Faithful to Christ: New Martyr Valerian Novicki
A young
man full of hopes, faith, and aspirations… He wants to serve God and carry the
Word of Christ to the people in the times of persecution and unbelief.
***
January 14, 1930
A cold
prison cell in Sluck. It is snowing. When you look at the intricate snowflakes
dancing around in the air, you can even lose touch with reality for a moment.
However, you come round and start praying again after a while. No one knows
what will happen to you in the next couple of hours…
A local
teacher reported Father Valerian Novicki to the authorities. He was accused of
anti-kolkhoz agitation. In fact, all he had done was speaking out against the
new anti-religious club formed in a neighbouring village, where they staged
blasphemous plays and sketches. He said that he would not perform funerals for
the peasants who visited that club. The priest pleaded not guilty.
A young
man full of hopes, faith, and aspirations… He lives in a cosy house with a wife
and three children.
He wants
to remain alive so badly! He wants to serve God and carry the Word of Christ to
the people in the times of persecution and unbelief… He had made up his mind in
1923, having studied law in the Belarusian State University for two years and
upon seeing the persecutions of the Church. He became a priest, saying, “We’ve
got to rescue the faith!” He was 26 at the time.
He was
aware of the risks and challenges that he was about to face. Being a worthy son
of his father, Archpriest Vasily Novicki, and a faithful warrior of Christ, he
fearlessly took up his cross and carried it to the end. The Lord comforted him
with an opportunity to serve in Holy Trinity Church (v. Teliadavičy, MI), a
wonderful wife, and remarkable children.
Dominica
Ignatievna, the priest’s wife, went to visit her husband in the prison but she
was denied a meeting. She received a note from her husband, which read, “They
offered me to save my life by denying God and my ecclesiastical rank. I
refused. Will you pull through with the children alone?” She wrote back, “Don’t
deny God or your priestly rank. The Lord will help me.”
They were
a gorgeous couple. Look at their amazingly expressive eyes that shone forth
their souls of unearthly beauty! She did not want to part with her beloved
husband: they had dreamed of spending their entire life together in love and
faith, and to have grandchildren. Nonetheless, they had to make their choice
and bear the brunt of it.
Matushka
Dominica was left alone with three children. The family did not know anything
about the fate of Father Valerian until 1975. The sole response to all their
requests was that he had died of a stomach-related illness in exile.
February
23, 1930. The country was celebrating the Day of the Red Army and Navy for the
twelfth time.
The three
prisoners sentenced to shooting were brought to the rifle range. They were
offered life in exchange for disavowing their faith in God and priestly rank.
The
ground was frozen. Digging out a grave wasn’t easy. Especially for oneself. Can
you imagine what it could be like to dig out your own grave, especially when
you are just thirty-three?
— Fire!
Several
tomtits were scared away by the shot. They were the only witnesses of that
tragedy.
People do
not know where these three graves are even now. What we know is that
Hieromartyr Valerian Novicki intercedes before God for all of us and for the
peace in our land.
Prepared by Sister Tatiana Khomiankova
and Sister Maria
Kotova
December 28, 2017
St.
Elisabeth Convent
New Orthodox Priest Vestments from the Catalogue of St. Elisabeth Convent
For the Start of the Lenten Triodion
Today, we
begin the beautiful cycle of services from the Lenten Triodion. The word “triodion” means “three songs,” but
really there are many odes in this book—all of them are offered for our
spiritual benefit. The Holy Church is
preparing us for Great Lent. Like any
journey that is to be successful, the journey of Lent must be undertaken with
proper resolve, commitment, and preparation.
And this is why we do not just begin Lent one day, but take time to
prepare for it; not merely waiting, but actively preparing our hearts, minds,
and bodies for this journey to Pascha.
During
these weeks before Lent begins, the Church, our loving Mother, offers us the
treasures of the Gospel readings about the Pharisee and the tax collector, the
parable of the prodigal son, and about Christ’s glorious second coming. It is easy to see that these passages are
connected to each other and that together they carry the message of
humility. In the story about the
Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:14), we learn about the humility of the
latter as the condition that allows him accept God’s grace that washes away his
sins and renews within him a right spirit (Ps. 51:10). Only humility allows us to see our true state
on our knees at the pig trough of sin, as did the prodigal son, and makes us
come to our senses (Luke 15:17) and run to the Father’s house (Luke
15:18). Our choice to leave our sinful
ways and to return home puts us in the Father’s embrace (Luke 15:20), and
allows us once again to become His children.
