The Catalog of Good Deeds

The Advent Season, which began for us on November 15/28, is a time for anticipating the "Good News" of the Lord's Birth. As with all things in life, Scripture reminds us that we must be careful of being "in the world, but not of the world". This is especially true of the celebration of Christmas. Many lament that the stores are decorated for Christmas from the end of October - an example of the over-stressing and "early-stressing" of this great Christian Holy Day. But what do we do in our homes? I have noticed that on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving, people begin to put up their decorations and turn on their Christmas lights and trees.

Our Orthodox Advent tradition gives us some guidelines of which many of us perhaps are not aware. Within this 40-day preparation period, a slow progression of events and remembrances unfolds. This is seen in the general attitude, hymnology, prayers, and fasting practices which begin to intensify on the Feast of St. Nicholas (December 6/19), and progress through the feasts of St. Spyridon (December 12/25), St. Daniel (December 17/30) and St. Ignatios (December 20/Jan-uary 2). The latter is specifically called "the day of preparation". What do you think this tells us?

Add to this the tradition of the "Twelve Days of Christmas" that begins on Christmas Day, and runs to January 5/18, the day before Theophany, the next great feast. The 'food fast' is most intense on the 12 days preceding December 25/January 7, and there is no fasting on the 12 days after Christmas, not on Wednesday or Friday! Again, what do you think this tells us?

It is interesting to note that historically we do not have an exact date of Jesus' birth. The date of His Nativity was specifically selected by the early Church to coincide with the pagan celebrations held in late December. They were rather riotous and foolish in nature, not becoming of a follower of Christ. Thus this date had a dual purpose: (1) to mark the Lord's coming to earth in human form, and (2) to do it at a time which would help defeat an attitude and lifestyle which went against the Lord's teachings. The early Church leaders knew that these Christians struggled with the temptation to return to their former ways. Once again, what would you think this tells us? The Orthodox tradition is clearly not to "pre-celebrate" Christmas, but rather to withhold the celebration until the designated time. Once it arrives, we are to celebrate it joyously, not with over riotous activity as did the pagans. Some 40 or 50 years ago here in America, people decorated their Christmas trees on Christmas Eve. Slowly, through the influence of merchants and media, we started to put up our decorations and trees earlier and earlier each year. As a result, we take them down earlier and earlier, not waiting for the Theophany observances of January 5-7 [January 18-20], which are specifically part of the 12-day cycle beginning on Christmas.

Every year there are more and more parties held during the height of the Christmas Fast, instead of during the festive period of December 25-January 5 [January 7-18]. On the day after Christmas we hear people say that Christmas is over, and the Christmas trees are out on the curb. Since they have pre-decorated and pre-celebrated and feasted, in their minds "it's over", when really it should just be beginning.

I offer the following practical applications of our Orthodox theology and practice:

- Do decorate, but don't pre-decorate. Use the December 6-20 [December 19-January 2] guide as a starting point.

- Do celebrate, but don't pre-celebrate. Use the December 25-January 5 [January 7-18] time frame for your festivities.

The Scriptures instruct us: "In all things be not like the pagans, but rather calm, joyful in praise and giving of love to glorify Christ who came for us." Since we Christians are called to be "in the world, but not of the world", we are to transform the world and not have the secular world transform us. Secularism has crept into our Christmas observances. It is up to us as individuals to purify the celebration. This begins with our families, our households, doing the more proper and fitting things and teaching others to do likewise by example. I urge you to plan for a Christmas observance that will hold true to our Orthodox view and pattern for celebration.

By Fr. Andrew George,

taken from “Orthodox Family Life”

Source: http://www.theologic.com/oflweb/xmas/precele.htm

A teacher and his disciple were walking in the garden on a warm summer day. They relished the silence and the beautiful flowers and trees.

“Can you see, my friend, how this world of flowers is like ours?” the teacher asked his disciple.

“What are you talking about, Master? How can flowers be like humans?” The disciple exclaimed in surprise.

“Of course, they are, you’ve got to look more attentively. Flowers have their own characters, too.” The teacher led his disciple further into the garden.

The teacher and his disciple were treading a narrow path until they saw a wonderful rose, a thistle, and a raspberry bush.

