With an example from our past, St. Philaret of NY shows us how we should consider it when 0rthodox piety is found in the MP.
In the January-February 1981 issue of The 0rthodox Word, there is an inspiring article about Archimandrite Tavrion [†1978], the last Elder of the Glinsk Heritage, who left the Catacomb Church and joined the MP.
Met. Philaret had forwarded the article from Lesna to the Platina editors. Platina's publication of the article caused confusion among some of the faithful, because the elder had joined the MP. To address the confusion our Synod issued this document which was published in the May-June 1981 issue of The 0rthodox Word:
THE DECISI0N 0F THE SYN0D 0F BISH0PS
0n 12/25 August, 1981, the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Church 0utside of Russia heard the report of the President of the Synod of Bishops [Met.Philaret] on the following matter: the appearance of an article about Archimandrite Tavrion published in issue number 96 of The 0rthodox Word has caused great consternation among some readers, especially those who are not familiar with the conditions of church life in the USSR. In my covering letter to the editor of the magazine (which was not intended to be published with the article), they [the Platina editors] saw what they believed to be a kind of approval of the dual position taken by the late archimandrite rather than the simple forwarding of some interesting, informative material. Archimandrite Tavrion, after long years of imprisonment as a member of the Catacomb Church, somehow came to join the Moscow Patriarchate while never sharing its policies. None of us has ever had any relations with him. We only know that he advised those of his spiritual children leaving the USSR and going West to join the Russian 0rthodox Church 0utside of Russia. It is also known that when talking to his spiritual children he condemned the political subservience of the Patriarchate to the atheistic authorities. His pastoral and spiritual methods were rather unusual. In the favorable description of his life written by his spiritual daughter, some readers found not only the fact that he brought people into the Church, but they also suspected us of approving his compromising attitude toward the Church. This is not true.
The condemnation by our hierarchy of the agreement with the atheists promulgated by the MP at the time of Metropolitan Sergius certainly remains in effect and cannot be changed except by the repentance of the MP. This policy [sergianism], which seeks to serve both Christ and Belial, is unquestionably a betrayal of 0rthodoxy. Therefore, we can have no liturgical communion with any bishop or cleric of the MP. But this does not prevent us from studying with love and sorrow the religious life in Russia. In some cases we see a complete collapse while in others we see some efforts to remain outside the apostate policies of the MP's leaders in an attempt to attain salvation even in the territory of Antichrist's kingdom (as in the case mentioned in Canon II of St. Athanasius), and bearing in mind the words of our Savior that by a hasty judgment one might root up the wheat along with the tares (Mat. 13:29). Under varying circumstances, the venom of sinful compromise poisons the soul in varying degrees.
As the free part of the Russian Church, we can fully approve only that part of the Church in Russia which is called the Catacomb Church, and only with her can we have full communion. Yet, any departure from atheism and "Sergianism" must be seen as a positive step towards pure 0rthodoxy even though it not yet be the opening of the way to ecclesiastical union with us. Beyond this, our present evaluation and judgment cannot proceed, due to lack of information. However, our interest in all aspects of religious life in Russia cannot ignore any positive event we see against the background of total apostasy. We should not focus our attention exclusively on those facts which merit unconditional condemnation.
In light of this, the life and activity of the late Archimandrite Tavrion was an interesting phenomenon. And for this reason, I found his biography worthy of attention and publication while certainly disapproving of his membership in the Sergian church organization. This was apparently misunderstood by some readers: I was not offering his example as worthy of imitation.
RES0LVED: To take into consideration the report of the President of the Synod of Bishops and, sharing his opinion, to publish his account in the religious press. At the same time, the Synod of Bishops deems it necessary to remind its flock that first of all, we must strongly uphold our own faith and exercise our zeal in the authentic life of the Church under the conditions in which God has placed each one of us, striving towards the salvation of our souls. Due to insufficient information, deliberations about the significance and quality of various events in Russia do not at present provide adequate guidance for the faithful. Indeed, in the majority of cases these deliberations cannot serve as instruction but must rather be regarded as personal opinions. ...
continued Part 2: And The Super-Correct Get A Scolding
Nov 27, 2009
Nov 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving To Everyone!
Glory To God For All Things Akathist
http://www.saintjonah.org/services/thanksgiving.htm
A little Thanksgiving Day "gift" is passed on by Reader Daniel: Click Here
Glory To God For All Things Akathist
http://www.saintjonah.org/services/thanksgiving.htm
A little Thanksgiving Day "gift" is passed on by Reader Daniel: Click Here
O Death Where Is Thy Sting?
www.portal-credo.ru
open letter from Matushka Julia Sysoieva, widow of the recently murdered MP priest, Fr. Daniel
Dear brothers and sisters,
thank you for your support and prayers.
This is the pain which cannot be expressed in words. This is the pain experienced by those who stood at the Cross of the Saviour. This is the joy which cannot be expressed in words, this is the joy experienced by those who came to the empty Tomb.
O death, where is thy sting?
Fr Daniel had already foreseen his death several years before it happened. He had always wanted to be worthy of a martyr's crown. Those who shot him wanted, as usual, to spit in the face of the Church, as once before they spat in the face of Christ. They have not achieved their goal, because it is impossible to spit in the face of the Church. Fr Daniel went up to his Golgotha in the very church which he had built, the church to which he gave up all his time and all his strength. They killed him like the prophet of old ? between the temple and the altar and he was indeed found worthy of a martyr's calling. He died for Christ, Whom he served with all his strength.
Very often he would say to me that he was frightened of not having enough time, time to do everything. He was in a hurry. Sometimes, as a human-being he exaggerated, he got things wrong, he tripped up and made mistakes, but he made no mistake about the main thing, his life was entirely dedicated to HIM.
I did not understand why he was in a hurry. The last three years he was busy serving, never taking days off or taking holidays. I moaned, just now and again I wanted simple happiness, that my husband and my children's father would be with my children and me. But another path had been prepared for him.
He used to say that they would kill him. I would ask him who would look after us. Me and the three children. He would answer that he would put us in safe hands. `I`ll give you to the Mother of God. She'll take care of you'.
These words were forgotten too soon. He told us which vestments to bury him in. Then I joked that there was no need to speak about that, we still did not know who would bury who. He said that I would bury him. Once our conversation turned to funerals, I don't remember the details but I did say that I had never been to a priest's funeral. And he answered that it did not matter because I would be at his funeral.
Now I remember many words which have gained a meaning. Now my doubts have dissolved, the misunderstandings have gone.
We did not say goodbye in this life, we did not ask each other forgiveness, we did not embrace one another. It was just another day: in the morning he went to the liturgy and I did not see him again. Why didn't I go to the church that day to meet him? I had thought of it, but I decided I had better get the evening meal ready and put the children to bed. It was because of the children that I did not go there. There was a hand that did not let me go.
But the evening before I had gone to the church and met him. I had felt as if dark clouds were gathering over us. And in the last few days I had tried to spend more time with him. Over the last week I had thought only about death and about life after death. I couldn't get my head around either the first or the second. That day my head was spinning with the words: `Death is standing right behind you'. The last week everything was so hard, as if a huge load had been emptied out on top of me. I am not broken. He is supporting me, I feel as if he is standing by me. Then we said so many affectionate words, which we had never said to each other in our whole life before. Only now do I understand how much we loved each other.
The memorial service for the forty days of Fr Daniel takes place on the eve of his namesday and the patronal feast of the future church, 29 December, and 30 December is the feast of the holy prophet Daniel. According to the prophecy of an elder, the church would be built but Fr Daniel would not serve in it. The second part of the prophecy has already been fulfilled.
Matushka Julia Sysoieva
http://www.portal-credo.ru/site/?act=fresh&id=1066
http://www.portal-credo.ru/site/?act=news&id=74497&cf=
open letter from Matushka Julia Sysoieva, widow of the recently murdered MP priest, Fr. Daniel
Dear brothers and sisters,
thank you for your support and prayers.
This is the pain which cannot be expressed in words. This is the pain experienced by those who stood at the Cross of the Saviour. This is the joy which cannot be expressed in words, this is the joy experienced by those who came to the empty Tomb.
O death, where is thy sting?