Finally, the Gospel reading on Forgiveness Sunday (Matt. 25:31-33)
reminds us of the true meaning of humility: those who have learnt from Christ
(Matt. 11:29) do not see themselves worthy of any reward (Matt. 25:37-39),
Christ’s love lives in their hearts and shines forth through their acts.
But let
us listen carefully; let us ponder: the very first lesson we are to learn on
our path to Great Lent, the very first example that the Church offers us before
the beginning of the fast, is not that of Saint Mary of Egypt, who exercised
prayer and fasting in the wilderness, or that of Saint Anthony the Great, who
is known for his severe asceticism, or that of Saint Seraphim of Sarov, who
fasted and prayed for one thousand days and nights. Rather, we are offered the example of a tax
collector, a publican, who probably did not fast at all, at least not as much
as did the Pharisee, but who “went down to his house justified” before God
(Luke 18:14). What a strange thing: we
are preparing for Lent, but all next week we do not fast at all, not even on
Wednesday and Friday! This is not in
order to fatten up before the fast, as some may think, but in order to set our
minds and hearts straight, to help us understand the most important thing about
fasting: a fast is not a diet; it is a medicine to cure an illness quite
different from excess weight. Without
the publican’s humility, without his realization that we are not even worthy to
“raise our eyes to heaven” (Luke 18:13), without the words “God, be merciful to
me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13) becoming not just the publican’s prayer, but our
prayer, our fast will be worthless and even dangerous, as our pride leads us to
assume the Pharisee’s foolish stance: “I thank you, God, that I am not like
other men…” (Luke 18:11)
Let us
then “flee the vaunting of the Pharisee and learn the humility of the Publican,”
let us remember this lesson as we enter into Great Lent in just a few
weeks. As we prepare to fast, the first
thing we must learn is that limitations in foods are not the ultimate goal, but
a tool to help us take control over our passions. “Foods for the stomach and the stomach for
foods, but God will destroy both it and them” (1 Cor. 6:13). The true goal of fasting is to learn
humility.
Let us
not boast to ourselves about the lack of oil in our potatoes—we equally lack
the oil of forgiveness of people around us; or about the small size of our
meals—our pride flows from us as if from the Horn of Plenty. The goal of fasting is humility and a clearer
vision of our true fallen state. Until
we come to our senses and realize that we are on our knees at the trough of our
sins and passion, we will not want to get up and run back to the Father’s
house.
“He who
exalts himself shall be humbled. Let us humble ourselves before God, and with
fasting cry aloud as the Publican: ‘God, be merciful to us sinners.’”
By Fr. Sergei Sveshnikov
Source: https://frsergei.wordpress.com/2010/01/30/god-be-merciful-to-us-sinners/
Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee Monolgue: "We are Pharisees"
The Appropriate Way to Use Incense while Praying at Home
Q: What is the appropriate way for laypeople to use incense in
prayer?
A: Historically, it has probably been
exceptional for a laymen to use incense at home, because of the expense
involved, and so it should not be thought that this is essential, but it
certainly is permissible.
A laymen
would only use a hand censer – not a swinging censer like the clergy typically
use.
When a
person censes with a hand censer, the censer is held in the right hand, and the
sign of the cross is made with the censer over whatever he is censing. Then the censer is placed in the left hand,
and he makes the sign of the cross and bows… unless he is censing other people,
in which case he makes the sign of the cross with the censer only, and then
bows to the people without signing himself.
If you
are doing morning or evening prayers, you could cense before the beginning of
the prayer, though some do this at the end.
It is a
nice touch to have a Cross and Gospel in your icon corner. This is where your
censing would begin and end. You could just cense the icons in the icon corner,
but if you wanted to, you could cense the whole room you are praying in, or
other rooms too, if you wish.
There is
more on the practical questions of how to use a censer if you are doing other
reader services, at home or in a Church (in the absence of a priest) in
"Practical Questions On How To Do Reader Services."
