The Catalog of Good Deeds

"Nowadays people often feel sadness, despair, lethargy, laziness, apathy, and all things satanic. They are downcast, discontent and melancholy. They disregard their families, spend vast sums on psychoanalysts and take anti-depressants. People explain this as 'insecurity.' Our religion believes that these states derive from satanic temptation.

Pain is a psychological power which God implanted in us with a view to doing us good and leading us to love, joy, and prayer. Instead of this, the devil succeeds in taking this power from the battery of our soul and using it for evil. He transforms it into depression and brings the soul into a state of lethargy and apathy. He torments us, takes us captive and makes us psychologically ill.

There is a secret. Turn the satanic energy into good energy. This is difficult and requires some preparation. The requisite preparation is humility. With humility you attract the grace of God. You surrender yourself to the love of God, to worship and to prayer. But even if you do all in the world, you achieve nothing if you haven't acquired humility. All the evil feelings, insecurity, despair and disenchantment, which come to take control of the soul, disappear with humility. The person who lacks humility, the egotist, doesn't want you to get in the way of his desires, to make any criticism of him or tell him what to do. He gets upset, irritated and reacts violently and is overcome by depression.

This state is cured by grace. The soul must turn to God's love. The cure will come when we start to love God passionately. Many of our saints transformed depression into joy with their love for Christ. That is, they took this power of the soul which the devil wished to crush and gave it to God and they transformed it into joy and exultation. Prayer and worship gradually transform depression and turn it into joy, because the grace of God takes effect. Here you need to have the strength to attract the grace of God which will help you to be united with Him. Art is required. When you give yourself to God and become one with him, you will forget the evil spirit which drags at you from behind, and this spirit, when it is disdained, will leave. And the more you devote yourself to the Spirit of God, the less you will look behind to see the spirit that is dragging at you. When grace attracts you, you will be united with God. And when you unite yourself to God and abandon yourself to Him, everything else disappears and is forgotten and you are saved. The great art, the great secret, in order to rid yourself of depression and all that is negative is to give yourself over to the love of God.

Something which can help a person who is depressed is work, interest in life. The garden, plants, flowers, trees, the countryside, a walk in the open air -- all these things tear a person away from a state of inactivity and awake other interests. They act like medicines. To occupy oneself with the arts, with music and so on, is very beneficial. The thing that I place top of the list, however, is interest in the Church, in reading Holy Scripture and attending services. As you study the words of God you are cured without being aware of it.

Let me tell you about a girl who came to me. She was suffering from dreadful depression. Drugs had no effect. She had given up everything -- her work, her home, her interests. I told her about the love of Christ which takes the soul captive because the grace of God fills the soul and changes it. I explained to her that the force which takes over the soul and transforms the power of the soul into depression is demonic. It throws the soul to the ground, torments it and renders it useless. I advised her to devote herself to things like music which she had formerly enjoyed. I emphasized, however, most of all her need to turn to Christ with love. I told her, moreover, that in our Church a cure is to be found through love for God and prayer, provided this is done with all the heart."

A selection from Wounded by Love: The Life and

the Wisdom of Elder Porphyrios

Source: http://orthodoxhealing.blogspot.com.by/2010/03/elder-porphyrios-overcoming-depression.html

Although the Orthodox Church does not have religious orders as the Latin (Roman Catholic) church does, there are different styles of monastic life in Orthodoxy, both individually and in community. Generally speaking some monasteries may be more liturgical oriented, while others may be mores ascetic, while still other may have a certain mystical tradition, and other be more inclined to spiritual guidance and openness to the world for the purpose of care and counseling. These various styles of monasticism, which take both a personal as well as a corporate form, are not formally predetermined or officially legislated. They are the result of organic development under the living grace of God.

