Plus
A Random Internet Sharing: Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall
be comforted: On the Pilgrims' Way, A Journey to the New Jerusalem
Dan Everiss Sun, Jan 10, 2016 at 1:51 PM
We all are but traveling passing pilgrims on this earth, seeking a far away permanent city, Whose founder and builder is God, -The
Heavenly New Jerusalem, The Eternal Kingdom, to partake,
unendingly, of the ineffable Marriage Feast of the Most Holy Lamb of
God, with all of His Saints and Angels, He Who WAS , Who IS, and Who IS
TO COME! Our Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End! May we be so worthy, when our earthly pilgrimages end. God grant this! AMEN.
«И пришла звезда, и остановилась над местом, где был Младенец» (Мф. 2, 9)
Свет небесного огня привел волхвов к месту, где родилась во плоти
Любовь. Как же нам радостно это осознавать, и на каждой литургии
приступать и принимать в свое сердце Любовь. Господь сказал всем нам:
«По тому узнают все, что вы Мои ученики, если будете иметь любовь между
собою». Если будем иметь Христа между собою, то и другим сможем
показать, где родился и обитает Спаситель мира, Христос. Но, к большому
сожалению, в нашей жизни порой бывает наоборот: те, кто призван
оказывать любовь, проявляют не терпение и не милосердие. При любом
случае в жизни как церковной, так и мирской, ищут моменты не
объединяющие нас, а разделяющие. Иссякает любовь в наше теперешнее
время, и первыми, к сожалению, в этом ряду стоят те, кто должен эту
любовь проявлять. Даже Рай без Любви - это ад. В ветхом завете архиереи
и книжники, которые должны были являться образцами любви, первыми
выдвигают обвинения Христу и ждут от Него извинения и принесения
покаяния в Своих делах. Так и теперь мы ждем и требуем от нашего
ближнего, что бы он первым попросил прощения и стал перед нами на
колени, а если он и это сделает, то мы выдвигаем новые преграды на пути к
примирению, пока не удовлетворим своего самолюбия. Люди ищут недостатки
в других, чтобы осудить их за это и оправдать свою нелюбовь к ним. А
Господь ищет в каждом из нас, чем бы оправдать и спасти нас.
Тьма покрывает дорогу, чтобы мы сбились с пути. Но где же в наши дни
та звезда, которая волхвам-язычникам указала путь? Нет с нами тех
светил православия, которые освещали Русь православную своими примерами и
жизнью во Христе. Нам остались от них поучения и наставления, чтобы мы,
как звезды сияют на небосклоне, так сияли в лоне Церковном. Мы не
должны искать этот свет в ком-то и смотреть, как кто-то ведет себя, мы
должны начинать с себя. Нам никто не мешает, кроме самих себя,
следовать за Христом. Нам не помогут наши оправдания, что время такое -
это мы такие в это время живем. Мы - каждый по отдельности, и все вместе
- должны сиять и освещать путь для других, а не ждать что нам кто-то
осветит его. Каждый приход несет в себе всю полноту Христовой Церкви,
является воплощением всей неистощимой глубины Христова попечения о мире и
человеке. Поэтому в каждом храме, за каждой литургией Христос вновь и
вновь преподается нам в Таинстве Евхаристии, когда хлеб и вино
становятся Его Телом и Кровью. Приход, как и вся Церковь, прежде всего -
Тело Христово. Люди, объединённые в приходе, ставят перед собой
единственную задачу – совместное вхождение в Царство Божие. Поскольку
приход, как и вся Церковь, олицетворяет непрестанно продолжающуюся жизнь
Живаго Христа в мире, христианская община, православный храм, уже есть
то начало Царства Божьего на земле. Об этом и свидетельствуют все
приходящие в храм к Божественной литургии, где духовным очам, зрению
сердца открывается это Царство Небесное возгласом: «Благословенно
Царство…». В основе приходской жизни, должно лежать стяжание Царства
Небесного ибо «Царствие Божие внутрь вас есть». В послании к Римлянам
апостол Павел говорит: «Царство Божие - не пища и питие, но праведность и
мир и радость во Святом Духе». Христианская община с ее храмом, со
святым Престолом, на котором совершается Божественная Евхаристия, по
самой своей сути должна быть ступенью в ЦАРСТВО Небесное, порогом в него
из этой земной жизни. Вот когда мы можем увидеть и указать то место,
где родился Христос, и указать это всему миру.
