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
July, 2006, Vol. XL, No. 7 (1562)
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. BODYOF CHRIST OR ORGANIZATION:
2. HOLY ZEAL, Abp. Averky of Jordanville
3."O GOD, WITH OUR EARS HAVE WE HEARD"
4. PROPHECIES BY ABBA PAMBO
5. MUSIC FROM THE BOOK CENTER
We embitter the heart with the poison of evil thoughts when we are led
by forgetfulness to long neglect of inner attention and the Jesus
Prayer. But we sweeten it with the sense of blessed delight when in
intense desire for God we practise this attention and prayer
resolutely, keenly and diligently in the workshop of the mind. Then we
are eager to pursue stillness of heart simply for the sweetness and
delight it produces in the soul.
St Hesychius the Priest, Philokalia, Vol I, p. 18 3
1. BODY OF CHRIST OR ORGANIZATION?
by Joseph Bragg
It seems to me that in many of the discussions between those who
say we should "flee from the heresies of world Orthodoxy and those who
say we must remain in communion with world Orthodoxy lest we divide the
Church and dishonor bishops, the real issue boils down to a different
understanding of the nature of the Church.
The crucial question here is what exactly is the Church?
There appear to be two main answers that result in two very different
responses to heresy and apostasy. Is the Church first and
foremost an official organization or is it first and foremost the Body
of Christ whose life is derived from union with the Faith of
Christ? Let's examine these two points of view.
The Church, as the Body of Christ, is composed of those who, through
the Holy Spirit, are united to the Faith of Christ, who gather around
the Eucharist under a faithful bishop, and thus are in communion with
all the faithful and all the saints who hold the same faith, past and
present.
That which I have just described is the local Church. That local Church
is the fullness of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Faith. This
local Church exists in a bond of love and unity with all other local
Churches, wherever they are, that hold and share the same Faith of
Christ. But there doesn't have to be any larger national
membership or organization to make that local Church the Catholic
Church in its fullness.
Over time, the local Church develops an organization to help it run and
manage its temporal affairs. There is nothing wrong with this, in and
of itself. There may be a board, or committees, or organizations, a
budget, meetings and various activities. A similar kind of development
may happen around the bishop, especially if the bishop has a number of
local communities under him. Eventually, there may be a diocesan
headquarters, a synod, conferences, conventions, boards, programs,
departments, assistants, etc. All of the organizational
structures, departments, buildings, etc. are external to the essence of
the Church which is the local Body of Christ, united by the Holy Spirit
in the Faith of Christ, gathered around the Eucharist under a faithful
bishop, and is thus united with all the faithful and all the saints
both past and present. The externals are human creations that may serve
a good and necessary purpose but are not essential to our salvation or
to the essence of the Church. The Church is essential to our salvation,
and the Faith itself is of the essence of the Church.
There seems to be a law of depravity that always takes over
organizations. Over time, the organization becomes the essence, and the
purpose for existing becomes to maintain and perpetuate the
organization. In other words, the organization becomes the essential
and identifying manifestation of that which it was created to serve.
The servant begins to take over and becomes the one who is served - the
master. The Church becomes the slave to its organizational structures.
Eventually the Church is serving the organization rather than the
organization serving the Church. The externals, buildings, and
organizations become the point of contact and the identifying factor.
We then "go to church" when we really mean we are going to the temple
where the Church meets. If someone asks, "Where is such and such
Church?" we point them to the building even if there is no one there.
Thus, people can speak of "joining the church" just as they would speak
of joining a Rotary club. The organization may have dues and rules for
membership just like they do down at the Moose Lodge. Eventually, the
Church in everyone's mind is the organization rather than the Faith,
and participation in it is based on membership or external affiliation
in the organization rather than on union through the Holy Spirit in the
Faith of Christ gathered around the Eucharist under a faithful bishop.
This happens both on the local level and on the broader diocesan level.
