The Catalog of Good Deeds

An excerpt from the interview with Ekaterina Nesterova,

an artist from the wood painting workshop

of St. Elisabeth Convent

Could you tell about yourself and your work? What projects are you working on now?

I graduated the University of Technology in Vitebsk with a degree of a designer of clothing and fabrics. Now I work as a designer and artist in the painting on wood workshop of St. Elisabeth Convent.

When did you come to the convent and why did you decide to work there? Do you like your work?

I came to the workshop of St. Elisabeth Convent about three years ago by good fortune. You would not believe me, but I was walking through the central city mall and saw a small shop of the Convent there. I remember that I was interested in a particular book. At that time I just started my work as an illustrator. In the shop I saw a lot of beautiful items aside from books, such as pottery, painting on wood and many others. The most importantly all those items were handmade. That fact inspired me to try for myself and to see if I could help and work at the convent.

What were your first steps and works?

At the first it was quite difficult to work. The specificity of the work was completely different from what I was used to. I understood that I would have to learn much new, but at the same time that attracted me even more. Every day I learnt something, and I continue learning even today: new secrets of the craft, new techniques, new artists… The workshops of St. Elisabeth Convent are the a place where you work on something and also work on yourself, develop your skills. You grow as an artist. It is almost a “universal environment”, but at the same time your responsibility is quite high. Of course, just like in any other artistic profession, there are sorrows and joys, ups and downs.

To what you should pay attention while working on a nesting doll?

It all begins with a sketch. We depict the main idea of the nesting doll’s design and chose certain colors for it. You know, in our painting on wood workshop each artist has its own signature style. Great attention is paid to the draftsmanship of the doll’s face. We do our best to make it look nice and kind. It should bring joy and reflect the spirit of the convent. The face should be expressive and humble at the same time...

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The LORD said to Moses, “Consecrate to me all the first-born; whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.”

(Book of Exodus, Chapter 15)

According to the Mosaic law recorded in Exodus, the first-born son of every observant Jew should be dedicated to God in the Temple at Jerusalem forty days after his birth, where the mother would also complete her ritual purification. Forty days after the birth of Christ is celebrated, and bringing the Nativity cycle of feasts to a close, the dedication of the infant Jesus is remembered as the Feast of the Presentation (or Meeting, or Dedication) of the Lord in the Temple, known in the West as Candlemas, on Feb 2/15.

Beneath the mere outward act of submission to the Mosaic law by Ss Joseph, Mary, and Jesus lays an epochal point in the history of our salvation. This deeper meaning is revealed in the icons of this feast.

The story of Christ’s dedication in the Temple is described in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 2: 22-40). The elderly St Symeon, described in hymns as a “priest”, is inspired by the Holy Spirit to take up the Christ-child in His arms and declare: “Lord, now let Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation.” Symeon’s recognition of baby Jesus as the Messiah is shown in his deep reverence: bowing low and holding Christ with covered hands. Christ Himself is shown as actively blessing those present, appearing as Lord and Saviour, rather than a helpless babe-in-arms.

The Mother of God has just given her Son into the arms of Symeon, whilst nearby is Anna, recognizable as a prophetess by the scroll she holds: sometimes closed, sometimes open. Completing the scene is Joseph, who brings a sacrificial offering to the Temple. In Leviticus, it states that forty days after the birth of the first-born son, the mother must bring a lamb and a turtledove to the priest as a burnt-offering. “And if she is not able to bring a lamb [i.e. she is too poor], then she may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons–one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering.” (Lev 12:8) Joseph is shown with two turtledoves, reinforcing the humble background into which Christ was born. He carries the turtledoves on behalf of Mary, the Mother, which reminds us that despite the doubts described in the Nativity Icon, Joseph is finally reconciled to his betrothed and trusts the infant Jesus to be truly the Messiah.