Fr Daniel had already foreseen his death several years before it happened. He had always wanted to be worthy of a martyr's crown. Those who shot him wanted, as usual, to spit in the face of the Church, as once before they spat in the face of Christ. They have not achieved their goal, because it is impossible to spit in the face of the Church. Fr Daniel went up to his Golgotha in the very church which he had built, the church to which he gave up all his time and all his strength. They killed him like the prophet of old ? between the temple and the altar and he was indeed found worthy of a martyr's calling. He died for Christ, Whom he served with all his strength.
Very often he would say to me that he was frightened of not having enough time, time to do everything. He was in a hurry. Sometimes, as a human-being he exaggerated, he got things wrong, he tripped up and made mistakes, but he made no mistake about the main thing, his life was entirely dedicated to HIM.
I did not understand why he was in a hurry. The last three years he was busy serving, never taking days off or taking holidays. I moaned, just now and again I wanted simple happiness, that my husband and my children's father would be with my children and me. But another path had been prepared for him.
He used to say that they would kill him. I would ask him who would look after us. Me and the three children. He would answer that he would put us in safe hands. `I`ll give you to the Mother of God. She'll take care of you'.
These words were forgotten too soon. He told us which vestments to bury him in. Then I joked that there was no need to speak about that, we still did not know who would bury who. He said that I would bury him. Once our conversation turned to funerals, I don't remember the details but I did say that I had never been to a priest's funeral. And he answered that it did not matter because I would be at his funeral.
Now I remember many words which have gained a meaning. Now my doubts have dissolved, the misunderstandings have gone.
We did not say goodbye in this life, we did not ask each other forgiveness, we did not embrace one another. It was just another day: in the morning he went to the liturgy and I did not see him again. Why didn't I go to the church that day to meet him? I had thought of it, but I decided I had better get the evening meal ready and put the children to bed. It was because of the children that I did not go there. There was a hand that did not let me go.
But the evening before I had gone to the church and met him. I had felt as if dark clouds were gathering over us. And in the last few days I had tried to spend more time with him. Over the last week I had thought only about death and about life after death. I couldn't get my head around either the first or the second. That day my head was spinning with the words: `Death is standing right behind you'. The last week everything was so hard, as if a huge load had been emptied out on top of me. I am not broken. He is supporting me, I feel as if he is standing by me. Then we said so many affectionate words, which we had never said to each other in our whole life before. Only now do I understand how much we loved each other.
The memorial service for the forty days of Fr Daniel takes place on the eve of his namesday and the patronal feast of the future church, 29 December, and 30 December is the feast of the holy prophet Daniel. According to the prophecy of an elder, the church would be built but Fr Daniel would not serve in it. The second part of the prophecy has already been fulfilled.
Matushka Julia Sysoieva
http://www.portal-credo.ru/site/?act=fresh&id=1066
http://www.portal-credo.ru/site/?act=news&id=74497&cf=
Nov 24, 2009
0fficial Recognition
Fr. Seraphim's most beloved Russian New Martyr, Bishop Damascene, had spoken in the early 1900's about how "official recognition" will be used as part of the deceptions of the end times. In an essay entitled, "The Seal of Christ and the Seal of Antichrist," Bishop Damascene wrote that, when the Antichrist comes, not everyone will be expected to agree with his philosophy. Those who don't will be tempted by their desire to preserve themselves, their organizations, and thus their own standing and authority. The Holy Fathers comment on the fact that the seal of Antichrist will not be placed on the forehead and the hand simultaneously, but on the forehead or the hand [Apoc. 13:16] According to St. Andrew of Caesarea, those who receive it on their foreheads will share the Antichrist's way of thinking, while those who receive it on their right hands will only recognize his power of action [authority], deceiving themselves into believing that it is permissible to do this "if only one remains a Christian in one's soul..." 0f course, Bishop Damascene related this to the phenomenon of Sergianism in his country, but Fr. Seraphim perceived that it was very much relevant to 0rthodox churches in the free world as well.
St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, that prophet of the 19th-century Russia, had also spoken about how all ecclesiastical organizations will eventually submit to Antichrist:
Some years after Fr. Seraphim's death, an article was smuggled out of Russia which contained another prophecy corroborating Fr. Seraphim's statement that all ecclesiastical organizations will eventually bow down to Antichrist. During the fiercest years of Communism, decades before the current era [1993] of religious freedom in Russia, the clairvoyant Elder Laurence of Cherigov [†1950] had told his spiritual children:
As far as organization goes, Fr. Seraphim had placed his last hopes in the Bishops of the Russian Church Abroad to uphold balanced 0rthodox positions. 0ver the years, however, he had seen the great hierarchs of this Church die off one by one, as if it had been meant to be this way, leaving smaller, organizational men in the high places...
0ne of the last of these great hierarchs, Archbishop Averky, wrote,
-adapted from Not 0f This World pp. 922-924
∞∞∞
It can't be proved the Church is here or there with logic, debates, or arguments. It is like Evgeniy Vernikovskiy says - he does not understand all the nuances of matters relating to the canons, but that it is still clear to him which is the real ROCA. [see post 11/4] It is also clear to our Sister Churches.
We know that there are "precursor" antichrists before the final one who will be the world ruler. So, we can know, too, that there are "precursor" seals. Everyone who has accepted this R0C0R-MP union to preserve their churches and their positions has taken a seal on the hand. Clergy and laity alike. This is Sergianism just as Bishop Damascene said, and just as Fr. Seraphim perceived. May God help them repent. -jh
St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, that prophet of the 19th-century Russia, had also spoken about how all ecclesiastical organizations will eventually submit to Antichrist:
"0ne can suppose, too that the institution of the Church which has been tottering for so long will fall terribly and suddenly. Indeed, no one is able to stop or prevent it. The present means to sustain the institutional Church are borrowed from the elements of this world, things inimical to the Church, and the consequence will be to accelerate its fall.... May the merciful Lord defend the remnant who believe in Him. But this remnant is meager, and it becomes more and more so."
Some years after Fr. Seraphim's death, an article was smuggled out of Russia which contained another prophecy corroborating Fr. Seraphim's statement that all ecclesiastical organizations will eventually bow down to Antichrist. During the fiercest years of Communism, decades before the current era [1993] of religious freedom in Russia, the clairvoyant Elder Laurence of Cherigov [†1950] had told his spiritual children:
"The time will come when they will renovate even the closed churches, and fix them up not only outside but also inside. They will gild the cupolas of both churches and belfries. But when this is finished,it will usher in the reign of Antichrist. Do you see how cleverly everything is being prepared? All the churches will be absolutely magnificent, as never before, but one must not go into those churches, because the Bloodless Sacrifice of Jesus Christ will not be there, but there will be a satanic assembly. Antichrist will be crowned like a king in a grand cathedral in Jerusalem, with the participation of the clergy and the patriarch."
As far as organization goes, Fr. Seraphim had placed his last hopes in the Bishops of the Russian Church Abroad to uphold balanced 0rthodox positions. 0ver the years, however, he had seen the great hierarchs of this Church die off one by one, as if it had been meant to be this way, leaving smaller, organizational men in the high places...
0ne of the last of these great hierarchs, Archbishop Averky, wrote,
"0rthodoxy is not merely some type of purely earthly organization which is headed by patriarchs, bishops, and priests who hold the ministry in the Church which is officially called '0rthodox.' 0rthodoxy is the mystical 'Body of Christ,' the head of which is Christ Himself...
"The Church, it is true, may not be removed completely from the world, for people enter her who are still living on the earth, and therefore the 'earthly' element in her composition and external organization is unavoidable; yet the less of this 'earthly' element there is, the better it will be for her eternal goals. In any case, this 'earthly element should not obscure or suppress the purely spiritual element -- the matter of the salvation of the soul into eternal life -- for the sake of which the Church was both founded and exists."
-adapted from Not 0f This World pp. 922-924
∞∞∞
It can't be proved the Church is here or there with logic, debates, or arguments. It is like Evgeniy Vernikovskiy says - he does not understand all the nuances of matters relating to the canons, but that it is still clear to him which is the real ROCA. [see post 11/4] It is also clear to our Sister Churches.