This is why it becomes acceptable for someone to be a "member" of the
Church who doesn't really accept the Faith of the Church or rejects
certain parts of the Faith. This is why we can speak of people who are
"members" even if they haven't attended or confessed or communed for
years. They are still "members" because the Church is perceived as a
membership in an organization rather than as life in the Faith of
Christ. They "joined" years ago and never "un-joined" so they are still
"members". Whether or not they continued to hold and live in the Faith
of Christ is immaterial.
What has happened in the world of Orthodoxy today is that the
organization and external membership have taken over and now define
what the Church is or is not. One is reckoned to be "in the Church" if
he is affiliated with the officially recognized organization. When
people think of the Church, they think of an organization, association,
diocese or jurisdiction and the membership of the local Church in that
organization is equated with holding the Faith of Christ.
This perception of the Church as membership in the officially
sanctioned organization has long been the prevailing understanding in
Roman Catholicism, Anglicanism and other religious groups. Many who
claim to be Roman Catholic reject many of the teachings of the Roman
Catholic Church but are still considered members of the Church by
virtue of their affiliation or membership in a parish that is under the
pope.
In the past we have heard of Anglican bishops or priests who denied the
deity of Christ, the virgin birth or the resurrection and yet continued
to serve as priests or bishops. How could this be? Only because the
perception of the Church is one of membership in the official
organization or occupying an official capacity rather than as unity in
the Holy Spirit in the Faith of Christ.
Now this same understanding has come to permeate the world of
Orthodoxy. Historically, the Church held that you could not be Orthodox
and un-Orthodox at the same time. But today this is possible due to the
perception of the Orthodox Church as an external or official membership
or affiliation.
The perception of the Church as membership in "officialdom" stands in
sharp contrast to the teachings of Holy Scriptures, the Canons, and the
holy Fathers, including St. Gregory Palamas who wrote:
They that are of the Church of Christ are they that are of the truth;
and they that are not of the truth are not of the Church of
Christ...for we are reminded that we are to distinguish Christianity
not by persons who have ecclesiastical titles, but by the truth and by
the exactness of the Faith.
This difference in understanding of the nature of the Church results in
a strange phenomena in world Orthodoxy. Being canonical has come to
mean an external membership or association whereas, historically, being
canonical referred to holding the Faith of Christ and honoring the
canons. To be honest, most in world Orthodoxy today would concede that
being canonical also means holding the Faith of Christ and honoring the
canons. However, in world Orthodoxy, due to the perception of the
Church first and foremost as an organization, many concede that bishops
can and do hold and teach heretical things and yet are still considered
to be Orthodox because they are a part of the Orthodox worldwide
organization.
Consequently, today, a bishop can confess the Faith of Christ in its
fullness and strive to be faithful to the canons and yet be considered
non-canonical and outside of the Church if he is not a member of SCOBA
or in communion with world Orthodoxy. Another bishop can deny Christ or
major parts of the Orthodox Faith and yet be considered canonical
because he is a member of the officially recognized organization.
Nothing else can explain this other than the perception of the Church
as essentially an organization or affiliation rather than as unity in
the Holy Spirit in the Faith of Christ.
Much of what is written by the councils and fathers makes no sense and
creates all kinds of confusion if your perception of the Church is that
of an external or jurisdictional affiliation rather than unity in the
Faith of Christ. For example, the canons tell us to flee from
bishops who publicly teach heresy. But today people say to do so would
create division and we must not do such things to bishops. But this is
true only from an organizational view of things that continues to call
them bishops even when they betray Christ and His Church simply because
they are "official". The canons perceive the Church as a
union in the Faith of Christ and therefore tell us that to flee from a
bishop who publicly teaches heresy does not divide the Church but
rather preserves the Church since it is not a bishop from whom we flee
but a false shepherd. Here we see that it has nothing to do with
membership in an organization or occupying an official capacity but it
has everything to do with the Faith that is held.
