The Love of the Beautiful

New Website

2010-03-28T22:06:00.000-07:00

The Mid-Atlantic deanery for the Eparchy of Parma (UGCC) has a newish website! http://greekcatholics.com/home You can see listings for all the missions in parishes in North Carolina and Tennessee. Expect a nice blog post about Gregory Palamas coming soon once I get all my thesis stuff taken care : )

Concerning the Patriarchate and the Papacy

2009-11-23T22:51:00.000-08:00

"It is not a question of honor, of privileges, of concessions. The patriarchal institution is a specific entity unique in Eastern ecclesiology. With all respect due to the Petrine ministry, the Patriarchal ministry is equal to it, "servatis servandis", in Eastern ecclesiology. Until this is taken into consideration by the Roman ecclesiology, no progress will be made in ecumenical dialogue. Furthermore, the Patriarchal ministry is not a Roman creation, it is not the fruit of privileges, conceded or granted by Rome."- His Beatitude Gregory III, Patriarch of Antioch for the Greek-Melkites

http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/sinodo/documents/bollettino_20_x-ordinaria-2001/02_inglese/b10_02.html

Some websites

2009-10-26T19:02:00.000-07:00

Some great sites

http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/about.html A bunch of texts in Latin, from the classical age to the modern.

http://www.earlychurchtexts.com/main/homepage/homepage.shtml A great resource for Greek and Latin Church fathers in the original language.

http://thepopeofchristianunity.blogspot.com/ A new blog by one of my room mates.

Interesting quote

2009-10-22T12:51:00.000-07:00

"For if Mary, as those declare who with sound mind extol her, had no other son but Jesus, and yet Jesus says to His mother, "Behold you have this son [John] also," then He virtually said to her "Lo, this is Jesys, who thou didst bear." Is it not the case that every one who is perfect lives himself no longer, but Christ lives in him; and if Christ lives in him, then it is said of him to Mary, "Behold they son Christ." " -Orgien's Commentary on John Book 1 chapter 6

Out of all the great things written on Mary, this is in my opinion one of the most beautiful. Origen, in this simple statement, out classes all the over the top poetry of Louis de Montfort and those who follow in his tradition.

Emperor Charles of Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, etc

2009-10-04T20:45:00.001-07:00

I have forgotten that yesterday was the feast of Blessed Karl, the last Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Emperor and King Karl of the House of Austria: A Saint for Our Day

by Cristoph Cardinal Schönborn, O.P., D.D., Archbishop of Vienna
L’Osservatore Romano
October 3, 2004

English Translation by Br. Nathan Cochran, O.S.B.

Can a politician possible live a modestly holy life? Is it conceivable and meaningful for a man who held a responsible leadership position during World War I to be named a blessed? These
questions are constantly posed concerning the beatification of Karl of the House of Austria.

Every person – wherever God has placed him – is destined for and called to holiness. People in
positions of responsibility and decision makers, such as politicians and business leaders, as well as bishops, are challenged by special circumstances but are by no means exempt from this call to holiness.

The upright personality of Emperor Karl of Austria has become distorted in the eyes of the public through propaganda and slander, like few others of his time. The extremely careful work of scholarly historical investigations – done in connection with the beatification process – has been able to uncover and correct these manipulated distortions.

Uniquely among the responsible leaders on all sides of the First World War, Karl had frontline
experience. After assuming power he strove to alleviate the horrors of war he saw, and took
concrete steps to bring about peace. As emperor he understood peace to be his absolute, kingly duty. In his ascension manifesto, therefore, he named peace as his central goal. Only Karl took up the peace proposal of Pope Benedict XV, incorporating its principles in a set of proposed peace accords (which historians have evaluated as thoroughly realistic and having had great potential). All of these efforts failed in the long run because of the peace-through-victory delusion decided by his German ally policy-makers (Hindenburg, Ludendorff) and because of the anti-peace party of the Entente. Karl was ready to make considerable sacrifices for peace and, even after his removal from power, he wholly strove to arrange for the peace and stability of his peoples and all nations of Europe. His attempts to return to power in Hungary were undertaken at the request of the pope who was concerned with the stability and liberty there (his concerns were justified!). The emperor saw his fatal suffering as a sacrificial offering for peace and unity in Central Europe.

Although Emperor Karl did not succeed in leading the Danube monarchy in peace, due to superior counter forces, he could however (against determined German-Austrian plans) retain the independence of Austria and, through the establishment of national assemblies, cause a peaceful transition from the monarchy to various succession countries.

Not only in the sense of individual charity, as a child Karl took upon himself the needs of people in need whom he encountered. As emperor, he created a comprehensive social program. He created the first social ministry in the world, which was commissioned with overseeing rent control, child and youth protection, family rights and social insurance, industrial law and employee welfare, thereby adding new dimensions to social politics. The basic structures of these reforms are still in place today.

Emperor Karl saw his office as a commission from God. This did not mean in any way an
authorization of the arbitrary execution of power, but rather the absolute duty to follow and
imitate the example of Christ in His exalted position of being the one true King. Because of this, Karl made no important decision without prayer. An ardent reverence for the Eucharist and devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (both symbols and expressions of the love of God) gave both purpose and direction to the emperor. Emperor Karl, therefore, could not simply put his commission aside. An abdication could have secured for him wealth and comfort (like Emperor Wilhelm II). Karl accepted misery, hardship and impending death (although he himself was certainly little concerned with wealth) upon himself in order to remain faithful to the duty of service to the people of Christ entrusted to him.

Karl and Zita had an exemplary marriage. In openness and confidence the emperor discussed all important affairs with his wife, who was fully respectful of his responsibility and authority. The passionate out-going nature of the empress and the quiet introspective personality of the emperor complemented each other in a mutually appreciative and affectionate way. In eleven years of marriage eight children were given to the couple. The beatification procedures were extremely careful in investigating Emperor Karl’s family life, and behavior as a husband, and proved his behavior to be completely upright and faultless. His last words, which Karl addressed to his wife, were: "I love you endlessly." Emperor Karl strove personally to ensure that his children received religious education, and he guided them in the truths of the faith and taught them their prayers.

Karl lived a lively practice of prayer. His fundamental attitude was one of prayer: consciously
standing before God, Whose Will he sought and in Whom he trusted.

From childhood and throughout his life, Karl joined his prayers with those of others. Since his
death members of the League of Prayers, in a similar way, join their prayers with his intercession for peace among peoples.

Karl's modesty, kindness and spirit of reconciliation have been held against him – particularly by cynics in power – as weakness, even stupidity. This attack is directed against the "foolishness" of the Christian, who follows the commandments of God and the example of Christ who relied upon God.

From the very beginning Karl was thrust into situations of discord (into the tensions between his parents, the tensions between Emperor Franz Joseph and the Heir Apparent Archduke Franz
Ferdinand, and into the middle of the 1st World War), that he had not created, and yet he strove to create peace – both as emperor and as a child. Could anyone have solved these problems? That question has relatively few answers, perhaps the issue should be to consider how the emperor prevented much worse things from happening.

Whether a life before God – and concomitantly before the definitive end of history – succeeds,
does not depend on immediate earthly success. (Otherwise Christ could not be our model.)
Whoever attempts to conform to the Will of God, despite all adverse circumstances and in light of his limitations, has a life that has become holy and beneficial to others.

As Christians, we all are overtaxed. To follow the example of Christ – the adversities of this world certainly exceeds human capabilities only. But we are not solely dependent upon our own strength, rather, we are invited to accept the help of God and trust that He will provide the necessary strength.

A feeling of resignation threatens to spread itself, in view of the discord and the cynical use of
power in our world. Do we have a sense to fight against it? Do not the wicked triumph
nevertheless, as already the psalmist complains? Is peace in the world generally possible? Can
the peoples of Europe ever live together in freedom and respect? Can we also simply have peace in the circle of our families?

The life of Emperor Karl is an encouraging example of faith. His beatification gives
encouragement to all who feel overtaxed by their duty – and it invites us to use his inherent
qualities (yet also limited) for the pursuit of peace, freedom and loving responsibility.

After a “wasted century” of destruction by the godless ideologies of National Socialism and
Bolshevism the peoples of Europe have again the opportunity to seek these aims together. Now it must be considered that the soul of Europe can be revived and inspired anew for this task in the spirit of Christ, by the Holy Spirit. Resistant forces who oppose us requires that we do not despair, but rather asks that we seek yet more earnestly the Will of God and to act in confidence on it. Karl of the House of Austria, who lived out this spirit and gave his life for the betterment and unity of his people, is for us therefore an encouraging example and guardian-patron.

The foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of the world. Reliance upon this helps us to live.

http://emperorcharles.org/English/saintforourtimes.shtml

Sunday before the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

2009-09-13T10:24:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the day in which the Holy Cross of Christ is celebrated in the Byzantine Churches. This is an interesting feast for me, as a hobby byzantine historian, because not only does it celebrate St. Helen's achievements in finding it, but it also celebrates the Emperor Heraclios' great victory over the Persian Empire. The recovery of the eastern provinces from the Persians and the recovery of the Holy Cross which was taken by the Persians when they captured Jerusalem. The triumphant entry of the Cross in Constantinople, a mixture of a classic Roman triumph and a Christian procession. Celebrating the the Cross by which we are set free from sin. I can not help but think of today's reading

"But may I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither does circumcision mean anything, nor does uncircumcision, but only a new creation. Peace and m...ercy be to all who follow this rule and to the Israel of God. From now on, let no one make troubles for me; for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body." Gal 6:14-17

Roanoke Orthodox Christian Examiner

2009-07-07T09:40:00.000-07:00

http://www.examiner.com/x-15210-Roanoke-Orthodox-Christian-Examiner

My Orthodox catechumenate friend has been posting articles about Orthodoxy on this site. Check em out if your interested.

2009-06-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2b1q-JNrww

Summer = bleh

2009-06-04T15:11:00.000-07:00

Summers are pretty bad, at least for me. I think I just require much more discipline then I can enforce upon myself to be able to have productive days over the summer.

New Blog added to the list

2009-04-20T18:27:00.001-07:00

Check out http://xsuasox.blogspot.com/.

Basilian Monks of Grottaferrata

2009-04-19T22:15:00.001-07:00

Monastère de Chevetogne

2009-04-19T22:09:00.000-07:00

This is a monastery in Belgium that has both a Byzantine-slav community and a Latin Benedictine community all in the same house under one Abbot. Sadly only the Latin monks are eligible to be Abbot I think, but its still a very interesting monastery. Hopefully I can see it one day.

Christ is Risen!

2009-04-19T21:51:00.000-07:00

Since it has now been both Old Calender Pascha and Gregorian Pascha, I think its appropriate to say the greeting on my blog! Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen! Christos Voskrese!, Voistinu Voskrese!

Sheep

2009-03-28T10:46:00.001-07:00

“Miracles of Padre Pio”

2009-03-25T16:55:00.001-07:00

With the blessing of Reverend Bishop Volodymyr (Viytyshyn), Eparch of Ivano-Frankivs’k, for the first time a relic of St. [Padre] Pio has been brought to Ukraine. Presently the relic is at the Cathedral of the Holy Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. So reports the Ivano-Frankivs’k Eparchy.

At this time many people from all corners of Ukraine are traveling to Ivano-Frankivs’k to venerate the relics of the saint and ask for different graces. However, many people do not know about this saint.

It is possible to become closer acquainted with one of the greatest Catholic saints, Padre Pio, by reading a book of the Svichado [Beacon] publishing house, “Miracles of Padre Pio.” Padre Pio for more than half a century had on his body stigmata, bloody wounds, as signs of the suffering and death of Christ, which not a single doctor could heal. Padre Pio was often accompanied with a tender floral smell which spread from his clothes; he was a wonderful confessor, could read the secret thoughts of people he never met, and performed miraculous healings. Hardened atheists were converted by his life. But, in addition to this, his life was full of ordeals and lack of acceptance.

The author of book, Renzo Allegri, used in this work very rare documents never before seen by any other biographer. He mentions facts and reliable testimonies of people who knew the priest personally, and also those who thank Padre Pio for their conversions, healing, and many others graces obtained.

http://www.ugcc.org.ua/news_single.0.html?tx_ttnews[tt_news]=837

Monarchist Saints?

2009-03-23T10:37:00.000-07:00

I think I am going to attempt to compile a list of those saints that were monarchs of their countries

Pre-Christian

King David

Latin Catholic

Bl. Charlemagne
Bl. Karl I of Austria
St. Louis of France
St. Edward the Confessor

Byzantine (Catholic and Orthodox)
St. Justinian
St. Theodosios
Great King, St. Constantine
Great King, St. Voldomyr and his mother Olha of Kyiv
Bl. Constantine XI
St. Nicholas, last Tsar and Passion-bearer

Protestant Churches (Anglican)
Charles I Stuart, King of England, Scotland, France, etc.

More to come, the list will be updated each time I think of more.If ye know any (like Armenians, Ethiopians, etc) that I missed then leaving a comment would be great. Plus there are many kyivan princes in the Ukrainian calender that I have missed that will require some time to go through and get them all. A fact I always find interesting is that St. Nicholas of Russia and Bl. Karl of Austria were both the last two sovereigns of empires that claimed succession from the Roman Empire, and both fought on opposing sides in WWI.

Philosophy Blog

2009-03-22T17:04:00.000-07:00

As a byzantine, I realize that Philosophy and Theology have not always gotten along together (Palamas v. Barlaam),and this has opened my mind to accept the possibility that theology does not need a philosophical system to operate (see Aquinas,neothomism,scholastics, etc)and has given me a fresh outlook on Philosophy since I find that theology is best left to be done in a way akin to the Church Fathers. This also is partly a result of constantly having to argue with several people at my school who believe that the Truths of Divine Revelation are accessible to Reason and that Philosophy and Theology are married in some inseparable way. I reject this notion as false. The Truths of Faith are not accessible to Reason, other wise Aristotle and Plato would have believed in a Triune God. I applaud Tertullian when he says "What has Athens to do with Jerusalem" and I answer him by saying that Athens only brings to the Theology terminology necessary to better define a teaching, but that this teaching exists independently of Philosophic thought. The Real Presence of Christ was true before the Scholastic theologians called it Transubstantiation.
Anyways, what's my point. The point is that I am entering into a secondary endeavor, to have a philosophy blog. Obviously there are many situations where there is serious overlap, and I won't shy away from the overlap when its necessary, but this blog is not the place to discuss how exactly causation works or the nature of time because such things are not part of Divine Revelation and there is no exact answer to them. Rather they are better left for philosophical discussion and inquiry. The blog will cover a wide variety of philosophical schools and hopefully represented as well by two of my friends whom are both Philosophy/Theology double majors like myself in order to provide and excellent overview and reflection on the topics at hand. Epistemology, metaphysics, and logic. Never fear though, this blog will not be abandoned in favor of this new blog.

http://diokomentinsophian.blogspot.com/

American genocide

2009-03-14T20:42:00.000-07:00

"The democratic president has brought American science back to extensive development. It is not inconceivable that the world will hold another Nuremberg Trial to condemn the destruction of human lives at the embryonic stage of development. But even Obama is unable to escape Heaven, and Heaven holds Judgment,"- Fr. Dimitry, Chairman of the Committee for Biomedical Ethics and Medical Law of the All-Russian Orthodox Youth Movement

This is a sad situation in this country indeed.... when the most vulnerable people in society are tossed aside like nothing and used as tools to make our lives more comfortable. I am glad to see the Russian Orthodox standing with us against such a monstrous action.

His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus.

To thee, the Champion leader

2009-03-03T21:51:00.000-08:00

Catechetical Homily for Lent

2009-02-24T09:20:00.000-08:00

+ B A R T H O L O M E W

By God's Grace Archbishop of Constantinople,
New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch

To the Plenitude of the Church,

Grace and Peace from our Savior Jesus Christ
And Prayers, Blessings and Forgiveness from Us

"Come, all peoples, let us today welcome

The gift of fasting

The period of repentance granted to us by God"
(Monday, First Week of Fasting)

Brethren and beloved children in the Lord,

The fast proposed to us by our Holy Church is not any deprivation, but a charisma. And the repentance to which it calls us is not any punishment, but a divine gift.

When the Church urges us, through the words of Scripture, not to store up for ourselves treasures on earth "where most and rust consume" but instead to store up treasures in heaven, where there is no danger of corruption, it is telling us the truth. For the Church is not of this world, even though it lives in this world and knows it. It knows humanity: our real need and distress. It knows our time well: the time of great development and speed, the plethora of information and confusion, the time of maqny fears, threats and collapses.

This is why – with calmness and steadiness – the Church invites everyone to repentance. This is why it discourages its children from taking the wrong path by treasuring their labors and basing their hopes on unstable foundations. Rather, it encourages them to store up treasure in heaven; for where our treasure lies, there also our heart is.

The treasure that cannot be corrupted and the hope that does not shame is precisely God's love, the divine force that binds all things together. It is the incarnate Word of God, who stays with us forever.

He is the sanctification of our souls and bodies. For, He did not come to judge but to save the world. He did not come to criticize but to heal. "He wounds with compassion and demonstrates compassion with fervor."

He abolished he one who held the power of death, namely the devil. He annihilated the sorrow of death, namely the joyless form and dark presence of death, which darkens and poisons all of our life and joy.

This is why, when our heart and love are directed toward the divine-human Lord, who has authority over the living and the dead, then everything is illumined and transformed.

Indeed, when the Apostle exhorts us "not to set our hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment" (1 Tim. 6.17), he is assuring us that the true enjoyment of life is exactly what God offers us, while we simply receive it with gratitude and thanksgiving. Then, the little becomes abundant, because it is blessed; and the fleeting and momentary shine with the light of eternity.

Then, not only do the joys of life contain something eternal; but the troubles and sufferings become occasions of divine comfort.

The divine economy of salvation is certain. For, God is "the one who provides everything with depth of wisdom and loving-kindness." And the deposit of our labors is secure, for "we surrender all of our life and hope" to the incarnate Word.

So when the Gospel refers us to heaven, it is speaking literally. It brings us down to the reality of the earth, which has become heaven.

This is the certainty experienced and confessed by the Church.

Through your Cross, O Christ, there is one flock and one church of angels and human beings. Heaven and earth rejoice together. Lord, glory to you."

The Church grants us the opportunity to experience this miracle of earth-become-heaven. Our roots lie in heaven. Without the Church, we are uprooted and homeless.

For the Church is our home. So long as we return to the Church, we are returning home; we come to ourselves. So long as we are estranged from the Church, we are lost and meaningless.

So long as we approach the Church, we perceive the authenticity of what is true. We behold the heavenly Father awaiting us outside the house.

We are convinced by the sense of goodness and beauty; we sense the presence of God's powerful love, which overcomes death; we no longer sense the corruption and doubt, which mock the world.

Therefore, let us heed the divine invitation to enter the ocean of fasting in order to reach the harbor of light and resurrection with all the saints.

Holy and Great Lent 2009

Your fervent supplicant before God,

+ BARTHOLOMEW of Constantinople

2009-01-29T18:26:00.000-08:00

"33 Pilate therefore went into the hall again, and called Jesus, and said to him: Art thou the king of the Jews?
34 Jesus answered: Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or have others told it thee of me?
35 Pilate answered: Am I a Jew? Thy own nation, and the chief priests, have delivered thee up to me: what hast thou done?
36 Jesus answered: My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would certainly strive that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now my kingdom is not from hence.
37 Pilate therefore said to him: Art thou a king then? Jesus answered: Thou sayest that I am a king. For this was I born, and for this came I into the world; that I should give testimony to the truth. Every one that is of the truth, heareth my voice. 38 Pilate saith to him: What is truth? And when he said this, he went out again to the Jews, and saith to them: I find no cause in him." - John 18

Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia

2009-01-28T07:37:00.000-08:00

I would also like to congratulate the Patriarch-Elect, + Kiril for his election to the Patriarchial throne of Moscow. God grant him many years!

While on the subject of Moscow. Many Ukrainian Catholics hold the Muscovite church in a very low opinion, and to be honest they pretty much deserve the criticisms they receive in their behavior following our freedom from the Soviet oppression. I, though, welcome the day when the Patriarch of Moscow and the Patriarch of Kyiv-Halych can embrace one another as brothers in Christ and in a mission to preach East-Roman Orthodox faith to all the Rus' people whom have been lost to the faith because of Communism. A true union of course, not one like which was imposed upon us by the Soviets. I believe +Kiril will be a vital step to bringing this about some time in the future (most likely not in my lifetime admittedly). Just my two cents.

Mar Ephrem and Mar Isaac

2009-01-28T07:29:00.000-08:00

January 28

St. Ephraim of Syria

Reading:

Saint Ephraim was born in Nisibis of Mesopotamia some time about the year 306, and in his youth was the disciple of Saint James, Bishop of Nisibis, one of the 318 Fathers at the First Ecumenical Council. Ephraim lived in Nisibis, practicing a severe ascetical life and increasing in holiness, until 363, the year in which Julian the Apostate was slain in his war against the Persians, and his successor Jovian surrendered Nisibis to them. Ephraim then made his dwelling in Edessa, where he found many heresies to do battle with. He waged an especial war against Bardaisan; this gnostic had written many hymns propagating his errors, which by their sweet melodies became popular and enticed souls away from the truth. Saint Ephraim, having received from God a singular gift of eloquence, turned Bardaisan's own weapon against him, and wrote a multitude of hymns to be chanted by choirs of women, which set forth the true doctrines, refuted heretical error, and praised the contests of the Martyrs.

Of the multitude of sermons, commentaries, and hymns that Saint Ephraim wrote, many were translated into Greek in his own lifetime. Sozomen says that Ephraim "Surpassed the most approved writers of Greece," observing that the Greek writings, when translated into other tongues, lose most of their original beauty, but Ephraim's works "are no less admired when read in Greek than when read in Syriac" (Eccl. Hist., Book 111, 16). Saint Ephraim was ordained deacon, some say by Saint Basil the Great, whom Sozomen said "was a great admirer of Ephraim, and was astonished at his erudition." Saint Ephraim was the first to make the poetic expression of hymnody and song a vehicle of Orthodox theological teachings, constituting it an integral part of the Church's worship; he may rightly be called the first and greatest hymnographer of the Church, who set the pattern for these who followed him, especially Saint Romanos the Melodist. Because of this he is called the "Harp of the Holy Spirit." Jerome says that his writings were read in some churches after the reading of the Scriptures, and adds that once he read a Greek translation of one of Ephraim's works, "and recognized, even in translation, the incisive power of his lofty genius" (De vir. ill., ch. CXV).

Shortly before the end of his life, a famine broke out in Edessa, and Saint Ephraim left his cell to rebuke the rich for not sharing their goods with the poor. The rich answered that they knew no one to whom they could entrust their goods. Ephraim asked them, "What do you think of me?" When they confessed their reverence for him, he offered to distribute their alms, to which they agreed. He himself cared with his own hands for many of the sick from the famine, and so crowned his life with mercy and love for neighbor. Saint Ephraim reposed in peace, according to some in the year 373, according to others, 379.

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone

With the rivers of your tears, you have made the barren desert fertile. Through sighs of sorrow from deep within you, your labors have borne fruit a hundred-fold. By your miracles you have become a light, shining upon the world. O Ephraim, our Holy Father, pray to Christ our God, to save our souls.

Kontakion in the Second Tone

At all times didst thou foresee the hour of reckoning, and pricked in thy heart, thou ever didst lament with tears; and, O righteous Ephraim, thou wast a mighty teacher in works and deeds. Hence, O Father for all the world, thou didst rouse the slothful unto change of heart.

Mar Isaac the Syrian

Apolytikion in the Plagal of the First Tone

He that thundered on Sinai with saving laws for man hath also given thy writings as guides in prayer unto monks, O revealer of unfathomable mysteries; for having gone up in the mount of the vision of the Lord, thou wast shown the many mansions. Wherefore, O God-bearing Isaac, entreat the Saviour for all praising thee.

Kontakion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone

As an ascetic and God-bearer great in righteousness and an instructor of monastics do we honour thee, thou revealer of things sacred, and our protector. But, O Isaac, since thou hast great boldness with the Lord, intercede with Him for all of us who sing thy praise and who cry to thee: Rejoice, O Father most wise in God.
Readings courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery

"A small but always persistent discipline is a great force; for a soft drop falling persistently, hollows out hard rock."- Mar Isaac of Syria

Joyful news

2009-01-24T04:29:00.000-08:00

http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2009/01/excommunications-of-sspx-bishops-lifted.html

The SSPX's excommunications have been lifted after 21 years of dispute between the Apostolic see and them. This is great to hear for me since I was once one of their supporters but also because it demonstrates the fraternal charity that should guide the actions of the Pope, even when he is acting as Latin Patriarch as was the case here. Hopefully Benedict XVI, +Fellay and the other three Bishops can work together to resolve the crisis in the Latin Church.

Proclamation to the faithful of the UGCC on the year of God 2009, the Year of Christian Vocation, with special emphasis on the priestly vocation

2009-01-23T10:46:00.000-08:00

Most Reverend and highly honored Clergy
Honored Monks and Nuns,
Dearly beloved in Christ Lay Sisters and Brothers:
God’s blessing and peace in the Lord!

Dearly beloved in Christ!

The main spiritual theme of the past year 2008, according to the decision of the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church of 2007, was Christian vocation. We hope sincerely that during the year which is running to an end we all – clergy or laity, older or younger – indeed were enriched by realizing that everybody who is born in the world in addition to the gift of life and holy faith obtains from the Creator a special task in life, which is a vocation. We hope also that every faithful person tried to recognize more intently his or her own vocation, to cherish and very conscientiously carry it out for the divine glory, for the good of one’s neighbor, and, most importantly, for understanding the meaning of one’s own life. We prayed sincerely for this, singing during the Divine Liturgy in the litany: «Again we pray for all people that they accept with interest the vocation given them by the Lord, that they thank God for it sincerely, and conscientiously and persistently carry it out and serve by it God and people gladly.»

The Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, which took place on September of this year, decreed to continue in the following year, 2009, the theme of Christian vocation with an accent on the priestly vocation, and instead of the above-mentioned petition, to sing in the litany: «Again we pray for our priests, deacons, seminarians, and for their holy vocation.»

In this letter to you, dearly beloved in Christ, I want to explain in more detail this main theme of 2009 A.D. For our pastors and seminarians will be published another, special appeal.

Foremost I want to turn your attention to the fact that in our prayers and reflections we have to continue the theme of Christian vocation in general, and, even more, to try yet deeper, with more detail, to understand it, and most of all to carry it out in our daily life. During 2008 you, probably, listened to sermons, read books, and participated actively in various events on this theme. Such events in particular were organized by eparchies and inter-eparchial commissions, each in the special area (families, youth, laity, and others). Each of us in the future should ask him- or herself how deservingly and pleasing to God they execute the vocation given to him or her and how sincerely they try to help children and youth recognize and carry out their vocations. In addition to this task, the Synod of Bishops calls all of us in 2009 to pay special attention to the priestly vocation. Why? Because for the development and growth of our Church good spiritual leaders are needed, and first of all pastors are accordingly prepared and appointed for this. The bishops invite all members of the Church to consider the sacred character and importance of the priestly vocation and what we, the greater Church community, can do so that our priests be exemplary pastors to God’s glory and for the general good of all the Church and their native nation. We want to offer you a few ideas in relation to this aspect of next year’s spiritual theme.

When we talk about vocation and, in particular, when we call for prayers for priestly vocations, we think usually that our main and unique task is to ask the Lord God to call a sufficient number of candidates to the priestly order or, humanly speaking, to fill our seminaries. Entering the seminary is certainly a very important element, because the realization of the priestly vocation begins with this. However this does not reach the depth of the vocation to the priestly order. First of all, it is necessary to say that study in the seminary is preceded by other stages in this vocation. A good pastor often preaches about vocations and intently looks closely to the members of society, trying to recognize at least its embryo in concrete persons and, if such will notice, to take care to cherish it. A good parish is fruitful soil which bears the beautiful fruits of priestly vocations. One of our parishes in the USA can be an example, in the state of Pennsylvania, which in the 1920s and 1930s gave 37 lasting priestly and monastic vocations. The priests, monks and nuns who came from this community unanimously consider the merit of this in the pastor. A good Christian family, which is like a cradle or hothouse of new spiritual vocations, assists even more in the awakening and growing of a spiritual vocation. In a family of believing people the attitude to the priesthood is honor. Even if an unworthy priest is spoken about, this is said with pain but not with spite. And if there are boys in a family, this vocation is examined as the best possible one.

Not less than the work of father-pastors and the zealous prayer of the Church community, the example of heroes of the faith leads to an awakening of priestly vocations. In connection with this we remember the words of Pope John Paul II of holy memory during the Divine Liturgy in Lviv on June 27, 2001, A.D. Proclaiming 27 members of our Church blessed martyrs, the Holy Father appealed to the priests present at the Liturgy with the words: “If God blesses your land with many vocations and if the seminaries are full – and this is a source of hope for your Church – that is surely one of the fruits of their sacrifice. But it is a great responsibility for you.”

There should be no doubt that the Lord God, as a good Father and Master, calls a sufficient number of workers for the harvest (see Luke 10:2). If there are not enough deserving candidates, however, often we people are guilty, in particular through the decline of spiritual life in our families, through a lack of proper sermons and encouragement, and also through a lack of honor for the priestly status. There is no hope in gaining priestly vocations in families in which the greatest value is money or in which parents’ major care is family relations. It is necessary to remember here the negative influence which the modern mass media has, which quite often becomes the transmitter of anti-Christian ideas and visions. And already quite shattering is the bad life example of some priest, especially the local pastor.

These obstacles are very large, but they are not insuperable. Recently we have more than once heard criticism addressed at priests because of their unworthy conduct or superficial implementation of pastors’ duties. Let us ask ourselves: Did we pray for the correction of such priests, people who fell into a great spiritual crisis? How much did we help them get out of such a tragic state? In fact the priest is not a single island among the wide sea of humanity. He especially needs support from the people who are around him, because he is visible and his every step is well known. Here one should also not underestimate the attacks of the enemy of Church, who operates according to the well-known principle: “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be dispersed.” (see Zech. 13:7; Mt. 26:31)

Among the means of support which the whole church community should use for its priests, the first place is occupied by prayer. The priest exists and operates with the help of the strength of prayer, not only his own, but also the prayer of the community which he serves. Therefore the Synod of Bishops calls all the members of the Church to pray for priests and deacons – not only for the intention that they be in sufficient quantity, but also first of all that those who enter this holy status in accord with the divine will live out their vocation and fulfill it in a holy way.