The Jewish Temple transformed into the Christian Church

The scene takes place in the Temple of Solomon at Jerusalem, which was not merely the main temple of Judaism, but the only temple of the Jewish faith. As is normal for classic iconography, the scene appears to occur in the open, not concealed by walls, with the outside of the Temple shown in the background. The icon of the Presentation is dominated by a four-pillared dome, which was an architectural feature of the inside of the Temple. It is a ciborium, in Greek a kivorion (κιβωριου) – a canopy contained in the sanctuary.

Before the building of the Temple, from the time of Moses, the Hebrews had the Tabernacle, which contained the Ten Commandments given to Moses, the manna from Heaven, and an altar. This portable structure was the holy place in which the presence of God was manifest. After the nation of Israel was established, King Solomon built the Temple to house the Ten Commandments and the other contents of the Tabernacle. A permanent tabernacle was created within the Temple, the sanctuary, and this is what is depicted as a ciborium.

But the ciborium in the icon is not the tabernacle of the Temple of Solomon, which was destroyed within 50 years of Christ’s dedication there. The altar in the icon is behind two gates, reminiscent of Royal Doors. Upon the altar are not the stone tablets of Moses, but a Gospel book that contains the New Testament. Sometimes the altar cloth is conspicuously decorated with the Christian cross; highly anachronistic, yet reminding us of the real significance of the event: not the observance of the old Mosaic law, but the fulfillment of it in Christ’s incarnation. The ciborium itself was a common feature of first millennium churches, covering the altar and having curtains to veil the consecrated host at particular times of the Liturgy. The icon of the Presentation is therefore clearly and consciously depicting Solomon’s Temple as a Christian church, though this is sometimes lost today when ciborium’s are not as common in church architecture.

With this “transformation” in mind, it is no coincidence that the infant Christ appears to be handed to St Symeon over the altar. Just as the stone tablets are transformed, in the icon, into a Gospel-book, so too is the heavenly manna of the Jewish tabernacle transformed into the life-giving Lamb of God, Jesus Christ: a food also of divine origin, but inexhaustible, alive, and granting eternal life (see also The Lamb of God in Orthodoxy, the section on the melismos). Here, the references to St Symeon as “priest” are entirely appropriate, regardless of his actual role at the Temple in Jerusalem, as in the icon he receives the infant Jesus as the life-giving, sacrificial offering at the Christian liturgy. St Joseph even appears like a deacon attending to Symeon, shown in the same posture of supplication as the angels in the head banner of this website, who are painted with a deacon’s vestments.

At the Theophany, we learn that Jesus did not need to receive the baptism of repentance from John in the river Jordan; Christ willingly did this to purify the waters, nature, and the ritual of baptism itself. Likewise, Christ did not need to be offered to the God Who begot Him, nor did any sacrifice for purification need to be given for He Who is spotless. Jesus entered the Temple not to be purified, but to purify others: Ss Symeon, Anna, and the whole system of Jewish worship. The passing away of animal sacrifices, the Mosaic Law, and Jewish Temple worship, were all heralded with Christ’s dedication, forty days after His birth. This feast, coming at the end of the winter Feast of Lights, usually occurs close to the beginning of Lent, when the pure sacrifice of “a contrite heart” is required of us, rather than the burnt offerings done away with with the advent of Christ.

Source: https://iconreader.wordpress.com

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How do we honor our father and mother? Some equate honor with blind obedience. The biblical Greek word for "honor" however, is tima does not imply obedience or subservience. This is an important point. When I hear the confession of adolescents who are becoming increasingly aware of the imperfections and shortcomings of their parents, I notice that they want to honor their fathers and mothers but are confused by the messages within our society that declare that personal faults negate all authority. Other times they are crippled by anger and resentment towards their parent because of disagreements, arguments and in extreme cases, even abuse. This dilemma affects adult children as well.

How, then, we understand the meaning of "honor your father and mother"?

When we are young, we depend on our father and mother for nearly everything. They feed, clothe, house and protect us. They teach us how to respect God, ourselves and other people through using good words, sharing, and expressing kindness. They offer stern warnings and discipline especially when we are in danger.

