The Catalog of Good Deeds

In today’s heated political season it is important not to get distracted. Saint Paisios warns,

"Now days, too much "world"–an excess of secular spirit–has entered the world and will destroy us. People have taken this "world" into their hearts and have expelled Christ."

Take for example the current popular political slogan, "Make America Great Again." (I use this as an example at the risk of being accused of being political, but this is not my intent. Hear me out. Its not an issue of being Republican or Democrat on any other political persuasion.) Have you thought about what Great means in this context? If you ask around, you will find that there is no agreement what is meant by this. Each person has their own idea about what will make their country great.

We can think about “greatness” in two ways. One is secular or worldly and the other spiritual. Generally we think in secular terms, worldly or politically, seeking ways the government can better our lives. This is the realm of politics. In this realm we all have differing views. Some want new laws while others want old laws revoked. Some want a racial bias in our rulers and others more diversity. Some want an economy where there is some income distribution while others oppose any. Some are pro-life and others pro-choice and so on. The issues are all worldly. The list of differences is endless and sometimes they are very extreme. There is no basis for a common view. Everyone has their own option. There is no absolute truth, right or wrong. When we become aligned with a political part, we are no longer capable of having a rational dialogue with those of another party. Friends are lost as we find our selves angered by opposing views or personalities. It is like our minds are frozen. Each person thinks that if their idea is implemented by the government it will make society greater and any other view will bring disaster. The political slogans become divisive rather than unifying.

When we think of greatness in spiritual terms, the focus shifts from thinking of the government as our savior to our relationship with God. As we examine the ideal life taught by Jesus, we discover the limitations we have in ourselves. Jesus came to teach that peace and joy only comes from within ourselves. It’s no longer about the external laws. The "kingdom of God is within," "Purify your heart and see God," He teaches.

Even Jesus struggled with communicating this message because the Jews were expecting a great political leader to make them great and free them from a oppressive Roman government. They could not grasp His spiritual message about the Kingdom of heaven. They were blinded and distracted by their political or worldly aims of control and power to enforce external laws.

When we view greatness spiritually, we see that for greatness it is necessary for each of us to correct the imperfections in ourselves, learn to control our own passions so that we can truly love God and love others as ourselves. We need to overcome our anger, our desires, our lust, and so forth. This is what is meant by, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." In heaven there is no struggle. Greatness in this spiritual sense then becomes unifying. We find that all of us are struggling to become better persons, and with mutual love seeking forgiveness and forgiving others. With this view, a great society is one where everyone is seeking to improve themselves, learning how to love each other as themselves, and with faith calling on the Holy Spirit to help us all.

I think this spiritual quest is the only way we will gain what we are seeking. While there may be some small incremental improvements that can be made in the secular arena, our aim must be a union with God and eternal life in His kingdom. This may not be possible in this earthly life, but we can have hope with faith, and give our best efforts to purify our hearts to be worthy of eternal life is His kingdom.

We must heed the warning given us by Saint Paisios and not become distracted by the many worldly slogans that politicians bombard us with through highly polished advertisements. Don’t let this heated political season distract you from our goal to be united with Christ. Guard against anger. Don’t fall into hatred of anyone or any group of people. Have compassion for those who think differently from you. Try to understand their point of view. Remember we are all made in God’s image and all struggle with our passions. Don’t put time into watching cable news instead of your daily prayer time. Read Scripture and a book by one of our Church Fathers. Attend Liturgy, prepare and receive Holy Communion and pray for the well being of all humanity. Review the Ten Points for an Orthodox life and focus on becoming more like Christ in all your daily activities.

Don’t let the “world” overtake your heart and blot out Christ.

Source: http://orthodoxwayoflife.blogspot.com/2018/09/politics-and-spirituality-feeling.html

Port Arthur icon of the Mother of God, alternatively known as The Triumph of Theotokos, is the only known image of the Most Pure Virgin where She holds a cloth with the Image of Christ Not-Made-By-Hands in Her hands.

This icon is also unique because it was the first image of the Most Holy Theotokos to be revealed to Christians in the 20th century. A sailor named Theodore Katansky who visited Kiev Caves Lavra in 1903 told other believers about it. He had been a hero of the defense of Sevastopol during the Crimean War.