This difference between the Church as membership or external
affiliation vs. the Body of Christ united in the Faith of Christ
explains a lot of what has happened and is happening in the world of
Orthodoxy.
It explains how the late Patriarch Meletios could recognize the
Communist -sponsored "official" "Living Church" in Russia and abandon
the Church in Russia led by now Saint Tikon, Patriarch of Moscow.
It explains how the late Patriarch Athenagoras could say, "We are in
error and sin if we think that the Orthodox Faith came down from heaven
and that other dogmas are unworthy. Three hundred million men have
chosen Mohammedanism as the way to God, and further hundreds of
millions are Protestant, Catholics and Buddhists. The aim of every
religion is to make man better" and still be considered an Orthodox
bishop who is to this day honored by world Orthodoxy as a great
Orthodox bishop. He publicly denied and contradicted Christ the Saviour
and yet is/was Orthodox? How can this be? It can be only where
Orthodoxy is not based on the Faith of Christ but on a certain order
and organization or official capacity.
It explains how the late Archbishop Iakovos of the Greek Archdiocese of
America could characterize the canons as "religious prejudices" that
prevent unity with non-Orthodox Christians and still be considered an
Orthodox bishop.
It explains how he could speak at a World Council of Churches gathering
and say, "It would be utterly foolish for the true believers to pretend
or to insist that the whole truth has been revealed only to them, and
that they alone possess it. Such a claim would be both unbiblical and
un-theological...Christ did not specify the date nor the place that the
Church would suddenly take full possession of the whole truth" and
still be considered an Orthodox bishop and still be honored to this day
by world Orthodoxy as a great and faithful bishop. This is possible
only if being Orthodox is a matter of officialdom or affiliation but
impossible if Orthodoxy is a matter of unity in the Faith of Christ.
It explains how Orthodox patriarchs, bishops and priests in complete
violation of the Orthodox Faith can have joint prayers and worship with
the heterodox and still be considered Orthodox.
It explains how Orthodox representatives can participate in a World
Council of Churches worship service that opens with the prayer, "O God
Father...Your love is stretched out upon all men, to seek the Truth,
which we have not known" and still be considered among the faithful
bishops who rightly divide the word of truth.
It explains how Orthodox representatives can participate in a World
Council of Churches gathering where prayers and worship were offered by
numerous religions including Buddhist, Shinto, Spiritualists, Taoists
and others and still be considered faithful Orthodox bishops.
It explains how Orthodox bishops can sign agreements recognizing the
Mysteries of the non-Orthodox and permitting intercommunion contrary to
the canons and still be considered Orthodox bishops.
It explains how Patriarch Bartholomew can embrace the pope as the
bishop of Christendom and Roman Catholicism as the sister Church of
Orthodoxy while expelling the monks of Esphigmenou who hold the
Orthodox faith without compromise and still be considered the Patriarch
by all the other bishops of world Orthodoxy.
It explains how the Orthodox can sign the Thyateira Confession which
espouses the Branch Theory, recognizes the sacraments of the heterodox
and admits that Muslims deny the divinity of Christ, but nonetheless
teaches that "they believe in the true God" and still be Orthodox.
It explains how Orthodox representatives could participate in the World
Council of Churches' Bem Statement which affirms the need to "move
beyond a theology which confines salvation to the explicit commitment
to Jesus Christ" and still be Orthodox Christians.
It explains how the Patriarch of Antioch can enter into an Agreed
Statement with the Monophysites, allowing joint prayers and
intercommunion although the Monophysites do not accept the last four of
the Seven Ecumenical Councils, have not publicly renounced their past
and commemorate as saints those who were anathematized as heretics by
the Orthodox in the Monophysite controversy and still be a faithful
Orthodox bishop.
It explains how the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew could say, "The
Orthodox Church does not seek to convince others of any one particular
understanding of truth or revelation, nor does it seek to convert
others to a particular mode of thinking", and still be Orthodox.