Believing people help their priest. For great requirements stand before him: as a person, a pastor, an administrator, a teacher, a citizen, and if he is married – a husband and father. A priest’s life is not covered with a path of roses, except for in those cases when he wants to be a lying prophet and satisfy the whims of the people, instead of leading them to the Heavenly Kingdom. If he tries indeed to be godly, his life is rather a thorny path. Against this background we will understand better who we want to be: the Pharisees who mocked Jesus Christ, or the one from Cyrene who helped Him carry the cross.

Dearly beloved in Christ! We begin 2009, the Year of Christian Vocation with a special accent on the priestly vocation. Let us think about ourselves, about our vocation. Let us reflect on the vocation to the priesthood, because all of us want to see our priests as God’s exemplary servants, the content of whose life is to lead the souls entrusted to them to the Heavenly Father. Together with Jesus Christ, the High Priest, let us pray for and support our priests and deacons.

May the Lord’s blessing be on you!

+ LUBOMYR

Issued in Kyiv, at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, December 31, 2008

Prayer of the Servant of God Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky
for good Ukrainian clergy,
for which we entrust all the faithful of our Church to pray

Lord, O Lord, look down from heaven and visit the vineyard which was planted by Your hand.

May Your all-powerful hand be always on this people which You have loved. Give it, Eternal God, in every generation, until the end of the world, holy bishops and priests, filled with Your Spirit — pastors and teachers of Your law, who would be able unchanging to keep the truth of Your holy incarnation and with love to teach and to lead this great people.

Grant to the Ukrainian clergy the grace to be never afraid of sacrifice, where the only matter is Your glory and the good of this people.

Set on fire in the hearts of Ukrainian priests the spirit of zealousness for the salvation of souls. Open before their eyes the wisdom of Your revelation and give them high feeling for the holiness of those things to which you called them. Bless their work and their intentions. Protect them from every misfortune. And unite them with Your blessings, so that in love they be one – as you, Father with Your Son and the Son with You. Amen.

Former Copic Catholic Patriarch falls asleep in the Lord.

2009-01-23T10:12:00.000-08:00

Vatican City/Cairo, 21 January 2009 (KAP/KI) - Egyptian Cardinal and former Coptic Catholic Patriarch (1986-2006) Stéphanos II Ghattas, C.M., died Tuesday January 20, 2009, in Cairo, four days after his 89th birthday. He governed his Church, which is in full communion with Rome, from June 9, 1986, to March 30, 2006. Pope John Paul II (1978-2005) created him a Cardinal in 2001. Following his death the College of Cardinal counts 189 members, of whom 116 are under eighty and have the right to vote in a papal conclave.

Andraos Ghattas was born on January 16, 1920, in Cheikh Zein-el-Dine near Tahta, currently in the Eparchy of Sohag in Egypt. He entered the junior seminary in Cairo in August 1929 and continued his studies at the Jesuit College of the Holy Family, graduating in June 1938. The same year he entered the College of Propaganda Fide in Rome, and in 1944 he earned licenciates in philosophy and theology.

He was ordained Priest on March 25, 1944, in Rome. Han ble presteviet den 25. mars 1944 i Roma. On his return to Egypt, he was appointed Professor of Philosophy and Dogmatic Theology at the Major Seminary of Tahta, then of Tanta. In 1952 he entered the Congregation of the Mission (Lazarists/Vincentians) and completed his noviciate in Paris. After six years of missionary work in Lebanon he was appointed bursar and then superior of the Lazarist community in Alexandria in Egypt.

On May 8, 1967, he was elected Bishop of Thebes-Luxor by the Coptic Catholic Synod. He was ordained Bishop on June 9, 1967, in the Lazarist Church in Alexandria by Cardinal Stéphanos I Sidarouss, C.M., Coptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria, and was enthroned in the Cathedral of Tahta on June 16. On February 24, 1984, he was appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Patriarchate during the illness of Patriarch Stéphanos I Sidarouss. Following the resignation of His Beatitude Stéphanos I Sidarouss, the Coptic Catholic Synod convened at the Patriarchal Residence at Koubbeh, and on June 9, 1986, Bishop Andraos Ghattas was unanimously elected the new Patriarch of Alexandria, taking the name of Stephanos II in honour of his predecessor and as a sign of continuity. He received ecclesiastical communion from Pope John Paul II on June 23, 1986. He traveled several times to Canada, Australia and the United States, where he founded the first Coptic Catholic parish.

On February 21, 2001, he was created a Cardinal Bishop by Pope John Paul II. He took part in the funeral of Pope John Paul II on April 8, 2005. On March 30, 2006, at the age of 86, he resigned. The Coptic Catholic Synod of Bishops elected as his successor the current Patriarch Antonios I Naguib.

Source: http://www.katolsk.no/nyheter/2009/01/21-0004.htm

May his memory be eternal!

New Syriac Catholic Patriarch

2009-01-23T10:00:00.000-08:00

(Kaldaya) - A few days ago the Synod of the Syriac Catholic Church, that last year failed to elect a new patriarch to replace Mar Ignace Pierre VIII Abdel-Ahad who in January had resigned, after its meeting in Rome came in a short time (3 days) at a decision. The new patriarch of the Syriac Catholic Church is, since yesterday January 20, the bishop of the Diocese of Our Lady of Deliverance for the United States and Canada, Mar Ephrem Joseph Younan who will take the name of Mar Ignatius Joseph III Younan. On Friday 23, the new patriarch will meet the Holy Father, and in mid-February there will be an official ceremony at the patriarchal headquarters in Lebanon.

H.E. Ephrem Joseph Younan

Bishop of Our Lady of Deliverance of Newark, Apostolic Visitator for the Catholic Syriacs in Central America and Venezuela.

H.E. Ephrem Joseph F. Younan born to Farjo & Khatoun (Khabot) Younan on November 15, 1944 in Hassakeh, Syria and baptized on December 8th at Assumption Parish. He is the middle child of nine children, having four brothers and four sisters.

Bishop Joseph Younan attended Assumption Parochial School and after graduation went on to study at Our Lady of Deliverance Seminary in Charfet, Lebanon. He continued to pursue his priestly formation and career at "Propaganda Fide" and earned a double Licentiate (Masters) in philosophy and theology from Urbaniana University in Rome.

Bishop Joseph was ordained to the priesthood on September 12, 1971. After ordination he was appointed as teacher in the Seminary in Charfet where he was director of the major Seminary for two years. He returned to his home Diocese of Hassakeh where he functioned as Diocesan Director of Cathechesis. He remained in this position as director for seven years. He was then appointed pastor of the Church of the Annunciation in Beirut in 1980, where he remained until 1986.

In March of 1986 he was assigned to the United States where he was to establish a mission in the New York/New Jersey Metropolitan area to gather Syriac Rite Catholics. Soon after his arrival, with the guidance and assistance of The Most Reverend Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick (Archbishop of Newark) he established the first mission of Our Lady of Deliverance. In 1988, he was further appointed by the Sacred Congregation for Eastern Rite Churches as coordinator among his colleague missionary priests in the United States and Canada. And in 1991, he was officially appointed "Apostolic Delegate" by the same Congregation to represent the Congregation and the Syriac Rite to the Catholic hierarchy of North America.

In June of 1991, Father Younan was elevated to the rank of "Corbishop" by the Patriarch, Mar Ignatius Antoun II Hayek. The ceremony took place at Our Lady of Deliverance Mission in Newark, New Jersey.

Since this time, Corbishop Younan traveled from the East Coast to the West Coast (California) on a monthly basis to help establish another mission. Soon after his initial visits, the mission of The Sacred Heart was established in North Hollywood in 1991. Three years after, he reached out again to establish a further mission Church in San Diego called Our Mother of Perpetual Help.

On November 6, 1995, Pope John Paul II appointed him first Bishop (Eparch) of the newly established Diocese (Eparchy) Our Lady of Deliverance Syriac Catholic Diocese for Syriac Catholics in the United States and Canada. He was consecrated Bishop on January 7, 1996 at Saint Peter and Paul's Church in Kamishly, Syria by His Beatitude, the Patriarch Hayek.

Currently, Bishop Younan resides in Union City, New Jersey.

He fluently speaks Arabic, French, Aramaic, Italian, German and English.

http://byztex.blogspot.com/2009/01/syriac-catholic-church-has-new.html
Many years to His Beatitude!

Double post!

2009-01-20T05:33:00.000-08:00

Sorry I didn't get around to this yesterday, but I wanted to commemorate St. Mark of Ephesus , whose feast was yesterday.
"

Kontakion in the Third Tone

Clad, O godly-minded one, with an invincible armor, thou didst dash to pieces the pride of the Western rebellion; thou wast brought forth as the champion of Orthodoxy, as the Comforter's own instrument and pure vessel. For this cause, to thee we cry out: Rejoice, O Mark, thou boast of the Orthodox flock.
"

"We seek and we pray for our return to that time when, being united, we spoke the same things and there was no schism between us." - St.Mark of Ephesus.

St. Mark was the only Orthodox Bishop who did not sign the decrees of Florence and most likely because he realized that it was not a true reunion, but a false one. Nothing was resolved and when he refused to sign the Pope himself cried out that nothing had been resolved (not exact quote). Today we Byzantine Catholics pave the path for eventual reunion between the two sides and perhaps St. Mark would not be the most pleased at our own situation during his life, but our union is different then that of Florence.

Also, I would like to remember the trial of King Charles I of England and Scotland. A king whom was betrayed by his own people. May his memory be eternal!

Ordination

2009-01-19T12:35:00.000-08:00

This is a video of the priestly ordination of Father Jason of St. Volodomyr and Olha parish in Garner,NC. He comes to Charlotte, NC to offer Divine Liturgy in Ukrainian once a month.

Cyprianic vs. Augustinian?

2009-01-08T10:12:00.000-08:00

Please do not take this as a scholarly piece in the least bit. Just a little of my own personal reflections. Many times there is considered a vast difference between the Sacramental theology of the Byzantine east vs. the theology of the Latin west. This, from my own observations, is root in a perceived difference in the teachings of St. Augustine and St. Cyprian. Supposedly at least. Its interesting because St. Cyprian and St. Augustine were both north Africans, and consequently both Latin culturally. They both even wrote in Latin as far as I know. So why the difference? To give a break down in the Augustinian(and later thomist view) a Sacrament needs several things
1. proper form
2. Proper matter
3. Intention to do what the Church does

Say for instance, the Eucharist. In the west, a priest who has valid orders can consecrete the Eucharist irrelevant of his faith in it or in the Church. Because intention is assumed if he is performing with proper matter and form.

In the Byzantine Orthodox east, there is no distinction between illicit and invalid. They need
1. Proper matter
2. Proper form
3. the Faith of the Church

So when a priest does proper form and matter in the Orthodox church, if he is not Orthodox then its irrelevant as he no longer posses the ability to celebrate the Mysteries at all! This is why some Orthodox rebaptize Catholics.

So if we look at these, perhaps there is a compromise that keeps both traditions intact fully. The intention to do as the Church does, and the faith of the Church really should be considered one in the same thing. I beleive, in my opinion, that the west has erred in some regard to this. Such as in the case of vagrant bishops who receive their orders from Old Catholics. Can such people so far from the Church structure really be intending to do as the Church intends? This automatic assumption on the part of the west of intention is ill founded. Likewise though, with the Orthodox. In the case of say , Catholic Sacraments. While there are serious disagreements between latins and the Orthodox on the role of the papacy, does that constitute a complete abandonment of the necessities of Orthodox faith for the celebration of the Mysteries? Just some thoughts I had.

(Excuse me my Orthodox readers if I have any, for talking of the mysteries in this very legalistic manner. I only am hoping to enlighten those unfamiliar with them. )

St. Seraphim of Sarov

2009-01-02T10:01:00.001-08:00

January 2

Reading:

Saint Seraphim was born in the town of Kursk in 1759. From tender childhood he was under the protection of the most holy Mother of God, who, when he was nine years old, appeared to him in a vision, and through her icon of Kursk, healed him from a grave sickness from which he had not been expected to recover. At the age of nineteen he entered the monastery of Sarov, where he amazed all with his obedience, his lofty asceticism, and his great humility. In 1780 the Saint was stricken with a sickness which he manfully endured for three years, until our Lady the Theotokos healed him, appearing to him with the Apostles Peter and John. He was tonsured a monk in 1786, being named for the holy Hieromartyr Seraphim, Bishop of Phanarion (Dec. 4), and was ordained deacon a year later. In his unquenchable love for God, he continually added labours to labours, increasing in virtue and prayer with titan strides. Once, during the Divine Liturgy of Holy and Great Thursday, he was counted worthy of a vision of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who appeared encompassed by the heavenly hosts. After this dread vision, he gave himself over to greater labours.

In 1794, Saint Seraphim took up the solitary life in a cell in the forest. This period of extreme asceticism lasted some fifteen years, until 1810. It was at this time that he took upon himself one of the greatest feats of his life. Assailed with despondency and a storm of contrary thoughts raised by the enemy of our salvation, the Saint passed a thousand nights on a rock, continuing in prayer until God gave him complete victory over the enemy. On another occasion, he was assaulted by robbers, who broke his chest and his head with their blows, leaving him almost dead. Here again, he began to recover after an appearance of the most holy Theotokos, who came to him with the Apostles Peter and John, and pointing to Saint Seraphim, uttered those awesome words, "This is one of my kind."

In 1810, at the age of fifty; weakened with his more than human struggles, Saint Seraphim returned to the monastery for the third part of his ascetical labours, in which he lived as a recluse until 1825. For the first five years of his reclusion, he spoke to no one at all, and little is known of this period. After five years, he began receiving visitors little by little, giving counsel and consolation to ailing souls. In 1825, the most holy Theotokos appeared to the Saint and revealed to him that it was pleasing to God that he fully end his seclusion; from this time the number of people who came to see him grew daily. It was also at the command of the holy Virgin that he undertook the spiritual direction of the Diveyevo Convent. He healed bodily ailments, foretold things to come, brought hardened sinners to repentance, and saw clearly the secrets of the heart of those who came to him. Through his utter humility and childlike simplicity, his unrivalled ascetical travails, and his angel-like love for God, he ascended to the holiness and greatness of the ancient God-bearing Fathers and became like Anthony for Egypt, the physician for the whole Russian land. In all, the most holy Theotokos appeared to him twelve times in his life. The last was on Annunciation, 1831, to announce to him that he would soon, enter into his rest. She appeared to him accompanied by twelve virgins-martyrs and monastic saints-with Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Theologian. With a body ailing and broken from innumerable hardships, and an unspotted soul shining with the light of Heaven, the Saint lived less than two years after this, falling asleep in peace on January 2, 1833, chanting Paschal hymns. On the night of his repose, the righteous Philaret of the Glinsk Hermitage beheld his soul ascending to Heaven in light. Because of the universal testimony to the singular holiness of his life, and the seas of miracles that he performed both in life and after death, his veneration quickly spread beyond the boundaries of the Russian Empire to every corner of the earth. See also July 19.

Kontakion in the Second Tone

Having left the beauty of the world and what is corrupt therein, O Saint, thou didst settle in the Monastery of Sarov. And having lived there an angelic life, thou wast for many the way unto salvation. Wherefore, Christ hath glorified thee, O Father Seraphim, and hath enriched thee with the gift of healing and miracles. And so we cry to thee: Rejoice, O Seraphim, our holy Father.

2008-12-28T23:45:00.000-08:00

Christmas message of Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

2008-12-26T22:26:00.001-08:00

"Christmas is a time for celebration, but this year it is a more sombre occasion for many. Some of those things which could once have been taken for granted suddenly seem less certain and, naturally, give rise to feelings of insecurity.

"People are touched by events which have their roots far across the world. Whether it is the global economy or violence in a distant land, the effects can be keenly felt at home.

"Once again, many of our service men and women are serving on operations in common cause to bring peace and security to troubled places.

"In this 90th year since the end of the First World War, the last survivors recently commemorated the service and enormous sacrifice of their own generation.

"Their successors in theatres such as Iraq and Afghanistan are still to be found in harm's way in the service of others. For their loved ones, the worry will never cease until they are safely home.

"In such times as these we can all learn something from the past. We might begin to see things in a new perspective. And certainly, we begin to ask ourselves where it is that we can find lasting happiness.

"Over the years those who have seemed to me to be the most happy, contented and fulfilled have always been the people who have lived the most outgoing and unselfish lives; the kind of people who are generous with their talents or their time.

"There are those who use their prosperity or good fortune for the benefit of others whether they number among the great philanthropists or are people who, with whatever they have, simply have a desire to help those less fortunate than themselves.

"What they offer comes in the form of what can easily be recognised as service to the nation or service to the wider community.

"As often as not however, their unselfishness is a simply taken-for-granted part of the life of their family or neighbourhood.

"They tend to have some sense that life itself is full of blessings, and is a precious gift for which we should be thankful.

"When life seems hard the courageous do not lie down and accept defeat; instead they are all the more determined to struggle for a better future.

"I think we have a huge amount to learn from individuals such as these. And what I believe many of us share with them is a source of strength and peace of mind in our families and friends.

"Indeed, Prince Philip and I can reflect on the blessing, comfort and support we have gained from our own family in this special year for our son, the Prince of Wales. Sixty years ago, he was baptised here in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace. As parents and grandparents, we feel great pride in seeing our family make their own unique contributions to society.

"Through his charities, the Prince of Wales has worked to support young people and other causes for the benefit of the wider community.

"At Christmas, we feel very fortunate to have our family around us. But for many of you, this Christmas will mean separation from loved ones and perhaps reflection on the memories of those no longer with us.

"I hope that, like me, you will be comforted by the example of Jesus of Nazareth who, often in circumstances of great adversity, managed to live an outgoing, unselfish and sacrificial life. Countless millions of people around the world continue to celebrate his birthday at Christmas, inspired by his teaching.

"He makes it clear that genuine human happiness and satisfaction lie more in giving than receiving; more in serving than in being served.

"We can surely be grateful that, two thousand years after the birth of Jesus, so many of us are able to draw inspiration from his life and message, and to find in him a source of strength and courage.

"I hope that the Christmas message will encourage and sustain you too, now and in the coming year.

"I wish you all a very happy Christmas."

God save the Queen

Nativity message of the Ecumenical Patriarch

2008-12-22T00:19:00.000-08:00

+BARTHOLOMEW
By the Mercy of God
Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch
To the Plenitude of the Church
Grace, peace and mercy from the Savior Christ, born in Bethlehem

Beloved brethren and children in the Lord,
The great and sacred day of Christmas has dawned, the metropolis and mother of all feasts, inviting each of us to spiritual uplifting and encounter with the Ancient of Days, who became an infant for us.

As St. John of Damascus underlines: “By the grace of God the Father, the only begotten Son and divine Word of God, who is in the bosom of the Father, consubstantial with the Father and the Holy Spirit, the pre-eternal and perfect God, who is without beginning, condescends to us as His servants, becoming fully human and achieves that which is newer than new, the only new thing under the sun.” (On the Orthodox Faith) This incarnation of the Son of God is not merely symbolical, like the other incarnations of the numerous gods in mythology; it is reality, a truly new reality, the only new thing under the sun, which occurred at a specific historical moment in the reign of the Emperor Octavian Augustus some 746 years (according to new astronomical data) since the establishment of Rome, in the midst of a specific people, from the house and line of David (Luke 2.4), in a specific place, namely Bethlehem of Judaea, with a very specific purpose: “He became human in order that we might become divine,” in accordance with the succinct expression of Athanasius the Great. (On the Divine Incarnation 54)

The event of incarnation of God’s Word grants us the opportunity to reach the extreme limits of our nature, which are identified neither with the “good and beautiful” of the ancient Greeks and the “justice” of the philosophers, nor with the tranquility of Buddhist “nirvana” and the transcendental “fate” or so-called “karma” by means of the reputedly continuous changes in the form of life, nor again with any “harmony” of supposedly contradictory elements of some imaginary “living force” and anything else like these. Rather, it is the ontological transcendence of corruption and death through Christ, our integration into His divine life and glory, and our union by grace through Him with the Father in the Holy Spirit. These are our ultimate limits: personal union with the Trinitarian God! And Christ’s nativity does not promise any vague blessedness or abstract eternity; it places “in our hands” the potential of personal participation in God’s sacred life and love in an endless progression. It grants us the possibility not only “of receiving adoption” (Gal. 4.5) but also of becoming “partakers of divine nature.” (2 Peter 1.4).

Of course, amid the global confusion and crisis of our time, these truths have a strange echo. Most people’s hope, resting on worldly “deities,” is falsified on a daily basis in the most terrible ways. The human person is humiliated and crushed by numbers, machines, computers, stock markets, and diverse flags of vain ideological opportunism. Nature is blasphemed; the environment groans; young people despair and protest against the injustice of the present and the uncertainty of the future. “Darkness, clouds, storms and noise” (Deut. 4.11) prevail in our world, giving the impression that even the light of hope that dawns in Bethlehem is threatened with extinction and the angelic hymn of universal joy – “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will to all people” (Luke 2.14) – is in danger of being overcome. Nevertheless, the Church calls everyone to sober attention, re-evaluation of priorities in life, and pursuit of divine traces and value in every other person of respect toward the image of God. Indeed, the Church will not cease to proclaim – with all the strength acquired by its two millennia of experience – that the child that lies in the manger of Bethlehem is “the hope of all ends of the earth,” the Word and purpose of life, redemption sent by God to His people, namely to the whole world.

We share this good news with much love from the martyric Throne of the Great Church of Christ in Constantinople, proclaiming it to all children of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and to every person that thirsts for Christ, invoking upon all of you the mercy, peace and grace of God, together with the saving gift of the only-begotten Son of God, who came down from the heavens – for us and for our salvation – and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, becoming human. To Him belong the glory, power, honor and worship, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, to the ages.

At the Phanar, Christmas 2008
Fervent supplicant to God for all
Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch

Mar Thoma Catholics in India ignored by Curia

2008-11-29T23:03:00.000-08:00

November 20, 2008
Syro-Malabar Catholics Frustrated With Vatican Offices

NEW DELHI (ICNS): A senior bishop of the Syro-Malabar Church (SMC) says Catholics of his Oriental rite have "lost all faith and hope" of getting justice from Vatican offices.

"Our Church ... (has) patiently waited for justice from the Holy See for the last 42 years, after the Second Vatican Council," Bishop Gregory Karotemprel of Rajkot told a theological seminar in New Delhi, UCA News reported.

The Nov. 14-15 seminar titled "Ecclesial mission of Syro-Malabar Church" addressed various issues including the Church's demand for jurisdiction outside Kerala, the southern Indian state where it is based.

Bishop Karotemprel says his Church has appealed to the Vatican several times for nationwide jurisdiction, especially after it was made sui juris (self governing) 15 years ago.

"But to our great disgust and agony, not even a single line of reply, either positive or negative, was received by the Bishops' Synod," noted the 75-year-old Carmelite of Mary Immaculate prelate, who monitored pastoral care for SMC migrants until a year ago.

The synod, the Church's highest authority, has the power to create dioceses and appoint bishops, in consultation with the pope, but only in Kerala.

The Vatican's silence, Bishop Karotemprel says, creates "an abominable situation" with repercussions such as questioning the credibility of the Holy See.

He accused some Latin-rite bishops of influencing Vatican congregations and the Apostolic Nunciature in New Delhi to block the SMC's "just" right to India-wide jurisdiction.

Bishop Karotemprel says SMC Catholics can no longer tolerate Latin bishops' "ecclesiastical colonization of India" and have "lost all faith and hope" that the Vatican and the nunciature will "ever do justice to their cause." He points out Latin prelates head the important Vatican positions and their people fill other offices in the Vatican congregations.

Nonetheless, he maintains the Vatican alone can find "an equitable and just solution" to the "insoluble disputes" between India's Latin and SMC Churches.

The SMC prelate says his people also wonder whether the Vatican's "culpable silence" requires "another law to implement what is right and just."

In his analysis, "a negative written reply" from the Vatican would negate its own teachings, while a positive reply would "invite very strong opposition" from the Latin Church. Such "games" need "a final whistle," he added.

Bishop Karotemprel regrets the Vatican's new demand that two-thirds of Latin-rite bishops in India should agree to grant SMC nationwide jurisdiction. Since most Latin prelates oppose the demand, the Vatican stand amounts to "absurd" ecclesiastical jurisprudence, he explained.

The SMC prelate remarked that the Church champions truth and justice but "totally denies" those values in "its internal administration."

SMC migrants in Latin dioceses know their just and juridical rights, and "are totally fed up" with the Vatican attitude, Bishop Karotemprel stated.

However, in concluding he recalled that his 2,000-year-old Church "never got separated from the See of Peter" and pledged "filial love and obedience to our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI."

Describing the pope as the "ultimate dispenser of truth and justice in the Church," he urged SMC Catholics to remain "hopeful."

The Latin rite accounts for 128 of India's 160 dioceses. The SMC has 26 dioceses in India, including 10 outside Kerala, to which 3.5 million of India's 17 million Catholics belong. It also has one diocese for North America, based in Chicago, the United States.

Latin rite follows the Roman liturgy introduced by European missioners in the 15th century.

The SMC is the larger of the two Oriental-rite Churches in India, both of which follow Syrian Church traditions and trace their origins to Saint Thomas the Apostle. The smaller Syro-Malankara Church, also based in Kerala, has six dioceses.

Until the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), India's Oriental-rite Churches were confined to Kerala. The council set up SMC dioceses outside Kerala, but placed them in ecclesiastical provinces headed by Latin-rite archdioceses.

The Vatican made the SMC self-governing in 1992 but retained the right to decide on administrative matters for its dioceses outside Kerala.

Translation, we like Eastern Catholicism in India as long as it doesn't threaten the latin tradition brought inby the colonial days.

Update

2008-11-15T17:15:00.000-08:00

Hi

I haven't been on in ahwile to update this thing but I have not abandoned it. I will be back on here soon enough to post stuff of some kind. In other news, my transfer to the Ukrainian church is complete : ) so it is official now .

-edited, sorry typo.

Voting

2008-11-02T20:17:00.001-08:00

With the election comming up, I felt I needed to comment on it.

I have noticed this from many of my peers and others, that there is an attitude that we must vote for the "lesser of two evils" and that not voting is the equivalent of giving the election to the greater evil. I contend that voting is neither necessary and that voting for the lesser of two evils is unacceptable.

For my first point, voting in general. How can something that has, until recent times, been unavalible to the people be a requirement? Even in the United States, only property owning men could initially vote. They clearly did not see as necessary for everyone to vote. From a Catholic point of view, the Church has constantly throughout her history been supportive of Monarchies where voting for the leader of the nation was out of the question (or if it was voting, it was like the Holy Roman Empire or the Papacy itself, done by the nobility or cardinals). So how can it be necessary to vote?

Next the lesser of two evils arguement. What exactly makes the lesser evil a good idea to vote for? Just because he is supposedly pro life (you know not including his support of EMBYRONIC stem cells, and unjust war)? No, because McCain can't change anything once he is elected, at best he can keep the status quo, at worst he can nominate a new judge that will be a hidden pro infanticide justice. There are plenty of third party choices (that btw if the 40% of the population that is Catholic voted for ) could be viable candidates if given support.

This leads to my next point, if we beleive in Objective moral values, then how can we even possibly dream of supporting something like a neo-republic/representitve democracy. Where truth is put to a vote and whoever is in the majority can impose their will upon everyone else. Rather then the potential tyranny of one man, we are given the tyranny of the majority. Its not much different, except that a monarchy at least recognizes that its power comes from God so even if he is a bad monarch, he is still going have this ingrained into his person if he has been raised from birth for the position. The people ,on the contrary, change their flavor of the month. Every four or eight years we change our minds. Monarchy, on the contrary is a stable regime that conserves the state and nurtures it so that it can organically develop. It prides itself on its traditions and values and looks towards its God-given ruler for guidance and stability. In these unstable times one would think that we would desire this in our country. Rather we instead are after "change", whatever that means. I can tell you what I beleive it means, and I beleive it means that we want to further weaken our standing in the world. That we want to further degenerate as a society, and that we would rather elect corrupt politicians who waste our money rather then look into the future and realize that the America everyone talks about, hasn't existed for a long time now.

As for me, I do not beleive I will vote. There is no candidate on the ballot in this state that I could even hold my nose and support. Perhaps I could move to Louisiana and vote for Ron Paul (whom is the candiate for the Louisiana tax payers party or something, probably without his consent).

Prayer Intentions

2008-11-01T22:05:00.000-07:00

Please pray for Monsignor Miller of the Richmond Diocese. He is my old pastor and has been diagnosed with some sort of cancer.

Also please include in your prayers a Fr. Charles of the Romanian Sui Irus church.

Hi

2008-10-30T17:27:00.001-07:00

Sorry everyone for dropping the ball on the novena : ( Lord have Mercy (x3). In other news, the Latin Bishop of Charlotte (His Excellency Bishop Jugis)has approved my request for canonical transfer. I now await His Grace Moskal's final approval and I will be officially part of the UGCC.

Day 3

2008-10-23T21:19:00.000-07:00

Prayer for the Canonization of Blessed Emperor Karl of Austria:

[To be prayed at the beginning of each day of the novena.]
Heavenly Father, through Blessed Emperor Karl You have given Your Church and the people of God an example of how we can live a discerning and spiritual life in a convincing and courageous way.
His public actions as emperor and king, and his personal acts as a family man, were firmly based in the teachings of the Catholic Faith. His love for his Eucharistic Lord grew in times of trial, and helped him to unite himself to Christ’s sacrifice through his own life’s sacrifice for his peoples. Emperor Karl honored the Mother of God, and loved to pray the rosary throughout his life.
Strengthen us by his intercession when discouragement, faintheartedness, loneliness, bitterness and depression trouble us. Let us follow the example of Your faithful servant, and unselfishly serve our brothers and sisters according to Your will.
Hear my petitions and grant my request [mention your intention here].
Grant that Blessed Karl of Austria be deemed worthy of canonization, for the glory of Your Name, the praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and for blessings upon the Church.
Amen.