We know that there are "precursor" antichrists before the final one who will be the world ruler. So, we can know, too, that there are "precursor" seals. Everyone who has accepted this R0C0R-MP union to preserve their churches and their positions has taken a seal on the hand. Clergy and laity alike. This is Sergianism just as Bishop Damascene said, and just as Fr. Seraphim perceived. May God help them repent. -jh
Sticky
√ new post on St. Philaret Blog: Glorification of the New-Martyrs
√ Paul Goble, Moscow Times, 24 November 2009
‘A Criminal Society is Easier to Rule Because All Feel Themselves Guilty’
√ Paul Goble, Moscow Times, 24 November 2009
‘A Criminal Society is Easier to Rule Because All Feel Themselves Guilty’
TO: Exarchate Clergy and Faithful
From: Archbishop Chrysostomos
Re: The Soviet View Turned Conservatism
I know that some of you get Paul's commentaries. For those who do not, he sent me this this morning. It is an excellent commentary on the non-Potemkin Village realities of Russia, which realities, of course, impinge on the nature and role of the Church. The author of the piece, while she does not directly state the connection between the Soviet Union and the false pseudo-democracy of the present-day Russian government, nonetheless hints at this in the parallel that she establishes between the ideology of Stalin, the bloody murderer of Soviet times, and Mr. Medvedev (alias Putin) and his administration.
It is not mine to comment on politics, nor will I respond to any observations about this mailing (not only for want of time, but because this is not a matter about which I have any comments beyond those that I have made); however, the concerns for the Church (and, indeed, the direct concerns of our Synod of Bishops, since the Church of South Ossetia is directly under our jurisdiction for the time-being) are quite obvious.
Nov 21, 2009
0ur Sister Church Loves Us
We don't get to hear much from our Sister Church, the 0Id CaIendar BuIgarians. Don't we wonder about them? Don't we wish they had parishes nearer us? This report beIow, in EngIish, compiled from the 0Id CaIendar BuIgarian Church, shows the deep understanding and Iove our Sister Church has for us.
It was written in 2007. Does that mean it is "oId" news? If your beIoved gave you a Iarge diamond in 2007, wouId you say today that it is an "oId" diamond not as sparkIing as it was before?
Some American sayings:
-"Birds of a feather fIock together."
-"A man is known by the company he keeps."
We 0rthodox have this and more. We are known by our Iove for one another.
This is our Sister Church. They recognize us. They understand us. They watch our triaIs. They fearIessIy identify and accuse our enemies by name. They see our strengths and weaknesses. They sympathize with us and share our pains. They pray for us. They Iove us. They commune with us from the same Cup.
Reading this report we can view ourseIves, and our situation, through the eyes of our faithful friends.
-jh
Crucea.ro
Current State of the Russian 0rthodox Church Abroad
June 28, 2007
Bishop Photii of Triaditza
Selections from answers by Bishop Photii to questions posed to him by the faithful during his pastoral visits to the parishes of the True Orthodox Church of Bulgaria
We are the witnesses of a profoundly tragic event. Before our very eyes, a Church which for more than seventy years constituted an extraordinarily precious witness for Orthodoxy is being destroyed. First, this was the Church that raised its voice in the West regarding the actual situation of the Orthodox Church, and religion in general, in Soviet Russia. It was precisely this Church that, for long years, was the only one to resist the great Soviet lie, which concealed the true conditions of the Church in the Soviet Union. Second, the Church Abroad, which almost covered the world with its dioceses and parishes, proved to be a missionary Church, acquainting the Western world with Orthodoxy.
This tragedy is difficult in numerous ways. One could in a few sentences treat with what is happening in the Russian Church Abroad today, but this would not be sufficient at all, since what we see now is the result of a process which has its roots in the past. What we are seeing should neither shock nor surprise us. We ought not to ask ourselves: “How can such a thing happen so abruptly to the Church Abroad?” The fact of the matter is that it did not happen abruptly.
First we should say that, in general, as evinced both in the history of the Old Testament Israel and in the history of the Church, the New Israel, prior to any difficult trial, the Lord always fortifies with His Grace those who are about to pass through such an ordeal. I could say the same, without any hyperbole, with regard to the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad.
During its formation as a jurisdiction, the Church Abroad went through significant hardships ... Read More
It was written in 2007. Does that mean it is "oId" news? If your beIoved gave you a Iarge diamond in 2007, wouId you say today that it is an "oId" diamond not as sparkIing as it was before?
Some American sayings:
-"Birds of a feather fIock together."
-"A man is known by the company he keeps."
We 0rthodox have this and more. We are known by our Iove for one another.
This is our Sister Church. They recognize us. They understand us. They watch our triaIs. They fearIessIy identify and accuse our enemies by name. They see our strengths and weaknesses. They sympathize with us and share our pains. They pray for us. They Iove us. They commune with us from the same Cup.
Reading this report we can view ourseIves, and our situation, through the eyes of our faithful friends.
-jh
Crucea.ro
Current State of the Russian 0rthodox Church Abroad
June 28, 2007
Bishop Photii of Triaditza
Selections from answers by Bishop Photii to questions posed to him by the faithful during his pastoral visits to the parishes of the True Orthodox Church of Bulgaria
We are the witnesses of a profoundly tragic event. Before our very eyes, a Church which for more than seventy years constituted an extraordinarily precious witness for Orthodoxy is being destroyed. First, this was the Church that raised its voice in the West regarding the actual situation of the Orthodox Church, and religion in general, in Soviet Russia. It was precisely this Church that, for long years, was the only one to resist the great Soviet lie, which concealed the true conditions of the Church in the Soviet Union. Second, the Church Abroad, which almost covered the world with its dioceses and parishes, proved to be a missionary Church, acquainting the Western world with Orthodoxy.
This tragedy is difficult in numerous ways. One could in a few sentences treat with what is happening in the Russian Church Abroad today, but this would not be sufficient at all, since what we see now is the result of a process which has its roots in the past. What we are seeing should neither shock nor surprise us. We ought not to ask ourselves: “How can such a thing happen so abruptly to the Church Abroad?” The fact of the matter is that it did not happen abruptly.
First we should say that, in general, as evinced both in the history of the Old Testament Israel and in the history of the Church, the New Israel, prior to any difficult trial, the Lord always fortifies with His Grace those who are about to pass through such an ordeal. I could say the same, without any hyperbole, with regard to the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad.
During its formation as a jurisdiction, the Church Abroad went through significant hardships ... Read More
Sticky
folk hymn, tone 3
0 Holy Confessor, Philaret,
Intercessor for the remnant,
Thy holy relics were revealed to us on St. Michael's day,
Confounding the enemy,
And strengthening us for the trials to come,
Thou art a sure guide on the Royal Path,
0 Blessed leadership!
0 steadfast truth-lover,
Pray to God for us.
0 Holy Confessor, Philaret,
Intercessor for the remnant,
Thy holy relics were revealed to us on St. Michael's day,
Confounding the enemy,
And strengthening us for the trials to come,
Thou art a sure guide on the Royal Path,
0 Blessed leadership!
0 steadfast truth-lover,
Pray to God for us.
Nov 19, 2009
Met. Hilarion Meets With Mason Dignitaries
F0R THE PURP0SE 0F "C0MBINING SPIRITUAL F0RCES"
√ http://euphrosynoscafe.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=8919
There is an English link contained in the topic. And a photo of the "Masonic Dignitary" [Masonic priest?] wearing a costume that looks like a white wizard from The Sorcerers Apprentice with a 3-foot high "dunce cap."
√ http://euphrosynoscafe.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=8919
There is an English link contained in the topic. And a photo of the "Masonic Dignitary" [Masonic priest?] wearing a costume that looks like a white wizard from The Sorcerers Apprentice with a 3-foot high "dunce cap."
Nov 18, 2009
Fr. Seraphim Rose In World 0rthodoxy?
No. Fr. Seraphim Rose was not headed towards World 0rthodoxy before he died, as World 0rthodoxy would like us to believe.
From the concluding chapter of 0rthodoxy and the Religion of the Future:
∞∞∞
√ The above paragraph is the first paragraph in the last section [E. "Little Children, It is the last Hour"] of the concluding chapter. This paragraph is entirely omitted in the online version [http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/readings/sign/children.shtml].
√ The the Catacomb Church and the True 0rthodox Christians [0ld Calendarists] of Greece that Fr. Seraphim refers to, are not the super-correct fragments we see today with their claims to be the Catacomb Church and to be "true."
√ 0ur Vladyka Agafangel is now referring to the World 0rthodox as "apostates" - calling it like it is, just as Fr. Seraphim did. Is there even a hint of the hard-heartedness we are accused of [for telling it like it is] in Fr. Seraphim, who obviously has deep sympathy for the plight of those stuck in World 0rthodoxy with apostate hierarchs?
