The Catalog of Good Deeds

By Fr. Demetrius Basalygo

We must turn back to this anticipation — the genuine anticipation of the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Without it, we are not Christians yet. We are still far from being Christians if we don’t look forward to meeting Christ.

I have always been amazed at the words of the Creed, “I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.” “Looking for” means actively seeking and anticipating something. That is what we have lost: this yearning and anticipation of the Second Coming of Christ. We are afraid of the events that will allegedly precede it.

The Church has always felt and professed that She is on the road and travelling. Our final destination is the eternal life and the Kingdom of God. We must turn back to this anticipation — the genuine anticipation of the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Without it, we are not Christians yet. We are still far from being Christians if we don’t look forward to meeting Christ, to the resurrection of the dead and the restoration of the human nature. The human nature must not just be restored but also transformed together with the entire world. If that is not our goal, are we really Christians?

(Sermon after a Divine Liturgy on September 1, 2017)

***

The Lord tells us, No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, neither do men put new wine into old bottles: for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Likewise, the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved. (cf. Matthew 9: 16, 17). This parable allegorically refers to the faith. You cannot put pieces of Gospel cloth to your past life. You cannot add the Good News of the Gospel to your own mental representation of God. It’s impossible. We must open our hearts to the Gospel and the teaching of the Church in its totality, even if we don’t understand much. Instead, we are looking for the solutions to our problems, peace in our souls, or a resolution of some daily issues, and that’s when we turn to God. There are so many people who are disappointed after they turn to Christ with hope! The reason why they are disappointed lies in this story. We find it unachievable to open our hearts to Christ, accept the Gospel in its entirety, and trust the doctrine of the Church as the new life. That’s why we are heading towards a dead-end. The Lord keeps saying that to each one of us. It is vital that we realise that only in unity with God and with all other people through God can we be able to preserve the new wine of the Kingdom of God.

(Sermon after a Divine Liturgy on June 16, 2017)

***

The Lord came into this world to show us a new way of life — the eternal life — and to allow us the entry into the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is not a physical location. First of all, it’s where God and man stay together, where all people are open-hearted and joined by love, trust, and fidelity. The Lord came to give us a life without limits and bring us into this life. There are so many issues in this fallen world that divide us, e.g., race, nationality, social status, gender, and occupation. The Lord tells us that our individuality must unite, rather than divide, us. He does not just call us to unity: He has brought us into that unity through the Sacrament of Communion. He unites us with himself and thanks to this unity we can have communion, love, and unity with all the rest. We must thank God for everything that He does.

(Sermon after a Divine Liturgy on June 23, 2017)

By Fr. Alexander Pashkovsky

When we try to touch the hearts of our neighbours and friends to reveal to them what the Lord has revealed to us, we must be aware of the fact that something might be too challenging for them, at least for now. That’s why we’d better stop talking too much, and start praying for them and showing them the good example of our lives. Our prayers are much more powerful and efficient than our words. Especially since we don’t have enough humility when we say those words. We have too much pride and too little love.

(Sermon after a Divine Liturgy on November 1, 2017)

By Fr. Eugene Pavelchuk

Do you remember the story of the woman diseased with an issue of blood who first consulted all doctors and traditional healers and when nothing helped called unto God? We do the same: instead of walking straight to our Helper, we tread from one place to another and struggle with many difficulties. Regrettably, our hearts don’t see the right way and don’t humble down until we go through all those battles. The main stumbling block is our pride that makes us blind and rigid, drowns us into the vanity of this world and drives us into the abyss. The Lord says, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole (Matthew 9: 22). He tells it to all of us, not just that woman: Be of good comfort; be brave; realise that you cannot do anything without God — not even make a single step, to say nothing of reaching the Kingdom of God.