Day Three:
A Life of Sacrifice
“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
By the time Blessed Emperor Karl was exiled to the island of Madeira his life was already one of making sacrifices for others.
He lost his homeland, empire and throne. His own people confiscated his private money and possessions. Penniless, friendless, and unable to earn a living, he had a wife and seven children, with another one on the way, to support. He was forced to live under foreign control on a far away island in a disagreeably damp house that was not inhabitable. Yet, despite all of these trials he was heroically ready to make sacrifices for others.
The only sacrifice finally remaining to Emperor Karl was to offer his life. Through his prayers, he became convinced that God wanted him to make the ultimate sacrifice of his life for the salvation of his peoples.
Throughout his life, and during his tribulations, the Emperor went to daily Communion whenever possible. Even at the end of his life, he continued this custom and in conjunction with the host on the paten, which becomes the Holy Sacrifice of the Divine Lamb of God, he offered himself up completely to the Will of the Father for the salvation of his peoples.
The Emperor’s favorite church on Madeira was Nossa Senhora do Monte, which could be seen from miles away. Once he was speaking to his wife while the church was in their view. He stated that God demanded that he give his life for the good of his peoples. The stunned Empress was speechless, but with resolve in his eyes the Emperor looked at the church and said: “I will do it!”
Soon thereafter, God accepted the Emperor’s vow when he suddenly became ill and suffered an early death. The prophetic words uttered by Pope Saint Pius X upon meeting Karl when he was just a young archduke, were fulfilled: “I bless Archduke Karl who will be the future Emperor of Austria and who will help lead his countries and peoples to great honor and many blessings— but this will not become obvious until after his death.”
Prayer:
My Lord and God, I thank You for the sacrifice Emperor Karl made of his life. Help me to follow his selfless example and not refuse You any sacrifice You may require of me. Hear my petitions and grant my request [mention your intention here] through the intercession of Blessed Emperor Karl of Austria.
Amen
[Hail Mary. Our Father. Glory Be.]

[To be prayed at the conclusion of each day of the novena.]
God our Father, through the gift of Blessed Emperor Karl You have given us an example to follow.
In extremely difficult times he performed his burdensome tasks without ever losing his faith.
He always followed Your Son, the true King.
He led a humble life, sincerely loving the poor and giving himself heart and soul to the search for peace. Even when his life was in danger he trusted in You, putting his life in Your hands.
Almighty and Merciful God, by the intercession of Blessed Emperor Karl, we pray that You may give us his unconditional faith to support us in our most difficult situations, and the courage to always follow the example of Your only Son.
Open our hearts to the poor, and strengthen our commitment for peace within our families and among all peoples.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Day 2

2008-10-22T21:11:00.001-07:00

[To be prayed at the beginning of each day of the novena.]
Heavenly Father, through Blessed Emperor Karl You have given Your Church and the people of God an example of how we can live a discerning and spiritual life in a convincing and courageous way.
His public actions as emperor and king, and his personal acts as a family man, were firmly based in the teachings of the Catholic Faith. His love for his Eucharistic Lord grew in times of trial, and helped him to unite himself to Christ’s sacrifice through his own life’s sacrifice for his peoples. Emperor Karl honored the Mother of God, and loved to pray the rosary throughout his life.
Strengthen us by his intercession when discouragement, faintheartedness, loneliness, bitterness and depression trouble us. Let us follow the example of Your faithful servant, and unselfishly serve our brothers and sisters according to Your will.
Hear my petitions and grant my request [mention your intention here].
Grant that Blessed Karl of Austria be deemed worthy of canonization, for the glory of Your Name, the praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and for blessings upon the Church.
Amen.

Day Two:
An Emperor Devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
“Jesus, gentle and humble of heart, form our hearts to be like Your Heart.”
On October 2, 1918, Blessed Karl consecrated himself and his family to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Through his suffering from being misjudged, slandered, and persecuted, his willingness to sacrifice his life for his peoples, his exile, and through his painful, fatal illness, Emperor Karl allowed his heart to be formed in union with the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Even in exile and sickness the Emperor took to heart his duties as monarch and father to his peoples very seriously. Because of his illness the Empress Zita read newspapers to him, but she felt that the articles worked him up and made him worry too much. She urged him not to ask her to read to him because it was not good for his health, but Emperor Karl replied: “It is my duty to be informed, not my pleasure. Please, read!”
His devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus strengthened the Emperor during his painful, last illness. On his deathbed he said to the Countess Mensdorff: “It is so good to have faith in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Without it, the hardships would be impossible to withstand.”
Blessed Karl kept an image of the Sacred Heart under his pillow throughout his life, and during his fatal illness. Once when Empress Zita wanted him to get some much-needed rest, she brought the picture out from under the pillow and held it before the Emperor’s eyes. She said that it was absolutely necessary for him to sleep, and that he should ask the Lord for it. He gazed at the image and urgently, yet devoutly, said: “Dearest Savior, please, grant me sleep.” He was then able to fall asleep and rested for three, much-needed hours.
Prayer:
My Lord and God, according to the marvelous example of Your servant, Emperor Karl, I too wish to consecrate myself to Your Most Sacred Heart. Hear my petitions and grant my request [mention your intention here] through the intercession of Blessed Emperor Karl of Austria.
Amen
[Hail Mary. Our Father. Glory Be.]

Concluding Prayer
[To be prayed at the conclusion of each day of the novena.]
God our Father, through the gift of Blessed Emperor Karl You have given us an example to follow.
In extremely difficult times he performed his burdensome tasks without ever losing his faith.
He always followed Your Son, the true King.
He led a humble life, sincerely loving the poor and giving himself heart and soul to the search for peace. Even when his life was in danger he trusted in You, putting his life in Your hands.
Almighty and Merciful God, by the intercession of Blessed Emperor Karl, we pray that You may give us his unconditional faith to support us in our most difficult situations, and the courage to always follow the example of Your only Son.
Open our hearts to the poor, and strengthen our commitment for peace within our families and among all peoples.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Sorry so late on this. Its been a pretty busy day.

A Novena for the Canonization of Blessed Charles

2008-10-20T22:14:00.000-07:00

Prayer for the Canonization of Blessed Emperor Karl of Austria:

[To be prayed at the beginning of each day of the novena.]
Heavenly Father, through Blessed Emperor Karl You have given Your Church and the people of God an example of how we can live a discerning and spiritual life in a convincing and courageous way.
His public actions as emperor and king, and his personal acts as a family man, were firmly based in the teachings of the Catholic Faith. His love for his Eucharistic Lord grew in times of trial, and helped him to unite himself to Christ’s sacrifice through his own life’s sacrifice for his peoples. Emperor Karl honored the Mother of God, and loved to pray the rosary throughout his life.
Strengthen us by his intercession when discouragement, faintheartedness, loneliness, bitterness and depression trouble us. Let us follow the example of Your faithful servant, and unselfishly serve our brothers and sisters according to Your will.
Hear my petitions and grant my request [mention your intention here].
Grant that Blessed Karl of Austria be deemed worthy of canonization, for the glory of Your Name, the praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and for blessings upon the Church.
Amen.

Day One:
Reverence for the Most Blessed Sacrament
Blessed Karl lived under the glory of the Blessed Sacrament. The rays of grace from this splendor attracted him, and he loved to visit the tabernacle. Whether stressed by the strains of government or just the ordinary beginning of his day, he sought guidance and solace before Jesus Christ in the tabernacle. Wherever he lived, he sought to have a private chapel where the Blessed Sacrament could be reserved. His devotion to the Eucharist manifested itself even in small details, such as his concern that the sanctuary lamp should never be allowed to go out. Several times a day he would say: “I must go to see if the altar light is still burning.” When he said this, everyone knew that he would be away for some time kneeling and praying before the Blessed Sacrament.
The depths of his prayer and meditation were so great that he was often unaware of what was occurring around him. For instance, he frequently was so caught up in prayer that he did not realize that the collection basket was being passed. In order not to disturb him, Empress Zita talked him into holding his offering in his hand from the beginning of Mass so that she could nudge his arm to drop the money into the basket at the appropriate time.
Father Maurus Carnot, O.S.B., said about Emperor Karl: “In Disentis [Switzerland], it did not matter whether it was snowing or if there were snow drifts, he was always punctual for Holy Mass at the Church of Saint Mary, where he would receive Holy Communion during the masses that Crown Prince Otto, with his boyish curly hair, would serve...”
During the Emperor’s fatal illness, he had the strongest longings to frequently receive Holy Communion. Holy Mass was regularly celebrated in the drawing room adjacent to his sick room. At first the door was left ajar so that he could follow the masses without losing privacy or risk infecting others, but he soon requested that the door be left wide open saying: “I do so want to see the altar!” He was so respectful of the Eucharist that he was not going to receive because he was afraid that his constant coughing might profane the host, but remarkably, during the holy rites his coughing stopped completely and he was able to take Communion. It was as if he were compelled by the Lord to receive Holy Communion. When he asked the Empress to tell the priest that he wished to receive Communion, she told him that it was not possible because Countess Mensdorff was going to receive the only host consecrated. Emperor Karl could not be dissuaded, so Empress Zita went to the priest and saw that he too must have had an inner voice because he had consecrated an additional host for the Emperor.
As Emperor Karl lived, so did he die. In life he was united with our Eucharistic Lord, and the Blessed Sacrament was the center of his life when he died. Half an hour before he died he wished to receive Holy Communion. Although his face was pale and drawn from his long, tiring struggle with illness, his face radiated with joy as he received the Eucharist. This radiance remained on his face after his death. During the Emperor’s final moments, Father Zsámboki held the Blessed Sacrament before his eyes, and in the presence of the Eucharist he said his final words: “Thy Will be done, Jesus, Jesus, come!” With his final breath, he whispered: “Jesus!”
He now entered that eternal light, which is symbolized by the sanctuary lamp he had so carefully attended in his chapel.
Prayer:
My Lord and God, according to the marvelous example of Your servant, Emperor Karl, I will visit You in the tabernacle frequently, and receive You with joy and longing in the most Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist. Hear my petitions and grant my request [mention your intention here] through the intercession of Blessed Emperor Karl of Austria. Amen
[Hail Mary. Our Father. Glory Be.]

Concluding Prayer
[To be prayed at the conclusion of each day of the novena.]
God our Father, through the gift of Blessed Emperor Karl You have given us an example to follow.
In extremely difficult times he performed his burdensome tasks without ever losing his faith.
He always followed Your Son, the true King.
He led a humble life, sincerely loving the poor and giving himself heart and soul to the search for peace. Even when his life was in danger he trusted in You, putting his life in Your hands.
Almighty and Merciful God, by the intercession of Blessed Emperor Karl, we pray that You may give us his unconditional faith to support us in our most difficult situations, and the courage to always follow the example of Your only Son.
Open our hearts to the poor, and strengthen our commitment for peace within our families and among all peoples.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

I will post the next novena prayer everyday. This is for October 21. If you read this please consider praying this.

Blessed Emperor Charles

2008-10-20T22:07:00.000-07:00

"The decisive task of Christians consists in seeking, recognizing and following God's will in all things. The Christian statesman, Charles of Austria , confronted this challenge every day. To his eyes, war appeared as "something appalling". Amid the tumult of the First World War, he strove to promote the peace initiative of my Predecessor, Benedict XV.
From the beginning, the Emperor Charles conceived of his office as a holy service to his people. His chief concern was to follow the Christian vocation to holiness also in his political actions. For this reason, his thoughts turned to social assistance. May he be an example for all of us, especially for those who have political responsibilities in Europe today!" - John Paul II

God our Father, through the gift of Blessed Emperor Karl You have given us an example to follow. In extremely difficult times he performed his burdensome tasks without ever losing his faith. He always followed Your Son, the true King.
He led a humble life, sincerely loving the poor and giving himself heart and soul to the search for peace. Even when his life was in danger he trusted in You, putting his life in Your hands. Almighty and Merciful God, by the intercession of Blessed Emperor Karl, we pray that You may give us his unconditional faith to support us in our most difficult situations, and the courage to always follow the example of Your only Son.
Open our hearts to the poor, and strengthen our commitment for peace within our families and among all peoples.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

O Blessed Emperor Karl, you accepted the difficult tasks and burdensome challenges that God gave you during your life. In every thought, decision and action you trusted always in the Holy Trinity. We pray to you to intercede for us with the Lord our God to give us faith and courage, so that even in the most difficult situations of our earthly lives we may not lose heart, but continue faithfully in the footsteps of Christ.
Ask for us the grace that our hearts may be moulded into the likeness of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Help us to work with compassion and strength for the poor and needy, to fight with courage for peace in our homes and in the world, and in every situation to trustingly place our lives in the hands of God, until we reach Him, as you did, through Christ our Lord.

Mar Charbel

2008-10-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

Divine Liturgy

2008-10-18T20:14:00.001-07:00

Celebrated by His Beatitude Alexy II of Moscow

A series of a series of youtubes

2008-10-14T18:44:00.000-07:00

Father Serge Keleher celebrating Divine Liturgy in Singapore, if you listen closely you can catch which monarch he comemorates during the prayers ; p

The English (language that is)

2008-10-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

Your result for The Commonly Confused Words Test...

Inter-Advanced

You scored 71% Beginner, 79% Intermediate, 87% Advanced, and 73% Expert!

You have a good understanding of intermediate and advanced commonly confused English words, getting at least 75% of the intermediate and advanced level questions correct. The puzzling part of your test result is the fact that you only answered 75% or less correct in the beginner section. Fascinating.

Thank you so much for taking my test. I hope you enjoyed it!

For the complete Answer Key, visit my blog: http://shortredhead78.blogspot.com/.

Take The Commonly Confused Words Test at HelloQuizzy

I do not really know if I should consider this good since I got over 85% on the advanced words or bad since I got only 71 % on the easy ones : ( . Ah well, hence why I am not an English major ~_^

Music

2008-10-03T18:21:00.001-07:00

So lately I have been listening to this one song called "Farewell of Slavianka" , since its recorded by the Red Army Choir I figured it was a soviet song. It was just so catchy though I couldn't help but enjoy it, even if those bloody reds wrote it. BUT to my pleasent surprise this song is actually from 1912 and was a military march for Imperial Russia and later the White Army. So now I love the song even more. Please excuse me for using this soviet propoganda youtube video for the song, but the Red Army recording is very high quality. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0OkQpYYCDs

Farewell of a Slavic Woman

Arise, Russian Land, defend your Faith!

We have composed many a song in our heart,
Glorifying the native fields.
We've loved you no matter what,
You, our holy Russian land.

You've raised your head high,
You face has been shining like the sun.
You've become a victim of betrayal --
by those who have cheated and sold you!

Refrain:
Again, march ahead!
Again, the bugle calls!
Again, we'll join the ranks
And all march into the holy battle.
Arise, Russian Land, defend the faith!

Russia's holiness awaits victory.
Respond, the Orthodox host!
Where is your Ilya Muromets,
Where is Dobrynia?
The mother is summoning her sons.

Refrain

We all are children of a Great Power,
We all remember the forefathers' commandment:
For the sake of the Flag, Honor, Glory,
Pity neither yourself not the foe.

Arise, Russia, from your prison of slavery,
Victory's spirit is calls: time to do battle!
Rise your battle flags
For Truth, Beauty, and Good.

Also, if anyone has any good resources on learning how to read the Ukrainian alphabet and pronouce it then please provide them : p

Some Monarchist Akathist hymns

2008-10-01T17:04:00.000-07:00

http://www.angelfire.com/planet/parastos/akathistdavid.html
Akathist hymn to Saint David, King of Israel

http://www.angelfire.com/planet/parastos/akathisttsar.html
Akathist to Saint Nicholas , Tsar and Passionbearer

http://www.angelfire.com/planet/parastos/akathiststelizabeth.html
Akathist to Saint Elizabeth, Grand Duchess and Passionbearer

The sites don't include the introduction prayers. But a quick search on the net for Akathist hymn will provide one with the proper introduction prayers.

In other news, I am about to send my letter off to Bishop Jugis and Bishop Robert for canonical transfer. Just waiting for my sacramental documents to arrive by mail so I can send em off.

The Passing of St. John the Apostle

2008-09-26T09:42:00.000-07:00

Saint John came from Bethsaida, a poor village in Galilee. He was the son of Zebedee the fisherman and of Salome, the daughter of Joseph, the Betrothed of the Virgin Mary. Joseph had four sons by his first marriage: James, Joses, Jude, and Simon (or Simeon), and three daughters: Esther, Martha, and Salome. Thus, Jesus Christ our Savior was the uncle of Saint John the Theologian, since He was the half-brother of John’s mother Salome.

John and his brother James were helping their father Zebedee with the fishing when the Savior called them to follow Him and become fishers of men. They immediately left everything to follow His heavenly teaching. Such was John’s love of virginity and ascesis that, above all the disciples, he was worthy of the name of “virgin,” and such his ardent love for Christ and irreproachable life that, among them all, he became the “beloved disciple.” He was one of the three closest to the Savior, who ascended Mount Tabor with Him. John looked upon the Divinity shining in the body of Christ and heard the voice out of the cloud that said: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; listen to Him” (Matthew 17:5). It was John, carried away by his love, who wanted to sit at the right hand of the Lord in His Kingdom (Matthew 20:21). At the Last Supper, the Lord placed him at His side, where he leaned on the breast of his beloved Master (John 13:23). When the Jews laid hold of Jesus, Saint John followed Him into the palace of the high priest (John 18:15). He alone remained with the Virgin Mary at the foot of the Cross when the Savior was crucified. Seeing John standing by, Christ said to His mother: “Woman, behold your son!” and to John: “Behold your mother!” From that hour, John took the Virgin Mary into his own home (John 19:27).

At the time the Resurrection was announced, John outran Peter and came first to the Tomb. It was he who first stooped down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground (John 20:5-6). He saw Christ after His Resurrection and was commissioned with the other disciples to preach the Gospel throughout the world when the Lord breathed on them as an earnest of the gift of the Holy Spirit (John 20:22). He was present also at the Lord’s Ascension into heaven and received the Holy Spirit under the appearance of tongues of fire with the other disciples on the day of Pentecost (Acts 1-2). He remained the last of them all in Jerusalem, in the company of the Virgin Mary, whom he served until the time of her Dormition.

When the time came to part from one another to preach in all the regions of the world, the Apostles drew lots to tell where each should go. It fell to John to preach the Gospel in Asia Minor which was full of idolatry and entirely given over to paganism. Saint John was much cast down on learning where he was to go for he had not yet learned to put all his trust in the invincible power of God. To purge him of this human weakness, God put him to the trial of wind and waves for forty days before he reached his destination. During this tempest, John’s disciple, the deacon Prochorus (July 28), was cast by the waves upon the shore at Seleucia where the people of the city accused him of witchcraft, suspecting him of having spirited away money from the shipwrecked vessel. He manged to escape, and after forty days found his master whom the sea had brought to shore at Marmareota, another city of Asia Minor.

They made their way to Ephesus, a place where the people had great devotion to the goddess Diana and would celebrate festivals in her honor. At one of these, John climbed the hill where stood the great statue of the goddess in order to address the crowd. The pagans were enraged to see him there and tried to stone him, but by the grace of God all the stones missed their mark and struck the statue, which was reduced to rubble. But the pagans, blind to the signs of divine Providence and deaf to the words of Saint John, made a second attempt to stone him. This time the stones turned back on the idolaters themselves, and the earth, quaking at the Apostle’s prayer, suddenly swallowed up more than two hundred of them. The people who survived came to their senses at last. They begged John to intercede with God to deal mercifully with them and restore to life those who had perished. So, at the prayer of Saint John, all those people came forth from the bowels of the earth, venerated the Apostle and were baptized.

The Emperor Domitian (AD 81-96) heard of John’s renown and arranged to meet him. He was so enraged by the Apostle’s confidence that Christ is mightier than any worldly power that he banished him to the island of Patmos in the hope of reducing his influence. On the voyage there with Prochorus, John showed the kindness of God towards man by curing the dysentery of the soldiers escorting them. As soon as they arrived, he freed Apollonides, the son of Myron a local dignitary, of an impure spirit. This miracle, accompanied by the word of John, brought Myron’s entire household to faith in Christ and baptism; and a little later, the Governor of the island was also baptized.

While he was on Patmos, John received a letter from the Bishop of Athens, Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3) who was then ninety-nine years old. He praised John as the daystar of the Gospel and prophesied that he would soon be freed. Indeed when Trajan succeeded Nerva (AD 98), he recalled Saint John to Ephesus, to the great sorrow of the people of Patmos whom he had converted. John did not want to leave them unconsoled. Strengthened by a sign from heaven, he fasted with them for three days; then, accompanied by Prochorus, he went up into a mountain where he directed all the powers of his soul towards the Lord. Suddenly the sky was rent by fearful flashes of lightening and claps of thunder. Prochorus was overwhelmed and fell to the ground while John remained impassible in contemplation. He heard a voice like thunder proclaiming from the height of heaven: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Prochorus transcribed this message of salvation, revealed to John as was once the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai, but this time not for the Jews alone, but for all even to the ends of the earth.

It was also on Patmos that John wrote the New Testament book known as the Apocalypse or Revelation. John saw Christ, having the appearance of a young man whose “face was like the sun shining in full strength.” Reassuring John, who “fell at his feet as though dead,” the Lord said: “Fear not; I am the First and the Last; I am He that Lives and was dead; and behold, I am alive forevermore and have the keys of Death and of Hell. Write the things that you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter” (Revelation 1:17ff). Then in successive revelations John was shown what will happen at the end of time: the gathering strength of iniquity, the coming of the Antichrist, his warfare against the faithful and his final struggle against Christ who, in the end, will cast him forever into Hell with the Devil and his angels. It was also given him to see in his vision the violent upheavals that will take place in the world, the fiery end of all things, and the final triumph of the Son of man, the general Resurrection and the Last Judgment.

After his time on the island of Patmos, the Apostle John returned to Ephesus where he spent the remainder of his days in peace, bringing many to the faith. He was fifty-six when he left Jerusalem to preach the Gospel, which he did for nine years until his exile. He spent fifteen years on Patmos and lived another twenty-six years after his return to Ephesus.
http://www.goarch.org/en/special/listen_learn_share/johntheapostle/learn/

INTRODUCTION TO THE JESUS PRAYER

2008-09-24T10:57:00.000-07:00

by H.R.H. Princess Ileana of Romania

"
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me, a sinner.

I have often read the Jesus Prayer in prayer books and heard it in church, but my attention was drawn to it first some years ago in Romania. There in a small Monastery of Sâmbata, tucked away at the foot of the Carpathians in the heart of the deep forest, its little white church reflected in a crystal-clear mountain pond, I met a monk who practiced the "prayer of the heart". Profound peace and silence reigned at Sâmbata in those days; it was a place of rest and strength—I pray God it still is.

I have wandered far since I last saw Sâmbata, and all the while the Jesus Prayer lay as a precious gift buried in my heart. It remained inactive until a few years ago, when I read The Way of a Pilgrim. Since then I have been seeking to practice it continually. At times I lapse; nonetheless, the prayer has opened unbelievable vistas within my heart and soul.

The Jesus Prayer, or the Prayer of the Heart, centers on the Holy Name itself. It may be said in its entirety: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me, a sinner;" it may be changed to "us sinners" or to other persons named, or it may be shortened. The power lies in the name of Jesus; thus "Jesus," alone, may fulfill the whole need of the one who prays.

The Prayer goes back to the New Testament and has had a long, traditional use. The method of contemplation based upon the Holy Name is attributed to St. Simeon, called the "New Theologian" (949-1022). When he was 14 years old, St. Simeon had a vision of heavenly light in which he seemed to be separated from his body. Amazed, and overcome with an overpowering joy, he felt a consuming humility, and cried, borrowing the Publican's prayer (Luke 18:13), "Lord Jesus, have mercy upon me." Long after the vision had disappeared, the great joy returned to St. Simeon each time he repeated the prayer; and he taught his disciples to worship likewise. The prayer evolved into its expanded form: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me, a sinner." In this guise it has come down to us from generation to generation of pious monks and laymen.

The invocation of the Holy Name is not peculiar to the Orthodox Church but is used by Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Protestants, though to a lesser degree. On Mount Sinai and Athos the monks worked out a whole system of contemplation based upon this simple prayer, practiced in complete silence. These monks came to be known as "Quietists" (in Greek: "Hesychasts").

St. Gregory Palamas (1296-1359), the last of the great Church Fathers, became the exponent of the Hesychasts. He won, after a long drawn out battle, an irrefutable place for the Jesus Prayer and the Quietists within the Church. In the 18th century when tsardom hampered monasticism in Russia, and the Turks crushed Orthodoxy in Greece, the Neamtzu monastery in Moldavia (Romania) became one of the great centers for the Jesus Prayer.

The Prayer is held to be so outstandingly spiritual because it is focused wholly on Jesus: all thoughts, striving, hope, faith and love are outpoured in devotion to God the Son. It fulfills two basic injunctions of the New Testament. In one, Jesus said: "I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full" (John 16: 23, 24). In the other precept we find St. Paul's injunction to pray without ceasing, (1. Thess. 5:17). Further, it follows Jesus' instructions upon how to pray (which He gave at the same time He taught His followers the Lord's Prayer): "When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly" (Matt. 6:6).

And Jesus taught that all impetus, good and bad, originates in men's hearts. "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh" (Luke 6:45).

Upon these and many other precepts of the New Testament as well as the Old, the Holy Fathers, even before St. Simeon, based their fervent and simple prayer. They developed a method of contemplation in which unceasing prayer became as natural as breathing, following the rhythmic cadence of the heart beat.

All roads that lead to God are beset with pitfalls because the enemy (Satan) ever lies in wait to trip us up. He naturally attacks most assiduously when we are bent on finding our way to salvation, for that is what he most strives to hinder. In mystical prayer the temptations we encounter exceed all others in danger; because our thoughts are on a higher level, the allurements are proportionally subtler. Someone said that "mysticism started in mist and ended in schism"; this cynical remark, spoken by an unbeliever, has a certain truth in it. Mysticism is of real spiritual value only when it is practiced with absolute sobriety.

At one time a controversy arose concerning certain Quietists who fell into excessive acts of piety and fasting because they lost the sense of moderation upon which our Church lays so great a value. We need not dwell upon misuses of the Jesus Prayer, except to realize that all exaggerations are harmful and that we should at all times use self-restraint. "Practice of the Jesus Prayer is the traditional fulfillment of the injunction of the Apostle Paul to 'pray always:' it has nothing to do with the mysticism which is the heritage of pagan ancestry."

The Orthodox Church is full of deep mystic life which she guards and encompasses with the strength of her traditional rules; thus her mystics seldom go astray. "The 'ascetical life' is a life in which 'acquired' virtues, i.e. virtues resulting from a personal effort, only accompanied by that general grace which God grants to every good will, prevail. The 'mystical life' is a life in which the gifts of the Holy Spirit are predominant over human efforts, and in which 'infused' virtues are predominant over the 'acquired' ones; the soul has become more passive than active. Let us use a classical comparison. Between the ascetic life, that is, the life in which human action predominates, and the mystical life, that is, the life in which God's action predominates, there is the same difference as between rowing a boat and sailing it; the oar is the ascetic effort, the sail is the mystical passivity which is unfurled to catch the divine wind." The Jesus Prayer is the core of mystical prayer, and it can be used by anyone, at any time. There is nothing mysterious about this (let us not confuse "mysterious" with "mystic"). We start by following the precepts and examples frequently given by our Lord. First, go aside into a quiet place: "Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest awhile" (Mark 6:31); "Study to be quiet" (I. Thess. 4: 11); then pray in secret—alone and in silence.

The phrases "to pray in secret, alone and in silence" need, I feel, a little expanding. "Secret" should be understood as it is used in the Bible: for instance, Jesus tells us to do our charity secretly-not letting the left hand know what the right one does. We should not parade our devotions, nor boast about them. "Alone" means to separate ourselves from our immediate surroundings and disturbing influences. As a matter of fact, never are we in so much company as when we pray". . . seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses. . ." (Hebrews 12:1). The witnesses are all those who pray: Angels, Archangels, saints and sinners, the living and the dead. It is in prayer, especially the Jesus Prayer, that we become keenly aware of belonging to the living body of Christ. In "silence" implies that we do not speak our prayer audibly. We do not even meditate on the words; we use them only to reach beyond them to the essence itself.

In our busy lives this is not easy, yet it can be done-we can each of us find a few minutes in which to use a prayer consisting of only a few words, or even only one. This prayer should be repeated quietly, unhurriedly, thoughtfully. Each thought should be concentrated on Jesus, forgetting all else, both joys and sorrows. Any stray thought, however good or pious, can become an obstacle.

When you embrace a dear one you do not stop to meditate how and why you love—you just love wholeheartedly. It is the same when spiritually we grasp Jesus the Christ to our heart. If we pay heed to the depth and quality of our love, it means that we are preoccupied with our own reactions, rather than giving ourselves unreservedly to Jesus —holding nothing back. Think the prayer as you breathe in and out; calm both mind and body, using as rhythm the heartbeat. Do not search for words, but go on repeating the Prayer, or Jesus' name alone, in love and adoration. That is ALL! Strange—in this little there is more than all!

It is good to have regular hours for prayer and to retire whenever possible to the same room or place, possibly before an icon. The icon is loaded with the objective presence of the One depicted, and thus greatly assists our invocation. Orthodox monks and nuns find that to use a rosary helps to keep the attention fixed. Or you may find it best quietly to close your eyes—focusing them inward.

The Jesus Prayer can be used for worship and petition; as intercession, invocation, adoration, and as thanksgiving. It is a means by which we lay all that is in our hearts, both for God and man, at the feet of Jesus. It is a means of communion with God and with all those who pray. The fact that we can train our hearts to go on praying even when we sleep, keeps us uninterruptedly within the community of prayer. This is no fanciful statement; many have experienced this life-giving fact. We cannot, of course, attain this continuity of prayer all at once, but it is achievable; for all that is worthwhile we must ". . . run with patience the race that is set before us . . ." (Hebrews 12:1).

I had a most striking proof of uninterrupted communion with all those who pray when I lately underwent surgery. I lay long under anesthesia. "Jesus" had been my last conscious thought, and the first word on my lips as I awoke. It was marvelous beyond words to find that although I knew nothing of what was happening to my body I never lost cognizance of being prayed-for and of praying myself. After such an experience one no longer wonders that there are great souls who devote their lives exclusively to prayer.