В этот день Рождения на земле Любви, я хочу своих пастырей,
монашествующих и всех верных чад нашей епархии поздравить с началом
нашего спасения - Рождеством Христовым и наступающим новым 2016 годом.
+ Софроний, архиепископ Санкт-Петербургский и Северо-Русский.
"And the star came and stood over where the young child was" (Matt. 2: 9)
Skyfire-light led the Magi to the place where He was born in the flesh,
of Love. How can we realize this joyfully, and at every liturgy and
begin to take into our heart, this love? The Lord said to all of us:
"By this all will know that you are my disciples, if ye have love one to
another." If we have Christ among ourselves, then others will be able
to be shown by us, where He was born and where lives- the Saviour of the
world. But, unfortunately, in our lives it is sometimes the opposite:
those who are called upon to provide love, do not show patience and
mercy. In any case, life as a church [organization] and our worldly
minds are not influencing us to unite, but to divide. This dries up
love in our present time, and the first, unfortunately, in this
scenario, are those who should show us, be examples to us, of this
love. Even paradise, without love, - is hell. In the Old Testament
the high priests and scribes who should have been examples of love,
were the first to bring charges against Jesus and to wait for an apology
from Him, and their own repentance, they ignored and they put behind
them. So now we wait and we demand from our neighbor that he first apologize and bow down on his knees in front of us, and if he does, then we
propose new obstacles to reconciliation, as we are still not
satisfied, in our pride. People look for faults in others, to condemn
them for them, and to justify their dislike of them. While, the Lord
looks for, in each of us, what would justify and save us.
Darkness covers the road that we have gone astray on. But where
today is the star that pointed the way to the Gentile Magi? We should
have contact with that light of Orthodoxy, which covered Orthodox
Russia for its examples of life in Christ. We should abide with their
teaching and learning, that we, like stars shining in the sky, will so
shine in the bosom of the Church. We should not look for that light in
someone else and observe how someone else behaves, but we must start
with ourselves. We have no one who can stop us, but only ourselves, to
follow Christ. We cannot use as our justification, that- 'how evil
this time is', -though we are living in this time. We - individually
and collectively - have to shine and light the way for others, and not
wait for someone else who will light it. Each parish bears the fullness
of Christ's Church, and is the embodiment of all the inexhaustible
depth of Christ's care for the world and man. Therefore, every parish
church, every liturgy of Christ, again and again nourishes us, in the
Eucharist where the bread and wine become His Body and Blood. Each
parish, as well as the whole Church, first of all - is the Body of
Christ. The people united in the parish, are gathered together solely
for the task -of our joint entry into the Kingdom of God. Since the
parish, as well as the whole Church, embodies the constantly extending,
life of the living Christ into the world, the Christian community, the
Orthodox Church, is already the beginning of the Kingdom of God on
earth. For this purpose and with all this wisdom, we come to the
temple to the Divine Liturgy, where the eyes of the spiritual, the
vision of the heart, is announced as the Kingdom of Heaven is opened
with the exclamation: "Blessed is the Kingdom ...". At the heart of
parish life, it should be centered on the acquisition of the Kingdom of
Heaven because "the kingdom of God is within you." In the Epistle to the
Romans, the Apostle Paul says, "The Kingdom of God - is not eating and
drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." The
Christian community with its temple filled with the Holy Spirit, in
which takes place the Divine Eucharist, by its very nature has to be a
step into the kingdom of heaven, the threshold path to Him, from this
life. That's when we can see and specify the place where Christ was
born, and point others to it around the world. On
this birthday in the land of love, I want our pastors, religious and
all the faithful of our diocese to be congratulated by myself, with
the beginning of our salvation -Greetings with the Nativity of Christ!,
and Happy new 2016 year!
+ Sophronius, Archbishop of St. Petersburg and North-Russian.
Fwd: Sharing for Reflection: Our Bear Friends!- "Can't we all just get along!?"