The old sailor related that he had seen the Mother of God with an image of Christ Not-Made-By-Hands in a dream after praying for Russian sailors who served in the Far East.

The Blessed Virgin appeared to him surrounded by Angels and saints. Our Lady comforted the sailor and told him that Russia was soon to enter into a devastating and difficult war, full of losses and troubles, along its coastal borders. That was why She ordered to have Her icon painted and sent to Port Arthur. Brought to the walls of the distant city and naval base, the holy image was meant to help the Orthodox triumph over the pagans and inspire Russian soldiers and sailors to fight bravely.

The icon was painted for free by P.F. Stronde, a painter from Kiev, in 1904, using materials purchased for donated money and following the old sailor’s instructions. There was an inscription around the image, which read, “Blessings and wishes of victory to the Christ-loving army of the Far Russia from holy monasteries of Kiev, 10 000 believers and friends.”

The icon was sent to Saint Petersburg. Unfortunately, military officials in the capital slowed down its delivery to the fortress. The image arrived in the Far East when Port Arthur had already been blocked by the Japanese. After a short stay in Vladivostok, it was sent to General Kuropatkin’s headquarters. Due to the hasty retreat, Port Arthur icon and several other holy objects were lost.

The image was miraculously re-discovered in 1998. It was bought by a group of Russian pilgrims in an antiques shop in Jerusalem on Via Dolorosa. It remains unclear how and when it got there. The wonder-working icon returned to Vladivostok after restoration. It stays in the Cathedral in honor of Holy Protection of the Mother of God in this Russian city.

Translated by The Catalog of Good Deeds

Source: https://pravoslavie.fm/articles/5-interesnyih-obrazov-presvyatoy-bogoroditsyi/

Sometimes people say, "I am just a reader," as though this were a petty or insignificant ministry. However, when the reader (whether tonsured or not) begins chanting the selection from the Acts or the Epistles, he or she is performing an evangelical ministry that is absolutely essential to the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, and as such it demands the same care and preparation as any other liturgical ministry.

Orthodox Christian liturgy is an encounter with the incarnate Word of God, made possible through intelligible worship that touches us through every human sense: sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste. Yet, when we consider all the elements that comprise Orthodox liturgy—including processions, icons, incensations, making the sign of the cross, prostrations—the balance of worship is conducted through language. It is through the God-given gift of human language that we hear the Good News, the Gospel of Jesus Christ; that we sing the liturgical texts, the psalms, the troparia, and the Creed; and that we pray and encounter Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word of God.

At the epiclesis (the calling down of the Holy Spirit upon God’s people and the gifts of bread and wine) in the anaphora of the Divine Liturgy, we pray along with the priest, “Again we offer unto Thee this reasonable and bloodless worship.” The Greek word here translated as “reasonable” or “rational” is logikein, which comes from the root logos, the same word used by the evangelist in referring to Jesus Christ as the Word of God (John 1:10). Logikein refers to the human ability to think, know, and understand—the rational ability that sets human beings, made in God’s image and likeness, apart from irrational creatures. In short, one of the most characteristic facets of humanity is our ability to think, understand, and communicate through language. Thus, the Liturgy is not magic; when we gather for worship, we are not casting a spell. Rather we offer our thanksgiving, our eucharistia, to God through intelligible words. The primary task of the church reader is to proclaim the Word of God, and thus help facilitate the celebration of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Of course, in the Divine Liturgy, it is the priest or deacon who reads from the actual writings we call “the Gospels.” However, not only do the Epistles of St. Paul predate the writings of the evangelists, but St. Paul himself reminds us that through his writings he is preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ (a point St. Paul makes most forcefully in Galatians 1). Thus, when a reader reads the epistle at the Divine Liturgy, he or she is reading the Gospel; he or she is proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ. Sometimes people say, “I am just a reader,” as though this were a petty or insignificant ministry. However, when the reader (whether tonsured or not) begins chanting the selection from the Acts or the Epistles, he or she is performing an evangelical ministry that is absolutely essential to the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, and as such it demands the same care and preparation as any other liturgical ministry.

What Does a Church Reader Do?