Prayer has always been of very real importance to me, and the habit formed in early childhood of morning and evening prayer has never left me; but in the practice of the Jesus Prayer I am but a beginner. I would, nonetheless, like to awaken interest in this prayer because, even if I have only touched the hem of a heavenly garment, I have touched it—and the joy is so great I would share it with others. It is not every man's way of prayer; you may not find in it the same joy that I find, for your way may be quite a different one—yet equally bountiful.

In fear and joy, in loneliness and companionship, it is ever with me. Not only in the silence of daily devotions, but at all times and in all places. It transforms, for me, frowns into smiles; it beautifies, as if a film had been washed off an old picture so that the colors appear clear and bright, like nature on a warm spring day after a shower. Even despair has become attenuated and repentance has achieved its purpose.

When I arise in the morning, it starts me joyfully upon a new day. When I travel by air, land, or sea, it sings within my breast. When I stand upon a platform and face my listeners, it beats encouragement. When I gather my children around me, it murmurs a blessing. And at the end of a weary day, when I lay me down to rest, I give my heart over to Jesus: "(Lord) into thy hands I commend my spirit". I sleep—but my heart as it beats prays on: "JESUS".

"

Its not very often that I can make a post both about spirituality and monarchy! I found this short work quite good and a great introduction to the Jesus prayer. From what I read, H.R.H. went on to become a nun.

Got Monks?

2008-09-23T17:12:00.000-07:00

Also I started reading some St. John of Damascus, so perhaps I will blog on him soonish.

Stave Wooden Churches

2008-09-23T16:39:00.000-07:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stave_church

I always thought these were really interesting designs for a church building.

Pictures

2008-09-22T18:12:00.000-07:00

Just posting some liturgical stuff. The last one is an Ordinary form Mass somewhere in Michagan I think? Then there is a picture of the Eucharistic congrass in Charlotte, NC. The third is the picture of St. Francis de Sales oratory in St. Louis. The other two are nice looking iconostasis I found on the internets. The only one I actually took was the st. louis one...but I am in the Eucharistic congrass one.

Saints for September 23rd

2008-09-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

The Conception of St. John the Baptist

Luke 1:5-25 - In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechari'ah, of the division of Abi'jah; and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, it fell to him by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechari'ah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.
But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechari'ah, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth; for he will be great before the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Eli'jah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just,to make ready for the Lord a people prepared."

And Zechari'ah said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years." And the angel answered him, "I am Gabriel, who stand in the presence of God; and I was sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things come to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time." And the people were waiting for Zechari'ah, and they wondered at his delay in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak to them, and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he made signs to them and remained dumb. And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.

After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she hid herself, saying, "Thus the Lord has done to me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men." (RSV – Gospel for September 23rd)

And in the Roman Calender
The Feast of St. Pius of Pietrelcina

"Do everything for the love of God and His glory without looking at the outcome of the undertaking. Work is judged, not by its result, but by its intention."-St. Pius of Pietrelcina

Reflections before going to bed

2008-09-21T22:10:00.000-07:00

"O heavenly King, Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, Who art present everywhere and fillest all tings, the Treasure of blessings and the Giver of life ; come and take Thy abode in us, and cleanse us of every stain, and save our souls, O Gracious One."

Since my computer is still on as I finish my latin, I figured I'd make a quick post before going to grab my laundry and going to bed.

I always , it seems, have trouble making major life decisions. Or at least knowing when I should decide something. I can never be certain that its not just a passing fancy and I am always impatient in making these decisions. I ,of course, ran into this in a major way freshmen year when I attempted to join the Transalpine Redemptorists, then of course affiliated with the SSPX. Or perhaps when I considered becoming Orthodox(the three times). Yeah : ( needless to say I have been all over the map of apostolic christianity. Maronite, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Roman, traditional roman, schismatic traditionalist, and Byzantine Catholic. Though I will say that this time, it does feel different. I feel much more at home at the mission. I suppose my issue is how do I know this is not just some sort of passing fancy, or if this is the real deal. Is this where I really belong and is this where God really has been leading me all my life? I suppose there isn't a major rush to decide this now or not... but I feel like I am in a limbo of sorts. I can't say I am latin, and I can't say I am a greek or a syriac. My spiritual and liturgical life is torn between the latin and the greek and I suppose the issue here is that I have no stability. I have roots set in each tradition but because of this, I can not have deep roots within one Tradition. I have no place to call a spiritual home as I wander the desert for the last four years since my rediscovering Christ. Here though I do feel more at home. I am not made to abandon my love of philosophy as I felt I was in the Syriac tradition, but at the same time I hold onto the deep sense of mystery that is so lacking within the Latin tradition(both traditional and modern). Perhaps that is an oversimplification of the three major traditions, but I feel its accurate enough. The Byzantine tradition, in my view , is the perfect meeting place between western rationalism and oriental mysticism. The energy/essence distinction, for one thing, perfectly fits into the epistemology I had developed for myself on how we understand God in such a close way that its a little unbeleivable that I didn't just copy the concept without using the terms! But I didn't copy it for I was ignorant of it before recently. And something else lost within the West, or horribly mutated in some instances, is the idea of being 'moved' by the Spirit. This is something I have just started to understand within my own prayer life. To my original point though, I don't want to canonically switch to a new church only then a week later to be back in a latin state of mind. Right now, I have placed as a benchmark January or Febuary as the earliest that I would request to make such a change. That would be about a year since when my return to the East occured. It is interesting though, how often I have moved eastward in the last four years. (Infact I even considered it at a passing glance 5 years ago when I felt completely lost and fell into far eastern paganism, BUT thats a different story all together. Ah the foolishness of emo high schoolness). Off hand, I can recall 4 or 5 times in which I seriously have considered becoming eastern christian (whether Orthodox or Catholic). I reached closure to the Orthodox tendencies when I learned the linguistics behind the Fillioque and procedit as opposed to their Greek counterpart. Not to mention that the statement was older then just the council of toledo. For almost a year now, I have been pretty solidly Eastern(if there is such a thing) in my basic theological out look. Anyways...

Last saturday I took up cantoring and received many a compliment. I am a pretty good natural singer, but I do not have too much formal training in it. (Musically I am pretty talented, now if I just has the discipline to keep up my saxophones then perhaps I would be quite good at it : p ). The first time I walked into a greek orthodox church 4 years ago and I heard the chanting I knew that I wanted to do that! At one point, when I was considering joining a Bulgarian Orthodox church I also acted as a chanter, though somehow I picked up the tone without having the sheet music for it! Now I am finally a formal cantor at a Byzantine church and I have to say that I love it. I have heard from others online, that most english Ukrainian Catholic Divine Liturgies are 'low mass' types with little or no singing, and if thats the case then our little mission is much different. We sing everything here and now we even have sung propers. Now if only we could get more people to show up. This weekend, Fr. Mark from St. Nicholas in Raleigh is coming down to discuss the future of the mission and the mission administrator is currently in formation to become a deacon in the Eparchy. If I have a call to the priesthood, I really hope it is to this eparchy so that I could come back to the Carolinas and help spread the Byzantine Ukrainian tradition throughout the two states! To think that a southern state like North Carolina has 4 Ukrainian Catholic missions and at least one Ruthenian parish(to my knowledge) is incredible! I just wish there was more I could do for the Mission's growth. My associate Mr. Catron and I placed several fliers about my school to promote it to college students but people keep moving my one flier in the Adoration chapel.... I hope we can get our local deacon, or Fr. Mark or Fr. Sean to come by the school in the future and give a talk on the Byzantine Tradition.
Well this post turned out a lot longer then I thought it would. Sorry for the long read (you know,to all 1 or 2 of the people that might read this : p ). If anyone has advice then please do not be stingy and share it with me : ) .

Quick edit

After re reading my old March post on this same issue, I have something to add. Perhaps my initial feelings of St. Basil was out of a subconcious desire to avoid Eastern Orthodoxy ? OR perhaps I really am a rootless ecclesial vagabond and simply can not make up my mind? Or perhaps God wanted me to experiance the Maronites more from a theological and spiritual perspective, rather then the purely liturgical one I had before, in order to help me grow to realize my true home in the Byzantine east? Only God knows I suppse. Well ok off to bed.

Avast ye swabs!

2008-09-18T11:19:00.002-07:00

Arrr mateys! Tis talk like a pirate day. So I was a thinkin to be postin this piratey video harharhahrhar.

Blessed is the Man

2008-09-18T11:19:00.001-07:00

Exaltation of the Holy Cross

2008-09-14T09:32:00.000-07:00

Kontakion Tone 1

AS you were voluntarily raised upon the cross for our sake, Grant mercy to those who are called by Your Name, O Chris God; Make all Orthodox Christians glad by Your power, Granting them victories over their adversaries, by bestowing on them the invincible trophy, Your weapon of Peace.

Accountability

2008-09-10T22:37:00.000-07:00

Well I have decided to take up a new hobby! Learning classical, Koine, and Medieval Greek. Admittedly, not quite as easy as some of my other hobbies. It is mostly due to being a theology and philosophy undergrad without the ability to read key texts in both fields is quite rediculous. It is also partially a chance for me to work on my own discipline with studies. So whoever is reading this on the series of tubes , wish me luck.

Islam’s ‘Public Enemy #1’

2008-09-10T22:01:00.000-07:00

Coptic priest Zakaria Botros fights fire with fire.

By Raymond Ibrahim

Though he is little known in the West, Coptic priest Zakaria Botros — named Islam’s “Public Enemy #1” by the Arabic newspaper, al-Insan al-Jadid — has been making waves in the Islamic world. Along with fellow missionaries — mostly Muslim converts — he appears frequently on the Arabic channel al-Hayat (i.e., “Life TV”). There, he addresses controversial topics of theological significance — free from the censorship imposed by Islamic authorities or self-imposed through fear of the zealous mobs who fulminated against the infamous cartoons of Mohammed. Botros’s excurses on little-known but embarrassing aspects of Islamic law and tradition have become a thorn in the side of Islamic leaders throughout the Middle East.

Botros is an unusual figure onscreen: robed, with a huge cross around his neck, he sits with both the Koran and the Bible in easy reach. Egypt’s Copts — members of one of the oldest Christian communities in the Middle East — have in many respects come to personify the demeaning Islamic institution of “dhimmitude” (which demands submissiveness from non-Muslims, in accordance with Koran 9:29). But the fiery Botros does not submit, and minces no words. He has famously made of Islam “ten demands” whose radical nature he uses to highlight Islam’s own radical demands on non-Muslims.

The result? Mass conversions to Christianity — if clandestine ones. The very public conversion of high-profile Italian journalist Magdi Allam — who was baptized by Pope Benedict in Rome on Saturday — is only the tip of the iceberg. Indeed, Islamic cleric Ahmad al-Qatani stated on al-Jazeera TV a while back that some six million Muslims convert to Christianity annually, many of them persuaded by Botros’s public ministry. More recently, al-Jazeera noted Life TV’s “unprecedented evangelical raid” on the Muslim world. Several factors account for the Botros phenomenon.

First, the new media — particularly satellite TV and the Internet (the main conduits for Life TV) — have made it possible for questions about Islam to be made public without fear of reprisal. It is unprecedented to hear Muslims from around the Islamic world — even from Saudi Arabia, where imported Bibles are confiscated and burned — call into the show to argue with Botros and his colleagues, and sometimes, to accept Christ.

Secondly, Botros’s broadcasts are in Arabic — the language of some 200 million people, most of them Muslim. While several Western writers have published persuasive critiques of Islam, their arguments go largely unnoticed in the Islamic world. Botros’s mastery of classical Arabic not only allows him to reach a broader audience, it enables him to delve deeply into the voluminous Arabic literature — much of it untapped by Western writers who rely on translations — and so report to the average Muslim on the discrepancies and affronts to moral common sense found within this vast corpus.

A third reason for Botros’s success is that his polemical technique has proven irrefutable. Each of his episodes has a theme — from the pressing to the esoteric — often expressed as a question (e.g., “Is jihad an obligation for all Muslims?”; “Are women inferior to men in Islam?”; “Did Mohammed say that adulterous female monkeys should be stoned?” “Is drinking the urine of prophets salutary according to sharia?”). To answer the question, Botros meticulously quotes — always careful to give sources and reference numbers — from authoritative Islamic texts on the subject, starting from the Koran; then from the canonical sayings of the prophet — the Hadith; and finally from the words of prominent Muslim theologians past and present — the illustrious ulema.

Typically, Botros’s presentation of the Islamic material is sufficiently detailed that the controversial topic is shown to be an airtight aspect of Islam. Yet, however convincing his proofs, Botros does not flatly conclude that, say, universal jihad or female inferiority are basic tenets of Islam. He treats the question as still open — and humbly invites the ulema, the revered articulators of sharia law, to respond and show the error in his methodology. He does demand, however, that their response be based on “al-dalil we al-burhan,” — “evidence and proof,” one of his frequent refrains — not shout-downs or sophistry.

More often than not, the response from the ulema is deafening silence — which has only made Botros and Life TV more enticing to Muslim viewers. The ulema who have publicly addressed Botros’s conclusions often find themselves forced to agree with him — which has led to some amusing (and embarrassing) moments on live Arabic TV.

Botros spent three years bringing to broad public attention a scandalous — and authentic — hadith stating that women should “breastfeed” strange men with whom they must spend any amount of time. A leading hadith scholar, Abd al-Muhdi, was confronted with this issue on the live talk show of popular Arabic host Hala Sirhan. Opting to be truthful, al-Muhdi confirmed that going through the motions of breastfeeding adult males is, according to sharia, a legitimate way of making married women “forbidden” to the men with whom they are forced into contact — the logic being that, by being “breastfed,” the men become like “sons” to the women and therefore can no longer have sexual designs on them.

To make matters worse, Ezzat Atiyya, head of the Hadith department at al-Azhar University — Sunni Islam’s most authoritative institution — went so far as to issue a fatwa legitimatizing “Rida’ al-Kibir” (sharia’s term for “breastfeeding the adult”), which prompted such outrage in the Islamic world that it was subsequently recanted.

Botros played the key role in exposing this obscure and embarrassing issue and forcing the ulema to respond. Another guest on Hala Sirhan’s show, Abd al-Fatah, slyly indicated that the entire controversy was instigated by Botros: “I know you all [fellow panelists] watch that channel and that priest and that none of you [pointing at Abd al-Muhdi] can ever respond to him, since he always documents his sources!”

Incapable of rebutting Botros, the only strategy left to the ulema (aside from a rumored $5-million bounty on his head) is to ignore him. When his name is brought up, they dismiss him as a troublemaking liar who is backed by — who else? — international “Jewry.” They could easily refute his points, they insist, but will not deign to do so. That strategy may satisfy some Muslims, but others are demanding straightforward responses from the ulema.

The most dramatic example of this occurred on another famous show on the international station, Iqra. The host, Basma — a conservative Muslim woman in full hijab — asked two prominent ulema, including Sheikh Gamal Qutb, one-time grand mufti of al-Azhar University, to explain the legality of the Koranic verse (4:24) that permits men to freely copulate with captive women. She repeatedly asked: “According to sharia, is slave-sex still applicable?” The two ulema would give no clear answer — dissembling here, going off on tangents there. Basma remained adamant: Muslim youth were confused, and needed a response, since “there is a certain channel and a certain man who has discussed this issue over twenty times and has received no response from you.”

The flustered Sheikh Qutb roared, “low-life people like that must be totally ignored!” and stormed off the set. He later returned, but refused to admit that Islam indeed permits sex-slaves, spending his time attacking Botros instead. When Basma said “Ninety percent of Muslims, including myself, do not understand the issue of concubinage in Islam and are having a hard time swallowing it,” the sheikh responded, “You don’t need to understand.” As for Muslims who watch and are influenced by Botros, he barked, “Too bad for them! If my son is sick and chooses to visit a mechanic, not a doctor — that’s his problem!”

But the ultimate reason for Botros’s success is that — unlike his Western counterparts who criticize Islam from a political standpoint — his primary interest is the salvation of souls. He often begins and concludes his programs by stating that he loves all Muslims as fellow humans and wants to steer them away from falsehood to Truth. To that end, he doesn’t just expose troubling aspects of Islam. Before concluding every program, he quotes pertinent biblical verses and invites all his viewers to come to Christ.

Botros’s motive is not to incite the West against Islam, promote “Israeli interests,” or “demonize” Muslims, but to draw Muslims away from the dead legalism of sharia to the spirituality of Christianity. Many Western critics fail to appreciate that, to disempower radical Islam, something theocentric and spiritually satisfying — not secularism, democracy, capitalism, materialism, feminism, etc. — must be offered in its place. The truths of one religion can only be challenged and supplanted by the truths of another. And so Father Zakaria Botros has been fighting fire with fire.

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2008-09-09T16:19:00.002-07:00

International Herald Tribune
Orthodox Christianity under threat
By Nicholas Gage
Monday, September 8, 2008

When Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and his Islamic-rooted party came under fierce fire this summer from secularists, who came close to persuading the country's supreme court to bar both from politics, he called the campaign an attack against religious freedom and a threat to Turkey's efforts to join the European Union.

Yet in nearly six years in power, Erdogan has shown no inclination to extend even a modicum of religious freedom to the most revered Christian institution in Turkey - the Patriarchate of Constantinople, the spiritual center of 300 million Orthodox Christians throughout the world. As a result, Turkey's persecution of the Patriarchate looms as a major obstacle to its European aspirations, and rightly so.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate, which was established in the fourth century and once possessed holdings as vast as those of the Vatican, has been reduced to a small, besieged enclave in a decaying corner of Istanbul called the Phanar, or Lighthouse. Almost all of its property has been seized by successive Turkish governments, its schools have been closed and its prelates are taunted by extremists who demonstrate almost daily outside the Patriarchate, calling for its ouster from Turkey.

The ecumenical patriarch, Bartholomew I, is often jeered and threatened when he ventures outside his walled enclave. He is periodically burned in effigy by Turkish chauvinists and Muslim fanatics. Government bureaucrats take pleasure in harassing him, summoning him to their offices to question and berate him about irrelevant issues, blocking his efforts to make repairs in the few buildings still under his control, and issuing veiled threats about what he says and does when he travels abroad.

Successive Turkish governments have followed policies that deliberately belittle the patriarch, refusing to recognize his ecumenical status as the spiritual leader of a major religious faith but viewing him only as the head of the small Greek Orthodox community of Istanbul.

Last year 42 of the 50 members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to Erdogan urging his government to "end all restrictions" on the religious freedom of the Patriarchate, described by Tom Lantos, who then chaired the committee, as "one of the world's oldest and greatest treasures." The congressmen urged the Turkish government to join the rest of the world in recognizing the ecumenical standing of the Patriarchate, to return expropriated property, to reopen its schools, including the renowned theological seminary on the island of Halki, and to end all interference in the process of selecting the patriarch, particularly the "continued insistence that he be a Turkish citizen."

As Orthodox Christians have been systematically persecuted in Turkey and there are now less than 2,500 of them left in the country, the congressmen wrote, the Patriarchate will soon cease to exist if future patriarchs have to be Turkish citizens. "It is the church, not the Turkish state, that should determine who becomes ecumenical patriarch," their chairman declared.

Despite their letter and other efforts by statesmen from many countries to try to persuade the Turkish government to liberalize their policies toward the Patriarchate, its leaders have not budged - even though they know their stand may harm their chances of entering the European Union.

Their intransigence clearly demonstrates that while they want to enter Europe for its economic advantages, they are not prepared to liberalize their policies enough to alleviate Western concerns about allowing them to join. Until Turkey moves to make the fundamental changes necessary, starting with its policies toward the Patriarchate, admission of the country into the EU will pose major risks.

When I was covering Turkey for The New York Times in the late 1970s, its population was 34 million. Today it is 71 million and growing, while the birthrate in Europe is falling precipitously. In addition, Turkey's combined troop strength of 1.1 million overwhelms the armed forces of even the biggest European nations. If Turkey becomes a full member of the European Union, will it accommodate to Europe's liberal traditions or will it use its demographic and military prowess to bend Europe to its will? The EU has already ruled that Turkey must allow the ships of Cyprus, an EU member, to use Turkish ports, but Turkey has completely ignored the ruling despite its eagerness to join Europe. So the key question is whether Turkey is willing to adapt to Europe or wants only to join the EU on its own terms. It is crucial for Europe to know Turkey's real intentions before opening its doors to the country.

Turkey's treatment of the Patriarchate, therefore, must remain a litmus test of its readiness to join the European Union. If Turkey cannot recognize the value of "one of the world's oldest and greatest treasures" in its own midst, how can it be expected to appreciate and respect the liberal values and traditions that define Europe? If Turkey insists on entering Europe on its own inflexible terms, the danger that it will overwhelm Europe, engulf it and change it radically cannot be underestimated.

The Patriarch of Constantinople himself has said that he believes the risk is worth taking and that he strongly supports Turkey's admission. I, too, believe that Turkish membership holds great benefits for all concerned, especially the Turkish people, but not as Turkey is constituted today - intolerant, suspicious, inflexible.

For Turkey to join Europe, it must show that it is ready to take great strides in adopting a European outlook, not the baby steps it has taken until now. The best way to begin is with the Patriarchate at the Phanar, "the Lighthouse," which can become a beacon to light a path for Turkey into Europe, if only the country's leaders find the wisdom to see it.

Nicholas Gage writes often about the Eastern Mediterranean.

2008-09-09T16:19:00.001-07:00

Nativity of the Theotokos

2008-09-08T09:46:00.000-07:00

Troparion for the Nativity of the Theotokos
tone 4

Your nativity , O Virgin, has proclaimed joy to the whole universe! The Sun of Righteousnes, Christ our God, has shone from you, O Theotokos! By annuling the curse, He bestowed a blesseding. By destroying death, He has granted us eternal life.

Saints for today

2008-09-07T11:28:00.000-07:00

In the Maronite and Byzantine churches
St. Sozen
This holy Martyr was a shepherd in Lycaonia. Born a pagan, named Tarasius, he received holy Baptism and was renamed Sozon. Filled with zeal for the truth, he taught his countrymen to desist from the worship of idols. Once he entered the temple of Artemis in Pompeiopolis of Cilicia, cut off the golden hand of the idol, and breaking it in pieces, distributed it among the poor. When he saw that many were being unjustly punished for the theft, of his own accord he gave himself up to Maximian the Governor. He was beaten with rods until his bones were broken. According to some, he suffered martyrdom in 288; according to others, in 304.

In the Roman church
St. Cloud
On the death of Clovis, King of the Franks, in the year 511 his kingdom was divided between his four sons, of whom the second was Clodomir. Thirteen years later he was killed fighting against his cousin, Gondomar, leaving three sons to share his dominions. The youngest of these sons of Clodomir was St. Clodoald, a name more familiar to English people under its French form of Cloud from the town of Saint-Cloud near Versailles. When Cloud was eight years old, his uncle Childebert plotted with his brother, to get rid of the boys and divide their kingdom. The eldest boy, Theodoald was stabbed to death. The second, Gunther fled in terror, but was caught and also killed. Cloud escaped and was taken for safety into Provence or elsewhere.

Childebert and his brother Clotaire shared the fruits of their crime, and Cloud made no attempt to recover his kingdom when he came of age. He put himself under the discipline of St. Severinus, a recluse who lived near Paris, and he afterwards went to Nogent on the Seine and had his heritage where is now Saint-Cloud. St. Cloud was indefatigable in instructing the people of the neighboring country, and ended his days at Nogent about the year 560 when he was some thirty-six years old. St. Cloud's feast day is September 7th.

Liturgy

2008-09-07T11:12:00.001-07:00

Greek Festival

2008-09-06T19:06:00.000-07:00

Today I journeyed on down to the Charlotte Greek Festival hosted by the Greek Orthodox Cathedral there. It was a pretty interesting event. A bit pricey though. I do like the idea behind those though. A festival celebrating one's heritage. I imagine at one time St. Patrick's day in America was once similar to a greek festival, that is before it because just another excuse to get trashed. The Cathedral is quite beautiful. Father Sean commented today after Divine Liturgy that when the greeks build something, they build it beautifully and I am afraid that the sentiment does not do justice to the reality. Here we have a picture of the Altar and the opened doors. And the Pantocrater on the dome above and that isn't even a taste of the grandeur. Sadly my camera is broken, but you can find these and more on their website (http://www.yiasoufestival.org/). After a quick stop in the church bookstore (where I acquired a Serbian Orthodox prayer book) my associate and I were off to St. Basil's to serve Divine Liturgy. For some reason as of late attendance there has been getting smaller but I do beleive that it is a temporary thing and numbers will pick back up. Serving the Divine Liturgy is something, in my opinion, very different then serving the Roman Mass. I have served Extraordinary Form Roman Masses (low and high), and I have served Ordinary Form masses of all types (weddings, Monastic proffesions, solemnities, pontificals, suday Mass, daily Mass) and I can not say that either of those give me the same fufilment I get out of serving the Divine Liturgy. Sure I may be more certain about what I am doing at an Ordinary form Roman Mass(man that is way too long to say ....). Its hard to describe I suppose, but its much more uplifting, and perhaps I am being too emotional about it all, but maybe not? I suppose that is what time and discernment are for. I trust that the Lord will guide me to where my spiritual home truly is.

Hiya

2008-09-04T14:47:00.001-07:00

So its been ahwile, and I decided that this should be a general blog for Eastern Catholicism of all stripes. Mainly because I myself have realized that my true home parish is now St. Basil's in Charlotte. Anyways expect an update soon!

Mar Charbel

2008-05-17T14:23:00.000-07:00

"Father of Truth, behold Your Son, a sacrifice pleasing to You. Accept this offering of Him who died for me..."

Violence in Liban

2008-05-17T01:14:00.000-07:00

A lot of things have distracted me from posting on this, but I just was reminded of it a few seconds ago. Things down there are escalating and if you can spare a prayer for this country where Christ once visited, then please do so.

A Warm Welcome

2008-05-13T21:20:00.000-07:00

His Beatitude Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeïr , Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and all the East shall be arriving in the United States today for a patriarchical visit. May God grant him a fruitful trip.

Ascension

2008-05-01T19:16:00.001-07:00

"He said to them, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents (with their hands), and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.)" (Mark 16:15-20).

Scotland the Brave

2008-04-29T21:38:00.000-07:00

"Scotland the Brave" by Cliff Hanley

Hark when the night is falling

Hark! hear the pipes are calling,

Loudly and proudly calling,

Down through the glen.

There where the hills are sleeping,

Now feel the blood a-leaping,

High as the spirits of the old Highland men.

Chorus

Towering in gallant fame,

Scotland my mountain hame,

High may your proud standards gloriously wave,

Land of my high endeavour,

Land of the shining river,

Land of my heart for ever, Scotland the brave.

High in the misty Highlands,

Out by the purple islands,

Brave are the hearts that beat beneath Scottish skies.

Wild are the winds to meet you,

Staunch are the friends that greet you,

Kind as the love that shines from fair maidens' eyes.

Chorus

Far off in sunlit places,

Sad are the Scottish faces,

Yearning to feel the kiss of sweet Scottish rain.

Where tropic skies are beaming,

Love sets the heart a-dreaming,

Longing and dreaming for the homeland again.

Chorus

A Rant about Monarchy, some other stuff

2008-04-29T17:37:00.000-07:00

So I noticed on CAF that there was a poster calling it "Anti American" to kiss a Bishop's ring because it acknowledges "royal status". Oh how Leo XIII is rolling in his grave because of Americanist comments like that.

Been ahwile since I have updated this but I suppose I need to keep all 0 of my readers up to date.

"Once someone has doubted God's care for him, he immediately falls into a myriad of anxieties." - Mar Isaac the Syrian

This is my Isaac of Syria quote of the week (and by week I mean until I think to add another quote). This is a very true statement, even the least amount of doubt will take one down from a very high level spiritual union. It eats away at the person slowly at first until it makes a decisive attack and drags one down to despair. Saint Claude de la colombiere says that we need to attack the passions at the first sign of trouble, even if its the most slightiest passion, such as a desire to hang out with friends rather then follow your prayer schedule. The same could be applied to fighting doubts. Spiritual warfare is "serious business" to borrow a well known internet meme. If you get a slight wound, you don't just keep walking it off until you start getting to a critical condition of blood loss. You seek treatment to restore your health and this treatment is of course. The physician does not seek patients who are well, but those that are ill and this physician of course if Christ. Therefore a trip to the doctor is in order at the first sign of trouble, not at the last second. This is, I beleive, something that many people (including myself) fail to do constantly. Anyways, sorry I am kind of ranting and not really making too much of a point (blame the david bowie music I am listening to in the background). Anyways perhaps the next post will be more coherant.

JMJ

Welcome Royal Cherlie

2008-04-09T22:22:00.000-07:00

The prince who should our king ha'e been
He's wore the royal red and green
A bonnier lad was never seen
Than our brave royal Cherlie

Chorus:

Oh and ye were lang a comin' Lang, lang, lang a comin'
Oh and ye were lang a comin'
Welcome royal Cherlie

Since our true king was sent awa'
A dighty German rules us a'
And we are forced against the law
The right belongs tae Cherlie

Chorus

We daurnae brew a peck o' maut
Or German Geordie finds a faut
And for our kail we've scarce got saut
For want o' royal Cherlie

Chorus
When Cherlie in the hielan' shiel
Was gathered by the great Lochiel
Oh what kindness did prevail
Between the chief and Cherlie

Chorus

At Falkirk and at Prestonpans
Supported by the hieland clans
We broke the Hanoverian bands
The right belongs tae Cherlie

Chorus

Mar Ephrem's hymns on Virginity I-11

2008-04-08T19:09:00.000-07:00

I. PUT off, O Body, that Old Man which is altogether hateful, that it may not wear out the newness that thou inhabitest and hast put on ; for the recompense of its interest is contrary with its clothes, in that if thou hast been renewed it will return and wear thee out : O Body, hear my counsels ! Put it off by (good) conduct, that it may not clothe thee in (bad) habits.

II. For, lo, our Lord has made thee, O Body, new in water, and the Architect of Life has built thy oldness, in that He formed with His Blood and built for it a shrine for His habitation ; do [P. 171.] not let dwell instead of Him that Old Man in the shrine He has renewed : O Body, if thou dost make God to stay in thy shrine, thou also wilt be a temple of His kingdom and a priest of His sacrifice.