This list could go on for many pages but this is more than adequate to
show that all of this betrayal and denial of Christ and His Church
while still considering these bishops to be Orthodox is possible only
when Orthodoxy has been reduced to an external and official affiliation
and association rather than a unity in the Faith of Christ.
I am compelled to say that those who deny or betray Christ and His
Church cannot be Christians or bishops and we should flee from them as
the canons and fathers warn us to do. Those who perceive the Church
primarily as an organization or officialdom say we must continue in
communion with them and honor them as bishops who rightly divide the
word of truth lest we divide the Church. But that which divides the
Church is to hold to something other than or different from the Faith
of Christ.
_______________________________________________________________________
2. Holy Zeal
by Archbishop Averky of Jordanville.
I am come to send fire on the earth. and what will I, but that it be
already kindled? (Luke 12:49)
THE CHIEF THING in Christianity, according to the clear teaching of
the Word of God, is the fire of Divine zeal, zeal for God and His
glory-the holy zeal which alone is able to inspire man in labors and
struggles pleasing to God, and without which there is no authentic
spiritual life and there is not and cannot be any true Christianity.
Without this holy zeal Christians are "Christians" in name only: they
only "have a name that they live," but in reality "they are dead," as
was said to the holy Seer of Mysteries John (Apoc. 3 :1) . True
spiritual zeal is expressed, first of all, in zeal for God's glory,
which is taught us in the words of the Lord's Prayer which stand at its
very beginning: Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be
done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Those who are zealous for God's glory themselves glorify God with their
whole heart-both in thought and feeling, both by words and deeds and
with their whole life-and naturally desire that all other people should
glorify God also in the same way, and therefore they cannot, of course,
endure with indifference when in their presence, in some way or other,
the name of God is blasphemed or holy things are mocked. Being zealous
for God, they sincerely strive to please God themselves and serve Him
alone with all the power of their being, and they are ready to forget
themselves all the way to sacrificing their very life in order to bring
all men to the pleasing and the service of God. They cannot calmly
listen to blasphemy, and therefore they cannot support communion with
and have friendship with blasphemers and mockers of the Name of God and
despisers of holy things.
A striking and extremely clear example of such fiery zeal for God's
glory comes to us from the depths of antiquity of the Old Testament in
a great Prophet of God, the flaming Elias, who grieved in soul when he
saw the apostasy from God of his people, led by the impious King Ahab,
who introduced into Israel the pagan worship of Baal in place of the
true God.
I have been very jealous for the Lord God Almighty-thus did he exclaim
many times, expressing his grief-because the children of Israel have
forsaken Thee: they have dug down Thine altars, and have slain Thy
prophets with the sword, and I only am left, and they seek my life to
take it (3 Kings 19: 10) .
And behold, this holy zeal aroused him, by the power of the grace of
God which reposed on him, as a chastisement of Israel which had
apostatized from God, to "close heaven" (3 Kings 17:1; 18:42-45. James
5:17-18), so that there was neither rain nor dew for three years and
six months.
This same zeal later aroused Elias to slay the false prophets and
priests of Baal, after the miraculous descent of the fire from heaven
on Mt. Carmel, so that these deceivers might no longer turn the sons of
Israel away from the true worship of God (3 Kings 18 :40).
By the power of the same Divine zeal, St. Elias brought down fire from
heaven, which burned the captains and their fifties which had been sent
by the king to seize him (4 Kings 1:9-14).
That all this was in reality holy zeal which was pleasing to God is
testified to by the fact that the Holy Prophet Elias did not die the
usual death of all men, but was miraculously raised up to heaven in a
chariot of fire, as if signifying his authentically fiery zeal for God
(4 kings 2:10-12).
But even then, in the severe Old Testament, the Lord Himself showed to
His true servant that one can have recourse to such severe measures
only in extreme cases, for the Lord was not in the great and strong
wind rending the mountains and crushing the rocks, and not in the
earthquake, and not in the fire, but in the voice of a gentle breeze (3
Kings 19:11-12).