“Look at these plants. They are different but they have one thing in common—they all have thorns. Many people also have thorns, i.e., envy, hypocrisy, anger, and bad thoughts. Look at the rose. It’s wonderful and pleasant to look at but you can’t touch it or caress its petals. It will sting your hand with its thorns. That’s what proud people are like: they regard themselves better than anyone else. They want other people to praise and honor them all the time but they always forget that they’ll wither like roses. What will remain of them?

Here is the thistle. It is an ugly-looking plant that is always willing to sting everyone with its thorns and catch onto their clothes. The same is true of people who like to gossip and to be envious. They are fond of libeling others and carrying the unfavorable gossip around. If you don’t want to listen to them, they’ll stick to you like thistle, and you’ll have a hard time getting rid of them. Everyone willing to preserve his or her mind and thoughts clean keeps away from people like these. Thistle will wither away, and what will remain?

Look at this raspberry bush. It has thorns, too, but it also grows juicy berries that taste so sweet! Likewise, there are people who know their weaknesses but try to give others whatever good that they have. They do it not because they want to please someone or to achieve honors but because they have plenty of goodness inside. Why not share it with others?”

“Master, your parable is so admirable!” the disciple said.

“Let’s have some raspberry jam, my dear,” the teacher suggested. They went to the teacher’s home and had tea together.

Be like raspberry people! Share your goodness and make enough raspberry jam for everyone.

By Sister Natallia (Bunde)

St. Elisabeth Convent

One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. (John 1:40-41).

Holy Apostle Andrew was Apostle Simon Peter’s brother. He hailed from Bethesda and was a fisherman like his brother. His name may surprise us because it has Greek origin. Ἀνδρέας means ‘manliness, courage’. It is yet another point in case, which proves heavy Hellenic cultural influence in Galilee, which led the Jews to take foreign names in order to facilitate their dealings with foreigners who couldn’t pronounce Hebrew personal and place names. The Hebrew name of this apostle remains unknown.

According to the Gospel, Andrew was the first to recognize Jesus from Nazareth as Messiah and bring his brother Simon to Him. The Orthodox Church calls Apostle Andrew ‘First-Called’ and traditionally credits him with the institution of the Church of Constantinople. We know little about Apostle Andrew: he is mentioned in the Scripture just a couple of times. Nevertheless, we can infer from these mentions that Peter's brother was quite close to the Lord. Thus, when Philip agreed to introduce to Jesus some Hellenists who wanted to talk with Him, he tells Andrew about it first (cf. John 12:22).

It is common knowledge that after his immensely prolific apostolic ministry Apostle Andrew was crucified in the Greek city of Patras on an X-shaped cross. Although Gospel texts reveal very little about this saint, many nations love him and tell a lot of stories and legends about him. Here are five such stories to mark his commemoration day.

1. According to Georgian legends, Apostle Andrew was the first to preach about Christ in their land, prior to Saint Nino, Equal-to-Apostles. This affirmation of apostolic roots of the Georgian Church helped the Orthodox Georgians to feel more confident in their interaction with the Patriarchate of Antioch, which ruled over the Georgian Church for a while.

2. A legend from Cyprus tells us that a ship on which the Apostle traveled strayed off its course in the vicinity of Cyprus and almost ran aground. However, Apostle Andrew hit a rock with his rod and a holy spring ran out of it, the waters of which healed the captain of that ship.

3. There is a legend in Romania (although it is contested by contemporary scholars) that Apostle Andrew visited Dobrogea where he was fighting wild beasts and snowstorms until he finally made his way to a certain cave. He struck the wall of the cave with his rod, and all of a sudden winter gave way to spring: snow cover melted, and he baptized the locals in the water.

4. Scotland venerates Saint Andrew as the patron saint of this land. The Scottish flag even has a white St. Andrew’s Cross on blue background. A legend has it that the king of Picts and Scots led his army into a battle against an army of Angles. The Scottish army was heavily outnumbered, so the king vowed that if his army defeated the enemy troops, he would honor Apostle Andrew as the patron saint of his nation. On the morning of battle white clouds forming an X shape in the sky were said to have appeared. The Picts and Scots, emboldened by this apparent divine intervention, took to the field and despite being inferior in numbers were victorious. There is a custom in Scotland to paint St. Andrew’s Cross on fireplaces to prevent witches from flying down the chimney and entering the house.

