The Catalog of Good Deeds

By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

The Prophet Obadiah or Abdia, whose name means "servant of the Lord", came from Shechem and lived in the second half of the 6th century B.C. He is one of the Twelve Minor Prophets, whose book is the smallest in the Old Testament containing only 21 verses.

Among the prophecies contained in this book is the enemy behavior of the Edomites against the Jews during the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, as well as after. "The Prophet announces that he awaits the same fate for Edom as the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem, because they collaborated with the Babylonians, committed looting and showed malice." He then "comforts his defeated and hopeless countrymen, heralding the exemplary punishment of Edom and announcing the restoration of Jerusalem." When addressing the Edomite people he said the following remarkable things:

"See, I will make you small among the nations; you will be utterly despised. The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’ Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down," declares the Lord.

This will take place

"Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever."

And he adds:

"In that day," declares the Lord, "will I not destroy the wise men of Edom, those of understanding in the mountains of Esau?"

The Prophet Obadiah reposed in peace and was buried in the tomb of his fathers.

His life and disposition gives us the opportunity to highlight the following:

Pride, according to the teachings of our Church, as expressed by the Holy Fathers, is the greatest sin, it is a real hell. It is the cause of all evil. This is what demolished the angelic order of Lucifer that led his angelic order from beings of light to beings of darkness, from angels to demons. It leads people to eternal perdition, though we have been formed to rejoice for eternity in the "worldly and otherworldly" goods of the Lord.

Saint John the Sinaite, the author of the Ladder, says among other things: "Pride is a denial of God, an invention of the devil, contempt for men. It is the

mother of condemnation, the offspring of praise, a sign of barrenness. It is a flight from God's help, the precursor of madness, the cause of downfall. It is the cause of satanic possession, the source of anger, the gateway of hypocrisy. It is the fortress of demons, the guardian of sins, the source of hardheartedness. It is the denial of compassion, a bitter Pharisee, a cruel judge. It is the foe of God. It is the root of blasphemy."

Conversely, humility changes the heart of man into a true paradise and makes him truly rejoice in life. Humility is the source of all good things and the mother of all virtues. Saint Silouan the Athonite said: "Humility is the light by which we can see God as Light, as we chant in the hymn, 'in Your Light we shall see Light'." He also said: "The humble soul has enormous rest, while the proud are supported only by themselves, since the proud do not know the love of God and are far from Him."

Like the trees are recognized as good or not by their fruits, it is exactly the same with people. As to who they are in reality, irrespective of their external appearance, they are recognized by how they conduct themselves and this is what reveals their inner world. For example, when they are gentle, peaceful, have a courageous spirit, and are full of love for God and others, this means they are humble. Conversely, when they are timid, given to anger, and seek to make their opinion known, this shows they have pride. Saint John the Sinaite says the following: "Anger shows a man full of pride." He also says: "A proud soul is a slave of cowardice; it vainly trusts in itself, and is afraid of any sound or shadow of creatures." And elsewhere: "He whose will and desire in conversation is to establish his own opinion, even though what he says is true, should recognize that he is sick with the devil’s disease [pride]. And if he behaves like this only in conversation with his equals, then perhaps the rebuke of his superiors may heal him. But if he acts in this way even with those who are greater and wiser than he, then his malady is humanly incurable."

The humble man does not criticize or condemn anyone except themselves. He sees only his own sins and considers himself worse than all men, even than all of irrational creation. He considers himself worthy of hell, but does not despair. He places his hope in God and continuously seeks His mercy. Conversely, the proud deal with others, accusing them, criticizing them, condemning them, scorning them, while they always justify themselves and release themselves from any liability.

The humble man is straight and honest and loves the truth, while the proud are flatterers and servants of wickedness. Saint John the Sinaite urges us to guard ourselves from flatterers and flattery. Of course, as is well known, flattery usually surrounds those who have any kind of power, office, material wealth, etc. But we must all be careful, first by not becoming flatterers, and second by protecting ourselves from flattery, because "he who flatters is a servant of demons, a guide towards pride, a terminator of devotion, an annihilator of good works, a seducer away from the correct path."

Love prayer, but when you pray for others and God listens, do not become arrogant, says Saint John the Sinaite, because it was their faith that caused the action of your prayer being heard.