This is why, when James and John, who were especially fervent in their
zeal for the glory of their Divine Teacher, wished to bring down fire
from heaven, imitating the Holy Prophet Elias, so as to punish the
Samaritans who did not desire to receive him when He was walking
through the Samaritan village to Jerusalem, the Lord forbade them to do
this, saying: Ye know not of what spirit ye are, for the Son of Man
came not to destroy the souls of men, but to save (Luke 9:51-56).
And nevertheless (let immoderate lovers of peace pay heed!), the Lord
Jesus Christ Himself, Who said, Learn of Me, for I am meek and humble
of heart (Matt. 11:29), found it sometimes necessary to manifest great
strictness and have recourse to severe measures, teaching us also by
this very fact, that meekness and humility do not mean spinelessness
and should not yield before manifest evil, and that a true Christian
should be far from sugar-sweet sentimentality and should not step away
in the face of evil which presumptuously raises its head, but should
always be uncompromising towards evil, fighting with it by all measures
and means available to him, in order decisively to cut off the spread
and strengthening of evil among men.
Let us recall with what harsh accusatory words the Lord addressed the
spiritual leaders of the Hebrew people, the scribes and Pharisees,
condemning them for hypocrisy and lawlessness: Woe to you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! and threatening them with God's judgment (Matt.
23:29).
And when words turned out to be insufficient, He applied action against
the lawless ones in very deed. Thus, finding that in the Temple they,
were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and money-changers were sitting,
when He had made as it were a scourge of little cords, He drove them
all out of the Temple, the sheep also and the oxen, and the money of
the changers He poured out, and the tables He overthrew (John 2:14-15;
Matt. 21:12-13).
And we know many other examples from sacred and Church history when
mere words of persuasion turned out to be insufficient; and in order to
cut off evil it was necessary to have recourse to more severe measures
and decisive acts.
But it is essential that in such cases there should really be in a
person only pure and holy zeal for God's glory, without any admixture
of self-love or any other strivings of human passions which only hide
themselves behind a supposedly holy zeal for God!
In the history of the Church, the great hierarch of Christ, Nicholas
the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, whose memory we
celebrate on December 6th according to our Orthodox calendar, has
become glorious by just such an authentically holy zeal, with a
decisive irreconcilability towards evil. Who does not know this
wondrous hierarch of Christ?
The most characteristic feature of St. Nicholas, which has given him
such glory, is his extraordinary Christian mercy: the simple Russian
people usually calls him "Nicholas the Merciful," a title based on the
facts of his life and the numberless cases of his help to men.
But once this great hierarch, so glorious for his mercy toward his
neighbor, performed an act which disturbed many and continues to
disturb them even now, even though its authenticity is witnessed by the
Church tradition contained in our iconography and Divine services.
According to tradition, St. Nicholas took part in the First Ecumenical
Council in Nicaea, which brought forth a condemnation of the heretic
Arius, who denied the Divinity of the Second Person of the Holy
Trinity, the Son of God. During the disputes which occurred in
connection with this, St. Nicholas could not listen with indifference
to the blasphemous speeches of the arrogant heretic Arius, possessed by
pride, who demeaned the Divine dignity of the Son of God, and before
the whole Council he struck him in the face with his hand. This evoked
such a general consternation that the Fathers of the Council decreed
that the bold hierarch be deprived of hierarchical rank. But in that
very night they were made to understand by a wondrous vision: they saw
how the Lord Jesus Christ gave St. Nicholas His Holy Gospel, and the
Most Pure Mother of God placed upon his shoulders the episcopal
omophorion. And then they understood that St. Nicholas was guided in
his act not by any evil, passionately sinful motives, but solely by
pure, holy zeal for God's glory. And they forgave the hierarch,
abrogating their sentence against him.
By citing such a picturesque example, we do not in the least wish to
say that every one of us can or should follow this example literally:
for this one must be himself just as great a holy hierarch as St.