The task of the church reader is to chant scriptural texts: the Acts of the Apostles or the Epistles in the Divine Liturgy; Old Testament readings at Vespers for certain feasts; sometimes the Canticle of St. Simeon (Luke 2:29–32) and the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:9–13); and at all of the daily offices, excerpts from the Psalms. In fact, aside from short texts like the Trisagion prayer or the “Glory . . . Now and ever . . .” that concludes readings from the Psalter, the church reader is fundamentally a reader of Scripture.

This should not be surprising, since Orthodox liturgical worship is scriptural, first and foremost. Not only are the services themselves composed largely of texts taken directly from the Bible, but the church year is based on Scripture. The content of most of the church feasts is taken directly from the New Testament. It is only through the evangelist’s account of such events as the Nativity or the Transfiguration that we celebrate these feasts of our Lord and Savior. Could we imagine celebrating the Feast of the Nativity without hearing St. Matthew’s account of our Lord and Savior’s birth (Matt. 2:1–12), or the Feast of the Transfiguration without hearing the evangelist’s account of that stunning revelation on Mount Tabor (Matt. 17:1–9)? Consider as well the Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil on Holy Saturday with its fifteen Old Testament readings.

In all of these instances, it is our encounter with Scripture that forms and defines our encounter with God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We could say that our liturgy is an entrance into a scriptural reality, or an opportunity for us to attain the mind of Scripture. And who is it (unless there is more than one deacon serving at the Liturgy) that proclaims the scriptural texts that define the Feasts of Ascension (Acts 1:1–12), Pentecost (Acts 2:1–11), and St. Stephen the Protomartyr (Acts 6:9—7:59)? It is the reader.

Before the reader begins chanting a scriptural text, its words are merely ink on paper, marks that do nothing by themselves. These graphic markings, however, become the life-giving words of Holy Scripture when they are given utterance by the reader. This is the fundamental task of the church reader: to give life to the Word of God contained in Holy Scripture. Through the voice of the reader chanting the scriptural text, we have the opportunity to encounter the Word of God—the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Principles of Church Reading

Two fundamental principles governing Orthodox worship are beauty and intelligibility. As we said earlier, the word must be intelligible to be a word, and nowhere in the Liturgy is this more acutely relevant than during the reading of Scripture. If a word is mumbled, mispronounced, or inaudible, it is not a word for the hearer; it is just a sound. Here we should note that, as a rule, music in the Orthodox Church is always a musical word. We do not have organ preludes or orchestral performances in the Liturgy primarily because these musical forms, as beautiful as they might be, are wordless. Thus, for church reading to be effective, it must be intelligible. Yet we cannot make intelligibility the sole criterion for church reading, because authentic Christian worship also requires beauty.

Acknowledging that the study of beauty has taken up thousands of volumes, we can simply say that the effort to make liturgical worship as beautiful as possible derives from love: God’s love for us and our love for God. When a family invites someone to their house for dinner, they generally make every effort possible to clean the house, fix a delicious meal, and provide a beautiful dining experience for their guest. Even if they lack a grand mansion, fine china, and gourmet ingredients, they still endeavor to do the best they can with what they have. They know that the entire meal—the food, its presentation, the setting of the table, the appearance of the house—is an expression of love for the guest.

This expression of love through beauty is also evident in our church buildings. Whether it be the great Hagia Sophia, a hand-carved Russian village church, or a small storefront mission in the United States, an Orthodox church building is always built and adorned as beautifully as possible. The beauty one beholds in the church building is a witness to the love for Jesus Christ concretely manifested in His faithful people. Likewise, the church reader is called to proclaim the Word of God intelligibly and beautifully as a concrete witness to the ultimate expression of God’s love, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Practical Side of Church Reading

1. Always read it before you read it

Most Western languages can be very forgiving to the reader, inasmuch as a working knowledge of phonetics will usually suffice for pronunciation. Greater difficulty, however, faces a reader who has to chant, for example, from an Arabic text. Arabic writing has no vowels, only consonants, so the reader must have practically memorized the text being read before the first sound is even uttered. English, even though it is not the most predictable language in regards to pronunciation, can lead readers into temptation. Readers who chant in English may assume that as long as they can pronounce all the words they see, they will be able to read the text intelligibly and beautifully. However, this is not always the case. Consider the following text from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans:

Now to one who works, his wages are not reckoned as a gift but as his due. And to one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness. So also David pronounces a blessing upon the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not reckon his sin.” Is this blessing pronounced only upon the circumcised, or also upon the uncircumcised? We say that faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it reckoned to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. He received circumcision as a sign or seal of the righteousness which he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised and who thus have righteousness reckoned to them, and likewise the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but also follow the example of the faith which our father Abraham had before he was circumcised (4:4–12, RSV).