From the concluding chapter of 0rthodoxy and the Religion of the Future:
E. "Little Children, It is the last Hour"
[John 2:18]
Unknown to the fevered 0rthodox "revivalists," the Lord has reserved in the world, even as in the days of Elijah the Prophet, seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal [Rom. 11:4] -- an unknown number of true 0rthodox Christians who are neither spiritually dead, as the 0rthodox "charismatics" complain that their flocks have been, nor the pompously "spirit-filled," as these same flocks become under "charismatic" suggestion. They are not carried away by the movement of apostasy nor by any false "awakening," but continue rooted in the holy and saving Faith of Holy 0rthodoxy in the tradition the Holy Fathers have handed down to them, watching the signs of the times and traveling the narrow path to salvation. Many of them follow the bishops of the few 0rthodox jurisdicitions that have strong stands against the apostasy of our times: the Catacomb Church of Russia, the Russian Church 0utside of Russia, the True 0rthodox Christians [0ld Calendarists] of Greece. But there are some left in other jurisdictions also, grieving over the ever more evident apostasy of their hierarchs and striving somehow to keep their own 0rthodoxy intact; and there are still others outside of the 0rthodox Church who by God's grace, their hearts being open to His call, will undoubtedly yet be joined to genuine Holy 0rthodoxy. These "seven thousand "are the foundation of the future and only 0rthodoxy of the latter times.
-0rthodoxy and the Religion of the Future
1983 edition, page 220
∞∞∞
√ The above paragraph is the first paragraph in the last section [E. "Little Children, It is the last Hour"] of the concluding chapter. This paragraph is entirely omitted in the online version [http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/readings/sign/children.shtml].
√ The the Catacomb Church and the True 0rthodox Christians [0ld Calendarists] of Greece that Fr. Seraphim refers to, are not the super-correct fragments we see today with their claims to be the Catacomb Church and to be "true."
√ 0ur Vladyka Agafangel is now referring to the World 0rthodox as "apostates" - calling it like it is, just as Fr. Seraphim did. Is there even a hint of the hard-heartedness we are accused of [for telling it like it is] in Fr. Seraphim, who obviously has deep sympathy for the plight of those stuck in World 0rthodoxy with apostate hierarchs?
Nov 14, 2009
A Striking Parallel
[Dear Readers, Compare the coup of the 0CA's autocephaly with the coup of the R0C0R+MP union. -jh]
0rthodox Word, January-February 1970 [from the regularly featured section 0rthodoxy in the Contemporary World]
1970
STR0NG PR0TESTS GREET THE METR0P0LIA'S "AUT0CEPHALY"
The Russian Metropolia [a.k.a. 0CA] in America, which in December [1969] let it be known that it hoped to receive early this year [1970] the blessing of the Moscow Patriarchate to become the Local 0rthodox Church of America, has run into opposition of a totally unexpected degree, both from within its own flock and from other 0rthodox Churches. The strongest non-Russian response was that of Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinopole, who has been followed by his American Exarch, Archbishop Iakovos, several other hierarchs on the American "Standing Conference," and the Churches of Greece and Bulgaria.
In a letter of January 8 to Patriarch Alexy of Moscow [English text in the Rumanian newspapers Credinta, January, and Solia, Feb. 15], Patriarch Athenagoras made known what had already been widely suspected ... read more
0rthodox Word, January-February 1970 [from the regularly featured section 0rthodoxy in the Contemporary World]
1970
STR0NG PR0TESTS GREET THE METR0P0LIA'S "AUT0CEPHALY"
The Russian Metropolia [a.k.a. 0CA] in America, which in December [1969] let it be known that it hoped to receive early this year [1970] the blessing of the Moscow Patriarchate to become the Local 0rthodox Church of America, has run into opposition of a totally unexpected degree, both from within its own flock and from other 0rthodox Churches. The strongest non-Russian response was that of Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinopole, who has been followed by his American Exarch, Archbishop Iakovos, several other hierarchs on the American "Standing Conference," and the Churches of Greece and Bulgaria.
In a letter of January 8 to Patriarch Alexy of Moscow [English text in the Rumanian newspapers Credinta, January, and Solia, Feb. 15], Patriarch Athenagoras made known what had already been widely suspected ... read more
Nov 13, 2009
0ur Synod Website Hijacked
It seems that www.ruschurchabroad.com has been hi-jacked, the address re-directs to some apparently malicious page. We are awaiting further report.
My Apple shows this warning:
My Apple shows this warning:
Warning: Visiting this site may harm your computer
The website you are visiting appears to contain malware. Malware is malicious software that may harm your computer or otherwise operate without your consent. Your computer can be infected just by browsing to a site with malware, without any further action on your part.
For detailed information about problems found on this site, or a portion of this site, visit the Google Safe Browsing diagnostic page for www.add-pay.ru.
How did this happen?
In some cases, third parties can add malicious code to legitimate sites, which would cause us to show the warning message.
Nov 12, 2009
MP-ROCOR Metropolitan Hilarion Greets "All-American" Council
NEW YORK: November 12, 2008
Metropolitan Hilarion sends a greeting to the 15th All-American Council
From the Editors: Protopriest Alexander Lebedeff, Rector of Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in Los Angeles, CA, and Secretary of Inter-Orthodox Relations of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, participating as an observer in the All-American Council of the Orthodox Church in America, read the following greeting during the opening of the event:
Your Eminences! Your Graces! Esteemed Reverend Fathers and Honored Delegates to the XV All-American Council! I greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
The events of the past years have been momentous for the Holy Church of Russia and for our Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. After 80 years of separation, which had resulted from the attempts of the God-fighting communists to destroy the Church in Russia, and which caused millions of Orthodox Christians to flee abroad, we have achieved reconciliation and established canonical and Eucharistic communion between the two parts of the Russian Church, in the homeland and beyond its borders. This is a sign of the great mercy of God, showing us that no matter how deep divisions may seem between us, people of good will on both sides can come together and achieve unity in Christ—as our Lord said, --“that all may be one, as We are.”
We are gratified that this reconciliation gives us the opportunity to stretch out a brotherly hand to the Orthodox Church in America and to the other Orthodox jurisdictions sharing this continent, and to strive to work together, as brethren in Christ, in fulfilling our mission here.
With the Orthodox Church in America we share a common heritage—the legacy of the holy Patriarch Tikhon, and we share the same two goals in our service in the new world: to preserve the great spiritual and liturgical traditions of the Russian Church and to reach out in missionary efforts to bring the treasures of Holy Orthodoxy to the people in these lands.
We look with joy at the positive fruits of our cooperation that have already appeared: the close collaboration of our Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary in Jordanville with both St. Vladimir’s and St. Tikhon’s Seminaries. There is much more that we can do together, including developing youth programs, Orthodox educational materials, liturgical resources, and active missionary work. We ask that the Lord send His blessings upon this august assembly, the XVth All-American Council, and pray that this Council will work with one heart and one mind toward the benefit of the Holy Church of Christ.
+ Hilarion,
Metropolitan of Eastern America and New York
First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia
November 10, 2008
Metropolitan Hilarion sends a greeting to the 15th All-American Council
From the Editors: Protopriest Alexander Lebedeff, Rector of Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in Los Angeles, CA, and Secretary of Inter-Orthodox Relations of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, participating as an observer in the All-American Council of the Orthodox Church in America, read the following greeting during the opening of the event:
Your Eminences! Your Graces! Esteemed Reverend Fathers and Honored Delegates to the XV All-American Council! I greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
The events of the past years have been momentous for the Holy Church of Russia and for our Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. After 80 years of separation, which had resulted from the attempts of the God-fighting communists to destroy the Church in Russia, and which caused millions of Orthodox Christians to flee abroad, we have achieved reconciliation and established canonical and Eucharistic communion between the two parts of the Russian Church, in the homeland and beyond its borders. This is a sign of the great mercy of God, showing us that no matter how deep divisions may seem between us, people of good will on both sides can come together and achieve unity in Christ—as our Lord said, --“that all may be one, as We are.”
We are gratified that this reconciliation gives us the opportunity to stretch out a brotherly hand to the Orthodox Church in America and to the other Orthodox jurisdictions sharing this continent, and to strive to work together, as brethren in Christ, in fulfilling our mission here.
With the Orthodox Church in America we share a common heritage—the legacy of the holy Patriarch Tikhon, and we share the same two goals in our service in the new world: to preserve the great spiritual and liturgical traditions of the Russian Church and to reach out in missionary efforts to bring the treasures of Holy Orthodoxy to the people in these lands.