Nicholas. But this should absolutely convince us that we do not dare to
remain indifferent or be unconcerned about the manifestations of evil
in the world, especially when the matter is one of God's glory, of our
Holy Faith and Church. Here we must show ourselves to be completely
uncompromising, and we do not dare enter into any sort of cunning
compromises or any reconciliation, even purely outward, or into any
kind whatever of agreement with evil. To our personal enemies,
according to Christ's commandment, we must forgive everything, but with
the enemies of God we cannot have peace! Friendship with the enemies of
God makes us ourselves the enemies of God: this is a betrayal and
treason towards God, under whatever well-seeming pretexts it might be
done, and here no kind of cunning or skillful self-justification can
help us!
It is interesting to note how displeasing this act of St. Nicholas is
to all the contemporary consenters to evil, these propagandists of a
false "Christian love" which is prepared to be reconciled not only with
heretics, persecutors of the Faith and the Church, but even with the
devil himself, in the name of "universal love" and "the union of
all"-slogans which have become so fashionable in our days. For the sake
of this, these consenters strive even to refute the very fact of the
participation of St. Nicholas in the First Ecumenical Council, even
though this fact is accepted by our Holy Church and therefore must be
respected by all of us as reliable.
All of this happens, of course, because among contemporary people, even
those who call themselves "Christians," there is no longer an authentic
holy zeal for God and His glory, there is no zeal for Christ our
Saviour, zeal for the Holy Church and for every holy thing of God. In
place of this there prevails a luke-warm indifference, an indifferent
attitude to everything except one's own earthly well-being, with a
forgetfulness of the just judgment of God which unfailingly awaits all
of us, and of the eternity which will be revealed after death.
And without this holy zeal, as we emphasized at the beginning, there is
no true Christianity, no authentic spiritual life-life in Christ. That
is why this has been replaced now by all kinds of cheap surrogates, at
times quite low ones, which however often answer to the tastes and
attitudes of contemporary man. And therefore such pseudo-Christians,
skillfully covering up their spiritual emptiness by hypocrisy, often
have great success in contemporary society, from which authentic
spirituality has been rinsed out; while authentic zealots of God's
glory are despised and persecuted as "difficult people," "intolerant
fanatics," "people who are behind the times."
And thus even now before our eyes is occurring the "winnowing": some
will remain with Christ to the end, and some will easily and naturally
join the camp of His opponent, Antichrist, especially when the hour of
threatening trials will come for our faith, when precisely it will be
necessary to show in all its fullness the whole power of our holy zeal,
which is abhorred by many as "fanaticism."
But at the same time one should not forget that, besides true holy
zeal, there is also a zeal without understanding-zeal which loses its
value because of the absence in it of a most important Christian
virtue: discernment, and therefore, in place of profit can bring harm.
And there is likewise a false, lying zeal, behind the mask of which is
concealed the foaming of ordinary human passions-most frequently pride,
love of power and honor, and the interests of a party politics like
that which plays the leading role in political struggles, and for which
there can be no place in spiritual life, in public church life, but
which unfortunately is often to be encountered in our time and is a
chief instigator of every imaginable quarrel and disturbance in the
Church, the managers and instigators of which often hide themselves
behind some kind of supposed idealism but in reality pursue only their
own personal aims, striving to please not God but their own
self-concern, and being zealous not for God's glory but for their own
glory and the glory of the colleagues and partisans of their party.
All of this, it goes without saying, is profoundly foreign to true holy
zeal, hostile to it, is sinful and criminal, for it only compromises
our Holy Faith and Church!
And so, the choice is before us: are we with Christ or Antichrist?
The time is near (Apoc.22:10)-thus did even the holy Apostles warn us
Christians. And if it was "near" then, in Apostolic times, how much
''nearer" has it become now, in our ominous days of manifest apostasy
from Christ and persecution against our Holy Faith and Church?!