Article source: http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2014/11/holy-prophet-obadiah-as-model-for-our.html

Original Source: Ekklesiastiki Paremvasi, "Προφήτης Ὀβδιοῦ ἤ Ἀβδιοῦ", October 2013. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

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By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos, from his book "Saint Gregory Palamas as a Hagiorite"

'Every saint loves the Panagia. Sainthood is not understood without this Theotokophilia. It occurs because the saints, after tasting the Jove of God, communing of the Body and Blood of Christ, and experiencing the gifts of the incarnation if Christ, feel the need to give thanks also to that person who was the cause of this great joy. It is well known that the saints re very sensitive and are therefore grateful for even the small-it gifts which they receive, and much more for the great gift of the deification of human nature, which came about in the Tomb of the Theotokos. She gave her flesh to the Son and ford of God for his incarnation.

This is also the case with St. Gregory Palamas. However, the saint felt love for the Panagia also for other reasons. He was granted to see her in his life, he was her protege. We shall give me details to demonstrate this truth, as his biographer and low monk, Philotheos Kokkinos, Patriarch of Constantinople, describes them.

The first indication is the fact that from an early age he wass given into the protection of the Theotokos by his father.

Before his father died, St. Gregory's mother asked him to ask the emperor to protect his children. That saintly man not only did not accept her words, but rebuked her in a way and said to her.

"I do not leave my children to some earthly rulers, but I leave my children to this Mistress of all, the mother of the King of heaven." And indeed at the time when he said these things he was looking at the icon of the Theotokos which was in front of him. St. Philotheos says in his biography of St. Gregory that the words of his holy father came true, because the theotokos herself persuaded the emperor to take care of the orphan children, but also later "she was seen to be their protectress and guide, and in every way the saviour of both their souls and their bodies."

The second circumstance which shows that his father's prophetic words were actually fulfilled and the Theotokos was a wonderful sponsor, governess and guide, came from the period of his studies. At die beginning of his studies the saint had difficulty in memorizing.

Then he placed a restriction on himself not to come near the books and not to begin reading without first having knelt thrree time before the icon of the Theotokos, saying a prayer at the same time. When he did this work every day he succeeded very easily in memorizing and reciting the lessons. But if he sometimes forgot to follow this rule even the recitation failed right away." At the same time, as Philotheos says, the Panagia persuaded the emperor to be the guardian of the children and to assume all their personal expenses. Furthermore the emperor showed particular sympathy, for he invited them to come to see him and talked with them in a kind and loving way.

The third sign is from the period of his asceticism on Mount Athos. Immediately after he came to the Holy Mountain he gave himself over with great zeal to ascesis, fasting, vigil and unceasing prayer. It is significant, according to the information of St. Philotheos Kokkinos, that he prayed unceasingly to the Theotokos. He prayed day and night to God, projecting the Mother of God "as guide, protector and mediator, all the time bringing before his eyes her aid and her countenance, with words and prayers and noetic movements, and pondering the way of obedience with her guidance." So in the first two years the saint was praying constantly to God, with the Panagia as his guide and mediator. The prayer which he was saying at that time was "enlighten my darkness."

During a great stillness, while his nous had turned inward and to God, John the Evangelist appeared to him, not in a dream, but in a vision, and assured him that he had been sent "as a messenger from the Queen beyond," to find out why he was constantly praying: "enlighten my darkness, enlighten my darkness." St. Gregory replied that, since he is a passionate man, he was praying to be enlightened by God to be conformed to His saving will. Then John the Evangelist said: "Do not be afraid, do not doubt... the Queen of all is giving the order through us: 'I myself will be your help'." And when again St. Gregory asked when the Theotokos would be his help and ally, in the present or future life, then the Evangelist replied: "both before and now, in both the present and die future."

This appearance of St. John the Evangelist, sent by the Most Holy Theotokos, was revealed by St. Gregory himself years later to his fellow-monk Dorotheos, later Metropolitan of Thessaloniki. It is characteristic that the Theotokos heard the prayer and assured him that, just as long ago, so also now and in the future, she would be his helper and defender, and moreover, that she was filling him with divine gifts.

The fourth sign is the revelation which the Theotokos herself made to St. Gregory. It was at the time when he had returned to the Lavra, but he was staying at St. Sabbas frontisterion outside the Monastery of the Great Lavra. He once prayed for himself and his escort to the Panagia, "the usual governor and deliverer," that both their guidance and their journey toward God might be unimpeded, but also that they might have what they needed for their nourishment, in order not to be very much occupied with collecting supplies and neglect prayer. Then the Panagia, the Queen of all, appeared in a vision, "dressed modestly and purely," just as the holy icons present her. Many saints had appeared and were following her. Then the Theotokos turned and gave them the order to serve St. Gregory and his escort: "From now on you are to be stewards and distributors of the necessities for Gregory and his escort."