We look with joy at the positive fruits of our cooperation that have already appeared: the close collaboration of our Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary in Jordanville with both St. Vladimir’s and St. Tikhon’s Seminaries. There is much more that we can do together, including developing youth programs, Orthodox educational materials, liturgical resources, and active missionary work. We ask that the Lord send His blessings upon this august assembly, the XVth All-American Council, and pray that this Council will work with one heart and one mind toward the benefit of the Holy Church of Christ.
+ Hilarion,
Metropolitan of Eastern America and New York
First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia
November 10, 2008
Nov 8, 2009
SJKP Being Boycotted
This is posted on Fr. Mark Gilstrap's website:
[http://www.stjamesok.org/]
Please support St John of Kronstadt Press and Fr Gregory Williams whose publications are the target of a boycott by the very people who have benefited from his efforts for decades - all because he did not go along with union with the MP. His efforts are being stolen and reproduced electronically and by xerox (without acknowledgement) by unscrupulous clergy.
[http://www.stjamesok.org/]
Please support St John of Kronstadt Press and Fr Gregory Williams whose publications are the target of a boycott by the very people who have benefited from his efforts for decades - all because he did not go along with union with the MP. His efforts are being stolen and reproduced electronically and by xerox (without acknowledgement) by unscrupulous clergy.
Nov 7, 2009
Stickies
√ check out this friendly blog: Journey To 0rthodoxy
√ Interesting page from Daily Courier. Reader Daniel sends this convenient link to the machine translation:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&u=http://daily-courier.livejournal.com/&ei=pIP0SoSnIsqm8AbigqnzCQ&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAgQ7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhttp://daily-courier.livejournal.com%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX
√ Interesting page from Daily Courier. Reader Daniel sends this convenient link to the machine translation:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&u=http://daily-courier.livejournal.com/&ei=pIP0SoSnIsqm8AbigqnzCQ&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAgQ7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhttp://daily-courier.livejournal.com%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX
Nov 1, 2009
Diocesan Conference Discusses R-Splits
Excerpt From the
Minutes of the Diocesan Conference
of the Eastern-American and Canadian Dioceses
of the ROCA North American Administrative District
October 26\13, 2009
... 3. Metropolitan Agafangel’s views on the third item were heard. He underlined the necessity of finding a way to unite the “fragments,” while staying the traditional course of the ROCA.
Archpriest Oleg Mironov expressed the view that direct contact should be established between the episcopates of the ROCA and the “fragments.”
B. Joseph said he believes that the “fragments” resulted from the planned and coordinated actions of hidden elements of ROCA’s enemies, and because of this, as much ekonomia as necessary should be used when dealing with the “fragments.”
Fr. Victor Dobroff said uniting the “fragments” of the once-whole Church Abroad, to include the RTOC, is a very important task for the ROCA Synod, though it must remain vigilant to not lose its canonicity.
Archpriest Vsevolod Dutikow supported Fr. Victor’s opinion completely.
Evgeniy Vernikovskiy said he does not understand all the nuances of matters relating to the canons, but that it [is] still clear to him which [is] the real ROCA.
Metropolitan Agafangel thanked everyone for their opinions regarding the unification of the “fragments,” which will be discussed further on the Synod session to follow. ...
Minutes of the Diocesan Conference
of the Eastern-American and Canadian Dioceses
of the ROCA North American Administrative District
October 26\13, 2009
... 3. Metropolitan Agafangel’s views on the third item were heard. He underlined the necessity of finding a way to unite the “fragments,” while staying the traditional course of the ROCA.
Archpriest Oleg Mironov expressed the view that direct contact should be established between the episcopates of the ROCA and the “fragments.”
B. Joseph said he believes that the “fragments” resulted from the planned and coordinated actions of hidden elements of ROCA’s enemies, and because of this, as much ekonomia as necessary should be used when dealing with the “fragments.”
Fr. Victor Dobroff said uniting the “fragments” of the once-whole Church Abroad, to include the RTOC, is a very important task for the ROCA Synod, though it must remain vigilant to not lose its canonicity.
Archpriest Vsevolod Dutikow supported Fr. Victor’s opinion completely.
Evgeniy Vernikovskiy said he does not understand all the nuances of matters relating to the canons, but that it [is] still clear to him which [is] the real ROCA.
Metropolitan Agafangel thanked everyone for their opinions regarding the unification of the “fragments,” which will be discussed further on the Synod session to follow. ...
Oct 30, 2009
Concerning Signs of the Church
From: magapia
To: orthodox-goc@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, October 30, 2009 10:25 AM
Subject: [orthodox-goc] Re: ROCA on situation in Russia for those outside the MP
--- In orthodox-goc@yahoogroups.com, "magapia" wrote:
>
> Has also come to my attention that Metropolitan Agafangel and his
> followers have been increasingly harrassed in Ukraine. I've got someone
> working on a translation of an incident that recently took place there
> involving an MP priest intimidating a young altar server who goes to one
> of our churches.
Just received the translation on the harrassment of ROCA clergy/laity in Ukraine below. m. A.
Concerning Signs of the Church
On Tuesday morning, 13 October, our acolyte in the Zhitomir parish, the servant of God Sviatoslav Vitol'dovich Gansky, decided to travel to the city of Novograd-Volynsky. He got a ride in a passing car; it turned out that behind the wheel was a priest of the Moscow Patriarchate, Fr. Sergei. Along the way, Slavik told Batiushka that he was an altar-server in a parish of the Russian Church Abroad. Instead of going to Novograd-Volynsky, Batiushka took him to a local police station, where together with a policeman, he began to demand from him a renunciation of our Church, threatening him that they will open a criminal case and imprison him. He refused. Seeing his intractability, Fr. Sergei took him to his monastery – Saint George's – in the village of Gorodnitsa. There, attempts to persuade him continued with the help of lavish and refined refreshments and promises on the one hand, and calumny and defamation directed at our Church on the other hand. Inasmuch as Sviatoslav did not want to renounce our Church, they locked him up and forbade him to leave the environs of the monastery. In response to a telephone call from his mother, Fr. Sergei insulted her and threatened her with various unpleasantnesses. Only after the rector of our parish, Fr. Alexander Leleka, appealed to the office of the public prosecutor, on Wednesday, at about two o'clock in the afternoon, did they free Slavik from that "holy" place.
The question to people who know: Is there not a corpus delicti in the actions of Fr. Sergei? There is something in his actions not at all like the conduct of normal people.
Also, not long ago, the police came to our priest in the Khmel'nitsky province, Fr. Pankraty, and said that a letter from the MP had been received by them, in which it was written that the Church Abroad had united with the Moscow Patriarchate, but that he, inasmuch as he had not united, was a rogue and not a representative of the ROCA. Fr. Pankraty had to send a copy of the certificate of our registration so that he could prove that he exists legally.
There is no cause to doubt that these "swallows" fly to us from the MP Patriarch Kirill. He has enormous experience in the struggle with our Church, beginning with the seizure of our property in Ottawa and in the Holy Land, and ending with the intrigues that let to the split in the ROCA.
But God helps us.
(reported by Metropolitan Agafangel, ROCA)
To: orthodox-goc@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, October 30, 2009 10:25 AM
Subject: [orthodox-goc] Re: ROCA on situation in Russia for those outside the MP
--- In orthodox-goc@yahoogroups.com, "magapia"
>
> Has also come to my attention that Metropolitan Agafangel and his
> followers have been increasingly harrassed in Ukraine. I've got someone
> working on a translation of an incident that recently took place there
> involving an MP priest intimidating a young altar server who goes to one
> of our churches.
Just received the translation on the harrassment of ROCA clergy/laity in Ukraine below. m. A.
Concerning Signs of the Church
On Tuesday morning, 13 October, our acolyte in the Zhitomir parish, the servant of God Sviatoslav Vitol'dovich Gansky, decided to travel to the city of Novograd-Volynsky. He got a ride in a passing car; it turned out that behind the wheel was a priest of the Moscow Patriarchate, Fr. Sergei. Along the way, Slavik told Batiushka that he was an altar-server in a parish of the Russian Church Abroad. Instead of going to Novograd-Volynsky, Batiushka took him to a local police station, where together with a policeman, he began to demand from him a renunciation of our Church, threatening him that they will open a criminal case and imprison him. He refused. Seeing his intractability, Fr. Sergei took him to his monastery – Saint George's – in the village of Gorodnitsa. There, attempts to persuade him continued with the help of lavish and refined refreshments and promises on the one hand, and calumny and defamation directed at our Church on the other hand. Inasmuch as Sviatoslav did not want to renounce our Church, they locked him up and forbade him to leave the environs of the monastery. In response to a telephone call from his mother, Fr. Sergei insulted her and threatened her with various unpleasantnesses. Only after the rector of our parish, Fr. Alexander Leleka, appealed to the office of the public prosecutor, on Wednesday, at about two o'clock in the afternoon, did they free Slavik from that "holy" place.
