DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF ST. JOHN, ARCHBISHOP OF SHANGHAI AND SAN
FRANCISCO
ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN WITNESS (USPS 412-260)
is published monthly by St. Nectarios American Orthodox Cathedral,
10300 Ashworth Avenue North, Seattle, Washington 98133-9410.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to
OCW, 10300 Ashworth Ave. N., Seattle, WA. 98133-9410
Fr. Neketas S. Palassis, Editor Email: frneketas@stnectariospress.com
Telephone (206) 522-4471; (800) 643-4233 U.S. & Canada;
Fax: 206-523-0550
OCTOBER, 2007, Vol. XLI, No. 10 (1577)
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM: On the Beatitudes (excerpt)
2. NEW PARISH IN CHICAGO AREA
3. FIRE DESTROYS ST. SERAPHIM CHURCH
4. OPEN LETTER FROM A RUSSIAN NUN
5. NEW ITEMS FROM THE BOOK CENTER
Just as disciples should love their masters, so masters should love
their disciples, and on behalf of each other they should mutually
acknowledge the grace of God Who has given to all men spiritual
knowledge and every other good thing. For these good things we ought
All of us always to give thanks to Him, especally those who have
received from Him the power to renew their holy baptism through
repentance, because without repentance no one can be saved.
St. Peter of Damascus, Philokalia, V. 3
1. ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM: HOMILY 15 ON ST. MATTHEW:
On the Beatitudes.
"And Jesus seeing the multitudes went up into the
mountain, and when He was set, His disciples came unto Him. And He
opened His mouth, and taught them saying, Blessed," etc. [Matt. 5:1, 2]
1. SEE how unambitious He was, and void of boasting:
in that He did not lead people about with Him, but whereas, when
healing. was required, He had Himself gone about everywhere, visiting
both towns and country places; now when the multitude is become very
great, He sits in one spot: and that not in the midst of any city or
forum, but on a mountain and in a wilderness; instructing us to do
nothing for display, and to separate ourselves from the tumults of
ordinary life, and this most especially, when we are to study wisdom,
and to discourse of things needful to be done.
But when He had gone up into the mount, and "was set
down, His disciples came unto Him." Seest thou their growth in virtue?
and how in a moment [or, "all at once"] they became better men? Since
the multitude were but gazers on the miracles, but these from that hour
desired also to hear some great and high thing. And indeed this it was
set Him on His teaching, and made Him begin this discourse.
For it was not men's bodies only that He was
healing, but He was also amending their souls; and again from the care
of these He would pass to attendance on the other. Thus He at once
varied the succor that He gave, and likewise mingled with the
instruction afforded by His words, the manifestation of His glory from
His works; and besides, He stopped the shameless mouths of the
heretics, signifying by this His care of both parts of our being, that
He Himself is the Maker of the whole creation. Therefore also on each
nature He bestowed abundant providence, now amending the one, now the
other.
And in this way He was then employed. For it is
said, that "He opened His mouth, and taught them." And wherefore is the
clause added, "He opened His mouth"? To inform thee that in His very
silence He gave instruction, and not when He spoke only: but at one
time by "opening His mouth," at another uttering His voice by the works
which He did.
But when thou hearest that He taught them, do not
think of Him as discoursing with His disciples only, but rather with
all through them.
For since the multitude was such as a multitude ever
is, and consisted moreover of such as creep on the ground, He withdraws
the choir of His disciples, and makes His discourse unto them: in His
conversation with them providing that the rest also, who were yet very
far from the level of His sayings, might find His lesson of self-denial
no longer grievous unto them. Of which indeed both Luke gave
intimation, when he said that. He directed His words unto them: and
Matthew too, clearly declaring the same, wrote, "His disciples came
unto Him, and He taught them." For thus the others also were sure to be
more eagerly attentive to Him, than they would have been, had He
addressed Himself unto all.
2. Whence then doth He begin? and what kind of
foundations of His new polity doth He lay for us?
Let us hearken with strict attention unto what is
said. For though it was spoken unto them, it was written for the sake
also of all men afterwards. And accordingly on this account, though He
had His disciples in His mind in His public preaching, yet unto them He
limits not His sayings, but applies all His words of blessing without
restriction. Thus He said not, "Blessed are ye, if ye become poor," but
"Blessed are the poor." [Matt. 5:3] And I may add that even if He had
spoken of them, the advice would still be common to all. For so, when
He saith, "Lo! I am with you always, even unto the end of the world,"
[Matt. 28:20] He is discoursing not with them only, but also, through
them, with all the world. And in pronouncing them blessed, who are
persecuted, and chased, and suffer all intolerable things; not for them
only, but also for all who arrive at the same excellency, He weaves His
crown.