As we grow older, our parents teach us the importance of responsibility and accountability. We are given chores to complete along with our homework from school. When we fall short, we have consequences like losing privileges or being grounded. This is where it gets tough for kids because the fallen state of rebelliousness rears its head in more powerful ways. It is difficult for parents to discern how much of this rebelliousness to allow as an expression of our growing and healthy independence. Some parents take their child's rebelliousness much too personally and then discipline in anger to restore their power and pride.

Either way, what's a kid to do? Children must remain obedient to their parents, even when mom and dad cross the line because it is an opportunity to learn and express humility. That's difficult even for adults, to act as if you are wrong even though you may be right. I tell kids that being humble before your parents teaches you how to be humble before God and other people. This is important because at some point we become adults and parents and who are we going to be responsible and accountable to? Ultimately to God.

For the adult children, we honor our parents by forgiving them. In other words, we cannot continue to blame our parents for how they raised us. No mother or father is going to be perfect in their parenting. It's a fact of life. Some adults spend their whole life in bitterness, anger and resentment because mom and dad did not praise enough, or disciplined too much (or too little), didn't get me into sports, music or a foreign language, or didn't bring me to church (or brought me too much).

Enough-already! We're adults now and we are responsible for ourselves. Grow up! The first step is to forgive them. The next step is to thank them for all the good things they did.

Another way we honor our mother and father is this: when someone sees how you act, what you say, how you treat others, how you serve society, can they say, "Wow, I'll bet George/Kosta/Maria/Anna mother and father are proud of him/her. Those parents did a good job raising him/her."? Can people look at you and say that? If they can, you have just honored your mother and father. Every time we do something good, just, pure, holy, we bring honor to our parents.

Another way to honor our parents, is to take care of them. As we all grow older, mom and dad are going to need more of our help. It starts with little chores, like when we were young such as mowing the lawn and cleaning the house. Then it may progress to calling and visiting often to make sure their ok. Eventually, when they cannot handle living on their own, you welcome them to live with you and your family.

Nursing homes and care centers are blessing and a curse. They are a blessing for people who have no family to take care of them and a curse for those who do but will not. If at possible, take care of your parents in your own home. Even though we could barely understand each other, some of my most memorable moments as a child were when yiayia (grandmother) lived with us. If we want our children to take care of us, do they see us honoring our parents by taking care of them?

An article by Fr. Richard Demetrius Andrews

Source: http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles7/AndrewsParents.php

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The ancient martyrology of the Church of Rome marks February 14th as the remembrance of "the martyr Valentine, presbyter of Rome" (Valentinus means "vigorous" in Latin). Unfortunately the historical data for the Saint is incomplete.

Saint Valentine lived in Rome in the third century and was a priest who helped the martyrs during the persecution of Emperor Claudius II the Goth. The great virtue and catechetical activities of the Saint had become known. For this he was arrested and brought before the imperial court.

"Why, Valentine, do you want to be a friend of our enemies and reject our friendship?" asked the Emperor.

The Saint replied: "My lord, if you knew the gift of God, you would be happy together with your empire and would reject the worship of idols and worship the true God and His Son Jesus Christ."

One of the judges stopped the Saint and asked him what he thought about Jupiter and Mercury, and Valentine boldly replied: "They are miserable, and spent their lives in corruption and crime!"

The judge furiously shouted: "He blasphemes against the gods and against the empire!"

The Emperor, however, continued his questions with curiosity, and found a welcome opportunity to finally learn what was the faith of Christians. Valentine then found the courage to urge him to repent for the blood of the Christians that was shed. "Believe in Jesus Christ, be baptized and you will be saved, and from this time forward the glory of your empire will be ensured as well as the triumph of your armory."

Claudius became convinced, and said to those who were present: "What a beautiful teaching this man preaches."

But the Mayor of Rome, dissatisfied, began to shout: "See how this Christian misled our Prince."