The question to people who know: Is there not a corpus delicti in the actions of Fr. Sergei? There is something in his actions not at all like the conduct of normal people.
Also, not long ago, the police came to our priest in the Khmel'nitsky province, Fr. Pankraty, and said that a letter from the MP had been received by them, in which it was written that the Church Abroad had united with the Moscow Patriarchate, but that he, inasmuch as he had not united, was a rogue and not a representative of the ROCA. Fr. Pankraty had to send a copy of the certificate of our registration so that he could prove that he exists legally.
There is no cause to doubt that these "swallows" fly to us from the MP Patriarch Kirill. He has enormous experience in the struggle with our Church, beginning with the seizure of our property in Ottawa and in the Holy Land, and ending with the intrigues that let to the split in the ROCA.
But God helps us.
(reported by Metropolitan Agafangel, ROCA)
Oct 29, 2009
Our Synod Calls Us To Pray
Lord Jesus Christ, Holy Theotokos and all the saints,
keep our souls unharmed from the destructive influences
of globalism, ecumenism, and sergianism,
and give all of us the strength to endure
the latest onset of persecution of the Church of Christ.
Amen.
Appeal ∞ Synod of Bishops
Russian Orthodox Church Abroad
October 15/28, 2009
The Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad expresses its concern over the resumption of persecution of the faithful in the Russian Federation. Those persecuted by the administration the most, are those who do not support the newly-elected MP Patriarch, who cooperated closely with the atheistic communist regime in the USSR and continues to be “imbedded in the government” of the current Russian Federation. We call the unrepentant cooperation with the enemies of the church “sergianism,” and believe that the policy of conscious cooperation of the faithful with an atheistic government, as described in the Declaration of Metropolitan Sergius in 1927, places them outside of the Orthodox Church and the pursuit of this course of action to be destructive and political, but not religious. We do not consider Patriarch Kirill to be the lawful, canonical Primate of the entire Russian Orthodox Church, just as the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad never recognized any of the patriarchs of the Moscow Patriarchate, beginning with Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodskiy). We also do not consider it permissible for a Church, founded by Christ, to immerse itself in globalism and ecumenism, and lead mankind, in our opinion, to complete ruin and catastrophe on a worldwide scale. The resumption of persecution of the faithful in the Russian Federation is one of the signs of the return of this government to the totalitarian period of the USSR and is vivid proof of the lack of repentance of a large part of the people of the ruinous actions of the global communist system. At the same time, we know that the administration of the Moscow Patriarchate is the sole instigator of the persecution of thousands of Orthodox Christians, which, unfortunately, causes this administration to resemble an apocalyptical church-harlot.
We call upon our faithful flock to pray fervently to our Lord, Jesus Christ, His Immaculate Mother and all the saints, so that they may keep our souls unharmed from the destructive influences of globalism, ecumenism, and sergianism, and give all of us the strength to endure the latest onset of persecution of the Church of Christ.
http://www.rocor.us/news/October%2009/
Synod%20of%20Bishops%20Appeal%2028%20OCT%2009%20-%20E.pdf
keep our souls unharmed from the destructive influences
of globalism, ecumenism, and sergianism,
and give all of us the strength to endure
the latest onset of persecution of the Church of Christ.
Amen.
Appeal ∞ Synod of Bishops
Russian Orthodox Church Abroad
October 15/28, 2009
The Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad expresses its concern over the resumption of persecution of the faithful in the Russian Federation. Those persecuted by the administration the most, are those who do not support the newly-elected MP Patriarch, who cooperated closely with the atheistic communist regime in the USSR and continues to be “imbedded in the government” of the current Russian Federation. We call the unrepentant cooperation with the enemies of the church “sergianism,” and believe that the policy of conscious cooperation of the faithful with an atheistic government, as described in the Declaration of Metropolitan Sergius in 1927, places them outside of the Orthodox Church and the pursuit of this course of action to be destructive and political, but not religious. We do not consider Patriarch Kirill to be the lawful, canonical Primate of the entire Russian Orthodox Church, just as the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad never recognized any of the patriarchs of the Moscow Patriarchate, beginning with Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodskiy). We also do not consider it permissible for a Church, founded by Christ, to immerse itself in globalism and ecumenism, and lead mankind, in our opinion, to complete ruin and catastrophe on a worldwide scale. The resumption of persecution of the faithful in the Russian Federation is one of the signs of the return of this government to the totalitarian period of the USSR and is vivid proof of the lack of repentance of a large part of the people of the ruinous actions of the global communist system. At the same time, we know that the administration of the Moscow Patriarchate is the sole instigator of the persecution of thousands of Orthodox Christians, which, unfortunately, causes this administration to resemble an apocalyptical church-harlot.
We call upon our faithful flock to pray fervently to our Lord, Jesus Christ, His Immaculate Mother and all the saints, so that they may keep our souls unharmed from the destructive influences of globalism, ecumenism, and sergianism, and give all of us the strength to endure the latest onset of persecution of the Church of Christ.
http://www.rocor.us/news/October%2009/
Synod%20of%20Bishops%20Appeal%2028%20OCT%2009%20-%20E.pdf
Time for a wake-up and awareness
From: Tony Skevas
Sent: Wednesday, October 28, 2009 8:33 PM
Subject: Time for a wake-up and awareness
October 27, 2009
> For anyone who doubts that we are living in apocalyptic times, it is
> suggested that he or she checks the following articles and video clips.
> It is only a small sample of the prevailing reality that is quietly taking
> place. Like a duck that is moving gracefully in a pond while its feet are
> puddling furiously, the modern church is projecting an image of piety and
> adherence to patristic teachings while working methodically behind the
> scenes and orchestrating its plans for a union with heretics.
>
> The Moscow Patriarchate has been corrupted to the core by its Atheist
> creators and together with the rest of the churches of world Orthodoxy
> they have slowly been drowned by the heresy of Ecumenism. Invented and
> aided by the masons, Ecumenism has been forcibly introduced into the
> Orthodox Church and since then it has caught on like a wildfire which has
> burned everything in its way. Since its inception, the dialoque with
> heretics has not resulted in any of them renouncing any of their ill
> conceived positions. To the contrary, this dialoque has infected and
> corrupted the official "Orthodox Church" which has steadily retreated and
> capitulated. Saint Paul clearly said that after the first and second
> attempt to bring a heretic to the Truth, then abandon him, but apparently
> Saint Paul is no longer credible to the eyes of World Orthodoxy just like
> the so many other saints whose statements, positions and struggles against
> heresies are being ignored and discarded in the frenzy to join the easy
> earthly path of the heretics.
>
> This catastrophy has not spared even the up-to-recently conservative
> Cyprus. The new calendar church of Cyprus has been steadily drifting in
> the wrong direction into the hands of Ecumenism. The present so called
> "Hierarchs", or more appropriately Trojan Horses, of the new calendar
> church are now more like pawns of the pope than pillars of Orthodoxy.
> They say one thing and do another. First, as soon as he got enthroned,
> Chrysostomos rushed to the pope to pledge his allegiance. Then he
> injected himself between the pope and the Moscow "patriarch" by
> volunteering to mediate to bring the pope together with Alexei. Now he is
> sponsoring ecumenistic events. How about doing something that the
> Orthodox are supposed to be doing such as taking some of the millions of
> the Archdiocese (the archdiocese is quite a sizable diversified
> corporation in Cyprus) and helping some of the less fortunate or declare a
> campaign against the moral cesspool of present day Cyprus or stand up for
> the principles of the Orthodox Faith or rally the people to pray for God's
> mercy .... or....or. With Orthodox Hierarchs like these who needs the
> uniates and the heretics? So when I hear that Cypriots took their anger
> to the streets for their sell out from their Hierarchy, I could not think
> of a more appropriate parallel than when Metaxakis hijacked the will of the
> Orthodox and unilaterally issued the Encyclical of 1920 by calling
> heretics "fellow heirs of the Grace of God". When Metaxakis introduced
> his innovations, the Greeks of Constantinople were outraged and because
> they showed it physically, they forced that traitor to pack up from
> Constantinople at night in order to save his skin.