In addition to the various spiritual styles of monastic life, three formal types of organization may be mentioned. The first is that of coenobitic communion. In the coenobitic monastery everything is shared: living quarters, food, work, prayer, common efforts, cares, struggles, and achievements. The leader and spiritual father of the coenobium is the Abbot (Egoumenos). The exhortation to the Abbot in the Charter of St. Athanasius the Athonite is typical: "Take care that the brethren have everything in common. No one must own as much as a needle. Your body and soul shall be your own, and nothing else. Everything must be shared equally with love between all your spiritual children, brethren and fathers." The second form is called idiorhythmic in which the monks or nuns pray together liturgically, but work and eat individually or in small groups. In this type of monasticim the persons may even psalmodize and do the offices separately, coming together only for the Eucharistic Liturgy, and even then, perhaps, only on certain occasions. Finally, there is the eremitic type of monasticism where the individual monks or nuns are actually hermits, also called anchorites or recluses. They live in total individual seclusion and never join in the liturgical prayer of the community, except again perhaps on the most solemn occasions. In the rarest of cases it may even happen that the holy Eucharist is brought to the monk or nun who remains perpetually alone.

The Monastic Ranks

The Orthodox monastic tradition has four classic ranks that apply equally to men and women. The first step is that of novice (Greek:δόκιμος), which in church terminology is called the rank of obedience. At this first stage the candidate for monastic profession simply lives in the monastery under the direction of a spiritual father or mother. There is no formal ceremony for the clothing of a novice, he or she simply receives permission to wear the clothing of a novice. In the Eastern monastic tradition, novices, may or may not dress in the black inner cassock (Greek: Anterion [Αντερίον], Esorason [Εσώρασον], Slavonic: Podriasnik) and wear the soft monastic hat (Greek: Skoufos, Slavonic:Skufia), depending on the tradition of the local community, and in accordance to the Abbot's directives. In some communities, the novice also wears the leather belt. Monks are given a prayer rope and instructed in the use of the Jesus Prayer.

If a novice chooses to leave during the period of the novitiate, no penalty is incurred. He may also be asked to leave at any time if his behavior does not conform to the monastic life, or if the superior discerns that he is not called to monasticism. When the Abbot or Abbess(Egoumenos or Egoumenissa) deems the novice is ready, he is asked if he wishes to join the monastery. Some, out of humility, will choose to remain novices all their lives. Every stage of the monastic life must be entered into voluntarily.

Rasophore (Greek: ρασοφόρος, rasophoros; Slavonic: ryasofor), lit. "Robe-bearer"-- If the novice continues on to become a monk, he is clothed in the first degree of monasticism at a service at which he receives the tonsure. Although there are no formal vows made at this point, the candidate is normally required to affirm his commitment to persevere in the monastic life. The Abbot (Egoumenos) will then perform the tonsure, cutting a small amount of hair from four spots on the head, forming a cross. He is then given the outer robe with wide sleeves, from which the name Rassophoros is derived. He is also given a kamilavkion, a cylindrical brimless hat, which is covered with a veil called an epanokamelavkion. (These are separate items in the Greek tradition; in the Russian tradition the two are stitched together and collectively called a klobuk.) If he has not previously received it, a leather belt is fastened around his waist. His habit is usually black, signifying that he is now dead to the world and he receives a new name.

Although the Rassophoros does not make formal vows, he is still morally obligated to continue in the monastic estate for the rest of his life. Some will remain Rossophoroi permanently without going on to the higher degrees.

Stavrophore (Greek: σταυροφόρος, stavrophoros; Slavonic: krestonosets), lit. "Cross-bearer"--- The next level for Eastern Orthodox monastics takes place some years after when the Abbot (Egoumenos) feels the monk has reached an appropriate level of discipline, dedication and humility. This degree is also known as the Little Schema, and is thought of as a "betrothal" to the Great Schema. At this stage, the monk makes formal vows of stability of place, chastity, obedience and poverty. Then he is tonsured and clothed in the habit, which in addition to that worn by the Rassophoroi, include the paramandyas (Greek: παραμανδύας; Slavonic: paraman), a piece of square cloth worn on the back, embroidered with the instruments of the Passion, and connected by ties to a wooden cross worn over the heart. The paramandyas represents the yoke of Christ. Because of this addition he is now called Stavrophoros, or Cross-bearer. He is also given a wooden hand cross (or "profession cross"), which he should keep in his icon corner, and a beeswax candle, symbolic of monastic vigilance the sacrificing of himself for God. He will be buried holding the cross, and the candle will be burned at his funeral. In the Slavonic practice, the Stavrophore also wears the monastic mantle, which symbolizes 40 days of the Lord's fasting on the Mountain of Temptation. The rasson worn by the Stavrophore is more ample than that worn by the Rassophore.