This text is read at the Divine Liturgy during the week following Pentecost. It is a difficult text, and most readers would need to spend a considerable amount of time rereading and reflecting on the passage in order to grasp the major ideas and their relation to one another. What, then, would be the fate of a reader who started reading this text at the Divine Liturgy without having previously studied it?

While the fortunate might correctly pronounce all the words in their proper order, the less fortunate might stumble over the awkward syntax, or become entirely confused as he attempted to chant aloud a text that conveys a complex theological argument. But if the reader does not understand the text being read aloud, how can the hearers be expected to understand what they hear? In order to chant a scriptural text intelligibly, the reader must first understand that text. This is not to say that he or she must possess an exhaustive understanding of the reading; however, the reader must have some degree of comprehension if he is to achieve his goal of intelligibility.

Read the full article here: http://www.pravmir.com/church-reading-a-vital-ministry/

As soon as the Nativity Fast begins, the anticipation of Christmas is literally spread in the air! This becomes especially evident in church: subdued light, altered pitch, and the very structure of worship makes one focused on this special time of year.

It is crucial that children fall in love with the atmosphere of the Nativity Fast in church and feel its celestial, transparent, and unique grace. This will make it possible for your child to discover the joy of the holiday more and more every year.

The Nativity Fast is the path leading up to a great joy. Every family has its unique method of preparing for the holiday. The atmosphere of love at home plays an important role.

It is great when the entire family agrees to give up for the fast something that children like in their everyday lives, such as watching TV or playing video games. However, this time must be filled with something. Giving up video games or cartoons might be interpreted as a kind of punishment. What kind of a holiday filled with love and warmth will it be?!

You’ve got to do something together with your kids: either read with them or find useful movies that can be both entertaining, given that children still need some fun, and give some food for thought and for the heart.

Eugene Demakov, Bedtime Story, 2002

Try making a shadow play!

We’ve already posted an article on the benefits of home theater and reading.

Children can play their parts themselves or use puppets. Home theater has so many hidden opportunities!

You can construct a puppet theater in a box (known as Batleika in Belarus, Szopka in Poland and the Czech Republic, Vertep in Russia (Vertep is an old-fashioned Russian synonym for “cave”, retained by Church Slavonic. First Christians had to hide from persecutions in verteps (that is, caves and catacombs)), and Presepe in Italy…) This is a time-consuming but a very rewarding process!

People from Italy, Spain, France, Austria, Czechia, Poland, and many other countries can’t imagine the main winter holiday without the colorful crèches in the streets and squares, in churches, schools and storefronts.

Finger puppets behind a screen is the most basic idea.

You can also make a shadowplay—one of the most affordable and spectacular kinds of playing with children. It’s a veritable magic!

First of all, you’ll need a screen.

You can make it out of a cardboard box with a cut-out rear wall, or a picture frame. Stretch tracing paper or white fabric over the opening and make props. Place the screen on the edge of the table and a source of light behind your back.

Secondly, you’ll need to make the puppets. They are made of cardboard. Print them out or copy by hand. Your puppets will be even more expressive if their legs and arms can move separately from the rest of the body.

You can make some of the puppets and scenery from dense transparent film and paint them with glass paints.

Samples of scenery for home shadowplay

(you can print them out for your first performance)

Now you’re all set for your first rehearsal!

Scenario. You can use the simple storyline: the road of the Holy Family to Bethlehem, the apparition of the Angel to the shepherds, the journey of the Magi, and finally, Christmas. You can end the play by bowing to Baby Jesus and finally singing the troparion to the Nativity in front of the icon.