>
> It is time for the wheat to separate from the chaff. It is time for all
> those who give credibility to the modern renovationist church by
> supporting it with their attendance and their money to realize that they
> have to make a decision: Either they remain in it and they become
> subjects to the pope or they raise their cross and stand up for what they
> believe. Protest from within is in vain; the only meaningful protest
> would be to abandon the heretical bishops and join the True Orthodox
> Church. One thing is for sure: They cannot continue claiming to be
> Orthodox Christians. At best, now they can call themselves Uniates
> because that is exactly what Uniates do: They pretend to be Orthodox by
> projecting such a facade but in substance they follow the heretical pope
> which means they are outside the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.
> As a consequence, the sacraments they receive are devoid of salvific
> Grace. Who gave the right to the Constantinopolitan patriarch, who is only
> first among equals, to unilaterally alter the Church calendar or
> unilaterally lift the anathema against the pope, acting as if he is a
> monarch? Such behavior is classic Latin in origin emulating the pope's
> doctrine that only he is supreme and all other bishops are subordinate to
> him. In the Orthodox Church the supreme leader is Christ and no one
> Bishop is above any other. In the Orthodox Church it is synods that
> decide such issues, not one self appointed autocrat. What has changed
> from 1054 when the Latins were excommunicated because of all their
> innovations and alterations to the Orthodox Faith till now to make them
> worthy to the point where the so called Patriarch of Constantinople
> accepts the heretical pope as first Hierarch and subjects himself (and by
> extension the world Orthodoxy) to a man who is outside the Church? This
> is what has changed:
>
> 1) The deviations, innovations and alteration to the True Fath by the
> Catholics and all the myriad of other heretics has accelerated and
> multiplied since then.
> 2) The tenacity, steadfastness and adherence to unadulterated Orthodoxy of
> the bishops of World Orthodoxy has vanished and they now stand as empty
> shells, devoid of substance and the Grace of the Holy Spirit, parroting
> sermons of love and care for the fellow human being to justify their
> apostasy from the fundamentals of the Orthodox Church. As modern day
> Pharisees, they love to polish their images but have no interest for what
> they claim they stand for and as Christ himself said, they are like graves
> beautiful outside but stinking inside.
> As a result, we have the disaster that is shaping in front of us these
> days.
>
> May the Lord strengthen all those who are lukewarm in their hearts but
> conscientious of the apostasy that is taking place, to find the strength
> to abandon their heretical bishops and priests and join the True Orthodox
> Church which never deviated from the Truth despite the relentless
> persecutions and the plethora of tribulations due to the human failures of
> its Hierarchs.
>
> May the Lord strengthen all the pious Orthodox Christians during these
> times of persecution of the True Faith and to grant courage to defend our
> Faith till the end of our lives and not to succumb to the papists and
> their heretical deceptions.
>
> May the Lord enlighten the Bishops who are now embracing the World Council
> of Churches to recognize their faults, turn them away from ecumenism and
> cast them out of the synagogue of heretics.
>
> May an army of Saints and Angels come to the aid of the Hierarchs and
> priests of the True Orthodox Church who fight the good fight, who refuse
> to obey the masters of the new world order and who refuse to sell Christ
> for self accommodation.
>
>How and when the Antichrist will come, no one can say. And it is unknown
> how many shall be able to recognize him when he comes, because he will
> come as a benefactor of humanity. For the present, one thing can be said
> with certainty: all these movements towards union among nations and
> churches, all these compromises, all this uniformity of humanity gradually
> produced under the steamroller of technological culture are paving the way
> for the coming of the Antichrist. This development of humanity, according
> to the criteria of the world, is wonderful. But according to Christian
> criteria, it is a development towards destruction. Death will find the
> world at the height of its glory, at the height of self-conceit, at the
> summit of the tower of Babel , when man will be at the zenith of his very
> old attempt to become god by his own powers, apart from God. When the Son
> of man comes, he shall find man in the full glory of his satanic mania.
>
> Tony Skevas
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=48360&cat_id=1
http://news-nftu.blogspot.com/2009/10/cyprus-new-calendar-archbishop-bans.html
http://mymartyrdom.com/orthomason.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOGQVvEU8vY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdlYrSeHneI&feature=youtube_gdata
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=10986#
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2880038.ece#
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19692094
Sent: Wednesday, October 28, 2009 8:33 PM
Subject: Time for a wake-up and awareness
October 27, 2009
> For anyone who doubts that we are living in apocalyptic times, it is
> suggested that he or she checks the following articles and video clips.
> It is only a small sample of the prevailing reality that is quietly taking
> place. Like a duck that is moving gracefully in a pond while its feet are
> puddling furiously, the modern church is projecting an image of piety and
> adherence to patristic teachings while working methodically behind the
> scenes and orchestrating its plans for a union with heretics.
>
> The Moscow Patriarchate has been corrupted to the core by its Atheist
> creators and together with the rest of the churches of world Orthodoxy
> they have slowly been drowned by the heresy of Ecumenism. Invented and
> aided by the masons, Ecumenism has been forcibly introduced into the
> Orthodox Church and since then it has caught on like a wildfire which has
> burned everything in its way. Since its inception, the dialoque with
> heretics has not resulted in any of them renouncing any of their ill
> conceived positions. To the contrary, this dialoque has infected and
> corrupted the official "Orthodox Church" which has steadily retreated and
> capitulated. Saint Paul clearly said that after the first and second
> attempt to bring a heretic to the Truth, then abandon him, but apparently
> Saint Paul is no longer credible to the eyes of World Orthodoxy just like
> the so many other saints whose statements, positions and struggles against
> heresies are being ignored and discarded in the frenzy to join the easy
> earthly path of the heretics.
>
> This catastrophy has not spared even the up-to-recently conservative
> Cyprus. The new calendar church of Cyprus has been steadily drifting in
> the wrong direction into the hands of Ecumenism. The present so called
> "Hierarchs", or more appropriately Trojan Horses, of the new calendar
> church are now more like pawns of the pope than pillars of Orthodoxy.
> They say one thing and do another. First, as soon as he got enthroned,
> Chrysostomos rushed to the pope to pledge his allegiance. Then he
> injected himself between the pope and the Moscow "patriarch" by
> volunteering to mediate to bring the pope together with Alexei. Now he is
> sponsoring ecumenistic events. How about doing something that the
> Orthodox are supposed to be doing such as taking some of the millions of
> the Archdiocese (the archdiocese is quite a sizable diversified
> corporation in Cyprus) and helping some of the less fortunate or declare a
> campaign against the moral cesspool of present day Cyprus or stand up for
> the principles of the Orthodox Faith or rally the people to pray for God's
> mercy .... or....or. With Orthodox Hierarchs like these who needs the
> uniates and the heretics? So when I hear that Cypriots took their anger
> to the streets for their sell out from their Hierarchy, I could not think
> of a more appropriate parallel than when Metaxakis hijacked the will of the
> Orthodox and unilaterally issued the Encyclical of 1920 by calling
> heretics "fellow heirs of the Grace of God". When Metaxakis introduced
> his innovations, the Greeks of Constantinople were outraged and because
> they showed it physically, they forced that traitor to pack up from
> Constantinople at night in order to save his skin.
>
> It is time for the wheat to separate from the chaff. It is time for all
> those who give credibility to the modern renovationist church by
> supporting it with their attendance and their money to realize that they
> have to make a decision: Either they remain in it and they become
> subjects to the pope or they raise their cross and stand up for what they
> believe. Protest from within is in vain; the only meaningful protest
> would be to abandon the heretical bishops and join the True Orthodox
> Church. One thing is for sure: They cannot continue claiming to be
> Orthodox Christians. At best, now they can call themselves Uniates
> because that is exactly what Uniates do: They pretend to be Orthodox by
> projecting such a facade but in substance they follow the heretical pope
> which means they are outside the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.