5. Finally, there is a legend that Apostle Andrew preached the Gospel along the shores of the Black Sea and up the Dnieper until he reached the place where the city of Kyiv, the mother of all Russian cities, stands today. Foreseeing the shining domes of the Lavra, Apostle Andrew erected a cross on the hill where the majestic church in honor of St. Andrew stands now, and blessed this land, saying that he predicts the great grace that will rest on this country. There is also a legend, although a much less credible one, which claims that Apostle Andrew sailed farther north and reached Novgorod where he was amazed at the locals’ custom of going to steam baths and hitting (massaging) themselves or others with bunches of dried branches and leaves. Another legend has it that Apostle Andrew even visited the Valaam. It is evident that this is a myth, which may have appeared during the competition of Novgorod and Kyiv.

Anyway, believers around the world love this Apostle. He surely helps us and prays for all people, forwarding their prayers to Christ, like he did for the Greek who were eager to see Jesus with their own eyes.

Holy Apostle Andrew, pray to God for us!

By John Nichiporuk,

a Bachelor of Theology,

specialized in Biblical Studies.

The Catalog Of Good Deeds, 2018

Dear friends! The Catalog of Good Deeds team starts a new series of personal stories devoted to the Feast of the Nativity. Our brothers and sisters are going to share with you some of their brightest Christmas memories from their childhood and explain how that influenced their own perception of this Great Feast.

You can also tell us about your own memories. Join us on Facebook to learn more.

My childhood was filled with Christmas. My mom was an animation artist and director who made a series of Christmastide stories, i.e., Christmas-themed cartoons for each day of the Christmastide. Each cartoon was ten minutes long, and it took nine months of work of an entire team of artists and six months of preparations. It looked like magic: the puppets that I had held in my own hands—the flat puppets cut out of colored film—suddenly came alive and started moving around. The magic was in the puppeteers’ hands: the director deliberately avoided using computer graphics to make homogeneous filling and to calculate movements of the characters. She preferred meticulous manual work where each detail mattered. All she needed was several layers of glass, puppets, and thin tweezers. A careful shift—two frames—another movement—two more frames. 24 frames per second—a week of work to produce several seconds of the cartoon. People are waiting for Christmas miracles but apparently, you can make miracles with your own hands, frame by frame.

I remember the unusual feeling of a hot summer outdoors and Christmas inside the room at the same time. It was always Christmas in the studio.

I would explore different aspects of Christmas every year. I was impressed by the Lord’s humble birth in the cave, described in the poem Christmas by Sasha Cherny. I was left thinking about mercy, tenderness, and the genuinely Christian understanding of eternal life shown in The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen. I was excited by voluntary self-sacrifice of Lady Godiva from Coventry, and then watched a typical story that happened in our times on Christmas Eve… Gradually, I came to realize how great and all-embracing Christmas is. We simply have to stop and think… until we are finally able to see Jesus behind the Christmas Tree, the gifts, and the first star of the Christmas Eve.

By Sister Maria (Mironenko),

a content manager, a member of The Catalog of Good Deeds team

More stories will come! Join our group on Facebook to share your childhood memories about Christmas with others and get a chance to receive one of our handmade gifts.

The Deceitful Merchant

There was a merchant from Tremithus who had the practice of borrowing money from Saint Spyridon in order to purchase wares on his travels. After returning home, he would return what he had borrowed. Because the bishop paid little attention to money, he always told the merchant to put the money back into the box from which he had taken it himself. He never bothered to watch or control the merchant to see how much money he took from the box or how much he returned to it.

This practice continued for quite some time: the merchant, with the saint’s blessing, took the money himself and, upon returning from his travels, put back what he had taken, unsupervised. As long as he acted honestly, his business prospered.

With the acquisition of money the sin of greed and avarice often follow. The merchant was finally blinded, like Judas, with love for money, and one time he did not return what he had taken. He kept the secret to himself and lied to the saint, saying that he had put back exactly what he had borrowed, as always. But shortly after this, his business failed: not only did the money borrowed from the bishop not earn him anything, but all his wares were lost in a fire that consumed everything he had.

The merchant, in poverty, again turned to Bishop Spyridon asking him to loan him the resources so that he could again invest in some goods. The bishop told him to go into the room where the box of money was kept and take what he needed himself, saying, “Go and take what you need from what you put there last time.”

The merchant went, but found no money at all. He faced the bishop empty-handed.

Spyridon said to him, “Brother, believe me when I say that no one else has put his hand into that box since the last time you were here. If you had returned the money, you would now be able to borrow from it.”