***

Many people say, “I haven’t taken communion for a long time because I feel that I’m not ready yet. I haven’t prepared myself to go and partake of the Chalice.” What do you mean by being ready? Imagine if I or someone else read everything and observe all fasting routines, and did everything that is required, and then say, “I’m ready,” and then go and take communion. Is a person who feels that he deserves the Chalice really worthy of communion? Of course not. Hence, canons, prayers, and fasts are a means to the goal of beholding your ineptitude and impotency. Even if an individual does not read some of the mandatory prayers but he realizes that without communion he would not be able to pull through with his life, he may ask, “O Lord, please accept the weak and powerless person that I am.” If you have the courage to do so, I don’t think it will harm or kill you. (Sermon after a Divine Liturgy on November 19, 2017)

By Fr. Valery Zakharov

The Heavenly Kingdom… The only thing that you must do is not to judge anyone. How do you pull the beam out of your eye and not see the mote in your neighbour’s eye? Do you have to fall to do so? It is through falling that the Lord leads one to recognise his weaknesses and sins. The kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17: 21), and that’s where we ought to look. We should keep our eyes on our own souls and keep them clean. If someone falls into a sin, it is the Lord leading him through the road that He only knows, to make him repent and admit his worthlessness, and not for us to pass judgement on that person. It is useful for him but pernicious for us. How do we learn at last that we are not judges? There is the Righteous Judge, and He knows why things happen. Furthermore, one’s actions do not determine one’s intentions; we don’t know what causes other people to do this or that and what makes them act in a certain way. Only the Lord can judge humans. We should pray to God on our own behalf and on behalf of other people, so that we could be able not to condemn those people and they could improve. The Lord says, Ask and you shall receive (Matthew 7: 7).

(Sermon after the Divine Liturgy in the Boarding Home for Children with Special Needs on June 17, 2017)

By Fr. George Glinsky

If someone calls himself a Christian but remains supine (while he must be filled with the power of God), he becomes salt that lost its power. If someone consents to injustice and tolerates it; if someone is eager to justify injustices and turn a blind eye to them as if nothing happens, eventually it will become an avalanche that topples his life and shows his true attitude towards other people and events. We forget that the Lord sends us forth like sheep in the midst of wolves, as we’ve heard in the Gospel passage today. He was sent by his Heavenly Father to stay away from injustices, falsehoods, iniquities, and sins but at the same time to participate in the lives of human beings and to lift them up to the heaven. He entered this world with the fiery force of love. He triumphed over the sin and death and opened the door to the Heavenly Kingdom for us. He is the ultimate model for us.

(Sermon after the All-Night Vigil on November 7, 2017)

By Fr. Andrew Malakhovsky

We must be comforted by hope. The sorrows that we encounter in our lives, make us stronger and more powerful. They are like a blacksmith who forges us into a sword. A piece of iron will be hammered several dozen times before it becomes a useful thing.

Similarly, the Lord has to test a person time and time again by sorrows, hardships, and illnesses, until he finally becomes a clear image of God.

We should accompany all our actions with prayer because prayer is a way to have a conversation with God. It foreshadows the Kingdom of God. A man is known by the company he keeps. If we talk with God, we will become godly, albeit very slowly. If we give up prayer, we will spin like a spinning top: although we would have plenty of time, it would be meaningless. That is why the saints advise us to rejoice in hope; be patient in tribulation; continue instant in prayer. May the Lord help us to carry it out in our lives.

(Sermon after the Divine Liturgy in the Boarding Home for the Mentally Challenged on November 3, 2017)

***

May the Lord help us to remember that we are called by God to travel on the spiritual field. The Lord wants us to perform spiritual actions. He manages the rest of our lives. Things that occur may not come about as or when we would like them to: instead, things happen when God allows them to happen and to the extent that He considers to be useful for us. This is why if one learns to rejoice in this life and give thanks to God, his life will be full of spiritual joy here on earth.

(Sermon after the Divine Liturgy in the Boarding Home for the Mentally Challenged on November 10, 2017)

By Fr. Sergius Faley

You see, when you do something good, you may catch yourself thinking, “I don’t need any money. I just want someone to praise me.” You want someone to thank you, to appreciate what you did, and to let others know about it. Ultimately, it is no different from conceit and self-interest. So if you want to work for the glory of God, brace up for insults and alienation for all the good that you do.

(Sermon after the All-Night Vigil on November 11, 2017)

February 20, 2018

St. Elisabeth Convent

In the seven weeks approaching Pascha, the Orthodox fast and pray during a season that we call, “Lent.” Lent is a practice that has been part of the Orthodox tradition for thousands of years. Let’s discover what Lent is, and learn a little more about its long historical development.

Great Lent

We can divide Eastern Orthodox Lent into three basic periods:

The Pre-Lenten Period, the three preparatory Sundays (the Publican and the Pharisee, the Prodigal Son, and the Last Judgment), followed by a preliminary week of partial fasting, and ending with the Sunday of Forgiveness;

The Forty Days of the Great Fast, beginning on Monday in the first week (or, more exactly, at Sunday Vespers on the evening before), and ending with the Ninth Hour (3pm) on Friday in the sixth week; and

Holy and Great Week, preceded by the Saturday of Lazarus and Palm Sunday.