And if we firmly resolve in these fateful days to remain with Christ,
not in words only but in deeds as well, it is absolutely indispensable
right now, without putting it off, to break off even, bond of
friendship, every form of communion with the servants of the
approaching Antichrist, who has enlisted so many of them in the
contemporary world, under lying pretexts of universal peace" and
"prosperity"; and especially must one free oneself unconditionally from
every subservience to them and dependence on them, even if this might
be bound up with detriment to our earthly well-being or even with
danger for our earthly life itself.
Eternity is more important than our brief existence on earth, and it is
precisely for it that we must prepare ourselves!
And therefore, ONLY HOLY ZEAL FOR GOD, FOR CHRIST, without any
admixture of any kind of slyness or ambiguous cunning POLITICS, must
guide us in all deeds and actions.
Otherwise, a stern sentence threatens us: Because thou art neither hot
nor cold, I will vomit thee out of My mouth (Apoc. 3:16).
Be zealous, therefore, and repent! (Apoc. 3:19). Amen.
Translated from Saint Elias Publications "Faith and Life," No. 10,
1975. Reprinted in The Orthodox Word, May-June 1975 (62), 96ff.
________________________________________________________________________
3. "O GOD, WITH OUR EARS HAVE WE HEARD..."(Ps. 43:1)
One of the beauties of the Orthodox Church seldom thought about is
the spiritual food given to our senses in the holy services. The senses
are the windows to our souls. Our sight is cleansed by the spiritual
beauty of the holy temple and icons. Our hearing is drawn from the
noise of the world with the beauty of the Word of God, prayers and
chanting. Our sense of smell is uplifted by the sweet fragrance
of incense. Our sense of taste is sanctified with the Body and
Blood of Christ our Lord. Our sense of touch is blessed when we
venerate the holy icons and the holy Cross. We desperately need
these blessings, for the world distracts us from the things of the
spirit in so many ways.
We have access these days to a multitude of forms of audio reproduction
and broadcast, however most of it is far from Godly in any sense of the
word. But we can change that if we wish. There are more and
more recordings available of Orthodox chant, both liturgical and
non-liturgical on both CD and cassette tape, as well as of the Holy
Scriptures which have been available for years in audio format. If we
take advantage of some of these things, and play them also for our
children, we will reap many benefits, not the least of which is a time
of calm in the midst of hectic modern life.
Some of the non-liturgical gems which are available today in English,
and which we hope will appeal to young people are original Orthodox
folk songs by Katina, canticles and carols sung by the nuns of Holy
Nativity Convent, and the latest entry by the nuns of St. Paisius
Monastery: A TREASURY OF SPIRITUAL SONGS. This is a remarkable
collection translated into English from the Serbian spiritual songs of
St. Nikolai Velimirovic, and the Russian songs and poems of Abbess
Thaisia, spiritual daughter of St. John of Kronstadt. All Orthodox
cultures have had such songs, which people chanted while working or
traveling, or even for consolation in times of trials - just as Negro
Spirituals were in this country. We have a bit of catching up to do, it
seems, to preserve and perpetuate Orthodox culture in this form, but
the above translations and compositions are a start. .Let us fill our
ears with this blessed sound, and "Sing unto the Lord a new
song..."(Is. 42:10).
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4. PROPHECIES by Abba Pambo (Speaking to One of His Disciples)
An Egyptian ascetic on the Nitrian mountain, Abba Pambo was a
contemporary of St. Anthony the Great and himself great in monastic
asceticism. Born about A.D. 303, he was one of the first to join Amoun
in Nitria. He was illiterate until he was taught the Scriptures as a
monk and ordained priest in 340. He had two characteristics by which he
was especially known; by long training, he sealed his lips, so that no
unnecessary word passed them, and he never ate any bread other than
that which he gained by his own labour, plaiting rushes. He was like an
angel of God and, in old age, his face shone as did the face of Moses
in ancient times, so that the monks could not look on it. He did not
give a quick answer even to a simple question, without prayer and
pondering in his heart.