However, that this may be yet plainer, and to inform
thee that thou hast great interest in His sayings, and so indeed hath
all mankind, if any choose to give heed; hear how He begins these
wondrous words.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the
kingdom of Heaven." [Matt. 5:2]
What is meant by "the poor in spirit?" The humble
and contrite in mind. For by "spirit" He hath here designated the soul,
and the faculty of choice. That is, since many are humble not
willingly, but compelled by stress of circumstances; letting these pass
(for this were no matter of praise), He blesses them first, who by
choice humble and contract themselves.
But why said he not, "the humble," but rather "the
poor?" Because this is more than that. For He means here them who are
awestruck, and tremble at the commandments of God. Whom also by His
prophet Isaiah God earnestly accepting said, "To whom will I look, but
to him who is meek and quiet, and trembleth at My words?" For indeed
there are many kinds of humility: one is humble in his own measure,
another with all excess of lowliness. It is this last lowliness of mind
which that blessed prophet commends, picturing to us the temper that is
not merely subdued, but utterly broken, when he saith, "The sacrifice
for God is a contrite spirit, a contrite and an humble heart God will
not despise." [Psalm 50 (51):7] And the Three Children also offer this
unto God as a great sacrifice, saying, "Nevertheless, in a contrite
soul, and in a spirit of lowliness, may we be accepted." This Christ
also now blesses.
3. For whereas the greatest of evils, and those
which make havoc of the whole world, had their entering in from
pride:--for both the devil, not being such before, did thus become a
devil; as indeed Paul plainly declared, saying, "Lest being lifted up
with pride, he fall into the condemnation of the devil:" [1 Tim. 3:6]
--and the first man, too, puffed up by the devil with these hopes, was
made an example of, and became mortal (for expecting to become a god,
he lost even what he had; and God also upbraiding him with this, and
mocking his folly, said, "Behold, Adam is become as one of us" [Gen.
3:22]; and each one of those that came after did hereby wreck himself
in impiety, fancying some equality with God:--since, I say, this was
the stronghold of our evils, and the root and fountain of all
wickedness, He, preparing a remedy suitable to the disease, laid this
law first as a strong and safe foundation. For this being fixed as a
base, the builder in security lays on it all the rest. But if this be
taken away, though a man reach to the Heavens in his course of life, it
is all easily undermined, and issues in a grievous end. Though fasting,
prayer, almsgiving, temperance, any other good thing whatever, be
gathered together in thee; without humility all fall away and perish.
It was this very thing that took place in the
instance of the Pharisee. For even after he had arrived at the very
summit, he "went down" with the loss of all, because he had not the
mother of virtues: for as pride is the fountain of all wickedness, so
is humility the principle of all self-command. Wherefore also He begins
with this, pulling up boasting by the very root out of the soul of His
hearers.
"And what," one may ask, "is this to His disciples,
who were on every account humble? For in truth they had nothing to be
proud of, being fishermen, poor, ignoble, and illiterate." Even though
these things concerned not His disciples, yet surely they concerned
such as were then present, and such as were hereafter to receive the
disciples, lest they should on this account despise them. But it were
truer to say that they did also concern His disciples. For even if not
then, yet by and by they were sure to require this help, after their
signs and wonders, and their honor from the world, and their confidence
towards God. For neither wealth, nor power, nor royalty itself, had so
much power to exalt men, as the things which they possessed in all
fullness. And besides, it was natural that even before the signs they
might be lifted up, at that very time when they saw the multitude, and
all that audience surrounding their Master; they might feel some human
weakness. Wherefore He at once represses their pride.
And He doth not introduce what He saith by way of
advice or of commandments, but by way of blessing, so making His word
less burthensome, and opening to all the course of His discipline. For
He said not, "This or that person," but "they who do so, are all of
them blessed." So that though thou be a slave, a beggar, in poverty, a
stranger, unlearned, there is nothing to hinder thee from being
blessed, if thou emulate this virtue.