On a
practical note, in addition to a good hand censer, you will want to have a pair
of tongs to light the coals – though chopsticks work even better, if you know
how to use them. Chopsticks also have the added benefit of allowing you to
place pieces of incense exactly where you want them.
I came
across an article, which has the following comments on the use of a hand
censer, which probably at least reflects pious Greek custom:
"Earlier
we mentioned the hand censer as part of the icon corner. This hand censer is
used in the home on eves of feasts, Saturday evenings, the beginnings of lenten
periods, on the eves of name's days of the family, on the eve of the patron of
the family church, and on other occasions. Some Orthodox families use the hand
censer each evening at family prayer, but the minimum use of it is for the
above-mentioned occasions.
The
offering of incense to God is a practice which dates back to the time of Moses
when God gave commands as to how to burn it.
You shall
make an altar to burn incense upon ... And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on
it; every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it, and when Aaron
sets up the lamps in the evening, he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before
the Lord throughout your generations. You shall offer no unholy incense thereon
(Ex. 30:1, 7-9).
The
burning of incense as an offering to God will continue even to the end of the
world, as revealed by God to St. John.
And
another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer; and he was
given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden
altar before the throne; and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of
the saints from the hand of the angel before God (Rev. 8:3- 5).
Because
of the command and revelation of God regarding the offering of incense, the
Church uses incense as an acceptable offering in its Divine Services. Since the
parish church uses incense, so should the family church use incense as an
offering pleasing to God. On Saturday evenings, on the eves of feasts and the
other already-mentioned occasions, the house is "blessed" with
incense. The head of the household carries the hand censer with burning incense
throughout the entire dwelling (basement and attic included) and makes the sign
of the Cross on the four walls of each room and over the beds. Some Orthodox
have the custom of saying with each sign of the Cross thus made: "This
room (or bed) is blessed by the sign of the Holy Cross." The person censing
is accompanied by all members of the household chanting "Holy
God...," the troparion of the feast or Sunday or other appropriate ode,
and bearing icons or candles. The procession begins at the icon corner,
proceeds through the entire dwelling, and returns to the icon corner.
The hand
censer, charcoal (for burning the incense) and the incense may be purchased at
some parish churches or from monastic communities such as Holy Transfiguration
Monastery (Brookline, Massachusetts 02146). The parish priest or deacon would
be happy to show parishioners how to light the charcoal and offer incense.
The
charcoal and incense ashes should not be discarded in the garbage, but should
be put along the foundation of the building, buried in the ground or put in
some other appropriate place where no one will step on them.
Feast
days are celebrated by Orthodox families as special and joyous occasions. These
days are not regarded as normal days and for this reason Orthodox homes often
are decorated especially for the feast. The decorating of the home and icon
corner can be a project for the parents together with the children. The
decorations themselves, the decorating, and the blessing of the house with the
hand censer, all place emphasis on the specialness and the importance of the feast.
These are not to be surpassed by any secular celebrations at home, for after
all, the Orthodox home is a family church and God is at the center of its
existence. There is nothing so empty as a Christmas celebrated, as many
westerners do, so that the house decorations, the meal, the gifts, or the
family get-together are the center and reason for the celebration. In other
words, Christ has been made alien to the celebration" (Marriage and the
Christian Home, by Fr. Michael B. Henning)
I also
found the following:
"For
country folk the farming cycle is closely connected with the Church Year,
indicating when to sow certain crops, etc. There are various blessings of crops
and produce, of cattle and the like, so that everything is related to God. Even
townsfolk keep up such traditions as eating homemade pastry birds on the feast
of the Forty Holy Martyrs (9th / 22nd March), taking care that only the most
essential work is done on St Elias' day, blessing the house with holy water on
the first day of every month, and censing each day with a home-censer and
incense. Whenever possible, Orthodox people try to attend church not only on
Sundays, but for the main feasts, even keeping children off school for
this" (The Orthodox Way of Life, by a Nun Abroad, From The Shepherd, Vol.
XVII, No. 3 (December 1996)).
By Fr. John Whiteford
Source: http://fatherjohn.blogspot.com.by/2017/11/stump-priest-censing-at-home.html
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