And St. Gregory was assured that from then on "all that was necessary for our bodily needs was offered us without effort wherever we happened to be."

From what we have said it is clear that St. Gregory Palamas had a close relationship and communion with the Theotokos. All the things that he writes about her, which we shall see further on, are obviously not dry, intellectual thoughts and reasoning conjectures, but experiences of the Panagia. This explains his great love for her. We can also see the progressive manifestation and revelation of the Theotokos. At first, through his father's prayer, she took up his protection. Then she showed him clearly that he must trust in her, for she would protect him throughout his studies. Then, through John the Evangelist, she assured him that she would be his helper and protector, and finally she herself was revealed personally. Throughout his life the saint was convinced that he had the protection and help of the Theotokos, and therefore he struggled with strength and courage, expounded the theology of the Church in an orthodox way and defeated the heresies of his time.

Source: http://www.pigizois.net/agglika/personal_relationship.htm

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By Father Valeriy Zakharov

Repentance… We continue to cry about our sins even after they have been defeated. A cry about sins is the cry of Adam, who conceives his disloyalty to God. Even if we have defeated a particular sin, we understand, that we are sinful by our nature.

We can only mourn over the sins which we have overcome. We cry because we are imperfect, and it is not like feeling sorry about ourselves. Of course, God evaluates what we do differently, as He considers the abilities and conditions of each particular human being. However, knowing our sins, knowing that we are responsive for our actions in the face of God, in our mind we should acknowledge repentance and it must not terrify or weaken us. It should be not a suffering, but a kind of a border between the real and unreal, when we understand we are sinful people, but at the same time God purifies our souls. This knowledge should not make us despair. We should rather rejoice because God loves us and forgives us just like the prodigal son, who wasted all his property. This condition can save a person from sin and teaches to live with God.

Pious Saint Augustine said: “Love God and do what you want”. What a simple advice! However, God looks at us with the eyes full of purity and majesty on the one hand, and appears full of mercy and with empathy on the other hand. Some people see Christ as someone who is strict, others see Him as the suffering Christ and others are certain that Christ looks upon us with empathy. All of these aspects can be connected with our Lord. The cure He wants to give us is unique for each person. God has no patterns.

I wish that we can all accept everything that God does for us, and be kind to our neighbors just like He is kind to us, because this is how our relationship towards God is strengthened – by our attitude towards other people. But how can we bring the light of Christ to our souls? How can we let this light melt our heart and burn the mold in which our sins are growing? A sin will repeat itself until we reach the place where it is growing, until we crush the reason of this sin, until we ask God that He helps us to better ourselves. To do this we have to see it, to see the reason, but this will be a feat of faith for us. Thus we show that we place out hope in God. We can pray for years and even decades asking God to heal us. And he certainly will. God says: “And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John, 6:37). And this concerns each person, who does not give up and tries to overcome his sinful nature and bring joy to the people around, but does not turn back on God, waiting for His mercy.

A Sermon by Father Valeriy Zakharov on November 29, 2016,
St. Elisabeth Convent

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The sisters from the Orthodox Convent in Belarus invite you to visit the Christmas charity fair!

14 years in a row the Christmas fair featuring the products made by the workshops of St. Elisabeth Convent in Belarus has opened its doors for visitors in Brussels. This year the sisters will be glad to see you on December 3, 2017 – January 14, 2017 in UOPC book store located at the following address:
Avenue Gustave Demey 14-16, 1160 Bruxelles
(Mon - Sat, 09.30 - 19.00).

The Convent and the Sisterhood in honor of St. Martyr Grand Duchess Elisabeth serve, visit and support the National Mental Health Hospital, Boarding Home №3 for adults with special needs, a boarding school for children with special needs, a tuberculosis hospital, a hospice, and the boarding homes for orphaned children. The aim of the Charity fair is to help the afflicted people, who need our attention and support.

“More than 2000 years ago the Wise Men gave their gifts to the Savior who had come to this world. Today there are gifts we can give to the Lord as well – these are: our love to our neighbors and the deeds of charity”, say the sisters.

At the fair of the Convent’s products you will see a wide range of icons, handmade ceramic goods, souvenirs and many others.

This year the visitors of the Christmas fair will have an opportunity to venerate the icon of St. Martyr Grand Duchess Elisabeth, who is the patron saint of the Convent, with the particle of her holy relics.