4. Now having begun, as you see, where most need
was, He proceeds to another commandment, one which seems to be opposed
to the judgment of the whole world. For whereas all think that they who
rejoice are enviable, those in dejection, poverty, and mourning,
wretched, He calls these blessed rather than those; saying thus,
"Blessed are they that mourn." [Matt. 5:4]
Yet surely all men call them miserable. For
therefore He wrought the miracles beforehand, that in such enactments
as these He might be entitled to credit.
And here too again he designated not simply all that
mourn, but all that do so for sins: since surely that other kind of
mourning is forbidden, and that earnestly, which relates to anything of
this life. This Paul also clearly declared, when he said, "The sorrow
of the world worketh death, but godly sorrow worketh repentance unto
salvation, not to be repented of." [2 Cor. 7:10]
These then He too Himself calls blessed, whose
sorrow is of that kind; yet not simply them that sorrow did He
designate, but them that sorrow intensely. Therefore He did not say,
"they that sorrow," but "they that mourn." For this commandment again
is fitted to teach us entire self-control. For if those who grieve for
children, or wife, or any other relation gone from them, have no
fondness for gain or pleasure during that period of their sorrow; if
they aim not at glory, are not provoked by insults, nor led captive by
envy, nor beset by any other passion, their grief alone wholly
possessing them; much more will they who mourn for their own sins, as
they ought to mourn, show forth a self-denial greater than this.
Next, what is the reward for these? "For they shall
be comforted," saith He.
Where shall they be comforted! tell me. Both here
and there. For since the thing enjoined was exceeding burthensome and
galling, He promised to give that, which most of all made it light.
Wherefore, if thou wilt be comforted, mourn: and think not this a dark
saying. For when God doth comfort, though sorrows come upon thee by
thousands like snow-flakes, thou wilt be above them all. Since in
truth, as the returns which God gives are always far greater than our
labors; so He hath wrought in this case, declaring them that mourn to
be blessed, not after the value of what they do, but after His own love
towards man For they that mourn, mourn for misdoings, and to such it is
enough to enjoy forgiveness, and obtain wherewith to answer for
themselves. But forasmuch as He is full of love towards man, He doth
not limit His recompense either to the removal of our punishments, or
to the deliverance from our sins, but He makes them even blessed, and
imparts to them abundant consolation.
But He bids us mourn, not only for our own, but also
for other men's misdoings. And of this temper were the souls of the
saints: such was that of Moses, of Paul, of David; yea, all these many
times mourned for evils not their own.
5. "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the
earth." [Matt. 5:5] Tell me, what kind of earth? Some say a figurative
earth, but it is not this, for nowhere in Scripture do we find any
mention of an earth that is merely figurative. But what can the saying
mean? He holds out a sensible prize; even as Paul also doth, in that
when he had said, "Honor thy father and thy mother," he added, "For so
shalt thou live long upon the earth." [Eph. 6:2, 3; Deut. 5:16] And He
Himself unto the thief again, "Today shalt thou be with me in
Paradise." [Luke 23:43]
Thus He doth not incite us by means of the future
blessings only, but of the present also, for the sake of the grosset
sort of His hearers, and such as before the future seek those others.
Thus, for example, further on also He said, "Agree
with thine adversary." Then He appoints the reward of such
self-command, and saith, "Lest at any time the adversary deliver thee
to the judge, and the judge to the officer." [Matt. 5:25] Seest thou
whereby He alarmed us? By the things of sense, by what happens before
our eyes. And again, "Whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall
be in danger of the council." [Matt. 5:22]
And Paul too sets forth sensible rewards at great
length, and uses things present in his exhortations; as when he is
discoursing about virginity. For having said nothing about the heavens
there, for the time he urges it by things present, saying, "Because of
the present distress," [1 Cor. 7:26]and, "But I spare you," [1 Cor.
7:28] and, "I would have you without carefulness," [1 Cor. 7:32]
Thus accordingly Christ also with the things
spiritual hath mingled the sensible. For whereas the meek man is
thought to lose all his own, He promises the contrary, saying, "Nay,
but this is he who possesses his goods in safety, namely, he who is not
rash, nor boastful: while that sort of man shall often lose his
patrimony, and his very life."
And besides, since in the Old Testament the prophet
used to say continually, "The meek shall inherit the earth;" [Psalm 36
(37):11] He thus weaves into His discourse the words to which they were
accustomed, so as not everywhere to speak a strange language.
And this He saith, not as limiting the rewards to
things present, but as joining with these the other sort of gifts also.
