year, if we will commune on Sunday we eat oil till noon, that is there is a fast-breaking of “wine and oil”, as our church characteristically records in her typicon concerning fasting, aside from Holy Saturday on which we must eat oil-free or dry foods (p. 104).

    Again, no documentation is given. Actually, oil is permitted all day Saturday (except Holy Saturday) , regardless of whether we plan to receive Communion the next day (see, for example, the 66th  Apostolic Canon,  Canon 55 of Quinisext, and Balsamon’s Commentary on Canon 16 of Laodicea).

    Twelve differences between the Roman Catholic Church and Orthodoxy are listed. The first will suffice to show the poor quality of the chapter.

    The haughty, wicked and sly “Primacy” of the Pope, which is based on egotism and a lie, that after God is the pope, and all others are under him, whether they are Patriarchs, or whomever else they be, even if they be Saints (p. 115).

    In actual fact, Roman Catholics do not believe this about their Popes, nor do the Orthodox. Instead, the Orthodox believe that the contemporary doctrine of papal primacy is based on a misinterpretation of Matt. 16:18-19. “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church…” Not one Church Father interprets this passage the way today’s Roman Catholics do.
The author has this to say about the television.

    Whichever families take the televisions from their homes, it is certain that they will escape from very great temptations, but also the blessing from God will be very great, because the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit will come to dwell in that home and will make a Habitation, according to our Christ’s promise (John 14:2)  (pp. 76-77).

    From this statement it can be deduced that the Holy Trinity will come to dwell in a home – the only condition being, apparently, that the house have no television set in it. This is a very remarkable promise, but again, no supporting documentation is provided. It is indeed true that televisions are the source of many temptations, and have very little use, if any, in Orthodox homes, but it is highly unlikely that Christ had the television in mind when He said, “In My Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2).

    Fr. Michael seems to have a preoccupation with the worldwide dictatorship of the antichrist. In bold letters he warns his readers.

    Do not accept, for whatever reason, a mark on your body (hands – head), with electronic computers, nor plastic money (cards), but also identification cards with undistinguishable magnetic tapes, because it is as the Sacred Book of Revelations mentions (Rev. 13:16) a plan of the dark powers and instruments of the devil, for a worldwide imprisonment of the nations and subsequently the eternal death of the souls. They wish to bring back the years of Babel being indifferent for God’s will which divided nations and made the tongues.

    Let us pray, that Christ guard us from such a type of ecumenical union but also from satanic marks which will lead to the self destruction and perdition of both soul and body.

    Regarding such teaching, one cannot help but wonder if Fr. Michael was influenced by television evangelists or some other fundamentalist Christian groups. Once again, he fails to provide any Orthodox patristic documentation. And as for being on guard against an “ecumenical union”, he seems quite oblivious to the captivity his own Church has already suffered in this matter.

    In conclusion, this is a classic example of not judging a book by its cover. The scholarly title does not match the simplistic, sometimes erroneous content. Concerning ORTHOPRAXIA, the author quotes St. John Chrysostom. “Ignorance of the Scriptures is a great precipice and pit, it is a great betrayal of salvation to not know anything of the divine laws, because this has given birth to heresies also, because this introduced a corrupt life, because this has made things upside down” (pp. 118-19). Given Fr. Michael’s poor understanding of Scripture and of the Church Fathers, he would do well to take this advice to heart.

    One of the many unsettling contentions of George Bogdanich's documentary film, "Yugoslavia, the Avoidable War," is its assertion that many of the most horrendous events in the recent Balkan wars were stage-managed for the news media. A number of the massacres and atrocities reported on television with bodies on display, it maintains, were shrewdly planned illusions concocted by the Bosnian Muslims to inflame international opinion against the Serbs. The city of Sarajevo in particular served more than once as an accessible location for deceptive television coverage.  Although it would be inaccurate to label this documentary pro-Serbian, the film, which opens today at the Two Boots Pioneer Theater, methodically sets out to demolish much of the conventional wisdom about who did what to whom and who was to blame. It insists that a regional civil war that could have been settled
without prolonged bloodshed was turned into a major conflagration by outside interference and national self-interest.

    As the United States government has tacitly acknowledged by keeping the press at bay in
Afghanistan, public relations and the ability to get your version of events across is almost as important
as weaponry in modern warfare. The version of a war that is reported on television becomes the official version that in turn motivates crucial political decisions.

    The film asserts that partly because of American television's need for clear-cut heroes and villains, a
scenario of good guys (the oppressed Bosnian Muslims) versus bad (the evil, barbaric Serbs) came to dominate mainstream news coverage of the war. After one reporter heard a Serbian use the words
"ethnic cleansing," for instance, the term, with its repugnant genocidal associations, was seized on by the Clinton administration as a buzzword and used to bash the Serbs, when in fact all sides were equally intent on "cleansing" their territories of undesirables.

    This heroes-and-villains mentality, the film contends, also served American interests by giving the United States an excuse to preserve and strengthen NATO in the post-Communist era when its relevance had become debatable.

    It allowed us to keep our power base in Europe. The film bluntly calls "an occupying force" the NATO forces (led by the United States) that remain in Kosovo, Bosnia and Macedonia without an official date for withdrawing, and it goes so far as to accuse that 19-nation army of conspiring to commit war crimes.

    Almost anything we thought we knew about the Balkan wars is thrown into question by the film. Did a highly publicized civilian massacre of Bosnian Muslims [sic] by Serbs in Kosovo that
prompted NATO to intensify the bombing of Yugoslavia really take place? Or did Bosnian Muslims [sic] transport the bodies of dead soldiers (not civilians) overnight to the site and then cry massacre?
And what about the numbers? Subsequent investigations, the movie claims, have shown that the tally of casualties at the hands of Serbs, including the supposed mass rapes of Bosnian women, was outrageously inflated.

    Whether or not you're convinced by the film's assertions, many of which are based on information
provided by the Red Cross, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other organizations that
investigated reported events after the fact, "Yugoslavia, the Avoidable War" does an impressive job
of relating the complicated history of the war and of filling in the background. Some of that background has been overshadowed by the designation of the Serbs as the villains. The Croatians, it reminds us, collaborated closely with the Nazis during World War II in the slaughter of 750,000 Serbs, Jews and Gypsiesin their territory.

    As for the Bosnian Muslims, the film says there is ample evidence documenting Bosnians' alliance with Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network.  Mr. bin Laden was a regular visitor to the office of
Bosnia's president Alija Izetbegovic in early 1993, a time when the United States was lauding his commitment to moderation and multiethnic cooperation.

    As the meticulously chronological account of the Balkan wars unfolds event by event, failed peace
initiative by failed peace initiative, "Yugoslavia, the Avoidable War" leads you to a no man's land of
doubt.

    The truth, of course, was never as black-and-white as it is has been painted for us. It rarely is.

YUGOSLAVIA, THE AVOIDABLE WAR Directed by George Bogdanich; directors of
 photography, Michael Moser, Vladimir Bibic, Dragan Milinkovic, David Hansen, Joe Friendly and Predrag Bambic; edited by Mary Patierno; title song, "Road to Hell," by Chris Rea; produced by Mr. Bogdanich and Martin Lettmayer; released by Hargrove Entertainmnet.
At the Two Boots Pioneer Theater, 155 East Third Street, East Village. Running time: 165 minutes. This
film is not rated.
WITH: Sanya Popovic (Narrator) and Lord Peter Carrington, James Baker, Lawrence Eagleburger, Hans
Dietrich Genscher, Nora Beloff, Susan Woodward and Ted Galen Carpenter.
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