The third of these three periods, the Paschal fast of Holy Week, is the most ancient, for it was already in existence during the second and third centuries. The fast of forty days is mentioned in sources from the first half of the fourth century onwards. The pre-Lenten period developed latest of all: the earliest references to a preliminary week of partial fasting are in the sixth or seventh century, but the observance of the other three preparatory Sundays did not become universal in the East until the tenth or eleventh century.

The Development of the Lenten Fast

The Paschal Fast in the second and third centuries

In the second century it was the custom for Christians in both East and West to observe, immediately before Easter Sunday, a short fast of one or two days, either on Saturday only or on Friday and Saturday together. This was specifically a Paschal fast in preparation for the service of Easter night. It was a fast of sorrow at the absence of the Bridegroom, in fulfilment of Christ's own words: “But the days will come, when the Bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days” (Mark 2: 20). The fast, whether of one or two days, was in principle a total one, without any food or drink being taken at all. (Today Fasting during Lent indicates abstinence from animal and dairy products, a total fast is sometimes undertaken on Great Friday if health permits)

By the middle of the third century, this Paschal fast had in many places been extended to embrace the entire week from Monday to Saturday. There was, however, no uniformity of practice, and some Christians fasted for less than the full six days. Only a few can have managed to keep a total fast throughout the whole period. In some places it was the practice to eat bread and salt, with water, at the ninth hour (3 p.m.) on the four days from Monday until Thursday, and then to keep, if possible, a total fast on Friday and Saturday; but not all the faithful were as strict as this. In this six-day Paschal fast may be seen the distant origins of Holy Week; but the developed ritual to which we are accustomed, with special commemorations on each day of the week, is not found until the late fourth century. During the pre-Nicene period, there seems to have been a unitary celebration of Christ's death and rising, considered as a single mystery, at the Paschal vigil lasting from Saturday evening until Easter Sunday morning. Friday was kept as a fast in preparation for this vigil, but it had not as yet become a distinct and specific commemoration of the Crucifixion; the Cross and the Resurrection were celebrated together during Easter night.

The Fast of Forty Days

There is no evidence of a forty-day fast in the pre-Nicene period. The first explicit reference to such a fast is in Canon 5 of the Council of Nicaea (325), where it is treated as something familiar and established, not as an innovation on the part of the Council. By the end of the fourth century the observance of a forty-day fast seems to have been the standard practice in most parts of Christendom, but in some places – possibly including Rome – a shorter fast may have been kept.

This forty-day fast, found in evidence from the fourth century onwards, differs somewhat in scope and character from the one-week fast of the pre-Nicene period, and the precise relationship between the two is not easy to determine. It is, however, clear that whereas the pre-Nicene fast was specifically a Paschal observance in preparation for Easter, the forty-day fast was connected more particularly with the final preparation of the catechumens for the sacrament of Baptism or “illumination”. In the weeks before their baptismal initiation, the candidates underwent a period of intensive training, with daily instruction, special services and fasting. The existing members of the church community were encouraged to share with the catechumens in this prayer and abstinence, thus renewing year by year their baptismal dedication to Christ. So the forty-day fast came to involve the whole body of the faithful, and not just those preparing for Baptism.

Lent, as we know it, is thus the result of a convergence between these two elements—between the six-day pre-Nicene fast, which was directly in preparation for Easter, and the forty-day post-Nicene fast, which originally formed part of the training of candidates for Baptism. It was natural that these two elements should become fused into a single observance, for they both have the same endpoint—the night of Holy Saturday. The Paschal vigil on this night, in celebration of the death, burial and rising of Christ, was for obvious reasons chosen as the occasion for administering Baptism; for this sacrament is precisely an initiation into the Lord's Cross and His Resurrection (see Romans 6:3-4).

The choice of the number forty for the days of Lent has obvious Biblical precedents. The people of Israel spent forty years in the wilderness (Exod. 16: 35); Moses remained fasting for forty days on Mount Sinai (Exod. 34: 28); Elijah abstained from all food for forty days as he journeyed to Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8). Most important of all, Christ fasted for forty days and forty nights in the wilderness, tempted by the devil (Matt. 4:1).