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Dan Everiss Date: Wed, Dec 30, 2015 at 7:20 PM Subject: Sharing for Reflection: Our Bear Friends!- "Can't we all just get along!?" To:
IMPORTANT
NEWS!: On-going efforts at unifying the various Greek Old Calendarist
Jurisdictions, Visit of Metropolitan Cyprian of Oropos and Fili, to
Cyprus-
Thus
has began the process of unification between the Church-GOC.of Greece
(Synod of Archbishop Kallinikos) and the GOC Autocephalous Church of
Cyprus, with its Primate Metropolitan of Kition, and the whole of
Cyprus and Sevastianom, [the Matthewite Greek synod] headed by
Archbishop Stefan.
The
photographs show the initiator of the [recent] union of Metropolitan
Cyprian of Oropos and Fili (the Younger), with the GOC Synod of
Archbishop Kallinikos, in the Cathedral of Cyprus. Friendly relations
between the divided Greek Old Calendarists (eg 'matfeevitam'i and
'Florinites'),...i.e. the Mathewites and the Florinites, were existing from the time of the late SIR Metropolitan Cyprian, who had repeatedly met with the late Archbishop Andrew (vozglavitel "matfeevitov" in the 90s).
Let us pray for the fathers, the brothers and sisters that the Lord God
will help heal the wounds of division and unite us in a common love and
faith.
FW:
An Informational Sharing: RTOC-Trenton Bishop Stefan (Sabelnik), Moves
To An Autonomous Status (in original Russian and with an unofficial
human-English translation)-
From: Dan Everiss [mailto:oregdan@hotmail.com] Sent: Monday, November 30, 2015 2:49 PM To: Undisclosed-recipients: Subject:
An Informational Sharing: RTOC-Trenton Bishop Stefan (Sabelnik), Moves
To An Autonomous Status (in original Russian and with an unofficial
human-English translation)-
Note: This English translation ( the work of kindly brother Vladimir Djambov in Sofia)..THANK YOU VLADIMIR!, is an unofficial... one,
and if Vladyka Stefan finds any fault with it, I await his correction. But for English-only readers, the rough machine-English translation, was
just too blurred in meaning, to share with anyone. Rd. Daniel in Oregon
За
неимением своего епископа, в марте 2007 года мы на временных началах
перешли под омофор Синода Русской Истинно-Православной Церкви, и мы
благодарим Иерархию РИПЦ за молитвы и опеку в течении этих восьми с
лишнем лет.
Приблизительно
год спустя я получил удостоверение от всех епископов РИПЦ в котором они
засвидетельствовали что они в полном согласии касательно нашего
возможного выбора управляться автономно.
Удостоверение
гласит: «Мы, в полном единогласии между собой и заручившись поддержкой
Освященного Собора, выражаем своё согласие на Вашу свободу в выборе
дальнейшего пути строительства автономной церковной жизни в зарубежной
части Поместной Русской Церкви. Вы можете оставаться членом Синода
РПЦЗ... или сразу управляться автономно на соборных началах общения с
нами...» (полный текст может быть представлен по нужде). Удостоверение
собственноручно подписано: Архиепископ Тихон, Архи- епископ Вениамин, и
Епископ Гермоген– и было лично передано мне Протоиереем Георгием Цап
5/18 ноября 2008г.
К
сожалению опыт последних нескольких лет показал что преодолевать
большие растояния, денежные расходы, и тяжелые и частные поездки на
синодальные совещания невозможны, а руководствоватся письменно с другими
иерехами тоже не дело - вечно вести переписку касательно разных
обсуждений практически невозможно. За последнее время возникло много
недоразумений и проблем из за этого. А проблемы здесь не только из за
отсутствие какой либо переписки; За последние три года я не получил ни одну копию протокола какого
либо заседания Синода. Это само по себе указывает на дальнейший путь по
которому наша Зарубежная Церковь вынуждена итти – особенно после того
что было объявлено что Синод РИПЦ не будет более публиковать протоколы
своих заседаний!? - так что и на компьюторе не найдешь!
Насколько
я понимаю, Архиепископ Тихон не является первоиерархом РИПЦ, а
председателем Синода РИПЦ. От этого числа, наша Северо-Американская
Епархия переходит на автономное управление согласно Удостоверению 2008
года епископов РИПЦ. Естественно, я выхожу из состава Синода РИПЦ - и
следовательно и логично, председатель синода РИПЦ архиепископ Тихон
далее не будет поминатся в наших храмах за нашими богослужениями.
Но
это отнюд не значит что мы порываем общение с РИПЦ. Мы будем отселе
поминать РИПЦ - нашу Сестру-Церковь – как «Православное Епископство
Гонимыя/Истинныя Церкве Российския».