After the ceremony, the newly-tonsured Stavrophore will remain in vigil in the church for five days, refraining from all work, except spiritual reading. Currently, this vigil is often reduced to three days. The Egoumenos (Abbot) increases the Stavrophore monk's prayer rule, allows a more strict personal ascetic practice, and gives the monk more responsibility.

Great Schema

Great Schema (Greek: μεγαλόσχημος, megaloschemos; Slavonic: Schima)--Monks whose Egoumenoi (Abbots) feel they have reached a high level of spiritual excellence reach the final stage, called the Great Schema. The tonsure of a Schemamonk or Schemanun follows the same format as the Stavrophore, and he makes the same vows and is tonsured in the same manner. But in addition to all the garments worn by the Stavrophore, he is given the analavos (Slavonic: analav) which is the article of monastic vesture emblematic of the Great Schema. For this reason, the analavos itself is sometimes itself called the "Great Schema." It drapes over the shoulders and hangs down in front and in back, with the front portion somewhat longer, and is embroidered with the instruments of the Passion and the Trisagion (i.e., the Cross of Calvary, spear, reed, sponge, skull and Adam's cross-bones and Peter's cock.) The Greek form does not have a hood, the Slavonic form has a hood and lappets on the shoulders, so that the garment forms a large cross covering the monk's shoulders, chest, and back. Another piece added is the Polystavrion (Πολυσταύριον, "Many Crosses"), which consists of a cord with a number of small crosses plaited into it. The polystavrion forms a yoke around the monk and serves to hold the analavos in place, and reminds the monastic that he is bound to Christ and that his arms are no longer fit for worldly activities, but that he must labor only for the Kingdom of Heaven. Among the Greeks, the mantle is added at this stage. The paramandyas of the Megaloschemos is larger than that of the Stavrophoros, and if he wears the klobuk, it is of a distinctive thimble shape, called a koukoulion, the veil of which is usually embroidered with crosses.

The Schemamonk also shall remain some days in vigil in the church. On the eighth day after Tonsure, there is a special service for the "Removal of the Koukoulion".

In some monastic traditions the Great Schema is never given or is only given to monks and nuns on their death bed, while in others, e.g., the cenobitic monastaries on Mount Athos, it is common to tonsure a monastic into the Great Schema only 3 years after commencing the monastic life.

In Russia and some other traditions, when a bearer of some monastic title acquires the Great Schema, his title incorporates the word "schema". For example, a hieromonk of Great Schema is called hieroschemamonk, archimandrite becomes schema-archimandrite, hegumen - schema-hegumen, etc.

[The Orthodox attitude towards monasticism is best summed up in the collect of the Prodigal Son with which the ceremony of profession opens: (The monk here is a penitent,)

Make haste to open Thy Fatherly arms Unto me who have wasted my life like the prodigal Despise not a heart now grown poor O Savior, Who hast before Thine eyes The boundless riches of Thy mercies. For unto Thee, O Lord, in compunction do I cry: O Father, I have sinned against heaven and before Thee.

[and the verse which is chanted during the clothing: (The monk here is the betrothed of God.)

My soul shall rejoice in the Lord; for He hath Put on me the garment of salvation, and with the Tunic of gladness hath he clothed me. He hath put Upon me a crown as upon a bridegroom, and as a Bride hath he adorned me with an ornament.

In the Orthodox Tradition there is no prescribed length of time that a person must remain in one or another of the monastic ranks. This is so because of the radically personal character of the vocation. Thus, some persons may progress rapidly to profession, while others may take years, and still others may never be formally professed while still remaining within the monastic community. The decision in these matters is made individually in each case by the spiritual director and the head of the community.