The Completion of the Pattern

During the sixth to eleventh centuries, the season of pre-Lenten preparation was gradually expanded to include three other preliminary Sundays: the “Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee”, ten weeks before Easter; following it, the “Sunday of the Prodigal Son”; and then the “Sunday of the Last Judgment” immediately before the beginning of “Cheese Week” (a week of partial fasting when meat is no longer eaten but dairy products are still eaten). Together with the “Sunday of Forgiveness” (also known as “Cheesefare”; this enables us to enter Lent having forgiven others their offences towards us) at the end of “Cheese Week”, this makes four preliminary Sundays in all. In this way the full pattern of the Lenten season was completed.

Lent Today

Today in most parts of the Church there is no organised catechumenate, and it is customary to administer Baptism on many other occasions besides the night of Holy Saturday; yet the baptismal significance of Lent has still a living importance. For every member of the Christian community, Lent is a time of spiritual training and renewed illumination. It is a time to realise afresh that, by virtue of our baptismal initiation, we are crucified, buried and risen with Christ; it is a time to reapply to ourselves the words of St. Paul, “I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2: 20). It is a time for the Orthodox to listen more closely to the voice of the Spirit in whom we were sealed at our Chrismation (Confirmation), immediately after our “burial” in the baptismal waters.

Differences between the West and the East in their observation of Lent

At Rome Holy Week was included as part of the forty days. However, in calculating the number forty all Sundays were excluded from the reckoning, Sundays being considered feast days. This produced a six-week fast of six days in each week, constituting a total of thirty-six days. To make up the full measure of forty days, four further days of fasting were then added at the beginning, with the result that Lent in the West commences on a Wednesday (Ash Wednesday). Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, was a day when Christians made a special point of self-examination consulting with their spiritual Father on matters requiring repentance and amendment. The word “shrove” means to hear a person’s acknowledgement of sin and assure of forgiveness. The term survives in ordinary usage in the expression “short shrift” by which we mean: paying little attention to a person’s excuses or problems. The day was also for thrifty housewives to use up fat and dairy produce by making pancakes so preparing for the Lenten fast.

At Constantinople, on the other hand, Holy Week - together with the Saturday of Lazarus and Palm Sunday - was not regarded as part of the forty-day fast in the strict sense. At Vespers on Friday evening in the sixth week, immediately preceding the Saturday of Lazarus, the distinction between the forty days and Holy Week is very clearly marked in the existing text of the Triodion: Fasting did of course continue during Holy Week!

“Having completed the forty days that bring profit to our soul, we beseech Thee in Thy love for man: grant us also to behold the Holy Week of Thy Passion...”

(Sticheron from Great Lent season)

Thus the forty days began on the first Monday in Lent and ended on Friday in the sixth week; then came Lazarus Saturday, Palm Sunday and Holy Week, which, while distinct from the forty days, were treated as part of the Lenten Fast in the broader sense. In this way the forty days and Holy Week together constituted a fast of seven weeks. So it is that Lent begins on Ash Wednesday in Western Christendom, while commencing in the East two days earlier on Monday.

“Fasting, neither above nor below your ability, will help you in your vigil. One should not ponder divine matters on a full stomach, say the ascetics. For the well-fed, even the most superficial secrets of the Trinity lie hidden. Christ Himself set the example with His long fast; when He drove out the devil He had fasted for forty days. Are we better than He? Behold angels came and ministered to Him (Matthew 4:11) they are waiting to minister to you too.”

(Tito Colliander, Way of the Ascetics)

Source: https://www.thegoodshepherd.org.au/history-of-lent

In an absorbing interview, Dr. James Skedros, Cantonis Professor of Byzantine Studies and Professor of Early Christianity at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts, leads us into the tumultuous world of Byzantine warfare to examine Orthodox views on war and peace, the veneration of military saints in the Christian Roman Empire, and what the Byzantine experience can teach our own turbulent times.

RTE: Dr. Skedros, before we discuss the veneration of Byzantine military saints, would you begin by describing how military activity was viewed in the Christian Roman Empire?