Then Claudius brought the Saint to another judge. He was called Asterios, and he had a little girl who was blind for two years. Listening about Jesus Christ, that He is the Light of the World, he asked Valentine if he could give that light to his child. St. Valentine put his hand on her eyes and prayed: "Lord Jesus Christ, true Light, illuminate this blind child." Oh the great miracle! The child could see! So the judge with all his family confessed Christ. Having fasted for three days, he destroyed the idols that were in the house and finally received Holy Baptism.

When the Emperor heard about all these events, he initially thought not to punish them, thinking that in the eyes of the citizens he will look weak, which forced him to betray his sense of justice. Therefore St. Valentine along with other Christians, after they were tortured, were beheaded on 14 February in the year 268 (or 269).

The Relics of the Saint in Athens

After the martyrdom some Christians salvaged the body of the Saint and put a bit of his blood in a vile. The body of the Martyr was moved and buried in the Catacombs of St. Priscilla, a burial place of most of the martyrs. Over the years somehow he was "forgotten", since almost every day there were buried in these catacombs new martyrs for several decades. The memory of Valentine's martyrdom however remained robust, particularly in the local Church of Rome. Officially the memory of St. Valentine was established in 496 by Pope St. Gelasius.

Fifteen centuries pass and we arrive at 1815, at which time divine intention was to "disturb" the eternal repose of the Saint. Then the relics were donated by the Pope to a gentle Italian priest (according to the custom of the time). After this the relics are "lost" again until 1907 where we find them in Mytilene in the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady. It seems that after the death of the priest that a descendant of his had inherited the relics and had migrated to Mytilene, which was then a thriving community of West-European Catholic Christians. There they remained until 1990 when they were moved to Athens in the Church of Saints Francis and Clara's Italian community, where they are today.

Saint Valentine the Greek

We should first say that there is not sufficient information on the national origin of the Saint, though there are some other (shades of) evidence that the Saint was of Greek origin. For example, the earliest depiction of the Saint bearing the inscription «O ΑΓΙΟC BAΛΕΝΤΙΝΟC" in Greek is in the Church of Our Lady the Ancient (Santa Maria Antiqua) of the 6th century which was the parish of Greeks in Rome. The church particularly venerated saints who were Greeks and generally from the East. The decoration and renovation of the church was ordered by the Greek Pope John VII (705-707) and finished by his successors, including the last Greek Pope Zacharias (741-752). But perhaps it is no coincidence that after seventeen centuries, the remains arrived in Greece. The issue here still requires research.

Saint Valentine: Patron of Lovers

Apart from the scant historical data we have for Valentine's life, there is accompanied various legends, such as from those who say he is the patron saint of lovers.

The Saint had a reputation as a peacemaker, and one day while cultivating some roses from his garden, he heard a couple quarrel very vigorously. This shocked the Saint, who then cut a rose and approached the couple asking them to hear him. Even though they were dispirited, they obeyed the Saint and afterwards were offered a rose that blessed them. Immediately the love returned between them, and later they returned and asked the Saint to bless their marriage. Another tradition says that one of the charges against Valentine was that he did not adhere to the command of the emperor which stated that men who had not fulfilled their military obligations were not allowed to marry; meanwhile the Saint had blessed the marriage of young Christian soldiers with their beloveds.

Besides all this, the likely choice of him as the "saint of lovers" is to be associated with the pagan festival of Lupercalia, a fertility festival, celebrated by the Romans on February 15. Others connect the celebration of this feast with the mating season of birds during this period. Certainly, however, the Saint has nothing to do with the commercialism (marketing) of flowers, gifts and secular centers which trivialize Eros, this great gift of God.

