I pray you are well in the wilderness. I understand how isolation can be difficult, but soon you will be counted more blessed than us because of it.
I am passing on to you my most recent email that I sent to my parishioners and others regarding this recent news. God give us strength. I will be including in this email our sister Joanna.
We must look closely at what the Ontario authorities said: "Communion" not "communion in a spoon". Many are missing this point. They think there will be some workaround available, like giving it in the hand or directly in the mouth like the Church did in the first few centuries. No, the demons are smarter than that and they are being very direct. Anyone who does not see the outright persecution of this is deluded, at best. Fr. Seraphim Rose's words seem so prophetic. If only he'd known how bad it would get!
God cover you.
Fr. Photios
My brothers and sisters,
You've undoubtedly read the email sent out by our Deacon Fr. James which included a video of a (New Calendar) priest announcing his inability to give Communion. I was moved to tears by the video, and so was my family. Here is an article with the video.
https://orthochristian.com/132432.html
This affects every type of church in Toronto, ours included. We have thousands of parishioners there.
When a man is ordained to the priesthood the Bishop lays the newly-consecrated Lamb on his hands and says "Take this and guard it well, for it will be asked of you again at the dread Second Coming." Our whole life is centered toward the Eucharist. Every service we have is a preparation for receiving the life-giving Body and Blood of Christ. Without this we are not Christians.
Without Holy Communion there is no priesthood.
There is a point in the video where the priest says "And I feel that I cannot share with you today any sermon because I feel that I cannot talk about faith, about Christ." Without Holy Communion or even the prospect of receiving it, there is no strength behind what a priest says in his sermon.
Then the priest ends with something so powerful and true: "I feel that at this moment I only want to ask God to forgive us, to forgive our little faith, to forgive our weakness, to forgive us because we are not worthy to keep the great blessing of the Orthodox faith."
WARNING: Sensitive Readers can now stop reading and go about their day.
Despite what some may like to think, if we do not have Holy Communion we are NOT ORTHODOX, and WE ARE NOT CHRISTIANS. If we are not constantly orienting our lives in the direction of receiving the Eucharist, we are faithless. "I'll just pray in my home and stay pious." That's delusional at best. I know those who say such things and their lives are far from God.They don't pray in their homes. They don't fast. They don't study the Faith nor teach their children. They don't cultivate lives of piety directing themselves to the heart of the Church, Holy Communion. It's one thing if Communion is taken from us, but another when we purposefully absent ourselves from it and the Orthodox lifestyle that leads to it. I am reminded of the words of St. John of Kronstadt: "It is remarkable that, however much we trouble about our health, however much care we take of ourselves, whatever wholesome and pleasant food and drink we take, however much we walk in the fresh air, still, notwithstanding all this, in the end we sicken and corrupt; whilst the saints, who despise the flesh, and mortify it by continual abstinence and fasting, by lying on the bare earth, by watchfulness, labours, unceasing prayer, make both their souls and bodies immortal. Our well-fed bodies decay and after death emit an offensive odour, whilst theirs remain fragrant and flourishing both in life and after death. It is a remarkable thing: we, by building up our body, destroy it, whilst they, by destroying theirs, build it up – by caring only for the fragrance of their souls before God, they obtain fragrance of the body also.”
They are trying to take the Church away from the faithful!! This is persecution!! The Ontario MOH goes on to detail how the persecution will look: "“Suspend[ing] activities that increase risk of disease transmission, including,” “Sharing or distributing materials or objects, which may include but is not limited to: books, communion, microphones, prayer mats, prayer shawls, water, etc.” and it continues, "“Suspend indoor singing activities and choir service,” and limit participation in services to no more than 30% of the capacity of the premises."
This is the elimination of everything we do!!!! Do we not see this?! We must come to our collective senses! Again:"I feel that at this moment I only want to ask God to forgive us, to forgive our little faith, to forgive our weakness, to forgive us because we are not worthy to keep the great blessing of the Orthodox faith."
My brothers and sisters make no mistake. This will come to us. In California they have banned church singing. I even linked to a Communist, Pravda-like news source lest anyone think I was leaning "too conservative". Over what? In Oregon alone the deaths are barely -barely- over 1%! The news is hyping all the skyrocketing cases of the disease. Of course there are greater numbers because there are more tests available! What they aren't highlighting is the paucity of the number of deaths! This disease is a relative wimp! This is no conspiracy! The numbers are right there!
And we are supposed to give up our religion for it?! Think about that! No one should be okay with this! There is quite literally nothing to fear with this virus! We have greater killers in our everyday living than this, influenza being one of them! The governments are trying to control us and the virus is the perfect pretense.
Please, my brothers and sisters, join me on my knees before the Lord, asking "God to forgive us, to forgive our little faith, to forgive our weakness, to forgive us because we are not worthy to keep the great blessing of the Orthodox faith." Prioritize what is truly important. Listen to the words of St. Basil the Great: "Trust therefore in the goodness of God and look for His support, knowing that if we turn to Him rightly and sincerely, not only will He not throw us away completely but even as we utter the very words of prayer, He says to us 'Behold, I am with you.'"
May God give us all strength. Let us pray! Let us repent! May God accept our supplications!
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