DR. SKEDROS: Military activity was a dominant and constant aspect of the East Roman Empire. Not that Byzantine society was militaristic in the way that ancient Spartan culture was, but rather, as an imperial power with enemies on all of its borders, the Byzantines were constantly at war. The Byzantine State was very large—at its height it covered nearly as much territory as that of the imperial Roman Empire. Its borders were vulnerable and the Byzantines always seemed to be prosecuting some sort of war—whether for defensive purposes, for retaliation, trying to regain land, or all of the above. War was a recurring event. Byzantium emerged from the late Roman world where an organized professional military was part and parcel of society. Further, like their ancient predecessors and medieval contemporaries, the Byzantines took advantage of any means possible to defend themselves—not only direct military action, but also through political and economic means, the creation of alliances, hiring of mercenaries, the paying of tribute to keep enemies at bay, and arranging of inter-dynastic marriages. Then there was this incredible secret weapon—so secret that we still don’t know exactly what it was made of—Greek fire.

The Byzantines also had great tactical minds. They produced treatises and handbooks on warfare and military tactics and they had an incredible foundation of Roman soldiery that stays with them throughout all of their eleven-hundred-year history. They also have a well-organized bureaucracy of negotiation: sending diplomats here, marrying a member of the imperial family off to create an alliance, paying 30,000 gold coins a year, for example, to enemies such as the Bulgarians to obtain a thirty-year truce, particularly when they are defending multiple borders at the same time. They are always thinking, planning, dealing with, and guarding their borders. The question is, to what extent does war trickle down into the provinces or the hinterland? If you are living in Asia Minor, in Cappadocia for example, it may very well be that from the third century to the Arab raids of the seventh century, you have three or four hundred years of relative peace. Do people in the center of such peaceful areas have a kind of Pax Romana period? I don’t have a sense that the experience of war is trickling down to everyone, but as a state apparatus, Byzantines are always, if not actively at war, certainly aware that war is on the horizon. The borders, however, were always vulnerable.

RTE: I wonder if this period of Cappadocian peace is similar to our situation in North America, where over the past century we have participated in distant wars, but not at home on our own soil. For them, like us, there were probably intermittent drafts, and certainly taxes for defense.

DR. SKEDROS: Yes, particularly during the Macedonian Dynasty, roughly the 9th, 10th, and early 11th centuries, it is estimated that nearly three quarters of the budget was spent on military activity. This is a rebirth, the attempt of Byzantium to regain territory, and a period where you have a succession of military rulers who themselves went out and fought in battle.

RTE: To modern ears, paying invaders such as the Bulgarians a yearly retainer to maintain a thirty-year truce seems almost dishonorable, but in context it was extremely shrewd because they saved both lives and money and could concentrate their military endeavors on other borders, such as during the Persian or Arab invasions. Geographically, they were extremely vulnerable.

DR. SKEDROS: It also speaks to the wealth of an empire that has the resources to fight on one front while paying off the other.

RTE: As a Christian empire, how would the Byzantines have looked at war? We hear of pacifist writings in early centuries. Did that change after the Roman Empire became Christian?

DR. SKEDROS: Already in early Christianity there seems to be a tension between those who support war and those who reject it wholesale. When you look outside of the New Testament texts, you hear pacifist voices at the end of the second century. By the beginning or middle of the third century, you find statements like, “Christians shouldn’t be involved in the military,” which suggests that they were in the military. It seems that the biggest challenge for Christians who served in the Roman army before Constantine, as seen also in the lives of military saints, is not so much the concern over killing in battle, but the question of whether or not a Christian can or should participate in the various pagan rituals associated with being a member of the military. Having said that, I think you can find post-New Testament Christian authors who, if not 100% pacifist, are pacifistic voices. By the fourth century you have a Christian emperor, and a slow shift towards a Christian empire that still needs to be defended. The New Testament reads very much as if Christ and the early Church are against violence, so why haven’t Christians become out-and-out pacifists? Is it because they are realists and see that evil in the world needs to be confronted, or have they somehow sold out?

Read full interview here:

http://www.roadtoemmaus.net/back_issue_articles/RTE_52/WAR_BYZANTIUM_AND_MILITARY_SAINTS.pdf

Presbytera Mari Mars offers a few tips on helping your child grow in their relationship with Christ in order to become a faithful Orthodox Adult.

In my former position as youth coordinator of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Atlanta, there was one thing that I learned early on which motivated me for the duration of my tenure in the position, and still motivates me today. It sent chills up my spine. It was the indicator that we have to turn the tide, change the direction of how we are raising our children. It was that scary picture that made everyone gasp when you’d tell them. As told to us by our Archdiocese, two recent studies (one by the Pew forum and one by the Patriarch Athenagoras Institute) indicated that 60% OF OUR ORTHODOX CHILDREN ARE LEAVING THE CHURCH and never returning to the Orthodox Faith. Scary, right?