This wonderful saint had clear discernment into the destiny of the
living and the dead. He entered into rest in the Lord in the year 374.]
...And I'll tell you this, my child, that the days will come when the
Christians will add to and will take away from, and will alter the
books of the Holy Evangelists, and of the Holy Apostles, and of the
Divine Prophets, and of the Holy Fathers. They'll tone down the Holy
Scriptures and will compose troparia, hymns, and writings
technologically. Their nous will be spilled out among them, and will
become alienated from it's Heavenly Prototype. For this reason the Holy
Fathers had previously encouraged the monks of the desert to write down
the lives of the Fathers not onto parchment, but onto paper, because
the coming generation will change them to suit their own personal
tastes. So you see, the evil that comes will be horrible.
Then the disciple said: So then, Geronda, the traditions are
going to be changed and the practices of the Christians? Maybe there
won't exist enough priests in the Church when these unfortunate times
come?
And the father continued: In these times the love for God in most
souls will grow cold and a great sadness will fall onto the world. One
nation shall face-off against another. Peoples will move away from
their own places. Rulers will be confused. The clergy will be thrown
into anarchy, and the monks will be inclined more to negligence. The
church leaders will consider useless anything concerned wit salvation,
as much for their own souls as for the souls of their flocks, and they
will despise any such concern. All will show eagerness and energy for
every matter regarding their dining table and their appetites. They'll
be lazy in their prayers and casual in their criticisms. As for the
lives and teachings of the Holy Fathers, they'll not have any interest
to imitate them, nor even to hear them. But rather they will complain
and say that "if we had lived in those times, then we'd have behaved
like that". And the bishops shall give way to the powerful of the
world, giving answers on different matters only after taking gifts from
everywhere and consulting the rational logic of the academics. The poor
man's rights will not be defended, they'll afflict widows, and harass
orphans. Debauchery will permeate these people. Most won't believe in
God, they'll hate each other and devour one another like beasts. The
one will steal from the other, they'll be drunk and will walk about as
blind.
The disciple again asked: What can we do, in such a state?
And Elder Pambo answered: My child, in these times whoever will
save his soul and prompt others to be saved will be called great in the
Kingdom of Heaven.
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5. MUSIC FROM THE BOOK CENTER
(TM6) THE WINDS AND THE SEA by Katina A casette tape of Orthodox
Christian folk music based on the scriptures and lives of saints. Also
contains the English translation of a Greek folk song, The Sparrow.
Acoustic guitar. d$10.00
(TM12) ON THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS dedicated to Blessed Mother Irene
Myrtidiotissa. The 4th in the series of tapes by Katina. Contains:
Jesus and the Little Children, Saint Paul, O Pure Virgin, Blessed
Irene, Abraham and Maria, Saint Panteleimon, The Mudpie Song and Come
Ye Blessed. O Pure Virgin was writ-ten by St. Nectarios and set to
music by Simonos Petra Monastery (Mt. Athos) and translated by Bishop
Basil Essey (Antiochian Archdiocese). A beautiful tape.
d$10.00
(TM73) IN THE BEGINNING by Katina. This release of
Orthodox folk music by Katina features the first chapter of Genesis,
the lives of Saints Demetrios, Euphrosynos, John the Evangelist,
Eudocia and more. CD only. d$15.00
(TM21) TO ST. XENIA OF ST. PETERSBURG: TWO CANONS AND
CANTICLE by Ephraim Figuroa. Beautifully produced booklet in two
colors containing the full service of the Supplcatory Canon and
Canticle, chanted by the nuns of Holy Nativity Convent. Cassette and
book: f$15.50; CD and book: f$20.50.
(TM82) A TREASURY OF SPIRITUAL SONGS chanted by the nuns
of St. Paisius Monastery in Safford, AZ. A most compunctionate
recording of English translations of spiritual songs and poems by St.
Nikolai Velimirovich and Abbess Thaisia. d$17.00