There is an opinion that the voice of the narrator should not intone words or change pitch when playing various parts. All parts are intoned in a neutral voice, on a single note, like in the church, to indicate the sacredness of the action.

Script. Read the Gospel narrative together with your kids! You can find ready-made scripts or contrive your own, depending on the age of the participants. Younger children should use simple words and older children should use more complex words. You can write a rhymed script or a script to sing along, too.

Finally, you’ve got to pay attention to musical accompaniment, which is no less important than the script. Well-chosen carols and songs about the Nativity of Christ make your play even more exciting. Live music (guitar, flute, or violin) would be a fantastic extra…

Lastly, I would like to underline a very important point. Home theater on Christmas is like a window with a shining candle, a window looking at the living Word of the Gospel, which leaves its imprint on your child’s soul. It would be great if you read not only the Christmas story but also the whole Gospel during the Nativity Fast.

If you read and study the Gospel in your family as the chief “subject”, then it will enter the life of your home. The Gospel will sanctify your life and govern it. If your home is built on a consensus between the husband and the wife, if both of you agree to listen to the word of God and make the Gospel the foundation of your own life, then you will succeed in leading your entire family to God.

In that case, your home turns into a church. It becomes Heaven on earth. The Lord himself becomes the head of your household.

By Michael Mironenko,

a Bachelor of Theology,

the director of the Sunday School at the Church

in honor of St. Prince Vladimir in Minsk,

director at the studio theater "Ladybird" for 9 years,

a father of two children

The Catalof of Good Deeds, 2018

A miracle occurred at the seminary in Nairobi recently, reports His Eminence Archbishop Makarios (Tillyrides) of Nairobi and All Kenya.

On November 9, the feast of the great St. Nektarios of Aegina, an icon of the saint at the Patriarchal Seminary of Archbishop Makarios III in Nairobi, where they faithfully celebrate the services every morning and evening, began to stream myrrh just before Abp. Makarios departed to serve Liturgy, as he reported to Romfea.

Great Vespers with artoklasia was celebrated in the school’s chapel dedicated to St. Macarius the Egyptian on the eve of the feast, after which Abp. Makarios gave a sermon in which he exalted St. Nektarios as a great example for Orthodox Christians, and assured the students and all those gathered that “Indeed … the saints are always with us, beside us, literally surrounding us and listening to us when we talk to them and ask them for something.”

The Kenyan hierarch’s words would be proven true in a marvelous manner the next morning, when, as Abp. Makarios was preparing to go serve Liturgy in a nearby village, an altar server came and told him, “Something’s happening in the holy church right now that we don’t understand.”

Going to the seminary’s chapel, Abp. Makarios found that the icon of St. Nektarios was streaming a fragrant myrrh from two places—from the holy Gospel and from the hand of the saint holding the Gospel.

As His Eminence writes, he crossed himself, venerated the icon, and said aloud, “Lord have mercy!” He then left to serve the Divine Liturgy in the village as scheduled.

Returning to the seminary in the early afternoon, he was informed that the myrrh continued to flow during the Divine Liturgy at the seminary, stopping only once the Liturgy ended.

As Abp. Makarios writes, the miracle was especially touching for the younger African brethren who had never experienced such a thing, which is unthinkable in their culture.

The Kenyan archpastor writes:

They saw that what is said orally to strengthen their faith now had a tangible opening in the direction of holiness, to see the grace of the Holy Spirit literally overwhelm them and overcome logic and the mind by the wisdom, greatness, and power of the saint.

His sanctifying power was now unfolding in them, He descended from the throne of His glory from the heavenly to the earthly, and came and dwelt in them, and with the infinite height of His holiness He manifested to us all, unworthy, His unfailing mercy.

Nairobi, Kenya,
November 14, 2018

Pictures: romfea.gr

Source: http://orthochristian.com/117238.html

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Some Thoughts on Politics and Christian Spirituality

Quick Confession: What if I Did not Have Time to Name All My Sins?

What Is the Port Arthur Icon of the Mother of God?

Church Reading: What Makes This Ministry so Important?

Let’s Make a Shadow Play This Christmas!

Feast Day Miracle: Icon of St. Nektarios Streams Myrrh on His Feast Day

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