III. For this Old Man is reproved by Nature that teaches and the Book that proclaims, for its wickedness is between two just things, that if it sins in respect of what is without law, its Nature will reprove it, and if it sins in respect of law, the Book will reprove it. Lo, it wounds and they heal; on the track of wickedness they bring in regret, whereby he that sins is healed.

IV. Him that rebels they treat with contempt, and him that returns they bind up his wounds; they justify the Judge, they reprove the rebels, they care for and heal those who return : for they know that they will be measured with one Evil one, who hurts everything, who is fresh in every generation, and is a companion to every one, and hurts every hour ; they also are companions to every one, and are fresh in every generation, and are found at every hour.

V. Hearken to Nature and Law declaring his evil corruptions ! For the People (of Israel) who committed adultery under the Law, [P. 172.] and the Peoples who fornicated without Law, changed their Nature and behaved contrary to their Nature ; Nature and Law have appealed against him, whose dispositions the Disturber has corrupted.

VI. The humble ones have stolen away from marriage under pretext of discipleship, and when they are halfway he (the 'Old Man') has set behind them the shame of stumbling and in front of them hateful desire ; being ashamed to revert to marriage, they fall and are taken in the snares.

VII. How light are thy wings, O Virginity, that soar and go up to where thy Bridegroom sits at the right hand of the Lord of the Heights ! Flee from the counsel of the deceiver, for he who apportions debt to the inexperienced is wont to cast his whole property for nothing to the loss of the merchants (?).

VIII. He impoverished the treasures of great Adam, who with his money acquired a weight of debt. O Body, do not borrow from him that does not ask back what he has lent, that if thou pay him his silver the debt impoverishes.

IX. For accompanying its desires are apprehension and [P. 173.] doubt and contempt with disgrace, and they reject and give pain to the doers of them, and the faces only are open and pure of the chaste ones who have put it (? the 'old man') off ; do not be joined, O Body, with hateful love, of which however much the deed is dead, the anxiety of it lives secretly.

X. Subtle and cunning is his (the 'Old Man's') discipleship, in that by all sorts (of means) he will be bestowing his gifts upon the good. The mouth of the poor he stops with his bread ; with his free meals he sells free-men into slavery. The belly he has bribed and it has been corrupted ; (he has bribed) the eye to overlook, and the mouth to keep silence, and the ear to make his hateful reports. His silent wine is talkative in those that drink it; it babbles in their voices instead of its master.

XI. For he is cunning, in that first he puts on the mouth of his. snare food as a bait; his love goes in front of his corruption, like Judas, who kissed and killed. The Pure One kissed the unclean, to teach that his kisses are a poison and death is moulded by them secretly ; this is one who if thou raise him up will recompense thee with a fall, who when he rises lulls to sleep, the desire of whom is deadly. And thy own flesh makes it live and resurrects it (this desire), and when it is alive therein it turns and kills it. O Body, if thou give life to deadness, there will be death also for thy life.

http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/ephraim2_6_virginity.htm

ܡܪܝ ܐܦܪܝܡ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ Mar Ephrem the Sryian

Discerning A Vocation :A Roman Catholic Explanation of the Teachings of Jesus Christ

2008-04-05T12:01:00.001-07:00

Is the Lord, perhaps, calling you to the priesthood?To religious life? Or to both?
"If you had but known the gift of God, and who it is who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked Him instead, and He would have given you living water." (Jn 4:10)
There are many great and wonderful gifts God has given us in this world. There are the gifts of life, of family, of friends; of our country, of our education, of our employment, of our talents and opportunities. For all these we own immense thanks to the Lord who arranges all things sweetly for those who love Him. But there are far greater gifts than these. Indeed "As high as the heavens are above the earth," so far are there gifts above all of these.
Part of our Catholic Faith is belief in the twofold providence of God: a general providence and a special providence. God's general providence oversees all our needs from birth until death, especially as regards the gifts of nature, but also as regards the gifts of grace. For God's general Providence foresees the need of our salvation and has granted to us the inestimable gifts of the sacraments and the general vocation of all the baptized: eternal life.
For the grace of baptism alone we shall never thank God enough. For the riches of baptism exceed the value of all created things of the material and spiritual world. Baptism makes us adopted sons of the Father, co-heirs with God the Son, and friends of the Holy Spirit, who is the Lord and Vivifier of souls. What can be more wonderful than that? We can call God "Our Father"; "Our Redeemer"; "Our Advocate." The mystery of God's inner life [the Trinity] has been revealed to us and not to any other nation. By baptism we have been taken up into the Ark of Salvation, the Catholic Church, outside of which there is entirely no salvation. By Baptism we are called to remain and grow up in that Communion of Saints which is the Church Triumphant, Militant, and Suffering. We do this by faithfully adhering to the teachings of Christ and His Church, by our obedience and communion with the Successor of Peter, Christ's Vicar on earth, and by the faithful fulfillment of the duties of our state in life.
Baptism also brings with it the possibility of all the other sacraments: Penance, Holy Communion, Confirmation, Matrimony, Sacred Orders, Anointing of the Sick. These are the very foundation of our lives as Catholics, as children of God, as children of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Among these many and exceedingly wonderful gifts of grace, one stands in a principle place. It is the grace of a vocation. From this grace comes a stream of other graces leading to eternal life.
The Importance of Responding to the Grace of a Vocation
It is the common teaching of Roman Catholic Theologians, following in the footsteps of the Doctors of the Church, that the grace of a vocation is crucial to the eternal salvation of the one to whom God gives it. This is the expressed teaching of saints no less than St. Francis de Sales and St. Alphonsus Maria dei Liguori, Doctors of the Church.
Just how important is the grace of vocation? According to these saints, the grace of a vocation is one of the gifts God gives us under a special Providence and care for our salvation. God in predestining us to grace and glory already called some of us to stand before Him in eternity, singing His praises and enjoying His friendship. In the excess of His love, with which He loved us before the foundation of the world, He therefore foreordained the grace of the vocation of baptism, whereby even if Adam should fall, we would be saved in Christ by the merits of His most blessed Passion and Death. This kind of vocation is the vocation we received in baptism. It is the vocation all Catholics have. And to remain faithful to our baptismal vows is at once both the most prudent course and the most glorious.
There is a special grace of vocation, however, which we Catholics call a vocation. It is the vocation to the priesthood and/or to the religious life. This kind of vocation is a calling, a stirring one might say of the the soul, to undertake a special state of life which is ordained to the supernatural good of others. Unlike the "vocation" of marriage (which is a duty for the baptized who consider conjugal life), the vocations of priesthood and religious life are essentially supernatural in origin and purpose. To both of these are attached special promises (see below) by Christ, which distinguish them above the state of marriage in both dignity and mission.
These special kinds of vocation are like the vocation of baptism: they are a gift of God's special providence, caring for our salvation. Without these our own salvation, and that of many others, is placed in jeopardy, if not all together made impossible. This is the clear teaching of St. Alphonsus Maria dei Liguori, whom the Church has made a special patron of confessors and moral theologians. During the process of canonization, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints declared all of his teachings worthy of acceptance by the faithful. And so we can be sure this teaching of his is to be trusted.
How can a vocation be so important? Because as St. Augustine remarks, "God who created us without us, does not will to save us without us." And the reason for this mystery of God's will is wrapped up in the purpose of all creation, to be for the greatest honor and glory of God, which cannot be without the salvation of souls. Now just as without faith it is impossible to please God, and since no one comes to faith unless some one is sent to preach the Gospel, so the vocation of priests are necessary for the salvation of us all: to teach, preach, sanctify, lead, guide, shepherd, and correct us, sinners. Likewise, the vocation of religious life is necessary for us all, for we all have sins which need to be atoned for by penance, beyond our means, for mercy beyond our ability to pray, for good example, to turn us from the errors and attractions of this world.
Furthermore, eternal life is no small gift; and the devil, the enemy of our souls, is no small enemy. Enter Jesus, Mary, the Saints, the clergy, and good religious and friends, to help us arrive in Heaven safely. It is the grace of this special kind of vocation that leads us to them, and through them to the sacraments, and to a life of prayer and works of mercy for God's sake alone, so as to help both us and our neighbors on our way to Heaven.
The grace of a vocation is also the source of many other graces. It is an occasion for doing many good works, for having more time to pray, to learn about God, to serve Him by love and sacrifice and fidelity, of avoiding many dangers to our salvation, such as all the impurity, errors, and vanity of this world and its culture of death. It is the source of graces for ourselves, for God apportions to each of us grace in the measure to our needs. The greater the vocation, the greater the graces. The greater good we can do for the Church, the greater the graces to help and encourage us to do so. And how great indeed is the good that priests and religious do for God and His Church and for each of us.
The grace of a vocation, then, is like a fountain welling up to eternal life. From it continually comes forth a multitude of graces leading us to eternal life. To heed a vocation then is the greatest wisdom. To turn away or ignore it, the greatest folly.
Some Illustrations of the Importance of a Vocation
Some scriptural passages can be used to reflect on the importance of a vocation and responding to it. These have been chosen, below, for that purpose. It would be a thing pleasing God very much if we kept these close at hand and read them frequently in times of decision.

The Parable of the Sower and the Seed
A large crowd was gathering, with people coming to Him from one town after another. He spoke to them in a parable:
"A farmer went out to sow some seed. In the sowing, some fell on the footpath where it was walked on and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, sprouted up, then withered through lack of moisture. Some fell on good soil. grew up, and yielded grain a hundredfold."
As He said this he exclaimed: "Let everyone who has ears attend to what he has heard."
His disciples began asking him what the meaning of this parable might be. He replied, "To you the mysteries of the reign of God have been confided, but to the rest in parables that, ‘seeing they may not perceive, and hearing they may not understand.’
“This is the meaning of the parable. The seed is the word of God. Those on the footpath are people who hear, but the devil come and takes the word out of their hearts lest they believe and be saved. Those on the rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. They have no root; they believe for a while, but fall away in time of temptation. The seed fallen among briers are those who hear, but their progress is stifled by the cares and riches and pleasures of life and they do not mature. The seed on good ground are those who hear the word in a spirit of openness, retain it, and bear fruit through perseverance." (Gospel of St. Luke, chapter 8, verse 4- 15)

The Parable of the Lamp
"No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bushel basket or under a bed; be puts it on a lamp-stand so that whoever comes in can see it. There is nothing hidden that will not be exposed, nothing concealed that will not be known and brought to light. Take heed, therefore, how you hear: to the man who has, more shall be given; and he who has not, will lose even the little he thinks he has." (Gospel of St. Luke, chapter 8, verses 14-18)

The Parable of the Talents
While they were listening to these things He went on to tell a parable, because he was near Jerusalem where they thought that the reign of God was about to appear. He said: "A man of noble birth went to faraway country to become its king, and then return. He summoned ten of his servants and gave them each ten talents., saying to them, 'Invest this until I return.' But His fellow citizens despised him, and they immediately sent a deputation after him with instructions to say, 'We will not have this man rule over us!' He returned, however, crowned as King. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, to learn what profit each had made. The first presented himself and said, "Lord, the sum you gave me has earned you another ten.' 'Good man!' he replied. 'You showed yourself capable in a small matter. For that you can take over ten villages.' The second came and said, 'Your investment, my lord, has netted you five.' His word to him was, 'Take over five villages." The third come in and said: 'Here is your money, my lord, which I hid for safekeeping. You see, I was afraid of you because you are a hard man. You withdraw what you never deposited. Your reap what you never sowed.' To him the King said: 'You worthless lout! I intend to judge you on your own words. You knew I was a hard man, withdrawing what I never deposited, reaping what I never sowed! Why, then, did you not put may money out on loan, so that on my return I could get it back with interest?' He said to those standing around, 'Take from him what he has, and give it to the man with the ten.' 'Yes, but he already has ten,' they said. He responded with, 'The moral is: whoever has will be given more, but the one who has not will lose the little he has. Now about those enemies of mine who did not want me to be kind, bring them in and slay them in my presence.'" (Gospel of St. Luke, chapter 19, verses 11-27)

What is a Vocation? A closer look
Having read these parables we can begin to ask the question again in more detail: What exactly is a vocation? Where does it come from? Where does it lead? Who receives a vocation? And how does one know it? When does one know for sure that the grace of a vocation has been given?

What is a vocation?
A vocation is a special grace given to an individual person upon which the mystery and purpose of their entire life finds its perfect meaning and solution. All the gifts we have of nature (body, soul, family, possessions, talents, education, opportunities) have been given to us to help us accept and fulfill, in some way, the duties of our vocation. If we chose rightly, all will go well and we will arrive safely in Heaven; if badly, we will have much greater suffering coming our way, and will perhaps end in Hell.

Where does a vocation come from?
A vocation comes from the Most Holy Trinity by means of the Mediation of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is our Mother in the order of grace. Also it frequently is made known to us though the help and advice given by those who strive to be faithful to God themselves. We hear this call in prayer by a secret desire welling up in the depths of our hearts, often with special light in our minds to see its goodness and usefulness for our eternal salvation.

Where does a vocation lead?
A vocation is a calling to "life on high with Jesus Christ." It is a call to walk with Jesus and Mary along the narrow way that leads to heaven. It is a call to the perfection of virtue, of holiness, of charity, of faith, and of hope in the things to come, to service of God, of Church, and of our neighbor.

Who receives a vocation?
God gives the grace of a vocation only to one who has faith, for "without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6) and the grace of a vocation is first of all a calling to live a life pleasing to God in every way. That God gives a vocation is often a sign of our faithfulness up until the present; sometimes, though it is a call to turn away from a present or future course which will only lead to our eternal damnation. Thus to receive a vocation one must first be baptized and be truly catholic.
Secondly, although God calls even those who are sinners, nevertheless, it is impossible to accept the grace of a vocation and to remain faithful to it so long as one commits grave sin. Indeed the habit of committing mortal sin is a sign that the most fundamental spiritual work has yet to be done. That work is repentance, and it calls us to receive the sacrament of reconciliation worthily and frequently, so as to live free from the habit of all grave sin.
But a vocation is preeminently a grace given to those who have already sought and who still seek earnestly to live with Christ according to the commandments of the moral law. It is not that such persons consider themselves more perfect or better than others. Rather, recognizing that without God they can do nothing, and that but for the grace of a vocation they would sooner forsake the God of Glory, and perhaps even work greater evils, these who receive the grace of a vocation strive ever to be servants and handmaids of God Most High.
And how does one know that God is holding out to him the grace of a vocation?
There is a prayer recommended for many years that is worth quoting in this regard: "Anticipate O Lord our actions by Thy holy inspirations and carry them on by Thy gracious assistance, so that every prayer and work of ours may be pleasing to Thee and be brought to completion through Christ Our Lord. Amen."
Prayers of this kind bear witness to a fundamental doctrine of our Catholic faith, namely, that no one can will something good, holy, or worthy of respect, unless God the Father grants the grace to do so first of all. Indeed, so much is this rule to be trusted that St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori states that one of the clear signs of a priestly vocation is the desire to be a holy, just, and chaste priest, if God should call him to the priesthood.
This rule is also applicable to religious. And moreover, the opposite is true. If one seeks any vocation for the sake of anything in this world then this is a clear sign that this aspect of one's motivation does not come from the Lord who is Spirit and Truth. If such is the only or primary motivation of a person, then the best advice is NOT to pursue it, for this will lead only to ruination of yourself and many others.
Another clear sign of a vocation is the attraction to that state in life, especially in the time of prayer and recollection. If when one withdraws from the noise and cares and vanities of this world, there arises the desire to be a priest or religious, then this is a sign that the Lord is calling.
There are even more signs, and it is the teaching of the saints that the Lord of Grace will not fail to make us know for certain, at least at one moment in our life, especially when we are striving to live in a manner that pleases Him, that He indeed is certainly calling us.
Finally it must be said that God will never inspire anyone to pursue a vocation that the Church Herself teaches is not for them. Thus no woman is led by God's Spirit if she feels herself called to the priesthood or diaconate, simply because "God cannot deceive nor be deceived," and again "He is a Spirit of truth," and not a "father of lies" who would give his daughter a snake when she asks for bread.
When does one know for sure that the grace of a vocation has been given?
Before one has definitively assumed the state in life associated with a vocation (such as at ordination, or perpetual profession) there always is and can be some uncertainly, simply for the reason that we are weak and feeble creatures. That is, barring extraordinary fidelity to grace, for uncertainty and doubt in one who has clear signs of a vocation, or of the fact that God has or is calling, is a weakness, not a strength. Indeed it can be a punishment for sin, especially for neglect for prayer, chastity, faith and/or charity to our neighbor.
But some also, on account of their special mission in life or fidelity to God receive the firm and unshakable conviction that the Lord is in fact calling them. Such prove that this is from God only if they persevere in following this call until death, and for this they must always pray, lest they loose the little they have, through pride and presumption.

How to Discern a Vocation
There are a few things recommended to those who desire to be more certain regarding the possibility of a vocation. Indeed these practices are recommended for every one, since we all are called by God in baptism to holiness of life, and because these practices are nothing more than fidelity to our baptismal promises. At the present you may practice one or more of these, or even none of these. Are you required to practice them all? Is that necessary to know for certain your vocation?
The answer is simple enough. These practices are like flames of a fire. The more flames, the more heat, the more heat, the greater the likely hood of a wet log burning. Now the soul who is beginning to walk to the Lord, indeed even many of us who have begun long ago, is likened to a wet log. It must draw close to God or God to it to be dried from sin, enlightened by faith, kindled by charity for God and neighbor.
Therefore the more that one does to draw closer to God, the clearer will be one's knowledge of one's vocation, whatever it may be, and wherever it may lead.

Here are some recommended things you can do:
Consecrate yourself to the Blessed Virgin Mary and ask Her for all the graces and lights you need to please Her Son best of all.
Resolve to spend some time each day in prayer. The more definite the time and place the better.
Receive the sacrament of penance frequently and worthily.
If you are not conscious of having committed a mortal sin which you have not confessed, then receive the Eucharist and with devout attention and participation at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Keep free from all sin, especially mortal sin, and strive to receive worthily often.
Pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary each day; and strive to acquire the habit of saying Her Rosary each day.
Pray often to one's guardian angel and to one's patron saints for the light of guidance and the grace of help.
Avoid everything that might destroy one's love of God and Heaven, especially, impure pictures, films and immodest clothing or friends. (This practice is of course not optional, but obligatory, for "He who lives by the sword is doomed to die by the sword.")
Read the lives and/or writings of canonized saints. Especially those who were outstanding priests, religious and founders of religious orders.
Study the catechism.
Take up some work of charity for your neighbor, in so far as your present duties allow.
Frequently ask God for the grace to know and love Him more and more.
If there is a priest who in his actions is faithful to the Pope and a man of prayer ask for his advise and counsel. If you think you need advice concerning a vocation to religious life choose a priest who does not in any way despise the religious vocation.
Be faithful to your present duties in life, even making sacrifices to fulfill them without negligence.

The Reward for those who follow Him
Finally we have the assurance of Christ that all who follow Him in a vocation will be greatly rewarded in this life and the life to come:
Peter said to Him, "We have left all we own to become Your followers." His answer was, "I solemnly assure you, there is no one who has left home or wife or brothers, parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, who will not receive a hundred homes, brothers, parents or children in this age and in the world to come life everlasting." (Gospel of St. Luke, chapter 18, verses 29-30)

Supplement: Advice on Fulfilling a Vocation

Finding a Diocese
If you have discerned that God is calling you to the diocesan priesthood, then here is some simple advice that you can follow to help you fulfill His will for you.
First of all, do not pursue the vocation of a diocesan priest if you have sometime thought your vocation is to the religious life, and are choosing a vocation to diocesan priesthood as an escape from a vocation to religious life. This kind of behavior displeases the Lord very much, and He is not one to be mocked. Rest assured that He will block your way and have His way in the end, or that you will perish in your folly.
Second, strive to find some truly holy and learned diocesan priests to be your mentors and advisers. Discern who to entrust your soul to by examining their deeds more than their words. Don't hesitate to make sacrifices in traveling to find, even in remote places, such men, for they are worth their weight in gold. And having found them, do not let human respect or friendship lead you to accept anything they might advise that would be against the teaching of the Church or the way of holiness.
Third, don't play the cafeteria game: that is do not decide on a diocese simply because you can get more out of it for yourself, especially if this "more" regards material things. Consider rather a diocese where there is greater possibility of pleasing God and serving the needy. Mission dioceses are often places were God can more easily found.
Fourth, don't accept compromises. Often many men go the way of perdition by agreeing to immoral arrangements in regard to their priestly formation, thinking once they become a priest it won't matter how they became one. There is little that could be more stupid than such thinking. God sees all, and the man who ascends the Altar unworthily is the most cursed man on the face of the earth.
Fifth, do not neglect prayer and study—in that order. Do not be swayed by what men say but bend your mind and heart to what the Church and the Saints, Doctors, and Fathers teach and did. Pay as much regard to a teaching as the authority of the one who taught it, and you will never go wrong.
Sixth, be holy for the Lord your God is holy. Make your first work, each day and week, be the keeping of your good resolutions and the examination and formation of your conscience. Never call evil good, nor good evil. Never call what is better, worse, or what is worse better. For such is the sin against the Holy Spirit.
Seventh, never be afraid, when you have sufficient reason, to disclose to those superiors who are able and willing to do something about it, the names of those persons in the Church who need help or who are destroying Her from within.

Finding a Religious Institute
Finding a religious institute is an essential part of a religious vocation; though, alas, it is not at all easy in the contemporary situation. But there are several points of advice that will smooth your journey, if only you remember them:
First, discern your vocation. Half the work in finding a religious institute is knowing to which one the Lord is calling you. He will not fail to make this clear, but to discern this rightly you must consider the totality of all the holy desires the Lord has sown in your soul, not just one of them. It is disastrous to choose one community over another simply because you would prefer this or that particular characteristic most of all. What matters is not what you want, but what God wants for you. Therefore put His will first and make the decision that will please Him. This is the most fundamental rule. If you break it, your life may be pleasant, humanly speaking in this world, but very unpleasant, spiritually speaking, in the life to come.
Second, to be a religious is to promise God, under the penalty of eternal damnation, to spend one's life seeking to grow in virtue. If you do not have this intention, do not be a religious, for it would be a quick road to damnation. If you have this intention, you need to pray and study a great deal the teachings and lives of the saints, on how to be holy. This will be the greatest help in deciding which community the Lord wants for you.
Third, never consider any community which is in any way not Catholic in its way of life. Examine their doctrine and discipline, what they do and what they don't do and what they permit members to do and not to do. What periodicals and books do they read, what places do they visit, what clothes do they wear. The key questions to look for are how do they live their vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Be frank in your questions when you visit, if necessary. No worthy community will tolerate in the least such things as theological dissent, sodomy, impurity, individual monthly stipends, or freedom to do your own thing, etc.. If such criteria, as these, limit the number of places to choose from, all the better, since God only has one place in mind for you anyhow.
Fourth, do not give up. Even if you make the wrong decision, there is always time to change your heart and decide aright. Many times a community seems one way to us in our youth and another once we live there. If there are truly sound reasons, do not hesitate to leave. Do not join in the revelry of the wicked, simply because you have so little faith in the Providence God will show you if you seek Him in purity of heart and life. Sometimes too, after some years we realize that God was calling us to a holier life, and that there is a real possibility to live it now. Make this known to a good holy priest and seek the permission to follow this vocation-within-a-vocation. It is never too late to follow the Lord with a renewed spirit.
Fifth, never set a limit. If you only knew the things that make the Lord very, very angry, you would realize that one of they is those individuals who say "If I find such and such in such and such a period of time then I will say yes to the Lord, otherwise, I will go my merry way." These individuals go from folly to perdition faster than lightning. And they deserve such, for they have spurned the Love and powerful Providence of God, who alone is worthy of love and who knows best the times and seasons to serve Him.
Sixth, do not join or remain in a community if they do not observe their rule or norms, or if they are not willing to expel dissenters or those who flagrantly transgress their vows. But resolving to remain a religious and be a better one, keep the rule or norms and look for the possibility of transferring to a better community. To do otherwise is to put your soul in grave danger; to join such a community is, according to St. Alphonsus a mortal sin.
Finally, consider items 4,5,6 and 7 from the advice given to seminarians.

Iraqi priest shot dead in Baghdad

2008-04-05T11:52:00.000-07:00

Armed guards posted outside Iraqi churches have not deterred attackers
An Iraqi priest has been killed in a drive-by shooting by unidentified gunmen in central Baghdad.
Fr Adel Youssef, an Assyrian Orthodox priest, was gunned down near his home in the capital's Karrada district.
His death follows the discovery of the body of Chaldean Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of Mosul last month, two weeks after he was kidnapped.
Iraqi Christians repeatedly complain of being targeted by Islamist militants, and many have fled Iraq since 2003.
Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, head of the Chaldean Catholics - Iraq's largest Christian denomination - said Iraqi Christians were shocked by Saturday's killing.
Fleeing Christians
"We are praying and asking God for security in Iraq," Cardinal Delly told Reuters.
What can we do? How many people have been killed?
Cardinal Emmanuel DellyChaldean patriarch
Christians besieged in Iraq
The cardinal said the Church was "ready to forgive the people who committed these crimes for the sake of the single family of Iraq".
"What can we do? How many people have been killed? Christians, Muslims, Sabaens, people who have dedicated themselves to serving this country but they are killed."
Many Christians have fled as a result, and their number, believed to have been around 800,000 five years ago, has dwindled since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Shortly after the murder of Archbishop Rahho, Pope Benedict XVI had issued an anguished plea for Iraq's Christians, and called for an end to bloodshed in the country.
Elsewhere in Baghdad on Saturday, a bomb exploded on a minibus, killing three people.

-BBC

2008-04-03T11:15:00.000-07:00

Maronite Lebense Order Monk

St. Rafqa
Maronite Lebenese Order monks

Maronite Monk

Monks and the Patriach from a past time

Syriac Jacobite Monks and priests

Chaldean Catholic Pascha Qurbona

2008-03-30T14:25:00.000-07:00

mms://wmedia2.propagation.net/kaldu/Easter_08/easter_mass_wmv.asf

This is a video of the Chaldean Qurbona. The Chaldeans belong to the East Syriac tradition so there will are similarities , but also many differences between them and the Maronites. Its a pretty interesting liturgy. Sadly I can tell it has latinizations and modernizations to deal with : ( .