The merchant was ashamed of what he had done and humbled himself before the saint, asking for forgiveness. Saint Spyridon at once forgave him and instructed him not to again covet what does not belong to him nor to darken his own conscience with wickedness and lies, for these are the results of one who earns a living dishonestly and are not rewards but punishments.

***

The Psalmist says “Wonderful is God in his saints.” God, indeed, is surrounded by those who led holy lives here on earth. Just as He heard and accepted their prayers during their earthly lives, so He also accepts their prayers now, and answers them.

Saint Spyridon loved and prayed for his faithful during his life of ministry to them. His earthly departure did not put an end to his love for those who turn to him for help.

Thousands of people come before his reliquary each year to pray for his intercessions and assistance. The miracles attributed to him are countless.

One sign of the saint’s continuing care for the faithful is clear: often when the serving priests in the church open his reliquary, the body is gone. Later, when they open it again, they find he has returned. This is not a rare incident, but happens, even in our own time, repeatedly. Another indication of this miracle is that each year, on the day of his commemoration, December 12, the footwear on his body are completely worn out. The serving priests literally change the saint’s shoes every year, only to find them worn out again the next year. It is often not unusual for the priests, on touching the saints feet as they change his shoes, to find the body pliable and warm, not hard and cold like that of a corpse.

***

Elder, could St. Spyridon have asked from God that his Relic remain incorrupt?

- No, how could that have happened? The Saints don’t ask for such things. God willed that his Relic remain incorrupt in order to help people. And behold how God arranges things! Because Kerkyra (Corfu), Cephalonia and Zakynthos are near Italy, and that it would be easy for people to be seduced by Catholicism, He placed a great barrier there: St. Spyridon, St. Gerasimos and St. Dionysios.

Amateur translation from Source: Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain, Words VI, On Prayer. The Holy Hesychasterion “St. John the Theologian”, Souroti, Thessaloniki

Troparion (Tone 1)

You were revealed as a champion of the first council,

And as a wonderworker O God-inspired Spyridon, our Father.

Wherefore you spoke to one who was dead in a tomb,

And you changed a serpent into gold.

And when chanting your prayers, O holy one, angels were your concelebrants.

Glory to Him who glorified you!

Glory to Him who granted you a crown!

Glory to Him who through you grants healing to all!

Source: https://iconandlight.wordpress.com/2016/12/12/st-spyridon-the-wonderworker-and-bishop-of-tremithus-and-the-deceitful-merchant/

There’s a slim chance of finding someone who will openly claim that she wants to be sick. It seems natural to want to be healthy and to wish the same for other people. For instance, if you ask a young mother what she wants for her baby, she will immediately reply, “I want her to be healthy,” and possibly forget to mention anything else at all. Is it always useful to be healthy and pray for health? What is the place of physical health in the system of Christian values?

“You Should View Your Illness as a Wake-Up Call from Heaven”

I’ll limit my answer to physical health because there is spiritual health, too. Certainly, physical health isn’t among the chief Christian values, as aren’t our clothes.

In fact, our flesh is our temporary garment, the leather robes that we received from God. Yes, it is important and significant. Our bodies are the temple of the soul, which is why the Lord often healed people. It was one of his main occupations on earth. However, we all remember how He told a man who had been paralyzed for a long time, “Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee” (John 5: 14). We also remember the lepers who lived outside of the city walls and begged Jesus to heal them. Only one of them returned to Him later to say thank-you. Where did the other nine go? They returned to their passions and desires. Only one leper was fully healed in the end. He was healed both physically and spiritually.

Of course, we ought to strive for the ideal. We know that Christ didn’t fall ill because He had neither sinful thoughts nor passions. Even ascetics fall ill sometimes. It isn’t caused by their sins, though. Their illnesses are a way for them to receive crowns, to acquire more grace and more spiritual gifts. The reasons why saints and ascetics fall ill are a distinct and separate topic.

We can interpret illnesses as a way to heal our souls. They are remedies for the ailing souls. Take, for example, a dreadful illness like cancer. Tumors are frequently overlooked until the entire body is affected and it’s too late to do anything. That’s when people learn that they’re ill. Nevertheless, this illness can be immensely beneficial for one’s soul. There are many people who call it affectionately “cancerling”. There is even a saying, “Cancer isn’t kidding: it grabs your hand and drags you into the Paradise.” Cancer really provides an opportunity to put all things in their rightful places little by little and get rid of all excessive and unnecessary things that we used to rely on when we were healthy. Patients’ souls are purified, and they get saved and return into their heavenly home.