All Christians are obligated to keep the Lord's commandments, but this requires effort. Fallen human nature, enslaved by its passions is reluctant to fulfill this obligation. It seeks pleasure and avoids the pain involved in fighting the passions and selfishness. The monastic life is so arranged as to facilitate this work. On the other hand the worldly life, particularly in our secular society, makes it harder to be an ascetic. The problem for the Christian in the world is that he is called upon to reach the same goal under adverse conditions.

Source: http://saintandrewgoc.org/home/2012/5/2/types-of-monasticism-in-the-orthodox-church.html

Archpriest Andrew Lemeshonok, the spiritual father of St. Elisabeth Convent, answers various questions of the parishioners.

Is it viable to struggle with the sin "little by little" or I should take a more radical approach?

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above (James 1: 17). It seems to me that you're on the right track. If you have to fill a bucket with a spoon, do it tirelessly. Praise the Lord that you can see your limitations. More often than not, an individual draws a full bucket and then it turns out that he cannot carry it. Naturally, there will be a point in time when you have to act bravely. It will not be a question of your personal choice or calculating your resources. It will be the question of whether you trust God or not.

Currently, you are in the process of becoming a Christian, and first you need to spend some time in the elementary school. You can't simply jump from the first grade into the twelfth grade. People make many mistakes when they try to act like Holy Fathers and love the haters and the offenders. Of course, it is the right thing to do in principle; this is what Jesus Christ has taught us, but this is not what you can do. If you don't respond to evil with evil, if you are able to curb your feelings, it will already be a great triumph. He who treads softly goes far. May God help you to continue your journey and to grow spiritually, becoming more mature. God will always be near.

How do I deal with hypocrites, and what do I do if I use swear-words, even though I'm a Christian?

The whole world lieth in wickedness (1 John 5:19). We cannot escape sorrows in this world. Swearing is unacceptable, of course. Of the abundance of the heart your mouth speaketh (cf. Luke 6:45). That's why you ought to be attentive and exert self-control. If you swear unintentionally, punish yourself by making several dozen prostrations, for example. It helps.

As far as dealing with insincere people is concerned... Yes, there are insincere people around, and you can spot them. First of all, we shouldn't judge them. Our own perception may fail us. If your heart tells you that they are hypocritical (and your heart may be right sometimes), you should limit pointless interactions with such people, especially since your soul is discomfited by their dishonesty. Certainly, we should charge ourselves with doing what we can to accept such people as they are. Until we have not yet reached the measure of the love of Christ... with the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward (cf. Ps. 18: 26, 27).

We are very volatile by nature. Someone may be praising you today and looking at you favourably. On the spur of the moment, something happens, and that person changes his opinion, turns against you and starts criticising you. You shouldn't rely on their unfaltering truth and honesty. You should be aware of the fact that all men are liars (Ps. 116:11), including me. That's why you have to pay more attention to your own personality, to your own innermost. Only those who are trained not to be too enthusiastic and emotional about anything; only those who know that each person has his positive and negative traits; only those who do their best to understand and accept others, will enjoy stable relationships and be able to bear each other's burdens, to forgive, and to serve our neighbour.

There is a prayer to Hieromartyr Cyprian asking for his help in the battle against the evil spirits. How should I treat it?

Hieromartyr Cyprian is a great saint. The example of his conversion to God, his ministry, and his martyrdom reveal his noble spirit. The prayer you are referring to is a good prayer, it is blessed by the Church, but it is not suitable for everyone. When there is a war going on inside one's heart, and a weak-spirited person attempts to fight and drive away the devil using this prayer; when the said person is exposed to the evil powers, that impressionable person may go astray, led by his feelings. It may appear to that person that he fights and drives the enemy away but sometimes it is merely an illusion. I'd rather ask God for help using Jesus Prayer, Hail Mary, Akathists to the Mother of God, St Nicholas the Wonderworker, and St Spyridon of Trimythous. We needn't fight the enemy. He is already defeated by the power of the Cross. He does not have any power or strength. And yet he wants us to be thinking about him all the time. He wants us to be scared and to be looking for him everywhere. We should rather be looking for God, our Guardian Angels, and the saints whose lives inspire us to lead a new God-fearing life. This life is beautiful. That is why I'd rather think of the good and pure things and subjects and pay less attention to the dark side.