The Holy Qurbono according to the Antiochene Syriac Maronite Church

2008-03-30T14:05:00.000-07:00

Note: Although the Qurbono is celebrated in Syriac and English, in what follows only the English version is given.
Preparation of the Offerings
The minister prepares the bread saying:
Like a lamb led to the slaughteror a sheep before the sharers,Christ was silent and did not open his mouth
Then he pours wine and water into the cup and says:
I mix wine and water in this cup,symbols of the blood and waterwhich flowed from the side of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.
He then covers the offerings: first, with the small veils; then with the large veil, saying:
His splendor has hidden the heavens,and his glory has filled the earth.
Lighting of the Church
While the celebrant is vesting, the deacon turns on the lights of the Church and lights the candles. The congregation remains seated.
Meanwhile, the congregation sings the following hymn (qolo):
Hymn of Light
Cong:
Alleluia!In your light we see the light,O Christ, Source of light.You are the true lightwho illumines our universe.Illumine us with your joyful lightand rejoice us with the dawning of your day.
Alleluia!O holy and forgiving One,you abide in light.Remove from us the darkness of evil thoughtsand grant us to do deeds of justicewith a pure heart.
Alleluia!From among all nations,the Lord chose the Virgin.Of all their children,she was the purest and holiestFor nine months he abided in herand from her took a body.
Alleluia!Before their judgesthe martyrs stood and shouted openly:We do not deny Christwho died on the cross.Because of his love,we welcome sufferings and tribulation.
Alleluia!O living Son of God,You died, rose, and raised the dead.You brought joy to those in the graveand hope to those who are asleep.Let the faithful departed,who confessed the Trinity,find rest in you.
Introductory Rites
Entrance Psalm or Hymn
As the ministers go in procession to the entrance of the sanctuary, the congregation stands and sings either the following Psalm (A) or Hymn (B):
A) Psalm 135
I
Praise the Lord, who is so good;God's love endures forever;
II
Praise the God of gods;God's love endures forever;
I
Praise the Lord of lords;God's love endures forever;
II
Who alone has done great wonders,God's love endures forever;
I
And gives food to all flesh,God's love endures forever.
II
Praise the God of heaven,God's love endures forever.
All:
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,and to the Holy Spirit,now and for ever.
OR:
B) Hymn (Qolo)
I
On Sunday the Lord rose in glorious splendor;He overcame sufferingand destroyed the vanquishing of death.He brought back sinnersand clothed them with the robe of glory.
In their white robes,the heavenly hosts hurried at dawnand in a pleasant voice called earth and heavento honor the living and triumphant Savior.
II
Come in peace, O day of the Lord,the day of victory and joy.In you our Savior found restafter the trial of crucifixionand marked us with his sealon the road to shining light.
With the choirs of Seraphim and Cherubim,among the hosts of the kingdom,we sing praise to you.O Lord, shower peace over the worldand inflame us with your love.
Entrance Dialog
Cel:
I have entered your house, O Lord, and have worshiped before your throne. O King of heaven, forgive all my sins.
Cong:
O King of heaven, forgive all our sins.
Then, bowing his head to the left and then to the right, he sings in Syriac (A) or English (B):
Cel:
Pray to the Lord for me.
Cong:
May the Lord accept your offering and have mercy on us through your prayer.
The celebrant and other ministers then go to their proper places in the sanctuary. All remain STANDING as the service of the day begins.
Doxology
Cel:
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,and to the Holy spirit,now and for ever.
Cong:
Amen.
Opening Prayer
Cel:
O Lord,through the blessings of the day of your glorious resurrection,grant us times of tranquility and peace.May we praise you in the company of your heavenly hostsand give you glory and thanks,now and for ever.
Cong:
Amen.
Greeting
Cel:
Peace be with the Church and her children.
Hymn of the Angels
Cong:
Glory to God in the highestand peace on earthand good will to all.
Prayer of Forgiveness (Hoosoyo)
Proemion
Cel:
To the praise and glory of the Moth Holy Trinity.
May we offer glory, praise and honorto the good and merciful Lord:willing to become flesh and taste death,he descended to the abyssand saved us from death itself.Through his resurrection he filled his disciples with joyand enlightened the nations by the light of his salvation.To you, O Christ, are due glory and honor,on this Sunday and all the days of our lives,now and for ever.
Cong:
Amen.
Sedro
Cel:
O Word of God,who can praise the depth of your mercy?And what voice is able to bless you,who are above all praise?Mind and tongue fail to describethe wonders you accomplished on that holy and wonderous day,the Sunday of your resurrection from the dead.
With the Psalmist David we proclaim:
This is the day the Lord has made,let us rejoice and celebrate.This is the day that has no equalin the past nor in the future.This is the great feast day,crown and glory of all other feasts.
And now, O Christ our Lord,we petition you through the fragrance of this incense,which we offer before you:pardon our faults;give peace to the troubledand consolation to the sorrowful;bring back those who are far awayand watch over those who are near;guide our shepherds, protect your priests,and sanctify the deacons;forgive sinners, guard the just,sustain orphans, and support those who are widowed;prevent dissension and put an end to conflicts;remember the faithful departedand grant them rest in your heavenly kingdom,so that in their company we may celebratethe feast that has no end,and glorify you, your blessed Father,and your living and Holy Spirit,now and for ever.
Cong:
Amen.
Qolo (Hymn)
The congregation SITS and the qolo is then sung.
I
At the dawn of the day,let us join for prayer and offering,like Abraham, the just.And on that day, when Christ will come in glory,let us go and meet the living God.Alleluia!
II
On Sunday, the day of light,let us praise and give thanksto our King and Savior.In his love, he came to us,and with his mighthe liberated Adam and his children.Alleluia!
All:
On the Sunday at the end of time,when surrounded by hosts of fire and spirit,you will come to judge all nations,make us worthy, O Lord, to meet youand sing of your gloryin the company of your saints.Alleluia!
Etro
Cel:
Be pleased, O Lord,with the sweet fragrance of this incense.Make us worthy to proclaim your rising from the deadwith your holy angels;to announce the resurrectionwith your women disciples;and to rejoice in your triumphwith your blessed apostles.We glorify you, O Christ,your Father , and your Holy Spirit,now and for ever.
Cong:
Amen.
Trisagion (Qadeeshat Aloho)
The congregation STANDS and the Trisagion is then sung three times.
Cel:
Holy are you, O God, Holy are you, O Strong One, Holy are you O Immortal One.
Cong:
Have mercy on us.
Cel:
O holy and immortal Lord,sanctify our minds and purify our consciences,that we may praise you with pure heartsand listen to your Holy Scriptures.To you be glory, for ever.
Cong:
Amen.
Service of the Word
Psalm of the Readings (Mazmooro)
All SIT for the psalm of the readings. The verses are sung alternately by the congregation and the celebrant.
Cong:
Come in peace, O Sunday,great and blessed day.God's angels and mortalsfind joy in you and celebrate.
Cel:
Let us proclaim that great Sundayfrom the mountain tops,and let angels and mortalssing praise to the Lord.
Cong:
Blessed is the Lord who exaltedSunday above all other days,with hymns, praises, and prieststo proclaim the good news.
Reading(s)
The reader stands at the lectern and begins the reading. The reader first says:
Reader:
A reading from the ...
The reader then asks for the celebrant's blessing:
Reader:
Father, give your blessing.
The celebrant blesses the reader. The reader then continues:
Reader:
Brothers and sisters...
The reader concludes the reading by singing or saying:
Reader:
Praise be to God always!
Alleluia (Fetgomo)
Meanwhile, the congregations STANDS and sings:
Cong:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Cantor:
This is the day the Lord has made.Let us rejoice and celebrate! (Psalm 117:24)
Cong:
Alleluia!
Gospel
Deacon:
Before the good news of our Savior,announcing life to us all,let us offer this incense.O Lord, we ask for your mercy.
The celebrant burns incense while two ministers hold lighted candles on each side of the Book of Gospels.
Cel:
Peace be with you.
Cong:
And also with you.
Cel:
Let us be attentiveto the gospel of life and salvationof our Lord Jesus Christas recorded by the (evangelist Mark/Luke)(apostle Matthew/John).
The celebrant incenses the Book of Gospels three times. Meanwhile the deacon proclaims:
Deacon:
Remain silent, O listeners,for the holy gospel is about to be announced to you.Listen and give glory and thanksto the living word of God.
The celebrant begins the gospel using the appropriate introductory words. At the conclusion of the gospel he sings or says:
Cel:
This is the truth. Peace be with you.
Cong:
Praise and blessings to Jesus Christ for his living word to us.
Homily
The congregation SITS. The celebrant then gives a homily based on the readings and the liturgy of the day.
Creed
At the conclusion of the homily, the congregation STANDS and sings or says the Creed.
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilot; he suffered, died and was buried. On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have not end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Pre-Anaphora
Access to the Altar
As the celebrant goes to the altar, he sings or says:
Cel:
I will go to the altar of God,God who gives joy to my youth.In the abundance of your goodness,I will enter your house, O Lord,and worship in your holy temple.
Cong:
Guide me, O Lord, in your fear and instruct me in your justice.
The celebrant then sings:
Cel:
Pray to the Lord for me.
Cong:
May the Lord accept your offering and have mercy on us through your prayer.
The celebrant approaches the altar and kisses it in the center.
Transfer of the Offerings and Their Offering Hymn (Qolo)
Meanwhile, the congregation STANDS and sings the hymn of offering.

Anaphora of Saint John, the Apostle

Rite of Peace
Doxology
The congregation STANDS. The celebrant makes the sign of the cross, singing or saying:
Cel:
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,now and for ever.
Cong:
Amen.
Prayer for Peace
Cel:
O Lord, Almighty God,you are true love,tranquility that cannot be disturbed,and hope that cannot deceive.Grant your servants who stand before youlove, happiness, security, and everlasting peace.Enable us to greet one another with a holy kiss, worthy of your holy name,with purity of heart and holiness of soul.We glorify you, O Father,your only Son, and your Holy Spirit,now and for ever.
Cong:
Amen.
Exchange of Peace
The celebrant kisses the altar, places his hands on the offerings, then gives the peace, as he sings or says:
Cel:
Peace to you, O holy altar of God.Peace to the holy mysteries placed upon you.Peace to you, O minister of the Holy Spirit.
Diaconal Proclamation
Deacon:
Let each of us give the greeting of peace to our neighbor, with that charity and loyalty which is pleasing to the Lord.
The people exchange the greeting of peace with joined hands.
Hymn of Peace
During the exchange of peace, all sing a hymn of peace, such as the following:
All:
Peace, charity, and faith, brothers and sisters, from God the Father and form the Lord Jesus Christ.May the God of peace be with you all.Amen.
Prayer for the Imposition of the Hand
Cel:
O Lord,we bow our bodies and souls before your majesty.Come visit usand, from the heights of your glorious dwellings,send your grace upon usand your everlasting and imperishable blessing.We praise and exalt you, O Father,your only Son and your Holy Spirit,now and for ever.
Cong:
Amen.
Prayer of the Veil
Cel:
O Lord,at the end of time,you sent your beloved Son for our salvation,and he handed over to us these holy and life-giving mysteries.Do not make us strangers to this service,nor turn your face away from usbecause of the the multitude of our sins.For you alone are holy,with your only Son, and your Holy Spirit,now and for ever.
Cong:
Amen.
Eucharistic Prayer
Dialog
Cel:
May the love of God the + Father,the grace of the only-begotten + Son,and the unity and indwelling of the + Holy Spiritbe with your, for ever.
Cong:
And also with you.
Cel:
Let us lift up our thoughts, our minds and our hearts.
Cong:
They are raised to you, O God.
Cel:
Let us thank the Lord with fearand worship him with humility.
Cong:
It is right and proper.
The Lord Reigns
Cong:
The Lord reigns clothed in majesty. Alleluia!I am the Bread of Life said our Lord;from on high I came to earth,so all might live in me.Pure word without fleshI was sent form the Father.Mary's womb received melike good earth a grain of wheat.Behold! The priest bears me aloft to the altar.Alleluia!Accept our offerings.
Acceptance of the Offerings
The celebrant takes the paten and the cup and raises them, saying:
Cel:
Almighty God,as you accepted the offerings of the just of old,we ask you now to accept these offerings,presented to you by your faithful peopleas a pledge of their love for your and your holy name.Shower upon them your spiritual blessings,and, in exchange for their perishable gifts,grant them the gift of life and entrance into your kingdom.
Cong:
Amen.
Commemorations
The celebrant places the offerings on the altar and says:
Cel:
Let us now remember our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christand his plan of salvation for us.With these offerings placed before uslet us remember all who pleased the Lordfrom Adam to the present,especially the blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God[and Saint N. (patron of the church),][and Saint N. (saint whose feastday it is)].O Lord, remember our brothers and sisters,the living and the departed,children of the holy Church,especially those for whom we present this offering, N. and N.
He remembers the living and the dead he wishes.
Remember also, O Lord,all those who share with us today in this offering.
Cong:
Amen.
Incensation and Hymn
The celebrant first incenses the offerings, and then the congregation. Meanwhile, the congregation sings the following hymn (qolo):
Cong:
Alleluia!We remember Mary, Mother of God,the prophets, the apostles, the martyrs,the just, the priests, and the children of the Church,from one generation to another,to the end of time.Amen.
The liturgy continues with the anaphora appropriate to the occasion:
Praise and Thanksgiving
Cel:
It is right and proper to praise you,O Lord of all in heaven and on earth.the powers on highand heaven where they dwell, bless you.The fiery beings praise you with fear,the cherubim bless you with awe,and the seraphim glorify your majesty,as with the swift movement of their wings,they fly to each other, crying and proclaiming:
Holy, Holy, Holy
Cong:
Holy, holy, holy mighty Lord, God of hosts.Heaven and earth are full of your great glory.Hosanna in the highest.Blessed is he who has comeand will come in the name of the Lord.Hosanna in the highest.
Cel:
You are holy, almighty Lord and Father,holy is your only son, and holy is your Spirit.You sent your Son for our salvation.He descended, became flesh, suffered,and was crucified for us, who have corrupted his image.Your living and Holy Spirit gives life to your divine mysteries.You, O Lord, are holy indeed,and you sanctify us all by the power of your divinity.
Institution Narrative
Cel:
On the day before his life-giving passion,Jesus took bread in his holy hands.He blessed,sanctified,broke,and gave it to his disciples saying:
Take and eat it, all of you:This is my bodywhich is broken and delivered for you and for many,for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
Cong:
Amen.
Cel:
Likewise he blessed the cup of wine mixed with water,sanctified,and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take and drink from it, all of you:This is my blood of the new covenant,which is shed and handed over for you and for many,for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
Cong:
Amen.
Memorial of the Plan of the Son (Anamnesis)
Cel:
In this you will remember me.Whenever you eat this mystery of my Bodyand drink of my Blood,you will proclaim my death until I return.
Cong:
O Lord, we remember your death,we witness to your resurrection,we await your second coming,we implore your compassion,and we ask for the forgiveness of our sins.May your mercy come upon us all.
The celebrant continues using either the Short Form (A) or the Long Form (B).
A
Short Form
Cel:
As we remember your plan of salvation,O Christ our Lord,we implore your bounty:When you come in glory with your holy angels, O Lord,and all look for the reward they deserve,let us not be strangers to your household.Do not turn your face away from us,nor let our sins and offenses touch your holy heart.Do not reject us from your presence,for we have known your holy nameand professed our faith in your divinity.Rather, forgive our sins, pardon us,and have mercy on your inheritance.Your repenting Church begs you,and with you and through you, begs your Father,saying:
B
ORLong Form
Cel:
O Christ our God,we celebrate the memorial of your place of salvation.When you come in glory with your blessed angelsand establish the throne of your awesome majesty;when you command the earth to bring forth the deadand they stand before you in fear and trembling;when you separate the sheep to your rightand the goats to your leftand all behold the reward due them;then let us not hear, O Lord, the bitter voice of condemnation,and do not command us:"Leave me, O damned, to the eternal fire.I do not know you."Do not consider us as stranger to your household,nor turn your face away from us"and look at us with anger.Do not let our sins and offenses touch your holy heart.Do not enter into judgment with usnor treat us like those who bitterly have lost all hope.Do not seek revenge on us like enemiesnor abandon us like strangers.Do not reject us from your presence, O Lord,for we have known your holy name and professed your divinity.Do with us, rather, according to your promises.Pardon our faults and forgive our sins.Have mercy on your inheritance and on the sheep of your flock.Your Church begs you and,through you and with you, begs the Father, saying:
Cong:
Have mercy on us, Almighty Father,have mercy on us.
Cel:
We, your poor and sinful servants, O Lord,realize the graces we have receivedand than you for them and because of them.
Cong:
We praise you; we bless you; we adore you;we acknowledge and ask you:have mercy on us, O LOrd,and hear us.
Invocation of the Holy Spirit (Epiclesis)
Deacon:
How awesome is this moment, O my beloved.The Holy Spirit will descend from heavenand overshadow this offering,preparing for our sanctification.With reverence let us stand and pray,and three times proclaim:
Meanwhile, the celebrant bows and flutters his hands three times over the mysteries as he says quietly:
Cel:
O compassionate and merciful Lord,have mercy on usand send upon us and upon these offeringsyour holy and life-giving Spirit,who is the sanctifier of alland the giver of all holiness,who spoke through the holy prophetsand crowned the apostles and martyrs.May this spirit overshadow these mysteriesand sanctify them.
The celebrant, kneeling on both knees, extends his hands and sings or says:
Cel:
Hear us, O Lord; hear us, O Lord; hear us, O Lord.May your holy and living Spirit descendand overshadow us and our suffering.
Cong:
Kyrie eleison; Kyrie eleison; Kyrie eleison. OR:Lord have mercy; Lord have mercy; Lord, have mercy.
Cel:
Through his overshadowing, may the Spirit make this + breadthe body of Christ our God.
Cong:
Amen.
Cel:
And make the mixture in this + cupthe blood of the Christ our God.
Cong:
Amen.
Cel:
May these Mysteries sanctify the bodies and soulsof those who participate in them,for the purity of their hearts,the cleansing of their thoughts,the holiness of their souls,and as a pledge of the heavenly kingdomand a new life, for ever.
Cong:
Amen.
Intercessions
All SIT. The intercessions follow in either their Short Form (A) or Long Form (B).
A
Short Form
Cel:
O Lord God,at this moment in our sacrificewe remember all your holy churchesand the shepherds who dwell in them in true faith,especially, N., Pope of Rome.N. Peter, our Patriarch of Antioch,N., our Bishop,and all bishops of the true faith.Along with them, we also rememberthe priests, the deacons, and all in your household,who observe your commandments.We pray to you, O Lord.
Cong:
Lord, have mercy.
Deacon:
For the peace and confirmation of the entire world;for the blessing of the year and the abundance of its fruits;for the sick, the oppressed,and for all those who call upon your holy name on land, at sea, or in the air,and who confess that you are the true God.We pray to you, O Lord.
Cong:
Lord, have mercy.
Deacon:
For all those who today present the offeringnow lying upon this altarand those who desired to offer but could not;grant them all they desire.We pray to you, O Lord.
Cong:
Lord, have mercy.
Deacon:
We remember all the saints: the patriarchs, prophets,apostles, martyrs, confessors,Mary, the Mother of God,[Saint N. (patron of the church),][Saint N. Iwhose feast is being celebrated),]and all the righteous and the just.Through their prayers,make us worthy to be numbered among them.We pray to you, O Lord.
Cong:
Lord, have mercy.
Deacon:
For those who have left us and gone to you,baptized in your nameand nourished by the precious body and blood of your Son,from the first Christian disciples until today.They wait for you in life-giving hope.We pray to you, O Lord.
Cong:
Grant them rest, O Lord,and forgive all our sins and failings:those sins we have committed knowinglyand those things we have done without knowledge.
Cel:
O Lord, pardon and erase our faultsand the sins of the departed.Grant us purity and holinessso that, at all times, your exalted and most blessed name,may be praised, honored, and glorified,with the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,and that of your living and Holy Spirit,now and for ever.
Cong:
As it was, is now, and shall be for ever.Amen.
B
Long Form
Cel:
O Lord God,at this moment in our sacrificewe remember all your holy churchesand the shepherds who dwell in them in true faith,especially, N., Pope of Rome.N. Peter, our Patriarch of Antioch,N., our Bishop,and all bishops of the true faith.Along with them, we also rememberthe priests, the deacons, and all in your household,who observe your commandments.We pray to you, O Lord.
Cong:
Lord, have mercy.
Deacon:
We petition you, O Lord,for the peace and confirmation of the whole world;for the blessing of the year and the abundance of its fruits;for those who are sick, oppressed, or tormented by evil powers,that you may watch over them and visit them;for those who call upon your holy name on land or at sea,and confess that you are the true God.Redeem your flock, O Lord,and free it from harmful and bitter scourgesthat may bring death,and from the insult of nations,who neither confess your name nor proclaim your divinity.Lead your flock with your might hand,and it will thank you and pray to you, O Lord.
Cong:
Lord, have mercy.
Deacon:
Remember, O Lord,those who today present the offeringnow lying upon this altarand those who desired to offer but could not;grant them all they desire.Remember also, on your spiritual and heavenly altar,all those who have known and obeyed you.In your kindness, accept their offerings and tithesand make them worthy of your holy name,and that of your only Son, and of your Holy Spirit.And we pray to you, O Lord.
Cong:
Lord, have mercy.
Deacon:
O Lord,we remember before you all the holy patriarchs, prophets,apostles, martyrs and confessors;we remember Mary, the Mother of God,the righteous and the just,[Saint N. (patron of the church),][Saint N. Iwhose feast is being celebrated),]and all the saints who were pleasing to you.By their holy and blessed prayers,we implore you, O Lord:make us worthy to be numbered among them.and to be part of their destiny.We ask this through your graceand through the mercy of your only Sonand his love for us.With Christ and through him,glory and honor are due to you, O Father, and to your Holy Spirit.and we pray to you, O Lord.
Cong:
Lord, have mercy.
Deacon:
In your kindness, O Lord,remember those who have left us and gone to youclothed with the precious body and blood of your Son,and sealed by has baptism,from the time of the first Christian disciples until today,[especially N.].Indeed, O Lord, you are the creator of souls and bodies,and those who have gone to sleeplie waiting for you in life-giving hope.Raise them on that last dayand let your face shine upon them with peace.In your mercy, pardon their faults and offenses,for no one on earth is free from the sting of sin,except your only Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.with him and through him, we also hope in your mercyfor the pardon of our faults,and we pray to you, O Lord.
Cong:
Grant them rest, O Lord,and forgive all our sins and failings:those sins we have committed knowinglyand those things we have done without knowledge.
Cel:
O Lord, pardon and erase our faultsand the sins of the departed,all those committed with wickedness and ill will.Grant us purity and holinessand let us stand before you free from quilt,with innocence and perfect confidence,so that, at all times, your exalted and most blessed name,may be praised, honored, and glorified,with the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,and that of your living and Holy Spirit,now and for ever.
Cong:
As it was, is now, and shall be for ever.Amen.
Communion Rite
Blessing
Cel:
May the blessing of God the + Father,and our Savior Jesus Christ,and the indwelling of the Holy Spiritbe with your, for ever.
Cong:
And also with you.
Fraction, Consignation, Intinction, Commixture and Elevation
The congregation sings an appropriate hymn, for example, Father of Truth, or the korozooto of the day.
Fraction
Cel:
We have believed, and we have offered,now we seal + and break this oblation,the heavenly bread, the body of the Word,who is the living God.
Intinction
Cel:
We sign this cup of salvation and thanksgivingwith the purifying emberwhich glows with heavenly mysteries.
In the name of the + Father,life for all the living;in the name of the only-begotten + Son,who proceeds from him,and, like him, is life for all the living;in the name of the + Holy Spirit,the beginning, the end, and the perfectionof all that was and will be in heaven and on earth,the one, true, blessed, and exalted God, without division,from whom comes life for ever.
Consignation
Cel:
The blood of our Lord Jesus Christis sprinkled over his holy body,in the name of the + Father,and of the + Son,and of the + Holy Spirit.
Comixture
Cel:
You have united, O Lord, your divinity with our humanityand our humanity with your divinity;your life with our mortalityand our mortality with your life.You have assumed what is ours,and you have given us what is yours,for the life and salvation of our souls.To you, O Lord, be glory for ever.
Elevation
The congregation STANDS. The celebrant places the paten containing the host over the cup and elevates them, saying silently:
Cel:
You, O Lord, are the pleasing oblation,who was offered for us;you are the forgiving sacrifice,who offered yourself for us to the Father.You are the Lamb of sacrifice,and yet also the priest who offered himself for us.May our prayers be like incense in your sightas we present them through you and with you to your Father.
Lord's Prayer
Cel:
God our Father,you accept prayers and answer petitions.Through your beloved Son,you taught us to stand before youand pray with purity and holiness.Grant that we may call upon youwith pure souls and clear consciences,and to pray, saying:
The celebrant and congregation EXTEND THEIR HANDS and pray:
All:
Our Father, who art in heaven,hallowed be your name;your kingdom come;your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread;and forgive us our trespassesas we forgive those who trespass against us;and lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,now and for ever. Amen.
Cel:
O Lord,deliver your servants from all difficult temptations,from the harm of evil that rebels against you,and from the wicked and disobedient.You, O Lord, have power over alland we glorify you,now and for ever.
Cong:
Amen.
Penitential Rite
Cel:
Peace be with you.
Cong:
And also with you.
Deacon:
Bow your heads before the merciful Lord,before his forgiving altar,and before the body and blood of our Savior,who gives life to those who partake of him,and receive the blessing of the Lord.
Cel:
O Lord, in your graceand in the abundance of your mercies,bless those who bow before you.Make them worthy to participatein your life-giving Mysteries,and to join with the assembly of your saints.With them, we glorify you,now and for ever.
Cong:
Amen.
Cel:
May the graceof the most Holy Trinity +eternal and co-equal in essence,be with you, my brothers and sisters,for ever.
Cong:
And also with you.
Deacon:
Let us all look to God in awe and with reverence and ask him for mercy and compassion.
Invitation to Communion
Cel:
Holy things for the holy,with perfection, purity, and sanctity.
Cong:
One holy Father,one holy Son,one Holy Spirit.Blessed be the name of the Lordfor he is one in heaven and on earth.To God be glory for ever.
The celebrant and the congregation prepare for communion. they EXTEND THEIR HANDS in prayer and say:
All:
Make us worthy, O Lord God,to sanctify our bodies with your holy bodyand to purify our souls with your forgiving blood.May our communion be for the forgiveness of our sinsand for eternal life.O Lord our God, to you be glory,for ever.
Communion of the Celebrant
The congregation sings one of the following hymns:
A
Through the Resurrection of Christ
Cong:
Through the resurrection of Christ the King,with true faith,let us beg for forgiveness for our souls.
Let us all together proclaim to the Son,who redeemed us by his cross:"Blessed is our Savior:holy are you, holy are you, holy are you."
May the memory of Christ's mother,the saints, and all the faithful departedbe honored throughout the whole world.Alleluia!
B
OR:The Heavenly Hosts
Cong:
The heavenly hosts stand with us in the sanctuary.They carry in processionthe body of the Son of God,immolated before us.Let us all approach and receive himfor the forgiveness of our sins and faults.Alleluia!
May our parents, brothers and sisters, and teachersbe commemorated at your altar, O Lord,and may they stand at your right handon the day of judgment,O Christ the King.Alleluia!
Blessed is the Lordwho gave us his living body and bloodthat we may find pardon in them.Praised and exalted are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.Glory to them for ever and ever.Alleluia!
Meanwhile, the celebrant consumes the large part of the host, saying:
Cel:
The body of our Lord Jesus Christis given to me for the forgiveness of my sinsand for eternal life
The celebrant drinks from the cup, saying:
Cel:
The blood of our Lord Jesus Christis given to me for the forgiveness of my sinsand for eternal life
Communion of the People
Before he distributes communion, the celebrant raises the paten and with the congregation sings or says:
All:
Our Lord said:"I am the bread of life.Whoever eats me in faith inherits life."
Cel:
This is the cup which our Lord prepared on the cross.Come forth, O mortals,and drink from it for the forgiveness of sins.
Cong:
The Church proclaims:"Come, O brothers and sisters,take the body of the Son,drink his blood in faithand sing of his glory."
The following verses may also be sung:
The Church proclaims:"Holy, holy, holy are you, O Lord;blessed is he who gives me his body and bloodfor my salvation."
Alleluia! Alleluia!To Christ be glory,for he gives us his living body and bloodfor our salvation.
May this offering intercede for uson the day of judgment,when we stand before God's awesome throne.
Alleluia! Alleluia!To Christ be glory,for from his cup the Churchand her children drink,and sing his praise.
When the celebrant gives communion to the deacon(s), subdeacons (servers), and the congregation, he says:
Cel:
The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christare given to you for the forgiveness of sinsand for eternal life.
During communion, the congregation sings O Bread of Life or Father of Truth, or other hymns and psalms appropriate to communion. They may also sing the following traditional Syriac verses in commemoration of the faithful departed:
O merciful Lord,accept this offering from your worshipers.In your kindness,grant pardon to the faithful departed.
Behold, the oblation has been offeredand souls have been redeemed.May it give rest to the departedfor whom it was offered.
May this oblation,offered by the living for the dead,obtain pardon for their soulsand forgiveness for their failings.
May the Lord, who called Eliezarand the widow's son to Life,sprinkle the dew of his mercyupon the faithful departed.
With Abraham and Isaacand with the faithful Jacob,celebrate, O Lord, the memoryof those for whom it is offered.
O heavenly King,accept the offering of your servants,and celebrate their memoryin your heavenly Jerusalem.
In the Jerusalem above,and in the Church on earth as well,may it be an honorable memoryat your alter in heaven.
O Lamb of God,O Shepherd who died for his flock:in your kindness, grant restto the faithful departed.
My soul longs for your body,yet I am afraid to get close,for I tremble because of my sins.In your kindness, O Lord, grant me pardon.
May your body and blood that we have partakenbe for us the way, the bridge,and the safe passagefrom darkness to light.
May the heavenly beings find joyand mortals good hope,because of the offering of the livingfor their dead.
Blessing with the Mysteries
After communion, the celebrant blesses the congregation with the mysteries, singing or saying:
Cel:
We render always gloryand thanksgiving to you, O Lord,for giving us your body to eatand your blood to drink.O Lover of all,have mercy on us.
Cong:
O Lover of all,have mercy on us.
Thanksgiving
The congregation SITS and sings hymns of thanksgiving, for example, O Lord, I have consumed your holy body, or Psalm 133 (134). Meanwhile, the celebrant consumes what remains of the offerings, and then performs the ablutions.
Cel:
O gracious Lord,what return shall we make to your goodness,for the salvation you have just given us?Who is able to offer the proper glory due to you?Although of little worth and according to our measure,we glorify, praise, and thank you,your only Son, and your Holy Spirit,now and for ever.
Cong:
Amen.
Blessing and Dismissal
Cel:
Peace be with you/
Cong:
And also with you.
The celebrant extends his right hand over the congregation and sings or says:
Cel:
We adore you, bless you and thank you,O Jesus Christ, our Lord and God.We implore your goodness and merciesfor the safekeeping of the livingand the rest of the dead;for the feeding of the hungryand the support of the needy;for the visitation of the sickand the consolation of the grieving.Look kindly upon themand give them abundant life.Bless your peopleand shield your flock with your cross.Adoration is due to you, O Christ,your Father, and your life-giving Holy Spirit,now and for ever.
Cong:
Amen.
The congregation STANDS. The celebrant concludes with the following or one of the solemn blessings:
Cel:
Go in peace, beloved brothers and sisters,accompanied by the nourishment and gracesyou received from the forgiving altar of the Lord.May the blessing of the most Holy Trinity remain with you:the + Father, and the + Son, and the + Holy Spirit.
Cong:
Amen.
The celebrant kisses the altar and silently says:
Cel:
Remain in peace, O holy altar of God,I hope to return to you in peace.May the offering I have received from you forgive my sinsand prepare me to stand blamelessbefore the throne of Christ.
I know no whether I will be able to return to you again to offer sacrifice.Guard me, O Lord, and protect your holy Church,that she may be the way to salvation and the light of the world.
Amen.
The celebrant and ministers then leave the sanctuary.

http://www.faswebdesign.com/ECPA/Worship/Qurbono.html

Wisdom from the mouth of Mar Isaac the Syrian

2008-03-27T22:54:00.000-07:00

"Will God, if I ask, forgive me these things by which I am pained and by whose memory I am tormented, things by which, though I abhor them, I go on backsliding? Yet after they have taken place the pain the give me is even greater than that of a scorpion’s sting. Though I abhor them, I am still in the middle of them, and when I repent of them with suffering I wretchedly return to them again.” This is how many God-fearing people think, people who foster virtue and are pricked with the suffering of compunction, who mourn over their sin; yet human prosperity compels them to bear with the backsliding which results from it. They live between sin and repentance all the time. Let us not be in doubt, O fellow humanity, concerning the hope of our salvation, seeing that the One who bore sufferings for our sakes is very concerned about our salvation; God’s mercifulness is far more extensive than we can conceive, God’s grace is greater than what we ask for. "

"In love did God bring the world into existence; in love is God going to bring it to that wondrous transformed state, and in love will the world be swallowed up in the great mystery of the One who has performed all these things; in love will the whole course of the governance of creation be finally comprised. "

"As for me I say that those who are tormented in hell are tormented by the invasion of love. What is there more bitter and violent than the pains of love? Those who feel they have sinned against love bear in themselves a damnation much heavier than the most dreaded punishments. The suffering with which sinning against love afflicts the heart is more keenly felt than any other torment. It is absurd to assume that the sinners in hell are deprived of God’s love. Love is offered impartially. But by its very power it acts in two ways. It torments sinners, as happens here on earth when we are tormented by the presence of a friend to whom we have been unfaithful. And it gives joy to those who have been faithful. That is what the torment of hell is in my opinion: remorse. But love inebriates the souls of the sons and daughters of heaven by its delectability. "

"How I Solved the Catholic Problem"

2008-03-27T16:24:00.000-07:00

Guatemala is at a turning point. Historically it's been a 100% Catholic country - but that's changing - rapidly. Demographers predict that early in the next century Guatemala will become the first mostly-Protestant Latin American country.