> As a consequence, the sacraments they receive are devoid of salvific
> Grace. Who gave the right to the Constantinopolitan patriarch, who is only
> first among equals, to unilaterally alter the Church calendar or
> unilaterally lift the anathema against the pope, acting as if he is a
> monarch? Such behavior is classic Latin in origin emulating the pope's
> doctrine that only he is supreme and all other bishops are subordinate to
> him. In the Orthodox Church the supreme leader is Christ and no one
> Bishop is above any other. In the Orthodox Church it is synods that
> decide such issues, not one self appointed autocrat. What has changed
> from 1054 when the Latins were excommunicated because of all their
> innovations and alterations to the Orthodox Faith till now to make them
> worthy to the point where the so called Patriarch of Constantinople
> accepts the heretical pope as first Hierarch and subjects himself (and by
> extension the world Orthodoxy) to a man who is outside the Church? This
> is what has changed:
>
> 1) The deviations, innovations and alteration to the True Fath by the
> Catholics and all the myriad of other heretics has accelerated and
> multiplied since then.
> 2) The tenacity, steadfastness and adherence to unadulterated Orthodoxy of
> the bishops of World Orthodoxy has vanished and they now stand as empty
> shells, devoid of substance and the Grace of the Holy Spirit, parroting
> sermons of love and care for the fellow human being to justify their
> apostasy from the fundamentals of the Orthodox Church. As modern day
> Pharisees, they love to polish their images but have no interest for what
> they claim they stand for and as Christ himself said, they are like graves
> beautiful outside but stinking inside.
> As a result, we have the disaster that is shaping in front of us these
> days.
>
> May the Lord strengthen all those who are lukewarm in their hearts but
> conscientious of the apostasy that is taking place, to find the strength
> to abandon their heretical bishops and priests and join the True Orthodox
> Church which never deviated from the Truth despite the relentless
> persecutions and the plethora of tribulations due to the human failures of
> its Hierarchs.
>
> May the Lord strengthen all the pious Orthodox Christians during these
> times of persecution of the True Faith and to grant courage to defend our
> Faith till the end of our lives and not to succumb to the papists and
> their heretical deceptions.
>
> May the Lord enlighten the Bishops who are now embracing the World Council
> of Churches to recognize their faults, turn them away from ecumenism and
> cast them out of the synagogue of heretics.
>
> May an army of Saints and Angels come to the aid of the Hierarchs and
> priests of the True Orthodox Church who fight the good fight, who refuse
> to obey the masters of the new world order and who refuse to sell Christ
> for self accommodation.
>
>How and when the Antichrist will come, no one can say. And it is unknown
> how many shall be able to recognize him when he comes, because he will
> come as a benefactor of humanity. For the present, one thing can be said
> with certainty: all these movements towards union among nations and
> churches, all these compromises, all this uniformity of humanity gradually
> produced under the steamroller of technological culture are paving the way
> for the coming of the Antichrist. This development of humanity, according
> to the criteria of the world, is wonderful. But according to Christian
> criteria, it is a development towards destruction. Death will find the
> world at the height of its glory, at the height of self-conceit, at the
> summit of the tower of Babel , when man will be at the zenith of his very
> old attempt to become god by his own powers, apart from God. When the Son
> of man comes, he shall find man in the full glory of his satanic mania.
>
> Tony Skevas
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=48360&cat_id=1
http://news-nftu.blogspot.com/2009/10/cyprus-new-calendar-archbishop-bans.html
http://mymartyrdom.com/orthomason.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOGQVvEU8vY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdlYrSeHneI&feature=youtube_gdata
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=10986#
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2880038.ece#
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19692094
The Church in the Home
The Holy Apostle Paul constantly refers to the "Church which is in the House "of various persons. No apostle, ever held services in a church in his entire life. All services were held in homes, every one of countless thousands. Not one single church ever existed in Apostolic Times.
Well, what did they do on Sundays? We know exactly what they did, word for word and when and how. St. Justin Martyr, a first century Palestinian from Nablus, who was almost certainly the best educated Christian in his time, wrote two letters to two Emperors, explaining exactly what Christians believed and what they did, and when, and why (they were accused of Cannibalism). Everyone should have a copy of the History of the Church by Eusebius (Written in 325 when he was in his late 80’s and was Bishop of the Capital of Palestine) and read these and other early Christian Documents, such as the Martyrdom of Polycarp.
Christians never went to church on Sundays then, and at this time, Christians are distant from an Orthodox Church, especially a really Orthodox Christian Church (since most have mixed heresy with truth, belief with unbelief, that the Apostle Paul himself tells us have nothing to do with heretics.
For a really Orthodox Christian, this is not important. No one is ever saved by going to Church on Sunday, and better never to go than to go to a heretical anti-church. We are saved if every day and night, we say our morning and evening prayers, if possible together. We reverence the Holy Icons, before which lamps are constantly burning, and in the evening at least, we burn incense before we retire, and pray the usual prayers SLOWLY and best in the dark, and as the psalms are read, (by candlelight) for the sins we have committed that day, and before retiring, ask forgiveness of each other. The Tropar of the saints of the day, family and season must be sung, Then taking our prayer rope we retire praying. Either short vespers or Compline can be used, and in a few months will be known by heart. God help the parent who has not taught the children these!!! Except for Sunday and Pascha, prostrations are made, otherwise bows.
This is daily Christian Life in a Christian Home No Less! Of course, Orthodox will gather as best they can to celebrate Sundays and Holy Days, and find a way to confess and commune as directed by their priest, and to have the priest visit and bless their home frequently, at least at Theophany. Do not suppose that it is any better in Greece or Russia or Romania or the Holy Land.
The majority have compromised with the Antichrist, and will ask you to join their compromise too. Both Scripture and the Canons forbid it.
And what need we? We all have all the books, icons, lamps, incense that we need. We can all see a priest often. What determines our Salvation is those morning and evening prayers (even on vacation). Those who pray with true repentance will be saved. Those who do not pray and repent are lost...
copied with permission
Burning Bush Hermitage
http://www2.netdoor.com/~frelia/churchhome.htm
The other articles on this site are worthwhile:
http://www2.netdoor.com/~frelia/
[R0C0R Refugees blog does not imply endorsement of the jurisdictional affiliation of Burning Bush Hermitage by this post.]
Well, what did they do on Sundays? We know exactly what they did, word for word and when and how. St. Justin Martyr, a first century Palestinian from Nablus, who was almost certainly the best educated Christian in his time, wrote two letters to two Emperors, explaining exactly what Christians believed and what they did, and when, and why (they were accused of Cannibalism). Everyone should have a copy of the History of the Church by Eusebius (Written in 325 when he was in his late 80’s and was Bishop of the Capital of Palestine) and read these and other early Christian Documents, such as the Martyrdom of Polycarp.
Christians never went to church on Sundays then, and at this time, Christians are distant from an Orthodox Church, especially a really Orthodox Christian Church (since most have mixed heresy with truth, belief with unbelief, that the Apostle Paul himself tells us have nothing to do with heretics.
For a really Orthodox Christian, this is not important. No one is ever saved by going to Church on Sunday, and better never to go than to go to a heretical anti-church. We are saved if every day and night, we say our morning and evening prayers, if possible together. We reverence the Holy Icons, before which lamps are constantly burning, and in the evening at least, we burn incense before we retire, and pray the usual prayers SLOWLY and best in the dark, and as the psalms are read, (by candlelight) for the sins we have committed that day, and before retiring, ask forgiveness of each other. The Tropar of the saints of the day, family and season must be sung, Then taking our prayer rope we retire praying. Either short vespers or Compline can be used, and in a few months will be known by heart. God help the parent who has not taught the children these!!! Except for Sunday and Pascha, prostrations are made, otherwise bows.
This is daily Christian Life in a Christian Home No Less! Of course, Orthodox will gather as best they can to celebrate Sundays and Holy Days, and find a way to confess and commune as directed by their priest, and to have the priest visit and bless their home frequently, at least at Theophany. Do not suppose that it is any better in Greece or Russia or Romania or the Holy Land.
The majority have compromised with the Antichrist, and will ask you to join their compromise too. Both Scripture and the Canons forbid it.
And what need we? We all have all the books, icons, lamps, incense that we need. We can all see a priest often. What determines our Salvation is those morning and evening prayers (even on vacation). Those who pray with true repentance will be saved. Those who do not pray and repent are lost...
copied with permission
Burning Bush Hermitage
http://www2.netdoor.com/~frelia/churchhome.htm
The other articles on this site are worthwhile:
http://www2.netdoor.com/~frelia/
[R0C0R Refugees blog does not imply endorsement of the jurisdictional affiliation of Burning Bush Hermitage by this post.]
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