Every time I would mention this to someone, I would get the question, “so how do I prevent it?” There are certainly no magic pills that will ensure your child grows up with a strong, devout faith in Christ through His Orthodox Church. But that doesn’t mean we can abdicate our responsibility to GOYA or the priest, either, to ensure that our Orthodox Children become Orthodox adults. It is our job to raise them in the faith. In which case…

There are a few specific things that you can include in the raising of your children which would help them build a strong foundation of faith and a lasting relationship with God.

MOST IMPORTANT (take notes here): PRAY FOR YOUR CHILDREN! Every day, all the time. Open an ongoing dialogue with God about your child, what they are facing, what they are going through. Give your child back to God (after all, they do belong to Him!). Ask the Theotokos, or Saints Joachim and Anna to help you as a parent. Ask God that He help you to raise your children to His glory. Ask Him to fill their hearts with His love… You get the idea.

Speaking of prayer… You know the old saying: the family that prays together stays together! It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Praying at meals, and spending a few minutes in the morning and before bedtime saying the Lord’s Prayer, thanking God for the people in your life and the good things (and don’t forget to thank him for the challenges, too!), and asking for what your family needs are good places to start.

Also imperative, of course, is to take your children to Church. And when I say this, I don’t mean walk in the door before right before communion, walk up, receive communion, and walk out, as though it’s a drive thru. This is an unfortunate practice of some parents who are afraid to come for the entire service for fear the kids will misbehave. Go for the whole bit! Arrive at the Doxology! Leave after coffee hour! If you need help with how to manage and engage your kids (because engaging is part of your responsibility, otherwise what’s the point of coming to Church? They can color and play with dolls at home), see our article about tips for engaging kids in Church.

Talk to your kids about God. Many parents think that this is not their place, that the Church should do the talking. But one priest in a parish of 200 or 500 or 1000 families can’t possibly talk to your children as much as you can. And the example that they need to learn from is yours. If they ask a question you don’t know the answer to, don’t worry. Find the answer together by using the resources the Church offers (like your priest or Church websites). Either way, just engage them in discussion about their experiences in Church, about what they prayed for today, about how God helped them today… Anything having to do with their faith and God. Talking to your kids about God will raise their perception so that they are able to see God in all things.

Emphasize the right set of priorities and stick to your guns. There are so many extracurricular activities and distractions that take us away from the life of the Church. For instance, soccer leagues that travel on Sundays for games… Which is the priority, soccer or Church? Now, understand that my Dad was a semi-pro soccer player, coached soccer, and I played soccer growing up. I’m not hating on soccer. But, when facing this choice, ask yourself this question: When my child is 35 and struggling with the challenges that life inevitably brings with it (like marital problems), which is going to help them- their relationship with God, or soccer?

We often forget to think long term or to see the big picture. We see the benefits of soccer as an extracurricular activity that looks good on a college transcript or might even provide a college scholarship. But we neglect to look BEYOND that and realize that the most important investment in our child is the long term investment we make in their journey through life to salvation. Remember that your child will learn by modeling from your decision. Will they learn to prioritize their relationship with God or with soccer?

If we all, as Orthodox Christians, did these simple things: pray for our children, pray with our children, talk about God more, and go to Church more, then the world would be a very different place. We would see that 60% dwindle to nothing. May our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ give us all the wisdom and discernment to guide our children to a life in Him!

Source: http://www.familylifeministry.atlanta.goarch.org/raising-orthodox-children-to-orthodox-adulthood/

In the pre-dawn darkness of mid-February, our car from Saint Elisabeth Convent slid over the snow through the gate of the Women’s Farmstead, and pulled up to the house in which Fr. Andrew would celebrate Divine Liturgy. It was my second week staying at the convent, and I, along with another guest and one of the nuns who had herself never yet seen the Women’s Farmstead, were being given the opportunity to visit this unique place. It quickly became apparent that the farm is quite rustic: liturgy was celebrated in one of the farmhouse rooms, and the choir and guests crowded around a few tables for the meal after the service--but tight quarters and winter weather in no way dampened the joy of worship and fellowship. As the resident nun, Mother Barbara, told us about the farm’s history and gave us a tour (through the snow) of part of the property, we realized that this is a place of great possibilities, both for the property and for the women who live here--because with God, anything is possible.