The jet made a careful descent between the three volcanoes that ring the sprawl of Guatemala City. It was April 19th, 1992. My husband, Marty, and I had reached the end of eight years of preparation to be Evangelical Protestant missionaries. We were finally here, excited and eager to settle in Guatemala. We knew our faith would be challenged and stretched, but we were more than ready for it because above all else, we desired to serve God with everything we could offer. Our new life as missionaries had just begun. I didn't feel even a twinge of regret over what we'd left behind in the States: family, friends, a familiar language and culture, and amenities like clean water and good roads we Americans so often take for granted. In spite of the unknowns ahead, I knew we were being obedient, regardless of the cost. We were living smack in the middle of God's will, and it gave us a great feeling of security. We had given ourselves fully to bringing Christ's light to the darkness of this impoverished, Catholic country. As the jet touched down onto the bumpy runway, tears welled in my eyes. "Thank you, Jesus," I whispered as I reached over to squeeze my husband's hand. Marty and I had come to the end of a long journey, but we were also beginning a new one. "Some day, Lord," I prayed silently, "I hope this foreign place will feel like home." I was elated as we walked down the exit ramp from the plane and began the long-awaited adventure of being Protestant missionaries - missionaries sent to "rescue" Catholics from the darkness of their religion's superstition and man-made traditions and bring them into the light of Protestantism. There's no way I could have known that three years later, almost to the day, my husband and my two children and I would stand holding hands again, elated again, waiting to be received into the Catholic Church. Let me explain what happened that led me, a staunch Evangelical, to become Catholic. In the BeginningI was raised in a devout Fundamentalist home. When I was 5 years old I asked Jesus to be my Savior. I was watching cartoons and it was time for a commercial. I figured that was as good a time as any to get saved. I'd been told many times by my folks that all I had to do was "open up a little door in my heart and let Jesus come in, and I would be a true Christian." That was it. Once Jesus was in, He would never go away. And when I died, I would go to heaven. It was a sure thing, the best deal in life, the free gift of eternal life. I couldn't earn it, I could only ask for it, and as soon as I asked (if I really meant it), then it was a done deal! One minute I was a little sinner on the way to hell, the next minute I was a Christian. When I told my mom I'd become a Christian, she wept for joy. I didn't feel any different, but I knew my black heart was now as white as snow. No matter how bad I was, no matter what naughty things I did, when God looked at my heart from now on, all He would see was white, because Jesus was my personal Savior. As I grew up and found myself involved in sins of one kind or another, I doubted the sincerity of my "conversion" at age 5 and, just in case, I got "born-again" at least on two other occasions (just to be sure). This is the Catch-22 of the typical "born-again" theology taught by many Evangelical and Fundamentalist denominations: Although we were taught that "faith alone" saved a person, the assumption was that right away the convert would exhibit a changed life and would continue growing in holiness out of sheer gratefulness to God for the gift of salvation. Under this system, the whole conversion event was completely subjective and valid only with the right measure of sincerity and true repentance - what Evangelicals call "saving faith." On the other hand, if a person known to be "born again" falls away from Christ, it's said that he had "never really been born again." In other words, the possibility always exists that you might not actually be a Christian, though you might be completely convinced that you are. (Evangelical and Fundamentalist Protestants would never say it that way, nor do they even like to think about it, but they do recognize that this is so.) The "Catholic Problem"... Just as I knew for certain I was a Christian at 5 years old, I knew with equal certainty that there were others who were not Christians. I had been taught that some of these non-Christian people lived in places like Africa and Asia. Missionaries were frequent visitors at our little church and we listened with awe to their stories. Once some missionaries came from Mexico, where, tragically enough, the people thought they were Christians, even though they weren't. The Mexicans, we were reminded, were a lot worse off than the heathens in Africa. At least the heathens knew they worshipped demons and false gods. But the poor Mexicans were Catholics. They had been deceived into thinking they were real Christians, and this made them a lot harder to convert. But it wasn't just the Mexicans we worried about and prayed for. Most of our neighbors weren't Christian either. Most were Roman Catholics. Their kids went to Sacred Heart school, where nuns and priests taught them to worship statues and pray to Mary whom - we were repeatedly warned - Catholics thought was more powerful than God Himself. I was taught to feel sorry for Catholics, because they were members of a cult, and they didn't even know it. They were like Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses, who had been deceived into thinking that their good works would get them to heaven. All of my father's relatives were Catholic. I remember when one of them died, my mother cried bitterly because he was in hell, not because he was a great sinner, but because he was Catholic. And there was no way a Catholic could be a "born again" Christian. In fact, as far as we were concerned, being Catholic was far worse than being simply unchurched. Being Catholic was to live a lie, a lie which would only be exposed at death, when the unsuspecting person ended up in hell for believing he could work himself to heaven by good deeds. This was the way Catholics and their theology was explained to me. I was not allowed to go to the funerals of any of my Catholic relatives. It was too sad, my Mom told me. Funerals were supposed to be happy because the person who had died (if he had been "born again") was with Jesus, free from suffering and pain. Catholic funerals weren't happy at all. A lot of people cried because they didn't know for sure if their loved one was in heaven. But we would know, Mom assured us. That was the great thing about being real Christians. These prejudices and misconceptions about Catholicism were reinforced continually throughout my childhood. Not only did I hear strong opinions against Catholicism, but also against most other Protestants, those in other denominations. We were taught that only in our church, or a church which shared our Dispensational interpretive system (1), could a person find the complete truth about the Bible. The big denominations, the "mainline churches," were all apostate we were warned. Those churches were best avoided, for in them, a person would hear error taught and might be deceived into believing it. Errors included things such as infant baptism, amillennialism, speaking in tongues, faith healing or, worst of all, that a Christian could lose his salvation through serious sin. We had the truth at our church, period. Anyone who wanted the whole story about God would have to come to our church and study the Bible the way we did. When meeting someone from another denomination for the first time, we were taught to view with suspicion that person's claim to being a Christian. If they didn't believe pretty much what we did, there was a good chance they weren't really "born again." We were constantly reminded by our pastor that we were obligated to share the real truth with them, especially if they were Catholics. We had Jesus, they didn't. It was that simple. Over the years I came to know many "true Christians" from these other "erroneous" churches. This had an effect on me. I gradually loosened my Fundamentalist views on truth and adopted the typical, somewhat vague belief of contemporary evangelicalism that as long as one has a "personal relationship with Christ," that's all that matters. To my shock, I even met a few Catholics whom I judged to be "born again," (though I could only wonder how they could possibly grow spiritually within the Catholic Church, and I had no idea why they remained in it). As their friend, I saw it as my duty to urge those "Christian" Catholics to find a better church, a Bible-believing church. And some of them took my advice and left the Catholic Church. Some however, stuck with Catholicism, which only made me question the validity of their commitment to Christ. From the time I was a kid, I was taught that in the hierarchy of careers, foreign missionary service was right at the top of the list of things that please God. Marty and I discussed the possibility of his teaching in a school for missionary children. Since he already spoke Spanish, we knew it was likely we'd end up in Latin America or Spain. We prayed that God would use us as missionaries to bring Catholics to Christ. We wanted to bring them "true Christianity." From the time we made that decision until our arrival in Guatemala, a little over eight years went by. Shortly after we arrived in Guatemala my tidy paradigm of "true Christianity" began to disintegrate. For more than two years, I experienced a persistent nagging at the back of my consciousness regarding several theological issues. Getting to the mission field brought those problems to the fore. Perhaps the most distasteful of the nagging issues was what I had come to see as the cultural hegemony inherent in Evangelicalism's mission strategy. Evangelicals were (and are) importing wholesale a specifically American brand of piety, imposing the forms and symbols and jargon of "American Christianity" on the people in other countries. This religious colonialism bothered me a lot. There was also the problem of illiteracy in Latin America. Since childhood I had been steeped in the mindset that the Bible is the literal touchstone of all things Christian. Consequently, I had a hard time integrating the Evangelical "read it for yourself" approach with a culture in which many people couldn't read. And finally, the Protestant notion of sola scriptura (the Bible alone) fell apart each time I tried to test it. I began to see that Evangelicalism's insistence on going by the Bible alone led continually into division and problems. Worse yet, claiming to go by the Bible alone didn't really provide any certitude of belief for believers. Because of my upbringing and theological training, I didn't realize at first that as soon as I allowed myself to question these three problem areas I was pointing myself in the direction of Rome. I thought I was just settling some troubling issues, but it was really at this point that my journey into the Catholic Church began. I believed, as most Evangelicals do, that my own brand of Christianity was the most "authentic," i.e. the closest to the New Testament beliefs and practice - the most "biblical." In Guatemala I was confronted with something I had never considered before: that my Christianity was in fact, a largely American phenomenon. Marty and I spent our first few months in Guatemala "looking for a church." What we expected to find was authentic, Latin American Christianity. What we found was simply transplanted American Evangelicalism, the only difference being the language. It was like watching the Dukes of Hazard dubbed into Spanish. Guatemalan Evangelicalism was a clone of its stateside counterpart. The music was American, the Sunday School curriculum was American. Church government was copied from whatever denomination had founded that particular church. Evangelism was geared, like advertising, to reaching the most people with the most attractive gospel. In most churches, American missionaries wielded a powerful influence, despite the fact that evangelicalism has been present in Guatemala for over 100 years. I realized pretty quickly that Americans are boss there. There are native Evangelical pastors, sure, but the real influence and authority lay in the hands of the Americans. There were other unfortunate parallels with evangelicalism in America. Poor people went to poor churches; the middle-class and wealthy attended more upscale churches which attracted people from their particular level of society. Only in one large, downtown Evangelical church did we ever see rich and poor in fairly equal numbers, though most of the poor people sat in the balcony, not down front where the more affluent folks sat. I had never, until then, realized how Protestant churches are almost always separated by class. I was unsettled to realize that I had never attended a church with poor people. I had always looked for a church with people "like me." Where was the One Church of Jesus Christ which embraced rich and poor alike? For some reason, I had expected to find it in Guatemala. I didn't. I began to reflect upon something I'd heard from a visiting missionary years before. He'd said their mission had begun to target only the wealthy and middle-classes in large urban areas with the gospel. The reason for this was that "poor people would want to be like the rich," so, according to his logic, starting churches among the rich made it easier to reach the poor. Starting a church among the poor however, would not reap a harvest with the rich later on. After all, the rich don't want to be associated with a "poor people's religion." I remember reading an article on church growth in which the Evangelical author stated that "multiplication occurs in homogeneous churches." Translation: If you want lots of people to come to your church, don't mix the poor and the rich, and don't mix the races. Many Evangelicals would balk at such a blunt way of characterizing this attitude toward Latin Americans, but it is a fact, and the proof is the way Evangelical "missions" are run down there. In Guatemala there are the Ladinos, predominately European of Spanish descent. They make up the ruling class. The underclass, for the most part, are pure Mayan Indian. There were Ladino churches and Indian churches. If you saw a woman in a Ladino (upper class) church dressed in native clothing, it was a good bet she was someone's maid. This stratification of Evangelical churches had never bothered me before. In fact, I had never really considered it. But now my conscience was pricking me. I couldn't stop thinking about it. Evangelicalism was not promoting harmony between the races and classes but, rather, was structured so as to reinforce these social and cultural separation between believers. What bothered me most was that this attitude was very American. Segregation was only one of the problems I observed with the imported evangelicalism of Guatemala. A bigger problem is the disease of dissension, which is endemic to protestantism. When the Baptists, Lutherans, Pentecostals, Fundamentalists, and the other well-meaning missionaries came to Guatemala, they brought with them all the doctrinal spats that American churches split over. Guatemalan churches, like their American counterparts, are constantly in a state of strife and doctrinal turmoil, splitting into new churches. New denominations spring up in Guatemala at a breathtaking rate. Pastors, (often self-proclaimed, with little or no education) found new churches, taking large portions of their former congregations with them. In one little Evangelical church the leaders decided to get hymnals (at great expense to the members) and tone down the music on Sundays, so the neighbors wouldn't think they were Pentecostals. Some members left because they didn't want to give up swaying and hand-clapping during worship. Another church split over the election of a female elder. Splinter groups split from splinter groups which had split from other splinter groups. The church was "multiplying," all right. American Evangelical missionaries pour into the country to do what they called "church planting." This means that the newly arrived American "pastor" goes door-knocking until he finds a handful of converts, then they proceed to meet and call it "church." (This is typical of non-denominational Evangelism the world over.) Although several missions groups, including the one which had brought us to Guatemala, work to unite Protestants and help them work together, I realized that there is no reason to assume that unity can be established when unity has never been established between Protestants, since Luther's day! I asked myself where was the "one body, one faith, and one baptism" St. Paul spoke about so passionately? I began to fear that the answer could not be what American missionaries were peddling, at least it couldn't be the whole answer. One day we drove through a small village where I counted three Pentecostal churches on one block. Before the arrival of protestantism, this town was united in its Catholicism. The Catholic parish used to be the center of the community, but now there were multitudes of competing Protestant churches, each promoting its particular brand of evangelicalism: Church of Christ, Presbyterian, non-denominational, Assemblies of God, Mennonite Brethren, and Baptists of every conceivable stripe were all there, scratching around for converts, and reminding their flocks that all the other groups were wrong (especially, of course, the Catholics). I thought about this choose-your-own-church syndrome constantly. While all of us missionaries from these various denominations proclaimed the purity of our gospel, the truth was, there was no way for any of us to know for sure which of us had it "most right." I had no doubt that people who previously had no relationship with Jesus Christ were being saved and brought into God's family through the great efforts and sacrifices of Evangelical missionaries. Still, along with the message "You must be born again," came all the same difficulties of disunity and division that plague American evangelicalism. The problem of the poor and illiterate forced me to rethink several issues. For one thing, I had been taught that to know God one must know the Bible. I had been taught a very detailed, specific interpretive system and had a great deal of experience in using it to understand Scripture. I'd been reading and memorizing Scripture passages since childhood and, I thought, I knew what it all meant. I knew the Bible was meant to be taken literally, most of the time, especially regarding creation and the End Times. I knew the spots where taking it literally could get you into trouble. A good example being the Bread of Life discourse in John 6 or the teaching on justification in James 2:24. Regardless of what other denominations taught, I knew the truth because I knew how to study Scripture for myself. At least that's what I thought. Most educated Evangelicals are confident in their theology, and I was no exception. For example, if I met a pastor who taught that infant baptism was acceptable, I knew he was wrong and I could prove it from Scripture. I could read the Bible and understand it and apply it to my life. I could use the study tools necessary to understand what it meant. I had well-used lexicons and concordances and had studied the Bible for years. But when I came to Guatemala, living in a country of high illiteracy, I was forced to ask the following question for the first time in my life: "If a person's knowledge of truth depends to a great measure upon his ability to read and understand and use Scripture, and if that person's growth in Christ depends upon his being able to do the same, what about the illiterate?" Guatemala has an illiteracy rate of about 50 percent. How would those illiterate believers grow in Christ? How could they fulfill the mandate of prayer and daily personal Bible study? Translating the Bible into a person's native language, (Guatemala has over 22 distinct Mayan languages in addition to Spanish) wouldn't even begin to help him understand, in context, Scripture's meaning. Illiterate people have always depended for knowledge of the truth and for spiritual growth, not on the Bible, a book they can't read, but on the Church and its teaching and preaching. This realization was earth-shaking. I saw that evangelicalism had become, by its "Bible alone" principle, a religion of the literate elite. As a missionary taking the gospel to illiterate people, I realized I had to be absolutely sure, before God, that what I was telling them was, in fact, the Christian Faith, free from error. It had to be 100 percent Truth with a capital T. The problem was, using the "Bible alone" principle I had been taught, I had no way to be absolutely sure. I witnessed among Guatemalan Evangelicals a cacophony of conflicting teachings. Pentecostal television preachers railed against the devil and cast out demons right and left. Fundamentalist non-Pentecostal preachers were just as busy railing against the Pentecostals for speaking in tongues, which was, they warned, a sure sign that they were in cahoots with the devil. Some preachers were teaching a "health and wealth gospel" in one of the Western Hemisphere's poorest nations. Many preached American-style democracy as the "biblical" government God wanted to see in Guatemala. Baptists preached that infant baptism didn't count and that those who practice it aren't "true Christians." Lutheran missionaries were busy baptizing babies. Quakers told people they didn't need any outward symbols of Christianity. Every Evangelical preacher waved his Bible around, claiming it as his authority. "The Bible says . . ." is perhaps the most common phrase heard on the radio in Guatemala these days. With all the competing voices, how was one to know who was right? What mere man could stand up with a clear conscience before a group of illiterate people and say, "This is what the Bible means?" The sheer arrogance of what was going on made it difficult for me to listen to sermons after a while. All of them were "preaching the gospel." But whose gospel? I wondered. Around that time, a more fundamental question loomed: What is the gospel? I remember hearing one day how a Methodist missionary on one side of the mountain made a deal with the Pentecostal missionary on the other side saying, "I won't tell your people they need to baptize their babies if you won't tell mine that they need to speak in tongues." I had plenty of theological training. I knew the answers I'd learned in my Bible classes at college. I knew what I'd been told was true, but I also knew many good Christians who did not hold to some of those teachings. Even I held opinions which differed from what I was taught as a child. Still, I wanted to be able to tell a new Christian where he or she could go to church and really learn the truth about God. I began to ask myself, "What exactly is my personal theology?" I felt if only I could firm up my own beliefs, I'd be able to find the answer. The more I thought about this, the scarier my conclusions became, because the bottom line for me and for every other individual Protestant Christian was this: Theology for the modern Evangelical is a matter of his own opinion about what Scripture means. For years my husband and I had chosen where to attend church based on the following criteria: First, the teachings and doctrinal statement had to agree with our own conclusions. Second, there had to be a group of people of our socio-economic level with whom we could share good fellowship. And third, we had to be comfortable with the style of worship. The question, "Do they teach the whole truth?" never entered into the equation, because in the Protestant system of individual interpretation of Scripture, there is no way to know who has the whole truth. Protestantism offers a sort of functional agnosticism with regard to the meaning of Scripture. One simply can't know for sure. But I knew that Christ established a Church, and He meant it to contain all Truth. And I was beginning to see that in the Protestant scheme of things, this was completely unattainable. We observed many of our non-denominational missionary friends urging these people to find a "bible believing church" where Scripture was taught accurately. This was especially the case after a large crusade in which hundreds came forward to "get saved." The interesting thing was, if the missionaries were Pentecostals or Charismatics, what they meant by a "Bible-believing church" was a "Spirit-filled" church with lively music and overt expressions of the sign gifts. If the missionaries were Baptists or some other form of Fundamentalists, what they meant by "bible-believing" was a non-pentecostal church with heavy emphasis on exegetical preaching and personal Bible study (assuming, of course that the people in question could read). In our dealings with people, what we ended up telling them was to choose a church in which they were comfortable. It was the best we could honestly suggest, because every single church claimed to teach God's truth, straight out of the Bible. Who were we to say one was better, or truer, or more "bible-believing" than another? At this point I read two important books that rattled me even more. The first was Randall Balmer's fascinating, Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: The Evangelical Sub-culture in America. Balmer, a Columbia University history professor, explored the roots and traditions of my childhood religion with great respect but, nonetheless, with the impartial eye of the outside observer. For the first time, I climbed out of the fishbowl and looked in, and what I saw astounded me. My theological roots were at most only 150 years deep. Contrary to what I had been taught, my version of Christianity didn't go all the way back to the New Testament. Not even close. From that point on I had a deep desire to understand historic Christianity. I borrowed Paul Johnson's book, The History of Christianity, from a missionary friend. Over the next year I read several books on Church history. I read the works of men I had never heard of before: Anthony of the Desert, Cyril of Jerusalem, Clement of Alexandria, Basil, Ambrose, Eusebius, Ignatius of Antioch. It felt like finding new friends, Christians who knew my Lord so intimately. But their words also profoundly shook my Evangelical theology. The fact that these men were Catholic made me embarrassed and indignant. In all my years as a Christian I had never heard of these people, let alone studied their writings. I didn't know much about the early Christian Church. In seminary (we attended Biola, in Southern California) we had been taught to believe that after the death of the Apostles, the Church slid immediately into error and stayed that way until Luther nailed his Theses to the door, and then the "real" Christians came out of hiding. But what I found as I read was that in those formative first thousand years of Christian history the great doctrines, the "fundamentals" of my Christian Faith had been hammered out by the Catholics in councils and synods and by the Church Fathers who wrote and taught and preached! I discovered that although the Reformers were hailed as our heroes, the "Evangelical Protestantism" I had been raised with was quite a long way from the theology promoted by the Reformers. My denomination was a splinter group - a little, teeny, unhistorical, brand-new splinter of a splinter of a splinter. I didn't want the splinter any more. Part of the Church Christ established just wasn't enough. I wanted the whole Church, if it still existed. This is the point at which I began to have serious doubts about the doctrine of sola scriptura. I noticed that the early Church did not follow the Protestant concept of going by the Bible alone. That was a shocker! My study of the early Church showed that Scripture and Sacred Tradition, promulgated by the Church's teaching magisterium, was the model of authority for the early Christians. In place of the "One Faith," I saw in Guatemala hundreds of "faiths," hundreds of competing preachers. When there was One Faith, Christianity swept the world like wildfire. At no time in the history of Protestantism has an entire pagan nation turned to Christ. I thought of all the many pagan groups to whom the Catholic Church came and preached the Gospel and who were converted to Christ as a result: the Slavs, the Irish, the Gauls, the Saxons, the fierce Nordic races, the Japanese, Indians of South America, Africans, the list was endless. And here we were in Guatemala as "missionaries," making Catholics into Protestants. These people had been Catholic for five hundred years. All we were doing was "converting" Christians to our way of understanding the Bible. Not a very impressive thing when you compare it to the 2000 years of Catholic evangelization. The most astonishing discovery came when it dawned on me through long hours of reading and studying Scripture and conservative Evangelical commentaries on biblical sufficiency that Scripture doesn't even teach that it alone is sufficient for knowing all Truth about the Faith. Protestants presuppose sola scriptura, without giving the slightest thought to the possibility that the "Bible alone" is an incorrect view. If that presupposition were erroneous, I reasoned, then everything which was built upon it would be dubious as well. I knew I couldn't stay where I was as an Evangelical. I had been sharing my struggles with Marty, and he had been doing similar study and soul searching. We decided to resign from our mission board and return to the United States, where my husband took a job teaching in a public high school. Upon arrival back in the States we didn't know where we were headed theologically, but we did know that Evangelicalism was behind us forever. From the time we made this difficult decision to the time we entered the Catholic Church, six months went by. At first we attended a small Episcopal church, where our need for solemn worship, liturgy, and a meaningful Eucharistic experience was met to a certain extent. At this time the Catechism of the Catholic Church had just been published in English. I bought a copy and Marty and I began to read. It didn't take long for us to realize, with a mixture of anxiety, relief, and joy, that we had finally found the answers to all those doctrinal and moral questions Protestantism could never hope to answer. The Catechism was the first Catholic book I had ever read. Many more Catholic works soon followed, as well as wrenching sessions in prayer, as the truth became clear and the cost of discipleship became obvious. Years of prejudice and ignorance do not disappear overnight. We had to lay aside our Protestant glasses, as it were, and see things with Catholic eyes. Having lived in more than one culture, we'd had some practice at this. Still, it was difficult because we were on the verge of giving up our autonomy as determiners of Truth. We had always been in charge of what we believed. Our beliefs had always been stated, "I believe Scripture teaches," and now, in exploring Catholicism, we realized we were heading toward a Faith that would require us to state and believe, "The Church teaches . . ." In some ways leaving Protestantism was like a death. But new life was just around the corner. In February, 1995, Marty dialed the number for the priest at Blessed Sacrament Church and asked if we could have an appointment. Although I had led the way in some respects toward Rome by my incessant reading and discussion and questions, when it came right down to it, Marty was the one who made the call and said it was time we acted upon what we now knew was the truth. We were on the brink of a life-changing decision. Everything up to that point had been a kind of intense theological investigation without any sort of real commitment. Were we ready to take the next step? Were we willing to go wherever Christ led us? We had been willing to give up our home and friends in America and go live as missionaries in a foreign land. But now we asked ourselves if we were willing to give up everything for the sake of the gospel - not just material possessions or a job, but our reputations and the respect of our family and friends as well. We had done all the reading and studying, and praying. Now the time had come to speak with a Catholic priest. I was never more nervous in my life than I was the afternoon Marty and I walked up the steps of the rectory at Blessed Sacrament parish and rang the bell. Marty gave Fr. O'Donnell a brief explanation of our story and at the end said, "We're pretty sure we want to be Catholics." Father smiled warmly, "Only the Holy Spirit could have done this in your lives. Welcome home." I fought back the tears that welled up in my eyes. The relief was overwhelming. Home? I'd begun to think finding our true Christian home was an impossible quest. But now I knew it had been there all along - Holy Mother Church, waiting for her children to find their way into Her arms. The news of our conversion to the Catholic Church didn't go over well. Friends and family were shocked and many were angry with us. We heard all the questions and challenges. "How could Kris and Marty Franklin buy into the deceptions of the Roman Catholic Church?" "What went wrong?" they asked us and each other in dismay. "Nothing went wrong," we assured them. "In fact, everything is finally right." But they couldn't hear us. There was a lot of speculation about why we were becoming Catholics, much of it unpleasant, all of it inaccurate. Some thought we'd simply grown weary of fighting the "good fight." Others thought we couldn't handle the pressures of missionary life and had popped our spiritual corks. Some thought we must have been lured by the strange attractiveness of the Catholic liturgy, or by some wily, fast-talking, Scripture-twisting priest. One of my family members told us we had lost our faith completely and had walked straight into the jaws of Satan. The truth was just the opposite. We had found Jesus Christ in the last place anyone, ourselves especially, could have imagined, and His arms were opened wide to welcome us. Blessed Sacrament Church was packed for the Easter Vigil Mass. At Communion, the priest leaned close and whispered, "Kris, you've waited all your life for this." Then he held up Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life and smiled and said, "The Body of Christ." "Amen," I said. "I believe it." As I received Jesus sacramentally in Holy Communion for the first time, I thanked Him with all my heart for the miracle of grace He had worked in my life to unite me to Himself in this way, in a wonderful, mysterious way I could never have imagined possible. The day we landed in Guatemala City for the first time, I had hoped we were home. In reality, we were only en route to our real home, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. In the Catholic Church we have found the fullness of the Christian Faith. Not seventy-five percent of the Truth, not ninety percent, but all of it, one hundred percent. We have found real worship, shaped by and focused on Jesus Christ, not on this minister or that minister's opinion about this or that passage of Scripture. We have embraced the Faith of our Fathers, the teachings which Christ intended us to have. We found in our long, circuitous journey home to the Catholic Church that there is indeed only one Gospel, the Catholic Gospel. There is only one place where one can find the fullness of truth and the most personal of relationships with Jesus Christ - and it isn't Protestantism. The last place we looked for truth was where the Truth had been all along. We are home to stay. (1) The term "Dispensational" refers to a brand of biblical interpretation, common to Baptist and other similar Protestant denominations, in which Scripture is divided generally into five or more epochs or "dispensations." According to this theory, God deals differently with people depending upon which dispensation they are in. This interpretive theory was invented by Protestant minister J.N. Darby (founder of the Plymouth Brethren) in the nineteenth century. It was popularized in America by the Schofield and Ryrie Bibles, widely-used among Evangelicals. Dispensationalists place heavy emphasis on the "End Times," especially the "rapture" and the "tribulation."by Kristine L. Franklin
http://www.envoymagazine.com/backissues/0.1/solved.htm

Icon update, day two

2008-03-27T15:35:00.001-07:00

I don't really know anything about shading, so ... this time its much bigger, but I cut the bottom off. He is holding an eastern hand cross in this hand if one is wondering. I really need to work on the hand holding the staff, its not very good at all : ( . And my attempt at the greek caligraphy was horrible lol . The Syriac is ok looking though. The halo looks a little too big. I also attempted a paint version by copying the one from yesterday,but it was way too small and my lack of paint skill was very apparant (hence I won't be posting that). If anyone knows how to draw and has any tips or suggestions please tell me.

2008-03-26T20:15:00.000-07:00

Iconography

2008-03-26T19:18:00.000-07:00

So I decided that I want to learn Iconography. Its something I have been thinking about for ahwile, the problem is I do not know how to draw so this might prove difficult. So far I have started sketching a copy of a Maronite Icon of Mar Maron ( http://www.maronite-heritage.com/html/maronite_icons_18.html)

I will post the comparisons a bit later, so far I just have the head drawn .

Christ is Risen!

2008-03-23T10:37:00.000-07:00

Truly He is Risen!

Greetings folks who read this blog. Today is the great day of Pascha (as I am sure everyone is aware). Not really much to talk about today. I was going to post more Safro prayers but they are downstairs , so perhaps I will post them later today. Anyways , not really much going on, except writing more papers : ( .

Wa Habbibi

2008-03-21T18:56:00.000-07:00

Wa Habibi (O My Son)
English adap.: Fr. M. Labaky

Verse I
Wa habibi Wahabibi
Ayu Halen Anta Fyh
Mann Shajaka Mann Manaka
Ebnu Mann Haza Safih
Ya Habibi Ayu Zanben
Qad Sana'ta Awo Karyeh
Anta Majhudon Jarihon
Layssa Fihka Min Shifa
-Transliterated Arabic

Verse I
O my son om beloved
Se the plight love brings you to
what distress and What afliction
Wicked Men have laid on you!
O my Son , o what transgression
or what evil did you do
that you should be vexed and wounded
with no hope for any cure?

Verse II
Look on me daughter of Sion
Crushed beneath this might wave
anguish fills my very marrow
And it leads me to the grave
there is none to be a friend now
and this angry mob to brave
comming forward to console me
for the suff'ring I endure.

Verse III
I was bound and I was beaten
Like the meanest renegade
I was taken like an outlaw
and with whips to blood was flayed
for your sake I bore this anguish
that your joy be unallayed
so be hold my sad condition
have you seen travail so pure!

During the Great Friday service, me and my new friend Andrew were asked to help carry the cloth ,containing the wooden corpus of Our Lord, in procession around the church and to hold it over the heads of the people as they walked under it after the procession. Sadly I am not strong and was unable to hold it over the people's heads so I had to switch off with another parishoner : ( . The service ended with the burial of Our Lord's corpus in a tomb, covered by the chalice veil to represent that the Altar is the tomb in which Our Lord is buried in every Liturgy and then we sang the above song. The sermon was on the saving power of Christ's cross and that without Christ, the cross is a meaningless symbol. Likewise without Christ's death, His resurection is non existant, but similarly without the resurection, His death is meaningless as well.