For neither in speaking of any spiritual thing doth He exclude such as
are in the present life; nor again in promising such as are in our
life, doth He limit his promise to that kind. For He saith, "Seek ye
the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you."
[Matt. 6:33] And again: "Whosoever hath left houses or brethren, shall
receive an hundred fold in this world, and in the future shall inherit
everlasting life." [Matt. 19:29; Mark 10:29, 30; Luke 18:29, 30]
To be continued...
______________________________________________________________________________
2. NEW PARISH IN CHICAGO AREA.
To Our Blessed Brothers and Sisters of the Holy Orthodox Church of
North America
And to
The Acquaintances and Friends of Archbishop John, Wonderworker
For some 10 year we have waited to open
a permanent temple of God in the middle of America. We have existed as
a mission and now its time for us to be a Church community. We are
grateful for the Chapel funded and housed by Aristeides and Joanne
Ketsios and for the comfort of having occasional Divine Services with
various clergy of our Diocese.
Father Michael Waples and his
family have moved from Minneaopolis to our area during the last week of
August. However, residential codes would not allow us to
continue operating as a church in the current residential location so
we had to move to a neutral location zoned for churches and/or
commerce. We have managed to gather a modest amount of savings, have
rented office space in a mini-mall and two of our parishioners
have done all the necessary remodeling. Our place of worship is located
in Frankfort, Illinois, a southern suburb of Chicago. Our first liturgy
was on Sunday, September 23rd.
By September
1st, we grew to 40 souls. With adequate financial support,
the establishment of our parish will be very viable. Currently our
parishioners travel from two to two and a half hours from three
different states i.e., Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. The surrounding
population of over 10 million souls could result in one of the largest
parishes of our Diocese. It is important for this parish to get
established with a firm financial foundation.
Plainly, the
reason for this article is to ask you for your financial assistance. If
youre so inclined, we could use your help now. Remember that during
every Divine Liturgy you will be commemorated among the blessed and
ever memorable founders of our church. Remember also that our God
never allows Himself to be in debt and that he handsomely over pays the
wages of those who open new churches.
Some of our
parishioners have made significant financial sacrifices but
the few cannot do it alone. If you can help us, please contact us at:
Saint
John of San Francisco Orthodox Church, Inc.
20662
Francisca Way
Frankfort,
Illinois 60423
If you have any questions please call me in
Brookfield, Wisconsin at 262-784-3373 or call our Treasurer, Joanne
Ketsios in Frankfort, Illinois at 815-806-8024.
We thank you in advance for your anticipated kindness.
Very Truly,
Theodore Pappas
Parish Vice President
________________________________________________________________________
3. FIRE DESTROYS ST. SERAPHIM CHURCH
Late Saturday night, October 20th, the Church of St. Seraphim of
Sarov in Glen Allen Virginia (near Richmond) was completely gutted by a
fire, apparently started by charcoal which had not been completely
extinguished. Fr. Nicodemos Gayle had been ill at home. The
church was insured and they will be rebuilding as soon as they can.
Additional questions and any offers of assistance may be directed to:
Fr. Nicodemos Gayle
9000 Culley Drive
Mechanicsville, VA 23116
________________________________________________________________________
4. OPEN LETTER OF AN ORTHODOX NUN TO HER BISHOP
The following was sent to The Orthodox Christian Witness for
publication as a voice of protest against the recent union of the
Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia with the
Moscow Patriarchate.
Mother Maria (Nau)
9/10 – 20/3 2007
Russian Orthodox Monastery
Mahopac, NY 1541 USA
To
Rev. Bishop Gavriil
75 East 93rd St.
New York, NY 10128-1390
Vladhyko,
Patriarch Alexey II of Moscow spends this week in
France. His very first visit has been for the U.N. in Strasbourg, by so
renewing with the tradition already set by Pope John Paul II who did
appear before the U.N. General Assembly as soon as 1965 where,
according to his own words, he stated that his moat ardent desire was
'to serve, you, the United Nations'.
Today, Sep. 20 according to the Julian calendar and
Oct 3 according to the secular one, Alexey visits Paris with the
intention, first of all, of paying his respects to the Roman See in the
person of the Archbishop of Paris and of participating in the Roman
Catholic Mass which will be celebrated in the evening, in the,
cathedral of "Notre Dame de Paris. The degree of the participation was
not specified by Radio France International, which simply put the
stress on the secondary purpose of this visit to Western Europe, to
wit, to meet with the faithful of our Holy Synod in order to confirm in
their midst the union with the Patriarchate. Alexey wishes also to meet
with the representatives of the other Sister Churches and very
specially to go to rue George Bizet (Constantinople) in order to
discuss over the heated controversy between the two Patriarchates
concerning the attempt of the Phanar at positioning itself as an
overlord over the other Sisters Churches, very specially over Moscow.