The Women's Farmstead was founded seven years ago on a piece of land that was once a military base, about a half-hour drive outside of Minsk, well into the countryside. When the property went on the market the buildings were mostly in ruins, but among those buildings stood an abandoned church. There were quite a few bidders for the property, and apparently in an attempt to undermine the monastery's bid, an arsonist set fire to the church and burned it down. But miraculously, the next thing the monastery knew, its bid had been accepted and the government gifted them half the land! Having secured the property, the monastery attempted first to renovate all the living quarters, but these efforts didn't go well. Then Fr. Andrew blessed the reconstruction of the church, and as soon as work on the church began, the farm received money to complete a major renovation of the largest residential building! So today, the various residential buildings are in various states of repair, and the church is nearing completion (and it's stunning!).

When Mother Barbara, the nun in charge, moved to the farmstead, there was no concrete plan, other than to make a home for whatever women came to them. And a variety of women rapidly arrived: recovering addicts, women having served time in prison, and women who were homeless, or had bad family situations. Many have come and gone, but a few have stayed long-term. There seems to be no time limit set for one's stay at the farm: if you can follow the rules, it can be your home forever. If you can't follow the rules, you have to leave.

These rules emerged early on in the farm’s life: Mother Barbara realized she had to set house standards, schedules, and mandatory chores. I asked if attending liturgy (every Tuesday at the farm) is obligatory, and she said yes: the women don't understand "voluntary" activities -- they need concrete guidelines. But no one is obliged to commune, and Mother Barbara was surprised to see how quickly the women themselves appreciated the liturgical experience and the need for the sacraments. They attend a catechism class on Sunday afternoons.

The property is a little over 22 acres, and the facilities include various houses, huts, and small apartment buildings. This allows for many different kinds of living arrangements, both for nuns and laypeople -- some of the inhabitants now include families that want to cook for themselves, so there are apartments that allow this, while there are also more "dormitory"-style dwellings, where the women go to the common refectory for meals.

At first, there was no definite plan for what would be on the farm. From what Mother Barbara said (via a translator), it sounds as though the kitchen garden was the first thing to be planted, and then someone gave goats to the farmstead, and then someone else gave chickens. Now there are also rabbits (for eating!), and various workshops: sewing, simple ceramic decorating, and a cosmetics workshop (to make creams, soaps, etc.) is being planned. One of the farmstead’s major endeavors is growing pussy willows, and making the Palm Sunday bouquets that are sold all over Minsk at the end of Lent. The women on the farm have already started preparing for this year's harvest and bouquet construction. And whatever is sold from the farmstead supports the farm: even when their products are sold at the monastery's "main campus" or outlying shops, the revenue comes back to the farmstead.

One can imagine how easily conflicts must arise among women with very checkered backgrounds, and I was amazed by how calmly Mother Barbara spoke of the history of the community: she said there has only ever been one "serious" fight. I didn't dare ask what constituted "serious"! In the beginning, the local police tried to dissuade the sisters from opening the farm, and the local government was also very suspicious, believing that such an operation would only bring trouble to the area. But Mother Barbara and Father Andrew have worked hard to be transparent with the local authorities, inviting inspections and developing relationships, so that the farmstead now has the support of the local community, and rarely encounters problems with their neighbors. Really, when one considers the possibilities for disaster in such a risky undertaking, the grace of God becomes so much more apparent. It doesn't seem like any of this should have worked -- Mother Barbara was not trained in conflict management and working with recovering addicts! But the nuns and lay-sisters have such love for the people, and this love, and their love of God, and God's great mercy and love, are the pillars of the Saint Elisabeth community and its missions, including the Women's Farmstead.

It is hard to choose a highlight of the day we spent at the farm: celebrating the liturgy; enjoying the fellowship of the meal afterwards; seeing the magnificent but still-under-construction church in its blanket of snow; meeting the goats (one of whom was very friendly!), chickens, rabbits, and dogs; or warming up with a cup of tea in one of the residential houses. The farm needs prayers and support, but it also offers a great deal, and not just to its residents, but to anyone granted the blessing of making a visit. It is a place of prayer, inspiration, struggle, beauty, hard work, and transformation. May God continue to bless the farm and all the women there.

By Sister Margarete Roeber

Women’s Farmstead and Rehabilitation Center

St. Elisabeth Convent

February 13th, 2018

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