January 31, 2018

St. Elisabeth Convent

I’ve heard many times over the years, “It’s too hard for my kids” when someone brings up the topic of fasting and children. Let’s consider for a moment our children’s education. I don’t know of any parent who would present a college math textbook to their toddler and expect them to be able to work the problems in the book – let alone with perfection. We all understand that higher level math is beyond the abilities of a small child, but at the same time it doesn’t mean that we hold off on teaching our children math concepts. We have a goal and through the years we feed them little bits at a time in order to help them make progress towards that goal. Many of us will start out by counting snaps on a onesie in an attempt to calm a squirming baby as we re-dress them. As they get older, we count aloud the steps on a set of stairs as we help them learn to go up and down them. Later we’ll have them hold up their fingers showing their age and listen to them as they mimic us counting out loud. Math is a part of our children’s lives from a very young age. We wouldn’t dream of limiting our children to stories about mathematicians, letting them put together puzzles about math, completing crossword puzzles of math definitions, let them explore and play with manipulatives, bring them to watch mathematicians completing equations and then consider our children prepared for taking a college entrance exam or even prepared for life on their own. Are any of these efforts wrong in and of themselves? No. Are these methods alone going to enable them to reach the goal of understanding AND being able to solve an equation on their own? Probably not.

What is the key difference? Participation. Think of how much prep we do with them before we even begin to think about introducing the simplest of equations to them. We guide our children through ever increasingly more difficult levels of math and then we explain to them how to work an equation when the time is right. We start off by teaching them how to solve simple equations on their own such as 2 + 2 = 4. Holding off on teaching math through participation simply because the end goal is too difficult for young children is only going to make learning math harder for our child in the long run. Can you imagine our child sitting down in a college classroom and the professor asking why the student cannot complete the simplest of equations? Our child would respond, “Well…I’ve been around math all my life but I’ve never actually tried working on or completing any math problems. My parents thought it would be too hard for me, so they told me to wait until I was older.” The “catch up” factor for our children would be overwhelming!

The same is true about teaching our children to be Orthodox Christians. If we do not introduce them to living their faith from a young age, it will become increasingly foreign and overwhelming to them as they get older. There is a rhythm to our ecclesiastical year that involves participation from young and old alike. Within this rhythm we are taught not only about our faith but are also shown how to live it. This is the important part – we need to live our faith every single day in the manner in which we are capable of at that very moment.

Here are some ideas when approaching Great Lent this year:

*As always, please talk to your parish priest or spiritual father for individual or family guidance. These are simply ideas to discuss with your priest from one parent sharing her journey to the next parent.

Fasting

Every family will have their own unique circumstances when it comes to fasting – medical conditions, mom’s pregnant, financial situations, new to Orthodoxy, special needs children or family member, odd work hours, etc. Keep this in mind, especially if you are at the beginning of your journey with fasting. Make the transitions small and gradual for your children (and yourself, as the case may be) but always progressing towards the end goal.

- Give your child(ren) a scoop of whatever fasting foods you’ve made for yourself along with the rest of their meal. This way, the fasting foods are not foreign to them and you are simply supplementing the meal with a bit of meat or dairy until you feel they are ready to take the next step.

- Consider having your children eat vegetarian on Wednesdays and Fridays during Lent and all of Holy Week.

- Consider having your children eat vegetarian for all of Lent.

- Consider having your children eat vegan for Wednesdays and Fridays during Lent.

You know your child best. Think about where you and your family are at on your spiritual journey. How much are you and your children fasting now? What can your family do to take the next step forward this Lent?