Of course Moscow deems the other very controversial
aspects of the Phanar policy, most specifically in matter of ecumenism,
0Kay. The French Radio insisted also quite at length on the warming of
the relations between Moscow and the Vatican, on the fact that Moscow
approves of the reintroduction of the Latin language in the liturgical
life and generally speaking, of the firm stand of Benedict the XVIth in
matters of moral and ethics.
In actual fact Patriarch Alexey II is quite in step
with the doings of his own Patriarchate in the past. Archbishop Nikodim
of Leningrad, who had been identified by ranking Soviet defectors as a
MAJOR GENERAL IN THE FORMER INFAMOUS K.G.B., had already been a
frequent guest of Paul VI with whom he had entertained an exceptionally
cordial relationship. Shortly after John Paul I's election Nikodim was
again guest to the Vatican. During his audience with the new Pope the
Justice of God overtook him and he suffered a massive heart attack was
then given the last Rites by the Pope and died cradled in his arms.
Since then intercommunion between Moscow and the Vatican has been a
matter of occult, but none the less, very factual practice, simply
officially denounced from time to time by Moscow. Both the Patriarchate
of Moscow and the Phanar sent leading clergy representatives at the
first Mass celebrated by Benedict the XVIth after his coronation. At
that stage the participation of Moscow was only of prayer, which in
itself is already quite sufficient to make one cross the border
of excommunication. The Phanar went a step further with one of its
deacons reading the Gospel in Greek after it had been read in Latin.
To state in details all of the malefactions in
matters of Orthodox Faith committed by the Patriarchate of Moscow since
the Soviet authorities did orientate the Patriarchate towards ecumenism
would necessitate several in folios!
The controversy with the See of Rome is a very old
controversy that covers more than 1000 years and one can already speak
of first attempt at ecumenism with the False Union of Florence. But the
WCC is really a Super Roman See, a far away dependency of the
Reformation, those bastards of the popish policy of the days.
Unfortunately today the Patriarchate of Moscow participates in the work
of the WCC as a full member of the COUNCIL. The membership of the
Council includes also representatives of the Phanar, of the Rumanian
Patriarchate and of the Orthodox Church of America which is in part the
dependency of the group of Russian exiles and intellectuals who during
the first decades of the 20th century have been active participants in
the founding of the ecumenical movement. It is probably useful to
remind ourselves of the fact that the Constitution of the WCC considers
membership not of individual representatives, but specifically of the
entire Local Church in its fullness. Every local Church in the WCC is
viewed as the totality of all her members, to wit in the matter at
hand, as part of an heterodox association.
BUT IN ALL THAT WHAT ABOUT US NOW AFTER THE
REUNIFICATION WITH THE PATRIARCHATE OF MOSCOW AT OFFICIAL LEVEL SINCE
LAST SPRING IN MAY 2007?
Was that a very unorthodox step and an act of
downright apostasia? Most certainly per se it was so. And no doubt
about the fact that each of our hierarchs in appositioning, his
signature to this act of apostasia is sure to having contracted a
rather heavy debt to be repaid in [the] way of taxes, in the best of
cases and expectations, post mortem at the toll houses. Apostasia is
apostasia and our hierarchs cannot, and could not, and will not be able
to argue of the fact that they were not informed of what was, had been
and continue to be enacted by the Patriarchate of Moscow in matter of
ecumenism.