В
этом заявлении я всячески избегаю нанести оскорбление кому либо. Очень
возможно кто либо не пожелает оставаться под моим омофором. Пусть такой
человек поступит по Церковным Канонам: испросит «Отпустную Граммоту» (15
Правило Св. Апостолов и 17 Правило 6го Вселенского Собора)
Я
ничего не буду иметь против исполнения желания такого человека. Таким
же образом: если кто пожелает перейти под мой омофор, надеюсь что
епископ РИПЦ также исполнит просимое того человека – но это,
естественно, решение епископа.
Моё желание: Чтобы мы преодалели все неприятности, и возносили бы наши молитвы Господу Богу в мире и любви.
С любовию о Господе.
† Епископъ Стефанъ, Трентонский и Северо-Американский
11/24 ноября 2015г.
Иконы Божiей Матери Иверскiя-Мvроточивыя
Источниk ===================================
A human-English translation:
(Kindly done by Vladimir Djambov, with some English usage input, from Reader Daniel).
Our
aim is to accurately convey the meaning, without changing it, but
putting it into understandable correct English....with a few added in
red, notations, to better clarify to the readers, the people and their
titles, being discussed or addressed.
Rd. Daniel
RTOC Bishop Stefan (Sabelnik), 'Of Trenton and North America', has switched to an autonomous existence
Author: InternetSobor incl. on November 27th, 2015. Posted in Alternative Orthodox (Views: 192)
Because of the absence of our own
bishop, in March 2007 we moved – into a temporary canonical basis –
putting ourselves under the omophorion of the Synod of the Russian
True-Orthodox Church, [RTOC-under Archbishop Tikhon Pasechnik], and we thank the RTOC hierarchy for their prayers and their guardianship during these eight-plus years.
About
a year later, I received a certificate from all the RTOC bishops, in
which they attested that they were in full agreement regarding our
possible choice,to be governed autonomously.
The certificate reads:
"We, being in full unanimity among ourselves and having enlisted the
support of the Holy Synod, we express our accord to your freedom in the
choice of your future path of building up your autonomous church life
within the Outside-of-Russia part of the Local Russian Church. You may
remain a member of the ROCOR [i.e. RTOC] Synod ... or directly go to an autonomous governing status on the conciliar [sobornost] principles of communication [inter-communion] with us..." (the full text can be made available if necessary). The certificate was personally signed by: Archbishop Tikhon [Pasechnik], Archbishop Benjamin, and Bishop Hermogen – and was personally handed to me by Archpriest George Tsap on 5/18 November 2008.
Unfortunately,
the experience of the past few years has shown that overcoming the
long traveling distances, causing the spending of much money, and the
difficult and private trips to the synodal meetings, have become
impossible for myself, and for myself to be guided in writing with the
other hierarchs, is also not feasible,– to always have to conduct
church matters via correspondence, regarding various discussions, is
virtually impossible. Recently, many misunderstandings and problems have
arisen because of this. But the problem here is not only due to the
lack of any whatever correspondence; Over the past three years I have received not one copy of the minutes of any meetings of the [RTOC] Synod. This in itself indicates the further path, which our Church Abroad [RTOC] has
to go - especially after it was announced that the RTOC Synod will no
longer publish the minutes of its meetings!? – so that, one will not be
able to find such decisions even by using a computer!
As
far as I understand, Archbishop Tikhon is not the Primate of RTOC, but a
chairman of the RTOC Synod. As of this date, our North American Diocese
[RTOC-Trenton], switches to an
autonomous governing status according to the 2008 Certifying decision of
the RTOC bishops. Of course, as I go out of the RTOC Synod – therefore
and logically, the RTOC Synod chairman, Archbishop Tikhon will no longer
be commemorated in our [RTOC-Trenton] churches in our services.
But this by no way means that we are severing our communication [communion] with
RTOC. We will henceforth commemorate RTOC – but as our Sister Church –
as the "Orthodox Episcopate of the Persecuted / True Church of Russia."
In
this statement, I avoided to by all means, hurling insults at anyone.
It is quite possible that some may not wish to remain under my
omophorion. Let such a person act according to the Church Canons: obtain
by entreaties a "Charter of Manumission" [a canonical release] (Canon 15 of the Holy Apostles and Canon 17 of the 6th Ecumenical Council)
I
will not hold anything against the fulfillment of such a person's wish.