Saint Valentine and Orthodoxy

Many, however, raise the objection that St. Valentine is not mentioned anywhere in the calendar of the Orthodox Church. Indeed on 14 February in the calendar of the Church there are commemorated Saints Auxentios, Maron and the martyrs Nicholas and Damian. The explanation is simple: in ancient times hagiographic directories, biographies and martyrologies were written to be primarily used locally in their own character, and the fame and reputation of a saint locally does not mean that it extended also throughout the Church. So there may be saints honored widely in one region and completely unknown in another, as for example St. Demetrios, who is famous throughout the Eastern Church, yet in the West is not honored at all, and is almost unknown, but this does not mean that he is not a saint. Another example of the modern Church: St. Chrysostomos of Smyrna († 1922) who in Greece is known, yet in Russia is completely unknown, but this does not mean that he is not a saint.

Honor Martyrs - Imitate Martyrs

We honor our saints and St. Valentine when we imitate their courage to proclaim their faith in Christ the Savior, which they did even at the cost of their lives. We honor them when we beseech them to appeal to God to have mercy on us and forgive our many sins. We honor them when they are our models of the life in Christ. We do not honor the saints when we measure their 'worth' by worldly amusements and festivities even in the best circumstances ... To honor the Martyrs is to imitate the Martyrs!

Source: http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2011/02/orthodox-saint-valentine.html

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By nun Matrona (Lukashova)

"Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.

“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.

And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.

And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.

Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’

But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’

And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’” (Luke, 15:11-32)

The first idea, which came to my mind after I have read this passage, was about my incapability to receive the gift. It’s inconvenient, I do not match the gift, but I have to take it with humility, in order not to offend my neighbor, not to insult the Spirit of God. How? I will try to figure it out. There is an elder son: he lives as a beloved child in prosperity in the father's house, but at the same time he is upset, something is wrong. He is unhappy (if not so, why could he dream about having some fun with his friends. What is more, it is not clear, whether he participated in the festive dinner or not). It looks like me so much!

The father tells him "all that I have is yours", but the son objects, because the father has not given give him a young goat. It is a contradiction, which can be solved, perhaps, in the following way: the father can only give something to his son as a gift. However, the elder son cannot receive something from his father as a gift, but only as the payment for his work ("these many years I have been serving you"). Besides, he is concerned that he "never transgressed commandment" of his father.

And if something is not just received as a gift, but is hard-earned, then how can one be thankful for this? Archpriest Nikolay Guryanov said, "A thankful person needs nothing". Maybe, the elder son's problem is that he does not live with gratitude? I have the same problem! Lord, forgive me!

And there is a younger son: his strong need helps him to come to his senses, come back to his father and receive his forgiveness. When I really need something, I accept it with joy and gratitude. Does it mean that sometimes it is useful for us to be in need? Maybe yes, and that is why the Lord allows this sometimes. Of course, this does not mean that we should waste everything what we have got without any sense, just like the younger son did.

Sometimes I do so. I spend my spiritual and physical forces on interesting and even useful things, but not on something, what is really necessary and blessed. Then I feel the lack of inner happiness and peace. The desperate condition, the memory of a prosperous parental house, the faith in an undoubted father’s love and, unlike the elder son, the acknowledgement of his indignity, let the younger son to seek for the father’s forgiveness and fully accept this forgiveness as a gift. To accept the best clothing, the finger-ring and the shoes (the sandals, which only the master could wear in the house, but not the servants and guests). So, I also have to acknowledge my mistakes and accept everything, what the Lord sends, with gratitude. And most often my gratitude became the beginning, the source of repentance. Lord, help us all!

St. Elisabeth Convent,

February 12,2017

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An interview from the workshops: A place where you work on something and also work on yourself

We are all prodigal children

Iconographic Analysis: The Meeting of the Lord at the Temple

Honor thy Father and Mother

Top 5 Blog Posts of the Week of February 6th

Saint Valentine and Orthodoxy

Reflections on the Holy Scripture: The Prodigal Son

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An interview from the workshops: A place where you work on something and also work on yourself

We are all prodigal children

Iconographic Analysis: The Meeting of the Lord at the Temple

Honor thy Father and Mother

Top 5 Blog Posts of the Week of February 6th

Saint Valentine and Orthodoxy

Reflections on the Holy Scripture: The Prodigal Son

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