But were those sinful signatures a disaster without
remedy when it comes to the future of Orthodoxy in the Holy Synod? It
seems to me that one can assert the contrary. How [is] that? Well,
those fateful signatures obtained [for] our hierarchs the fullness of
recognition as legitimate ORTHODOX hierarchs by the very Patriarchate
of Moscow who till then insisted that the Holy Synod was nothing more
than a sect. With those signatures the whole of the controversy over
the legitimacy of the Holy Synod as a Local Church in her own right for
the time being was wiped out and our hierarchs were fully reestablished
in the world as legitimate, canonical ORTHODOX bishops, not sectarians
of sort but 'pares inter pares.' Now they have again the recognized
right in the eye of the Orthodox community to speak de jure in the name
of Orthodoxy, Canon Laws, Scriptural and oral Traditions. This is
phenomenal. The point is also that in matters of Orthodox Faith and
dogmas ALL BISHOPS, ARCHBISHOPS, METROPOLITANS AND PATRIARCHS ARE ON A
LEVEL. The hierarchy at [the] episcopal level fulfills a function of a
purely administrative nature for the commodity of the relations between
local Churches. Ephesus was not ranked as the greatest of the sees in
the Patriarchate of Constantinople in the 13th century, and yet the
sole opposition of Mark to [the] Pope, his own Patriarch and the
Emperor was enough to block and in the end emasculate the False Union
of Florence. It is clear that nowadays a simple bishop, even a Vicar
bishop, has at his disposal his full share of the Holy Spirit to oppose
Benedict the XVIth, Patriarch Alexey II and any heterodox bishop and
hierarch roaming loose among the Orthodox faithful. And the strong
point in the matter at hand is that now the deadly weight of the past
controversy in [the] matter of Orthodox legitimacy has been removed and
that any truly Orthodox bishop can raise his voice among his peers and
say with assurance "Your doings are unorthodox. You have stepped
outside the boundaries of the Orthodox Faith. The Church in Heaven and
on earth is ONE and Heaven and earth in the matter at hand cannot be
divided, so and in order to remain one with Heaven, we now on earth,
have now to separate ourselves from you and your wrong doings. The Art.
XV of the Council First/Second provides for this eventuality and I (let
us hope 'we'), Orthodox bishop in my own right, vested in the Grace of
the Holy Spirit, take now refuge in that most sacred legal
disposition."
To speak thus before the reconciliation at official
level with Moscow in May would have proven an impossibility de facto.
In actual fact it is still the big problem encountered by all the
groups and groupusculs of Greek Old Calendarists. No matter how
Orthodox are many of their stands, the very legitimacy of their
existence as Local Churches is contested.
So providing that NOW we take immediately occasion
of the recent wrong doings of the Patriarchate of Moscow in matter of
e(@umenism, we play [it] safe.
I dare trust that by addressing this peaceful and
Orthodox letter to your Highness I shall not meet at the hand of the
hierarchy of the Holy Synod with the fate that did confront so many
opponents among the Russian clergy of the M.P. in the past, whenever
they dared to suggest that the policy of the Patriarchate has been
extremely distorted ever since 1927. No need to say that since last
winter I have stopped all communion of prayer and chalice here, waiting
for an occasion to meet with an Orthodox hierarch over those vital
issues.
Sinful most certainly, but resolutely Orthodox nun of the great habit
living in seclusion,
+Mother Maria
________________________________________________________________________
5. NEW ITEMS FROM THE BOOK CENTER
(TAR) TARSO: The Fool in Christ (1910-1989), by Ioannis K.
Kornarakis. The life of foolishness in Christ is the most difficult of
ascetic feats, and the least understood by those in the world,
requiring extreme humility. The story of Tarso is an example to us to
leave the sophistication of the world and with simplicity and faith to
follow Christ. Color and black & white illus.
242pp. Paper e$29.00
(OM) OLD MARIA: A Grandfather’s Tale of Spiritual Warfare Once Upon
a Time in Old Russia, BY Alvin Alexsi Currier. A beautifully
illustrated picture book about the building of a women’s monastery in
Russia, and an old woman whose love and prayers overcame the Evil
One. 28pp. Hard Cover d$15.00
(EGJ) EXPLANATION OF THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO SAINT JOHH by
Blessed Theophylact. The long-awaited final volume of the
Gospel commentary by St. Theophylact of Bulgaria. 318pp.
Cloth d$24.00; Paper d$18.00
(TM89) NOW ARE THE PROPHECIES FULFILLED. Hymns of the services
of the Prefestival, The Royal Hours, Vigl and Liturgy of The Nativity
of Our Saviour, chanted in English to Byzantine Chant by the Choir of
the Odigitria, directed by Peter Elgohary. A 2-CD set most beautifully
performed. D$25.00
(ACAL4) ADVENT CALENDAR #4. A new advent calendar featuring a
traditional Russian style icon of the Nativity with icons below of
Prophet David, Joseph the Betrothed and James the Brother of the Lord.
Comes with booklet of brief life of each saint . e$15.00