Thus also, if someone wishes to come under my omophorion i.e. of my RTOC-Trenton jurisdiction], I hope that the RTOC Bishop would also fulfill that person's request – but that, of course, is a decision of that bishop.
My wish: That we overcome all troubles, and offer our prayers to the Lord God in peace and love.
With love in the Lord.
† Bishop Stefan, of Trenton and North America
11/24 November 2015.
Day of the Icon of the Mother of God Iberion–Myrrh-Streaming
From: Dan Everiss [mailto:oregdan@hotmail.com] Sent: Monday, October 19, 2015 5:01 PM To: Undisclosed-recipients: Subject:
A General Sharing: A happy and sad, walk down memory lane: Historic
video of Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, before the Lavr Skurla
lead betrayal of a large part of ROCOR to the MP, in 2007
This
holy place, now subservient to and an arm of the still captive, MP, a
pseudo-Russian church, founded by Joseph Stalin in 1943, and still
uncanonical and still uncleansed.
Most
of the clergy here shown, historic and well respected leaders of the
Russian Church in Exile, as also with many of the laity, are now long departed from this earth. Memory Eternal!
Most did not live to see the 2007 betrayal of all that they stood for and worked for.
Our sister GOC church to our ROCA: Patronal Feast at Fili Monastery in honor of Holy Martyrs Cyprian and Justina
Fr. Gregory
<frgregory@sjkp.org>
Mon, Oct 19, 2015 at 4:12 PM
To: "Williams Fr. Gregory" <frgregory@sjkp.org>
Apologies where this is a duplicate, but it does give
some sense of "togetherness" (to borrow a word from my late
mother-in-law). The church building you see here was only just begun
when I was there in early 2000 -- the older church, while still in use,
had been badly damaged by a recent earthquake. Eleni has been there a
couple of times since my visit, but whether this new church was by then
completed I don't know. If you know him, and persist far enough down
in the photos, you'll find one of Bp. Ambrose. Fr. Ioanniky/John seems
to hidden himself from view (not surprising).
Subject: General
Sharing: (MANY beautiful photos!): Our sister GOC church to our ROCA:
Patronal Feast at Fili Monastery in honour of Holy Martyrs Cyprian and
Justina
In
an atmosphere of piety and spiritual joy there was committed the Vigil
for the Feast of the Holy Martyrs Cyprian and Justina in the monastery
dedicated to them, in Fili (GOC Greece).
His
Eminence Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Attikiysky, who arrived at the
Festival at the invitation of Metropolitan Cyprian of Oropos and
Fili, preached the Word of God.
Participating
in the celebrations were other hierarchs of the GOC- Greece as well as
the [ROCA], Bishop of Voronezh, Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church,
the Old Calendar bishops from Romania and Italy, the abbot of the
monastery - Archimandrite Theodosius, with dozens of priests, deacons,
sub-deacons, the delegation of the convents and hundreds of the
faithful.
The special solemn liturgy's singing, was given by the Byzantine choir, under the conducting of the monk Dionysius.
The
next day, the Divine Liturgy was led by Archbishop of Athens and All
Greece, His Eminence Kallinikos. He was joined by Metropolitan Cyprian
of Oropos and Fili, who also celebrated with him, on that day the
Namesday of Metropolitan Gerontius of Piraeus and Salamis, with
bishops: Chrysostomos of Attikiysky and Beotikiysky, Bishop Gregory of
Hristianupolessky, Photios of Marathon, Michael of Noriysky Ambrose of
Mefonsky, Sofronii of Suceava, Glycerius of Iasi, Dionysius of Galatia,
Gardikiysky's Kliment, and with (ROCA) Kirill of Voronezh.
At
the end of the liturgy there was held a procession with the holy icon
of the celebrated martyrs and their holy relics around the monastery. A
great number of people participated in the procession and the
festivities in general.
Thus
has began the process of unification between the Church-GOC.of Greece
(Synod of Archbishop Kallinikos) and the GOC Autocephalous Church of
Cyprus, with its Primate Metropolitan of Kition, and the whole of
Cyprus and Sevastianom, [the Matthewite Greek synod] headed by
Archbishop Stefan.
1/14 - 2/15 October 2015