Almsgiving

Part of fasting is learning discipline and self control – learning to tell ourselves we cannot have everything we desire. This is especially important for children who tend to want everything that catches their eye. Fasting teaches kids moderation as well as they need to be patient and wait for something. It builds strength!

Another part of fasting is spending less money on food and giving that money to those in need. (The foods we are asked to abstain from have traditionally been the expensive foods – meat, oil, dairy) In this respect, substituting cow milk with non-dairy milk, which costs the same amount or more, negates our ability to give more to those in need. It’s not about finding substitutions in order to avoid going without our favorite foods. It’s about sacrifice. It’s not strictly about rules. (Although, they are there for a reason.) It’s about seeing the needs of others before your own wants and desires. It’s about going without in order to give more.

Growing up, my parents had us put our OCMC mission boxes in the middle of our kitchen table and that is where we collected our money to give to others. With my own children, we put a jar in the middle of our kitchen table and collect money throughout Lent. We have given the money to various people and places throughout the years but it’s always been something we decide as a family. We work towards a common goal during Lent and my kids know that in order to help others, we do not buy all of our favorite foods for awhile. It’s all the more special for them on Pascha when they take that first bite of meat and chocolate.

Almsgiving is also about giving more of one’s time. Do grandma and grandpa need help with some yard work or cleaning because it’s hard for them to do themselves these days? Is there a shut-in in your parish? Bring your kids to visit them along with a coffee and dessert to share with this person. You would bring such joy to these people along with teaching your children about compassion and kindness!

Prayer

I talk about prayer within our family in greater detail here. It was a presentation I gave for a webinar several years ago.

My spiritual father once told me, “You need to start where you’re at. If making the sign of the cross before you go to bed is all you can do, then that’s where you start. Don’t compare yourself to others. Start – now – and move forward.”

- Include all of your kids for family bedtime prayers. Keep the prayers short to start until your kids can handle something longer. For example, teach them the Jesus Prayer – “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me a sinner” or simply “Lord have mercy”.

- Start by saying a meal prayer before dinner every night. With time, expand to saying prayers before every meal.

- While pregnant, trace the sign of the cross over your belly every morning as you get ready for your day.

- For babies, help them to make the sign of the cross by guiding their hand to their forehead, shoulders, and chest during your family prayers.

- Trace the sign of the cross over your sleeping child’s forehead as you check on them at night before going to sleep yourself.

- Turn off the radio and ask your kids to help you say a prayer as you drive by an accident.

Attending Church Services

I fully understand that it can be hard taking little ones to church sometimes. From this mom who was determined to bring five boys under the age of five (four of them with special needs!) to church every Sunday – even when my husband was on business trips – I get how difficult it can be sometimes!!! I do.

But…every Sunday morning, I’d hear my mom’s words whispering in my ear, “Kids learn to be in church by being in church.” Those beginning years were rough, but with time…my boys learned to be engaged in the service more often than with each other.

During Lent, my husband and I decide which extra services we’re going to attend as a family. What are your goals this Lent? Attend one Lenten service with your kids? Attend one of each of the different services? Attend one service each week? Attend one Holy Week service? Attend all of the evening Holy Week services? Attend all of Holy Friday and Pascha?

Holy Confession

As a child, I vividly remember sitting in the back of the church with my mom and brothers as we watched my dad from afar going to confession in the front of the church, as we each waited quietly for our own turn.

There’s something about seeing your parents with watery eyes and beaming smiles on their faces as they walk towards you after confession. There’s something about going together as a family – knowing that you are participating in something your parents find important. There’s something about going home and savoring the joy amongst everyone in your family.

“The religious education of children is mainly brought about by example, and by the atmosphere of love and prayer in the home.” (Sister Magdalen, Children in the Church Today)

“You can only teach that which you have made your own…” (Sophie Koulomzin, Our Church & Our Children)

By Jennifer Hock

Source: http://illumination-learning.com/main/2015/02/14/living-our-faith-its-too-hard-for-my-kids/

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3 Answers from Father Andrew: How Do I Deal with Hypocrites?

Is Fasting too Hard for my Kids?

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