Great Friday of the Crucifixion blogpost

2008-03-21T08:57:00.000-07:00

Today is the day in which we comemorate the crucifixion of Our Lord. So in the maronite church we celebrate the Anaphora of the Signing of the Chalice. Abouna told us today that the original Anaphora was lost in times past , but today they have reconstructed one using the Anaphora of Peter III (Sharrar). Sharrar is an anaphora that is very very similar to the the Anaphora of Addai and Mari of the Assyrio-Chaldean(east syrian) tradition, unlike the other Maronite anaphoras which are like the Syriac (west syrian) tradition. It was a very beautiful liturgy. I had attended one before two years ago, but Fr. Rudolph did not do it with nearly as much ceremony as Fr. Claude. Fr. Claude said the Qurbono facing the east, and used pre-consecreted leavened hosts from last night's Thursday of Mysteries.

Anyways this break has been pretty good. My cousin's ordination was a wonderful Mass celebrated (of course) by Archbishop Burke of St. Louis. I then went to sunday Mass at the Cathedral where Archishop Burke and the new deacons did the Palm Sunday Mass. I never knew Archbishop Burke wore the Dalmatic under his Chausable, so that was cool to see that. Monday I tried finding a shrine, couldn't though. I went to Cahokia mounds, an ancient Native American city that my grandfather had taken me as a small child. I then ate at the Dany Inn, an irish pub with amazing codfish sandwhich. I dropped in the St. Louis Catholic supply store, checked out the goods there. Came back to my aunt's house, then ate dinner at a restaurant(I forget the name). Next morning, me and my mom hit the road for home. The trip back was quite dangerous as it was pouring down rain all the way from St. Louis to Louisville , KY. Made it back safetly though. Weds. I went to St. Elias' and got some blessed bread dough after the service, then chilled at Waffle house with some friends. Thursday of the Mysteries, I went to a beautiful 2 hour long Qurbono in which Abouna used Leavened bread for the hosts (the ancient practice of the Maronites). He gave an excellent sermon on why Holy Thursday is really about all the Mysteries, but most importantly the priesthood. Then I stuck around for some adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. And now here I am typing this blog. Pretty exciting stuff. I also got to eat at a crepery (a crepe restuarant) in St. Louis. Excellent food! Grades need to be a little better, but other then that I am good in the department(or well good as long as I write these two papers for school before tuesday!) . Well I guess I don't have much else to say so, God bless.

Prayers from Safro for Great Friday of the Crucifixion

2008-03-21T08:29:00.000-07:00

Opening Prayer
"O Judge of the living and the dead,
who rewards and punishes,
this morning we raise our prayers and thoughts to you.
We share in your sufferings when you appeared before the judges,
when you played the role of the accused,
and were dragged from court to court.
You lived among us and could not be conquered by sin.
May we erase hatred,
purify our thoughts, and follow your teachings.
Thus, we shall receive pardon in this world
and on the day of judgement receive your mercy,
and glorify you, your Father, and your Holy Spirit,
for ever. Amen"

Hoosoyo(Sedro)" Prayer of Forgiveness"
"O Incarnate Word,
Son of Mary and Son of the Father,
on this day, the greatest of all history, you appeared before Pilate,
you, who are seated at the right hand of the Father.
You, remained silent before the judges,
you, through whose word everything exists.
You walked the path to Golgotha carrying the wood of the cross,
you who were seated on a chariot of cherubim,
draped in brilliant jewels.
On your head is entwined a crown of thorns,
you, whose head the heavens decorate with stars.
On the cross you are given vinegar and gall to drink,
you , who gave us your blood, the source of life.
You die on the cross at the hands of your executioners,
your, who give life to all the living.

Therefore, O God made man,
we ask to share in your humanity and divinity, your death and your life,
your scorn and your glory in this world and the next,
so that we may glorify you, your Father, and your Holy Spirit,
for ever. Amen"

The Trisagion is not part of Safro, but I think its a beautiful and holy prayer that I should add up here as well.
Trisagion(said three times)
"Holy God
Holy Might One
Holy Immortal One

O Christ Crucified for us, have mercy on us."

These are just some of the prayers for today , not the whole office. If you look up on google for the maronite podcast, or the hiddenpearl podcast, you can find a podcast of the entire Safro.

Love - part 2

2008-03-11T09:51:00.000-07:00

I had made a bulliten on myspace over the summer about the topic of love, but I can not seem to find it. If I do I will edit this post.

This is an addition to that though. I was meditating on what exactly love is and in the summer I had decided it was primarily about sacrifice and I would like to add that its a sacrifice, not because we will do actions for the one(s) we love, rather it is a sacrifice because we willingly open our hearts and make ourselves vunerable to the ones we love. Its a risky situation. The more one is willingly to place themselves in that risk, the more they care about the other. This applies to all love, romantic, platonic, and divine love. Christ is the definition of Love in that he opened Himself up to us so much that he was willingly to suffer the ultimate rejection just to better us. Likewise we are willingly to suffer rejection, whether from a romantic interest, or a friend when we make ourselves vunerable to them. We have no need of course to fear rejection from God, but even with God we can feel hurt from our love because often times God does not always give us easy choices, or easy situations in life. By opening to God, we make ourselves more vunerable to these "dry" times or "Crosses" that we must bear in life, but ultimately we know that God always loves us and wills nothing but the best for us.

Some (west)Syriac prayers- transliterated!

2008-03-06T13:20:00.000-08:00

Hail Mary
Shlom lekh bthoolto Mariam,Maliath taibootho,moran a'amekh,mbarakhto at bneshey,wambarakhoo feero dabkharsekh yeshue,
O qadeeshto Mariam, yoldath aloho,saloy hlofain hatoyeh,hosho wabsho;ath mawtan. Amin.

Our Father
Aboon DbashmayoNethcadosh shmokhteethe malkuthokh,nehwe sebyonokh,aykano Kbashmyo off bar'o.Hab lan lahmo dsooconan yawmono,washbook lan howbain wahtohain aykano doff hnan shbaknil hayobain lo thaalanil nessyoono elo fasson men beeshometool ddelokhee malkootho,ou haylo ou Teshbohto, laolam olmen Amin.

Now you can almost pray a Rosary in the language of Our Lord !

We are the heirs of Peter in Antioch; we tend the sheep with blessing and love.

2008-03-04T19:45:00.000-08:00

Chant of the Maronites

Parodos

From the wilds of Syria I come,
from the holy church of Kefar-Nabo,
fleeing the Ol-Yambus Mount,
toiling for the God who gives,
my task a task of joyful bliss,
to hymn in word and deed
our glorious Lord and God.

Let those in the street be silent,
let those in the house hush down,
let the hermits retire in prayer,
as I sing the psalms of David,
the Hallelujahs of the Lord.

Blessed is the one the Father loves;
blessed the one for whom His Son died;
blessed is the one whose life is charged
with the power of the living Spirit.
Blessed is the one whose rubric of life
is an echo of heaven's liturgy,
the one who amid the cedars
feels the wild delight of God.

Bring Christ home, children of Maroun,
bring Him from the cedars of Liban,
from the enclosures of the hermits bring Him,
bearing Him in your heart in procession,
carrying Him to every city and nation.

The message goes forth: Do not be afraid!
The Glory shines out: Do not fear!
An angel appears to an Israelite maid,
telling of wonders and of heavenly favor,
foretelling a son to sit on the Throne,
the Throne that is David's, for ages and ever.
when the Spirit comes over Mary of Zion,
when the Most High's power, like glorious cloud,
overshadows the virgin that the Holy be born.

Glory to God in the highest of heights!
Glory to God in the will of the graced!
The angels are singing the highest Hosanna,
heralding the coming of the Messiah and Lord.
Highest of high meets the lowest of low;
God's Anointed is swaddled in a trough made for oxen,
the light of the Word infuses the flesh,
Christ comes to save creation from darkness.

Strophe

O Simeon, awaiting the great consolation,
sing songs of blessing for God's good grace;
the Spirit's promise in fire and light
is here fulfilled in a baby boy;
God's salvation comes, a light for revelation,
a hope and a glory for Israel's nation.
But, Oh! Contradiction, rise and fall,
and a piercing sword in the Virgin's heart;
many are the thoughts brought to exposure,
great is the tumult of a world thrust in darkness
at the rising of the Infinite Sun!

Antistrophe

O tribe of Asher, in the prophetess Anna
fortunate are you, favorite and favored,
the oil of gladness runs over your feet!
Mighty your fortresses, iron your gates,
your strength is of God, enduring forever.
The daughter of Zilpah, most holy widow,
gives thanks to her God, will not be silent,
but speaks of the Lord to all who await;
happy is Asher, the tribe of good fortune,
to herald the one who will seal every tribe!

Epodos

Our Lord and God spoke to Peter
on the shore of the Tiberias Sea:
"Simon, son of John, do you love Me,
more than the rest of these?"
And Peter replied, "You know that I love you."
"Then, O Peter, feed my lambs."

We are the heirs of Peter in Antioch;
we feed the lambs with prayer and love.
Hallelujah!

Our Lord and God spoke to Peter
on the shore of the Tiberias Sea:
"Simon, son of John, do you love Me?"
And Peter replied, "You know that I love you."
"Then, O Peter, tend my sheep."

We are the heirs of Peter in Antioch;
we tend the sheep with blessing and love.
Hallelujah!

Our Lord and God spoke to Peter
on the shore of the Tiberias Sea:
"Simon, son of John, do you love me?"
And Peter replied, "You know that I love you."
"Then, O Peter, feed my sheep."

We are the heirs of Peter in Antioch;
we feed the Lord's sheep with praise and love.
Hallelujah!

Listen to me, O children of Maroun!
No province are you, no small group;
the garden of Maroun is the whole holy Church,
catholic and complete, it has no end,
blessed of God in memory of Peter,
only within it is salvation found.
Raise your eyes to the cedar-crowned hills:
on every hill is the whole holy Church.
Rome is a cedar in the garden of Maroun,
Liban is a hill in the city of Rome,
for each is in each, and each is in all:
for Christ is for each and in everything All.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Maronites

2008-03-03T13:22:00.000-08:00

Since January, I have come to a startling conclusion. When I think theologically, I am thinking from an Eastern basis for some of my views. I realized that the emptiness of the Novus Ordo Mass was not just the NO, but the Tridentine Mass as well. I do not beleive I am a latin anymore theologically or liturgically. I am some kind of stange hybred between the two. So I decided I will rediscern Eastern Catholicism once again. Now I fully understand the implications of the Filioque so I have no reason to worry of being led astray by photian schismatics. At first I thought the Byzantine Liturgy at St. Basil's was where I should go. It is better there, but it is not home. I realized two sundays ago that the Maronites were where I felt most comfortable. This is not really new information, I had realized this over Christmas break as well when I would go there instead of my Latin Catholic parish. I had stopped attending the Maronite Qurbono at St. Elias' as much over last summer break because I thought I should reaquaint myself with St. Andrew's since I had avoided it for so long due to my SSPX schismatic mindset. Now that I am fully recovered from this SSPX mindset, I realize that the Maronite Church had grown on me immensely. What is the point of this blog post one may ask? Well I beleive that this is the start of a serious discernment as to whether I should become a maronite or remain a latin Catholic. I am not doing this to be a married priest. Especially since in the Maronite church, a married priest's ordination is pushed much further back then an unmarried cleric. No my motivation here is a serious look at whether or not I am indeed a Latin Catholic at heart, or a Maronite Catholic. This even makes my priestly, and religious discernment harder because you must wait five years after switching Ritual Churches to enter seminary in it. At best I am looking at 26 before I could even consider entering a seminary if that is what God is calling me to. Even then, Maronite priests must learn Arabic on top of Syriac.

And then, what am I to do if I feel called to serve as a Holy Land Franciscan or a Benedictine at BAC? Would I be forced to abandon the Liturgy of my potential Church? If thats the case then would I not be better just remaining a latin? So many questions and I do not really have a maronite pastor to even ask these questions to! Abuna Bart is a nice guy, but I barely know him, and Abuna Claude I do not know either. Abuna Rudolph is off in Pittsburgh now and perhaps does not even remeber who exactly I was. There is no easy access to the maronite vocations director, excluding phone or letters. I just need to trust that God will not lead me astray and that in the end, whatever I discern, that it will be His will guiding my safetly.

There be snow!

2008-01-16T22:13:00.000-08:00

So its snowing outside, I wonder if classes will be canceled? It would be nice to refresh myself on my french for friday and my logic as well haha.Plus some mario party 8 action : p .

Cafeteria food

2008-01-15T13:44:00.001-08:00

Ok, so in light of recent developments, the cafeteria food is actually good. Its basically amazing.

Before coming back to school I took a short pilgrimage to the Holy Land of America shrine in Washington D.C. This particular location I have always wanted to visit but never got a chance. It is really neat if you ever have time and you are in D.C. or near by, I suggest very strongly that you check it out. It has first class relics of St. Bennigus and St. Innocentius. It also has sort of hit me that I could go be a franciscan in the Holy Land and minister to Catholics in the levant who are suffering immense persecution these days :( . It is something to consider in my discernment.

Christmas break

2008-01-03T21:21:00.000-08:00

Well this is going to be an usual post because general I won't be discussing myself, but here I am to discuss myself and my break. What has my break consisted of? Political interest (VOTE RON PAUL ), a week of deep spiritual growth followed by a week of spiritual decay and temptation, then followed by a week of spiritual stagnation which I find myself currently stuck in. Some serious WoW playing (almost lvl 60). So here I am, a little over a week left in break with nothing to look forward to until school. What do I plan on doing? Who knows. I would like to make a pligramage, or a retreat, or something. I don't know if it will happen though.

Ok politics time. Iowa was tonight and guess what, I was proved wrong. Ron did not get third place, BUT its ok because he did better then he was polled, he is right on the heels of McCain and Thompson. Its in essence a three way tie for third. Plus even if he had gotten third, the news would have been ignored by the media because of the destruction Hilary got tonight at the hands of Obama with a little stab by Edwards.

Monarchy vs. Republic

2008-01-03T21:20:00.000-08:00

Monarchy vs. Republic
By Otto von Habsburg

We come here to the formal aspect of the State -- the question of monarchy versus republic -- which is mostly discussed from a highly emotional rather than a rational point of view. The debate proceeds by arguments ad hominem. A few undignified occupants of royal thrones are enumerated, and are then presented as examples of monarchy as such. The defenders of monarchy are no better. They point to corrupt professional politicians, of whom there exist a sufficient number, and claim that this is the necessary consequence of a republican constitution. Neither is a rational argument. There have been good and bad monarchies -- good republics (like Switzerland), and others which are far from living up to the same standard.Every human institution, after all, has its good and bad sides. As long as this world is inhabited by men and not angels, crimes and mistakes will continue to occur... Republicans are fond of claiming that a monarchical regime means the rule of the aristocracy. Monarchists, on the other hand, point to the economic difficulties, the tax burdens, and State interference in private life in present-day republics, and compare this state of affairs with the freedom and economic well-being under the pre-1914 monarchies. Both arguments are unconvincing. They use the old propagandist trick of comparing results brought about by entirely dissimilar causes. Anyone who is honest will compare present-day monarchies with present-day republics. It will then be apparent that the aristocracy of birth occupies no greater share of leading positions in monarchies than in republics, and that all states, whatever their form of government, are equally affected by the serious problems of the present day.Republicans frequently claim, in addition, that monarchy is a form of government belonging to the past, while republicanism is that of the future. Even a slight knowledge of history is enough to disprove this. Both forms have been in existence since the earliest times (though the monarchical periods have usually lasted considerably longer than the republican ones). In any case, it is misleading to call an institution which we already find in ancient Greece, Rome and Carthage, the form of government of the future. In any objective discussion, we must also assign this question its proper place in our hierarchy of values. It is not an accident that we speak of the "form" of government. There is a great difference between the "form" and the "content" -- or purpose -- of the State. The latter is its essential raison d'etre, its very soul. The former corresponds to the bodily form of a living being. The one can certainly not exist without the other; but in any sane hierarchy of values the soul occupies a higher place than the body. The essential purpose of the State, its "content," is rooted in natural law. The State is not an end in itself; it exists for the sake of its citizens. It is therefore not the source of all law (a claim that is still far too widely accepted), nor is it all-powerful. Its authority is circumscribed by the rights of its citizens. It is only free to act in those fields that are outside their free initiative. The State is therefore at all times the servant of natural law. Its task is to give practical effect to this law; nothing more.If the mission of the State is the practical realization of natural law, the form of government is a means by which the community attempts to achieve this aim. It is not an end in itself. This explains the relatively subordinate importance of this whole question. Undoubtedly a great deal of importance attaches to the choice of the right means, since this choice will determine whether or not the end is attained. But what is lasting in political life is only natural law. The attempt to realize this law in practice will always have to take account of current conditions. To speak of an eternally valid form of government, right under all circumstances, shows ignorance and presumption. From this it would seem to follow that it is fruitless to try to determine -- mostly from the wrong philosophical premises -- the objective value of one or the other form of government. The discussion will only become fruitful if we keep in mind the end which every such form is intended to serve. It is therefore not a question of investigating what value we are to attach to monarchies or republics as such. What we must ask ourselves is which form offers the best chances of safeguarding natural law under present-day conditions.Once this point has been clarified, we can pass on to two other problems, which have frequently been dragged into this discussion and are threatening to poison the whole atmosphere. There is constant controversy about the relation between monarchism, republicanism and democracy. Here again we encounter the blurred thinking characteristic of our era of slogans and propaganda. The concept of democracy has become infinitely elastic. In Russia it is compatible with mass liquidations, secret police and labour camps. In America, on the other hand -- and occasionally in Europe -- even political theorists are frequently unable to distinguish between republicanism and democracy. Furthermore, both words are used to designate conceptions and characteristics that go far beyond the political field, and belong to the economic or sociological sphere. It must therefore be clearly stated that, generally speaking, democracy means the right of the people to participate in determining their own development and future.If we accept this definition, we shall see that neither of the two classical forms of government is by nature linked with democracy. Democracy can exist under both forms, just as there exist authoritarian republics as well as monarchies. Monarchists, in fact, frequently claim democracy functions better under a monarchy than under a republic. If we look at present-day Europe, there is certainly some truth in this argument, though its validity may be restricted in time and space. At the same time, it is necessary to point out that in small states which are strongly rooted in their traditions, like Switzerland, democracy and republicanism can coexist successfully.Still more hotly discussed is the question of monarchism and socialism, and republicanism and socialism. The reason for this is largely that in German-speaking countries the great majority of the official socialist parties are republican in outlook. Hence we find there among narrow and uneducated minds the belief that socialism and monarchism are incompatible. This belief is due to a basic confusion. Socialism -- at least in its present- day form -- is essentially an economic and social program. It has nothing to do with the form of government. The republicanism of some socialist parties does not arise from their actual programs, but is due to the personal beliefs of their leaders. This is shown by the fact that the majority of the really powerful European socialist parties are not republican but monarchist. This is the case in Britain, in Scandinavia and in Holland. In all these countries we not only find excellent relations existing between the Crown and the socialists, but one cannot escape the impression that a monarchy provides a better soil for working-class parties than a republic. In any case, experience shows that socialism remains longer in power under a monarchy than under a republic. One of the great leaders of the British Labour Party explained this by the moderating and balancing influence of the Crown, which enabled socialists to carry through their program more slowly, more reasonably, and hence also more successfully. At the same time, a ruler standing above the parties represented a sufficient safeguard to the opposition, so that it need not have recourse to extreme measures in order to regain power. It could watch developments more calmly.Whether or not this is true, the facts prove that it is unjustified to draw an artificial dividing-line between monarchism and socialism, or between monarchism and classical democracy. The same applies to republicanism. One other point must be mentioned. This is the frequent confusion, particularly among those not trained in political science, between monarchy as a form of government and one or other monarchical dynasty; in other words, the confusion between monarchism and legitimism.Legitimism, a special tie with one person or one dynasty, is something that can hardly ever be discussed in reasonable and objective terms. It is a matter of subjective feeling, and is therefore advocated or opposed by arguments ad hominem. Any rational discussion of current problems must therefore make a clear distinction between monarchism and dynastic legitimism. The form of government of a State is a political problem. It must therefore be discussed independently of the family or person who stand, or stood, at the head of the State. Even in monarchies dynastic changes take place. In any case, the institution is of greater importance than its representative; the latter is mortal while the former is, historically speaking, immortal.To look at a form of government merely with an eye to its present representative leads to grotesque results. For in that case republics, too, would have to be judged not on political grounds, but according to the characters of their presidents. This would, of course, be the height of unfairness.It should be added that among the protagonists of monarchism in republican Europe, there are relatively few legitimists. King Alfonso XIII of Spain once remarked that legitimism cannot survive one generation. It is valuable where there exists a strongly established, traditional form of government, with which most of the citizens are satisfied. But this kind of legitimism can be found in republics as well as in monarchies. One can speak of republican legitimism in Switzerland and the United States just as one can speak of monarchist legitimism in Britain and Holland. In most countries of Europe, of course, there have been so many profound changes in the course of the centuries that legitimism is less frequently encountered. Under such conditions, it is particularly dangerous to have recourse to emotional arguments.We are now in a position to define what we understand by a monarchy and a republic. Monarchy is that form of government in which the head of State is not elected, bases his office on a higher law, with the claim that all power derives from a transcendental source. In a republic, the highest officer of State is elected, and hence derives his authority from his electors, that is, from the particular group which elected him.Leaving aside purely emotional considerations, there are good arguments for both of these basic forms of government. The most important arguments in favour of republicanism can be summarized as follows: In the first place, republics are, with few exceptions, secular. They require no appeal to God in order to justify their authority. Their sovereignty, the source of their authority, derives from the people. In our time, which turns increasingly away from religious concepts, or at least refers them into the realm of metaphysics, secular constitutional concepts and a secular form of government are more easily acceptable than a form rooted, in the last resort, in theocratic ideas. It is, therefore, also easier for a republic to embrace a secular version of the Rights of Man. The advantage this form of government offers would therefore seem to be that it is in closer touch with the spirit of our time, and hence with the great mass of the population.In addition, the choice of the head of State depends not on an accident of birth, but on the will of the people or of an elite. The president's term of office is limited. He can be removed, and if he is incapable it is easy to replace him. Himself an ordinary citizen, he is in closer touch with real life. And it is to be hoped that, with better education, the masses will become increasingly capable of choosing the right man. In a monarchy, on the other hand, once a bad ruler has ascended the throne, it is almost impossible to remove him without overthrowing the whole regime. And lastly it is claimed that the fact that every citizen can, at least theoretically, become president, encourages a sense of political responsibility and helps the population to attain political maturity. The patriarchal character of a monarchy, on the other hand, leads the citizens to rely on their ruler, and to shift all political responsibility on to his shoulders.In favour of monarchism, the following arguments are put forward: Experience shows that kings mostly rule better, not worse, than presidents. There is a practical reason for this. A king is born to his office. He grows up in it. He is, in the truest sense of the word, a "professional," an expert in the field of statecraft. In all walks of life, the fully qualified expert is rated higher than the amateur, however brilliant. For particularly in a difficult, highly technical subject -- and what is more difficult than the modern State? -- knowledge and experience outweigh sheer brilliance. The danger certainly exists that an incompetent may succeed to the throne. But was not a Hitler chosen as leader, and a Warren Harding elected president? In the classical monarchies of the Middle Ages, it was almost always possible to replace an obviously incapable successor to the throne by a more suitable one. It was only with the decadence of monarchism, in the age of the courtly despotism of Versailles, that this corrective was discarded. Nothing would be more appropriate in a modern monarchy than the institution of a judicial tribunal, which could, if necessary, intervene to change the order of succession to the throne. Even more important than the king's "professional" qualifications is the fact that he is not tied to any party. He does not owe his position to a body of voters or the support of powerful interests. A president, on the other hand, is always indebted to someone. Elections are expensive and difficult to fight. The power of money and the great mass organizations always makes itself felt. Without their help, it is almost impossible to become the head of State of a republic. Such support is not, however, given for nothing. The head of State remains dependent on those who helped him into the saddle. It follows that the president is mostly not the president of the whole people, but only of those groups that helped him to attain office. In this way, political parties or groups of economic interests can take over the highest command positions of the State, which then no longer belongs to the whole people, but, temporarily or permanently, becomes the privileged domain of one or another group of citizens. The danger exists therefore that a republic will cease to be the guardian of the rights of all its citizens. This, it is stressed by monarchists, is particularly dangerous at the present time. For today the rights of the individual and of minority groups are in greater danger than ever before. Financial power- concentrations and large, powerful organizations generally are everywhere threatening the "little man." Particularly in a democracy, it is extremely difficult for the latter to make himself heard, since this section of the population cannot easily be organized and is of no great economic importance. If even the topmost pinnacle of the State is handed over to political parties, there will be no one to whom the weak can turn for help. A monarchical ruler, on the other hand -- so it is claimed -- is independent, and is there for all citizens equally. His hands are not tied in the face of the powerful, and he can protect the rights of the weak. Particularly in an age of profound economic and social transformations, it is of the highest importance that the head of State should stand above the parties... And, finally, the Crown contributes to political life that stability without which no great problems can be solved. In a republic, the firm foundation is lacking. Whoever is in power must achieve a positive success in the shortest possible time, otherwise he will not be re-elected. This leads to short-term policies, which will not be able to cope successfully with problems of world-historical scope.There is one more point we must consider before we can answer the question of which form of government will best serve the community in the future. Generally speaking, democratic republics represent a regime dominated by the legislature, while authoritarian regimes are dominated by the executive. The judicial power has not had the primacy for a long time, as we have shown above. It found its earlier expression in the Christian monarchies. It is frequently forgotten that the true ruler has always been the guardian of law and justice. The most ancient monarchs -- the kings of the Bible -- came from the ranks of the judges. St. Louis of France regarded the administration of justice as his noblest task. The same principle can be seen in the many German "Palatinates," since the Count Palatine (Palatinus) was the guardian of law and justice delegated by the King- Emperor. The history of the great medieval monarchies shows that the legislative power of the king -- even of a king as powerful as Charles V -- was severely limited by local autonomies. The same is true of the ruler's executive function. He was not, in the first place, a law-giver or head of the executive; he was a judge. All other functions were subordinate, and were only exercised to the extent necessary to make his judicial function effective.The reason for this institutional arrangement is clear. The judge must interpret the meaning of law and justice, and to do this he must be independent. It is essential that he should not owe his position, his function, to any man. The highest judge, at least, must be in this position. This is only possible under a monarchy. For in a republic, even the highest guardian of the law derives his position from some other source, to which he is responsible and on which he remains dependent to some extent. This is not a satisfactory state of affairs. His most important task is not to pass judgment in actual legal disputes, but to stand guard over the purpose of the State and natural law. Above all, it is the task of the supreme judge to see that all legislation is in accordance with the State's fundamental principles, that is, with natural law. The monarch's right to veto legislation passed by parliament is a remnant of this ancient function...The future form of the State will be something entirely new, something which will represent principles of eternal validity in a form appropriate to the future, without the errors of the past...The hereditary character of the monarchial function finds its justification not merely in the "professional" upbringing of the heir to the throne. Nor is it merely a question of continuity at the summit of the political hierarchy, though such continuity is highly desirable when it is a question of planning for generations to come. Its deepest justification lies in the fact that the hereditary ruler owes his position not to one or another social group, but to the will of God alone. That is the true meaning of the frequently misunderstood words, "by the grace of God," which always signify a duty and a task. It would be wrong for the ruler by the grace of God to regard himself as an exceptional being. On the contrary, the words, "by the grace of God," should remind him that he does not owe his position to his own merits, but must prove his fitness by ceaseless efforts in the cause of justice.While there is thus much to be said for a hereditary transmission of the supreme position of the State, there is also one serious drawback, which has already been mentioned. If the succession occurs automatically, there is the possibility that the throne will be occupied by an incompetent. This is the greatest danger of the monarchial system. On the other hand, this danger only dates from the period when the inflexible legitimism of Versailles came into being, and the safeguards present in one form or another in most classical monarchies disappeared. Such safeguards would therefore have to be built into any future monarchical constitution. It would be wrong to hand this task over to political bodies, as that would open the door to private interests. The decision should be left to a judicial tribunal. The king, as the highest constitutional judge of the State, cannot exercise his function in a vacuum. He will have to be assisted by a body representing the highest judicial authority, of which he forms the head. It is this body which should pronounce on whether a law or a regulation is constitutional, that is, in accordance with the purpose of the State. When the ruler dies, the other judges will continue in office. It should be their duty to pronounce on the suitability of the heir presumptive, and, if necessary, to replace him by the next in succession.The activity of the head of State will undoubtedly go beyond the purely judicial field. He will have to control the executive, since it is his duty to see that the decisions of the judicial power are carried out in practice. Nevertheless, all these tasks will remain of secondary importance. It is in his judicial function that a twentieth-century monarch will find his primary justification.

2007-11-28T22:19:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNSCRuxMoTU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ta29rp7k2po

My two youtube creations. Perhaps they may be of interest?

2007-11-28T22:06:00.000-08:00

"And how shall I call upon my God, my Lord and my God? because that when I invoke Him I call Him into myself: and what place is there in me fit for my God to come into me by, whither God may come into me; even that God which made heaven and earth? " - St. Augustine, Confessions Book I chapter II.

It is divine providence I just happened to come accross this in my search for a decent blog name , for Augustine has uttered in these few lines a statement that all of us can ask ourselves. I have always felt an affinity for the Bishop of Hippo for I feel I can relate to him. I, a person who once made no effort to not live a sinful life who now continuosly (or well most of the time...) travels the path of repentence and yearns for a union with God.

What is the point of this blog? I don't know. I once had a blog before but I felt it was not very useful and abandoned it, left like the various pieces of space junk that orbits our planet as I type. Why am I creating a blog when I should be writing exegisis on Paul's letter to the Romans for college? Thats the question that should be asked here lol. Anyways, perhaps it will be a good place to reflect or gather my theological wanderings into some sort of coherent body. Or another outlet to distract me from school haha, we shall see.