There have been quite a few miraculous healings, too, even when doctors were unable to help. People are cured by their tears of repentance, the Sacraments of the Church, heartfelt prayers, and God’s Providence. I know a woman from the country of Georgia who learned of her cancer when it was already in the terminal stage. She wasn’t a staunch believer yet. She went to Moscow and saw a famous doctor who admitted that it was too late for him to be able to do anything. He added, “Go ask God to heal you!” God’s Providence led her to the Convent of Blessed Matrona. She stood by the saint’s shrine and went away. That night, Matrona appeared to her and said, “Why don’t you pray to me? Why aren’t you asking me to heal you?” The woman replied, “I don’t know Russian, you don’t know Georgian. How can I pray to you?” She was a simple woman, you know. Today that woman is completely fine. She honors Matrona very much and never sees doctors anymore. She went through dozens of doctors but it was prayer that turned out to be her only remedy.

Of course, we should aim for a healthy body. But when a person is spiritually asleep, he can perish. You should treat your illness as a wake-up call from Heaven, “Behold, there’s something wrong with your soul. You can die. You must take care of your soul as quickly as possible.” That’s why when you fall ill, your first impulse must be to think, “What have I done wrong?” You should re-consider your lifestyle, your relationships with God and people, repent of your sins and take the Unction. It will suffice in most cases.

Of course, we’re not opposed to medical professionals. We have God-inspired doctors among our saints, e.g., Saint Luke of Crimea and Saint Panteleimon. The problem with physical health is that people unthinkingly do whatever it takes to have it. They never ask themselves what they need it for. Sadly, more often than not, they need it to be able to enjoy sinful worldly delights and to pursue their sinful passions. That’s what they think: Is my life worth living if I cannot eat delicious food and if I don’t have earthly pleasures? That was how people used to live without God. We remember the Ancient Rome where noble people would even commit suicides as soon as they learned that they could no longer indulge in the pleasures of the flesh. They didn’t know God. When you don’t know anything about the eternity, your physical fitness becomes central, and that’s obviously dangerous. That is why the Lord lets us fall ill so that we could take some time to think about our souls.

We are Christians and therefore we should be thinking first of all about our souls and not about all possible ways to get rid of our ailments. Speaking of severe cases or terminal illnesses, yes, we should ask for God’s healing so that we could continue living and becoming better persons, cleansing our hearts, and putting to use the talents that the Lord has given us. A human body is a donkey that is meant to take us to the paradise. Non-severe illnesses sometimes advance one’s spiritual growth. I can confirm that from my own personal experience. For instance, you suffer from the sin of gluttony. You pray to God and ask Him to deliver you from that sin. The Lord sends you an illness that affects your digestion, which is not severe and not terminal. When I had pains in my pancreas, my doctor told me, “You must eat simple food. I prescribe to you hunger, cold, and rest.” I smiled. That was precisely what I was after. Why do I need to get rid of that illness? Let it be. It gives me an opportunity not to fall prey to the sin.

Some people say that all illnesses are caused by anxiety. Where does the anxiety come from? Its roots are in our pride and selfishness. We must learn to be humble and to accept everything that God sends us with gratitude. It may be life or death, wealth or poverty, illness or health. If we maintain that peaceful stance of complete submission to God, we will most likely never fall ill again. If we start sinning, being nervous, hasty, or scared, we’ll receive a pushback in the form of an illness. That’s why we should seek the cure for our soul. Our chief doctor is the Lord and His Gospel. Human physicians are merely His helpers. Let’s improve spiritually and take our medicines.

By the Rev. Lev Arshakyan,

the spiritual father of Elvira Fellowship

for Social Support of Deaf-Blind People

Translated by The Catalog of Good Deeds

Source: http://pravoslavie.ru/105888.html

Subscribe to: Posts ( Atom )

Search This Blog

featured Slider

"Do not Pre-celebrate Christmas!" or Some Features of the Orthodox Advent Season

A Short Parable about a Teacher, His Disciples and Sharp Thorns

5 Legends about Holy Apostle Andrew

Christmas Memories from the Catalog of Good Deeds: "24 Frames of Christmas Magic per Second"

St. Spyridon the Wonderworker and the Deceitful Merchant from Tremithus

What Does Physical Health Mean for Orthodox Christians?

Partners