A festive fair of St. Elisabeth Convent is a great opportunity to for everyone to take part in deeds of mercy and spend time in a kind and warm family setting.

During the fair the following events will take place:

December 3, Saturday, 13:00 – A moleben devoted to the opening of the Christmas fair.

December 7, Wednesday, 19:00 and

December 14, Wednesday, 19:00 – An evening presentation “Healing power of herbals”. You will acquaint yourself with the Convent’s wide range of health care and cosmetic products (creams, balsams, herbal collections and many others).

December 6, Tuesday, 17:00 – A feast for children “St. Nicholas’ Day” (a stage play “The life of St. Nicholas”, an entertainment program).

December 16, Friday, 17:00 – A festive evening event for children “The Light of Christmas”. The games and competitions with fun surprises for you and your children!

On Tuesdays and Thursdays (December 6 – 22), 19:00 – A master class “Crushed stone painting”.

You will learn about an unusual painting technique – crushed stone painting. Using the crushed semi-precious stones instead of usual paints, an artist creates beautiful icons, sceneries and atill-life paintings. You can not only watch a painter at his work, but try to make your own small work of art as well!

You can send your requests for participation via e-mail: st.elisabeth.shop@gmail.com (with a note “Signing up for a master class”)

A similar fair of the products made by the workshops of St. Elisabeth Convent will take place to the address: Abdij van Park 5, 3001 Leuven (Kerk in Nood) – on December 6 – 16.

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Though more likely to appear in the Western art, any experience of Christian iconography will present us at one time or another with the image of some odd, winged creatures, with the heads and features of animals. Usually on Gospel Books, though sometimes in the architecture of church buildings, the appearance of such fantastical creatures might seem bewildering to those who are new to the Christian Faith. Yet these angel-winged creatures – collectively called the Tetramorph – are found in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, and their symbolism explains their presence on the binding of Gospel Books.

It is the Prophet Ezekiel, exiled along with the Israelites in the 6th century B.C, who first reveals to us the vision of the four angelic beings. In a vision, and coming from amidst the flames, Ezikiel relates:

As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.
(Ezekiel 1:10)

This image is again seen by St. John the Apostle in the Book of Revelation, where the Tetramorph surround the Enthroned Christ:

And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
(Revelation 4:7)

It is this setting shown in the picture at the top of this post, and the most common depiction of the four creatures in Christian artwork.

As to why the Tetramorph appears on Gospel Books, this is because of the identification of the four creatures as symbols for the Four Evangelists:

Matthew is represented as the winged man, because his Gospel begins with the human genealogy of Jesus.

Mark is represented as the winged lion, as his Gospel begins with John the Baptist and his “voice crying out in the wilderness”; the lion being an animal of the Middle East’s wilderness.

Luke is the winged Ox of the Tetramorph, because his Gospel begins in the Temple with Zacharias – the father of John the Baptist; the Ox being a sacrificial animal.

Finally, John is represented as an Eagle, because John’s Gospel begins with a soaring overview of the Incarnation: “In the beginning was the Word…”

The symbolism of representing the Four Evangelists as the Four Winged Creatures has developed over time, so that by the High Middle Ages it was extremely common to find these symbols in the West. It would also be common to see the Evangelists depicted as humans, but flanked by “their creature”. Although this symbolism dates from the First millennium A.D., and so certainly belongs to the Tradition of the Orthodox Church, it is also true that the symbolism is used less frequently in the East.

It is also important to say such symbolism is very rare in Orthodox Icons. As Icons are not merely examples of “Christian Art”, but are images which are venerated and honored, this distinction should be emphasized. Although the Tetramorph is a beautiful way in which to decorate Christian manuscripts or the edifices of churches, our Orthodox forefathers have not seen it fit to put these creatures in images which are venerated. Or, at least, not put into icons of the Evangelists which are venerated.

Source: https://iconreader.wordpress.com/2010/09/17/the-tetramorph-in-christian-art/

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Life of The Holy Prophet Obadiah

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Mourning over your Sins

The sisters from St.Elisabeth Convent invite you to the Charity Christmas Fair in Brussels in December 2016

The Tetramorph in Christian Art

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Life of The Holy Prophet Obadiah

Holy Prophet Obadiah as a Model for our Lives

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Mourning over your Sins

The sisters from St.Elisabeth Convent invite you to the Charity Christmas Fair in Brussels in December 2016

The Tetramorph in Christian Art

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